Date: Sat, 21 May 2016 08:27:07 -0400
From: Paul Knoke <paulkdoctor@gmail.com>
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!