Just a Little Faith

by Amy J. Norris

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Over the next few weeks, Paxson read various newspaper and internet articles about Seb. There were photos of him in several nightspots around town, girls surrounding him while he smiled for them and the camera. It appeared Sebastian wanted to “recover” from this injury the same way he “recovered” from his failed marriage. Her heart ached seeing his handsome face yet not recognizing the man in the photos. A stranger.

  She learned from Michael Seb requested to meet with him outside LLS, stopping at her door afterwards.

  “What did he say, Michael?”

  “We agreed to postpone doing any more work for LLS until he’s back on the playing field. Between what his doctors told him and how he’s feeling, he thinks it will be probably Spring Training of next year.”

  “Oh, really? I didn’t know it could be that long of a recovery.”

  “The knee is tricky. Most people can recover well enough but for a professional athlete like Seb, you can’t take a risk with it not being completely ready when you step back out on the field.”

  Michael walked over beside her desk and touched her shoulder. “He asked about you, Pax. He wanted to make sure you were okay. I told him yes. He wanted to know if you liked your seat at the games. I didn’t tell him you hadn’t been back since his injury. I figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.”

  “Did he say why he won’t call, Michael?”

  “No, but I think he’s feeling pretty sorry for himself these days. I imagine there might be some guilt over how he’s treating you rolling around in his head too. Give him some time, and he’ll come around.”

  The days and weeks passed. Determined to put Sebastian Quinn out of her mind, Paxson dove into her work and church family, allowing it to consume her every waking minute. Spending time with her family from church gave her opportunity to take her mind off of her troubles and concentrate on doing for others.

  Besides visiting Children’s Hospital on Thursdays, she added Tuesday to her schedule as well. The kids always helped her put things in proper perspective. She generally left happier than when she came.

  Pushing little Cassandra down the hall to her room after her last visit, they discussed the latest movies being shown in the entertainment hall. “I think the newest Disney movie will be out on DVD next week. I’ll make sure and stop by the store and bring it the next time I come.”

  “That will be great, Miss Pax. I know we’ll all enjoy it.”

  “Miss Pax. We haven’t seen Seb lately. Is he ever going to come back?”

  After putting the brakes on the wheelchair, Pax came around to kneel in front of the little girl. “I don’t know, Cassandra. You know Seb hurt his knee pretty badly right?”

  Cassandra nodded her head.

  “Well, getting better from a surgery like that takes a lot of time and Seb is pretty busy trying to heal up so he can play baseball again.”

  “Oh. Like we take medicine to try and heal up too?”

  “Kind of. Seb doesn’t have to take the medicines and stuff like you kids do, but he has to go to therapy a lot and work on getting his knee to bend better. It’s a hard and painful process.”

  Apparently satisfied with her answer, Cassandra nodded. “Well, Miss Pax next time you see him, tell him we miss having him here, okay?”

  Biting her lip to keep it from quivering, Paxson stood up and released the brake. “The next time I see him, I’ll be sure and tell him you said that, Cassandra.”

  After leaving the hospital, Pax hurried to her apartment, threw on her running clothes, and headed out to the local park. Jogging for several miles, she prayed with each step. She asked for God’s blessings on the kids at the hospital and for their treatments to be effective. She prayed she could keep her mind focused on what mattered most. Even though she tried not to think about him, Pax prayed for Sebastian. She prayed one day he might realize the life he was choosing to live wouldn’t give him the answer to his troubles.

  She also prayed to not miss him so much.

  ****

  The first Thursday of June, Paxson decided to take a half a day off of work and go downtown for a rare afternoon game during the week. I loved the Cardinals before I met Sebastian Quinn, and I won’t let what happened between us overrule my desire to enjoy this game again. Besides, I need the escape for a little while.

  Work at the office had been challenging lately. A couple of potential clients were still trying to decide on a proposal Michael and Paxson had written. With Seb’s lack of participation, the office staff scrambled to find someone of his caliber for their marketing campaign.

