La Rosa Gialla

Chapter 52

November 2024

"Everything seems to be fine for now. You are in week 6 and I can't tell you much more yet. At 12 weeks you should have your first big screening, but I suppose you will discuss that with your doctor," the doctor said in perfect English and I nodded. Charles insisted that I go for a check as soon as possible and I was happy to listen. And so I used the local hospital. She alerted me to possible nausea, which luckily I hadn't felt yet, and I went out with a smile to the corridor where a nervous Charles was sitting. "So?" he jumped out of his chair and almost ran to me. "6 weeks," I informed him and gave him the report. He ran his eyes over it quickly and looked at me questioningly. "That is all?" he asked disappointedly. "What did you expect?" I laughed and stroked his arm. "The first big tests are waiting for me in another 6 weeks," I explained to him and he frowned. "They're waiting for us," he corrected me. "Sorry. The first big tests are waiting for us in 6 weeks," I smiled and he kissed me.

I spent the morning before the first free training sessions on the floor by the toilet bowl. Charles looked a lot more scared than I did, even though I told him several times that it was completely normal and it could take a few weeks to get rid of it. Still, he acted like I was dying and kept asking me if he could help me somehow. If I didn't already love him with all my heart, I would have fallen in love with him even more.

"You look happy," Kika said slyly as we gathered to watch the qualifying together. "I am," I smiled and she quickly hugged me. "So you told him?"

I nodded. "And I even went to the doctor. Week 6."

"And he took it well, I guess?"

"Of course," I grinned.

"I bet Charles already has names made up," she smirked and I nudged her with my elbow. But in my mind, I agreed with her. Knowing Charles, he probably already has a visualization of the nursery in his head.

The qualifying did not go as expected. Charles finished fifth, two places behind Max, and was pretty upset. He didn't get a fast lap due to the heavy traffic and he was quite indiscriminate about the team and the strategy. All this, of course, in the safety of a hotel room, he took a much more conciliatory attitude in front of the cameras. "Nothing has been decided yet, the race is only tomorrow. And you have a pretty solid point advantage," I tried to calm him down, but he still looked like his toys had fallen down the drain. "You know what?" I hummed and sat next to him on the small couch. I placed my hand on his knee and moved it up his thigh in a slow, smooth motion. "I can think of a few ways to cheer you up a bit." I looked at him innocently and smiled slightly. I tugged at the drawstring of his sweatpants with my fingers, and he laughed but casually lifted himself slightly to remove his pants and underwear. I knelt in front of him between his legs and lightly ran my fingertips over his inner thighs. Before I could touch him where he wanted it most, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

I don't know if I have magical powers or if Charlie was really just lucky, but Red Bull's strategy in Qatar was absolutely shocking. And not in a good way. They even managed to call both drivers into the pits in the same lap, and Max fell a few seconds behind Charles. Although Carlos finished on the podium this time, Charles will enter the last race with a lead of 24 points. This would mean that Max would have to win in Abu Dhabi and Charles would have to finish out of the points to lose the title. And even the biggest skeptic can't believe that this season.

My nausea didn't stop. On the contrary, it seemed to me that I was getting worse every day, and the omnipresent heat did not make the situation any easier. I lost several pounds and had to guzzle liters of water to stay hydrated. And the transfer to the United Arab Emirates was a literal ordeal for me, as I spent the entire flight on the toilet and every little turbulence caused me another rush. Charles was by my side the whole time, holding my hair, stroking my back and whispering that everything was going to be okay. But he himself was so nervous about the following weekend that it looked like we would have to share the toilet bowl.