LOCK UP - Lando Norris [BOOK 2]

32

LANDO

"She doesn't remember a god damn thing" Charles whisper shouts after dragging whoever he could grasp onto down the end of the hall. 

"What do you mean?" I cautioned. 

"I mean" he darts his head back in the direction for the room, as if Evelyn's going to emerge any minute now, "She doesn't remember being in Florence, she doesn't remember doing her summer program, she doesn't remember..." he pauses, his eyes cautiously finding mine. 

"Me?" I gasp, my body straightening and shuddering at the same time. 

"She remembers you, but she doesn't remember being with you" he confirms something I never even considered, but it's become my worst nightmare. 

"But the doctor, he said she might just be confused, they didn't know the extent of her head injuries when she came in, that things might just be a little fuzzy at the moment" Max tries to make sense, but Charles shakes his head. 

"This isn't Ev being fuzzy, this was about her being giddy and confused on how we convinced Lando to come visit her in hospital." he gestures to me. 

"I'll talk to her" I announce, "I have to do something?" 

"I'm worried it will freak her out, if you talk to her, you're essentially going to be catching her up on the past year of her life." Charles admits and I hate that it makes sense. 

"He's right" Johan chimes in, "But we probably need to speak to a doctor, we don't know anything about this stuff" 

"You're right" I agree. 

We make our way back down the hall to where the nurses station is, "Excuse me" Max calls out, "Is Doctor Murphy around?" 

"He's in with your patient" one of the nurses gestures toward Evelyn's room. 

"You need to wait here" Max instructs me, "Wait with Gabriel, as far as we are aware, you two are the only ones she can't place in her present right now" 

It cuts me to shreds that this is playing out this way. But, I have to remain hopeful, her swelling will go down and everything will come back to her. 

"Come sit" Gabriel suggests as we head back to the row of chairs we've spent the last two weeks in collectively. 

As I slump myself down in the chair and hang my head between my hands, I let out a huge sigh. "This isn't possible" I mutter. 

"I can't imagine how hard this is for you" he comforts. 

"How can she just, how can she not remember, any of it?" I throw my hands out in frustration.

"She probably does have some familiarities about you, but she can't place the memories. It's quite common" 

I look up at him, sitting back in my chair, "How do you know about all of this stuff?" 

"My mother was in a car accident about 10 years ago now, for a while she had distorted short term memory. The facts were there but they were all scrambled around. Over time, and with patience and reassurance, she was able to piece her story back together" Gabriel recalls. 

"I'm so sorry man, that must have been awful" I puled. 

He nods his head heavy, "It was tough, but I have all the faith Evelyn will be able to piece together everything. With the depth in which she loved you, that's not just gone. Its in the somewhere, just be patient with her" 

I nod in agreement. 

***********

CHARLES