"Oh my god it's happening!"
Two figures were buzzing around the lounge room of Ken's apartment, their panic evident. The two men were Chris and Tetsu, the soon to be grandfather's of the group.
"H—Have we got everything?"
"Ai honey, are ya okay?"
Everything seemed like chaos within the spacious apartment as a heavily pregnant Ai came waddling out of the bathroom, flanked by Miho, Naomi and Yuki. In contrast to the panicked men, these girls looked determined.
"Tetsu, Chris, go into Ai's room and get the bags in front of the closet and load them into the car. Miho, you try and get in contact with the team and let Ken know that it's show time." Yuki barked out orders, instantly taking over the chaos.
"Wait! Don't call Ken yet…" Ai exclaimed, cradling her bulging belly.
"But Ai…" Naomi interjected.
Ai shook her head emphatically, "My water only just broke, there should be some time before the twins are here. He can make it in time… I believe in him."
While this was going on, Tetsu and Chris had yet to move.
"Hurry up you two! Do you think we have all night!?" Yuki wailed, causing the two to quickly scramble.
While they were gone, Yuki shot her daughter-in-law a smile and began to soothe her, "Everything's going to be okay. Keep your breathing steady and take one step at a time." She said softly.
"It's painful…" Ai replied, grimacing.
"We know," Yuki said, rubbing the middle of her back calmly, "but you're strong… I can tell."
Her words seemed to have an effect. The two women locked eyes and smiled at each other, before Ai was assaulted by another wave of contractions.
Instantly her face grimaced in pain again as she clutched her bulging belly.
"Okay, let's take you to the hospital." Miho stated, helping her friend towards the door.
"L—Let me make a phone call." Ai said, reaching for her phone.
While the girls were working at getting Ai into the car, Chris had his phone up to his ear.
RING RING
"What is it? What's wrong!?"
On the other side of the line, a panicked voice replied.
"Ai's water broke, we're about to take her to the hospital… Once the game is over, I need you to get Ken to the hospital as soon as possible." Chris explained, sounding far more calm than he was before.
"Did she not want him to come now? We should still be able to—"
"It was Ai's request not to bother Ken right now. Sorry Dad, but you'll need to keep this to yourself until the game ends." He explained.
There was silence on the other end for a few moments before a sigh could be heard. "Alright, I'll follow her wishes."
Back in Comerica Park, Mark lowered the phone from his ear and his gaze turned to Ken in the dugout. The guy was completely focused on the game, looking like he wanted to step back onto the mound.
Mark felt guilty, but he could only respect Ai's wishes for now. Instinctively he knew that if he told Ken his wife was going into labor, the guy would leave without a moments notice.
'It seems you know Ken rather well…' He commented inwardly.
In the next moment he turned his attention back to the game. With Jake Foley on the mound, he would be facing the best batters on Miami's team next.
WHOOOOOSH
WHACK!
The ball was sent into center outfield by Gary Cooper who successfully made it to 2nd base after the hit. There was now 1 runner and 1 out in the inning, with the biggest threat coming up to the batters box next.
"Batting 4th, left fielder, Bran De La Cruz."
The tension within the arena was palpable as the bland voice introduced the next batter in the lineup. With a hit to the outfield, the game would be tied. But if they hit it out of the park, Detroit would fall behind with only a single inning remaining.
Mark sprung into action, taking strides towards the plate umpire.
"I'd like to make a substitution." He announced.
Soon after, he turned to the dugout and pointed at a player. "Graham, get your stuff. I need you to close out this game."
"Yes coach."
Graham Soto, Detroit's closing pitcher. After struggling in the latter half of last season, this current season had been a complete turnaround for him.
Perhaps it was because the team had improved overall, or maybe he had been in a slump, but now he was a great asset who could close out games.
"The Ligers are making a substitution. Graham Soto will be replacing Jake Foley as pitcher." The announcers voice called over the speakers.
The crowd reacted to the name of their beloved closer with cheers. How many games had the man closed out this season? Not many knew, but judging by the impressive win/loss record of the Ligers, it was quite a lot.
"You did well Jake." Mark pat the guy on the shoulder as he returned to the dugout.
The guy didn't look too impressed with his performance, but he nodded nonetheless and descended the stairs. He was met by his other teammates who were all positive towards him.
"Sorry about that…" He approached Ken and apologized in a mumble.
Ken briefly glanced at him and smiled, "What do you mean? We're still ahead aren't we?"
"Yeah, but I gave up 3 runs right after you left the mound." He retorted.
"I let those runners on base first, its just as much my fault as it is yours." He explained simply, "You did well not to let anyone else score."
Ken's words seemed to calm the guy down who finally relented.
"If you say so," he replied before walking off to go sit on the bench.
Ken chuckled, adjusting the ice on his shoulder. He turned and happened to see his grandfather looking at him worriedly.
'Why is grandpa looking at me like that?'