Rubber Meets the Road

I would like to thank findingmyvoice for all of her hard work making this story better. There is no explicit sex in this story. Please take the time to vote and comment. Feedback is always welcome.

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The tires were disintegrating beneath me as I rolled through the gears coming out of the carousel. Hitting over two-hundred miles per hour on the straight away, the adrenaline pumped through my ice cold veins. I begged silently for my machine to hold together.

This was the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. If you have never watched this race, it's one hell of a ride. The first time I saw it, I knew I had to ride it. What a rush, to ride balls out on a street course that was over thirty-seven miles long.

The one race that I loved to watch, but never tried was the sidecar race. These people were insane and knew exactly what they were doing. The person in the sidecar had to be perfectly positioned, going into the turns and coming out. Sometimes, because of the high speeds and tight corners, it looked like their bodies might be hurled off the little platform.

The first race they held was on May 28th, 1907. What a difference a century makes. Charlie Collier had won the first race on a Matchless cycle with an average course speed of 38.21mph. At just over a hundred years later, the track record now sits at 132.298mph.

I still couldn't believe I was riding this race. The machine I rode had never been pushed so hard. Memorizing every one of the 260 turns, noting each bump and pit in the road, and trying not to think about the other two-hundred souls lost on this very course, was nerve wracking.

I was on a blistering pace and ahead of Bruce Anstey's record. I had not planned to push that hard, but obviously if I was on pace for the record, I was going after it.

My front tire gave up at 160mph along a sweeping right curve. I was going down no matter what I did at this point. The real question was, would I make it out alive? The bike did a quick wobble and I knew I had to get off of it.

Abandoning any moving vehicle at that speed, one would think was psychotic. At least I was able to make the choice rather than the bike making it for me. That alone would increase my chances for survival.

I remember sliding and then everything went black. That wasn't supposed to happen! I should have slid until my inertia ran out, or hit something that stopped me. I'm betting the latter occurred.

*********************************

My head was throbbing and noises were all around me as I opened my eyes. Nothing happened! I blinked my eyes yet darkness remained. I couldn't move. I was strapped down. I felt a warm rush in my arm and then consciousness escaped me.

Pain and more pain is what my brain told me as I awoke from my induced slumber. Every breath I took shot sharp and jagged jabs throughout my body.

My eyes, what happened to my eyes?

I wondered as I recalled opening them without my sight.

A voice rang through my head,

stay still, you've been in an accident.

I remember hearing this woman calling for the doctor. Thank God my head didn't feel like it had earlier. I put my hands on my head. Bandages. Thick bandages. I felt like a mummy.

"Doctor Williams here, Son. Do you know your name?"

Of course I know my name,

I thought to myself. "Kyle Hobbs."

"That's a great sign, Mr. Hobbs. We thought we lost you there for a little bit."

"My eyes doctor, what happened to my eyes?" I said, trying not to sound scared.

"Son, you are lucky to be alive. Your helmet cracked like an egg. We had to operate to relieve the pressure on your brain. You have a few broken ribs as well. Your eyesight should return within a few days."

"We are going to keep you here for observation," he said. "Your eyesight should start to return by tomorrow. Just relax and let us do our jobs. You have some visitors, but we do not want to tire you out, so we will let one visitor in at a time."

The doctor left the room after giving the nurse instructing the nurse to change my bandages.. I could hear her fumbling around. She instructured me to keep me eyes closed while she did her job.

A few minutes later my crew chief, Bill Cross, came in the room. "Holy shit, Kyle, you had us worried man! That was a gnarly wreck. The bike is toast and so are you in the foreseeable future."

"What the hell happened, Bill?" I asked, knowing I had blown the front tire.

Bill explained what they saw on the video. "The front tire blew and the bike shimmied. You did the right thing by getting off of it. The bike went over off the cliff. You would have been toast too. You slid along the asphalt and hit your head on a tree. The helmet saved your life Kyle."

"Well at least one investment did its job," I said, while I thought about how I could replace my bike.

"Let's not worry about anything right now, Kyle. We need to get you fixed up, we will worry about the rest later," Bill said, trying to keep me calm.

