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Daytona 500
"YOU READY?
Grady's voice rose in excitement as he pumped the wheelchair back and forth. I, on the other hand, was terrified.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Nope."
His candor was refreshing. I looked beside me to a younger boy, probably in his early teens. He was very thin with a cute, squirrely face and wiry, short hair. A huge smile was plastered across his face, giving evidence this was not his first race. His driver was another male volunteer who looked to be about Grady's age. He was short and stalky. I think Grady mentioned him being a football player, but I was so nervous about getting caught doing illegal wheelchair races down a vacant hall of an abandoned wing of the hospital that I could have heard anything.
The boy looked over. "I'm Jackson. Don't be nervous. We've only had one casualty since we started this."
He said it so seriously he had me going for a second until all three of them burst into laughter at the expense of my horrified expression.
"Okay, here we go," Grady announced.
There were several other volunteers mingling in the background, drinking coffee and sodas.
"You ready, dirtbags?" A girl, who appeared to be around the same age as me, stepped forward.
The hallway took on a serious racing atmosphere. This was complete madness, but the tingle of excitement coursing through my body told me it was exactly what I needed. I held tightly to the sidebars of the chair like Grady had instructed earlier. I wanted to tuck my legs under my bottom for fear of one falling off the footrests like Jackson was doing, but I didn't have the blood circulation to maintain that kind of position. Instead, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as the girl they called Trixie stood in front of us getting ready to start the countdown. She even had a black and white checkered flag. I shook my head in amused disbelief.
"Three, two, one, go!" She lifted the flag as she shouted and jumped up against the wall to get out of our way.
We were off, racing down a very long hallway, neck and neck with Jackson. Grady and the other driver were taunting each other as I held on for dear life. I had no idea what I signed up for or how seriously fast these things could go. The hallway went in a loop, so we cut the first corner, barely escaping a collision.
"You people are nuts!" I shouted over their playful banter while Jackson was laughing hysterically next to me. Our wheelchairs clipped around the next corner, but we were still dead even as we turned the final corner. The group of volunteers was lively now, having ditched their drinks for cackles and words of encouragement, almost all directed at Jackson, something I didn't mind. Hearing his laugh and seeing his face lit up warmed my heart. I didn't know why he was here, but for just a moment, he didn't have to remember why either.
Trixie took her place at the finish line with her flag extended. I could feel Grady pull back just a smidge to let Jackson take first place. Trixie waved the flag, signaling the race was over and officially announced Jackson as the undefeated winner. They handed him a small basket full of candy, DVDs, and video games. The prize was obviously designed for him, confirming my suspicion he was meant to win all along.
Grady wheeled me over to Jackson. "Great race," I said.
"You didn't do so bad for your first time." Jackson laughed.
"Yeah, well, I'm blaming my driver for the loss." I winked. He was such a sweet little boy, and the fact that he had been in here for multiple races told me he was sicker than he looked. My heart ached for him. "Thanks for the race. Maybe I'll see you around."
"We can play one of my new games."
Jackson’s determined smile was enough for me to try to keep my promise before I left. We hung out for a little bit, and then everyone dispersed their separate ways.
"Want to take a walk?" Grady asked.
"If you're the one doing the walking, then yes." It was past midnight, but I was having a lot of fun, and surprisingly comfortable around Grady. I recognized our destination as soon as the elevator door opened. "Why are you taking me here?"
"Because I know you can do more than what you did earlier."
He pushed me through the physical therapy doors straight to the walking bars.
"Grady, I'm pretty worn-out from earlier, and won't we get in trouble for being here?" I was mortified to do this in front of him. What if I fell?
"What they don't know won't hurt them, and I'll be right here. I'll catch you if you fall."
It was like he was reading my mind. "Fine," I said reluctantly.
He looped his arms under mine from behind and lifted me up to the bars. His chest grazed my back as he stood behind me, ready to catch me if he needed to.
"Now, put some weight on your feet," he whispered, sending chills down my spine.
