Date: Sat, 21 May 2016 08:27:07 -0400 From: Paul Knoke Subject: The Father Contract Part 49 Chapter Ninety: No Guts, No Glory! On the morning of the Saturday that he was sure would be his last at Gordonsville, PJ awoke to a feeling of warmth and security. He was in his roommate's bed, his head tucked into Erik's shoulder. His body was half turned towards his friend and his arm was over Erik's side. Erik was still asleep, his arm around PJ's shoulders, holding him nestled against him. PJ thought of the things he must do that day and his eyes filled with tears. Saying goodbye to all his friends would be hard. But leaving Erik would be the most difficult of all. Except for Jack, Erik was the person PJ was closest to in the world. Very gently, he moved his hand over Erik's side, feeling the slender, firm warmth of his friend's chest under his pajama top. Tears trickled down his cheeks. How could he possibly make himself leave him? And yet he had to. He couldn't stay at Gordonsville after today. He knew that Jack wouldn't come, that no matter how long he waited, Jack would never come. The shame of that abandonment would make life impossible for him at the School. PJ couldn't even bear to think of what he would have to endure. Yet where else could he go? And even if he did run away or transfer to a different school, what would he do? Why go on day after day, seeing others happy around him in ways he never could be. Why face that? He'd put all his faith and trust in a man that he'd admired more than anyone in the world; a man he'd loved so much that he wanted to be his son. But he'd been betrayed. The Jack Canon who'd ordered PJ to leave his Chicago hotel room would never visit him at Gordonsville or come find him no matter how many appeals he made. Yet PJ was sure there was another Jack. He was the wonderful man whose strong arms had tossed him laughing high in the air at his pool, who'd told him stories and taught him so many wise, wonderful things. He was the man who'd hugged him tightly and whispered, "You'll always be my Little Champ." That Jack Canon, the real Jack Canon, PJ loved more than his life. And he knew where to find him. He was by the pool, waiting for him to come. And PJ was sure he knew the way to get there. He would take that path today, even though it meant leaving his friends and his life at Gordonsville behind. PJ hugged his best friend tightly, feeling Erik's closeness for what he knew would be the last time. Gradually, the tears dried on his cheeks. Steeling himself for what he must do to get through the last day, he put aside the grief of pain and separation. Gordonsville must win the Championship. More than anything, he wanted that to be his gift to Erik. He hoped his friend would understand and forgive his leaving. He willed himself to remain still so Erik could sleep as long as possible. While he lay there, he stared at his friend's peaceful face, with its turned-up nose and long lashes down over the closed eyes. He tried to take every feature and engrave it on his memory. It was all of Erik he'd be able to take with him when he departed on his journey. At length, Erik's eyes fluttered and opened. When PJ stroked his hand over his friend's side, Erik looked at him with tenderness. "Did you sleep all right, PJ?" "Thanks to you I did." "Good." Erik smiled and rolled towards him. He stroked PJ's back and then tickled him to make his friend laugh. "PJ," he begged, "please don't ever have any more bad dreams. I don't want you to. It hurts to see you have bad dreams. If you have to sleep with me every night, then that's what we'll do. I don't mind. As long as you don't have any more dreams that scare you." "I won't, Erik." PJ knew he could promise that without lying. "I'll never have another one. And today, we're going to win a Championship! The first one Gordonsville has had in eight years! We're gonna win it together. You and me!" Erik's arms tightened around him. "I hope so, PJ. I hope we can do it. But my knee, PJ. It's better, and I can walk and run OK. But I'll have to wear a brace on it, and it still hurts if I try to cut, or move around too fast." "We'll beat Franklyn, Erik. I know it. Trust me." They both got up, dressed, and went across the hall to wake Brian and Phil so they could all go to breakfast together. "Travis'll be here today," PJ told Phil, as they walked to the Dining Hall. "You and Brian will finally get to meet him. I know you'll like him. You'll like his coach, too. I'm sure he'll want to fix it so you and Travis can go to some age-group swim meets together." "And