I told Bill I didn't want any visitors and I would have the hospital contact him if I needed anything. He said that he would take care of it.

***********************

The pain meds had knocked me out shortly after Bill left the room. I yawned and winced in pain as my ribs didn't agree with me yawning.

"Welcome back," came the sound of an angel. "You look like death warmed over."

"What time is it?" I asked politely.

She answered, "1:30 in the morning, Ricky Rocket."

"The doctor gave me my own comedic nurse, huh?" I said with disdain.

"No silly, I saved your ass after you wrapped your head around that tree. The ambulance was at least fifteen minutes away. You would have surely died waiting for them."

She explained that I had crashed right in front of her. She told me she had been taking pictures of the riders as they went by and caught my entire crash.

She and her partner had pulled her truck up to where my lifeless body laid, and dragged me on to her trailer. Not losing any time, her partner drove, maneuvering down the mountain, while she held me as still as possible. We arrived at the hospital just as the ambulance would have made it to the crash scene.

"Too bad that tire didn't last. It would have been nice to see the record broken," she said softly.

"I think the abuse my bike suffered was too much for the tire to handle," I said seriously and then added, "Who are you again?"

"Katy Malloy. I ride sidecars," she stated as if I wouldn't recognize the family name.

"Any relationship to Joe and Robert?" I inquired.

"That would be my dad and my uncle," Katy whispered with sadness in her voice.

Joe and Robert had both died racing. They were both top riders in the world and both had died doing what they love.

I tried to convey my condolences. "I'm sorry for your losses Katy. They were both great men, and from what you have told me, it sounds like their legends live on with you."

"I have to get going, I have a race in the morning." Katy was sounding rushed.

I wished her well, and for a good and safe race. I knew of her family name but didn't put it together with sidecar racing. I wondered how I could ever repay her.

The nurse was in shortly after Katy had left. I wondered who let her in to see me. I didn't wonder long as the nurse gave me a shot that knocked me out cold.

***************************

I awoke to a nurse changing something next to me. I heard the liquid as it moved around in the bag. I hoped someone would take the bandages off my eyes. The nurse told me the doctor was on his way.

"How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Hobbs?" The doctor said, in that clinical tone they all use.

I replied truthfully, "My ribs are kicking my ass and I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Am I going to get to use my eyes today?"

"I would like to wait a full twenty-four hours before we take off the bandages. We have another eight hours or so to go. I will check in with you later today." He gave the nurse some instructions about my pain meds and left again.

The nurse made small talk while she did as the doctor ordered. I asked her who had let Katy in.

"Nobody, she volunteers here. Just because she is as crazy as her dad, doesn't mean she can't work and help people." The nurse said defensively, as though she was protecting one of her kids.

Evidently, Katy was a saint, and my own personal saint at that. I tried to picture what the daughter of the great Joe Malloy would look like. Remembering Joe, and his brother, I couldn't picture a daughter that resembled a woman.

As the meds kicked in again, darkness closed around me. I thought of Katy and how she was doing in her race. I loved watching the sidecar races, but obviously, I could not today.

*********************

When the meds wore off, I awoke to the sound of flurried activity nearby. The nurses were talking about how much they hated the annual race. Someone had gone down and now was in a fight for his life.

Like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. I heard the name Katy. I didn't hear anything else, but there was no mistaking her name. I dreaded whatever news followed.

A nurse came in and I heard her rustling around the room. "Who was in the accident?"

"Don't you worry about anyone but yourself right now, Mr. Hobbs," she said, before scurrying out the door.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but the doctor showed up with a nurse in tow.

"How are you feeling now, Mr. Hobbs?" The doctor's voice was distant, disconnected.

"I'm guessing you upped my pain meds because I'm not feeling much pain at all." I replied truthfully and then asked, "Who crashed in today's race?"

"Katy and Will had a bad go of it," he said sadly.

I couldn't help but ask for more information. "Tell me she's all right doctor! What happened?"

