September 2020
Jake hit a ground ball to Parker at shortstop then turned to cough into his arm.
"Jake, maybe you should take a break. Sit for a minute, you know?" Nick asked him warily.
"I'm fine, Nick," Jake said as he nodded his encouragement at Dainn who fielded the next ball.
Nick tossed Jake another ball and mentally rolled his eyes. It had been almost two weeks since Jake had been discharged from the hospital. Royala had told him to take it easy and rest but he should have known better that Jake Wolff did not know the meaning of that word.
Nick had accompanied Jake on his post-COVID diagnosis appointment and Royala was really trying to get him to rest; his chest x-rays showed that the COVID had screwed up Jake's lungs and it was gonna take a while for them to regain their full strength. It was because of Nick that Jake was carrying his blue and white inhaler in his sweatpants pocket. As much as he complained, Jake knew it was for his own good and Nick was just trying to look out for him.
Jake coughed again, shaking Nick out of his reverie.
"You know what? I actually might take your advice and go sit down for a minute. I'm feeling... kind of wheezy," Jake breathed out as he handed the bat to Nick.
"Are you alright? Do you need anything? Do you want me to get you a bottle of water or something?"
"I have one, Nick. I'm fine," Jake said, smiling, but the wheeze Nick could hear in his lungs made him worry.
The next day, Tuesday, Jake wasn't at practice and as Nick pulled into his parking spot, he got a text from Riley.
Hey Nick. I made Jake stay home today. He woke up this morning and I could tell he didn't feel great. I think having practice yesterday tired him out. One day in bed won't kill him. - Riley 10:02 am
Nick smiled as he typed back a message.
Oh, it might LOL. :) Thanks, Riley. I've been trying to get him to rest since he got discharged. I'll stop by later to see how he's doing?- Nick 10:03 am
He got a thumbs up back and Nick walked up the hill to start practice.
It was a few more weeks of doctors appointments and nebulizer treatments before Jake didn't feel wheezy or congested when he woke up.
One day when he walked down the stairs, Riley was sitting at the kitchen table, her glasses on, hair in a braid and her robe around her shoulders. She looked up when Jake came in.
"Hey, you! You look better," Riley said, hugging him.
"I feel great. Say... we don't have practice today. Nick invited us out for lunch with him and Mac. You wanna go? I hear we're discussing some wedding plans," Jake said, kissing the top of Riley's head lovingly.
"I'd love that! I'll go get ready! Wait. Are you sure you feel okay?"
"This is the best I've felt in months, Ry. I'm good."
Riley smiled as Jake's heart fluttered. He sure did love that smile. "Okay. I'll go get dressed!"
And as Riley bounded up the stairs, Jake got the most amazing idea of his life.
He was glad he was about to see Nick.
Cause if he was gonna pull this off... he needed all the help he could get.
Nick hugged Jake, the force swaying both of them slightly. The past few months had been some of the hardest of their entire friendship and some extra hugs were needed now that Jake was COVID free. The four sat down and almost immediately, Mac pulled out some papers and she and Riley started gabbing about the wedding. Nick glanced over and chuckled softly.
YOU ARE READING
Catching Faith
General Fiction**SEQUEL to "The Gift of a Coach: A Novel of Baseball and Friendship** Jake Wolff has been Brennan's saving grace. He took a team that meant nothing into a team that is feared by every competitor they come up against. Everyone at the school cannot t...
