Maid For Beckett Catching The Baseball Legend’s Heart novel Chapter 219

219 Plus Sign

219 Plus Sign

~Beckett~

It’s a perfect afternoon for baseball. The sun will set in an hour; the temperature is plummeting, and the crowd is as hyped as the players. Each time the audience would roar the Brighton Reaper’s chant, I felt the ground rumble.

If the team was hungry for a trophy, the fans were hungrier to cheer for the team.

Then Squabble Up by Kendrick Lamar blasted from the speaker. They called my name, and I jogged towards the mound, then cheer rained down on me. Sixty thousand eyes watched me with excitement, and sixty thousand pairs of hands applauded me.

I was loved by the fans. All of my teammates were, and every time we’d have a home game, the stadium was always full. My heart pounds in the rhythm of Kendrick’s voice. I let myself absorb it all. The moment, the noise, and even the feel of the ball in my hand. I breathe it in, every bit of it.

I was always grateful for the love I received each time I’d step on the mound, but something was different today.

Today, everything was magnified, and I know this career killer on my left shoulder had something to do with each.

Having TOS made me realize that every pitch could be the last time I would step on the mound. I was running on fumes, and it was already reaching rock bottom.

I tilt my head to the sky, basking in the glory of being a pitcher for my team. I try to memorize it: the taste of adrenaline, the way the dirt feels under my cleats. Just in case something happened, I don’t want any regrets.

A familiar ache pulsed in my left shoulder as I rolled it. I slide a gaze in the dugout, searching for Doc. His lips were pursed as he nodded at me. I didn’t know I would feel lighter after talking to him. Now I feel like I had someone on my side against my TOS. It was a boost of confidence, a trust in fate that everything will be okay.

It’s the National Finals. Everything comes down to tonight. If this is gonna be my last game, I have to give it my all.

I nodded at Jace on the home plate. I threw a few pitches at Jace while the first batter tested the swing of his bat on the side. The umpires were in position, and when the batter stepped on the batting plate, I wiped my sweaty palm on my pants and rolled the ball inside my gloves.

I threw a pitch. A fast ball in the middle that got the batter staring at the pitch. I felt a pinching pain in my shoulder, but it was tolerable, much like in the previous games.

The second the ball leaves my hand, the biting pain clamps onto my shoulder. My teeth ground, and my face scrunched. That pain was more severe than the first one.

I huffed. It was loud and deep. I was fighting through this pain. There was no way I was letting anyone know I was going through this.

I threw another pitch. The impact thuds into Jace’s mitt. Strike one. The crowd roars. Some even brought a drum, and it trembled through the stadium. I force myself to focus, not on the pain, but on the pitch and on the batter. Fastball, low and away. Strike two. Curveball, snapping hard. Strike three. First out.

The ache kept pulsing in my shoulder, but I pushed through it.

The second batter stepped on the plate. He fouls off two, then chases a slider in the dirt. Second out. My exhale was frequent as I tried to shake out my arm. The third batter smacks a grounder to the left side. Max, our third baseman, scoops it and throws it to first. Out! And that ends the first inning. I walk off the mound with my shoulder screaming, but I don’t let it show.

It’s a good thing that everyone knows not to talk to me when I’m pitching. I was in my own world and could stay focused that way.

I dropped onto the bench in the dugout, chasing my breath as I willed my mind to shut out the pain. Some might say I had been an expert on this by now. But the pain just won’t shut the fuck up. It kept pulsing and pulsing the longer I stayed on

the bench.

It’s worse than before. I closed my eyes, then leaned my head back. The next time I opened my eyes, Doc was already walking towards me.

He doesn’t show it, but his concern was evident in his eyes.

He stayed standing in front of me, shielding me from my teammates. Everyone was watching the game, so he didn’t have to worry that much.

“How was it?” His voice was low enough that I could hear him.

makes my face scrunch in pain.

“Robbie is ready to pitch,” Doc murmured. “Think you can stay until fourth?”

Mooked up at him with a blaze in my eyes. “I can pitch the usual, Doc.”

