Right On Track

Chapter 61

Kiara woke up the next morning and sat up,glancing around the room.She sighed to herself,knowing that she would have to get going to the paddock by a certain time.After all,it was race day.She didn't know how she was feeling about this one,though.Her confidence wasn't too high in terms of it.
Kiara yawned,turning to look to her right.
Letting herself smile a little,she shifted closer to Carlos.
He was still asleep,surprisingly.Normally he was the one to wake her up.
She leaned down a little,actually even laying down again and moving closer to him.
Still in his sleep,he mumbled something and put an arm around her waist,holding her against him.
Kiara didn't want to wake him up at first.She just gazed his way,looking at his face,putting a hand on the side of his face.
She ran her hand through his hair,pressing a kiss to his cheek and leaning her forward against his.
She didn't want to get up.But she knew that the both of them would eventually have to do it.
So,she gently stroked a hand down his arm,saying."Carlos?"
He opened his eyes a little at that,barely even actually."Sì,Cariño?"
She smiled,hearing that morning voice of his as he yawned.
"Time to get up."She kissed his cheek.
"One minute."He sighed.
"I would even let it be an hour if it weren't race day."She said.
"And if it were up to me,I would even cancel the race."He mumbled,closing his eyes and nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck.
"Wow,for me?"She chuckled,shaking her head.
"Anything for you,mi niña."He yawned.
"And sleep?"She asked.
"And sleep."He smiled,letting out a short laugh."But mostly you."
She smiled,giving him another kiss on the forehead.
She felt a little sorry for Carlos too.Last night,Ferrari had announced that he wouldn't be racing.There was apparently a fuel leakage in his car and he would even miss the race because of it.Kiara knew that she wouldn't even be racing against him now,since he was supposed to start right behind her in the race.
Carlos would have no option but to sit and watch it all from the Ferrari garage.

"All good?"Christian asked Kiara as she got into her car.
She gave a thumbs-up,sitting down after putting on her gloves.
"Listen,"He said,leaning over the halo and looking down at her."I know this is going to be a difficult one,but I know you can do it.Max won the championship,but you still need to fight to keep that position in second."
Kiara nodded,clasping a hand with Christian.
"Okay,radio check,Ki."Santiago came on the radio.
"Copy,"Kiara replied as the track began to clear up,the racing lights coming up.
"Racing conditions might not be the best,"Santiago said."But it shouldn't be too bad."
"Okay."Kiara said,already feeling the heat that increased because of her car.
"Let me know otherwise."He added,then went quiet to let her focus on the start.
Kiara took a deep breath,knowing that today's race would be a little tricky.
She watched for the lights to go off.And when it did,she went straight ahead.
Still holding onto her starting position,she carried on in third,Ivy in front of her.
Behind,Lando was trying to catch up.
But Kiara made sure to make it difficult,rather speeding forward to already go for Ivy ahead.Max,obviously,was currently first.
A few laps later,though,Kiara was already starting to feel the effects of the driving conditions.She could feel the heat on her steering wheel as well even through her gloves.
"Keep the tyre wear in mind,Ki."Santiago said.
I'm keeping myself  in mind,actually...Kiara thought to herself as she felt her seat heat a little more because of the engine.
As the next few laps went by,she started to sweat a little more.Yes,it was normal for a driver to do such while driving.But this was bad.She felt as if she needed a bucket of water thrown on her right then and there.
And she just knew that the other drivers were feeling the same.
She was still in third,though.And she was trying to hold onto it as she noticed Lando catching up from behind.
It was a little more pressurizing than usual.But she would just have to deal with the bad driving conditions and carry on...
"Kiara,we're monitoring you at the moment."Santiago said."Just let me know if it gets worse."
"If what gets worse?"She breathed out.
"Other drivers are also reporting about the heat.Some are even going to consider retirement from the race.Just let me know if it affects you like that as well."
"No..."Kiara said."I can handle it."
She knew she could.Well,actually,she hoped that she could.
Lap twenty-five came by and she even lifted her visor while making her pit stop.It was a little risky,given how she needed to put it down again while going out of the pit lane.
"Shit,I feel like I'm on fire right now."She said,blinking a little as she suddenly felt a little weaker.
"Let us know how you feel later on."Santiago said."As it is,one of the Williams might retire  from the race."
"It's fine."Kiara mumbled."I can...I can make it."
But just as she said the words,Lando came up behind her as she lost a little momentum.
"Half a second,Ki."Santiago quickly said."Defend."
Kiara tried to hold it and do what he said.She really did.
But feeling weaker,she nearly even let the car slide off track for a second.
And that's what gave Lando the gap to overtake.
But Kiara didn't even react properly to it as the McLaren took her podium spot.
Her vision blurred a little,her sweat dripping down her brow as she steadied the car.
She blinked a few times and her vision came back to normal.
"Okay,Kiara."Santiago said."Sergeant just pulled back into the garage.Not a car issue.The driving conditions seemed to have made him ill."
"Copy,"Kiara sighed.She was starting to consider it too...
She was really feeling weaker each lap.Her whole body felt as if it was on fire.
She lost the racing line a couple of times,clearly struggling.
By about lap thirty-eight,Santiago reported."Alora just retired from the race as well."
"Is she okay?"Kiara asked,hearing that about her sister.
"Something about dehydration."He said."She's going straight to the medical tent."
"Okay."Kiara said,hoping that it wasn't something too bad.
Kiara tried to get at least another sip of water from her straw.But when nothing came up,she realized that she had finished all the water in the pouch.
She grew thirstier by the second,feeling her mouth dry.
And soon,before she could even stop it,she blacked out for a second.
In that moment,she would have let it drag on if she wasn't driving at such high speeds.
But then she finally managed to open her eyes again as she neared turn one again.
But it wasn't fast enough to block the Ferrari that came speeding from behind.
Charles took the position from her easily as she nearly blacked out again.
"Everything alright,Ki?"Santiago asked.
"This is too hard."She said,also swearing under her breath.
"Retire if you need to,Ki."He told her."We understand if you can't do it."
Hearing that...That was the problem.She didn't like to hear things like that.
That was her problem.She tried too hard to prove things.She tried too hard to prove others wrong about her.
"No,I can do it."She said,swallowing.
She didn't have enough strength to grip the steering tighter,but enough to keep on the racing line for a bit.
She was still currently in fifth,George behind.
There was still many more laps to go.
She just hoped and wished that she would be able to make it through.

