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Anyway…
After we’d been introduced, Dyson mentioned his brother was a racer as well. However, unlike Dyson, Chance raced motorcycles, specifically superbikes. I had no idea what that meant, but apparently grown men race motorcycles at speeds exceeding one hundred twenty five miles per hour on the same race tracks Dyson drove two hundred miles per hour in a car.
In fact, just before leaving for his qualifying run, Dyson slapped his brother on the shoulder and said, “This mother fucker right here… I may be crazy, but he’s insane.”
The brothers exchanged hugs, laughing with each other before Dyson walked away to get his qualifying runs started.
After he disappeared into the crowd, his mother, Mary, turned towards me. “Would you like to sit with us while Dyson is running?”
I smiled and nodded at her.
“Yes,” I began. “Very much.”
Just as we were all about to take our seat in the grandstands, Chance and Melanie said they were going to get something to drink. After they wandered off, I sat between Dyson’s parents and got an earful about the team’s top driver.
Apparently, since he could stand, Doug and Mary were constantly protecting Dyson from… himself. From an early age he took risks other boys wouldn’t, or couldn’t. Doug, sensing an impending disaster with his young son, eventually turned to a close friend who raced garage-built hot rods on the weekend at a dirt track near Pomona.
Right away, Dyson started out racing go-karts, then moved on to midget racing. He was a prodigy and no one could get the better of him from the first day he sat behind the wheel.
Even so, his journey wasn’t a smooth one.
As he grew up, his addiction to speed wasn’t the only one he battled. Even though he rose through the ranks with ease, by the time he arrived in the all-business world of Formula One, his sponsors and teammates began to lose patience with him.
He’d managed to turn things around in the last year or two, but after I witnessed his latest meltdown with Darren, the stories his parents told me seemed closer to the truth than not.
I wondered how close to the edge his career could be.
AVA
“He’s running well,” Dyson’s dad said, as he looked up at the times.
Dyson made several runs over the last hour, and with each one, he improved. He ran faster than Marco, but still trailed Gunter for the lead. He’d just left the pits once again to try and catch the points leader when I turned towards his father, answering him.
“Yeah, he’s really fast. It’s the quickest I’ve seen him drive yet in qualifying.”
Just then, Dyson’s brother and sister returned with food and drinks for all of us.
“How’s he doing?” Chance asked, sitting down next to me.
I glanced at him, not yet used to seeing a Dyson look-alike.
“Terrific. He just left to go out again.”
Chance nodded and drank some of his soda.
We sat there for the next couple of minutes, making small talk and waiting for Dyson to come down the straightaway. Soon enough, he appeared. Dyson’s mother pointed up at the Jumbotron.
“Here he comes!”
Within seconds, Dyson’s car screamed by our position, the engine wailing, reaching its maximum output. Simultaneously, we all stood, craning our necks to follow him. When he disappeared from our line of sight, we all glanced up to the Jumbotron and checked his time.
It was his fastest lap yet.
We exchanged high-fives and celebrated while Dyson continued around the track for another lap. After sitting, I glanced in the direction of the pits. I expected to see the same level of excitement we shared while we watched Dyson make his qualifying run. However, everyone appeared to be quite subdued and if I had to guess, unhappy.
Most displeased of all was Darren.
While Dyson’s family talked amongst themselves, I watched Darren gesturing excitedly while talking to Dyson over race radio. For the next several seconds, I kept my focus on him and noticed his frustration increase.
Without speaking, I glanced to my left and right to see if anyone else noticed Darren’s behavior as well. By the looks of things, no one had. A couple of seconds later, I looked at Darren one last time. He seemed completely irate, so much so that he removed his headphones and slammed them down in disgust.
Suddenly Dyson’s brother leaned in towards me. I wasn’t the only one after all.
“Darren looks pissed.”
I nodded, an uneasy feeling found its way into the pit of my stomach. “Yeah. He sure does.”
“Typical Dyson,” Chance grumbled.
Instantly, I thought back to the huge fight Dyson and Darren had the other day. From the looks of things, nothing had been resolved. While I didn’t know exactly what it meant, it couldn’t be good. Darren’s anger got the better of him, and he climbed down from his observation perch, walking away and waving his hands in the air. Just then, the sound of Dyson’s car rounding the straightaway caught our attention.
