Race to His Heart

by Sara Noble

  Patty continued with the recap of events. “Well, you have a broken left leg and left arm. You have severe cuts all over your body and needed many stitches. Your back is in pretty bad shape. I guess that’s why they want to do another CAT scan, probably an MRI, as well. Oh, and your shoulder was dislocated and your collar bone has a few fractures.”

  “Oh, Jesus,” Grace whispered under her breath, but they could all hear. Maddie shot a disappointed look towards her mother.

  “It’s over, isn’t it?” Connor asked sadly. He was referring to his career.

  Patty sniffed and looked at her husband. He shook his head. Nobody wanted to admit it.

  “We don’t know, son,” Jim volunteered. “You need time to heal.”

  “Well, the season is over. I can tell that now.” Connor attempted again to lift his head and check out his injuries, but only let it fall back on the pillow. He grimaced from the pain.

  Connor turned his eyes to Maddie. “I need to talk to Maddie.”

  All eyes focused on her and she blushed. She reached out and took his hand.

  “Of course. Let’s leave these two alone for a moment,” Patty said. Without another word, Connor’s parents and Grace silently left the room.

  Maddie could feel the rough skin of his thumb gently stroke the top of her hand. She couldn’t believe how such a little touch could almost move her to tears. She wanted to crawl up on the bed and curl into his arms. She wanted to kiss the skin on his neck and feel his heart beat beside hers. It all seemed impossible, at least for a while. He was as fragile as a China doll.

  “Are you sure you want to talk right now?” Maddie asked.

  “Yes. I’ve wanted to for awhile.” Connor took a long, deep breath.

  Maddie sighed. “I’m so sorry you got hurt, Connor.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you. I should never have pushed you away.” He paused and closed his eyes.

  Maddie didn’t know what to say. Normally, she would have let him have it for treating her so bad, but clearly this was not the time, nor the place.

  “All water under the bridge,” she allowed herself to say.

  Connor nodded.

  “I want to make it up to you,” he offered.

  Maddie raised her eyebrows. “How?” A split second later it occurred to her that Connor didn’t even know that Makaela had ended the engagement. She contemplated how to break it to him while she waited for him to answer.

  “Things are going to change,” Connor said weakly. “I’m no longer putting others first. Just you. If you want me to.”

  “Connor, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  The door to his room opened behind her back and a chill rushed in. Maddie felt cold to the bone and shivered as she turned her head to see the visitor.

  “Let me tell him,” the blonde said. Makaela stepped up to Connor’s bed. She looked tired and ragged, still in the same clothes and still had black makeup smeared under her eyes.

  “I don’t want to see you,” Connor hissed to Makaela. Her jaw dropped to the floor. She certainly hadn’t expected him to be so vile right away. “I know what you did,” he continued. “You and that bastard Casey.”

  Maddie’s jaw dropped as well. That must have been what had sparked Makaela to call off the wedding! The image of Casey and Makaela in bed together made a sick feeling creep up the back of her throat.

  “I want to come clean, Connor,” Makaela cried softly. “I was horrible. What I did was worse than what you did to me.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t sleep with any of your friends.”

  Makaela gave Maddie a harrowing look. “Can we talk in private?” she asked, keeping her eyes glued to Maddie. The hate washed over them like a vengeful tsunami.

  “What ever you have to say, you can say it in front of Maddie.”

  Makaela shrugged and rolled her eyes, but continued anyway. “I made a bad choice, messing around with him. But you should know that he blackmailed me.”

  “How was that?”

  Maddie’s eyebrows rose in anticipation. She had never imagined that all of the mystery would unravel at that very moment, especially not minutes after Connor had just woken up.

  “Well,” Makaela began. She paused and cringed. “He kinda caught me with someone else. And he threatened to tell you unless I did what he’d asked.”

  Connor’s tone went from weak to harsh. “He caught you with someone else?”

