Race to His Heart

by Sara Noble

  With a little encouragement from Melissa, Maddie was able to down a few beers before the end of the race. She was feeling pretty good as the bar goers began to cheer loudly.

  “What’s going on?” Maddie asked quickly, while she surveyed the room. She had almost thought there was a fight brewing, but didn’t see any action.

  “It’s the last lap, silly girl!” Melissa shouted.

  Maddie rose from her seat just like the rest of the crowd had. When her eyes found the TV screen she noticed that Connor was in second place. Her adrenalin kicked in as the excitement built. He’s going to win, she chanted to herself.

  “Chuck’s gonna bump him up!” Melissa shouted. “Woo hoo!” Just then, Chuck Walsh hooked to the back of Connor’s car to begin drafting. The cars soared ahead of the others.

  “Thought you didn’t want Connor to win?” Maddie asked indignantly. The booze had caused a plethora of different emotions to wash over her. One moment she was sad and weepy, then excited and happy, and suddenly she had found herself mad at her friend for flip-flopping her feelings about Connor.

  “I know, but this is too exciting right now!” Maddie had realized that Melissa was only caught up in the moment. She was sure that she would go back to hating him as soon as the race was over.

  The entire group, along with the rest of the bar, all watched as the pack of roaring cars rounded the last corner and headed to the finish line.

  “The 71 is gonna try something!” yelled out an unknown voice.

  What happened next had caught Maddie completely off guard. Austin Smuthers, a rival of Connor’s, attempted to pass and cut off his nemesis. The maneuver wasn’t sharp enough and it clipped Connor’s front end. Both cars went spinning out of control. Maddie watched in horror as Connor’s car lifted off the ground and spiraled through the air. She kept her eyes glued to the TV and wondered if someone had pressed the slow motion button. It was all too graphic and unnerving, yet she couldn’t look away. Another second later, the car landed on its side, and a few seconds after that, a pile up ensued. Connor was on the bottom. There had to have been at least eight cars involved and they all crunched together on the sidelines of the track. Smoke clouded the air and soon it was near impossible to see anymore.

  The air was sucked out of Maddie’s lungs. Her hands covered her face as she struggled to breathe. Tears of fright sprung from her eyes.

  “Connor!” she screamed, but no one noticed. Everyone in the bar was too busy gaping at the TV. She could faintly hear the low gasps and groans from the strangers around her.

  “Oh, my God!” Melissa shouted and turned to Maddie. “Do you think he’s okay?”

  A debilitating pang shot through her already damaged heart. The thought of what could have happened to Connor instantly made her stomach storm violently inside of her. “I’m gonna be sick!” Maddie flew from the bar stool and pushed her way to the bathroom. Up came the beer, and everything else she had that day, into the toilet behind the worn out stall door. She purged away the fluid, but the horror still remained. When the nausea subsided, she cleaned up and went back out into the bar.

  Melissa was waiting outside the door for her. “Come on, I’m taking you home right now,” she insisted and grabbed Maddie by the arm. She tried pulling her in the direction of the door, but all Maddie wanted to do was see the television.

  “No, Maddie. Let’s go!”

  But Maddie didn’t budge. She stared up at the TV in shock. Paramedics and fire trucks surrounded the scene. Some cars were on fire, with smoke billowing out of their insides. Men in white suits tried to pull the victims free from their demolished vehicles. Maddie searched for Connor’s turquoise suit, but it was difficult to pick out in the heavy fog. She gasped as the race commentators dreadfully depicted the wreck. Connor Gray was still unaccounted for as they suspected he was at the bottom of the pile up.

  “Oh, my God! Somebody get him out of there!” Maddie shrieked. Eyebrows of strangers rose as she screamed, completely unaware of the relationship she had with him. Their questioning eyes were glued to her as she hyperventilated in her friend’s arms.