Jack's gonna be here!" Brian exclaimed. "PJ, please be sure I get to meet him. He's so awesome!" "Me, too!" Phil begged. "I want him to sign my shirt." "You might have to wait until the big Dinner tonight for that," PJ said carefully. He intended to cover for Jack's non-appearance right to the end. "Jack will be at the game, but he doesn't want to be recognized. Afterwards, he and I are going off together for awhile. We haven't had a chance to be together for a long time, you know." "You guys'll be able to meet Jack at the Dinner," Erik assured them. "Don't worry. He's real nice. He'll sign whatever you want. Wait 'til you see how friendly he is." After finishing breakfast, the boys went back to their rooms to rest for a few hours before their game. PJ went to the closet and retrieved a book from the bottom of one of his bags. It was Safe at Home. Once his favorite, he'd put it away when he'd left Jack's hotel room in Chicago the summer before and had never looked at it since. But now that he knew that he'd be leaving to find Jack before the day was over, he got it out and found he could face it again. In the hours of rest that they took, while Erik played a video game, PJ read and reread all his favorite parts--especially the ending. Again and again, he pictured in his mind the baseball coach hugging the young boy he'd adopted and lovingly telling him, "You're safe now. Safe at last. Safe at home." Finally he closed the book and put it back on his bookshelf. "It's time, Erik." Erik looked at the clock, shut off his computer monitor, and got up from his desk. "Let's go win a Championship, PJ." The two boys high-fived before walking across the hall to get Brian and Phil. Outside the House, Erik looked up at the clear sky and said, "See, Phil? I told you we'd have great weather for this." It was a gorgeous fall day. The trees were past their peak of color and many of their leaves were on the ground, but enough remained to give a spectacular show of bright oranges and reds. Though the sunshine was dazzling, a chill in the air made the boys glad that they were wearing sweaters. "Look at all the cars coming in!" Phil shouted. "Lots and lots of parents come for Homecoming weekend," Brian told him. They walked along toward the Field House, kicking their way through leaves on the sidewalk. "Franklyn's here." Erik pointed. I see the buses." "Travis must be here somewhere," PJ said, looking around. "He'll find us." Erik gestured towards the field. "I bet he and his coach are down there waiting. Bill knows he's coming. He'll watch out for him." They climbed the wide steps into the Field House, and on the way though the big entry lobby, Erik looked at the right-side display case and said, "Let's put a Championship trophy in there today, boys!" Down in the locker room, they changed together. Erik and PJ helped each other with their football equipment, while Phil and Brian did the same with theirs. "Will you need your hip pad, PJ?" Erik asked. PJ shook his head. "I'm OK now without it. But I know we'll need this." He produced the soft padding Erik used to protect his knee and helped his roommate get in on, taping and wrapping it into place. "It doesn't look very pretty," Erik said, admiring the ugly lump when he pulled up his uniform pants. "But it works!" He gave PJ a grin. Once they'd put on their sneakers and jerseys, PJ glanced around. They were all ready. He smacked Phil on the shoulder pads. "Don't take too many chances on the special teams, now. We may have to call on you again if Erik can't stay out of the way of tacklers like he's supposed to." "I promise, PJ," Phil solemnly told him. Erik put his fist out. "Here we go, gang!" The other boys put their fists in on top of his. Then together they walked into the corridor and headed for the door leading to the field. As they came down the slope carrying their helmets, two boys came to meet them. "Travis!" PJ called. "Billy!" He ran ahead of the others and hugged the taller of the two boys, pounding his back. "I'm glad you came! I'm so glad you came." "You know I wouldn't have missed it, PJ," Travis told him, laughing. PJ got down on one knee in front of Billy. The young boy beamed at him. "I told you I'd be here, PJ." "I knew I could count on you, little man!" PJ gave his young friend a big hug. Travis and Erik were greeting each other and pounding each other's backs. "Where are my two new little brothers?" Travis asked. PJ and Erik introduced him to Brian and Phil. "I've heard all about you," he told them as he shook their hands. "PJ has said all sorts