John was in a state of shock as the ambulance raced off. He looked down at his hands and saw the blood on them. Willow's blood. His sister was fighting for her life and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.
"What the hell happened here?" Asked Bo looking from John to Natalie. They were silent a minute seemingly unable to talk. It was Natalie that broke the silence.
"I don't know what happened before I got here. I went out to get the paper this morning and Evangeline grabbed me and put a gun in my face. Telling me to go with her or she would kill me." Natalie said shuddering. "She said it was her idea to have me strangled and that she was working with the Music Box Killer. She forced me in a car and drove me around awhile then we ended up here."
Bo nodded writing everything down. They had to get this out of the way so that John could go to the hospital and be with Willow. The police department also needed to issue an official statement that the Music Box killer was dead. "Then what?" He asked.
Then Evangeline brought me into Haver's office and I saw Willow there with Haver against the wall with a knife on him. She was asking him questions. Evangeline demanded Willow let Haver go and .. and.." Natalie stopped unable to go on. She was so worried about Willow.
"Look Bo can this wait? We need to get to the hospital!" John said impatiently. "I need to be with Willow."
Bo nodded, "Ok but we still need to talk about this. I'll drive you both over to the hospital. We will talk later." They all piled into Bo's cruiser and the sped towards the hospital at break-neck speeds.
Rex was sitting on the bench in the ambulance as the paramedics worked frantically on Willow. He was so scared he couldn't bring him self to speak. Hearing phrases like severe blood loss and shock were enough to make him crazy. He wanted to shout, "What the hell is going on!" but he couldn't seem to utter a word.
The Medics worked on her for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a minute or 2 before Rex heard the familiar 'Beep Beep Beep' of the machines. He sighed in relief and finally said, "Is she going to be ok?"
One of the medics looked at him gravely and said, "Sir she has lost a lot of blood and sustained a bad gunshot wound to the back. She is in critical condition. Her heart stopped because there wasn't enough Blood to pump in her body."
Rex looked at them as if they were speaking in tongues and said, "in English please! What are you saying?"
The medic replied somewhat reluctantly, "What I am saying Mr. Balsom is that's it's a wonder that she is alive at all right now, with all the blood loss. If we don't get some blood in her soon and into an O.R. she will die."
"Oh, God." Rex moaned, "can I hold her hand, talk to her?"
"Yes, we find that helps a lot. Even unconscious she can hear you."
Rex took her hand and bent so that he was leaning into her face and starting whispering to her. "Willow you have to wake up. Please I need you to be ok. Can you hear me? Please baby. Just squeeze my hand if you can hear me." He pleaded tears continuing to flow. He felt a slight pressure on his hand but though he imagined it. Then he felt it again slightly stronger. " Willow! Oh thank god." Turning to the medics he said excitedly, "she squeezed my hand!"
The medics smiled and told him to keep talking to her. Willow's blood pressure and heart rate had improved while Rex had been speaking to her.
"You have people that love you, We can't loose you now! I love you Willow McBain and I don't think I can live with out you!" Rex said passionately. At that Willow's eyelids flickered and she said in a barely audible voice, "love you too Rex.."
Rex talked to her the whole ride over to the hospital. She had passed out again after saying that she loved Rex and had stopped breathing twice, but Rex had faith that she would be Ok. She had to be ok. He didn't think he would survive if she wasn't.
When they got to Lanview Hospital John, Natalie, and Bo were already there. They surrounded Willow's stretcher wanting to know what was going on. Willow was rushed straight into the ER with the Spencer Truman. As the on call doctor Michael heard the commotion.
He came out from around a curtain, "What's going on here? What wasn't I called?" Seeing John, he at first thought that it was Natalie. "John is it Na…?" he trailed off as he saw Natalie standing there with tears running down her face.
"What's the matter with everyone." Seeing John, Natalie, Rex and Bo all there Michael immediately asked, "Where's Willow. Why isn't she..?" he trailed off seeing the blood all over John's hands and shirt, suddenly realizing what was going on. "Willow? Is she..? Is she..? What happened?" He stammered reaching for a wall as he felt very dizzy.
Willow was hurt! Oh god! Michael thought he couldn't loose her. They had gotten really close over the past month. It was as if he had known her his entire life. They talked about everything. He lurched over to John and demanding in a shaky voice, "What happened?"
John looked down at his hands, again seeing all the blood and swallowed hard. Looking back at Michael he said in a choked voice, "Its my fault. She was shot and its my fault."
"It's not your fault," Natalie said taking hold of John's hand. Looking at Michael her voice thick with tears she said, "Willow was shot in the back. We don't know anything yet. They just rushed her into the ER and didn't tell us anything."
"She was shot? How? Why?" Michael yelled then is if realizing where he was said in a softer voice, "Who shot her?"
Then, realizing that this wasn't the time for that he said, "let me find out what I can." He turned around and disappeared into the operating room to get some answers.
