Im fine, she said. Pushed a little too hard…massive leg cramp.

She hoped it didnt sound too much like a lie. She was scared. No…she was terrified. The pain had been immense, like nothing shed ever felt before, and the white specks and flash were somehow even worse.

She looked ahead and saw the three firing stations. Shed fallen less than twenty yards away from the end of the course.

But recalling that awful pain and the white spots and flashes, she had a sudden worry that it was the least of her problems.

CHAPTER TWO

Rachel was pretty sure that one of the more tense moments in a persons life was the handful of minutes following a CAT scan. It was bad enough that her primary care physician had seen her for ten minutes and then directed her to a specialist; that had placed a huge knot of worry in her heart. But now, sitting in a too-bright examination room while waiting for the neurological specialist to come back in, was like waiting in a cell to be led to the electric chair.

She felt fine, other than the nerves. Up until the point her doctor had recommended she see a specialist, Rachel was certain it would turn out to be nothing. Maybe just some random migraine that had blind-sided her and somehow affected her vision at worst.

But with each minute that passed, she became more and more certain there was more going on. Having to visit a specialist was scary enough. But waiting for them to come into the room for more than twenty minutes after a CAT scan was infinitely worse. A million different scenarios played themselves out in her head but they all felt ridiculous. The worst ailments shed ever suffered were a fractured wrist and a very small surgery to remove a tooth when she was fourteen. She rarely even got sick, for Gods sake.

The doctor finally came in exactly twenty-three minutes after the scan (Rachel knew this because shed been checking almost obsessively). He had a folder in his hand and she was pretty sure she could see the white corners of her scan peeking out from around the edges. He was an older man, closing in on sixty, and had the sort of voice that was made for doctorscalm and reassuring with just an edge of authority. Hed introduced himself when she arrived but she had forgotten his name. Fortunately, it was right there, pinned to his breast pocket: Dr. Greene.

Mrs. Gift, I have a few questions before we get to your results, Greene said.

That cant be good, right? she asked. Already, her heart was plummeting. It felt like it had been tossed into a mine shaft.

The flickering lights you described…today was the first time you experienced them?

Yes.

Any headaches as of late?

Rachel thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. None that stand out, no.