Annoyed by the triumphant gleam in the other man's eye, Coach Hardeman marshalled his patience and tried again, "Come on. They're kids, they just want to play ball. Besides, no team has really followed that rule to the letter, most will let the kids play if they're here."
"It's a Fathers and Sons baseball league, Hardeman. No fathers, no sons." Jenkins sneered. He was enjoying this. The last time the two teams played each other, his Pacific Palisades Yankees had been thoroughly drubbed by Hardeman's Arcadia Cardinals. All because of the Grangers and the Sinclairs.
"The Arcadia Cardinals," one of the fathers said mockingly. "Far cry from the St Louis Cardinals, aren't they? Oh, wait, that's right, that's the Granger woman's favorite team, isn't it? Still hoping she'll spread her legs for you if you keep the team name?"
Hardeman wasn't quick enough to stop one of the triplets from attacking the man. Luckily for him, the other two triplets managed to stop Tyler before he did anything rash. Tyler, Hardeman thought in surprise, and not Cameron. That was unusual, it was usually Cameron who reacted. Tyler was usually calm. But not this time, Hardeman thought, startled at the fury blazing in Tyler's green eyes. The other two were also angry but this time, they were in control of their tempers.
"That's quite enough, Slyketon," the umpire roared in anger. "Consider yourself warned. Another infraction and you're out of the game."
Slyketon laughed, "Don't worry, it won't take us long to beat these jokers."
----
"That's a bunch of baloney," Jerry Malloy fumed, shaking off his father's hand. He was promptly rapped sharply on the head with the knuckles of that same hand.
"Chill, son," John Malloy said sharply.
"Dad, you know they would have let me play if you weren't here!" Jerry voiced something that many of the other kids were thinking. He was a skinny kid with thick glasses, and rotten hand-eye coordination, and he knew it. "You know I'll never make any kind of baseball player. And we know most of us are still on this team because the Grangers and the Sinclairs care about us as people, not because we're any great shakes as baseball players!"
John was silent. And none of the other fathers had anything to say in response to that.
"We're not going to roll over for them," Tyler said suddenly. His eyes were still blazing but he was calmer. "We can do it, Jerry. You know we can. We just have to keep our eyes open and exploit any weaknesses they have. We've played them before, and we know what some of the weaknesses are. We'll look for some more. And you've all improved from last year. We just have to put up a fight. That's what it's all about. Doing the best we can. As a team."
"Come on, boys. Listen to Tyler, we can do this!" Hardeman tried to rally the boys. He had to give Tyler credit for saying what he did. But deep down inside, he wasn't sure they could even keep it close without the triplets and Jonathan.
"Dad will be here, Coach," Brandond said softly, "And so will Uncle David. They've never let us down before, they won't this time."
----
Hannah looked surprised when the Cardinals took the field. She turned to Olivia only to see a frown on her friend's lovely face.
"I don't believe it!" Olivia exclaimed.
"They're not letting them play," Hannah said softly, "because Colby and David aren't here!"
"That's never happened before, I can't believe they won't let the boys play just because their fathers aren't here!"
"Well, it is the Fathers and Sons league, Olivia."
"But they don't have to follow the rule if the opposing team agrees to waive it," Olivia shaded her eyes as she looked at the faces on other team.
Hannah sighed softly when she recognized the coach. "Well, that explains it. I didn't place the team, but I recognize the coach. He's a jerk. And mean."
----
At the bottom of the eighth inning, they eked out yet another run. Now they were only three runs down. Hardeman could barely believe it. If he'd been a betting man, he would have bet that the game would have ended in the fourth inning on the mercy rule. But here they were, bottom of the eighth, and still within reach of the game. He looked across to the other dugout and felt a deep satisfaction at the look on the other coach's face. It was clear that Jenkins couldn't believe it either.
He turned his gaze on the four boys hanging on the fence to the dugout. The intensity of their gazes almost shamed him. They were the real coaches in this particular game.
It was Jonathan who corrected one of the boy's swings. That had yielded a hit from someone who rarely connected with the ball. Actually, never, if Hardeman remembered correctly.
It was Brandon's sharp eyes who noticed the tells in the opposing pitcher. Some of the boys fared much better after that. Knowing what pitch was coming up next really did help.
Hardeman rolled his eyes, wondering why Jenkins did nothing to correct the pitcher. Then sighed when he realized that it was Cameron who corrected their own pitcher's tells. He hadn't noticed those either. And it was Tyler who encouraged every kid in that dugout.
