Wild Pitch Read Online Free PDF Page B

were jealous of her and you hit her! You hit her on purpose!”
    He swung, catching Eddie by surprise, and hit him on the side of the jaw. Eddie saw an explosion of stars and reeled.
    “You crumb!” the kid raved on. “I’ll—”
    “Hey, cut it out!” another voice broke in.
    Eddie saw Larry and Puffy grab the big kid from behind. Rod came to help and tried to pin the kid’s arms to his back. The
     kid was strong, and anger seemed to boost his strength as he pulled himself free from the three boys and started back after
     Eddie.
    Eddie stood there, his fists clenched and held up now to protect himself.
    “I didn’t!” he cried. “I didn’t do it on purpose! I would never throw at a batter intentionally!”
    The kid swung at him again, and Eddie caught the blow on his arm.
    “You did then, you rat!” the kid yelled. “You did
that
intentionally!”
    “No! You’ve got to believe me!”
    A cop came bolting toward them. He reached the big kid, grabbed his right arm, and twisted it behind his back.
    “All right, now,” he said in a calm voice. “Settle down.”
    He held the kid till his anger had subsided. Then he slowly took his arms from around him.
    “Take off,” the cop ordered, shoving him away. “Get back in the bleachers. I don’t care what you do, but keep away from him.”
    The kid gave him a mean look and turned again to Eddie.
    “She’s my cousin,” he rasped. “I’m going to see that you don’t get away with it, head buster.”
    The cop grabbed his shoulders. “I said take off, buddy. I don’t want to keep repeating myself. Okay?”
    The kid said nothing. He shrugged his shoulders and started toward the bleachers. Then he changed his mind and headed toward
     the small group that had assembled near the prostrate girl.
    Her bare head was lying on the dirt.
    “She ought to have something under her head,” Eddie said to the cop.
    The cop looked at the girl. “No one’s supposed to touch her,” he said. “The ambulance will be here in a minute. The medics
     will handle it. They know what to do.”
    A siren whirred in the distance. In seconds a blue-and-white ambulance swept into the park, lights flashing. The siren quieted
     down to a dead silence. The lights kept blinking. Two men in white uniforms broke out of the vehicle and rushed to the girl.
     One took her hand, felt her pulse, pulled back an eyelid and looked at her eye. The other took a look at her, then raced back
     to the ambulance, and brought out a stretcher. They lifted the girl onto it and put her inside the ambulance. A woman got
     in with her. Her mother, Eddie figured.
    The ambulance sped off.
    Coach Inger looked around, saw Eddie standing by the mound, and came over to him. He squinted against the sun and put a hand
     on Eddie’s shoulder.
    “Don’t worry. She’ll be all right.”
    Eddie felt a lump in his throat. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he said.
    “Who said you did?”
    He looked at the Surf players. “They do. And her cousin.”
    The coach frowned. “The kid who went after you? I saw him. If the cop hadn’t come just then, I wouldhave.” He looked at Eddie’s jaw. “Did he hurt you?”
    “No.”
    The base umpire came toward them. “Sam, you ready to go?”
    The coach nodded. “Anytime.” He turned back to Eddie. “Don’t feel too bad about hitting her. The ball must’ve struck her head
     on a vulnerable spot. That’s why you wear helmets, to avoid accidents just like that one. It may never happen again in a hundred
     years.”
    “But it did happen to her,” said Eddie thinly.
    “One of those things,” said the coach. “Take a load off your feet. I’ll have Harry pitch.”
    Eddie walked off the field, still half-dazed. He entered the dugout and sat down. He folded his glove, crossed his arms over
     his chest, and wondered whether to stay and watch the rest of the game, or go home.
    He wanted desperately to go home, to put the ball game and the tragic accident far behind him. He