“It’ll get us kicked out?” asks Jane, looking behind us for a nurse, but Frankie just waves her off. “I brought a couple extras for them just in case we get busted.”
“Geez, Frankie.”
“Shh.” I wave. “Here comes Casey.”
“Shoot. He looks nervous,” says Jane.
I shake my head. “No. He’s just zoned in. I know that look.”
“I bet you do,” snickers Frankie.
I smirk and tap my bottle against hers.
Jane groans but a smile creeps up on her face. Casey’s warming up on the mound. His face is calm, and his movements are smooth. He doesn’t take a deep breath to settle his nerves; he’s just focused and ready.
“I don’t know how he does it with the World Series on the line.”
“What do you mean?” asks Frankie. “This is only the fifth game. Aren’t there seven games in the series?”
“Yes, but it's the best out of seven. The first team to win four games takes the series. So far the Jets are losing one game to the Philly’s three. If Casey costs them any runs here, the Jets lose the World Series.”
“Wow, that is a lot of pressure.”
My eyes are glued to the television, and I bite my nails as the first batter comes to the plate. Casey strikes him out with three pitches.
“That’s good, right?” asks Frankie.
Both Jane and I nod.
The next batter hits a ground ball, and my knees start to bounce. “One more,” I whisper into my hands.
I didn’t need to worry. Casey strikes him out, and the catcher jumps to his feet, racing to the mound to hug Casey.
“They won!” shouts Jane and throws her fists in the air. “They won, oh my god, they won!” She grabs a wine cooler and takes a long sip of the drink.
Frankie and I burst out laughing and Jane grins from ear to ear, not caring what anyone thinks. Or at least for a little while.
“What’s going on in here?” asks a nurse, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jane hides the bottle behind her back. “Nothing.”
Frankie and I hold back, covering our mouths with the back of our hands. The nurse eyes us suspiciously and the bottles we’re holding. “You’re being discharged tomorrow morning, isn’t that right, Ms. Summers?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say.
“Mmm, then I guess I haven’t seen anything.”
“I guess not.”
She leaves and the three of us burst out into loud giggles, Jane practically wheezing near the end. “I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard,” she says.
A few minutes later, Jane looks down at her digital watch. “It’s Casey. He texted me that he’s trying to get a hold of you in the room.”
“Oh,” I say. “Wheel me back in there.” She races us down the hallway just as the phone starts ringing. “Hello,” I say.
“Did you watch the game?” Casey’s out of breath but the elation in his voice is unmistakable.
“Of course, I did. You were magnificent.”
