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Runner
#WritcoStoryChallenge
Does life give us a second chance? The race had begun and she wondered if she would win this time round. As she lay in the hospital bed, Danielle saw everything flash in front of her eyes.
She was younger, five years younger. A 22 year old Danielle was fresh out of college and three days into her first paycheck from an engineering firm. She was out at a friend's birthday party, but she knew almost no one there. She was sitting in a corner, twirling a straw in her fingers and tossing her brown hair out of her fingers when a stranger approached her.
A blissful year had passed with that stranger, now known as her husband. It was a brief meeting but the rushed into marriage as soon as possible. But he changed when she didn't. He was cruel to her. But Danielle couldn't escape, not when they were expecting their first child.
6 months passed and Danielle was already in labour. The baby was premature. During those 36 hours, a baby, several tissues, many tears and a husband was lost.
A year after that, Danielle was broken. She had lost everything. Her son, her husband, and her health. She stopped taking care of herself. In the later winter months, she was about to end it all but Dominic caught her at the right time.
Another year had passed when Dominic and Danielle were celebrating their first anniversary. Dominic grew to fill in the spaces left in Danielle by the trauma. And he promised to never do anything like that to anyone. They were both complete with each other.
Two years later, Danielle was going into labour again. This time it was at 8 months, and she was scared. Scared but happy. She lay on the hospital bed looking back at those five years. She looked at her new husband as they prepped her for the procedure. The baby was premature by one month, but he was strong and independent enough to come outside.
It hurt. It hurt a lot. It felt to her as if the doctors were murderes in pale masks. But she knew better. So she closed her eyes and squeezed Dominic's hand when she heard a small cry. A small lump was wriggling in the nurses arms, fighting to be let into hers. She held her baby for the first time and remembered pushing back his brown hair as he opened his large blue eyes to look at her. She burst into tears and Dominic smiled and chuckled as he took him away, when Danielle passed out.
Life had been good to get on her second chance. She won the race, fresh, exhilarated, tired, sweating, happy, as she ran through the red ribbon and felt it snap on her chest with a man by her side and a baby in her arms. A victorious runner.
Does life give us a second chance? The race had begun and she wondered if she would win this time round. As she lay in the hospital bed, Danielle saw everything flash in front of her eyes.
She was younger, five years younger. A 22 year old Danielle was fresh out of college and three days into her first paycheck from an engineering firm. She was out at a friend's birthday party, but she knew almost no one there. She was sitting in a corner, twirling a straw in her fingers and tossing her brown hair out of her fingers when a stranger approached her.
A blissful year had passed with that stranger, now known as her husband. It was a brief meeting but the rushed into marriage as soon as possible. But he changed when she didn't. He was cruel to her. But Danielle couldn't escape, not when they were expecting their first child.
6 months passed and Danielle was already in labour. The baby was premature. During those 36 hours, a baby, several tissues, many tears and a husband was lost.
A year after that, Danielle was broken. She had lost everything. Her son, her husband, and her health. She stopped taking care of herself. In the later winter months, she was about to end it all but Dominic caught her at the right time.
Another year had passed when Dominic and Danielle were celebrating their first anniversary. Dominic grew to fill in the spaces left in Danielle by the trauma. And he promised to never do anything like that to anyone. They were both complete with each other.
Two years later, Danielle was going into labour again. This time it was at 8 months, and she was scared. Scared but happy. She lay on the hospital bed looking back at those five years. She looked at her new husband as they prepped her for the procedure. The baby was premature by one month, but he was strong and independent enough to come outside.
It hurt. It hurt a lot. It felt to her as if the doctors were murderes in pale masks. But she knew better. So she closed her eyes and squeezed Dominic's hand when she heard a small cry. A small lump was wriggling in the nurses arms, fighting to be let into hers. She held her baby for the first time and remembered pushing back his brown hair as he opened his large blue eyes to look at her. She burst into tears and Dominic smiled and chuckled as he took him away, when Danielle passed out.
Life had been good to get on her second chance. She won the race, fresh, exhilarated, tired, sweating, happy, as she ran through the red ribbon and felt it snap on her chest with a man by her side and a baby in her arms. A victorious runner.
