Chapter Four; The Game
The following morning Jeannie felt terrible. She moaned and groaned while she rolled around inside her bed and sneezed. That's when all of a sudden Mrs. Bellows told her while she picked up her bottle and held it inside her hand while she peered inside of it. "Jeannie, it's time to get up." She whispered softly. "We've got a big game today." She told her.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Bellows but I don't think that I will be able to make it today. I think that I'm coming down with a c-c-c-cold!" she exclaimed before she let out a great big sneeze.
"But Jeannie you can't be sick! You're the coach! Besides, Stacey is pitching today remember and she's never pitched before on her own!" Mrs. Bellows told her.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Bellows but there's nothing I can do. I'm afraid that I have a fever." Jeannie told her with a sniff while she shook her head.
"You see, I warned you that you shouldn't use your powers when we play but you wouldn't listen to me." She said before Doctor Bellows exited the bedroom pulling his arms through the sleeves of his robe.
"Uh what's going on?" he asked her before she sat the genie bottle back down on top of the coffee table.
"Jeannie's sick and she can't go to the ballgame today." She told him.
"Well, couldn't you just get her a doctor or something?" he wondered.
"Oh great idea Alfred brilliant!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "What are we going to tell him? Well hello doctor this woman is a genie and she needs to be able to go to the game today because if she doesn't one of our friend's is going to lose her self-esteem." She said.
"Well, Jeannie has gotten Colonel Nelson into trouble before. What would happen if we thought like him? What do you think he would do?" he asked her.
"Well, I think that maybe he would spend some extra time coaching Stacey. I just hope that she'll be ready in time for the game." She replied.
"Listen Amanda, Jeannie might have caused a lot of trouble the last couple of days but you've got to admit that she did do something right. She said that the most important thing in the sport of baseball, or softball, or any sport is just going out there and having a good time and not caring whether or not you win or lose." He told her as she nodded at him.
"You're right Alfred. Stay here with Jeannie and make sure that she's alright. And also keep an eye on Spot for me." She told him before she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I've got a lot of work to do." She told him as he grinned at her before she turned around and hurried back towards the front door.
….
"Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don't care if I ever get back! For it's root, root, root for the Sugar Babies if they don't win it's a shame! For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ballgame!" the crowd inside the bleachers sang once they had arrived in the seventh inning and then started roaring with cheers and applause while they rose out of their seats for a second before they sat back down. So far the Sugar Babies were a couple of points behind the Jaguars.
That's when all of a sudden Stacey threw the next pitch. "Strike one!" the umpire cried once the batter had failed to hit the ball. The other team started chanting "Hey batter, batter, batter" again. (Swing batter!) "Strike two!" the umpire cried when he had failed to hit it for a second time. "Strike three!" she cried a few seconds later while he managed to miss the third ball as well. "You're out!" she exclaimed while everyone inside the bleachers began to cheer again.
Everybody had changed places and it was The Sugar Babies turn at bat. Amanda Bellows was up first and she was the first one on her team to get a home run. Now they were a couple of points above the other team. Stacey was next up at bat and she had gotten a home run as well. The score was now fourteen to eight. So far the Sugar Babies were beating the Jaguars and without Jeannie's help. By the last half of the ninth inning the Jaguars had caught up quite a bit and the score was now tied twenty to twenty.
"This is it, this is for all of the marbles." Mrs. Bellows said before Jeannie suddenly appeared beside her wearing her pink uniform and ballcap that had the initials SB written in the center of both of them in dark bold letters. She also had her hair tied up inside a pink ponytail holder and was wearing her whistle around her neck.
"How's the game going?" she inquired before Mrs. Bellows placed her hand on top of her chest and took a deep breath.
"Oh Jeannie, you scared me." She told her. "I thought you were sick." She said as Jeannie nodded.
"I was, but I'm feeling much better now and I wanted to see who would win." She explained.
"Well, this is Stacey's last pitch. If she strikes him out, we win the game." Mrs. Bellows told her. "Now I don't want any interferences from you. Stacey has to win this game on her own." She said.
"Oh I know, I realize that. Believe me Mrs. Bellows, I've learned my lesson." Jeannie told her before she blew a bubble and popped it. "I am just here to cheer Stacey on." She said as Mrs. Bellows smiled at her.
"Well good, I'm proud of you Jeannie." She told her while they watched Stacey throw her first pitch together.
"Strike one!" the umpire cried while the other team continued their chant inside the background. "Strike two!" she exclaimed while the people in the stands near Jeannie and Amanda started to cheer. Jeannie held her breath while Stacey made her final pitch.
"Come on Stacey you can do it!" Mrs. Bellows cried.
"Strike three! You're out!" the umpire called while Jeannie and Amanda started cheering and jumping up and down.
"We did it Mrs. Bellows we won!" Jeannie shouted excitedly while the teams started congratulating each other and The Sugar Babies started enjoying their victory.
"There, you see now Jeannie? The best kind of magic is a lot of practice and even more hard work." Mrs. Bellows told her. "Then who knows what you can accomplish." She said before they exchanged smiles and then she and Jeannie raced out onto the field and congratulated their team.