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A thumping woke Sadie. A moment later, she realized the thumping came from her head.
Worry of what she’d let her world spiral into jabbed at her like a joust ramming into her chest. She gently rubbed the spot over her heart and glanced at the clock. 6:17 am.
From the itinerary left in their room while they were at dinner last night, she knew the wake-up call would ring in thirteen minutes. The room phones only communicated with the desk since contestants weren’t allowed to make personal calls. As she turned over, she realized her body ached as much as her head. She stifled a moan. It wouldn’t make her feel any better.
She dragged herself to the bathroom and started a hot shower in hopes of easing her pain. How would she get through the day feeling this terrible? She understood weaning off alcohol might be better than completely stopping, but she refused to use that approach. Her drinking was out of control, and she wouldn’t prolong her recovery.
Don’t complain. Don’t think about the pain. Don’t blow this opportunity.
She dressed in a bathing suit, pulled on a Chasing Sunsets t-shirt, identical to the one she’d worn yesterday, and the assigned khaki shorts. The show provided clothes and swimsuits for each day. The women had a choice of a bikini or a one-piece. She’d selected the one-piece, not wanting to expose even that much on TV, but she didn’t have a choice.
Backpacks ready, she and Kelly exited their room at a quarter to seven. Zack and Brett waited outside their door and rode on the elevator with them. She liked Kelly and hoped they’d be roomies throughout this process. She wasn’t pushy and went right to bed last night. To complete this race Sadie would need rest. Lots of it.
In the cafeteria, a wall of windows overlooked a beautiful Olympic size pool. A couple of tables decked in white tablecloths were pushed together with chairs around them. Counters were set up behind the tables. One held a breakfast buffet, and the others were manned by chefs in white hats and coats. They could order from a chef or load their plates from the buffet. Food aromas wafting in the room made her feel sick, but she knew she needed to eat. She grabbed a plate and went to the buffet table. After looking over the food, she settled on a piece of dry toast and orange juice.
Sparse meal in hand, she made it to the table where three other couples were already eating. She sat at the very end on one side, and in a short time, Zack took the seat next to her with a thick meat and cheese omelet on his plate. Kelly and Brett settled across from them and Ruben and Tamara to Zack’s left. While they ate, the men talked football like they were old friends, arguing about the pro teams and who had the best chance to be in the playoffs this year.
Zack and Ruben gathered the dirty dishes and brought them to the cleaning staff as Tamara spoke to Uri.
“Sadie,” Brett said. “Zack told me you’re a physician assistant for a gynecologist.”
Kelly’s head snapped up, and she stared at Sadie.
“Yes.” A bit uncomfortable at Kelly’s reaction, and not understanding why her job would matter to the woman, Sadie changed the subject. “What do you do?”
“I’m a contractor,” Brett answered, but his eyes were on his wife. “Kelly manages a boutique.”
Kelly finally blinked, although she still gazed at Sadie with a surprised expression.
“We need everyone outside,” Jessie beckoned from the entryway.
They headed out of the hotel with the other contestants and were met by gloomy clouds blocking much of the sun, giving a respite from the heat. Crew members busily shuffled around helping with microphones. Moments later, Gemini arrived in a limousine.
When filming started, the host lifted the gold whistle from a chain around her neck and blew three short blasts. “Day two begins! Each of you will find your next destination programmed on the GPS in your vehicle.”
Sadie bolted toward the car, and Zack stayed in step with her. Riding in the back seat was not an option for her with this headache and nausea. And she felt too anxious to drive. “You drive.”
Truman filmed them from the passenger side of their SUV.
“We need to switch places today,” Sadie called. “I get carsick in the back sometimes.”
Their cameraman didn’t argue and slid inside the back seat of the vehicle, still recording. She closed her door just as Zack punched the button to start the engine. The GPS flickered on with the words, Houston Downtown Aquarium.
Zack grinned. “I got this.”
Their home in Katy was thirty miles from the aquarium, and they’d been a few times.
The screen showed a map of downtown Houston.
“Do you need help getting out of Dallas?” she asked.
“Nah.” He backed out of their space before the others. “Relax.”
Relax. Impossible.
The headache, muscle aches, and constant shaking were rattling her every nerve. She’d have to rethink her options. A smidgen of liquor might be a better choice than suffering this misery.
