Chapter 8

“Chloe where have you been.” She heard shouted from the back of the garage. She knew it was Frank, but she didn’t care, she didn’t want to be there but she was, he was lucky she had even showed up. She made her way to the back of the busy garage, closely followed by Jeff.

“Sorry, it’s a long story.” She didn’t want to go into details. Ben stepped out from the office and embraced his little sister. “Ben, this is my boyfriend Jeff, Jeff this is my brother Ben.”

“Nice to meet you Jeff.” Ben said as he offered Jeff his hand.

“You too.” Jeff replied as he shook Ben’s hand.

“I had better go get changed.” Chloe said as she kissed her brother and led Jeff back to her trailer.

When they got there she pulled on the door but it didn’t open. “Shit, Eddie’s got he keys.” She sighed as she kicked the wheel on the trailer.

She spotted her brother jogging over, when he reached them he dangled her keys in front of her nose. “Need these?” he joked. Chloe grabbed them and undid the door. The both followed her in. As she began to look for her racing suit she looked at her brother, he had a concerned look on his face. He eyes jumped to met Jeff’s. “Jeff, would you mind if Ben and I talked in private?” she asked, trying to put on a brave face.

“Sure, I’m gonna go get some breakfast then.” He said as he kissed her on the cheek and then left the trailer.

“Ok sis, come sit down and tell me what’s wrong.” Ben said as he pattered on the seat of the sofa next to him.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” she asked him as she sat down.

“I’m your brother, I know these things, and I also know that you never stay away at a hotel when it’s a race weekend.”

“Ok, you got me, you may not like it though.”

“I’m listening.”

She then told him the whole story, about Matt, Jeff, the baby, last night. He didn’t reply he just embraced his little sister.

“You are in no fit state to drive Clo, you need rest, you’re shattered, anyone can see that. I’m also going to tell Frank that I don’t think you should be driving and if he asks you’ll tell him why.”

“NO, Ben, please don’t tell him. It’s hard enough to get respect from anyone around here, what the hell are they going to think when they find out about what I did last night?”

“I don’t know, but if that happens we’ll deal with it then. Just get ready and come in, I’m going to go speak to Frank.” Ben said as he left the trailer.

Chloe curled up on the sofa. How could her own brother go and do that? He would ruin her career. She let more tears fall down her face, she felt all she did since she had gotten there was cry.   

As Chloe climbed into the car she tried to concentrate on her job, she new she had to push herself, but how could she when she had a million other things on her mind? As she was strapped in the monitor was placed in front of her so she could see who was on track, what there times were and what the air and track temperatures were. Although she knew that the faster times would be set later in the qualifying session, she decided to go out early to try and focus herself. She waved at her mechanics to take the monitor away, they did and soon the engine started. She revved it a little before creeping slowly out of the garage she then shut the visor on her helmet. As she reached the end of the pit lane she accelerated away and began her warm up lap.

On the edge through turn 5, 6 and 7 she could feel the back end of the car sliding out, she tried to correct it but when she tried she saw Michael Schumacher in her mirrors, she hit the throttle to try and keep her lap going but he tried to go up the inside of her into the hair pin, she was furious, she again hit the throttle earlier than she should. She kept watching her mirrors, this then caused her to brake late and to run wide into the turn, Schumacher tried again to go up the inside but as Chloe tried to turn back into the corner, Schumacher lost the back end of his Ferrari, it began to spin and it caught the back end of Chloe’s Williams, she span off into the gravel trap and hit the tyre wall with force. After the car had stopped she felt the force of the Ferrari hitting the back of her car.

As she undid her belts she took the steering off so she could get out. She put her hands on the side of her car and lifted herself out of the car, as she stood up she wobbled as one of her knees gave way. She looked down to see blood coming through her racing suit. “SHIT!!” she shouted under her helmet. By know the race marshals had reached the cars and they took her arms and lifted her from the car. She walked with her arms around one of the marshal’s neck. She caught the red of Schumacher’s racing suit; he made his way over to her and put his arm around her waist so she could take some more pressure of her left leg.

