Homesick | Charles Leclerc

133

James hesitated before entering the hospital room, his heart heavy with a mixture of emotions. The sight of Alexandra's battered and bruised form sent a shiver down his spine, igniting a storm of memories from their tumultuous past.

As he took a seat by her bedside, silent tears streamed down his face. The room, usually so sterile and cold, now felt suffocatingly intimate as he grappled with his fears. The fear that he might lose his sister, the fear that the shadows of their painful childhood would resurface.

He couldn't shake the haunting image of the crash from his mind, the helplessness he felt watching it unfold. It revived old demons, the ones he thought he had left behind with the love and support of Eleanor. Now, with Alexandra's life hanging in the balance, those demons clawed their way back into his thoughts.

Staring at Alexandra's unconscious form, memories of their shared history flashed before James' eyes like a fragmented film. Summers spent with Sebastian and the Schumachers, moments of escape from their tumultuous family life. Trips to the paddock, filled with dreams and aspirations, and the comforting presence of friends like Lewis and his family.

The heart monitor beeped steadily, a rhythmic reminder of the fragility of life. James pondered the unpredictability of their journey together, the highs and lows that shaped their sibling bond. He recalled their shared dreams, the laughter that echoed through the years, and the unspoken understanding that tethered them even in their darkest moments.

Yet, for all the pain and uncertainty, James couldn't deny the depth of his love for Alexandra. She was not just his sister but a resilient force that had weathered storms, emerging stronger each time. The realization struck him – their shared history, though marked by adversity, also bore witness to moments of strength, resilience, and love.

As he wept by her bedside, James yearned for a chance to rewrite their story, to forge a path free from the shackles of their painful past. He longed for Alexandra to wake up, to reclaim her life, and for them to navigate a future illuminated by hope rather than shadows. The room, once filled with the echoes of anguish, now held the quiet whispers of a brother's love, hoping against hope for a new chapter to unfold.

In the dimly lit hospital room, James poured his heart out to the sleeping figure of Alexandra. His voice trembled with a mixture of anger, fear, and a vulnerability rarely exposed.

"Why did you have to start racing Ally? Why couldn't you just stay in Hollywood?" he scolded softly, his words hanging in the air. "You scared the hell out of me. You can't just leave, not again."

He spoke of his own trauma, a realm he had avoided for years. The accident he shared with Theo LaGuarde, a moment buried deep in the recesses of his mind, suddenly resurfaced. The echoes of that dark period were interwoven with the fear of losing Alexandra. "You almost...It was exactly like what happened to LaGuarde. I didn't think you and Max would get out of those cars..."

As tears streamed down his face, James spoke of the haunting similarities between her crash and his past. The triggers, once buried, had clawed their way back to the surface. He admitted to suffering from PTSD, a silent struggle he'd carried alone for too long.

"It was like I was back in the car again, reliving it," he whispered, the weight of his unspoken pain palpable. "I've spent years trying to forget, but seeing you like this... It all came back."

James spoke of the terror he felt, watching both Alexandra and Max teetering on the edge of life and death. The hospital room became a confessional, an intimate space where he laid bare the emotional toll he carried.

As he continued to talk, James shared his deepest fears. He admitted that, while their relationship had been strained over the years, the thought of losing his baby sister was unbearable. "If you'd died...How could I have ever told Theo? How could I...How could I tell him his Aunt Ally won't be coming home?"