The Right Time (Lestappen)

Death is permanent

I know I said Tues/Wed but the next chapter is ready so I decided I wouldn't make you wait to see how Max is .....

_______________

Charles stood frozen, there was an eerie silence around the track. A place normally filled with so much noise was now almost completely dead. His attention was fixed on the small screen in the garage but all he could see was the medical screen that had been placed around the car. He knew that that was never a good sign. He was grateful to have Carlos by his side propping him up because honestly without the Spaniard to lean on Charles would have collapsed on to the floor.

Pierre had already been in to check on him before running over to the Red Bull garage to see if they had heard anything over the radio. He hadn't returned yet and Charles knew that meant there had been no response from Max. He let himself cry, there was no point holding it in any longer. He buried himself in Carlos' chest, shoulders heaving as he sobbed. He only looked up when he heard the murmurs spreading around the garage. People were pointing at the screen where the medical vehicle was now moving. Charles felt his heart start to quicken, needing to know what was going on. As if on queue, Pierre came running back into the garage and took Charles by the hand.

"They've extracted him from the car"

Charles caught the exchange of glances between Pierre and Carlos, it wasn't meant for his eyes but he already knew that the word extracted wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"So is he-, is he - " Charles wasn't even sure how to end the question. He wanted to ask if Max was alive but the words wouldn't come out. He was too afraid he might speak something awful into existence.

"He's unconscious" Pierre felt guilty for being so blunt but it was all the information he had.

"He's going to be okay Charles, I'm sure" Carlos tried to reassure him but he didn't sounds too confident.

Charles stood in shock, not really sure what he was supposed to do. The warning came through, racing would resume in nine minutes. He knew he was meant to get back in the car and finish the race, that would be the professional thing to do. He wasn't sure he could do it though, not when Max was on his way to hospital. He didn't want his boyfriend waking up and being alone. He felt sick. His hands shook as he tried to put on his gloves ready to get back in the car and face the worse race of his life. As he reached for his racing helmet he felt his team principle's hand on his shoulder.

"Go to the hospital"

It wasn't a question, it was a clear instruction from Mattia who had seen the terrified look in his driver's face. He would never ask him to get back in the car under these circumstances. Sometimes racing felt like the most important thing in the world but right now Charles had somewhere more important he needed to be. Racing may have been their livelihoods but it wasn't their whole lives. Mattia was sure the sponsors would understand, not that he cared either way.

"Christian said you can go to the hospital with him if you like"

Mattia had barely finished his sentence before Charles was sprinting over to the Red Bull garage, where as promised Christian led him out to the vehicle that was going to take them to the hospital. It may have been cliche but the journey felt like a lifetime. The vehicle seemed to move so slowly that it felt at times like it was going backwards. Charles couldn't help but notice how quiet Christian was, it was an unnerving silence coming from someone who was never usually short of something to say.

For all of Charles' desire to get to the hospital as quickly as possible, when they were eventually stood outside he didn't want to go in. If he didn't go in there then he could pretend that Max was still fine, if he went in there then he may have to face a heartbreaking truth.