UNLOCKED - LANDO NORRIS [Book 3]

30

"You just want to give up on him?" I bellow towards Adam, Lando's father. 

"We aren't giving up on him, sweetie" Cisca assures, reaching across the chair to grasp my hand. 

Charles has taken Peanut whilst I'm summoned to this meeting with Doctor Hilton and Lando's family to consider the next step in Lando's care. 

"You are! You want to just shut everything off and prevent him from fighting this!" I wallow. 

I see Adam swallow hard as he balls his hand into a fist at his mouth, gazing out the window. 

"Lando's organs are no longer functioning on their own, his brain activity has been unresponsive for quite some time now..."

"Shut up!" I bark toward the doctor, "With all due respect" I quickly add. "You can't do this. I don't care what your text books say, they aren't Lando. I know Lando. He's a fighter. He's not going to give up. He's not going to leave me!" 

I hear Cisca whimper beside me. 

"You're his mother! How can you even consider this?" I direct toward her. 

"Don't you guilt trip her" Adam pipes in. 

I stand from my chair and pace around the room. 

"Mr and Mrs Norris, at the end of the day, this is your decision, I can only advise you from a professional stand point" Dr Hilton sympathises. "I understand this is not an easy decision for anyone to make, and I feel for you all" 

I roll my eyes as I continue to pace, feeling like I'm the only one on Lando's side. 

"If you turn off the machines, how long will..." Adam asks, but can't finish his sentence. 

Dr Hilton eyes us all, "A few minutes" he mumbles. 

My throat constricts and tears brim my eyes, but the anger fuelling me right now is enough to hold them at bay. 

"This is ridiculous" I mutter. 

"Ms Verstappen, if I may, it's in my professional opinion that Lando may have left us some time ago, it's his body that is fighting this battle" 

"Well, if I may, your professional opinion is just that, an opinion. I know he's still in there" I mock. 

"Is there any possibility, at all, even 0.1% that he could wake up from this?" Adam asks in a tremble. 

"Based on his stats since arrival" he pauses for a moment, "No" 

The sob that erupts between myself and Cisca mix together through the room. 

"Can you give my wife and I some time to discuss this?" Adam requests. 

"Of course, take all the time you need" Dr Hilton offers. 

"Thank you" Adam appreciates, standing up to shake the doctors hand before guiding his wife out of the room. 

I glare at the man willing to murder my life, and although his face is soft and sympathetic, I hate him for it. 

Following Adam and Cisca out of the office, I jog after them to restate my case. 

"Please, Mr Norris, you can't do this. You can't even consider this" I beg. 

"Honey, this is the last thing I want to consider, but I need to work out if what we are doing is fair by Lando's standard. Whether it's kinder to let his body rest and break out own hearts in the process" 

Turning my face toward the ceiling to constrict the tears the best I can, "He hasn't met his son" I sob. 

My eyes find their way back to his, the glassiness coating them. 

"Peanut hasn't met his daddy, he hasn't seen his eyes, he hasn't experienced his smile" I sob. "Peanut deserves to meet his daddy" 

"We know" Adam pulls me into his arms as my sob break free and course down my face. "We know" 

As I approach Charles rocking Peanut in his pram outside in the courtyard, I hold it together until the very last moment when I collapse into his arms the moment I reach him. 

"Hey, hey" he soothes

"They want to turn it off. They want to kill him" I shout. 

Charles holds me tightly, brushing his hand down my hair and doing his best to hold me upright. 

"I can't lose him Charles" I admit. 

"I know. I know" he repeats. 

"What am I going to tell him? How am I going to explain to him that he never got to meet his daddy and that I failed trying to fight for his life" 

Charles pulls me back, still holding me tightly by my shoulders, "You didn't fail him, Ev. You're fighting with a higher power here babe. You're going to tell Peanut exactly who his daddy was. Everything he stood for. And you know, everyone knew, just how much he loved him. You could tell from the moment he knew you were pregnant." 

My head hangs heavily, "I can't say goodbye to him" 

Charles pulls me against him, "I know." 

I flop myself down on the bench seat next to us and hold my head in my hands, "I can't prepare myself for this. I don't. I can't. I don't even know how to start preparing for this" I stutter. 

"I'm right here with you, Ev" he reassures, "You aren't going through this alone. You can break and crumble all you need to, but I promise you, you'll do it in the safety of my arms. I've got you" 

I lift my head slowly up to meet his eyes that are filled with the tightest of promises I could have ever faced. 

I shake my head, "I'm not strong enough. Losing him is going to destroy me." 

Charles is crouched down in front of me, with one hand inside of Peanut's pram, soothing him as he stirs. "You're strong enough. I promise you. It's buried so far deep inside of you, you don't know it's there. But I promise you, its there"