Today was my date with Coach. Dane and Zach took Millie to Build-a-Bear, and Quinn and Brink were out of town on business. The past week was insane with practice and games, which we won all of, and it was nice to have a chill morning with Coach, coffee, and a slew of decorating magazines.

“What’s your favorite color?” Coach asked as he looked at some dining room sets.

“Black. All shades.” I smiled as I looked at him. “You look good today, Coach.” And he honestly did. After stopping the treatments that weren’t working, he looked so much better. It was almost hard to believe that inside he was dying.

“I feel better. Still tired, but feeling better. I’m ready for our vacation.” He flipped through the magazine then handed it to me to show me a living room suit that was black with Ivory cushions.

“Ivory is a bad idea. I really like pizza, and I like to eat on the couch sometimes. What about this one?” I asked pointing to an all-black, leather couch sectional.

“It could work, if you add colored throw pillows and decorate around the room with color.” He smiled a little. “Can you get my art book for me?” he pointed to a large art pad in a chair across the room.

“Sure.” I uncrossed my legs and climbed off the bed. I got it and stopped mid-step when I saw a picture of him and his wife. I picked it up too. “Can you tell me about her?” I smiled at Coach and got back into bed. I handed him the book and the photo and then sat next to him.

Coach looked down at the photo and smiled. “She was a spit-fire. She hated me at first.” He chuckled. “I took the position her boyfriend wanted on the baseball team. But her friends all left for the summer, and we ended up hanging out. She became my best friend. She was brave and strong. She gave her life so Millie would have the chance to live.”

“That’s amazing. So she knew having Millie would kill her?”

He nodded. “Yeah, her mother pushed her down a flight of stairs, and then we were in a wreck. It caused problems. They wanted her to get an abortion, but she refused. They told us if she went into labor that it would kill her.” Coach kept his eyes on the picture. “They only gave Millie a small chance to survive, but she did. She did because her mother gave her life for her.”

Tears filled my eyes. “Dammit, I’ve been an emotional wreck lately.” I laughed. “That is the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever heard. So selfless. She sounds amazing.”

“She was. I see so much of her in Millie.” He put the picture down and turned the pages in his art book. “I made you and Zach something.” He smiled when he found the right page. He handed me the large art book. There was a picture of Zach and me. Zach was looking down at me with a smile on his face as I laughed up at him. It was something that happened a few days ago. “I have a few more, but they’re not finished. I thought maybe you guys could frame them and put them up in the cabin, umm, house. I guess it’s not much of a cabin anymore.”

“This, these, they’re amazing! They will look great there. You really need to see it.”

“I’m planning on it. Zach said it should be done by the end of the month. He doesn’t want me seeing it until it’s all done. He’s really pushing that construction t-team,” he stuttered a bit.

“Yeah. He is.” I set the book down and looked at Coach. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his body started convulsing. I panicked. I jumped out of the bed, grabbed the cordless phone on the nightstand, and dialed 911.

I sat on the edge of the bed, holding Coach the best I could to keep him from hitting his head on the headboard or falling off the bed. I cried as I watched him struggle. After several more seconds, his body relaxed, and he went into a deep sleep. I felt relieved when I heard the ambulance sirens. I hurried to the front door and let them in, explaining where he was. I got my cellphone from the kitchen and called Zach.

“Hey, Tiger, how’s the decorating planning going?”

“Zach, it’s Elliot. The paramedics are here. He-he had a seizure.”

Zach cursed “Go with him in the ambulance. We’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Okay.” I hung up when I saw them bringing Coach out on a stretcher. He had an oxygen mask on his face, and the medics were talking to one another so fast it was hard to hear anything they were saying.

“He has brain cancer,” I said, interrupting them as I followed them out.

They nodded in understanding and loaded him up. I got in the back with them and stayed out of the way while they started an IV. The ambulance sped down the road fast, and I had to hold onto the metal bar above my head.

“Is he okay?” I asked, but they continued to work without answering me.

I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer the entire way to the hospital.

I PACED THE waiting room, and when I saw Zach walking in with Dane and Millie, I ran over to him.

