The Rub Down

At the summit of Heartbreak Hill, our beloved city came into view. Ru

At mile twenty-three, I was dead tired. My energy reserves were almost empty. Self-doubt told me there was no way I could finish. I remembered feeling the exact same way last year, but I was stronger now because I had trained harder.

I knew I could finish.

At mile twenty-four, I took a turn, and my left knee blew out. Panic tore straight through my body, as I was about to completely face plant. Thankfully, a fellow ru

I was pissed as pain tore through me. Besides sore muscles, I remained injury free all through my training. My knees were never an issue. This would not stop me. Even with the hills, I was still on pace to finish in a little over four hours. Determined to make it to the end, I kept on in a crazy run/walk combination. The terrorists robbed me last year, but no one, not even myself, was going to take the finish line from me this year.

When I got closer to Mass Ave, memories of the bombings crept into my exhausted mind. The images of the blasts, the sounds of emergency vehicles, they flashed in my brain, trying to bring me down. A level of panic washed over me. My breath grew shallow. My hands were clammy. Black spots invaded my vision. I shook my head, trying to clear away the images, and Luke’s words came back to me.

Stay strong. Don’t let the bastards win. Draw strength from the survivors.

As I passed the exact spot where I stopped last year, I smiled, knowing I did it. I gave myself a fist pump, and gave the bombers a big Fuck You middle finger. The streets were crammed full of spectators screaming for their friends and family. My knee killed me, but I had just blocks to go. In my head was The Little Engine That Could mantra. “I think I can. I think I can.”

I. Beat. My. Fears.

Finally, at the last turn onto Boylston Street, the elusive finish line came into view straight in front of me. It was the most glorious sight ever. I was almost there. Mere steps away. I wasn’t sure my legs were still attached to my body by that point because I couldn’t feel them anymore.

When I crossed the finish line, every last drop of energy left my body. My legs refused to hold me anymore, and my main concern was eating the pavement. I had the smarts to move off to the side, so the rest of those finishing didn’t trample all over me.

Once my body hit the ground, volunteers rushed over and asked if I needed medical perso

Having studied common marathon injuries, I knew that if I sat too long, my knee would be an even hotter mess. I wished Luke could scoop me up in his arms, but this area was only open to ru

“He would be waiting for her at the other side for her to fall into his arms.”

Reaching deep inside, I found what I needed to walk a few extra blocks to the area where Addison and Luke would be meeting me.

“He fell hopelessly in love with the princess.”

Thoughts of Luke carried my body to where I could fall into his arms.

*****

Luke

I checked the ru

I finished up at the spa around three, leaving Da

Thousands upon thousands of people lined the streets to cheer on the ru

About half an hour after I got in my spot next to Addison, I finally spotted Alexa. Addison and I went crazy screaming her name. She wasn’t ru

“She’s hurt, Addison. We need to get over to family pickup now. I have to get to her.” I grabbed Addison and weaved through the crowd, but kept my eyes on Alexa best I could. Full panic mode hit me. My first instinct was to hop the barrier, scoop her up in my arms, and take care of her. But as much as I knew about the human body, I wasn’t a doctor. And if I jumped the fence, police would throw me to the ground and cuff me.

“Luke, slow down. You’re pulling my arm straight off my body.” I could hear the worry in Addison’s voice. “She’ll be okay. If she can finish a marathon with an injury, she has to be okay, right?”

“Alexa will be okay, but I promised I’d be there to catch her.”

As we approached a way to cross the street, Alexa collapsed on the ground and then picked herself up.

Why wasn’t anyone helping her? Why wasn’t one of the medics checking her out?

I hated how the marathon course was roped off, especially since I needed to get to my girl. Certain sidewalks were closed, a necessary evil, making it necessary to go up three blocks to cross, and then back down two to get where we wanted to go.

Finally, the family pickup entrance was in sight. My heart ached knowing Alexa was hurt. The need to take care of her was stronger than I thought possible. By the time we got through the alphabet to the W sign, Alexa had just sat down on the curb, with her head down and legs straight out ahead of her.

My strong girl looked fragile and broken.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Luke

I called out to Alexa as we got closer. Her head lifted slightly so she could see who called her name. Her blonde hair was matted from sweat. The blue eyes I wanted to swim in every day were glossy from tears. Mascara streaked her cheeks. Her medal hung around her neck like a badge of honor. When our eyes met, her pain was evident.

Addison and I hurried our steps, weaving in and out of the other friends and family waiting for their ru

“You need more water, Lex. You’re dehydrated.” I passed her the big bottle I grabbed when I picked up Addison’s lunch, knowing it would come in handy.