“Captain.”
Ethan groaned. “You snitched.”
“Commissioner,” Ray corrected.
“You cheat.”
“Unproven.”
The crowd around us laughed.
Ray placed the little football game across Ethan’s lap.
Then the stadium announcer spoke again.
“Ethan told our wish team that if this was going to be his football day, he wanted his hospital league to somehow be part of it too. What he didn’t know was that a few members of that league decided watching from home wasn’t good enough.”
People cheered.
Ethan covered his face.
“I’m never going back to the hospital.”
The nurse leaned toward him.
“You have an appointment Tuesday.”
“Cancel it.”
More laughter.
Then the announcer said, “Ethan has one rule for his league.”
Ray pointed at Ethan.
Ethan shook his head hard.
“Don’t.”
Ray grinned.
The announcer finished anyway.
“Everybody plays.”
The people nearby applauded.
I smiled.
Then I looked at Ethan.
He wasn’t smiling anymore.