I turned my head and watched.
Within seconds, Dyson tore past us. I looked up to see not only that he’d made his fastest run yet, but the fastest of anyone else, by far.
Nearly two full seconds.
I couldn’t understand the reason for Darren’s frustration. We all stood and strained to follow Dyson’s car as it continued down the straightaway. It wasn’t long afterward the reason for Darren’s anger became apparent.
In the blink of an eye, Dyson’s car disappeared into a ghoulish ball of smoke and fire as he slammed into the wall at the end of the straightaway. Horrified, I covered my mouth and looked up at the Jumbotron.
From the looks of things, Dyson’s car split in two on impact.
What transpired over the next few minutes could only be described as controlled chaos. With Dyson’s family right behind me, we jumped from our position in the stands and ran towards pit row. On the race track itself, half a dozen emergency vehicles raced towards Dyson’s position.
Everyone, stunned into silent shock, looked up at the Jumbotron for any sign that Dyson might be all right. A few seconds later, we reached the team in the pits. Like everyone else, they waited to see if their driver survived. Alone, Darren simply stood near the observation tower shaking his head.
I turned towards Dyson’s family. “Excuse me for a second, I’ll be right back.”
With one eye on the Jumbotron myself, I hurried towards Darren as fast as I could.
He glanced up, noticing my approach.
“I tried to tell him, Ava. He wouldn’t listen.”
His face was expressionless. Darren stood there, repeating himself several times. “He just wouldn’t listen…”
Just then, a relieved cheer rippled through the crowd. I looked away from Darren and glanced back up towards the Jumbotron. Although he remained motionless, emergency personnel pulled Dyson from the car. In less than a minute, they’d put him in the back of a waiting ambulance.
Taking my eyes off of the scene for a second, I looked towards Dyson’s family. Both his mother and sister were in tears, being consoled by the men. Emotion choked my throat while I watched them.
Turning towards Darren one last time, I asked, “What’s going to happen? Where are they taking him?”
My question seemed to snap Darren out of his trance-like state.
“Um, well there’s a protocol that’s followed. They’ll check him here first, and if it’s needed, they’ll helicopter him to the hospital.”
I swallowed hard, raising my hands to my mouth for a split second.
“Do you think he’s okay?”
Darren exhaled and shook his head. “I don’t know the answer to that right now, Ava. No one does. We’ll have to see what the doctors say and…”
While Darren spoke, his cell phone started to ring.
He answered.
After a few “uh huh’s” and “I understand’s”, he hung up and looked at me.
Nodding in the direction of Dyson’s family, he said, “Go get them. Dyson’s on his way to the hospital.”
Oh no.
AVA
The next few hours were tense.
Not long after we got word they’d taken Dyson to the hospital, I went with his family to see him. While we waited, Marco showed up, accompanied by a few of the team mechanics.
After seeing me, Marco walked in my direction.
“What have you heard? Anything?”
Biting my lip, I shook my head. “Not recently. All I know is he was unconscious when they pulled him from the car. He’s since come out of it, but they’re still examining him.”
Marco nodded. “Okay, thank you, Ava.” He raised his chin in the direction of the mechanics. “I’ll let the guys know. How about you? Are you okay?”
I smiled at him. “Yeah, I think so. Having Dyson’s family here with me really helped.”
Marco looked past me in their direction. “Yes, they are good people.”
After he finished speaking, Marco leaned in towards me and we hugged briefly before he turned and walked away.
Once he had, I began to walk over and rejoin Dyson’s family again, when one of the doctors that worked on Dyson, Dr. Miller, appeared through a set of double doors. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.
After entering, he motioned for everyone to gather around.
“I just wanted to update all of you about the condition of Mr. Vix,” Dr. Miller began, moving his eyes among all who’d gathered around. “The good news is he’s stable and resting comfortably. He doesn’t have any life-threatening injuries. We’re still in the process of examining him for internal bleeding or hemorrhaging. Otherwise, he is exhibiting some symptoms of concussion. Once we’ve completed our testing, you’ll be allowed to visit with him.”
