Are You Ok || Formula 1 | English one shots

8. Stay by my side (CarLando)

In the midst of the chaos of the Interlagos circuit, the indistinct noise of people voices, Thursday is press day for everyone, except for doctor Elsa Bardi, head of F1 medical team, Thursday is examination day. F1 drivers are divided into two groups, and in rotation or randomly, more or less every race weekend, everyone has to go to the medical centre for check-ups. Here, in turn, or according to the doctors' instincts, they are subjected first to the anti-doping test and then to some tests or just the general examination, and receive authorization to drive.
At the end of the morning, Elsa checks the list, to make sure that all the drivers on the list have shown up for their checks.

"Lando? Has anyone seen him? He's the only one missing."

"Not me"

"Not me"

Mark, her colleague, shakes his head as he stays focused on the papers he's signing.

"Okay, I'll try to call him"

Doctor Bardi looks up his number in the phone list and tries to call him, but the phone rings with no one answering, she tries again, and still no answer.

At that point she realises she has no other number to call to get in touch with him. It's funny, because when a driver needs her, she gets calls from personal trainers, managers, PR people, team principals.... everybody has her number... but she doesn't have anybody's number.
She could call other people to get the number of his personal trainer, or someone at McLaren who might have spoken to him... but Elsa hates making phone calls, so she decides to leave the medical centre and go straight to the McLaren hospitality, which is less than 200 metres far.

As soon as she arrives, the mechanics and McLaren team members who are standing in front of the entrance greet her as if she were at home.

"Good morning, excuse me, I'm looking for Lando Norris..." The engineers smile at her, shrugging their shoulders, as if to say 'yeh, exactly, if you able to find him.... we're all waiting for him.' But they actually reply: "We haven't seen him yet, maybe he's still at the hotel."

"May I come in? " dr Bardi asks."You're welcome" a mechanic replies, pressing the door-opener button for her.Elsa walks around the rooms, repeating the same question, without receiving an answer... then she climbs the stairs and arrives at the driver rooms.

She knocks on the 'Lando Norris' sign. From inside the room she is answered by a female voice, perhaps a press officer, one of those assistants who replaced Charlotte, Elsa's favourite PR... to replace her at the job of communications officer and babysitter of the two drivers, which she used to do alone, they hired a group of five girls.

"It's not the time now, Lando's coming later."

"Dr. Bardi here" replied Elsa from outside "Lando didn't show up for his mandatory check-up..."

"Ah... er... Doctor... could you please come in?" The girls answer her again.

"If you open the door for me yes!" Responds Elsa who had already noticed that it was locked. Immediately afterwards she hears the click of the lock and opens the door.

Inside are two of the press girls, and no English driver, but she can hear noises from the door at the end of the small room, probably the toilet.

"Lando's a little sick..." one girl tells her, pointing at the toilet door.

Elsa walks over and opens it, inside she finds Lando hugging the WC, very pale, throwing up.

"Hey, what's going on?" Elsa tells him softly, bending down next to him and holding his forehead.

"It's been like this for a couple of hours..." one of the girls tells her, in a shy voice...

"Oh but... how about calling me, huh?" dr Bardi continues to hold his forehead, while now she only spits out saliva, as if he has nothing left.