SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

THIRTY NINE

I forgot to love you, love you, love you

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LANDO

The monitors surrounding my fiancée's body crashed, her final words replaying in my head as her doctor burst in. He looked at me, before trying to usher me out, but my body could not comprehend his actions. I simply looked at her. Her eyes were closed now, her whole body was lifeless and still. The monitor by her side was giving off a high pitched beeping noise. I felt her hand in mine, but it went limp. I looked at her doctor with wide eyes and he shook his head, as other doctors and nurses burst in behind him.

"What's happening?" I asked, unable to stand up from my seat because my whole body was frozen into place.

"Lando, Sir, you must get out." I stumbled towards the door, standing there and turning back to watch Isabelle. The doctors who burst into the room only seconds ago were working harshly on her body, doing everything they could to revive her and that's when I realised. She was lying dead in front of me.

I screamed, "no! You have to save her. Please. Please, she was talking to me a minute ago! She was alive, she..."

The door was closed in my face and I fell onto the floor, screaming and crying as tears spilled down my cheeks. I created fists with my hands and I smacked them off the floor as my whole body collapsed forwards. I could hear the panicked voices of those in Isabelle's room as they worked around her. I just wanted her to come back.

The pain was so unbearable, I'd never felt anything like this before. Even going away for races and having to leave her as a sobbing mess in the door frame hurt less than this. Being in the car, knowing Isabelle wasn't waiting for me in the McLaren garage was less crushing than this pain right now. It was like I could feel my heart physically snapping whilst I remained outside of her room.

"Lando?" I heard my Mum's voice fill my ears, but I didn't look up to acknowledge her. I rocked myself back and forth as I sat with my back against the wall, my knees pulled tightly to my chest, almost so tight that I passed out myself. Mum stopped and looked into the room, a gasp leaving her lips as she fell to my side. She pulled me into her arms and ran her fingers through my hair, whispering in my ear. "It'll be okay. It's going to be okay."

I couldn't lose her. Under no circumstances could Isabelle die today. I wasn't going to let that happen. I cried and I screamed as Mum tried to calm me down, whilst I noticed my Dad on the phone in the corner. I could see into Isabelle's room slightly, but I was unable to see her body. Doctors crowded around her and I could see the frustration they were feeling. I couldn't believe what was happening.

"She was awake before," I whimpered onto the sleeve of Mum's jacket. "She was talking to me. She was okay."

Mum couldn't speak. She couldn't comprehend what was going on, just like I couldn't. I couldn't even scream anymore; my throat was dry, my eyes stinging more after another tear fell. I knew I was going to lose her. Isabelle was going to die.

I pressed my hands against the window of the room and stared through the glass, whimpering as I watched the doctors move away from her body. I rested my forehead against my forearm, my eyes closed as tears pushed their way through my eyelids. The high pitched noise of the monitor was loud, it was monotonous and it didn't break. The sound rung in my ears as I yelped out in pain, the feeling of heartbreak crushing my entire being as the door opened above me.