MLB﹕Iᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇs

Bringer Of Rain || Josh Donaldson

Working on my suggested players. 

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Wild hair and a mouthful of bloody gauze are all I see when I step into the Braves medical office.

Being the off-season, and no reason for Dr. Lourie to interrupt his fishing trip with a few colleagues of his, he called me in when he heard it was just a softball to the face and nothing major. I'm only a medical student and not yet certified to do everything that a normal physician would do. It was an honor to be here, really, even though Gary Lourie decided to throw me to the wolves without a warning-- just a last-minute text.

No pressure.

It's a chilly Friday night. The Braves had hosted an event for the Boys and Girls club earlier in the evening. Something small, but still televised. Lots of activities throughout the stadium and a one-on-one batting practice experience with the most knowledgeable player of them all. Some people call him the Bringer of Rain, my cheat card said his name is Josh Donaldson-- the new arrival to the Braves organization.

There's no one else in the office, just me and him. A few players and their respective families are lounging in the clubhouse but were getting ready to leave. I look at the man sitting on the medical table sporting a busted lip and what I hope are all his teeth still intact.

He manages to mumble a few words that take me a second to process. "Where's Dr. Lourie?" He asks, but it sounds more like Bears Doctah Wowie.

With a bright smile, I answer. "I'm Kelsey. I've been assisting Dr. Lourie. He couldn't make it today, so he sent me. How's the pain?"

He shakes his head, simply stating: "I hate Freddy." A jumble of words, but I take it as confirmation that he is in a lot of pain. Would make sense. Softballs aren't as soft as their names claim to be, especially when said ball is coming at a speed of seventy miles an hour from what the report said. These were little kids, so they didn't want to use their regular hard baseballs. Honestly, it didn't make a difference in which ball was used when speed was involved.

I snap a pair of purple gloves on my hands and stand in front of him. Blue eyes look at me unexpectedly. For a moment I'm a little offended. Like he doesn't trust me. "Just gonna take this out, okay?" I assure him, pointing at the gauze he's biting on.

I expected to see a wife or girlfriend, maybe even a friend at his side, but he's alone. From the whispers in the hallways, Josh Donaldson isn't much of a people person. Being the new guy, he's still trying to adapt to his new team. He seems like a nice guy, but I don't know him like I know the rest of the boys. Not gonna lie, when I came in and they told me who it was, I might have been a little intimated. I've watched him play for the Blue Jays. This man is not real. The nickname alone should tell you a lot about him.

I take the bloody gauze out and place it on the surgical tray beside me. I'm immune to the sight of blood. To be a doctor, you need to have a heart of steel and a good stomach. I had both. Josh, on the other hand, seemed like he was getting ready to pass out at the sight of his blood.