Playing the Game by Jl Paul

back.”
    I seethed, simple as that. I only checked
the stupid website when my mother forced me to and even then, I
rarely returned comments.
    The waitress whipped her head back to me,
eyes wide and sparkling. She held a hand to her chest. “That would
be cool. My friends would never believe it. Thank you so much!” She
ran off, no doubt to call her friends.
    I glared at him, appetite suddenly gone.
“How could you?”
    His eyes crinkled in the corner, his smirk
was so huge. “Easy. The support from your fans can’t hurt you a
bit. Maybe Dicky boy will cut you a break.” I groaned and allowed
my head to fall back against the booth as he pushed my plate toward
me. “Eat. You need your energy if you’re staying with me
tonight.”
    I lifted my head to glare, prepared to give
him a major tongue lashing but the desire in his eyes halted the
words in my throat. My groin burned and my heart skipped a beat.
Sighing, I dug in – he was right, again.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Keeping his word, Jess allowed me to
accompany him to his doctor visit the next morning. On the way
there, I checked the voice messages my mother had left me, her
tight voice concerned because I hadn’t told her with what friend
I'd be staying. She assumed I was with this ‘mysterious’ Kendra and
hoped I’d introduce them soon. I deleted the messages and
concentrated on Jess. I’d deal with my mother later.
    Jess introduced me to Dr. Hoyt simply as
Aubrey and focused on his diagnosis. The doctor was optimistic,
explaining that there were no immediate problems he could see. He
went over the test results and glanced anxiously at me when he
asked Jess to remove his shirt. Smirking, Jess pulled his shirt
over his head. I blanched as all the blood drained from my face. He
had a perfectly formed bite mark on his collar bone, right at the
base of his neck. The doctor didn’t comment, thankfully, as his
skilled hands ran over Jess’s shoulder. I turned my head, too
afraid to look either in the eye.
    When Dr. Hoyt finished, Jess yanked on his
shirt, knowing grin playing around the corners of his mouth. The
doctor recommended Jess go on the fifteen day disabled list and
follow a strict physical therapy regiment that would help loosen
the tightening muscles. He gave his okay for a couple side throwing
sessions with the pitching coach and warned him that if the
tightness returned, to come back immediately.
    “ This has nothing to do
with the surgery he had a couple years ago, does it?” I asked,
recovering nicely from my embarrassment. It didn’t appear Jess
would question it so I decided to speak up. Jess glared at me but
the doctor merely gave me a kind smile.
    “ No, at this point it
doesn’t appear so. Sometimes the arm breaks down when it is used at
this velocity. You have to understand that Jess, along with all
pitchers, uses his arm a lot more than you and I. He also works it
much harder.” He sat on the corner of his desk and folded his arms
across his chest. “Although he is in perfect shape, as an athlete,
his arm is still somewhat fragile. You or I could throw a ball and
it wouldn’t go as hard or as fast as when Jess throws. He uses a
lot of muscle and that puts a strain on his shoulder, his elbow,
even his bones. That’s part of the reason most teams have a five
man rotation. The starting pitchers are only allowed to pitch once
every five games. Gives their arms a chance to rest.”
    He took a deep breath, obviously thinking I
didn’t understand. I did. Sort of.
    “ Imagine playing a game of
catch. If you played for too long, your arm would get tired. A
pitcher throws much, much harder than a normal person and usually
much longer. Granted, they do get a break between innings, but it
still wears on them.”
    I nodded, trying to digest his explanation.
It made perfect sense to me. “So you think it’s just his muscles
are tired?”
    I ignored Jess’s frustrated sigh as the
doctor chuckled. “Something like that. At first I was concerned