Although Ed is bloodied and battered from the Rose boys’ revenge, he feels happy and “no longer afraid” (183). He holds the two aces and thinks about “the stories of those cards” (184), all the messages he’s delivered and the lives he’s touched. He eagerly awaits the next card.

The next morning is the day of the Annual Sledge Game. In a display of generosity, Marv takes Ed out for breakfast to ensure that he plays that afternoon. During the game, a boy named Jay offers to watch the Doorman. Ed is assigned to block the largest member on the other team. Ed’s opponent bowls him over repeatedly, but Ed blocks his last tackle and leaves him “lying in a crumpled heap on the ground” (196). Ed’s teammates praise the play, but he feels sick with guilt, vomits, and leaves the field. Ed looks for the Doorman, but he and Jay are gone.

While Audrey helps Ed look for the Doorman, Jay and the dog return to the tree where Ed left them. A woman gives the boy the next playing card. Ed chases her, but she vanishes into the crowd.