Rounding Third (14 page)

He was sure he could never be as happy as he
was in this moment. Josh Schlagel was in his bed, asleep in his arms. Heaven
could not compete with this. Rob savored the feel of Josh’s body. The smell of
his skin, the softness of his hair. The warm, rhythmic sounds of Josh’s
breathing. The way his shoulders rose and fell with each breath.

Rob had to sit up partway to check his clock
and after Josh had slept for an hour, he slowly rolled Josh over and kissed him
on the lips. “Game time,” he whispered.

It took Josh a moment to wake enough to
realize where he was, but as soon as he had, his beautiful smile burst across
his face. “Good morning, Robby,” he purred.

“Did you sleep well?’

“The best sleep I’ve ever had. Did you?”

“I didn’t sleep at all.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. I’ve never felt so well rested.”
For the first time in his life, Rob felt at peace. “I’ll make us some
breakfast.”

Rob tried to rise, but Josh pulled him back
down to the bed. “Have you ever been to Cuyahoga Valley National Park?”

“Yeah, of course,” Rob answered.

“There’s a trail there to a waterfall. And
everyone always stops at the waterfall so I like to hike beyond it and be
completely alone. It’s kind of my private world. After the game, I thought
maybe we could go out there.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Do you still have the leftover condoms?”

“You want to...?” Rob asked.

“Only if you do. I don’t want to rush you.”

Rob got up and walked to his desk, unlocked
the drawer, pulled out the condoms and tossed the box to Josh. “Get dressed,”
he said.

*                     
*                     
*                     
*                     
*
   

Rob had always admired the way Josh fit on
the baseball diamond. He was as much a part of the field as the pitcher’s mound
or first base. He moved with a grace and sureness of knowing that this was the
space he was made to occupy; as natural a part of his element as a dolphin in
the ocean. He wore his uniform with such ease that it was a part of him. Rob
liked watching the way the sun sparkled in the blondish hairs on Josh’s
forearms and the way his sweat seemed to run down his face in perfectly shaped
drops. Rob never tired of watching Josh’s every move and today he was even more
fixated. Josh played better than Rob had ever seen, as though his feet didn’t
touch the ground. Josh went four-for-four including two homeruns and four RBIs.

After the game they drove out to Cuyahoga
Valley National Park. There, out beyond the waterfall, in Josh’s private world,
they made love. They walked back through bushes almost as green as Josh’s eyes
and past the small waterfall which at twenty or so feet was dwarfed by the view
Rob had seen of Niagara Falls as a kid, but Rob wondered if he had ever seen
anything so beautiful as this small Ohio waterfall and this trail to paradise.
He was really seeing the world for the first time. A world where baseball
diamonds and waterfalls were more wonderful than he had ever known them to be.
He thought of
The Wizard of Oz
when suddenly everything was in color.

Rob invited Josh for dinner and they giggled
all through the meal, much to the confusion of the rest of the family. It was
Rob instead of Josh who regaled the family with tales of his friend’s ball
field heroics. After dinner, Rob walked Josh to his car. “Thank you,” Rob said.
“For the most amazing day of my life.”

“Let’s have lots more days like this.” Josh
gently touched his arm, got in his car and drove away.

Meg touching Rob’s shoulder finally awakened
him from his stupor. “Are you just going to stand here all night?”

Rob realized the sun had set and he still
hadn’t moved from the driveway.

18

Josh pitched and won on Monday then the team
dropped the next two games, meaning they’d have to beat the Vikings on Thursday
to make the playoffs. With only two days rest, Coach Hudson decided to use Josh
on the mound. Josh was still playing as though he was on a cloud of
invincibility and going into the fifth inning he had a no-hitter working. The
rest of the Hawks were playing well, but had only two runs on the board.

    
As Danny Taylor batted, a pitch came way inside; he tried to dodge it, but it
caught him full on the hand. He hollered in pain as the bat shot from his
grasp. Both coaches ran to him.

