Chapter 17: When Life Throws a Curve Ball
The next morning Kira woke up in a strange bed with a pounding headache. When she sat up she felt a wave of nausea sweep over her so she carefully stumbled over to the open door where she saw the toilet and began to throw up for what felt like forever. Once her stomach was empty of both food and scotch she leaned against the bathtub and remembered why she was in the strange room. After leaving the bar she'd only made it a few miles away before she knew that there was no way that she was in any shape to ride her bike back to where she'd left her truck, much less drive all of the way back to Atlanta, so she'd stopped at the rundown motel near the bar and checked in. She must have passed out on the bed as soon as she had gotten to her room since she still had her boots on.
After she felt that she could stand without getting sick, she turned the shower on and got ready to get in to clear her head from the alcohol induced fog. As she took her clothes off she remembered the challenge that she lost and the consequence that she'd paid as a result of it. Standing under the weak stream of water with the small bar of soap, Kira began to scrub herself so hard with the wash cloth that felt her skin become raw. The very fact that she'd stripped in front of not only the other racers but so many strangers was completely humiliating. She couldn't figure out how she had allowed herself to be put in that position. If the fact that she'd done it wasn't bad enough, the fact that it had been caught on film was much worse. Nor could she see how she could go back to the track and face the other racers there.
After the lukewarm water began to chill Kira turned the water off, grabbed the towel on the counter and dried off. She knew that she still had to go and get her truck before heading home. She just hoped that she'd be able to hide not only the fact that she was suffering from a not so slight hangover but from the shame of what she'd done the night before as well.
As she had done her small performance all she could do was think about the girls that she remembered going out to work the streets at night while living on the streets. Taking off her clothes in front of so many strangers as well as her fellow racers had felt like it had gone far too close to that line that she'd promised herself that she'd never cross.
Kira checked out of the rundown motel and got her bearings before finding the old roadhouse and its empty parking lot. She loaded up her bike onto the back of the bed and headed back to Atlanta with the biggest headache that she had ever had. Once back home she asked if Gloria could find her some aspirin and then headed off to bed once more after pulling her curtains tightly against the sun that filtered through them. The fact that there was a race again today was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to do nothing but ease the pain in her head and the shame in her heart.
Later in the day Kira's headache eased and she became aware of the fact that if she didn't show at the race then she'd be admitting to every single rider who had been at the bar that she was embarrassed by the performance that she'd given the night before. She'd be hiding from them and their opinions of her; and she never hid from anyone. Least of all the ragtag group of racers who had the annoying habit of finding humor in the most inane acts. So despite the fact that she didn't want to spend the evening with the same people that she'd stripped in front of the night before she headed out and prepared to put on a face of aloofness. She didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing that she was still reeling from the affects that the challenge had on her.
She headed out toward the track for the second day of racing while being hyper-conscious of any looks that she received from the other riders. Being a bit distracted, she didn't even place in the top ten in the first race of the day. During the second race she placed ninth but it was clear that she wasn't racing anywhere near the level that she had the day before. By the end of the final race Kira was ready to load her bike back up and head home. She had no desire in heading out in an attempt to show Ben or anyone else that she was trying to make friends. If Ben noticed that she was home earlier than usual she'd just tell him that she had a headache; which she still did from the night before.
As she was in the process of loading her bike up she heard Jebb calling out to her which caused her to bite back a groan of frustration. She'd hoped that she could have gotten out away from the track before anyone noticed.
"Kyle, are you planning on joining the rest of us again tonight?"
"Nope." Kira tightened the strap down as she secured her motorcycle and essentially ignored Jebb as she climbed out of the bed of the truck.
"Why not? You ain't still sore about last night, are ya?"
"No." Kira closed the tailgate and walked around toward the driver's side door of the truck but couldn't climb in since Jebb was leaning against it. "Move, Duke."
Jebb held out a helmet in his hands that she instantly recognized as being the one that she'd left behind in the bar the night before after her striptease. "You left this behind last night. Thought that you might want it back."
