Lifeline (Daniel Ricciardo)

Chapter 13: Home

This runs alongside @lacellak Chapter 35. I hope you enjoy it:)

It took me a good few hours to get my head straight and for the tears to stop flowing. But eventually, with a spinning head, I just about pulled myself together. Or at least, I pulled myself together enough to board the plane at the Indonesian terminal.

There was no point in trying to pretend that I wasn't scared, because I was. Quite frankly, I was petrified. If it wasn't for Thomas telling me that it was going to be okay, then I don't suppose that I would have got on the plane.

I had slept on the rather long journey to the airport. My head had rested against the cool glass of the taxi as we cruised through the streets of the city. Thomas had let me rest, only texting Evan, Sam and Simon to tell them that I was heading home.

Once we had settled on the aeroplane, I drifted back to sleep before we had even taken off. Whether that was due to the medication, or purely down to the fact that I didn't want to be awake on the aircraft whilst it was airborne. Plus being awake meant that Daniel was circling on my mind...I would have done anything to have him sat next to me as well as my brother.

"Karin," a hand gently shook my shoulder as I stirred back into reality. "We're coming into land now."

That caused me to sit up sharp. My seat came up to its upright position as I jolted back into life. A whole twelve hours had passed already. Jesus, my tablets must have been strong.

"Are we okay..." I stuttered, pressing my feet down harder on the floor of the plane.

"Relax, it's been a really smooth flight." Thomas reassured me. I looked up to see the seatbelt signs on and the air hostesses seated. "We'll be down in a minute, literally."

"Good." I whispered, making sure my seatbelt was fully tightened. "Thomas?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Dan will be alright, won't he?"

"Daniel will be fine, his parents said that he'll be out tomorrow. He's then going to Australia for a bit." Thomas replied, doing his best to sound positive. He was however not making eye contact with me.

"I just, I've never quite felt like I do whenever...oh, it sounds so stupid..." I stopped myself from rambling. I was delirious in the first place, but now I was talking a whole heap of merde.

"I know what you mean, you'll see him soon." Thomas spoke back, turning his head towards me. I searched his eyes for the truth and I soon found it.

Only time would tell.

---

Switzerland was just how I remembered it. Cold, windy and it was snowing. Snowing heavily.

Thomas drove the car from the airport to the family home which was tucked in a small town, looking out over one of the many lakes. Although he was the only one living there currently, he was soon to have his longterm girlfriend Léane move in with him. They had been on and off for the best part of two years.

For the first time since leaving the crash site, I felt fully awake. I sat in the passenger seat, gazing out of the window as the snow fell. We drove through the mountains, the French voices on the radio intercepted every so often with a traffic update.

The roads became less like motorways and soon we were on the beaten track to the town. The town where I grew up...the town where I'd had to come to terms with what only could be described as hell.

"What are you thinking about?" Thomas took his eyes of the clear road momentarily to make sure that I was alright.

"Strangely, nothing. I have missed this place." a sigh escaped me as the lakes came into view. Even in the dark they looked beautiful. Deep down I wondered that if that night hadn't have happened, would I still be living here?