of things in his e-mails. He and Erik both think you guys are the greatest, so I know you are. Phil, PJ says you're a terrific backstroker. I hope you can come to some meets with us." "I'd like that," Phil said, grinning. All six boys walked together the rest of the way to the field, laughing and talking. Waiting for them by the stands were all their fathers and Travis' coach. Erik and the two eleven-year-olds happily greeted their dads. PJ went to stand with Travis and Billy. "PJ, it's so good to see you again," Coach Drew said, placing a hand on the boy's blonde hair and ruffling it. "I was worried when Travis told me you'd been hurt, but I see you're fine now. Your hip's all better, right?" "Yes, it's OK now," PJ told him with a smile. "He was limping pretty bad there for awhile," Mr. Thatcher said, "but it finally got better." He gave PJ's hair a ruffle too. "Are you ready to go get 'em today, PJ? Billy tells me that he's sure you'll win." "I'm all ready," PJ replied, looking up at the man with another smile. He felt something stir inside him and forced himself to keep that smile in place. Mr. Thatcher was someone else it was hard to say goodbye to. For the first time it came to him that in certain ways, Mr. Thatcher was a lot like Jack. I'll miss him and Billy so much, he thought But then he reminded himself that it was time to focus on the game, Today he must help win a Championship for Erik. Nothing else mattered until that was accomplished. "Where's Jack?" Coach Drew asked. "Isn't he supposed to be coming today? I want to be sure to congratulate him on his MVP. My Lord, what an honor!" "They sure broke the Curse of the Bambino in a big way!" Billy's father laughed. "Jack's here," PJ lied, instinctively maintaining his cover-up. "He's kinda hiding out. He doesn't want to be recognized. He just wants to enjoy the game. He'll be around later." "Well don't let me miss him, PJ," Coach Drew said. "I've just got to talk to him." "PJ," Erik called. "They're starting warm-ups." "Good luck, PJ," Travis told him. "I know you'll do great! Billy and I are gonna be cheering for you, right, Little Brother?" "Right!" Billy crowed. "Do good, PJ!" "I will." PJ hugged the young boy again and then turned to leave, but before he could go, Bill took him aside. The burly man put an arm around him and squeezed his shoulders. "PJ, Erik's knee is so much better. He says you've been totally responsible! I can't tell you how appreciative I am!" He pulled PJ close and patted the boy's back. "Erik was the one who's been helping himself," PJ said. "He knew that we just had to have him to win. But thanks." "I suspect you're right, PJ," Bill told him. This Franklyn team does look tough. "We'll win," PJ confidently declared. "PJ, where's Jack? I haven't seen him yet. He's coming, isn't he?" "He's here," PJ lied again. "I'm gonna be with him after the game. He's trying not to be recognized." "I get it," Bill said, smiling. "Well, I don't blame him. Tell him to come see me afterwards. I've got all sorts of things I want to talk to him about." "PJ!" Erik called from the field, "Come on!" "Good luck, PJ!" Bill shook the boy's hand and gave him another pat. "Erik couldn't have a better friend than you!" PJ turned, ran onto the field, and with his typical concentration, now put everything else out of his mind except playing football! Once the team completed warm-ups, Coach Lewis gathered them around him on the sideline. "Today we're playing for the Championship," he said, grinning at their upturned faces. "That's a long way from where we were last year at this time, as all of you who were here then remember. You've all had a great season. Today I know you're going to finish it off with a great game! Now," he continued, looking at them seriously, "this other team has a reputation of playing very rough. That's fine. You guys can be just as tough as they are. But you are not to do anything unsportsmanlike. Win or lose this game, when it's over I want to be just as proud of you as I am right now." Then he smiled at them again. "Personally, I'm sure you'll win. You're all good. You've worked hard. And you're winners, every one of you. Good luck. Play hard. Play fair! And go out with confidence in your team and do your very best. I know you'll do well." The boys gave a little cheer. Erik and Jacob went out for the coin toss. Franklyn Prep won and elected to receive. PJ and Erik watched the special teams line up for the kickoff. "They do look sort of big, PJ," Erik said. PJ just shook his head. "Maybe we look big to them, Erik. Besides, Jack