Wondering why

Part 1

It was late and it was dark. My parents were squabbling about what they were going to for their anniversary, my Mum wanted to have a weekend in London or something, but my Dad was hoping to go somewhere more like Paris or Amsterdam. After all it was their twentieth wedding anniversary. I wasn't really interested though, I was slouched in the back seat of the car with my earphones in, watching the lamp posts fly by. We were only ten minutes away from home, so I knew the way with my eyes closed. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I notice a car accelerating behind us. It speeds around beside us, at a million miles an hour. The red Peugeot was all over the road, swerving and going way too fast. In an instant time slowed. The car rammed into the side of us. My father was screaming curses from the driver's seat as we flew off the road. We rolled once... twice... three times before the world turned completely black.

"Nurse, Nurse, I need a Nurse in here please." I heard a familiar voice call. My head pounded and everything ached. I didn't have the strength to move. After another moment my eyes flutter open to see a Nurse adjusting something on my chest. Then it all came flooding back, everything ached. I turn my head to see my parents, but they not there.

My Aunt Lucy is sat in the chair next to my bed holding my hand in hers. Her face stained from tears. What is she doing here?

I began to panic. Where are my parents? An abrupt noise ringed in my ears and I notice the Nurse and Aunt Lucy standing above me with concern written all over their faces. Oh God. "W-where a-are my parents?" I stutter.

I noticed the tears spilling from Aunt Lucy's eyes and began to cry as well. "Darling I am so sorry; your parents didn't survive the accident." The Nurse began but I cut her off with my wailing. I went into panic mode. How could they be gone? The ringing became worse and worse. "Holly you have to calm down." The noise made my head ache and I could feel my heart slamming against my chest. The woman just told me that my parents had died and she's expecting me to be calm about, I don't have anyone else. The only other family I have is my granddad but he is seventy-seven and lives in a care home where he suffers from dementia. Aunt Lucy is the closest thing I've got to family, but she's not really my aunt, she's my mum's best-friend. What will I do? I need my parents. I pass panic and go into hysteria. My throat blocks up and I begin choking, I struggle to breathe. There are at least four nurses in the room now trying to calm me down. They put an oxygen mask over my mouth as I continue to cough. Until once again everything goes black.

I wake up again, but this time I know where I am. I just stare up at the ceiling tiles while tears roll down my face in silence. I don't move because I know aunt Lucy is still beside me holding my hand. She has her head in tilted down so she hasn't realised that I'm awake yet. I use the time to think about everything. They died so young my mum was forty-two, and my dad forty-three, there was so much they wanted to do. So much they missed out on. They will never get to see me finish school, walk me down the aisle at my wedding or spoil their grandchildren. These are all things that I had imagined that I would have my parents with me by my side for, and it shatters my heart into a gazillion pieces knowing that I won't. I can't even remember the last thing I said to them.

Aunt Lucy finally looked up and realised I was awake and bawling my eyes out. "Holly, I am so sorry." She sympathised, giving my hand a slight squeeze.

I gave her a weak smile, it's not like it's her fault. When I finally pulled myself together I stared at Aunt Lucy, "How long have I been asleep?" I asked. My face was obviously red and puffy from my hours of being a water feature.

She gave me a reassuring smile, "You've been asleep for three days. When you woke up this morning the doctors drugged you after you're... umm panic attack." her face was very serious now and I could see the concern in her deep blue eyes.

"The hospital called me. Turns out I was still your mother's emergency contact," she tries to smile but it is overridden by grief. "When I heard I jumped on the first plane and got here immediately." Her eyes glossed over. "It was too late for your father when I got here, but I got the chance to say goodbye to your mother." she began to quiver as tears spilt from her eyes. I couldn't see her properly due to the tears welling up in my eyes blurring my vision. "She died during surgery; there was nothing the doctors could have done". Tears flooded down my face. The pain in her voice was evident; her breaths became heavy and ragged. "Your father died at the scene, he had lost too much blood." I whimpered at the memory of that night.

"W...what about the man that hit us?" I hated that man with a passion. He had killed my parents, my only family. Rage built up inside me and I clenched my fists.

"He is currently in a coma. He suffered from head trauma so he may never wake up." she informed me, my rage died down. No matter what he did he doesn't deserve to die, I couldn't wish death on anyone. However I pray I never end up in the same room as him because I swear to god I would kill him with my own hands, it's a bit contradicting but although I want him to survive I want him to suffer. "When they found him he hadn't rolled like you did, he just drove off the road. He was really drunk. Even when I got here twelve hours after the accident he still stank of alcohol".

How could someone be so careless? I'd heard of people drunk driving but I had always just ignored it. Why? Why are people so stupid? My rage returned and I really just wanted to strangle this guy, coma or not he killed my family.

"You will be coming to live with me, Chris and the boys, when you are allowed to leave the hospital." She said and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Darling, I know this is a lot to take in, but it is all going to be fine." I let what she said sink in, and I remembered that Aunt Lucy lives in the US. I would have to not only leave my parents but my friends and school and home too. My head began pounding again so I shut my eyes and decided that I had to sleep it all off. If that was possible.