The Fellowship

by K. Darblyne

"Hey, don’t forget your phone." Danni picked it up and offered it to the surgeon. "Small isn’t it?"

  "Yeah, I figured I’d have to have it with me all the time." Garrett took the phone and placed it back on her belt.

  "Hey, Danni, hurry up. We’re about to start the game." Rosie was yelling at the top of her lungs. "What’s taking you so long?"

  The small blonde turned, held up one finger and yelled back, "Be there in just a minute." She look at Garrett and asked, "Well, Doc, are you going to play or just watch?" There was a bit of sarcasm in her voice, as if to challenge her friend into the competition.

  "If they’ll have me, you’re on." The competitive side was beginning to show as the surgeon accepted the challenge. "What say we make it more interesting. Loser buys breakfast. Deal?"

  "You’re on! You know, some people say that I eat a lot," she reminded the doctor. "Let’s add to it. Winner picks where to eat."

  "Alright, that only seems fair."

  The two women made their way over to the softball field. Danni gave commentary as well as greetings to everyone they passed on their way. It amazed Garrett how her brief synopsis of each person was always in the positive light. It was as though she only saw the good in people and totally disregarded the bad.

  "Hi, Danni, who’s your friend? I hope you’re not bringing in a ringer, are you?" There was a gentle teasing in the voice coming from the bespectacled young woman.

  "Oh, hi! No, in fact, this is actually someone for your team, Dr. Porter. Let me introduce you to Dr. Garrett Trivoli, one of the new Trauma Fellows. Garrett, this is Jamie Porter, one of the E.R. Attending Physicians."

  "Danni!" Rosie yelled across the field, "Danni, are you going to play or be master of ceremonies?"

  The nurse shook her head allowing the short blonde hair to be tossed from side to side, "Jamie, I trust that you’ll do the rest of the introductions." She motioned to the group of the physicians assembled together. "I’ve got to get over there before Rosie strokes out."

  She started across the field for several steps then stopped and turned back towards Garrett, "Hey, good luck!" She swiftly resumed her path and was soon welcomed into the rowdy bunch of her coworkers with the rhythmic chanting of "Danni, Danni, Danni!"

  Garrett let a smile come across her face. "Is she that good or does she do wonders for the team spirit?"

  Dr. Porter pushed her glasses up and said, "She is the best short stop the nurses have ever had, one heck of an all around player and a great moral booster at that. Have you played before, Garrett?"

  The surgeon smiled as she thought of the wager, ‘So, you think you’re gonna win…huh?’ "Ah, when I was in college I played some."

  "Any position in particular?"

  The raven-haired woman let her face go into a feral smile. "No, I was always used as a utility player, so anywhere you need me will be fine."

  "Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the team before we get started." Jamie proceeded to go down the bench full of physicians introducing Garrett along the way.

  ********

  It was exactly noon when an official looking pair of men strode out on to the field, one walking to the first base area while the other claimed home plate. The tall red haired man brushed off the plate. He stood looking at one team then the other. "Play ball!" He shouted and stood behind the plate with both hands resting on his hips. He waited patiently for the home team to take the field. The nursing staff huddled quickly and within a few seconds the circle of players and coaches let a mighty roar into the air, "Nurses Call the Shots!" It was as if the huddled bodies had exploded on to the field, each member running at top speed to get to the designated position. Determination was evident in the way they moved the ball around the infield to warm up. They were confident that they would win the game. After all, they had won last year giving them the home team advantage for this year.

  "Batter Up!" The umpire yelled.

  The first member of the Doctors team picked up a bat and settled into the batter’s box. It was Dr. Porter. Her stance wide, bat raised high as she waited for the first pitch. Nan, the manager of the nursing staff had the honors of delivering the ball high and inside.

  "Ball one."

  "Come on, Nan, let her hit it. She’ll never get it out of the infield." Danni teased from the short stop position. Her body ready for action as her right hand balled into a fist and hit into her glove.

  Nan concentrated. She released the ball. The arc was perfect in height. Jamie gripped the bat sucking in a breath and timed her swing to meet the ball as it crossed the plate. Crack! The sound was solid as the ball ricocheted back on to the playing field. It was low and fast dropping to the ground a few feet in front of Danni. Reacting to the ball, the short stop charged into it and caught it on the first bounce. With lightening speed, the young woman had retrieved the ball from the pocket of her glove and fired it at the first baseman that caught it with ease. Rosie stepped on the bag with ball in glove. "OUT!" cried the umpire. The nursing staff on the sideline went crazy, chanting "Danni, Danni, Danni!"

  Danni dusted off her hand and settled back into her position on the field. "One down, two more to go, Nan." She held her finger up in the air to remind the team of where the play would go. Satisfied that everyone knew, she readied herself for the next batter.

  The tall surgeon sat watching from the bench. She was impressed with the small nurse’s athletic ability. She marveled at the level of intensity that the young blonde had for whatever she was doing. Garrett could tell already that this woman put her best effort into everything that she did. No matter how insignificant the activity, she gave it her all. ‘She has every right to be confident. Too bad she thinks she is going to win.’ The woman thought about her own ability as a slow smile began to take shape on her face.