"I've already told you more than I should have, Son." His words seemed to catch in his throat as he continued. "Katy will be fine. Will didn't make it." He sounded as if one of his own had died.

"Doctor, if there is any way I could talk with Katy, I would greatly appreciate it," I said, as desperate as I ever had.

"Katy is relatively unharmed, Mr. Hobbs. I will let her know you would like to talk with her."

The doctor was out the door after telling me he would be back in four hours to remove the bandages.

Katy must be devastated. I felt the need to talk with her, even though we had only met a day ago. I begged God to give me my sight so I could see the angel who saved my life and comfort her.

The nurse told me that Will and Katy were partners in racing, nothing more. She said they had grown up together and had never been an item; always treated each other more like brother and sister, playing and fighting like siblings.

Why the nurse felt the need to tell me that, I had no idea. Maybe she wanted me to have at least some information if Katy did in fact come to talk with me. Either way, it was good to know some background about her, but still a terrible loss for our sport.

*******************

Time dragged on as I lay in my hospital bed. I wished someone would come and talk with me. Sitting in darkness feels very lonely.

All of my other senses seemed to heighten. I could distinguish the smells of food on meal trays rapidly every now and then. My hearing felt like I could hear the whispering gossip from the nurses station, wherever that was.

I heard the door open with a light breeze and caught the succulent scent of a woman. "Mr. Hobbs, the doctor will be in shortly to remove your bandages." It was Katy! My ears would not deceive me.

"I'm sorry for your loss Katy. I'm sure Will was a good man. Please extend my condolences to his family. Are you ok? What happened?" I rattled off my practiced monologue.

A faint whimper was like the sound of thunder in my head. Katy was hurting for the loss of her life-long friend.

"We can talk about it later if you are up to it," I said, feeling her pain.

"It's just too surreal right now," Katy sobbed. "I promise we can talk later."

I heard the door and felt the wind brush my face. The aroma Katy left behind tickled my nose and made me smile. Trying to keep myself grounded, I shook off any romantic notions I started having.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes later when the doctor came in with a nurse. He instructed the nurse to remove the sweaty gauze from my head and eyes.

I heard a click and the doctor asked me to open my eyes. Steadying my nerves, I slowly opened them. The image of a person appeared before me, but was extremely blurry.

"Give it a minute, Mr. Hobbs. I have turned off the light to help your eyes adjust."

My eyelids fluttered as I tried to get them to focus. Slowly the outline of the doctor became clearer.

The doctor held up his hand and asked, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three?" I asked, unsure of my answer.

"Good Mr. Hobbs. The swelling on your brain caused the loss of your eyesight. It looks like the operation we performed was successful. I am ordering an image of your brain. According to the previous scan we did, your spine is not damaged. You may be able to go home in a day or two if everything checks out."

"That's great news doctor! Thank you for everything. I can't express how good it feels to use my eyes again."

Doctor Williams was quick to point out that I wasn't out of the woods yet and to let him know of anything out of the ordinary. He said he would check out the results of my scan and would see me shortly.

The nurse stayed in the room as the doctor left. I could now see she was a motherly woman.

"What else can you tell me about Katy"? I asked respectfully.

She looked as if she was studying me, maybe deciding if she should divulge any information.

"Katy and Will are part of our family here. Her father and uncle died up on that mountain. Her mother ran off with some twit when she was only three years old. Will never knew his father so Katy's dad became his. His mother became a drug addict and overdosed. We are the only real family either of them had left."

"I had no idea," I said, realizing just how alone Katy must be feeling right now. I asked her if she could contact my crew chief and keep him updated on my condition.

The nurse finished up her work and told me she would be sending me to complete my scan and would call my crew chief. As she was about to leave, she turned back and said, "Don't you dare hurt Katy." She didn't even wait for a response.

I was brought some nasty stuff to drink in order to get a good image. As soon as it was done, my entire bed was wheeled down the hall to get my scan. My ribs still hurt, but I think I could have made it without being rolled around in my bed.

Along the way, we passed the nurses station. A gorgeous brunette flashed a smile at me but I saw sadness in those icy blue eyes that looked as though they had been crying.

