Need You Now (Love in Unknown) - By Taylor M. Lunsford Page 0,7
relaxing this shoulder a bit. Remember, keep your eye on the ball and swing before it gets to you."
Stepping back, Caine nodded to his brother. Gage loaded the second ball and it came hurtling toward the plate. Teddy swung blindly. Caine's jaw almost dropped when he heard the sharp retort of bat connecting with ball. The boy looked just as stunned.
“Go, Teddy. Run to first!”
The boy took off as fast as his short legs could carry him. Then, as if in slow motion, he tripped over his cleats and tumbled to the ground. Caine was already running, even before the cry of pain echoed around the field.
Biting back a curse, he dropped to his knees beside the boy. Teddy wasn’t crying, but his thin face contorted in agony as he cradled his arm.
“Hey, buddy. You’re okay. It’s okay. Let me see your arm.”
Caine did his best to stay calm. In the background, he heard Gage keeping the other boys back. Gingerly, he felt Teddy’s wrist. Almost immediately, a whimper of pain escaped the tightly clenched mouth. “That really hurts, Coach.”
“I bet it does, man. Come on. Looks like we’re gonna have to take you to the hospital.” He started to pick the kid up, then stopped. Having to be carried off the field by the coach wouldn’t do anything to help Teddy’s reputation with the team. Instead, Caine helped him to his feet, keeping an arm around his thin shoulders.
“Gage, I need you to call Mrs. Allen and tell her to meet us at the hospital. I’ll drive him over there. The rest of you, stay here with Coach Gage until your parents show up." Caine didn't even need to look behind him to know that his brother had the situation under control.
By the time Caine lifted him out of the truck in front of the hospital, Teddy's face was pasty white and drenched with sweat. Even though Caine knew from experience the poor kid had to be in a lot of pain, he was impressed at how stoic Teddy remained. No crying, no moaning. The only sound he made came when he got out of the truck.
Leading the boy into the Emergency entrance, Caine looked around for a doctor. The county hospital was small. Doctors from the four small towns in the area took turns staffing the emergency room while three full-time doctors took care of the long-term patients. Eyes lighting on a white coat, Caine started to usher Teddy forward.
"Excuse me? My friend here had a bit of an accident and I—" Caine stopped in his tracks as the doctor turned around. He hadn't registered the long, chestnut-colored ponytail before, and the coat concealed the body he used to know better than his own. Big hazel eyes blinked up at him, looking just as surprised as he felt. Melody Carr.
Here.
Now.
Hell.
This was not how he’d pictured their reunion. The delusional part of him hoped that she’d be happy to see him, maybe even rush into his arms. From the horrified look in her eyes, he didn’t see that happening any time soon.
That expression was so polar opposite to the first time she’d seen him. She’d been all of two, sitting in the Carrs’ living room playing with a stuffed bear. The second Micah walked through the front door, dragging Caine behind him, Mel’s little face, wreathed in smiles and chocolate curls, lit up. He hadn’t known what to do when she immediately latched onto his hand and demanded he “pay” with her. Used to a little brother, he didn’t know what to make of this foreign little female creature, but one look into those big hazel eyes and he was a goner.
Mel recovered faster than he did. She focused in on the boy at his side, ignoring Caine. She turned a dazzling smile on, her eyes soft with sympathy. "Uh-oh. I'm Dr. Carr. Can you tell me what happened here?"
“I’m Teddy. I…tripped. At practice.” Teddy gritted out the words through clenched teeth, his voice breathless with pain. For a nine-year-old, he was a tough little guy.
Mel nodded, leading them over to one of the four beds set up in the small ER. Before she could do it, Caine lifted Teddy up onto the bed then sat down beside him. Mel probed at the injured arm gently but efficiently. “I’ll have to take some x-rays, but it looks like you’ve got yourself a broken wrist.”
“Does…does that mean…I can’t play baseball this season?” The whispered question tore at Caine’s heart.