Stay With Me- Lando Norris

8. But I'm Still Trying To Find It

The wait in A&E wasn't as bad as she'd expected in the end. She'd tried to wave Lando off at the door and said she'd get the bus home but he'd insisted on coming in with her and waiting to take her home again. His argument was that if he didn't stay there and physically make sure she waited to see the doctor she was going to turn around and go home as soon as he drove off.

He had been right of course. That was exactly what she was planning to do. She hadn't confessed that to him though. She'd just given up trying to protest and allowed him to follow her inside. He'd come with her as they'd sent her off find the X-ray department and then taken a seat beside her in the waiting room as she waited for someone to check it.

"So, how did you do it?" He asked quietly. "And the real story, not whatever lie you're going to make up to feed Jon."

"I'm going to have to tell him something." Aimee sighed. "I don't want him to think I'm that pathetic I can't even stand up for myself."

"He wouldn't think that." Lando shook his head. "You know I don't think that, right?"

Aimee was quiet, picking at a chip in her nail. "It's true." She mumbled. She was pathetic. She didn't stand up to him, she made no attempt to leave him or do anything to stop the situation. She just carried on each day with some kind of delusional hope that things would change, even though she knew full well that they wouldn't.

"Aimee." Lando shook his head. "It's not, none of this is your fault. No one is judging you we're worried you're going to end up getting hurt."

"It'll be fine. It's nothing I can't handle." She dismissed his concern, still unable to being herself to look at him even though she could feel his eyes boring into her.

"And yet here we are sat in A&E for a broken bone." He reminded her, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice entirely.

"It's only my collarbone." She went to shrug and winced. She really, really had to stop doing that.

"This time." Lando added quietly. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Aimee looked around the waiting room for a moment, then looked back at Lando for a moment. "The same thing that always happens. He went out with his friends, got drunk, we had an argument. He wasn't happy that I wasn't going to the race this time and he just lost it. I don't know exactly how this happened, I think I might've tripped over in the kitchen trying to get away from him and maybe hit it on the table leg when I fell or something. It doesn't really matter I suppose."

Lando was quiet, looking for the best words. It was the closest she'd come to talking about it openly with him and he was worried if he made one wrong move she'd retreat back into herself and his chance would be gone.

"Does it happen often?" He asked quietly, almost holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

"It's getting worse, I think." She mumbled. "It used to just be every now and then if he'd had a few drinks he'd lose his temper or get jealous."

"And now...?" Lando prompted.

"Now, I don't even know." Aimee mumbled. "I don't seem to be able to do anything right." She ran her fingers through her hair, taking a breath as she paused for a moment to think. "I don't know, it's different. He's been different, I just don't really know what's changed." She kept looking for a reason for his behaviour and she just couldn't find one to make sense of it.

"Has he worked for the team long?" Lando asked. "Because I could've sworn I'd never seen him before until you pointed him out."

"He's probably been there a bit over a year. I guess you don't have much to do with Oscar's side of the garage?"

"So is that how you met him? At work?" Lando asked.

"Sort of." Aimee nodded. "He actually used to work for RedBull. I met him on a night out in Monaco after a race."

"How long ago was that?"

"Nearly four years ago." Aimee told him. "I'd literally only just started. We stayed kind of long distance for a bit but then the position came up at McLaren and he moved so we could live together and actually see each other. He hasn't always been like this. I loved him...
I love him."

She'd been so excited by the grand gesture at the time, if only she'd known how it was going to turn out. By the time she'd realised what was happening it was too late. If she tried to leave him now what was she going to do? She'd have nowhere to live, she'd have to quit her job to get away from him... where would she go?

The nurse appeared in the waiting room and called through before Lando could say anything else. Instead he wordlessly followed after her, leaning against the wall as they waited for the doctor. Aimee could practically see the cogs turning in his mind as he tried to process and make sense of what she'd told him.

"Can I ask you to wait outside?" The doctor said as she walked in, looking at Lando.

"It's fine, he can stay." Aimee said quickly.

"I really think-" the doctor looked back and forth between the two of them.

"It wasn't him. He's a friend from work, he just drove me here." Aimee answered flatly.

She knew what they were doing, she'd been here enough times to know they were trying to get Lando away from her to ask her if it was him that had hurt her.

Lando on the other hand looked horrified. "Oh god no, I just... I just drove her here. We work together." He blurted out.

"It's fine, Lando." Aimee reassured him, turning back to the doctor. "Is it broken?"

"Yes." She nodded in agreement. "Although because you waited so long to come in it's started healing, but not in the greatest position. Our orthopaedic team have had a look at it and think we can probably avoid surgery as long as it doesn't move any further. We'll set you up with physio and you'll need to rest it and keep it immobilised so you don't do any more damage."

"We've got physios at work that I'm sure I can get to help me." Aimee said quickly. "It's probably easier than trying to get back here for appointments. I travel a lot for work."

"Okay." The doctor nodded. "There's no reason why you can't fly, you don't need a cast or anything, but you need to make sure you're not lifting anything any heavier than a cup of tea with that arm until you come back for your follow up X-ray. If it moves, gets more painful or you re injure it then you need to come straight back."

"I'll make sure she does." Lando nodded.