RIVAL NIGHT: Third Installment of the "Brennan Baseball Series"

Chapter Four: Stay Till The A.M.

"Give me a second. I'll be back. I'm so sorry."

Nick dropped his pencil on the coffee table and walked out of the living room and up the stairs to his daughter's room. Sav sat up in her crib, bawling as Nick made his way to her.

"Hi, sweetie. Hi, Sav. Shh, it's okay. Daddy's here. Dad's here," He cooed, picking her up and bouncing her on his hip.

He felt her forehead, his stomach calming when he realized she was fine. This was the third time in almost an hour she had woken up again and the same amount of times Nick had done that motion. When she was younger, Nick and Mackenzie soon realized they might have had the easiest baby ever. Sav was so good about going to sleep and most importantly, staying asleep. So the fact that she couldn't seem to do that now worried him.

Nick sat in the chair next to the crib and laid Sav on his chest, slightly rocking back and forth until she fell asleep again. When he was sure she did, he slowly stood up and placed her back in her crib, and backed away quietly. He shut the door, sighing quietly as he walked downstairs again. He stopped at the entrance to the living room, locking eyes with Jake who was sitting on his couch with his playbook and lineups.

    "I am so sorry."

    "Stop apologizing, Nick. I'm fine. Really. Is she okay?"

Nick plopped down next to Jake with a sigh.

    "I think so. I'm starting to wonder if something else is wrong because she's never been this fussy. But, I'm sure she'll be alright after she sleeps. Stop looking at me like that. 'Makes me feel like I'm under a microscope," Nick said, glancing at Jake looking at him with a worried expression on his face.

    "I'm just making sure you're okay."

    "I'm fine. So, where were we?"

Jake had come to Nick's house an hour and a half earlier this morning to talk baseball. Now that winter workouts were underway, the two coaches had to put their heads together to come up with a schedule for the next few weeks, complete with new things so the kids weren't bored every day. They weren't really getting anywhere because as much as Nick apologized and as much as Jake didn't care, Sav was Nick's daughter and when she cried, both guys knew Nick had to go help her. Mackenzie was at work for a change and left Nick with Sav, knowing Jake would also be over to help.

    "Lineups," Jake said, handing Nick a paper. "This is what I got so far."

    "Why would you bat Fox first?" Nick asked.

    "Why wouldn't I?" Jake asked, cocking his head, confused.

    "I'm just saying. Fox is a great player don't get me wrong but I would rather have him third. Jake, he's a power hitter. Wouldn't you want this instead?"

Nick grabbed the pencil off the table and wrote some stuff down before he handed it to Jake.

    "Actually... that's a heck of a lot better than I could do. Thanks," Jake said, smiling.

    " 'Course. That's why we do this together and not alone."

Nick paused as Jake watched him. "You okay?"

    "Yeah, I just... I used to think friendship was sleepovers and play dates. Now I know it's not. Friendship is three in the morning talks about what happened the day before and why the hell you're still awake. It's three in the afternoon laughing so hard you're on the floor at a corny joke for the third time that day. It's... sitting there... eating in silence because you would rather eat than talk and you wouldn't either. It's... love... in the strangest ways when all is lost."