The LACoFD team was behind by 3 in the 9th inning and was batting last. They were playing the Sheriff's Department. These teams' playing each other was always interesting. They was a friendly rivalry between the two departments. The team that Gage and DeSoto played on had lost their last game to some of the deputies. A.J. was determined to win this one and show her boyfriend who was the best ball player.
The other day Gage rambled on about how a woman couldn't play softball as well as a man. She knew he was goading her. If for one second she believed he really had that attitude she would have never agreed to go out with him almost a year ago.
A.J. was up to bat. "If I can at least make a single, we have a shot at winning." Looking up at the score board, she confirmed that they there were no outs in this inning yet.
The pitcher was one of those ignorant asses that thought that women couldn't be cops much less firefighters. Although he never had the guts to tell that to her face, it was written all over his whenever he saw her. She knew to watch his pitches because he was known to throw hard and close, not always by accident.
The first pitch and second pitch that came in were balls. The pitcher's body language showed that he was none too happy about that. Of all the players today he wanted to show this one a thing or two.
The third one came in fast and inside the plate. A.J. moved as quickly as she could trying to get out of its way. Unfortunately it still slammed into her shin. The pain that followed was searing and numbing at the same time, as it ebbed across her entire lower leg. As badly as she wanted to curse and cry out she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Plus the bleachers were loaded with several paramedics, one of which was Johnny. Normally he would have allowed her the dignity of not treating her as a damsel in distress, however if she went down, all bets were off. She would react the same way if the roles were reversed.
"Are you alright?" Both the Catcher and Umpire were asking. She was grateful for disapproving stare that was aimed at his team mate.
"Yeah, just my wounded pride." She answered them with a forced grin. She didn't dare glance behind her into the stands. Johnny would read her like a book, or perhaps because he would have seen the same look in his own mirror. If there was one thing they had in common, besides their jobs, was that neither one of them were keen on admitting when they were hurt or in pain. Roy often joked that they were peas in a pod, in that respect.
When a player is hit with a ball like that, it is an automatic walk to first base. When she got there Davidson, who was first base coach asked her if she wanted a replacement runner. "Hell no! I am going all the way around!" He ran with her at the 110 and he knew better than to talk her out of it. She never backed down from a challenge. He could have decked the pitcher; he was certain that was intentional.
Craig Brice was up next to bat. This was the first season he had played on the team. A.J. had convinced him to loosen up a little. He stepped up to the plate and nailed it into far right field. She pushed herself off of first base and ran like the wind. The ball was fumbled and she made it to third base, with Brice on second. Then Davidson hit a single and the bases were loaded. The next batter was Captain Morgan; on his first swing he knocked it over the wall, home run! Game over!
After the courtesy line between the two teams, A.J. started to limp back to the dug out, ever so slightly. If she had any chance of not making it a big deal, it was smashed when she saw Dr. Brackett, Dixie and her uncle Joe in bleachers with Johnny and Roy.
"Sit down and let me look at that." Dr. Joe knew his nieces stubbornness all too well.
"It's fine, really. It will leave a little mark, I've have worse." She tried in vain not to wince when he started palpating it.
"I'll go get some ice." Roy made a face when he saw the rather large multicolored bruise that was forming across the front of her calf.
"So Johnny, what do you think of girls playing softball now?" Her melodramatic angry face made him laugh out loud.
"Would you me rather admit I was wrong or let me kiss the pain away?"
Well, as far as she was concerned that was a no brainier.