“I’m so sorry! They have him back there now, and I told them I’d send you back as soon as you got here. You can just go in. I didn’t grab anything. I think they need his insurance card and other info.”

Zach hugged me. “It wasn’t your fault.” He kissed the side of my head then went through the doors.

Dane picked up Millie and held her as he took a seat.

I sat next to him and put my head in my hands. “He’ll be okay.” I let my hands fall and smiled at Millie and Dane. “He’ll be okay,” I said with a bit more confidence.

Millie buried her face against Dane’s neck. Dane rubbed her back gently.

“Did you pick out any furniture?” He asked as he tried to fill the silence.

“Couch.”

“That’s good. What color?” He kept rubbing Millie’s back and kept his eyes focused on the doors Zach disappeared behind.

“Black leather sectional.” My hands were shaking.

He stopped rubbing Millie’s back and grabbed my hand giving it a little squeeze.

“I’ve never had to deal with something like this before. Nothing will be the same. He’s family to me. He’s been such a positive part of my life. I don’t know how you guys can even smile at all. You’ve known him so long. That’s Zach’s baby brother. I’m just so torn for all of you, and Millie...” My voice broke.

“This is the first time I’m going through something like this too.” Dane’s voice sounded rough. He kissed Millie’s head as she sniffed. I looked at her and saw she was crying. “It’s not fair,” he said sadly.

I leaned over and kissed Millie’s headful of curls.

“Millie?” I whispered.

She moved her head so she could look at me.

I smiled a little and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I love you, you know that? I think you’re such a strong, amazing girl, and your mommy would be so proud of you. I’m here for you. We all are. Do you understand how loved you are?”

She nodded. “I want my daddy. I don’t want him to leave me.”

“Oh, sweetie, he will never be really gone because he will live inside your heart.” I looked at a nurse as she walked by. I stood. “Excuse me,” I said, catching up with her.

“Yes?” She smiled.

“Do you have any information on Elliot Shaw?”

“Sorry, no. They are still running tests.”

I nodded and sat back down.

Millie moved out of Dane’s arms and moved to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and put her cheek against my shoulder.

“Go check on him and Zach. I’ll stay with her.”

Dane ran a hand through his hair and nodded. He got up and headed through the doors.

It was a long time before anyone came back through the doors. I looked up when the doors opened, and Zach came through. Millie was sound asleep, still holding tightly to my neck.

He came over and sat next to me. He didn’t say a word. He just stared at a wall.

“I love you,” I whispered.

A single tear slid down his cheek.

“I love you too.” His voice was raw. “I called Brink. They’re on their way home. They’re going to pick up Aunt Millie on their way home. The doctor—” he stopped talking to take a steadying breath.

“The doctor doesn’t think he has much more time.”

I closed my eyes.

I opened them again, and a few tears fell. “I’ll tell the team.”

Tears had started streaming down Zach’s face. “Thanks. Brink’s parents are coming in too. They were our parent’s best friends. They’ll love you.” He didn’t wipe his tears, and the way he spoke revealed how much in shock he was in. It was like he was finding out for the first time how bad Coach was.

I stood and handed him Millie.

“I’m gonna send out a group text.” I wiped my eyes and bent down to kiss Zach. “I love you, and we’re going to get through this.”

He held onto Millie and looked at me. One of his eyes was still swollen quite a bit. “I love you too.” He grabbed my hand. “Will you be gone long?”

“No. Just gonna go use the restroom and send out that text. Do you need anything?”

He shook his head. “No, just you.” He leaned back in the chair with Millie and put his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and winced as he repositioned Millie against his chest.

“I’ll go see if they have some Advil or something in the gift shop.”

He moved a bit and pulled out his wallet. He handed it to me. “You may want to get some snacks for all of us too. None of us have eaten dinner yet.” He tried to give me a smile, but it didn’t last long.

I nodded and walked toward the bathroom. I looked down when I realized I never put shoes on. I was barefoot. I blinked back tears that were trying to fall. The reality of what happened was setting in and had me completely horrified. Seeing Coach struggling like that was the scariest thing I had ever experienced. I had no control of the situation; all I could do was wait for the medics to get there. I shuddered a little as it all replayed in my mind.

