The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

SEQUEL - Chapter 40

Joanna wondered if it hurt, a broken neck was quick, but if the neck is not broken, it's a slow and painful death. Suffocation, in this way, is not like falling asleep from an overdose. It is ugly and terrible and uttermost, unbearable for loved ones to see.

Maybe Joanna should tell Max what the roses in their garden stand for. He had no idea, but she felt like it would make him uncomfortable, it certainly made her uncomfortable, but she could never remove the rose bushes. Their bodies might not rest below the flowers, but it was their grave, nevertheless. Their first son has one too. Niki had selected a bush of white roses and told Patrick to plant it next to the rose bush that was there for the child Joanna would have had with Mark.

It was strange, she did feel a deep connection to them, as if she knew something other people didn't about her angle children, but on the other hand, she never dared to give them a name. Max never asked if he could, but Joanna knew that Mark would have wished to.

"I want to go home." Joanna suddenly muttered, causing Max to look at her, who was still leaning over the Austrian, one hand stroking her hair back while holding her hand with his other.

Her eyes were not on him, not on anything in particular but she suddenly radiated such calmness it worried Max. Normally, Joanna feared everything which might harm their baby in any way which had amused the Dutchman greatly just a few days ago, but now it pained him to know how dearly she wanted that baby. How good she took care of herself and him, only to find out it was all for the naught.

"J, we need them to figure out what's going on." Max muttered back, but Joanna was already getting up, pushing Max back, so she could reach out and get the cloth to whip the gel from her belly, after pushing the doctor's hand and the wand away. She would not stay here a moment longer.

"I'm going home now." The Austrian said, which caused both doctors and the nurse to protest while Max watched her helplessly and confused. He did not understand how Joanna managed to seem so collected suddenly, to appear as if this had been a normally day and not a terrible strike of the destiny again.

"Ms Lauda, please. You really cannot. If the baby is ... if there is no heartbeat, we have to get the child, so you won't be harmed." The nurse spoke while Joanna closed her sweat jacket over her belly.

"Nobody is getting my baby. I'm going home now." She said again louder before turning towards Max. "Trust me, we're fine. I can feel him." The Austrian promised Max which caused him to reach out before he stopped briefly. It was never the case that Joanna wouldn't allow him to touch her belly, but at this moment, he rather stopped, took a moment to look into her eyes and only touch once the Austrian had nodded and reached out to take his hand before putting it down on her belly herself.

"He's moving." Joanna told Max, but he couldn't feel anything. If there was nothing to be felt, or if his panic dimmed his senses, he did not know. But the logic was compelling. Of course, there had to be a heartbeat if he was moving, there was no question to that. If Joanna said she was feeling it, what other choice did he have but to believe her. She was right, had to be.

"Ms Lauda. The monitor is not transmitting any signal." The doctor said again, carefully taking one step after the other over to Joanna as if she had gone crazy or was an animal he needed to catch before it would hurt itself or others, which Max did not appreciate at all. If Joanna said the baby was moving, then the baby was moving. She's not one to imagine things. She also wasn't one to hold onto fake hope.

"Get another one." Max suddenly ordered before he turned to the doctor and gave him a glare. "Get another one, right now."

Nodding once at the nurse, the woman ran from the room to get another monitor, while Max pulled Joanna into his arms, his hand still staying on her belly. He had yet to feel a kick or any movement, but he trusted Joanna to know the difference between sleeping and dead. It was terrible that she knew the difference and that he could trust her on that.