Chapter 5

Greg

Even though it’s weeks before Halloween and one of the big races of the season, there is no rest for the wicked. I am back out on my privately hired track out here in Chicago practicing with a couple of team members having what we call a friendly race between teammates getting ready for our next big race next weekend. I am not called Lord of the Dirt Track for no reason. I live and breathe for this, and I show it all in my commitment and dedication. We had been told by our riding coach to take it easy and not overpower the bike but to save that for race day. During practice, we have built-in mics and speakers so we can communicate between our riding coach and the other riders. There is me and three other guys Jameson, Randy, and Will we had just finished a walk round of the track and was heading towards our bikes on our stands. Once we got our bikes and helmets, we started to walk taking our bikes to the starting gate when Jameson starts a conversation I was not prepared to hear.

“Did you see the pictures that fucker Carmichael posted on his I***a with him and this smoking hot babe wearing his new gear?” Why the fuck would Jameson bring up my biggest competitor Garrett Carmichael for during a practice run. He knows that mentioning him will bring more fuel to my fire when I’m out on the track, even if it is still a practice run.

“I did see the pictures yeah he’s one sleazy fucker; he’s got to have something up his sleeve to mess with you Greg,” Will says as we get up to the gate, putting our helmets on, and straddling our bikes, and getting ourselves ready at the gate by digging our feet into the dirt for grip. A good grip at the start is a promising push from the gate. Well, that’s what my cousin used to say and still does from time to time.

“Look guys I don’t give a shit what Carmichael is trying to do to throw me off my game. I am riding the best I have in months right now and I am staying focused on that. He can kiss my ass. I save my taking for the track,” I tell them as I gear my bike up just as the ten-second board is raised.

“Yeah, because he wants to get back to the hotel to fuck Andrea,” Randy says making us all laugh. I will admit he isn’t wrong. Since my breakup with Jen Andrea has been the constant woman in my life who helps keep my bed warm at night. But that is all she is and will ever be a simple fuck. Nobody will fill the place in my heart that is solely for Jen and Jen alone.

“That’s enough chatter now ladies, the five-second board is up time to focus, make this a nice push off the line, and take it easy on the first turn,” Coach Nixon says through the speakers in our helmets. That is my cue to block out everything that is going on around me and focus on the track ahead of me.

The gate dropped and the adrenaline started to pump through my body and the thrill, and the excitement overcame me as I took off from the gate. Listening to what Coach Nixon said about taking it easy on the first turn I do just that and accelerate a little more when approaching the first jump. We listen to everything we are getting fed to us through the speakers and we’ve completed fifteen clean and tidy laps and was down to the last five. Wanting to make this a little more thrilling I say to the other guys “Let’s kick this up a notch and heat up the track on these last five laps. Loser buys the drinks tonight,” I say, and they all agree, and we heat it up just as I was hoping we would. Taking corners tighter, whomps with less acceleration, and the jumps with a little more, so we could fly over the finish line.

I am just ahead of the others with Jameson vastly approaching me from the rear. I am still focused on my end goal and crossing the finish line with a good time. Will’s voice comes through the speakers in my helmet, “Oh shit, I just remembered where I’ve seen that girl Carmichael is with in his I*******m posts.” Seriously? He brings this up now just as I’m about to finish the final lap. I accelerate to take the jump when I hear the last person I expected to hear. “It’s your Jen.”

“What?” I shout as I take the jump. As I am up in the air, I do something so stupid and not me. I close my eyes, and I see Jen’s beautiful smiling face looking back at me. Without thinking I whisper her name, and then my bike stalls as I am up in the air. I suddenly open my eyes realizing I’m in the shit and it’s then I hear another clunk, and I know instantly that’s my chain gone too. “Guys I’m fucked, I’m coming down hard and fast brace for impact,” I scream into the mic as I start to plummet to the ground.

I come down fast. I try my very best to make the impact as safe as possible, but I failed. My front end landed with a turned wheel I couldn’t get back straight, I came flying over the handlebars landing headfirst on the ground. My head hits the ground hard enough that I heard my helmet crack from the pressure of the fall. The back end of the bike flips forward and with the back wheel still spinning it hits my helmet, and the rest of the bike rolls over me. This is what death feels like. I’m getting crushed by a machine that I had fully trusted and weighs maybe two hundred and thirty pounds and that’s not including the extra weight from the mud and dirt from the track. I’ve probably got broken bones, and my head is hurting like a mother fucker. My head must be busted open as I can feel and taste my own blood trickling down my face. Every single inch of me hurts I am losing the battle to keep my eyes open. I can hear the commotion going on around me as I can feel my body shutting down. As my eyes feel heavy and slowly start to close, I once again see her beautiful smiling face saying the words I wish she still says to me today “I love you, Greg.” Just as my eyes are about to fully close her name is the last word from my lips, “Jen,” and everything around me goes black.

