The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 217: The Arraignment

Wednesday, March 27 – Phoenix, Arizona

Alycia walks into the interrogation room, closing the door behind her.

“So the district attorney was able to get your arraignment heard tonight – in about 15 minutes actually,” she reveals, earning a nod from both Chase and Bill. “Simply put, we’re going to walk in there. I believe they’re going to hear the charges against Christopher, as there’s an update there that they’re taking before the judge with Carter Williams and his attorney Nellie Marlin, as well as Christopher’s lawyer Leslie Hughes.”

“Is this a good update, that may work in our favor as well?” Bill wonders as Alycia could only shrug her shoulders. She had tried to get the information from Leslie, trying to strike a common ground, but that was unable to be divulged.

“Are you clear on what we talked about in how we’re going to go about this?” Chase nods his head, letting out a sigh at the same time.

“It feels so wrong to be pleading guilty,” Chase comments. He still wasn’t fully behind the plan that Alycia had in mind, but knew there was no choice given the box they were in right now. “It’s like admitting you did something wrong – when I know that I did nothing wrong.”

“I whole heartily understand where you’re coming from,” she starts. “That’s why I plan to do whatever it takes in my power to make sure that this is cleared up – for everybody’s sake. I am also going to be making sure that Kyle Gates has his case together so we don’t have to worry about Carter Williams, ever again.” Chase appreciated her dedication, knowing that it hadn’t let him down in the past.

Although it was only 15 minutes, it seemed like it took an eternity to pass by before they were set to head down to the court room. The entire walk down the series of halls through the police station to where the court rooms were seemed like forever, especially with each glance down in seeing both hands together by a pair of cuffs.

Upon entering the court room, he took his place – feeling out of sorts being in the defense side, easily accepting the cuffs to be taken off. Bill followed in shortly thereafter, taking a seat in the front row beside Morgan.

“I really need to learn how to fly in these situations like you and Chase,” Morgan immediately begins mumbling, earning a glance from Bill. “Do you realize how much last minute flights cost to get out here?” Bill nods his head, having seen the various prices that airlines were charging. “But I told Christopher that I didn’t care the amount, I was going to be here with him. This is purely ridiculous for both him and Chase, if you ask me.”

“Trust me, we had that very same discussion,” Bill replies, keeping his eyes forward locked on Chase. “I heard there was an update in the case for Christopher, actually…” Morgan nods her head, having heard some rumblings amongst the lawyers.

“We may not be stuck here as long as we thought originally. All I can hope is that’s the case for both of us.”

They both then stand accordingly as the doors open, with Judge Jackson Pruitt entering the room.

“Presenting the Honorable Judge Jackson Pruitt,” the bailiff states as the judge takes his seat.

“You may all be seated,” the judge instructs as he looks over the courtroom. “Considering that it’s late and we all want to get out of here as soon as possible, let’s get this over with.” He then opens the first file before him. “Christopher Bell, may you pleas rise?” Christopher stands accordingly, keeping his focus solely forward on the judge. “Have you been told the charges that are before me, and understand what they mean?”

“Yes sir,” Christopher replies as he keeps his serious stance the entire time. If all went accordingly well, he wouldn’t be there much longer.

“On charge of breaking and entering, how do you plead?” Christopher didn’t even need to take a glance at Chase and Morgan to know no matter what happened, he had done the right thing in the moment.

“Guilty, your honor.” The judge makes a note on the file as Christopher’s lawyer Leslie Hughes stands up.

“Your honor, these were extreme circumstances for my client,” she begins, recalling the story in which Christopher told her from January. “He and his friends had just been confronted at gunpoint by three men, with his truck stolen and Mr. Elliott wounded. They were stranded in the middle of the nowhere without a way of contacting someone, or running wheels to get somewhere. In a state of panic and desire, his main focus was doing what he could to take care of his friend and do what they could given the situation. For that reason, combined with his clean record to date, we are asking for a very minimal sentence, if anything at all.” Chase had to admit that he liked Leslie’s approach in her wording, and was actually curious to see whether that’d get Christopher anywhere, given what he was going to try to do next.

“Regardless of circumstances, both you and your client understand that breaking and entering is against the law, correct?” Judge Jackson Pruitt questions, earning a simple nod from Leslie and Christopher. Certainly that remark didn’t give Chase much hope on his own accord, as he began immediately questioning his own plan.

“Actually, the state is prepared to drop the charges against Mr. Bell entirely,” district attorney Kyle Gates comments, earning a series of surprised glances around the room, Maybe there was hope for this gentlemen yet. “The property in which Mr. Bell broke into belonged to Mr. Sasha Kraus. Upon his guilty plea back in January, Mr. Kraus stated that he would not be pressing charges against Mr. Bell for the incident. If the home owner does not want to pursue, there is no law-biding way that we can pursue the charges despite the wishes of others involved.” Chase almost wanted to roll his eyes immediately, as it confirmed every theory that they had in mind in that Carter and his lawyer had brought every piece of what they could possible in hopes of messing with their lives another way.

“Did Mr. Kraus give a reason for dropping the charges back in January?” Everybody watches as Kyle flips through the paperwork that he had in hand on the desk.

“Mr. Kraus stated in his sworn testimony that he would not be pressing charges as he understood the breaking and entering was a result of the position that he, Carter Williams, and Steve Lane put Mr. Bell and his friends in as a result of the harassment, robbery, and attempted murder.” Chase kept his eyes forward, not even wanting to see Carter’s remark in knowing that an attempted murder charge still laid over his head no matter what scheme he was trying to pawn here.

“Motion accepted then. Mr. Bell, you are free to go, but please remember the laws in each state so we do not meet again.” Christopher easily nods his head, accepting.

“Good luck,” he whispers to Chase. “Let’s hope you get the same fate as I did.” Chase just gives him a quick smile, before watching as Christopher goes over, instantly hugging Morgan.

“Since we’re planning on not being here tonight, stick around and you can fly with us – to avoid those ridiculous flights as you said Morgan,” Bill suggests, earning a nod of approval from Christopher and Morgan.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving anyway,” Christopher comments as he takes a seat.

“Before we touch upon the next case in hand, may I please add something in regards to this situation?” District Attorney Kyle Gates questions, earning a nod from the judge. “This whole situation brought upon discussion with Carter Williams, his lawyer Nellie Marlin, Christopher Bell, Sasha Kraus and Steve Lane brought forth some other aspects to light. There are some charges that Mr. Williams is facing that do not add up with everybody’s account as to what happened.” Chase glances down, letting out a sigh. Of course this would come about as Carter would begin to find ways to weasel out of his own situation.

“Continue….” Judge Jackson Pruitt instructs as Kyle flips to the page in question.

“The charges of harassment against Mr. Christopher Bell, Mrs. Sarina Elliott, and Mrs. Morgan Kemenah. Mr. Williams in no way harassed those individuals in the state’s eyes, as his discussion solely focused on Mr. Chase Elliott. He also wasn’t the active robbery participant, either. Therefore, we would like those charges to be dropped from the situation in North Carolina in January.” Chase almost wanted to glance back at Christopher and see if this was really happening. That was total contrary to all discussion following the incident by everybody involved. How was that being forgotten now?

“Motion accepted.” Chase runs his hands through his hair, only shaking his head at the events that were transpiring. This didn’t give him any hope of a solution moving forward on any account, given how easily things got thrown around here. “Will the other charges remain against Mr. Williams?”

“Absolutely as the state is ready to pursue him against those charges to the full extent.” Judge Jackson Pruitt looks down at his notes, seeing the list of charges.

“Mr. Williams, let me remind you what that means. You are still being charged with attempted murder and harassment of Chase Elliott in the state of North Carolina. You are still being charged with sexual assault of Sarina Elliott in the state of Georgia. You are still being charged with harassment and coercing Laiken Baumgartner in the state of Nevada. You are still being charged with breaking and entering private property (a hauler) in the state of Arizona. You are still being charged with harassment and attempted sexual assault of Mrs. Baumgartner in the state of Arizona. Are you clear of the charges laid above your head, and the current terms of your bail?”

“Yes sir,” Carter William states from his corner of the room, as Chase keeps his eyes forward on the judge. He didn’t want a single thought of the man in his mind as he knew that’d just make his blood boil, and that wasn’t probably warranted right now.

“Mr. Chase Elliott, may you please rise?” Judge Jackson Pruitt instructs as Chase takes a deep breath, following the order in hand. Nothing about this felt comfortable in this moment. . “Have you been told the charges that are before me, and understand what they mean?”

“Yes sir,” Chase replies, not wanting to go over that again. He would rather have an explanation how any of this was possible instead, though. Ultimately, nobody had been able to offer something that was sufficient.

“On the charge of assault to Carter Williams, how do you plea?” Chase takes a deep breath, knowing a single moment of this didn’t feel right. He did nothing wrong. He was just doing what it took to protect Laiken in that moment. Why was he standing here tonight?

“Guilty, your honor.” He almost wanted to take back the words immediately, having so many mixed emotions about them slipping from his mouth.

“Your honor, the defense is requesting no sentence with regards to special circumstances,” his lawyer Alycia Burrows states, as they had originally talked about. Chase could only hope the judge took this smoother than he took Christopher’s request before it got thrown out.

“Just because he’s a celebrity and Mr. Most Popular Driver doesn’t mean that there’s special circumstances given automatically,” Judge Jackson Pruitt comments, bursting any sign of hope in which Chase felt at that very moment immediately.

“I am not looking for special treatment, your honor. Respectfully, my client pled guilty due to a confession being in the hands of the police officer on scene, and in the weeks that followed. However, we would like the jury to find him not guilty on the terms of citizen arrest and mental health reasons.” Chase runs his hands through his hair, almost feeling like this was a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

“Explain….” Chase was actually surprised by the judge’s instructions given his tone through the events thus far.

“Given Mr. Williams’ previous occurring events and the fact that he had broken into the Hendrick Motorsports trailer – allegedly of course, Mr. Elliott was only keeping Mr. Williams in place until police or security could be called to the scene. As noted, Mr. Gustafson who was with him at the time did make the phone call which led to that happening. Secondly, it has been well documented through previous court cases the mental effects that everything has had on my client in relation to previous events with Mr. Chris Dryer, and Ms. Alison Reynolds. That brought forth a fear that perhaps pushed my client to step over the means necessary in that situation.” Chase had to admit that hearing her explain it in that sense did give him some comfort in the direction that she was taking him down. He could only hope that it made sense to everybody else.

“The case will go to trial to prove whether it was legally warranted or not under those means.” Alycia glances over at Chase with a small smile, knowing that was the first mission accomplished. That didn’t get him out of being there overnight yet, though.

“Given that you’re overseeing both Mr. Elliott and Mr. Williams’ cases, it would save the tax payer’s money to have them both played out at the same time in the same court room,” District Attorney Kyle Gates suggests, catching a little surprise around the room. “The same people are going to testify on both sides of the situation, so why should we go through this multiple times?”

“I would actually welcome that as I don’t need to hear from everybody twice,” Judge Jackson Pruitt accepts, earning a nod from Alycia to Chase. She knew that Kyle was doing that in partially for her benefit as another sign of support. Allowing the jury to see Carter’s actions and the full breakdown from everybody involved would bring forth sympathy for Chase’s actions, in hopes of things being cleared as she wanted.

“I would also like to request bail for my client through the trial process,” Alycia Burrows offers, which was the second stage of their plan that night.

“Do you have any objections?” This was where both Alycia and Chase hoped that Kyle’s sympathy trail continued.

“As long as the terms are followed accordingly by Mr. Elliott, I do not,” District Attorney Kyle Gates answers, earning another checkmark towards the plan. That just meant the terms being laid out by the judge.

“Your honor, may I say something please?” Carter Williams’ lawyer Nellie Marlin requests, earning a series of eye rolls from practically everybody in the room. “Mr. Elliott just admitted to assaulting my client. Is that really someone that we should be allowing loose on the street?”

“Right now, we’re allowing an attempted murderer and someone who sexually assaulted someone to be on the street – oh I’m sorry, allegedly right?” Alycia Burrows retorts immediately, earning a smile from Chase. He was always glad to work with her.

“My client is practically going to be afraid of being assau-”

“Just like my client is afraid of your client going after him or his wife, again.” Chase could already see the blood boiling from the look on Nellie’s face.

“Okay, fine. How about this then?” Nellie then looks back straight at the judge. “He’s a flight risk as he’s a pilot, and his father is also a pilot. He could leave the country at a moment’s notice.”  Chase lets out a sigh, wishing that he could gag her already.

“How about this then? Your client has a passport, right? Then just like my client, he could legally board a plane to leave the country, or even ride a train or drive a car.” Alycia then takes a deep breath, as she turns to the judge. She knew arguing back and forth would get them nowhere, except on the judge’s nerves. It was time to get back to the case at hand. “From the very beginning, my client has been co-operative with the police – not evading arrest like other people. My client spoke with them on scene each time, and my client willing accepted questions in a different state than the events happened as he wanted to clear up any confusion. My client also agreed to come from Georgia, leaving his daughter whose in the hospital, to come here without a single drop of hesitation according to your own police officers. My client intends to fully continue to co-operate with the court proceedings, and such as needed.”

“Is it true that your client is a pilot?” Judge Jackson Pruitt questions and Alycia nods her head. Chase could only see this going downhill with the judge’s approach.

“My client does hold a pilot’s license, yes,” Alycia confirms as there was no point in lying. “My client’s flying is solely work based. He is a NASCAR driver who competes across the country. He flies to each race himself, sometimes with his wife, parents, and others. He also flies to various media appearances, as well as the race shop to work with his team. His flight record is exceptional, as he keeps his log books updated with every single flight that he takes. If you were to grant my client bail, he would fully co-operate in meeting with a bail officer on a periodic basis to check in, as well as letting you know at anytime where he is located work-wise. For example, he’s scheduled to be in the lovely state of Texas this weekend from Friday to Sunday.”  Chase already knew that the continued check-in meetings were quickly going to grow annoying. However, he was willing to do whatever it took to get out of there that night.

“Usually if a client is an evident flight risk, we do not allow them to have bail. However, these are some very interesting circumstances and charges that have been laid before Mr. Elliott. Therefore, I am going to grant you a bail of $5,000 – with the agreement that you are to check in on a periodic basis, be available to state where you are no matter when you’re called upon, and wear an ankle monitor for tracking purposes. Court adjourned!” The judge then leaves the room as Chase just sits there stunned.

“Ankle monitor for tracking purposes?” He questions Alycia in pure disbelief, as she nods her head slowly. “Seriously? I have to wear that for however long it takes for this trial to go on and get things settled?”

“It’s better than being stuck here, isn’t it?” She offers, as he could only let out a sigh in response.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 216: “We’ll get this sorted out as soon as we can.”

Wednesday, March 27 – Northeast Georgia Medical Hospital

Chase gets off the elevator, smiling as he sees Sarina already sitting outside of the ICU.

“I missed you, and I love you,” she tells him, wrapping her arms around him. “I literally was counting the minutes and seconds from when you texted me.” Chase couldn’t help but smile back in response.

