"What's going on?"

"Katy…" Jack shook his head, his concern for his daughter growing at her question.

Everyone was panicking. Hunter had just taken Louise hostage, dragging her from the Vic and out onto the Square. Phil was crouching beside Ben, watching as Sonia did her best to steady his breathing. Knowing that help was so close and yet so far was almost too much for Jack, who was on the verge of scooping his daughter up and carrying her outside to the paramedics that he knew would be standing by before they got the all clear.

"Dad, tell me…"

"I'm not sure, alright?" He admitted. "Hunter's taken Louise and gone outside… there's been a few more gun shots. I don't know what's happening."

"Louise…"

"There's no point thinking the worst." Jack told her firmly, running a hand soothingly through her hair. "We don't know anything. Just stay positive, darlin', OK. You're gonna be fine."

She didn't have time to reply before the doors banged open and two pairs of paramedics burst in, looking wildly around for the injured parties. Jack immediately waved them over, refusing to relinquish his hold on his daughter as they assessed her quickly.

Loading the young woman onto a stretcher, after injecting her with painkillers, the paramedics started wheeling Katy out to the ambulance. As Jack attempted to go with her, she caught his hand and shook her head. Rejection flashed through his eyes for a moment, before she managed to explain what she wanted him to do.

"Go and tell Gran what's happening." She requested hurriedly. "Please… I don't want her to hear from someone else. You need to tell her I'm fine."

"I can ring her from–"

"No, Dad, please. I'll be fine. Just go and explain and then come and see me. I promise I'll be alright until you arrive."

His reluctance to leave her side only increased as the paramedics wheeled her out of the Vic and over to the ambulance. Her name was shouted in a panicked, terrified tone and they both turned to look as Ronnie ducked under the cordon and sprinted towards them. She grasped desperately at her daughter, running her hands through her hair and pressing kisses to her head until Katy gently pushed her away.

"I'm fine." She said, suddenly tired. "Dad, please."

"Alright." He agreed, shooting his wife a suspicious look.

"I'll come with you." Ronnie said firmly. She turned to the paramedics. "I'm her mother."

"No." Katy shook her head. "I don't want anyone to come with me."

"Sweetie–"

"I said no."

The paramedics nodded and loaded her into the back of the ambulance, shutting the doors firmly behind her. Only when the engine started and they slowly started driving around the Square did she relax a little. When the paramedic asked whether they could clip a monitor onto her finger, she just nodded, laying her head back and staring at the side of the ambulance, her mind whirling over the current situation.

There was no way the news of Ronnie's reappearance on the Square was not going to spread like wildfire now. Running along Bridge Street screaming her daughter's name would not have gone unnoticed, particularly when such a large crowd had been drawn to the pub by the drama. Katy wasn't sure whether she was emotionally stable enough to deal with everyone knowing the truth. She was worried that people would think she knew that they were alive the whole time and that she had been in on the deception.

"Miss Mitchell, can you wiggle your toes for me?"

Katy winced, but did as she was asked, earning a satisfied nod from the young man who noted something down on his clipboard. She guessed that it was good news that she could still feel and move her toes, hoping that it meant that the damage wouldn't be too serious. Closing her eyes, Katy suddenly felt incredibly tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

"Try and stay awake for me, love."

"Mmm…"

"Miss Mitchell? Katy? Come on." He shook her arm gently. "Tell me about your children. How many have you got?"

When she didn't answer, he realised that she had lost consciousness.

"Jack… Jack!" Ronnie followed as he headed quickly across the Square in the direction of Number 43. "What's going on? What happened?"

"You saw for yourself, she's OK."

"Don't lie to me!" She snapped, wrapping her hand around his bicep and pulling him back. "She's been taken to hospital in an ambulance and they put her on a stretcher. There was a gun… oh my god! Was she shot?"

The expression on Jack's face was enough to tell her the truth. "She's fine. She's in the best place."

"Fine? How the hell can she be fine?"

He huffed, turning to glare at her. "So now you care? Now you're actually thinking about our daughter? Where've you been for the past two years, eh?"

"That's not fair! I never stopped thinking about her and the kids. I did it for them. I was trying to keep them safe."

"You should have been here." Jack told her bluntly. "You were needed here."

He knocked on the door of Katy's house, turning his back on Ronnie and completely ignoring her. As soon as Glenda answered, he stepped inside and closed the door firmly behind him, leaving Ronnie outside. He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face before turning to look at his mother-in-law.

"Where are the kids?"

"Upstairs. Amy's keeping them occupied. Why? Where's Katy?" Her face fell. "What's been going on out there? What are the police cars and ambulances for?"

Jack exhaled again. "Don't panic, alright, but Katy was shot."

"Don't… don't panic?" She exclaimed. "What else am I supposed–?"

