Fuel To The Fire (New Adult Contemporary Romance) (9 page)

Bristol
Motor Speedway track hospital, present day…

“Ms.
Zane?”

I wipe
my eyes and look up. I guess I dozed off. I glance around the waiting room.
It’s just Rachael and I. There’s a doctor standing in front of me.

“Yes?”

“My name
is Doctor Mayhall. I’m the chief Radiologist here at Bristol.”

“Yes
doctor, how is he?” I ask, standing up.

“Well,
he’s doing fine. We just saw something on his first CAT scan that needed to be
clarified. That’s the reason for the second scan.”

“And...?”

“We’re
pretty sure your...friend here suffered a seizure while racing.”

“What?
That can’t be right. He wrecked because he made a bonehead move ignoring his
spotter and cut another car off who hit him from behind. That’s what happened.
He didn’t have a seizure.”

“He had
a seizure alright. It’s crystal clear on that last exam. We don’t know when
exactly it happened. Do you know the time it was when he wrecked?”

“Oh
wow...I’ve got no idea, sorry. But how could he be driving while having a
seizure? It would make him crash right?”

My heart
is sinking slowly. I think I have an idea where Doctor Mayhall is going with this
and I don’t like it. This is not good news...holy crap this is bad.

“So he
wouldn’t necessarily crash,” Dr. Mayhall is saying.

“What?
Sorry doctor, could you repeat that last part, I was lost in thought.”

“Sure, I
know this is a lot to take in. What I was saying is that the seizure was pretty
insignificant so he could have easily had one and not even been aware of it. He
could have had several and not crashed.”

Phew...that
was close. For a second there I was afraid they were gonna tell me he has to
stop racing.

“Ms.
Zane?”

“Huh?
Sorry, so what now?”

“Now we
have to conduct some more tests and I’m afraid until those tests prove or
disprove seizure activity I can’t clear him to get behind the wheel again.”

“What?”
Shit! Suddenly I feel like someone just kicked me in the gut. I can’t seem to
breathe. I can’t believe I’m hearing this.

“You can
of course get a second opinion; in fact I suggest you do given the importance
of the situation here. If you like I can give you some names or if you have
someone else in mind...”

He pulls
a card out of his pocket and extends it to me. “If you have any questions or if
Marco has questions please don’t hesitate to call me. If you want that list of
other doctors please call me and I or someone from my staff will get that for
you. Would you like me or my nurse be there when you break the news to Mr.
Panata?”

I am
stunned. How can this be happening to me again?

“
Motor racing can never
be totally safe and it never should be in my opinion.
...”  Murray Walker

Carrie

June
17
^th
2011, Poconos Raceway

Danny is
at an all-time high, and I’m at my lowest low. He should not be racing today. I
don’t know which doctor cleared him to race, or if anyone did, but what I do
know is that the track never got Dr. Carmichael’s medical report banning him
from racing until further tests could be completed.

Say that
Danny did get a second opinion and
that
doctor cleared him to return to racing, there is no way that Dr. Carmichael
would not have been consulted and his findings examined. That’s standard
procedure set up so that people like Danny can’t pull one over on race
officials and doctors. He could not have been cleared without a note from Dr.
Carmichael on the report that eventually clears him. Even if Doctor Carmichael
doesn’t feel he is fit to race, Danny could still race providing that the new
doctor cleared him but only after consulting with the first doctor who benched
him. I didn’t know all this before but I still had time to contact race
officials and warn them to check out Danny and see Dr. Carmichael’s report.

So why
didn’t I do that? Lots of reasons. Fear of his reaction is a big one. Fear of
his team’s reactions for me ratting him out. Dozens of people would be out of a
job if their premiere racer is benched. Danny’s racing pays the salary for
thirty plus people. Who am I to take that away from all these good people? I
just couldn’t bring myself to do that. I’m sure it’s safe for Danny to race.
He’s been racing since he was a kid and that condition has never caused him a
problem and I’m sure it won’t today. This is his first pole position since his
rookie year and no way am I going to take that away from him.

After
giving Danny a last minute kiss for luck, I take my place just over the wall at
our pit box. I’ve never been a good faker, or liar for that matter, and I’m
finding that even more difficult today.

“Why the
long face?” Rachael asks as I take my seat.

“Ah you
know me...always stressed before the start.”

“Uh...actually
you’re quite the opposite. What’s going on? How can you not be happy? The way I
hear the car’s been running, the way Danny’s been racing, capturing the pole
position, you should be thrilled like the rest of us. So spill it!”

At that
second, in my moment of weakness, I just about spill my guts and rat out my
fiancé, but I don’t. I plaster a smile on my face and swallow my guilty
feelings as far down as I can. I’ll really be able to smile soon as the race is
over whether Danny wins or not. In fact, for the first time I could care less
if he wins or not. I just want the damn race to be over!