The fierce determination in the four boys carried over into the other kids and their fathers. It didn't matter that the fathers on the other team played regularly on men's baseball leagues and the fathers on his team were only here because their sons wanted to be.
He looked up when he saw Cameron's eyes widen. The relief in the dugout was palpable when they saw a black SUV pull into the parking lot. "Time out," he yelled sharply to the umpire, who promptly granted it. Then his heart sank when he saw David Sinclair get out of the passenger side with his right arm in a sling. And he noted that Colby Granger got out of the driver's side a little stiffly. He seemed to be favoring... something, Hardeman couldn't quite tell what it was. He saw Olivia and Hannah run up to their husbands, and knew it wasn't good when their faces creased with worry. And wondered at the boys' fortitude when he turned to see their expressionless faces.
----
"You can't possibly be thinking of playing," Olivia fussed as she touched David's face helplessly. She sighed softly when he smiled at her.
"Jonathan wants to play," David said simply. "Just help me tighten up the bandage. I swing the bat left handed any way."
"What happened, Colby?" Hannah murmured softly. He had winced when she placed her hand on his chest.
He shook his head, and pressed a kiss on her lips. "The kevlar works." He kissed her again when she gasped in fear. "Help me put the bandage on tightly, will you please?"
Hannah knew she would never be able to talk him out of playing. Colby loved his boys dearly, and hated missing time with them. She drew a sharp breath when she saw the bruises on his chest and abdomen when he pulled his shirt up. Hannah ached for him when he hissed a breath in pain as she wrapped a bandage tightly around his torso.
----
"Oh, my God!" Hardeman hissed when he saw the bruises on Granger's chest. He noticed that even Jenkins' jaw dropped, when he stopped in mid-complaint to the umpire about the timeout.
"Come on, are we playing ball or what?" Colby said lightly as he and David sauntered into the dugout, looking for all the world like they were raring to go. Colby smacked his sons affectionately in the back of their heads. Their grins lit up the dugout.
"Can you take third base?" Hardeman said warily. He wasn't sure if it was wise, but Granger was the best third baseman they had. "You can wait till the bottom of the inning, Sinclair. You'll bat first. Cameron, you're pitching. Tyler, right field. Brandon, left field. Jonathan, shortstop. Other positions, the same as last inning."
He saw Malloy watching Brandon pace his father out to third before splitting off into left field. "They're something, aren't they?" Malloy murmured.
Cameron struck out the first two batters, as easily as a hot knife through butter. Then Slyketon came up to bat. He smacked the ball weakly and it dribbled just past Jonathan. Hardeman could see both Cameron and Jonathan swearing at themselves. This was the last person they wanted to give up a hit to.
Hardeman cursed under his breath as Cameron gave up a hit to the next batter, but this time Jonathan fielded the ball cleanly on the bounce and tossed it to Colby at third base. Slyketon charged to third and barreled into Colby who was fielding the ball. Colby fell over in agony, but managed to tag Slyketon and hang on to the ball.
The top of the inning was over, but Colby was lying still on the ground. Cameron and Brandon ran to him in alarm. "Dad! Are you okay?" Cameron said softly, anguish and worry evident in his voice.
"I just need a minute." Colby struggled to catch his breath. Slyketon had rammed a shoulder right into the bruises in his torso.
"We'll help you up," Brandon reached down, and between him and Cameron, they managed to pull their father up. They winced when they saw the pain in his face.
"I'll be fine," Colby murmured gently, when he saw the concern in their faces. He missed the angry glances they exchanged with each other, he was too busy focusing on getting to the dugout with as little jarring as possible.
Tyler's eyes blazed with anger again as he watched his father and brothers walk to the dugout. He met his brothers' angry eyes. When his father turned away to talk to David, they nodded a quick sharp nod to each other. Their jaws were tight as they warmed up before going up to bat.
David managed to hit a blooper past the shortstop, hissing in pain as he trotted to first base. "Jonathan! Pinch run for your father!" Hardeman yelled. David sighed in relief. Despite his light words to Olivia, it had taken all he had to hit the ball.
Brandon hit the second pitch hard, and it whizzed past the pitcher's head, sending him to the ground in alarm. They were now on first and second with nobody out.
