Bianca was out of the car before it was even in park and raced into the emergency room. She saw Angie and ran over to her. "Angie, where's Marissa? How is she? Can I see her?"

Angie calmly sat Bianca down. "She's lost a lot of blood. The bullet did not exit and is still inside. Jake is taking her into surgery to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding. I'm sorry, but there isn't time for you to see her now. Let's go to the waiting room, and get you settled. After that, I'll check on them and get you a status."

Bianca simply nodded and let Angie lead her down the hospital corridor. Kendall was on her sister's other side. Zach helped Erica while Greenlee stayed behind. As Krystal and David rushed into the hospital, Greenlee related what Angie had just told Bianca. They all quickly headed to the waiting room.

Bianca started to shake again. "I never told her, Kendall."

"Told her what, Binks?"

"I never told Marissa that I loved her." Tears started flowing from Bianca's eyes. "What if she" Bianca choked and couldn't finish the thought.

"Marissa knows how you feel about her, Binks. She knows that you love her. She will be okay. I promise."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. What the two of have is special. It's a once in a lifetime kind of thing. Something like that is not going to end this soon. It's something that is meant to last a lifetime." Kendall held her sister while fighting back her own tears and desperately trying to believe her own words.

/

Word quickly spread through town about what had happened. Former partygoers made their way to the hospital after finishing police statements. Ryan quickly gave an update that he had received. They were still on the hunt for the shooter. They had a suspect but weren't releasing the name.

Bianca jolted from her daze. "Kendall, the kids! Are they okay?"

Zach spoke up. "They're fine. I've arranged protection for them. No one is going to get near any of them, particularly AJ."

Bianca nodded and laid her head back on Kendall's shoulder.

Several hours passed in silence. Bianca's mind couldn't help but wander to that dark place. What if Marissa didn't make it? What if she never got the chance to tell her that she loved her? Why couldn't I say it sooner? Why did it take this to happen for her to realize how important it was for her to say and Marissa to hear those words? "What is taking them so long?"

Angie appeared and walked immediately over to Bianca. "Marissa is out of surgery and in stable condition. The bullet missed her heart. Jake stopped the bleeding, and there is no permanent damage. She is being moved recovery. I'll let you know when you can see her."

Bianca hugged Angie tightly. "Thank you! Oh my God! Thank you!"

"Binks, let's get you cleaned up," Kendall said.

"I'm not leaving until I see for myself that she's okay."

"I know. You don't have to leave. We'll get you washed up. We can't have Marissa see you like this, now can we? Greenlee, can you go over to their place and get her a change of clothes?"

"I'm already on my way." With that said, Greenlee and Ryan headed out the door.

Hugs were shared throughout the room and sighs of relief were released.

/

Jessie arrived at the hospital and received an update on Marissa's condition along with the bullet that had been removed from her. He pulled Dixie, Tad, Adam and Brooke aside. "I read your statements. You said that you believed JR was leaving town? Why do you think that?"

"Tad and I saw him at the airport earlier today. He said he was leaving town. He had a bag packed and was waiting on the jet to be fueled up."

"He had a bag? Describe it to me."

Tad gave him a description, a sinking feeling was coming over him. He knew this was not good.

"Do any of you know if he had access to a gun?"

Adam and Brooke looked at each other. Adam finally answered when he saw the look in Brooke's eyes. "Yes, he did. When we arrived home, I noticed that one of my guns was missing. JR came into the room and said he had taken it."

"What kind of gun was it?"

Adam gave him the description of the gun. Jessie left to make a phone call.

Tad followed his friend. When Jessie finished his call, Tad asked, "Do I want to know?"

"We found a bag in the tunnel matching the description of the one you and Dixie saw JR with earlier at the airport. It had his and AJ's passports inside. We tracked down the pilot of the private plane JR had rented. He admitted that the flight plan that was filed was false. He admitted that JR gave him $20,000 to file it, and he turned over the cash. We're tracking where that money came from exactly to make sure we can trace it back to JR. I just put out a bulletin on JR saying he is armed and dangerous. I'm setting up police protection for Marissa, Bianca and AJ. It's not looking good, Tad. I'm sorry."

Tad nodded. "I had a feeling that's where you were headed with those questions, Jessie." He left his friend to set up the needed protection and walked back to tell Dixie and Adam. They were devastated that their son had gotten to this point. The guilt was overwhelming. That he could hate so much and try to take the life of his son's mother was too much for them to bear. They quietly made their way out of the waiting room.