Running into Coverage Ch. 03

****

A neon 'open' sign in the front window flickered as Samantha Morrison walked into Negru in Wicker Park. The small sushi eatery was busy for the evening, but among the patrons she saw Hadley sitting at the bar. As she walked up to her friend, she whispered "boo", startling Hadley from her focused concentration.

"You scared me."

Samantha removed her jacket, placing it on the chair before sitting down. "Sorry I'm so late. Traffic was awful on the Kennedy." Hadley smiled at her. The bartender came up to take an order from Sam, who surprisingly ordered club soda.

Hadley raised an eyebrow, "Not drinking tonight?"

"There is an early start at the school tomorrow. Some kind of all-teacher meeting, otherwise I would say yes, please." Since she had moved in with Gabe, Samantha had requested a transfer from the school in Hinsdale to one closer to Rockford. As each of the districts began falling under hiring freezes, she opted to work as a substitute instead. There were days where she missed having her own full curriculum, but didn't mind foregoing that for a shorter commute. Now she was able to accept assignments that were closer to where they lived and keep working full time in her profession. She and Gabe had planned on spending the off-season up in Michigan rather than splitting their time, so she was currently trying to get certified according to the standards of that state.

"I love this place."

Samantha nudged Hadley's shoulder with her own. "I knew you would. It's eclectic but still swanky."

"They have takeout, but it's nice to eat inside here."

The bartender dropped off the club soda and took their orders for a variety of rolls. Samantha was the first to ask some questions. "I am dying. How is the Caitlin situation?"

Laughing, Hadley sipped her own water. "Not too bad. We've fallen into a good groove but she definitely has a thing for my peanut butter. You said something about a frame the other day. Sorry, Sam but I have no idea what you were talking about."

As the food got served, they both laughed. Samantha sobered. "I ramble. Gabe is going to make a frame for your painting."

"Are you serious?"

Nodding, "I can't wait. When I made him pack a few things from the cabin, he grumbled the whole way about it. How heavy the table was, why we didn't need an extra stand. I know he loves having some of the cabin around."

Taking that to heart, Hadley had just stuffed a piece of spicy tuna into her mouth when Samantha brought up another hot topic her friend seemed to be avoiding. "I saw Marcus the other day."

Covering her mouth with a hand, she spoke. "How was he?"

Samantha raised a brow and rested an elbow on top of the bar, "you tell me."

"Oh my god, Sam. We are not dating. It's just a weird friendship."

"Random if you ask me."

"It is random. To be honest, I was kind of nervous telling you about seeing him after that first night at the bar." The words were true as she spoke them, she had been nervous. When she called Samantha, she was unsure how her friend would react. Their meeting had been completely coincidental and was relieved as Samantha was supportive. What threw her off, and something she should have expected of her dearest friend, was that Samantha figured if Hadley ever went to Bandidos she would run into a few people from the team.

"Hadley, it's your life. Who am I to say who you can or cannot go out with. Even if you are just friends, I can tell you for a fact though that he is not dating anyone."

Laughing, "It wouldn't matter. How do you even know that?"

"I know the language of kids and worked it out of him the other day when he dropped by the house."

"I don't get him. People are constantly coming up to him wherever he is; wouldn't you take advantage of it? When he gets bored, that's when he calls me."

"He calls you when he's not bored too, give him a little credit."

"Okay, he does deserve more than that. But think about it, if all of these women throw themselves at him, that has to feed his ego. I'm someone who doesn't feed it, so why bother?"

Samantha listened but knew Hadley was saying all of this nonsense to try and convince herself that her friendship with Marcus wasn't turning into something that was more than she expected. She believed this as Hadley began asking questions about his visit at the house.

"Did you ask him about us or something?"

"I couldn't. Gabe had just gotten home for a quick dinner before a late strategy session. They have this strange camaraderie that I wonder about."

"What do you mean?"

"Marcus stops by occasionally, the door's always open for him. Considering Gabe comes home for dinner now, that's when he comes by. Gabe says that they only talk about football and plays but I don't know sometimes."

Hadley snorted, "Maybe he needs Godly advice."

