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Chapter Twenty-Four
“Jason. Jason, comein. Can you hear me?”
“What the fuck happend? Did you see that?”
“Is he ok?”
“Jason! Jason can you answer me.”
I stood paralyzed in front of the monitors. On one, every sensor in Jason’s car was showing zero inputs, on another the television commentators were keeping up a stream of pointless banter. It had all happened so fast that I barely registered what had happened. It was the fourth lap and Alejandro was making moves to get into the points. There had not been a support race before the grand prix, meaning the dust on the track had not yet burned off and inexperienced drivers were driving through plumes of it. Alejandro was making a move into the points so my focus had been on him when suddenly Jason was flying. Literally airborne, from the track into the trees that filled the center of the Hungaro Ring. And because F1 broadcasts have a rule to not show footage from incidents until the safety of the driver has been verified, we had no eyes on the scene. His radio had cut out upon impact so we had no way to speak to him either.
The red flag came out and all of the other drivers came back to the pits. The saving grace from a grid perspective was that at least he was running at the back of the pack and no one else had been hit. The garage buzzed around me as everyone tried to figure out what was happening, how it had happened, and if Jason was ok. It was early in the race so while I had not seen smoke, the car was carrying a full load of fuel and there was a risk it would ignite in a crash.
Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and an arm along my back. I looked up to see Alejandro standing next to me, his eyes tight with worry. I leaned into the comfort of his presence and waited. It felt like years, but was really only moments before the safety marshals arrived on site. “He’s alive” came the call over comms. I breathed out a sob and sank into Alejandro’s embrace as the camera footage switched to show the scene. It was both a relief and a horror to see.
Jason’s car had managed to land on its nose, upside down against a tree. The path it had taken to get there was evident in the destruction of grass and trees. Somehow his car had gotten enough lift to make it mostly over the barrier before it had tumbled into the forest. Several trees were splintered and gouges were evident in the ground.
I was still taking all of this in when the call came that they had cut Jason free and were securing him to a backboard. The camera angle switched to one from the helicopter and showed a flurry of medical staff. Then came a cheer as Jason gave a thumbs up, the universal sign for “Hey mom, I’m ok.”
Alejandro pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head, then walked away. Oh, right. He still had to get back into the car and drive the rest of the race. My heart leapt back into my throat and tears pushed the back of my eyes as fear clawed its way back up. I wanted to run to him and pull him back, tell everyone that this stupid race needed to stop. That no one’s life was worth this and motorsports should be outlawed. But we all had jobs to do. Jobs we loved. There was no stopping.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Swirls of color dancedbehind my eyelids as I lay on the sand, taking in the sounds of the waves and seagulls. And the screams of a nearby toddler who didn’t want the sand to touch her while she built a sandcastle. Well, it was Corwall, not a private beach vacation. But oh did my body need the rest. I was determined to stay on my towel until all the stress had baked out of me. With my eyes closed, I felt rather than saw the shadow of someone standing over me.
