Coffee Shop | Elizabeth Olsen

54: Flashbacks

Paps swarmed the airport like they always did. I kept her close to me and shielded her face from the flashes with my hand so they couldn't get a photo of her my sunglasses covered most of my face. We went straight through and to the first class, lounge to wait.

NELLS' POV

Every second of the accident was running through my head. The screeching of the breaks, the banging of the two cars, the glass shattering, mine and Ria's screaming as the car spun and tipped and flipped and fell. The bright lights of the oncoming traffic, Ria tried to avoid and then silence. The glass all around us, the feeling of being suspended as the car was upside down, the pain in my neck the warm blood trickling down my face and neck. Seeing Ria's blonde hair dyed red and her suspended there. "Ria." I tried to wake her. "Ria, please wake up. I'm scared." I whispered to her. Her side of the car was completely crushed and there were dots in my vision. "Nell?" "Ria?" "You're okay." "I can't move." "Neither." "Can you see?" "I think so." She tried to move and groaned in pain.

Sirens were sounded in the distance and the blue flashing lights. "It's going to be okay, Help is coming." She told me. But it wasn't okay, even when the help got there. "Take her first," Ria told them. "We need to get you okay first, ma'am." "I love you, Nelly, Poo." "Love you, Ria Pee-a." My eyes got heavy and I tried to keep them open but I couldn't and it went black and fuzzy.

And that's all that was going through my head over and over and Ria got distorted into Cassie and I could see her hanging there in pain and scared. I should be protecting her. I was meant to protect her and I failed that. And she was in the same place I was in, she was hanging there scared and hurt and she might be more hurt than me. I should have been home looking after her. I should have been more strict with her. I should have been there to guide her not a million miles away. She was scared and alone and hurt without me. I should have fixed it. I should have taught her better. Protected her more and now she's hurt.

My chest kept tightening the more I thought but I couldn't stop it's all I could see, Cassie and Ria and Cassie and Ria.

Before I knew it I was standing in front of my mum, how did that even happen we were in the car in New York and now we're here, in the hospital. "Bug?" "Hmm?" I say snapping back to reality. "How was your flight?" "Fine, where is she? I need to see her." "Nell I think you need to prepare yourself for the worst." "Don't say that. Don't give up on her." "Nelly, it's bad, Honey." I shake my head. I didn't want to hear it. I couldn't lose her. "Nell. They're turning the machines off." "No." I sobbed I didn't care who was around my heart was breaking it physically hurt it felt like my whole body was on fire, it was screaming it was burning it was so overwhelming. "We were waiting for you to get here." "No, Tony said on the phone there was a chance." "Nell there's no brain activity." "Please." I leant my head on my mum's shoulder and my mum rubbed up and down my back as I cried. "I'm sorry." "Nell this isn't your fault." "I should have been at home. I should have stayed. I could have done more. She was acting out and I should have been there." "Eleanor, listen to me. This was dumb teenagers making a mistake." "A mistake that took her life!" I shouted. My brothers touched me and I held my arms up and everyone backed off. They knew what it meant. I can't deal with it.

We all went in one by one to say our goodbyes. Lizzie held my hand whilst we were in there. She was so cut up and bruised and hurt and she had tubes and wires all over her helping her breathe and monitor different levels. They took all the tubes and wires off switching the machines off. Mum and my brothers didn't want to watch her die, but she couldn't be alone. I got in the bed with her and held her, she was taking laboured breaths. The doctor told us she'd do this for a while and they'd get less frequent.

"I'm with you until the end, Bug." I brushed my fingers through her hair, it still had the dried blood at the root. "My poor princess," I spoke to her 24 hours ago for three hours. She was happy and excited about school and now she's lying here dying in my arms. "I'm sorry, baby girl." I kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much. You're my best friend. And I don't know how I'm going to do life without you." "I'd go to the end of the earth for you... I love you." I held her she laid on me as she slipped away into her forever sleep. The monitor flat-lining. "Goodnight, Cuddle bug," I say for the last time.