That terrifying scene replayed in Taylor's mind as she sat in the waiting room squeezing Gabi's hand and wrapped in Troy's arms for support and comfort. What was she gonna do without her baby? How could she have jeopardized everything for some other guy she barely knew? She felt stupid, worthless, hopeless, and stomach sick. She just wanted to crawl into a ball and die.

All of her friends sat with her in the waiting room with looks of concern and terror on their faces. Sadness, confusion, fear, but most of all hope flew around in the air around them.

Then Dr. Holloway walked into the waiting room. "Taylor?"

She let go of her best friend and her boyfriend's best friend and walked over to the doctor she hoped was saving Chad's life. "Yes, Doctor?"

"I have good news and bad news, dear. The good news is Chad is stable and he will be fine."

"Yes!" She rejoiced. Her friends also smiled and cheered.

"But the bad news is, Chad will have to stay here at the hospital for a couple weeks to recover and he may need surgery."

Taylor's face fell and she was silent.

Gabi then stood up and walked over to Taylor with Troy close behind her.

"That's not so bad," She said.

"Yeah Tay, at least he's doing okay. And the surgery may not even be necessary," Troy seconded.

"Exactly, Ms. McKessie. The surgery is just precautionary. The bullet came very close to Chad's heart and we want to make sure none of the tissue or organs were damaged. And with further examination, we may find that he doesn't need it. But he seems to be doing very well. He's responding and breathing on his own. And the wound is actually quite minor," Dr. Holloway reassured her.

"Can I see him?" Taylor asked the doctor.

"Absolutely. You all may. But one at a time," Dr. Holloway told them.

Taylor said no more and walked towards Chad's room with Dr. Holloway.

He opened the door and left the two alone. Taylor looked at her boyfriend, inspecting every inch of his body. His eyes were closed, his curly fro pulled back into a neat ponytail, and save for his attire, everything seemed normal. But Taylor knew better. She walked over to his bed and gently pulled up his shirt to reveal the bloody bandage on his chest just over his heart. She pulled it down before the tears began to fall.

"Baby, I'm so sorry." She said in barely a whisper. "It's because of me that you have a bullet wound on your chest. It's because of me that you're stuck in this hospital for two weeks. And it's because of me that you may have to have surgery."

She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "I'm so sorry I ever acknowledged Eli. It's because of me that he shot you. He got attached and believed that we had something there. I want you to know there was nothing, baby. It's all about you and only you."

She buried her face in Chad's stomach, careful not to touch his wound, and just cried. After a couple of minutes, she felt him shift under her. She rose up and looked at him. His eyes started to flutter open.

"Baby?" Taylor asked.

"Tay?" His voice was a little raspy.

"Baby! You're awake!" Taylor enthused, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Yeah, I am." Chad said looking a little concerned. He gripped her chin between his thumb and index finger and scrutinized her face. "Have you been crying?"

"Yes," Taylor answered sheepishly.

"And why?"

"I just feel so guilty."

Chad was genuinely confused. "For what?"

"For all of this. I'm the reason you're here. If i never met Eli, or even spoken to him, you wouldn't be here." She started to cry again.

"Taylor," Chad said grasping his girlfriend's face in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, "Don't you dare blame yourself for this."

"But it's my fault."

"No. That chump was psycho. That is in no way your fault."

"But-"

"No buts, Taylor. The important thing is that chump missed and I'm here. And I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon, alright? I love you, Taylor."

"I love you too, Chad. So much. And I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too, babe. Me too."

A/N: Hey guys. I just wanted to ensure everybody that Chad was alright. I know you all were worried. Sorry for the super duper long wait, but i don't have a working computer at home, so now that I'm in Alabama with my best friend for a couple weeks, I'm trying to update my stories. I love you all, thanks for all the feedback and the support, and favoriting. And gah, I just adore you guys. 3 I'm gonna try and update this again soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter though. :]