Page 42 of Red Queen
“I’m so sorry, guys.” Finally, a faint, familiar voice fills our headphones. The whole garage lets out a sigh, and we watch as the medics assist Teo out of the car. They’re dragging him to the car. Fuck no.
“Mateo is out of the car. He had a concussion. They’ll take him to the medical center,” Wiley informs us, my worries easing slightly. He didn’t look well on the camera.
I rush out of the garage with Enzo, both of us heading to where they took Mateo, not even caring we’re both soaking wet. When we step inside, bodyguards immediately stop us, but asI try to break through, Enzo squeezes my arm. He shows the guards his pass, and they let him go through, so I stop squirming and do the same.
After what feels like an eternity and complimenting the shit out of them, they finally let me go through as well. We ask the nurse about Mateo, but she only knows that he’s been taken to the local hospital.
“Mierda!” I curse, then Enzo grabs my arm.
“Come on. I’ll drive,” he says, then I follow him.
27
MATEO
Iopen my eyes slowly, the beeping sound of a machine cutting through the silence. I start to move, but a heavy thing on my arm stops me. I look down and spot Rosa, sleeping in the uncomfy hospital chair, holding onto my left arm as gently as possible.
I smile at the sight, warming my heart, even if it shouldn’t have. My right hand is covered in a white bandage, pain surging through me as I try to move it.
“Shit,” I mutter as I try to move back to the place where it was, where it didn’t hurt, but it only makes things worse.
I feel Rosa’s hand twitch around mine, and when I look back at her, she’s already watching me. “You’re up,” she says, and I scoff at her statement.
“Yes, Sherlock, I’m up,” I answer, sighing when I find the perfect spot where my hand originally was.
“How are you?” I’m trying to decide whether she’s just being polite or she’s genuinely asking, her voice not giving any hints.
“Not so good. I’ve been better,” I say, and she sits up in the chair.
“You do look awful.” I chuckle at her observation, but regret it immediately as pain takes over my body. Don’t laugh yet. Noted.
“Thanks. I couldn’t wait to wake up and hear your compliments.” I’m waiting for a witty comeback, but it doesn’t come.
“I was…worried about you. The crash was really bad, and when you didn’t answer on the radio…” Her voice fades, and for a moment I fear she’s joking, but I see sincerity in her eyes.
“Don’t you worry about that, querida. You can’t get rid of me that easily. And we only started dating, come on.” She rolls her eyes but lets out a quiet chuckle at my attempt to lighten the mood. I literally can’t deal with sad people.
The door swings open, and a nurse comes in, her eyes lighting up at the sight of me.
“Mateo! You’re already up! Great! How are you feeling?” She steps closer and starts examining me, although I’m guessing she should be checking my IVs, not the girth of my biceps.
“Uh… Okay, I think. I’ve been better.” I look over to Rosa and see her narrowed eyes, but jealousy leaves her, and she clears her throat when she catches me staring. “I think my biceps are okay. I’d need more checking on my wrist. Can you call the doctor in?”
Rosa snorts at my statement, then the nurse’s smile falls, and with a sour nod, she turns to leave the room. Now Enzo comes in, followed by the doctor not so long after.
“Mateo! You’re up. Great.” The doctor stops beside my bed, checking my papers as Enzo sits down on the other chair next to Rosa. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better, but you broke your wrist yesterday. It will take time to heal, and you’ll have to attend physical therapy. I’m sorry, but it seems like you won’t be able to race for a while.”
“I…won’t?” I ask, my voice filled with disappointment.
Racing means the world to me, and not being able to do the one thing that makes me happy… Especially since I’m fighting for the championship title. This is gonna be a big setback.
“Unfortunately, not. We’ll have to keep you here for a couple more days, but if you do physical therapy well, you might heal sooner.” He smiles, but I don’t reciprocate.
“Thanks, doc.” The doctor nods and leaves, the silence enveloping us.
“It’s not the end of the world. You’re leading the race by 63 points, we’re only halfway through the season, and we also have a summer break coming up. You’ll have plenty of time to recover and come back stronger.” Enzo’s the first to speak up, trying to cheer me up.
“Man, 63 points is not much to gather, especially not from Asher.” I scoff, my head falling back onto the pillow.
