Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter Twenty-Five

Grace falls forward. Before she hits the ground, Levi grabs her by the arms and lowers her onto the grass, ignoring the pain spreading up his leg. The pain doesn't matter. She does.

"Gracie? Gracie, look at me."

He shakes her shoulders, but Grace doesn't move. Her eyes are closed, her mouth partially open with more to say. Levi's hands shake as he removes his jacket and drapes it over her body to try to keep her warm, even though the summer sun is still burning high in the sky. Grace's skin is warm to the touch but her face is pale, all the colour having drained in the few seconds it took for her condition to deteriorate.

Panic swells in his chest. He swipes his arm across his forehead, collecting the beads of sweat that have gathered. A sharp pain jolts through his leg, but he tries his best to ignore it. The birds tweet nearby and he can hear the rushing of the stream behind him, but all of his attention is directed towards Grace, who lies unmoving on the grass.

"Come on, Gracie, wake up. Please!" He kneels close to her, placing his cheek close to her mouth. The breath he expects doesn't come. "No. No! Someone help!"

The words carry on the wind, disappearing into the trees and mixing with the birds above him. Tears stream down Levi's face as he shakes Grace's shoulder and does whatever he can to bring her back to him. After everything they have been through, after their moment in the cave, this couldn't be the end of it. He wouldn't let it be the end.

No one comes to his aid. Grace remains still on the grass, the rise and fall of her chest all but gone. Levi remembers something he read in a book once, a way of saving someone and bringing them back. He recalls the pages and tips Grace's head back, allowing him better access. From there, he leans forward and pinches her nose, breathing two sharp breaths into her mouth, but it doesn't help.

He tries again. And again. And again. Tears obscure his vision. His heart threatens to break from his chest as his lungs tighten at the sight of Grace unmoving on the grass before him. He cannot lose her. He refuses to lose the girl he loves after only just finding each other after so long.

"Please, someone help!" The words tear through his throat, sending several birds scattering from the trees.

"Levi?" someone yells back. "Is that you?"

"Yes! I need help!"

He looks around him, listening to the sounds of footsteps thundering over the soft grass and the last remaining birds disappearing into the trees. From the tangle of branches, his father stumbles into the small clearing beside the stream. Behind him comes other men from the village, servants from their household, and Dr Spencer appears just behind.

Mr Edgeworth runs across the grass towards his son, pulling him into a hug despite the state he's in. Levi shrugs him off, turning his head towards Dr Spencer.

"You have to help her," he says, tears still falling from his eyes. "Please."

"What happened?" Dr Spencer drops to his knees beside Levi, looking at the lifeless body of Grace Williams.

"She hit her head, I think. She said she was fine, but then she collapsed. Please, you have to do something."

"Let's get you home, son. Leave Dr Spencer to his work." Mr Edgeworth places a hand on Levi's shoulder, but he shrugs it off.

"No. I'm not leaving her. She didn't leave me."

Mr Edgeworth knows this is a battle he cannot win and simply stands beside his son. Levi watches Dr Spencer pull a stethoscope from his briefcase, placing it on Grace's chest and listening for any sign of life. He pulls away and places his hand over her mouth, but even he cannot detect any sort of breathing.

A stillness settles over the clearing as Dr Spencer sits back on his heels, shaking his head towards Levi. The tears fall thick and fast, his nose running as the silence falls. He crawls forward, placing a shaky hand on Grace's own, her skin still warm to the touch. She cannot be gone, not like this. Not after everything.

He squeezes his eyes shut, lacing his fingers with Grace's as they have done countless times. Mr Edgeworth places a hand on Levi's shoulder, but he doesn't shrug it away this time. He allows it to sit there.

"I'm sorry, son."

"No, she isn't gone. She can't be. Not now, not after all that. She'll be alright, she has to be."

"It's too late, Master Edgeworth," Dr Spencer says. "I'm terribly sorry."

"Stop saying that!"

Levi gathers Grace's body into his arms, squeezing her tightly, trying to will her back to him, but he knows it's a lost cause.

The girl he loves, the girl who refused to leave him alone in the cave, is gone and he can never get her back.

~~~

First Published - March 18th, 2023