Chapter 10

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I actually created some of them, so I do own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as for the ones I did create, who they are is up to me, so...

Todd just stood there in shock taking in the scene in front of him. And without thinking, he ran back and knelt down next to his friend. While he was only an oral surgeon, he had enough emergency medical training to do know to check for a pulse. Finding a weak one, he immediately ripped open Cody's shirt, and he saw it. There was a bullet wound in the middle of Cody's chest. He reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief and began adding pressure to the wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Looking around, he saw a nurse walking towards the door back into the hospital.

"Go inside and get someone out here with a stretcher! Dr. Martin has been shot!"

The nurse's mouth fell open in shock, and she froze.

"Now!"

The nurse quickly ran inside while Todd did the best he could to clean the wound while keeping pressure. Looking up, he was cursing wondering where in the hell the help was. And after what seemed like an eternity, a stretcher being pushed by two emergency room doctors came flying out of the entrance and right at them. And once they got there, one of the doctors knelt down and spoke.

"What happened?"

Todd was still distracted applying pressure. "Someone shot him!"

The doctor nodded. "Well, we need to get him to the ER STAT. Keeping applying pressure while we get him on the gurney!"

The other two doctors helped get Cody's unconscious body onto the stretcher. And once they did, everyone headed back towards the entrance. From there, they began an all out sprint to get Cody to the emergency room as quickly as they could. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, and there were was a doctor and nurse already in scrubs and gloves ready to take over for them. Todd stood there at the door just watching the ER team begin to go to work on Cody. He just shook his head trying to take in everything that had just happened in the last five minutes and worrying about his friend. Todd paused and swallowed. There was something else he had to do. There was a phone call he had to make.

Unfortunately, Bailey wasn't answering her cell phone. And her work number went right to voice mail. And that's when he remembered Cody mentioning she had a board meeting that afternoon. So, he scrolled down to a number had never had to use before – Wilfred Tipton's direct emergency number.

Across town, Bailey and Wilfred were still talking when Wilfred felt something in his pocket vibrating. He pulled out his normal cell phone, but it wasn't the one vibrating. Pausing, he pulled out his emergency phone.

"Wilfred Tipton..."

"Yes, she's right here. What's going on Todd? This line is for emergencies only..."

Bailey noticed Wilfred Tipton's face immediately go pale as he just listened.

"Todd! Tell me everything that just happened!"

Bailey watched Wilfred grow even paler, and his eyes grow wide.

"Call London and tell her to get there ASAP. I'll tell Bailey what happened."

Bailey frowned as Wilfred hung up his phone call. "Tell me what? Is everything okay?"

Wilfred paused. "Bailey, I think you should sit down. Something has happened..."

Bailey was confused. "What? Did something happen to Nikki?"

Wilfred shook his head. "No, but I think you really should sit down before I tell you."

Bailey still didn't know what was going on, but she was getting a bad feeling. Slowly, she sat down into one of the chairs.

Wilfred continued. "That was Todd. He and Cody were leaving the hospital to go get lunch when he heard what he thought was a car backfiring. He turned to say something to Cody when..." He paused. "...when he saw Cody sprawled on the sidewalk unconscious. Todd immediately checked on him, and that's when he saw it. Bailey, Cody's been shot..."

Bailey just sat there. She shook her head. Surely she had heard Wilfred Tipton wrong. Cody hadn't been shot. Not her Cody.

"Mr. Tipton, there must be some mistake..."

Wilfred shook his head. "I wish there was, but there is no mistake. Todd said Cody is in the emergency room right now..."

And that's when it hit Bailey. She felt her entire body going numb as she let it sink in. Cody had really been shot. Her heart started beating faster and faster. Her stomach was churning, and she began to feel nauseous. And then the tears came.

"No...no...no...This can't be happening! I just saw him this morning! We're supposed to be going out on a romantic date night tonight!"

Wilfred gave her a sympathetic look. "I know."

Bailey began panicking. She had to go to Cody right then and there. "I have to get to the hospital!" She tried to stand up, but her legs didn't have the strength to support her.

Wilfred turned to one of his guards and barked an order "I want you to get Dr. Martin over to Mass General five minutes ago."

The guard nodded, and helped Bailey stand up and supported her. Bailey just felt completely helpless and lost. "I...I..."

"Just go be with your husband. He needs you right now. Don't worry about anything else. I told Todd to have London there to be there with you. I'll have her call the rest of your family and friends."

