See Chapter One for disclaimers.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When Matt called the next day, to ask how things had gone with Jennie, he hurried over to the woman's house when he heard tears in his friend's voice. In fact, he was lucky to make out anything she said at all, she was crying so hard.
"Cody? It's Matt," he said. "Open up, Cody." In a moment, the door was unlocked. As soon as the man opened it, his tall friend fell into his arms, sobbing as he held her. He'd never seen her such a wreck, and gently guided her to the couch.
Sitting beside her, he wrapped his arms around her, and let her cry until she ran out of tears. When that finally happened, twenty minutes or so later, she sheepishly wiped at her eyes, and blew her nose, before facing him again.
"I take it things didn't go as planned," he said, gently, and she shook her head.
"She didn't believe anything I said," explained the woman, sniffling as she held back the tears at the remembrance. "She hates me, and she has every right, but, God, it hurts. Matt, she said she wishes she'd never given herself to me. She wishes I wasn't her first," she sobbed, and the tears returned full force, but she was able to stop them a few moments later.
"Keep trying, C-girl," he urged. "Don't give up."
"But, she said she didn't want me anywhere near her or Jeffrey," she protested, softly. "She said so."
"Well, if you're in Arizona, you don't have to worry about that, I guess."
"I don't know if I'm going anymore, Matt," Cody sighed. "I mean, I know she hates me, and I know she doesn't want me to see Jeffrey, but I want to watch him play. And see him grow up. I don't want to leave her."
Matt sighed. "So, what would you do? Keep playing for Joe?" he asked.
The woman shook her head. "No," she said, quietly. "I've done well, Matt. I was MVP this year. That's all I've hoped for. Maybe I'll retire," she decided.
Matt was silent. He didn't know exactly what to say to that.
For the next two months, the rest of the fall, Cody tried weakly to get Jennie to talk to her again, thanks to the persistence of her friend. The tall woman had the door slammed in her face more times than she could count on two hands. She didn't even want to try to remember how many times the dial tone had sounded in her ear.
"I've tried everything, Matt," she said. "I've told her I still love her, I've told her I hate myself more than she ever could, and she just won't listen! Sure, I could make her sit down and listen, but she'd just ignore me, because she thinks I'm lying," she sighed. "I talked to Luke, the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks; I may as well go ahead and sign with them. There's nothing for me here, now," the woman admitted.
Her friend was quiet for a while, thinking. Cody had become a very different person over the past few months; with each rejection, a little more of her heart died. She'd sneak a few minutes out of every weekend to watch Jeffrey play on his Little League team, and that made her happy, but it was short lived when she realized she'd never actually be able to sit in the stands and cheer him on. And the boy could never know how proud she felt to watch him employ the lessons he had taught her.
Maybe it was time for a little intervention on the behalf of friendship.
When the phone rang, Cody grumbled as she was roused from sleep. "Lights," she said, and winced when the bright lights came on. Squinting, she realized it was already eight in the morning. "Crap… dim lights." A few seconds later the light was lessened, and she hit the speakerphone button.
"Hello?" she croaked.
"Hey, C-girl," came the response.
"Hi, Matt," she replied. "What's going on?"
"Oh, not too much," he sighed. "Can I get you to do me a favor?"
Cody didn't hesitate. "Sure," she said. "What do you need?"
"Well, you see, I'm over in room 131 at the new hospital on 17th," he began, and Cody was quick to interrupt him.
"The hospital? What's wrong?"
"I got in a car accident," he said, lightly. "I'm all right, just busted my leg. But, I need a ride, since my car is totaled."
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," she said, and her next call was to the cab company. Quickly getting dressed, she jumped into the cab, and asked the driver to wait, since she was bringing someone down with her. Racing up to 131, she helped her friend to the car, and settled his crutches next to him.
"So, what happened?" she asked, as the cab driver drove to the Brunswick residence.
He got settled in the seat before he answered. "Believe it or not, I was on my way to see Garret yesterday," he said. That wasn't actually a lie; he was just planning on making a short stop at a small blonde's house first.