I must be in another world I can hear things around me, but I can’t move or open my eyes. I hear machines beeping and some people talking, but I don’t know where I am. “How is he doing doc?” Someone says I don’t recognize the voice. Should I recognize it? Something deep inside me says I should but I can’t picture a name to the voice. My head is so foggy I couldn’t tell you what day it is, even if you asked me.

“He’s recovering well from the surgery Coach Nixon.” Nixon? Why does that name sound and feel familiar? But where from? I don’t know. “He suffered severe head trauma, a punctured lung, fractured ribs, broken arm and leg, as well as internal bleeding. We managed to stop the bleeding, repair the breaks in his arm and leg, and stitch up the wound on his head. He does however have some swelling on the brain so we have put him in an induced coma to help with reducing the swelling, and we will run a CT scan in the next few days to monitor the swelling.” Holy shit. Whoever this doc person is talking about is fucking lucky to be alive. “Until his family arrives, I can’t tell you much more coach, I’m sorry,” then everything goes dark once again.

“The good news is Mrs. Davenport the swelling to the brain has come down to where we are satisfied to slowly bring him out of his coma. It’s still very early days but all signs are looking positive, his brain waves are responding to where we would hope them to be, and his ribs are looking good and so is his arm and leg.” That must be the doctor again. But how long have I been out for? Did he also say Mrs. Davenport? My mom is here? Does that mean whoever that Coach Nixon was talking about is me? Am I the one in the coma? There are so many questions, and I have no way of getting them answered.

“Thank you, so much Doctor Mathis. For everything. How long after you bring him out of his coma will he finally wake up?” My mom asks the doctor with a mixture of hope and worrisome in her voice.

“We both are worried about our son Doctor Mathis; he’s been away from home long enough. He’s done so many amazing things in his riding, I think with this accident that could possibly be the end of his competitive career.” That sounds like my dad.

“Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Davenport in all my years in the medical field no two head injuries are the same and the brain works and heals in its own way. When we bring him out of his coma it is all down to him on when he wakes up and how he takes to his injuries. Everything is looking promising so that’s all we can go off and hope for the best. I will get someone to come in soon to make a start on slowly bringing him around for you.”

“Thank you, Doc,” I hear my dad say with a door shutting shortly afterward. “We better update the Lockwoods on what the doctor just said, Chase and Nancy have messaged me every day for an update.” The Lockwoods? Jen? He said Chase and Nancy, her brother and mom will they be ... Wait? Why isn’t she here? Why is she not at my bedside? Does she not love me enough to be here in my time of need like I would for her? I better wake the fuck up soon this not being able to move or get my questions answered is pissing me off and not surprisingly hurting my head. Just as I feel things going black around me, she is the last face I can see in my mind. My Jen. The true honest love of my life. The future Lady of the dirt track. I just need to see her; I have to see her.

I can feel the bright lights behind my closed eyes, I try and move to finally be able to move one of my arms. If I can do that, could I possibly be able to open my eyes? Slowly they flutter open, and I had to shut them quickly again. The room was too bright. I tried again a little slower my eyes adjusted to the lighting and my surroundings. I see six different faces around me but only two I recognize and that’s my parents. Two of them are dressed in a white coat and scrubs so they must be the doctor and nurse. The other two people I don’t recognize at all. It’s an older man close to my dad’s age guessing, and the other is a gorgeous woman who looks my age if not maybe a little bit younger. Who are they and why are they here?

 The woman walks to sit on the bed next to me and taking hold of my non-casted hand. “Oh, Greg baby thank goodness you’re awake. You scared the life out of me.” She leans in and kisses me on the lips, and I am so confused. A woman who looks like that kissing me shouldn’t I feel something? Even a hint of an attraction? But I felt nothing.

I push her back as soon as she kissed me, “I’m sorry you must have the wrong person, I have a girlfriend plus I don't know you,” I tell her as calmly as I can muster.

“What do you mean you don’t know me? I’m Andrea I am your girlfriend, Greg. We’ve been dating for a little over two years now. Hang on a minute who do you think your girlfriend is?” Well, at least now I have a name for this crazy chick who thinks she's, my girl.

“My girlfriend is Jennifer Lockwood,” I look around the room and I don’t see her. Where is she? Is she in the hospital? She will put this Andrea in her place. I turn to look at my parents and ask them “Where’s Jen?”