A/N: Okay y'all. I would like to apologize that it was literally been forever since I updated. My life have been insane and I just have not had the time to write. Right now It seems like I am kind of getting a handle on things so hopefully I can update more frequently, but I don't want to make any promises. I do fully intend on finishing my stories though. So if you all will just hang in there I will do it eventually! Thank you all for being so amazing I love you all!
TC
It was an exceptionally cold day. The seventh of December. Cooper and Jeremy had flown to visit and to help me look for a more permanent place to say. Just the two of them in my apartment had made it painfully obvious that I needed to find somewhere bigger. And now that I had some job security I felt comfortable looking for a place to call home.
“Are you ready to go house shopping?” Cooper said bouncing up and down holding a mug of hot cocoa in-between both hands.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I flung a long woven scarf around my neck. “I feel so old! Buying a house. It’s so weird.”
“Yeah, you’re ancient.” Jeremy smiled
“At least I don’t still live with dad.” I quipped.
“Heeeeey!” Cooper and Jeremy said in unison.
It took three days and me almost strangling the twins to find the perfect house but we finally found it. It wasn’t massive, but it had enough room to house my family when they came to visit. A two car garage for both of my babies. A gorgeous master suite that included a huge closet and a Jacuzzi tub. And with my brothers help I had all of my stuff moved in by the next day. The house was still fairly empty since it was a good deal larger than my apartment, which meant I would need to buy more things, but that could wait for another day.
Exhausted from the move I tumbled into my bed. Thankfully I had forced myself to set up my bed and spread it up. It felt so good to snuggle up after a long day moving. I didn’t fight my body’s urge to drift into a deep sleep, and soon it overcame me.
It must have been hours later, but it seemed like only minutes when I was pulled out of my deep sleep by the sound of my cell phone ringing. I fumbled to grasp the ringing object, but I soon realized that it wasn’t sitting on my bedside table because of the fact there wasn’t a bedside table there it. I tried to reach down to the floor where my phone lay charging, but failed miserably and quickly found myself colliding with the floor. The phone was on its fourth ring by the time I had it in hand and I answered with without even looking to see who was calling at this wretched hour of the night.
“Hello?” I answered in a very groggy state.
“She’s dead.” a very weak voice said over the phone. I sat up in bed and turned the lamp on. Then began to attempt o rub to sleep out of my eyes.
“Who Daniel, who’s dead?” I asked concerned.
“My sister. She was just in a car accident. She didn’t make it.” he sniffled.
By now I up and pulling on a pair of sweatpants and sneakers. Although I don’t know where I thought I was going. Daniel was in Australia taking a break before we continued with winter testing and I was all the way back in Milton Keynes.
“Okay, well I’m going to be there as soon as I can…. I need to find my car… and a plane… and my other shoe.” my mind was going in a thousand different directions. All the things I needed to do. And of course the fact that Daniel needed me and I was thousands of miles away.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to come. I just thought you should know why I wont be around for a few weeks… and you might not hear from me.” he mumbled. He was hurting and I could hear it in his voice.
“No. I’m on my way, its too late to stop me now.” I said before switching my phone to my other hand so that I could put my other arm into my long sleeved shirt.
“Thanks.” he said softly and I could tell it meant a lot.
“I’ll be there soon. Hang on.” I said as if I were only a few blocks away. In reality it would be almost a full day before I could be there.
***
When the plane finally touched down in Australia I was thouroughly exhausted. I normally would have slept most of the flight away, but I was too busy worrying about Daniel. I spent most of the time glued to my phone.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on my way to the baggage claim. I looked twice as bad as I felt. It was incredibly obvious that I hadn’t used a mirror when putting my hair into a fishtail braid during the eigth hour of the flight. Pieces of hair stuck out everywhere and it was still incredibly frizzy. My face had no make-up on, which was extremely out of the ordinary. Then my attire of sweatpants and longs leaves certainly wouldn’t do in the Australian heat. I needed to find my things and then make myself presentable before heading out to meet Daniel. Which I still had not really arranged a plan for.
Once grabbing my things of the baggage carrousel I headed straight for a bathroom. Examining myself in the mirror was even worse. The bags under my eyes were horrendous and I’m pretty sure my shirt is on backwards. I dug through my bag clothes that had been carelessly thrown in until I found a pair of shorts and a a black short sleeve shirt. I quickly changed and then re-did my hair using a mirror thise time. I still looked rough, but it was an improvement on before.
I pulled my mobile phone out of my bag and dialed Daniel’s number.
“Hey.” he said softly. I could tell he wasn’t at all himself and it broke my heart.
“Hey.” I replied quietly “I’m here. At the airport.”
“Okay. I’m going to come pick you up.”
And the phone went silent. I gathered my things and walked out of the doors of the airport and found a bench to sit on and wait for Daniel. The Australian heat was sweltering and was certainly a shock to my body after coming from snow in Milton Keynes.
Half an hour later a black range rover pulled up into the pick-up lane at the airport and Daniel emerged from the drivers side and made his way over to me. If it was possible he looked even worse than I did. He hadn’t shaved in days and his eyes were puffy from crying. He had a flat bill cap pulled down on his head and he was just wearing a wrinkled t-shirt and shorts. Once he was finally in front of me we both stood awkwardly for a moment just staring at each other, neither knowing what to say.
“Thanks for coming.” he said looking down at the ground.
And I had the overwhelming urge to cry. I couldn’t form any words so I simply wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, buring my head into his shirt. He returned the embrace by placing his arms around me and we just stood there. Not caring what people thought. All I cared about was being there for him.
“T.C.” I finally spoke again “I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?” I asked pulling away from him.
“You know my sister had a child.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“I was the godfather.” he said looking at me, his eyes piercing mine.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. He was now responsible for this child. For raising his sisters young daughter. I could see the fear in his eyes, the uncertaintly and the anticipation of what my response would be.
“So, what does that I mean?” I paused “I mean… I know what it means, but what do you intend to do?”
“I promised my sister that I would raise Felicity if anything happened and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” he said sounding the most sure I had heard him yet.
“What about your career?” I quickly realized how insensitive that sounded and I regretted it.
“I’m going to try and do both… But I need your help. I can’t raise a child and race without help.” he said.
“Anything. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.” I nodded.
“Thank you.” he ran a and through my hair “I knew you would be there for me.”
The next few days were a blur, spent running around assisting Daniel and his family make arrangements. Taking care of Felicity and trying to help Daniel keep it together. I also was keeping in almost constant contact with Daniel’s press officer, being a liazon between them. It was overwhelming thinking about all the adjustments that would have to be made in order to accomadate for a child to travel the rigorous fomula 1 season with us, but it could be done. It had to be.
It’s kind of ironic how lifes works. Just one short week ago I knew that it was impossible for me to have a child and that I would never be a mother. Today I am faced with the responsibility of taking care of a baby. She wasn’t mine, but all the same I knew I would be a caretaker in her life. I would play a big part in raising her, as long as Daniel was racing and as long as Daniel and I were… whatever we are.