No Second Place: Places, #4

By Fran Driscoll

Rita dreams of Olympic Gold, and when the front runner in the wheelchair marathon event is disqualified, she finally has her chance…

 

Determined to not let anything get in her way, Rita trains harder than ever, but she begins to struggle when she is robbed, almost drowned, then witnesses a terrible wreck.

 

As her workout buddy is fighting for his life, Rita is fighting to keep her spot on the Olympic team. Can Rita's faith and drive to succeed get her into the winner's circle? And will she find love along the way?

 

If you love Christian Romantic Suspense, you'll love "No Second Place," a novella in the thrilling series, "Places."

 

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Fran Driscoll
• Release date: Sep 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201792305

Book preview

Chapter One

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29 (Berean Study Bible)

Rita palmed the sweat out of her eyes and pushed her wheelchair down the court as fast as she could. Her teammate passed the basketball, and she lined up for the shot.

Easy, breezy, she told herself. I’ve made this one a thousand times.

Crash! The chair hit hers and Rita let the ball go just in time. She hit the floor, and a gasp flashed through the crowd like lightning. Then a thunderous cheer told her that her aim was true. Three points closer to victory. Rita scrambled back into her wheelchair and rolled down the court, anxious for the next pass.

Lucky shot! Filet those sharks! Filet those sharks! The well-feathered mascot for the Raptors wheeled along the sideline yelling his smart-alek comments with annoying constancy. Rita really wanted to knock him out of his chair, but she wanted to win more.

Thirteen seconds left, but they were only down by a point. If she could hit two or three more shots like the last one, she’d feel safe, but one would win it. The muscle-bound Raptor with the two-foot mound of weave atop her head took her shot. It was good. Now they were down by three again, so she couldn’t miss.

Rita Laye cannot play. Sharks are going to drown today. The Raptor mascot did his best to distract Rita, but his squawking faded into the crowd sounds, like a TV left on too long.

The pass came, as Rita knew it would. Ms. Muscles tried to steal the ball, but Rita reversed and drew herself back to three-point territory. Her territory. Up went the ball and Swish! Nothing but net. Seven seconds left, and they were tied.

The defense blocked the Raptors and forced a Hail Mary, but the redheaded Raptor threw too soon, and the rebound was off the rim and in Rita’s hands with two seconds to spare. She hefted it to her best friend, Amy, a center with a gift for free throws who was rolling toward the basket at breakneck speed.

Please hit it! Rita whispered.

The lay-up was beautiful, and the two points they needed came as the buzzer sounded.

Amy threw her hands up and glared at the nearby Raptors mascot. Rita Laye sure can play! Now the Raptors may fly away. She flapped her arms like a bird for emphasis.

The team rolled themselves into a circle and high-fived all around. They were district champions who had just become second seed in the final four. Coach jumped around like a kid at the county fair, fist-bumping the players and screaming, Shark Bait! Shark Bait! right along with them.

Rita rolled over to good game the other team and made sure to give the mascot an extra hard slap on the palm as she passed him. She looked through the mesh that allowed him to see and noted that his nose was much like a falcon’s, large and hooked, and it took all of her self control not to comment on it as she rolled off the floor. Rita pushed hard for the locker room. She wanted a shower badly, but more than that, she was waiting for information from her coach on her qualification for the 2020 Olympic games.

Usually, the Paralympic athletic events followed the Olympics and received very little coverage. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) traditionally allowed exhibition events only during the Olympics though Paralympic athletes were every bit as elite as the ones who got all the media attention. Finally, there was a breakthrough. There was one Paralympic event approved by the committee for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. A marathon for wheelchair athletes. And that was Rita’s race.

She had already won five consecutive Boston Marathons, and routinely trained thirty miles for the 26.1-mile competition on the rural Mississippi roads. Her event would coincide with the cycling competitions in Japan, which used similar strategies. The only thing that needed to be finalized was her place in the top six. The frontrunner’s blood test showed an unauthorized substance and as soon as her appeals ran out, Rita was in. Her only concern was that the men were allowed to start a full ten minutes before the women, which she considered an insult.

The first events would start on July 25, 2020. Less than one year to go, and the men better stay out of her way. Even more heartening, the United States Olympic Committee went a step further, changing its name to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Maybe next time there would be more than one Olympic event she could enter—if she was still strong enough. But right now, she had to focus on 2020, and let 2024 take its course.

She quickly showered, dressed, and rolled down the hall to her coach’s office. Coach Z was fingering through a stack of mail. When she saw Rita, she shook her head. No email either. It’ll come Monday, probably. So go get a treat while you still can.

Why did you say that? Now I’m craving a frozen lemonade.

Go get it, and then I want you to hit twenty three-point shots before you turn in. They made the difference today, and the Raptor’s redheaded rookie is what killed them. We should’ve lost today. They outplayed us. She stood and began to pace.

But we didn’t lose. And next weekend, we’re going to be regional champions. Bet you a dollar.

I’ll take that bet. A smiling face poked his head into the office. Can I interest either of you ladies in dinner?

Coach shook her head. I have a date with my husband tonight. You two kids go have fun. When Rita is officially on the Olympic team, things are going to be a lot tougher.

I don’t think anybody can be tougher on Rita than she is on herself. Her boyfriend, Tyler Colavita, stepped into the office and handed Rita a single red rose. I would’ve bought a whole bouquet on the way here, but I was afraid of jinxing you.

Rita rolled her eyes. No such thing, superstitious.