Smile (Kris Bryant)

Chapter Thirty Seven| Bear Cub

Alexandria

Sunny Mesa Arizona. Where you can melt away by just sitting outside. If you wanted you can cook a egg on a car out here. Trust me, I know. Joe tried it the other day. I was fine with the smell.... that is until he ate it. Then I almost threw up. But there's always something going on around here, never a dull day. I get to work with the strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss who was dressed up as something different every day, it's been quite entertaining. Being six months pregnant and stuck in the heat all day sucks but the guys take good care of me. And if not Kris sends someone out to check on me which I find flattering.

I'm still able to do a lot of things. There's no limitations as long as I can still see my toes. That won't hold true for much longer so I'm going to enjoy this as much as I can. I don't really feel pregnant and I wanted to make sure I took advantage of that as long as it lasts. I'll work until I feel like I can't anymore, then I'll stop, but I was more than capable of handling it as of right now. The only thing I don't really do is abs, but you understand why.

As far as training camp comes this is an awesome experience. I wish I was able to do this long ago. The guys are so amazing and I get to branch out some. Usually I work strictly with the infielders but since we're here for a while I've been suggested to work with everyone and see where they're at. They're professional athletes so that makes my job easier but it's still my job to make them sweat. I just hate the heat. I really do.

"Why is it so hot" I groan as I work with the pitchers on arm strength. The baseball season is a long one and for pitchers it can feel like forever. I want to help them feel ready going into that.

"Well, as you probably know, Mesa, Arizona is close to the equator meaning the peak of the sun is closest to here. The further you go from the line the cooler it gets, but we're pretty close right now so that causes a rise in temperature compared to Chicago who is pretty far away from the equator. We're also fairly high above sea level bringing us clos-" Kyle Hendricks starts.

"Okay professor. We get it" lackey says moving in front of us with that same expression on his face.

"I liked it" I smile patting Kyle's shoulder and he laughs.

"Thanks kid" he replies and I roll my eyes.

"You're like 1 month older than me" I say crossing my arms. Just because I'm smaller doesn't mean I'm younger. If that was the case everyone here is older than me and that's far from true.

"Come on, lets get me buff" he insists and I had to laugh. I can't imagine him being buff.

For a while I work with the pitchers on arms and joint flexibility. It's more than just getting them stronger but keeping them loose also so no one gets sent to the DL during the season. Joe wants them ready to put in a lot of innings so that's a lot of durability and a lot of longevity. I can help with that, that's why I'm here after all.

"A package for miss Alexandria" someone says from behind me and I see David standing there with a blue bag in his hand.

"Did Kris send you" I ask and he smiles.

"Yeah. He's in the cages but you haven't seen him in 20 minutes so he sent me with water and snacks to keep you happy" he explains.

"Well that's very sweet of him, but tell him I'm perfectly fine. I don't feel weak or tired and I will see him soon, thank you" I say giving David a hug.

"Alrighty kid, keep up the good work" he replies before walking away.

"What? He can call you kid but I can't" Kyle asks with his hand over his heart.

"You're literally the same age as me" I laugh and he shrugs.

"You're smaller" he claims.

"You're a very factual man" I tease and he shakes his head. He doesn't talk a lot, but when he does I always enjoy what comes out of his mouth.

I finish up with the pitchers and head to lunch with some of the guys. Jason, David, Dexter, the Kyle's, Anthony, and Jake all go out in search for food with Kris and I. We find a pizza place not too far from the park and decide to eat there. We order ten pizzas and apologize for the noise complaints they will most likely get.

"Did David give you my gifts" Kris asks sipping on a water.

"Yes, and they were lovely. And I know you're worried about whatever happening to me or the baby but I promise you, we are fine. The guys take good care of me and that includes you. Especially you" I say nudging his side.

"I know. I'm just worried and not used to not seeing you all the time. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when the baby is actually born and I can't see you guys. I'm going to have to hire a double who is just like me so they can do baseball duty while I'm home with you guys" he claims.

"There will never be another you Kris. It's impossible. No one will love me like you do. No one will play the game like you do. No one will be loved like you are. You can try, but it's just not possible" I claim.

"I wish my wife talked about me like that" Dexter pouts and I giggle.

"Darya loves you so much. She tells me all the time. People just have a different way of showing it" I shrug.

"No one shows love like you two. I feel it all the way over here" Jason says and I roll my eyes.

"Well for the past almost year of my life I've spent every second with Kris. It isn't hard to fall in love with him" I defend.

"I guess it has almost been a year now. That's pretty exciting" Anthony agrees.

"Are you going to do anything special" Jason asks.

"Have a baby" Kris shrugs and everyone laughs. Funny, but true.

"Are you guys ready for that" David wonders.

"I like to think so. The babies room is done, we got a name and a car safe for the kid. The rest is just intuition" I guess.

"Well as self appointed god father I am happy to help" Anthony claims.

"Well with your years of parenting experience..." I tease.

"Hey! I was a baby once" he claims.

"Great. What was I ever worried about" I joke.

We finish up and head back for the rest of the day. When we get there we find Joe holding something that looked like a bear cub. After further inspection I see it was one and freaked a little. It was so cute and I wanted to keep it.

"What is this" I ask slowly and Joe smiles bright. He probably feels like he had outdone himself with this one. And I think he did.

"It's us" he claims and I laugh. He hands me the one he was holding and I smile big. He was precious.

"He's perfect" I claim as he nibbles on my finger. His claws were huge but he was so gentle.

"You're holding Ben. He's just a month old" the trainer explain. I can't wait until my little bear cub Ben is here too.