  Maddie was praying it wasn’t Jackson who became tangled in Makaela’s treachery. She actually liked him a lot, even though he didn’t have much sense. It was already bad enough for Connor’s friendship with Casey to be destroyed, but it would be really tough to lose Jackson, as well.

  Makaela was silent. Her head was tilted down and tears streamed her cheeks. “Yes,” she eventually muttered. She sniffed loudly. Her shoulders trembled as she began to cry harder.

  “Who was it? Another one of my crew?”

  Makaela was a pathetic mess. “No,” she said, exasperated.

  “You know what? I don’t even care. Get lost, Makaela. I can’t even stand to look at you.”

  “But…”

  “Look, I know that I started this whole mess. But I knew a long time ago that we weren’t right for each other. I was ready to leave and start a life with someone that I truly, honestly care about. But thanks to you, and a lot of money-hungry, greedy-ass fools, I sacrificed a happier life to give everyone else what they wanted.” His chest heaved up and down, gasping for air. His long-winded rant had left him completely drained.

  “You wanted to be with me! You wanted to marry me!” Makaela shouted.

  “No, I didn’t. I stayed with you because that’s what my team wanted. That’s what Lucas wanted. That’s what my fans wanted.” Connor paused for a moment. “I hated every second with you.”

  The trembling girl let out a huge wail and crumbled to the floor. Maddie stood by silently, too stunned to make a sound. Connor stared at the ceiling as he breathed hard and heavy. Maddie noticed that, he too, was shaking from the confrontation.

  “Please, leave. I can’t go through this right now,” Connor said in a more even tone.

  Makaela looked up from her place on the ground. She had looked ready to spill her guts. Then her mouth opened and even more was revealed.

  “It was with Austin. I knew you hated him and it was easy to get him to go along with it. I planned it all and I enjoyed it.”

  Makaela’s hurtful words shoved into Connor like a linebacker rushing the quarterback. A single tear slid down his cheek. He turned away and looked toward the window, which was now allowing a sliver of sunlight to shine through.

  Maddie stared at her in disbelief. All the pieces of the puzzle were slowly fitting together. Obviously, Makaela had only added fuel to the fire of hate that already burned between Connor and Austin. If she hadn’t intervened then Austin may not have been so quick to make the dangerous move that had nearly ended his life. He may have let Connor win that race and then nobody would have gotten hurt, nobody would have been in any danger. The other affairs and deceit would have persisted, but at least everyone would still be uninjured and well.

  Makaela panted as she rose to her feet. “So now you know. And he’s in a coma. So you actually came out on top here.”

  “Oh, shut up! This is your fault! Now, get out!”

  Makaela left in a haste and slammed the door behind her. A vase of flowers sent by a fan rattled on the dresser beside the bed.

  “Wow,” Maddie muttered, unsure of how to continue on her conversation with Connor. She let him stare off into space for a moment and then decided to sit down and wait for him to respond. She waited for a long while, but she was patient with him, for he had just endured one of the worst accidents ever and a humiliating betrayal. She stroked the skin on top of his right hand while they remained in silence.

  Finally Connor spoke with fatigue in his voice. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

  “Connor, don’t apolog
ize. Let’s just stop with all of that right now. We’ve all made mistakes and now we just need to move on. The first step is for you to recover.”

  Connor looked up at her with twinkling eyes. Maddie could see the sadness and the pain suffocating him; it was written in his expression.

  “Thanks for checking up on me. I’m glad I got to wake up to you sleeping on my pillow.”

  “Oh,” Maddie said, blushing. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize-”

  “I thought we said no more apologizing, remember?” Connor smiled for the first time in many minutes. “So, when I bust out of here can I call you sometime?”

  “Yes,” Maddie answered with a smile of her own. “But you’re not gonna be out for a while. I’ll stay as long as I can, as long as you want me.”

  “What about school? Your internship?”

  “It can wait. For you, it can wait.”

