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Email feedback can be sent to trager2275@gmail.com. © 2015 by Eric Trager.
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NOTE: Chapters 38 and 39 will both be released in two parts (A & B). This will allow me the time I need for the ending I want to get to on Chapter 40. I decided to do it this way so that readers wouldn't have to wait unduly for story updates. Thank you for your understanding.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT, PART B
"Coach?" Sean said.
"Mister Wyman... How you feeling?"
"Still smacked, but better, I guess... Look, I know you hafta send Dix in next. I'll get back in after that. Dix wants to know if I'll be calling the plays."
"You feel that you can, Mister Wyman? Don't bullshit me, son. Your health means more than a football game..."
"I'm pretty sure I can do it. I'm walking OK, and I can see straight. I'll be fine. And I'll be in before the end of the game. Count on it, Coach."
"I hafta be honest, son. I don't think that's gonna happen."
Sean didn't answer. He knew he'd be back in. He knew he'd have to be.
In the meantime, the Red Rockets had the ball and they didn't look like they were to be denied this time. They were moving it down the field with alacrity, their own Quarterback reeling off a string of cannon- ball passes for quick yardage. The Red Rocket Receivers seemed on this possession to be just a half- second more on the mark than the Cougar defenders and it was showing. In two minutes of game time, the Cougars watched in heartbreak and horror as Neenah scored a touchdown and added the extra point to take the lead 17-14 with less than five minutes left to go in the game.
After the kickoff, Tim went in at Quarterback with Sean calling the plays. Sean felt queasiness overtake him and he threw up on the sidelines much to the alarm of Coach Slater. Coach came over and relieved Sean of calling plays, sending him to see the Trainer again.
The Trainer put Sean through another battery of tests on which Sean performed much better this time. "What did you feel like before you threw up, son?"
"My stomach is in knots because we've come this far and we might lose. I have a job to do. I feel OK. Let me go back in."
"I know. I can't do that, though. I'm going to give you some Coca-Cola syrup for your stomach. I also want you to breathe some Oxygen for a couple minutes. I can't recommend putting you back in yet, though... I don't know if you will go back in. I'm legally liable, Mister Wyman."
Sean cursed under his breath.
Walking in the front door of her house, Ginny put her things down and poured herself a Scotch. No sooner did she sit down and grab the television remote did the telephone ring. It was Ed Steele.
"Ginny, I won't keep you. Bill's gonna take the deal. He'll sell now and retire. He wants to know who's going to run the company once he goes."
"That's none of his business. It'll be up to his brother. I'm sure there's someone who's already there who can run it just fine, or at least until a CEO can be found. All Bill ever did was drink and play golf anyway for the last twenty years and now he wants to worry about that shit? I'd say who's the next guy to sit in his office is just about the least of his worries today, wouldn't you?"
"You drive a hard bargain, Ginny."
"That's the only way to be, Ed. Bill knows he shouldn't have fucked with me. He knows that flat out. That's why he took the deal so quick. He knew he picked the wrong person to play this game with. Besides, you know as well as I do that Bill brought all this on himself. He couldn't be happy with what he had, even though he cheated to get it. He had to try to ruin that young man's life and try to break into my house to steal something he could have got just by getting it at the Court House for five dollars. He was gonna try to take those babies, too, wasn't he... What the hell for? What the fuck was he gonna do with two babies?
"And even if it wasn't for me, he'd never have got what he wanted out of that Wyman kid anyway. Not in a million years. Lemme tell ya something, Ed, that kid's smarter on his fucking worst day than Bill is on his best. And if Bill would have fucked with him Bill would have lost everything he ever had and not got the $10 million. He can think I'm the biggest bitch in the world, I don't give a shit, but at the end of the day I didn't hang his ass out to dry. This was all done confidentially and I let him save face around town here. I did the decent thing and I didn't have to. You make damn sure he understands that, Ed, because like the old saying goes it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind."
"Jesus Christ, Ginny," Steele laughed into the phone. "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah.... There will be something in the agreement about not having anything contact with the Wyman family, and that he has to maintain a residence here in town and that Kathleen will graduate from Craig. Other than that, nothing other than specifying the mechanics of the sale of the business and what we talked about at the Club. I'll phone my guy in Chicago tomorrow and he'll get the paperwork to you. I told him to keep it simple. Now I know I said so, but I'm just gonna say it one more time: none of this is negotiable. It's all, or nothing. Period. Just wanna make that clear."
"I'll remind Bill. OK, good talking to you, Ginny. I wish it had been under different circumstances."
"Me too, but ya play the hand you're dealt, hey, and this time I had all the Aces..."
"You usually have all the Aces, Ginny... I'll be in touch tomorrow."
"You bet. Bye." Ginny smiled knowingly returning to her Scotch and reaching for a cigar.
The Cougar's possession of the ball with Tim in at Quarterback was not going well. On first down he fumbled the snap. Luckily, he was able to fall on the ball preventing a turnover, but it still cost the team a two-yard loss. On second down, Tim managed to hang on to the ball and set up for a pass, but his injured left arm interfered with his ball control sufficiently to slow him down enough so that by the time he connected with his Receiver it was only for a three-yard gain leaving the Cougars with a third and long. Coach Slater called a time out.
Back on the sidelines, Coach Slater decided to put Kris Krieger in for the third down deeming Tim's ball handling ability to be too compromised. The result was a sharper performance than Tim's two recent plays, but brought the team short of a first down, leaving them with fourth down and three yards to go. This late in the game and for the Championship, Coach Slater was willing to gamble. He kept his offense on the field hoping that they could gain the three yards needed in order to sustain the drive. Coach knew this was an unreasonable task to place on the shoulders of an unprepared Sophomore, but he also knew he had no choice.
