Wild Pitch

Camden Attwater was quiet as he laced up his cleats in the locker room. He wasn’t usually so nervous before a game, but after three years playing for the Nashville Cougars, he was back in his hometown as the starting right fielder for the Wichita Grays. He had played three college years here, but there didn’t seem to be too much excitement about him coming back to Wichita.

“Relax,” Blake Reynolds, the team’s starting center fielder, told him. “You get through this game, you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Would be nice if it wasn’t against my old teammates, is all.”

Camden grabbed his mitt from his locker and headed out to the field with his new teammates. The guys from Nashville hadn’t been very happy about Camden taking the offer from Wichita, and he never would have admitted it to any of them, but he missed home. Nashville wasn’t so bad, and he visited Wichita as often as he could. When his mother’s health took a turn for the worse, however, Camden knew it was time to make Wichita his home base again.

As they geared up for their warm-up exercises, Camden looked over the field and took a deep breath. He lived for this; the smell of freshly cut grass in the outfield and the slightly damp smell of the infield dirt. The other players of the Wichita Grays ran out to the field for warm-ups, and Camden jogged to his position in the outfield.

As they ran through their exercises, Camden felt better. He was definitely in sync with the other Grays players; spring training had been very helpful in forming bonds with his teammates.

“Feeling good, Attwater?” Blake asked as they jogged back to the dugout so the other team could practice as well.

“I think so,” Camden replied. “Arm feels good, and I’ve been up against this pitcher before.”

“Loosen up. Don’t let that hometown pressure get to you,” Blake warned. He squinted his eyes as he peered into the bleachers and shook his head. “Never fails.”

“What?” Camden asked.

Blake motioned for him to take a seat. “There’s a girl sitting in that first row of bleachers behind the dugout. I don’t know how she manages it, but every season for the last three or four years, she gets season tickets in that row. She talks more shit than any other fan I’ve ever heard in my life. On the plus side though, she also won’t let anyone else trash talk us.”

Camden chuckled, but he had no idea how serious Blake was. Three innings into the game, he was ready to climb over the top of the dugout with a roll of duct tape and shut that girl up himself. If there wasn’t enough on his mind trying to make a good showing in his hometown and against his former teammates, this girl wasn’t letting him let go of any little mistake.

“Hey Attwater!” she yelled after he struck out for the second time. “This isn’t golf! Quit swinging at the low ones!”

He glared up at her, but Blake pulled him back into the dugout. “Ignore her, man. She’s after all of us. You’re the new guy so she’s probably just going to be extra hard on you.”
Sure enough, after Monty Ramirez struck out right behind Camden, this girl was yelling for him to quit reaching for the outside pitches.

“Here we go again,” Ramirez muttered as he took a seat. “Another season with Gray McCarthy.”

“You know her?” Blake asked.

“Her name is Gray?” Camden snorted.

Monty nodded. “All her loud-mouth comments finally got to me enough that I started asking around. Turns out she was in the same graduating class with one of my cousins. I don’t know if the name is a coincidence or what.”

The next batter hit one out of the park, and the three men stood to cheer for him. Camden chanced a brief look up to the bleachers and spotted who he thought was probably this loud-mouth Gray. She was cheering with the rest of the fans; Camden just smirked and shook his head.

At the top of the eighth inning, he missed a catch in the outfield that allowed two runs to the other team, tying up the game. He made up for it when the Grays went to bat, hitting the ball right into an open spot in the outfield. It brought in two runners and landed him on third. The next batter made a successful aim for that same open spot, which brought Camden home.
Gray, of course, wasn’t going to let him forget his mistake. When the team took the field again in the ninth inning, she told him to make sure to watch out for the tying runners – she didn’t want to stay for extra innings.

Camden rolled his eyes but tried to let the comments roll off his back. He focused on the game, but it didn’t help much. He lost sight of a pop-fly and it allowed the runner to make it to second. The next batter singled to first. With the bases loaded, the last batter in the other team’s roster hit a home run. Those four runs put the other team ahead.

The Grays hit their three outs at the bottom of the ninth inning before they gained any runs. It was a disappointing way to begin the season, but Camden knew there were plenty of games to go before he would let the team’s record get him down.

