Nobody Understands
Chapter 9 – Escape Plan
A/N: Thanks so much you guys for the great reviews. Soz for the late update...been hectic with work, again! I think this series will be drawing to a close soon so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what else I could do a series on. All suggestions will be considered and recognition given, obviously! Ahyhoo, on with the show!
***
I must have turned as white as a sheet because Mum suddenly looked alarmed when she looked at me.
'Y-Y-Y-' I couldn't get the word out. She couldn't be having the baby now; it wasn't due for another month. I wasn't ready for this – one; I thought that I had a whole month to get ready and two; we were trapped in a car at the edge of a cliff.
I swallowed, licked my lips and started again. 'You're not due for another month.'
'I know sweetheart, but the accident must have triggered it off.' Mum gasped and grimaced. She took a few deep breaths and then turned back to look at me.
'How long do you think you have?' I asked, envisioning something...I don't know what.
'I'm sure it'll be a while yet.' She reached over and stroked my hair. I moved myself away with practised ease. I was too much in shock to let her do that. Mum opened her mouth to say something but then closed it, deciding not to.
We sat in total silence for at least an hour. Well, it would have been total silence if it wasn't for the fact that every 7 minutes or so, Mum would have another contraction.
'Do you think anyone's looking for us?' I asked quietly, once her breathing was back to normal.
'I'm sure they are.' Mum said reassuringly, although I wasn't sure if she meant it or if she was just saying it.
'Dad's going to be doing his nut.' I said thoughtfully.
'Probably,' Mum smiled, 'But not as bad as he would be if he knew I was in labour.'
Mum and I burst into a fit of giggles as we pictured Dad running around like a headless chicken. A few moments later I stopped.
'What is it, darling?' Mum asked, taking a few deep breaths as she calmed herself.
'Dad's going to blame me.'
'No, he isn't.'
'Yes he is. I made you take me down to the village and if I hadn't of done – this wouldn't have happened.'
Mum gently placed her hand on my chin and made me look at her. 'I could have said no, you know. You didn't hold a gun to my head. This isn't anyone's fault.'
'Maybe that guy in the other car.' I said after a while.
'Yea, he was a bit of a jerk wasn't he?' Mum said with a grin. 'I mean, I can't believe he didn't go and get any help. If I was him I would just wish the ground would swallow me up.'
'That's it!' I suddenly shouted out.
Mum looked at me, surprised at my outburst. 'What's "it", honey?'
'I don't know why I didn't think of it before.' I opened up the glove-box and found what I was looking for – a pair of scissors and a screw driver. 'Brian has the exact same car as this.' I told Mum as I began to score along the bottom of the foot well with the scissors. 'I know because I was with him when he bought it from the car showroom.'
'That's nice but what's that got to do with this? And why are you wrecking the inside of the car?'
I finished attacking the carpet and pulled it up to reveal a hatch. Mum peered over and then grinned when I began to unscrew the bolts that held it in. Soon a blast of freezing cold air came in as I lifted the hatch and came face to face with the snow.
'Now your turn.' I told Mum, handing her the scissors and screwdriver. Obviously it took a lot longer for her to do it because her bump was getting in the way and she had to stop every now and then for a contraction.
By the time she had finished I was really getting quite cold. I knew we had to go in a few moments but that we also needed Mum's bag. I didn't really care about the shopping bags in the boot. 'Right, what now?' Mum asked breathlessly, just finishing another contraction. They were getting really close together and seemed to be getting more painful.
'In a moment you're going to lower yourself through the hole and I'm going to grab your bag and then go out.'
'Honey, I'm not sure...' Mum looked quite scared for me and I felt touched.
'Mum, trust me.' I said as she began to prepare herself. 'Now once you're out and I'm out, I need you to take the handbrake off and then lie down quickly as possible.'
Mum nodded and began to lower herself down. I turned around and grabbed Mum's bag and then quickly followed suit. The car shuddered around a bit and then settled. I looked at Mum and nodded, lying down. She gulped hard and then took the handbrake off, lying down immediately afterwards. There was a slight rumble and then a creak. Finally a snap as the car pushed itself at the tree and it broke. The car drove itself over the top of it and down the cliff.
It must have been at least 30 seconds before we heard the crash below, a sickening noise in the otherwise silent night. I closed my eyes and imagined that it had been us still in the car as it went over. The image replayed over and over in my mind. Tears came to my eyes but I blinked them away. I knew Mum was thinking about the same thing because I could hear her crying. For the next few moments we both lay there in the freezing snow, not caring that we were on the age of the cliff, not caring that we were getting colder by the second and not caring that Mum was about to give birth at any time. All we cared about was each other and Dad. Yep – both of us cared.
