Are You Ok || Formula 1 | English one shots

2. Breath with me (Charlos)

The impact with the wall was quiet bad, he felt it. But after a few seconds of shock he felt ok, ready to get out of the car by himself.
But when he tried to move, everything felt so distant and confused.

He heard Xavi on the radio: "Are you ok? Are you ok? Charles? Charles can you here me? Are you ok? Can you press a random button on the dash? Charles?"
Why was he asking so many questions. And why was himself not answering.
He tried to reach the radio button, but he was moving like in slow motion.
He saw the marshals in front of his car, shouting, shaking their hands, speaking to each other. What were they saying.

Than there was someone, in a dark blue suit, with blue helmet and a sweet voice.
It was a doctor, she was a woman. She was telling him to relax, do a deep breath and be patient while they extract him from the car.

She takes off his helmet, and stares at him into his eyes, with a big smile on her face, so happy to see that he was conscious.

She points a little flashing light right in front of his eyes, and he reacts by trying to close them, without understanding that she is keeping them open with her fingers.

"It's ok Charles, don't worry. Your pupils are reacting to the light. Mind to breath...Like this, good..."

She looks calm, and her voice is really sweet and reassuring, but when he looks round and sees again everyone rushing, and he realises he is on a stretcher on his way to the ambulance parked a few meters in front of them, he panics.

The doctor notices it, and tries to help by holding his hand, but she knows she is just a stranger to him.

In that moment he hears a familiar voice, shouting his name. His neck is immobilised by the collar and he can't turn his face to see him, but he hears him.

Doctor Bardi looks up and sees a Ferrari driver blocked within marshals arms, shouting Charles' name. When she crosses his look, his expression was like praying for have any information on his injured teammate.

She shouted at marshals: "Let him come here!"
Meanwhile other marshals, and a nurse were holding the stretcher approaching the ambulance.

As soon as the marshals' arms free him, Carlos lets his helmet and gloves fall down to the ground and runs to Charles.

Carlos firstly holds Charles hand and looks him in the eyes, with a sight of relief noticing his present eyes. Then he immediately turns to the doctor, waiting for a word of reassurance.
The doctor didn't look that calm, not that worried neither, just a little bit serious.

"He's not that bad, after all, but we need to do all the checks in the hospital, he might have at least a concussion or worse." She says, not only to Carlos but mainly to the medical crew of the ambulance.

Charles starts breathing heavily, his heart rate increases.

"Don't worry, Cabrón, they will take care of you" says Carlos while they push him away from the ambulance.
Doctor Bardi looks at Charles, looks at Carlos. They are not saying anything but their eyes are imploring to not be separated.

"Carlos, you can come with us"
Everyone is surprised, someone a bit annoyed by this egocentric doctor, but Carlos looses no time, and jump on the ambulance sitting close to the stretcher.

"I'm here, Charles, don't worry."

The doctor is listening at his heartbeat and breath with her stethoscope, she keeps looking at him with smiling eyes.
A nurse give her an oxygen mask, she looks at Charles and just says: "this is just to breathe a little bit better ok?".
After putting it on his face, she puts the elastic behind his head and flushes his hair. "Breath through it, ok? Like this... good... do like me, breathe in ... breathe out... ok, again..."

Carlos is trying to stay calm, because he knows that Charles needs to calm down, but he is really worried.
Doctor Bardi want to reassure him as well, but she doesn't know how.

At the medical centre, Charles is laid in a white tall hospital-like bed, the doctor and nurses attack some stickers on his chest, connecting them to a monitor.
He is more and more scared at every move.

Doctor Bardi tries to explain him what's happening, to make him feel a little less scared, but it's not easy.
She is has been asking for a while where does him fell pain, but he's just answering "I don't know".

"Charles, we have to do a blood test, you need to give me your arm. I'll be very quick, I promise. Just look a Carlos now."

Carlos caress him on his hair and cheeks to distract him, while doctor Bardi, with very expert hands, insert the needle in his vein.

"Here we are, that's ok." says doctor Bardi when she is done with the needle.

"The EKG shows tachycardia" says an other doctor, who looks a bit less friendly than doctor Bardi.

"What does it means?" asks Carlos, still holding Charles' hand".

"Ehm, it just means that his hart beat rate is a little bit to fast, but it's because he's nervous, it's normal, no worries about that. Anyway, I think it's better to go to the hospital and do a CT scan, to be 100% sure there are no fractures or internal injuries, ok?" - answers Doctor Bardi. She wants to convince him to go to the hospital, and she doesn't want to sound like she is forcing him, but other doctors and nurses are already moving him to the stretcher "The helicopter is ready for the transfer" they say, and doctor Bardi tries to stop them "Ok, ok, but wait a minute. Charles, is it ok?"

"I, I... I don't want to go to the hospital, please." He says.

Doctor Bardi looks at Carlos, as if to say 'it's your turn now".

"Charles, it's ok, you need to go there, it's important. But I'm sure they will take good care of you, and you'll be discharged very soon after the exams."

"Can he come with me?" Charles asks looking at the doctor.

"I'm afraid he can't, sorry. They are already making an exception by letting him come here, at the medical center... But I'll be there all the time, promise" answers the doctor.

Charles takes a deep breath and takes courage, nods with his head and the nurses lift him un on the stretcher. Carlos follows him all the way to the helicopter platform, but then he has to leave his hand. Charles look at him a little bit sad, but right after doctor's hand replaces Carlos', and so he is reassured.

After a few hours all the medical exams are done, and they are all clear. Doctor Bardi exit Charles' hospital room and finds Carlos sitting in the waiting room. She puts an hand to his shoulder while she takes him to Charles: "Charles is ok, no fractures, no injuries. He will be quiet sore tomorrow, as a normal consequence of the crash. Can I count on you to take him to the hotel and give him painkillers when he needs?"

"Of course, thank you doctor."

"Thank you, Carlos, you're a very caring teammate." says doctor Bardi, winking at him.