Ghosts (A Christian Yelich Story)

Chapter Sixty-Four: Plans

Annie landed in Milwaukee too late to make it to my Thursday evening game, so I got out of Miller Park as quickly as I could. I needed to see her.

I had given her specific instructions as to where to park and how to get into my apartment, but she stopped texting me as soon as she landed at the airport, which was around the seventh inning or so. I just hoped she was okay as I sped home.

Annie: Landed in Milwaukee. Should be at your apartment in twenty minutes.

Christian: Did you make it there safely?

Christian: Annie?

Christian: I hope you're all right, babe. Be home in fifteen. Seriously worried.

When I opened the door, the apartment was completely dark. As I flipped some lights on, I was beginning to think she never made it. I didn't notice anything out of place in the living room, so I called out to her, "Annie?" No response.

Increasingly nervous, I walked into my room and was overcome with relief when she was passed out on the bed. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her clothes or get under the covers. She must have been exhausted enough to fall asleep within minutes of arriving.

I wasn't sure whether to wake her or not, but I made up my mind to do so she could get more comfortable. Selfishly, I also wanted to hear her voice and feel her lips against mine. "Hey, Annie, I'm home," I muttered quietly as I gave her a little nudge. It took me a few more aggressive tries to get her to stir.

She smiled at me and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked, her voice filled with sleep.

"About midnight."

"I barely remember getting here. I think I just found your room, dropped my bags, got into bed, and fell asleep. I've never been this tired before." She sat up and looked at me. "I feel like I could sleep forever. I'm sorry this isn't a romantic start to our time together. I'm the worst."

I chuckled. "Next time just remember to text. I had a minor freak out when I came in and all the lights were off, and I hadn't heard from you in a few hours."

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "I don't ever want to scare you."

"It's all good. How are you feeling besides tired?" I began to remove some of my clothes, so I could get into bed with her.

"Just sort of sore and moody. Otherwise okay. She's still not moving at all, and I'm ready to, you know, feel her exist."

I nodded. "I'm really looking forward to that. I hope I'm around for it."

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you are," she whispered.

I crawled into bed and pulled her tightly into my embrace, and she helped by settling her head into my chest and wrapping an arm around my stomach. I never wanted to lose her; just her presence made me feel better about everything. "I'm so glad you're here now. The past four days have been brutal. I haven't been playing so well." I fiddled with her hair, and she nuzzled deeper into my chest.

"I'm so sorry. Is it all this additional stress?"

"No, of course not. I'm just not seeing the ball at all. I mean, I generally get off to a slow start, so this isn't that unusual. But it's still frustrating.

"I watched your game yesterday, and you got two hits," she observed. "That seems pretty good to me."

"You watched?"

"I've been trying to watch as much Brewers baseball as I can. Hannah and I are trying to free up more of my time to reduce stress."

I kissed the top of her head. "That means a lot to me."