Lifeline (Daniel Ricciardo)

Chapter 14: Fate

Here's an extra long chapter for you all, think it would be worth reading right until the end...
As ever, Lifeline is a collaboration story and it runs alongside @lacellak make sure you go and read her Chapter 36 (link in comments).

Thomas pulled me away and back to the house, where he watched me from the living room window for some time. I sat trying to get my head straight on the step. What had just come over me?

Snowflakes landed on the coat Thomas had given me and I was beginning to feel cold, I suppose I took that as a good sign. I had stopped hallucinating.

After a while my breathing returned to normal, as did the pace of my heart. My hands were numb in the subzero temperatures and once I had taken a few more deep breaths, I knocked on the door and my brother opened it. Relieved was not the word.

"Are you alright to eat? You don't have to, but there's some food on the table." Thomas spoke warmly, scrutinising me from every possible angle. He still looked worried.

"That would be good, thank you." I replied and followed him into the house. Instantly the warm air hit me and made me feel marginally better.

Whatever had just come over me was pushed firmly to the back of my mind. I for one prayed that it would never, ever happen again. The image of my mother had been so, so real.

---

I spent just under the sixteen day mark in Switzerland, undergoing gradual integration back into the outside world and really, beginning to rebuild my life. I mean I was fine, completely fine.

Thomas had insisted me staying with him for longer but it wasn't fair on him, nor Léane. They had their own lives to take care of, as did I. I had work to start off with and a house to sort out. Maybe living on my own for a while would give me a new lease of life- a new sense of direction.

Armed with a new Swiss passport, clothes that I had purchased in the city, and a few basic credit cards to tie me over until I got round to going to London, I left the town house- erasing all of the images of ten years ago that I'd had sitting around the lake. Really in this day and age you ought to be able to 'bin' memories.

The journey back to the airport wasn't too long and although I was trying to convince myself that I was okay, in reality I was fucking terrified of getting on a plane, on my own.

"Karin, are you sure that you're going to be alright?" Thomas indicated into the set-down parking bay outside of the international airport terminal. "You know that you can stay for as long as you like!"

I sighed, gathered my hand luggage together, looked back up at my brother and smiled.

"Yes, I'm going to be fine...please stop worrying." I leant over the centre console after taking off my seatbelt and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Thomas. I'll be over again in a few weeks, once I've sorted out work."

"Bloody hell, Karin, do not push yourself." He released himself from my embrace and nodded assertively. "You'd better ring me as soon as you touch down at Gatwick."

"I will. I'll see you later...À plus tard." I tore my vision away from my brother before.

"Ouais, à plus tard." Thomas waved me off as I opened the door to get out. "Say hi to Ricciardo for me..."

I laughed gently as I caught the last part of his sentence, "I will do, whenever I next see him."

I shut the door and opened the boot, my brother was smirking at me in the rear-view mirror. For all I knew Daniel was still in Australia, spending time with his and Paul's family. I had no idea when I'd see him next.