DNS 2

Chapter 15 - Family

Why has Arthur called me?

I understand the missed call from Aiden, perhaps just checking in, or even asking about my recovery given the photos. Maybe trying to put me in contact with Leah to arrange some PR damage control if that was necessary, but I couldn't wrap my head around why Arthur had called me, we'd not spoken in months.

Similarly to my relationship with Charles - I'd practically grown up with Arthur, he was only a year younger than me and we'd been friends for as long as I could remember since moving to Monaco, but I was so much closer with Charles. Arthur was always the tag along little brother trying to hang out with us - which more often than not, he did.

"WHAT?" I hear Lando shout from outside the hotel room, he was out in the hallway making whatever call he couldn't do in front of me. Never have I heard him shout like that, he sounded so vicious as he snapped continuing to shout down the phone.

Swinging the door open, he's only a few metres away from the entrance of our room.

"Lando?!"

"LANDO?!" I shout trying to get his attention but it's almost a whispering shout, trying to not draw even more attention. There's no way people in the other rooms didn't hear him shouting, and I'm quite surprised that no one has came out to see what was going on - or that there hadn't been any complaints, I suppose there's still time for that yet.

He glares at me and lifts a finger in the air to gesture 1 minute before turning away and lowering his voice. I can no longer make out what he's saying, I catch the end of the call but all that's said is it will all be ok and that he will call the person back later. What is going on?

He brushes past me back into the room almost knocking me over before sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, letting out an angered groan.

"Lando what's wrong please just talk to me?!"

"I need to go Lilly, you can come with me I'm not going to just leave you here but I need to go home." His voice turns from anger to upset, to concern.

He looks panicked and flustered and I don't know how to help, or why we need to leave but I also don't want to pry. But he said he needed to go home so I know this must be family related.

"Ok calm down just take a second and we'll go, just breathe for a minute because you can't get in the car and drive this riled up." I sit myself down on the bed next to him, taking his head from his hands and wrapping my arms around him, pulling his head into my chest just sitting for a moment.

"Will you tell me what's going on please?" I ask, still holding his head to my chest before he gently brings his face up towards mine. His lips tighten before he can speak, and a sadness washes over his face.

"My sister.. she's just called me screaming and crying, she's found a hospital letter. A chemotherapy appointment for my mum." His eyes fill with tears almost about to explode, his voice breaks as the words leave his mouth, I can see him trying with all the power he has to hold it together and I have no idea what to say.

This has obviously taken him by complete surprise and all I can do is try and be there for him.

I grab his hand wrapping my fingers into his and holding on tightly. "I'm so sorry Lando, you don't know anything yet though so please don't worry yourself too much yet or jump to anything."

Maybe I shouldn't be saying this to him but if there's one thing Ive found out - on more than one occasion, is to not jump the gun and immediately draw a conclusion and think the worst, but it's easier said than done.

"Do you think you should speak to your mum or dad before we just turn up? And are you sure I should be coming I don't want to intrude at all and this is something you and your family should deal with together?"

"Look you don't have to deal with this or me if you don't want to." He snaps.

"Lando I didn't mean it like that at all and you know I didn't so don't take your anger out on me."

I stand up and begin throwing the few things we do have into a bag, getting ready to leave. "Look you're allowed to be upset and angry and feel anything you need to feel right now but but don't push me away because you're upset and lashing out."

"I.. i'm.."

"Lando you don't have to apologise, come here - let's check out and get out of here ok, and I'm driving." I cut him off and cuddle him so tightly, trying to give any small amount of reassurance I can in this situation, but realistically nothing I can say or do is going to help.

"Ok let's go, but I'm driving you don't even know where we're going." He says.

"Are you ok? It's not 1645, we have maps? Just put the address in and I'll drive." I laugh.

"In 1645 we still technically had maps." He smirks. I roll my eyes at him but I'm just glad that even though his head must be elsewhere - he still hadn't lost his annoying humour.

We check out of the hotel and make our way towards the car before he jumps straight in the drivers seat. "Lando let me drive you don't need to do this right now." Just have a break.

"Lil I do need to drive." I can tell just from the look in his eye what he means here. He didn't necessarily want to drive for hours, but it would keep his mind from wandering elsewhere while he's focused on the road and the journey, and maybe that's what he needed right now.

"Ok but let's swap half way ok, or stop off for a break?" I ask.

"No we won't need a brea..." His eyes widen as he sees the 4hr 48 minute estimated journey time to his parents home driving from Manchester to Guildford. "Ok I suppose we can stop for a break." He smiles at me, it was so nice to see that smile back on his face - even if only for a moment.

The thing with Lando is, he's pretty much always smiling and happy, he just has this inviting positive aura around him and the moment he isn't happy, you can physically feel it. Or I can anyway - I feel his sadness if something is off, if any other person wasn't smiling and had a blank look on their face you might not even question it, but with him it's just different.

"I do think you should call your parents and tell them we're coming, it's already 9pm we're not going to get there for almost 5 hours Lando."

"I'll send my dad a message."

He's looking down at his phone, but his fingers don't move a muscle. His eyes locked into the screen staring at the cursor flashing on his blank message to his dad, unable to bring himself to start the message. Leaning over and squeezing shoulder lightly, "just tell him you're in the country and will be there early in the morning to see him." I say.

My phone begins to vibrate in front of us, Lando's eyes shoot to the screen as he notices 'Arthur Leclerc" pop up.

"Why is he calling you?" He asks.

"I don't know Lando, I saw a call from him when we were at the hotel but I didn't call back."

The phone dials off, but immediately begins ringing again.

"I think you should answer it, it's obviously important if he's calling you again and again."

He's right.

"Lilly where is Charles?!" Arthur sounded scared, he didn't even say hello, just immediately asked where Charles was.

"I don't know, what's going on Arthur?!"

"He was going to see you in Manchester, we don't know where he is? My mum has been trying to call him but his phone is off and no one has heard from him or knows where he is." He sounds genuinely terrified.

I don't know why, but I was completely calm. This didn't seem out of the ordinary to me at all. I'd understand if it had been days with no contact or a week, but he'd only left to go home a day and a half ago. After how angry and upset he was it was completely like Charles to shut himself off from the word for a few days.

Something about the panic in Arthur's voice did make me a little worried as we continued to speak on the phone. It was as if he knew something I didn't.

But surely Charles was ok.

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