"This huge truck came out of nowhere, the driver was drunk, and slammed into me. Of course, I'm driving my Porsche," he said, sniffling. "Anyhow, he ruined my car, but I didn't get hurt too bad. He hit a tree, though, and didn't make it." Matt sounded sorry. "But, that's what happened."
"And you're all right?"
"Yeah," he assured her. "Broke my right leg in three places, and a small concussion, but that's it," he said.
"Good thing you have a hard head," she smiled, and ducked the punch he threw at her. "This kind of ruins the first half of your season, huh?" The man nodded. "Sorry, Matt. Hey, I just realized I'm taking you home. I get the chance to see your pigsty of a bachelor pad!"
Matt groaned, and covered his eyes, trying in vain to lock the doors when the cab driver came to a stop. Getting out, and watching the cab take Cody away, he knew what he had to do - try to reach Jennie again. Just because he messed up his leg didn't mean he'd quit.
He couldn't.
"Who is it?" called Jennie, in response to the knock on the door.
"Matt," was the reply.
The blonde frowned for a moment, pausing in the mending of a broken action figure. "Matt?" she repeated, trying to place the name.
The man sighed. "Yeah," he said, "Matthew Brunswick."
"Oh!" exclaimed Jennie, laughing as she rose to answer the door. Halfway there, she stopped, as a thought hit her. "Is Cody with you?" she demanded, her voice terse.
"No, it's just me," assured Matt, and the blonde peeked through the peephole, just to be safe.
"Sorry about that," she said, opening the door when she was sure he was alone, gasping when the man hobbled inside on his crutches. "What happened?"
"Car accident," the man said, grinning a little. "Broke my leg when a drunk driver hit me. Lucky nothing else got busted."
"I guess that means your season's shot, huh?" asked Jennie, gently, and the man nodded.
"Yeah, but that's all right," he said, surprising her. "Joe's being a jerk anyway; we're all trying to think of a way to get a new manager without changing teams." His brown eyes seemed darker at the mention of Joe Henry's name, and his feelings for the man were clear.
"Been a while since I've talked to you," commented the blonde, and the man agreed.
"I know," he said, "but I've been pretty busy, trying to keep in shape for the season and all. Fat lot of good it does me now, but..." He sighed, and there was an awkward silence for a moment.
"Oh!" he said, suddenly, reaching behind his back. "I almost forgot. Cody mentioned that Jeff's playing Little League now, so I thought he might like to have this. I know it's kind of beat up, but it serves its purpose."
That said, he withdrew an old, worn out baseball cap - no logo, just pure black. He decided against telling the woman that it was Cody's first baseball hat.
"I figured he could put his team name on it, if he wanted," added Matt, and Jennie smiled.
"Thank you," she said, placing it on the counter to remind herself to give it to her son when he returned home. "Jeff's at practice right now, over in the park, but when he gets home in a little while, I'll be sure to give it to him."
"Jennie, there's another reason I came here," the man admitted, and the blonde was immediately on edge. "I came to talk to you about Cody."
I knew it! thought the woman, angrily.
"Matt, nothing you can say will change what she did."
"I know," agreed the man, asking permission to sit down on the couch, since he was getting tired of being on his feet. Jennie nodded, and even sat in the recliner next to the sofa, ever the polite hostess, even when all she really wanted to do was ask him to talk about something else.
"What Cody did was wrong, but you have to understand that she only did it because she felt she had no other choice," Matt insisted. "Everything she told you, about what Joe did, it's true. He manipulated her into believing he was the only way out, and in a way, she depended on him for privacy and safety.
"She had no idea he was tricking her - how could she?" he questioned. "When she found out he'd lied to her, the first thing she did was tell him she quit the Warriors. After that, she told me everything, and then Garret, and finally, she came to you.
"When she broke up with you, she was torn up for the longest time," he confessed. "She was like a different person - she didn't smile, she didn't laugh, and she certainly didn't allow anyone to talk bad about you. She never told anyone why she did what she did, because she thought she couldn't, but she stopped living after that night. Hell, she barely existed.
"Cody loves you, Jennie. She's always loved you; even now, when you won't have anything to do with her, and she's hundreds of miles away, she still loves you." The man took a deep breath, and continued, "Like I said, she's not playing for the Warriors anymore, she's going to try for the Arizona Diamondbacks. That means leaving you and Jeffrey - it didn't matter to her that you hated her, and wouldn't allow her to see Jeffrey - all she wanted was to be close to you.
"She even considered retiring early, just so she could stay in California, but I convinced her to take the chance she had," said Matt. "Cody still plays the game like the MVP she is, but it doesn't mean anything to her anymore. Nothing does, except you."
Seeing the blank look on the blonde's face, Matt sighed. He wasn't getting through to her, but he wouldn't quit until she realized Cody still loved her - really.
"Jennie, I can tell you don't believe me, and I can't really blame you," he said. "You probably think Cody put me up to this, but I can assure you, she didn't. She'd probably be upset with me for bothering you, if she knew I was here. I came for you, and I came for Cody, because I know how much you two loved each other, and I know you can find it again."
With a heavy sigh, he made one last effort. "I want you to do something for me, Jennie," he said, and the woman raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded. "I want you to close your eyes." She did. "Now, run back through everything Cody said to you in the past few months, all the explanations she gave you, and the times she tried to apologize and make things right. Do you remember?"
"Yes," said Jennie, speaking for the first time since Matt had started his tirade.
"Listen to it again, but this time, let her words into your heart," he instructed. "Don't hear them with your ears, convinced she's wrong because she hurt you, listen with your heart, and hear how bad her own heart is breaking when she finds out you don't believe her. Feel her pain when you tell her you regret that night when you made love.
"Now," he said, after a pause, noticing tears in the corners of the woman's eyes, "tell me she was lying."
Green eyes opened, and Jennie's hand flew to her mouth, unsuccessfully holding back the sob that came through. Tears ran down her cheeks, as she replayed every heartfelt word that Cody had uttered, and realized she had been baring her heart and soul - and Jennie had simply looked the other way.
"She was telling the truth," she muttered. "Oh, God... I didn't hear her! I never really heard what she was telling me. I have to talk to her," she decided, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. "Where is she?"
Matt glanced at his watch. "Probably a couple thousand feet in the air somewhere between here and Phoenix just about now," he said, and grinned, brilliantly. "The game starts at five, and it's just after three o'clock now. Get Jeffrey, and I can have us all on a plane to Phoenix, with front row seats to the game, in a little over an hour."
Jennie flew into the man's arms, and gave him a strong hug, even kissing his cheek. "Thank you so much!" she cried. "How can I ever thank you?"
The man smiled. "Just love her," he said, "and make her happy." The blonde nodded, and bustled about, throwing numerous clothes and other items into a large bag. When that was finished, she asked Matt to watch the house for a minute, as she ran across the street and brought Jeffrey home, much to the boy's dismay, who was in the middle of running to home base when his mother called him.
"Mom!" he whined, as she urged him to go home. "I was gonna win the game! Where are we going, anyway?"
"We're going to Arizona, to watch Cody play baseball," she said, and he grinned, almost tripping over his own feet in his disbelief.
"Really? But I thought you didn't like her anymore," he said, cautiously.
The blonde sighed, and stopped a few feet in front of her house, kneeling down to speak to her son. "Jeffrey, Cody and I have a lot to talk about. Matt's here, and he managed to talk some sense into me, and I realized I was wrong. I still love Cody very much, and Matt's going to fly us over to Phoenix so we can have a chance to get back together."
"Does this mean she can play baseball with me again?" he asked. When his mother nodded, he squealed with delight, and ran into the house, giving Matt a huge bear hug.
"Hey, Jeff," smiled the man. "Ready to go see Cody?" The boy nodded, and helped his mother carry their bags out to the car. Matt sat in the back seat so he could stretch out his leg, and Jeffrey sat in the passenger seat, eagerly reading each road sign that led to the airport.
