Mask off - Mick Schumacher

Chapter 18: Brace yourself

The following day, she had finally taken the dreaded exam and, as Cristian had predicted, she had aced it. She went straight to his place, hoping to find him there since he didn't have courses that day.

However, she found a note on the table, near some lunch he had made:

"Made this for you, I'm proud no matter how the exam went. I'm at the pool for some training, call if you need anything. Love, cris"

She couldn't help but smile when she found the note. She felt so lucky to have such a supportive boyfriend, especially since she knew he was probably at the pool training when he could easily have been at home. She sat down at the table and started eating the food he had made for her, her smile growing wider as she imagined him making it just for her.

After she finished eating, she picked up her phone and dialled his number. Weirdly enough, he didn't pick up the phone. She tried again. One time, two times, three times. It just kept ringing. "He must've left it in his bag." She thought. However, the hours passed and he didn't come back. She was about to go out and look for him when her phone rang. Though it wasn't him, it was an unknown id. She looked up from the book she was reading and picked up her phone. She frowned at the unknown number. Who could it be?

"Hello?" She answered, a bit confused.

"Hello, is this Miss Bonnet?" A soft voice from the other side said.

She frowned, confused as she heard the voice from the other side of the phone.

"Yes, that's me. Who is it?"

"I'm calling from the hospital, this is Dr. Dumont speaking." The woman said. "We found your number in the emergency contacts of your boyfriend, Mr. Mori."

As soon as she said the word 'hospital', Sabine's heart skipped a beat. Cristian was at the hospital? Why? A million different thoughts raced through her mind, and she was unable to say anything for a few moments.

"My... My boyfriend? Is something wrong? Is he alright?"

"We would like you to come here, miss. He's gotten into a quite serious accident with his bike and is currently unstable."

She almost dropped the phone. He'd gotten into an accident? And a serious one, too? She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why hadn't he told her? Why didn't he answer his phone?

"Oh my god... I'm coming. I'm coming right now." She said, her voice trembling as she grabbed her jacket. Sabine grabbed the keys and got into her car, rushing to the hospital. Once there, she went to the front desk, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"Hi, I uh, my boyfriend's here. Cristian Mori."

The nurse looked up from the computer where she was typing and gave her a courteous smile. She checked the name on the computer screen in front of her, then looked at Sabine with a concerned expression on her face.

"Could you please follow me? The doctor is waiting for you."

Her heart dropped, it was serious, wasn't it? She nodded and followed the nurse, wherever she was taking her. The nurse walked quickly along a hallway, leading Sabine to a small waiting room. There, Dr. Dumont was waiting for them with a neutral expression on her face.

"I'm glad you made it, Miss Bonnet. Please, have a seat."

"What happened?" Sabine muttered as she sat down.

The nurse excused herself, leaving Sabine alone with the doctor. Dr. Dumont sat down across from her, a serious expression on her face.

"Mr. Mori was involved in a motorcycle accident this afternoon. He suffered a head injury and a broken rib. He has also suffered a fracture at the level of the third metacarpal of the right hand. He's currently in a coma."

Coma. That could mean anything. He could wake up, couldn't he? "How... How serious is it? Is he stable?"

The doctor paused for a moment, not looking away from Sabine's face. She seemed almost unsure on how to break the news to her.

"He is currently in a critical condition, and has been placed in a medically-induced coma. He has undergone a procedure to reduce some of the swelling in his brain, but the situation remains delicate. We will be monitoring his condition closely over the coming days, but the next few hours will be critical."

"Can I see him?" That was all Sabine could say.

The doctor nodded, looking at Sabine sympathetically.

"Of course. Just, please, brace yourself. He's in rather bad condition right now."

Sabine was led to his room and once the door shut behind her, it all went silent. Her thoughts, her worries, the beeping from the machines, it was all just a distant sound. He was there, IVs everywhere, a mask to help him breathe. A cast on his hand and a bandage around his head.

He looked so small in the hospital bed, so fragile. His usual lively demeanour was gone, replaced by motionless silence. He looked like a doll rather than a person. He could've been a stranger with how pale he looked. She walked closer, her hands shaking as she reached out and gently touched his cheek. Was he even breathing? He didn't look like it.

She sat on the chair next to his bed and took his hand in her, tracing nonsense figures over the back of it. She hadn't even realised it, but tears were streaming down her face. How had she gotten there? How had he gotten there? It was all perfect not even twelve hours prior. They were about to move in. Why now? Why him? She felt so alone there, sitting by that hospital bed, surrounded by nothing but the beeping of the machines keeping Cristian alive. It was so different from the happiness and excitement she had felt that morning. The tears kept falling down her cheeks. How was she supposed to live without him? She leaned forwards, burying her face in the side of his hospital bed as her shoulders trembled with sobs.

She didn't even hear the door open, she just lifted her head when someone tapped her shoulder. She looked up and saw her mom, Isabelle. For a moment, Sabine was too stunned to speak. How had her mom known? How was she even there? When had she gotten there? She was about to ask all these questions, but all that left her mouth was a choked sob as Isabelle's arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Why him, mom?" That was all she could say as she sobbed over and over again. She felt like a little kid that has just lost her favourite plushie. And maybe it wasn't even that far from it...

"I don't know, baby... I don't know."

Isabelle had pulled Sabine closer, holding her tight against her chest like she used to when she was a child. Her heart felt broken for her daughter. She had never seen her so desperate, and it pained her to know that she couldn't do anything to help her.

The hours passed and Sabine eventually moved to the waiting room with her parents. The hospital was eerily quiet, as if the whole building knew what was happening. Suddenly, a few nurses started pacing towards Cristian's room and, no matter how many times she asked, no one would tell Sabine what was happening.

The fact that no one would explain what was happening scared her even more. The nurses moved hastily, their expressions serious, and she caught snippets of worried conversations as they passed her by. She was clutching her mother's hand so tightly that she could feel her blood flow stopping. No one would tell her what was going on, and it was driving her crazy.

It all went quiet again. Only a hushed group of voices audible. Dr. Dumont came out and walked to Sabine.

"Could you follow me, miss?"