Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the characters in this story. All rights go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any names or locations are simply for storyline purposes.
Chapter 1- Let's Play Ball
Jack Thornton walked across the pristinely manicured field confused by the conflicting feelings he was experiencing. On one hand, he was happy for the opportunities that were being afforded him. However, on the other hand, what he left behind and may never find again left him struggling with "if only" and "what ifs." Whatever the case may be, his intention was to do what was necessary to show those who held his fate that he was ready to return to the life and the game that he loved.
Jack was 31 years old, a two time National League MVP centerfielder and who, by baseball player standards, spent an incredibly short stint in the minors before receiving the call of a lifetime. He joined the New York Mets organization at the age of twenty-two, having been drafted following his senior year at Stanford University.
Luckily, his parents pushed him to complete his education instead of following his dream at the tender age of twenty. He was a sophomore at the time, and his life consisted of batting averages, which he could rattle off at the drop of a hat, and identifying the scouts from the various teams as they sat in the stands for each game.
Jack immediately experienced success in his career. He had never imagined making the amount of money that was now coming his way, but as a result of his compassionate and loving upbringing, he gave generously to his community and numerous charities.
Thankful for his degree in business and finance, he also invested wisely in real estate, stocks, bonds, and a string of restaurants, affectionately called "The Fieldhouse." Although Jack was not a chef, he surrounded himself with quality employees at their locations in Los Angeles, Times Square, Atlanta, Boston and Baltimore.
Additionally, he supported summer baseball camps throughout the United States. Although he loved the game of baseball, and was appreciative for the fruits of his labor, his charity work was actually what filled his heart.
In the nine years since his college graduation, Jack had experienced many highs and lows, with the highs being his award winning seasons and his lowest was most definitely the death of his father four years ago.
Jack's Near Career Ending Injury…
For those who followed baseball, Jack's name and face were readily identifiable, and synonymous with the New York Mets. Unfortunately, he didn't have to go far to find the numerous stories written about his near career ending knee injury in the final game of the 2016 World Series.
Sliding into home plate, Atlanta Braves catcher, Kelvin Jackson, blocked Jack. With dust flying, and bodies rolling, what happened next was anyone's guess.
The ball ended up along the backstop as Jack's hand brushed across home plate. Umpire, David Orem signaled him safe. With that, the New York Mets had won a close 3-2 game, and a final 4-2 series victory.
The dugout emptied, as several players picked Jack up and carried him around as the fans poured onto the field hoping for a chance to touch their idols.
The seriousness of Jack's injury wasn't known until he was placed back on the ground and found that his right leg was either unable or unwilling to carry his weight.
At the age of 31, Jack was obviously worried for his playing future as younger guys, right out of high school and college were being drafted. He could only assume that his seasons of active play were most likely numbered.
While his teammates celebrated, the medical evaluation began. Meticulously, the x-rays and MRI were conducted and the team doctor and specialists determined that surgery was required to repair his torn cartilage.
By the following morning, Jack was sitting in a room at Hospital for Special Surgery located in New York City. Surgery was completed by noon, and within a few days, Jack was home and beginning physical therapy.
As the months during the off season passed, Jack continued with physical therapy, doing his best to make his knee stronger. Although he had done well, it was decided by the coaches that he needed to continue his rehabilitation with the farm team.
Jack wasn't happy about the decision, viewing it as a major step down, and likely the end of his career, but being under contract, he agreed. This turn of events is what led him to Met Park, and hopefully for him, a short stint with the Hope Valley Hawks.
Back at the Park…Saturday, April 15, 2017 (Baltimore, Maryland)
As supervisor of the "Usherettes," Elizabeth Thatcher was tasked with placing college age girls in the stands to help the fans find their seats and hopefully contain any rowdy behaviors. As such, she was generally more interested in the happenings in the stands that on the field.
Elizabeth, herself an All-State softball player in school, gravitated toward the stadium once her college career was over. Working for the Hawks organization satisfied several needs; first, she loved the game of baseball; secondly, it got her out of the house on absolutely beautiful days, and star filled nights and finally but actually least important, the extra money was nice but certainly not needed.
