For As Long As We Both Shall Live | LN⁴

2

At the hospital, Marion was waiting outside the operating room, the sterile smell of disinfectant doing little to nothing to soothe her nerves as she paced back and forth. Every footstep echoed loudly in the empty hallway, a constant reminder of the passing time.

Hours had slipped by since Lando had been rushed in for emergency treatment, his condition critical according to the latest update from the medical team. Marion's heart clenched with each passing minute, her mind consumed by visions of worst case scenarios.

"Will you stop that? You're giving me a migraine." McLaren's CEO, Zak Brown, had already been at the hospital for quite some time before she arrived. His voice cut through the tense silence, causing Marion to freeze in her tracks.

She turned and scowled at him. "How did it happen, Zak?"

Before he could answer her, the door to the operating room finally swung open, revealing a doctor clad in green scrubs, his face lined with exhaustion and concentration. Marion's heart leaped as she locked eyes with the lead surgeon, silently praying for any sign of hope. The doctor approached her, his expression unreadable as he removed his surgical mask.

"Miss Dayton," he began, his voice steady but tinged with gravity. "Lando has made it through surgery. It was touch and go for a while there, but we managed to stabilize him. He's out of immediate danger, but we'll need to monitor him closely over the next few days. You have nothing to worry about, miss Dayton. Your fiancée is a fighter." relief flooded through Marion as she closed her eyes and deeply inhaled.

Zak let out a heavy sigh, tension visibly draining from his shoulders. "Thank goodness," he muttered, running a hand through his hair in a rare display of vulnerability. Marion looked at him sideways before turning back to the doctor to thank him before he returned back inside.

A few minutes later, a whole team of doctors emerged, rolling Lando out. He was still unconscious, but Marion could see the rise and fall of his bandaged body beneath the white sheet that covered him. Machines beeped rhythmically as they wheeled him past her to the intensive care unit, and she balled her hands into fists beside her.

"How did it happen, Zak?" she gritted the question from before. "How could this happen?"

"The hell you care." Zak's eyes flashed with a mix of frustration and concern as he turned to follow the doctors.

His retort stung, but Marion refused to back down. "Don't you dare say that. Don't speak to me like that." She ran after him and caught his arm. "I care because whatever happened out there nearly took the love of my life away from me," she shot back, her voice laced with emotion.

Just as their argument was about to escalate, the doctor reappeared in front of them. His white lab coat billowed behind him like a superhero's cape, and his posture exuded confidence and authority. The fluorescent lights above cast a harsh glow on his face, emphasizing the intensity in his eyes as he addressed them.

"Miss Dayton, Mr. Brown," he began. "You can go in and see him now if you wish. But please, one person at a time, and don't stay for too long. Don't tire him."

Marion nodded gratefully and turned to Zak. "You go first," she said, and turned away.

Zak hesitated for a moment before nodding and following the doctor into the room where Lando lay. Marion watched through the small window in the door as Zak approached the bed, his usually confident demeanor replaced with a look of concern and tenderness.

Sighing, she took a seat in the uncomfortable plastic chair outside the room, her mind still reeling from the events of the day. The sterile hospital walls seemed to close in on her, suffocating her with their antiseptic scent and harsh fluorescent lighting. Marion closed her eyes, burying her head in her hands, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions raging inside her.