“You okay, Gabs, you look a bit pale,” Mand observed as I joined her at the mirrors – I know but it’s expected okay.

“Yeah, fine, just a bit tired.”

It wasn’t much but there was more red in my pants, hopefully it’s nothing serious.

“You coming?”

“Er, right, yeah.”

 
 
Despite my earlier enthusiasm for the food at the Krone I struggled to clear my plate – usually I’d be looking for dessert but not today.

“You feeling okay, kiddo?” Dad asked as we headed back to the car.

“Just a bit off,” I allowed.

“Hmm,” Dad didn’t sound convinced.

 
 
Back home Mand claimed homework, Dad, after making a brew started on the bike maintenance whilst I, after putting the washing on, retired to the lounge.

 
 
“Gab love, gi’s a hand,” Jenny called through from the kitchen.

Silence was the loud reply, the TV and teens often gets that result of course.

“Gaby!” Jen prompted a bit more forcefully as she came through from the kitchen.

“Shit! Dave! Now!”

She rushed over to where her youngest was lying unconscious on the sofa, a not inconsiderable amount of the red bodily fluid staining the denim of her skirt.

“Dave!”

“What’s up?” Dave enquired from the top of the garage steps.

“One one two quickly!”

Dave spotted the unmoving figure on the sofa, “Sugar!”

“What’s up?” Mand enquired a couple of minutes later, the shouting having drawn her attention.

“Gaby,” Jen supplied, “be a love and turn the cooker off. Oh and bring me a couple of towels off the drier.”

“’Kay.”

Dave put the phone down, “On their way, Notarzt should be here in a couple of minutes.”

He’d barely finished talking when a siren dopplering reached their ears.

Jen was at a loss as to what to do other than hold her unresponsive child.

“She is gonna be alright?” Mand asked handing the towels to Jenny.

“Course she is.”

“Manda,” Dave started, “can you go and lock the garage up please?”

“Er sure.”

“Dave?” Jen sniffed.

“I knew she shouldn’t’ve raced today, it was too soon.”

The siren got louder before cutting off, moments later Mand let the paramedic into the house.

 
 
My eyes didn’t want to open, everything was blurry and bright, very bright and the noise, loud beeps close by, a background murmur behind it all.

“Mum?” I mumbled.

“She’s awake!”

“Thank god!”

The voices, I recognised them but couldn’t place them. My hand was squeezed and for a couple of minutes there was a lot of activity, where am I? I gave up trying to focus and closed my eyes again.

 
 
A conversation nearby brought me back to consciousness, when I tried my eyes they worked a bit better allowing me to take in my surroundings. Hospital? Why am I here? What happened?

“Ah our patient is back with us!” Dr Schindler announced.

“Erm.”

“You had us a bit worried last night, young lady.”

“Mum?”

“I sent your mother to get some sleep, she’s been here with you all night.”

“What happened?” I enquired trying to sit up.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, nurse, can you give us a hand please?”

The bed was raised; the doctor sat on the edge.

“What happened, you did, young lady.”

“Me?”

“You. When your doctor says to take things easy that doesn’t mean tearing around the countryside on a fahrrad.”

“I…”

“I said I didn’t want to have to repair my work, but you didn’t listen.”

“Sorry?” I mentioned in a small voice.

“You were lucky your mother found you when she did as it is you lost a lot of blood, we had to give you two litres before we could get you stabilised.”

“What?”

“Did you do? Well you tore your new equipment apart, not sure how, I managed to repair things but we might not be so lucky again.”

“Um.”

“We’ll be keeping you in for a few days, complete bed rest, no bike for at least three weeks.”

“Three weeks?”

“Three weeks, missy, you’ve got the rest of your life to race about, you can afford three weeks to let your body heal.”

“You’ve told her, Doctor?” Jen suggested joining them.

“I have, Frau Bond, how long without riding, Gaby?”

“Three weeks,” I confirmed.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” the Doctor advised.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Jen noted.

“Gaby, Frau Bond.”

 
 
Dr Schindler departed leaving me with Mum and the beeping machinery for company.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Mum raged.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I mean it, Gabrielle.”

Ot oh, Sunday names.

“Yes, Mum.”

She perched next to me and pulled me into a hug, “No bike race is worth your health, kiddo.”

 
 
“Geez, Gab, talk about a drama queen!” Mand stated when she arrived to visit.

“Yeah well.”

“Your Dad’s been in pieces, something about Hamburg again.”

“‘S’not his fault.”

“So what did you do? There was tons of blood, the sofa’s a goner.”

I winced at that, they only bought it in the summer.

“I um tore my um new bits, inside somewhere.”

“Ouch, not nice. I take it they fixed it?”

“Yeah but I can’t ride for weeks.”

“Doesn’t hurt to have a rest,” she opined.

“Where’re the rents anyhow?”

“Talking to your doctor I think, tall blonde woman?”

“Dr Schindler.” I confirmed.

“Oh I told the girls, they send their love.”

“Tell ‘em thanks.”

“So how long you here for?”

“Dunno, the doc said a few days, maybe till the weekend I guess.”

“Friday,” Dad confirmed as the rents came and joined us.

Another week off school, Frau Boxberg’ll be on my case big style.

 
 
“There’s nothing to stop you doing school work, young lady,” Mum stated, Dad and Manda having already set off for the car.

“Yes, I mean no, Mum,” I agreed.

“Connie will bring us some work for you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mum,” I sighed. “If I can’t ride does that mean I don’t have to go to the wedding?”

“There is no reason whatsoever that you can’t go to the wedding although you’ll have to sit out the dancing.”

“Bum!”

“Anyone would think you don’t want to go.”

Well given a choice.

“So I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, some of us do have to train.”

Rub it in why don’t you.

“Kay.”

“Nite, kiddo.”

“Nite, Mum.”

She kissed me on the top of the head and left me to the ministrations of the beeping monitors, bright lights and muted sounds of late evening in the Remagen Frauenklinik.

 
 
“Look who I found,” Mum mentioned in greeting.

“Heya, Gabs,” Roni mentioned before giving me a hug.

“Hi yourself, you not supposed to be in college?”

“What’s more important, my best friend or studies?”

“Studies?” I offered in jest.

“You!”

“I’ll leave you girls for a bit,” Mum stated, “I need to see the doctor.”

“’Kay,” I allowed.

“You never do anything by halves do you?” Roni mentioned.

“If it’s worth doing…”

“Your Mum said what happened, you really need to be more careful, girl.”

“Yeah, I know it was stupid to race, it’s just…”

“I know you, Gaby Bond, you just can’t help yourself.”

I shrugged, she’s not wrong.

“Oh yeah mum sent this for you,” she plonked a box into my hands.

“What is it?”

“Open it and you’ll find out won’t you?”
 
 
Maddy Bell 07.01.16