Songbird

Nodding his head, Ethan got himself ready. The crowd was screaming, clapping, stomping their feet, making as much noise as possible. The pitch was perfect - right where Johnny wanted it. The batter swung and made contact, and suddenly Ethan had a line drive, travelling over 120 mph, coming right at his head. He had just enough time to react, and the ball grazed the top of his mitt before hitting him in the head. Ethan dropped to the ground as if he'd been shot, and the ball popped into the air. While everyone watched in horror as Ethan lay motionless on the ground, the shortstop dove and caught the ball for the final out. And in a bit of déjà vu, Ethan had his perfect game.

All of a sudden, all 45,000 people were silent, watching as the training staff ran to assist Ethan, who still hadn't moved. Heather was in shock as she watched her husband, unmoving on the ground. She clutched Amanda tight, and the two women watched in silent horror. Players on both teams gathered around, and some kneeled in silent prayer for their teammate.

Then, suddenly, Ethan was sitting up, helped by the trainers. Slowly he got to his feet, and as they helped him off the field, the gathered crowd gave him a standing ovation, both for him being ok, but also for his perfect game.

As people began to leave, Heather hugged and thanked the other wives for their support, and promised to let them know how he was doing as soon as she could. One of the trainers waved her to the field, and took her to the clubhouse, where Ethan was being loaded into an ambulance. Citing protocol, she wasn't allowed to ride with him to the hospital, but Big Mike said he'd take her there.

It took over 90 minutes for Big Mike to get to the hospital, due to the large crowd and the extra holiday traffic. He dropped Heather off at the ER entrance, and went to park his car. Rushing in, Heather was frantic, as no one seemed to be interested in helping her. Finally, someone showed up at the reception desk, and brought her to Ethan's room.

Looking in, Heather could see Ethan laying on the bed, hooked up to several machines. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room, pulled a chair next to the bed, and sat next to her husband. He looked asleep, breathing quietly and slowly. Tearfully, Heather took his hand, kissed it, and held it to her face. After several minutes, Ethan's eyes opened and he looked at Heather.

"Ethan, you're awake. Are you ok?"

"I'm good... but do I know you?"

Heather's breath caught in her throat before she responded.

"Ethan, I'm Heather, your wife. Don't you remember me?"

"My wife? No, I don't think so. I'd never be able to get someone as hot as you to marry me."

Thinking the worst, Heather's eyes began to fill with tears. Then, Ethan looked at her and smiled, pulling her hand to his mouth to kiss. Realizing he was pranking her, Heather slapped his arm - and smiled.

"You jerk. You scared the hell out of me. First you get hit in the head - again, and now this. I have a good mind to leave you here. Jerk."

"But if you do, you'll miss my wonderful sense of humor and my devastatingly good looks. Besides, who else will put up with your morning sickness like I do?"

Laughing with him, Heather gave him a hug and kiss.

"Seriously, how are you? What did the doctor say?"

"Really, I'm ok. Or I will be in a few days. They're going to keep me here overnight to run some more tests, but they're pretty sure I have a mild concussion. I was lucky that the ball grazed my mitt. It only glanced off my head instead of hitting it full on. I have a lump where it hit, and a small cut, probably from the seam of the ball. So no TV, computer, or reading for several days. Otherwise, I should be fine.

"How are you doing?"

"Other than being scared to death, I'm ok. Just tired. Big Mike drove me here, and he'll take me home whenever I want. But I'll stay here for as long as you want."

"The doctor said he'd be back in several hours to check on me, and they'll take me to a regular room in the meantime. Stay to talk with the doctor, then go home. You need your rest too, sweetie."

Two weeks later, Ethan was back on the mound pitching as if nothing had happened. He finished the season strong, but the Sox ended up losing in the LCS. In the meantime, the band was not touring, but they did some studio work, recording enough music for two albums. Heather was looking more and more pregnant all the time. She complained about being so big, but Ethan just told her she looked beautiful. The baby was due sometime after the New Year, so they made plans to spend Thanksgiving in Chicago and Christmas at their family home.

Thanksgiving came and went. Ethan's family were excited to see him and Heather once more. Even better, Abby's husband Jeff had finished his tour and was home as well. It was a noisy, hug filled time, and Heather was glad to get home and sleep in her own bed.

Two weeks later, the couple spent the day shopping for the final gifts on Heather's Christmas list and buying some baby things. Ethan was watching the news while Heather was putting some dishes away in the kitchen when Ethan heard the clatter of pans falling to the floor. Before he could react, he heard Heather yell for him.

"Ethan! Come here. I need you - now!"

Running to the kitchen, Ethan saw the pans on the floor, and Heather holding onto the kitchen island - and a puddle of liquid on the floor.

"Ethan, I think my water just broke. But it's too soon - the baby's not due for another three weeks or so."

"Sweetie, remember the doctor said this could happen early because you weren't sure exactly when you got pregnant. It's going to be fine. You wait here and I'll get your coat and the go-bag and take you to the hospital. Ok?"

Heather nodded and Ethan ran to get going. They were soon in their car, headed for the hospital. On their way, Ethan called the doctor, who said she'd meet them at the ER. When they arrived, the staff was waiting. Two nurses helped Heather into a wheelchair and brought her inside while Ethan parked the car. When he got back, she'd already been taken to her birthing room.

He hurried upstairs and found Heather, the doctor, and several nurses getting her settled in. He stood by her, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"Everything's going to be just fine. You know what to do, and I'll be right here to help. I love you, baby."