“Trust me, I missed you too,” he replies as he hands over the bag, which contained her tacos inside. “I swear, you’re going to be the worst person for my Mexican food addiction…” She then chuckles as she sits down, taking one of the tacos out of the bag.

“It’s just another reason that we belong together, right?” He gives her a quick wink back in response as he sits down beside her.

“Did they say anything else about Abigail’s possible release?” Sarina nods her head yes, smile showing proudly through as she was very pleased with the afternoon update from the doctor.

“The doctor said everything is looking perfect – her numbers, to her eating habits. She’s doing everything that she should. He said if we have another smooth night tonight, he sees no issue with releasing her tomorrow.” The genuine smile formed on Chase’s face in response, but it wasn’t totally there quite yet.

“What about her flying out to Texas?” Sarina’s smile didn’t falter one bit as she recalled asking that specific question.

“The doctor says there’s no problem with clearing her fly with us as it shouldn’t have any effect.” Now the smile fully shined through on Chase’s face as every box had been checked. “Did the appearance go smoothly?”

“Not a single issue at all through the whole autograph session. I have to admit that I was surprised how many kids were there. I didn’t think that many would be allowed to skip school to see me.” She had to chuckle back in response.

“I bet their parents are just as big as fans as they are, though.” Chase recalled a couple of those months, in seeing the expressions on both faces. “And the meeting afterwards went smoothly?”

“Yeah, no problems at all. Everybody is happy.” He knew that he was certainly happy with how the tattoo came out, and couldn’t wait to show her. However, there was no point in saying anything right now due to the bandage. “Kyle texted me by the way. He wanted to know if I was interested in practicing his truck tomorrow as he has another obligation to attend. I told him he was crazy if he thought he would pull me away from Abigail.”

“I bet Samantha knew nothing about that phone call as she’d smack him if that was the case.” Now it was Sarina’s turn to chuckle once again as she knew that was right. “By the way, have you spoken to Sam lately?”

“Yep, she’s busy as ever with Murph and spreading awareness about IVF, but we at least text each other once a day. She asked how I was feeling after last week, and I told her that there wasn’t a single ill-feeling after the second day. I asked how things were with her, and she says they’re amazing. I also told her that if she needs any help with the IVF awareness, I am willing to help. That may not have been the fertility issue that we faced, but I feel for mothers who are having to go through something like that.” Chase remembered previous discussions on that note, recalling a fundraiser they attended of Samantha’s where they brought up the idea of discussing the miscarriage publically more.

“In that respect, have you considered what we talked about before in relation to the miscarriage?” She takes a deep breath, remembering the heart felt emotions that came out during that discussion. Even though that was now a year ago, it still stung a little at times.

“Yes, I have, and I feel that if I am going to do what I want to do in spreading awareness about fertility issues and treatments, that I need to fully detail what we went through. I need to detail the miscarriage, the uncertainty of the future, the doctor appointments, those days where we questioned everything – and then every step of Abigail’s pregnancy.” She then sets her dinner down, taking another deep breath. “Chase, I know it’s tough to talk about. I know it’s something that some days we both want to run from. However, in the same breath, I feel it’s just as important to be a voice for those woman who are going through it in silence. I want to give them hope for the future. I want to find ways to make it easier for them. I want to be a part of the change…”

“That’s really admirable of you to be able to put everything out there, for those reasons.” He then reaches over, placing his hand on top of hers. “And I want you to know that I am here right by your side, ready to support you however you need through it all. I will do whatever you need to make that happen for you, because I know how much this means to you, and I love you.” She then looks over, sly smile forming on her face.

“Thank you…” She then leans in, easily accepting a kiss, before going back to her dinner. “Besides, so many people have asked about the butterfly on the car already when they’ve walked up and seen it. That’s special to me, and I want people to understand why it made me cry when you did that. By the way, have you made any headway on when we’re getting the tattoo done?”

“I was thinking we could do it whenever you’re ready…” He still didn’t want to come out and say anything, just quite yet. This would be a good gauge of where things stood. “I spoke to a couple of different tattoo artists, and have settled on a guy downtown in Atlanta that a bunch of my friends have went to. He says that he can take us whenever we’re ready and do the butterfly exactly how we want it.”

“Perhaps next week we could do that, then…” He nods his head, accepting, knowing that’d be perfect timing after she saw that his was already done. He knew it’d help with the last minute jitters that she may be experiencing despite not showing, as well as the assurance that he was on-board with the idea fully. “That’s if we can squeeze that into our schedule.”

“If there’s a will, there’s a way. We always find a way to make things work out how we want.” She nods, knowing that the past couple of years had taught them both the way of balancing the world in their hands. She just hoped that continued with Abigail now in the picture.

They then talked for a bit longer about a couple different topics – including tips for this weekend at Texas, as they finished up their meals. They then were set to spend a couple more hours with Abigail, ready for another feeding, knowing that the time for the night would cut off in a couple hours due to visiting hours.

“Mr. Chase Elliott?” They then hear, catching them both off-guard by the tone of the voice. They then turn around, seeing a police officer standing there. Chase had quickly learned that seeing those individuals with the likes of Carter Williams on the loose was never a good sight.

“May I help you?” He asks, keeping things calm as possible as he hopes for the best news that they can offer.

“We’re here with an arrest warrant for you.” Both Chase and Sarina’s jaw drop immediately upon seeing the piece of paper the officer was holding.

“Let me guess – Carter filed assault charges?” The officer nods his head in response as Chase just shakes his head.

“Unbelievable….”

“I am going to have to get you to come with us, and fly out to Arizona with us. You can come with us voluntarily, or we’re going to have to force you.”  Sarina was still standing there with a look of pure shock and horror on her face.

“I’ll come….” He then reaches in his pocket for his phone, wallet, and keys, taking them out. He walks over to Sarina, placing his hands in hers, along with the belongings. “Since they’re going to take it anyway, I’d rather trust you with this. But listen, we’ll get this sorted out as soon as we can, okay?” She slowly nods her head.

“This isn’t right,” she pleas and he nods his head in agreement.

“Like I said, we’ll get this sorted out immediately. You don’t have to worry about me as I’ll be fine. Take care of Abigail, okay?” She then goes to say something, but he places her his finger over her lips. “Trust me. Take care of Abigail as she’s more important right now. I can handle this, okay? I’m a big boy. The only thing I want you to do is call my dad, and tell him what happened, okay?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” She then takes a deep breath, glancing down their hands together. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. This isn’t going to take long.” He then leans in, kissing her lips lightly. “Remember what I said.” He then takes a slow deep breath of his own, slowly letting go of her hands as he walks over to where the officers stood. “Please tell me that we aren’t doing the handcuffs…”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” He then lets out a sigh of relief as he wasn’t ready to go through that.

********

Wednesday, March 27 – Phoenix, Arizona

“You have a visitor,” Chase hears the officer say, glancing up from the table as he sees his father walk in.

“I got here as soon as I cou-” Bill starts, which didn’t even matter to Chase right now.

“Did Sarina tell you everything that happened?” He immediately questions, earning a nod in response.

“It took everything, but I convinced Cindy to stay back in Georgia with Sarina with the promise that we’d get this sorted out as soon as possible.” Chase nods his head, knowing that was for the best. He knew they didn’t need to be there, given their way of handling situations. “I then called Alycia, and told her about what happened. She flew out with me and is currently talking to the department about getting the paperwork and such.”

“Thank you…” Chase glances down at the table, shaking his head as he looks around the small interrogation room. “This is purely ridiculous, if you’re asking me. I have no clue as to how they’re able to do this.”

“I am in agreement with you, fully.” Bill’s eyes hadn’t left the table since entering the room, noticing that he had handcuffed him there. “How are you, though?”

“I just want this done and over wit-”

“Chase, how are you?” Chase stops upon being asked a second question as he looks up at his dad.

“How do you think I am right now being handcuffed to a table with criminal charges that make no sense over my head? I just want this over with so I can get home!” He then takes a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm as possible.

“That may be more difficult than you’re thinking,” they hear as Alycia enters the room, with papers in hand. “It’s not going to be easy to get these thrown out, given the circumstances.”

“Circumstances?!?” Bill and Chase question together, earning a nod from the lawyer.

“Chase was seen assaulting Carter by a police officer and witness – Laiken Baumgar-”

“He was getting ready to attack her so I did what I needed to do to protect her!” Chase instantly states without a single drop of hesitation, catching Alycia’s attention.

“I’m well aware of what you did and why you did it, Chase,” she explains as she had read over everything. She was also already aware of what had happened due to being required to be kept in the loop. “Personally given what Carter has done and is capable of, I fully support what you did for Laiken’s safety. I plan to use that to get leverage to get you off of these charges.”

“So what’s the problem then?” She then places a piece of paper on the table.

“The fact that you openly, fully admitted it to a cop, and then said that you’d do the same thing over again in a heartbeat.” Chase looks right into Alycia’s eyes, not ready to back down.

“I am not taking back my words because that’s the truth.” She then lets out a sigh, having expected that answer from him.

“The problem is the meaning of Carter’s attack on Laiken is you and Laiken’s words against Carter’s words. On paper, that seems like it’d easily give you what you’re wanting and escape all charges. However, that isn’t how it always works. Someone could easily put the argument together that you both believed that due to what Sarina told you in what happened with her, but there’s no physical proof of her sexual assault.” Chase rubs his hands over his face, remembering how he allowed Sarina to take charge in not initially reporting it or do anything. He was just worried about her comfort and safety over everything else in the moment.

“What about the fact that Carter shot him?” Bill questions, referring to January. “There’s premeditation for fear, and understanding in Chase’s actions come a couple months later.” Alycia flips through the file, turning to that page in reference to the events that happened in January.

“Both Sasha and Steven backed up that account, but they’re not the most trusting witnesses due to being street thugs. Although, the fact that you had witnesses in Christopher, Morgan and Sarina, that certainly adds credibility. So yes, that could give the leeway that we’re wanting. However, while it’s great and that should work Bill, I will warn you that there’s a couple judges out there that don’t care about reason and will convict no matter what.” The color could be seen instantly drained from Chase’s face in realizing that was more of a possibility through this discussion. “By the way, they brought Christopher in on charges…”

“Seriously?!?” Chase questions, even more shocked than what laid before him as he gets another nod in return.

“Supposedly, he was charged with trespassing onto private prope-”

“Sasha stated back in February that he wouldn’t be pressing any charges and he owns the property.” Alycia nods her head, having read that over in the files, too.

“They’re trying to get that to stick because they want to set the stage for the gun being let off due to you guys trespassing and them securing their land.” Bill’s jaw drops in shock as Chase could only chuckle at this craziness. “Trust me, it’s not going to get them anywhere. To be honest, I think this is just another tactic to drive you both insane.”

“So what are we going to do about this?” Bill questions, not caring as to the reasons. All that mattered to him was the current situation that they sat in.

“I am going to go speak with the prosecuting district attorney now that I am fully aware of everything,” Alycia begins. “I am going to see why they went down this direction, and if there’s any possibility in just wiping the slate clean. Given that is probably unlikely in knowing who I am working with, I am going to demand that we get into court tonight to at least get you bail and leeway to continue your life as normal as possible until these are cleared.”

“Normal as possible?” Chase offers, and she lets out a sigh.

“Run your schedule, travel to appearances – I am going to try and get you what I can. Given your clean track record, I don’t see that being much of a problem.”

“I don’t want him spending the night here so you better do what you can,” Bill states and Alycia nods her head, knowing that she was to follow boss’ orders considering he was paying the bill.

Alycia walks out of the interrogation room, closing the door behind her, as she walks through the station to a closed door. She knocks, met with a face a couple minutes later.

“I am here to let you know that I am handling the defense for Mr. Chase Elliott,” Alycia states as she holds her hand out. “Allow me to introduce myself. Alycia Burrows.”

“Kyle Gates, district attorney working on behalf of the state of Arizona,” Kyle easily reciprocates the offer. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Burrows. Your reputation precedes you.” She then smiles back in response, hoping that worked in her favor tonight.

“Since you’re also pursuing the charges against Mr. Carter Williams, you know this whole situation regarding my client is the most ridiculous sort of justice that we’ve ever seen in the state.” Kyle crosses his arms, as he glances around, before turning her eyes back to her.

“Off the record, personally, I would not have chosen to prosecute or press the charges on your client as I fully understand his position and what happened. However, Carter Williams’ lawyer kept pressure on me in stating the harm to his client. If I didn’t do anything, I’m seen as someone who is letting off a celebrity due to his power when I’m supposed to be here for fair justice across the entire state. Combined with your client admitting intent and the fact he’d do it again, here we are.” Alycia couldn’t help but smile as she crosses her arms.

“That’s satisfying, except do you honestly blame my client for his words considering what Carter Williams did to him and his wife Sarina Elliott?” Kyle shakes his head no. “That said, you do have my client’s full co-operation. He is well aware of his confession that he stated to the officer, and what that means for his situation.”

“The officers who picked him up in Georgia also echoed those thoughts, and that will go a long way for his case.” Alycia takes a deep breath, hating that they were going to have to take this approach. However, what other choice did Chase leave her right now?

“My client is prepared to plead guilty to the charges with the confession in hand. However, I will be looking for the sentence to be thrown out due to the assault merely being a citizen’s arrest, done on a combination of fear for safety and mental anguish.” Kyle was willing to accept those terms, knowing they backed up his personal thoughts on the situation. “That said, I am looking for your full co-operation. My client doesn’t deserve to spend a single night at this police station or behind any bars. You are going to find a judge tonight for us to get before, and state the plea, as well as bail hearing. I expect during that time for my client to be given leeway, given the circu-”

“I can’t make any promises, as I have already told you why we were here – off the record, of course.” Alycia nods her head, remembering those critical words earlier.

“That’s fine, as I am sure that I can convince the judge on my own merit. However, if you are not able to get us before a judge and get the ball rolling tonight and my client has to spend a single second overnight here, I can promise you that I will make life hell for you. I will reveal what you’ve told me off the record, and I will go full public on everything.” Kyle then almost took a step back in hearing her words.

“is that a threat, Ms. Burrows?” She shakes her head no.

“Not a threat, but a promise. Like you said, I have a reputation and that includes keeping promises to my clients. Since you even stated yourself that we shouldn’t be here having this discussion, how about you help me in the ways that you can?”

“I’ll see what I can do, Ms. Burrows.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 215: Post-Race Debrief

Sunday, March 24 – Martinsville Speedway

“What did you need to get Brad Keselowski there at the end?” The reporter asks him after the race.

“I don’t know,” Chase answers. “It was really tough. Our NAPA Camaro was good. I felt like we were about as even with him as we could be. When I did get the lead, I felt like there was a little advantage to being out front and being able to work traffic your way and play off it and whatnot. But, yeah, I tried to move up there at the end and I don’t know if I could have got to him. Maybe if I moved up a little sooner, maybe. But, I tried to get to him there in (Turn) 3. I was pretty well content on moving him out of the way. But maybe next time.”

Chase makes his way to the garage area, grabbing a cold bottle of water from the cooler immediately. He walks up into the team’s hauler, stripping the top of the firesuit off right away as he sits down on the couch. He then sits back, downing a good half of the bottle as he relaxes, stretching his legs out a little.