    
They conferred quietly with Taylor then Coach Milnes started walking him toward
the bench. “Farino, get some ice,” the coach yelled. Jason did as he was told
and Milnes attended to Danny.

Hudson looked down the bench. “Wardell! Take
Taylor’s place on first.”

    
Rob hesitated. He was never really sure he wanted in a game and now he was
positive he didn’t. With a slim two-run lead and Josh’s no-hitter at stake this
was just the sort of responsibility he’d been determined to avoid. He looked
around. What were the alternatives? He’d trust himself to play before he’d put
Farino in. Hudson had made the only move he could.

    
“Today, Wardell,” Brickman yelled.

    
Rob started toward the field. “Wardell,” the coach said, beckoning him over.
“If Beechler hits one, you’ve got to get around those bases. Listen to me and
watch for my signs.”

    
Rob could only nod. The look on the coach’s face said Rob’s lack of response
wasn’t exactly inspiring confidence. Rob forced a smile and tried to find a
voice to reassure him. “Got it.”

    
Buff did his job and sent the first pitch into right field, just fair. As soon
as Rob could see there wasn’t a chance of it being caught, he was running. An
instant later he heard Coach Milnes behind him shouting, “Go! Go!”

    
Rob glanced at the fielder who now had the ball but ran into foul territory
before he could stop his momentum. Rob didn’t even think about stopping at
second, but looked to third just to make sure. Hudson was yelling and waving
his arm. The play would be at third and Rob sensed the ball coming in somewhere
behind him. He hadn’t slid since Little League and back then no one played for
keeps. If he had to force his way to the bag, he was sure the large third
baseman would crush him.

    
Rob tore towards third and suddenly the Viking player moved aside. Rob saw
Hudson holding his hands up as though to stop Rob. Rob hit the bag and stopped
just as the third baseman caught the throw which had gone wide.

    
“Time,” Hudson yelled. He motioned for Rob to come to him. The coach put his
arm around his shoulder and steered him away from the field. “How would you
feel about a suicide squeeze?”

    
“Huh?” Again Rob regretted his less than inspirational reaction.

    
“You know Schlagel can lay it down and I know you’ve got the speed. I’ll have
Schlagel take the first two pitches so you can time your move, then I want you
to go.”

    
Rob shook his head. “If the first two are strikes he can’t bunt on third. I’ve
been watching this guy all game. Have Josh take the first pitch, I’ll go on the
second.” Rob was surprised at how confident he sounded. He knew he couldn’t be
the cause of losing Josh’s no hitter but Hudson was right, it was the perfect
situation for a squeeze. “I’m sure. I’ll get there.”

    
“You can’t go into their catcher; you’ll have to go under him.”

    
“I know.”

Hudson slapped Rob on the butt as he returned
to the base. Rob felt the need to try to provide himself with a bit of
smokescreen, so began to yell, “C’mon one-seven, hit one out of here! Knock it
over the fence! C’mon Schlagel, you can blast one!”

    
The pitcher wound up and delivered. To Rob and Hudson’s surprise, Josh took a
full cut and missed. Had he missed the sign? Then Rob realized Josh had read
his mind. He was swinging for the fences and deliberately missed to let Rob get
ready and also to fake the opposing players into thinking he was going after
the long ball. It worked. Both the infield and outfield backed up and into an
even more pronounced left-handed batter shift.

Rob
looked at Hudson, who looked nervous. Rob was afraid
Hudson would call time to make sure Josh knew the sign, but that would call
more attention to the upcoming play and Rob’s life might literally depend on
how well they pulled this off. “Coach, I’m sure Josh can smack one just where
we need it,” he said. Hudson seemed to be considering this, so Rob winked at
him. Hudson smiled and started flashing signs at Josh. Most of them were
nonsense signs, but there, just after the belt, Hudson went to his cap then his
shoulder. The squeeze was on. Rob took his lead a little farther than last
time, but not so far as to draw a throw. The pitcher went into his wind-up and
Rob was gone. He had never willed his legs to move so fast and for a moment it
seemed he might arrive at the plate the same instant the ball did.