We were both surprised that Jace was already sitting beside me. He held his bat, and his knees were covered in mud. He had already finished batting and was securing his guards.

“You good?” Jace asked.

I nodded at him. I haven’t told Jace about my TOS, but I know he could feel the changes in my pitch. My command was off and at times, he would chase my pitch because I was losing control.

“Yeah,” I lied, and Doc was already walking back in front of the dugout.

Jace secured his sheen guards and slid a glance at me. “It’s not worth losing your arm, Beckett.” He murmured. “The team can handle this game. You should rest.”

I stared at Jace. He doesn’t realize that this isn’t just a temporary problem. If I leave now, I would lose my confidence, and/ my TOS would win. I can’t let that happen.

I managed to make it through the fourth inning, but I was wasted as fuck. Even lifting my arm to grab a glass of water was a struggle. I had to step out of the dugout before anyone noticed something was up with me.

With my gloves in one hand and the glass of water in the other, I walked futher away from the noise of the game. The roar of the crowd was silenced by the thick walls of the hallway, and I didn’t expect to see anyone in the hallway while the game was still on.

I paused on my track when I saw Andi pacing the hallway. She was wearing my jersey, the team’s cap, short denim shorts, and sneakers. Her brunette hair was braided on one side, and she was lost in her thoughts. She doesn’t even realize that I was already walking up to her until I was only five steps away.

“You… you startled me!” She jumped to her feet and placed a hand on her chest, her blue eyes as wide as saucers.

I chuckled, and suddenly I was transported to a place free from the pain of my TOS.

“Where were you?” I asked, walking up to her but leaving enough distance so she doesn’t smell the scent of the game on me. I was covered in sweat and dirt. “You didn’t even see me walk up to you.”

She swallowed hard, dropped her hand, and smiled wearily at me. “I didn’t expect you to come out so early. Is your arm okay?”

Andi was the only one who would voice that question. Jace and Doc both have their own ways of inquiring how I was doing without revealing that there was something wrong with me. Andi’s question was so direct that if someone were to hear her, I’d be in big trouble.

I rolled my shoulder to show her I was fine. “All goods.”

She nodded, shifting her foot as she stared at my gloves. “Are we leaving now?”

I shook my head. “I have to be with the after-game media con.”

“Ahh,” she let out a soft sigh. “Are you hungry then? I’m starving.”

I tilted my head to the side. Something was off with Andi, I just can’t put a word on it. It’s like she was nervous about seeing me, but it’s not the usual excitement I see in her eyes. It’s something else.

“Sure. I’ll just go ahead and change,” I said, already walking backward to the lockers.

She watched me with longing in her face as I disappeared through the hallway. I took the fastest shower I had ever taken in my entire career. One minute tops, and I jogged back to the corridor. Andi was still there, leaning against the wall of the hallway.

I walked up to her and threw an arm around her as we walked up to the canteen. There were a few diners in the canteen, and I had to drop my hand from Andi’s shoulder before anyone noticed me.

I walked behind Andi, and she headed for the hotdog stand. She ordered three, and I thought that was all for me. But then she turned around and asked me, “You?”

I was shocked because those hot dogs could already feed the two of us, but she was really waiting for my reply

“Three for me,” I said to the cashier whose hands were trembling as she accepted my money. Then Andi headed to the pearl cooler station and ordered vanilla, specifically with no pearls.

219 Plus Sign

A few moments later, we were seated at our table, and Andi delved into her food as if she hadn’t eaten the entire day. I watched her eat with enthusiasm, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

“What?” She frowned at me with her cheeks stuffed with hot dogs.

“Nothing,” I shook my head and started eating my hot dogs. Then this time, Andi was the one watching me, as if my hot dogs were much better than hers. “What?”

“Can I have some?” she asked, which got me confused. We both ate it from the same stall, so I think they taste the same. “This?” I asked, offering my hot dog, and she nodded eagerly. Despite my confusion, I gave her my hot dog, and she gave me hers. She was smiling the entire time she was eating my hot dogs, as if she got the better piece than I did. It tastes the same, though.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify