A/N: Of the physical therapy schools mentioned in this chapter, all of them have programs in real life, except for Stanford (that's created for my story). In fact, USC has the number one program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. The others mentioned aren't too shabby, either.
Disclaimer: To own, or not to own, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous Chuck ownership, or to take arms against a sea of endless lawsuits, and by opposing end them: to die, to sleep; no more; and by a sleep, to say we end the heart-ache, and the lack of income that Chuck is heir to? 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep, to sleep, perchance to dream; aye, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause. – Original, rough draft text of Hamlet (pre-first folio) recently discovered stuffed in the wall of a closed Wimpy Burger restaurant in Nottingham, England. In modern English: I don't own Chuck and I make no money from Chuck. Forsooth. Yea verily.
Chapter 14 – Tell Me Something
October 16
"You saved me, Sarah," Chuck announced when he met the CATS at the Lakeside serving line. "I just checked my email before I came down to dinner and there was one from the Public Safety office. They said that they would not be forwarding the incident report with Bryce to the Office of Community Standards."
"Chuck, that's great!" Sarah said happily. "But, how did I save you?" Her suitemates nodded to show their interest in what Chuck would say.
"Well, if you hadn't stopped me, I might have hit Larkin. If I had, I might have been charged with assault under California Penal Code 240 for an attempt to commit a violent injury. You kept me from doing that." Chuck smiled gratefully. "You kept me from possibly breaking the law, because if I had attempted to commit a violent injury, I would have succeeded. Then I would have been in sooo much trouble with just about everyone." He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"Wow, Chuckles, you're a regular Perry Mason being all smexy quoting the law and all," Carina teased.
"Smexy?" Chuck looked confused.
"Smart and sexy combined into one word. Smexy," Sarah explained with a shy smile. Chuck's eyes widened as he frowned slightly and shrugged. Carina just shook her head. Her talent was wasted on him.
"They said that whatever discipline I'd received from my baseball coaches was sufficient. So, I'm good."
"Chuck, I'm so glad." She said. "I got an email, too. They determined that what I did to Larkin constituted self-defense and that was the end of the matter. Yay for me!"
"Yeah, yay for you! That's great! It's behind us both. Now all we have to worry about are the other ten thousand things we've got to do before the end of the quarter." He chuckled.
"You've got that right, that's for sure," Sarah agreed as they worked their way through the serving line before making the trek over to the usual tables for dinner.
It had been a good day, so far, Sarah thought. During her meeting with Dr. Beckman that afternoon, she was told the fund-raising checks were continuing to arrive and the total amount was now over seventeen thousand dollars. Chuck's phone call to his parents was really paying off. If things kept up like they were, the Songbirds should have more than enough money to cover their expenses throughout their competition season. After her meeting with Beckman, the advisor had kindly offered to drive Sarah over to her appointment at Vaden Health Center. Dr. Steenlage checked on her healing ankle and was very pleased with her progress. He encouraged her to continue following the RICE regimen and he would see her in another week. She made the appointment and Dr. Beckman had taken her back to Roble Hall.
Dinner was the usual chaotic affair. Multiple conversations overlapping each other. Chuck looked around with a question in his eyes. "What's everyone so excited about? Did I miss something?"
"Yeah, ya did, Chuck," Sarah replied. "Since you've been hanging out with me, and my ankle, instead of going to Helman Hall, you missed some news. We've got our first performance of this school year scheduled next week as part of the homecoming festivities."
"That's great for y'all! Where are you performing?"
"Every year, the president of the university holds a dinner for the prominent alumni and top donors, The Cardinal Club, on the Friday of homecoming week." Sarah explained. "We've been singing at the dinner since, like, forever and we'll be doing it this year, too."
"That's wonderful. Too bad it's not out in the public. I'd like to see y'all's performance." Chuck almost gushed. "But I do have a question." Sarah nodded. "How are you going to perform the dance moves with your crutches?" He didn't mention that his parents were members of The Cardinal Club.
Sarah grinned. "We've been working on a set of songs and choreography, which we've had to modify to account for me being immobilized on my crutches. No one is worried since we've come up with a way to play it for laughs. I've been working it out with the CATS in our suite over the last few evenings before we go to bed. We're doing a mash-up of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" and "I'm Gonna Be (500)", that's the 'I would walk 500 miles' song. I'm either on my crutches or sitting down for the whole performance."
Chuck smiled and nodded his understanding. "That's even better. I'm sure y'all do great. I just wish I could see it. Oh, well." He shrugged. "Maybe another time."
Sarah nodded back to him, smiling. "Absolutely. You'll get to see us do our thing, at some point." She thought about all the hard work everyone had been putting into the group. Sarah was really proud about how far they all had come since the beginning of school. Beca had come up with a few remixes for the Songbirds to try out and they'd been practicing to see what they could do with them. It wasn't what they normally did, but her stuff showed some promise. They wouldn't be ready for next week, but were coming along nicely, all the same. There was plenty for the Songbirds to be positive about.
"Say, Curls, you never did tell us. Can you sing?" Zondra asked.
"Zondra, of course, I can sing. Everyone can sing." Chuck replied, between bites of food.
"That's cool, Chuck. Maybe, you could sing with us some time?" Sarah offered.
"Naw, I can't do that." Chuck demurred, shaking his head.
"Why not?" Amy challenged. "Are you too good for us?"
"Just the opposite," Chuck chuckled. "P.E.T.A. has a court order that prohibits me singing around anyone. Something to do with causing undue harm to dogs' hearing." He shrugged as some of the girls giggled. "I'm only allowed to sing in the shower while I'm alone and the water is running. Or in a car, as long as the windows are rolled up and it's moving. If I'm at a stop light, I have to stop singing." The giggles, around the table, turned into laughs.
Morgan rolled his eyes and leaned over to Alex. "He's exaggerating. He's not that bad, but he doesn't think he sounds good enough to sing in front of anyone," he whispered. Alex nodded her understanding. It fit with what she already knew about Chuck's somewhat shy, reserved nature.
"Oh, you can't be that bad, Chuck," Sarah gave him a disbelieving look.
"Bad enough, Sarah. Trust me," Chuck responded firmly. "Think of all of those poor dogs. I could never live with myself if I caused any premature canine deafness." He wiggled his eyebrows to let everyone know he was now kidding.
"Well, we certainly don't want you to become a fugitive from P.E.T.A. justice, Chuckles, so we'll have to take your word for it." Carina grinned.
"Yup, you will," Chuck nodded emphatically, before turning back to his dinner. Sarah wondered about his reluctance to let them hear him sing. Another of his mysteries.
They were walking back to the dorm, together, from Terman Library under the darkened sky, when Chuck finally asked her. Sarah had been thinking about him for the past few days since her nightmare. Well, if she were being honest, she was almost always thinking about him, but particularly so lately. She'd been going over, and over again, all of their time together since the beginning of October and their first meeting. There were a number of things that they had started to talk about, but never finished, and other things that had never come up at all. It was kind of strange, given all of the time they had spent together. She was somewhat amazed that there was always so much to talk about with Chuck. Even more amazing was the fact that she was never bored when he was around. She was smiling to herself about that when his voice interrupted her reverie.
"What did you say?" Sarah looked over at him, startled. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."
Chuck grinned at her, shaking his head. She took a half-hearted swipe at him with one of her crutches, which he easily dodged, even with the burden he was carrying. "I was saying that I just realized I'd never asked you what you were majoring in. I mean, I know you're taking a psychology class, since you asked about the Tower of Hanoi stuff. And I remember that you reacted when I was talking about my parents and how my mom majored in Psychology and Biology here at Stanford. You wondered if she was a physical therapist. But I never asked you about your major." He shrugged.
"You're right, you didn't," she teased. He widened his eyes and frowned at her and she giggled before continuing. "To answer your unspoken question, I'm double majoring in Psychology and Human Biology and hope to go to physical therapy school after I graduate in the spring. That's why I asked if your mom was doing that. I thought that she might be a physical therapist, too. That would have been quite a coincidence."
"Yeah, that would have been," Chuck agreed. "Why do you want to do physical therapy and not become a doctor, like Ellie and Awesome are doing?"
He stopped walking for a minute to readjust the backpacks and pillows he was carrying. Sarah had tried to get him to let her carry her own backpack, on one of their previous library forays. He had politely, but firmly, refused. She'd teased him, "Determined to be a Boy Scout, aren't you?" To which he had simply replied, "Yup!", giving her his full Bartowski smile, nose wrinkling and eye crinkling and everything. She'd melted and relented, allowing him to continue to carry her stuff.
"Would you believe that I have a hard time doing all of that cutting into things?" Chuck gave her a wide-eyed look. "Even the dissections I've had to do in my biology classes have been rough." He nodded his understanding. "I even barfed once. No lie." She gave him a sheepish grin and he burst out laughing.
"I gotta admit I've never barfed over having to write any computer code." He shrugged and grinned. Sarah gave him a flat look and he chuckled before sobering. "I agree that I didn't like having to do dissections in my biology classes, either. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the animals that we had to work on. I know it's silly, but that's how I felt." It was Chuck's turn to grin sheepishly. Sarah melted a little bit at the further evidence of his kind and gentle heart.
"I'll add that I'm not a fan of blood, either," Sarah elaborated. "So, put all of that together and physical therapy looked like a good option for me."
"That makes sense. So, where have you applied?" Chuck asked. "Have you gotten any acceptances, yet?"
Sarah winced. "No acceptances, yet, but, soon, hopefully. As for where I've applied, they're all here in California. Stanford, of course. USC, San Diego State, San Francisco State, Cal State-Long Beach, and Chapman University are the others I've applied to."
"Those are all good colleges. You'll get in. I'm sure." Chuck nodded.
"How can you be so sure, Chuck? Letters were supposed to start going out at the beginning of October and I haven't heard from any of them. Either to get accepted or to be told no." Sarah began to chew on her lower lip with a worried expression on her face.
"Maybe, the letters haven't gone out for some reason. Maybe, they are still evaluating. Maybe the letters are going out in alphabetical order and yours are still out there because your last name begins with 'W'. There could be a lot of reasons. Don't worry. You'll get in. I'm sure." Chuck said matter-of-factly.
"I wish I had your confidence, Chuck. I really do." Sarah sounded unconvinced.
"I'm right. You'll see. You're great, Sarah. Trust me. You'll get in." Chuck smiled confidently.
Sarah couldn't believe what he'd just said. Couldn't believe his unshakeable faith in her. It gave her hope and a warm feeling bloomed in her chest. "I hope you're right, Chuck. I hope you're right."
"I am right," he said firmly.
"I'll just have to trust you, won't I?" She smiled.
"Yes, you will," he smiled back.
Sarah felt a little bit lighter as they continued on their walk. After a few moments, she realized that there was another unfinished conversation with Chuck that she still had some questions about.
"Chuck, do you remember the other day when we were at dinner and you were telling us about your three practices a day that you have?" she asked.
"Sure, I remember that. What about them?" he responded.
"Well, you were telling us about what you do at the second practice. Stuff about long toss and other stuff, right?"
"Yeah, I did mention that. Why?"
"Well, I interrupted you and you never got the chance to finish telling me about what all that throwing stuff was."
"You really want to know that stuff?" Chuck looked a bit incredulous.
"Yeah, I would. I mean, you hear us talking about our practices all the time. Sometimes, you even talk with us about them and ask us questions. I'm curious about the stuff you do, too."
"OK, sure, if you're interested. What do you want to know?" Chuck asked.
"Well, you can start by telling me what you do at that second practice. The throwing stuff, I mean. You mentioned three things, if I remember correctly."
"Yup. I talked about long toss, flat ground, and bullpens."
"Yeah, those are the ones. I remember now. What are those?"
"Well, long toss is what it says." Sarah gave him a flat look. "Don't be mad. I'm not making fun of you or anything." Chuck held up his hands with the pillows in them causing Sarah to giggle. "In long toss, two guys start out about ten to twenty feet apart and toss a baseball to each other, concentrating on throwing the ball with good technique. After about five to eight throws, they move apart another ten feet. Another five or so throws, they move another ten feet. And so on until you're about 300 feet or so apart. At that distance, you really have to make sure you're using good throwing technique, like crow hopping before you throw the ball. After some throws at the maximum distance, you reverse the process, by moving closer ten feet and throwing. Keep doing that until you're back at the original distance."
"What's that 'crow hopping' you mentioned?" Sarah asked.
"You really don't know what that is?" She shook her head. "Well, it's literally taking a step with a little jump or hop to get some momentum and extra strength behind the throw. We do that when we're trying to throw a long distance. If you've watched a game, it's what the players in the outfield do when they throw the ball back into an infield player. I'd show you, but I'll have to put all of this stuff down to do it."
"That's OK, you don't have to do that."
"I'll do it when we get back to your suite and I can set this stuff down."
"Oh, sure. That'll work. Thanks. What about the other two things you were talking about?"
"You're welcome." Chuck nodded. "OK, so flat ground is where a player pitches on the flat ground, instead of on the pitcher's mound. You don't throw at full speed, more like eighty percent or so. We use it to work on pitching technique and focus on hitting specific parts of the strike zone."
"And the strike zone is?" Sarah prompted. "Sorry, I don't know too much about the details of baseball."
Chuck grinned. "The strike zone is where a pitcher is trying to throw the baseball. It's as wide as home plate. The top of the zone is just under where the lettering is on a player's jersey and the bottom is right below the kneecap. It forms a rectangle. You can divide it into nine boxes: three on top, three in the middle, and three on the bottom. My job, as a pitcher, is to throw pitches into one of those nine boxes, or just outside, to get the batter to miss the ball when they swing. The batter is trying to guess what pitch I'm going to throw where and I'm trying to throw a pitch where the batter isn't guessing I will."
Sarah looked totally confused. "Is it OK that I didn't understand most of what you just told me, besides the size of the strike zone?"
Chuck laughed. "I'm not laughing at you, I promise. I did sort of dump all of that information on you. I didn't mean to do that. I kind of got carried away there for a minute." Chuck looked sheepishly at her. "As long as you got the stuff about the size of the zone, you're good. The rest of the stuff I was talking about is some of what I have to deal with when I'm pitching."
Sarah grinned at him. "If you say so, I'll take your word for it." Chuck laughed again. She loved to hear him laugh. "What about the 'bullpen'?"
"The bullpen is when a pitcher practices their pitches on the pitcher's mound. Over the days from one game to the next one the pitcher is scheduled to play in, the pitcher goes from about eighty percent speed up to full speed on the day before their next game. Otherwise, it's the same at the flat ground. Work on pitching technique for the pitches you throw and work on hitting the different spots in the strike zone."
"It sounds like there's a lot that you have to do when you're pitching."
"Yeah, there is. It's like a chess game or a game of cat and mouse between the pitcher and each batter. I really enjoy the mental challenge of trying to outthink the batters."
"Why am I not surprised, Professor Bartowski?" Sarah teased as a smile covered her face. Chuck smiled back and blushed. God, he was adorable and he had no idea. Smiling at each other, they entered Roble Hall and made their way to the elevator.
October 17
It was rare for Stanford to have a mid-week game. There was only ever one such game on the schedule each year. This year, it was on Thursday, October 17, and the game was against UCLA. The campus was packed with both Stanford and UCLA alumni and fans. It gave the late afternoon and evening the typical Saturday afternoon game day atmosphere.
The game was scheduled to start at 6:00pm. True to their word, the baseball coaches had insisted on holding the normal late afternoon practice, so Chuck and Morgan were on the field until 5:00pm. There wouldn't be enough time for them to get back to the dorm, shower, eat dinner, and walk with everyone over to the game, like they had done before. This required a plan.
Chuck had worked some magic. He'd asked Coach Graham if a parking spot next to the field could be reserved for Ellie and Devon to park their car. It was no small favor seeing as how the parking lot was situated between the baseball field and the football stadium. Those parking spots were highly coveted. Having Graham as a friend of his father's didn't hurt and he gave Chuck permission for them to park in the spot normally reserved for the umpires during home baseball games. There were no baseball games that day and Graham had control of the spot.
With a parking place secured, Chuck and Morgan were able to shower and change in the baseball clubhouse before meeting up with his sister. They found Ellie and Devon waiting for them by their car.
"How was practice, Chuck?" Ellie asked brightly, completely ignoring Morgan's puppy dog look.
"Not bad, El. Same old stuff. Running, running, and more running," Chuck grinned.
"All part of the process, bro," Devon said when he unlocked the trunk so Chuck and Morgan could stow their stuff there. "You gotta go through this basic stuff, so you'll be ready for the real workouts next January and then the games after that." He lifted out his cooler and then slammed the trunk to keep everything safe.
"You're right, Devon. I know you are," Chuck agreed. "It's just that the basic stuff gets boring. When we start playing those inter-squad games in a few weeks, no one will complain. I'm pretty confident about that."
"Oh yeah. You'll love it when those games come up," Devon nodded. "You know, that might be part of the plan from the coaches. Work you guys like crazy now, so when the games come around everyone plays hard and stays focused. It'll make for better games and better preparation."
"You could be on to something there, Captain," Chuck admitted, grinning. Ellie frowned at him for using Devon's nickname.
"You know it, bro," Devon cocked an eyebrow at Chuck and made a fist. "OK, Chuckster, how about you and Morgan grab the cooler and show us where you've got us eating dinner. I'll escort your sister, while you do the heavy lifting." He grinned.
"Gee, thanks, Devon. You shouldn't have." Chuck faux-groused while he and Morgan each picked up a handle on the large cooler. "We're going just a little south of where we are now to that grove of trees over there." He pointed. "They have picnic tables under the trees and we can spread out on one to eat."
As they walked along, Ellie steeled herself and turned to Morgan. "And how are you doing, Morgan?"
"I'm doing great actually, Ellie," Morgan smiled. "Thanks for asking."
"Chuck tells me that you have a girlfriend. One of the Songbirds acapella group, isn't that right?"
"Yes, that's right. Her name is Alex McHugh. Her father is our strength and conditioning coach. She's pretty wonderful. Her dad's not, but I can stand him, if that means I can be with Alex." Morgan confided happily.
"That's really nice, Morgan." Ellie nodded. "I'm happy for you. Will we get a chance to meet her later on after dinner?"
"Oh yeah, she'll be there. Along with the other Songbirds and their friends." Morgan confirmed.
"We're looking forward to it," Ellie said. "Now, Chuck where are you taking us?"
"Just over here, Ellie." Chuck maneuvered them to one of the permanent picnic tables under the trees in the grove and placed the cooler on one end of the table. "Here we go. I eat here at lunch every so often."
"What do you do for food?" Ellie asked. She opened the cooler and began taking things out of it and putting them on the table.
Chuck pointed south of them. "Arrillaga Family Sports Center is over there. There's a takeout place inside called the Jimmy V's Sports Café. I'll get some food and come out here to eat. It's usually nice and peaceful. Plus, it's sort of required for me to eat out here." He grinned. He knew Ellie would take the bait.
"Why is it required for you to eat here, Chuck? I don't understand." Ellie gave him a look.
"Well this grove has a name," he smirked.
"OK, don't keep us in suspense, little brother. What's its name?" Ellie looked at him wide-eyed.
"This place is called Chuck Taylor Grove," he giggled. "My name is Chuck and I wear Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers, so I just have to eat in Chuck Taylor Grove every so often. Get it? A guy named Chuck wearing Chuck Taylors eating in Chuck Taylor Grove. It's a cosmic convergence or something."
"It's certainly something. I'll give you that." Ellie twisted her lips and shook her head. Chuck's flat look made her giggle a little bit.
"Good one, bro," Devon laughed. "Now, what good stuff do you have for us, El?"
"Well, there are sandwiches from that deli you told me about, Chuck. They're all the same, so take any of them. Italian hoagies like dad always talks about from back where he grew up in PA. The containers have coleslaw, potato salad, and macaroni salad. That last one has pickle slices. And there's a bag of regular chips for anyone who's still hungry after all of the other stuff. Paper plates and plastic spoons and forks are in that bag over there." She gestured behind the cooler. "And lots of bottles of water for everyone. Whatever we don't finish, we'll put back in the cooler and take it back to the car before we head over to meet up with your friends."
Chuck checked his phone. "We better get a move on, if we want to eat and still have time to meet up with the girls." The others all nodded and settled in to enjoy their food.
Once the foursome had finished eating and cleaned up, they made their way back to the car to store the cooler containing the leftovers.
"Where to now, Chuck?" Ellie asked.
"We've got to meet Sarah, Alex, and everyone at the southwest corner of the student tailgate area on Maloney Field." Chuck nodded toward the north. "It's literally right over there. We'll probably hear them before we see them. Because they'll see me sticking out like a sore thumb towering over everyone. Well, everyone besides Devon, that is." he shrugged.
"That's right, Chuckster. We're like two bookends cozying up to my girl, Ellie, here." Devon enthused. Ellie snorted and shook her head at his antics.
"OK, no. Let's not have that image in my mind for the rest of my life, OK?" Chuck groused. "By the way, Captain, I'm glad to see you did without the UCLA regalia while you meet a bunch of Stanford students." He looked Devon up and down.
"Oh no, Chuck …," Ellie began. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Au contraire mon frère," Devon grinned. He unzipped his warm up jacket to reveal his UCLA shirt underneath. "I'm going incognito amongst the enemy. Need to avoid any incidents. At least until the game starts. And I'm surrounded by my like-minded friends." Ellie rolled her eyes, while he zipped up his jacket to hide the evidence.
"We appreciate your discretion, Captain. Truly." Chuck chuckled.
"Yeah, keep it in your jacket, man," Morgan grumped.
"What about you, bro? You and your family have UCLA ties, too. Ellie graduated from there. Your mom does research there." Ellie gave him a look and he swallowed. "Um … And all of the rest of it." Devon finished lamely. "You're not going to represent?"
"No, not at all," Chuck shook his head. "I'm a Stanford man through and through." He pointed at himself. "You know, the whole 'on the Stanford baseball team' and everything?"
"I feel you, bro." Devon nodded seriously and made a fist. "You've got to stay strong for the home team. I can respect that."
"OK, enough testosterone. Let's go meet up with your girls. I need some fresh air." Ellie frowned and rolled her eyes.
Chuck was partly right. The walk was short, but they didn't hear the girls before they saw them. There was too much noise for them to hear anyone calling out to them. Ellie recognized Carina first, due to her height and auburn hair, and then, Sarah on her crutches. Chuck looked where she was pointing and saw the rest of the Songbirds arrayed around their leader. His face broke into a wide grin, that Ellie noticed, and he waved to get the girl's attention. When Sarah noticed him waving, she gave him her own grin and waved back, poking her friends to get their attention and gesturing at the arriving group. Chuck's grin got even bigger. Ellie noticed that, too, and smiled to herself. Oh boy, little brother. Oh boy.
"I'm so glad we caught you in time," Chuck started speaking before the two groups finished closing the distance between them. "I was worried that our practice and everything was going to make us late and we'd miss you before we had to go inside for the game." He was a little breathless.
Meanwhile, Morgan walked up and slid his arm around the waist of a pretty petite brunette. They smiled at each other and Morgan went in for a kiss. Ellie looked on, wide-eyed. Chuck had been honest the other night. Morgan had a girlfriend with a real live girl. Ellie was a little ashamed at how thrilled she felt. She turned her attention to the rest of the group.
"Hi Ellie," Sarah smiled. "It's nice to see you again."
"Nice to see you, too. How's the ankle coming along?" Ellie replied.
"It's getting better. I saw Dr. Steenlage yesterday and he said it was looking good." Sarah said. "I've got to say that Chuck letting me borrow his cold wrap has really helped. He saved me having to go all over looking for ice." She smiled over at Chuck, who was talking with Morgan and Alex.
"Of course, Chuck helped out." Ellie laughed. "It's sort of his thing."
She smiled before turning toward Ellie's boyfriend and nodded. "Devon. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Sarah. Thanks for asking." He gestured to her ankle and crutches. "Are you going to be OK in there with your ankle and everything?"
Carina jumped in. "We've got her covered, Devon. Don't you worry. And anything we can't handle; Chuck will take care of. He's a regular Gunga Din." She smiled.
"Gunga Din? What do you mean, Carina?" Devon questioned. Ellie looked over at them.
"He hasn't told you how he hauls Sarah's stuff over to the library every night so she can study and use the library resources?" They both shook their heads.
Sarah blushed. "Carina, they don't want to hear about that stuff."
"Hush, you. This is an adult conversation." Carina chided. Sarah pouted, knowing that she couldn't stop Carina from telling the tale whether she wanted her to or not. "Here's what he does …," Carina began before proceeding to tell Ellie and Devon the whole story. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"And people see him doing this? Every night?" Ellie was incredulous.
"Yup. Every night." Carina confirmed. "Well, almost every night. He didn't do it the other night when he had dinner over at your place, but otherwise, yes, that's what he does. He looks like a pack mule or something." Ellie just giggled and shook her head. Devon grinned. And Sarah blushed.
Ellie thought it best to change the subject. "Why don't you introduce us to the rest of the gang. We don't have much time before we need to get inside for kickoff and Devon and I need to find his friends soon."
Sarah's face showed her thanks. She got everyone's attention and went around the group introducing everyone. Ellie was happy to see people acknowledging Chuck and speaking to him throughout Sarah's introductions. He really was making friends. Finally. She paid special attention when Sarah introduced Morgan's girlfriend, Alex McHugh. Ellie thought she was really cute. Good for Morgan, she said to herself.
She noticed some of the older students giving Devon the eye. Evidently, they either recognized his face or his name from his football playing days. She attempted to diffuse the situation before anything could become difficult. "Don't worry. He'll behave. For the most part." She eyed her boyfriend. "He understands that we're Stanford students now. He's promised to only cheer when he's with his old friends inside. Outside, he's all for Stanford." Some of the people relaxed.
"Scout's Honor," Devon smiled. "It's only this one game. All of the rest of the time, I cheer for Stanford. And I'll be cheering for Chuck and Morgan and the rest of the baseball team next spring against every opponent. Even UCLA. My loyalty isn't divided for baseball." Ellie giggled and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, one more time.
"We'll hold you to that, mister," Zondra grinned at them. Amy gave an emphatic nod beside her.
"I would expect nothing less," Devon asserted. Ellie noticed that got some people's attention. And maybe a bit of respect.
"You don't have to cheer too loud for Larkin," Carina said. That drew laughs from the surrounding group.
"On that note, I think we need to get inside," Sarah observed. "I, for one, need extra time to get to my seat. So, let's go!" There was some good-natured grumbling as people began to make their way toward the stadium.
Ellie noticed how Chuck stuck close to Sarah and they talked quietly to each other as she hobbled along. Carina casually sidled up to her and softly spoke. "Don't worry. We're keeping an eye on them. Both of them," the redhead said. Devon kept quiet and listened.
Ellie eyed her brother before speaking. "He really has no clue." She knew why, but kept that knowledge to herself.
Carina smiled and shook her head. "None. She's only a little better, but don't worry. We really are looking out for them. All of us. The Songbirds, that is."
"I'm guessing that he hasn't told you very much?" Ellie asked.
"No, he hasn't, but we figure that there is stuff for him to tell."
"Yeah, there is. He'll tell you. Eventually. I'm sure." Ellie nodded to herself. "He just has to figure out how to do it. When to do it. I wish I could tell you more, but he made me promise to let him live his life his way. He's not a bad guy. I mean that and not just as his sister."
"Oh, we know that." Carina agreed. "He's actually a great guy. Especially for her. She's the same for him. We know that, too. I mean, just look at the two of them. It's disgusting." They both giggled.
"I really appreciate it. You don't know how much. Something tells me you will, at some point." Ellie bit her lip. "You'll let me know if there's anything I can do." When Carina nodded, she continued. "Let's trade numbers, just in case." When they finished that task, Carina smiled.
"You know, he's going to let her prop her injured ankle in his lap for the whole game, don't you?" Ellie just blinked. "It's so adorable, I could just gag. He does it at dinner, too. It's all I can do to keep my food down." They both chuckled. And a hatchet was buried.
Sarah looked over at Carina walking with Ellie and Devon, talking and laughing, and wondered what that was all about.
The gang of friends were subdued when they made their way back to their dorm. UCLA had prevailed 34-16. Stanford played hard, but couldn't overcome the first half deficit. Having to walk back with the knowledge that everyone had class the next day instead of a day to sleep in and recuperate added to the dour mood.
Chuck and Morgan had excused themselves to run over and meet up with Ellie and Devon and retrieve their practice gear. After some hugs and quick good-byes, they jogged back and rejoined the group to continue the walk. It was after they'd rejoined the group that Zondra thought of a question to ask Chuck.
"Hey Curls," she called. Chuck turned toward her. "Do you mind me asking you about your scholarship?"
"I'm guessing that you're tired of thinking about the football game and you'd like to talk about something else?" Chuck gave her a tentative grin.
"Could be," Zondra admitted. "So, can you talk about your scholarship or is it confidential?"
Chuck scratched the back of his head. "No, it's not confidential or anything. The truth is, I don't have a scholarship." He shrugged.
"What?!" Zondra was surprised. So were the other girls. "How is that possible? I mean, you got drafted and everything. First round. That means you're good, doesn't it? How can they not give you a scholarship?" Sarah was looking at him, open-mouthed.
"Oh, they did offer me a scholarship. For sure." Chuck admitted. "I turned it down."
"You turned it down, Chuck? Why?" Sarah had found her voice again.
The group walked along for a few moments before Chuck answered. "Well, for a couple of reasons. First, my family can afford to send me here. Not bragging or anything. It's just a fact. Why not let that scholarship money go to someone who needs it more. The second reason is division one baseball only gets 11.7 scholarships to share between the thirty-five to forty players on the team."
"Wait," Amy interrupted. "How can you only have 11.7 scholarships for forty players? How does someone have 0.7 of a scholarship?"
"The NCAA only allows for baseball to have that many. Baseball coaches can divide up the scholarships how they like, as long as a player gets, at least, a twenty-five percent scholarship. Almost no player gets a full-ride scholarship." Chuck explained. "In contrast, division one football teams can have 85 scholarships and they are all a full-ride." The Songbirds couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"How is that fair, Chuck?" Sarah asked.
"It might not be 'fair', but it makes sense. Look at how much schools make from football and, even basketball, compared to every other sport, including baseball. That's not even factoring in the alumni support. It's the economics of big money sports. The big sports pay the bills for all of the other sports the schools participate in." He lifted his palms up and shrugged.
"So, does Morgan have a scholarship and you don't?" Alex asked. Chuck and Morgan both looked at her. "What? I've never talked to my dad about this. Why would I?" Both men nodded at her logic.
"Yeah, Morgs is on a partial scholarship. But I'm not out in the cold completely. I've got guaranteed walk-on status."
"What does that mean, Curls?" Zondra wondered.
"Scholarship players have the monetary support that the scholarship or partial scholarship provides. They are also guaranteed a roster spot on the team." Zondra nodded her understanding. "As a guaranteed walk-on, I've got the guaranteed roster spot, along with all the pluses and minuses of being a college athlete under the NCAA rules. Just no money. The other type of player would be the regular walk-on. That's someone who comes to school and tries out for the team on their own after they're already here. They're not scouted or recruited. Or, at least, didn't get offered a scholarship or guaranteed walk-on position if they were scouted." Chuck concluded.
"You're full of all kinds of interesting facts tonight, Chuckles," Carina teased as she winked at him.
"Yeah, maybe. Most of it is stuff you learn about when you get involved in college sports. Whether you want to learn it or not." Chuck shrugged. "Kind of goes with the territory." He looked around at the group. "Now, I don't know about anyone else, but it's Thursday and Late Night at Lakeside has started. Who's with me for a 'let's get happy' snack?" More than one person yelled out "Meee!". He laughed and wiggled his eyebrows at Sarah. She joined in the laughter as the group headed into the dining hall for their treats, marveling at his effect on everyone.
October 25
The Songbirds had just begun to make their way to the front of the room and the raised stage, when Mary Bartowski leaned over to her husband and whispered, "The girl with the crutches is the one Ellie says Chuck is interested in. Her name's Sarah Walker."
"She's certainly pretty enough, but there has to be more to her than just good looks for her to have captured Charles' attention. All of them are attractive, so she must be something special for him to single her out." Stephen observed.
"Ellie told me that she's this year's leader. A senior, but she's Chuck's age," she paused when he gave her a look. "Very smart. Graduated from high school when she was fifteen. Didn't turn sixteen until the middle of her first fall quarter up here."
"Impressive. No wonder Charles is paying attention. Bartowski men have always liked smart women." Stephen smiled at his wife affectionately. Mary snorted a laugh and shook her head at her husband.
"Ellie also told me that she clearly has feelings for Chuck. Said it was all over her face and in her voice," she said with a worried smile. "Ellie also said that Chuck hadn't come clean with her about himself, yet."
Stephen frowned. "Oh boy, that's not good. He needs to be honest with this girl and tell her the truth." He looked at his wife. "Maybe I should have a talk with him over Thanksgiving, if he still hasn't told her by then."
Mary shook her head and frowned. "I hope you don't need to do that." She looked up at the stage. "Now hush. They're getting ready to start." The elder Bartowskis turned their attention to the Songbirds and their performance.
October 26 - Homecoming
Chuck was ebullient as he made his way across campus toward brunch in the dining hall. They'd reached the halfway point in the quarter and he was doing just fine. Each day was a test. Each week. He'd made it through five weeks, so far, juggling school and baseball. And a real life. It was a lot. Sometimes exhausting, always exciting and rewarding, but mostly just fun. Stanford had turned out to be everything that he was hoping it would be. Meeting the Songbirds was such a random event. Who was he kidding? Running in on the Songbirds was the catalyst for his entire social life outside of the baseball team. Meeting all of the girls. And their friends. Meeting Sarah. She had really changed his life. His focus. He was having a good time just being with people. Enjoying them and them enjoying him. Having fun. Like today. Going to the homecoming game as a group. Cheering on Stanford, but having a good time being together, win or lose. Getting to spend time with Sarah was always wonderful. No matter how long or short the amount of time they got to spend together, it never failed to brighten his mood and fill him with happiness. He cherished every moment they were able to spend together, no matter the circumstances.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly collided with the elderly Japanese couple, clutching a piece of paper, standing near the entrance to Lakeside Dining Hall and looking around in confusion. Chuck didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he couldn't help overhearing since he was so close to them. They appeared to be lost. He thought that he might be able to help.
"Nanika tetsudaimashou ka?" Chuck asked. [Do you need help?]
The couple both gaped at the tall, curly-haired man when he addressed them in their native language. It took them a moment to recover from their surprise before they could speak. "Hai, magomusume no ryō o sagashiteimasu. Sutanfōdo daigaku o otozureru no wa hajimetedesu," the elderly gentleman replied. [Yes, we're trying to find our granddaughter's dormitory. It is our first time visiting Stanford University.]
"Kanojo no ryō no namae o shitte imasu ka?" Chuck questioned. [Do you know the name of her dormitory?]
"Hai, kanojo wa maiyāhōru ni sunde imasu," the gentleman answered. [Yes, she lives in Meier Hall.]
"Yoroshikereba michi o oshiete agemashou ka? Koko kara sō tōkunaidesu." Chuck smiled. [Shall I show you the way if you'd like? It's not far from here.]
"Hai, arigatōgozaimasu. Michi o oshiete itadakereba saiwaidesu," the gentleman replied, smiling. [Yes, thank you. We could be very grateful if you could show us the way.]
Chuck smiled and chatted with the elderly couple as they walked through the Lagunita Court complex over to Meier Hall. It didn't take very long and he enjoyed getting the chance to practice one of the languages he knew with actual native speakers. It had been a while. He hoped he was doing a passable job. When they reached the main entrance into the dorm, he stopped and turned to the couple.
"Watashitachi wa koko ni iru. Kore wa anata no magomusume no ryō e no shōmen genkandesu," Chuck announced, gesturing to the doors in front of them. [We are here. This is the main entrance to your granddaughter's dormitory.]
"Tetsudatte kurete dōmo arigatō. Sorehodo mondaide wa nakatta to omoimasu," the gentleman said. [Thank you so much for your help. We hope it wasn't too much trouble.]
"Mattaku mondai arimasen. Watashi no nihongo no hatsuon ga rikai dekita to omoimasu," Chuck smiled with a hopeful look on his face. [No trouble at all. I hope my Japanese pronunciation was understandable.]
"Anata no nihongo wa subarashikatta. Omoiyari to watashitachi no gengo o hanashite itadaki arigatōgozaimasu," the gentleman smiled. [Your Japanese was excellent. Thank you for being considerate and speaking our language.]
"Dōitashimashite. Anzen'na tabi," Chuck respectfully bowed. [You are very welcome. Safe journey.]
"Sayōnara, wakai otoko. Arigatōgozaimashita," the couple smiled and bowed in return. [Good bye, young man. Thank you, again.]
Chuck smiled and waved as the husband and wife walked into the dorm. He hummed to himself as he made the return trip to the dining hall. Back in the dorm, Lilly Onakuramara was overjoyed to see her grandparents. She was surprised at the tale they had to tell about the kind student who'd helped them find her dorm. When they described their benefactor, Lilly's surprise deepened. She knew exactly who they were describing. Unbeknownst to Chuck, another of his secrets had just been uncovered.
41-31, in Stanford's favor, was a great way for the homecoming football game to turn out. Having their starting quarterback in the lineup for the first time in three weeks after being out with a hand injury sparked the Cardinal to their victory. Chuck, Sarah, and their coterie of friends had a much better time watching this game than the previous one against UCLA. Winning certainly made the walk back to the dorms much more enjoyable, as well. Having hordes of happy students and alumni celebrating all around them didn't hurt, either. The group was short a few members as some of their friends were spending parts of homecoming weekend with family members. Lilly was off with her family. Lou was spending the entire day with her relatives, too. Others of the girls had watched the game with their friends only to go off to meet up with other friends and family for dinner and evening activities. Chuck had only seen Morgan and Alex when they joined the group for the game. They had been with Alex's family for most of the morning before the game and rushed off to rejoin them for dinner somewhere in the surrounding area. Chuck was a little surprised, but happy for his friend. He hadn't been the only one hoping for a fresh start by coming to Stanford and was glad that Morgan was getting a chance to spread his wings, as the saying went. The image made him chuckle.
"What's got you laughing to yourself, Chuck?" Sarah asked.
"Nothing really," he replied. When Sarah gave him a flat look, he went on. "I was just thinking about Morgan and Alex and how quickly they started dating. It's a big difference from how Morgan was back home. Up to now, he hasn't had much luck with girls."
"Well, you could have fooled me," Sarah said. "He and Alex did get together pretty fast, but they seem really good for each other."
"Oh yeah, he's so excited. I've never seen him this happy before. At least as far as girls are concerned," Chuck nodded his agreement.
"How about you, Chuckles? Were you a lady killer back in high school?" Carina grinned.
"Me? Um … no … No. I … uh … I was the farthest thing from a lady killer in high school." Chuck shook his head.
"Oh, come on. Those curls. That smile. Your big brown eyes. You mean to tell us that you didn't have the girls all swooning over you?"
"No, there was no swooning. By girls or anything else. All I did in high school was study. No one paid very much attention to me in high school." Chuck said. "Except to tease me or swear at me," he added under his breath. Sarah heard, but she didn't let on.
"And play baseball, right?" Carina added. "You didn't just study in high school, did you Chuck? You played baseball when you were in high school, didn't you?" The other CATS perked up at Carina's questions.
"No, you're right. I didn't just study." Chuck admitted. "I did play baseball while I was in high school. Did some swimming, too," he shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. He hoped that Carina wouldn't press for more information. He really didn't want to be forced to talk about everything right here and right now.
Sarah could see that he was getting more and more uncomfortable and gave Carina a 'back off' look, before turning to Chuck and changing the subject.
"So, Chuck, with Morgan busy with Alex and her family, are you getting together with Ellie and Devon tonight?" she asked. Carina just rolled her eyes.
"No, they're busy with a bunch of their med school classmates. Some big planned thing. Dinner and dancing. A chance for them to bond with their classmates and blow off some steam in the middle of the quarter." Chuck answered.
"Are your parents up here for homecoming?" Sarah wondered.
"Yeah, they are. They got here yesterday. I got a chance to see them last night," he said. "They're out with some of their friends tonight though. I know that they were supposed to get together with Dr. Beckman, Coach Graham and his wife, and some more of their friends from their undergrad days. They'll go somewhere for dinner, tell old stories, and listen to their favorite songs from back then. Sounds like fun. For them." He chuckled. "Not my idea of fun, but maybe it will be when I reach their age."
