"Are you sure you're okay to be released, Trixie?" Speed asked for the hundredth time.
Trixie raised an eyebrow and bit her lip. He was hovering only because he was worried. She kept telling herself that every time she wanted to snap at him. "Yes, Speed. I'm sore, but I have pain killers. We have a flight to catch, and you've got some preparations to make for the TransAfrican race. I need to study the maps with Sparky, just in case, so we're both prepared. We have got to get back home."
She bent down to pick up her case, and Speed grabbed it. "I am not letting you carry that."
Trixie sighed. Speed was treating her like a porcelain doll that might break. "All right. You can carry my bag, but you've got to stop treating me like an invalid, Speed. I can do it."
Speed nodded. Trixie might tolerate being pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair, but only because Speed insisted. Once they got to the air terminal, she'd be a little more insistent on walking. The taxi was waiting for them downstairs, and Trixie had finished filling out all of her papers for release.
Speed pushed her through the hospital, and Trixie held on for dear life. "Speed, could you please slow down," she whispered.
Speed stopped, alarmed. He had not been pushing her fast at all. In fact, he was barely walking at his normal speed. "Sure, Trix," he said. Then he walked much more slowly and saw Trixie begin to relax. She was not as prepared as she really believed she was, and Speed was truly concerned.
Once they had loaded the bags and sat in the back of the taxi, the driver pulled out. Trixie grasped Speed's hand as hard as she could. Speed checked to see how fast the driver was going – and it was barely the speed limit. He could not ask him to slow down. Not if they were to catch their plane.
He looked over at her, for Trixie was being unusually quiet. She was pale and fighting to keep control of her feelings. Clearly, she was terrified. Speed pulled her to him and held her tight. "Hey, Trix, we have about a half hour ride to the airport. Why don't you rest a bit, okay?"
Trixie nodded, and tried to relax. He could tell she didn't relax much, even when he ran his fingers through her hair. By the time they got to the airport, Trixie was as tense as he had ever seen her. "Trixie?" Speed called, and it was as if she didn't even hear him. He looked worriedly at her. Trixie didn't seem to really be with him at all, her mind was somewhere else. And judging by the look on her face, she was back in the Ice Caverns.
"Trix!" Speed called a bit more sharply, and he shook her very slightly. Trixie's eyes refocused on his face, before she took a deep breath and smiled.
"Yes, Speed?" Trixie asked, as if nothing had just happened.
"You okay?"
"Of course. I'm just a little more tired than I expected," she said. Speed could tell she was not being truthful, but he was not sure if it was him she was lying to….or herself. However, he did not want to push her just before getting on the plane. If the car had unnerved her, Speed was not sure what a plane ride would do.
They walked to the check in and got their seat assignments, then straight to their terminal and gate. They were cutting it close, as the plane was already at the gate, so they were able to board right away. This was a rather long flight, and next weekend would be another one. Speed thought it funny that, for a race car driver, he spent so much time in planes.
Trixie sat down in her seat, and Speed sat right next to her. He had insisted she take the window, not so that she could look out and have a great view, but so that he could keep a close eye on her, and anyone who might try to approach. Trixie seemed fine. She smiled happily as she watched them loading the luggage on the plane and chattered about the upcoming race. Speed started to relax, and decided that he was overreacting. May be Trixie really had just been tired.
Once the plane took off, Trixie did actually lean against Speed. He put his arm around her and watched as she fell asleep.
"Would you like a blanket, sir?" he heard a soft whisper.
Speed looked up and saw a beautiful stewardess standing beside him. "Excuse me?"
"Would you like a blanket, sir? For your companion."
"Oh yes, thank you."
"The armrest also raises up, if you'd like. She might be more comfortable."
Speed smiled. He shifted so that he could move the arm rest out of the way and let Trixie lie down. The stewardess handed him a pillow and a blanket. Soon, Trixie was tucked away comfortably, using Speed's lap as a partial pillow. The stewardess smiled at him. "Are you Speed Racer?"
He nodded.
She smiled. "Then this must be Trixie Shimura, your navigator. I've read all about her, especially last week in the papers. Is she going to be all right?"
"I hope so, Miss."
"Arabella," the stewardess supplied. "Call me if you, or she, need anything ."
Speed replayed the encounter in his mind. Before this, he knew Trixie would have been very jealous that he even talked to Arabella. She wouldn't have said anything to him about it, nor would she have spoken to him at all for a couple of hours afterwards. Even if he didn't mean anything at all. However, Speed wondered if that was because she was insecure about her place with him. If that was the case, would her jealousy abate, now that she knew how he felt about her?
Speed leaned back and was soon sleeping, his hand resting on Trixie's shoulder. While he was sleeping, the couple was approached by a man with a very evil grin on his face. He saw that Speed's tray was down and there were two glasses. Speed had been drinking a cola, but Trixie had orange juice. He reached over and dropped something into the orange juice, then disappeared back down the aisle. Arabella, however, had seen the whole thing, and she frowned. She made her way up the aisle back to the sleeping Speed and softly tapped him on the shoulder.
