A few days after Chase’s shoulder injury in the All-Star game, I received an unexpected call. I recognized the accented voice on the other end instantly. I said, “Javier! It’s great to hear your voice. How are you? Who has your heart these days?”

“Hello, Coach Beck.”

I said, “You don’t need to call me Coach anymore. I’m just Aaron. I miss going out together.”

“Miss you,” said Javier. “I need to make the call to you.”

There was something tentative and nervous in the sound of his voice. I felt a tickling sensation up my spine. I wondered what could make Javier nervous on a phone call to me. I also couldn’t think of a reason for him to call me.

“Have something for you…Aaron.”

“What do you have, Javier? Did I forget something back in Charlotte? Did I leave something in the locker room?”

“Recording. Can’t play for you on phone.”

“A recording?” My forehead wrinkled. I was confused.

“About Chase. About shoulder.”

My entire body shuddered. “You have a recording about something to do with Chase? What are you telling me? Does someone know something? It wasn’t an accident, was it?”

“Can’t talk,” said Javier.

Thirty seconds later, the connection ended. I shouted, “Javier!” into my phone, but it was useless.

Five minutes later, I called Eric. “Hi, Aaron. How are things in San Antonio? I saw Chase this morning, and he’s feeling a lot better. He’s talking about taking a trip to see you soon. I think he’s already getting stir crazy lying in bed.”

“Make sure he follows the doctor’s orders. I don’t want him to injure that shoulder any worse than it is.”

“I guess soon is sort of relative,” said Eric. “If he hasn’t told you already, he’s checking into the hospital here in Charlotte tomorrow. The docs want to do another surgery. They say they will know a lot more about the long-term prognosis when it’s over.”

“How long will he be in the hospital.”

“Oh, the docs said probably only one night. I offered to let him stay at my place when he gets out, but Chase insisted on going to his apartment. He said that he would hire a home nurse if he needed one.”

I smiled and said, “Thank you for the update, but the real reason I called was something else. Have you talked to Javier lately?”

“Javier?” asked Eric. “I see him every day on the ball field. He’s been going hot and heavy with a woman named Laura, so I haven’t gone out to a bar with him since at least a week before the All-Star break. Why do you ask?”

“He called me.”

“Javier called you? I’ve never seen him do anything with his phone but use it to send pictures to his girlfriends. Why was he calling you?”

I lowered the tone of my voice. I couldn’t figure out any way that someone might be listening, but I thought the news I had to share was mysterious and needed careful handling. “He said something about a recording that he couldn’t play over the phone.”

I heard slight laughter in Eric’s voice when he said, “Are you sure that was what he said? Sometimes Javier’s accent can be a little thick, and he can be hard to understand.”

I grumbled, “I know Javier. Remember, I used to go out with all of you, too. I heard him clearly.”

“What kind of recording would he have? Is it something about baseball.”

“He said it’s about Chase.”

“That’s weird.”

Thirty seconds of dead airspace passed between us. I said, “I’m coming to Charlotte.”

“Will they let you do that? You only started coaching in San Antonio about a month back.”

I spoke firmly and said, “I’m taking the risk. I have a day off coming soon. I’ll fly to Charlotte in the morning, and I’ll fly back to San Antonio the next morning. I don’t think I can fly direct. I’ll probably have to connect through Atlanta. Will you or Mo pick me up at the airport?”

“You can count on us. It will be great to see you, and Chase will be over the moon. He still talks about you every day.”

I whispered, “I think about him every hour.”

Eric said, “I’ve gotta run for now. Text me the travel details. I’ve never seen two better people in love than you and Chase. I want you to know that I’m always on your side.”

I hung up from the call and smiled. When I first set foot in San Antonio, I worried that I would lose both my friends and lover in Charlotte. I was happy to know that wasn’t the case.

I didn’t tell the RoadRunners management about my plans to travel to Charlotte on the upcoming day off. The only person in San Antonio I trusted with the information was Harv. I said, “The official story is I needed to get out of town for a day, so I headed north for an overnight in Austin. I’ll be back before noon, and it won’t affect batting practice at all.”

Harv looked into my eyes and said, “If you uncover any opportunities, I know we’re going to lose you to Charlotte. I hear it in everything you say. Your heart hasn’t moved here, and it’s not coming anytime soon.”

I patted Harv on the back and said, “You might be right about that, but it has nothing to do with you. If I could figure out how to swing it, I’d bring you back with me to Charlotte on the first flight. They would love you out there, and you would love working with Mo. Every guy on the staff looks up to him, and he’s easy to coach.”

Harv grinned. “I’ll hold you to that if I see a job opening.”