Although she knew that her time was limited and she really needed to let someone else take on the seasonal job, part of her didn't want to give up the connection she had with the players and their families. Several of them with small children remained friends with Elizabeth even as they moved on to other clubs. Although they didn't see each other often, Elizabeth was close with a few families and they continued to exchange cards and gifts for special occasions and holidays.
She had worked at the stadium for years; first as an usherette, and then, following completion of graduate school she moved into the supervisor position. During the day, she was employed as a high school guidance counselor and in the evening she seemed to be the wives and girlfriends "go to" person for advice.
She enjoyed the wives and the children, feeling that they were likely to stay around. However, she'd seen so many of the ball players move from girl to girl throughout the season that she never wanted to get too close to them. There were occasions when certain players would have a girlfriend during a stretch of home games, only to be gone for away games and return the following week with a different woman sitting behind the back stop. She often seemed to take the breakups harder than the players, always hoping that they would grow up and stop acting like frat boys. Unfortunately what she seemed to find were immature guys, out for two things; first, fame on the field, and second, sexual conquests.
Although she would never divulge any secrets entrusted to her, some of the cocky players treated her usherettes with very little respect. There were occasions when she wrestled with the appropriateness of blowing their private lives right out of the water. However, being professional, she chose instead to encourage her girls to take control of their own lives. She suggested that they not become enamored by the handsome men before them, reminding them that this town was simply a pit stop for most of them.
Most of the married players were a bit older, working to either make their way into the big leagues, or fighting desperately to return to the majors. They were family men who came to play, and for the most part left the park at the end of the evening holding the hand of their wives, and carrying a child on their hip.
On this, the first day of the 2017 baseball season, the sun seemed to hang high in the sky, heating everything down below. The parking lot at Met Park was relatively empty when Elizabeth pulled her car up to a space near the gate. She grabbed her bag and stepped toward the opening when she was immediately met by Dave Roseman, the Hope Valley Hawks President, and apparent owner of the park, or so his attitude generally implied.
"Miss Thatcher, you know that employees need to park out passed the entry sign," he gruffly stated.
"Yes sir, I'm aware, but I don't like having to walk out there in the dark after the game. It's not safe, and I don't want my girls to have to go out there either."
"We go through this every season. I've given you twelve spaces, and with twelve girls with twelve cars, you will either park out where I've directed or you can take a space away from your team."
"Mr. Roseman, you know I won't do that, but don't you worry even the least bit about my safety? I mean, don't you remember when I was attacked out there?"
"Miss Thatcher, you are a grown woman, and I would suggest that you ask someone from security to walk you out. After all, that's what I pay them for. Now, if you don't mind, please move your car," he turned away as she observed a smirk on his face.
"Yes sir," she stated as she returned to her vehicle and pulled it to the outer perimeter of the park. Her long walk back up to the gate gave her plenty of time to list off adjectives that described him, many of which were neither appropriate, nor lady-like.
Elizabeth walked through the gate and behind the secured area reserved for the wives and girlfriends of the players. The gates didn't open for another hour, so she took the time to clear her head of the anger that was building. She reached into her bag and pulled out her journal. This book contained all of her writings from The Park, and although she didn't scan her previous entries, she ventured a guess that none of them regarding Mr. Roseman were polite.
She flipped to the next blank page, pulled her pen from her purse and began to purge herself of the feelings that were bringing her mood down…
"Although it is no one's obligation to protect me, is chivalry truly dead? Isn't it more manly to be strong, but not rude; kind, but not weak; bold, but not a bully; humble, but not timid and proud but nowhere near arrogant?
Why do some people find it necessary to push others down in order to make themselves seem more important? I have always been told that there is a very thin line between confidence and arrogance, and it is called humility. Confidence smiles, and as I recently witnessed, arrogance smirks.
I often wonder what I could have done to bring about such ire, such disdain for me that consistently grows with each passing season. All I can do is treat each person I meet with respect, realizing that for some unknown reason they have entered my life and are there to be a lesson or a blessing."
As she sat and worked on the scheduling for her girls, she glanced out and observed player after player hitting the field. Several of the guys came over to say hello, asking how she was doing, and hoping that her answer didn't include the fact that she had a new man in her life.
Several players found themselves back again with the farm team, and as much as they loved baseball, they also found Elizabeth to be quite the challenge.
