Team Manager 1: SWISH!
Chapter 41
ARDITH PUT THE TEAM through an intense workout on Tuesday. It was focused on plays they’d missed Monday while playing the Falcons. That morning, she’d received word that they would play the Lions at four in the afternoon Thursday. The Lions had blown away the Raiders by twenty points Tuesday morning. She wanted to be sure the team was confident in their moves. On Wednesday the workout was much lighter. She didn’t want them worn out when they played on Thursday.
The team brought their lunches to the locker room at noon on Thursday and set about getting ready. They all touched their uniforms and warmups, oohing and ahhing over how they looked brand new. Dennis and Lana worked on getting them taped up and ready to go by the time Ardith came to get them at 1:00 for the pep rally and ride into Des Moines. The girls ran around naked a while, but didn’t fool around when it came to getting dressed. They were ready for the rally at 1:00 and entered the gymnasium to the sound of all the junior and senior high school students gathered to cheer them on.
Coach Byers came out on the floor to congratulate the team and Coach Graves as the cheerleaders led the student body in chanting, ‘Angelines.’ By 1:30, the team was on the bus and students went back to class. The fan buses would leave at 2:30 when classes got out. Most of the students were headed for the game, with many parents following the team bus.
Dot was not among them. The trip to Des Moines was difficult for her, but it was taxing on Peg, who didn’t like car trips. She was just preparing to leave at two when her phone rang.
“Mrs. Enders, this is Doctor Jacobs. I’m happy to tell you that your husband has woken up.”
“Oh, my. Is he staying awake?”
“He is disoriented and may sleep more, but tests indicate he is no longer comatose.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she answered. She looked at her daughter. She needed to change plans and couldn’t take Peg into the hospital room with her. It would be too hard and only used as a last resort. She called Lily Armor.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Lily exclaimed.
“Lily, can you come by and pick up Peg to ride with you to the game?”
“I can’t! Darn it. We followed the team bus to the game and are almost in Des Moines.”
“Who should I call next?”
“Let me see. I know Renda, Donna, and Naomi are all in the caravan. Try Elsa Brown. They don’t usually leave until closer to game time.”
“Thank you, Lily.” Dot hung up and called Elsa’s number from the list of moms willing to help. “Elsa, it’s Dot Enders. Have you left for the game yet?”
“No. We’ll be going in about fifteen minutes. Do you need a ride?”
“Not me, but Peg. I know this is an imposition, but the doctor just called and said Will was awake. I need to go to the hospital,” Dot said. “Could you give her a ride to the game?”
“Just sit tight, Dot. Randolph and I will be on the way in a few minutes. We need to pick the other kids up at school on the way. We’re out the door.”
“Thank you, Elsa. Thank you so much.”
Dot spent the next ten minutes explaining to Peg that she needed to ride with the Browns in order to get to the game because Mommy needed to go see Daddy right away. Peg was nervous, but Mrs. Brown had stayed at her house with her and they baked cookies once. She was convinced just as the Browns pulled into their driveway.
“Thank you for taking Peg on such short notice,” Dot told Elsa and Randolph when she walked her daughter to the car. “You don’t know how much this means to us.”
“I’m just glad we decided to pick up the kids and follow the fan bus,” Randolph said. “Hello, Peg. Are you ready to go to the basketball game and yell, ‘Swish!’?” he asked. Peg clung to her mother a moment until Elsa offered her hand. Then Peg shyly went with her, waving bye-bye to her mother. Fortunately, Peg liked the Browns’ younger children, Nils and Sofia, and when they got in the car she no longer felt alone and isolated.
Dennis and Lana were busy with settling their team. They had to wait until the end of the Wildcats and Braves game before they could move onto the court. They’d play the winner of that game on Saturday. If they won today. They would. Everyone was sure.
