Chaos on the F1 Grid

Chapter 48- Charles

Eleanore: of course, sorry.

Charles: for what?

Eleanore: nothing. Doesn't matter. Could you ask when I am getting discharged?

He nodded and headed back to the nurses station, finding a different nurse this time.

Charles: Hi, Eleanore would like to know when she can be discharged?

Nurse: yes, the doctor wants to check everything over once more, then we will discharge your girlfriend.

Charles: thank you.

Eleanore didn't know that he had told the doctor and the nurses that she was his girlfriend – he told himself it was to ensure he could stay with her, but in truth they would have let him stay if he had told them she was just a friend. Charles went back to the room and realised he had been caught.

Doctor: i expected to see your boyfriend again.

Eleanore: I don't... no boyfriend.

Doctor: oh, I am sorry, he informed us he was your boyfriend. Did he do this to you?

Eleanore: no

Charles left the room before he was spotted by either the doctor or Eleanore, he went to the nurses station and waited to see the doctor leave.

Charles: excuse me? doctor?

Doctor: yes?

Charles: I am sorry I lied about being her boyfriend, I was afraid you wouldn't let me stay with her, and she is terrified of hospitals.

Doctor: do you know who did that to her?

Charles: the man who came by last night, I am sure your nurses told you.

Doctor: George Russell?

Charles: yes.

Doctor: why is she not telling the police, if you don't mind me asking?

Charles: she doesn't want him to get in trouble.

Doctor: well, it isn't my place, but he could have killed her – she is lucky to only have the swelling and bruising. He could have damaged a vein, her voice box, even caused brain damage.

Charles: I know, so does she.

Doctor: a piece of free advice... most 'friends' don't sit vigil the way the nurses tell me you have... food for thought Mr Leclerc. Life is short.

Charles: are you a doctor or a matchmaker?

Doctor: sometimes I am both.

Charles smiled and thanked the doctor, as he walked into Eleanore's room he saw she was picking at the skin on her fingers.

Charles: what are you doing? You will hurt yourself.

She stopped suddenly, but kept her eyes down.

Eleanore: Ethan was here?

Charles was confused as to why she thought Ethan was here, and then it occurred to him – she thinks the 'boyfriend' they mentioned was Ethan. He wondered if that was why she was suddenly so anxious.

Charles: no, he wasn't.

Eleanore: doc said... boyfriend here

Charles: I may have told them I was your boyfriend so I could stay...

Eleanore: boy who is a friend.

Charles: exactly.

He offered her a shy smile, and then sat beside her again, she was on her phone, and suddenly looked up at Charles with a confused expression. She turned the phone to him and he saw the footage of him and George last night, he also saw she now knew he had muted the notifications.

Charles: ok, I turned the notifications off because you needed rest, I am sorry. I know you are probably mad, because it is your job, but you needed rest, and while I am sorry it was violating your privacy going onto your phone, I am not sorry that it meant you slept.

Charles exhaled and waited for her to type an angry message to him, instead she just laughed a little. He was profoundly confused now; he was certain she would be mad at him. she shrugged her shoulders and then typed.

Eleanore: not angry, thank you.

Charles: oh, you are welcome then.

Eleanore: when can I go?

Charles: a couple of hours.

Eleanore: you should go and get some sleep, you look terrible.

Charles: you should look in a mirror!

Eleanore: wow... good thing you aren't my boyfriend you would sleep on the couch for a comment like that.

Charles: you would never make me sleep on the couch; I am too adorable.

Eleanore: agree to disagree, we will never know.

His heart hurt reading that message,

We will never know.

This was his fault, he insisted only friendship, he kept reminding her 'friends', he just hadn't thought how it would feel when she would accept that and agree. Part of him had hoped she would fight to be with him. He smiled and agreed he should go and get some rest – only he knew it was not because he was tired, but because he didn't want her to see how he felt. He gave her hand a squeeze and then walked quickly out of the room, wiping the tears that fell down his cheek as he got inside the taxi back to the hotel. He knew he had blown it, if he had just silenced the fear in his mind, they could have been together. Instead he let it take control, and now she didn't want more than friendship... he berated himself for having been so stupid.