“Are you okay?” He hears, catching him a little off-guard as he sees Alan Gustafson standing there. He nods his head as he continues to drink more of the water. “I can go get Greg-”

“I’m fine Alan,” Chase interrupts without even glancing up at the crew chief. “Just a usual long day at Martinsville. It wears you out more than you realize during the race, and you start to feel it as soon as you get out afterwards. Some rest, some relaxation, some water, and I’ll be fine.” Alan then sits down beside his driver, knowing that opened the right opportunity for what he wanted to do.

“While you’re catching your breath before leaving then, I was hoping we could breakdown the race while it’s fresh in both of our minds. That way we can improve and do better next time.” Chase was easily up for that, as he had to admit – it really sucked having a car handle as well as they did, run up front all day, and yet come up that short of visiting victory lane.

“I’m all ears…” Alan snatched the clipboard off of the table, opening the notebook up to a blank page. While normally the engineers would usually have the duty of note taking, he knew it was down to him to do so here.

“There’s easily things that if we had a chance to do this race over again, that I would do differently. Maintaining the lead was the most critical thing, in my eyes. Once you got ahead of Brad, you were able to just pull away and hold it without him being able to challenge you. however, being behind him, you were never able to get back up close to him.”  Chase nodded his head in agreement, as he had been trying everything to make that happen.

“Except for when it was too late, and I finally tried something that maybe I should’ve tried sooner.” He then lets out a sigh as he thinks over that decision. “Hindsight says that I should’ve tried that with 10 to go, maybe even eight to go as it was working. But I was worried I would give Kyle the line, and he’d get by, and then I’d get stuck racing with Ryan. I didn’t want to give up anything.”

“I’m not angry, nor do I blame you. Realistically, in that moment, you made the right decision for the situation that you were in. It’s just something to put in the memory bank for when we come back here in October if we’re in the same position. I also don’t want to harp on the crew too much, because certainly we had that hang up with the left rear, but they still knocked out a 13-second stop, and every other stop was in the 12-second range.” Chase nods his head in agreement, knowing that there’d been nothing wrong with the pit crew all season despite the other struggles.

“Mistakes happen, right? It won’t do us any good to yell at them for no reason because I bet they’re already taking it hard.” Alan lets out a sigh, having seen that after the pit stop in question.

“I also feel that we could have been slightly more aggressive with our adjustments, and giving you a little bit of a better car to work with through the back half of that race. We didn’t make any adjustments past halfway, and I think that hurt us as well.” Chase glances down, knowing where that came from.

“That’s because I told you that the car wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t want you to mess with it because it’s too close….” Chase then lets out a sigh, as that simply added to the frustration on top of the late lane switch choice.

“We both trust each other a lo-”

“Is that even a question anymore, Alan?” Alan gives him a glance, knowing that they didn’t need to get into that discussion, again.

“In that mind, I think it would’ve been more helpful for you to tell me why the car wasn’t perfect, so I could tweak on it.” Chase nods his head, knowing that was something that he had certainly messed up on.

“I was just worried that we’d go too far, and lose too much time. Considering the start of the season we had, this is the run that we needed to get some good mojo in the team.” Alan wasn’t about to argue that, as he knew the intermediate struggles had been tough on everybody. “I’m sorry….”

“Hey, I’m not mad at you, okay? I understand your reas-”

“But that’s two things right there that I could’ve done bett-”

“And I understand that frustration, Chase. But let me tell you something, as well. That was a really positive day. It’s our first top-five of the season as we proved to not only ourselves, but others, that we can run up front and have something right in the work we’ve put together. We also showed that we can maintain our performance and be up front from the drop of the green to the checkered. I thought you did a fantastic job as a driver behind the wheel, and you certainly shouldn’t be frustrated with your performance.” Alan places a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, okay? So don’t hold your head on the small things. Look at all the other great things that we did, and let’s take this to move forward to be stronger at Texas, Bristol, and beyond…”

“Thank you, and thank you for giving me one helluva car to work with today.” Alan smiles, as it was nice to see a bit of positivity in the midst of the frustration.

“I am trying to give you something better for Texas. Myself, Josh, and Tom went over everything from Atlanta, California, and Las Vegas – probably more things that we thought possible. I have a slightly different approach that I am taking with the car this weekend going into Texas, and hopefully that’s what we’ve been missing compared to Harvick, Penske and Gibbs.” Chase nods his head, as he knew no matter how frustrating it was at times, the guys in the shop were working hard as possible to get their program turned around.

“I believe in you. I look forward to giving it our best shot possible, and hopefully having another solid, possibly great, raceday. Someone keeps telling me I look good in a cowboy hat, so I may have to dawn one for her.” Alan could only roll his eyes as he stood up.

“I think it’s about time that you go and see her. You could also encourage her to repeat a little No. 9 history, as I recall someone else got his first Xfinity win at Texas. I’ll see you later.” Chase could only smile at the reference, remembering that night still very clearly.

Wednesday, March 27 – Ollie’s Bargain Outlet – Griffin, Georgia

As scheduled, Chase spent the couple of hours with the fans, signing autographs as part of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet grand opening in Georgia.

“Thank you for coming out today,” the store owner offers, with a shake of the hand.

“It’s not a problem,” he replies. “Thanks for having me.”

He then heads out, making his way back up into Atlanta. Double checking that he had the right address programmed into the GPS, he knew he had to make a stop before meeting back up with Sarina at the hospital with Abigail. If everything went according to plan today and tomorrow, they were going to be able to take their daughter with them to Texas.

He then walks inside, taking a deep breath, remembering the conversation that they had a couple days prior.

“I saw you had an appointment scheduled for 3, am I correct?” The secretary questions and he nods his head. “Okay, that’s great. So he’ll be right with you.”

“Thank you,” he replies, as he takes a deep breath. He knew that he wanted to do this, but was he really doing the right thing in going without Sarina knowing?

“You do realize that this is permanent, right? I mean, you can get it undone, but it’s a very lengthy process that we do not recommend going through. I would make sure with complete certainty that this is something you want to do first.” He glances towards the secretary, surprised that she’d caught on to his nerves – or perhaps that was just the advice that she offered everybody.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t absolutely certain about this. I’ve wanted to do this for awhile now.” In fairness, a month – but she didn’t need to know those fine details.

It took a couple of hours, as expected, but he had cleared that with Sarina in telling her that he had a meeting to go to. He had been warned that it would hurt a little, and that wasn’t a lie with a couple sharp moments. However, it felt like nothing compared to when he had gotten shot in the same spot living the scar that was there.

“How does that look?” He is asked afterwards, as he takes a glance in the mirror to see it. it brought an immediate smile to his face, in seeing how each of the details had been done correctly.

“Looks great,” he replies with a smile. He then watches a small bandage go over the shoulder.

“Now, there’s some strict rules that you should follow so it stays perfect. Do you not take this bandage off for the first 24 hours, okay?” Chase slowly nods his head, remembering reading the pamphlet that he had grabbed on Monday, anyway. “Twice a day after you take the bandage off, I want you to apply the antibacterial ointment – for a total of three weeks. I also want you to gently wash the area several times a day, using soap and water while patting dry. Considering you’re going to be sweaty this weekend at times, I would recommend after each time you’re in the car if you can. Oh, and no direct sun or really hot water for two weeks as it will ruin it, and cause you a lot of pain. If you run into any problems, do not hesitate to call or come see me. But if you follow these rules, there should be no problems.”

“Thank you – not only for the advice and tips, but also for your precision. It looks amazing.”

He then puts his sweater back on, heading out as he sends a text message to Sarina to see what she wanted for dinner that night.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 214: STP 500

Saturday, March 23 – Martinsville Speedway

Chase climbs out of the car, making his way over to the pit box as he glances up. With how smooth the car felt, he was actually surprised they were only 10^th quickest in the session. What did it take to be quicker around here?

He then grabs a bottle of water, taking a seat as he waits for Alan to finish discussing things over with Josh and Tom. He finally catches the crew chief’s attention as Alan comes over.

“Considering you were happy with the handling, I thought you’d be smiling right now,” Alan comments as he notices the immediate facial expression on Chase.

“I tell you that the car is handling good and I’m rolling the corner like we should, but yet were 10^th,” Chase replies, as Alan could only smile back in response. He had seen the speed chart, but he wasn’t worried about that this session.

“Is it comforting to know that most of those ahead of you were working on qualifying runs, and we were in race trim?” It was now Chase’s turn to look intrigued. “Yeah, that’s why you weren’t quicker than you thought. But if you compare yourself to those who were working on the same thing, then we’re fine. You also don’t lose as much time over the run as others were in fighting the handling.”

“Alright that makes me feel better…” He then lets out a sigh as he glances at his phone, which resulted in the crew chief’s not leaving him.

“So where’s my happy driver since we actually have a good car this weekend?” Chase turns the phone so Alan can view the image, which causes a small smile to form on his face. “Is she taking the formula like they want her too?”

“She’s doing amazing, Alan. She’s growing, and she’s following through with each step towards being released and being fine just like you would expect. There hasn’t been a single setback, thankfully.” Alan nods his head, accept, but that didn’t explain the glance on Chase’s face.

“But….” Chase lets out a sigh as he finally takes his eyes off the screen to look over at Alan.

“This is harder than I realized to handle weekends apart from them both, countless weekends apart at that. The first couple were easy, but there was belief it’d be over soon. The next couple were harder, but yet I was able to do it because at least Sarina was there a couple days. But this weekend all by myself? It’s starting to really hit home.” Alan could see where Chase was coming from, remembering previous years when the pair would spend weekends apart.

“Just be thankful that you can go home tonight, and spend time with them. Be thankful that you’re getting that time at all, and value every single second. Also remind yourself that it won’t always be this way because of those milestones that you spoke of.” Alan kneels down to Chase’s level. “I know you worry about her more than anything because of what happened. I understand the worry, and the pain that’s there with that because you know what it feels like. But realize that she’s just as strong as you are, and can get through this, and she’s got Brittany and Cindy there for support.”

“Thank you….” Alan smiles as he stands back up, walking away to make sure everything was in order of the second session.

“There’s the smile that I was looking for,” Alan comments as he walks over to Chase following the second session.

“There’d be something really wrong if I led the session and wasn’t smiling,” Chase replies, earning a chuckle from Alan. “But it shows what you were talking about before. Switching to qualifying trim was everything.”

“I told you there was a method to my madness.” Alan then glances at his notes. “The same way that I hope I have the right method for qualifying later today. We know the track is going to slightly change with the rubber being put down by the trucks, and the fact it’s later in the day. We also know that it’s an impound race, so we can’t make a whole bunch of adjustments between qualifying and the race. That’s why I am thinking maybe we should go a little conservative on the qualifying set-up so that way we’re good for the race.”

“Whatever direction you want to go for, I’m game. I mean, I am willing to give up a little in qualifying if that means that I’m not fighting the car through the entire first stage.” Alan nods his head in approval, watching  as his driver grabs his phone off of the pit box.

“I just don’t want to cost us a shot at the pole because I make one over-conservative decisi-”

“No matter what you decide, I’m behind you 100% and I won’t question your decision. I believe in you, Alan. Do what you feel is right for the situation that we’re in.” Alan nods his head, accepting, glancing back over the notes as he sees who was quick in qualifying trim from the first session. “So they charged Damien with conspiracy on multiple counts with Alison Reynolds, conspiracy for sexual assault against Sarina, and conspiracy for attempted sexual assault on Laiken. They can’t charge him for the visits that he made to myself and Laiken following the first mee-”

“I’m sorry, but wasn’t that clear harassment given his previous knowledge of Carter?” Chase nods his head, having stated that in his initial response to the conversation.

“Instead, it was deemed as simply checking in to double check where things stood following our initial meeting. Why don’t we just call it a business follow-up?” Alan rolls his eyes, once again annoyed with the police. It was one thing to currently have Carter on bail, but not to have Damien not getting fully charged.

“I’m going to guess that he pled not guilty to all of the counts, too.” Chase shakes his head no, causing Alan’s jaw to drop.

“He actually pled guilty to all accounts, stating that he was coerced by both individuals through death threats and blackmail. He is bargaining for a plea deal, based on the evidence that he can provide of that.” Alan wanted to focus on the racecar, though found himself intrigued by the update.

“Didn’t Alison once upon a time say that she was coerced by Bethany?” Chase lets out a sigh as he glances down immediately, nodding his head.

“And I easily let that go through believing it was true since we saw every sign with Bethany. If I hadn’t let that go through….” He then takes a deep breath as Alan sets the clipboard down, walking over.

“It’s not your fau-”

“She doesn’t get the chance to touch me if she goes away for those crimes. She would’ve easily been in jail for sexual assault, attempted rape, harassment, conspiracy – do I need to go on? Instead, I let her get away with that, as well as being a potential mental case. I could’ve ended everything then, Alan.” Alan places a hand on Chase’s shoulder.

“You can’t live in regret, and you can’t carry that with you forever. That was two years ago now, Chase. You can’t keep beating yourself over it.” Chase slowly glances up at the crew chief, taking a deep breath as he does.

“No, I can just learn from it and not make the same mistake twice. That’s why I made it clear that I don’t want Damien getting anything, no matter what evidence he tries to show. Is that fair?” Alan nods his head, accepting, feeling comfort in that as well. He didn’t want any lose ends as that always led them back down this road, now three years in a row.

“When it is time for his trial and Carter’s to begin, I want you to tell me. I want to be there for you and Sarina once again, okay?” Chase nods his head, accepting, actually appreciating the offer. Looking back, it was easy to realize how much of a benefit it was having both Alan and Jordan there through that time.

After practicing well, Chase was able to carry the momentum into qualifying, ending up eighth quickest at the end of the last round despite the car continuing to get a little tighter each run.

Alan was quick to assure his young driver that it was nothing to worry about, as that tight condition would start them off well at the beginning of Sunday’s race. That was all part of the conservative vs. qualifying trim battle of the minds they had thought of.

“Nice qualifying effort,” Chase hears as Ryan catches up to him during the walk after the session.

“It’s nice to finally have that speed that we’ve been missing,” Chase comments, looking forward to what was possible for Sunday.

“Could you share some of that with me?” Chase almost wanted to chuckle back in response, seeing that Ryan had qualified 17^th for Sunday.

“Why don’t you go ask your teammates?” Ryan lets out a sigh, having seen Joey qualify on the pole with Brad in third.

“I just didn’t roll the center like you needed to. Those quick laps – I just can never get into that right rhythm that I need to.” Chase understood that, remembering his first couple of trips to Martinsville. However, he was having a bigger debate of the minds for this discussion.

“Shouldn’t you have enough practice getting into a rhythm?” Ryan then looks over slightly confused. “I mean, you’re doing the bunny hop enough and that’s a simple in and out rhythm.” Ryan then stops dead in his tracks as he looks over at Chase.

“How in the hell do you know that?” Chase immediately broke out laughing by Ryan’s response, as he just smiled back in response.

“Congratula-”

“Who told you?” Chase almost didn’t want to admit it, but felt it was obvious enough.

“Sarina found out from Lindsay as she sent a photo of the pregnancy test on the table. Sarina brought it up as she figured you would’ve told me at the same time. What’s up with that man?” Ryan lets out a sigh, knowing that he should’ve figured Lindsay would share it with Sarina even though they agreed to keep it on the down low for the first couple of months.

