Love in Victory Lane (A Chase Elliott FanFic)

Chapter Forty Three

The methodical sound of IV machines beeping was literally about to drive me insane. Beep, beep, beep. Each beat felt like an eternity as I sat in the emergency room lobby, waiting for a doctor to come tell me how Chase was doing. It had been over three hours since the accident, and we had not heard anything from anyone about Chase's condition. I was extremely worried. I knew that accidents happen in almost every NASCAR race, but wrecks like this normally do not end well. 

"Honey," Cindy's voice breaks the deafening silence. "He's going to be alright. I know you're shaken up, but I promise you he will be fine. If I believe that, you should too." 

"I'm really trying to be positive, but I'm not going to stop worrying until I see Chase with my own eyes and know he'll be ok," I replied. I put my head in my hands once again, and the tears began to fall. I relived every moment Chase and I had shared in the few short months we had been together. I looked back up at Cindy. "You have no idea how much your son means to me. I love him with all my heart, Cindy. I can't live without him." 

Cindy looked at me with sad eyes, but she smiled at me when I expressed my love for her son. "With a love like yours to live for, there's no way in hell he won't survive this," she said sincerely. 

Before I could respond, a doctor walked into the waiting room. "The Elliott family?" he called out. 

Cindy, Bill, and I all stood up along with over half of Chase's race team. The doctor walked up to Cindy and Bill, and I backed away to let them talk to the doctor. "Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, I am Dr. Jones. I'm assuming Chase is your son?" he asked them. 

"Yes, he is. How is he?" Bill asked. 

"Your son is a little shaken up. He has a minor concussion, a broken collarbone, and a lot of bruises and scratches. He's going to be ok, and he looks worse than he is, but he still needs to take it easy for a little while," he explained to Bill. 

I let out a breath I did not even know I was holding. "Oh thank God," Cindy replied. 

"When can he race again?" Bill inquired. 

"He should be ready to race by next weekend, but once he gets back home, he'll need to see the sports doctor to make sure the concussion is gone," Dr. Jones clarified. 

"Can we go see him?" asked Cindy. 

"Of course," the doctor answered. "The first people he asked for were y'all and his brother." 

"His brother?" Cindy replied, puzzled. 

"Yeah, he asked for Hunter as soon as he regained consciousness."

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard my name. "He asked for me?" I said as I stepped forward. "I'm Hunter." 

"Oh, I'm sorry," the doctor apologized. "Well, you guys can go see him whenever you're ready. Just a few visitors at a time please. I'll be back in to check on him in a few hours. In the mean time, the nurses are there if you need anything."

Doctor Jones walked away, and the team and I sat back down. "Y'all can go see him first. You're his parents; I can wait," I said to Cindy and Bill.

"Okay, sweetie," Cindy replied. "We'll be out in a few minutes." 

I waited for a little while until Cindy and Bill came out so I could go see Chase. I tried to calm my nerves as I walked towards his room, but I could not stop my hands from shaking as I reached for the door handle to open the door. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked into the room. I felt my chest tighten as I saw Chase laying in the hospital bed, his eyes closed, IVs and oxygen hooked up to his body. I walked up to his bed and held his hand in mine. His eyes fluttered open, and he instantly started smiling. 

"Baby girl," he whispered. He lifted my hand up to his lips and kissed it, bringing tears to my eyes. 

"Chase," I whispered in reply as I sat on the edge of his bed. He winced from pain and I cringed inside and stood back up. 

"No, Hunter sit back down. Everything hurts. It's not your fault."

I sat back down beside him and looked into his eyes. "I just want to grab you and hug you and never let you go," I said as a tear rolled down my cheek. 

He wiped the tears off my face and replied, "Baby, please don't cry. I'm okay. It was just a little accident. Even though you can't hug me right now, I don't think a kiss would hurt too bad."

Even in a hospital bed, he still smirked to get his way. I leaned in and kissed him, taking each and every second into memory, so I would never forget the way his lips felt, moved, or tasted. "You better not ever scare me like that again, Chase," I scolded him.

"It's not like I planned to flip and roll around the race track like that," Chase grinned. 

"I know. Just don't do it again," I replied. 

Chase's smile comforted me and for the first time since the accident, I felt like everything was going to be okay. "When can I race again?" Chase asked.

"The doctor said you should be good for next weekend, but you will have to check with the sports doctor to make sure the concussion is gone and you're clear to race," I answered him. Although I did not necessary enjoy the idea of the man I love getting back into a race car and going back out onto the racetrack, I knew that the love a racer has for the sport overpowers any fear they may have of getting hurt. I understood that no matter how many times Chase wrecked or got hurt, he would always strap himself into that car. Personally, I could not blame him. I knew what I was getting into whenever I met him, and there was no way I was going to try to stop him or convince him otherwise. 

"Okay, good," he replied. 

One by one, the crew came into the hospital room to see Chase. By the end of the night, Chase was worn out and so was I. Cindy and Bill wanted to stay with Chase, but I convinced them to go back to the RV and get a good night's sleep. I would stay with Chase and make sure he was okay I promised them. After they left, Chase tried to convince me to head back to the track and go to sleep myself, but there was no way I was leaving him. 

"Hunter, I'm telling you to go home and get some rest. I will be just fine," Chase demanded. 

"I am not leaving. I am staying right here," I replied as I settled under a few blankets on the couch in his hospital room. 

He knew better than to fight with me, so he just rolled his eyes and turned the tv to ESPN. After we watched a few segments, one came on about Chase's wreck. It replayed the wreck, first at normal speed, then in slow motion, and I shuddered from the memory. "Damn, was it really that bad?" he asked, turning to me. 

"Yeah, Chase, it was," I replied. 

"Baby, I am so sorry you had to watch that. I know that must have scared the crap out of you."

"It did. But you're here now, and that's all that matters," I smiled and climbed into the bed with him. "Am I hurting you?" 

"No, darling, I've never been more comfortable." 

I wrapped my arms around Chase's bruised body, and he covered me with his blankets. I softly kissed his lips, then laid my head on his chest. He soon fell asleep, as did I, thanking God that he was still alive, and that he was mine.