Annabelle
A steady beeping sounded and I blinked a few times before carefully opening my eyes. I slowly looked around the room and realized that I was in hospital. What had happened?
Adam Berger had happened. I immediately started to shake again and remembered the last few moments. His hand on my hip, his lips on mine. I started to cry and just then the door opened.
(Conversation in German)
"Annabelle, you're awake!"
My brother rushed to my bedside and immediately grabbed my hand.
"How are you feeling? Are you feeling a little better?"
Overwhelmed, I closed my eyes again for a moment and tried to slow down my breathing, which had just become faster again. Next to me, my brother pressed the button for the nurse and then looked at me again with concern.
Unable to say anything, I just squeezed his hand lightly and he brushed a strand of hair out of my face. Why was I here? Where was everyone else, was the winner ceremony already over?
"Mrs Bruck, nice to see you're awake again. How are you?"
The nurse came into my room followed by a doctor. They both stopped in front of my bed and I looked back and forth between them and my brother because something was missing. To be precise, someone was missing.
"Is George still with the media or why isn't he here?"
Sighing, Benedikt left my eye contact and looked at the bedspread.
"Mrs Bruck, do you know what day it is?"
Confused, I glanced at my brother, who still didn't look up at me and I looked back at the two people in white.
"Sunday, George won the race in Spielberg today."
The doctor and the nurse glanced at each other and my brother sighed next to me and started to speak without looking up.
"George is in Budapest, this Sunday is the Hungarian Grand Prix."
My heart stopped for a moment and I froze. As the doctor flicked through the pages on his clipboard, I felt a tear run down my face.
"Silverstone?"
"It was the week before last, George came fourth."
WHAT? I couldn't believe what my brother was saying. The race in England was never over and this weekend was never Formula 1 in Hungary, it just couldn't be. My breathing quickened, so the nurse immediately stepped up to my IV and adjusted something.
"Mrs Bruck, I know that this is all quite a lot for you right now. But you had a severe panic attack and were unconscious for a very long time, which is why we put you into an artificial sleep so that your body can recover. Fortunately, there was a rescue helicopter on site, so we were able to avoid more serious consequences, but you should avoid stress in the near future and try to remain calm. If you feel better by tomorrow afternoon, we will be happy to discharge you, but you should not be alone for too long in the near future in case your condition worsens."
The doctor gave me, or rather my brother, some more papers before he and the nurse left the room again. I had to swallow hard and take a deep breath. My brother looked at me sympathetically and squeezed my hand, which he was still holding. I looked at Benedikt and he immediately understood what I wanted to know.
"They weren't here. They said it was your own fault and they warned you to stay out of Formula 1 and away from George."
I nodded silently. Even though it was kind of predictable, it just reaffirmed to me how little my parents liked me. I mean, even if I was going against their advice, I'd been in a deep sleep for the last three weeks and they didn't care.
"But everyone else was here. Emilia, Lando, Lily and Alex came round on Sunday to check on you and Emilia has been here every second or third day after that to check on you. Unfortunately, she's on a business trip at the moment, even though she didn't really want to leave you and this place," my brother explained and I gave him a slight smile.
"George was here every day. He blamed himself so much for leaving you alone. He didn't want to fly to Silverstone, but his boss and I finally managed to get him to fly to the race. However, he was back here immediately afterwards and never left your side, for which I am very grateful to him, as I didn't get vacation days so quickly."
Again, I swallowed hard and tried to process all the information. George wasn't to blame for what had happened and I could imagine how much he blamed himself anyway.
"You took a holiday because of me?"
I looked at my brother uncertainly. Why was he using up his holiday for me and this shitty situation?
"Of course, you're my sister, my family. George called me from the hospital that Sunday and I got on the next plane straight away. However, I had to go back for work and only got leave a few days later. I've been here every day since then. I would never leave you alone, even if I live in another country. You won't get rid of me that quickly."
He grinned mischievously at me with the last sentence and a smile appeared on my lips. However, it faded a little later and I had to think about George and the phone call to my brother.
"What happened, what did George say?"
"I was just going for a run after watching the race. Before you ask, yes, I watched the whole thing and I was happy for George, but I'm still not a Formula 1 fan, even though your George is a really great driver," Benedikt said and laughed.
I replied briefly before looking at him again with anticipation.
"Anyway, he rang and said you'd had a panic attack and were on your way to hospital and that it was really bad. He was completely upset and when I got here he was even crying. He reproached himself so much. We then had a long chat about you and our past. He also said that you thought you saw your old teacher in the paddock. I was totally surprised when he told me that and said that you must have mistaken him."