  Connor lifted his good arm and scratched a spot on his disheveled head. “Was that your mom I saw lingering before all the commotion?”

  Maddie nodded. “She flew out here with me. I was all set to drive myself, but she insisted that I not go alone. So we took a plane. By then you had already been airlifted here. I’m glad cause you got better care, plus it’s away from all the madness at the track.”

  Connor grimaced again from a sudden shot of pain. He reached over and pressed the nurse call button.

  Maddie reached for the cup of water on the table next to them. “Here, take a sip.” She offered him the straw and Connor drank reluctantly while she held the cup to his chin.

  After forcing a weak smile he said, “Thanks. I guess I needed that. I wish you didn’t have to do it, though. I wish I could get up and walk out of here with you. We could go to my house and lounge on the couch together, watch a stupid show on TV or something. I just want to be normal again.”

  Maddie sighed. “You will be normal again. You’ll heal up and we can go do whatever you want. I can make you breakfast in bed. We can go to a Jaguar’s game back home. Let’s just take it slow first, okay?”

  “I wish you were right. That doctor scared me when he said I may have a spinal injury.”

  “Can you move your legs?” Maddie asked.

  Connor fidgeted and could only move slightly in his tight confinements. He frowned when he realized it was tougher than he thought. He held still for a moment and then shifted again. Maddie kept her eyes on his legs, which didn’t move.

  “Well, you do have a cast on one leg. Do you feel numb?”

  “A little. It’s hard to tell. I mostly feel pressure, but I’m so doped up that I can’t be sure.”

  “That’s good,” Maddie said happily. “You want to feel something. That’s a good sign. And that dope is keeping you from writhing in pain.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll try to stay positive,” Connor said with a spark of hope in his voice.

  The nurse came in a moment later with another dose of morphine for his IV. An orderly followed her and wheeled Connor’s bed out of the room.

  “He’s going for his scans. He should be back within a half an hour or so,” the orderly explained as they left the room. Maddie nodded at the hefty guy and leaned back in her chair to relax for a few minutes.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Connor was brought back and was barely alert. He faintly smiled at Maddie as he was settled back into his spot beside the dresser. His parents and Grace followed shortly thereafter, with smells of breakfast clinging to their clothes. Grace held a bunch of balloons in one hand and a fluffy brown teddy bear in the other.

  “I brought some get well gifts,” Grace said as she set them down on the table beside the bed.

  Connor flashed a hazy smile. “Thank you ma’am.”

  Maddie smiled at her mother, too. She thought it was nice how she was supporting Connor during a difficult time.

  “Son, how are you feeling? Any better?” Jim scratched at his wiry mustache, ruffling the bristles.

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” Connor slurred as he began to feel the effects of the medication. “I’m going to go back to sleep soon.”

  “Y’all have a good talk while we were gone?” Patty slung her arm around Maddie’s shoulders and squeezed.

  “Yes,” Maddie simply answered.

  The four visitors all watched as Connor’s eyelids dropped down and then heard the soft sounds of the rhythmical snores from his nose. The excitement of him waking up was over and they had to wait for it to happen all over again.

  Maddie debated whether or not she should tell Patty and Jim about the huge fight that had ensued while they were gone. She thought they would be glad to get rid of Makaela, hopefully for good, but it was Connor’s story to tell, not hers.

  Noisy squeaks from rubber-soled shoes interrupted her thoughts. Dr. Weinstein stepped into the room, along with some other hospital staff. One was a bald Asian man that wore a grim expression. He looked like he bore bad news. The other was a young man, dressed in neatly pressed scrubs and brand new white tennis shoes. He looked like a med student ready to take notes.

  “Hello, again. Um…would you please step out to the hall. I would like to talk to you all for a minute.” Doctor Weinstein motioned for them to walk out.

  They all looked at each other and shrugged. Maddie prepared herself for the worst and escaped out into the hallway for the news that had been promised to them.

