A/N – sorry to make you guys wait the whole weekend but the next instalment is up! (I've decided to cut the chapter into more parts otherwise they'll be way to long to read in one hit) This fic is ALMOST finished now!

The Ducks had made it to the mall to hear Julie screaming for help in the parking lot.

"Averman, Goldberg, Ken. Go get help" Charlie ordered.

Averman, Goldberg and Ken skated off to find a phone.

"Julie! Oh my god are you alright?" Connie cried racing over to where Julie sat with Portman's head still in her lap. She stopped abruptly when she saw the shape Portman was in.

"Oh" she gasped tears welling up in her eyes. "Is he?" she whispered fearing the worst.

It took every ounce of strength Julie had to keep herself together. She shook her head slowly "Not yet" she whispered back allowing a single tear to escape.

Connie sat down beside Portman, taking her coat off to place over him for extra warmth. She gently grabbed his hand in hers and held it as she cried as quietly as she could.

Fulton had come over to Julie. Upon seeing Portman lying there all the colour drained from his face. "Portman?" he said loudly as if shouting would wake Portman up.

"Portman not funny dude, wake up" he demanded.

Julie and Connie exchanged a look. It was obvious Fulton was in denial.

"Dude, wake the fuck up. C'mon let's go" Fulton yelled again before collapsing on the ground sobbing. He couldn't believe his best friend was on the verge of dying.

"Oh Fulton" Connie whispered sinking down next to him and wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him in for a hug. Fulton sunk his head into Connie's neck and let it all out.

"Guys, help's coming" Goldberg cut in stopping when he saw the dead body, Portman and Julie. "Holy shit" he added mouth dropping open.

"He's alive, just" Julie said feeling Portman's breath on her hand becoming more and more ragged.

"Help better get here soon or he's not going to make it" Dwayne cut in, picking up Portman's wrist to take a pulse. He'd seen the signs before when his older brother had been involved in a farming accident and Dwayne had been only one there to help him.

Before anyone could respond, sirens cut into the night air sending a small wave of relief through the group.

"Thank god!" Goldberg stated the obvious throwing his arm around the shoulders of a very pale and very silent Luis.

"Okay, what have we got here?" the voice of a paramedic interrupted.

"He's been shot in the stomach. He was conscious a little while ago but he's not now." Julie explained through tears. Having to tell someone about it was like reliving it over and over again.

"Pulse?" the second paramedic asked moving towards Portman.

Dwayne stood up and stepped aside to let them in. "Yes but kinda faint" he replied tilting his head down.

"Okay, we need to move him now. You" the first paramedic pointed at Charlie "Go to the back of the bus and get the stretcher. There'll be an orange board with straps on it. Get me that too" he ordered before turning back to Portman to try to stabilise the bleeding.

Charlie looked confused "Bus?" he asked.

"Ambulance Spazzway" Guy cut in dragging Charlie off towards the ambulance to help him get the stretcher.

"Miss, I need you to stay there and hold his head still. Can you manage that?" the paramedic turned his attention back to Julie and Portman.

Julie nodded.

"You can ride with us, we'll keep him stabilised then we'll check out that arm of yours. That okay with you?" the paramedic decided it might be easier to kill two birds with one stone, the cops will just have to interview her at the hospital.

Julie nodded again. She didn't trust her voice enough to answer with words.

Charlie and Guy had returned with the stretcher and back board.

"Okay on the count of three we're going to roll him. Miss? Sorry what's your name?" the paramedic asked.

"Julie" Julie responded.

"Julie, on the count of three we're going to roll him to the right. Your job is to keep his neck stable and his head steady. Can you do that?"

"Yes" Julie answered.

"Okay, here we go. One. Two. Three" the first paramedic rolled Portman onto his right side slightly with the help of Dwayne as the second paramedic slid the orange board under Portman's back.

"Okay roll him back" the paramedic ordered and Portman was now lying on the board rather than the ground.

"Get the IV in" was said as a needle was placed in Portman's arm and an IV drip hooked up.

"You, hold the bag upright. Don't drop it" the paramedic ordered Ken. Ken looked scared but did as he was told.

"You boys, a little help" the paramedic ushered Charlie, Guy, Fulton and Luis over to where they were working on Portman.

"I want you there, you there and you there" he said indicating to various positions surrounding Portman. "Count of three lift him up gently and place him on the stretcher. Try not to bounce him around"

The three Ducks nodded, crouching down ready to pick up Portman.

"You know if he was awake to see this, he'd be loving every second of it" Goldberg commented to Averman who grinned and nodded.

"Ready, one. Two. Three. LIFT"

Portman was placed onto the stretcher and was strapped in by the paramedics.

"You come with us to the bus. Keep the bag upright and keep up. Julie, come on" the paramedics ordered Ken to continue to hold the IV bag and Julie stood up following Portman, Ken and the paramedics to the waiting ambulance.

"See you at the hospital Jules" Ken said glumly as the doors were closed and they were on their way to the hospital.

………………………………………………………

"You think they're gonna be alright?" Averman asked Guy.

"Yeah, Portman's too damn stubborn to die" Guy tried to make light of the situation but the Ducks were too worried to laugh.

"Jules was devastated" Connie commented staring off into the distance.

Fulton lifted his head from her shoulder "He was in love with her" he said quietly so that only Connie could hear.

"I know. She's in love with him too" Connie whispered letting fresh tears fall. It wasn't fair, just when her best friend had finally found some kind of happiness out of all the horrible events of last week, some psycho has to go and try to kill Portman.

Connie's attention turned to the dead body that lay on the ground. She leapt up and marched over to it ignoring the curious calls and comments from the rest of the Ducks.

"Connie NO!" Fulton yelled racing over to try and stop her but it was too late. She had already crouched down beside the body and was about to lift the balaclava from his face.

"I have to know" she whispered pulling the mask back.

…………………………………………………………

Julie sought some comfort in the steady beep coming from the machine that monitored Portman's heart rate.

What the hell did he do to deserve this? She thought staring sadly at his bruised face. Oh right, he loved me she thought letting the tears fall. This is all my fault. If only I hadn't acted so stupidly this never would have happened. If he dies, its all my fault.

BBBBBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP the machine let our a steady continuous beep alerting the paramedics that Portman had gone into cardiac arrest.

"DEAN!" Julie screamed her face turning to horror as she watched helplessly.

"Shit, we're losing him" the paramedic commented as they desperately tried to save Portman's life.