David watched the whole ordeal from the back of the room. Terror clenched in his chest as he watched Bianca and Marissa fall. Then is heart began to beat again when he saw his daughter move. His daughter was all he could see amongst the screams and the flying bullets. His daughter was the only person he wanted to get to as the bodies around him began to fall. Then JR was there with a gun firing at the crazed blonde. David didn't see the intent in JR's eye but he did see the bullet that missed the intruder and hit Marissa square in the head.
David stepped over Erica's body without a glance. His only focus was on his child. Marissa's eyes were closed; her face was white and a trickle of red across her forehead was the only thing marring her beauty. He reached around her neck and found a strong pulse; he checked her eyes and found them equal and responsive. He finally examined the wound and let out a sigh of relief.
"You're a very lucky girl." He sighed cupping his daughters face in his hands. The bullet had only grazed her skull.
"Is she alright?" a voice whispered beside him.
For the first time David became aware of the rest of the world around him. Bianca was starring in at him. She lay partly trapped under Marissa's fallen body, blood seeped from a wound on her neck but she was a conscious.
"She very lucky." said David, once more caressing his daughters face, relief the only emotion he felt capable of feeling.
"And my mom?" gasped Bianca, fear turning her eyes into bottomless pools of black. David looked up to see Griffin and Brot frantically working on Erica's body, the indomitable woman suddenly looking so tiny and vulnerable.
"She's in good hands." he said.
He was able to take in the rest of the room now. Ryan was clutching Greenlee to his chest crying as she hung in his arms like a rag doll. Kendall was sprawled over the body of Zack, not allowing anyone near as she sobbed into his chest. Cara, Jesse and Frankie were huddled around someone he couldn't really see, and then his heart sunk as he recognised Angie's shoes. Dixie was holding the hem of her dress against Tad's leg but the pressure was not enough to stem the torrent of blood and Madison was hurrying forward with more towels. Randi was talking urgently on her phone to the emergency services. And JR… JR was getting a pat on the back from his father and Brooke, a hero at last.
"Is she alive?" a voice asked.
David found his attention drawn back to Bianca. For a second he thought she meant Marissa and searched urgently for a pulse, once more finding it steady and strong. Then he realised she was asking about her mother.
"Griffin is looking after her." he said.
David turned his full attention onto Bianca now.
"I think you need to put some pressure on your neck wound."
Bianca's jaw clenched and her eyes began to brim with tears.
"I can't." she sobbed. "I can't move."
…