Kira took the helmet and waited for Jebb to move.
"You sure you won't come out? Believe it or not, you gained a lot of respect from the others last night. They didn't think that you'd follow through. You proved that you are true to your word. That means a lot in this group. If you come out tonight I'm sure you'll have fun."
"No thanks," Kira said with a glare.
"Come on. Join us for just one hour. Blake lost a bet and will have to make an unusual deposit at the bank later on. If you come we'll even let you run the camera."
Kira wanted to tell Jebb exactly where he could shove that camera of his but the same part of her that had insisted that she come to the race today also told her that if she really wanted to hide just how much the night before had humiliated her then joining the other racers in their night of so called fun was exactly what she had to do. She now knew better than to accept any other challenges for a while so she should be safe from another night of embarrassment. Her ego would have to be soothed with that knowledge and that alone since her pride insisted that she risk yet another night with Jebb and his friends.
For the rest of the racing season Kira was quick to leave without chatting with anyone else on the circuit when she could. During the times that she was cornered by Jebb or one of the other racers she would head off with the other racers but for never longer than an hour before stating that she had to leave since she had an early class the next day; despite the fact that her first class of the day was at ten.
By the end of the season she'd placed second three more times but she'd yet to win a race. That fact alone grated on her nerves. Once the season was over she continued to seek out new areas to practice her riding skills, particularly the ones that she needed while racing off road. All through the winter she could be found riding her motorcycle despite the cold whenever she wasn't busy at the office or with her school work.
As the spring approached along with new racing season Kira knew that she'd improved her skills and was anxious to prove it. After the races, she'd begun to head off to the bars with the rest of the racers for the after race parties but she remained very reserved and carefully held onto her air of aloofness to hide her discomfort around the other riders. In general, she basically acted as if she couldn't care less about the various pranks and stunts that the others pulled on not only each other but her from time to time as well.
Today she actually had a real excuse for leaving out right after the race since she had to get back to Atlanta before the next day. She'd had blood drawn at her last appointment with her doctor and a message had been left for her while she was at school on Friday that stated that the he wanted to discuss the results with her on Monday.
Kira put her helmet on and made ready for the beginning of the race while putting both the appointment for the next day as well as the other riders out of her mind. She focused on one thing, winning. She told herself that she would win this race come hell or high water. When the starting pistol shot out she gunned her bike ahead of many of the other riders and she found that she had no problem with passing most of the ones that had started off ahead of her. As she neared the halfway mark the only racer still ahead of her was Jebb Duke. Kira saw that the next bend was narrower than the previous turns and knew that if she didn't get ahead of him before that turn she likely wouldn't get another chance since the remaining course left few opportunities to pass other riders safely.
Kira pushed her bike even faster than she usually did and cut in front of Jebb just before she made it into the turn and then pulled away and entered the next curve as she headed toward the end of the course. As she crossed the finished line she realized that she'd done what she hadn't been able to achieve in nearly two years of racing; she'd beaten Jebb.
Kira removed her helmet and coolly accepted congratulations from the spectators and other riders. Among them was Jebb Duke himself. When he walked over he had his hand extended toward her.
"Looks like you finally did it. Congratulations. How about I buy you a round to celebrate?"
Kira eyed the hand and then the man that it belonged to before taking it for only a moment before adding, "No thanks. I have to head back to Atlanta tonight. Maybe next time."
"What's so important back there? Come on, I'm sure that whatever it is can wait, right?"
"Sorry, I can't. You'll just have to drink that round yourself. I'll let you buy me a drink the next time I win instead."
She then set about to loading up her bike and left the track and all of the racers behind her. The entire drive back to Fulton County Kira allowed herself to smile so broadly that her cheeks hurt from it. She couldn't wait to tell Ben about today's race. Here she hadn't even completed her second racing season and she'd actually won a race. Won it, not just placing second. What a way to start off a week.