I went to the restroom and leaned against the wall as I took out my phone. I set Zach’s wallet on the sink and sent out a group text to the team, including Sadie.

Me: Coach had a seizure about 45 minutes ago. We are at the hospital, and after running tests, they’ve told Zach he doesn’t have much time left. I want to do something special for him so shoot me any ideas you guys may have. They aren’t letting anyone except family back right now, but we are all in the waiting room at the Henry Medical Center.

I watched as texts came flooding in. The entire team said they’d be at the hospital within the next hour. I was about to put the phone in my pocket when it started ringing. Sadie’s name flashed across the screen.

“Hey,” I said quietly and picked up Zach’s wallet from the sink.

“I’m so sorry I haven’t kept in contact with you. I kept meaning to, Hales. But then I found out about you and Dane, and while I had no right to be upset, I was. I was being stupid.”

“It’s fine, Sadie. Really. No hard feelings. So I’m assuming you got my text about Coach?”

“Yeah, I just talked to my mom, and she said she’d fly me down there. I really need to be there for Trevor and Dane.”

I smiled a little. “That’d be awesome.”

“So I’m guessing the surprise trip to Orlando is off now?”

“Yeah, probably so. This sucks.”

She sniffed a little. “I know. Can I stay with you when I come down? I feel so bad for not keeping in touch, and it’d be nice to hang out.”

“Of course. And I have some news for you.”

“Oh yeah?”

I laughed a little. “Zach and I are a thing.”

“Dane told me.”

“Are you serious! What a blabber mouth!”

She chuckled. “Well when he told me you two broke up, I was confused. You two were always so good together even when you weren’t dating. He accidentally let it slip.”

I laughed. “It’s okay. He wouldn’t have let it slip if he didn’t trust you. I’m sure we will all be staying at Coach’s house, but I know you’ll be welcome there. It’s going to be emotional so just prepare yourself.”

“I will. I will text you, Trev, and Dane when I know exactly when I’ll be flying in.”

“Okay.” We hung up, and I quickly used the restroom then went to the gift shop. I bought some snacks, drinks, and Advil.

I made it back to the waiting room; it had started to fill up with the team.

Zach wasn’t talking to anyone. He just sat there with his head back against the wall holding Millie. Trevor sat next to him asking questions, but Zach didn’t answer any of them. I got Millie from Zach after setting everything down in an empty chair. She was sound asleep.

“Zachary?” I turned toward the woman’s voice. She rushed over to him and wrapped him in a hug before I could stop her; he was still in so much pain. Zach hugged her back.

Millie woke up and looked at her. “Aunt Millie?”

She came over and took Millie from me and sat down with her in an empty chair. Dane came in through the doors and walked over to me.

“Is one of those for me?” he asked quietly, looking at the bag of snacks and drinks. He smiled a little when he saw Aunt Millie. “Hey, Aunt Millie.”

He sat down in the chair across from me. Aunt Millie stood with Millie tight in her arms and walked over to Dane. Dane stood up and hugged her.

“I was already on my way here.” she kissed his cheek. “I have gifts in the car for everyone. Do you think you can go get Millie’s?”

Trevor stood up. “I’ll go get them.”

She smiled at Trevor. “Thanks, sweetie.” He took her keys and left the room. Aunt Millie sat next to Dane.

“Are you Hailey?”

I sat down on a chair across from her. “I am.”

“Aunt Millie. The whole team seems to call me that.” She gave me a small smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Millie had her head on Aunt Millie’s shoulder, playing with Aunt Millie’s hair.

Dane smiled a little after taking a drink. “Who did you hear about Hales from? I haven’t told you anything about her yet.”

Aunt Millie gave him a look. “No, you haven’t. And why have you not been calling me lately?”

Dane looked sheepish. “Sorry, Aunt Millie.”

Aunt Millie kissed his cheek. “I’ll forgive you this time, but you better start calling or texting me more.” She looked back at me. “I hear you’re going to Tulane and wanting to be a pro-baseball player.”

I nodded. “I am. Who did you hear about me from?” I watched as Zach took some Advil.