A/N: Thanks so much you guys for the great reviews. Soz for the late update...been hectic with work, again! I think this series will be drawing to a close soon so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what else I could do a series on. All suggestions will be considered and recognition given, obviously! Ahyhoo, on with the show!
***
I must have turned as white as a sheet because Mum suddenly looked alarmed when she looked at me.
'Y-Y-Y-' I couldn't get the word out. She couldn't be having the baby now; it wasn't due for another month. I wasn't ready for this – one; I thought that I had a whole month to get ready and two; we were trapped in a car at the edge of a cliff.
I swallowed, licked my lips and started again. 'You're not due for another month.'
'I know sweetheart, but the accident must have triggered it off.' Mum gasped and grimaced. She took a few deep breaths and then turned back to look at me.
'How long do you think you have?' I asked, envisioning something...I don't know what.
'I'm sure it'll be a while yet.' She reached over and stroked my hair. I moved myself away with practised ease. I was too much in shock to let her do that. Mum opened her mouth to say something but then closed it, deciding not to.
We sat in total silence for at least an hour. Well, it would have been total silence if it wasn't for the fact that every 7 minutes or so, Mum would have another contraction.
'Do you think anyone's looking for us?' I asked quietly, once her breathing was back to normal.
'I'm sure they are.' Mum said reassuringly, although I wasn't sure if she meant it or if she was just saying it.
'Dad's going to be doing his nut.' I said thoughtfully.
'Probably,' Mum smiled, 'But not as bad as he would be if he knew I was in labour.'
Mum and I burst into a fit of giggles as we pictured Dad running around like a headless chicken. A few moments later I stopped.
'What is it, darling?' Mum asked, taking a few deep breaths as she calmed herself.
'Dad's going to blame me.'
'No, he isn't.'
'Yes he is. I made you take me down to the village and if I hadn't of done – this wouldn't have happened.'
Mum gently placed her hand on my chin and made me look at her. 'I could have said no, you know. You didn't hold a gun to my head. This isn't anyone's fault.'
'Maybe that guy in the other car.' I said after a while.
'Yea, he was a bit of a jerk wasn't he?' Mum said with a grin. 'I mean, I can't believe he didn't go and get any help. If I was him I would just wish the ground would swallow me up.'
'That's it!' I suddenly shouted out.
Mum looked at me, surprised at my outburst. 'What's "it", honey?'
'I don't know why I didn't think of it before.' I opened up the glove-box and found what I was looking for – a pair of scissors and a screw driver. 'Brian has the exact same car as this.' I told Mum as I began to score along the bottom of the foot well with the scissors. 'I know because I was with him when he bought it from the car showroom.'
'That's nice but what's that got to do with this? And why are you wrecking the inside of the car?'
I finished attacking the carpet and pulled it up to reveal a hatch. Mum peered over and then grinned when I began to unscrew the bolts that held it in. Soon a blast of freezing cold air came in as I lifted the hatch and came face to face with the snow.
'Now your turn.' I told Mum, handing her the scissors and screwdriver. Obviously it took a lot longer for her to do it because her bump was getting in the way and she had to stop every now and then for a contraction.
By the time she had finished I was really getting quite cold. I knew we had to go in a few moments but that we also needed Mum's bag. I didn't really care about the shopping bags in the boot. 'Right, what now?' Mum asked breathlessly, just finishing another contraction. They were getting really close together and seemed to be getting more painful.
'In a moment you're going to lower yourself through the hole and I'm going to grab your bag and then go out.'
'Honey, I'm not sure...' Mum looked quite scared for me and I felt touched.
'Mum, trust me.' I said as she began to prepare herself. 'Now once you're out and I'm out, I need you to take the handbrake off and then lie down quickly as possible.'
Mum nodded and began to lower herself down. I turned around and grabbed Mum's bag and then quickly followed suit. The car shuddered around a bit and then settled. I looked at Mum and nodded, lying down. She gulped hard and then took the handbrake off, lying down immediately afterwards. There was a slight rumble and then a creak. Finally a snap as the car pushed itself at the tree and it broke. The car drove itself over the top of it and down the cliff.
It must have been at least 30 seconds before we heard the crash below, a sickening noise in the otherwise silent night. I closed my eyes and imagined that it had been us still in the car as it went over. The image replayed over and over in my mind. Tears came to my eyes but I blinked them away. I knew Mum was thinking about the same thing because I could hear her crying. For the next few moments we both lay there in the freezing snow, not caring that we were on the age of the cliff, not caring that we were getting colder by the second and not caring that Mum was about to give birth at any time. All we cared about was each other and Dad. Yep – both of us cared.