Marking Time

By: Marie Force

Marie Force

Copyright 2011 by Marie Force

Smashwords Edition

Cover by Kristina Brinton

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All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

For all the readers who asked for Clare’s story—thank you!

Part I: Marking Time

Marching in place.

Chapter 1

Clare checked her watch again. One thirty. It must be done by now. My husband—or I should say ex-husband—is remarried.

“Ex-husband,” she said with a shudder. Unimaginable. Divorced… Such an ugly word.

She wheeled her chair across her room in the rehabilitation center and gazed out at the steamy August day. Somewhere along the Ten Mile Ocean Drive in historic Newport, Jack had exchanged vows with Andi. He has a new family now. Clare had known this day was coming and had set the whole thing in motion by letting him go, but that didn’t make it any easier to imagine her Jack married to someone else. “Not my Jack anymore,” she said to herself.

The door opened. “Mrs. Harrington?”

Clare didn’t correct the nurse. She wasn’t “Mrs.” any longer. “Yes?”

“They’re ready for you in PT.”

Taking another long look at the City by the Sea, Clare wondered what Jack was doing right at that moment. Was he kissing his bride? Making a toast? Dancing with one of their daughters? She shook her head, angry to have allowed herself even a brief trip down that road. What did it matter now?

“Let’s go.” She wheeled herself to the door to let the nurse push her through the long hallways to physical therapy.

After dinner, Clare worked her way into lightweight pajamas. She was proud of her ability to do things for herself, even small things like changing her clothes. Each little victory added up. Rolling the wheelchair across the room she’d called home for the last four months, she eased herself from her chair to the sofa on her own—another recent accomplishment. Her recovery was coming along slowly but surely.