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LINA'S POV
My heart drops as I stare at the message:
FLIGHT 33269 TO ABU DHABI CRASHED
I quickly began to look up Isabelle's contact info that I had gotten her to send me, since we always sent each other our flight information.
Before I even managed to click on the message, I received a call from an unknown number. I quickly answered, hoping it wasn't a spam call wasting my time.
"Hello, is this Lina Smalls?" the voice asked.
"Yes, this is she. Who is asking?" I responded, rushed.
"Hi, this is Doctor Ellis from London Hospital. You were listed as Isabelle Marino's emergency contact, and I was hoping we could talk?"
My heart dropped once again, and I felt the color drain from my face. Max entered the room I was in, Lando's driver's room, and a worried look grew on his face the moment he saw mine.
"Yes, of course. What's wrong?" I responded, my voice shaky as Max came closer and took my hand.
"I don't know if you're aware, but Isabelle's flight crashed shortly after leaving London—"
"Is she okay?" I interrupted.
"I'm afraid not. Isabelle's plane caught on fire, which left her with multiple burns across her arms and legs. Due to the impact, she has broken both legs, two ribs, and suffered a major concussion. Because of this, we did a CT scan and found that she has a brain bleed and needs immediate surgery. However, before we can proceed, we need approval from her emergency contact—which, in this case, is you," she answered.
I felt myself struggling to breathe, to answer, to think. "Um, yes, yes, of course. Do whatever you need to save her. I'll try to catch the next flight there."
"Okay, perfect. We'll try to keep you updated," she said before hanging up.
"Lina, what's wrong?" Max asked, his expression filled with worry.
Tears began to form in my eyes before I could respond. My legs started to feel numb, and I slowly sank to the floor as Max tried to catch me. "Isa just got into a plane crash," I whispered, struggling to get the words out. "She's in emergency surgery."
Max stayed quiet for a few minutes, probably processing my words. I explained to him what the doctor had said and that I needed to go to London to be with her.
"Don't tell Lando," I said to Max. "Not yet, at least."
"I won't," he replied, "but why?"
"Because he'll throw away the championship, and you and I both know he needs to win today to get it. After everything that's already happened between the two of them, he needs this. He needs something to be happy about," I said.
"Okay, but he's going to be heartbroken when he gets out of that car and doesn't find her."
"Then after a long night out, you can explain it to him—or whenever you think is best," I replied. "Just not tonight."
"Go pack your bag, Lina. I'll find something to say to Lando," he said before walking out.
I took a few deep breaths before leaving the room and calling a cab to take me to the hotel. I quickly packed my bag, bought the next flight to London, and made my way to the airport as fast as possible.
MAX'S POV
Right after coming out of Lando's driver room, I took a deep breath, trying to hold back all the emotions screaming inside me.
"You alright, mate?" Oscar asked when he found me.
I quickly dragged him into his driver room and sat him down on the desk.
"Alright, mate, what the hell," he said, confused and a little annoyed.
"You promise you won't say anything to Lando? I just really need to tell someone before I explode," I said, starting to feel claustrophobic with everything around me.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I promise," he responded, even more confused.
"Well... Isabelle got into a horrible accident. Like, horrible. And I'm not sure she's going to make it. But I promised not to tell Lando until after the race so I don't mess up his chances. He's going to be pissed that I didn't tell him so he could be there for her," I explained.
Oscar's face fell, and just like mine, the color drained from it.
He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it again. He just stood there in silence, taking it all in.
"How did you find out?" he finally asked.
"Lina," I responded, stopping the pacing I had been doing since we entered the room.
He nodded silently, muttered a small "okay," and then made his way out of the room.