“That’s
the Carrie we all know and love!” Rachael exclaims, seeing my expression.

The race
is more than half over before I finally begin to relax and, dare I say it,
enjoy myself. I can’t believe I was paranoid enough to believe that Danny was
going to crash and kill himself. Of course not. He is fit to race and is on a
tear. He’s running third and has been in the top ten from the start except for
one short period. He even held on to first for the first fifty laps despite
frequent runs from the notorious Oliver Busch in the double zero car.
Eventually Danny had some tire trouble and had to take an unscheduled pit to take
care of the situation. Unfortunately that cost him the number one spot. He got
back on the track in the twenty-fifth position and has battled back ever since.

Danny,
Oliver, and Reyes have been battling it out for more than an hour now and with
ten more laps to go it’s anybody’s guess who’s going to take the checkered
flag. Then with 4 laps to go Danny suddenly slingshots around Oscar Reyes on
the high side, then slips down into second right behind the double zero car
driven by Oliver Busch. It was a perfectly executed move and Reyes didn’t have
enough left in his engine to hold him off. Now it’s between Danny and Oliver
for the checkered flag. Two laps to go! We’re so close to victory I can taste
the champagne in my mouth. I can feel the bubbles tickling my nose. We’re going
to have a party tonight.

One turn
left, then it’s a long straightaway, and the way Danny has been conserving fuel
and power I think he’s gonna do it. Oliver is having a harder and harder time
keeping his car in front of Danny’s. The pace has even dropped and the third
and fourth place cars are closing the gap. Danny doesn’t have to drive this
slowly. He’s just waiting for the perfect time to make his move.

And he
finally does it. In front of thousands of screaming fans all on their feet to
see the underdog win, my Danny goes to the right, slingshots right around
Oliver and passes him in a flash. The crowd erupts in a thunderous roar. Now
coming into the last turn he has a full second on Oliver and the gap is
widening.

I didn’t
see the exact moment it happened. I looked over at Rachael for a second to see
if she was just as excited as me. I heard the crash and the collective gasp of
thousands of screaming fans instantly silenced. I didn’t even have to look up
to know it was Danny. For some reason he didn’t pull out of the turn and hit
the wall at the very end at close to 200 miles per hour. Then, like a bomb
going off, the whole track full of race fans exploded with cries of shock,
surprise, and grief. The carnage was so complete there just could not have been
any chance for Danny to survive. I’m vaguely aware of someone pulling on my
arm.

“We have
to go Carrie!” she’s literally dragging me to our ambulance.

“I’ve
killed him! Oh my god Rachael I’ve killed Danny!”

“Shut
up, no one’s killed anyone. Now let’s get out there and bring him back.”

Rachael
climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the engine while I, still in a daze
climb in the passenger’s side.

The
weird thing about it is, in spite of the crash and Danny hitting the wall, he
actually took the checkered flag. He was moving so fast that when his car
finally came down to the track after sailing through the air for 200 yards
(according to race officials), Oliver’s car hit him in the rear and gave him
the shove he needed to cross the finish just before Oliver did. Reyes took
second, and some guy in the number 123 car took fourth.

We get
to the wreckage in no time. Just about the only thing left is the capsule where
the driver sits. The rest of the car has been shredded and torn from the frame.
The moment our vehicle comes to a stop I jump out and at a dead run reach Danny
in a matter of seconds.

I’ve
seen a lot of dead bodies before and I usually know when I’m seeing another
one. Even though my mind tries to trick me, I know. There are no injuries that
can be seen, but there is just something about the position of his body. Even
as I’m reaching in to check his pulse he suddenly stirs.

“Did I
win?” He asks.

I am so
angry, so happy, I don’t know what to say so I just smack him on the shoulder.

“Damn
you, Danny!”

“Newman’s first law: it’s useless to put on your brakes when
you’re upside down…”  Paul Newman

Carrie

With a
boulder sized lump in my throat and my heart aching, I open the door to Marco’s
room. He’s stretched out on the bed watching ESPN. His smile instantly
brightens my dark mood the second he sees me walk in. How can I crush that
smile? I smile back but I’m not certain I’m convincing enough. I walk over to
his bed and sit on the edge.

“Guess
this place is hurtin’ for dough huh? Two CAT scans in two days? These tests are
damn expensive and for what? To check and double check the fact that I’m
perfectly fine. And since when do they give you CAT scans for minor
concussions?”

“Stop
complaining.”

“So, you
here to spring me out of this joint?” he asks.

“Soon.
Just as soon as Dr. Mayhall signs the paperwork.”

“Good,
cause I am seriously getting stir crazy in this place. So when’s he coming back
to sign my medical release?”