"Mr. Racer, you need to wake up," she whispered.
Speed came awake almost instantly. "Arabella?" he asked.
"Yes. I just saw a man put something in Trixie's drink."
Speed paled as he thought of what might have happened. "Could you identify him?"
"No. He had his back to me."
Speed frowned.
"But I'm going to take her drink and put it in a container, so you can take it to the police. I don't know what it was, but I'm sure it would not be good for her, not in her current condition."
"Thank you, Arabella," Speed said.
"I will be right back with a fresh drink for her. I'm sure she'll want something when she wakes up."
Speed nodded. "About how long?"
"We should be landing in about forty-five minutes, sir."
"Thank you," Speed whispered. Trixie had slept nearly the entire flight. She really would not be in any condition to navigate for him this weekend, and he accepted that. The problem would be getting her to admit it to herself.
A moment later, Arabella returned with a glass of orange juice for Trixie and a bottle in a bag for Speed. As soon as she left, Speed looked around the plane suspiciously. He did not dare fall asleep again. There was someone on this flight who was a threat to his girl.
When the pilot announced they were approaching the airport, Speed nudged Trixie. "Come on, Trix. Wake up. We're almost home."
Trixie slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Speed.
"Hi, sleepy head. How do you feel?"
Trixie blushed. "Okay. I can't believe you let me use you as a pillow."
"I trust my lap is comfortable?"
"Very," Trixie practically purred. Speed smiled at her, but tensely watched the other occupants of the plane. "What's in the bag?" Trixie asked.
"Oh, this?" Speed answered.
"Yes, that."
"Something for Inspector Detector," Speed said.
Trixie looked at him, before reaching for her orange juice. As she took a sip, Speed glared around the plane, hoping to see someone watching them intently. Unfortunately, Trixie's would be assailant was not that stupid. She stopped. "Speed? What are you looking at?"
"Nothing, Trixie," Speed lied. He kissed her cheek. "I don't believe I've told you today how beautiful you are. I love you."
Trixie smiled. "I love you too. And I love hearing you say that."
"I'll remember that, and be sure to tell you more often." Speed leaned over and kissed Trixie in a way that made her blush.
-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-
The plane soon landed. Speed held Trixie's hand. "Let's wait until the crowd dies down a bit."
Trixie nodded, content to stay there with her head resting on Speed's shoulder. He had transformed into the boyfriend she had always dreamed. Trixie did not think it would last for long – but she also knew how much he cared for her. And she was going to enjoy it for as long as she could.
After about twenty minutes, the bulk of the passengers had disembarked the plane, and Speed stood up. He reached into the overhead compartment above them and took down their bags. "Ready, Trix?"
Trixie stood up. Speed hoisted their bags onto one shoulder, then took Trixie's hand and led her off the plane. He was watching very intently, nervously, around the terminal as they walked to baggage claim to get the rest of their belongings. Trixie had already figured that he would not answer her questions about whatever was bothering him. Trixie just decided he was overly nervous after what had happened in Snowartica, so she decided to let him be her hero.
Pops was waiting at baggage for them. "I brought the car. Figured I'd save you the cab fare, Speed." He smiled at Trixie. "How are you doing, Trixie?"
"I'm fine, Pops. Thanks for coming to get us."
Pops gave her a hug. "You gave us quite a scare, young lady. I'm glad to see you back on your feet."
"Sorry, Pops. Didn't meant to scare you," Trixie whispered. She was beginning to be a little overwhelmed by all the attention.
"Well, you're staying with us for a while. Mom already went to your place and got a few things for you."
"You don't have to—"
"Actually, I think that's a great idea, Trixie," Speed said, putting his arm around her waist. "I would be worrying about you if you weren't." He smiled impishly at her. "You wouldn't want to throw off my time in the coming race because I haven't gotten enough rest, would you?"
Trixie laughed and batted him lightly on shoulder. "Okay. Fine. We wouldn't want that."
Pops grabbed half of the bags and Speed and Trixie followed him to the car. Speed opened the passenger seat for Trixie, and then slid into the back seat while Pops got into the driver's seat and started the car. Within minutes, Pops had pulled out of the airport and was on the highway to the Racer household.
Speed noticed first that Trixie was trying to cover up signs of panic. She closed her eyes, and held onto the armrest. Speed locked eyes with Pops in the rear view mirror. Pops nodded and sped up, trying to get them home more quickly. Speed reached forward and caressed her arm, startling her.
"Hey, Trix?"
Trixie nodded.
"You okay?"
"Fine," Trixie whispered. "I'm fine," she insisted. But Speed knew she was trying to convince herself as much as him.
-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-
Twenty minutes later, Pops pulled up to the house. Speed hopped out of the car and ran to Trixie's door, opening it for her. She was extremely pale, and shaking, clearly upset…and trying unsuccessfully to hide it from everyone.