Although Elizabeth was adamant about not dating players, she reevaluated that rule three years ago. As part of her job, Elizabeth was usually completing paperwork after the game and didn't leave the park until long after most of the spectators. Three years ago, she was confronted by a fan while walking alone to her car. Petrified, as the obviously intoxicated man pulled her toward his vehicle, her screams were heard by Scott Saunders, the Hawk's second baseman.
Scott pulled the man away from her, knocking him out when his head hit the parking lot asphalt. The police were called; the man was arrested, and after that experience, Elizabeth generally managed to find someone to walk with her to her car.
Maybe it was due to a feeling of gratitude, but Elizabeth dropped her "Never date a member of the team" rule and began seeing Scott.
For the next year, Scott, a resident of Arizona flew across country to visit Elizabeth once a month. This continued until he was traded to the Colorado Rockies organization, easily leaving Elizabeth, even after professing his love to her.
Although she wasn't surprised, the fact that she didn't have the same feelings for him that he professed to her helped her move along without any emotional scars.
Jack's Apartment…
Jack had just arrived in town 2 days before and unless he stayed longer than a month, he was set up to share an apartment with shortstop, Ed Cipera.
Both Ed and Jack would definitely be considered "eye candy" by anyone who glanced in their direction. However, they couldn't have been more polar opposites.
Ed was a "Good Time Charlie" who enjoyed the young girls falling at his feet. If he wanted company with a woman, he could easily find someone to oblige, and simply pushed them away when he wanted to be alone or to hang with his fellow teammates.
Jack, on the other hand, was focused on the sport, his investments and his charity work, feeling like a relationship with a woman would possibly come in due time. He dated, but he would never think of attempting to take advantage of a woman, and only asked them out if he was truly interested.
Unfortunately for Jack, he had yet to meet a woman who caused his heart to pound and palms to sweat. Additionally, he found it difficult to tell if the few women he dated were actually interested in him, or in his position as a professional baseball player.
Game Time…
The first game of the new season paired the Hope Valley Hawks against the Benson Falls Bearcats, the 2016 International League champions. The stands were filling fast with fans, overly excited about the prospect of seeing one of their favorite major league baseball players take the field.
To keep things harmonious, Elizabeth instituted a rule that none of the girls were allowed to date players, not only from the Hawks, but any team which came into town. The girls were noticeably upset with Elizabeth and eagerly voiced their opinions.
"What we do in our free time should be our business," one girl stated.
"I know how to handle these guys," said another.
One girl laughed, "Who's to say that they are the ones taking advantage of us. Maybe it's the other way around."
Although Elizabeth was no more than ten years older than the youngest usherette, she felt the need to impart some motherly advice, "Look, I've been where you are. I know what these players are interested in. First, they're trying to make a name for themselves, wanting nothing more than to move up the ladder to a major league career. While they're here, their other plan is to have fun. I'm simply worried about you girls getting hurt by someone who has no plans to stick around."
"The team pays hardly anything, so the only real perk is hanging out with the players," one of the returning usherettes remarked.
"Okay," Elizabeth continued, "I'm not one to tell you what you can and cannot do. So, against my better judgment, if you choose to spend any time with the players, I don't want anything to interfere with your job, deal?"
The girls all laughed, many of whom had already set their sights on particular players. "Deal," they all yelled in unison.
As Elizabeth went down her list of girls, deciding who to pair up, she heard several of them talking about Ed Cipera and the new player, Jack Thornton. She said a little prayer that the guys would be kind to the girls this summer and would leave behind no broken hearts.
Elizabeth assigned two girls to each tunnel, providing each of them with towels as part of their job required them to clean the season ticketholder's seats.
Elizabeth took her seat behind home plate, sitting next to first base coach, Mookie Wilson's wife, Rosa and his son, Preston.
"Hey, Mookie invited a few of the guys over for a cookout after the game. Why don't you come over? Mookie said that one of the new guys is really nice. He thought of you when they met."
"Rosa, you know how I feel about dating baseball players. It worked out great for you, but I'm not so lucky," Elizabeth replied.
Out on the field, Jack caught a glimpse of Elizabeth, "Who is that sitting next to Mookie's wife?" Jack asked Rob Lynch, one of the starting pitchers.