Kira sat in the waiting room of her doctor's office and waited to be called. She was only mildly surprised when Ben walked in to join her. She hadn't told him about the appointment but James clearly had.
"You didn't have to come down here, you know. Don't you have a case to prepare for?"
"An hour break won't put me behind on my planning. I do wish that you'd been the one to tell me that you had an appointment today, though."
"I have lots of appointments. I come to a lot of them alone."
"You haven't been called to return for another so soon before," Ben pointed out while trying not to worry about the reason for Kira's recall to the office.
Kira shrugged but didn't say anything in return. A nurse called Kira's name so both she and Ben were led toward the consultation office that the doctor used to speak with his patients and their families when he needed a room where an examination room didn't quite fit the bill. Dr. Wilkens walked in shortly after the nurse left the two alone in the room and put a file down that he'd started nearly four years prior. Kira had been fifteen when she'd first been brought in to see him. At that time she'd been a ward of the state after being found living on the streets whereas now she was a nineteen year old young woman who was doing her best to prepare for law school.
Telling anyone what he was about to was never easy. Still, this was part of his job. At least this time he knew that the young woman sitting across from his desk would have support from the very beginning rather than to be left to wither away in a hospital room alone and uncared for by anyone other than the staff.
Dr. Wilkens tugged at his tie and sat down as he prepared himself for the next half hour with his patient after learning some distressing news.
Kira was scheduled for more tests and began treatments that she was all too familiar with before the end of the week. That first treatment left her feeling more exhausted than she could remember from her last round while battling cancer. Of course she hadn't been trying to balance a full course load in college at the time either. Between the nausea and low energy, Kira found herself in bed and barely able to move by the time the next race came around two weeks later. While the other riders were racing along the dirt courses in the next county she was sequestered in her room with the curtains tightly drawn to block out the light as she fought an intense headache. In her condition she doubted quite seriously that she'd even be able to hold her motorcycle upright, much less ride it.
Kira hated the fact that she was once more in a fight for her life where the only way to battle the ailment that had attacked her just when she thought that things were going right in her life was to subject herself to the treatments recommended by her doctors which she knew very well were hit or miss. There were no guarantees when it came to beating the cancer that now coursed through her veins. The only thing that she could do to feel like she was doing something to progress her life in a positive direction was to do her best to keep up with her studies when she wasn't too tired or sick to do her work.
After discussing her condition with the university and her professors she was allowed to keep up with her classes by way of listening to lectures on tape and she was given a revised timeline for each of her assignments. Kira's pride was wounded for each assignment that she hadn't completed in the same amount of time that had been given for each of her classmates. She refused to use her illness as an excuse to not complete her work within the regular timeline if she could help it. For every assignment that she completed late she berated and promised herself that the next one would be on time; even when she knew that such a promise was unrealistic.
Shortly after breakfast, of which Kira ate very little of, Gloria came to her room to change her linens for her so that she wouldn't have to endure sweat soaked sheets after yet another night of severe night sweats which usually left her dehydrated. Keeping the sheets dry and changed helped to hold off the chills that she got after a bout with the night sweats. The fact that the chores that Kira had begun to take care of on her own after being gifted with the new lock on her door when Ben adopted her now had to be done by the housekeeper once more was one more indignity that she was left to suffer.
For years she had made her own bed and cleaned her own bathroom; neither of which she could do now. After a treatment she would spend days recovering and but even on a good day the simplest task was no longer so easy to do. Even reading through her text books and trying to listen to her lectures sometimes left her so tired that she needed a nap.
Once Gloria left Kira alone she made a trip to the bathroom and before she left she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Seeing her hair in disarray she grabbed up her brush and began to tame the once thick mane. As she brushed her hair she noticed more and more of it coming loose and falling out. She knew to expect it from her last battle with cancer and the treatments required to fight against it but she hadn't been ready for it just yet. As she ran her hands through her thinning hair she couldn't help but feel a tear roll down her cheek. She shouldn't have to go through this again. It just wasn't fair.