Ophelia finds a way up onto the roof. She does not need to because Austin's home has huge windows offering views of Salt Lake City and the mountain from every room at every angle, but she wants the roof so she climbs out and then carefully climbs onto the roof. She had been right, the view from the roof was no better than any of the other rooms. But she is still happy she had decided to climb out. They had been here for five days and when Austin said they had to go back to LA today she had had to swallow the lump in her throat. She wonders if Austin would let her take Emmett with her, they had become great friends and he gave the best bear hugs every day on her way to the kitchen to make after-sex morning coffee or after-sex afternoon tea or after-sex midnight snacks for her and Austin, they have alot of sex. From up here she can see Austin walking in and out of the house while he packs the Rolls in the driveway. His lawyer had phoned yesterday to say that his court date has been set. Lucky for him he is rich and famous so they are holding a mediation in the lawyer's office only. Now that Diamond is part of this whole mess Austin does not want Ophelia anywhere near the matter, he is scared it will ruin her reputation. But the thing is, now that Austin has helped build her confidence she feels pretty good at putting her foot down and insisting on getting her way - sweetly so. She told him under no uncertain terms that she will be there, between him and Diamond, and she will speak for them both.
Austin said he would tie her up to stop her from coming and when she asked him to show her how he would tie her up that only lead to sex and then Emmitt got an extra hug on her way to the kitchen for a bottle of water. "Baby!" she hears Austin call from inside the house. She should let him know she is up here but she is not ready to leave yet so she sits and looks out over Salt Lake City while she listens to him running up and down the house calling her name. After a while, he pops out in front and looks pointlessly into the Rolls then stands with his hand on his hip while he scratches his head. He looks cute so confused. "I am up here, sweetheart!" she shouts down at him from the roof. He looks up, confused, and then his face turns angry when he sees her. "Ophelia! Get down from there! You could slip and break your fucking neck!" he shouts. Ophelia giggles and starts to stand up carefully. "No! Stay where you fucking are! Do not fucking move!" he shouts and then dashes inside. Moments later she hears him climbing out of the window and then he moves carefully to her, sitting down next to her and wrapping her in his arms. "You fucking scared me, baby," he says kissing the side of her head. "Your roof is flat," she says. "I give no fucks. Don't do this again," he says. "You say that like I will ever be back here," she whispers, now a little sad at the prospect. Austin reaches into his pocket and pulls out a house key then places it in her hand. "You can come here anytime, you don't even have to call...we will always be friends, baby," he says kissing the side of her face. "Won't that be weird?" she asks looking at him. "We are in a PR relationship, a relationship designed to make people believe that we have fallen in love, yet we fuck and say we love each other...that's weird," he says. "I mean me being here just as a friend - I would want to touch you," she says. Austin laughs. "I fuck my friends, you can touch all you want," he says. Ophelia smiles at him and puts the key in her pocket, resting her head on his chest. She will keep the key forever, but she knows as well as he does that she will never use it. She has every intention in staying friends with Austin, she could never really cut him out of her life but she could not come here, she could not see him physically again - it would hurt too much. She is with him for right now but she knows she will love him forever. Seeing him fall out of love with her and into love with someone else will cut worse than any scare Jim ever tried to give her.
"Time to go, baby," he whispers and kisses the top of her head then stands and takes her hand firmly in his, scared she will slide off this very flat roof. He fusses with her as she climbs down and back through the window and then he rolls his eyes with a smirk when she gives Emmett one last hug before following Austin out to his Rolls. Leaving his home and Utah plays heavy on him, Ophelia can see his shoulders sag ever so slightly. If she was his real partner she would convince him to live full-time in Utah, just to see his happy smile, his Utah smile every morning. The trip back to LA is long so they only reach it at night and so Aubrey makes reservations at the restaurant with big windows for them. It's a media shitstorm, they have been quiet for three weeks so every photographer seems to be there waiting for them and the size of fans have seemed to doubled. Her name is being screamed louder than Austins now and Ophelia is a little shocked by how easy it was to get the world to love her again - she has not even started on her movies yet. Fear creeps up her spine and she hopes Austin does not realize, he might just go if he thinks it's time. She grips tighter to his hand but he looks at her and without saying a word she knows he is thinking the same thing.