He chanced a glance at the loud-mouthed girl in the stands; she was shaking her head as she gathered her cup and hot dog wrapper.

“You’ll get ‘em next time, boys,” she said just loud enough for them to hear before walking off.

At least she hadn’t berated him again. Sighing as he gathered up his equipment, Camden hoped the next game would go better than this one had.



Blake followed him to his house after the game. It wasn’t too late, and Blake was anxious to see Mrs. Attwater. She was the type of mother who immediately thought of each team member as one of her own sons, and the Grays had responded well to that. Two or three times a week, a few of them would drop by to see how she was doing and if there was anything around the house they could help with getting done. Camden’s father was still in good health, but Camden knew the man was overwhelmed sometimes by his mother’s illness. He appreciated the camaraderie he had found being back in Wichita – it was nice to have the support of his teammates on and off the field.

“How was the game, boys?” Mary Attwater asked when they walked in the room. Both men greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and a tight but gentle hug.

“We lost,” Camden sighed as he dropped to a nearby couch.

“But we didn’t play horrible,” Blake added, sitting on the floor and stretching out his legs. “We’ll get ‘em tomorrow and Sunday.”

“Of course you will,” Mary smiled. Her tone was genuine; she had all the faith in the world in these boys.

“How are you feeling today, Mom?” Camden asked.

“Not too bad, actually. Tired of course, but not much pain.”

“Good.” He reached out to squeeze her hand; she looked at him and smiled. Every day they still had her was a miracle. Since the doctor had announced her condition to be terminal, nothing had been guaranteed, except for the fact that she wasn’t going to get better.

“Turn on the news, would you please, Blake?” Mary directed. “Let’s see if they talk about the game.”

Blake did as he was asked, and Camden’s father, Daniel, joined them. The four of them watched intently, but the game wasn’t mentioned until the last few minutes – and their spot was brief.

“The Wichita Grays were defeated by the Nashville Cougars today, but the team does look strong going into regular season,” the sports reporter said. “Camden Attwater might have been a little nervous in his first game back in Wichita and against former teammates, but once the nerves wear off, it does look to be a promising season for the Wichita native – and he seems to have made some loyal fans here in Wichita. We’ll go to Lacey at the stadium.”

The screen switched to one of the other reporters standing in front of the stadium, waiting for her cue. “That’s right, Jeff. Just about fifteen minutes after the game was over, a fight broke out between two women in the stadium parking lot. Police tell me that one of them was drunk and picked a fight with a Wichita fan who had apparently been quite loud and verbal during the game. Once they got the whole story, it appears the drunk woman was a Nashville supporter who was getting riled up about Camden Attwater coming to play for Wichita.”

“We were standing by our car and we heard shouting,” a man told the reporter. “Couldn’t help but get a little closer to see what it was. The one woman was saying how Attwater was going to be sorry he left Nashville and Wichita would be sorry for taking him, and the other girl was defending the team and Camden, and it just seemed to escalate from there.”

“Both women were taken into police custody, but officers were not able to say what charges, if any, would be pursued. Back to you, Jeff.”

Blake couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked up at Camden. “There you go, Attwater. You’ve got Gray on your side, it seems.”

“You really think it was her?”

“What other Wichita fan was so loud and verbal during the game someone might want to start a fight with her?”

“Who is Gray?” Daniel asked.

“A fan at the game,” Camden answered. “She was pretty loud – I guess she’s that way at every home game. Sits right behind the dugout. Blake said she can be kind of harsh, but she won’t let anyone else take a dig at the team. She gave us a ‘you’ll get ‘em next time’ when we lost, so I guess she can’t be that bad.”

Mary yawned but smiled. “She sounds like an interesting person.”

“Something like that,” Blake commented. He took Mary’s yawn as a cue and got up to leave. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Attwater.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks for coming by,” Daniel said, shaking hands with the younger man.

“Anytime,” Blake replied. “Mrs. Attwater, we’ll see you in a couple days.”

“You boys come by anytime,” she told him, accepting the hug he leaned down to give her.
After Blake left, the family of three sat and watched the rest of the news before Mary announced she was ready for bed. Camden got up to help her get out of the recliner and up to her bed, but Daniel stopped him.