I sat there silently, looking at the duvet as I started to shake slightly again. A tear dripped down and Benedikt let out a sound of astonishment.
"So it really was him. How did he find you?"
Sighing, I looked at him and he understood immediately.
"We have to tell the police. Unfortunately, nobody saw him on the track. You were just lying unconscious on the ground when someone from the Mercedes team found you."
"No one will believe me," I muttered, turning my gaze away from my brother again.
"I believe you, George believes you."
"That's not enough!" I shouted at my brother, who flinched in horror.
"Sorry."
Exhausted, I lay back down and closed my eyes. Nobody would believe me, just like back then. Besides, what was the offence of buying a Formula 1 pass and watching the race, nothing.
"You probably want to sleep, I'll leave you alone and go and change if that's okay," my brother said uncertain.
I nodded slowly and let go of his hand.
"Are you in a hotel or where are you staying?"
Benedikt stopped and turned round before grinning sheepishly at me and gripping the back of his neck.
"I've been staying at your place since I moved to Vienna, with the spare key you gave me the other day. I hope that's all right, otherwise I can go to a hotel."
I immediately said no and then thanked him again. Before he left, he showed me that my mobile phone was in the drawer next to my bed and that I could call George. However, he still had an hour of training, as he had told my brother earlier, so I decided to get some sleep.
All the medication and the state of my body made me quite tired, so I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.
I sat quietly in the empty classroom and leafed through my book. In passing, I wrote down a few things on the subject. Mr Berger sat at the front of the teacher's desk and typed on his laptop. It wasn't unusual for me to stay a little longer. I got on very well with my teacher, on a professional basis, and we often worked on topics together or went through interesting things better if they didn't fit into his lessons.
I was very interested in the whole subject and I was glad that he took so much time for me. I was also supposed to do a presentation on an exciting topic next week, which is why I was still here today, he wanted to discuss all the details with me.
"How are you getting on?"
Without looking up, I said that it had gone quite well so far, I just had a few more questions on a sub-topic. I heard Mr Berger push back his chair and stand up. His heavy steps approached me, but I continued to focus on the text in the book.
However, when he stopped behind me and clearly too close, closer than usual, I held my breath for a moment and looked up at him behind me. His usually friendly look had disappeared and instead he gave me a dirty grin.
"I can also give you some extra lessons, with me for example."
Perplexed, I paused and felt him lean down towards me. I carefully closed my book and put my things in a pile before standing up with it. The whole situation seemed strange to me and I felt completely uncomfortable.
However, Mr Berger prevented me from doing so by resting his arms on the table to the left and right of me while I was still sitting in front of him.
"Why are you suddenly in such a hurry, you've enjoyed our private lessons so far."
"Yes... No." I stammered, unsure what to say or do.
Suddenly I felt hot breath on my ear and a cold shiver ran down my spine. When he removed one of his hands from the edge of the table and placed it on my shoulder, I finally panicked. I had never experienced my teacher like this before, I had always had a nice and friendly image of him.
Slowly, his hand traveled from my shoulder down my upper arm until it was level with my chest.
I woke up sweating and trembling and was shocked at first. Then I remembered what had happened and why I was in hospital. A nurse immediately came into the room and only now did I realize that the monitor next to my bed, to which I was connected, was beeping loudly.
"I'll give you something to calm you down."
Wordlessly, I just nodded and then watched the young woman disappear for a moment and return a little later with a bag of fluids, which she attached to my IV. My heart was still racing and I was shaking all over, but I breathed in and out deeply and it slowly got better. However, the nurse began to take my pulse and blood pressure and listened to my heart. She then pressed on the monitor and looked at me with concern.
"Has your brother gone?"
"Er... Yes, he wanted to go and change and rest," I stammered, confused by her question.
"You shouldn't be alone for so long if you can avoid it."
With these words, she turned her back to me and was about to leave the room again when I stopped her.
"Can I use the phone?"
The nurse paused and then slowly turned round to face me.
"Actually, that's not allowed. But as you don't have any bed neighbors at the moment, you can. I hope it will help you to calm down a little. All the best."
After she had finished speaking, she disappeared and closed the door behind her. Unsure, I reached into the small drawer next to my bed and took out my mobile phone. When I saw the lock screen, I had to smile.
It was the picture of New Year's Eve that Lando had taken. While I looked at the camera laughing, George grinned at me in love and held me tightly in his arms. I loved this picture and the man in it, but now I was a little scared to call him.
Did he even want to speak to me? I'm sure he had received some criticism because of me and I could imagine how much it was distracting him from his job. He was right in the title race and couldn't really afford to do that. Maybe I should just leave it alone so that he could concentrate fully on the race this Sunday.