  Their turn at bat was over before Garrett had realized it. She was caught in the middle of daydreaming by someone shaking her shoulder.

  "Garrett! Dr. Trivoli!" Jamie shook a little harder.

  "Huh…oh yeah. Sorry, I was thinking about something." The surgeon was obviously startled.

  "Here’s a glove for you to use. You okay with playing Center field?" The doctor pushed her glasses up.

  "Sure, no problem." Garrett accepted the glove and slid her left hand into it.

  "Thanks, it’s a good fit." She looked at Jamie and grinned. Her body reacted to the familiar feel of the glove. The familiarity of the game was all coming back to her as she stood and began trotting out to her position. It had been a long time, but it was like riding a bicycle…past abilities learned always came back.

  "Batter up!"

  A tall blonde male strode to the plate. John stood adjusting his batting glove and surveying the field. He stepped into the batter’s box and dug his left foot into the dirt. His hands wrapped tightly around the wooden bat as he raised it onto his right shoulder. Slowly and deliberately he took several practice swings into thin air as his eyes looked over the possible targets that would allow him to get on base. Satisfied that he had found the weak link in the Doctors’ team, he brought his focus onto the pitcher and waited for the ball.

  Ian McCormick looked around the playing field. His team was ready and so was he. The E.R. Physician started into his routine of concentration that ended with a deep expiration. His fingers gripped the softball that was nestled in his glove. The slow motion of the wind up began as he brought the ball out of the glove. The forward momentum of his left foot was in complete opposite of the backward movement of his right hand. His weight now shifted forward as he delivered the ball, stepping forward with his right foot. The tips of his fingers allowed the ball to roll off with a gentle backspin. The arc was high and perfectly gauged in distance to come slicing right through the middle of the strike zone on the tall nurse.

  "CRACK!"

  John swung the bat with a slight up swing on his follow through. The ball was literally screaming for the outfield. It was a good solid base hit, if not more. John took off running, letting the
bat drop to the ground. The nurse was fast and he knew it. His head turned toward center field as he rounded first base. The ball was in its descent heading into the gap between left field and center.

  Karen stood in the coach’s box watching the movement of the outfielders in reaction to the descending ball. Her arms frantically were waving the base runner on for additional bases. The nurses on the sideline were cheering for their coworker while watching the ball soar into the outfield. The first ball to the first batter and already they had the possibility of being on the scoreboard. They watched as John rounded second base and headed for third.

  The left fielder was now calling for the ball as he stood waiting patiently for it to drop. The young physician had made a small miscalculation and trying to readjust attempted to catch the ball with his gloved hand extended over his head. The ball struck the tip of the glove and veered off towards center field.

  The speedy nurse was now stepping on the bag at third base. Mom screamed, "GO HOME!" Her arms waved wildly as her face grew beet red from yelling. John put his head down in a determined run for the plate. The nursing staff was going crazy with excitement, jumping and shouting words of encouragement.

  Garrett saw what was happening, her long legs moved swiftly to cover the ground between her and the deflected ball. She was no longer thinking, just letting her natural ability take the reins. Seeing that she would not be able to reach it before it struck the ground, she positioned herself to catch it off of the bounce. The glove took the abuse of the hard hit as the ball slammed into it. In a smooth motion, the surgeon had excised the orb and cocked back her arm to throw it into the infield. Her mind had quickly calculated the speed of the runner. He would be at the plate before the standard relay from the outfield to the second baseman could turnover to the catcher. With that in mind, Dr. Trivoli took aim and let her arm fire the ball into the catcher. It would be a long shot, but she had done it before. ‘Just like riding that bike.’ Garrett’s follow-through carried her into a forward momentum, her face strained with determination.

  Dr. Porter threw off her facemask. Her peripheral vision allowed her to follow the base runner as he drove with abandon towards her at home plate.

  Jamie’s focus was on the play being made from the outfield. She concentrated on the ball and realized it was coming directly into home. Her feet went into a readied stance as she braced herself for the impact of the runner. She held her glove in position to catch the ball as it got closer. Her eyes grew bigger as she sucked in a large gulp of air. It was going to be close.

  "WHAM!"

  The catcher felt the impact of the ball into her glove and swiftly brought the arm in a sweeping motion across the baseline in front of the plate. She caught John as he was sliding between her feet. The kinetic energy that was transferred from the forward charge of the nurse to the stationary doctor sent the young woman into the air and rolling backwards. Glasses flew and red hair was wild as it tumbled out of the cap that was thrown off in the collision. Both teams went suddenly silent, fearing injury to one or possibly both players.

  The umpire stood waiting for the dust to clear. He quickly surveyed the scene seeing John an inch away form the plate and Jamie sprawled out with the ball still tightly held in her glove. "YOU’RE OUT!" His hand motion was strong and animated for all to see.

