"Did you really bring your cat here to have a play date?" Max sighed as he saw Pippin in Leah's arms as she kissed the top of the orange cat's head.
"Of course we did," Lando smiled as he gave Max a side hug. Leah walked in and set Pippin down on the floor. Sassy and Jimmy immediately came up to say hi. Penelope came out of her room as well smiling.
"Leah!" She laughed and ran at her. Leah knelt down and wrapped her arms around the girl as she picked her up resting her on her hip.
"P, how is my favorite princess of all time?" Leah asked as she smiled at the little girl.
"I've missed you and Maxie," She smiled and squished Leah's cheeks.
"Not, me?"Lando gasped. He pressed a hand to his chest offended that she would say anything like that.
"Lando!" She squealed as Leah let her down to go hug him as well. Leah walked toward the back deck and saw Nyck.
"Hey Nyck, how long have you been here?" Leah asked as she checked the time on her phone. They weren't late. He must have just been early.
"I actually just got here a few minutes ahead of you both, Kelly was just telling me about the life here," He gestured to the view from the balcony. Leah smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, it's amazing, probably my favorite place to live," Leah reasoned as she walked toward the cooler and grabbed herself a bear. "You want one?" She asked Nyck.
"Sure," He smiled.
"Oh I'm sorry," Kelly apologized.
"You don't gotta apologize, Kelly, you're a wonderful hostess, don't worry," Leah smiled and kissed her cheek. "Penelope is growing up beautifully, by the way, it feels like I haven't seen her in years. She's so big now."
"I know, she getting ready to turn five here soon and I almost can't believe it," Kelly smiled at Leah and then looked back at the door as Max walked out. Lando was behind him still holding the small girl.
"Welcome out here, everyone," Leah smiled at them. Lando gently put P down and she smiled as she walked back over to the glass door and started playing with eh cats through it. Lanod moved toward Nyck giving I'm a hug.
"How have you been mate?" Lando asked him as he grabbed Leah's waist pulling her toward him.
"I've been alright, but I do have something to tell you three," Nyck sighed as he looked down at his cold beer.
"that does not sound good at all," Leah shook her head as she waited for him to finish speaking.
"Daniel is taking my position at AlphaTauri," Nyck added. His eyes didn't leave the wood beneath his feet. Leah stood up now looking over to Max.
"What the fuck?" Leah breathed as she thought for a moment. There was no way she was responsible for that switch.
"Yeah, I just found out, he will be ready to go the next race," Nyck nodded as he took a long sip of his beer.
"I'm sorry man, but hey maybe it's for the best, I mean you don't have that pressure on your shoulders anymore," Max reasoned as he squeezed Nycks shoulder a little bit.
"Yeah, man I mean maybe it's for the best things happen. That's sucks, but it's how you pick yourself up and move forward with your life for the better," Lando reasoned as Nyck gave him a slight nod.
"Actually, you know what you would be awesome at and I'm sure someone over there would love to have you if formula e," Leah added as she drank the rest of her beer. Nyck smiled at her.
"I just wanted you three to know, Leah was going to be the first, but you invited me here, so I thought I might s well tell you all. It's going out in a few days and I wasn't sure who to tell officially before Red Bull does."
"I can't believe they would do that," Kelly shook her head.
"I can," Leah shook her head. "This industry is brutal. Anything you need Nyck, you just let us know and we've got you, remember that." Nyck smiled at her as he finished off his beer. Leah took it over to their trash bin and put them away grabbing herself and Nyck another. She knew he was going to need it.
"Seriously though, your our kid, so anything you need we've got you," Lando emphasized as well as Nyck took the second beer.
"Thanks, guys, I do think maybe it's for the best, formula one wasn't my favorite, I didn't have the same love and passion for it that you all do," He explained. Leah stared at him. Did she have a love for racing like they do? She had a passion for it, but she was raised to race. So was Max and he loved it. Although he was talking about retiring since it was getting boring with him winning all the time so he clearly doesn't have the love for it.
"Well then, you just have to find your passion," Max smiled at him. Leah's phone started ringing and she pulled it out of her back pocket seeing Cassidy's name.
"Hello," She answered and turned away from the others while Penelope stood up from the ground and hugged her leg. She pointed to Pip who was pawing at the glass.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?! Get over here right now Leah Ann Guessey-Norris!" Cassidy screamed through the phone. Leah could tell she was crying by the way her voice cracked.
"What are you yelling at me about? I'm busy right now Cas," Leah muttered into the phone as she smiled at Penelope.
"Just be honest with me, are you seriously still going to race after what the doctors said?" Cassidy sobbed. Leah's smile fell and she looked into the glass door at herself.
"how do you know about that?" Leah whispered.
"Get the fuck over here right now, you are fucking crazy!" Cassidy screamed into the phone as she hung up. Leah sighed and dropped her head as she slid the phone into her back pocket.
"Leah, everything okay?" Lando asked. He was standing just behind her now worried. Leah turned around a gave him a tight smile.
"I am so sorry," She looked over at Nyck. "I have to go, Cassidy is sobbing and screaming. She's a mess right now and I don't know what she's going to do. I will be back around later if you all are still hanging out." She looked up at Lando. "I will walk there you keep the car if you can drive home. Do you want me to take Pip or you keep him?"
"I can keep him, do you want me to go with though?" Lando asked as he brushed her hair behind her shoulders. She shook her head and kissed him softly.
"No, it'll be okay, she just needs to talk through it," Leah moved away from him to Nyck giving him a hug, and then Max, Kelly, and Penelope.
"Alright have fun all of you, Max take care of my child and my husband, please. Lando take care of Pip, I love you and I will be back later. Just text me if you leave," Leah told him. He kissed her forehead and nodded.
