LOCK UP - Lando Norris [BOOK 2]

28

LANDO

I was beginning to really hate Florence. I felt like the city was taking Evelyn away from me. At first when we got on a plane to come over here, it tore a rip in our relationship that I feared, all the way until now, had permanent damage between us. And then it's where I know her and Charles reconnected and repaired their friendship, it gutted me that he was there for her to lean on when the world was turning to shit, and now... 

Now, I don't even know what waits for me when we arrive at that hospital. Max didn't have a lot of information and although we all sat on that plane in absolute silence, I could tell by the look on every single face we all shared the same thought. 

What if she doesn't make it through this. 

What if everything, had been for nothing. 

I found myself questioning if it was worth falling in love with her, for it to just end like this. Are we meant to love people who are just going to be ripped from our lives with no warning? Is that really what life has in store for me. 

I test fate every single time I set those four wheels on the track. I believe that there is a path set out for every single one of us, that no matter how much we tempt it, or play chicken with that fine line between life and death, when your time is up, it's time to go. But I never felt that way for Evelyn. 

She always seemed untouchable. 

To me. To life. 

But if maybe I had managed to break that wall, so must have fate. 

But I shook myself out of it. Of course, the risk of losing her is worth all the love in the world. Johan was right, it's a privilege to love someone like her, and I suppose what they say is true, maybe it would be a privilege to have my heart torn to shreds by someone like her. 

"Hey" Charles nudges from beside me. "We're almost there" 

I look out the window just as the hospital comes into clear view in the front window. "Fuck" I mutter under my breath. 

"It's going to be okay. It has to be okay" Charles chants the words that Evelyn used to say to me all the time. And every time up until now, she's been right. 

"I really hope so" I respond to him, although I'm sure he wasn't talking to me. 

Max makes eye contact with me through the rear-view mirror, a silent passing between us, both of us wishing on the same thing. 

"Will they let us in?" Johan asks Max from the other side of me, sandwiched between the two people who hate me most right now, yet all of us having the same level of love for the same women, just on different angles. 

"I'll talk to them" Max responds. 

"Is Mrs Verstappen coming?" Johan wonders. 

"Umm" Max hesitates, another silent glance between us through a mirror. "No" is all he says. 

"That fucking whore" Johan spits, "Sorry" 

Max chuckles lightly, "You're right" 

The car pulls to a stop at the turn around and Max hands the fare over to our driver before thanking him as we all hop out of the vehicle. 

As we make our way up to the service desk, we allow Max to do the talking, being the only one of relation to her. 

"Hi, Intensive Care Unit please?" 

The nurse behind the counter looks up at Max and then to the rest of us, eyeing us all cautiously. 

"Third floor" she instructs, pointing to a set of elevators to the right of us. 

"Thanky you very much" 

We follow Max through the hallways, Johan catching my arm and slowly us down from the rest of the group. 

"Look" he states, "You and I can't have a problem, when she wakes up from this thing, she can't have one more fractured relationship in her life. We good?" 

I look at where his hand is still placed on my arm, him noticing my gaze and removing his hand cautiously, "What you said, you weren't wrong. I've been a dick" I admit. 

"True" he smiles. I actually really do respect Johan. He's been so good for Evelyn, I'm glad she's got someone like him. 

"We're good" I hold my hand out, waving my white flag with him. He takes in and I pull him in for a friendly hug. Eyeing Charles, the person I actually have a problem with. 

"We're here for Evelyn Verstappen please?" Max announces at the desk leading into the intensive care unit. 

"She's in room 14, I can only have one of you in there at a time though. She's still unconscious" the nurse instructs us, and suddenly we are all eyeing each other, apart from Max, who has already set off toward her room, past the desk. 

Charles, Johan, Gabriel and myself settle on the chairs out in the hallway, waiting for Max's return, figuring out which one of us will go next. 

Gabriel didn't have any interest in going in to see her, he was here for Johan, so he set out in search for some coffee for us all. 

"Right, how is this going to work?" Charles asks. 

Johan and I flick our eyes toward each other, starring the other one down. 

"Come on guys, we have to work this out, we don't know how long she's going to be under" 

After about half an hour, Max comes back through the main doors, standing in front of us with his hands in his pockets, his head hung low. The brims of his eyes tainted red raw, fighting back the tears. "She's umm" he stutters, his body fighting back every urge of emotion he's struggling to feel. "She's... oh god" he takes off down the hallway, his hands flying through the back of his head. 

Johan and I snap our heads toward each other, knowing its one of us to be the next one in, but after seeing Max's reaction, I'm petrified to go in. The moment I heard she was hurt, every inch in my body needed to get to her. Needed to be with her. But now, I don't even know what I'm walking into. 

"You go" he offers and I nod my head, pushing myself up onto my feet.