Issues

chapter 50

I sat with Marc in my lap. I knew Marc would have more fun if we watched from the stands, like the fans do. Pedro sat beside us, and I could tell he was just as excited too.

"I've never been to the Monaco track before. It's amazing" he smiles as he pulls his phone out to film.
"I know, it's beautiful. I wish you would have brought Fernando, I know he loves F1" I reply.

We watch as the cars pass one by one, cheering Carlos on. He's doing pretty well so far, he's currently in P3 behind the 2 Red Bulls. Marc cheers everytime he hears the cars race by. I can't help but feel emotional. The fact that Marc became a fan, and is enjoying every moment is exciting. I know that as soon as Charles wakes up he's going to be so excited. My eyes tear up without me noticing.

"Hey, don't cry. Be happy. I know, its a very special and emotional day. But I hate seeing you upset" he says wiping my tears. I do my best to calm myself down, he's right, and I don't want to ruin Marc's first race.

____

We cheer as the cars begin to pass the finish line. Carlos and the Ferrari in P2! We jump up in excitement.

"Carlos win?" Marc says looking up to me.
"He did win amor, he got second" I reply. Marc claps and puts the biggest smile on.

We walk down and back to the garage to celebrate with the rest of the team. We find Mrs Leclerc and Arthur who are just as happy and excited as we are. We walk with the team over to watch them hand Carlos the trophy.

"Want to come up higher Marc?" Arthur asks him. He nods. I pass Marc over to Arthur who lifts him onto his shoulders. Carlos waves at Marc as he sees him from the podium. Marc waves back, causing the crowd to cheer.

"He's definitely going to love the crowds and attention" Pedro whispers to me.
"Yeah, he's such a people person" I laugh. I lean on pedros shoulder as I laugh.

Eventually they hand Carlos the trophy and begin to pass out the champagne. It's been so long since I'd been at a celebration like this, and I definitely missed it.

"Carlos Carlos" Marc cheers, the crowd follows him and suddenly everyone is cheering his name.

"I know this doesn't usually happen but I'd like to say something" Carlos says speaking into a microphone. The crowd quiets down as he gets closer.

"As you all know today was a special day for us all here and especially the Ferrari team. We're missing a big part of us, my good friend who is like a brother to me, Charles. His beautiful family is here in place of him. His mini version, Marc is here, the sweetest boy I've ever met. I'm so glad you guys all came, we're all praying for a miracle and I know that one day Charles will be up here with me again. This one is for you my brother, keep fighting we miss you!" Carlos says as his voice breaks up. He lifts the champagne into the air and then takes a large drink.

The crowd begins to cheer Charles name, I wipe my tears from Carlos beautiful speech. Suddenly the guards walk over and ask us to go up on the stage. I'm not sure why, but I follow anyway.
"I'll be back" I say to Pedro.
"I'll be here, no worries" he smiles.

We walk up to the podium, the crowd clapping. I hold Marc in my arms, he gets a bit shy at first. They want us to say a few words, since this was a celebration of Charles. Arthur goes first, and Mrs leclerc follows.

"Just as all of you may be feeling, I felt a piece ripped
From me when Charles fell into that coma. It was a difficult time because I knew he was hurt doing what he loves most. And this is what I have to remind myself everyday of. We all do. I see Marc grow everyday more and more and without his father. Like I've said many times before, I know my son will be back soon with us. And while I'm up here I'd like to say something that may be a bit off track. Of course I've been hearing and seeing many comments in the media. Specifically about my daughter-in-law, and honestly it's caused me a lot of pain. Because she is my family, the mother of my grandson and I will protect her no matter what. I ask you all to respect my sons family and their privacy and you don't have to like their decisions but just know that you're hurting the entire family with these comments. There are things not everyone knows, and we shouldn't judge. I know she doesn't think it's necessary but id like her to come up and say a few words" she smiles as she turns back at me. I look surprised but I know it's the right thing to do.

I grab the mic, and hold Marc in my other arm.

"Hello everyone" I say into the mic. Marc smiles and waves, causing everyone to cheer.
"He loves you all" I laugh.
"Hello" Marc says into the mic.

"I'd like to first say thank you for all the support most of you have given me and the entire family. We never imagined for this to happen, but the support we receive every day helps us stay strong. With the permission of the family, I'd like to say a few things. First, an update on Charles. The doctors have been nothing but amazing in helping with the recovery. We continue to see improvements, and are so close to having our Charles back with us. Second, is something that I feel necessary to be shared. A few days before Charles' final race, we both agreed to end things. It was a mutual agreement, for personal reasons that I won't say. Of course Charles and I continued to stay in communication, and I still came out in support of him. After all, he is Marc's father. But before he's Marc's father, he is my best friend. Despite us not being together, we both share a great love for each other, and will never stop caring for each other. I'll always be here for Charles, which is why I continue to fight for him to come back. Now I only say this because recently I've found someone in my life who I really care about. Who's been there for me through this entire situation, who's been there not just for me but for the entire family. And I've been hearing people say that I'm disrespecting Charles by spending time with this particular person. But the truth is, and it's taken me a while to admit this, it's been long and I don't think I'm disrespecting Charles. And I just wanted to be forward with this because it's hurting me and my mental health, the relationships I have with my friends and family, and to clear things up. Marc and I, love you all. And we hope next time we come, we'll be back with charles, right amor?" I say looking at Marc.
"Papa, papa!" Marc yells as he points over at a sign that a fan is holding, with a picture of charles.

"Aww" the crowd says.
"There's your papa" I say kissing his cheek.
The crowd claps and cheers as I hand back the microphone.

It felt good to have that off my chest. This way lies weren't being spread and I didn't want to hurt pedris reputation either. The guard shows us the way down once again.

"You did so well. You're so strong" Pedro said hugging me.
"Thank you. I'm so so glad you're here" I whisper. He lets me go and we walk beside everyone else towards the Ferrari garage.

We make it to the garage to wait to see Carlos.
My phone rings and I hang up since it says Unknown caller. It rings once again.

I pick it up just in case.

Unknown caller

Hello?

Hello is this Ms.Lopez?

Yes, who is this?

I'm Dr. Olsen calling from the hospital where Mr.Leclerc is currently in-

Is everything okay?!

Yes. It's perfect. We have great news for you and your family. Charles has woken up! He's stable and he's doing fine, he's come back!

In shock, I  drop my phone. I begin to cry tears of joy. Pedro picks the phone up for me.
"Who is it? What happened?" Mrs leclerc rushes over.

"It's Charles. He's awake" I say to them.