Slyketon, who was catching, signaled to the pitcher. They had a quick conference on the mound, while Tyler watched them warily from the on deck circle.
"Wonder what they're up to?" Cameron murmured.
Tyler shrugged.
"Be careful," Cameron warned him.
The next pitch hit Tyler in the helmet. He scrambled up and headed for the pitcher in a haze of fury.
"Tyler! No!" Colby's voice rang sharply out of the dugout.
Tyler stopped where he was, while the umpire threw the pitcher out of the game. He glared at Slyketon as he took first base. He knew from the gleam in the catcher's eye that the pitcher had hit him on purpose. But still, he was jubilant. They had the bases loaded with Cameron coming up to bat.
Cameron poked a hit between the first and second baseman. The right fielder dropped the ball, and in the interim, the bases cleared. The throw to third base was too late, Cameron was already standing there safely, and he pumped a fist in the air in glee.
Slyketon snarled something to the pitcher. Colby eyed him coolly as he came back from the mound. He wouldn't soon forget the shoulder in his bruises. He connected with the ball on the third pitch and sent it on a bounce towards the shortstop. He managed to make it to first base. The throw from the shortstop, however, wasn't to first base, but to the catcher. They had to throw Cameron out or the game was over for the Yankees.
Cameron had taken off the moment he saw his father swing the bat. He saw that the throw to home was offline and got ready to slide. An evil thought crossed his mind when he saw Slyketon covering the plate, and he smiled as he slid and rammed his shoulder into the catcher's crotch. Slyketon screamed in pain and dropped the ball.
"Safe!" the umpire shouted.
The Cardinals dugout erupted into cheers.
Through the haze of pain, Slyketon heard Cameron's cold voice snarl, "Don't ever reference my mother with your filthy lips again. And you can be sure that we won't forget what you did to my father." Slyketon opened his eyes and shivered when he saw something flicker in the depths of Cameron's dark eyes.
"Cameron!" Colby said sharply. He recognized the look and had hoped never to see it again. That particular look in his eyes had accompanied the rebellion and fights throughout elementary school and most of junior high. Cameron had challenged everyone and everything, just for being there.
Cameron blinked and shook himself. Tyler and Brandon crowded close, partly shielding him from their father, and partly from Slyketon.
Colby watched Slyketon get up. He saw the look of fear as he glanced at the triplets before limping off to the visitor dugout. He also saw the fury still blazing in Tyler's eyes. That they were still standing together as a unit also did not escape his notice. Colby tilted his head towards the dugout and the triplets ran to join the celebration.
"Just what exactly did Slyketon say about my wife?" Colby asked Hardeman.
"How did you..." Hardeman stopped himself and swallowed hard, chilled by the look in Colby's eyes.
"Only one thing makes Tyler angry enough to support Cameron in revenge." Colby was sure now, he had only been speculating before.
"Slyketon's a pompous jerk. And I think he's learned his lesson."
"Being embarrassed by three teenagers isn't going to sit well with a man like Slyketon," Colby said quietly, "Next time he'll have to deal with me. And he won't like it." He walked back to the dugout where the celebration was winding down.
"Everything alright?" David asked.
"For now," was the terse reply.
David nodded. Colby would ask for help if he needed it. And he would be there.
The triplets gazed warily at their father.
He sighed, "Not one word to your mother, or I'll flay the skin off your backs. Now put your stuff away in the van." They scrambled off to do as they were told, relieved that they'd got off as lightly as they had. Colby was rarely lenient over any kind of retaliation.
----
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Hannah asked later as they got ready for bed.
Colby's serious expression softened into a smile. "No."
Hannah rolled her eyes at him. "If you weren't already hurt..."
He grinned, the rakish grin she loved. "I know, I'd be in the dog house."
"What did Slyketon say about me?"
Colby stiffened at the unexpected question which made Hannah laugh. "Did you think you were the only investigator in the family? Part of being a mother is figuring out what your kids are up to." She sobered, "Tyler rarely gets angry. And they usually talk non-stop after a game. I couldn't get a word out of them on the way home."
He sighed, "I don't know." He smiled at Hannah's grimace. "No, I really don't. The boys took care of it, and in a way, I'm proud of them. I'd have preferred a less violent approach, but I'm not sure Slyketon would have got the hint otherwise."
Hannah shook her head and smiled wryly, "Like father, like sons." And smacked Colby on his head with a pillow when he grinned again.