I Got U ☼ Daniel Ricciardo

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟝

Daniel Ricciardo POV

I took a shower and went to sleep. It was the first time Alice slept a whole night. I woke up and I felt a relief I didn't think I could feel. For the first time in months, I feel hopeful things will be alright. I was in the kitchen drinking my smoothie to get through the next hours of exercises and Michael arrives, he calls me to open the door and now we are in the kitchen.

"You are looking good. You looked desperate during quarantine. Are your mother and sister helping that much?" He asks surprised.

"I have outside help. Issac's teacher may agree to be Alice's babysitter 24/7. She's great, she's spending these three days here before deciding if she will accept working for me. She was amazing, Alice slept 6 hours during the day and was laughing and giggling. She slept all night, without ever waking up" I say amazed and he is even more surprised.

"She's miraculous almost. Alice seemed impossible to calm down sometimes. I never imagined she would sleep a whole night. Make what you can to keep her" He says and I nod.

"Good morning" I hear Iris say and turn around to see her entering the kitchen.

"Good morning. Iris, this is Michael, my coach. Michael this is obviously Iris, she is the woman I told you about" I say making the introduction and they shake each other's hand.

"Nice to meet you. I heard you are miraculous with kids. I appreciate the help you are giving Daniel, he deserves it" He says and she gives him a smile while picking up a glass of water.

"He is a good person, I believe he deserves it too. He deserves a break, life is being hard on him" She says and looks at me, I just gave her a smile.

"Thank you, you are giving me my deserved break. I can't say how grateful I am" I say and she lets out a laugh.

"How about you go do your life and I will take care of the little one? That's enough for me" She says and I nod.

"I will get out of your way. See you in a bit" I say and she nods.

We did some exercises in the personal gym I had at home and then others outside to get some fresh air. When the 3 hours are finished we head back inside and see Alice sitting in her high chair happily eating and Iris was putting food on the table.

"Hey, guys. She woke up half an hour ago. She is in a great mood. Come have breakfast, you must be hungry" She says sitting down, we both look at each other and shrug.

"Sure" I say sitting by Alice's side.

"I made enough for you too Michael" Iris says while he headed to the hall. He comes back quickly and sits by my side.

"Thank you, you are a good cook too. Any more surprises?" He says making us laugh.

"Not that I know of. I just love kids and I love to cook, cooking and cleaning relax me. But I have a few flaws too" She says while we started eating.

We talked for a while and Michael left after breakfast. She put the dishes in the dishwasher and turned to me.

"Do you have anything else to do? Maybe a meeting or take a walk to get some air? You can go ahead. She had some milk and quickly fell asleep" She says curiously and I shake my head.

"We have these weeks to get some air from work. I will get back to work once 2022 starts. I will stay in Australia until mid-January, then we will leave for London for some meetings and training" I explained while she listened carefully.

"Well, I will go into my computer and when Alice wakes up I will go get her. Don't worry about it. You should do something that relaxes you, you are looking better, keep doing better for yourself and her" She says starting to leave the kitchen.

"I'm glad to have you here. If money is an issue we can discuss the payment. I don't mind" I say trying to make sure she knew I was open to anything. I was desperate really, I just wanted Alice to always be like this. Iris let out a laugh and turn around for a second to look at me.

"Money is not the issue, at all. I will have my answer by the end of the day" She says confidently.

I went into the simulator to train a bit more during the morning. We had lunch and Alice was happily playing with her pasta while eating it, which was great honestly. She made some sounds, laughed, and pointed at things. She was finally happy.

In the afternoon I went for an earlier run, and I felt free. I felt like a person for the first time in 9 months. I felt like I could breathe and live for a few seconds, I was no just the father and F1 driver. I could think about something without her crying out loud until almost choking herself. How much easier would this be if her mother had stuck around? I don't know. I know Iris can make a huge difference in both of our lives and I will do anything to make it happen. 

I did the biggest run in a long time. Some people recognized me and I greeted them, they haven't seen me around for a few years because of Covid. I was feeling normal, I was not stressed, drained, or depressed. A day of needed rest can change someone. 

"I'm sorry for taking so long. I got carried away" I say when I enter the house and Iris was just relaxing by the couch, pajamas on, Alice was on the floor playing with some toys and Iris smiled.

"That's completely fine. I will go make dinner while you take a shower" She says nonchalantly and gets up with Alice in her arms.

I did as was said. I took a shower and came back to the table ready for dinner. It was mac and cheese so it was fast.