Krieger managed to gain the first down and keep the drive alive. The game clock was now at two minutes and twenty seconds with the Cougars on their own 34-yard line. Two more plays went by before the two-minute warning with the team facing a third and two. During the two-minute warning time out, Coach huddled with his young stand-in Quarterback.
"Son, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to put this on you. It's not fair and I know it isn't. Just go out and do your best. That's all a guy can do."
"I'm not a quitter, Coach," the young man gamely replied.
"No, no you're not. I know you'll get through this."
Back on the field, on the third down play the Neenah Defense sacked Krieger for a six-yard loss leaving Craig with a fourth and eight.
Sean rose to his feet. He felt his mother's voice telling him again that he had her strength and steadiness. He was determined to get back in the game. Now.
Reaching Coach Slater, Sean as team Captain signaled a time out. This was the Cougar's last time out.
"What the hell, Mister Wyman!" Coach barked.
"Coach, I'm going in. Now. I feel fine. And I don't give a shit. No one else but me can win this game. It's why I came here today. Only I can do this. And you know it."
Coach Slater was speechless. His mind working overtime, he knew it was called for to bench Sean both for insubordination and because he shouldn't take the risk of Sean being further injured. That is what his head told him. His heart, however, told him to believe in the extraordinary young man standing before him. "Mister Wyman, you look me in the eye and you tell me that if I put you back in you can pull this off. You look me in the eye man-to-man."
Sean squared his shoulders and eyeball to eyeball addressed his Coach. "Coach, like I said only I can do this. Nobody else. Only me. And like I told you this last week, my entire life has been but a preparation for this game, for this moment. We're down by three points, we need a touchdown to win, we have less than two minutes to play, over sixty yards to go and no time outs. Dix can't do that right now, and Kriegs can't do that right now. Only I can. Yeah, I'll get it done. Believe in me."
Coach Slater looked down at the ground for a little while and then looked back at Sean. "Get out there, Mister Wyman. And, son...I believe in you."
Sean said not a word. He simply turned with military precision running out onto the field with the rest of the Offense. The Craig cheering section erupted in a thunderous roar seeing Jersey Number 2 on the field.
In the huddle he told his team mates the truth. "Guys, I'm probably only 80-85%. Maybe not even. I can't run all the plays we usually do. We gotta run no huddle so I'll be calling the plays at the snap. Listen for audibes. The first play is gonna be the Reverse Power Sweep run from the shotgun. Now, let's fucking DO THIS! We're gonna win this game. Take that to the bank!"
Setting up in the gun, Sean's initial bark indicated a hard count. The ruse worked, drawing Neenah offside for a ten-yard penalty and a first down. Signaling no change in play call, Sean sauntered back, barked out the count, took the snap and completed the handoff to the fullback. While the Neenah Defense picked up that the play was a sweep, they missed that it was also a reverse with the result being a massive gain for the Cougars all the way down to the Neenah twenty-one-yard line.
Hurrying back up to the line, Sean took the snap and spiked the ball stopping the clock with one minute and forty-two seconds left to go. He bent over, grabbing his knees as he felt his balance start to go. Taking measured, deep breaths he silently prayed. Prayed that he could stay standing. Prayed that he'd not let his team mates down. Prayed that he would deliver on what he'd told his Coach.
Again, Sean lined up in the shotgun. On this play, he was going to go for broke sending out all the Receivers into the end zone. The ball snapped, he faded back to pass, the Receivers again finding it difficult to shed their defenders. He spotted Brett alone on the one-yard line, cocked back and fired a bullet right into Brett's hands. The Neenah defender was too good and stripped the ball resulting in a wasted down.
On the next play, Sean connected on a pass to Brett, but short of the end zone. Sean noted the time remaining was fifty-four seconds and the field position was first and ten at the two yard line. It was now within their grasp. The clock was running. Sean set his team, took the snap, handing off to the halfback who was stopped short of the goal line. Clock still running. Again, back to the line for second down. Sean took the snap and spiked the ball stopping the clock.
He huddled his team mates. Kneeling in the middle of the huddle, Sean was honest with them, "Guys, I know it's only third down, but this has to be the last play of the game. If we don't make it we can kick a field goal for the tie and go into OT. I don't have it in me to play an OT period. I've got a concussion. I can't see straight. I'm puking. My head feels like it's gonna explode. I'm done. So, this is it. Do or die."
He then looked at his Right Guard, "Look, I noticed sometimes the Line Judge isn't looking down the line when the ball is snapped. I want you to line up one foot back from the line of scrimmage. I'm gonna signal the play is the Power Sweep which I already know they're gonna recognize if I signal it in the clear, but it won't be. What we're gonna do is I'm going to hard count the snap and if you see him not looking you take off a nanosecond before the ball is snapped. If not, take off as normal. Either way, you knock the Defensive Tackle on his ass and I'll follow you through into the end zone. That's it. That's all I got left in me, guys..." Sean then turned his head and threw up, his vision becoming unfocused. "I need a few deep breaths. I'll be OK, but this is the last play... Let's remember what Cunns told us: Either we heal as a team, or we will die as individuals. It is what it is... Let's win this fuckin' game RIGHT NOW and go home."
Up to the line of scrimmage the Cougars strode, grim-faced. Across the line glowered the formidable Neenah Red Rockets Defense. It was truly the irresistible force meeting the immovable object.
Sean noted the Line Judge was gazing at his watch. He fingered the acorn in his pocket and barked out the count rapid-fire before the Line Judge looked up. The ball was snapped and then...
END CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT, PART B