In the Spotlight (Max Verstappen - Book Two)

Chapter Twelve

It's one pm when I wake up the next day, Nick and Olivia both just sitting and working on their laptops on the sofa opposite my bed. I squint when I see them and as soon as they see me Olivia pulls out her phone and sends a message as Nick walks directly over to me to take my temperature with the back of his hand. "Still hot." He grumbles as he passes me my water.

"Why thanks," I say weakly and manage a wink at him causing both him and Olivia to let out small worried chuckles.

"I've messaged the doctor that you're awake so she's coming now, and Christian asked that we call him when she comes to do the checkup." She tells me, also beginning to run around. "Your parents and siblings are at the track, so don't worry about them." She says predicting my next question and I nod slowly. There are five hours until the race begins and I feel like human garbage. "Also Vettel wants you to call him when you get the chance." I blink as I take in the information before humming in agreement as I try to smooth out my hair and pull on a hoodie, the air suddenly feeling very cold. There's a knock on the door and the doctor from last night walks in along with a Netflix TV crew to my dismay, smiling gently at me.

I slip out of bed and just follow her instructions as we do the exam, not feeling any better than yesterday, but fortunately not feeling any worse. My eyes keep darting back to the TV crew that it seems no one was expecting as the doctor eyes me cautiously as I sit gingerly back down on the bed before speaking. "You don't seem any worse but your fever hasn't broken and Nick tells me that you haven't been sick since yesterday so I'm inclined to agree to let you race." She says and I let out the breath I had been holding, a smile crossing my face. "I would recommend that we give you another IV drip to help with the dehydration as I'm inclined to believe that is what caused you to throw up yesterday. But, if I catch even a hint that your condition worsens between now and the race, you can be sure there is no way in hell that you are being allowed to race. I don't care if it's two seconds before you get in the car." I nod in agreement and thank her, but stay where I am perched on the side of my bed as Nick helps her gather her things to set up the IV drip.

"That seems good," I hear Christian's voice from Olivia's phone say and I nod. "As Olivia has already told you, you've been granted exemption from all media duties including the parade, but it would probably be good to get to the track when the drivers go out for the parade at around four. That way everyone should be distracted and you can sneak in under the radar." He suggests and I quickly agree, liking that plan a lot before he excuses himself to go and give a statement saying that I'm still on track to race and Olivia hands me my phone, reminding me that I need to call Sebastian.

"Do you guys need to be here? No offence it's just I'd really rather not be filmed right now." I ask putting my head in my hands before looking at them and seeing the crew looking sympathetically at me before I plod over to the sofa where Olivia and Nick were sitting when I woke up where he and the nurse are getting the IV drip sorted out. Olivia talks to them about leaving but they say they're under instructions to be here and we need to talk to the producer Annie to change that. So Olivia immediately walks out of the room like a woman on a mission as I slip out of my hoodie and let the doctor insert the needle into my forearm to give me the fluids and lean back, letting my head fall on the sofa. I can tell that I'm still weak from the way that my chest is rising and falling rather rapidly and the beads of sweat are still forming, but I'm still confident in my ability to drive a good race and refuse to not drive in the first race of the season. I scroll through my messages and see Sebastian's name pop up and so grab my laptop from where it was on the coffee table and open it, pressing the FaceTime button.

He picks up immediately. "Mein Gott. You look shit." He says immediately and I hear Hanna in the background telling him off for cursing in front of the girls.