“When was the last time you guys saw each other before yesterday?” their cameraman asked.
No intention of answering him, Sadie spun around and spied two coolers. One had Truman written on the front and the other had a brown sack with their names. “Please hand me our cooler and the sack.”
Truman placed the camera in his lap and passed her the items.
She checked the cooler, handed it back to Truman, then looked in the sack. “Along with sandwiches, apples, and protein bars, there’s fifty bucks. It’s tagged gasoline money.”
Next, she set the money in the console, pressed the on button for the radio, and found an instrumental channel. “When we stop for gas, I’ll drive.”
Zack checked the fuel gauge. “We have plenty for a while.”
Traffic moved slow-as-snails again this morning. Her impatience caused her head to pound harder. She tapped her foot in count with the music, doing anything so the men didn’t see her discomfort. Her anxiety eased once they headed south on Interstate 45.
To calm herself more, she leaned her seat back and closed her eyes.
~
Zack knew better than to ask Sadie what was wrong with their microphones on, but she did not look well. The circles under her eyes were worse, and she couldn’t seem to sit still when they’d set out earlier. She fell asleep an hour out of Dallas and had been peaceful ever since.
He could relate to her exhaustion. Muscles he’d never known he had until using them for the first time yesterday didn’t want to move when he woke this morning. At least, he’d gotten a good night’s rest and hadn’t awakened repeatedly, which had been a pattern for him the last few months.
Bing.
“You better stop for gas,” Truman’s quiet warning came from the back seat for the second time. He’d said the same after the first bing.
Zack hated to stop and wake Sadie, but they were only fifteen miles from Houston and needed to eat before arriving. The gray sky started drizzling moments ago. He passed an advertisement for a gas station and took the next off-ramp.
Sadie startled awake when he slowed the car. “Stopping?”
“Afraid so. Truman might freak if I don’t fill up. Plus, we’re near Houston.”
She checked their surroundings. “I can’t believe I slept the whole trip.” Her voice sounded throaty and tired, just as it had every morning she’d woken up next to him. He’d ached to hear it again since she’d moved out. “When did it start raining?”
“Not long ago.” Zack turned into the convenience store lot, drove to a pump, and killed the engine.
Sadie retrieved the money. “I’ll take care of the gas.” She was unscrewing the cap when he rounded the back of the car. Truman headed toward the store.
Zack lifted the gas nozzle. “It’ll take less time if we leave it to fill, use the restroom, and pay while we’re inside.”
Thirty minutes later, after eating lunch in the SUV, they arrived at the Downtown Aquarium. The white building had an enormous sign across the top in aqua blue. Two swordfish in the same blue were shooting out of a fountain in front of the building. The huge Ferris wheel, part of the amusement rides section, sat motionless.
He didn’t see any other white Audis and hoped they were the first ones here. Rain came down harder as they got out of the car and approached the entrance where a bench with a wave and a shark on it had two signs with arrows pointing in opposite directions. SCUBA DIVER and FISHMONGER.
“I’ve been scuba diving more than you,” Sadie said.
Zack laughed. He’d taken lessons during their engagement and went diving while they were on their honeymoon. “You mean more than once.”
“That too.”
“Do you need your backpack for your swimsuit?” he called.
“Got it on.” She waved.
Truman filmed Zack while one of the cameramen waiting under the covered entryway trailed Sadie inside. Markers for fishmonger directed him down a soggy, five-block stretch where rain showered down and passing traffic sprayed him until he reached a wholesale seafood storefront.
Drenched, he pushed the swinging glass door open and held it for Truman. The stench inside was no worse than the seafood section of his grocery store. Middle-aged women dressed in umpire shirts stood on the other side of the seafood counter. One came forward and introduced herself. She led him through a warehouse to the loading dock where delivery trucks waited. “Inside you’ll find twenty different types of fish. Search until you find one of each species and put them in that.” She pointed to a gray rolling cart with a plastic apron and Playtex gloves hanging over one side.
He rushed over, suited up, and wheeled the cart to the closest truck. He turned the handle on the liftgate and threw it up. The odor of fish assaulted him. The warehouse didn’t smell nearly this bad. He stepped inside and tried to lift the top off the crate closest to the door. The damn thing was nailed down. Curious how to open it, he glanced around and saw a crowbar on a hook near the liftgate. He retrieved it, pried open the crate, and began rummaging through the crushed ice.
