Foul Ball

I was lying in bed scrolling social media on my phone that night when there was a light knock on the door. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants to pull on over my boxers, I went to the living-room to answer it, finding Macey standing on the other side of the door, grinning at me.

"Up for some company?" she asked. "I was going to ask, but I wanted to surprise you."

"Are you kidding me?" Grabbing Macey by the waist, I pulled her over the threshold and kissed her, kissed her long and hard until her fingers trembled between mine. "I hoped you'd come, but I also knew you hadn't been feeling well and might just want to go back home and sleep."

"I think I caught up," Macey said as I took her bags and set them down on the couch in front of the TV. "Sleeping today helped. I think that shot of espresso in my chai latte from an hour ago helped, too. I figured the girls could just drop me off here when we got back to Eagle River."

"I'm so glad you're here." I held Macey against me for a moment, relishing in the warmth of her embrace, the smell of her hair, and the slight way she leaned into me, as though she trusted me completely and wholly to catch her if she fell. "Am I allowed to see this perfect dress?" I asked, looking pointedly at the bags on the couch. Macey pursed her lips and shook her head.

"You can't see the date before the dance, Jayce."

"Isn't it the bride before the wedding?"

"Whichever it is, it doesn't matter. I'm sticking to my guns." With a final squeeze of my hand, Macey went to the cupboard for a plastic cup, filling it with water from the sink. She took a small drink, rested, and then chugged the rest of it before filling it again and chugging that. As she did this, her hands trembled, and once or twice I thought she might drop the glass from her fingers.

"Are you feeling okay, baby?" I asked, watching her from where I still stood near the door.

"I'm fine, Jayce, why?"

"You seem...off." I crossed the floor and ran my fingers down Macey's cheek, and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as my touch soothed her. Her skin was cool to the touch and clammy, and dark circles under her lids that I hadn't noticed until now startled me. "I know you said that the shopping helped, but you still look really tired."

"Holy shit," Macey snapped, pushing my hand away. She finished off the water, rinsed the cup, and sat it out for later. "Why do people keep going out of their way to tell me I look like shit?" "Nobody is saying that, Mace," I said softly. "You just don't look like you're feeling well, and I'm worried about you."

"You don't have to worry about me, Jayce, I'm not your child." She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest, a protective barrier of sorts, but it wasn't enough to keep me away. "Will you do one thing for me?" I asked, sliding closer to her until she was in my arms again. "Will you visit the doctor and make sure it's not serious?"

"Oh my God, you sound like Hansen," Macey said, but the fight was gone from her voice. She even smiled a little.

"I'll even come with you," I promised, but Macey shook her head.

"It's fine. As soon as I can, I'll get in and get bloodwork done. More than likely it's the anemia I've struggled with most of my life."

"Thank you," I said, curling my arm back around her body. "Thank you for doing that for me."