Chapter 27 Mateo
MATEO
Iopen my eyes slowly, the beeping sound of a machine cutting through the silence. I start to move, but a heavy thing on my arm stops me. I look down and spot Rosa, sleeping in the uncomfy hospital chair, holding onto my left arm as gently as possible.
I smile at the sight, warming my heart, even if it shouldn’t have. My right hand is covered in a white bandage, pain surging through me as I try to move it.
“Shit,” I mutter as I try to move back to the place where it was, where it didn’t hurt, but it only makes things worse.
I feel Rosa’s hand twitch around mine, and when I look back at her, she’s already watching me. “You’re up,” she says, and I scoff at her statement.
“Yes, Sherlock, I’m up,” I answer, sighing when I find the perfect spot where my hand originally was.
“How are you?” I’m trying to decide whether she’s just being polite or she’s genuinely asking, her voice not giving any hints.
“Not so good. I’ve been better,” I say, and she sits up in the chair.
“You do look awful.” I chuckle at her observation, but regret it immediately as pain takes over my body. Don’t laugh yet. Noted.
“Thanks. I couldn’t wait to wake up and hear your compliments.” I’m waiting for a witty comeback, but it doesn’t come.
“I was…worried about you. The crash was really bad, and when you didn’t answer on the radio…” Her voice fades, and for a moment I fear she’s joking, but I see sincerity in her eyes.
“Don’t you worry about that, querida. You can’t get rid of me that easily. And we only started dating, come on.” She rolls her eyes but lets out a quiet chuckle at my attempt to lighten the mood. I literally can’t deal with sad people.
The door swings open, and a nurse comes in, her eyes lighting up at the sight of me.
“Mateo! You’re already up! Great! How are you feeling?” She steps closer and starts examining me, although I’m guessing she should be checking my IVs, not the girth of my biceps.
“Uh… Okay, I think. I’ve been better.” I look over to Rosa and see her narrowed eyes, but jealousy leaves her, and she clears her throat when she catches me staring. “I think my biceps are okay. I’d need more checking on my wrist. Can you call the doctor in?”
Rosa snorts at my statement, then the nurse’s smile falls, and with a sour nod, she turns to leave the room. Now Enzo comes in, followed by the doctor not so long after.
“Mateo! You’re up. Great.” The doctor stops beside my bed, checking my papers as Enzo sits down on the other chair next to Rosa.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing better, but you broke your wrist yesterday.
It will take time to heal, and you’ll have to attend physical therapy.
I’m sorry, but it seems like you won’t be able to race for a while. ”
“I…won’t?” I ask, my voice filled with disappointment.
Racing means the world to me, and not being able to do the one thing that makes me happy… Especially since I’m fighting for the championship title. This is gonna be a big setback.
“Unfortunately, not. We’ll have to keep you here for a couple more days, but if you do physical therapy well, you might heal sooner.” He smiles, but I don’t reciprocate.
“Thanks, doc.” The doctor nods and leaves, the silence enveloping us.
“It’s not the end of the world. You’re leading the race by 63 points, we’re only halfway through the season, and we also have a summer break coming up. You’ll have plenty of time to recover and come back stronger.” Enzo’s the first to speak up, trying to cheer me up.
“Man, 63 points is not much to gather, especially not from Asher.” I scoff, my head falling back onto the pillow.
“It might not be, but he’s not perfect, and he has opponents too. Just focus on recovering now, alright?” Rosa starts rubbing my arms, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one having to sit on your ass when you’re used to driving at the speed of light. And since when are you so nice to me, hm?” I remove my arm from her touch, and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I hate when people pity me.
“I’m just trying to cheer you up. But if you’re gonna be a dick about it, I won’t try,” she replies, scooting slightly backward to keep a little distance.
“I don’t need you to try anything. I’ll feel better when I’m back behind the steering wheel,” I spit out, and her eyes widen once again.
“Don’t act like it’s my fault you crashed, Mateo. But if that’s how you’ll behave, then I’ll head back to the hotel. I stink, and my neck hurts. I’ll see you later, if you’ve calmed down.” She grabs her purse and then leaves through the door without looking back.
“Can you please try to like her at least? It won’t help your fake dating if you two don’t get along,” Enzo comments, but I just growl.
“Why can’t no one leave me alone today? You were pushing me to convince her. Now you have it. I know what I’m doing, I’m just not in the mood for her pity.”
“She’s just being nice, man. And uh… Now that you can’t race, Milo’s going to take your place, as he’s the reserve driver.
The team’s bringing him up from F2 until you come back.
” I should’ve seen it coming, but my heart drops.
I can’t drive for god knows how long, and I’m stuck sitting on my ass until then.
“Okay. Great. Good luck to him.” I don’t look at Enzo. I hate these shameful looks. I feel like I’m a little boy standing in a deep hole.
“And… Since it’s Monday, we posted a picture of the two of you. So it’s official now. And you should make a post as well, that you’re okay.” Increíble. Just what I need right now.
“Sure. Will do.”
He nods, then mutters a goodbye and leaves, too.
I check my phone, its battery is almost dead and holding on for dear life.
I quickly check my social media, curious about the picture Enzo was talking about.
My heart skips a beat when I spot it. He must’ve taken it while we were sleeping earlier.
Rosa’s face is hidden by her hair, resting peacefully on my arm, just like when I woke up.
She’s not tagged, but people are buzzing in the comments; they’re interested in knowing who’s the girl clinging to me while I’m lying on the hospital bed.
I take a photo of the room, write a short paragraph, and thank people for asking about me, stating that I’m okay and will get back with more updates. Man, this is going to be a long summer break.