Free Now- Lando Norris

12. Lifeline

By the time Lando was due to leave for the next few races, Lottie was starting to look a bit better, physically at least. Mentally, he was starting to wonder if she'd ever be the same again.

The weeks that had passed since he'd flown back from China to see her had been filled with what felt like a never ending stream of complications, and had taken its toll on him, so he couldn't even begin to imagine how Lottie was feeling. The countless days and nights he'd spent by her bedside, the hours of stressful waiting as she'd undergone hours of surgery to try and remedy the problem. He couldn't remember the last time he'd got so little sleep.

While the doctors seemed happy that they'd finally got on top of the infection and things were moving in the right direction, Lottie had seemed to be withdrawing more and more with every passing day.

He'd stayed at his parents house, wanting to be close by, and visited almost every day. But by the time it was the day he had to leave, the way she'd been quietly withdrawing from everyone had reached the point that she'd barely said a word to him when he went to say goodbye.

She'd just shifted to one side, making room for him in the bed, so that he could lay down beside her the way he always did. Her head had fallen into its spot on his chest, her fingers twisting into the material of his hoodie as he wrapped her arms around her. The way she was clinging on to him like a lifeline was the only real indication that she'd actually heard him when he'd told her that he was going to the airport that evening.

He'd rambled on about nothing, just trying to fill the silence. She never told him to shut up, but she didn't ever acknowledge that she was really listening to what he was saying either. It didn't matter, he supposed, it made him better to fill the silence, and he just hoped that perhaps it would take her mind off things even if only for a short time.

"Lando?" She asked quietly, and he almost jumped from the surprise that she was actually talking given she'd barely said a word all week.

"Yeah?" He asked nervously, mind already spinning with the possibilities of what she might be about to say.

She was quiet for a minute, and he would've sworn he could hear her thinking, before she spoke again. "Before you go, do you think maybe you can take me outside for five minutes to get some fresh air?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know if that's the best idea?" He answered uncertainly. "It's cold out there, you're only now starting to look a bit better. I don't want you to push yourself too far and end up regretting it."

"Please?" She asked again, voice wavering in a way that broke his heart and made all sense of reason fly out of the window. She was definitely his Achilles heel, how was he ever supposed to say no to her?

"I'll go and ask the nurse." He said quietly, already climbing out of the bed. He was quietly hopeful that the nurse might say no and then he wouldn't be the one being the bad guy.

So he made his way out of the room and over to the nurses station, the layout of the ward now incredibly familiar and almost like a second home he had spent so much time there. As he approached the desk the nurse looked up at him with a smile. "Is everything okay?" She asked.

Lando nodded. "Lottie was just wondering if I might be able to take her outside to get some fresh air for a bit? I know it's probably not a good idea but she really wants to and... I just said I'd ask."

"It's fine." The nurse smiled. "I think it would do her good. She's been cooped up in that room all on her own for such a long time. I'll grab a wheelchair and come and help her get out of bed. Just be sensible, don't go too far. Okay?"

"Okay." Lando agreed nervously. "Thank you."

He turned to go back into Lottie's room, and for a minute he thought perhaps she'd fallen asleep from the way her head lolled back against the pillows, but at the sound of the door opening she opened her eyes.