I had spent a lot of time with Jack and Toto over the period of time between the two races. Toto was obviously busy with the team preparing for the upcoming races but as soon as it was time for family, he was completely committed to it.
The day before we were due to fly out to Portugal, Jack came down with a cold of some description. He was heavily congested and coughing a lot and we decided it would be best if we stayed back. I told Toto I would look after Jack while he went to the race.
On Friday, my whole day consisted of snotty tissues, Disney movies and holding a germ-filled 4 year old in my arms as he slept. I made a big pot of hot soup for the next couple of days. I watched the practices and was pleased to see decent performances from both cars.
Lewis went P5 in Practice 1 but managed to get a better run in Practice 2 finishing with P1. Bottas did well getting P1 in the first practice and P3 in the second practice. I was in contact with Toto fleetingly through the day, mostly keeping him updated on Jack. I fell asleep in my bed with Jack before we managed to get a call in once Toto got back to his room.
When we woke up on Saturday, I made Jack some breakfast, trying to encourage him to eat at least some bread was difficult but a promise of an ice-cream when he was feeling better was all it took in the end. Jack and I spent the rest of the day on the couch. I comforted him as he cuddled into me, something that made my heart melt a little.
When practice came on, Jack was sure to try and cheer on his two friends out on the track. Even through all of his sickness, he had the racing bug implanted in his DNA. He watched as Verstappen finished in P1 with Hamilton close behind and Bottas third.
There was 3 hours between practice and qualifying and Jack and I filled it by reading some books together and playing some games on his iPad. Jack seemed to be on the mend now, slowly recovering from the nasty flu that he had.
When qualifying came around, Jack and I watched intently. Jack clapped whenever Toto was on the screen and whenever Lewis or Valterri were shown in their cars. He cheered when Bottas qualified P1 and was even happier to see Lewis in P2, locking out the front row.
"Can we call dad Mimi?" He asked, looking at me as soon as the coverage finished. I smiled and shook my head gently. He looked a little disappointed, clearly wanting to discuss the results with his dad.
"He has to do media buddy. We will give him a call once he is finished." I explain and he nods softly as he rests his head down on the pillow. I message Toto and tell him to call when he is finished to talk to Jack. I chuck on a show for Jack and walk to the kitchen, putting my hair into a messy bun.
I decided to cook spaghetti bolognese for dinner. While I am cooking, my phone rings and I quietly pick it up. "Well don't you look all beautiful tonight." Toto says immediately and I smile softly.
"Oh hush you." I say and he laughs gently. "I am cooking spaghetti bolognese." I comment and place my phone down as I keep stirring the pot full of sauce. He looks exhausted, bags under his eyes giving away his condition.
"Jack is a lucky boy." He remarks, his eyes softening slowly as he rests his head back against the headboard of his bed. "Where is he?" He asks. I look through to the living room to see him still resting on the couch watching TV.
"He is watching Bluey in the lounge. I have seen enough of that dog in the last 48 hours. You owe me big time Wolff." I comment, giving Toto a stern look to show how serious I was that I had reached my Bluey quota for the weekend.
He smirks, the expression something I had missed so much in the few days I hadn't seen him. "Oh how will I make it up to you?" He asks and I laugh at the way his strong accent wrapped around the words.
"That's for you to decide." I wink and look up at Jack as I can see him peering over to me. "In the meantime, I best hand you off to Jack before he finds me hogging you in here and gives me a stern scolding." I begin walking towards Jack who is now jumping on the couch at the prospect of a chat with his dad.
"Best not keep him waiting. I miss you prinzessin." The words gave me butterflies and it comforted me to know that he was also not enjoying this time apart. Caring for a sick child while the other runs a racing team proved to make keeping in contact quite challenging over the last few days.
"Miss you too." I reply, but the phone is ripped out of hands as Jack begins talking to his dad. I walk back to the kitchen and continue making dinner, listening to the dribbles of conversation that I could make out from my distanced location. After another 20 minutes, dinner was done and I called Jack to eat.