"What about you then? Do you have any plans for tonight? Are you going to hang out with your baseball buddies and listen to your favorite songs?" Sarah pushed a little.
"Me? No, I don't think so," Chuck shook his head. "I'm going to grab some food and then spend most of the evening studying."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me, Chuckles!" Carina groused. "How can you spend homecoming night sitting around studying? It's inhuman. It's un-American."
"Yeah, Chuck, you've got to lighten up a little bit," Amy commanded, frowning.
"Yeah, maybe I should lighten up, but I've got a lot of tests between now and the end of the quarter. Make or break stuff and I've got to be ready," Chuck frowned himself.
Sarah wondered what he meant by 'make or break'. Since when were freshman fall quarter tests 'make or break'? And, given what she'd seen about his knowledge and abilities, why was he concerned about passing them? How many tests was he talking about, anyway, for him to be worried enough that he was studying so hard for them in the middle of the quarter?
"Curls, don't you even have time to relax and eat dinner? Enjoy homecoming for at least a little while?" Zondra asked.
Chuck ducked his head and shrugged, but gave them a crooked grin. "I guess I could spare time for dinner and a little relaxation."
"Excellent!" Zondra said happily. "We'll figure something out and let you know. Let's say 6:00 pm like our normal dinner. That gives us almost a couple of hours to come up with a place that isn't jam packed with a long waiting list. How's that?"
"Sounds good," Chuck's face broke into one of his patented Bartowski smiles. The CATS beamed back. He knew that Miss Maisie's was out of the question this weekend. Too popular with too many people back in town. Mr. Colt had warned him about that the last time he'd gone there for dinner and visited with them.
Sarah changed the subject again. "You were talking about your parents listening to their favorite songs from their college days." Chuck nodded. "What's your favorite song, Chuck? Do you have one?"
"Favorite song? I don't know." Chuck looked pensive. "Do you mean songs like I listen to when I'm studying? My jazz and classical music? Or driving in a car?"
"No, not the stuff you listen to when you study. Unless one of those songs is your favorite. No, I'm talking about a song that speaks to you. Do you have a song like that?"
"Are you talking about a walk-up song? I don't have one of those yet, but Coach Graham said that the seniors pick out everyone's walk-up songs. Subject to his approval, of course."
"What's a walk-up song?" Sarah had no idea what Chuck was talking about.
"Have you ever watched a pro baseball game? The music that they play when a batter comes up to hit or when a pitcher comes in to pitch is called a walk-up song. It's supposed to embody the essence of that player." Chuck explained.
"No, that's not what I was asking." Sarah shook her head. "And you just said that you didn't have one, yet, anyway. No, what I'm talking about is a song that, when it comes on the radio, makes you say that song is perfect, like it was written about me. Do you have a song like that?" By this point, the friends had arrived back at the dorm and were making their way through the lobby.
"I'm not sure," he shrugged. "Do you have a favorite song?"
"Yeah, I do," Sarah admitted. "Kind of a signature song for me. It's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar. It talks about taking shots and getting back up and fighting on. Being young in high school and having to endure getting harassed and teased all of the time. Getting ogled by guys once I started to mature. The song just spoke to me. Helped me endure that stuff and fight my way through it. Don't you have a song like that?"
"Oh, I get it now." Chuck nodded. "Yeah, I used to listen to a song that spoke to me like you're talking about. Helped me get through tough times."
"What song is it, Chuck?" Sarah really wanted to know. She was sure this was the 'theme song' Ellie had told her about. They had reached the elevator and she was desperate to know while Chuck was in a talking mood.
"Well, I don't listen to it anymore," Chuck said. "Not since I've come to Stanford. Not since I've met all of you and the other people I've met since I've been here. It doesn't speak to me like you mentioned. Not like it used to." He smiled.
The elevator arrived and the doors opened. As the CATS got in, Sarah turned back to Chuck and tried one more time. "That's OK, Chuck, if you don't listen to it much anymore. Or at all. What song did you use to listen to that meant so much to you?"
He shrugged. "OK, if you really want to know." Sarah nodded. "I used to listen to 'I Am A Rock' by Simon and Garfunkel." The elevator doors shut on Sarah and the CATS stunned expressions. They all knew the lyrics and what the song was about. She waited until they were all back in their suite and the door was closed before bursting into heartbroken tears.
A/N2: Chapter title comes from the song by Van Morrison. Once again, the lyrics could apply to both Chuck and Sarah. As for Chuck's song, "I Am A Rock", look up the lyrics. They say a lot about Chuck's life before Stanford.
A/N3: There really is a place on Stanford campus called Chuck Taylor Grove. It's located outside the Avery Aquatic Center and southwest of the baseball field. A perfect place for a picnic dinner.
A/N4: I attempted to have Chuck have a conversation in Japanese. I used the translate feature on Google. If anyone knows Japanese and Google's translation is way off, please let me know.
A/N5: WillieGarvin, mild-mannered lawyer by day. Actually, I have no idea whether he's mild mannered or not. For all I know, he could be one of those bang your fist on the desk, 'You can't handle the truth!' kind of lawyers. But I digress. He's a lawyer, by day. He's Beta-man, by night. To the wider world Beta-man may mean something else, but within the wonderful world of Chuck fanfiction, Beta-man means someone who gives of their time to make someone else look, and sound, good. Thru thick and thin and many a dangling participle, he's there lending aid and encouragement. It's an honorable and noble title. He may not be faster than a speeding bullet, but he is wittier than anyone on C-SPAN. For all you do, WG, you have my thanks.
A/N6: Thank you for reading. Please drop me a PM or leave a review. Let me know what you think. For those of you who have left reviews or PMs previously, thank you. I appreciate each and every one of them.
A/N7: If you enjoy Chuck fan fiction here on the fanfic site, go over to Facebook and join the Chuck Fanfiction group that's there. You'll find nice folks who share your interest in our favorite spy couple. You are not alone.