  Chapter 19: Connor

  Connor blinked the fuzz out of his eyes and attempted to focus on his surroundings. It took him a few minutes, but eventually the room cleared up. He heard a few voices, probably the same voices that woke him. He tilted his head to the side and saw Maddie sitting beside him. She smiled when she noticed he was awake. My angel.

  Vivid memories flooded his mind then, and he remembered back a few months before when all he could think about was Maddie. He loved the way her hair smelled after a shower and how she felt under the cool sheets of the bed that they had shared those hot nights in Indianapolis. He cherished every moment they had spent together, even though their summer romance was short-lived. He’d give anything to go back in time and change how it had all ended. A fresh start was what he thought could make things better.

  “Hey, how was your nap?” the angel asked softly. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she spoke.

  Connor yawned. “Good,” he croaked, still without a clear voice. The smoke from the accident had also done a number on his throat and lungs. He swallowed hard, but it still felt like sandpaper all the way down. “How long was I out?”

  Maddie glanced at the clock on the wall in front of them. “Oh, about three hours.”

  “Oh, geez, that long?” Connor asked. He had felt horrible having everyone wait around for him to wake up and come back to the world.

  “It flew by,” Maddie answered him. Then she smiled at him again and his heart melted, causing a warm sensation to roll throughout his body. Having her there with him was the best medicine anyone could wish for.

  “Ahh, you liar,” Connor called her.

  “You’re right. It dragged. But now you’re awake and we can talk.”

  Connor shifted his weight, still feeling the heavy casts on the left side of his body. It was going to take a while for him to get used to the burden. The pain was also still there and he knew he would have to ask the nurse real soon for some more pain medication. Then it would be lights out, again.

  “Are my folks still around?”

  Maddie cocked her head back and peered out into the hallway. Light sounds of chatter echoed down the corridor. “I’m pretty sure they’re out there with the doctor.”

  Then Connor remembered his possible prognosis. The little bit of happiness that began to blossom within him quickly fluttered away when he thought about his legs. He couldn’t imagine a life without legs. After all, he needed them to race and to walk and for various other activities. He suddenly became paranoid that Maddie wouldn’t want him anymore if he were to become handicapped. A life without Maddie would be worse
than not being able to walk.

  “Did they…have they heard…” Connor stuttered, not even wanting to say the terrifying words that ran through his mind.

  Maddie tried to stay cool. “The test results? You want to know about your scan?”

  Connor slightly nodded. He didn’t want her to see how freaked out he was about the whole thing.

  Maddie reached out and squeezed his hand. “I think they’re still discussing it.” She looked away.

  A giant knot rapidly grew inside of him. It stretched from his abdomen and all the way up through his throat, choking him from the inside out. He wanted to be sick, but he held it in, out of fear that he would appear even weaker than his current state.

  “It’s that bad?” Connor asked. He swallowed hard and begged her with his eyes.

  Maddie leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Well, from what I heard, I think they’re ruling out anything major, but you could need therapy for a while.”

  “Will I be able to walk?”

  Maddie shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. I didn’t really understand all that medical lingo as the doctor explained. I think that’s why your parents are out there with him again. Maybe we should wait until they come back before I say anything else.”

  “Yeah, okay,” said Connor, not wanting to put her on the spot. She shouldn’t have to deliver any more bad news.

  Patty and Jim walked back into the room a minute later and looked happy to see that Connor was awake.

  “Hi, son,” Patty purred as she took his cut up face into her hands and kissed him softly on the tip of his nose. The doctor walked in behind them.

  “Hi, Connor. I’m glad that you’ve been resting. How are you feeling?” Dr. Weinstein asked pleasantly. He had a surgical cap on his head, looking ready to cut and slice. He was alone that time; his entourage of interns and other doctors seemed to have other things to do at the moment.

  “Okay,” Connor croaked to the doctor.