  Plus, the night before, the nurses from the hospital called Pax to tell her little Cassandra from Children’s Hospital seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. Her chemo stopped working, and the doctors didn’t think she would live through the weekend. Paxson drove toward the Stadium with a heavy heart. Coming from the hospital before the game, she felt sure she had seen Cassandra for the last time. Her body so weak it wouldn’t be long before it surrendered to the cancer.

  Exiting off the interstate onto Park Avenue, her cell phone rang. Not taking the time to check the Caller ID, she answered quickly. “Hello, this is Paxson.”

  “Pax.”

  Her heart stopped beating. “Sebastian?”

  “It’s me, Pax. I’m sorry I haven’t called you in so long. I don’t have a good explanation for it.”

  Once she felt confident her heart started beating again, it felt like it would pound out of her chest. “I know you’ve been through some difficult times lately, Sebastian. I hope your recovery is going well.”

  “I guess it’s going as well as possible, considering the amount of cleanup work they did on my knee. I, um, was hoping maybe I could see you. Maybe grab a cup of coffee or something.”

  Paxson felt a tear slide down her cheek. “Of course, Seb. I would love to see you. Just tell me when and where.”

  “How about seven o’clock tonight at Perks… You know where we had our first date?”

  Paxson smiled at the memory. “Of course. I remember. That sounds wonderful. I look forward to it.”

  Silence greeted her on the other end of the phone until she heard his voice whisper, “I’ve missed you,” then the click of the phone.

  She slowly placed the cell phone on the console between the two front seats, a smile crossing her face. Sometimes things did work out if you just had a little faith. She was amazed at the ways God could take a difficult day and all at once turn it on a dime just with a phone call and three simple words. Maybe today would be better than she hoped in more ways than one.

  This last thought made her happier than she’d been in weeks.

  Squealing brakes caught her attention. She glanced up. Her world went dark.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sitting in his car, Sebastian hung up his phone. For the first time since opening day, he stared across the parking lot at the stadium. He had to go back. He missed playing, but he also knew he hurt not only himself but his teammates by not coming out to support them. They’d done well in his absence. Winning almost every series they played and as of today they were in first place with a six-game lead over the next team in the standings.

  Taking a deep breath, he pulled the handle and aided with a cane limped into the locker room.

  Voices shouted at him from every direction. “Seb! Where you been man?”

  “What’s this? Ready for the old folk’s home already?”

  “Look at you coming crawling in here like you’re a member of AARP!”

  He shared several hugs with the players before they dressed for batting practice.

  Laughing, Seb knew their jokes were all in fun. He felt better emotionally than he had in a long time, and he enjoyed the camaraderie of the team.

  He limped over to the locker beside his old one and sat on the bench beside his protégé Carter Manning, who kept his head down while he tied his cleats.

  “Carter, how you doing, son?�
�

  The young man looked up, his lips forming a small smile. “Hey, Seb. I’m doing okay. I um. Well, I’m glad to have made it to the big leagues. But I’m sure sorry for how it happened. I hope you don’t hold it against me.”

  Seb laughed. “Hold it against you? I’m proud of you, son. You’re a great athlete, and your being on this team is well-deserved. I’m glad management saw the potential I did. You’ve had a great season so far. I hope it continues.”

  When Carter breathed a sigh of relief, Seb put his arm on his shoulders and pulled him close. “But don’t think this position is yours next year. I’ll be back at Spring Training, and I’ll be in the best shape of my life, so you better beware.” Slapping him on the back, he laughed, and hobbled down to Linc and Rangy’s lockers at the other end of the room.

  “Well, look who finally decided to come back to work!” Rangy jumped up from the bench and hugged Sebastian. “It’s sure good to see you. I thought you were just gonna leave us and never come back to the park.” He snapped his shirt at Seb’s chest.