He said his goodbyes to his dad and then proceeded to tell me for the entirety of dinner about his conversation with Toto. Once we were finished, I cleaned up and then gave Jack a bath. I then helped him to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Waking up the next day, I noticed messages from Toto. Jack was already awake next to me and had gotten his iPad from the lounge and was playing a game on it quietly. I said good morning and then proceeded to talk to Toto.
Toto - Good morning little one. Hope you slept well and Jack wasn't too much of a problem. I miss you both x TW
Me - Morning Toto. We both slept well finally, not too much sniffling from Jack which was a relief. He seems heaps better today. We miss you and hope you slept well too x good luck today. We will be cheering you on from here. AS
Toto - Good to hear Jack is feeling better. I wish you were here but I guess cheering from home will have to do. Will message when I can x TW
Jack and I had another relaxing day playing games together in the lounge room. I wasn't feeling great and felt as though I was coming down with Jacks mystery illness. The race rolled around quickly and Jack and I set ourselves up on the couch to cheer on the team.
There was a collision between Raikkonen on the second lap, leading to an early safety car. After the restart, Lewis is overtaken by Max, but retakes second place after a couple more laps. At Lap 20, Lewis overtakes Bottas and begins to widen the gap between not only Valterri but Max.
From there, it was pretty smooth sailing for Lewis who won dominantly over Max with over a 20 second gap between the pair. Valterri came third giving the team a double podium finish. Jack and I cheer as we watch the podiums.
After we had finished watching, Jack and I resumed playing our games before eating dinner. I settled Jack into bed, this time in my spare room and read him a story. Before I even finished the first 10 pages, Jack was passed out. I sneaked out and left the door ajar as I went to my own room.
Beginning to feel worse now, I ran myself a bath and climbed in. The warm water was soothing me. I smiled at the sensation and rested back. Drying my hands on a towel, I grab my phone and begin to message Toto.
Me - Well done Mr Wolff! Proud of you and the team.
Toto - Thank you maus! Can't wait to celebrate with you. Missing you! TW
Me - Missing you too x
Toto - Tease. I am in public.
Me - I can always send you more?
Toto - Don't you dare.
Me - See you soon, think of me.
Toto - It's all I will be doing. See you soon schatz. TW
I put my phone down and enjoyed the serenity until the temperature of the water began to drop. I climbed out, wrapping myself in a warm towel before changing into my pyjamas. I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, but was interrupted by a small knock on my front door. I got up and walked to the door, looking in the peephole only to see a tall person blocking the view. I knew who it was immediately.
I swung the door open, greeted with a rough looking Toto. "You're here?" I asked and hugged him, my coarse voice letting him in on the fact that I was under the weather. He hugged back tightly and moved us into the apartment so he could shut the door. He locked them and then picked me up.
"I flew in early." His voice was quiet, obviously aware that Jack was asleep. He walks us toward my room and shuts the door behind him. "Are you sick?" He asks as he places me down on the bed.
"Jack is great at sharing." He pulls of his shirt and undos his pants, leaving him in only his boxers. He crawls into the bed next to me and gives me a sympathetic look. I shrug and look down at his chest.
"Oh maus." He sounds so sweet and gentle when he says those words to me and I immediately get those butterflies back. "Let me care for you." He is genuine and begins to kiss the top of my head gently as his fingers run through my damp hair.
"You look exhausted." I comment, really noticing how deep his eye bags were. "Still incredibly handsome. Are you ok?" I ask, hoping he wouldn't just brush me off because I was feeling ill.
"I didn't sleep well." He indulges in my question as my hand rested softly on his cheek. "It's okay though schatz. I will sleep better tonight." He kisses my cheek and pulls me close so I am cuddled into his chest again. This seemed to be the way we found ourselves sleeping frequently.
He switched off the light and plugged in his phone quickly. He rubbed my arms gently and hummed as I began to drift off to sleep. I squeezed his arm I held in my hand but couldn't fight the exhaustion anymore as my thoughts slowed and my mind began to rest.