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the statistics he’d read recently. Out of habit he read everything he could get his hands on and he was glad of that. As he was able to use facts to reassure the Jenner family.

    THE NIGHT SEEMED to go on forever and Jared left shortly after midnight. Uncle Steve and Dave spoke to the doctors twice during the long night.

    “Dad’s out of surgery and they’re moving him to ICU,” Dave said as he came hours.

    “Did they say anything about his recovery?” Annie asked.

    “Yes. They are optimistic that he’ll pull through.”

    “Thank God,” Annie said.

    “When can we see him?” her mom, Carol, asked.

    “The doctors want to talk to you, Mom.”

    “Right now?”

    “Yes,” Dave said. “Annie and I will go with you unless you want Uncle Steve to.”

    “You and Annie.”

    Dave nodded and the three of them were led to a nice sitting area in a private room. Dave paced around the small room while Annie sat on the couch holding her mom’s hand. Finally the doctor came in and explained the surgery he’d done on her father.

    The doctor left them a few minutes later.

    “What are we going to do about Daddy?”

    “Well, as soon as he’s recovered I’m going to lay down the law as far as his health is concerned.”

    She heard the relief in her mom’s voice and felt as if her family was going to be okay, like they’d weathered a storm.

    “You two okay?” Dave asked.

    “Yes,” her mother said. “How about you? It’s been one crazy day.”

    “I’m fine, Mom. Annie?”

    “I feel strung out. I’m almost afraid to believe the doctor.”

    Dave rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Yeah, me too. Listen, I’ve got to take a break.”

    Annie stood and walked her brother out into the hall. “Go ahead. I’ll stay here with Mom.”

    There were lines of strain around Dave’s eyes and he kept rubbing the back of his neck as if he had a lot of tension there. She worried about her brother. Worried about the stress of the new season, the crash and now this.

    “You okay?”

    “I’m fine, Annie,” he said and walked away.

    DAVE WAS STILL RUBBING the back of his neck as he walked outside. He reached in his pocket for the pack of cigarettes that he wasn’t supposed to be carrying around anymore. But he needed one. The night had been endless.

    He palmed his lighter and lit the cigarette sinking deeper into the shadows, hoping that the nicotine would help him numb out a little, but knowing it wouldn’t be enough.

    He wished like hell he could do this day over. Go back to the race and win the sucker instead of crashing so quickly. Then he could have won Daytona and maybe his dad wouldn’t have been so stressed that he’d had a heart attack.

    He took another long drag on the cigarette. He wanted the NASCAR championship more than ever. He wanted it this year so that his dad could see him win. And he needed to get his head in the game. Start thinking about winning instead of letting Tucker Aldridge distract him.

    “Can I get a light?” Carl Winnly asked as he approached him.

    Dave tossed the lighter to the reporter and leaned back against the cold stone wall of the hospital.

    “What a day,” Carl said.

    “Off the record?”

    “Yeah.”

    “It’s been a bitch.”

    Carl laughed. “A lot of owners and drivers stopped by the waiting room tonight.”

    Dave knew that. He’d been out to talk with them at different times. One of the things he liked best about NASCAR was the close-knit community. To be fair it was also one of the things he didn’t like about the community—there were no secrets in NASCAR.

    “I was surprised to see someone from MacNeil Racing here,” Carl said.

    Dave knew the reporter was fishing for something he could print. And tonight Dave was tempted to say something he’d live to regret. Instead he shrugged.

    “Jared’s an okay guy,” Dave said, even though he doubted it. God, that man was…hell, he had no idea, he just hoped that his sister knew