  Melissa’s boyfriend, Jake, had suddenly appeared before them to help out. He grabbed Maddie and flung her entire body over his shoulder, pushed through the crowd, then over to the exit. Maddie kicked and screamed all the way to the parking lot, but he kept on moving, with Melissa following closely behind them. He set her down gently in the back seat of his SUV and forced her to buckle the seatbelt.

  “I need to see what happened to him!” Maddie screamed as Melissa climbed in beside her. Hot, desperate tears streamed her face.

  Melissa gripped her fingers around Maddie’s cheeks and forced her friend to listen. “We’re taking you home. You can find out when you get there. I know you’re freaking out, but you can’t have a breakdown in the bar.”

  Maddie cried uncontrollably during the short and silent ride to her house. Jake had helped her out of the car and she sprinted away from her friends as quickly as she found her legs touching the pavement of her driveway. She flung open the front door and found her parents holding vigil in front of their living room TV. Her mother was crying and her father was pacing the floor.

  “What’s happening?” Maddie shrieked through the tears. She knelt down on the carpet and stared at the screen. There were still tow trucks and other rescue vehicles everywhere on the track; their flashing red lights blinked wildly in the starless night sky. The fires had been put out and the smoke had dissipated. A crushed metal mess was all that was left. Crews worked frantically as they pulled apart the twisted cars and loaded pieces onto several tow trucks parked nearby.

  “They pulled Connor out a few minutes ago. He’s being taken to the hospital right now.”

  “Is he okay?” Maddie whispered. Her heartbeat slowed when she realized there was a good chance he was alive.

  “Badly injured,” Hank simply said.

  “This is the worst wreck I have ever seen,” muttered Grace. She rubbed Maddie’s back as they all continued to watch in despair as the wreckage was investigated.

  Hank cleared his throat and the three newcomers looked at him. “Austin Smuthers is pretty banged up. I don’t know if he’s gonna make it.”

  “What?” Maddie choked.

  “They had to use the jaws-of-life to pull him out of his demolished car. He caused quite an accident.”

  “Oh, wow,” muttered Melissa. She and Jake moved closer to the TV with the rest of them. “This is horrible.”

  “I need to know if Connor is okay.” Maddie’s voice trembled as she spoke. “I have to get there.”

  “No, Maddie. Don’t do anything foolish. Let’s wait to see if we hear from Patty.” Grace clutched at her daughter as if she was preventing her from flying out of the door.

  “Call her right now!”

  Grace pulled her cell phone out of her purse and shakily dialed Patty’s number. She bit her lip as she waited for an answer. Maddie faintly heard the voicemail message as they all silently waited.

  “Hi, Patty. This is Grace Johnston. We are all very worried about Connor. Our prayers go out to him and your family. We know you must be busy, but Maddie asked me to call. Take care and we will be pulling for him to recover.” Grace hung up and shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt she will call back tonight. She’s got a lot to deal with right now.”

  Maddie stared blankly at the floor. Her instincts told her to get to Connor as fast as possible. “How far of a drive is it to Talladega?” she asked her family and friends.

  “No, Maddie you are not driving there by yourself,” her mother said sternly.

  “Then someone come with me!”

  “I’m sorry, darling. You’re just going to have to wait this out. I’m sure they will announce his condition on the news.”

  “I can’t wait for the news. Maybe I can get a flight to Birmingham tonight.” Maddie grabbed the laptop computer that sat on the edge of their coffee table.

  Grace and Hank exchanged glances. Th
ey both knew how much Connor had meant to Maddie. They knew she loved him, even after the torture she went through trying to get over him. It hurt them to see her so distraught over his wellbeing.

  “I’ll go with you,” Grace said and she proceeded to take her credit card out of the wallet in her purse. “Put the tickets on here.” She handed Maddie the card and peered down at the computer screen with her daughter.

  Maddie didn’t feel like smiling at her mom’s generosity like she normally would have. “Thanks, Mom,” was all she said as she booked them two red eye flights to Birmingham. They would have to drive a short distance from there to Talladega.

  “There’s a good chance they’re gonna air lift him to a trauma center in Birmingham,” Hank spoke as the two women finalized their trip. He was still watching the TV for more information on the crash.

