Racing for Freedom

chapter Thirty One



When I wake, I’m in a small hospital bed. I flutter my eyes, but I can’t seem to focus them. I feel someone’s hand on my face. I blink a few times and see it’s my father. I open my mouth and croak out, “Slade?”

My father looks down at me, but his eyes are red and puffy from crying. “He’s in a bad way…he…he had serious internal bleeding. He shouldn’t have been in that car. Then he twisted his leg so badly, it’s done some serious nerve damage to it and his spine. We won’t know if he’ll walk until the surgery is over and he’s awake.”

“No,” I sob, gripping my father’s hand. “Oh god, no.”

“We won’t know for a while longer, until then we just have to wait.”

“I should have known. I knew he didn’t look right this morning, I knew and…”

“What happened, Dash?”

I swipe my tears away. “Michael beat him. Last night…he came over to my house and saw Slade and I…”

My father’s eyes widen. “You’re with Slade?”

“Yes. Michael found out and he must have beaten him. It’s been going on for years. I wanted to report him after he beat m…”

I stop short and curse as my father’s eyes widen and he stands so suddenly his chair skitters across the floor.

“What did you say?”

“I…I just meant…”

“You answer me, Dasha Jewel, did that man lay his hands on you?”

“Daddy, please, right now it’s about Slade and…”

“ANSWER ME!” he roars.

I close my eyes and swallow, then I grip my shirt and lift it. I know my father can see the faded bruises on my stomach. His curse and the sound of a smashing water jug confirms it.

“Sir, you need to calm down, this is a hospital.” I hear someone say.

I open my eyes to see my father glaring angrily at a young nurse. “Watch her, don’t you leave her alone. I’ll be back.”

“Daddy no!” I cry, but it’s too late. He’s gone.

I crumble and begin heaving. The nurse rushes over and gently puts her hands on my shoulders.

“It’s ok love, it’s ok.”

“Why am I in here?” I cry, shuffling off the bed and shoving her out of the way. “I need to be with Slade.”

“Mr. Devaroe is in surgery and you were in serious shock.”

“He has no one…”

“His father was here but…”

“Let me guess, he started getting questioned and he ran?!”

She nods sheepishly. “Does he have a mother?”

I sigh. “No, Slade’s mum left them when he was very young. She hasn’t seen him in a long, long time. He has no one.”

“I promise to keep you updated, but for now you’re better off here. There are two people outside wanting to see you.”

I nod, sliding back onto the bed and facing the wall. A moment later I hear Payton and Lucas’ voices. I sob and my body heaves as they climb into bed with me and wrap their arms around my body.

“He’s going to be ok honey.”

“We’re here.”

I cry myself into an exhausted sleep, and Lucas and Payton stay by my side. I don’t know what I’ll do if Slade dies. My dreams of winning are nothing compared to my love for him…if I lose him…I’ll never be the same again.

~*~*~*~

“Hey, wake up honey.”

I flicker my eyes open to see Payton standing by my bed. The hospital could really kick me out, considering I don’t really have anything wrong with me, but they don’t. God bless them for that. Payton strokes my hair and whispers, “He’s out.”

I bolt upright. “Is he ok?”

“Come on, I’ll take you to his room and you can talk to the doctor.”

I don’t hesitate, I take her hand and leap out of the bed. She rushes me to Slade’s room. When we get in, there is a doctor standing by his bed, talking to a nurse. Slade is out of it, tubes come from so many different directions I don’t know where they begin or end.

“Doctor, is he ok?” I whisper.

The doctor turns and stares over at me. “Dasha Jewel, right?”

“Yes.”

“He’s ok. He had serious internal bleeding but we managed to stop it. It’s going to be a rocky twenty four hours, so many things can go wrong, but for now, he’s stable.”

“And his leg?”

He sighs. “It’s not in a good way. While I believe he’ll walk again and race again, it’ll take months of physio…”

I swallow and hot tears drip down my cheeks. “This shouldn’t have happened to him.”

The doctor pats my arm. “It could have been a lot worse for him.”

I nod and Payton squeezes my hand. I didn’t even realize she had it.

“I’m going now, you can sit with him, I know he has no one else here.”

I thank him and then take the seat beside Slade’s bed. His skin is pale, his cheeks hollow and he looks like he’s lost all his life. I grip his hand. It’s cold and I have to maneuver around a tube to get hold of it tightly. Payton touches my shoulder and I peer up at her.

“I’ll leave you to it, call me if you need.”

“Thank you Pay, I love you.”

She kisses the top of my head. “I love you too honey.”

When she’s gone, I let the waterfall burst and I sob until I’m heaving. I squeeze Slade’s hand and whimper useless words to him.

“Remember when we had that food fight on my graduation day? I think it was the first time we nearly kissed. We got so close and then right as we were about to connect lips, you smashed an ice cream in my face. I’ll never forget your laugh. It’s like my sunshine, it’s my everything. It keeps me going. Slade, if you don’t wake up…you have to wake up. You keep me going. Without you, I’m empty. Slade please, please, wake up.”

I run bury my head into his side, and I breathe him in. Even after surgery and being slathered in all the wonderful smelling things hospitals use, I can still smell him. I can still smell that musky, manly scent. I grip him tighter and cry until there’s nothing left but the sound of my breathing alongside of his. I’d never race again, if it meant he woke up. I’d do anything to see his cheeky, devilish smile just one more time…I’ll give it all up. All of it.