Saving Lotte Sullivan | Collingwood/Carlton

103: The Article

A/N: I'd like to give a special thanks to my sports journalism bestie dolorous_ Ashleigh Matosevic for writing the wicked article in this chapter , just for SLS!

It's been a long time coming - the final article was sent to me on the 16th of October, in 2023, and it's now the 26th of June, 2024!

Good things do take time, although I personally can't believe it's been so long 😂 the Smoke series finished faster!

...

'I don't know about this, Laura'

Alex Fasolo looked down at Lotte, fast asleep on his sitting couch, appalled.

'She's exhausted and sick and needs to rest. You can go without TV for just one day. It won't kill you' Laura said, throwing her husband a warning glare.

'But-'

'And turn your voice down. The last thing she needs is to be woken up by you whinging' Laura said, from the kitchen where she continued to wash the dishes.

Her great idea was to bring Lotte, the twins and their belongings back to Brunswick for a while. That way Lotte could at least have a meal, and a night of sleep while Laura looked after the twins, and she'd know for sure Layla would get her medicine.

'I worked my ass off all day, and I can't even watch TV?' Alex asked, entering the kitchen and grabbing a beer out of the fridge.

'I thought those were meant to be kept in the bar fridge only? Not my kitchen fridge! God, Alex, get out of here' Laura sighed, pushing her hair out of her face and pulling the 6-now turned 5 pack out of the kitchen refrigerator. She glared at Alex, opening the rumpus doors.

'I'm going to have a bath. I know how much you love the stories of my adventures in the bath!' Alex called out, much like a child. Laura loudly shushed him, while putting the beer in the correct fridge. God knows the world would end if she didn't.

'Keep your voice down, and for god sake, the bath thing was Paddy Wow's first. Not yours' Laura whispered angrily, beyond annoyed that she even had to have such a conversation with her grown man of a husband. No wonder Trent didn't like him.

She quickly hurried back to the kitchen, and noticing Oscar awake, picked him up on her way through.

'Your mumma is very tired' she whispered, glancing over at Lotte, fast asleep on the couch with her blanket draped over her body, head buried in her pillow. Layla laid beneath her, on the floor, fast asleep. Laura didn't dare to wake her.

'Really wish your dad would come back though, and hurry up' she added, sadly glancing at her grandson, and wondering if he'd ever grow up to meet him.

...

It was about a week later, when Lotte finally started to feel better. She'd received the PCR results from the hospital exactly 24 hours after she'd gone in. Neither her nor the twins had Covid. A quick follow up call from someone from the infectious diseases clinic confirmed it was indeed RSV, and that Layla had a severe case of it.

So with the household officially on the mend, and Alex crying every night because he'd lost his TV, Lotte had left Brunswick and headed for home. On one particular day, she had visitors.

'Knock knock!'

Sitting at the kitchen table, the new kitchen table, in the actual kitchen area, Lotte glanced up from her bowl of noodles. She'd Doordashed it all the way from Campbellfield, being so hungry. And she was once again - out of shopping provisions. Laura was back at work - and she felt kind of bad asking for more help.