The conversations shifted away from Marcus, as more plates were placed on the bar in front of them. Even as Samantha was talking about the class she had been substituting with for the past week, Hadley found her thoughts drifting back to Marcus and his nightly visits. She wondered if he were lonely, but shrugged that off quickly. He made friends easily and was readily available to go out, so his visits had to have been football related. Gabe had a wealth of knowledge, so maybe he really was always thinking about his game. What she didn't understand was that for the past month, this was the first time she found out where he had been some evenings.

Looking back to nights where she would meet up with Marcus, he never mentioned where he had been and typically shrugged off the answer. The most she ever got out of him was that he had been meeting up with friends, which technically was true.

Samantha lightly tapped the back of a chopstick against the back of Hadley's hand, jarring her from her thoughts. "You eat the last one, I've eaten most of this roll."'

Shaking her head, Hadley placed her own chopsticks down. "No, I have eaten most of this roll. You hardly touched much of that one anyway."

"It was not my favorite. So, what are you up to this weekend?"

Hadley moved her plate to the side, "I have to work on Saturday and was hoping to finish up a canvas Sunday but I'm not sure, why?"

"The Cougars have a home game on Sunday, you should come. You've been spending so much time in your studio, and we haven't really had time to hang out. It would be fun, we can sit up in one of the sky boxes."

"I don't know, Sam. I really should finish the piece so it can dry and set before my appointment."

"Okay, well the offer stands because you know I'm going. You don't have to go and watch Marcus, Had. It's something you haven't done here yet. It's insanely loud, and you can have a beer."

"I'll think about it."

****

Hours later, Samantha sat with her knees curled to her chest on the couch. The fire had been going but sleep eluded her. The rumbling sound of the garage door opening relaxed her and she dropped her legs down, waiting for Gabe to come into the house.

She smiled to herself as he let himself in and kept his noise quiet while taking off his shoes and putting a few things away in the kitchen. Hearing the fire, he walked into the living room and leaned against the wall. "Hey, you."

Samantha tugged on the blanket and beamed at him, "hi."

Gabe walked into the room and sat on the couch, Samantha leaned into him as he kissed the top of her head. "It's past midnight, you didn't have to wait up."

Running her hands along his thigh, she spoke lightly. "I wanted to." They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before Gabe broke the quiet air.

"How was dinner with Hadley?"

"It was okay, she seems distracted lately."

Gabe leaned back a little and rubbed his eyes, the lateness of the hour and the weight of the day catching up with him. "You said she has been working a lot at her studio, she probably is distracted. Working so early at the coffee shop and then heading straight over to paint, she is bound to be exhausted."

Turning her head, "That's not what I mean by distracted."

Knowing his fiancée all too well, he wasn't fooled by her statements and laughed. The sound was tired. "Sweetheart, you grilled Marcus the other night and know there is nothing going on. What else do you need to know?"

"I'm not fully convinced. I think they're both not letting on as much as they want."

"Do you now?"

"Yes, I do. So I asked Hadley if she wanted to come and sit with me on Sunday." Samantha brought her legs up to rest over his thighs as he sat listening to her. "I think they're seeing each other, but she's so tight lipped about him, this is a first even for her. We talk about everything. Even Marcus won't say a word. You swear he hasn't said anything to you?"

"Not since she first moved here, but I already told you that." He spoke with a smile on his face, "Sam, if they're seeing each other, then they are. This drives you crazy because you don't know what's going on."

Samantha threw her head back against the plush cushion, "I know! When did I get so nosy? Don't say a word."

Pushing a strand of her wavy hair away from her face, he kissed her lightly before continuing. "You're not nosy, you care about Hadley. Marcus is a good kid, if anything I'd worry about him. She's a tough girl."

"Not all of the time. Underneath all of those layers, she's just as soft as the rest of us."

Gabe moved forward to nuzzle Samantha's neck, he spoke against her warm skin. "Let them figure it all out."

His breath tickled the sensitive skin, and she rolled back pulling him with her. "That's not very fair."

Dropping feather light kisses along her collar bone, he massaged her sides with a free hand. "I could get used to you being up waiting for me when I get home."