“I’m just returning the favor after you continually turned down my offers to hang out and do things together, and then tried to call me out on nationwide. How does it feel, buddy?” Chase just shakes his head, knowing that Ryan had come up with that on the spot. “Seriously, though, I never thought to share it because we both agreed to just tell my parents, and siblings.”

“What did Erin and Emma have to say?” Ryan smiles, as it had certainly gone over better than the first round.

“Erin wanted to know if I knew what a condom was, and Emma suggested I take a course on cucumbers and gloves.” Chase broke out laughing, actually surprised by that response.

“Seriously, though, I am happy for both of you. I am glad that you’ve fallen in love, and are so close. I’m glad that you’re ready to take this next step once again with her, Ryan.” Ryan had to smile in hearing the compliments from Chase.

“I appreciate that – I just hope you won’t be offended if you’re not my best man.” Chase gives him a fake pout immediately, but half-expected that in knowing how close Darrell and Ryan were.

“Just remember everything we’ve been through, and you were my first call when I got engaged.” Ryan nods, remembering that sequence of events.

“Maybe I can win tomorrow so we can celebrate in style, and I can take a page out of your book in asking about being a best man.” Chase had to admit that was a pretty sweet memory, sharing drinks at the house after winning Watkins Glen and bringing up the question in the midst of that.

“Hopefully we can get back to spending time together like we have always done, too.” Ryan was easily ready for that, though understood where Chase stood right now due to Abigai’s situation.

“Just make sure that you’re being careful. I know they caught Damien Crane and it’s great to see him plead guilty – even with shady reasons, but don’t let your guard down with Carter.” Chase looks over at Ryan immediately.

“You don’t need to warn me, Ryan. I think I learned the depths of how far he will go when he went after Sarina.” He then takes a deep breath, calming himself back down, before heading off. He was ready to follow Alan’s advice, and take every single moment that he could get with Sarina before the race in.

Sunday, March 24 – Martinsville Speedway

From the drop of the green flag, Chase was able to run up front with the leaders, moving into the runner-up spot behind Brad Keselowski before the first stage was even completed. He would continue to run there solidly, until he was able to take the lead from Brad with 168 laps to go.

Unfortunately, the pit stops would not go as planned with a small hang-up on the left rear, resulting in Chase coming off pit road in second. However, it didn’t deter the team as they knew they had a good car.

On the restart, Brad was able to get away from him – as expected, due to being on the bottom and having paced the most laps to that point. Kyle Busch would then try to take advantage by diving underneath Chase, however Chase was able to roll the top line to perfection and held off Kyle, with a nice run off of turn two.

“I wonder where he learned that from,” Sarina told herself as she watched the race, remembering her win at Martinsville a couple years ago.

As the laps ticked down, now 100 laps to go, Chase was able to reel Brad back in for the lead. He was able to get back to his bumper with 80 to go, almost giving him a shot, but the back-end began to step out a little. As a result, he would fade back, which allowed Kyle to get to his back bumper for second.

Although it appeared that Kyle had a better car, Chase was able to ride the top lane like he had done before, preventing Kyle from getting a solid run off of the corner to take the spot. Eventually, Kyle would begin to fade back a bit, allowing Ryan to catch him and pass for third before the caution came out with 57 laps to go for Ross Chastain slowing with a problem.

The No. 9 crew would make up for the mistake that they made on the previous round of pit stops, performing another flawless stop. However, as Chase went to pull out, Kyle would cut him off, causing almost contact – with the only avoidance being Chase slightly tapping the brakes. As a result, that’d give Brad the lead off pit road ahead of Kyle, Chase and Ryan.

“I could kill him sometimes,” Sarina comments, in reference to Kyle. “He’s a great spectacular owner, and he has so much talent behind the wheel. But sometimes, he does the most stupidest things – like that. He’s lucky that wasn’t worse!”

“Deep breathes, remain calm,” Christopher coaches her, catching her attention. They had decided to watch the race together with Morgan after he got back down south following an eventful night racing midgets in Oklahoma. She appreciated having him there for support, as he was one of a few that actually knew everything that had happened – from Abigail, to Carter. “The fact that they didn’t make any adjustments should give you confidence. That means that he believes in the ca-”

“His exact words were, ‘It’s not perfect, but it’s too close to change,’ so yes, I get what you’re saying Christopher. I also fully believe in my husband and his ability to get the job done. I haven’t dropped a single doubt about that. I was just stating my frustrations with Kyle, at times.”  Christopher nods his head, accepting, having not expected to get chewed out by a simple comment.

“I was just trying to offer some calming advice….” She glances over with a sly smile.

“And I appreciate that, honestly, but you do not need to. Although, I am intrigued by Chase’s words. Think about this. We as racers are always striving for every single inch of speed that we want. However, even though Chase isn’t perfect, he’s not asking for adjustments. Is he afraid that they’re going to go too far and possibly lose what they’ve gained?” Christopher shrugs his shoulders, really not understanding the psychology of Chase despite being good friends.

“Him and Alan have worked together for four years now, so I think there’d be a trus-”

“I don’t doubt that, but look at his struggles this year. Is he not wanting to lose what they’ve gained today for that reason?” Christopher could only shrug his shoulders once again. “Just food for thought…”

“I feel we’re killing ourselves riding there behind guys,” they listen into Alan on Chase’s radio, which both Sarina and Christopher had to nod their heads in agreement. They remembered always being advised by their crew chiefs to jump at the first chance. That was why when Sarina won there, she jumped at the first instance that she could get by Matt Crafton for the lead and control the race.

“I know,” Chase replies, which meant he understood where they were coming from. “I just feel like you’ve got to go right away.”

They’d get the restart with 46 laps to go, and Chase would go by his promise that he made on the radio in getting by Kyle on the outside with 44 laps to go. He would also make his way forward quickly, getting to Brad’s bumper with 40 laps to go.

“He’s going to do anything to get around the 2 (Brad) without rubbing him up,” Darrell Waltrip offered with the commentary. “That’s how he races.” Both Sarina and Christopher almost began chuckling immediately at the comment.

“Has Darrell forgot about Denny already?” Christopher offers, earning a smile from Sarina.

“I’m still waiting for him to fall down a hill so you can have his ride,” Sarina replies, earning a chuckle and fist pump from Morgan who easily agreed. “But seriously, he’s forgetting where Chase grew up. He knows how to do the bump-and-run if it’s necessary, and when it comes to Brad he won’t be afraid to do it.”

Despite all their high hopes of waiting for the move to be made, they watch Chase begin to lose touch with Brad’s bumper with 30 to go.

“Brad has a stronger long run car,” Christopher comments, which Sarina nodded her head in agreement.

“And here comes Kyle,” she adds, as Kyle had began to close the gap for second.

The leaders would remain close without any change in position, except for Brad beginning to pull away some more. The leaders would also find themselves in lap traffic, with Kyle making a wrong decision in getting by Matt Tifft as he lost crucial time.

With a sizable gap on Kyle for position, Chase made the decision to move from the bottom to the second lane with four laps to go. He would close the gap, getting within a car length, however it was too late as he’d cross the line in second.

“Three, possibly  two laps sooner and that could’ve been a win,” Christopher nods and Sarina lets out a sigh, though had to agree.

“But if he tries sooner and it fails, that allows Kyle to get by,” she reasons which Christopher had to agree with. However, he also knew what he would’ve done in the same situation.

“However, you always do what it takes for the win – damned if you do, damned if you don’t, no regrets.” Sarina knew that both her and Christopher were in the same boat, as they were determined to make the moves necessary to win. Chase was easily able to do the same, however he was calculated – and sometimes that could bite, like here.

“He’s going to kick himself in the ass for that, I guarantee….” Christopher looks over with a grin.

“I guess that means you’ll just have to make him feel better.” She then playfully punches his shoulder, earning a laugh in response.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 213: Mountain Dew & Babies

Thursday, March 21 – Charlotte, North Carolina

“So do you understand the direction I wanted to go with this now?” The production manager asks Chase after they got done filming a series of scenes together.

“I understand the idea, but still am interested to see how this comes together,” Chase openly admits.

“I openly will admit when I first thought of this idea, the executives almost completely brushed it off. They were like, ‘Really? This is what you want him to do after driving a car over a ramp last year, and painting Dale’s fence?’” Chase chuckles as he remembered that video shoot with Dale and Kasey. “But really, you’ve been a good sport today.”

“I appreciate that. To be honest, you made it very easy, so thank you. Now, do I get a preview at the finished product before it’s revealed?” The manager just smiles back in response.

“We’ll have to see. That may be a tough string to pull….”

With all of the filming done that Mountain Dew required, Chase was set on getting out there as soon as possible, ready to get back to Georgia and his girls. He knew they were taking the next step with Abigail in increasing food content and he wanted to be there to witness the progress himself. It also didn’t hurt to pick up feeding tips, as well.

Once back the airport, he throws his coat in the back of the plane, ready to get up and air and fly out accordingly. Though as he had taken his coat off, it had pulled the sleeve of his arm up, revealing the mark that remained from January – which he caught in the mirror.

Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, it all flashed before him in a matter of seconds – breaking down in the middle of nowhere, Christopher and Sarina showing up, being approached by Carter and his men, to the gunshot and blurry days that followed. Another deep breath, and he couldn’t help but find himself thanking Christopher and Morgan for what they did in that moment.

He slowly lets himself get back to perfectly calm, before going through the usual pre-flight checklist. Though as he followed the steps, he couldn’t help but remember a discussion with Sarina a couple weeks ago.

Thursday, March 21 – Dawsonville, Georgia

“Can I ask you something?” He questions as he climbs in the bed before her that night.

After landing back in Georgia, he made quick time in getting to the hospital, actually getting there in time for Abigail’s nighttime feeding. He felt his heart swim in not only seeing his baby girl, but also watching Sarina feed her. There was something pure magical about being able to take that next step, something they didn’t envision being possible at the lowest moments last year.

“Do you even need to ask that anymore?” Sarina offers back in return, which just causes him to smile. He knew that he didn’t to, with the complete open trust that they’d been able to form together. However, he couldn’t help but ask the question in case she was in the middle of something.

“Have you thought anymore about the tattoo idea?” He questions, catching her by surprise. She remembered the initial discussion, just like he did, but didn’t realize it was going to move forward beyond that.

“To be honest, between racing, Abigail, the eggs, and other things….” She then lets out a sigh, still wishing she could easily say it more openly than she was able to at this time, but still found her breath hitch at the mere thought of him. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“I remember how great of an idea that you thought it was, and trust me – I’m still fully on-board for both of us.” She was then puzzled, as the mere timing by the discussion intrigued her. Were they going to be up to more activities during her off-week?

“While I haven’t thought about it, that doesn’t mean that I have changed my mind. I still think doing the butterfly and turning a negative into a positive is the right thing for me to do.” He nods his head in agreement, thinking back to earlier that afternoon.

“I caught a glimpse of the mark in the mirror earlier today, and it took me straight back to that moment. It brought me to the discussion afterwards, and I thought about your words. I’m thinking if we have something to positive to look at, it may help move forward.” She smiles, remembering that was right along her lines of thinking.

“So did you text Ryan and ask him who did his tattoo?” Chase nods his head, having sent that text before leaving Charlotte. He got the response sometime before he landed, in which he read once he drove over to the hospital.

“Ryan was more interested in what I was doing, whether then revealing details. By the way, I haven’t told him because I want it to be our deal together to show when we’re ready.” Sarina nods her head, having not quite decided on when she was going to do that. However, she knew that it would come out in the summer regardless once they were in bathing suits. “He gave me a couple recommendations of people that we could go to, based on his and friend’s experience.”

“So in other words, we’re doing this, and I presume pretty soon…” Chase glances over at her, still intrigued by her reaction to bringing up the topic.

“We can do it whenever you’re comfortable – whether that’s immediately, or later on. I just wanted to see where you stood and let you know how I felt. Open communication, remember?” She nods her head, before laying it against him.

“Thank you for trusting me with that….” She then intertwines her fingers with his. “I just wish that I could openly tell you everything that I am feeling…”

“That’ll come when you’re ready, just like it happened for me. Recall that took me months before I admitted everything, and did what I needed to. It’s okay. That said, I will do whatever I can to take care of you and protect you until then.” He then kisses the top of her head.

Friday, March 22 – Dawsonville, Georgia

“Do you know how many times I asked Dave to make the meeting for yesterday so we could’ve shot two birds with one stone, and he insisted on today?” Sarina comments as she sits back in the seat with a sigh.

“Stop worrying,” Chase assures her as she glances over at him. “You know that I love flying, no matter when and when. I’m not complaining.” She understood his love for flying, but that didn’t mean she was pleased with everything.

“However, that’s one less day that we can spend with Abigail together before the weekend. I just hate to take you away from that.” Chase understood her concerns, and admittedly hated to spend any time away from his daughter. However, he was willing to do what was necessary for both him and Sarina as well.

“Look at it this way – we’re going to get to spend every single day with her in the months, years to come. We’ll make up for lost time. Relax, it’s okay.” She lets out a sigh, easily accepting his words, but still not liking the breakdown of the situation.

“On another baby note, have you talked with Ryan lately?” Chase was confused with the change of topic, but shook his head no. “Okay, so I’m surprised he hasn’t told you.”

“What did Evelyn do now?” Sarina smiles, knowing this didn’t do with Evelyn – well, sort of.

“She’s still an angel and growing as ever. However, let’s just say that we were right about the attraction between Ryan and Lindsay being there from the beginning as they’re bunnies.” He chuckled at the comment, though froze quickly thereafter.

“Are you saying that she’s pregnant, already?” The smile only grew wider on Sarina’s face.

“She texted me a photo of the pregnancy test laying on the counter with a big fat positive on it. She hadn’t felt any symptoms, but having gone unprotected and right timing, she had a feeling. So she convinced Ryan to take the test just for fun. They got a surprise.” Chase could already chuckle at the many jokes that he had in store for the pair. “You can tell me I told you so anytime now, boy.”

“What? You didn’t predict her getting pregnant a second time.” Sarina knew that, and honestly was surprised with how well she knew Lindsay. However, it proved another point.

“I told you from the night they spent together at the banquet that the attraction was there, and they were going to be together. I told you that in Cuba and at Daytona, but yet you kept brushing it off. Now, what do you have say for yourself, Mr. Elliott?”  Chase knew there was only one more question remaining.

“When are they getting married?” She chuckles, having sent Lindsay the very same message.

“Possibly in July at Daytona.” Chase smiles, as he wasn’t surprised by the beach scenery chosen by Ryan. However, it did surprise him to hear that it would be away from home.

It didn’t take them long to get to Charlotte, and it was a short drive up to JR Motorsports. Chase led Sarina down to Dave’s office, letting her go inside, before making his way down to Sarina’s.

He then sat back in the chair, relaxing, as he thought about texting Ryan. He was actually surprised that Ryan hadn’t texted him the news yet. He began to type out a hinting, teaser message, though froze midway taking it out immediately. He knew that he could have more fun in other ways, as it’d be good payback for the fun that they went through at Daytona with talk of text messages.