Diamond is waiting inside for them, she says she is happy to see Ophelia but not her rabid dog, Austin wins her over with just one hug though. Ophelia watches how Diamind throws her head back and laughs loudly when Austin tells her of their Bigfoot hunting experience while eating. Diamond is just wonderful. Ophelia turns her head and sees Joe watching their table with a soft smile playing on his lips. She follows his eye line and sees his smile is in reaction to Diamond's laugh. Is he looking at Diamond? He has never looked at Ophelia like that. She looks back at him and then he dips his head to hide his hide his face at being caught by Ophelia. Austin had been right - some things have a way of just working themselves out. "Oh, I think that's a great idea! What do you think, baby?" Austin asks. Ophelia snaps her head back to the table. "Oh sorry, I was not listening," she apologizes. "Diamond has called everyone and planned a night out, wanna go?" he asks. "Oh! Yes, sure," Ophelia says. "Great! It's this brand new club that has opened across town, little bit of a drive, but I heard it's totally worth it," she says picking up her phone and standing. Austin and Ophelia follow her out, pushing through the very loud crowd and into the Rolls, with Joe. "Seatbelts, please. I had this horrible dream, but don't ask me about it, just put your seatbelts on," Diamond says putting her seatbelt on. Austin and Ophelia shrug and put theirs on too, both she and Austin have a horrible habit of not wearing their belts, it's probably a good idea to break that habit. Austin places his hand on the crease of Ophelia's hip and winks at her then starts the Rolls as Diamond lets out a happy scream. "Party! Party! Party!" she shouts, clapping her hands. Austin and Ophelia laugh and Joe rolls his eyes with a chuckle. "Ophelia, while you were gone I got you a whole new line of dresses. They're beautiful and I have hung them up in your closet with a sign that says 'Austin! No touching!'," she says. Ophelia turns to her and giggles. "With his grabby hands I don't think a sign will help any," she says then looks at Austin who is already nodding his head with a grin, and then looks back at the road. "I also got you a front-row seat at the next Gucci show," Diamond says. Ophelia turns to look back at her. "What! Oh my goodness! That's fantastic! Thank you so much, Di. I really -"
"Austin!!"
Ophelia is cut off by Joe's loud voice and then she watches as he dives forward and covers Diamond who is now screaming with his body. Ophelia turns to look at Austin who is looking out her window with big eyes, horror taking over his features. He lets go of the steering wheel and grabs hold of Ophelia pulling her tightly to his body and covering her head as well as his own. "Hold tight, baby," he whispers trying to mask the terror in his voice. Then unexpectedly she feels a huge force blaming into the metal behind her. Her window explodes and glass propels at her like tiny little bullets cutting her skin as it hits her. She can hear the crunching of metal, the screeching of tires, and Diamond screaming. She would scream too but she is so scared that she can't make a sound. She feels her seatbelt snap and she lets go of Austin to try and keep her seatbelt tightly on her. "Fuck!" Austin shouts, pulling her out of her seat and onto his lap then manages to turn them so she is pushed into the seat under him as he covers her and protects her head. Then suddenly the Rolls is airborne and Ophelia looks up at Austin as he looks back at her, terror still in his eyes. The G-force pushes them apart. They are going to roll. Ophelia reaches out for him and pulls him back to her, pushing his head into her neck and covering his head with her hands as he does hers. He is holding onto her so tightly it feels like he is going to crush her skull and then they roll. They roll so fast that Ophelia can't make out which way is up. As they roll she can feel the metal in the Rolls rip apart and tear at her fingers and hands where she is protecting Austin's head. Then just as suddenly as it all started it just stops. The quietness is eerie, she listens for Diamond's scream but she no longer makes a sound. She hears nothing. Austin is on top of her but he is heavy and not moving. "Sweetheart," she croaks out, her mouth full of blood from clamping down on the skin in her mouth. Austin gives no response. "Sweetheart," she croaks again and tries to move him, but he is limp and does not move. Panic sets in. "Austin! Shit! Austin, please, baby! Move!" she begs but he doesn't respond and stays limp over her. "Joe! Joe! I'm...fuck! Austin!!" she cries and tries to shake him. Nothing. Joe groans from the back seat and sits up. "Shit!" he says checking over Diamond and then he slaps her face lightly. "Di, wake up, Di!" he shouts. He gets no response "Damit! Ophelia!" he says leaning forward to look at her. "I'm ok, but Austin..." she whimpers and looks to her side. Her eyes go big when she sees her seat has completely disappeared, mangled into the sharp jagged metal of the Rolls. The front of a car in the place of where her door once was. This is bad. This is very bad. "Austin! Austin! Please, baby!" she starts shouting in a panic, trying to shake his limp body. "Ophelia, calm down. You need to calm down and check his breathing," Joe says as he pulls Diamond out of the car and starts CPR on her. Ophelia concentrates on Austin's breathing but she can't feel anything. Fuck he is not breathing. She moves her hands and grabs his face in a panic and tries to lift it up but there is so much blood her hands keep slipping and she can't get his head up. He is lying over her, limp and heavy and she tries but she can't move him. She can't do anything but lie here under him. She starts crying. "No, no, baby please, wake up, wake up, baby!" she cries but Austin does not respond to her at all. "Please, baby! Not like this! Not like this! You have to wake up, please," she begs as she cries, big thick hot tears.
