Blinded - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 8

After an hour of waiting for Charles, I've gotten to know Pascale a lot better. She's one of the warmest people I've ever met. The feeling I get from her is very maternal. She's the kind of person who's meant to have children.

"Maybe I should leave you two when he wakes up." I say and stand up from the chair on Charles' right side. I don't want to spoil her moment with her son when he wakes up.

"You know, I was going to say the same thing to you. Charles knows I'm here. He knows I wouldn't miss this for the world. I think he would like to know you've been here waiting for him too."

I nod to her but get a heavy feeling in my chest and my eyes start to water. "It's just..." I sniffle between the words. "...I don't know what I should say to him. The last time we talked was right before the race. We were fighting and I was so mad at him." I'm crying now and she puts her arms around me in an attempt to calm me down. "I told him that we should wait to continue talking later, and when I saw them crash..." It's like I almost cant say it. "... a part of me thought I wouldn't get the chance to talk to him again." I feel her nodding in the hug.

"You know, I felt the exact same way. Every time I say goodbye to him before he's racing, there's a part of me that is scared I won't get him back." I can hear her crying too now.

"What am I supposed to say to him?" I'm honestly asking her right now because I really have no idea.

"You don't have to say anything, sweetheart. Just put everything aside and make sure he knows you're here for him." I nod to that, feel a little more at ease. "I will just go down to the cafeteria. Let me know if something's happening, I'll be back in a bit." I nod to her and she leaves the room.

I walk over and sit down in the chair she's been sitting in. I take his hand and rest my head beside it on the bed.

"You're here." My head flicks up in a second when I hear his voice. I see his open eyes and it's like I can finally breathe again. He squeezes my hand when he sees me holding his.

I'm this moment, I can't do anything else than just hug him. I try to be careful, not to break anything. He lifts his hand gently and put it on my back. I take a deep breath to just soak in the moment.

When I let go and sit down in the chair again I also let go of his hand.

"What the hell were you trying to do?" He laughs at me, as much as he can. To be honset I think he's not showing how much pain he's really in.

"I was trying to win the race, what do you think?" I shake my head at the insane man before me.

"You are absolutely reckless." I tell him.

"And you absolutely adore it." That leaves me silent. I smile and shake my head at him. He reaches for my hand again and I take his before he has the time to do it. He looks happy with that. He closes his eyes for a bit.

"What?" I watch how his lips curl into a smile.

"I'm just enjoying this moment. I'm awake, and you are not yelling at me." I hit him gently at his arm.

"Stop that. Let's leave that to when you're not in a hospital bed. Then I will go back to screaming at you." He laughs at me and shakes his head.

"Looking forward to it already." That he says at the same time as he strokes his thumb over my knuckles, keeping his eyes on mine.

I cant help but smile at him. This Charles is a completely different person from the one I've seen these last two weeks. He's vulnerable now, in way I've never seen before.

"Your mom's here. She just went down to the cafeteria." He smiles and nods.

"I know."

"How would you know?"