His eyes wouldn’t leave his phone long, though, as he noticed a new text message from the investigator. He opened it instantly, half-expecting something surrounding Carter breaking the terms of his bail. Instead, he saw the name Damien Crane highlighted.

“Finally,” he slowly comments, reading the text message as a sigh of relief easily escapes. Damien had turned himself into the cops, charged with evading an arrest warrant as well as conspiracy to sexual assault.

Chase then highlighted the message, forwarding it to Laiken as he knew that’d make her feel better. That, combined with the baby news, was certainly hope that maybe they were going to catch a break and things would return to normal moving forward.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 212: Auto Club 400

Saturday, March 16 – Auto Club Speedway

Sarina started off the Xfinity Series race well, remaining in the top-five throughout the first stage en route to a solid fifth-place finish.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the second stage, as she had to make an unscheduled green flag pit stop on Lap 61 due to the right front going down.

“Long time to go here….” Chase told himself as he watches her on-track, earning a nod from Dave when it’s confirmed she was right about the decision to come in.

She’d fight hard through the remainder of the second stage, working her way up to the 15^th position by the time the checkered flag. More importantly, she was  the first car one lap down, allowing her to snag the lucky dog.

“We still got lots of time here,” Chase repeats to himself, knowing that she could get back up front for a solid finish.

She’d run solidly through the stage, keeping herself in position for a good finish.

https://twitter.com/NASCAR_Xfinity/status/1107058114665144320?s=07

Chase watches as Brandon Jones gets a little sideways off the corner, with Ryan Preece narrowly avoiding front end contact. However, that sent Preece down the track, barely missing catching Sarina as he did so.

“I think I just shit my pants there!” Sarina instantly yells out on the radio, and Chase couldn’t help but nod his head in agreement. “Holy crap! Where the hell was he going?”

“He was worried about avoiding 19, didn’t think through step two,” Earl Barban informs her. “Nice job avoiding there.”

“That was pure luck, buddy….”

“We’re staying out here,” Dave tells her, ready to play the strategy card as they were late in the event. With running just inside the top-10, perhaps they could steal a stronger finish with a bit of strategy.

Restarting in the second position, she would fight hard against the fresher tires around her, eventually fading back, crossing the finish line with a 12^th-place finish.

“I cost you a top-10 finish with that call,” Dave comments as he walks over post-race, earning a simple nod from Chase. He admittedly wasn’t pleased with the gamble as he could see that going ugly right from the beginning. Everybody knew how important tires were at Auto Club Speedway. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you for the decision,” Sarina replies, earning a surprised glance from Chase. He was ready for her to be angry about what happened. “You don’t know if you don’t try. We could’ve gotten some more cautions, and stole a top-five after the early bad luck. I’m not mad. You know what you’re doing on the box, and you do a great job. Just keep it up.”

“Keep up what you’re doing behind the wheel as you’re amazing…” She simply smiles in return, as it felt good to already have a nice relationship together.

“That’s the most speed that we’ve had all season long, Dave. We just got to keep that rolling into Texas in a couple weeks.” Dave could only glance between the pair at the mere reminder of the off-week, remembering yesterday’s conversation.

“Make sure you both take care of each other. I’ll see you this week…” He walks away from them, as Chase is still glancing at Sarina.

“Now are you going to tell me how you truly feel?” He asks and it was now her turn to be surprised.

“I was completely honest about my feelings about the call,” she answers. “I am guessing that you were frustrated about his decision.” He nods his head, easily. “Sure, tires are everything and we knew that we’d lose track position. We didn’t believe we lost as much as we did, but I am not mad because I wasn’t mad when he tried due to knowing the risk, and ready for the reward if possible.”

“That’s a very respectful, grown-up approach…” She then gives him a playful punch. “I’m serious! Normally you’d be stomping your feet at this point.” She just rolls her eyes in response.

“Just promise me that you’ll actually do something smart tomorrow…” He then looks over surprised. However, he instantly shifts conversation away in hearing his phone go off in his pocket. He pulls it out, reading the message. “Do I want to know?”

“Laiken said that there was a note sent to her office, stating that she should pass along to me that I need to be careful about my decisions in the coming weeks, as they’ll affect everybody.” He then lets out a sigh, looking over at her. “Do you think he figured out what we’re doing?”

“There was no way as we haven’t told anyone publically, and we both know that we can trust Dr. Grayson with everything. She didn’t reveal that I was pregnant despite her career being on the line with the rules, so why would she reveal this?” Chase had to agree with Sarina’s assessment as he looked back at the message. “Maybe it has to deal with the charges against….” Sarina glances down immediately, taking a deep breath.

“There’s no way that I am changing my mind and dropping those charges.” He then wraps his arm around her, pulling her close. “I know what you went through, and I want to make sure that I do whatever it takes to keep you safe so you don’t go through that again. There’s no way that he gets away with this.”

“Then why does this feel like de ja vu?” Chase lets out a sigh, having the exact thought as he remembered a similar text message from Alison.

“He was the mastermind behind Alison’s tricks and giggles, recall. He knows what she did because he helped her do everything. I bet he’s going to play right that book in hopes that he throws me off my game. That’s not happening this time.” It was now Chase’s turn to take the difficult deep breath, still having his regrets about some of the events with Alison at times. “We’re going to be okay, Sarina. Nobody is going to hurt us, or tear us apart…”

Sunday, March 17 – Auto Club Speedway

Sarina glances over as she watches Chase pull on his t-shirt, smiling immediately as she recognized it.

“So I go ahead and ask Daniel for one of his Amigo shirts, and then you steal it?” She questions, as she was still hailing Daniel as a hero for tackling Michael McDowell a couple weeks ago. Based on Michael’s actions over the past couple of years, it was something that was a long-time coming.

“It fits me better, anyways,” he answers, giving her a butt wiggle in return. She then grabs the edge of the shirt, pulling him close to her.

“Have I told you lately how much I enjoy the color grey on you?” He shakes his head no, but remembered the constant banquet compliments. “Have I told you lately how much I love when you wear these jeans, because they showcase every single curve…” She then wraps her arms around him, placing both hands on his ass. “They certainly leave nothing to hide, and I have to admire that fact because boy, let me tell you, you are fine specimen.”

“The same could be said for this beauty right before my eyes…” He then leans in, and lightly kisses her lips. “You didn’t have to stay today.”

“I know, but I knew that you didn’t want to spend last night alone. Frankly, I didn’t want to spend last night without you.” He then easily wraps both arms around her, holding her against him. “It’s getting easier, but I need you…”

“I know, and I’m here for every single moment that you need me.” He then looks into her eyes. “Trust me when I say this – I will do whatever you need because I love you. I made the promise to take care of you, and vowed to protect you. I don’t break my promises.”

“I know…” She then slowly stands up off the bed. “I also know that you’ll do whatever it takes for me and Abigail and our family – you’ve proven that so many times over, Chase. You don’t need to do something to prove that to me.”

“Are you referring to tomorrow?” She slowly nods her head, as he sits down beside her. “I thought you were fully on-board with me getting it done.”

“I fully agree with your sentiment and reasons, and understand that, and like I told you – I fully support any decision that you make, as you would for me. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to do something.” He knew it was nothing like that when he made the decision.

“I’m not doing it out of obligation, but rather love and caring for you. Aren’t those all the right reasons?” She nods her head. “And how is it different then you doing this for me and us?”

“I know it’s not, Chase, but yet I just haven’t fully got on-board with it. Do you realize that you can’t go back on that?” He nods his head, having read everything about it. “What if something happens to me? What if the unthin-”

“That’s not going to happ-”

“Trust me, I damn well agree with you, but please play the hypothetical game for a minute. Accidents unfortunately happen every day, right?” He then lets out a sigh, but he knew that she was right, given the dangerous life that they both lead. “If something were to happen for whatever reason, you would be stripping your ability to also have kids with someone else. On the other side, I cannot carry a baby full-term due to it being too risky so it’s not like I stripping anybody’s abili-”

“You’re stripping your own ability, and you never know what the future could hold. There’s break throughs in medicine every day as they’re always developing new methods. What if they come up with a way to do uterus reconstruction surgery successfully?” She then glances down, having not let that thought cross her mind. She honestly didn’t want to play the game of false hopes for the future as having a finalization allowed her to come to grips fully with the decision. “If we’re going to play the hypothetical game, then maybe we both shouldn’t do this.”

“And what if I get pregnant again? I know we’ve talked about better birth control methods – whether different brand of condoms and pills, but what if I get pregnant again?” He knew there was only one way to handle that – just like they did here.

“We’ll go through with every single step necessary to ensure you can’t get pregnant without the surgery, but if it happens, we’ll handle it – just like we did with Abigail. We’ll handle everything that comes with it, together, side-by-side, no matter what. We’ve gotten to this point. I’m pretty sure we can face whatever else the world has for us and succeed.” She then glances over with a small smile on her face.

“Have I told you how much you mean to me lately?” He nods his head, as he wipes her hair out of her face.

“Every day, but you can continue to tell me because you mean just as much as to me.” He then leans in, and lightly kisses her lips. “I love you, forever and always.”

“I love you, too, and for the reasons stated, we’ll just go through with the egg retrieval, keeping all options open.” He nods his head, approving her suggestion.

Starting deep in the field, there was some speed in the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet as Chase was able to work his way into the top-15 through the opening stage. He then continued to move forward in the middle of the race, running just outside of the top-10.

With a couple back-to-back cautions, Alan decided that they might as well try something since the speed wasn’t there to continue moving forward as they would’ve hoped. As a result, he left Chase out on-track, allowing him to restart up in the fifth position.

The restart would see a lot of close battles with everybody racing three-wide, trying their hardest for any position necessary. Sarina felt herself biting nails at times on the pit box, including almost jumping out of skin when he and Ryan got close together, making slight contact down the frontstretch. Thankfully, both of them were able to keep it straight and going without any damage.

“Damn, that was close,” Eddie commented afterwards in which Sarina had to agree.

“Hurt my rears playing defense trying to run with those guys,” Chase replies, not even referencing the contact with Ryan in the process.

“10-4 just hold on and do the best that you can,” Alan tells him, with a sigh of his own.

“Oh lawdy, Ryan isn’t happy….” Sarina comments, earning a glance from Jordan in the process. “Lindsay just texted me that he blasted Chase on his radio, and frankly I can’t blame him. Ryan basically said, ‘How about he stops trying to fucking side draft so hard? He just doored me,’ and referenced being the second time this year.”

“I guess that means his best man privileges for the wedding are revoked,” Jordan replies and Sarina couldn’t help but chuckle.

However, she admittedly had to agree with Chase. He knew he was at a disadvantage on the older tires – hence his lecture to her about the call yesterday, and he knew the risks of side-drafting. He also knew when he was pushing his equipment too hard, as well. So why was he being an ass here?

Ultimately, he would fade back to where he was running before, crossing the finish line with an 11^th-place finish.

“Are you going to say anything to Ryan about the contact?” Sarina wonders post-race and Chase shakes his head no as he gets changed. He had totally let it go until hearing the reminder.

“He knows I didn’t do it on purpose,” Chase answers. “He also knows that we’ve been struggling to find what he has, and pushing our stuff to its limit. I bet by tomorrow he will have forgotten about it.”

Sarina could only hope that was the case as she didn’t need a riff between them, not wanting to see how that’d affect things with Lindsay and her. She wasn’t ready to lose that friendship, again.

Tuesday, March 19 – College Football Hall of Fame – Atlanta, Georgia

“Are you okay?” Chase questions as he glances in the mirror, giving himself another look over.

“Yeah,” she answers as she walks behind up him, fixing the collar on his jacket.

“You don’t have to come tonight….” She then lets out a sigh, as she knew what he was referencing already.

As planned, she went through the egg retrieval process on Monday. Everything went smoothly with Dr. Grayson able to retrieve three viable eggs that they could use in the future. She also couldn’t complain about the days following, either. While she was a little sore, it wasn’t anything above what she could handle. That was why she had made the choice to go with him tonight.

“I want to be there to support you,” she comments as he spins around to face her. “It’s pretty amazing to see you being honored by the boy scouts for your achievements, and I agree with every sentiment of the Professional Athlete Award. I mean, you showcase your great character and personality by always having a positive attitude, being there for the fans, and taking care of everybody. I’m proud of you.”

“I just don’t want you to push yourself too hard…” She then takes his hands with her own.

“Chase, I’m fine, I can handle this. Let me be there for you, please…” He lets out a sigh, nodding his head accepting. Besides, there was no way that he’d change her mind.

“Just promise me you’ll tell me if you get too sore or something….”

They both then headed out, making the trip up to the College Hall of Fame. They had to admit that everything was nice and smooth going with the ceremony, with Sarina even absolutely adored at how cute some of the younger scouts were all dressed up in their uniforms. They were glad to see Chase’s acceptance of the award go smoothly, along with the couple of photos that followed.

They even hung around with some of the boy scouts afterwards, taking a couple photos for the ones who were racing fans and wanted an image. It was nice to have a quiet night out together without much going on after everything they’d been through lately.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 211: What the heck?!?

Friday, March 15 – Auto Club Speedway

Sarina stands on pit road, arms crossed, watching as the first round of qualifying begins. She was intrigued to see how things would play out, considering just a couple weeks earlier in Las Vegas with times not counting and more.

She watches Chase roll off, set to make his first lap of the session. He would take the initial green flag, carrying what the tracker deemed a good amount of speed. Though through turns one and two, she watched as he took the high line looking for momentum, straddling the seams. It didn’t pan out, as he caught one with the left rear tire, causing the car to get loose and go around.

“We’re okay…” She lets out, watching on the big screen as he kept it off both the outside and inside wall in the process. That could’ve turned ugly in a quick second.

“Bring it in,” Alan immediately instructs on the radio. “We’ll change the tires, and roll again. Is it really loose?”

“Nah, just caught the seam,” Chase replies, which Sarina had figured anyway watching. However, she was intrigued by Alan’s decision to change tires. Normally once you started a qualifying session, you were not allowed to change tires – and had to start the race with what you qualified on. The only way the sanctioning body allowed you to change was if you had a flat, and if you changed it post-qualifying you would start from the tail of the field.

“Are we really allowed to change tires?” She asks Jordan, as he was the only crew member not busy doing something at the moment. He gives her a quick nod of approval. “But there are no obvious fla-”

“He probably flat spotted them though,” Jordan comments, which Sarina was pretty sure would be the case. However, that wouldn’t normally constitute getting approval, meaning they’d change and start last Sunday no matter where they qualified – or she believed. “We haven’t made a timed lap yet. If you have something happen and as long as you haven’t made a lap yet, you are allowed to change your tires – but will have to start on the tires you change to. It just means that we’re down one set for practice tomorrow if this set truly is flat-spotted and Alan tosses it.”

“It seems that I am learning something new every day when it comes to the rulebook…..”

She watches as the No. 9 team quickly gets the tires changed, sending Chase back out to lay down a lap in the first round. This time, he was able to escape all the seams and laid down the top-10 time. She watched his strategy carry over to the second round, getting the draft he needed to lay down the eighth quickest time and move onto the final round.

