Page 17 of Knox
“Yeah. I mean, I understand why he’d think that’s his only option. His son means everything to him, but I know it would wreck him to leave baseball behind. I’m actually starting to worry he might give it up even if Mallory survives. He’ll probably want to stay and help with her recovery.”
He hadn’t said as much, but if her injuries were severe enough to warrant her being in a medically induced coma, then it was likely she’d need a lot of assistance once she got out of the hospital. Knowing my boyfriend, he’d want to do everything he could to help the mother of his child.
“So, you want to find out if there’s anything else he can do?” Matthewson clarified.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t want him to make a permanent decision when there might be some temporary solutions.”
“Well, I’m glad you came to us,” Parker said. “There’s some precedent for players taking a leave of absence. It’s not common, but it’s not unheard of either. There are several reasons someone might miss some time. Family emergencies, mental health, stuff like that.”
“And the front office would be okay with that?” I asked.
“We’d back his request, and I think, given the circumstances, they’d be understanding. The league did a lot to support my dad when we lost my mom,” Parker replied.
Anyone who grew up watching Aron Parker play knew the story of his mother passing away when he was a young kid. His father played for the San Francisco Giants and was their top player at the time.
I nodded. “If Mallory has a long recovery and Crew decides he needs to be with Grady during that time, would that be okay?”
“I’m sure we could work something out. Extended leave, roster exemption, maybe even a reassignment to the minors if that worked out,” Parker advised. “No matter what, we can find a way that he doesn’t have to quit playing all together.”
“You could also hire a nanny and bring in people to help with Mallory’s care once she’s home,” Gage chimed in. “You guys will be on the road, but you also have homestands too, so you won’t be gone all of the time.”
A nanny wouldn’t be a bad idea. Maybe we could find someone to help take care of Mallory if she needed it, and then another person to watch over Grady.
“Thank you.” I let out a breath. “I probably shouldn’t be making plans behind Crew’s back?—”
“You’re not making plans,” Rockland cut me off. “You’re doing what any of us would do in your situation. You’re thinking ahead and making sure he doesn’t burn everything down when things feel hopeless.”
He was right. I wasn’t trying to take control of the situation. I just didn’t want Crew giving up something he loved if he didn’t have to.
“Now, let’s finish eating. Drew made some killer brownies I can’t wait to dig into.” Parker chuckled.
We hung out around the table for a while after that, talking about baseball and what we’d been up to since the season ended. Eventually, I thanked everyone again and left to go home to Crew, where I looked forward to sharing the information I’d gotten.
By the timeI got back to Crew’s condo, it was already dark and past Grady’s bedtime. I let myself in quietly and locked the door behind me.
Crew looked up from the couch where he was watching the Bruins play the Kraken. “Hey.” His voice sounded tired.
“Hi. Is your friend playing?” I nodded toward the television.
Crew had grown up with Levi Sexton, a right winger for the Boston Bruins, and they’d reconnected last year at the ESPYs.
“He is, and already scored a goal.” He turned down the volume of the game. “You were gone a while.”
“Yeah.” I set my keys on the coffee table. “I went to Parker’s and ended up talking to him and Matthewson and their husbands.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “What’d you guys talk about?”
I took a deep breath. “I wanted to know what your options are. To see if you could take time off without giving up baseball.”
He balked. “You went to our manager behind my back?”
“It wasn’t like that,” I rushed out. “Ever since this morning, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you quitting. And I get it. I really do. But what if there are other things you can do instead?”
He turned off the TV and tossed the remote down beside him. “I can’t believe you’d do something like that without even talking to me about it first.”
“You’ve got so much on your plate. I didn’t want?—”
“This isn’t about what you want or don’t want.” He stood. “It’s about my son. You don’t get to decide what I do when it comes to him.”