Heather's labor progressed quickly, and soon it was time for her to push. Gently encouraging her, Ethan held her hand - or rather, Heather had a death grip on Ethan's hand, squeezing it every time a contraction hit.

"Ok, Heather, this is it. One more push. That's it - push hard."

Heather pushed as hard as she could, and all of a sudden it was done. There was a silent pause, and then the squalling of a new baby filled the room.

"Congratulations. It's a girl with ten fingers and ten toes and she looks beautiful."

The nurses cleaned the baby up and then laid her on Heather's chest.

"She's beautiful, just like her mother. Nice job, sweetie."

Shortly, another nurse came in and told the couple they had a bunch of people in the waiting room, wanting to know what was happening. So Ethan took his new bundle out to see who was there - and was surprised to see a full room. Amanda was there, along with both Mikes and their families, as well as several of Ethan's teammates and their wives.

"Everybody, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the White Sox family - Christine Marie West. Christine, meet you new family. This is your godmother, Auntie Amanda, and these two big guys are, if they're willing, your godfathers, Mike and Big Mike."

And the introductions went on. The two Mikes showed they weren't as tough as they looked, because they had tear-filled eyes as they each held their new goddaughter. Amanda couldn't stop smiling, and the other wives and teammates were the same. Finally, it was time to get the baby back to Heather, and Ethan thanked everyone for showing up.

Once everyone was gone, the nurse took the baby back to Heather and Ethan called his mom.

"Ethan, good to hear from you. What's up?"

"Well, you know all the plans we made for coming there for Christmas? Forget them and make plans to come here. Heather just had her baby - a girl we named Christine Marie."

"Oh my. Congratulations, Ethan. That's wonderful news. How's Heather doing?"

"She's fine. I'm going back to see her in her room now. Tell Abby and Rose for us, ok?"

"Will do, son. And I'll start making those new plans right away."

Later, Ethan was in Heather's room. While she slept, he held his newborn daughter, rocking her while she slept. He was talking to her quietly, and as he did, Heather woke and watched as her husband bonded with their little girl.

"Hey, little one. I've got so many stories to tell you. Stories about your mom, your grandfathers and grandmothers, your aunts, and so many more. You're going to be so well loved by so many people you have yet to meet, and you're going to live such a wonderful life, filled with so many amazing people; you're going to see so many magnificent places and hear breathtaking music, and your life is going to be filled with so many fantastic experiences. And you will be loved by so many people. But don't grow up too fast - I want my little girl to be a little girl for as long as possible."

"That was beautiful, Ethan. Come here so I can hold my baby and kiss my wonderful husband.

"She is beautiful, isn't she."

"Just like her mom. I love you, Heather."

"I love you too, Ethan."

*****

Five years. It sometimes seems like that's a long time, but in reality it's just a small blip on the cosmic radar. But in five years, the lives of Ethan and Heather changed dramatically.

Ethan pitched for four more years before deciding to retire. He had been in the majors for over 20 years, and had set most of the White Sox pitching records in that time. He knew he wanted to retire on his own terms, and not get forced out. The deciding factor came one late summer day while on the mound pitching. He was struggling, and his pitches weren't doing what he wanted them to do. Christine was growing up, and Heather had just given birth to a second daughter, Michelle. He knew how difficult it was for her to essentially be both mom and dad during the season, especially when he was on the road. He remembered how difficult it was for him after his dad died, and he didn't want to be just a picture on the wall who was occasionally home. Looking into the crowd that day, and seeing his family waving to him, he decided that he would be done at the end of the season.

Heather's life with the band also changed. They all had been touring for a long time, and all those days on the road began to take a toll. As a group, they decided to tour less and become more of a studio band, writing new songs and releasing them via albums and streaming. Another deciding factor was both Amanda and Jessica married and got pregnant, one right after the other. So counting Heather, the band's women were pregnant, and unable to tour, for almost two years, making the move to the studio a much easier decision.

Changes were also made in where they lived. Heather had always wanted to move back home, so she never sold the house she grew up in. When they decided to move back there, they renovated the basement into a recording studio so the band had someplace of their own to record their music. The house was old, so they did extensive remodeling to the rest of the house as well. But the one thing that was constant was Heather's piano.

One day, Heather was out running errands with the baby while Ethan stayed home with Christine. He was dusting and polishing the piano when Christine crawled up onto the piano bench.

"Daddy, teach me how to play a song."

Ethan laughed, because he knew how to play only one song.

"Don't you want mommy to teach you? She plays much better than me, and she knows lots of songs."

"No, I want you to teach me. Will you, please?"

Smiling at his little girl, he joined her on the bench.

"Ok, this is the only song I know. It's called Chopsticks."

Ethan picked at the notes several times, and had Christine giggling at the tune. After he played it several times, she decided she wanted to play it herself. Ethan held her hands over the keys and helped her pick out the notes until she could do it alone. As she played and giggled at the song, Heather had come in, unseen by Ethan. She stood in the doorway watching and listening, taking her back many years when she sat next to her own father at the same piano, learning the same song. Finally, Christine noticed her standing there.

"Mommy, daddy taught me this song and I can play it all by myself. Want to hear it?"

"Yes, I do. Play it for me, little songbird."

Laughing, Christine began to play Chopsticks. As she did, Ethan stood with Heather and put his arm around her, kissing her cheek.

"And so it begins."