Lucy was vaguely aware of feet running past her, and then another loud crack sounded in the distance.
There was a sharp burning sensation in her side, and she gritted her teeth as tears spilled unbidden down her cheeks.
After what seemed to be the longest moment of her life, familiar hands were touching her face.
"Luce? Lucy, are you okay?'' Lockwood was shining his torch on her, his voice frantic.
His light came to rest on her left side and he swore loudly.
"Kipps!'' He shouted into the night, before gently lifting up one side of her jumper.
"What's the damage?'' Lucy asked weakly. She reached down to touch the fabric and her hand came away sticky and red.
"Nothing to worry about, just a graze really,'' Lockwood was deliberately trying to keep his voice light, but the torch was flickering in his shaking hand.
"I'm just going to try to stop the bleeding a bit.''
He put the torch down briefly to shrug off his jacket, which he then pressed into Lucy's side, making her wince. As he did they heard the sound of running footsteps.
Lockwood made to grab his rapier, but then realised it was Kipps.
"Where the hell have you been?'' He asked furiously.
"Bastard took a shot at me!'' Kipps was breathing heavily. "I tried to chase him but I lost him a couple of roads over. Shit, Luce, are you okay?''
"Peachy,'' she tried to raise her arm to give him a thumbs up but her limbs felt weak and heavy.
"Kipps, let's carry her out to the front and then I need you to go to the neighbour's and call for an ambulance,'' Lockwood snapped.
A few seconds later, Lucy felt herself being lifted into the air. She knew they were trying to be careful with her, but she couldn't help but cry out when Kipps tripped on the hose and lost his grip momentarily, jostling her.
"Sorry, sorry!''
They laid her down on the sidewalk under one of the ghost-lamps and then Kipps raced off raise the alarm.
Lockwood was still pressing his jacket into her side, while his other hand was gently stroking the side of her face.
"You're going to be fine Luce, really, it's all going be fine,'' he was saying over and over. It sounded like he was trying to reassure himself as well as her.
"Lockwood, it's okay,'' she managed, straining to get the words out. "If I'm not okay, I mean. We always knew the risk, right?''
He was looking down at her with an anguished expression that broke her heart into a million pieces. She needed to say it though, she needed him to know it wasn't his fault. She had come to know Lockwood better than anyone else in the world, and she knew without a doubt that if she somehow didn't make it out of this one, that he would blame himself.
"I mean it,'' she said, struggling to fight against the heavy drowsiness that was threatening to overtake her. Her head felt light, and she struggled to get her thoughts into order. "I do not want you to beat yourself up. I need to know you'll be okay.''
"Don't talk like that, you're going to be fine,'' he choked out, brushing her hair away from her face. Lucy closed her eyes for a moment, before Lockwood shook her awake again.
"You need to stay with me, okay Luce? Please,'' he said, his tone begging.
She stared up at him, her lean, pale, dark haired boy.
"You know I love you, right?'' She whispered. "Joining Lockwood & Co was the best thing I ever did in my life. Meeting you and George, Holly and Kipps…my family….home.''
She felt drops of moisture on her face and was confused for a second by the cloudless sky above them. Then she realised they were from the tears streaming down Lockwood's cheeks.
Her eyelids once again dragged down of their own accord, and this time she didn't have the strength to open them again.
"Luce, wake up,'' Lockwood shook her again, this time more frantically. "Luce, please, please wake up. Please, I love you, please don't leave me….''
The last thing Lucy heard was the piercing wail of an ambulance siren in the distance.