  “Well, that would be better care for him. And we wouldn’t have to get a rental car,” said Grace.

  Maddie sniffed. “I don’t care if I have to drive to the ends of the earth. I will get to him!” She paused to collect herself. “I have to see if he’s okay.”

  Jake and Melissa left shortly after the commotion on TV had calmed down. They had begun to hear the story over and over again: multiple car crash, initiated by Austin Smuthers who had life threatening injuries, several drivers sent to the hospital, debris struck many in the grandstands, worst accident in the history of racing. It was relentless, but they kept near the set in case of any mention of Connor’s condition.

  The pain rippled through Maddie’s body like a fierce wind. Every inch of her hurt and she was beyond consolable. Eventually her parents left her alone on the couch to weep in privacy. Images of Connor’s rolling car flooded her mind, along with the impact of the others tumbling on top of him. She squeezed her eyes tight and tried to shoo them away by thinking of the better times they had together; the times they had spent in bed making love and discussing their dreams.

  “Maddie, it’s time to leave for the airport.”

  Her eyes fluttered open when she heard the sound of Grace’s voice. She had hoped it was all a dream. She was disappointed, as she saw her mother’s sagging face in front of her. A glance at the clock told her more than an hour had gone by since she had lay down.

  “I packed you a little bag. Just in case you need something.” Grace handed Maddie the old faded gym bag she used to take everyday to volleyball practice.

  “Thanks,” she said glumly to her mother.

  Hank drove them to the airport and dropped them at the main entrance. He sadly waved to his wife and daughter before they headed inside to check in with the airline.

  Grace’s cell phone rang while they sat and waited at the gate. It was Patty; she had sent a text message. Grace read the message aloud so Maddie could hear.

  ‘He’s stable, but in bad shape. We’re in Birmingham at their university hospital. Please keep that info to yourself. We haven’t released a statement to the press yet.’

  They both sighed heavily.

  “What does that mean? Is he going to make it?” Maddie started to cry again. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around tight, hoping to muffle the sobs.

  “I sure hope so, honey.”

  The wait was long and torturous. It killed Maddie that she couldn’t instantly be at his side. She felt even worse when it occurred to her that she should have been there all along. So much time had gone by and she didn’t even know if Connor wanted her to be there, or if he even wanted to speak to her ever again. He could have called her at any point during the last few months, but he didn’t. Suddenly, Maddie couldn’t help but be afraid of what she would encounter at the hospital. Maybe a group of frustrated crewmembers or a confrontation with his fiancée? Her fears didn’t matter; she was well on her way to Birmingham and there was no turning back.

  ***

  During the flight, Maddie went over in her mind what she would say to Connor when they got to speak. Would he even want to see her? She had no idea how to deal with another rejection, especially after watching him nearly die on television. She had to explain to him that they needed each other and that she would support him in every way. She wanted to feel his hand in hers and she would wait by his side until he healed. She was confident he would feel their powerful connection again once they touched. Nothing else on earth mattered to her; there was no one more important.

  “Do you think he’s awake?” Maddie asked her mother. Grace was adjusting the knobs on the air vents above their seats.

  “I don’t know. Hopefully he’s conscious.” She shivered from a chill. “Are you cold?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Maddie replied numbly. “It helps with the pain.”

  The pain she spoke of targeted her entire being. It may as well have been her in the car pile up, she felt that bad. It reminded her of that day she lay crippled at the bottom of a freezing cold shower. The icy water had numbed her physically, yet the anguish inside remained.

  “We should be landing soon. We can grab a cup of coffee in the terminal. Do you want some food, too?” Grace asked as she studied her daughter’s solemn expression. She could almost feel Maddie’s pain resonating from her eyes.

  Maddie shook her head. “I don’t feel like eating. I just want to go straight to the hospital.”

  “You need something to keep up your energy.”

  “No. Maybe after I see him.” Maddie turned her face to the tiny window and gazed out into the night sky. She had thought she’d seen a flash or two of lightning in the distance.