says it's not always size that matters." "Let's hope he's right." "Jack's always right." There were no doubts about that whatsoever in PJ's mind. Kip, Gordonsville's first-string kicker, ran forward and booted a long, high, end-over-ender into the air. The last game of the season was underway! Franklyn made a good return, running the ball all the way back to their own forty-six-yard line. As their offensive unit ran onto the field, Erik muttered, "Well, now we'll see." What they saw was a solid, well-drilled team that pushed the Gordonsville defense back yard-by-yard. Franklyn deployed a balanced running and passing attack. First down followed first down. They drove over midfield into Gordonsville territory, marched to the thirty, and swept inside the twenty! "Their quarterback's pretty good," Erik remarked unhappily as the other team completed another pass inside the ten. PJ shook his head. "Not as good as you." Finally, despite a tough goal-line stand by Gordonsville, the other team pushed its way into the end zone on a quarterback sneak. "Maybe they won't get the extra point," Erik said hopefully. But the kicker for Travis' school boomed the football straight through the uprights to make the score 7-0. "Uh-oh," Erik said. "Yeah," PJ agreed. "He's good." Before going out to be the deep man on the receiving team, PJ turned to the Gordonsville stands. For the last time, even though he was sure there wasn't any hope, he searched the faces of the large crowd. He saw many familiar ones--friends, classmates, teachers. But the one face PJ longed to see more than any other wasn't there. Even though he hadn't expected it to be, for just a moment the world darkened and PJ felt terribly lonely--until he mustered his strength and remembered that, for him, Jack could never really be gone. The real Jack, all that was best of him, all that PJ loved so much, was locked in his heart forever. PJ could never be without him. He was with PJ now and always would be. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. On the top of the stands, standing silhouetted against the sky, he imagined seeing a tall, rangy figure, grinning at him. When PJ looked, the figure gave a little wave. PJ smiled and nodded. As he turned back to the field and put on his helmet, he could hear Jack saying, "You're the best, Little Champ! Go into that game with all your courage and play with all your heart. Make me proud of you!" PJ had Phil again for his partner on the kickoffs. When the ball sailed into the air off the toe of Franklyn's kicker, he waved Phil off and moved under it. Like I said, he thought, that kicker is good! The ball had been kicked so high that the other team's tacklers had time to come downfield under it. But PJ was good too. He caught the ball and dodged immediately, avoiding several defenders who'd overconfidently converged on him. Accelerating in a single stride to full speed, he raced up the field, cutting past more would-be tacklers on his way to the sideline. By the time he was pushed out-of-bounds, he was nearly at midfield. "That's the way to get us started!" Erik told him when he led the offense out onto the field. Now it's our turn," PJ grimly mused to himself. He was glad when Erik called for a sweep out of the "I" on the first play, with Jacob lead-blocking out of his fullback position. Let's see what they've got. He took Erik's handoff, followed Jacob off to the side, and felt relieved when he saw that the defense was pursuing him. At least they weren't trying that stupid stuff of going after Erik! Jacob took out one of the pursuers. PJ used his block to cut around the corner, but before he could reach the sideline, a wall of tacklers converged from the secondary. These guys are good! Let's see how good! He put a hip fake on the closest boy and slipped across the grain of the defenders, trying to burst through. When arms reached for him, he spun away, saw he was not going to make it, lowered his right shoulder, slammed into another defender with a punishing head-butt, and dragged two others with him for a few more yards before bodies came diving in to bring him down. He'd made a gain of eight yards on the play. Not bad! Once back on his feet, he trotted to the huddle feeling elated. This Franklyn defense was beatable! He knew they were! He would wear them down with his strength and endurance just as he had in other games. Erik completed a pass to Lyle on the left side for the first down. He was deliberately staying away from Brian on his right, saving him for a later surprise, and Brian was playing