Once the green flag was dropped on the session starting the clock, she watched as Chase rolled down pit road with the rest of the field, everybody sitting down near the end together. She then lets out a long sigh, knowing the game of chicken was about to begin. Here they went down the same road they played at Fontana.

“How many minutes is this round?” She asks, not even bothering to take her eyes off of the No. 9 car down pit road.

“5, and there’s still 3 more remaining,” Jordan informs her, watching her eyes to see where they were still watching. “He won’t probably move for another couple. You have to leave pit road with at least 55 to 75 seconds remaining to get back to the start-finish line.” She then lets out a long sigh, already growing impatient.

“I don’t get why someone doesn’t go lay down a lap, and then get themselves back in line. Or even if they don’t get back in line, it’s probably going to be worth something as they aren’t all going to get there in time with that clock game. Didn’t we learn that already this year?” Jordan nods his head, as he glances over at Alan.

“Josh actually suggested something similar along those lines to Alan, but they didn’t want to risk being in the right position to lay down the lap they wanted of record.”

Nobody made it to the line in Round 3 of Fontana qualifying. pic.twitter.com/kG814HNnyL

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 16, 2019

Sarina could only shake her head as she watched the entire field of 12 cars not make it back to the line.

“Told you!!” She lets out as Jordan just shakes his head in disgust. “This is an utter embarrassment for NASCAR. I mean, seriously?”

“Would that be why Scott Miller just stated they’re going to look into changing it before Texas?” He questions and she nods her head, as she knew nobody would be happy with how that resulted out.

As a result of nobody laying down a lap in the final round, NASCAR went back to the speeds of the second round to set the starting grid. This would set Chase to start Sunday’s race from the eighth position.

“What was the communication like when you guys realized that you were not going to make it back?” Chase is asked post-qualifying. “What were you hearing?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Chase says, almost shaking his head in the process. “Obviously nobody wants to be the first guy so it’s unfortunate. I don’t know what the fix is. I feel like it’s entertaining with us going out there and drafting and trying to set-up that gap to do it right. It’s just tough because nobody wants to be the first one, and obviously you’re not going to go if you’re going to be first.”

Saturday, March 16 – Auto Club Speedway

Chase climbs out of the car, walking over to where Alan was standing by the pit stand. He glances up, actually surprised to see that they were ranked back in 22^nd for the first practice of that day. He knew they weren’t quite where they wanted to be, but that was off where he would’ve placed them.

“Are you confident with your pit road approach, and the lights?” Alan questions without even looking over, referring to how they started the practice with pit road practice.

“Absolutely,” he answers, pleased with each of his three approaches. “I just wish that I wasn’t as tight.” Alan nods his head in agreement, finally looking over at him.

“Trust me – I wish it wasn’t the case either, and I don’t get how you are still tight as you say you are despite the adjustments.” The crew chief then glances down at his notes. “I almost feel like I’m playing with the wrong adjustments, if that makes sense.”

“Rather than trackbar, maybe look at tire pressures….” Alan smiles, glad that his driver understood where he was coming from. “I’ve got decent grip, but I bounce around a lot. Just like I told you, I’m fine in 1 and 2, but 3 and 4 there’s a bump kind of on the way to the bottom prior to getting to the white line. I hit that, and it just upsets the handling.”

“I’ll get Josh to look into our travel and height, and see if maybe the splitter is catching it or something then.” Chase then glances over the data from the practice session. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“I’ve got a couple minutes before I have to be there.” He then lets out a sigh, knowing that a Q&A was scheduled. He appreciated doing it for the fans, in knowing that it was for a group who paid extra with the money going to his charity. However, he would’ve preferred it to be scheduled at a different time.

“Oh, and when is Ryan and Lindsay’s wedding?” Chase then looks up from the Ipad. “Yeah, I saw the pair of them walking by as he was on his way to his hauler. I mean, I know that you and Sarina are in love and all cuteness, but they’re probably showing it more than anybody else. I know they’re engaged, so I assume the wedding is a matter of time.” Chase was actually surprised to hear how open Ryan was being about it, knowing he was normally shy on that aspect. It was nice to see his best friend happy, though.

“Sarina said that Lindsay told her that they were going to take their time planning, and enjoy the first steps of being parents. I can’t argue with them on that.” Alan smiles, knowing how much Chase loved spending time with Abigail. He could already picture her attending every single meeting with them, hopeful that the guy’s didn’t get distracted by her cuteness.

“Well when you see Ryan, you can let him know that everybody is seeing their PDA and feeling the love there.”

Chase stands before the crowd, answering the questions as they were being given to him from the host. From his understanding, they were supposed to start off with some pre-planned questions, before the microphone was passed around the room.

Everything went smoothly, with questions being asked about what he feels the team needs to do better, to his chances this weekend, and a couple off-track easy questions. He even appreciated the question from a fan asking how Abigail was doing, keeping details to a minimum.

“So I was wondering if Ryan has asked you to be his best man yet,” a fan then states, earning an immediate chuckle from Chase. It seemed everybody was catching onto Ryan and Lindsay, as it was odd hearing that right after Alan’s comments. He knew the next time they were together, he was going to rib Ryan a bunch given the teasing comments he used to offer.

“He hasn’t asked me quite yet,” Chase replies. “He was my best man for my wedding, so we’ll see what he does. But I am happy for him and Lindsay as they’re happy together, and she treats him right.”

“So what if he asks Darrell instead?” The host asks, which didn’t catch Chase off-guard. He knew of the friendship Ryan and Darrell shared.

“I’d understand. I mean, they’re best of friends, going to Disney and Hawaii together without me.” The comment earns a couple chuckles from the crowd as they remember the Daytona jokes.

“If he does ask, you could always just send a straight ‘no’ as he says that’s usual for you.” Chase lets out a sigh, remembering that comment as well. However, he also had his reasons then, which he knew Ryan understood with Sarina’s pregnancy and Abigail.

“We’ll have to see….”

While Chase had to admit there was happiness in watching Sarina qualify fifth, he could only wish to share that same glory with her. The second practice on Saturday hadn’t gone much better than first, with them ending the session ranked 22^nd quickest once again.

“Are we tight anymore?” Alan questions, as he walks over with a glance at his driver.

“Nope, it’s finally free,” Chase answers as Alan looks over his notes. “Really, it isn’t all that bad. I can handle how free it is, and I feel that I am being smooth. Maybe we’re just not catching the runs to get the speed, I don’t know.” Alan places a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll figure it out, okay?” Chase nods his head, having not lost that belief in the team, as he watches the crew chief walk away.

He then reaches up, snatching his phone off of the pit box, figuring he’d catch up on messages before going to watch the Xfinity race that afternoon. He was quickly scrolling through, before stopping and freezing when he saw a message from Brittany. Rather than typing a reply, he immediately hits the call button for her.

“Hell-” She starts on the other end.

“Tell me that my daughter is okay, Brittany,” Chase spits out without a drop of hesitation in his voice. He had read the message twice, but still wanted to hear it from her voice.

“Abigail is perfectly fine, Chase. Damien didn’t touch her, or come near her.” Chase takes a calming deep breath, as he glances down thinking it over. “Chase, talk to me….”

“I just needed to hear you say that. I get that you understand why.” It was obvious his worries were on high alert given the past couple of weeks with Sarina and Laiken, combined with the history of events.

“Absolutely. I almost hated texting that to you instead of saying it, but I didn’t want to interr-”

“When it comes to my daughter and her safety, you can interrupt practice any damn time, got it? Alan will understand. The guys will understand. If they don’t, I don’t care.” He then takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down as he knew anger now wouldn’t help anyone. “Tell me what happened…”

“Someone from the hospital security staff came up to the floor and to the room where Cindy and I were. They mentioned that they recognized Damien on cameras, and sent someone to go get him. There was nobody close, though, and he got away without being caught. He simply came to the hospital, stood by outside, walked inside with a quick walk around on the main floor, before leaving. They then told me they’d keep a security guard on our floor near the ICU to make sure that nothing happened if he returned.” Chase wanted to feel comforted in hearing the details, however it only caused his anxiety over the situation to increase. He always believed there was nothing to worry about with Abigail being in the hospital. However, this began to swirl theories for him.

“Brittany, promise me that you’re not going to leave my daughter alone a single moment that we’re away. Also, promise me that you’ll always be with Sarina when she comes home early, please.” He knew it was a big commitment to ask with Brittany having her own life, however it was the only way that he can be assured peace of mind. She had stopped Alison before, so she was capable of handling Damien. He wanted to trust the guard was, too, but wasn’t quite convinced with history on his side.

“Trust me – I wouldn’t think of chancing it given the latest events with Laiken and today here. You have my word, Chase. I’ll do this for however long you need me to, until he is caught.” Chase felt confidence in hearing the promise in her voice, and hoped she was right about Damien’s future.

“Alison may have said that Carter was the biggest threat, as he was connected to everything and found every hole that she managed to get into. However, Damien’s actions make me believe he was the security intel to get through those holes for them both. He’s also playing the game like she played it before – get close enough to cause concern and worry, without doing anything. He’s proving that he can get the necessary access to keep us on our toes.” He takes a deep breath, trying to not reflect back to how Alison did the exact same thing before dropping her big bombshell.

“But Chase, what is his end game? What is he planning to do?” Chase lets out a sigh, wishing he knew that answer. It just didn’t add up with Alison being locked away, and Carter on bail having laid his bed.

“I don’t know, Brittany. I guess that’s for us to figure out.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 210: California Dreamin’

Friday, March 15 – Georgia

Laiken sits down in the food court at the mall, letting out a sigh.

After a busy couple of months between photo shoots, calendar signings, and working with Chase, it was nice to finally have some time to herself. There was no denying it – she loved the job that she had. However, it was also nice to take a small break.

Besides, it was a welcome sight after what happened in Phoenix. Swirling the liquid in her smoothie with her straw, she takes a couple deep breathes. She knew that Carter was dangerous – she just wasn’t aware how dangerous. However, hearing the exact details surrounding what happened to Chase and Sarina, she understood that now. It made her thankful that Chase and Alan walked in when they did, and things hadn’t turned out worse.

She just wished that the nerves over him out on bail would be easier to escape than they are right now.

“Laiken Baumgartner….” She hears her name, and lets out a sigh. Perhaps coming home wasn’t the best idea as everybody seemed to recognize her – on top of those who knew her from Hooters. She then glances in the direction of the voice, looking over the individual. It didn’t take her long to be put the two together.

“Damien Crane, I presume?” She offers, nerves laced in her voice as the name slipped from her lips. She remembered Chase briefing her that he was also someone to watch out for after crossing paths. “We’re sitting in a public food court. There’s cameras everywhere, combined with people. You are obviously not dumb so you won’t try anything right here and now. However, I know the cops are looking for you as you had something to do with getting Carter into the gara-”

“Allegedly, remember? I haven’t stated that I had something to do with it, nor have you found any evidence. He’s a mastermind criminal as I told Mr. Elliott. He can do his own dirty work.” She then rolls her eyes, really not wanting to deal with this. However, she also knew that simply chasing him off wasn’t warranted. Perhaps their conversation would catch someone’s attention who knew of those looking for him, or perhaps he’d shed something that’d be useful later. Like she said, she wasn’t worried here given the security of an open food court.

“What can I do for you?” He then walks over to her table, leaning over one of the chairs.

“I’ve been made aware that you and the ladies aren’t supposed to be back with Chase until Dover in October…” She nods her head, having glanced at the schedule. That was the final of three races that Hooters would be branded with Chase. However, she knew there was other opportunities for them to work together before then.

“That’s what the schedule dictates. May I ask why you’re curious?” Damien smiles a little.

“I’ve been made aware of what happened between you and Mr. Williams. I am obviously concerned about your safety and considering that he is currently out on bail, I wouldn’t want something to happ-”

“If you’re offering your services, I am going to politely decline those. I have my own offerings that I can accept if need be. Anything else, sir?” Damien smiles as he stands up.

“I just hope you don’t regret your decision…” She then watches him turn on his heels, walking away.

She quietly takes her phone out, sending a message to the investigator from Arizona on location and timing of seeing him. If he was so innocent, why hadn’t he agreed to at least go see them and speak with them about what happened?

She then texted Chase about the conversation, leaving out no details, while assuring him that she was completely safe so he wouldn’t worry considering his apprehensions last week.

Taking a deep breath, she then focuses back on her drink, trying to shake every feeling that seemed to radiate through her right now. Maybe it would’ve been better to do something this weekend to have a distraction.

Friday, March 15 – Auto Club Speedway

Chase pulls into the garage stall, following the third and final run of the hour-long practice session. With Alan following a strict set of ideas to try for the session, it was all about figuring out the best handling and strategy to lay down the quickest lap in qualifying later that day.

After playing around with a couple other cars, as well as set-up ideas, they’d done well, ranking seventh quickest with just seven laps on the board. More importantly, they knew the direction they wanted to go with having seen Jimmie top the session after making only five laps himself.

“Did I not promise you that I would get you the pole you desperately wanted?” Alan questions, catching a glance from Chase as he takes the belts off.

“I believed you,” he offers in response. “We’ve been making progress each week. We’re going to get there. I saw what Jimmie did. Now we just need to copy him.” Alan smiles, nodding his head in approval, having watched the move himself. He knew the key was making sure to get in line where they could have an advantage, and felt comfortable in doing that with Eddie on the roof.

“There’s a reason he’s seven-time, like you say….” Chase climbs out of the car, almost rolling his eyes as he knew Alan was having a bit of fun with a cheap shot.

“Two can play this game..” He then walks over to the pit box, picking up his phone. Normally he wouldn’t care to worry, but felt the need to check after the texts from Laiken prior to practice.

“Don’t I always wi-”

“Son of a bitch!” Alan then takes a step back, surprised by the reaction as he watches Chase carefully. He knew if his driver had that reaction, something had to be wrong. “I knew that she should’ve called someone or done something.”

“What’s going on?” Alan could only watch as Chase feverishly sent a message back in return, foot tapping a bit as he did so. “Chase…”

“Laiken.” Chase finally glances up at the crew chief. “She told me that everything was fine, Damien was just poking around for fun, and she quietly handed over the information of where he was to the investigator. She told me not to worry, but that she just wanted to let me kno-”

“You told me everything before practice. Why the reaction now?” Chase glances back at his phone, seeing a new message from her, as he lets out a sigh.

“She went about the rest of her day shopping and doing stuff as she originally planned. She went out to her car, to find a note stating that they had eyes on her every move and couldn’t wait to see her again.” Alan takes his own deep breath, knowing what that meant.

“So Damien is working with Carter as we thought he was….” Chase gives the crew chief a look, given that was supposed to be the most obvious fact of the day. “Where is she?”

“As soon as she found the note, she went back inside and made the phone call. They picked her up there, and she’s down giving her statement and talking to them. Afterwards, she says that she’s going to go stay with her parents.” Alan nods his head, easily accepting that as he knew it’d be comforting for everybody to know that she was with someone. He couldn’t help but admit his own nerves to the note.

“You’ve told her the policy that we foll-”

“Never spend any time alone so that way someone is always there incase. I told her before, and I told her again. She promises to follow it now because she’s – well, obviously afraid now.” Alan could also see that fear on Chase’s face, as he places a hand on his young driver’s shoulder.