Josh stuck out his
bat and made contact. He dropped the ball about ten feet in front of the plate,
just inside the third base line. Rob knew he was far ahead of the third baseman
so there was no way he’d make this play. Out of the corner of his eye he saw
the pitcher charging the ball, but Josh had bunted the ball so dead it was
barely rolling and was still closest to the catcher. The catcher started to
come out after it but the pitcher called him off. The pitcher got to the ball
as the catcher headed back to the plate. It was going to be a three-way tie
between Rob, the catcher and the ball. Rob picked the back corner of the plate
as his objective. As soon as he was close enough, he dove headfirst, arms
extended. Josh was the only person on earth he’d do this for.

Smack! Rob heard the ball hit the catcher’s
mitt, he saw the mitt swinging towards him, and he could only try to dive
lower. The mitt came around and caught him hard on the left thigh just as his
left hand found the rubber edge of the plate and he got a mouthful and two
eyes-full of dirt.

He kept sliding until the catcher toppled
backwards onto his legs which brought his slide to an abrupt halt. Through the
dust and pain Rob heard, “Safe!”

The catcher was instantly off him, screaming,
“I tagged him! I tagged him!”

Rob rolled over to take inventory. He felt no
pain. The elation that he had scored to help cinch Josh’s victory was a great
anesthetic. Hudson was standing over him now and the opposing coach had joined
the argument with the ump. Corey Brickman was standing over Rob, his bat on his
shoulder. “You okay?” It was Corey who asked first.

Rob smiled. “Never better.”

Much to Rob’s shock it was Brickman who held
out a hand and Rob used it to get up. His leg hurt and his chest ached from
where the wind was knocked out of him when he bit the dust, but he just smiled.

“Way to go,” Brickman said. He slapped Rob’s
biceps, for the first time in a gesture of camaraderie, not evil.

As Rob’s head cleared a bit, he realized most
of the team was up and waiting for him. He had never felt such adulation
before. But all he could think about was the one person he had done it for. He
looked to first base where Josh was beaming at him. Josh touched his hand to
his helmet brim in salute. Rob touched his own helmet in return.

Brickman and Acosta both struck out ending
the inning far too quickly and now they had to take the field. The idea that he
might do something in the field to mess up Josh’s no hitter had Rob’s guts tied
tighter than the laces on his spikes.

    
Hudson pulled Brickman and Rob aside,
“
Brickman, you’re moving to short.
Wardell, take second, but let Brickman cover the bag. Take all of the practice
throws now. Brickman, throw him some and let him warm up.”

Rob was relieved that no balls came to him in
the inning: Josh struck out the first and third batters and the number two man
hit a grounder to short that Brickman handled smoothly. Rob was glad he had
time to adjust to being in the game before he actually had to do anything. The
Hawks also went three-up, three down in their half of the inning. The Vikings
had their last shot in the bottom of the seventh.

    
The first pitch Josh threw was a mistake. A fat slider down the middle that
failed to slide much. The batter caught the meat of it and smashed it just over
Josh’s head. Josh leapt but it was too high. Brickman was way out of position
toward third so Rob took two giant steps and dove. His second dive of the day
and coming down from this one would hurt even more than the first since there
was no way to brace himself and he was flying parallel to the ground at a much
greater height than the surface dive that had taken him into home. He had his
eyes focused on the ball and just prayed his glove would get there.

The ball hit his glove and Rob squeezed
tight. He gripped hard as he prepared for his emergency landing with no gear
down. His body slammed into the ground. What ribs weren’t broken in the play at
the plate had to have been now. He was sure he’d lose consciousness any second,
but before he did he had to do one thing. He rolled over and held up the glove
with the ball still in it to prove to any doubters that he’d held on.