After ten minutes of painful walking Michael apologised and ran back to the Ferrari garage. Chloe hobbled into the Williams garage, still helped by the marshal, made her way to a seat and sat down, the marshal left, she took her helmet off. As Ben made his way to her, he helped her undo her racing suit, she took it of so he could see her knee, there was a cut down on side and it had begun to bruise and swell.

Jeff made his way to her side and held her hand as the blood was cleaned off. Ben carefully wiped the cut with anti-septic lotion, it stung like hell, and Chloe gripped Jeff’s hand tighter. Ice was then applied to the swelling area, as the race doctor made his way into the garage, he bandaged up the cut. Ben and Jeff both said they didn’t want her to get back into the spare car, they said they should leave it to the test driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, who was getting ready at the back of the garage.

“I want to drive!!” Chloe said as she stood up manly on her uninjured right leg, she bent down to pull her racing suit up, she wobbled slightly but Jeff put his arm around her and steadied her. “You aren’t going to stop me.” She told them as she hobbled to pick up her helmet and gloves. She saw Montoya walking over to her.

“Are you driving?” he asked politely.

“Yeh, but if I can’t I’ll come back here for you, ok?” she said as she pulled her helmet. Montoya helped her into the car. She got on well with him, they had become good friends and they had a laugh at and away from the track.

As Chloe struggled around her last flying lap, she yelled out in pain under her helmet, her knee couldn’t take much more, she crossed the line and crept around on her in lap.

She pulled of into the pit lane and pulled across it as the mechanics flooded the lane and pushed the car back into the garage. She undid her belts and lifted her arms to the side of the car, she pushed herself up and was lifted out of the car by one of her engineers. She hobbled to a chair, sat down and removed her helmet, gloves and undid her racing suit. She pulled it right of to revel her blood-covered leg, she looked at her left knee to see that the bandage was soaked with blood and that it had swollen up to the size of a melon. She got gingerly to her feet and walked over to the computer so she could see her time and her grid position. 1min20.99, 19^th on the grid out of 22.

“Shit!!!” Chloe shouted out in frustration as she saw her time.

“Clo, No one expected you to get much higher.” Ben told her as he walked over with her helmet in his hand.

“Oh thanks!!! It’s nice to know that everybody was behind me!!” she snapped back causing a couple of mechanics to turn around.

“I didn’t mean that, we knew you were in pain and couldn’t drive coz your in pain!!” he said as he saw Chloe wincing from the pain in her leg.

“Sorry, but I have to prove that one crash isn’t going to stop me racing, not this weekend, it’s to important.”

“I know, your stubborn, I’ll give you that!” he joked before turning serious again. “You need to go get your knee sorted out.”

“Yeh, well, there isn’t much point in going to the doctor here so Ill find Jeff and see if he’ll run me to the nearest hospital.” She said as she searched the garage for her boyfriend. She couldn’t see him.

She limped out of the garage and headed across the paddock, she headed for a snack bar, as she knew how hungry he always was. As she reached it she saw Amy sitting with Gil, she walked slowly to them. “Hi.”

“Hi ya, what happened to you?” Amy asked as she shifted up a set allowing Chloe to sit down.

“Well, I had an accident around the other side of the track, but I’m ok, that’s why I’m looking for Jeff, I want to go to the hospital and get it checked out. Have you two seen him?” she asked hopefully.

“I haven’t seen him since I met you in his room last night.” Gil said as he ordered Chloe and orange juice.

Chloe shivered at the words “last night”. “Well, I had better find him, have you seen Matt either?” she asked as she wanted to apologise for the night before.

“No, I haven’t seen him in a while, I think he went for a walk and watched the qualifying from the stands.” Gil told her.

“Which stand?”

“East 8. I think.”

“Thanks, I better go try and find one of them. I’ll see you later.” She said as she got to her feet and took her bottle of drink and walked towards the east side of the track.

 Chapter 9

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