“You played a good game today, son. I can do this,” his father assured him. “I need to hit the hay, anyway.”

Camden stood back and watched as his father effortlessly picked his mother up out of the recliner and carried her to their bedroom. He smiled; there was certainly no lack of love between his parents. Once their door was shut, he dropped back down to the couch and flipped through the channels. His head was swimming with all of the day’s events, but they seemed to settle on Gray and the fight in the parking lot. He felt a little guilty that she’d gotten in trouble defending him.

Maybe it was the quiet house. Maybe it was the restless feeling he always got after a defeat on the baseball field. Maybe it was that inkling of guilt. Whatever it was, Camden grabbed his keys, knocked softly on his parents’ door to let them know he was going out, then headed for the jailhouse.



“Gray McCarthy,” the guard called from the door. “You’ve been bailed out.”

She frowned. “I have?”

“You want to argue that point?” the guard asked.

“Nope,” she answered. “Show me the way out of here.”

He led here through to where she could pick up the few belongings she had come in with – car keys, phone, wallet, shoelaces – then took her out to the front. When Gray saw Camden Attwater standing there, her brows rose.

“What are you doing here?”

Camden smirked. “Well, I suppose if defending my honor got you here, the least I can do is bail you out.”

“Well, thanks,” Gray chuckled. “That’s very nice of you. Unexpected, but nice.”

Camden handed her a paper. “They dropped your assault charge since you didn’t start it, but you have a court date for your disorderly conduct in a month.”

“Good to know,” she muttered, reading over the paper. Once she reached the bottom of the page, she folded it up and stuck it in her back pocket. She started for the door, and Camden walked with her. “I guess I should also apologize for some of the comments I made today.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just part of the game.”

“Yeah.” She stood on the sidewalk in front of the police station. “I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful to you for getting me out because I am, but this is kind of awkward. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Me neither.”

“I can pay you back for the bail, you know. And I promise, I’m not usually a troublemaker. You don’t have to worry about that with the bond or anything.”

“For not being a troublemaker, you certainly know how this bailing out business works,” Camden teased.

Gray shrugged. “Bailed a few friends out every now and then.”

“Ah, I see.” He looked at her and smiled. “You need a ride back to the stadium?”

Gray thought it over. It wasn’t like if he kidnapped her or something no one would know who he was or how to find him. It had been such a strange evening though, and she really didn’t know what to expect next. Deciding that maybe it would be better than having to wait for a cab, she finally agreed.

“Wow. New truck?”

Camden nodded. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Well, it still has the new car smell. And it’s like … spotless.”

“Bought it when I came home. Sold my other truck before I left Nashville.”

Gray just nodded. As he waited for an opening to pull out of the parking lot and onto the road, she again found herself not sure what to say. Camden seemed comfortable with the silence, but her mind was too chaotic for that.

“So,” she began, still trying to settle on something to say. “I guess I’ll go ahead and ask what’s really on my mind right now.”

“What’s that?”

“What would possess you to bail a crazy baseball fan out of jail?” Gray asked, laughing at the end of her sentence.

Camden laughed with her and shook his head. “Well, after the game, I was watching the news with my parents and Blake Reynolds. They talked about your shenanigans, and I felt bad. So here we are.”

Gray raised her brow. “I was on the news?”

“You were on the news.”

She covered her face with her hands and groaned. “This is very not good. If my boss sees that, I’m toast.”

“Why? Where do you work?”

“I’m a home health nurse. I go to people’s houses and help them with anything really – sometimes housework, if that’s what they ask for. Mostly it’s medical stuff like weighing them, helping with medications, changing wound dressings. All sorts of things.”

“They didn’t use your name in the broadcast. Maybe your boss won’t even know it’s you.”

“You knew it was me.”

“They said something about a Wichita fan who had been very ‘loud and verbal’ during the game. Blake and I gave it our best guess.”

Gray let out a defeated sigh. “Trust me. If that’s what they said, my boss will know who they’re talking about. How many girls do you think there are in Wichita that get loud during baseball games?”

“Fair point,” Camden ceded.

The rest of the ride was silent; Camden was still comfortable with the quiet and Gray was too worried about her job to worry about making things less awkward.