  Seb smiled. “I know, Rangy. It took me a bit to get back to my senses and come around. But I think I can say I’ve got my head screwed on straight now. I’m ready to be a part of the team in any way I can.”

  Linc placed his hand on Seb’s shoulder and tightened his grip. “It’s good to see you, Seb. We’ve missed you. It hasn’t been the same without you here among us.”

  “I’ve missed you, too, Linc. I appreciate you supporting me in my therapy, and I appreciate your friendship with everything I have been through. It’s meant a lot.”

  “Well, enough of this sappy stuff, let’s get busy!” Rangy slapped him on the back as they made their way out toward the field.

  Seb sat in the dugout, receiving well-wishes from his teammates, while yelling encouragement. Watching them take batting practice, he felt his pocket vibrate and then the faint sound of his cell phone ring. Yanking it out of his pocket, he answered.

  “Seb. It’s Michael Stratford from LLS. You need to get over to St. Louis University Hospital. Pax has been in an accident. I don’t know the extent of her injuries, but an ambulance took her to the ER.”

  Sebastian’s heart dropped. No, No, NO! He would not go through this again. He couldn’t lose someone so important to him. Not now. Please. Hopping off the bench, he yelled for Linc and Rangy, who ran over from the batting cage.

  “What’s going on man, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

  “I’ve got to go fellas. Michael just called. Pax has been in an accident and is at St. Louis Hospital. I need to be there.”

  “Oh man! Go! Let us know when you find out anything, we’ll come as soon as the game is over.”

  Limping as fast as he could from the dugout, and out the back of the Stadium to the car, Seb had only one thought. He had to get to Pax. He had so much to tell her.

  ****

  Entering the emergency room, he looked for Michael in the crowd. Seeing the dark headed man sitting in a seat along the far wall, his hands covering his face, he hurried toward him. “Michael, what do you know?”

  Face haggard, and eyes dark with worry, Michael looked up. “We don’t know too much right now. Apparently, while driving down Park Street to come to the game, a guy ran the red light at the intersection and T-boned her on the driver’s side. I’ve called her parents, and they’re going to get on the next flight they can.”

  “Call Tori, and tell her to get it all arranged for them. The flight, pickup at the airport everything, I’ll take care of it. I don’t want them to worry about anything. She can call Jim if she needs to, and he’ll do whatever he can, too. In driving over here, I also called Scott Turner, our head trainer for the Cardinals. He is going to see what he can find out and get back to me as soon as he can. We’ll get her through this. I know it.”

  “She’ll be so glad to know you’re here, Seb. She’s missed you.”

  Sitting down in the chair beside Michael, Seb rested his cane against his chest. “I know. I had some stuff I had to work through. I also know I didn’t handle things the right way.” He hung his head. “I called her this afternoon. We were supposed to meet for coffee tonight.”

  Suddenly, the realization he could lose Pax hit Sebastian full force. Feeling like his heart would burst out of his chest, he put his hands over his face trying to get control of himself. “I know she’s going to be okay. She just has to.”

  Michael’s arm came around his shoulder for a quick squeeze. “We’ll pray you’re right, Seb.”

  Seb waited rather impatiently for a word from the doctor, tapping his cane nervously against the yellow tinged hospital tile while Michael paced around the room, giving Tori the instructions from Seb.

  Michael slapped his phone shut, and returned to sit beside Seb. “Tori said she’ll call as soon as she’s got the travel plans all arranged. Poor kid. She’s beside herself with worry.”

  The door to the ER swung open. Scott Turner, the head trainer walked through. “Seb. Come on back with me. I’ve spoken to the nurses, and we have a private waiting area.”

  Thankful, he called Scott, Seb knew his presence would make getting information easier. The three men made their way down the hall. “Apparently, she has several broken bones on her left side, which is understandable considering the impact to that side of the car. She has, as far as I know, a broken clavicle and possible leg fracture. Their main concern is she sustained some type of head injury even though her air bag deployed. From what the paramedics can assess, the force of the impact caused her head to hit the driver’s side window, and it knocked her unconscious. The doctors won’t know the full extent of the injury until they can run some tests.”

  Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair. “Is there a chance we could see her?”

  “I’ll check with a nurse and let you know straightaway.” He turned around once they entered the private waiting room.

  Sitting down in one of the chairs along the wall, Seb released a shaky breath. “So, it sounds like their greatest concern is the head injury. Well, Michael, we both know she’s hard headed enough she should be fine.” He tried to make light but his mind rebelled against the possibility of losing Pax.

  “You’re right, Seb. She’ll wake up in no time and will be asking us why we were so worried.”

  Michael’s cell phone rang. “Tori, is everything taken care of? Good. Close up the office and come down. Once you get to the ER, just tell them you’re with Scott Turner and Sebastian Quinn. They should bring you to where we are.”

  Sitting down, he nudged Seb with his knee. “Tori got her folks on the next plane. It will be about three hours or so before they get here. Jim’s got a driver to pick them up when they land.”

  “Thanks, Michael. Oh man, I need to call the Richards. They are old friends of Pax’s parents who live in the area. They need to be here.”

  “Tori took care of that too. She said they are on their way and will house the Taylors as long as they need to stay.”

  Nodding in response, Seb closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall waiting for Scott’s return.

  ****

  In a short while, Scott appeared in the door of the waiting room. “The nurse will let me bring one of you back if you’d like. Pax is waiting for a CT scan but they haven’t come to get her yet.”

  Michael nudged Sebastian. “Go. She would want you there more than anyone.”

  With a murmur of thanks, Seb limped behind Scott to the trauma room.

  Sebastian swallowed hard. Pax lay motionless attached to several machines. On the side of her face, a garish green and purple bruise had begun to appear. Her left arm was bound in a brace wrapped to her chest. Her leg encased in a soft cast. Her normally vibrant brown hair hung limp on the pillow, the stark white sheets the same color as her skin.

  Seb jumped at the sound of Scott’s voice. “I’ll leave you here, and try to find out more information.”

  Nodding to Scott, Seb hobbled over to the bed pulling
over the rolling stool from the wall so he could sit beside the bed. Careful to avoid her injuries, Seb grasped her right hand into both of his, and bowed his head. He wanted to be strong, but the feeling of terror overwhelmed him. Taking a simple breath required more effort than usual as his heart clutched in fear. Leaning over farther, he rested his forehead on their joined hands, tears silently streaming down his cheeks.

  Jerking upright from the curtain being thrown back, Seb climbed off the stool and limped to the far side of the room to get out of the way of the technicians and a male nurse who entered the room.

  “Mr. Quinn, we’re going to be taking her down the hall to have a scan run to try and check for other injuries. It will take a few minutes, so you’re welcome to wait here if you like or go back down the hall to the waiting room. Scott or one of us will find you when we bring her back.”

  “Thank you. And thank you for taking care of her.”

  His eyes softened. “It’s our pleasure, Mr. Quinn. We’re going to get her fixed up.”

  Seb’s eyes followed the team as they transferred Pax to the new bed. He limped to the edge of the curtain to watch as they engineered her bed toward the end of the hall through a double set of doors marked “No Visitors Beyond This Point.”

  He leaned on the cane and slowly limped back to the waiting area. Seeing a petite redheaded figure crouched in one of the chairs, he smiled. “Tori.”

  She jumped up. “Seb! How is she? She’s going to be okay, right?”

  Holding out his arm, he braced himself for the impact of Tori rushing into his arms. Patting her on the back, he rested his cheek on her head.

  “They’ve taken her back for a test to make sure she’s not hurt anywhere else. We just need a little faith, okay?”

  Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, Tori nodded. “You’re right, Seb. She’s going to be okay. I’m sure of it.”