But Bailey didn't hear a word he had said. All she could think about was Cody. In fact, the next thing she could remember was looking up and seeing London holding her hands and sitting there next to her.

"London?"

London smiled at her. "You're back. You've been completely out of it since you were brought in here. I was starting to get pretty worried about you."

Bailey shook her head defiantly. "I don't care about me right now! How is Cody doing?"

London paused. "I don't know...Todd's given me a few updates, but as far as I know, Cody is still on the emergency room table..."

Bailey tried to stand up. "I've got to go to him! He needs me!"

London held her down. "The best doctors in the hospital are working on him..."

Bailey shook her head again, and more tears came. "No, the best doctor in the hospital is laying in the emergency room and there is nothing I can do to help!"

"You are helping him. You're here. He's now surrounded by your love for him. That's what he needs right now, and you're giving it to him..."

"London, who would do something like this? Cody's never done anything to anyone!"

London shook her head. "I don't know. But right now, lets put that on the back burner for later. Right now, we need to call Carey, Kurt and Zack. Do you want to do that or would you prefer I do that?"

Bailey just sat there. "I...What would I tell them?"

London smiled. "Then you sit right here, and I'll call them. I need you to stay strong though. Cody needs you to be strong for him."

Bailey just sat there crying. "I would do anything to see him smiling at me right now..."

"He will be soon."

Across town, Zack Martin was standing along the side lines at the BC practice field watching the team's football practice. The team's opener was still a week away, and Zack had to admit they were looking pretty good. And with how weak the ACC was in football, the Eagles had a chance of winning the conference. But he was snapped out of his thoughts by his cell phone ringing. Looking down, he smiled when he saw who it was.

"London, to what do I deserve this honor?"

But then's Zack's face paled too as he listened to what London had to say.

"How is he doing?"

Zack listened again to what London said and felt himself begin to shake.

"I'm on my way! I'll call Cassie and have her bring Ben and Annie with her..."

At Emerson-Hawthorne, Cassie Martin had just finished her last class for the day. She was putting away that day's sheet music when her cell phone began to ring as well. She picked it up and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hey, Honey...What are you doing?"

Cassie stood there, and her face went pale as well as Zack relayed to her everything that London told him.

"Oh my God...How is Bailey handling this?"

Cassie listened again feeling her heart breaking.

"I'll get Ben and Annie and be there as soon as I can..."

At the Boston Tipton, Carey Martin was just finishing up her afternoon rehearsal and was about to leave the cabaret when her phone began ringing. Seeing who it was, Carey paused. What was London doing calling her?

"London...What's up?"

Carey too just listened to what London told her.

"Oh my God! Is he okay?"

Carey listen further and felt herself beginning to get nauseous. Her tears were flowing now too.

"I'm on my way!"

Backstage at a venue in Providence, Rhode Island, Kurt Martin was taking a break after his microphone check. He was looking forward to being able to head up to Boston in a few days to see his sons, his daughters-in-law and his grandchildren. Sitting back, he was sipping on a bottle of water when his phone began vibrating.

"Kurt Martin here..." He paused. "London Tipton? What can I do for you?"

He paused as too listened to what she had to tell him.

But Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Cody's been shot?"

He kept listening, but he began panicking.

"I'm in Providence. I'm leaving right now. I should be there in a little over an hour..."

Back inside the board room of Tipton Industries, Wade Harrison and his partner in crime were sitting around waiting for the meeting to start. No one else had shown up, and they were both beginning to think that Plan B had been successful. Especially after Bailey Martin had to practically be carried out of there. She would be in no condition to talk about anything for a while. Finally, Wilfred Tipton walked in with his guards and locked the door behind him.

"Where is everyone, Mr. Tipton?"

Wilfred just glared at them both. "I told everyone else the meeting was canceled. And I can almost guarantee you both know why Dr. Martin had to leave. But not to worry though, the three of us have quite a bit to discuss amongst ourselves. And to make sure you both do talk, my associates here will...assist you if you forget how. Now...I can guarantee you both that your lives as you know them are now over. How bad your remaining lives will be will depend on your cooperation. So...shall we do this the easy way..." He smirked at them. "...or the fun way?"

In the Mass General Emergency room, the doctors were continuing to work on Cody, but they were encountering another problem.

"I can't find the source! And if we don't stop this internal bleeding soon..."

"We have to keep trying! I need more suction over here..."

And that's when they both heard a sound that neither wanted to hear. Both looked up and at the EKG machine. Cody was flat lining.

To be Continued...