~~ 5. Denial. ~~

"Lara wait! Be careful!" I heard Nelson's yell behind me, but I paid it no heed as I sprinted down towards the cars. The only thought on my mind was making sure my parents were okay. But before I could reach the cars someone's strong arms caught me and stopped me in my tracks.

"Whoah," He said annoyed. "What are you doing? This isn't the place for sightseers."

"I'm not a sightseer." I snapped. "That's my parents car down there." I struggled to get free but his arms were holding me tightly.

"I don't think you should go down there." He said, his voice softer now.

"I don't care what you think." I yelled. "MOMMY! DADDY!"

"Lara." Nelson had arrived beside me and I turned to face him. His face was pale, and in the lights from the ambulance and the police cars I saw his eyes were wide with fear.

"Please let me go." I said, trying to sound calm, and hoping the man would let me go.

"Lara do you really think-" Nelson began, but before he could finish his sentence a loud wail came from the direction of the police cars. The man holding on to me must have got a shock because his grip loosened slightly on me and I took advantage of the fact, wrenching myself away and sprinting towards the two cars. My parent's car was a mess and it looked like it had hit something head on. The other car was pretty bad, but not as bad. The ambulance was standing with it's back doors open and a woman was sitting on the edge of it, crying hysterically. Various police officers walked around, and a few looked up as I reached them.

"Mommy! Daddy!" I raced to our car, but stopped when I saw it was empty.

"What the hell-" A police officer began, sounding as angry as the man who had stopped me before. But there was the sound of feet behind me and Nelson and the man arrived.

"Sir- I tried to stop her," The man puffed. "Her parents were in that car."

"Oh." The police officer's voice was quieter now, and he came to put his hand on my arm. "Your parents have gone in the first ambulance because they needed urgent medical attention."

"Are they all right?" I demanded, shaking his hand off my arm.

I saw the police officers all exchange looks over my head and I stamped my foot angrily on the ground. "I said are they all right?" I cried. "Why don't you answer me?"

"Lara…" Nelson came forward to put an arm around my shoulders. "Sir, what happened here?"

The police officer took off his cap to scratch at his hair before putting it back on. "The couple were driving home and they took the bend too fast and veered over to the wrong side of the road. The woman coming the other way didn't have time to react." He explained.

The woman in the ambulance had stopped crying now, and she got out and came over to me. Her voice shaky she said, "I'm sorry." She told me.

I glared at her. "So you should be. If my parents are hurt…." I trailed off, not sure what to say, and knowing that it wasn't wise to threaten her. The police officer had basically said the accident was my parent's fault.

"Hurt?" She repeated. And then she turned around to look at the police officers who were gathered around. Some were looking around near the cars, and the ambulance officers were coming over towards us. "Haven't you told her?"

I felt my legs give way, but Nelson held me up. "Told me what?" I cried, my voice higher than usual, and panicky.

"Come on Mrs. Martin, we want to get you to the hospital to get you checked out." The ambulance officer said, taking her arm and trying to lead her back towards the ambulance.

"I'm fine." She said waving her off impatiently.

"Tell me what?" I asked again, this time my voice weaker.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital Lara." Nelson suggested to me, and to my shock I saw there were tears running down his cheeks.

"Tell me what?" I asked again, but when I looked at the faces of some of the police officers gathered there I didn't need an answer. I felt myself grow lightheaded and then everything went black.

*****

When I came to I was lying down near the ambulance, with the ambulance officers fussing over me. Nelson was standing near me, but he wasn't looking at me, he was looking off into the distance, and his back shook with his silent sobs.

"Nelson." I croaked, and I saw him take a deep breath before coming over to me.

"Lara, you scared me." He said, kneeling down next to me.

"We've got to go to the hospital. We've got to go and see Mommy and Daddy. They'll want to see me." I insisted. My parents were going to be all right- they had to be. They couldn't die, they couldn't leave me!

"We'll take you to the hospital sweetie." The ambulance officer said, glancing at her partner.

"Good. Let's go. Now." I said, struggling to get up, despite still feeling dizzy. Nelson hurried to steady me.

"I'll follow in the car." He told me.

"Promise?" I asked him, not wanting him to leave me yet.

"Promise." He assured me, squeezing my hand. "And then I better call Mom and Dad."

"We better hurry." I told the ambulance officers.

