Summary: Having Henrietta and Karen as moms is amazing but also boring, leaving you trying to find ways to bring more excitement into your life.
Warnings: Reader Injury
Henrietta Wilson Masterlist-Don't Tell My Mom Masterlist
1.5k
-~-
Life with Hen and Karen as moms was amazing. They were there for you whenever you needed them. They were at every school play, science fair, and award ceremony. They wiped away every tear and spent every moment reminding you that you were loved. It was amazing…and it was boring.
Sure, there were moments when Hen got hurt on the job or Karen’s work exploded, but that started to seem normal at this point. You came to expect there to be a little danger in their life. In yours, though, there was none. You were loved, you were safe, and you were going crazy. All you wanted was something to bring a spark to this life that you had been given. A little something to remind you what you should be grateful for.
Which is how you got into street racing right after you graduated high school. At first, it was just supposed to be something to pass the time in the summer before you started college. But then you discovered you were good at it. You had a sixth sense for what the other drivers were going to do, obstacles in the road, and the way the car would react to different conditions. You were unstoppable as soon as the seatbelt tightened around your waist.
It got you a lot of money, but it also got you a lot of enemies. These enemies pushed the rules a little further for every race. There weren’t many to begin with, but the few that were actually followed were the basic things that kept you safe. You followed them, but it became increasingly apparent that other people weren’t going to.
You had almost backed out that night because of the unusual amount of rain that had made the regular route almost indistinguishable, but one of your competitors had been taunting you. When the taunts had turned personal, attacking your mothers you knew that you had to do it. Hell or high water, you were going to compete in the race.
You discovered just how high that water was when you got into the third turn of the race. Right before the long stretch, it had flooded, meaning that to exit the turn safely, one would have to slow down. You had planned to slow down and make up the speed somewhere else, but your biggest rival had decided to make his move right at the edge of the puddle. He turned his car just enough to cut off the angle that you wanted to take.
It left you with two options: to speed up or to stop entirely. You knew that he wanted you to stop entirely, but you knew that speeding up would serve you better. You were less likely to slide if you sped up. What you didn’t take into consideration was the fact that he would be irritated by you speeding up. His irritation meant that he jerked his car towards you sending you both flying up the nearest wall. You realized when you were upside down that you had made a horrible mistake. You hadn’t told your moms you loved them before leaving the house.
You don't feel the crash. The impact is so painful and all-consuming that you black out as soon as you hit the ground. You flicker in and out of consciousness when you start to hear people talking.
“Karen, what are you doing here?” Hen asks her wife, who runs onto the scene, phone clutched in her hand.
“It’s Y/N. Life 360 said she was in a car crash,” she flips the phone around to show Hen your flashing dot on the screen.
Hen’s eyes swivel to the two crashed cars. A man, conscious and barely scraped, comes out of one, and the other still lies toppled over as Buck figures out what to do. Her face pales, and her stomach sinks when a pitiful Mom. Momma. comes from the driver’s side. She rushes over, doing her best to avoid chunks of glass as she leans down.
“Oh, baby girl,” she murmurs just as Karen screams.
Bobby does his best to catch Karen as the crew swivels to help you. The man from the other car protests as he is loaded unceremoniously into Athena’s squad car.
“I didn't do anything!” He yells.
Athena jerks her head over to the growing crowd. “The video taped every idiot. You caused this accident.”
“That bitch deserved it. She doesn't belong here!” He spouts out before Athena can get him in the car.
Hen turns as if to strangle the man herself, but Chimney holds her back. “He isn't worth it, Hen. We have to save your kid.”
The process is long, and Hen can barely see through waves of tears, but eventually you slide out from the car. They load you onto the stretcher running towards the waiting ambulance when it finally happens. The monitor beeps once, twice, then flatlines entirely. The only thing Hen can think about at that moment is that she didn't tell you that she loved you before she left for work that night.
-~-
You groan when bright lights spot your vision. You go to cover your eyes, but shooting pain radiates up your arm, halting the movement. You feel fingers lace through yours and a gentle squeeze before the lights are dimmed.
This time, when you open your eyes, you are able to take in the sterile surroundings of a hospital. Your eyes catch on a large cast that goes from your foot to halfway up your thigh. It’s uncomfortable, but your leg is there and functional as you slowly curl and uncurl your toes.
That is when a soft laugh you have known your whole life catches your attention. You turn to see Hen holding your hand with tears running down her cheeks. You smile, squeezing her hand.
“I love you, Mama,” you whisper, your voice cracking from lack of use.
It is a watery laugh this time as Hen brushes a strand of hair off your forehead. She leans forward to press a soft kiss to the spot she just cleared. When she pulls back, she keeps her forehead pressed against yours.
“I love you, baby girl. So much,” she whispers as she breathes for the first time in days.
You look around the room at flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals that seem to cover every surface. You smile at the outpouring of love but notice an absence as well.
“Where is mom?” You ask nervously, afraid she is upset with you.
“We have been taking shifts between staying with you and watching Danny and Mara,” Hen explains, reaching for her phone. “I'll call her.”
“Can I?” You ask, reaching for the phone.
Hen hands it over, and you press the FaceTime for Karen. It rings once before she picks it up, her anxious face filling the screen.
“Hen is,” she gasps when she sees you on the other side. “Oh, baby! You are awake.” Her face turns off the screen. “Denny! Mara! Your sister is awake.”
Your siblings rush into the screen, crowding around Karen to be able to see you. You smile as they fawn over you before making a quick exit to rush to the hospital. When you hand the phone back to Hen, you are crying.
“I thought everyone would be angry with me,” you sniffle as Hen moves to hug you.
She places a gentle kiss on the top of your head. “Concerned, yes, but never angry. We could never stay angry at you.” She hugs you close. “I hope that you can find a safe way to make your life more exciting, though.”
-~-
Unfortunately for Hen, your love of racing doesn’t go away that day. In fact, it only grows. You are approached in the hospital a couple of weeks later by a NASCAR scout. They watched a video of some of your races and your crash online and knew they needed to recruit you. Your moms are hesitant to allow it, but at the end of the day, you are the one who drives your life, and you know that behind the seat of a racecar is exactly where you belong.
Once you finish physical therapy, you start training and can take the racing world by storm. It doesn’t happen in your first season or your second, but by your third season, you are making a name for yourself. You start winning races regularly, getting more sponsors, and eventually start doing press conferences. It isn’t easy, and there are moments when you think about stopping, but your moms are always there to remind you that this is what you were born to do.
It is their encouragement, plus a Denny and Mara cheering section, that is waiting for you when you become the first woman to ever win the NASCAR Cup Series. It is proof to all of you that maybe a little bit of excitement (in small doses) is exactly what you needed.
