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The door opened, and Josh walked in. He smiled when he saw me and reached his hand out to shake mine.
“Sorry about making you wait, Bryson. It’s been crazy around here.”
“Not a problem,” I stated as I took a seat at his desk.
He cleared his throat and reached for a report from what I was guessing was the orthopedic doctor I had seen in Missoula. He read it, nodded, then looked up at me as he set the papers down on his desk.
“Looks like the physical therapy did some good. You ready to get back out on the mound?” Josh asked.
A part of me wasn’t the least bit surprised that they would be ready to toss me back into the game, caring less that my shoulder wasn’t a hundred percent.
“No, I’m not.”
His eyes went wide. “What do you mean? It looks like things have healed a good amount. Your pain level is down, so what’s the problem?”
“The problem is it isn’t healed. I still have a partial tear, and yes, PT has helped, but the moment I start pitching, I’m going to be in pain again.”
“We can give you shots to help with that,” Josh stated as he sat back in his chair. His expression said he was confused by where the conversation was going.
With a shake of my head, I said, “I’m done, Josh.”
“You’re done with what?”
Jesus, he wasn’t going to make it easy on me, was he? “Baseball. I’m done. I’m going to step down and retire. If I even tried to play, the tear will rip, and I’ll need surgery, and I’ll be out the rest of the season and probably some of next season as well. That’s not how I want to go out. My contract is up, and you and I both know you might get two, maybe four more games out of me before I’m back on the injury roster. I’d rather go out on my own terms.”
He let out a disbelieving laugh. “Wait, you’re telling me you want to quit? Give up baseball? Have you lost your goddamn mind? You’re the number one pitcher in the league, Bryson! This team needs you. Your contract is about to be renewed, and you’ll stand to make millions.” He glanced at my shoulder. “Even with the injured shoulder.”
I might have stood to make some serious cash, but the moment the owners found out about how bad my shoulder was, the offer would go down.
I crossed my ankle over my leg and smiled. “You seem to be doing pretty well without me. You’ve only lost three games in the seven weeks I’ve been out.”
Josh scrubbed his hand down his face. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You’re willing to walk away from this because you’re worried about a little surgery on your shoulder. You’ll be as good as new, Bryson.”
With a shake of my head, I said, “Josh, I’m done. And as far as what I’m going to do? I don’t know yet, but I’m thinking of investing in some bulls.”
His eyes went wide in confusion. “Bulls?”
Grinning, I replied, “Bulls.”
“Is that a code word for something?”
“Nope, it is exactly how it sounds. Bulls. Maybe learn a bit about cattle ranching and start my own.”
Josh stared at me like I’d lost my mind.
I stood. “What do you need me to do to start the process of me leaving?”
Looking up at me, I could tell Josh wanted to argue, but in the end, he let out a long exhale. “Let me let the owners know, and I’ll get back to you on the next steps.”
“Sounds good.”
Reaching across his desk, I extended my hand to him. “I’ll never be able to thank you for giving me a chance, Josh. You changed my life for the better.”
He got up, shook my hand, and smiled. “I should have known this was going to happen when you sold the penthouse.”
All I could do was laugh.
Stopping at the top of the landing at Rose’s place, I lifted my hand to knock. The door opened before I could make contact, and Rose appeared on the other side of the door. A wide smile on her face.
“You’re back!” she cried out, throwing herself into my arms. “I missed you so much!”
Holding her tightly, I whispered, “I missed you too.”
Breaking apart, Rose took my hands in hers and pulled me inside. “I was about to leave for family game night! I’m so glad I didn’t leave earlier. How did everything go?”
I drew in a breath and exhaled. “It went okay. I pissed several people off, went back and forth with my agent and the club about me retiring early and what they would pay out. In the end, things worked out. The Mariners let me out of the rest of my contract for this year since I’d most likely not be getting in much play time with my shoulder. I got a hefty paycheck to walk away, so I’m here to stay.”
