Do I know you?

Chapter twenty-six

Carlos' sight

Three weeks later

These last three weeks nothing happened. We spent New Years in the hospital sitting in Valerias room and talking silently. It is a stressing time. Lando is not himself anymore, his family is trying everything to cheer him up but nothing helps. Not even I am able to make him laugh.

It is almost time to go back to preparing for the next season but at the moment it doesn't seem like Lando would make it so easily through the testing. These last few weeks I watched Valeria for a very long time and, even though it seems completely crazy, we really have a lot of similarities regarding our looks.  I am still very unsure if she could be my sister but the mole I, one day, saw at her arm, is the same I have, at the same spot. Funny that I didn't noticed it earlier. It really is hurting me to see the similarities and know that she isn't her, can't be her. These last weeks I thought about telling Lando the story about my sister a lot of times but I never did.

We are currently sitting in front of the window, watching Valeria and I am finally sure about telling him. „Lando? Do you remember when we first met and sat in the cafeteria?" I see how he flinches. „Yeah, why?" „We talked about our families right? And I told you about my sisters and that I was supposed to have one more sister." „Yes, where are you going with this?" „I want to tell you what happened." I take one more breath and start telling. „Alright, you already know Ana and Blanca but I also told you that I was supposed to have one more sister about the same age as you. And I also told you that it is a complicated story." I stop and take a deep breath. I can see how he takes a deep breath too.  „So one day I was at home with my youngest sister and she wanted to go to the beach. It had stormed a few days ago so she wasn't allowed to go to the beach. You need to know that she loved the beach and even more than this she loved seashells. So this day we went to the beach again and she was full of energy because she wasn't there for so long. So we went down, it was just this few stairs from our house down to the beach, as you know. We started playing some beach tennis. It was all fun and everything was alright until a few boys from my school came and asked if I would like to play volleyball with them, I agreed and we went to the field. I took my sister with us and she sat at the field for a while but as you probably know little children get bored very easily. So she must have went to get her seashell stuff and started searching for them. I was so focused on the game that I completely forgot about her and lost her. When we stopped playing and I remembered that I was there with my sister, she was already gone. The boys and I searched the whole beach for her but she wasn't findable. By that time I was already crying like hell because she was my everything. I have a good connection to my other sisters as well but with her it was something else. She was my princess and I wanted to always keep her safe. She was about three or almost four years old that time. So when I went to my parents to tell them I broke down in front of them while telling the story. They yelled at me and were very mad at me but they were right, I did something terrible and I was supposed to suffer from it. We searched everywhere for her in every bit of the world but she was not findable. My parents gave up after three years but I never did. I still always reproach myself that I didn't look after her and kept her by my side. I lost her and with her I lost a big part of my soul and heart. She is supposed to be by my side when I am flying around the world. She loved seeing me drive with the karts but now we don't even know if she is alive and what even happened to her." I stopped from time to time to take a deep breath but somehow I am still breathing heavily and I know Lando knows that moment. He had a lot of those moments, those panic situations, in the last few years but I also know that he found a way to cope with it or at least hide it away. I have just thrown it aside didn't think about it anymore. He puts his hand on my arm and squeezes it. I look at him and he looks at Valeria and back to me. „Do you think she just forgot?" he asks. I shake my head. „I know what you mean but if it really is her she should have remembered her nickname. She looks like her a lot but I know it is not her."

I went to my hotel and quickly showered before going back to the hospital. Then Lando left and I stayed with her. After an hour Lando was back. We were sitting in silence, as always, and looked out of the window or to Valeria. Suddenly his phone rings and he has to answer it. I don't know who it is but it seems to be important. He walks out of the room and leaves. I keep watching Valeria and suddenly I notice a movement of hers. It is no surprise but today something has changed. I take my chair nearer to her bed and take her hand. When I put my hand in hers I feel something like a squeeze and look up to her face. I can see how she slowly opens her eyes. I almost want to stand up and get Lando but I stay. When she has opened her eyes fully and got comfortable with her surroundings she looks at me. "Carlito" she whispers with a raspy voice and I open my eyes in shock. Did I hear that right? I say „Evie?" and there it is a small but clear smile on her face. I am still in shock. Literally three hours ago I was sure she was not my sister and now everything did a 360. I get up and lay my arms around her small frame. After so many years I can finally hold her in my arms again. Suddenly I feel her body shaking and notice that she is crying. „Heyy, everything is alright. Now the only way to go, is up again. We are here for you and we will never leave again." she nods and I sit back down on my chair. „Why did you never search for me? Why did you give up? Wasn't I worth it?" I shake my head and try to stop the tears from welling up. „Maybe our parents did but I never stopped searching. Every girl who walked by me I checked for the similarities or your behaviour but I never found you. You were my everything. All the things I did, I did for you. Everywhere I was going you wanted to go too. So please do not think that I gave you up and never turned every stone on the world to find you." She smiles sadly. „But you weren't there to protect me in the first place. I experienced some pretty bad things and you weren't there. It was hard hermanito, it was hard. There was nobody who helped, they all stepped aside and just watched and when we got out, everything we got was an orphanage. Nobody searched for our families, nobody made a move to get us back to where we came from. Not even I knew where I was at that time." I stop her and say „What the hell are you talking about? I know I wasn't there for you but what the hell did you experience?" She just shakes her head and I see the tears falling down her cheeks. 

I quickly take out my phone when Valeria asks „Isn't Lando here?" I smile. „ I was just on my way to call him. He left for a call earlier." I see her nod. I try calling him and it takes him very long to answer. When he answers I just say „come here fast." and hang up again. I can already imagine his mind running the worst scenarios and I smile at this thought. Not even a minute later the door slams open. He turns his head to Valerias bed and stops immediately when he sees her sitting upright and looking at him. His head shoots over to me and back to looking at his girl. They are so extremely cute. Shit, she is my sister and he is my best friend. That doesn't work. I think to myself and see how Lando is tearing up slightly and starts to talk. „Vally? Am I dreaming?" she shakes her head and says „No Lan, it's me." he rushes over to her and hugs her tight. „Please never ever do that to me again." „Never." He sits down next to her and says „I knew the meaning of your name was true all the time." She smiles and I look at him confused. „What?" „The meaning of her name is the strong and healthy one. So that's what I meant." I smile and nod. Suddenly a doctor enters the room. „Well, what a beautiful sight. Welcome back Miss Norris or is it Miller?" Her head shoots towards Lando and he blushes. „I will explain later wifey." he whispers and we look back at the doctor. „Could you guys please leave the room so we can run some tests?" „Of course." I say and Lando and I get up. Outside of the room we stop and I hug him tight. „Thank you, for being there the whole time." „Of course mate. I wouldn't have wanted to be somewhere else. Now we can run again. Run towards the sun and perform miracles. All together." „Carlos, I never thought you could be so poetic." He says and I laugh. Shortly after, the doctor comes out of the room and nods to us before saying „She is going to be moved to a normal stationery now. It would be good if you could take her things." We nod and go back in. The nurse is already prepping her for moving and we take her things. It is only one bag, which Lando brought here and one from the police, with the things they could get out of the car.