“No. I guess I’d better go. See you soon.”
She kissed both their cheeks before dashing off to join the others.
Alex from the gym was one of the volunteers helping coordinate the drive-along cars and first-aid people. What a wonderful man and friend he’d turned out to be!
He helped her put on her number. “May you come in first, Dominique!”
“May I come in, period!”
His laughter trailed her as she joined the pack and waited for the gun to go off. Her throat almost closed with emotion to see all these women who’d fought the odds and won. So much power was in this group. Such faith and determination.
Her eyes met Elektra’s. They were moist too.
This was a special sisterhood. Everyone could feel it.
Pop!
Dominique took off at a moderate pace beneath an overcast sky. The cooler temperature made it perfect for running. She didn’t care if she came in last. Her one priority was to finish a good race.
Quite a crowd had assembled along the route. One of the local stations was televising it. Her husband’s name had opened doors that would have been closed to her efforts otherwise.
How she loved him.
No man in the world could equal him. He’d seen her at her worst and loved her. Today she wanted him to see her at her best. She wanted him to be proud of her.
The 15k race had markers every so often, to let the runners know their progress. Dominique stayed near the back of the pack, unwilling to push herself.
At the halfway point she noticed several of the women had started walking. The crowd clapped and cheered for them. That thrilled Dominique, because it meant these people recognized this was all in aid of cancer awareness.
If just one woman in the crowd decided to get herself checked in time to stop the disease, then this run would have been worth it.
At the three-quarter mark Dominique suddenly felt nauseated. Her body broke out in a cold sweat. There was a ringing in her ears before her legs gave away.
When she became cognizant again, she discovered she was in an ambulance with an IV in her arm.
She looked at the two paramedics. “What happened to me?”
One of them was checking her pulse. “You fainted.”
“I can’t believe I did that.”
He smiled. “It happened to several runners today.”
“I’ve never fainted in my life.”
“Have you had a cold? Fever?” the other one asked.
“No. Nothing.”
“They’ll get you checked out at the hospital.”
“Oh, no—” she groaned. “My husband’s waiting for me at the finish line! He’ll be frantic when I don’t show up. He has a cellphone. Will someone call him?”
“What’s his name?”
“Andreas Stamatakis.”
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