off, not trying too hard to get open, holding himself back until Erik gave the word. PJ's run and the first-down pass had put them over midfield. Using runs and more short passes, Erik kept them advancing steadily. Twice he sent PJ plunging up the middle, and on each occasion, PJ burst through the line, hammering into the waiting tacklers as he ran for gains of four and six yards. Hit the defenders hard enough and they'd begin to hesitate, that was the plan. Then he could use his agility to dance past them! When Gordonsville drove down inside the twenty, Franklyn's defense stiffened. PJ was stopped at the line for almost no gain. But Erik passed again to Lyle on his left, who got them to the six. Franklyn substituted heavier linemen for a goal-line stand. Good! thought PJ. The bigger they are, the slower they move. Erik called his number again for a run off-tackle to his right. As he lined up, PJ eyed the slot to the left of the center, hoping the defense would see him and be deceived. Erik went to the line and started his cadence, drawing out his count, looking to see if the defense would jump. "Set! Huu-uut! Huu-uut! Huu-ut!" Then came the snap! Erik pivoted with the handoff. As PJ took it, he saw the linebackers coming up, determined to stuff any run through the line. Dustin, now his lead blocker, plunged by Cuyler, the center, and was predictably thrown back as the hole closed. Meanwhile, PJ was alertly cutting to his right, shooting off to the side before the defenders could react. He slipped around the corner, straight-armed a tackler . . . and there was no one else ahead to stop him! He ran into the goal holding the ball up over his head in victory! The Gordonsville stands erupted in cheers. Then the chant began: "Pee-Jay! . . . Pee- Jay! . . . Pee-Jay! . . ." With the noise of the crowd in his ears, he knelt on one knee, reached inside his jersey, and fingered the precious chains he wore around his neck. "That was for you, Jack," he whispered. "I told you I'd score a touchdown just for you. I know you're here. I'll be with you soon." He got up as Erik and Brian came running over to him. "Way to go, PJ!" Erik shouted with a big grin. He and Brian escorted him off the field. Phil, running out to hold for the extra-point attempt, slapped his palm. Up in the stands, PJ caught a glimpse of Travis and Billy cheering and waving amid the crowd. Tommy was able to make the extra point to even the score, 7-7. PJ sat down with Erik and Brian to rest. "How's your knee?" he asked his roommate. Erik nodded. "Pretty good. But it's gonna be tough if I have to scramble. I can run straight ahead, but if I have to cut . . . oh boy! I won't be able to do the triple-option sweep play today!" "That's OK," PJ told him. "They might be looking for it anyway. We'll do other stuff." Out on the field, Kip got off a nice kick, and solid Gordonsville tackling held the receiver to a short runback. Franklyn's took over well back in their on their own territory, on the eighteen. "Come on, defense! Hold 'em!" Erik yelled. Right from the first play, PJ could tell that the Gordonsville defenders had made some adjustments. They were keying on certain players, as well as doing a better job with pass defense. Franklyn nearly went three and out, just barely getting a first down on a short comeback pass that nearly "came back" too far. Even so, their offense made progress against the grudging defenders. A pass that might have been intercepted instead brought them over midfield. Minute by minute, the first quarter ticked away. Franklyn fought their way inside the Gordonsville thirty, but then a runner was thrown for a loss, a pass attempt was batted away, and at last they were stopped. "They'll have to punt," PJ said, reaching for his helmet. Erik grabbed his arm. "Look," he said. The other team's field-goal unit was coming onto the field. "That's too far!" PJ exclaimed. But it wasn't. The young kicker from Travis' school boomed a kick straight through the uprights from over thirty yards away! His teammates cheered wildly. "Wow!" "Like you said, that kid is good!" Erik exclaimed. The field goal put the other team ahead, 10-7. On the kickoff that followed, the ball sailed over PJ's head to go bouncing through the end zone. "That long field goal must fired-up their kicker," PJ remarked to Brian as they went to retrieve the ball. Gordonsville took over on their own twenty, and the close of the first quarter found them driving but still in their own territory. During the break between quarters, when they switched sides, Erik got close to