by Tyler, Nella
I left my beer behind and ran out of the stands. I needed to get to my father immediately to find out what had happened to him. I needed to get to him as soon as possible before it was too late.
Chapter Eight
Everything was happening so fast, my mind was just spinning with the phone call. As I made my way out of the stands, I noticed that Bennett looked over at me just before I ran out of the stadium. I had no time to notify him of anything. I needed to get out of the stadium as soon as possible, and get to the hospital. I didn't have time to tell anyone where I was going, I just need to get out of there as fast as possible. I wasn't sure what was going on with my father, but I didn't want to waste any time. If there was a chance that his condition was serious, I needed to be there with him. I was not going to be one of those people that showed up to the hospital too late. I wasn't sure what the nurse had meant when she said that my father collapsed. Was it a heart attack? Why had he collapsed? That was the answer that I need to get – and quickly.
I wished that I could tell Bennett what was going on, but I didn't want anything to distract him from his game, nor did I have the time to tell him. I would've tried to give him a look, but my panicked heart just forced me out of that stadium as fast as possible.
It took me a tortuously long 10-minute ride to get to the hospital. I wanted to vomit all the way there. I was so upset. I probably should have taken the opportunity to call someone, anyone, to meet me at the hospital. But the only thing I could think of was my father and how I need to get there to be with him. I could have called Connie or left a message for Bennett, but all I could think about was my father. He was the only thing that I could think of, he was the only person on my mind, and I feared what kind of news I would hear once I arrived.
I parked my car and ran to the front doors of the hospital. The doors opened quickly as I approached, as if they knew just how serious the situation was. They knew I could not wait to open the door myself they just swung aside and let me in. I ran to the front desk and demanded to know where my father was. The attending nurse gave me his room number and I ran down the hallway as fast as my legs could carry me.
I burst into his room where he was lying in the bed with the doctor standing beside him. He was awake, thank God, and I could tell just by looking at him that he was going to be all right. I wasn't sure what had happened, but at least I knew that he was going to be all right.
“Oh my God, Daddy, what happened?”
“It's okay, Emmi. There is no need to be upset. I'm fine.”
“Daddy, if you were fine, you wouldn't be laying in a hospital bed. Now tell me what happened.”
“Don't you worry your little head about what happened. I don't want you worrying about nothing.”
“What are you talking about, Daddy?”
I looked up at the doctor for an explanation. By the look on his face he looked quite surprised by my father's responses.
“Well, as much as I would like to agree with your father, it's not as easy as it sounds. Your father suffered from a heart attack on the way to the baseball game. He is very lucky to have pulled through it, it was a good thing that he was able to get to the hospital as quickly as he did.”
“Oh, come on now. There is no need to get her worried and worked up,” my father said.
“Dad, please, you're not helping, and if you are sick you should be honest with me. I want the truth, even if it is scary.”
I looked back at the doctor and asked, “Is he going to be alright? Honestly, just tell me.”
“Yes, your father is going to be just fine. The worst is over and he will recover. You have nothing further to worry about.”
“Thank you.”
I looked back at my father and I bent over to hug him tight. I didn't like the thought of him being helpless. My father was always strong. It scared me to think that a heart attack could rip him away from me.
“I love you, Daddy, and I'm not leaving your side.”
Chapter Nine
“Hey there, Emmi, is everything okay?”
Confused, I looked up at my father and he was smiling knowingly. I could imagine who was talking to me, that the voice is so familiar. I turned around to see Bennett standing behind me. Why wasn't he at the game? What was he doing there, standing right behind me in such a natural way that it was like he belonged in the first place? Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stood there, confusedly staring at him. How had he knowing that I was there? How did he get there so fast? “Bennett, what are you doing here? How on earth did you even know I was here?”
“Emmi, I have been watching you all night. You know that, I could barely keep my eyes off you during the entire game. Your daughter is a very beautiful woman, you should know that, Sir,” Bennett said. “Emmi, I saw you on the phone crying, and I couldn't understand what could possibly have happened. But I knew it had to be serious enough for you to be crying in the stands and serious enough that you would run out on my game.”
“I'm sorry,” I whispered. “I had to be here to see him.”
“My God, Emmi, please don't apologize for something like that.”
“You left your game, though, why would you do something like that.”
“I had to leave the game, Emmi. I love you.”
“But you left, which means you also left your chance of pitching the perfect game. Bennett you were doing so awesome. You could have pitched the perfect game. Why would you do that? Why wouldn't you just wait until after the game to come and find me?”
“Darling, if you have to ask that, then you have no idea much I love you. I couldn't possibly wait. I knew it had to be something serious and I knew you probably needed me. To be honest, I need you, too.”
