Escalation - Tessa Teevan Page 0,1

being stills, my heart ceases to beat, and my lungs fail as I hit my brakes, fearing the worst. After throwing the car door open, I rush to the edge of the caution tape and try to push my way past, but I’m stopped before I can get to the bridge and assess the situation. All I can see is the crunched metal no longer creating a barrier between the road and the water. Long, black tire marks lead from the pavement to the edge of the bridge.

“Sir!” a young police officer shouts into my face, his hands gripping my shoulders.

I have at least four inches and twenty pounds on the guy, but the last thing I need is to be in the back of a cop car right now.

“Please stay behind the tape. We have an active scene right now.”

A small crowd has gathered, and I take a quick look around, knowing that anyone could be among them, watching with a careful eye, studying my reaction. I struggle to convey my emotions for a moment then let my shoulders collapse in defeat before I fall to my knees.

“My girlfriend was in that car,” I reveal, my voice cracking. It’s full of pain, sorrow, and distress as I frantically point towards the crash site.

The crowd gasps as sympathy flashes in the officer’s expression.

“Please. Please tell me she’s okay. I can’t…”

To the outside world, I’m a boyfriend who’s filled with grief, expecting the worst but praying for the best, trying to come to terms with the scene before me.

I wish that’s all I were. So much more rides on this—on both of their survivals.

The officer lifts the tape and gestures me under. I scramble to my feet and follow, sniffing and wiping a nonexistent tear away, hoping the distress is evident on my face. I’m sure it’s not an Oscar-worthy performance, but it’s effective nonetheless. The cop gives me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before pointing to a spot at the edge of the caution tape and directing me there. Thanking him profusely, I follow his lead and force myself to watch and wait, taking it all in and trying to catch my bearings. In truth, I’m worried beyond belief, and if anything does happen to Brie, I won’t just be playing the grieving boyfriend— I’ll be him.

Flashing red, blue, and white lights adorn the scene, nearly blinding my vision as she’s pulled from the water. A sense of helplessness washes over me when I take a step forward. The paramedics begin to perform CPR on her, which fixes me to my spot. Then they load Brie onto a stretcher, wheeling her towards the ambulance, rushing as if time is of the essence. My ears strain to hear what her condition is, where they taking her are, and what her chances are. I try to watch her chest, and my heart falls when I see no movement. I didn’t know just how much it meant to me to see that tiny yet significant sign of life until now. Now that it’s been taken from her. Now that she may be taken from me.

Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths and silently plead for her to do the same—as if the sheer force of my thoughts can travel the distance between us and force the air into her lungs. Hell, if I could do it myself, I would.

But hope is lost when I force my eyes open and nothing’s changed. As the paramedics continue to asses her, they load her into the ambulance, and then the back door slams shut. The sound echoes in my brain with such finality, and the fear of losing her starts to truly seep in. The only hope I can cling to is that she’s not in a body bag. At least, not yet.

While I hang my head, shame and remorse fill me. I promised to protect her. And what did I do? I let her down.

I should’ve known that it would end up like this. I should’ve seen it coming. Yet my mind was clouded as my days and nights—and, soon, my heart—were filled with her, and she was all I could see. I let my guard down, and this is where it got me. Where it got us.

I never got to tell her the truth.

I never got to tell her how I feel.

I will never forgive myself if I never get the chance.

And I will spend the rest of my days hunting