"Alright,that's it."Santiago said."You tried,Ki.You really did.It's okay."
Kiara just muttered her response,passing the line in seventh...
She didn't have the strength to reply properly,feeling her entire body aching throughout it all as she brought the car into the pit lane.
She finally stopped it,loosing a long breath and just sitting there in her car.
She didn't get out yet.Well,more like she couldn't get out yet.
She didn't even have the strength to move a hand to lift her visor.
Just heaving heavy breaths,shutting her eyes and sitting there,she ignored all the sounds around,feeling as though she couldn't even breath for a second.
She managed to open her eyes a little,glancing to her right.
Her car was parked next to Lance's.And when she looked his way,she saw him struggling to get out.And when he eventually did,she watched as he stumbled towards the nearby ambulance,falling against the door as the paramedics quickly got out to help him.
Kiara would've done the same.If she could.
She just envied any person who wasn't in a car tonight.
But then she looked in the mirrors of her car.And she swallowed,seeing Alex struggling to get out of his car too,even almost putting his full weight on the halo.
Kiara saw many of the other drivers struggling too,the exact same way.
She knew that she couldn't just sit there and watch them...
She tried to use whatever remaining strength she had...If she could just get out of the damn car...Go help at least one person who was struggling the way she was.
She braced both hands on the halo and slowly lifted herself,clenching her jaw as her body ached.
She managed too get up finally.But then she fell forward a little,putting her weight onto the halo.
She was almost laying forward on it,her head hanging low.
Kiara took another deep breath,feeling her body tremble a little as she lifted one leg over the halo and out of the car.
Her breaths were deep as she lifted her other leg after the other,slowly climbing out  of the car.
And just as one foot touched solid ground,the other didn't and she slipped down the side of the car.She wore under her breath,not even having the strength to grab onto something as she slipped.
Now on the floor,out of the car and beside it,she utterly gave up.
She couldn't get up...And the marshals were still helping the other drivers,so nobody really noticed her at first.And it wasn't even easy to spot her as she was down on the ground,beside the car and almost concealed.
She just slumped against the side of the car,her helmet and everything else still on.
Her breathing became heavier again and she felt her own pounding heartbeat each second.She couldn't call for help.She couldn't do anything.
And as she waited...waited for some sort of help through it,her vision blurred again.
And before she knew it,she passed out.