Saving Levy

Chapter Four

One Year Ago (The night Nicolette died)

Metalicana looked at his phone for the tenth time that day. It was the annual PTA meeting at Gajeel's school and a large group of parents were crowded around a tall blonde woman who was more manners then spirit. She seemed like a nice enough lady, just a little on the snobbish side of life. The posh woman was the mother of a brat a year or two under his son's grade. Something must have happened causing a ruckus. The blonde was on her phone talking calmly to what sounded like her distraught daughter screaming through the small pink device. Tears ran down her eyes as she attempted to console her child.

"See you in ten, baby. Its gonna be alright," the lady cooed.

Ten minutes later, a young blonde the spitting image of the woman with the phone burst through the door, a large group of young teens in tow behind her looking for their parents. Tears filled their eyes as the blonde child screamed about someone dying in a car accident. Their parents tried to quiet the upset kids enough to understand why they were here crying.

"Lucy! Calm down, child. I can't understand what you're saying, dear," the posh blonde said to her daughter.

Metalicana noticed as he went around the room a parent in every grade level but senior and junior were there comforting a child. Igneel was telling a pink haired boy named Natsu that these things happen and to just be there for their friend, while Ur comforted her adopted son he was sure went by Gray. Rob, an elderly man who had some childhood tie to Makarov, another judge who worked for the same law firm as Metalicana, was comforting an intimidating red head by the name of Erza.

Suddenly, a small blunette unseen by the other parents stood up on a chair and whistled. Her eyes were rubbed raw and tears flowed freely. She seemed to be in a great deal of distress. Her blue locks were pulled back into a ponytail, curling wildly around her small neck. A gold headband shone bright in the florescent lights above the child. Around her throat was a delicate chain with a pendant reading birthday babe dangling gently from it. Dressed in an orange and white sundress and gold heels, the girl barely reached eye level with the parents, whose attention she was trying desperately to claim. Another shrill whistle passed through her pink lips echoing around the room as parents and children fell silent.

Once every beng in the room had quieted and turned to the small girl, her broken, hurting voice filled the air. "I'm sorry to intrude, but while enjoying my fifteenth birthday party we were informed that my mother, Nicolette McGarden, was blindsided by a semi this afternoon while retrieving a cake she had special ordered for the celebration. My mother was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. As the party will not be continuing due to the fact that I am grieving the loss of my closest friend and mother, your children will be staying here with you instead of waiting for you to come get them from my house. Thank you for your time and please don't take pity on me. While I no longer have a mother to hold me when I feel pain like this one, I still have my father."

A brave speech from a broken teenage girl. Metalicana could appreciate the girl's bravado, but such a young girl losing someone so closed to her shouldn't be the one informing her friends and their parents of such a thing. It tore at the iron heart inside the man as he watched from afar.

"Levy, baby, where's your father?" The blonde woman asked as she pulled the girl from the chair and into a hug.

"Dad's dealing with the authorities and paramedics at the moment. Mrs. Heartfilia, would you mind taking me home? Dad said he wouldn't be home til late tonight. I'm sure he's gonna spend some time at the bar tonight." The blunette child looked at the floor as if ashamed at what she'd just said.

--o0o0o0o0o0o-

Present Day (In vehicle on way to hospital)

The air was silent and stiff as his story sunk in and the teens all looked away from each other. Anger filled Metalicana's chest as he realized the one person Levy thought she could rely on after her mother died was the one person she was scared to death of now. He let the silence around him settle as he drove. Finally Natsu spoke up.

"You were there that night, that's how you knew our names." It was a blunt statement, but Metalicana appreciated it nonetheless.

"It goes a bit further than that, boy." He sighed, "I was also the judge who took on the case involving the semi driver. All of your parents were called to make an appearance in the court room to give statements on Nicolette's behalf. Statements used to prove that Levy's mother was obedient of the law at all times when driving and that the accident was in no way to the fault of the recently deceased victim. When asked how they knew the woman, they all said their children were friends."

"You were the one you convicted him of negligent driving, driving above the speed limit, failing to heed a red light, careless driving, manslaughter and texting while driving?"

"Indeed. He should still be in a cell somewhere having his arse raped for another couple years."

"You sentenced him to five to ten years, the max you could get away with."

"Well, he deserved it."

-o0o0o0o0o0o-

Two hours later the gamg sat in the waiting room of the hospital waiting for news on Levy. She had been rushed into surgery as soon as they'd entered the hospital. Erza, having been left out of the rescue mission, was placed in charge of calling parents and informing the school of what was going on. She seemed quite fond of her role, however as she adopted a strangely professional way of speaking as she called each parent. Natsu and Gray argued and fought until the nurses informed them that if they continued to act like spoiled brats they'd be removed from the building until Levy was in recovery. Lucy paced anxiously as Gajeel and Juvia sat silently on either side of the large and angry Metalicana.

It seemed like forever before the doctor finally came out of the operation room removing gloves coated in Levy's blood. Gajeel thought he'd be sick as he watched the doctor remove the gloves, place them in a bio-hazard bag to be disposed of in the healthiest way, then turn to face them looking grim. Everything seemed to slow down, his heart was pounding heavily inside his chest, trying to rip his chest open, his eyes began to blur, and his palms got sweaty. He swallowed hard before cautiously asking about the small girl. "Is she okay, Doc?"

"Miss Levy is going to pull through fine, however, there seems to be more damage than we originally thought. Levy is going to have to be kept under supervision for the next two weeks." the doctor said with a sigh, "There were multiple broken ribs stabbing into her tissues causing intense bleeding around her heart and lungs. She's lucky she wasn't stabbed in the vital organs themselves. We also had to break and reset several bones, namely her right wrist, left index finger, two other ribs in the lower rib cage, a tow, and her right ankle. She also has severe bruising over about 75% of her body."

Gajeel went as pale as newly fallen snow on a clear sunny day. His heart seemed to thump harder in his chest at each word until he felt like it would burst.