I have
in my purse the form Dr. Mayhall filled out. The form that is denying Marco’s
returning to the track until further notice. I don’t know how to tell him and I
find myself wondering if I should have requested the doctor be here to help
deliver the news. He’s looking at me with a strange expression on his face. He
knows something is wrong, that I’m hiding something. Finally I do it the hard
way. Well, for him. I know I’m supposed to deliver the bad news with a loving
embrace and help him deal with the news but I just can’t. Instead I pull the
paper out of my purse and thrust it at Marco.

With a
confused look on his face he takes it out of my hands, spreads it out on his
lap and then reads it. He scans it really. He knows what it is. He looks at the
top, scans to the bottom, then wads it up and throws it across the room. His
face explodes with unbridled fury.

“What
the fuck was that? Has everybody just got their heads up their asses? Why
aren’t you saying anything?” he rages at me, then with the sweep of his arm
everything on the bedside table goes flying across the room.

“I’m so
sorry Marco. I can’t believe it either.” I say lamely.

Marco
suddenly sits up. He’s still got an IV in his right arm. He yanks the needle
out, grabs the VI stand, bag and all and throws it like a spear clear across
the room where it goes through the thick shades and shatters the window with a
deafening crash. Marco is like a wild man, and I’m terrified. I back away in
the corner as a petite female nurse runs in the room, takes one look at Marco
and runs back out calling for security. A rather large male doctor appears,
flanked by two male nurses. Still no security guards. Marco is on his feet in
an instant as the doctor moves in on him brandishing a syringe.

“Now Mr.
Panata, you need to calm down and return to your bed. I’ve got something here
that will make you feel a lot better than you do now.”

His
voice is calm, but there’s no denying the authority it carries. Marco looks at
him, looks at the bed, but still remains standing beside it.

The
doctor raises his voice a little louder. “Marco, look at your friend there.” He
points to me cowering in the corner. “Look at how you’re terrifying her. Do you
really want to do that to her? It’s not her fault what’s happening. She was
doing her best to give you the bad news herself so you wouldn’t have to hear it
from a complete stranger.”

By now
there are three security guards in the room along with the huge doctor and the
two male nurses. The lead guard has some kind of stun gun that he’s pointing at
Marco.

“See
that guard there? He’s very good aim with that thing. Do you really want to
feel 50,000 volts running through your body? You have to the count of five,
Marco.”

Marco
edges away from the bed and closer to an empty IV pole. I’m sure they’re
wondering the same thing I am. Is he going to actually grab that thing and use
it?

“Three...”
Says the security guard. “Four..”

He fires
on four. This little dart with wires attached shoots out and sticks Marco in
the chest. His whole body arches backwards as the electricity courses through
his system. He’s frozen in that position for just a second, then he collapses
like a limp rag doll on the ground. Immediately the big doctor and the two
guards rush the stunned race car driver and fall on him. Marco is beyond any
resistance at this point. They pick him up and dump him unceremoniously on his
bed where they proceed to handcuff one hand to each rail. Then one guard
produces a set of padded straps and secures his legs and chest. Finally they
strap his head down and then his arms. Once the padded straps are in place they
remove the metal cuffs for his safety. The doctor then gives Marco the shot and
in two seconds he’s out like a light.

One of
the male nurses helps me to my feet. “Would you like something to relax you
ma’am?” he asks.

“Uh...I
don’t want to end up like that.” I say pointing to Marco’s sleeping form.

“Oh,
nothing like that. But I can offer you a valium if you like. You’ve been
through a lot. We can bring a comfortable chair or you can relax in the lounge.
How about it?”

Someone
must have called Rachael because she shows up in the doorway. She runs over to
me and gives me a long hug.

“Are you
hurt?” she asks, stepping back to get a good look at me.

“No I’m
okay, but look what they did to Marco.”

She
looks at him, then surveys the room once more. “Looks like he needed it.”

“Now
about that sedative?” the big doctor asks again.

“What
are they offering you?” Rachael asks.

“Valium.”

“I think
you should take it. You’ve been in a war it looks like. You need it girl.”

I look
at the doctor for a minute the make my decision. “Yeah, I could use one.”

The
doctor nods and one of the nurses goes out to get it. A few minutes later he
comes in with a cup of water and two little blue pills.

“You can
have one or two. Your choice.”

It’s
been a crazy long ass day. I grab them both and without further thought gulp
them down and chase them with water. I turn to my best friend.

“You
think you—”

“Of
course I’ll take you home,” she says, reading my mind.

I want
to get home and away from everybody else before the drugs start making me get
all loopy. I walk over to Marco. He looks at peace finally. The wrinkles are
gone and he’s totally relaxed. It’s hard to believe what just happened when I
look at him just now. I lean over and kiss him on his forehead. “Sleep well
Marco…sweet dreams.”