If it weren’t for the fact that she knew Rose would more than jump at the chance to be able to spend time with Vincent, Grace would almost feel guilty about suggesting she make plans with him again. He was actually coming in handy, not only to keep Rose company Friday night but today as well. Normally she’d balk at her little sister spending so much time with him but she needed to talk to Joey and Taylor without Rose there and she knew her sister would tag along rather than stay home with her mother and Ruben to entertain Frank. So Grace agreed to let her go to the beach with him today but only for a few hours until she took care of what she needed to.

An hour later, despite her mother’s protests, Grace and Rose walked out at the same time. Vince had texted Rose that he was just around the corner. She felt guilty when she saw Frank pull up and park behind his own Cadillac. The very vehicle she’d be using to flee his company today.

“Oh God. I should’ve left sooner.”

Rose glanced at Frank who’d already gotten out of his car and was on his way to meet them. “What are you gonna tell him?”

“That I have errands to run,” Grace whispered as he got closer. “I’m not staying and hanging out with him again. Mom’s nuts.”

Suddenly she regretted that in her haste to rush out before Frank arrived sh’de neglected to eat anything because a wave of lightheadedness swept over her again just as he reached them.

“Going somewhere?” he asked.

Trying hard to ignore the fact that the dizzy spell she was experiencing was one of the worse she had to date, she smiled. “Yeah, I have a few errands I need to run today. I’ll be gone all day but my mom and Ruben are up there waiting for you.”

Vince pulled up in the Jetta, reawakening the pain of her heartache but she was still relieved to see him because Rose immediately waved goodbye to them and walked away. As soon as she turned her back Grace reached out for Frank’s arm, needing the support before she fell. “You okay?”

He brought his arms around her as Grace leaned against him, willing the spell to go away. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Maybe you shouldn’t be driving like this.”

Grace looked up at him, his face close enough she could smell the mouthwash on his breath, then glanced over to where Rose now sat in the front seat of the jetta and both she and Vincent were looking their way. She managed a smile before they drove away. “No I’m okay.” The spell was already passing, but she did need to get out of there. Now more than ever. “I’ll be fine. I just skipped breakfast but I’ll grab something.”

“You sure?” Frank searched her eyes, his hand still firmly on her elbow.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She smiled, fishing the keys out of her purse. “I’ll be fine as soon as I grab a bite.” His eyes still seemed unconvinced. “It’s the first thing I’ll do. I promise.”

Okay so she lied when she said it would be the first thing she would do, but it was for good reason. Some things were more important at the moment. She waved as she drove away feeling that familiar tightness in her throat. She didn’t think it possible and she prayed that she was wrong. Her health hadn’t been an issue in years. Unbelievably life could be getting even more complicated for her now.

Of course it would be Grace’s luck that there’d be three other people waiting to use the blood pressure machine at the pharmacy. A sad indication of her neighborhoods status level. Like her, most probably didn’t have insurance and had to rely on the free resources available to them.

She walked around through the vitamin aisles. For weeks she’d suspected her dizzy spells were a sure sign that her anemia was back. She’d suffered from it when she was younger but it had gotten better and since she’d read that it was curable with good diet and iron supplements, she made sure she ate well and took her pills. Unfortunately, she stopped worrying too much about it and began neglecting taking the iron supplements after a few years of zero symptoms.

Shock she was told, was also something that could bring on the sudden drop in blood pressure, something she so often had when her anemia was at its worst. Nothing could have shocked her more than finding out about Sal and Melissa. She was certain that’s what had started it all, and now she’d hardly had an appetite since the break up. And the last thing on her mind lately had been to take iron supplements, in fact she’d run out years ago and with no symptoms she hadn’t bothered replacing them.

After grabbing a generic brand of iron pills she walked back to where there was only one person waiting for the machine now.

When it was her turn she sat down and even though she’d done this many times before she was nervous. The instructions on the machine said to push the stop button if she began to feel dizzy or faint. Grace remembered once becoming so lightheaded while taking the test she’d hit the stop button in a panic. She already felt dizzy and she hadn’t even hit the start button. But she had to know the severity—had to know if she was going to have to bite the bullet and use the insurance she was sure Alex hadn’t cancelled yet. Her anemia could get bad. And with the frequency of the dizziness she’d been feeling lately, this couldn’t be good. She couldn’t take a chance of falling into that kind of illness now that she was getting ready to start her own business.

Taking a deep breath she pressed the start button. The machine did its thing and began to squeeze around her arm. Her hand was ready to push the stop button but it happened too fast. An incredible wave of lightheadedness swept over her and before she could react everything went black.