Cody sighed as she adjusted her gloves, and smoothed down the strange uniform. It felt the same, but looked different. The name, the colors... it would take some getting used to, but she had to admit she was glad to be back in the game.
Of course, since I'm a former MVP, Luke wants me to go first, she thought, thinking of her new manager and friend, Luke White. Grabbing her bat, she readjusted herself, and did a few practice swings just outside the dugout.
As she stepped up to the plate, she cursed under her breath. The pitcher was Brandon Thomas - a man who, since she'd caught his near home run at the wall, had been her archenemy. He was an extremely good pitcher, throwing fast balls that were often clocked at over 90 miles-per-hour, and curve balls that even she had a hard time hitting.
Watching his position, she slid her left foot out a little, deciding he was going to try for a fast ball. The ball was thrown - a curve - and the tall woman had to jump back to avoid being hit in the side.
Shit! she cursed. He gave me the wrong signal! Glancing back, she noticed that even the umpire and the catcher were exchanging a quick glance, and Cody wondered if they'd also been caught off guard.
Taking a moment to calm down, she concentrated on the short stop, since that's where she was planning to hit the ball, and returned to the plate, unaware that a small blonde and her son had just found their seats in the stadium, not far behind her.
All right, Thomas, she thought, I'm ready for you, this time. Bending her knees, she clenched her teeth, and was sure he was going to throw another curve.
The man looked behind him, as was his habit, to check for anyone stealing a base, even though Cody was the first batter. Nodding slightly when the umpire reached the sign for a slow ball, he drew back, and threw with all his might.
And things seemed to go in slow motion for the tall woman at bat.
She saw him come out of the throw, and knew something was wrong - that wasn't a curve ball! Hell, that wasn't even a slow ball! Brandon Thomas threw a fast ball, as hard as he could, and it was headed straight for her. Her stance had been prepared for a curve ball, and she didn't have enough time to react, before the hard white sphere slammed into her left knee with a sickening crack. If she didn't know better, she'd have sworn the man had been aiming.
Dropping the bat, she fell back to the ground, clutching her knee as the umpire and catcher crowded around her, her teammates soon following.
"Gary, are there any cameras on me?" she hissed, biting her lip as the pain brought tears to her eyes. Glancing up, the catcher shook his head, and the tall woman let loose with a string of profanity that turned his face beet red, and even made the umpire look away.
"Motherfuck that hurts!" she cried, when the doctors lifted her onto the stretcher, since she couldn't walk. They asked her, when they first arrived, if she thought she could stand, and she felt like laughing at them.
Breathing hurts, and they want me to move? she thought, deliriously. After examining her in the physician's office, they decided she needed to be transported to the hospital, because the doctor said there was a good chance the 97 mph impact slipped her kneecap out of place, or did some other amount of significant damage.
The paramedics were called, she was taken to the nearest hospital, thankfully given something for the pain, and then prepped for operation. The last thing she remembered was a nurse telling her to count backwards from 100. By the time she reached 95, she was out like a light, and the surgeons were busy putting screws in her knee.
The next time she opened her eyes, her vision cleared, and she saw Matt standing there, crutches and all.
"Hey," she croaked, and he handed her a glass of water.
"Hey yourself," he grinned, as she swallowed the liquid gratefully, handing him the empty glass a few moments later. "How do you feel?"
"Like shit," she replied, "thanks for asking. I guess this puts a damper on my season, doesn't it? What are you doing here?" she asked, not waiting for an answer to her previous rhetorical question.
The man shrugged. "Oh, you know," he said, "just happened to be in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by and say hi. Actually, there's someone here who wants to see you."
Cody raised an eyebrow at him, intrigued. "Who?" she asked.
"Wait here," he said, walking towards the door, and the woman chuckled.
"I'm not going anywhere," she smiled, rubbing at her eyes as the pain in her knee began to compete with the pain in her head.