PJ and whispered, "We need to shake these guys up. Think you can pass one to Brian on an option?" "Sure!" PJ impulsively replied. Except, almost immediately he began having second thoughts. That play was designed for Phil. Phil could pass way better than he could! What if he messed up? What if . . . but it was too late. Erik was already saying something to Brian, who looked excited. Following Erik's instructions, he'd been playing "under wraps" all though the first quarter. Now he was ready to take the wraps off! In the huddle, Erik winked at PJ and called the play. "Young-Guns -Three, Young-Guns-Three, Whopper-Sixty-Three, Whopper-Sixty-Three, on Two! Break!" His heart thudding, PJ lined up. He'd practiced the play a million times with his friends, but never tried it in a game! Remember to set your feet, he reminded himself. Don't rush the throw. Erik looked over the defense and then hunched down, starting his count. "Hu-ut!, Hut!" On the snap, PJ pivoted to his right and sprinted out to the side while Erik faked a handoff and faded back. As PJ neared the sideline, he turned and saw Erik's pass already in the air. The timing was perfect. PJ caught the ball and looked downfield. The defense was already reacting. The entire secondary had turned and was coming towards him, expecting him to run. As they did so, Brian accelerated into the clear down the sideline. PJ paused momentarily to set himself, checked his grip, and fired the pass. It was as he had feared. He was not as good at passing as Erik or Phil, and this pass was slightly underthrown. Brian had to turn and wait for the ball, which gave the defense enough time to react. Though he made a good catch and turned again to run, before he could take more than a few steps one of the safeties closed in to push him out-of-bounds. But the play still went for twenty-five yards and took Gordonsville into Franklyn territory. Brian was grinning happily as he trotted back to the huddle. He gave PJ a high five. "Nice one!" PJ grimaced. "I shoulda' thrown it a little farther. If I hadn't screwed up, you would've had a touchdown!" "Hey, it was plenty good enough," said Eric behind him, slapping his shoulder pads. "Now we've got these guys guessing." On the next play, he put them into a pro-set formation so PJ could lead Dustin on a slant into the line. PJ flattened one of the linemen who tried to roll off his block, and the play went for five yards. Erik followed it with a short pass to Lyle for another first down, and they kept driving. As they neared the goal line, the other team once again stacked their line which started PJ running to the outside. The defense was now wary of tackling him. He could see their hesitation before they committed. Inside the ten, Erik tried to pass for the touchdown, but the ball was deflected by an incoming lineman and nearly intercepted. Back in the huddle, he shook his head in frustration. "I shoulda' scrambled on that one. But I just can't push off my right knee hard enough." He called PJ's number for another slant off tackle out of the pro-set. Erik took the snap and handed off to PJ, The handoff was as smooth as silk. Erik faded back as if he were going to try to pass again while PJ, ball tucked securely under his arm, followed Dustin through a hole which the line had opened up. Dustin took out one of the linebackers. But two more were still there. PJ came towards them full speed, one shoulder lowered as a battering ram. He saw them flinch. Using all the strength in his powerful lower body, he cut to the right, neatly sidestepping the oncoming tacklers. They grabbed at him, but it was too late. Dashing into the end zone, PJ held up the ball in triumph and heard the fans in the Gordonsville stands cheering their heads off. He dropped to one knee as soon as he could, holding his neck chain so tightly that his hand was shaking. "For you, Erik," he whispered fiercely. "For you. They hurt you, and you can't scramble or you might have gotten that yourself. But I got it for you." Erik and Brian hurried up to congratulate and take him to the sideline. Phil grinned as he ran by on his way to help with the extra point. "You faked them out of their shoes, PJ!" he yelled. "That makes it 13-10, our favor," Erik announced happily. "That'll give 'em something to think about! Look, PJ!" He pointed and PJ saw Billy standing up next to Travis. The two boys were waving. He waved back. "Now Franklyn is really gonna try an' stop you, PJ," Brian said. "That's when you take off the wraps and Erik starts passing to you," PJ told him. Tommy missed