Chapter 161 Ambulance Ride
With all the swearing going on in the back of the ambulance, Case felt as if he was the one making a move about pirates. There were seven other drivers in the small space, and all of them were angry they were out of the race. Some handled it better than others, sitting stoically, staring at the wall. Others let the curse words fly.
“I just got loose,” Antony kept saying, his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean for anyone to wreck.”
“You gotta keep your head out of you’re a*s when you’re racing, boy,” one of the older drivers, Pete Daigle, was telling him.
“I know. I thought I had a lane. I just got loose and hit the wall.”
“You’re lucky Jones’s car started,” another racer, Wally Henshaw, told him. “If Gordo was in here with us, you really would need a doctor.”
Case tuned out the rest of the discussion. He wasn’t angry at Stewart Antony. It was just one of those things that happened when you were racing. Sometimes you squeezed through by the skin of your teeth. Sometimes you wrecked. Even though he was pretty sure he’d finish the race somewhere around twenty-fifth place, he still had the Daytona win under his belt, so he should be just fine.
“Did Charlie make it through?” Pete asked him as the ambulance came to a stop in front of the infield care center.
“I lost track of him,” Case admitted. “I hope so.” He’d left his only way of communicating with his team in the car so he couldn’t call and ask.
“He’s a good kid,” Pete said as he stood to walk out of the back of the ambulance. “Deserves to win some.”
“I agree.” Case wasn’t sure if Pete was implying Case’s team should give Charlie more opportunities or if he was just talking. He decided to assume it was an innocent compliment and let it go.
Inside the infield care center, there were three medical staff checking to make sure all of them were all right. They asked about pain, checked for concussions, and made sure no one had a serious neck or back injury. Only one driver was talking about anything hurting at all, thanks to the low speeds at this track and the safety devices they had. The doctor decided to keep him a little longer and let everyone else go.
When Case stepped outside, a throng of microphones were thrust in his face.
“Case! How do you feel about being out of the race?” one reporter shouted. “Did you like your chances before the wreck?” shouted another. “Do you think Antony wrecked on purpose?”
The last question made him chuckle. As if anyone would ever wreck on purpose. He was about to start giving brief answers to some of the reporters when he saw Andrea. A smile came to his face as he stepped over and wrapped his arms around her. She was like a cool breeze on a hot day. “Hi. I’m surprised to see you!” he said.
“Why? I had to come and check to see that my man was all right.”
He kissed her, and Case glanced around, making sure his mother hadn’t also come. She’d insisted he get her a luxury box to watch from, so he was pretty sure she wouldn’t make it down here, but he was still relieved to see she wasn’t.
“I’m fine,” he assured Andrea. “I’ve gotta answer a few questions, though, and then we can go.”
“Sure. Take your time.” She winked at him, and he thought taking his time was the last thing he would do.
Case walked back over to the reporters. Some of them had moved on to other drivers, especially Antony. Everyone wanted to know what he’d done and why he’d done it. But Case always drew a crowd, and within a few seconds, he was being asked about his experience.
“It’s just one of those racing things,” he said with a shrug. “Stewart was just going for the win and spun out. It happens. We had a decent car today, but we’ll be stronger next weekend at Pocono.”
“Is it true Andrea will be racing in the fundraiser next weekend?” the reporter asked.
“She will be.” He couldn’t help but be proud that she was going to be in a racecar.
“How do you feel about that?”
“Excited. I think she can win.”
“Any worries about her racing against Sarah Lockton? Do you think Sarah will try to wreck her?”
“Nah,” Case said quickly. “I’m pretty sure that’s all water under the bridge now.” He smiled, but on the inside, his stomach twisted at the idea. He knew Sarah wasn’t capable of completely letting go of anything, and something told him, if she had the chance to wreck Andrea, she’d do it.
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