“Somebody is going to get hurt out here. They need to red flag,” Caleb snaps.
Why haven’t they called for a red flag? Why?
Caleb has just made it through the second turn, onto the steepest stretch of the circuit. Then right before my eyes, he loses control of the car. The entire garage gasps and shouts as his chrome race car snaps hard into the barrier on the left in a high-impact crash, crumpling upon impact. Pieces of the car go airborne. The rear wing is gone, and then the car begins spinningacross the track to the right-hand side, sparks flying as the car scrapes the surface.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
A driver from Drago swerves to miss him, and his car juts across the circuit to the right, hitting the barriers and spinning completely around so he’s backward. His car doesn’t even look like a car at this point, and I’m frozen as I stare at the wreckage. The silence in the garage is the loudest sound I’ve ever heard in my life.
This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. Caleb has to be okay.
He has to be.
“Caleb? Caleb, are you okay?” JP asks.
There’s no answer over the radio.
Answer him!I plead.Answer him, Caleb!
“Caleb, are you okay?” JP tries again.
There’s still no answer.
And there’s nothing but silence from Caleb’s cockpit.
Chapter Thirty-Four
My heart is pounding with each second Caleb doesn’t respond. He might be knocked out. He has to be unconscious. That’s why he’s not responding. It makes sense. It’s the only thing that makes sense because I won’t allow myself to think anything otherwise.
Then it happens. Caleb swears in frustration and clears his throat before speaking again. “Yeah, mate, I’m fine. Sorry. Oversteer. My fault.”
Thank God, thank God, thank God!
Catherine grabs my arm, and I turn and hug her. No words are said, because nothing needs to be said. Caleb is talking, and that’s all we need at this point.
“Are you okay, Caleb?” JP presses.
“I’m banged up,” he says. “But I’m okay.”
We both turn our attention to the screen, and Caleb is climbing out of the car. He actually hops down from the wreckage, and I can’t even believe what I’m seeing.
He’s truly fine.
My body nearly goes limp with sheer relief. Caleb is okay. Whatever injuries he might have right now, he’s going to be fine.
I’ve never been so grateful for anything in my entire life.
The red flag is out now, as is the safety car. Marshalls on the track quickly reach Caleb, and cars slow down as they pass thewreckage and make their way back to pit lane. The medical car pulls up, and Caleb is immediately ushered inside so he can be taken to the on-site medical facility.
Catherine takes off her headphones. “I’m going to the medical center to see him. You can wait in his room, and I’ll bring him back after he’s been treated and spoken with the media.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head firmly.
“No?” she asks, wrinkling her delicate nose in confusion.
Adrenaline begins to pump through me again. I know that Catherine is suggesting is what Caleb would prefer I do. Keep the media guessing. Don’t add to the speculation, don’t be anywhere around him in a medical emergency.
It’s all because of his past, which he now realizes.