“Oh my God, Bennett.” Tears just kept falling from my eyes. I couldn't make them stop. I couldn't believe the things he was saying to me and how amazing a man he was. He had left the game that he probably shouldn't have left to be with me in my time of need. It was possible that I was falling in love with him all over again. I was completely stunned and wasn't sure what to say to him. He had shocked me once again.
“I'm sorry, Sir. I know you're probably displeased with me that I left the game when I have not hit the major leagues quite yet. But you need to know that your daughter is the most important person in the world to me and if she's upset, I need to be there for her no matter what. And in the end it is just a game, she is the person that I love.”
“Son, you have nothing to apologize for. It was very admirable for you to have left a game to be with my daughter. It lets me know that she is in good hands and that you can take care of her if necessary.”
I looked back at my father and smiled, so surprised that he said those things to Bennett. Maybe you could teach old dogs new tricks after all. I wasn't sure if I should be mad at Bennett for leaving his team or whether I should just be overjoyed that he was willing to drop everything to ensure that I was all right. Wasn't that what I wanted in the first place? For him to pick me above everything else, even the game. I was thrilled that he was there with me and it made me love him that much more.
“I love you, Bennett, so very much.” He came over and wrapped me in his arms and hugged me as tight as possible. He kissed me on top of the head had never felt more safe in my entire life.
Chapter Ten
My father looked over at Bennett and said, “So is all this true? You've really given up the chance of pitching a perfect game to be here with my daughter? I didn't get to see any of your game before I collapsed and was brought into the hospital. But by the sounds of it, you are doing pretty great. Really gave all that up to be here at the hospital with Emmi?”
“Yes, Sir. And I know that I let my team down when I did so.” I knew by the look on Bennett's face that he was afraid my father was going to be disappointed in him again. He was afraid that he was going to lose his chance at being in the major leagues because he let his team down.
“Like I said, Sir, I had to come because I'm in love with Emmi. She
is the most important person in the world to me and I need her by my side or I am not going to be successful. I know you told me I could wait until I got to the major leagues to find a girl, but that's just not going to happen. Emmi is the only girl that I'm ever going to want. And I truly believe that I can love her and play baseball and make it to the major leagues with her by my side. I can do both, trust me.”
I was overjoyed by what Bennett had to say about me and about our relationship. I was a little nervous, however, that my father would not approve. He hadn't exactly been the most supportive father during the course of our relationship. And he had a large part in almost destroying it – something that I would still one day talk to my father about. He can't always be in control of everything, especially when it came to two people falling in love and trying to make a situation work. I loved Bennett more than anything. And it was just as important to his career that I am there to support him all the way. Bennett was looking pretty nervous himself, as he looked at my father hoping for the best. But to both of our surprise, that was not how my father reacted at all. Steve smiled at Bennett and said, “You should never be ashamed of the love you have for my daughter. To be honest, I had no idea. My daughter isn’t exactly the best person to fill me in on these sorts of details. She also probably thought I wouldn’t be very supportive and that's a mistake that I made. What you did was noble and you should never apologize for doing something noble. You both have my blessing in this relationship and I know, Bennett, that if anyone can get to the big leagues with a girl on his arm it's you.”
We both laughed and embrace one another. I hugged Bennett tighter than I've ever hugged anyone in my entire life. I was just so happy. We parted our hug and kissed each other softly on the lips. It was a perfect moment.
Epilogue
One Year Later...
The day was hot and humid, but I couldn't have been happier. I was sitting in the stand at a home game for a professional baseball team called the South Carolina Stingrays. It was my father's team, and there is no better time to watch his team than now. I was focusing intently on the game; it was, after all, my job now. Instead of classes, this particular semester I was interning at the stadium of my father's team with hopes of securing a sportscaster position when I graduated from college. My father couldn’t have been happier that I wanted to intern for his team more than any other team. And of course I would, where else would I be? I wanted nothing more than to be a part of my father's team in a way that benefited my career, not necessarily as a means of taking the reins once my father retired.
I reveled in being around baseball. I was having so much more fun now than I did in any classroom atmosphere had a college. That was the best part of being an intern; you got to be part of the action finally. It is not so much about what you learned in the textbook, it was more about having a hands-on experience doing the one thing you loved. And I truly loved every moment of it.
I was talented enough myself that I had no doubt that I would be able to secure a position with the team after I graduated college. I knew exactly what I was doing and I was really good at it. I was there on that particular day to cover the game. I sketched out the play by play as I sat in the stadium with a beer in my hand. Did I happen to mention that I loved my job? But it was more than that, so much more. It wasn't just about this particular game with this particular team. I had a lot more invested in the team's wellbeing that extended far beyond my sportscaster duties.
I loved baseball, there was no denying that, and as a sportscaster, I would probably try to remain as close to baseball as possibly could because it held a special place in my heart. I love so many things about it, and I couldn't really see myself loving any other sport more.