  The team of nurses stood in shock. Karen just kept blinking and shaking her head in disbelief. Danni couldn’t believe her eyes and slowly turned to stare out at the tall woman in centerfield. Rosie suddenly was without words.

  "She said she played a little in college," muttered Danni under her breath, "…as a utility player. I never expected this."

  "Well, thanks a lot, Danni. It appears that you gave them a ringer." Rosie was finally able to vocalize.

  "I wonder if she can bat?" Steve weakly voiced, not really wanting to know the answer.

  Nan thought about the skill and strength that the throw had needed, "I don’t think I want to know. Figures that she’d be perfect."

  The once over confident team was now lost in the beginnings of despair. Danni quickly took stock of the team’s shattered confidence and stepped in to put a stop to the defeatist attitude that was taking it over. "Ok, she just got lucky. That’s all! We still have two more outs before they get up to bat again. We can still score. It’s only the first inning, guys, we can do it."

  Rosie began to help out, "Yeah, come on! We can beat them. We did it last year, didn’t we?"

  The rest of the team chimed in with words of encouragement as John slowly came over to the sideline. "What happened?" he asked.

  "You tried for one too many, that’s all." Marianne the E.R. aid answered.

  "Who threw that ball?" John demanded.

  Rosie and Danni looked at each other and spoke at the same time in an accusing tone.

  "YOUR Dr. Trivoli!" "YOUR ‘Amazon’!"

  Karen heard the exchange and busted out in laughter. It was contagious; soon the whole team was caught up in it. The two nurses looked at the rest of the team in amazement, then at each other, immediately exploding into a giant belly laugh themselves.

  Dr. Porter was painstakingly taking stock of her body parts, making sure that no injury was apparent before trying to get up. Assured that she was neurologically intact and uninjured otherwise, the catcher slowly pulled herself to her feet searching for her glasses. Ian had rushed in, securing the glasses and started to walk towards his shaken colleague.

  "Jamie, you okay?" He grabbed her hand and placed the glasses into it. "Here, put these on."

  "Thanks, I’m fine. Honest, nothing is damaged." She looked over to the sound of hysterical laughter coming from the nurses’ sideline. "They laughing at me?" she asked puzzled.

  "I don’t think so. Must be something they said." Ian offered as he dusted the catcher off. "That was some play. Great catch for a woman!" he teased. His head turned to the tall woman in centerfield; "Great throw from one, too!"

  Seeing that no player had been hurt in the collision, the umpire pulled a small whiskbroom from his rear pants pocket and began to sweep off the plate. Satisfied in its cleanliness, he stood back and yelled, "BATTER UP!"

  *********

  The sun, now gravitating toward the western horizon, followed its path as the game waged on. The competitors each determined not to accept defeat, as they took turns to advance their side’s odds of winning, but to no avail. It was the top of the fourth inning with no score for either side. The nurses had taken up their positions and awaited the first batter.

  John adjusted his facemask as the approaching figure made her way to the batter’s box. It was the center fielder, Dr. Garrett Trivoli. Standing outside of the box, she swung several bats together in a looping arc around her head as an attempt to loosen her shoulder muscles. After choosing one bat and discarding the rest, the surgeon squared her shoulders as she stepped into the lines of the batter’s box. John looked up at the tall figure saying, "Well, Trivoli, let’s see what you can do with a bat." His tone was one of scorn.

  The surgeon let one eyebrow arch high as she cast a downward glare at him. She took in a large breath and cleared her throat. Her attention now turned to the woman on the mound. She settled into a comfortable stance and waited for the first pitch. The arc of the ball was high as she watched it go by.

  "Ball one!" The umpire noted.

  John threw the ball back to Nan. He turned toward Garrett and spit the tobacco juices from the chew placed in his mouth attempting to intimidate the physician. It didn’t work. The surgeon remained aloft to any attempts to unnerve her concentration. The catcher resumed his position. He waited until the pitcher released the next ball before asking, "So, what college did you play for, anyway?"

  Garrett was undistracted, her eye steady on the approaching ball. The subtle cocking of the bat in anticipation of the impending swing was evident. The powerful arms tugging at the bat as it was whipped in a thrusting arc, colliding over the plate with the sphere. Her body twisted with the momen
tum of the swing. The bat was dropped one handed to the ground as her long legs began the forward driving motion toward first base. She watched as the ball sailed over the right field hedges. The base umpire signaled a home run and Garrett slowed to a trot, making sure to touch all the bases on her way back to home plate. The doctors were jumping, cheering, and several were waiting at the edge of the home plate area to shake the trauma surgeon’s hand in congratulations.

  John positioned himself in the front of the line reaching for Garrett’s hand as she stepped onto the plate. His eyes searched hers, "Honestly, where did you play?"

  The surgeon looked the nurse straight in the eye, "U.S.C. ’82 through ’85." A smirk remained on her face as she withdrew her hand and continued into the throng of well-wishing physicians.

  John was annoyed by the smile and began to wonder why it would be important for him to know exactly what years she played at U.S.C., absent mindedly he continued to walk in a daze toward the pitching mound.