"You got it," He smiled at her. "Tell Cassidy we love her, Kelly added as Leah opened the door inside giving her a tight nod.
Leah didn't run to Cassidy's house. She walked. Slow in fact. She knew what she was going to be yelled at about, but she hated being yelled at by Cassidy. It made her feel like she was four and getting yelled at by her mom once again. When she walked up to her door it flung open and Cassidy stared at her. She had no tears. She had an angry look.
"Get in here now," She stepped to the side and Leah walked in slowly.
"I am not going to sit here like I'm five and let you yell at me, we are going to have a civil conversation like the adults we are," Leah reasoned as she walked into her kitchen and sat down at the table.
"No, you are going to listen to me because apparently you've learned nothing from everyone in your life dying Leah," Cassidy shook her head as she started pacing back and forth. "Our entire lives all I've done is support you and want everything of you. I've gotten you jobs, promotions, everything. Karting is all you've ever known. It's been in your family and you do it for your parents 'cause it's what they've wanted, but what do you want, Leah? Is formula one what you love, or what you've learned to love? Do you enjoy it like you should or it is your job? It's not a fun hobby or your dream job?"
"My dream growing up was to win a world championship," Leah reasoned.
"That was your father's dream for you and you've fulfilled it. You've done everything for them, you've completed their tasks, you are done, you don't have to kill yourself to try and make your dead family happy with you, you've done it, they are gone, and you've still become a world champion. You've set records, made history!" Cassidy threw her hands out as she stared at her best friend.
"Did Christian even tell you the odds, it's a seventy to thirty, I have the higher chance of survival," Leah reasoned. "I am planning to retire after this year."
"I don't give a shit about the percents Leah! I've seen the crashes you've gotten into. I've seen the damage to your car and I've seen your scans from the doctors. I've seen everything! And fuck you for not telling me after you found out! I'm your fucking manager and your best friend! I'm your sister and you were going to keep this shit from me!" Cassidy hit her chest a few times as she took a deep breath and grabbed the wine glass from the table and took a long drink. Leah saw the half-empty bottle on the table.
"I was going to tell you, Cassidy, I was just trying to come to terms with everything first," Leah lied as she picked at her nails.
"No you fucking weren't! And don't lie to me you suck at it anyways," Cassidy shook her head and set the glass down on the counter. "You won't be going t to any more races you will be retiring early from the season, I don't care what you feel. This is for your safety, Leah. Christian agrees with me and so do many others including your own doctor." Leah stood up suddenly looking around the room for Elizabeth.
"It's my career, Cassidy. I just want the rest of the season, it's a low chance I will die if I get into another crash, and who says I will? I mean yeah my family's luck is shit, but a seventy percent chance is better than a hundred percent chance of death. I just need better headgear, that is all. Don't force me to retire early. I am not driving for my family alone anymore. I am driving in formula one for every little girl in karting who wants to one day be as good as their brothers. I am driving for all the women in formula two and for all the women in formula one academy. I'm driving for women. I represent not only myself but females in this industry. I can't just quit, I need to finish this through. You have to understand that? I am not a quitter."
"I don't want you to die in one of those stupid fucking cars, that's not how I want you to go," Cassidy shook her head as her chin wobbled. Leah moved toward her best friend putting her hands on each of her shoulders.
"Would you rather me go to a stupid fucking cancer?" Leah asked giving her a smile. Cassidy shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"No, I don't want you to go early at all, you are going to make it to age eighty. You are going to let me have your kids and we are all going to watch our children go up together. We are going to have random bingo Sundays together. I will even let you cheat a little," Cassidy laughed as she wiped her tears away. "I don't want you to die."
"No one says I'm going to die, I have a chance, I know it's risky, but it's only the rest of the season and anyway I'm going to need your help deciding on what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life because I refuse to be a housewife. It's 2023, I'm not doing that shit, I would get too bored and you are going to need a new person to manage," Leah laughed a little as she wiped away CAssidy's tears and pulled her close.
"We've got our podcast and maybe you could coach people in karting or something like that, help the girls in formula two or the Academy, they would love that," Cassidy muttered as she hugged Leah back. "I wish you wouldn't finish the season Leah, I've got a horrible knot in my stomach about it."
"Every time one of us gets into those cars there is always a chance we won't leave alive, it's an every-race chance Cassidy, you've known that since we were little girls. My mother made sure we understood the possibility. It's a dangerous sport and anything can happen," Leah explained as she met her best friends watering eyes.
"Yeah, but I don't think you want to die for something you don't truly love, you are doing this out of duty and responsibility," Cassidy sniffed as she grabbed the wine glass from the table, but Leah took it and drank the rest from the glass. "I really wish you would just retire."
"End of the season and I will, I promise," Leah smiled and grabbed the bottle, but Cassidy grabbed it back from her.
"Get a glass you monster we can watch a movie," She sighed and glared at her with her puffy red eyes. Leah laughed a little as she moved to the cabinet and grabbed one.
"Yes ma'am, where is Elizabeth?" She asked looking down the hallways and seeing all the doors were open.
"My mother is in town and I asked if she could babysit for a while while I handled you," Cassidy sat down on her couch and grabbed a tissue blowing her nose. Leah sat down beside her and Cas leaned her head on her shoulder. "I don't want you to leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere Cassidy, my odd's just got a little thinner, but only a little bit. Down from a hundred to seventy," Leah reasoned as she kissed Cassidy's head. Cassidy had turned on the Chicago fire. Which was an extremely dramatic, but addictive firefighter TV series. she'd tried to get Leah to watch it when they lived together, but Leah always got angry with the characters and it was an emotional rollercoaster. She didn't end up ever watching it again. She only watched it with Cassidy when she was upset.