“They’re not allowed to talk about what’s said in counseling sessions,” Joshua told him, then snickered.
“Oh, right. I’m sure they’d neverdreamof spreadingthatjuicy tidbit around.” He rolled his eyes, then lowered his head, shaking it back and forth in slow dismay. “Now I’m the camp legend for all the wrong reasons.”
Joshua pulled himself together and shrugged. “Who says it’s thewrongreason?” He grinned at Colin, then stood and pinched his cheek, before giving him a slow, suggestive wink. “I happen to think it’s theperfectreason!”
At the baseball diamond,the twelve players milled around, tossing baseballs into the air and catching them, waiting for their two coaches to arrive. The entire team had been devastated when they’d heard about Colin’s injuries, fearful that he might not be able to continue as their coach. But he’d rolled into the dining hall earlier that morning in high spirits, laughing with Joshua and chatting with everyone who stopped by their table.
Now, they saw him and Trent approaching, Trent’s pace slower than usual as he walked beside Colin’s knee scooter. They moved onto the field, and Trent waved them forward. “Warmup and stretches!” he yelled. “Let’s go! And remember the camp rules: No phones, no whining, and no kissing on the baseball field.” The players all laughed, and Trent led them through their workout while Colin laid out a box of gloves and balls.
He picked up a bat, testing its weight in his hands. Bracing himself, he shifted carefully on his knee scooter, mindful of the sharp ache in his ribs. When he finally swung, it was slower, more controlled, less forceful than usual, but still steady. Eventhatsent a dull warning pain radiating through his side, forcing him to grit his teeth.
“Hey!” Trent yelled from where he stood with the team. “Goddammit, Colin, are you nuts? Put that bat down! You’ll pop that cracked rib loose and puncture a lung!”
Colin sighed and pressed his lips together, then shook his head and tossed the bat to the ground, surrendering to the inevitable.
When the warmup was completed, the team gathered around the two coaches. Colin pointed to the pile of equipment. “Grab a glove. We’re working on pop flies.” Then, as Trent whacked aball, sending it hurtling into the air, both he and Trent shouted instructions to their players.
“Call for it!” Colin yelled. “I want to hear you yell ‘I got it’ the second you decide to catch the ball. Collisions cause injuries!”
“Always step back first—don’t get burned by a ball over your head!” Trent added.
“Trent’s right,” Colin called out. “It’s easier to run forward than to frantically backpedal.”
Trent hit a perfect pop fly into the air, then watched as the players scrambled to catch it. “No, no, Andy!” Colin hollered. “No one-handed catches. No hotdogging! Two hands save you from looking silly.”
“And a dressing down from your coach!” Trent added, snickering.
After breakfast,David gathered his cooking class in the campground kitchen. “OK, gang. We have ahugeassignment.” He smiled at them, appreciating the wide-eyed looks. “We’re making Trent and Jeff’s wedding cake!”
“Oh man, David,” one of the older boys groaned. “We can barely make scrambled eggs!”
“Making a cake isn’t all that hard,” David told them. “We’re using a box cake … well, we’re usingthreebox cakes so that we’ll have enough for everyone.” He leaned toward his group. “It’s the decorations that are going to be the biggest challenge.”
A collective groan rose from the group. “Relax,” David told them. “You won’t have to create elaborate, fancy flowers. We’ll keep it simple.” He nodded toward the door. “Everyone, gather at Trent’s van. We’ve already got the ingredients. Now, the design phase will begin.” He glanced around, gauging theirnervousness. “Once we’ve figured out our design, we’ll go to town and get our decorations. Beauty in a cake doesn’t have to involve intricate, detailed design. It can be as simple as two hearts entwined or two flowers planted side by side.” The boys nodded, seeming more relaxed as David shepherded the group out the door, headed for Trent’s van.
After his afternoon counseling session,Joshua wandered to the baseball diamond to check on Colin. He found him standing in the outfield, directing his players as Trent swung a bat, hitting fly balls to the players, one after the other. As Joshua approached, he saw his husband wince as if in pain. His shoulders slumped, and Joshua could see his hands tightening on the scooter’s grips. “Hey!” he yelled, trotting to Colin’s side.
“Hi, bud,” Colin said, then wheeled towards left field to yell, “Trevor! The first rule of catching a fly ball is to get to the spot before the ball does! Don’t run towards it with your glove up like you’re chasing a butterfly. Read the ball, move fast, andthenget set.”
He turned back to Joshua, his face twitching in another quick wince before speaking. “How’s it going?”
Joshua held out his hand, clutching something in his fist, and extended a bottle of water with his other hand. “Time for your meds.”
Colin stared down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes.
“C’mon, babe,” Joshua encouraged. “You tookonepill this morning. It’s nearly two in the afternoon.”
“I’ll take a Tylenol,” Colin muttered.
“Colin! You have a broken ankle and a cracked rib!”
Colin’s upper lip tightened over his teeth, and he called out to Trent. “Let’s take a break!” He took Joshua’s arm and moved him off the field, then stopped and stared into his eyes. For a long time, there was silence, and then Colin spoke. “I’m about to tell you something that I don’t want to tell you. So, shut up and listen.” He drew in a long, deep breath. “I don’t want to take the narcotics. Iwilltake them, but only sparingly.”
Joshua opened his mouth to protest, but Colin stopped him with an upheld palm. “Wait, Josh!”
He stared down at the ground, then blew out a breath through his nostrils before meeting Joshua’s eyes. “I’m not trying to be a tough guy.” He dragged in another slow breath, his gaze locked on the ground as if bracing himself for a blow. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “I discovered when I was a lot younger that Ilikethe damned narcotics, Josh. I like them way too fucking much.”
Joshua inhaled a startled gasp and took an involuntary step backwards, his eyes wide with shock.