“Zach.” She smiled. “You’re the first girl he’s ever told me about.”

Trevor came in with two bags and set them down. He walked over to the guys on the team and started talking to them. Aunt Millie pulled out a beautiful doll for Millie. She handed it to Millie, making her smile slightly.

She handed Dane a ball in a case.

“No, way!” he exclaimed. He looked up at me. “Hales, it’s signed by Andrew Jones!”

Aunt Millie smiled at his reaction. She looked over at the team. “Trevor.”

Trevor looked toward Aunt Millie and came over. She handed him the bag she hadn’t been pulling out of. “The top jersey and ball is yours. Everyone else gets a jersey. I heard about Sadie. I’m sorry she moved.”

He kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Aunt Millie. How long will you be here?”

“For a while.”

He nodded. “I’ll be hanging out at the house so I will catch up with you then.” He squeezed Dane’s shoulder a bit and kissed my cheek before going back over to the team.

Aunt Millie looked back in the bag. She pulled out two more cased baseballs. “Zach said you’re a pitcher.” She handed me the two cases. I looked down at the first one. It was signed by Braves pitcher legend, Warren Spahn. How in the hell did she get a hold of a ball signed by him?

I looked at her in shock. “How did you get this?”

“I knew him. He signed a few for me to give to people when I wanted too.”

She smiled softly. “Look at the other one.”

I looked down at the other ball and saw Zachary Shaw written across it.

Zach looked over my shoulder and frowned. “That’s worthless. Why did you give her that?”

Aunt Millie didn’t respond. She kept her eyes on me instead.

I smiled and cut my eyes at Zach. “Not worthless, and neither is the man who signed it.”

I looked at Aunt Millie. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, dear.” She looked at Zach, her smile warming even more. I looked at Zach and saw he was staring down at me with his crooked smile. He kissed my cheek then put his arm around my waist and leaned his head back.

“So I couldn’t help but notice you have the same name as Millie. I’m assuming she’s named after you?”

“Yes, Sam named her after me.” She played with Millie’s curls, making her giggle a little. “I met Sam and fell in love with that child immediately. I’m a good judge of character.” She looked at me. “Sam was the opposite of me. She was a girlie girl.” She looked down at Millie. “Like our little Millie here, but she became my sweetie in an instant.” Her eyes met mine. “Just like you. I’m glad we finally met. I just wish it was under better circumstances.” Her smile faded a little. She looked at Zach.

“Zachary, do you want your gift?”

“That’s up to you, Aunt Millie. You know how I am about gifts.”

“I know, I know. You’d rather I spend my money on Millie and not you. Well, I can do both.”

She started looking through the bag. “A couple are in the trunk. They’re too big to bring in.”

Zach chuckled softly and shook his head.

Aunt Millie finally pulled something out of the bag. It was two things. One was a frame, and the other was a card.

“I know you’re redoing the cabin. I put some money on this for Bed, Bath, and Beyond; you can pick out a few things.” She handed it to him.

“Thanks, Aunt Millie.”

Aunt Millie looked down at the frame and then at Zach. She handed him the frame. Inside was a picture of Elliot and Zach. Zach was in a Braves uniform, and Elliot was standing next to him smiling. A tear slipped down Zach’s cheek.

“The stuff in the car is really large frames with pictures of you guys together.”

He nodded and swallowed hard. The arm around my waist tightened a bit, pulling me closer. I could feel his hand shaking. I looked down at the picture and smiled.

“You sure look sexy in that uniform.” I winked at him, trying to make him smile.

He smiled a little. “Thanks. I’ll have to put it on for you sometime. If I can remember where I put it.”

I laughed. “For sure.”

I looked at Aunt Millie. “I think you saved the day today. Thanks for making everyone smile.”

“You’re welcome, dear.” She looked down at Millie and started talking to her about her doll.

“I should head back there again. I don’t want to leave Elliot alone for long.” He kissed the side of my head. “You should call your parents.”

I nodded and watched him walk off.

I called Mom to explain what was going on. It was hard to comprehend the reality of what was happening. We were losing Coach quicker than we had thought we would, and it hurt so much.