The female one helped me into the back of the ambulance, where the woman who'd been in the accident was already sitting silently. She glanced at me, but then put her head back down. I sat stiffly on the edge of the stretcher, and a moment later there was the noise of the motor starting, and the ambulance moved off up the slight incline, and towards the hospital. The drive there seemed to take forever, despite my pleas to hurry. I had to get to my parent's bedsides. The moment the ambulance arrived at the hospital I threw the back doors open and ran into inside.

"Where are my parents?" I demanded of the nurse at the front desk. "Mr. and Mrs. Logan? They were just brought in from a car accident."

She looked at me sympathetically. "Are you on your own?"

"No my cousin is right behind me." I said, not bothering to explain that Nelson was actually my half second cousin since at that moment it didn't really seem to matter. Nothing mattered but seeing my parents.

"Hold on a moment, I'll just get someone." She said slowly, and she disappeared leaving me waiting impatiently.

"Lara, I called Mom and Dad on the car phone, they're on their way." Nelson said, as he hurried into the building. He grabbed my hand and I held it tightly.

"She's just getting someone. They'll take me to my parents." I said.

"Lara-" Nelson began, his voice hoarse, but I interrupted him, my eyes blazing. "Don't you say it Nelson Childs, don't you dare say it. My parents are fine."

He swallowed hard and said nothing. Eventually the nurse came back with a young doctor by her side. He looked as though the last thing he wanted to do was to come and speak to me. "Miss Logan?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Can you come with me?" He asked, and Nelson and I followed behind him, my hand still gripping his firmly. He led us into a small room with a few chairs and a table. The nurse had followed and now she bustled about making cups of coffee and I feeling weak again I sank into one of the chairs. Nelson remained standing.

"Is there anyone else coming?" The doctor asked.

"My parents are on their way." Nelson said. "And they might have called Lara's Grandmother."

The young doctor nodded and I noticed he was fiddling with his pen uncomfortably.

"Doctor, can I please see my parents?" I asked him calmly.

"Your parents…" He said, and then he coughed and started again. "I'm sorry Miss Logan, but your parents didn't make it. Your father died on impact and your mother passed away on the way to the hospital. I'm terribly sorry, everything that could be done was done, but their injuries were too severe-"

"NO." I yelled, getting out of my chair and glaring at the doctor. "You're lying."

"Lara." Nelson said, tears running freely down his cheeks again, like they had at the accident site when he'd realized what I'd stubbornly refused to accept. "Lara, the doctor's not lying."

"But my Mommy and Daddy wouldn't die…they'd never leave me…they love me!" I protested, although somewhat weakly.

"I'm sorry Miss Logan." The doctor repeated, and I wanted to punch him. In my pain I felt it was his fault my parents had died. But my rage dissipated almost instantly, and it was replaced by a deep despair, and for the first time since I'd recognized my parent's car I started to cry.

Nelson hurried to my side, and pulled me into his arms. I buried my head in his chest crying like I thought I'd never stop. I didn't notice the doctor leave, pulling the door shut behind him. All I could think about was the fact that my parents had gone. I don't know how long it was that I stood against Nelson crying but the next thing I took in was the arrival of Aunt Holly and Uncle Kenneth. From the look of pain on Uncle Kenneth's face and the tears streaming down Aunt Holly's I knew they'd been told what had happened.

"Lara, baby." Aunt Holly said, and I rushed into her arms.

"This can't be happening, this is all a nightmare and I'm going to wake up in a moment and everything is going to be back to normal…" I told her, through my tears.

"Oh baby." Aunt Holly said, sounding choked up. "I wish that were so."

"Do you think I better call Sara and Tommy and May?" Nelson was asking his parents.

"I think so." Uncle Kenneth said. "They need to know."

Nelson left the room to make the necessary phone calls, and Aunt Holly said, "I think we better take you back to our place."

"No." I cried, pulling back from her, scared. "I have to stay here, I can't leave them."

"Lara, we can't stay here." Aunt Holly said softly.

I felt the fight go out of me and I nodded weakly. Uncle Kenneth on one side, and Aunt Holly on the other I left the hospital. Nelson walked slowly behind us, his own grief evident. He'd rang Uncle Tommy and told him what was happening, and he'd offered to go and get Sara before bringing her and May back over to the Child's place.

Silently we got into the car, and drove away from the hospital, leaving my parents behind.