"Son, you get her inside. I'll see to the bags." As soon as Speed nodded, Pops barked out "Sparky!" and the mechanic poked his head out of the garage, only to be waved over to the car. He came running over.
"Hey, Trixie!" Sparky greeted happily, then he looked to Speed as he noticed how pale she was.
"Hi, Sparky," Trixie said, trying to force a bright greeting.
"We're going to get her settled in the guest room, Spark," Speed said.
Sparky nodded and went over to help Pops with the bags.
Speed led Trixie up to the guest room, and opened the door for her. He led her inside. "Why don't you get some rest, my love?"
"I feel like that's all that I'm doing right now."
"You've been through a lot. And don't forget, we promised the doctors in Snowartica that you'd see a doctor here once we got back home."
Trixie smiled wryly. "Someone else to poke and prod at me."
"The doctors at the hospital didn't want you flying, remember? I know you may not think it, but this has been a really rough trip. I'm tired, and I'm not recovering from a…" Speed paused and almost choked on the next words, "a gunshot wound."
Trixie looked away, and Speed could see she was trying to forget that she had been shot. But she had to accept it in order to get past it.
"Here, why don't you lie down for a bit. I am sure Mom's working on something amazing for dinner," Speed said softly.
Trixie nodded. She did as Speed asked and lay down on her bed. Speed kissed her forehead, then left the room, shutting the door behind him. Trixie soon fell asleep.
-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-
Downstairs, the Racers were discussing their guest. "How's Trixie?"
"She's resting for now," Speed said.
Pops nodded. "I don't know if you noticed, but she was a little nervous in the car."
Speed nodded. "She's trying to put on a brave front. I'm sure it is just a phase and she'll be fine in a few days."
Pops shrugged. "Race is Saturday, Speed. I don't think Trixie is going to be up for it. You're going to need a navigator."
Speed looked at Pops. "I'm not sure I'm up for it, if you want to know the truth."
Pops put his hand on Speed's shoulder and looked his son in the eye. "I know. You've just had a pretty rough scare, son. But you have to get back out there."
"I know. I just don't know if the TransAfrican is the race to do it, Pops. While we were on the plane, someone put something in Trixie's drink, and if the stewardess hadn't seen it, I don't know what would have happened."
"What!" Pops almost shouted.
"Yeah, I've got it in a bottle in my bag. I've got to call Inspector Detector to have it analyzed. But someone is trying to hurt Trixie, to get to me. I'm putting her in danger, just by being who I am. How can I live with that? I don't know if I want to race anymore."
"You don't mean that, son."
"I don't know what I mean. But if it is a choice between Trixie or racing, I know who I would choose." Speed looked at Pops. "I mean, I look at you and Mom, and I know that if you were told you had to either give up cars or give up Mom, you'd give up cars in a heartbeat. Am I right?"
Pops nodded. "Yes."
"And that's how I feel about Trixie. I mean, being a race car driver, I'm always surrounded by fans, adoring fans, and I have to admit that it's really nice to be admired and desired by all those pretty girls." Speed looked at Pops, not realizing that Trixie had just entered the kitchen and was listening. "But there's only one girl I want, none of those girls can hold a candle to her. And that's my Trixie."
"Speed?" Trixie whispered.
Speed blushed a deep scarlet. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to understand that I didn't have anything to be jealous about," Trixie said.
Speed got up and walked over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "No, you never did. But I could have told you….I just didn't realize my silence was making you insecure. I love you, and only you."
"I love you too," Trixie murmured.
"Yuck!" shouted Spritle, who was just entering the kitchen.
"Spritle, shush," Pops said.
Mom Racer came over to Trixie and gave her a hug. "How are you doing dear? I do hope you're hungry."
"I'm looking forward to something besides hospital food and airplane food, that's for certain," Trixie said.
Pops looked at Speed and mouthed silently. "You take care of her. I'll call the Inspector."
Speed took Trixie's hand. "You should be resting."
"Trixie, would you like to help me with dinner?"
"Yes, Mom, I would," Trixie smiled.
Mom looked at Speed and Pops. "You boys best go work on the Mach 5 and get it ready for the race. We'll call you when dinner is ready."
"But -" Speed started.
Mom looked at him. "Trixie will rest some more after dinner. You need to prepare for Saturday's race." Speed still hesistated. "Trixie will be fine. I'm not going to ask her to run a marathon in the kitchen, now go!"
Speed nodded and headed to the garage with Pops.
Trixie smiled. "Thanks. I love him, but he keeps acting like I'm going to break."
Mom shrugged and smiled. "Probably because you don't want to admit how close you came to dying."
Trixie paled. "It wasn't…"
"Yes, dear, it was. Pops and I were there. We heard what the doctors said. It was touch and go. You were very lucky." Mom smiled and got several vegetables out of the refrigerator and put them on the table. "So," she said very brightly, "why don't you please sit down here and chop these up for me?"
Trixie nodded and sat down and began chopping up vegetables.