Risking it all (Lando Norris)

Chapter 26

Lily

Pacing back and forth in my hotel room, I could feel the anxiety coursing through my veins like a live wire. The events of the day had weighed on me more than I realized. Everything seemed to pile up—Olivia's constant interference, the pressure of Lando's career, the never-ending tension between what was real and what had to be portrayed for the public. 

I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, but the whirlwind of thoughts in my head wouldn't let me rest.

I tried to focus on my breathing, to calm the storm inside me, but it was no use. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lando's face—how tired and frustrated he'd looked, how much he was trying to shoulder on his own. I wanted to help him, to be strong for him, but I felt like I was drowning.

My head started to spin, the edges of my vision going fuzzy. I reached out to steady myself against the dresser, but the room was tilting, slipping away from me. 

My heart pounded in my chest, the sound echoing in my ears as the dizziness intensified. I tried to take a step, but my legs gave out beneath me, and before I could even process what was happening, everything went black.

...

When I woke up, I was lying in a bed that wasn't my own. The room around me was stark and clinical, the soft beep of machines the only sound cutting through the fog in my mind. 

It took me a moment to realise I was in a hospital, the unfamiliar surroundings slowly coming into focus. Panic surged through me as I tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea and weakness kept me pinned to the bed.

"Easy, easy now," a calm voice said, and I turned my head to see a doctor standing by my side, her expression gentle and reassuring. "You're in the hospital, but you're going to be fine."

I glanced down at my arm, noticing the IV drip connected to my hand. Another machine was monitoring my heart rate, its steady beep echoing in the otherwise quiet room. My mind was sluggish, struggling to piece together how I had ended up here.

"You fainted," the doctor explained, as if reading my thoughts. "The hotel staff found you and called an ambulance. It looks like you've been under a lot of stress lately, and your body just couldn't take it anymore. But you're stable now. We just need to keep you here for a little while to make sure you're okay."

I tried to process what she was saying, but everything felt distant, like it was happening to someone else. I was too tired to even feel scared, the exhaustion pulling me back under like a heavy blanket. 

The doctor's voice became softer, more of a murmur as I drifted back into unconsciousness, my body too worn out to fight it.

The next time I woke up, the room was dimmer, and the sounds of the hospital were muffled, distant. I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my mind, and it was then that I heard it—a voice, soft and filled with emotion, murmuring something I couldn't quite make out.

I turned my head toward the sound, my eyes struggling to focus. Someone was sitting by my bed, their figure blurred in the low light. It took a moment for my vision to adjust, and when it did, my heart skipped a beat.

"Lando?" I croaked, my voice hoarse and weak.

He was leaning forward in the chair, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together. His head was bowed, and I could see the tension in his posture, the way his shoulders were hunched as if the weight of the world was pressing down on them. When he heard my voice, he looked up, his eyes wide with concern and relief.

"Lily," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He quickly stood up and moved closer to the bed, his hand reaching out to take mine. His touch was warm, comforting, and it made me realise just how cold I had been feeling.