The scent hit me like a Mack truck as we passed her, it was Katy. I never imagined the daughter of Joe Malloy would look like a goddess.

I had to settle myself down. She had just lost her 'brother' and I had no intention of stopping her from grieving. Something inside of me needed to be there for her.

I'm not sure if it was wanting to show my appreciation for saving me, her tantalizing aroma, or the gorgeous package she was wrapped in, but I wanted to comfort her. I had to get to know this woman.

*********************

The images were so vivid, bright, and colorful, it made me smile. Thankful to have my eyesight was an understatement of immense proportions. The very real possibility of being permanently blind had crossed my mind more than a few times during the past two days.

After being stuck in this hospital for two days, I was ready for some real food and an alcoholic beverage. My ribs were still sore and pain medication would be needed.

I guess alcohol is out of the question,

I thought to myself.

What I wanted more than a drink, was to see Katy. I saw her for my first and only time on the way to my scan, but not on the way back. "Patience, Kyle," I repeated over and over.

Doctor Williams, with his nurse right behind him, entered my room. "You will be discharged today, Son. You are a very lucky man. I don't see any long term problems, no swelling on the brain, or problems with your spine."

He went on to tell me the meds he was prescribing and how long I would need to take them. He told me I would not be able to race for a while. With my bike in pieces over a cliff, it's not like I would be able to anyway.

In fact, racing was about the last thing on my mind. Katy on the other hand was occupying most of it. I was being discharged and had no way of contacting her.

"Katy will be in shortly, Mr. Hobbs. She is doing as well as can be expected," said Doctor Williams, surprising me in the process.

"Thank you doctor. You and your staff have been better than I deserve. Someone told me Will was like family around here. I'm truly sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?" I asked, hoping I could help no matter how small the task.

His reply was short and music to my ears. "Talk to Katy, she will be here in a few minutes." He walked out of my room as swiftly as he came in.

My heart began to race, and a bead of sweat formed on my forehead. I forced myself to relax and did not form any pre-determined speech. I would talk with Katy as long as she would allow me.

Oh the pain! No I wasn't in any physical pain, but it had been well over a few minutes and I was getting anxious.

In an instant, the door swung open and she was there. My heart felt like it stopped. My lips parted, but no sound would come out.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Hobbs?" Why did she have to sound so professional?

"Please, call me Kyle. The doctor is releasing me. My ribs need some time to heal but otherwise, I'm in great shape, thanks to you."

"Well, Kyle, I am happy to see your eyesight has returned and that you are feeling better. You took a nasty spill up there."

"I know there is no way I can ever repay you Katy, but as God as my witness, I will be there whenever you need me. I know you are hurting right now and I'm so sorry for your loss. If you need a shoulder to cry on, or just a friendly ear to talk out what happened, I am here for you, Katy."

Katy broke down and the floodgates opened up. I extended my hand to her from my hospital bed. Her trembling hand met mine and I pulled her slowly into me.

"I can't believe he's gone," she whispered from her quivering lips.

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to my chest. I could tell she was trying to stifle her sobs but sometimes you just have to let it go. This was one of those times.

A minute later, the door to my room swung open and a group of nurses stood at the ready. They took in the scene before them and then slowly retreated.

I was happy to have Katy to myself. The circumstances although not ideal, felt good, natural somehow.

I hugged Katy as best as I could and told her it would be all right. The light sheet covering my body became soaked with the tears of her sorrow. I stroked the waves of her silky auburn hair and shhh'd her over and over.

Thank God my cock was under control. That would have been a seriously awkward moment if it had decided to peek its head up and look her in the face.

I don't know how long she cried, but she cried until she could cry no more. She held on to my hand when she leaned back.

Katy stared into my eyes with deep loss and said, "Thank you, Kyle, I really needed that. I have known Will my entire life. I can't believe he's gone. That mountain has claimed everyone I ever loved."

"When you are ready, I would like to hear what happened out there. I should be out of here in a couple of hours. Have you been eating?" I wanted to spend more time with her, but I did not want it to feel like a date.