His statement weaved through her lust for him, making her remember exactly why she had been up that night. Placing her palms on his chest, she pressed on him so he would lift up and they could see each other clearly. No words escaped her mouth, so he spoke for her, "Have I told you that I love today?"

Tracing his stubbly jaw line, she smiled at him. "Yes, but feel free to tell me as often as you like." Gabe leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"I don't think so, but I'll check the list on the refrigerator before I go shopping tomorrow."

"Funny."

Her fingers stilled on him. "Have I told you that I love you too?"

"Hmm, yes but I'm beginning to question that one. Have I told you that seeing you in here made my whole day?"

Caving into the very depths of his words and the warmth of his body, she sighed. "Have I told you that I'm pregnant?"

His entire body went stiff as he stared at her with wonder. His mouth opening to speak only his voice disappeared. Samantha's eyes searched his face as she waited for him to take in what she said. "Really?"

She nodded and blew out a breath, "I got sick yesterday so I went out and bought a test."

Gabe shifted to sit up, Samantha looked at him as he eyed her belly. Placing a large hand over her abdomen he brought another up to cup her cheek, "is it mine?"

She gave a whoop of laughter and swatted his chest; Gabe leaned in and kissed her lips. Samantha held onto him and fed off of his strength. He pulled away first, "I'm glad we're getting married in a few months, not that it matters."

"This—"pointing to her belly, "is about to get huge."

Gabe grinned as excitement flooded him while sweet visions of Samantha filled his mind. Images of her body swelling with his child. "I can't wait." Samantha started crying out of happiness and excitement. Together they stayed on the couch for a little while longer before they drifted off into their bedroom to celebrate properly.

****

The roaring cheers from the crowd filled Pendicon Field and echoed down the empty streets in Rockford. Every bar was full as the Cougars took on St. Louis for a sold out game. Marcus stood on the field, his muscles twitching and ready to go the minute the ball turned over. The game was well into the second quarter, they were up by seven but were in the Rams' zone. His eyes darted back and forth as the ball glided through the air and was taken another four yards closer to their goal. The defense had been magnetic but the Rams seemed to be a step ahead of them. Coaches were screaming into their headsets as other players around him were studying up on the next set of plays that could be used.

Tapping his cleat on the grass, Joey Seton the quarterback came up to him. "We need to break zone coverage, when we get out there I'm throwing to you. I need you to try and run twelve then five and goal. We need another fucking touchdown to get them off of our backs."

Marcus looked up onto the field, nodding his head. Velesquez rushed the quarterback for the Saints as his hand went back, and sacked him; the ball tumbled out of his hand. Both teams were flinging themselves to gain possession. The whistle blew. As each man gestured that his team had the ball, the outcome lay in the ref's unpacking of the scrum. The cheers of the stadium stilled until the referee waved his hands in the direction of Rockford. He spoke into his microphone and announced the turnover. Screams and chants bellowed around the players and echoed in the sky.

Snapping his helmet back on, he shouted back to Seton as they ran onto the field together. "Kill it, man!"

The players lined up in shotgun formation. Seton shouted out the signal and Marcus started his route as he searched the field. He dodged a linebacker and ran the agreed five yards out. Seton spotted him exactly where he'd asked Marcus to be and pulled his arm back to throw. The outside linebacker came up from the side, forcing him to run to the side and delay the pass. Seton ran to the sideline, trying to find Marcus, who was running farther, avoiding the safety and creating an open spot. Seeing the gap and Marcus in it, Seton threw the ball hard just as he got hit hard from the behind by the Saints' three-hundred pound tackle.

Adrenaline fueled him; Marcus caught sight of the ball and jumped up to complete the pass. His body angled up sharply, and in a short second he prayed to God to hold onto the ball. With a grace that confounded the crowd, he caught it and landed on his feet. Twisting awkwardly to avoid the impending tackle, he ran farther. Everyone in the stands rose to their feet as he ran closer to the goal line. The Saints' safety nearly caught up with him, but Willhouse was right with him to protect his side and blocked for him. Marcus gasped as he ran faster through another gap, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Irving gaining on him. Running faster even, knowing exactly where he was as Irving lunged for him taking him down as he broke the plane, he held onto the ball and the whistle blew signaling the touchdown.

