"Wow, what do you know?"
"What?" Dale asked looking up from the floor where he was playing with Karsyn and Robby.
Teresa read the letter she had received from Brian France a few weeks after the end of the season. "It seems Nascar is putting together a medical staff that will travel with the teams to every race and replace the track crews."
"Not replace but oversee the facilities, make sure proper procedures are followed, they will get to know the drivers and their medical histories, they will also do preseason physicals. We will have better equipment supplied in the track facilities, it will be safer and better for everyone involved." Everyone looked to Gabby. "Keep reading."
Teresa raised an eyebrow but looked back to the paper. "This new department will be headed by," She paused looking up then back down at the paper, as if she had read it wrong. "Gabriella Earnhardt."
The room exploded in chatter as everyone started talking at once. "How did this happen?"
"What about medical school?"
"Earnhardt?"
"Ok, hold on, first off. I got to thinking and after getting a first hand look at what goes on in these care centers, it was obvious that something needed to change. Imagine what goes on with the drivers that I haven’t been there to run interference with. I went to Brian and we talked for hours about the safety workers, the medical staff, everything. He agreed after hearing about you two that something had to be done, I just don’t think he realized how bad it was."
"Second, I am dropping out of medical school and before you all start yelling, hear me out. I have thought long and hard about this. When I started med school I did so because I wanted to help people, I wanted to make a difference. Well, I can, and now I can do so by helping the people I have grown to care about." She looked to Robby. "And I can help make this sport safer and better for future generations. I already have more training and experience than most EMT’s on the street and that’s all you need to have this job. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I know this is the right thing to do."
"And I’m learning that the Earnhardt name is much more powerful than even I ever imagined."
That evening Kelly took Robby home with her for a sleepover with Karsyn giving Elliot and Gabby some time for themselves. Elliot stopped just outside his bedroom door and watched as she kneeled by the bed, he could only imagine what she prayed for. Peace, rest, for her demons to disappear, he wished he knew what to do to take her pain and fear away.
After she stood he entered the room pulling her to him. "Hey." He smiled down at her.
"Oh hey." She said as she looked from him to the bed timidly.
"I’ll sleep on the couch."
"That’s just it, I don’t want you to but I can’t…"
He watched as the tears threatened to fall and he pulled her to the bed. "Stop." He said in a calming voice. He tucked her into bed, then pulled his shirt off before climbing in beside her. "Close your eyes. You need to get some sleep." He pulled her into his arms and gently rubbed her back as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
He knew she thought he had to have sex to be happy and although he wanted to be with her in every way he was just happy having her in his life. He knew she felt guilty and he wished he could take that away. He closed his eyes as her breathing evened out and they both fell asleep.
No one could believe how quickly the off season went by. Gabby had spent most of that time hiring a crew to travel with her that included 1 doctor, 2 nurses, and 2 EMT’s, she also spent a lot of time studying the drivers medical records so she would know exactly who was allergic to what, what illnesses they had had and other information that would make treating them on race day easier and better for everyone. They had gone through pre season physicals, Gabby making sure Dale, Elliot, and Kurt’s were done by someone else. Before they knew it they were headed to the track that took their fathers life and her innocence.
Although Dale had been here in July it was this race that he lost his dad in and was having a harder time with this one that he had the 400. Gabby wandered down pit road to find him standing staring into turns 3 and 4. "You ok?"
He turned towards her. "Yeah. How bout you?"
"You know it’s hard and I miss him but I wasn’t as close to him as all of you were."
"Actually, with the exception of Taylor, you probably were. It wasn’t until the past few years that we all started getting closer and realizing what we had missed all those years. And I wasn‘t talking about just daddy."
Gabby was silent. "It’s hard, it’s the first time I have been here since that day." She paused looking out at the track. "I have been thinking long and hard for a the past couple of months now and I know I have to put it behind me, for me, for Elliot, and for Robby."
"What about Kurt? With the off season we didn’t have to see him, what happens when you do. I guess you should also know that it has taken every bit of strength I’ve had to not kill him. I can’t guarantee I won’t do something stupid." He said only half kidding.
