The Hitting Zone

Zeke had Rhys put in the address that Jeremy had given him to the doctor's office. According to Rhys who had the gps on his phone, the place was actually very close to the stadium.

"Do you think it's the team doctor?" Rhys asked.

"Wouldn't he already be at the stadium for the game?" Noah asked, unsure.

"Who knows? Maybe Jeremy asked him for a favor?" Rhys suggested.

It was likely...Jeremy did go above and beyond a lot to make up for his earlier blunder.

"We'll know when we get there." Zeke said, eyes on the road. Rhys lived rather close to the stadium so it wasn't long before we reached the doctor's office.

Everyone got out of the car smoothly but me. Zeke opened my door and scooped me up like I was nothing. So embarrassing. I really hope nothing is wrong with my leg.

Rhys and Noah led the way while Zeke trailed behind them. We went into the office building and took the elevator to the seventh floor.

"This has to be where the team doctor works." Rhys was more convinced. "It's so close to the stadium and it's so nice. Pros definitely go here."

"Well of course." Noah snorted. "This was Jeremy's recommendation and he is a pro." We had reached the office of Dr. Shanfield. Noah opened the door and came face-to-face with a giant that blocked the doorway.

The man looked down at Noah in surprise. Then glanced at the rest of us. "Here to see Dr. Shanfield?"

"Yes." Rhys told the man while grabbing Noah's shoulder. "Are you...?"

The big man chuckled. "Ah! So I've been recognized without the uniform?"

"JACK MABERRY?!?" Noah finally blurted out, but was still overwhelmed by his presence. "You're Jack Maberry!!"

He laughed again. "Yes, I am. No need to yell. This is a doctor's office after all." He moved out of the way. "Come on in. I didn't even know Dr. Shanfield was seeing anyone else today."

Rhys went in first, then Noah. Noah stared up at Maberry the whole time like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Zeke carried me through, nodding politely at the man.

Maberry let go of the door and walked up to the receptionist counter. "Hey Francine, you've got some kids in here."

"Ah! Must be Jake!" An old lady appeared in scrubs. She came out from behind the desk to stand in front of Zeke and I. "I'll take you two back to the examination room. Your friends can stay in the waiting room."

"I'm his brother." Noah corrected.

Francine looked between us, back and forth. "Oh. My bad." She waved at Zeke. "Come back here and I'll inform Dr. Shanfield that you're here."

Zeke glanced back at Noah. "Be good. Don't wander."

"I've got him!" Rhys reassured Zeke.

"I'll stick around to keep the boys company." Maberry said suddenly, throwing everyone off. He grinned. "I've got some time to spare for a few fans decked out in A's gear."

"Thanks." Zeke told him before turning around to follow Francine. She took us to a good size examination room and had Zeke place me on the table. Zeke took a step back as Francine started to take my vitals like temperature, pulse, and blood pressure.

Francine must have messaged Dr. Shanfield somehow or he must have figured out that she was missing, because he suddenly showed up just as she had finished.

"Hello, Jake. Dr. Shanfield." He was in his 60's, but still shook my hand as a formal greeting. "Jeremy has told me that you fouled a ball off into your own leg? Why don't you give me your own account of what had happened?"

I swallowed a lump in my throat and repeated what I had done while the old man looked at my leg. He repeated some of Linda's instructions on moving my leg and then added a few new ones.

"Well, I have some good news." He smiled kindly. "I'm very familiar with foul ball injuries. I work with the A's so I can say with almost 99% certainty that you won't need a cast."

I sighed with relief.

"But," He continued. "We'll go ahead with the x-rays. Not just to confirm that there's no break, but to see if anything else can be wrong." He looked to Francine. "Can you get him x-rays?"

"Sure thing!" She looked to me. "Do you want your brother to carry you? Or would you like some crutches?"

"Go ahead and get him a set of crutches." Dr. Shanfield stood up and instructed. "Jake will probably need a set no matter what the result is." He looked at me. "Nothing permanent. Just a precaution and it'll help you move around on your own."

I nodded obediently.

Dr. Shanfield left as Francine opened up a closet cabinet to check for crutches. She found one, unwrapped the pair, and the set the height accordingly. She handed them to me. "Try them out. We can move it up or down an inch."

I slowly got up, careful of my left leg, and then slipped the crutches under my armpits. I have some experience using them from my time in the hospital so it wasn't hard for me to get used to it. I followed Francine to the room for x-rays, leaving Zeke behind. We returned after ten minutes. Francine informed us that she and the doctor will be back when the x-rays are ready.

"Feeling better?" Zeke asked.

I nodded slowly. "A little. Still hurts, but I don't think I'm crippled."

Zeke cracked a smile. "You can't be crippled. Even if you were severely damaged, we would be able to fix you. No matter what."

I smiled back at him. The Atkins really would do their best to fix me. Whatever to make me feel better on the inside and out. When I needed stitches, they didn't hesitate. When I want to heal my scars, they found someone to help. People who care would never let you suffer.

A knock at the door stopped us from saying anymore. Dr. Shanfield came in with Francine. He went to the computer and pulled up the pictures of my x-rays while she held something in her arms.

"Everything is looking good." Dr. Shanfield declared. "No breaks, cracks, or chips. You just have a very bad bruise. And, as you can tell, it's going to hurt and take some time to recover." He took the item out of Francine's hands and showed me some kind of boot. "For precaution, we've got a boot you can wear."

"A boot?" I asked, looking at this gray plastic thing with straps.

"A walking boot." He elaborated. "It's most commonly used for foot or ankle injuries, but really anything on the lower leg. I suggest you wear it for a week or two to help with recovery. This is better than crutches and it'll help take the weight off your toes so you won't flex your calf muscles so much. It promotes recovery and stability."

"What about the crutches?" I asked. Didn't he just say he would give me a set?

He glanced at the crutches. "I thought it would be fine for you to use them, but I've come to the conclusion that using the boot will be better. It's a safer precaution and it'll be a nice reminder for you to go easy on yourself."

"Can you show us how to put the boot on?" Zeke asked.

"Of course!"