  The plane landed just as a storm moved into the area. Maddie practically suffocated on the ominous fog that hung low around the perimeter of the airport. She shivered and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck while her and Grace waited for a vacant taxi to pull forward. It wasn’t long before the pregnant clouds above burst and cold rain began to sting their faces. Eventually, a canary yellow car pulled up to the curb beside them. Grace promptly opened the back passenger door and let Maddie scoot in before her.

  “The university hospital, please,” Grace politely asked the driver. He nodded and drove them to their destination.

  Maddie sipped on a cup of hot, black coffee that Grace had forced her to take. She admitted to herself that the liquid felt nice going down her throat, but it wasn’t enough to fade the lump of panic that had formed there earlier in the evening. Grief-stricken and cold, both women huddled together in front of the lukewarm flow of the ancient heat vent in the dash. The rain ceased twenty minutes later when they arrived at the hospital. Only a few stray drops fell from the black, starless sky. The lobby was surprisingly busy for it being close to midnight in the southern city.

  “How do we get up to see him?” Maddie asked as she eyed the stern looking woman behind the counter. Her face fell when she realized the challenge that lay ahead. “They probably won’t let anyone in to see him unless they’re immediate family.”

  “I have an idea,” Grace suggested and charged toward the counter.

  The woman glanced up with agitated eyes when she felt their presence. “Yes, can I help you?” she asked with acidity in her tone. She folded her hands together and rested them on top of the file folder that she was reading from before they approached.

  “Hello. My name is Grace Johnston,” Grace said in her sweetest, southern voice. “My daughter, Maddie, and I are good friends of the Grays. Is it possible for you to page Patty, Connor’s mother, for us? We would like to speak with her and give our condolences.”

  The woman raised her eyebrows and gave them a suspicious look. “Well, I suppose I can call up to the nurse’s station in the ER and see if they can locate her. Johnston is the name?”

  Grace and Maddie both nodded. They watched and listened closely as the clerk made arrangements for Patty to be notified of their presence at the hospital. Maddie breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that they were going to get to speak to someone about Connor real soon.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Grace said qui
etly. She turned and escorted Maddie over to a set of chairs near the elevators. They sat and waited while watching strangers move about the lobby like zombies. All anyone could do was wait to hear about the conditions of the others involved in the accident.

  A few minutes later, the elevator dinged and Patty walked solemnly through their parting doors. She had tears in her eyes and remorse written all over her face. Her arms opened as Maddie and Grace rose to greet her. The three of them hugged and cried together in the crowded lobby.

  “Oh, Maddie. I’m so glad you’re here,” Patty sobbed. She dabbed her blood shot eyes with a damp and crumpled tissue. “Thank you both for coming.”

  Maddie couldn’t keep her curiosities hidden for much longer. “How is he?” she asked.

  Patty nervously glanced around the lobby. “Let’s go upstairs. We can talk there.” She pushed the button and soon they were climbing floors to the intensive care unit.

  “He looks bad, real bad,” Patty started. “He was crushed under a car. I’m sure you saw that on TV. They said he had already tried climbing out before the impact because his belts were all unhooked.” Patty sniffed and trembled, obviously bothered by the sound of her recount. “He is going to make it, though. His body is tore up quite a bit, but the doctors say he’s a survivor. The horrible thing is that he is in so much pain. He hasn’t woken up yet, so we have no idea if he will ever be able to function normally again.” She shuddered and said, “I can’t stand seeing him like this.” More tears dripped from her tired eyes.

  “Oh, my God,” Maddie whispered through her own tears. “I can’t believe this is happening. He doesn’t deserve this. I just want him to wake up.”

  “Me, too, dear,” Patty said as the doors opened and they stepped off the elevator.

  The intensive care unit was as cold and sorrowful as the collective mood. Patty led them down a sterile hallway until they joined a large area with several curtains that separated the patients from each other. Nurses and doctors bustled about quietly while family members and loved ones of the injured stood around in disbelief.