"She's OK… I mean, she's conscious and coherent. She was shot in the leg… the thigh. They've taken her to hospital."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"Because Katy wanted me to come and tell you, so you didn't hear it from someone else or over the phone." He explained. "Ronnie's outside. She was outside the Vic… saw Katy being put in the ambulance. Katy told her she didn't want her at the hospital."

"Do you blame her?"

"I'll get Max to come over and watch the kids and we can go to the hospital together." He suggested, already pulling out his mobile. Glenda didn't argue, hurrying upstairs to get her things. "Does Katy still have an emergency hospital bag?"

Glenda nodded. "Yeah, I'll grab it."

Ronnie had gone when they left the house, but Jack was under no illusions that she had given up. The journey to the hospital was silent and tense, both of them running worst case scenarios through their minds. Jack allowed Glenda to take charge at the hospital. Watching her striding through the corridors with purpose was a stark reminder of how many times she'd had to do it over the past few years. Glenda barely blinked as she spoke to receptionists and nurses, proving that it had become second nature to her.

"She's on a ward this way." Glenda announced, motioning towards the double doors.

They walked as quickly as possible through the maze of corridors in the direction that Glenda had been told. Finally, after a couple of mistakes, the found themselves in the right place and were just in time to catch the end of the conversation Katy was having with the doctor. Glenda listened intently for any familiar key words that would tell her exactly what was going on.

"So we'll run a few more tests before making any decisions, OK?"

"Of course… but my leg…?"

"We'll sort that before we do anything else." The doctor assured her with a nod. "We'll schedule a theatre and get that bullet out as soon as we can."

"Thanks."

He smiled at Glenda and Jack, inclining his head politely in greeting, before heading quickly away. Katy smiled weakly at her father and grandmother as they settled themselves in chairs on either side of the bed, already anticipating a barrage of questions and probably some tears from Glenda.

"Darling…"

"Gran, I'm fine." Katy promised, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "They've done an x-ray and the bullet missed all arteries and the bone. I was incredibly lucky. They're gonna dig it out and stitch me up and it'll be fine."

"So what are they doing more tests for?"

Biting her lip, the younger woman sighed softly. "He's concerned about my general health…"

"It's not…"

"He thinks so."

"But last time…"

"I know."

Jack looked between them in confusion. "What's going on?"

"The doctor is concerned that I might be having a relapse." Katy told him carefully. "He read my notes and we talked about things and considering all the symptoms… they want to be sure." Playing with the edge of the blanket nervously, she shrugged. "They're going to transfer me over to Oncology, anyway. I think I'll have to stay in for a couple of days."

"I'll sort the kids, don't worry about them." Glenda said at once, nodding reassuringly. "They know the drill."

"I'll ask Tina to cover me at the bar; her and Kathy can run it perfectly well between them."

Jack put his head in his hands. "Why are you two acting like this is just something normal? You might have cancer again, Katy!"

She sighed. "Because this is normal for us, Dad. There wasn't much point going into panic mode every time I was in hospital."

"But that's… do you realise how sad that is?"

"Yeah, maybe, but there's nothing we can do about it, is there?" She pointed out with another shrug. "Just… you need to stay positive for the kids, alright? I don't want them getting upset… especially seeing as we don't know anything yet."

"Katy…"

"Dad, please. I can't deal with your feelings at the moment as well, OK?" She told him bluntly. "I've got to think about the kids."

"They'll be absolutely fine, darling." Glenda promised her. "I've got it covered."

"I know you have." Her granddaughter replied, smiling warmly and squeezing her hand again. "Can you also–?"

She broke off, her eyes falling on a harassed looking blonde striding onto the ward and looking around urgently. Katy's grip on Glenda's hand tightened as Ronnie spotted them and headed over quickly, almost pushing past Jack to cup her daughter's cheek and check her over thoroughly.

"I'm fine. I told you…"

"What have the doctors said?" Ronnie pressed, looking between the trio. "What are they doing?"

"It's in hand." Glenda said firmly.

"She's my daughter, Glenda," she snapped back, "not yours."

"I'm well aware of that. But I've been more of a mother to her than you have for the last three years. Where were you when she needed you?"

"Enough!" Katy scowled between them. "I am here, you know. Stop talking about me like I'm not." As the two women tore their gaze away from the other, having the good sense to look a little sheepish, Katy nodded sharply. "Thank you. Right. Everything is fine. They're gonna remove the bullet and stich me up. Simple."

"There's no other damage?" Ronnie asked breathlessly.

"Nope, I was lucky."

"When do you think they'll discharge you?" Noticing them exchanging a look at her question, Ronnie frowned. "What?"

"They want to keep me in for a few days to do a few tests." Katy admitted reluctantly.

"What? Why?"

"The doctor thinks… well, he wants to check a few things about in case…"

"He thinks she might relapsing." Glenda clarified irritably. "He thinks the AML is back."