Perfect Pitch (19 page)
Authors: Mindy Klasky
Tags: #contemporary romance, #sexy romance, #hot romance, #spicy romance, #baseball, #sports romance
Now it was time to hit the showers, leave the shambles of a game knowing that Coach was going to be red-hot about bringing in his back-up catcher for the rest of the game. Tucker’s bat was out, and Zach’s too. And there were still eight and two thirds innings to play.
Shit.
At least he could go straight to the hospital. Tucker should have a friendly face beside him when he learned the full extent of the bad news. Zach didn’t look at his teammates as he stalked through the dugout on his way to the locker room.
* * *
The emergency room was a zoo. Cody Tucker had the piss-poor luck to shred his ankle on the night of a three-car collision that resulted in two patients with massive chest trauma and another with open head wounds that left the EMTs looking green. A gunshot wound from a drunken backyard hunting expedition, complete with a wailing woman who had never meant for anything bad to happen, only added to the insanity.
The Rockets’ trainers were vocal enough to get Tucker into a curtained examination area, and a doctor ordered the start of an IV drip, along with something for the pain. After that they were all reduced to a long wait. The kid just stared at the wall, sweat soaking through his uni with the stink of despair. Despite Zach’s best efforts, Cody had seen the damage. He knew what he was in for.
The rest of the team started showing up around eleven, showered and subdued by a brutal loss to Philadelphia. They paced and swore and demanded that the docs change their priorities. Just breathing, the guys shrank the emergency room waiting area. Seething with impatience, they made the entire hospital seem smaller than a postage stamp.
Zach steeled himself to go play team captain, to knock the guys into order. Just as he ducked under the polyester curtain, though, Anna Benson strode into the room.
In any other context, he might have taken her for a fragile child. She was thin as a greyhound, poured into her skinny jeans and a curvy Rockets T-shirt. She’d pulled on a hooded sweatshirt against the nighttime chill, but she’d pushed the too-long sleeves up to her elbows, exposing wrists that looked like they might snap in a strong wind. Her wide eyes, ocean-blue beneath the fluorescent lights, made her look like one of those animated heroines from some kids’ cartoon. Her cheekbones seemed sharp enough to slice open his palm.
But Anna Benson wasn’t a little girl any more.
She took about fifteen seconds to locate the triage nurse. Crossing to the desk with a minimum of fuss, she engaged in a quick, efficient exchange of information. Her jaw tightened. The nurse obviously didn’t have good news.
But that didn’t stop Anna. She turned back to the chaos of the overflowing waiting room. The guys still hadn’t noticed her; they were too busy devouring all the oxygen in the space. Anna raised her hands above her head and clapped three times. “Enough!” she shouted, her voice sawing through the fug of locker-room speculation.
She pressed her advantage with the instinctive drive of a shark. “Gentlemen! Thank you for coming to Raleigh Memorial. My grandfather and I appreciate your showing support for Cody. I just spoke with the nurse, and she confirmed that Cody’s in good hands. But it’s going to be hours, maybe days before we know anything specific. It’s after midnight, and you have to report to the park in less than twelve hours. Show your respect by giving the doctors the space they need to do what’s best for Cody. Go home and get some sleep, so you can put Philly in their place tomorrow!”
She hit the perfect tone. She let the guys know they were valued. She made them understand that she was worried—as much as they were, maybe more. She gave them a way to fight back, to get a ballplayer’s professional revenge.
And the team gave way before her leadership. One by one, the guys filed past her. She spoke to each of them, touching a shoulder here, shaking a hand there. She met each man’s eyes, assuring him his contribution was noted and appreciated.
And when the last ballplayer slipped out to the parking lot, Anna turned that cool intensity back to the triage nurse, demanding to know where Cody could be found, what Anna could do to expedite getting him out of the emergency room and into a less hectic standard room. As the nurse bent to her task, Zach ducked back into the curtained alcove, finally believing that this godforsaken night might be taking a turn for the better.
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Perfect Pitch
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The Diamond Brides Series
(Perfect Pitch, Catching Hell, and Reaching First available as a
boxed set
)
(Second Thoughts, Third Degree, and Stopping Short available as a
boxed set
)
(From Left Field, Third Degree, and Stopping Short available as a
boxed set
)
(Entire series available as a
boxed set
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The Jane Madison Series
(Available as a
boxed set
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The Jane Madison Academy Series
The As You Wish Series
Act One, Wish One
(formerly How Not to Make a Wish)
Wishing in the Wings
(formerly When Good Wishes Go Bad)
Wish Upon a Star
(formerly To Wish or Not to Wish)
(Available as a
boxed set
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Stand-Alone Works
The Glasswrights Series
Harlequin Special Editions
Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.
Mindy’s travels took her through multiple careers – from litigator to librarian to full-time writer. Mindy’s travels have also taken her through various literary genres for readers of all ages – from traditional fantasy to paranormal chick-lit to category romance, from middle-grade to young adult to adult.
In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her endless to-be-read shelf. Her husband and cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes.
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