The cheers exploded around, finally breaking through his concentration. Irving helped Marcus up then smacked his arm, "You run like a bitch, but that was a good one."

Marcus nodded, then ran off to jump into the stands right behind the goal posts to celebrate. Several people touched his gear and helmet, it was a silly tradition that most of the players did. Falling back down, he ran to the benches where everyone around patted his back and congratulated him on the score. Marcus went over to Seton and the two smiled at each other. It was Seton who put the ball cap on Marcus' head. "That's what I'm talking about."

High up in the stadium, Hadley turned to Samantha and couldn't hide her grin if she wanted too. "This is crazy."

"I still can't believe it's taken you until mid-season to catch a game. It gets kind of rowdy."

Even in the private box where they were watching the game with several coach's spouses, celebrations and cheering was going on. After her shift the day before, Hadley had gone to the studio but couldn't regain her focus. Her thoughts were stuck on Marcus, whom she hadn't heard from all day. Since they had been friends, she knew how he was the day before a game. Not as if she waited for him to call, but he explained to her that he kept to himself preparing, and catching a decent night's rest. Rather than painting, she phoned Sam and asked if the invitation was still on.

"Mid-season or first game, it doesn't really matter. I'm busy too."

"Give it up, Had."

"Oh no, I'm not even defending this again! You made a good point, I'm not a huge sports fan, this was something new to try."

Shaking her head, Samantha turned her attention back to the field as the players rushed off signaling half-time. "That is a very good point. I don't care what brought you, I'm just glad that you are here."

Just before she left to meet at Sam's house, Hadley had sent Marcus a text message. Her fingers tingled as she hit the send button, but figured he would want to know that she was going to the game. He had given her a hard time the week before when he talked about a different game that she hadn't thought to watch. Mindlessly she pulled her phone out of her handbag and checked for any missed calls or texts for what seemed like the fiftieth time. The screen was blank—no calls from Marcus.

Samantha glanced over and spoke low so the others in the room wouldn't hear her. "He's playing a game, Had. Did you let him know you were coming?"

A light color filled her cheeks as she turned to face her friend. "I wasn't checking for just that. I'm waiting for an email with color suggestions." Samantha dropped her chin into the palm of her hand and waited for her friend to finally accept her feelings and open up a little bit. "Fine. Yes, Mom, I texted him to let him know I was coming. He never responded so I doubt he knows."

"Don't worry about it, Gabe never answers his phone on a game day. Besides, Gabe does know you are here so maybe he will say something. Maybe not, I don't know what it's like in the locker room. Nor do I want to know!"

"We're just friends, but I kind of wish I had said good luck to him. God I sound like such a tool."

Patting her friend's knee, Samantha knew what she had meant. They sat there through the rest of halftime talking about other things. She didn't want to make Hadley open up if she didn't want to. By the end of the game, the Rams had managed to get a touchdown but fell behind by fourteen points. As the last of the crowd left the field, and the stadium workers began the clean-up, the women began to rise and collect their belongings. A telephone call broke the rustling of their jackets. Samantha reached for her cell and answered immediately.

Hadley moved back over to the glass to watch the cleanup as Sam congratulated Gabe on the win. The email she had been waiting for finally came through but she had yet to hear anything back from Marcus. Her conversation was brief, and Samantha came over to Hadley.

"Gabe's about ready and will meet us at the restaurant. Are you ready?"

Nodding, Hadley smiled over at Samantha. "Of course."

Sensing a shift, Samantha walked over and tilted her head at Hadley. "Are you okay?"

"Perfect, thank you for bringing me today."

Samantha pulled her friend in for a hug and together they began walking down the corridor to leave the stadium.

****

Below in the locker room, several of the guys were still shouting at each other in their towels. Others were making phone calls and putting together plans for going out and celebrating the victory. With the win, they were all granted a day off from practice on the next day. Marcus stood in front of the mirror and was ruffling gel into his already messy hair when Gabe walked into the room. As he made his way through, he congratulated everyone as he always did.

Seeing Marcus, he moved over to talk to him quickly before leaving for the restaurant. Something that was a part of his own post-game traditions.