Having just arrived in town himself, he replied, "I'm not sure, but from what I understand that's where the wives and girlfriends sit, so she must belong to someone," Rob stated before walking away.
"Belong to someone? WOW, that's an odd statement to make," Jack stated under his breath before taking the field to practice.
While warming up, Jack was happy to report that his knee felt strong; he had no trouble running but was a bit hesitant when rounding the bases. He remembered the pain of his last injury and didn't want to see it repeated. However, to get passed his demotion to the minor leagues and back where he felt he belonged, he would need to put his concerns behind him and go all out.
The game was only in the bottom of the second inning when Elizabeth caught the eye of one of her usherettes who appeared to be distressed. She immediately left the backstop area and headed down the third base line, coming up the tunnel, much to the pleasure of first time usherette, Katie.
"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.
Katie quickly replied, "I have asked these kids over and over not to run, but they just look at me and keep going. I'm afraid that they're going to get hurt."
Elizabeth stepped out of the tunnel and watched the children and their families for a few moments. As the three kids ran passed her, she called out, "Gehen Sie. Ich will nicht, dass du fällst und verletzt werden.
"What was that?" Katie asked as she observed the children stop running, look in Elizabeth's direction and then orderly walk away.
"They are German. Every time you called out to them they stopped, but didn't have any idea what you were saying," Elizabeth replied. "I just asked them to please walk, because I didn't want them to fall and get hurt. Well, at least that's what I think I said."
"Where did you learn German?"
"Several years ago I took a trip with some friends. I picked up the language and I guess some of it stuck," Elizabeth replied.
"Well, thank you so much. I never thought that they might not understand me. I just thought they were being asses…"
"Watch your language, Katie. This is a family establishment," Elizabeth reminded her.
"Oh, sorry…"
"Is it okay if I leave now?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yep, I have it under control," Katie assured her.
Elizabeth made the rounds, returning to her seat by the 7th inning stretch. She took her seat next to Rosa Wilson, and a woman who had apparently arrived late.
"Hi, I'm Elizabeth Thatcher, and you are…"
"Debi Andrews," she stated and then giggled, "I'm Ed Cipera's girlfriend."
Elizabeth was very familiar with Ed and his numerous girlfriends. In the two years, now entering a third that she'd known him, she could not recall a game where he didn't have a "girlfriend" in the stands. Sadly, it was quite rare for any of the women to make it passed two consecutive games.
Elizabeth could only assume that Ed must have been hit on the head with a baseball a time or two, because he could not seem to understand, why she was not romantically interested in him.
Elizabeth was cordial and pleasant to the women sitting in the special area, but wondered if they ever felt truly comfortable and confident in their role as "girlfriend or wife." The men travelled frequently and she had to wonder if during away games, unbeknownst to the wives, did girlfriends ever attend? Sadly, from many things she'd seen at the ball park, she had developed a general mistrust of men.
She'd seen players come and players go, many of them rarely staying for an entire season, and she was well aware of what they were after. She refused to allow herself to fall into old patterns, and although she encouraged the young girls not to get involved, each season provided a new round of summertime romances.
This being opening night, the stands were packed and following the game, a 12-6 victory won easily by the Hawks, many youngsters stood by with their parents to get baseballs autographed by the players. With Jack being a major league icon, he was a big draw.
As Elizabeth walked out of the office, she caught sight of Lee Coulter, the team doctor. "Hey Lee, are you ready for a new season?"
He smiled, "Well, it's the same types of injuries each year. So, like each season, I'll do my best to keep everyone healthy."
"Hey, are you leaving now?" she asked.
"Yes, do you need something?" he replied.
"Well, my car is out in the back part of the parking lot by the interstate. Would you mind walking with me? I'll drive you back to your car.""
"I'll go even one better; my car is right outside the gate here, and I'll drive you to your car."
"That would be great, Lee. Thank you."
Elizabeth and Dr. Coulter walked out of the gate and into the parking lot. Jack finished signing autographs and stepped out just behind them. He watched Elizabeth get into Dr. Coulter's car and drive off.
"Hmm, she sure is beautiful," Jack remarked as the car pulled away, leaving him to assume that the woman who had caught his eye was in fact married to the team doctor. "Stop it Thornton. You are here for a short time, and then you're heading back to New York. You have no time for women."
To be continued…