Game of Chance

7

Chapter 7

"ANDERSON!" A loud voice yelled as I walked into my office, taking a sip of my coffee. 

"Ausmus!" I smiled, setting my mug down.  I sighed, dropping my bag on the ground by my desk and taking off my jacket, placing it on my chair. "How can I help you?" I plopped into my chair, looking at the upset Tiger's manager standing in front of me. 

"I need you to look at Verlander." He hissed and I raised and eyebrow. 

"Why?" I laughed, putting my feet up on my desk. 

"He's complaining about something and you're the league's leading physician!" He sighed, crossing his arms.

"Send him in when he gets here..." I gulped, grabbing the old baseball off my desk. 

"I'll go tell him to come in now... Thank you!" He smiled and I shook my head. 

"Don't worry about it!" I sighed, watching the ball as I twirled it. 

About 5 minutes after Ausmus left, an upset Verlander walked in. I stood up and looked at him. 

"Let's go into my actual room!" I sighed, leading him out of my spacious office and into the part of the club house dedicated to me. 

"Are we going into the med room or are we staying in your room?" He gulped and I shook my head, gesturing to the large black leather couch that took up most of the area. 

"We'll stay here!" I sighed, sitting down on the large black leather seat. "What's up?" I grabbed my clipboard and he shook his head. 

"I don't know!" He huffed, leaning his head back. "I just, I feel like nothing's working and I don't even know what I'm doing!" He hissed, looking back at me. 

"Why?" I gulped, writing down his feelings on his chart. 

"I just, I lost some velocity and everyone is pushing me, telling me that I'm not the same! I get frustrated with myself, and my coaches, and this game! And I don't want to get frustrated!" He let out his feelings and I nodded, standing up, placing my clipboard down on my chair. 

"Come on!" I smiled, leading him into my med room that was equipped with everything from weights to a batting cage. We walked in and Justin just stared at me like I was crazy. "Last week, when I got back from Detroit, my roommate took me out and I got completely wasted. When we got back to our apartment, she passed out and I decided to take a razor to her eyebrow, and I shaved off the whole thing! Well, to get back at me, she recorded some random game and then we placed bets on who was going to win. She talked me out of picking the winning team so I'd choose the loosing team since she already watched the game and knew who won. So, I had to go to a Cubs game decked out in the finest cubs gear!" I explained and he just stood there, his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "So, I'm pretty angry, pretty upset, right?" I smirked, stepping into the batting cage. "And, as a league physician, I never get to hit a baseball, right?" I smirked, picking up at bat and he slowly started to smile. 

"Are you sure you're a licensed doctor?" He laughed, taking the bat from me and I shook my head.

 "I'm not! I never finished med school!" I laughed and he looked at me. 

"I'm only 24, I still have a few years of school left!" I smiled and Justin just shook his head as I set up the machine. "I bet you, that I can hit at least 10 right back up the middle!" I smirked, placing a ball in the machine to see where it would land. 

"I bet I can hit at least 1 back up the middle!" He patted his helmet and I laughed, nodding my head. 

"You're on Verlander!" I laughed as he stepped into the box. 

"Give me what you got Anderson!" He smirked, playfully mimicking a random at bat ritual and stance.