his extra point try and the other team's offense came back onto the field eager to score points of their own. After getting a nice runback on the kickoff, they marched quickly down the field on several good ground-gaining plays. But the Gordonsville defense stiffened inside their own twenty and again denied them a touchdown. Once more, the talented Franklyn kicker trotted out and split the uprights, tying the score once more, 13-13. PJ and Brian went out to receive the kickoff. The kicker attempted to put the ball through the end zone, the same as he'd done on his previous try. But he got the ball too high in the air. PJ caught it at the one with Brian already moving ahead to block the first tacklers. Cutting rapidly across the field, PJ weaved past two defenders, accelerated, took advantage of two more blocks by his up-men, and was past the first wave of tacklers before anyone had a chance to react. Another quick move and he avoided one of the last defenders who had any chance of stopping him. As he did so, though, one of his feet strayed out-of-bounds. Whistles blew, halting play, but his runback had taken him almost to midfield! As he slowed down, however, he was suddenly hit in the middle of his back with tremendous force and thrown to the ground. A searing pain shot through his right side and all the wind was knocked out of him. He very nearly blacked out as he lay sprawled on the grass. With a tremendous effort, he willed himself to clear his head and control his breathing. With another exercise of will, he got slowly to his feet. The pain in his right side almost made him stagger, yet he pushed it out of his mind and looked around. There were penalty flags down. He'd been given a vicious late hit by one of the Franklyn boys. Using all his concentration to appear unhurt, PJ trotted over to his teammates. "Fifteen yards for the late hit," Erik told him. "We've got great field position. Are you OK?" "I'm fine," PJ assured him. At all costs, he mused, nothing, absolutely nothing, will be an excuse to take me out of the game! For the first play, Erik called for a run with PJ's number. Lining up, he saw the defense shift to put several bigger boys opposite him. They're gonna try to get me, he thought. Taking Erik's handoff, he plunged into the line, accelerating swiftly and driving his legs. The tackles, when they came, caused him so much more pain it required all of his control not to cry out. Blocking out the pain as he did so often in his swimming routines, he waited patiently while the tacklers unstacked themselves so he could get up. He'd only gained a yard, but it was a gain. He'd get more next time! Gritting his teeth, he trotted to the huddle. "They're goin' after you," Erik told him. "You sure you're all right?" PJ nodded, but Erik didn't risk giving him the ball again. Instead, he tried a short pass to Brain and a Dustin run. Both were unsuccessful, and they were forced to punt. PJ had to concentrate on not grimacing with pain when he ran to the sideline. Erik trotted beside him, saying, "If our defense can just stop them and get us the ball back, I'll try some new stuff. If they're focusing so much on you, we can burn 'em other ways." Tommy's punt pinned Franklyn back inside their ten-yard line. "Way ta' go, guys!" Erik yelled. "That should give us a good chance to stop them," he observed. PJ could only nod. He was concentrating on holding himself still. Every breath was hurting and he didn't even trust himself to talk. Phil and Brian had both been in with the punt team and now joined them on the sideline. Phil sat down next to PJ. "That time we kept them from getting a return!" he happily exclaimed. Then he looked anxiously at his friend and whispered, "PJ, are you all right?" "I'm OK." PJ put his finger against his nose and slightly shook his head. Phil eyed him with concern before turning to watch the play on the field. Gordonsville kept the pressure on. Franklyn's offense was able to get a first down, gaining some room to maneuver, but after that they only managed to work their way out to their own thirty-seven before the attack stalled and they were forced to punt. In the short time PJ had been resting, his back and side had stiffened. He had to hold his side tightly in a way that Coach Lewis couldn't see, as he and Brian ran out to receive the kick. "PJ, you want me take this one?" Brian asked. PJ shook his head. "I'll be OK, Little Brother." He made an attempt to squeeze the pain out of his body while focusing on the other team's punter. He saw the play begin and watched as the