After the Hate Has Gone (Sebastian Vettel)

49. Finding You (3)

Seb held her so tight. He never wanted to let her go.  The nightmare of the last 6 days was over. He had his Lottie back again.  He kissed her hair, he kissed her face, whispering words of love in her ear. Suddenly, she went limp in his arms. He looked at her face. Her eyes were half closed.

"Lottie? Someone help!" he screamed out, panicking. Antti and Joel ran over. Antii helped Seb lower Lottie to the ground. One of the dock employees ran over.

"What's wrong with her?" Seb asked, frantically.

"She's not been well the last few days," Antti explained. "I'm not sure if she has an infection in her cut. I just don't know. She's been running a fever."

Seb cradled her head on his lap. Please, he thought. He couldn't lose her now. He'd only just got her back.

"I call ambulance," said the dockman. Lottie opened her eyes.

"I'm OK," she said, weakly. "I just felt faint for a moment." She tried to sit up but Seb wouldn't let her.

"Stay. You're going to hospital. You scared me there. Again!"

"I'm OK Seb. Just hungry, fed up of Papaya and really need a good sleep somewhere more comfortable than a cave floor."  Seb gave a small laugh.

"You still need to go to the hospital" Antti said. "You need your head wound cleaning. And don't forget, your leg."  Seb looked up at Antti.

"Leg?"

"She's broken her leg. Well, I'm pretty sure she has."

"Sweetheart, why didn't you say? I must have hurt you when I picked you up."  Lottie reached a hand out and stroked his cheek.

"I forgot. I was just so happy to see you. I just wanted to be in your arms again. It doesn't hurt much. I just feel so weak and tired. " Joel tapped Antti on the shoulder and gestured that they should give the couple time alone. 

They strolled back over to the waiting room, where they sat down.

"How's he been?" Antti asked Joel.

"A total mess. He was broken Antti. The first night he just lay there, wouldn't talk to anyone. The second night he went on one hell of a bender. The rest of the time he mostly spent sat on the dock. They found a body, one of the crew. It killed him waiting to hear if it was her.  I really don't know what would have happened if you two hadn't been found safe. We were literally just about to fly home.  He couldn't stay there any longer. He'd just begun to accept that you two were gone forever.  Laura was too upset to stay.  I'm sorry, Antti.  She was convinced you were gone. She's probably in the air now. The others went with her."

"I understand. I wish she was here but she's going to have a nice surprise when she lands."

"What happened out there Antti? How on earth did you two survive so long?"

"We managed to get hold of a wooden panel from the boat.  We had a hell of a fight hanging on to it.  Eventually we washed up ashore but Lottie got swept onto rocks. Hence the cut head and the broken leg. She was out of it for a day.  We drank dirty water from a stream. Ate nothing but papaya. Just hung in there.  The last few days have been rough. I've barely slept. I had to make sure I brought her back to Seb safe."

"You had us worried mate. We thought you were both dead."

"Not gonna lie there's times I thought we were going to die."

"Look at them. They really love each other, don't they?"  Antti looked at Seb and Lottie.

"They do. They've been through so much to get to this point. It's meant to be."  Joel smiled. Things had worked out. Antti gave a big yawn.

"I think after you've been checked over you're going to be sleeping for a week."

"Pretty much. That cave floor was pretty unpleasant."

"I'll get on and book some rooms."

"Appreciated."  Joel and Antti carried on chatting whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive.  Seb and Lottie were still lost in each other.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again Miss Lawson.  Look at all the trouble you've caused."  Lottie laughed.

"Well I'm happy to stay in your arms forever. I love you Seb."

"I love you too liebling. I think the ambulance has just arrived. So I am going to have to let you go briefly. But before they come over. There's something I need to say. Lottie, from the moment we bumped into each other it's been our fate to be together. I truly believe that. You wound me up in a way no one else ever had. I behaved like a child around you. I guess that was my way of trying to fight the attraction. Then just as we were both ready to act on it, we were torn apart."

"That's in the past Seb, we have each other now."

"Shush, let me finish. Then fate gave us a second chance. I did wonder if you would ever give me a chance. But you did. I'm the luckiest man on the planet. You could have run a mile but you stuck with me through the hard times. Even when I acted like a jerk. And now this. It made me realise what's important. I love you Lottie. I'm always going  to love you.  Everyday I love you more than the day before. I never want to lose you. I am nothing without you. I didn't want to do this on a car park floor but it just feels right. Lottie, will you marry me? I want you to be my wife." Lottie looked at him, shocked. She hadn't been expecting that. She smiled at him.

"Yes, a million times yes." He wanted to kiss her but the angle he was sat made it impossible. So they just looked at each other, smiling, full of love.