“She’s going to be fine, Chase. She’s a very smart lady. No matter what else they try, she will be able to deal with it – just like we can handle whatever happens here. We’re following the rules too, and we know they won’t try anything stupid.” Chase almost wanted to roll his eyes in response, but just simply nodded his head in return.

“I just wish that she wasn’t stuck in the middle of this, you know? It’s not fair! She’s just doing her simple job with me and boom – she’s a target now. How is that fair?” Alan just shakes his head in response.

“None of this is fair, Chase. This hasn’t been fair since the very beginning when it started. But it will be over soon. They found Carter, and they’re going through the full legal process with him. They are going to find Damien. It will end – finally.” Chase kept telling himself those same words, knowing it eventually did with Alison as well. But he couldn’t help but think how long that took.

He knew they couldn’t handle another whole year of that.

Another week of practice in the book, and another smile on Sarina’s face. Once again, they’d shown speed.

Once again, she had finished both sessions in the top-10. Though even better, they’d gotten stronger from the last time they were on an intermediate track. Rather than just being inside of the top-10, she had managed to crack the top-five in the first session. There was that progress that she and Dave kept pushing on each other every weekend. It was actually nice to see the fruits of their labor begin paying off.

“How is your daughter, by the way?” Dave asks once they get done breaking down everything from the pair of practices. It the usual process with him as the crew chief was always checking on how Abigail was doing.

“Would you believe she gained another half of an ounce?” She questions back in return, earning a partial shocked glance from the crew chief. It was certainly a bigger gain than he had heard weeks prior, and he knew that probably meant good things. “She’s doing amazing, though. Chase and I spent the whole week taking turns cuddling her, talking with her, and just being there. I can’t begin to describe how magical it is sitting back watching him hold her. It’s almost more special than the times that I get to hold her. But on top of that, we have finally began to feed her formula. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start right? Right now, they’re giving her half of what they were through the tubes with what we’ve been able to give her. We’re hoping next week to push that even more. They even said she may be able to come to Texas with us.”

“Really? She’s all the way at that point?” Sarina nods her head, actually feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride in that. She couldn’t wait to have her all the time as she knew it’d make everything easier for both her and Chase. She also was willing to selfishly admit that she couldn’t wait to show her off to everybody. “That’s amazing. I’m glad to hear that for you, Sarina. I know you were both really worried for a while so it’s great to see that continued progress.”

“Trust me, you’re not the only one – and I appreciate how supportive that you, Kelley, and everybody have been through this with the schedule. I know if I spent more time in the shop with you, it’d probably make my progress even bett-”

“Hey now, don’t beat yourself up. You’re still constantly in conversation with me via phone calls, text messages and e-mails. You’re also still following through with the homework that you’re given to study for the next week. You’re following through with your commitment, Sarina. You have nothing to apologize for.” She could only smile back in return, grateful for the trust that was already there. She knew it meant more to her than Dave probably realized to hear that easily back in return.

“By the way, I know we normally do meetings on Monday. Recall that I rescheduled this week to Wednesday.” Dave nods his head, remembering the conversation a couple weeks ago. It didn’t bother him considering it was an off-week anyway so there was nothing immediately to discuss.

“If you’re more sore than you realized you’d be on Wednesday, don’t hesitate to push it back even further. It’s an off-week so we don’t necessarily need to go over everything immediately.” She nods her head, accepting, however she knew no matter what she wanted to keep the commitment they had together. She just hoped it’d work out that both her and Chase could do this smoothly.

“I will keep that in mind as I may be stuck taking care of someone, too.” Dave then glances over, slightly confused. “On top of the egg retrieval, I was also going to get my tubes tied since we don’t want to risk another pregnancy so we were not ever going to go down that road. However, instead, Chase wants to instill his commitment to this and take a part with getting a vasectomy.”

“Oh….” The crew chief could only nod his head, not sure what direction to go with this as he could see a change in Sarina’s demeanor. “I’m guessing that you’re not super supportive of the decision.”

“Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate what he’s doing, and fully understand his reasons that he told me which is I’m the only person he’d have kids with. I also told him that I was super supportive and understanding and willing to do what he wants, because frankly, that’s how he’s handled everything from the beginning with me in wanting me to steer the ship with decisions. However, secretly, I am having a couple doubts on this.” Dave didn’t know if he wanted to really charter down this path of conversation, but knew there was no turning back now.

“Did you tell Chase about your concerns?” She nods her head, remembering the conversation.

“I brought up Alison, and what she said and what happened because Dave, there’s no way to get around that. That’s always going to be there.” She glances down, taking a shaky deep breath, knowing that feeling all too well with what she had endured with Carter – and that was very, very minimal compared to what Chase dealt with. “He didn’t totally deny it, either. He told me that’d always be there, and maybe it did play a part. But he then told me that wasn’t the reason he made the decision, and stated the reasons I told you before. So I just let it go, believing him.”

“Do you still believe him?” She glances up, nodding her head. There was no way she could question the trust and belief they had in each other now. “Well, that’s good. All I can suggest, though, is that if you’re having any doubts or concerns, don’t hide them. Talk to him and tell him how you’re feeling, and where you stand. This is a big decision – life altering, something you can’t go back on. Don’t button your lip just for the sake of wanting it to be peaches and cream to have regrets later.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks Dave for just taking the bull and running with it there…” He reaches over, placing a hand on her leg.

“Just like Kelley has told you from the beginning, we’re family at JR Motorsports. We do whatever it takes for each other, even if it means awkward conversations.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 209: TicketGuardian 500

Sunday, March 11 – ISM Raceway

Chase watches the girls walk over, giving them each a hug, including one of those a little longer for Laiken. He then poses for a photo with all four of them, followed by their select guests.

“Are you okay?” Chase asks Laiken quietly afterwards as she glances over at him.

“I told you that I was fine, didn’t I?” She responds and he nods his head, remembering how she repeated that over in the trailer. However, he also knew how these things typically worked.

“It’s easy to feel fine and think that you can handle it with no problem, and then realize that isn’t the case later on. That’s how the mind plays tricks on you, because given time to think, it’s not always black and white.” He then glances around, before turning back to her. “I thought I could handle Alison like it was nothing, but continuing to resonate those feelings over and over, it had an effect on me.”

“And that’s why you’re so defensive about Sarina and what happened to her, knowing those feelings?” He gives her a slight nod, knowing that he couldn’t hide that with what she’d seen. “And that’s why you did what you did in the trailer.”

“I did what I did to protect you. He was obviously confronting you about the meeting and what happened, and we know how he handles things. I wasn’t about to let that happen to you so I did what I had to do. Now, did I perhaps go a little too far? I probably didn’t need to try and break his fingers – but I don’t regret it.” She wanted to continue to feel that way, and was grateful for his actions. However, that didn’t mean she was going to just go forward.

“And what about the possibility of charges?” He shrugs his shoulders. “Seriously?”

“Once the judge and jury hear what he did to me, combined with what he did to Sarina and you, they’ll understand. I was simply protecting you, nothing else. I’ll take the fall. As I told you, you don’t need to worry.” She then looks around, glancing at the other girls as they posed for images with some fans, before turning back to Chase.

“Even if that means that I’m worried and scared that he could be around the corner? I admit that when I watch people walk up to us, I worry that it may be him. I admit that I may be extra guarded in how I am handling things today, and since Wednesday. I warned the girls, and I told them to take extra measures. I’m double checking every single whereabouts. Is that normal?” Chase nods his head, knowing he had done the same.

“After Alison spent a week with me, I was just as jumpy as you’re being if not worse. The slightest touch from anyone, even Sarina, caused me to freeze up.” He takes a deep breath, still remembering the first kiss she tried to give him after everything.

“Does it get easier?” He nods his head once again. “Will that feeling ever go away?”

“Once you know that he can’t hurt you again, that’ll really make things easier because the threat you know is gone. But overall, it may go away instantly or it may take time. it just depends how much it affected you.” He then reaches out and places her hand on hers. “It’s okay to admit that, Laiken.”

“It’s not like he really did anythin-”

“He corned you, and threatened your life. He showed that he has the power to do whatever is necessary to control you and everything. That’s enough to scare someone, Laiken. It’s okay to admit it. it’s actually better if you do, so you can talk about your fear and get help if you need that.” She takes a deep breath, easily accepting the advice.

“Thank you, I mean it Chase. I actually am going to miss the next couple of weeks.” He chuckles, having to agree. After spending back-to-back weekends together, Laiken and the girls wouldn’t be around until their next appearance at Talladega Superspeedway.

“Don’t be stranger. You can always text me, any time of the day. I also know that you know where Northeast Georgia Medical is, and I’m sure someone would like to see you.” Laiken smiles, knowing that he was referencing Abigail.

“Hopefully the next time we see each other, she’s at the track with us adorning her sweet gear.” He had to agree as it’d certainly be a great feeling to have her at the track with them.

Sunday, March 11 – Northeast Georgia Medical Hospital

Sarina glances over as she watches him walk over, sharing a quick kiss, before their fingers intertwine together.

“We had a fast car – what else can I say?” He offers with a sigh as he glances down at Abigail.

“You are going to figure this out, and start getting the finishes you deserve, and the wins,” she tells him as he looks over at her, nodding his head in agreement.

“The guys are working too hard not to accomplish that. We just need to keep working in the direction that we’re heading as we’re getting closer. We’re going to do this, Sarina.”

Certainly the TicketGuardian 500 didn’t go as planned for Chase Elliott and the team. He started on the front row, but was immediately handed a penalty right off the drop of the green flag. As they came to the green, both him and Ryan left at the same time, but Ryan spun the tires. As a result, Chase pulled ahead, and got nabbed with jumping the start.

“They seriously need to look at that rule as it’s unfair if someone spins their tires,” she comments as they reflected back over the events of the day. Although Chase wasn’t pleased with the circumstances at the time, and expressed those over the radio, he was hesitant about that.

“That makes it a judgment call by NASCAR, and we know how they handle those,” he replies, referring back to the first couple weeks of the season with the restart issues at Daytona.

“Do you realize that I am still pissed off about that?” He chuckles, not actually surprised as he knew that she wasn’t as quick to let stuff go as he was.

Despite having to serve a pass through penalty, Chase didn’t go a lap down in the process, and was able to catch a caution to keep him ahead of the leaders. With a decent handling No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet underneath him, he was able to make up ground on the crazy restarts, battling four-wide as he moved himself back into the top-10.

However, the pit stop in the final stage would not go accordingly, with the left rear tire being a little loose. Chase tried to battle hard and keep the car underneath him, but unfortunately went around for the spin through the dog leg.

“I was surprised you didn’t snap at the crew with what happened,” Sarina offers, remembering the calm radio transmission.

“It wouldn’t change anything, and those guys don’t makes mistakes often,” Chase reasons, knowing they’ve saved his butt more times than once.

Despite having to restart deep in the field afterwards, he was able to work his way forward for a 14^th-place finish. It certainly wasn’t the finish they were looking for, but at least things hadn’t gone worse.

“We showed perseverance, and fight,” Chase comments as he picks up Abigail in his arms. “Just like someone else that I know really well, whose doing an absolutely amazing job.” He then leans in, kissing her little cheek.

“They said that she’s keeping her numbers up on her own,” Sarina reports, noting that the breathing tubes had been taken out. “They’re hoping maybe later this week we can see if she can handle eating.”

“One step closer to bringing her home, finally….” Sarina nods her head, as she glances over the room. It was strange how they’d gotten so used to their surroundings over the past month. It was almost surreal to think about bringing her home to the nursery.

“They asked me about breast feeding, and I told them about how we didn’t feel totally comfortable due to scheduling conflicts and concerns. I mean, what if you don’t have enough when we’re not together some weekends? They understood, for lack of better terms, so they’re going to move forward with the formula.” Chase glances at Abigail, though had an eye locked on Sarina the entire time.

“Lack of better terms?” She then lets out a sigh, not really wanting to dive into the discussion.

“One of the nurses feels that it’s improper, not the right nourishment, and doesn’t work for showing the proper bond between mother and daughter – or something like that. She almost practically blasted me when I answered the question.” Chase’s jaw was practically on the floor at this point.

“Seriously?” She could hear the defensiveness in his voice, as she put her hand on his arm.

“Relax, as the other doctor gave me understanding based on the situation and said there’s nothing to be concerned about in that regard. Cindy also stood up for us, too. Don’t get mad. It’s nothing to worry about.” He nods his head, accepting, but knew that he wasn’t just going to forget and ignore as she intended he would.

“Other than that, everything has gone smoothly here?” She nods her head as she looks down at Abigail in his arms.

“She’s an angel, Chase. She’s perfect. She’s everything that we dreamed of, and she’s been worth every single sacrifice, pain-staking moment that we’ve been through.” Sarina glances at the ground, taking a deep breath, which only leads to Chase watching her closely.

“Are you okay?” She nods her head as she slowly looks back up at him. “If you’re thinking about Carter or what happened, you can tell m-”

“I’m fine, Chase. I’d rather just focus on her, and moving forward right now, please…” He was willing to accept, knowing that she’d open the doors when she was fully ready. Knowing that she had talked about it some, along with telling Christopher, it gave him some comfort.

“You know that I’m always here for you, right?” She nods her head.

“Forever and always, I know that I am stuck with you – and I wouldn’t ever change that.” She then takes a deep breath, knowing another topic they hadn’t touched on. “So next week is my off week…”

“I’d totally understand if you don’t come to Martinsville with me.” She already was thinking about that, wanting the time with Abigail, but that’s not why she brought it up.

“Actually, I spoke with Dr. Grayson. We’re planning on doing the egg retrieval next Monday. She said that she can come down here and do it so we’re close to Abigail.” Chase nods his head, not really having concerned himself with that in the midst of everything Carter-related.

“Are you still sure that you want to do this?” She nods her head, accepting.

“I want to keep our options open. We’ve been forewarned from everybody about doing a second pregnancy, and I have to agree as I know Abigail was a huge ris-”

“But I wouldn’t change a thing, because she’s well worth it…” She smiles as he keeps her cuddled close to him.

“Trust me, I don’t regret anything.” She then sits back in the chair, taking a deep breath. “We don’t know what direction we want to take, though. We’ve tried discussing this, and yet we can’t finalize our plans. Truthfully, I don’t want to finalize our plans and then regret them later – hence keeping the doors open. That’s why I want to have the eggs  in case we do the surrogacy route. That’s why I want to keep the discussion open about maybe expanding our family – if we want. That’s why I’m willing to learn more about the adoption process.”

“Like I told you, I support you fully and completely no matter what route that you decide to go. I’m on this train, no matter wha-”

“You’re my co-conductor, and you get an equal say as well, Chase. I don’t want you to forget that. This is our family so we both should be making the decisions. Besides, Dr. Grayson says the egg retrieval process isn’t that bad either. She says I may be sore for a couple days, and there may be a little bleeding – but that’s it. it’s essentially harmless.” Chase still remembered the initial discussion when the topic came up with Dr. Grayson and the full procedure breakdown.

“That just means you better take it easy afterwards…” She lets out a sigh, having expected that.

