Your Chance

Chapter 18

Harrison was quiet the last couple days. And Carrie didn't like it at all. Ever since Adam's first football game he'd been quiet.

Carrie watched from the sidelines with her mom and Emma as Harrison called a time out. He and the other coach, Ben's dad Greg, went over another play.

There was 10 seconds left on the clock, Adam's team the Cowboys, at the Raiders 10 yard line. The boys ran back on the field for the final snap. Adam set up for the snap as the referee blew his whistle. A white flag was picked up, and one of the kids from the Raiders ran over and grabbed it, attaching it back to his belt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harrison pacing back and forth, as coaches do near the end of a close game. Before the snap, Harrison shouted "Omaha!"

Carrie knew this was the trick play, they'd been working on for a couple weeks. Adam caught the snap, turning and giving it to Ben who ran right behind him. Handing the ball off, Adam ran out to the corner of the end zone where he was wide open. Ben threw him the pass, Adam catching it as the defender pulled his flags off.

Carrie stood up and cheered along with the rest of the parents. Harrison shook his fist in the air, as the kids shook hands. After the game he told his team what a great job they did.

But during the meeting, he looked lost. The kids didn't see it, but she could. "Everything okay," she asked him on the way back to the truck as Adam talked to his grandma about that last play.

"Yeah," he answered.

And playing catch with her this afternoon, he still seemed down. She made a really nice one handed catch. Normally he was ecstatic when this happened, but today he said nothing more than 'nice catch'.

Even her mom noticed it. "What's up with Harrison?" She asked.

"I don't know, I'm still trying to figure that out."

Later that evening, she found him on the couch reading some old newspaper. The newspaper was yellow on the sides. Carrie saw that he had pulled it out of his trophy case.

Harrison didn't look like he wanted to talk now. And she respected that, especially with the kids still up. Sighing, Carrie went to play a game with the kids.

•••

That night, she put the kids to bed, and went to bed as well. He was asleep already and she didn't really feel like waking him up. She'd talk to him tomorrow morning.

Slipping under the covers, she cuddled next to him. Carrie laid her head on his chest, curling up as close as possible. "I love you," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

She tried to close her eyes, to no avail. She was too worried about him. He wasn't as outgoing as normal, and his kisses just weren't the same.

About an hour later, she felt him get up. He gently pushed her off him, as he sat up and sighed. Then Carrie heard him walk out. Gary jumped up on Harrison's side of the bed, licking her face.

Getting up, she grabbed a sweater, then followed him downstairs. He was facing the window, flipping a football in his hands. Carrie hugged him from behind as his hands slid down to his waist to hold hers. "You miss it, don't you?"

"Yeah," he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

Carrie moved around him so he was looking at her. Putting her hands around his neck, she whispered, "go play again."

He dropped the football. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Harrison reached around her, grabbing her braid, gently running his fingers down it. He dropped it on her shoulder, his hands now resting on her stomach. "You're going to give birth to another baby soon. We're going to have a new baby on our hands while taking care of our other kids."