She heard the door opened, and her surprised blue eyes focused on...
"Barry," she said, tonelessly. The tall man stood before her, a woman with a small child in her arms, and two girls by her side. Besides looking a little wider, her brother didn't look all that different from the last time she'd seen him, save the fact he had a wife and kids.
"Hey, Cody," he smiled. "This is my wife, Mary, and my two daughters, Sarah and Carrie," he introduced, taking the youngest girl, Sarah, in his arms when she began to fuss. "That's Benjamin, he's four months," the man added, motioning to the young boy Mary held in her arms.
The woman in the hospital bed nodded curtly, but said nothing. "What do you want?" she asked, tersely.
"I just came to see how you were doing," he said, sounding a little hurt. "I don't live far from here, and I go to every Diamondback game, so when I saw you get hurt, I thought I'd come to check up on you," he explained.
"You never cared before," was the cold response.
"Cody, I know what I said to you so long ago was wrong," he confessed. "I realized it a long time ago, I was just too proud to say anything. But now, I want my daughters to know their aunt. You've always been great with kids, Cody, and I know, if you just try, you'll love Benjamin. Please, let's just try to forget about the past, and move on from here," he begged.
Cody sighed. "I guess this is as close to an apology as I can hope for from you," she said, and the man looked down.
"Cody, I'm sorry," he said. "I should have said it earlier, years ago, and maybe we wouldn't be so distant now. But I do miss my baby sister," he smiled.
The tall woman smirked at him. "Who you calling 'baby sister'?" she remarked. "You disowned me, remember? Or did you forget just what you said to me?"
Barry shook his head. "No," he said, softly, "I remember. And I'd like to take them back, but I know it's much too late, so I'm just asking for a second chance."
Cody crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What's it worth to you?" she asked, and the man looked up, catching on to their long-forgotten game they used to play as children.
"Five bucks," he said, and his wife glared at him, disbelief crossing her face.
"Fifteen," Cody bargained.
"Seven."
"Twelve."
"Ten," said the man, firmly, and Mary looked like she was ready to slap him a good one right across the back of his head.
"Deal," grinned the woman, accepting her brother into a large hug that very nearly squeezed the life out of both of them. "I've missed you, Bear."
"I missed you, too, Cody," he said. "So much."
There was a small tug on her shirtsleeve, and Cody glanced down into the innocent brown eyes of her eldest niece, Carrie.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Are you my Aunt?" asked the girl, and Cody grinned, hefting the youngster up into the air, settling her over her lap.
"I guess so," said the woman. "Is that okay with you?"
The girl thought for a moment. "Yeah," she responded. "Daddy says this means we get to see you on our birthdays and stuff. Will you get us presents?"
"Carrie Nicole Madison!" scolded her mother, but Cody just laughed.
"Sure, princess," she said, tickling the girl's sides, until she was laughing so hard Matt came in to make sure everything was all right.
"Everything's great, Matt," she smiled. "Thanks."
The family stayed for a while longer, until Mary and Barry noticed that the tall woman seemed to be getting tired, and decided she needed her rest.
"We'd better be going," said the tall man, and hugs were exchanged once more. "Our phone number's on the card, so is our address. See you around, sis," he said, and Cody grinned, waving goodbye to her brother, sister-in-law, and nieces as they left.
Sighing, she fell into a light sleep, which was uninterrupted until she awoke an hour later, feeling a little better than she had before.
Once again, Matt was there.
"What, do you just sit there and stare at me while I sleep?" she joked, and the man laughed.
"Yeah," he agreed. "You're kind of cute when you're sleeping." The woman growled at him, but grinned. "I've got someone else who wants to see you. Actually, Barry wasn't my idea, he just kind of showed up on his own."
"So now who is it? I'm gonna be surprised as Hell if you found my long-lost sister," she said, and he frowned.
"Cody, you don't have a sister," he said, and Cody smiled.
"I know," she said. "That's why I'll be surprised if you found her."