“You know that I am just going to be down here keeping an eye on her, so why are you worried?” He smiles, as he believed that fully. “But actually, I was thinking the same time, I should get my tubes tied and I brought that up to Dr. Grayson.”

“Again, I support you fully no matter what, and considering that we do not want another pregnancy, that is the safest route.” She nods her head, as that’d been the reasoning for why she did it.

“She says it’d make sense to do everything at once, and would’ve recommended doing it when I had Abigail if we weren’t retrieving eggs. She also agrees about the timing as I’ll definitely be sore for a couple of days.” Chase was willing to accept, knowing that the downtime was perfect for that, and at least he’d be with her until having to leave for Martinsville on Saturday to make sure she followed orders.

“Can I be honest with you?” She looks at him curiously, and intrigued given the timing of his comment. “I appreciate everything that you’re doing, and willing to sacrifice for both of us. However, I’ve done my research. It’s safer for the man to get a vasectomy with less risks than it is for the woman to get her tubes tied. I also spoke to Dr. Grayson this past weekend and we spoke of the risk factors and everything due to your health.”

“She mentioned that you stopped by with some questions….” Chase knew that wasn’t the full extent, but asked Dr. Grayson not tell Sarina until he had a chance to. She easily respected his wishes via patient confidentially.

“Did you know that it takes three months for it to become effective?” She shakes her head, actually surprised. “So I was thinking until June and she tests to make sure it worked, we should follow the usual protec-”

“Are you saying that you’re getting it done?” Unable to reach out and touch her hand as he wanted with holding Abigail, he stares right into her eyes.

“You’ve done so much sacrificing and taking every steep necessary to do what you need to do for us. you went through the pregnancy, and you’ve gone through the countless appointments. I’ve told you from day one that I am in this with you no matter what, and that includes this. If you’re not going to have any more kids, then honey, I can promise you that I am not getting any other girl pregnant.” She watches him carefully, actually intrigued by his stance.

“But are you absolutely certain that you want to do this?” He nods his head.

“On Monday when you get eggs retrieved, Dr. Grayson’s partner is going to handle doing a vasectomy.” She takes a careful deep breath, accepting. “I know you’re going to bring up Martinsville and my schedule, but everybody whose got it done has assured me that a couple days later, I’ll be fine. So why don’t we take things slow together, and each have a hand in this step?” She appreciated his commitment, but still ahd questions.

“I wanted your semen to fertilize the eggs if we went down the surroga-”

“I am having some frozen just for that reason, because I want the same thing.” She smiles, glad that they were on-board together that way.

“Are you sure you’re not doing this out of fear? Are you sure what happened with Alison isn’t pushing you this way?” He glances away, taking a deep breath, feeling a blood of feelings in the moment. “Chase….”

“I can’t lie and say that it didn’t change my perspective. It’s stuck with me forever, no matter what I do. Maybe it had a role in my decision, but it’s not why I chose to do this.” He then slowly looks back over at her. “I chose to do this because I love you, and I want to stand by you side-by-side through everything. I chose to do this as a sign of my support, so that way you’re not having to sacrifice everything and do everything to make this happen. Let me have a role in this, please…”

“As long as you’re fully comfortable in doing this, I am not going to stop you, and I am going to fully support your decision just like you’ve supported me. Thank you..” She then leans in, kissing his cheek. “I love you, Clyde.”

“I love you, too.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 208: IK9 Service Dog 200

Friday, March 9 – ISM Raceway

Although it sucked to miss the pole by that little bit, there was a brighter side of pit road from the day. Chase was still finding himself in a bit of shock as he walked down to see Daniel.

“Do I want to know what happened between you and Michael?” He asks and Daniel lets out a sigh.

“He screwed me over there!” Daniel point blankly says. “We were rolling off, and he rolled right in front of me. Like, who does that?” The answer seemed almost too obvious, knowing Chase’s own track record with Michael McDowell.

“McFuckle?” Daniel’s jaw admittedly dropped in surprise by the comment.

“So I just tried to get in his way like he did to me. I’m the kind of driver that I’m going to give a lot of respect to you always, if you give me respect back. If you don’t get me respect, I’m going to kick your ass.” Chase nods his head, having seen that easily. “I went over to tell him what I thought, he tried to punch me, so I let him know how I felt.”

“Well I just came down here to give you a big high-five and say you earned a fan. That’s probably the best thing that has happened all day, if I am being honest. Thank you very much for that!” Daniel easily accepts the high-five with a smile. “Oh, and you need to show me those moves sometime. Where did you learn that?”

“I wrestled around with friends all my life. I can show you – as long as you promise to stay in my good graces.” Chase smiles, knowing that quite fair. However, he could also see that happening as he and Daniel hadn’t ever ran into any issues.

“Respect. I know how to give and receive…”

Saturday, March 10 – ISM Raceway

Dave Elenz walks over, holding his hand up following the Xfinity Series qualifying session, easily accepting a high-five in return from Sarina. However, he couldn’t help but notice the facial expression didn’t match the happiness.

“Sixth isn’t that bad of a starting spot,” Dave comments, and Sarina nods her head accepting. She couldn’t complain about that that as it was certainly a good place to start from that afternoon. “Are you still mad that Chase won’t be here for race time?”

“Nope, as I know it’s bound to happen some weeks with our schedules,” she replies, although admittedly she wasn’t feeling too great about that either. The part that probably made her the most angry about that was how Laiken was forced in the box of doing it that way virtue of Carter.

“Does it deal with Abigail?” Sarina shakes her head no as Dave was now really confused. “So excuse me for asking, but what has gotten you in a bunch?”

“Carter was given bail.” Dave’s jaw drops immediately as he glances around, before turning his eyes directly on her. He, like everybody else, believed everything was over by the moment that he was arrested yesterday. However, with the fact that Carter was not sitting in a cell, they knew that opened the door of possibilities – again. “How does someone who openly attempted to murder someone with witnesses, and then attacked two people following that get bail? It doesn’t make sense to me, Dave!”

“Did they give a reasoning at all?” She lets out a sigh, shaking her head no as she remembered the message they received that morning.

“He’s just not allowed to fly out of the country, or that is breaking the terms of his bail. He also has to keep a distance between myself, Chase, and Laiken.” She then glances down, taking a deep breath. It all sounded good on paper. However, it did nothing for her nerves as she remembered his touch against her skin.

“Well, for what it is worth, the team and I will do whatever we can for you to make sure that you’re protected.” She glances back up, slowly nodding her head. That was the usual words that she had been given by everybody. That was what they heard last year when it came to Alison and Chase. Where did that get them?

“Thank you.” She then glances back towards the No. 9 Chevrolet sitting on pit road. “I just want to focus on the task at hand, do the best job that I can, and give you the finish that this team deserves. So let’s focus on that. We have a good car today, Dave. We just need to do our jobs.”

“That’s why I’m here – to do whatever it takes to make us both successful.”

Saturday, March 10 – ISM Raceway

Chase Elliott leans over the engineer’s shoulders, taking a closer look at the throttle trace.

“Bring up the previous screen…” He requests, which is easily allowed as they flip back to what they were looking at before.

The session hadn’t gone terrible, but it wasn’t anything to write home about either. He had finished the pair of sessions ranked 18^th and 12^th, fighting a tight handling car through the second. However, the constant improvement in the handling, along with seeing the strength over a run, he believed that they stood a good chance for Sunday’s race.

“Thank you,” he says before standing up, taking a sip of his drink as he looks over at Alan. The graphs had been enough to see what he was curious about, and helped answer a couple of his questions. “Alan, if we go the direction you mentioned for turn three, I think it’ll be much better than what we tried.”

“Do you want to do that for the beginning and enter with the small unknown, or stick to what works?” Alan wonders, which leaves Chase to think it over. He knew they could easily gamble wrong, but starting up front, he believed they could overcome that if it was case.

“Let’s go with it. The worse case is we fade back to the back-half of the top-10 if you go too far.” Alan nods his head, accepting, as he makes a note on his piece of paper.

“When do you have to leave for the appearance?” Chase glances at the time, remembering the conversation with Morgan and Laiken earlier that morning. He hated that he was having to leave before the Xfinity race as he wanted to watch Sarina.

“Just after 4 so in a half ho-”

“Mr. Elliott?” They hear, catching them both off-guard. They turn, half-expecting a NASCAR official or media representative. However, they’re both caught off-guard when they see it’s a police officer. “I’m Officer Jordan Bates. I have some questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Absolutely,” Chase replies, knowing anything in relation to Carter was important and he was ready to deal with. Anyway to make this end for everybody was welcome by him.

“January 6, 2019 – do you recall the date?” Chase nods his head, knowing that was when he and Sarina got married at Whiskey River. There was no way he could ever forget that date. “Did you illegally enter a property that did not belong to you?”

“I’ve already told the police this, but yes, I did enter the property. Carter shot me, and myself – along with Christopher, Morgan and Sarina – were stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Christopher knew we needed to get shelter immediately while trying to do what he could in helping me with the bullet stuck in my arm, so we entered what was presumed an abandoned cabin and stayed there for a couple days until he got the truck running.” Alan stands over Chase’s shoulder, arms crossed, intrigued by the angle of the questioning.

“It was our understanding that the property belonged to Sasha Kraus and he wasn’t pressing any charges,” Alan adds, remembering the discussion with Chase afterwards. “So why are you bothering Chase about this now?”

“With all due respect, Mr. Gustafson, it came up as we were going over a trial of events with Mr. Williams,” the officer informs them as Alan rolls his eyes. “As of right now, there is nothing more to be expected from that as Mr. Kraus once again stated he wasn’t pressing charges, understanding the circumstances and his plea deal.” Chase takes a deep breath, remembering when the deal was made. He still wasn’t completely content with a deal being struck with someone, however Sasha appeared to be the least of his worries. “My partner spoke to you about what happened in the trailer, between yourself, Mr. Williams and Mrs. Baumgartner, correct?”

“I told them everything that I saw and happened,” Chase states clearly, feeling a small flip in the stomach. He could hear Laiken’s words ringing over in his head.

“You admitted to your actions against Mr. Williams, correct?” Chase nods his head, remembering what he said directly.

“I came in and he was threatening Laiken, so I pushed him down and held him there until you guys got there. I was just doing what I needed to protect her, in knowing what he is capable of.” The officer glances over his notes.

“Would that include purposely breaking fingers by pulling them back on top of a general hold?” Chase takes a deep breath, nodding his head. He knew it probably wasn’t necessary, or the right course of action. However, he also couldn’t admit that he wouldn’t do it again if in the same position.

“If someone placed their hands all over your wife or girlfriend, wouldn’t you do the sa-”

“What is the point of this questioning?” Alan cuts him off, glancing between the pair. He could almost see what was about to be stated, and knew he didn’t need Chase to dig the hole any deeper than they probably already had – even if he agreed with what had happened.

“Mr. Williams and his lawyer have made it clear that they feel you assaulted him, through the shove and finger grabbing, and feel charges should be pressed.” Chase takes a deep breath, remembering the words spoken by Carter in the trailer.

“So are you here to press charges, or just waste my time?” Chase questions, earning a stern glance in return from Alan. He knew this probably wasn’t the right time to be dropping every bit of necessary attitude.

“As of right now, our bosses feel the charges aren’t necessary for you based on the circumstances and events. However, they may become necessary as we move forward. So I am here to simply warn you to not be out of sight or mind  in case we do need to find you.” Alan almost had to chuckle at that, knowing it’d be practically mission impossible.

“That’s fair. How about you just do your job in making sure that Carter stays away from me, Sarina, Laiken, and everybody else? I know he got bail, and if something happens, that’s on your shoulders. I think you should be worried about a serial madman right now.” Chase then walks out of the garage stall, leaving Alan standing there facing the officer without a single word to say. What else could he say? He knew that his driver was right in his words.

“If we’re unable to fin-” the officer starts as Alan crosses his arms.

“You heard what he said,” Alan interrupts. “He’ll be available if you do need him necessarily. But let’s not forget that you have failed to do your job in protecting him, Sarina, and others for awhile now. The police easily allowed Alison Reynolds to run around the country like a free woman despite multiple warrants and charges, and now they’ve allowed another person like Carter Williams to be released on bail. You have to understand where his frustration is coming from because I am frustrated as well. Do your job, please.” Alan then heads out, knowing that he probably wouldn’t catch up with Chase before he left for the appearance. However, he also didn’t want to be standing there with the officer any longer, either.

Sarina leans back against the car, simply letting out a sigh.

The day had started off beautifully as she ran in the top-five through the first two stages. However, their inability to keep up with the adjustments and changing track conditions would see her fade in the back half of the race to an 11^th-place finish.

“I’m sorry,” Dave immediately apologizes as he walks over. “I should’ve went further with those adjustments before the final stage. I should’ve realized that it’d just continue to go that direction.” She appreciated the immediate apology, but hated to see him shoulder all the blame.

“It’s not just your fault,” she tells him. “Sure, you make the adjustments and calls on the car. However, you need the information from me to make the adjustments necessary. That’s something I struggled with last year at times, and that’s something I’m clearly struggling with again. I need to get better with my feedback and telling you what I’m feeling so you can do your job.” Dave leans back against the car alongside her.

“That comes with experience and time, and you’ll get there. You’re still young, and this is only your seventh Xfinity race. I know you want to be hard on yourself and feel you’re letting me down, but we’re a team. We’re going to get better at this.” She then glances over.

“Really?” He nods his head, already thinking in his mind the steps to take.

“You’re doing a decent job telling me what you’re feeling. However, we need to get you to break down the handling even more. We need to work at breaking the corner into sections, and really using the scale properly and not letting the feelings of that day get in the way. Just because we’re frustrated, we can’t go say it’s something stronger than what we said it was earlier on that same scale. It comes with practice, and patience.” She then lets out a sigh, having heard that countless times last year from Rudy.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes, Dave. I’m determined to get there as I want to be the best that I can so I can take advantage of this opportunity. Just tell me what I need to do.” Dave appreciated her dedication as that was certainly a great attribute for a young driver.

“I am going to send you some on-board video and radio transmissions from experienced drivers. I want you to listen to how they break down their feedback. I want you to listen to how detailed they go into everything during practice, and how they offer that during the race. I want you to work towards slowly getting to that level each weekend. Can we do that?” She nods her head with a smile. It was certainly a great step to be taking forward. “On top of that, we’re new to each other as we’re just working together for the fourth time. As we improve our chemistry and understanding of each other, combined with what you’re going to work on, I think everything will come together as we want.”

“I appreciate your understanding, and patience, and willing to do this for me. It means a lot, Dave.” He looks over with a sly smile on his face.

“You’ve proven your talent, Sarina. It’s time for us to hone in on that and let it shine for the world to see.” He watches as she glances at her phone, glancing through a couple videos and photos posted by Hooters. “So when does hubby get back from Hooters?”

“About an hour, actually. He said he’s going to bring me back some wings. Do you want anything?” Dave shakes his head no, knowing he’d go out with the crew for a quick bite before they catch their flight home.

“Are you still going to make it to the airport in time to fly home with us tonight?” She nods her head, having worked out all the logistics already. There was no way that she was spending another night and day away from Abigail, especially with all the other thoughts swirling through her mind.

“She’s my therapy right now, Dave. I need to see my little girl…..”