The first game went into overtime and didn’t end until the Wildcats commanded a 58-57 lead at the end of the extra period. Dennis led his team onto the court while their fans cheered. Many were just arriving and many of the earlier game fans were leaving. Dennis left Lana to lead warmups and took the scoresheets and lineup to the scorers’ table.
“You get a full half-hour to warm up,” the ref told him. “The game horn will sound for the opening at 4:15.” Dennis ran out to run the shooting practice and Lana switched to putting towels and water bottles out on the bench. And then the horn sounded and things swung into full motion.
The delayed start had both teams keyed up. A lot of shots were missed at both ends of the court and the ref called fouls left and right. It wasn’t because the teams were getting too aggressive, but rather that they were just making a lot of mistakes. At the end of the first quarter, the Angelines held a two-point lead at 8-6.
“Okay, you’ve had enough practice now,” Ardith told the team in the huddle. “It’s time to settle down and play the game you all know. Be aware. Know where the ball is and where your teammates are. And make your foul shots. I don’t know when I’ve seen you girls miss every free throw opportunity. I’m going to start sending Dennis in to make your foul shots.” The girls got the levity and weren’t too tired to laugh. Dennis patted each girl in the huddle and they went out in the second quarter more focused and relaxed.
It showed and they began committing fewer fouls and shooting more accurately. It still took a minute to get in the groove, but once they calmed down, the score began to show the difference between the two schools. Bartley led by fourteen at the half.
“Thank goodness,” Dennis said when he walked the row of players giving them backrubs and drying them off. “I was afraid for a minute Coach was really going to put me in.” He leaned close to Natalie and whispered, “And I’d really miss my tackle.”
She laughed. “So would we.”
When the second half began, the Angelines were clearly in control. They opened the lead to twenty-two and ended the game at 54-32.
“Dennis!” Elsa Brown called as he passed the crowds. He looked up and saw Peg bouncing up and down and waving as well. He paused, as several players had to wave and greet parents on their way out of the gym. “Hi, Mrs. Brown. Did you enjoy the game, Peg?”
“Mommy’s not here,” Peg breathed.
“What? Why?”
“Dennis, your mother got a call right before she left for the game that your dad was awake. We picked up Peg to come to the game so Dot could go to the hospital. If she isn’t back when we get home, you and Peg can stay at our house,” Elsa said.
“Hooray! Dad’s awake. I knew it would happen soon.” He paused. “Um… you don’t need to keep us overnight, though. The um… Longs are staying over tonight.”
“Oh, they are? That’s very nice. I’ll be sure to thank Renda when I see her next.”
“We’ll swing by and pick up Peg at your house when we bring Lana home. Okay?”
Dennis got tugged away to join the team and head for the bus.
“My dad’s awake,” Dennis shouted to the team when they reached the bus. Everyone cheered. He was pulled down into the seat next to Diane.
“How would you like to celebrate tonight?” she asked.
“Um… I hope you and Judith are still planning to spend the night,” he said. “We need to pick Peg up at the Browns’ when we take Lana home.”
“Mmm. You bet we’ll be there. I have a new flavor for you to try.”
“We need to make dinner and take care of Peg,” he cautioned. “But there’s nothing stopping us from going to bed early.” Diane took his hand and held it all the way to Bartley.
The girls all made a point of taking their uniforms and underwear off to shove in the laundry bag and stopped to kiss Dennis on their way to the shower. It was a school night and many parents were just getting dinner ready, so they didn’t dilly-dally getting ready to leave. Dennis, Judith, and Diane headed out to take Lana home.
Dot was not having a good time at the hospital. There had been more tests to be run and Will was rolled out for a complete MRI before she really got a chance to speak to him. When he got back to the room, the doctors hooked him back up to the monitoring equipment. As his nurse gave Will a sponge bath, the doctor took Dot aside.
