She knows. As soon as she sees her bloodied knee jammed up against the steering wheel, she knows. Her brain, with its usual cold pragmatism in the face of trouble, takes stock of the situation and quickly realises that there's no way out of there for her. She won't be able to get out on her own, and the car's balance is too fragile for Tess to be able to get her out of there without help, and there's no time for someone to come and find them.
It's like her emotions have been cut off as surely as an umbilical cord. They're frightening and she knows that they could suck her under and render her useless. So she instead builds a dam around them to keep them at bay and focuses on what needs to be done.
Everything's a blur as she checks on her panicked sister and tells her to get Charlotte out. She works to free herself as Tess tries to reach back for the newborn, but neither of them are having much success. An imploring, "She's my baby," cuts through the haze, and she watches tensely, consoling the screaming infant, as Tess manages to get out – almost there – and then get the baby out – both safe.
Now that her first priority is dealt with, she and Tess focus on trying to get her out too. She's still in her state of suspended, forced, calm as Tess tries open the door, pull the lever, secure the car, anything, and she can hear her sister's sounds of distress as it all fails.
As her sister's desperation grow, the dam she built to keep her emotions in check suddenly breaks, sending terror and sorrow coursing through her. She doesn't want to die; she doesn't want to leave Charlotte; she doesn't want to miss out on everything she has finally built with Alex and with Tess –
The car rocks forward, and there are only two things left on her mind, so she whispers them to Tess before shoving her away from the moving car.
As it tumbles, Claire closes her eyes.
A/N: I'm honestly still not sure why I wrote this. I recently watched the scene for the first time since I was pre-double-digits (and that hardly counts as watching, since it was essentially me squeezing my eyes shut until it was over and my mum recapped it), and I just felt… compelled to, I guess. There's something about the thought process of someone who knows they're doomed and so calmly focuses on saving their family that just begs exploration. Also, the acting was absolutely stellar in this scene.
Challenge: If You Dare Challenge – prompt: The Weight of Love