Then suddenly his body jerks and he lifts his head taking in a huge gulp of air. "Fuck," he croaks out, his mouth bloody too. Ophelia starts crying more, sheer relief running through her body. He is alive. "Baby, are you ok," he croaks, his hands running over her bloody body, fear still prominent in his eyes. "I thought you died," she cried. "Fuckers can't kill me, not while you are still alive," he says then turns and kicks his door to get it open. She watches him as he stands. He has blood all over him and small cuts from the metal and glass, but other than that he looks fine. Ophelia tries to get out but he stops her, checking over her body. She is in pain but also only has small cuts all over her body like his. Austin's eyes flick over to where her seat and been and she sees him swallow thickly and then look back at her. "Bloody hell, baby," he breathes out. "Diamond," she whispers. Austin stands and looks over the top of the car and then disappears as he sprints to her. Ophelia climbs out of the car, ignoring the pain, and runs around to Diamond too. She is lying on her back, eyes closed and lips blue while Joe furiously pumps on her chest. Austin drops to his knees and starts giving her mouth-to-mouth. "Come on, Di!" he shouts and then swaps with Joe as his arms grow tired. They carry on and on swapping every so often and begging for her to respond. Ophelia stands watching them begging her silently to just breathe. There is nothing else she can do. A small crowd has gathered and is also watching in silence as Austin and Joe carry on and on. The only sound is the distant sirens and Diamons ribs cracking as Austin and Joe work on her.
The ambulance screeches to a halt and the paramedics push Joe and Austin away as they start working on Diamond, then they get her on a stretcher and load her into the ambulance. "Go," Austin pushes Joe forward. Joe does not hesitate and climbs into the ambulance and they take off at one hell of a speed with their sirens screaming. Austin grabs his head and looks up at the sky then spins around and walks to Ophelia, gathering her in his arms and she cries into his chest. "shhh, baby, shhh," he whispers trying to soothe her. "We need to go to the hospital," she says between her sobs. "Yes, we'll go, baby, we'll go," he says, she can hear the fear in his voice. "Hey, man, I am sorry," she hears a man's voice from behind her. Austin lets go of her and stalks toward the man. "You ran a fucking red light moron! What the fuck is wrong with you!" he shouts and punches the man so hard he goes flying over the mangled Roll's hood. Leon suddenly appears and stops Austin as he goes for the man again. "Go to the hospital, it's fucking bad man, I will deal with this," he says throwing his keys at Austin. Austin spins and grabs Ophelia's hand, dragging her to Leon's car. It's bad, Diamond is in a bad way.
Austin races to the hospital and does not bother to look for parking, stopping the car in the middle of the road. Both of them jump out and race into the hospital. They reach the nurse's station but she seems to already know why they are there. "Down that passage is a waiting room, Joe is in there-" she starts talking and neither of them waits for her to finish as they race down the passage. They stop abruptly when they see Joe pacing the waiting room, alone. "She is in surgery...it's bad," he says looking at them, his once dark black skin a now ashy grey. "How bad, Joe?" Austin asks. "Call her parents bad," Joe says. Ophelia feels her legs give out and she falls into a chair, a fresh batch of tears forming. Joe sits down next to her and takes her hand, she buries her face in his arm. Austin leans over her and kisses the top of her head. "I am going to go and call them," he whispers and then walks out. It feels like hours that Ophelia and Joe sit in silence, the seconds move so slowly. They lift their heads every time someone walks past. "I have a confession, Miss Monroe, it's very unprofessional so please forgive what I am about to say," Joe suddenly whispers. "Joe, we are friends, I want you to stop with that professional rubbish," she says, a little too sternly for the situation they are in. Joe watches her for a second then opens his mouth. "I was in love with you...for years. I hated the way Jim treated you. Remember that time he came home drunk out of his mind and all bashed up," he says. Ophelia nods. "Well, that was me. I bashed him up. I don't regret it and I will never apologize for it. I am the cause of your divorce. I made a fake profile online, a rich old lady and I convinced Jim that I would look after him and would give him all my money. That dick fell for it. Then I erased all traces of the old lady. I was so proud of myself for getting rid of him but then you looked so sad and I hated myself. I am sorry I did that...caused you so much pain, I never intended for that," he explains. Ophelia would smile but she can't find it within her knowing Diamon is in such a bad way. "Thank you, Joe. For bashing him up, for keeping me safe, and for getting rid of him. I owe you so much," she says. "There's more...I...I was so in love with you. My whole life revolved around you. But then...Diamond happened and I felt my feelings for you slowly ebbing back. Diamond and I have been seeing each other. She is lovely and makes me feel alive. I am in love with her," he explained Ophelia feels her lips pull up in a small smile. "I am so happy you found her Joe. You deserve each other," she whispers. "If anything happens to her..." his voice cracks and his face crumbles. Ophelia wraps her arms around her as they both cry.
Austin walks in and sits down next to Ophelia. "Her whole family is coming and some friends," he says quietly. Joe sits up and wipes his face. "There is a bathroom down the hall, go wash up. I will find you quickly if the doctor comes out, I promise," Austin says. Joe stands and walks out quickly. "Did you know about him and Diamond?" Ophelia whispers. Austin shakes his head. "Not until tonight. The way his face looked while working on her...I could see it. He was so scared. He loves her," Austin whispers and puts his arm around her drawing her close to his chest. "You scared me so much tonight. If you had...had..." she can't finish her sentence. "Hush, baby, I know the feeling," he whispers into the top of her head.
She hopes with all her heart that Diamond pulls through - she can't be a 'just for now', she just can't. But some things no one has control over.