“The MRI is not conclusive, but there are signs of deterioration in the prefrontal lobe, the subiculum, and hippocampus,” he said. “The officers at the scene acted quickly in administering Naloxone, but it is unlikely they were there early enough to help. Still, things could go back to normal. But you know the effects of alcohol and fentanyl… there is still a strong likelihood of permanent brain damage.”
“How will we know?”
“We’ll keep observing and see how he responds to various stimuli in the morning. Don’t expect any great conversations today, but definitely stay with him for a while.”
Dot stayed. She sat by Will’s bed and held his hand while she talked about their children, the basketball season, the weather, and even what the church women had done to help while he was gone. She leaned close to him and whispered, “They found money that will help us get through. So don’t worry about the bills. We’re taking care of it.”
She turned on the news on local television to get the six o’clock report on the results of the day’s games and pointed out to Will that the Angelines had won and would be in the State Championship on Saturday. Will dozed on and off as she sat with him, often looking startled when he came awake and looked around. About eight o’clock, a nurse came in to tell her she should really go home and they would take good care of Will overnight. Dot eventually agreed and leaned in to kiss Will softly and whisper, “I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Who are you, again?” Will whispered.
“Oh, Will. I’m Dot. Your wife,” she gasped.
“Oh. Yeah. I remember. You are very pretty. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. A thousand times, yes,” she cried. Will nodded and went back to sleep.
Dot was a wreck. She stumbled out of the room and out of the hospital. When she reached the car, she simply sat there and wailed her grief for an hour. Eventually, the tears subsided and she could see well enough to drive home.
Diane, Dennis, and Judith walked Lana up to her door and went in with her. Peg saw Dennis and ran to hug him, upsetting the game she had been playing with Lana’s brother.
“Is that the Longs who brought you home?” Elsa asked as she came into the living room.
“Yes, Mom. You know Diane and Judith, don’t you?” Lana asked.
“Uh… yes.” She was uncertain about how to proceed. “I… When you said the Longs were staying with you, I thought you meant Renda and Mark,” she finally said.
“Well, um… I didn’t mean to mislead you,” Dennis stammered.
“We stay over all the time,” Diane said. “We’ve been helping Mrs. Enders with cooking and cleaning when we can. Two or three teammates always stay over after a game. It helps calm Peg down from the excitement.” Looking up at the mention of her name, Peg switched from Dennis to Diane and Judith to hug them
“My sisters!” she said.
“I don’t know about this,” Elsa said. She was far more liberal in her social outlook than her husband, but having high school girls stay over with a boy seemed a little extreme. “I’m sorry, but I need to call Renda and check this with her.” She was surprised when both girls said, “Okay.”
“Renda, it’s Elsa,” she said when the other mother answered her phone. “When we talked at the game, you didn’t mention that your daughters were spending the night at the Enders house. Did you know that?”
“Oh yes, Elsa. They go over there whenever we let them. I’m sure they are all a bit celebratory after the game today,” Renda said.
“You remember that Dot is at the hospital and isn’t home, don’t you?” Elsa asked.
“Yes. I’m glad Diane and Judith will be there to make dinner. I don’t know what Dennis would feed Peg if they weren’t,” Renda said, sounding light and cheerful. Renda, of course, knew exactly what Elsa was concerned about but treated it like no big deal.
“I invited Dennis and Peg to stay here for the night,” Elsa said.
“Well, if they want to, that would be okay. But I’m sure Dot will be home sometime tonight and will want to see her children. It’s been so incredibly stressful for her,” Renda said. Her kids were going to owe her big time when she was done with this call.
“Okay. If you are okay with it and you think it’s okay with Dot, I won’t interfere. I just wanted to be sure. You’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?” she asked uncertainly.
“Of course, Elsa. I don’t think you need to worry about Lana even being tempted to spend the night there. But I’ll let you know if I suspect something.”
Elsa said goodbye and turned to the kids. “You could stay for dinner if you want,” she suggested.
