Chapter 1

She was sitting in the car, feeling the pain, listening to Tess screaming. She looked scared, desperate.

'Pull your leg, Claire! Pull it!'

Many thoughts passed her mind. Alex, their relationship. Charlotte. Precious little Charlotte, who was lying down on the grass crying now. Her father. Drover's. All the things she wanted to do. All the places she wanted to go. Alex again. All the things she still wanted to tell him. It was too late.
The car started moving to the ravine again. Tess ran to the back of the car and desperate she tried to hold it, crying 'No! No!'. Of course she wasn't strong enough. She ran back to the front of the car. Claire looked at her blonde hairs. Her friendly face. Tears of despair crossed her face while she shouted: 'Pull your leg, Claire! Pull it! Please!'
I'm so sorry, Tess, she told her in her mind. I'm so, so sorry. This could be the end. It wasn't her time, it just wasn't her time. The fact she might not see her baby grow up made her so sad. But she was stuck in a car that was going to crash into a ravine and she couldn't stop it. She couldn't make Tess take the risk to fall with her.

'Look after Charlotte… I love you…' She looked into Tess' eyes once again. Than she stretched out her arm and pushed her away.

Alex was fixing up the decorations for the party when Tess arrived. She was on foot, running, holding Charlotte so tightly she was almost squeezing her. She was alone. He knew it the moment he saw her. Something's wrong. Something's very wrong.

'Help me… somebody help me…'

Alex dropped the decorations instantly.

'Tess! What happened? Where's the car? Where… where's Claire?'
She looked at him. He looked her in the eye and saw nothing else then fear and despair.

'Claire… the car… the horse, it crossed the road so suddenly… she couldn't stop the car and we almost drove into a ravine… I got out and took Charlotte and Claire…'

'What? What happened to Claire? Tess, what happened to Claire?'

'She… she and the car… she fell into the ravine…'

Alex couldn't remember that drive later. He only knew he was driving much to fast. He didn't even take the time to stop the car decently.

'CLAIRE!'

No one but the echo of his own voice answered him. He looked at Nick, Tess and Jodi standing beside him. Tess didn't do anything but crying, Jodi was just standing there covering her mouth with her hands. Nick showed up from behind the car, holding a cord. Alex almost ran over him and yanked the cord out of his hands.

'Easy, Alex!' Nick told him. 'Nice and slow. Don't go too fast!'

Some unknown reason made him be so grateful for that. Not that he was listening; he would have jumped into the ravine even if there wouldn't have been any cord, but his brother's voice gave him some kind of support.

He felt the rocks rolling away under his feet. Nothing else then Claire's face passed his mind. He could remember he had almost fallen down when as he went to fast, but he couldn't remember himself caring about that.

The car had totally fallen apart. Pieces of steel were dispersed everywhere.

'Claire!' Please, let her be alive. He couldn't imagine a life without her.

She felt herself coming back to earth when she heard rocks falling. Oh my god, I'm alive. She couldn't imagine it had been a hard sound, but every part of her body hurt her so it sounded like an earthquake to her. Please, let somebody be there to get me out. She listened carefully and noticed a voice… Nick? She kept her eyes closed to make her head feel better, but it didn't help much.

'Claire?'

She had been waiting for his voice all the time, and the joy when she finally heard it was bigger than she expected. She opened her eyes to see his face again. It felt like she hadn't seen him for years.

'Alex?'

'Claire!' He ran to the door less car and kneeled beside her. 'Claire, thank God…'

He took her hands, scared to hurt her. She looked at him and cried.

'I'm so, so glad you're here…'

'Claire…'

'I thought I was gonna die… I thought I'd never see you again!'

He lifted his hand to stroke her face. She smiled.

'It's just gonna be fine, Claire. It's just gonna be fine.' He looked at here and realised she was looking horrible. She had a terrible wound on her leg where she'd been stuck under the wheel. There was blood on her forehead. She needed an ambulance. She needed one right now.

'Listen to me, Claire… I'm not a doctor, I won't try to get you out. I'll tell Nick to call for an ambulance, right? I'll be back.'

She didn't remember much of that night. During the trip in the ambulance she was falling away all the time. They'd given her a painkiller that made her sleepy. When she opened her eyes she saw Alex looking at her and than he stroked her and told her to get asleep again. He told her it was gonna be fine. And she knew it.The next time she opened her eyes she was lying in a soft bed, with her head resting on a pillow that couldn't rival her own pillow at home at all. White blankets and pillows, white rooms. White people. She hated hospitals. She realised it had to be very late now. When she looked beside her she saw Alex in a chair(white of course), with his head sank to the left side. She laughed even tough she felt like someone was hammering all her bones with a masse. He wasn't sleeping as deep as she thought he was. He woke up instantly by hearing her laughing. He came closer to her and sighted.

'You know Claire… I'm so glad you're alive.'

She smiled. 'Of course I am. I'm indestructible.'

'I love you, Claire.'

'I love you too.'