Page 58 of The Player I Can’t Pick

She wants space, I’ll give it to her but only four days.

And then I’m coming back, and when I do, I’m going to show her how good it can be between us.

CHAPTER 22

NICOLE

I’m nervous. Not about the game but about being here. I keep telling myself I made the right decision and that coming to San Antonio to tell Guy I love him too makes sense. I didn’t get a lot of sleep because I kept thinking I was going to call him and tell him, but I thought this was something I should do in person.

I didn’t call and tell him I was coming because I wanted this to be a surprise. My stomach is doing flip-flops as the game gets started. I’m wearing my Jasper Bears jersey with my last name on the back of it, and I’m sitting in the very back row of the family section.

I’m holding my breath when I see Guy come up for his first at bat, and I can see he’s still wearing my hair tie on his wrist. I lean forward in my seat and watch as he steps into the box. He adjusts his gloves, taps the bat once against the plate, then looks toward the pitcher. The first pitch is way inside, and he has to step back to avoid getting hit. Ball one. My eyes round when I see the speed was a hundred miles per hour. From here, it looks like the second pitch is on the corner of the base. The umpire yells out, “Strike!”

Guy steps back out of the box, does a few practice swings, takes a breath, then gets back into position. The pitcher throws the next pitch, and it’s so fast, I barely see it. I hear the crack, and it’s like one big gasp as the stadium reacts. I’m on my feet, hands to my mouth, watching in horror.

It all happened so fast, I’m not sure where exactly the ball hit him, but he’s on the ground, and he’s not getting up. I have never in my life been somewhere with so many thousands of people and there be no sound.

I scream his name. “Guy!”

He still isn’t moving, and then all of a sudden his team and coaches are running. I search for the team doctor, and he’s sprinting across the field. I hear the sirens for an ambulance, and I hold my breath. Oh my God! He’s hurt. Guy is really hurt… and I didn’t tell him how I feel.

I wrap my arms around myself and whisper, “Get up. Please get up.” But all I can see are people hovering over Guy. I tilt my head backwards and close my eyes, pleading, “Please, Guy, I need you to be okay.”

My heart is racing so hard it feels as if it’s coming out of my chest. It feels like I’m standing here for hours when it’s probably only a few seconds. When two men carrying a stretcher come onto the field, I shake my head. “No.”

People start talking all around me, but I can’t take my eyes off Guy lying on the field. They lift him onto the stretcher, but his face is turned the other way, and I can’t see if he’s conscious or not. I know it’s bad, and I start moving. I push my way down the row, mumbling apologies as people shift out of my way. By the time I reach the concourse, I’m running. I run down the stairs and lean over the fence to the bull pen. “Dad!” I scream.

He rises up and looks at me. He’s surprised to see me, and he waves at the security guard to let me closer. “What are you doing here, Nikki?”

I’m shaking. “Dad, I came to see Guy. Where are they taking him?” When he doesn’t answer right away, I ask him again, “Where? Where are they taking him?”

He puts his hands on the fence. “Calm down, honey.”

“Where are they taking him?”

Dad shakes his head. “I don’t know yet.”

I plead with him. “Find out. Please, can you find out?”

“Nikki—”

“Please,” I beg.

Dad nods. “Do you have a car?”

I nod.

He sucks in a breath and lets it out. “I’ll find out. Go to your car. I’ll text you as soon as I know.”

I nod. “I love you, Dad.” Then I run and don’t stop until I’m at the car. My hands are shaking, but I finally get the key into the ignition, and just as the car starts, my phone dings with a text.

Antonio Baptist. I’ll send room info when I have it.

I put the hospital name into the GPS, and as soon as the car starts saying the directions, I pull out of the parking lot. It feels like it takes hours to get there, and I’m sure I hit every red light. All I can think about is Guy lying on that stretcher, and it takes everything in me not to pull over and start bawling right here.

Why didn’t I tell him how I felt yesterday when he said he loved me? Why? The thought hits me hard, and I know it’s something I’m going to regret forever. By the time I pull into the emergency room parking lot, I’m barely able to hold myself together. I run inside and go straight to the registration desk.

“Guy Brody. He was just brought in from the Bears game.”