bucket list || l. norris

twenty four

* sorry for the wait - here's a shorter chapter than usual, but nevertheless, i hope you enjoy. please comment throughout and vote, too! the support really means everything to me *

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As nice as it was to relax during the race, I still wanted to be in Monaco with Lando more than anything. The one race we were looking forward to, and I couldn't go with him because I ended up in hospital. He didn't want to leave me on Thursday afternoon, promising that he would be straight back, on the first flight out of Nice after the race.

"Are you good, Mila?" I spent the weekend at my parents' house, and they checked up on me more than I'd ever remembered. Of course, I was much smaller the last time I had a scare like this, so it was unusual territory for me. I couldn't remember much from my childhood. Mum had barely left my side, and I knew she'd been checking on me even during the night. I felt awful for adding more unnecessary pressure and worry.

"Yes, I'm fine," I smiled while nodding at mum who pressed a kiss on the top of my head before sitting at the end of the sofa. "Excited to see Lando. He's coming straight here from the airport."

"Of course, darling." Mum focused her attention on the television. Post-race interviews on Sky Sports were playing in the background, and it was weird to be watching them through a screen instead of seeing them take place in front of my eyes. Earlier on, I noticed Harry walking alongside Lando down the paddock, his hand placed on my best friend's shoulder in a seemingly reassuring manner. I'd not spoken to Lando since before the race.

He started in twelfth, and finished in eleventh. For Lando, that was barely progress. I could imagine how annoyed he would've been at himself for that result, and I couldn't help but think that I was responsible. After sitting down with Cyrus on Thursday morning before Lando left to catch his flight to Nice, I knew that he was worried. I could see the fear plastered all over his face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Really, there wasn't anything major to worry about when it came to me. I listened carefully to Cyrus before leaving hospital on Thursday and Lando did the same, but he was slightly irritable with fear. I didn't want him to worry, but it was hard to get that message across because he feared the worst. I couldn't blame him; if I was in his shoes, I would react in the same way.

Since being at my parents' house, I'd felt no more pain in my chest, or anywhere on my body for that matter. It was a great relief to me, especially now that I knew the once reopened valve was getting smaller. It was nothing to worry about at all. The shrinking of the valve was so minuscule that it was barely noticeable on immediate tests, and was why doctors ran more tests to get a closer look at my heart. It didn't bother me, having doctors take me from room to room; I just wanted to get to the bottom of things and figure out if there was a bigger problem. Cyrus told me that I was healthy, that the shrinking wouldn't change anything for me, and that I should go about my daily life as normal. I just needed the time to recover, and also to be observed carefully, should anything go wrong.

I'd slept more than usual, turning off my early morning alarm and setting it for a couple of hours later instead, and I took the extra sleep with gratitude. The nature of my job was so fast paced and very chaotic; finding time for a few days off was difficult until summer break. Considering my condition, if I needed to take some time off, there was always a way round it. Harry travelled with McLaren working in Communications anyway, and he was there if I wasn't, to be Lando's boss for a few days. Zak was so accommodating, and he always had been, so there really wasn't anything for me to worry about. These few days did wonders for my physical and mental health. As much as I wanted to be in Monaco, I had to put myself first.