𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 - 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲...

"And push towards me...come on, push it..."

Andrew's physical trainer said as she positioned herself behind his right foot as Andrew pushed with whatever strength he could.

"Come on, Andrew, I know you got more than this in you..."

She went on. After the accident in Belgium, many days were spent on physical training. He had suffered a complicated fracture that couldn't be properly treated until he was fully conscious and stronger. It had compromised a chance of complete recovery, but the leg was still useful in normal activities. As for the driving, he had to work even harder than the rest to manage the distance of a full race.

"Laura...I'm pushing all I've got...there's nothing more."

Andrew responded as he removed his foot from her grasp. Laura Bloomwell had been with him since he entered the F1-circus. She knew how much physical exercise was requited for a driver, and now she had her work cut out for her with a driver who lacked vital muscles in one of his legs. Still, she had to do everything in her power to get Andrew back into a car. That was what she was paid to do.

"I both agree and disagree, Andrew. You do push all you've got now, but I still think there's more. I don't think we have seen it all just yet."

She answered with a positive attitude. She had tried to infect Andrew with it, but he was too focused on getting back in a car as soon as possible. He was frustrated with his lack of progress as the season had begun and he was assigned a test-driver role. Laura walked to her bag and checked her phone as Andrew got up from the gym-mat.

"You must really believe it..."

Andrew commented as he took a sip of his shake. Laura smiled weakly to herself, while feeling a sense of pity for him. She had seen a man go from top physical condition to struggle getting back to where he had once been. Physically, there was a chance he never would, but that didn't mean his career had to be over.

"You know, just because you can't get the same strength back, you can still drive, you can still race. And before you want to tell me that I know nothing about the actual racing, you're not the first athlete I've had the physical responsibility for."

Laura said as she put her phone back into her bag.

"How can I drive a racing-car, a Formula 1-car if I can't maintain pressure on the pedal?"

Andrew asked, recalling how it was for him to be back in the car for the first time since the accident. When he came back after his installation-lap, his injured leg was cramping up. He had no chance to get back out.

"The same way that Kubica can drive his Williams around a track with virtually only one hand. You adapt your style and make it work."

Laura answered. Robert Kubica was a Polish Formula 1 driver who suffered a terrible accident while doing some rallying on the side. His hand was practically severed from the rest of his body, but they managed somehow to get it attached. The hand was never the same and now only had the function of support as the driver primarily used the other hand to do the heavy work on the steering wheel.

"Come on, now. Steering a Formula 1 car with one hand is nothing. I could use one hand and never break a sweat."

Andrew answered, and his arrogant attitude from the previous year was back. Laura was rather unamused by his tone and choice of words. He would be like that in moments where it was openly spoken about his leg never being the same. Laura was still working on convincing him that it didn't have to matter. She would keep repeating it until one day, Andrew would repeat it back.

"Well, I'd be more impressed if you could jump back into the car now and drive it with one and a half leg...with no sweat."

Andrew immediately turned unamused by her words.