Chapter 31
Rhys felt like he was bouncing as he came into the locker room from practice. He hadn’t been this excited about anything in the last week. Not from the moment he’d first been benched. This time it didn’t have anything to do with baseball.
Or at least not completely.
Nothing had gotten past him, and each pitch he’d called for smacked right into his glove. He’d smashed several line drives when he’d had the bat in his hand. If only he could recreate that during a game.
If he was even given the chance.
“Molson. My office.”
Shit. Turner’s voice put a pin in his balloon of hope. He would be back on the bench again. Was there anything he could do to prove he deserved a second chance?
He finished unbuckling his leg guards and let them fall to the floor in front of his locker.
He’d come back and pick them up after whatever the skipper wanted to lecture him about was over.
Had he messed up during practice? Everything had felt good to him, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’d been wrong.
When Rhys got to the office, Turner sat at the desk, his face grim. Shit, shit, shit. This was not going to be good. What the hell had he done wrong this time?
“Shut the door, please,” Turner said.
Shit. Fuck. Damn it all.
Rhys tried to bite back his panic as he walked slowly to one of the chairs in front of the desk. Was he about to lose everything that mattered to him?
When Turner leaned forward, all he did was slide a small rectangular card across the desk. Rhys thought it was a business card. Which didn’t make sense. He already had the skipper’s contact details. He saw a date and time written on it. “What the hell is this?” he blurted out.
“It’s an appointment card,” Turner replied blandly.
Rhys turned it over in his hand. “For a psychiatrist. What the hell, Skip? I’ve been talking to Brady. I’ll keep talking to him if I have to. Why would you send me to someone else?”
“Because Brady isn’t specialized in evaluating ADHD. He’s the one who made the appointment for you.”
“So, what? I don’t have any choice in the matter?”
“Have you ever known us to take any of your choices away?” Turner asked.
“The appointment’s set for a week from Monday.
Whether or not you show up is your decision.
Brady thought it might make it easier if one step was taken off your shoulders.
Even if you do go, it doesn’t mean you need to do anything else.
Just figure out what’s going on, so we can have our star catcher back. ”
“Does your nephew know you think I’m better than him?”
“Oscar is not my nephew. It’s more of a cousin thing, and not that close. He’d be the first to say you’re the better catcher. And batter. So, I don’t think he’d be upset at all.”
Rhys slumped back in the chair. “I guess this means I’m still on the bench for another week and a half.”
“Rodriguez jammed his thumb blocking a pitch, and Oscar was complaining of back tightness. From what I saw at practice today, you’re more yourself than you’ve been in weeks. I don’t know what’s brought about the change, Molson, but I’m not looking a gift homer in the mouth.”
Rhys laughed. “You know that doesn’t make any sense, right?”
“Neither does putting in a hurt player and keeping you on the bench when we need you. Do you think you can keep it together for the game?”
Rhys wasn’t doing anything to mess this chance up. “I won’t let you down, Skip.”
Turner sent him a gentle smile. “You never have.”
Well, Rhys knew that was objectively false. Or he wouldn’t have been on the bench in the first place. But, he took the card and headed out of the office.
Looked like he had a game to get ready for.