"Well, you have to. We can’t let him control our lives, he‘s done that for too many years now. I haven’t allowed myself to be happy, to let someone love me for all these years and I want Elliot in my life, I don’t want to lose him. I am concerned about Elliot more than you. I don’t know what will happen when they come face to face for the first time."
Dale took a deep breath, what was there to say. They just stood watching, listening, praying.
Speedweeks were in full swing when one of the nurses came to Gabby. "He’s extremely dehydrated, say’s he hasn’t been able to keep anything down all day. Can you take a look at him?"
"Yeah sure." She said as she walked through the door of the exam room. She stopped dead in her tracks as Kurt looking pale and curled up in the fetal position looked up at her.
He slowly tried to stand. "I’ll leave." He said barely audible. He started to fall and Gabby lunged forward to catch him, his skin was hot to the touch and he was wet from sweating.
She helped him back onto the bed. "You can’t leave, you can’t even stand, I’m surprised you made it here."
"I barely did." She took his temperture, pulse, and looked at his hand and arm. "What are you doing?"
"Looking at your veins. You are extremely dehydrated. You still throwing up?"
"Not as much but yeah."
"I really need to do an IV, you’re not allergic to anything right?"
"No."
"Ok, this is going to sting." She tapped on the back of his hand and placed a needle against his skin. "You ready?" He caught her eye and couldn’t read her face. He just nodded preparing for the pain. She slid the needle in getting it in the first try and Kurt couldn’t believe how it didn’t hurt as much as previous IV’s he had had. She saw the shocked look on his face. "What thought I would stab you with it?"
"Well,"
"I would have." Before either of them knew what had happened Elliot had crossed the room and grabbed Kurt like a rag doll. Gabby tried to stop him but she was caught off guard and heard Kurt scream as the IV ripped through his hand and was pulled out.
"Elliot stop! Elliot." There was no stopping him so she ran from the room and screamed for help.
Dale and Matt Kenseth were passing by as they heard her screams. "Gabby." They both ran towards the care center. "What’s going on?"
"You have to stop Elliot." She said out of breath and pointed to the exam room.
Dale and Matt ran in as Elliot slammed Kurt into the floor. "Sadler. Man stop." Matt and Dale pulled Elliot back as the nurse and Gabby ran to Kurt. "Knock it off."
Gabby checked the damage done to Kurt’s hand. "Get the bleeding stopped. I’ll put a new IV in when I get back." She looked to the guys. "Outside now."
"Make him leave." Elliot demanded as Matt and Dale finally let him go.
"No."
"No?"
"No. He is very sick and now hurt." She shot at him.
"You are defending him all of a sudden."
Dale looked at Matt then to Elliot. "Man stop now."
"You’re going to fucking take care of the guy who…"
"Elliot." Dale warned.
"raped you."
Matt’s eyes grew wide as he looked from Elliot to Gabby back towards the care center. "He what?"
Dale quickly looked around to make sure no one else was within listening distance then pulled Matt to the side to explain the situation and make sure the story didn’t go anywhere else.
Gabby knew Elliot was upset and trying to protect her and she could overlook him jumping Kurt, she knew it would happen eventually. What she couldn’t figure out was if she was more angry or hurt that he would betray her like this and let it slip in front of Matt and who knows who else overheard. Before Gabby could react Elliot stepped forward as he realized what he had done. He looked to Dale and Matt then reached for Gabby. "Gabriella, God I am so sorry I didn’t mean to, I just…"
She quickly stepped away from him. "Don’t. Just leave me alone. I am going to do my job and take care of him, that‘s what I do." Dale turned to see Elliot’s shoulders slump as Gabby walked away from him and back into the care center.
Dale walked back to Elliot. "You need to leave her be for a little while. Let her come to you, she’s a lot stronger than we give her credit for."
Gabby wiped at the tears that ran down her face as she walked back into the exam room. She grabbed a new needle and checked Kurt’s hand before putting in the new IV in the opposite hand. "You ok?"
"Shut up. You don’t have the right to ask me that." She threw away the old needle and wrapped his hand in gauze. "I want you to stay here and get some sleep for a few hours. The saline will help with the dehydration and the meds should settle your stomach. If you need anything yell for the nurse."
Kurt stared after her as she walked towards the door. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
She turned meeting his stare before leaving the room. "Because, I am a better person than you."