Watching the game, I could tell it was a close one, and the Stingrays were going to go up to bat next. But I was hopeful they could pull out a win, they had some extraordinary talent.
There was my father, standing off to the side overseeing the game as he always did. As I watch the batters get up, I took in the sight of my father enjoying every bit of it. Being at the hospital had been scary, but he had recovered fully and was healthier than ever.
I love to watch my father work; he poured his heart and soul into the game as he always did. That was why he was a legend, after all. He was watching the game just as intently, maybe more, as I was. He loved it just as much as I did. And we had an excellent team that year; we couldn’t have asked for better players. They were going to take our team as far this it had ever been. My father beamed with pride as he watched his players come closer and closer to winning the game.
It was hard to believe how different things had been a year ago. My father being in the hospital after a heart attack and the relationship between Bennett and I almost ending before we realized we would do just about anything not to lose each other. We were so close to losing each other, until we both came to our senses and realized that love really was more important than anything else. I couldn't imagine where my life would have been right now I'd I lost Bennett. Would I have met somebody else? Would I have always missed him? Would I be dating yet another baseball player? Life had been basically hanging in the balance back then, when my father suffered his heart attack. It had come so very close to being a bad situation for him, and I was oh so glad that he pulled through it. He had changed his diet and some of his bad habits so that he could live a healthier lifestyle and be a part of all of our lives. Considering everything that had happened since his heart attack, it was scary to think how close he had come to not being part of any of it. The very thought of it brought tears to my eyes and I was overcome with a feeling of thankfulness, thankfulness for my father being in my life. To experience all the joy that has been brought into my life and this past year. I had never been happier and I was glad my father was there to see it all come around.
Just then, my attention was torn away from my father and brought back to the field. A new batter was coming up to the plate almost out of nowhere. He stood there strong and ready, waiting for that ball to be thrown his way. He hit a fantastic home run. It's actually the first home run this player has hit in his entire major league career. I beamed with pride as I stared down at him as he ran from plate to plate. There are two other players on plates ahead of him and both my father and I stand up excitedly with the rest of the fans. I could even see the excitement on my player’s face. He knew he had done really, really well. And that was what a professional career was all about – making sure that you did your best at every game to take your team to the top. I looked over at my father and grinned, reading the look on his face. We were both very proud of our players and of the team in general. As we watched the play ensue before us, the batter and the other two players made it home, pulling out into a solid lead against the other team.
That wasn't just the only great play of the game. After the home run, the team went ahead and scored a couple more good runs. Things were getting close, and it was starting get hard to tell who was going to win.
When the third batter struck out, I knew that the team was going to have to fight to keep their win and not plunge the game into overtime. Overtime was always a tricky place to be in, if you took your team there, there was a chance you could lose everything. My father and I did not want an overtime game. We wanted our team to win and win fast. I smiled as I saw Bennett Thomas take the field. He looked strong and sexy as he walked out. I beamed with pride as I saw him. Just the sight of him made me get to my feet once again and cheer excitedly for him. That was my man, after all. I had all the faith in the world that he was going to turn this game around for us. The crowd cheered loudly, roaring with excitement.
Just as he had done his AAA team, Bennett had become very comfortable with the major leagues quickly and it was no big surprise that he had learned how to ensure a win for his team. And that was exactly what my father and I were counting on. It didn’t take Bennett long to strike out the first three batters that come out onto the field, winning the game for the Stingrays. The c
rowd jumped to their feet, going wild all around me, and I could not stop smiling as I watched it all go down. I couldn’t have been prouder as I watched Bennett being cheered on by everyone around us. My father was clapping loudly as he stared out onto the field at Bennett. My man had made it to the major leagues and having him on the Stingrays made it just that much better. Now I could spend most days with him and still do my job.
I wasn't about to wait another moment to see Bennett. I got out of my seat and made my way down to the field. I could see Bennett standing there amongst his teammates, getting all the congratulations he deserved. I ran across the field towards him and just as he turned around to face me I jumped right into his arms. I was grinning like an idiot and there was a smile on his face, as well.
“Oh, baby, what are you trying to do, kill me?” he asked as he hugged me tightly. We pulled apart briefly so that we could kiss. The thing I loved about Bennett and his kisses was that he knew how to kiss me so very passionately. The guy knew what he was doing when it came to kissing. When we finally pulled apart, I turned around and noticed my father standing close by and clapping loudly.
“Thatta boy! That's one way to celebrate a win. Good job, son, I couldn't be more proud of you.”
I ran over to my father and embraced him, hugging him tightly. Bennett came over and I grabbed both my father and my boyfriend and gave a large hug. The three of us hugged so tightly, we were all just bound together like family. No matter what happened in my life, there was nothing that would be able to take away the feeling of completeness that I had in that very moment. The feeling that I had having both my father and Bennett in my life and knowing everything had just worked out just as it was supposed to. In that moment, all was right in the world.