Lando didn't realise that he'd fallen asleep, up until someone clearing their throat snapped him out of what had probably been the best and most peaceful nights sleep he'd had in weeks. He blinked sleepily, eyes struggling to adjust to the dim lighting, to find a disapproving nurse looking at him.
"Visiting hours ended at eight, and you're not supposed to be on the be- oh my god you're Lando Norris." The nurse gasped in disbelief.
"Shhh." Lando hissed, eyes flickering to Lottie as she stirred slightly beside him, snuggling up against his arm but not waking.
"Oh my god. My friends are never going to believe me when I tell them." The nurse carried on, but in a slightly more hushed tone.
"Nice to meet you." Lando smiled awkwardly.
"I can't believe this is happening." The nurse shook her head in disbelief.
Lando considered his options for a minute. "If you don't kick me out, I can sign something you." He offered. "Please?"
"If someone else finds you in here, it has nothing to do with me." The nurse said with a smile after a moment of hesitation. "I can't believe you're actually here. This is ridiculous."
"Thank you so much." Lando smiled.
"You are going to have to get up for a minute though." She said apologetically, gesturing to the tray of medication in her hand.
"Sure." Lando hopped out of the bed quickly, giving her room to reach over and do what he needed to do. "Thank you, for not kicking me out."
"I can't promise that someone else isn't going to come along and kick you out later." She warned him. "But until then, you can stay. It's nice to see her have some company, she puts on a brave face but I know she's been really struggling with it all. It's such a shame, she's so young."
Before Lando had a chance to say anything, Lottie was mumbling, half awake and looking back and forth between the two of them in confusion.
"Sorry, sorry." The nurse said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder as she struggled to sit up. "I just need to give you your antibiotics and check a few things, then I can leave you in peace for a few more hours."
"Lando. You're still here." Lottie relaxed visibly when she realised that he was still standing on the other side of the bed.
"Still here, just getting out of the way for a minute." He reassured her.
"Okay." Lottie sighed, relaxing back into the bed as the nurse began changing the drip bag of antibiotics, checking her blood pressure and temperature.
"I'm going to have to call the doctor and tell him your temperature isn't going down." The nurse told her, making a note of all the numbers. "How are you feeling?"
"Rough." Lottie admitted. "Not any worse than earlier though."
"Okay." The nurse nodded. "I'll be back to check on you in a bit, get some sleep."
She disappeared back out of the room, closing the door to the room behind her. Lottie patted the now empty space in the bed beside her that Lando had been occupying.
"You sure?" He asked. "I can sleep in the chair. It can't be comfy for you all squashed up like that."
"Get back into bed, please?" She gave him a pleading look. "Unless you don't want to stay? Sorry, you can go... I wasn't thinking. You've had a long flight and-"
"Lottie." He cut her off. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."
"Really?" She asked, and he nodded in reassurance. "Get back into bed then, please?"
YOU ARE READING
Free Now- Lando Norris
FanfictionStruggling with the constant pressure, endless defeats and highs and lows of being a Formula One driver, Lando starts to consider whether it's all really been worth it. Lottie is facing the harsh reality that her career as a professional rider migh...
