The Hitting Zone

Chapter 1212 V4 ch60 Sunday Game

Sunday morning, we were up early to hit the road. We had to pick up Alisha, then Kaylee and Marie.

Marie opened the front passenger door and stared at Dave in the driver's seat. "This is a little upsetting."

"Hey, you know what you were getting into when you started dating Kyle." Dave was unbothered by her discomfort.

Kaylee got in the middle row where Alisha was. Noah and I were in the very back like normal. "Stop whining and let's go." Kaylee huffed. "You can always stay at home."

"Why wouldn't I go?" Marie got in and was the last one to close the door. She buckled in and we took off.

"So you guys are doing your first driving lesson tomorrow?" Kaylee shifted her body so she could look back at us to chat. "Who's going to go first? Not Jake obviously."

"Hey…" I spoke up, a little bit offended. "I already got a little practice in. So I'm not that nervous."

"I'm definitely going last." Alisha said, twisting her body too. "I have zero experience unless we're counting bumper cars at the amusement park. I want to watch you guys in action first. Maybe ease my nerves."

"So me. Then Jake. Then Alisha." Noah said. "For the first time, he might just take us to a parking lot like Dave did."

"You took your brothers to a parking lot to drive?" Marie asked Dave. "Their permits aren't even signed yet."

"It's not your problem." Dave brushed her off. "Besides, it'll get signed tomorrow. Then I can help them practice even more."

"I wish I had a sibling that would teach me how to drive." Kaylee muttered.

"I'll drive you anywhere you want to go." Marie told her.

Kaylee rolled her eyes, then looked at us in the back. "You guys have it so good."

I nodded in agreement.

"I wish I had an older sibling sometimes too." Alisha remarked. "I wouldn't say it's necessarily lonely as an only child but being the sole focus of my parents for all my life is stifling. I wish they had a distraction."

"Get a dog." Noah recommended.

"But that's a lot of responsibility." She rejected the idea.

"Try a cat." He shrugged.

She sighed. "It's just not the same." She glanced back at me. "Jake, you were technically an only child. How do you feel about having brothers now?"

My lips twitched. "It was an adjustment."

"Yea, but what about now? Are you happy to have us?" Noah grinned.

I let out a small laugh and nodded. "Yea, it turned out pretty good for me."

We chatted casually most of the drive, only getting quiet for when Dave had to listen to the directions to get to Dr. Shanfield's office. This was his first time driving there and it could be a little tricky if you don't enter the right lot. Luckily it was Sunday, and the parking lot was mostly empty besides a handful of cars.

"Going to the doctors on a Sunday feels so off." Marie commented as she looked at the building. "Like who wants to work on a Sunday?"

"Someone getting paid a lot of money by a professional team." Dave quipped. He parked and turned around to look at us. "So? Should we all go in? Or just send Kaylee in and wait here? What's the plan?"

All eyes went to Kaylee. She unbuckled herself. "I'll go in. We shouldn't go in his office as a group and make a scene. I can just tell you guys after how it goes."

"I'm going too." Marie also unbuckled and kicked her door open.

The two sisters went into the building with some distance between them.

"Sometimes I feel sad that Kaylee doesn't admire her sister like she used to." Alisha sighed.

I immediately started nodding in agreement.

"It's part of growing up. Relationships change." Dave said from up front. He had pulled out his phone and was typing away, probably answering his texts that he missed while driving. "It's sad to look back on how things used to be, but you can still look forward to changes."

"Yea." Noah agreed. "Like, I liked playing with Zeke and the twins. But now I can't wait to have my own moment to shine."

"Can you really say that with Jake by your side?" Dave laughed, looking back at us.

"Of course!" Noah grinned. "I'll get two more years of playing with Jake which I'm thankful for. But then we'll be separated by the draft."

"Or by college." Dave corrected.

Noah rolled his eyes.

"Hey, it might not be for you, but maybe Jake will want to follow me to Vanderbilt." Dave winked.

"Jake is bound for greater things." Noah shot back. "College will just delay him."

"What do you think, Jake?" Alisha asked.

I sighed. "There's pros and cons to both. I haven't made a decision yet." I elbowed Noah. "And technically you haven't yet either. You know Mom wants us to do the five official visits first."

"We'll knock it out of the way in no time. Visit Zeke's school. Dave's school. Maybe even Julian's." Noah shrugged. "And then wherever."

"Sometimes it's hard for me to recognize that Zeke and I played softball together for a summer." Alisha laughed. "Gosh. Last summer was so much more fun."

"Hey, it's still the first week in July." Noah told her. "We'll do a lot more fun activities this year. Especially once we can start practicing driving."

We talked about and made more summer plans for the upcoming week. Dave chimed in when he wanted, even reminding Noah that he said he would catch for him a few times this summer. Marie and Kaylee came back after a while

Kaylee placed a folder between her and Alisha in the middle row and got buckled in.

"So? Bad news? Good news? No news?" Noah leaned forward, reaching for the folder.

"A little bit of everything." Kaylee said with a neutral tone. She patted the folder so Noah couldn't see. "It's just a post visit summary. Some information on exercises I should do. Also some contact information for a couple of doctors in the SoCal area."

"Any hint to when you'll throw again? Swing a bat?" Noah asked.

"Not this summer." A crease formed between her eyebrows like she was fighting off a storm. "I've got to start small. Work the fingers. The wrist. Don't take on any extra weight or use excessive force." She sighed and leaned back, arm in her lap.

"Softball is a spring sport." Marie said from the front passenger seat. "You'll focus on healing this summer. Then in the fall, we'll do some drills and get you back into shape."

Kaylee didn't reply.

The short ride from the doctor's office to the A's stadium was more somber than anyone would have liked. No one really knew what to say to Kaylee. There wasn't much in the way of comfort besides telling her to give it time. But when you're so eager for it to pass, time is more of a hindrance.

Rose picking us up at the will call window allowed for a mood change as all of us looked forward to take the field during batting practice. Jeremy stopped by us to talk for a few minutes and take a few pictures before moving on to other fans that had permission to be on the field. Alisha designated Dave the photographer and made him take multiple shots for her, by herself or with Kaylee, or with me and Noah as a group. Anytime a player came by, she was ready. She didn't stop when we went up to our seats either; getting every shot she could. She took the phone back and got more pictures of the game on her own, occasionally taking a selfie with and without us.

"Don't you think you have enough by now?" Marie asked during the seventh inning stretch.

Alisha ignored her, singing 'take me out to the ballgame' as the phone recorded. Kaylee and Noah laughed, and I grinned.

"Don't be so salty." Dave tossed a few pieces of popcorn at Marie. "You and Kyle are a perfect match. Both know how to kill a vibe."

Marie rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else.

Jeremy and the A's won an easy one, looking good all around. We didn't stick around to see him after; choosing instead to hit the road so we could get the girls home before dinner.