“Really? Thank you, Mrs. Brown. I’d have fixed something up, but it will be nice not to cook,” Diane said. “Can we help you?” Elsa nodded and led the girls all to the kitchen. Dennis and Peg went back to her game.
“Hi, Nils. Sorry Peg knocked over the game board. Can we set it up again and all three of us play?” Dennis asked. Soon the three were engaged in a rousing game of Skip-Bo.
“Mom, that was so nice of you to take care of Peg this afternoon,” Lana said. “It’s a real strain on them when Dennis’s mom is trying to be with his dad in the hospital. It’s exciting that he woke up.”
“I think we need to have a conference,” Randolph said. “You know we try to always help a neighbor when one is in need, but there are limits to the kind of help we’ll give that might not be the same as others of your friends.”
“Dad,” Lana said. “I’m not even going to ask to go spend time with Dennis. I see him at practice and games and when he’s with whoever brings me home. He’s not my boyfriend. I’m not even really interested in boys yet. He’s a good friend and has taught me a lot in just three weeks of being his assistant. But please don’t try to make us into something we aren’t.”
“But you knew about this girls-staying-at-his-house thing, right?”
“Yes, Dad. It’s really sweet. I do sometimes wish I could help the family like the other girls do. I mean, not as his girlfriends, but just as a friend friend.”
“Girlfriends? All of them?” Elsa asked.
“Yes. It’s kind of hard to miss how in love they all are. I don’t think it’s sinful for a man to love more than one woman. Or a woman for that matter. As long as they’re all happy and being honest with each other.”
“That’s a little outside the realm of what is acceptable,” Randolph said. Lana started to speak but he motioned her quiet as he continued. “No, don’t start quoting scripture to me. I know in Old Testament times there were many instances of multiple wives, and that the practice continued into the first millennium. And I know it is still practiced among various religions, cultures, and sects. I’m saying it is not acceptable to us for you to be engaged in such a thing. I don’t want you used by a boy or his girls.” Randolph finished and Elsa caught his eye. She motioned toward Lana and both could see she was barely holding in a major explosion.
“What is it, Lana,” Elsa said softly. “I know that sounded harsh but what’s really bothering you?”
“You don’t know what he saved me from!” she blurted out. “They were trying to strip me and make me have sex. He stopped them. He only had to speak a word and he stopped them!”
“Stopped who? The basketball team?”
“No! The cheerleaders! They made me do terrible things in order to be a cheerleader. They said they were saving my virginity to give to one of the varsity players at the end of the season. Dennis stopped them. And the basketball team was right behind him. They stopped them from hurting me and now you think he’s going to hurt me. It isn’t true. None of the Angelines would ever hurt me! They protect me!”
Randolph and Elsa sat back in their chairs, shocked at their daughter’s revelation. Lana stood to run to her room when her mother opened her arms to her daughter. She collapsed, crying, and Randolph quickly moved to the couch beside his wife to comfort his daughter.
“I’m so sorry, Lana. I want to protect you, too. You are still our little girl and we love you. Don’t think harshly of us for suspecting others. Tell us about what happens to you and how we can support you. Shh, now, shh. We love you,” Elsa said.
“I… I… don’t love Dennis,” Lana sniffled. “But he’s the best friend I’ve ever had. And just like Peg thinks all the team are her sisters, so do I. I never had a big sister. They’re helping me be a better big sister to Nils and Sofia. Please, don’t be mad at them.”
“I should have known the cheerleaders were hurting you,” Randolph said. “I only thought about how sullen and withdrawn you became after you joined the cheer squad. And suddenly you were the bright, cheerful daughter I remembered when you joined the basketball team. I didn’t understand what you were going through. I’m so sorry, my precious daughter.”
“I love you, Daddy. I love you, Mommy. I’m safe now.”
In the wake of tears and emotional outbursts, the three cuddled on the couch until Lana fell asleep and Randolph carried her to bed.
The cheerleaders. He suddenly understood why Will Enders took a gun to meet Lee Smith.
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