boy took two quick steps and booted the ball into the air. It was only an average kick. Stealing himself, PJ raced forward, caught the ball on his own forty, and in just a few strides reached midfield. The pain in his side made it difficult to change direction, but he did the best he could to stay behind his blocking. As tacklers reached for him, he automatically tried to spin away, but a wave of fresh pain made him stagger, making him an easy target for Franklyn defenders. Then he was pulled down. He got to his feet as best he could and tried to grin at Erik as his friend ran onto the field. The first half of the game was coming to a close. With less than two minutes to go, Erik was eager to get started and didn't see PJ's face well enough under his helmet to recognize that there was anything wrong. "OK, PJ, let's rock 'n roll!" he sang out with his familiar battle cry. Erik took his team down the field, using timeouts and sideline passes to conserve the clock. The defense's concentration on PJ meant he could use his other backs and receivers. For PJ, the drive was a blur of agony. He lost track of downs and yardage, conscious only of the need to take the ball when Erik handed off to him and run with it as far as he could. He kept going by sheer force of will, focusing only on his friend Erik and the plays he called. Each time he touched the ball, the defense attempted to gang-tackle him. He knew they were trying to hurt him even more. Unable to avoid the worst of the hits, he retaliated by punishing his tacklers as hard as he could, ignoring his pain to slam into the defenders again and again. His ears were buzzing, and he knew that he was close to crying out with the hurts that he was receiving, but he hung on grimly, driving himself get the ball closer and closer to the goal. Now time was running out, and the clock had become the enemy. Franklyn dug in stubbornly,determined to prevent another Gordonsville score. From the huddle, Erik looked at the clock, which showed under twenty seconds. He winked at Brian and said, "OK, take the wraps off." Then he called the play. "Tap-Dance-Six, Tap-Dance-Six." PJ had no idea how much time was left and he hadn't heard what Erik'd said to Brian. It was all he could do to focus on Erik's call. He heard the signal and knew that he must go out of the backfield as a receiver. He could only brush his pain aside and concentrate on his assignment. On the snap of the ball, he forced his legs to drive him forward and slipped through the line into the secondary, trying to make it look as though he was running with the ball to confuse the linebackers. Perhaps he was too successful, or perhaps one of the linebackers had just been assigned to hit him as part of their attempt to disable him. But before he could look for a pass which unbeknownst to him was never coming, he was hit in the back and side. He ended up on the ground under several heavy defenders. The hurting was such that a groan of agony escaped him. He nearly passed out again. He heard whistles and loud cheering from the sidelines, so he knew Gordonsville must have scored. While waiting patiently for the other players to get off him, he fought to control the waves of pain coming from his side and back. At last, he was able to get up. Gritting his teeth and holding his right arm tight against his side, he jogged toward the end zone where he saw Erik hugging Brian and pounding the younger boy's back. The Gordonsville fans were all cheering loudly. As he ran up, Erik clapped PJ on his shoulder pads, and the shock to his side made him grimace. "PJ, did you see that catch?" Erik cried. "Brian just made a beautiful diving catch for a touchdown!" "Way to go, Brian!" PJ told the grinning boy. He followed Erik and Brian to the sideline, head swimming from the pain in his body. Brian was waving to his excited father up in the stands. PJ sank down onto the bench just in time to keep his knees from buckling. He felt dizzy. He watched as Tommy again missed his extra point attempt. Why can't he make more of those? he thought irritably. Then he sighed. He knew Tommy was trying his best. In a daze, he heard Erik excitedly announce that the score was now 19-13. They had a six-point lead. But we need to get more, he thought. His side was throbbing. He wished it would stop. When time ran out in the half, everyone got up to go to the locker room. Summoning all his reserves, PJ forced himself to his feet so he could jog down the sideline with his team. At least he tried to. Actually, he was limping down the sideline behind his team!