Chapter 25 – TAG

Halloween had come and gone quickly. Amanda had very much enjoyed watching her boys in the parade and then had fun taking them out for Trick or Treat. The boys had both come home with piles of candy and she had to set a lot of it aside to keep them from eating it all at once. It was a ritual she didn't mind though. She was a good mom and only took candy if she asked them for it. Her mother would tease her and say "Back in our day, the kids would be happy to get a few apples and oranges. Why Amanda, I can't imagine what the kids need all that candy for?"

Amanda didn't mind though because the boys were good and stayed active so a few pieces of candy wouldn't hurt them now and then.

A week after Halloween, Amanda loaded the boys into the Station Wagon and went out to the ballfield. The big game against the Pirates was on Wednesday night so she wanted to make sure her Little Leaguers were all set. She had each of them practice batting, practice pitching, practice running and also practice catching. You never knew if a child would call out sick so it was important to make sure everyone had the ability to do any position if needed. The kids had a great time and were listening well to her instructions. She had a couple of other parents there that were helping out but they usually left it up to Amanda to teach the kids because she was so patient and all the kids loved her.

They soon took a break so they could have a snack. Amanda passed around bagged popcorn and bottles of water to any who wanted it. As she was munching some popcorn, little Stevie walked up to her and said "Mrs. King, I have been practicing all week at home and mom says that I am improving but she told me to ask you for help learning how to do the hook slide. No matter what I do, I can't seem to slide right."

"Oh sure, Stevie. We'll practice that next."

The kids finished their snack and then lined up to watch Mrs. King demonstrate the Hook Slide.

"So guys, listen up. The hook slide is such an important tool to use in Baseball. If you know that you are going to be tagged on a particular side of the base, you slide in and touch the base with the tips of your fingers on the other side. So as you are running toward the base, look to see where the defensive player is standing. If he is only on one side of the base, then you need to shoot for the other side. So you want to start your slide about 8 feet away. If you are sliding to your left, you want to push off your right foot and drop down to the left side of your body. You should land on your thigh and calf as your leg is straight out onto the ground while your other leg is flexed back. As you slide, you want to reach out your fingers to touch a piece of the base."

"Wow" Said Stevie. "Can you demonstrate it for us?"

"Sure, no problem" Amanda said. "Carl can you go stand on second base for me. I'm going to pretend that I'm already on first base and run to second base. So watch me guys, okay."

Amanda took her position on First base and Nick counted "3, 2, 1, Go"

Amanda began running to second base. She waited until she was about 8 feet away and then landed on her thigh and calf just like she told them. Something went wrong though and instead of keeping her other leg flexed, it managed to get in the way and drag on the ground as Amanda slid into the base. "Ouch" she said as she stopped sliding.

Stevie ran up to her and said "Mrs. King, I don't think you did it right. Didn't you say to keep your other leg flexed? I don't think you were supposed to let it get in the way. "

Jamie ran up to his Mom "Mom are you okay?"

"I think so, can you help me up fellas?"

The whole team worked as a team to help Amanda stand up. One of the parents named Albert had seen what happened and came over to ask her if she was okay. Amanda began limping and they walked her over to one of the benches and she sat down while Albert checked her leg over. "I'm not a doctor but I think it will be okay. Do you want to go to the hospital just in case?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll just go home and keep it elevated with ice tonight and see how it is in the morning. Okay, fellas, I guess we are done for today. So remember, that's not how you do a hook slide, okay?"

The boys all somberly nodded their heads.

"Oh, come on guys. I'll be fine. We are going to beat the Pirates on Wednesday right? Let's hear your chant."

The boys all begun chanting

"Here we go Bombers, Here we Go!"

"We can Do It Bombers, Yes we Can"

"We play fair, we don't cheat"

"We hit High, and we Hit Low"

"We enjoy this game, we love our Fans"

"Watch our speed, Watch our Heat"

"GO BOMBERS!"

"Very good guys. Now go home and get some rest and I'll see you on Wednesday." Amanda said as she began limping toward her car. Phillip and Jamie ran up to either side of her and helped her walk. She smiled down at her boys and thanked them for their help. She managed to get everyone home safe and sound. Her Mother wasn't home yet so Amanda quickly cooked up some hot dogs for the boys and then emptied an ice cube tray into a towel for her foot. She refilled the tray with water and put it back in the freezer and then hobbled up to her room where she used some pillows to lift her leg up and surrounded her ankle with ice. She couldn't help but smile when she spotted the big panda bear sitting in the chair. She still thought he was gorgeous. Amanda soon fell asleep since she was still exhausted from the trip to CT.

The next day, she woke and looked at her foot and knew she needed to see her doctor. Her whole ankle had turned a mean looking purple and she could barely put any pressure onto it. She dialed her doctor's office and found that they had just had a cancelation so they said that if she could be there in an hour, they would take a look. She had overslept so the boys were already at school and she was sure her Mother was at one of the neighbor's houses so she used the furniture to help limp her way to the front steps and then held her foot up while she hopped to her car and got in. At the doctor's office, the nurse came out with a wheelchair and wheeled her in. They soon found out that she had very badly sprained her ankle. The doctor wrapped her ankle up and showed her how to keep it wrapped. He gave her a special boot to wear to keep it protected and sent her on her way.

As Amanda was driving home, she couldn't help but smile. She had just gone to a place where some of the most dangerous terrorists were and had managed to not only survive the time there but hadn't even gotten hurt once. All it took was for a bunch of Little Leaguers to disable her. Yes, she definitely needed to learn how to hit but more importantly, maybe she needed someone else to show the hook slide next time. Maybe she could get Lee to help out. After all, it would be good practice when he became a Bomber's Father someday. In the meantime, she would concentrate on just learning how to hit.

And the adventure continues with "Always Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth"

A/N – This story is dedicated to Pamkins86. Pam is ever supportive of every single writer in the SMK community. She is often the first to review any new story that is published and somehow she manages to love every single one of them and find something nice to say about all of them. Pam, thank you for being you. As you continue to heal from your surgery, I for one appreciate having someone like you to encourage us writers to do what we do. You are truly a blessing.

NTK