The man just shook his head, and opened the door, motioning the people inside. Cody glanced up from the get well card she was reading, and was sure the medicine was making her hallucinate.
It can't be, she thought, swallowing hard as she just stared at the two people in front of her. It just... it's not possible!
She was still convincing herself she was seeing things, when a small boy rushed up to her side, jumped into the bed beside her, and gave her a big hug around the neck, holding her tightly.
"Cody!" Jeff cried, and the tall woman held him as if she'd never let him go.
Too surprised to speak, she just let the tears well up, and pulled him closer. Suddenly, two gentle hands lifted the boy out of her arms, and placed him on the ground. Blue eyes locked with green ones, and for a moment, neither woman said a word.
Then, Jennie asked, "How's your knee?"
"It hurts," acknowledged Cody, never taking her eyes off the woman, for fear she'd disappear into the medicinal induced haze if she did. "Are you... are you really here?"
Jennie nodded, and softly stroked Cody's cheek, placing a feather-light kiss on her forehead, before the tall woman wrapped her arms around her, and held the blonde in a tight embrace, her arms threatening to never let go.
"Jen," she choked out, through her tears, as she sobbed into the woman's shoulder. "Oh God, Jennie, I'm so sorry. I thought I'd never hold you again," she muttered. "I missed you so much! Oh, Jen, I love you. Believe me, Jen, I love with all that I am; I always have. Please, don't leave me," she pleaded, and Jennie pulled back, tears in her own eyes.
"I won't," was the whispered promise, as Jennie leaned forward, so their foreheads touched. "I won't if you won't."
"Never," said Cody, firmly. "Never again, Jennie. God, I never wanted to hurt you, sweetheart," she insisted, and Jennie nodded.
"I know," she said. "I know that now. Matt came and talked to me, and I realized I was wrong. We have a lot to talk about. Cody, come home with us," requested the blonde, and Cody couldn't believe her ears.
"Yes," she replied, leaning over to include Jeffrey in the hug, "God, yes."
Matt came in, and cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, Cody, but I've got to ask you something," he said, and the woman raised an eyebrow at him.
"What?" she prompted.
"Well, since this injury kind of screws up your next season, how'd you like to be manager?"
The star's jaw dropped. "What did you say?" she asked.
"I asked if you wanted to be the Warriors' new manager," he repeated. "You did a lot of the plays for Joe anyway, and he was a jerk to all of us - no one liked him. We're gonna see if we can't convince him to take an early retirement, and you'd make a great manager, Cody," he insisted. "What do you think?"
The tall woman was silent for a moment, and looked at Jennie, lingering on the young face of Jeffrey, before forming her response.
"No," she said, shaking her head, "I don't think so. I know how much work that takes, and I've got a lot of catching up to do. Besides," she grinned, ruffling the youngster's hair, "if I'm manager, I can't be home to root for the best Little League player in California, now can I?"
The boy's smile was from ear-to-ear. "Are you really gonna come to my games, Cody?" he asked, and the woman nodded, earning her a large hug.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, little man," she agreed. "I see you got my hat," she smiled, tapping the cap on the boy's head, and his smile grew, if that was possible.
"This is yours? Cool!" he exclaimed, happily.
"You know what I'm gonna do as soon as we get back, honey?" asked Cody, knowing the word "honey" had never felt so good coming out of her mouth, and Jennie shook her head. "Cook you biscuits and gravy for breakfast." Tears came again as the blonde smiled, and enveloped the tall woman in a fierce hug, her son wriggling in between them, wrapping his small arms around them both.
And here, suddenly no longer able to feel the pain in her knee, only aware of the immense love radiating from heart that swallowed the two people she loved most in all the world, here is where Cody was struck with one of the most important thoughts in her life: there was someone out there who really loved her; not just a woman with a lot of money, not the Warriors' Most Valuable Player, but Cody Madison, for all she was and would be. The young blonde in her arms enabled her not only to love, but to forgive, and allowed her to realize there were more important things in life to an MVP - things that came before baseball, and even before her own life.
Things like love.