All There Is

15.Epilogue Two

Baby Hold On // Eddie Money

Hannah - One year later

The crowd is electric. The energy filling the stadium is so strong it's tangible. I lean down to check on Honor. She's bundled up in her Fallbrook University winter gear and Matt made sure she had matching noise canceling headphones. They're on straight and Honor is sound asleep, even with the chanting and shouting surrounding us. My entire family and Jeff's are in the row with me. Matt's mom and brother are just in front. Our little cheering section has been watching with baited breath for the last few plays, knowing that the stakes are high.

It's the end of the fourth quarter. The season deciding bowl game has been tied almost the entire game. Fallbrook University against Wayford, their biggest rivals. It's down to the last two minutes and everyone is going nuts. My eyes are on Matt. He's been a star the entire season. His arm has served the team well and they've made it to the final championship of the year.

Everyone is on their feet. Fallbrook has the ball and Matt is counting off. After the hike, he takes a step back, scanning the field for an open player. I follow his gaze down the field and see Jeff break away from the other team. He's open. Looking back just in time, I watch as Matt launches the ball with a perfect spiral. Jeff follows its arc and times his moves in sync with the ball, reaching out to grab it and tuck in. He bolts for the end zone, completely clear of the defense on his tail. They won't reach him in time.

Touchdown.

The crowd on Fallbrook's side of the stadium goes nuts. We're up by six points with less than a minute of play left in the game.

"Daddy's doing good, baby girl. He's going to win." I speak the words softly to our sleeping daughter but if the screaming hasn't woken her up, neither will my whispers.

The team wastes no time in the huddle, lining up for what looks like a two-point conversion. No kicker has come out on the field, no special teams. The other team's fans are yelling, "time out!" No one has taken one, so this play is about to happen. Matt calls for the hike then fakes a pass to Jeff. It takes a second to see, but Gio has the ball and barrels through the linemen. With a head-first dive, he crosses into the end zone. Score!

The crowd surrounding me is losing it, screaming, "F.U." at the top of their lungs. Everyone is clear on the double meaning but that doesn't lessen the sting.

The other team has the ball, but the game may as well be over with only a few seconds on the clock. This time the special teams does come out and Fallbrook kicks to Wayford. Everyone knows the game is over but Wayford makes an attempt to move the ball down the field anyway. Only seconds later, the clock runs out. Game officially over. Fallbrook wins.

Matt's team has found victory at one of the biggest college bowl games of the year. The big screen is filled with players celebrating, jumping on each other. I stare hard at the screen then down at the field, trying to find him but too many players are jumping around him. Some of them may be on top of him with the way they are piling on.

I see Jeff first. His arms are around Matt, I can just make out number 3 below Jeff's arm. Then they break apart and start smacking each other's helmets, screaming something I can't make out. I turn from the screen down to the field and locate the two of them, still yelling at each other. Just then, Matt pushes away from Jeff and starts running toward the benches, past them and then on toward the fence. We make eye contact and I can tell he's yelling my name.

I'm waving at him with one hand and bouncing Honor with the other. Matt begins to wave me down. I shake my head at him. There's no way I can get down there through all of these rabid fans with a six-month-old and I'm not passing her off to my mom or Matt's. This girl wakes up the minute she's out of my arms and passed around. I'm not risking her foul mood if that happens. But the determination in Matt's eyes causes me to freeze in place. I can't imagine what he's up to now. He looks around and sees something, gives me the one-minute finger and takes off running. Next thing I know, his face takes up the big screen while he stands with the announcer on camera.