Without lights inside the truck and the dimness of the sky, his vision was limited. He clasped five fish and brought them to the dock. Weak fluorescent bulbs gave only a modicum of illumination. He examined the fish one at a time.
First, a gray fish had spots that were either green or blue. Second, another gray fish sported red spots. The third gray fish’s spots were either white or yellow. The other two fish looked similar to the ones with the colors he couldn’t determine.
He threw the three he knew were different into the cart and set the other two on top of the ice in the crate he was examining. Without the benefit of a bulb in the truck cargo area or sunlight, he’d have to do that a lot. Not to mention, he’d have to guess at some of his choices, because of his color blindness.
This challenge would take a while.
He hoped Sadie’s task proved easier.
~
As Sadie ran into the building, an official named Asper introduced himself and motioned for her to follow him. He led her into a cavernous space painted ocean blue with different hallways leading off of it. “You’ll find your next assignment at the top of the stairs.” She raced up the two flights. Arrows directed her through many doors until she ended up in a room in the private part of the building. Chairs lined two of the walls and huge doors were propped open directly across the entrance. Black wet suits were laid out on the floor, each with a person dressed in a blue Aquarium t-shirt next to it.
She ran to the first man. “I’m Sadie.”
“Gus. You’ll need to change into your swimsuit.”
“I’m wearing it under my clothes.” She whipped off her t-shirt, shoes, socks, and shorts, then set them on one of the chairs. She heard footsteps, and the next second Brett entered.
“We’ll need to take your mic off,” Gus said.
She held her arms out at her sides and let him unhook her microphone. Once Gus helped her into the wet suit, he gestured toward the chairs. “Sit for fifteen minutes. We’re taking everyone’s blood pressure and heart rate before they get in the water.”
Brett, who also wore his swimsuit under his shorts and quickly put on a wetsuit, sat in the seat beside her. “You dive a lot?”
She wanted to be quiet and as still as possible but didn’t wish to appear rude. “I took classes while in college. My best friend loves it. We’ve been a few times.”
“I’ve been going with my dad for years.”
Two more women competitors shuffled into the room, then immediately left to change into their swimsuits.
“Sadie, while we don’t have our microphones on, I’d like to ask a favor of you.” Brett kept his voice quiet so only she could hear. “Will you please talk to my wife?”
She studied him, the first time she took a good look at the guy. His expression was intense, his eyes solemn.
“Can you ask Kelly why we’re separated?”
“You don’t know?”
“I do.” He blew out a breath. “She needs to talk to a doctor.”
“If Kelly wants to confide in me about something, anything, she’ll have to come to me.”
“She won’t,” he insisted. “Even if she wants to, she won’t. She’s already seen a few doctors and none have helped.”
Sadie didn’t answer, unsure what to say or if she wanted to get involved.
“I’m trying to save my marriage.” He sounded so defeated she couldn’t help but feel for him.
“I appreciate that, and I hope you two come to an understanding. Kelly seems like a sweet person. You’re obviously concerned, but I can’t in good conscience ask her anything personal. If she comes to me, I’ll help in any way possible. That’s the best I can do.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “Thank you for being open to speaking to her.”
“Anything she tells me I can’t repeat to you or anyone. You understand that, right?”
“I do. I’m going to tell her about this conversation and hope she’ll confide in you.”
Blood pressure cuff in his hand, Gus started their way. A camera person filmed from behind him.
Sadie held out her arm. She forced her body to relax while Gus settled the blood pressure cuff in place and it tightened around her arm. When the compression released, she sat forward, anxious to get in the water.
Gus frowned. “Blood pressure reads one eighty-two over ninety-seven, too high to dive.”
No!
“Your pulse is also high at seventy-nine. Do you feel bad?”
Were her vitals elevated because of withdrawal symptoms?
“I have a headache,” she admitted.
“You’re trembling.” Gus straightened.
The cameraman came closer like a vulture studying his prey and waiting to attack.
“It’s just nerves from the cameras, the excitement, and wanting to keep our lead from yesterday,” she lied.
“All men fall, but only great men ... rise again.” ~ Proverbs 24:16