There were only a few cars left in the parking lot, so Gray easily pointed out hers. Camden eased his truck into the spot next to her car and turned off the ignition.

“Thanks again, for bailing me out,” Gray told him as she undid her seatbelt. “Maybe, if it’s all right, we can meet after the game tomorrow and I’ll pay you back?”

“You don’t have to do that, Gray,” Camden assured her.

“I want to,” she insisted. “And I’m not saying let’s go somewhere or anything. I’m not that fan who stalks the players or anything. I can just meet you in front of the stadium. I’d offer to pass it over the dugout, but that might be a little weird.”

Camden chuckled and nodded. “You’re right, it would be.” He opened the glove box and reached first for a pen, then her hand. He scribbled seven digits on her forearm. “Let me know where you are after the game and I’ll meet you after.”

“Good.” She took a deep breath, once again feeling awkward, and climbed out of the truck. “See you tomorrow. And watch out for those low pitches.”

He smiled as she rounded the front of the truck and unlocked her car. “Thanks. I’ll try.”

Gray smiled at him one more time before turning on the ignition and waving as she pulled out of the parking lot. Camden waved too, smiling to himself. He had a feeling that he was going to have a love-hate relationship with Gray McCarthy. But hey, she had already gone to jail for him, and it never hurt to have that kind of loyalty.

He took the long way home, letting his mind wander. Maybe it was the start of the season on top of all the change of the last few months – his mind was full. Full of baseball and his parents and Gray and just life in general.

He wasn’t too far from home when his mobile phone rang. He picked it up and glanced at the screen of the phone and debated whether or not to answer. Elizabeth hadn’t spoken to him in the last week since he had to disappoint her and let her know that they would have to move their wedding date because of how the games were scheduled. Just before it went to voicemail, Camden hit the button to answer the call.

“Hey Liz,” he said softly.

“Hey,” she replied on a breath. “How are you? How was the game?”

“It wasn’t bad. We lost but you know, it’s the beginning of the season.”

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Yeah, well that’s good. Listen, I didn’t want to surprise you too much – I’m going to be in Wichita for the game tomorrow.”

A spark of excitement lit within him. “Really? Liz, that’s great. Do I need to pick you up from the airport in the morning? If you come in close to game time, I can have Dad get you and drop you at the stadium.”

“No, it’s all right, I’ve got that all worked out. Let’s just make sure we get together after the game, okay?”

“Of course we will. I’m really excited to see you, babe.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ve got to go.”

Camden frowned. “All right. See you tomorrow.”

Elizabeth ended the call before anything else was said. It made Camden a little uncomfortable about seeing her the next day, but he reminded himself that they not only hadn’t seen each other in a good three months but had also recently had a big argument. Elizabeth was probably just as nervous as he was.

He pulled into the driveway and turned off the truck. It had been a pretty eventful day, and tomorrow was going to be just as hectic, it seemed. He needed a good night’s rest to prepare himself for it.



Gray unlocked the door to the house she shared with her cousin Joie and dropped her keys at the table by the front door. Joie was seated on the couch eating a bowl of popcorn. Gray kicked off her shoes and sat next to Joie, claiming a handful of popcorn.

“I’m assuming that was you they were talking about on the news?” Joie asked, a mischievous smirk on her face.

Gray nodded. “That was me.”

“You could have called.”

“They told me I was going to have to sit there for a couple of hours anyway, but – get this – Camden Attwater bailed me out.”

Joie gave her a look of disbelief. “No way.”

“I’m serious!” Gray exclaimed. “He saw the news bit and thought since I got in the fight over him, they least he could do would be to bail me out. This is his number.”

Joie inspected her cousin’s arm. “There’s no way for me to know about that.”

“You’re still going to the game with me tomorrow, right?” Gray waited long enough for her cousin to nod. “Good. You’ll see then.”

Joie rolled her eyes. Really, she could care less. If it wasn’t for Gray’s obsession with baseball, Joie wouldn’t know anything about it. Still, Gray’s fascination with baseball was a family thing, and Joie couldn’t deny her that. Seeing the excitement on her cousin’s face, Joie found herself getting excited as well.