As he left Natalie turned to John and asked, "Do you really think its your fault that Willow was shot?"
Bo walked to the chairs in the waiting room to give them privacy. He took his phone out and called the station to give them the details that he knew about. Then he made a couple of calls to people that knew Willow and would want to be here.
John looked at Natalie and said brokenly, "She took a bullet meant for me. As soon as I find out if she is ok I have to go get Isis. Willow is counting on me. I won't let her down again!"
"John! It's not your fault that Willow was shot. She jumped in front of a bullet, yes. But she knew what she was doing! She made her choice. Its not your fault!" Natalie thought for a minute and then asked in a gentle voice, "What exactly happened before I got there?"
John looked confused for a moment and then said, "you better call Bo over here too. I don't want to go through this a bunch of times."
Bo came over and said, "We don't have to do this now if you don't feel up to it John." Seeing Michael come in Bo motioned him and Rex over as John started his story.
"It's ok. You need to know anyway. Rex called me and asked me to come over because he was worried about Willow. Willow looked at the file you copied for her the other day and realized that Mitch Lawrence was the guy that killed her parents. From that she put together that Haver was the Music Box killer and had also been her stalker. She figured out, according to her notes, that Mitch, Haver and the rest of the cult were running a black market baby selling ring and my father found out and Mitch had him killed."
Rex, needing something to take his mind off Willow, took over the story, "She wanted revenge so she went to Haver's office and that's where John and I found her, after reading her notes. She had Haver against the wall and was ready to kill him. John called Bo and then we went in to talk her down. John was getting through to her when Evangeline came into the room with Nat and told Willow to let Haver go. She did and Haver brought in some woman named Diana and threatened to have her killed if Willow didn't tell him where Isis was. Diana begged Willow not to tell him and Willow didn't. He had Evangeline shoot Diana."
Natalie took up the story from Rex who was getting choked up. "Haver then said he was going to kill me if Willow didn't tell. Before Evangeline got the chance to shoot me you called into the office and distracted Evangeline. John was able to shoot the guard and Rex wounded Evangeline. None of us knew that Haver had a gun too. I didn't see what happened to Willow but Evangeline got up and was going to shoot me so I grabbed a gun from the floor and shot her. That's when you came in Uncle Bo." Natalie said with a tremor.
John wrapped his arm around Natalie's shoulder and said, "Willow saw Haver was going to shoot me and jumped in front of me, taking the bullet meant for me." He looked down at his feet feeling responsible for his sisters condition.
"I saw Willow get hit and I froze for a minute and then shot Haver. All I could think about was Willow. I don't even remember running to her. I just remember holding her hand and telling her I loved her." Rex said softly, as tears began to fall again. "I'm so scared. What if she doesn't make it?" He asked before noticing Michael was back.
John also noticed Michael. He was just standing there looking devastated. "How is she Mike?" John demanded and everyone looked at him waiting for answers.
Michael swallowed hard before answering. "It doesn't look good," he said, "Willow has lost a lot of blood and she has very rare blood type. The hospital doesn't have any in the blood bank. Willow also had some minor damage to her lung where the bullet hit. They don't dare take the bullet out because they are afraid that with out more blood she will bleed to death. I already have been tested and my blood is not a match. John you should be tested too." He explained in a choked voice. "I'm going to the chapel to pray now." He said after a minute.
With that explanation he headed to the chapel and call to their mother. Eve had been staying in Lanview since Willow had told them about her past. He knew that as upset that John had been when they got here that he probably hadn't called her yet.
Rex left immediately to be tested for the blood type. He couldn't sit around doing nothing. He needed to move or he would fall apart again.
John felt like he had been punched in the gut when he heard Willow's condition. His sister might die and it was his fault.
Natalie looked at him and recognized the look on his face. He was blaming him self still. "John its not your fault. You did everything you could. You saved her life. If you hadn't shown up when you did Evangeline would have come and shot both Willow and me." Natalie said forcefully.
Bo nodded and said seriously, "If Willow hadn't gone there alone none of you would have been in danger. She knew what she was doing John. You need to let her be responsible for her own actions."
John, having spent the better part of his life taking responsibility for the actions of others, couldn't let it go that easily. He would be tested for blood type and then he would do the only thing he could. He would bring Willow Isis.
"I have to go get tested for blood type." John said not answering either Bo or Natalie. As he was about to leave a large group of people came rushing into the ER waiting room. Eve, Vicki, Jessica, Antonio, Carlotta, Todd, Blair, Kevin, Kelly, Adriana, Dorian, David, Asa, Duke, Lindsay, and even RJ. They all came rushing up to John.
"How is she?" Asa asked speaking for the whole group. Kevin and Jessica had gone over to Natalie and were hugging her while Vicki, Duke, and Adriana stood by them for support. Everyone in the group had been touched in some way by Willow or the McBain family. Eve had ran to John hugging him tightly before letting him go so he could respond. The rest of the group waited for what John would tell them.