Johnny couldn't move. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing. He was oblivious to the distant gunfire as the bandits were heading out of town, he ignored the growing crowd of people that were emerging from their homes and businesses to see what had happened, his eyes could only focus on the beauty in front of him and the dark red stain on her shirt.

And the most horrible part of the situation was that he had pulled the trigger.

Feeling as if his hand was on fire, Johnny dropped his six-shooter and it banged against the ground, coming to a rest by the tip of his boot. He could see that she was staring directly at him but she had yet to say anything, yet to make a move towards anyone, but her face was turning a sickly white and Johnny was afraid that the shock was setting in.

"Lu," he said and realized that she didn't hear him over the murmurs of the other people in the street. He kicked the metal weapon out of his way and started towards her, raising his voice, "Lu, talk to me, tell me you're alright."

"I…" she managed to pull her eyes away from him as she looked down at her chest and the ragged hole that was in her pretty riding shirt, "I didn't mean it. I didn't know what I was saying. You…you get me so angry sometimes."

Johnny saw that she was shaking her head as he approached her and muttering things that he wasn't sure he comprehended. The damn woman was apologizing to him when he was the one who shot her. He took her by the arms and shook her lightly.

"Lu, look at me."

"I didn't want you dead," she whispered as she reached up and touched his face, "I didn't mean those words that I said. I didn't want you dead, Johnny. I was angry, you always make me angry, and I said it but I didn't mean it. I didn't want you to die, I couldn't let you die, that's why I came back here really fast. I got rid of the saddle and all," she turned to look for her horse.

"Lu, we have to get you to a doctor," Johnny said, "You aren't making any sense."

She looked back at him curiously, "I was riding away. I was leaving but then I felt something and I thought…oh my family," she whispered, "I was supposed to check on my family and Michael to make sure they weren't hurt. I came back to make sure they were okay but…but it wasn't them," she reached up and touched his face again, with her gloved covered hands, cradling his freshly shaven face between her palms, "But it was you who needed me, you, and I got here in time. I made sure that they didn't kill you."

"You're going into shock," he said as he moved her hand from his face to bring her arm around his shoulder, "You're shaking. Come with me. I'll make sure someone is sent into the other town to find the doctor. You're going to be alright I just need you to stay with me, keep talking to me."

"The man came out with that gun and I…" she looked up at him as her blue eyes watered, "I thought I was going to lose you without ever telling you that…" she looked away from him and squeezed her eyes shirt, two fat tears falling from them and hitting the dusty ground, "I came back for you, Johnny," she looked back up at him as she leaned closer and whispered, "I came back for you."

Johnny thought she was going to kiss him in her mind numbing state but instead she fainted against his body and he hoisted her into his arms. The next thing he knew, he was elbowing people out of the way, as he stepped onto the boardwalk and ran down towards the south end of town, where The Devil's Gate was located.

Elizabeth's own screams were echoing in her head as she felt around Jason's body, looking for non-existent bullet wounds and making sure that he still had a pulse. He was breathing, but his chest was rising up and down so slowly she wasn't sure how long that would last. She wanted to scream again, to yell into the hot wind that the world was cruel and inhumane, but she couldn't. Jason needed her and she wasn't going to break down.

She looked up again, hoping that someone had heard her the first two times and she was relived to see a red head hurrying towards her. The woman looked familiar, she had seen her in town, and Elizabeth knew that she should know her name but it wasn't coming to her. The only thing that she could focus on was getting Jason help.

"Elizabeth, I'm Bobbie Spencer, Luke's sister," Bobbie said forcing a smile as she knelt down beside Elizabeth, "I use to be a nurse back east. I helped out during the war. I'm going to help you as much as I can with Jason."

"Bobbie…" Elizabeth said quietly, "Luke's sister. I'm sorry. I should've known. I should've met you but I've just…" she looked back down at Jason, "I've been a nurse too. My father…" she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to prevent more tears, "I use to help him all the time and I know that this isn't good. We have to get him to a doctor. We can't wait any longer."

"The closest doctor is in the next town," Bobbie said as she laid a reassuring hand on Elizabeth's heavy shoulder, "We're going to have someone ride into town and bring him back. If we can get an experienced horseman they'll have the doctor back here within a couple of hours."

Elizabeth looked back down at Jason, "He doesn't have a couple of hours."

She felt the panic start to rise again in her chest, the hysteria threatening to overtake her body as she watched the man before her lie on the ground dying. She had to take control again. She was not going to lose it. Jason Morgan was the one person who stayed strong for her and she was going to do the same thing for him.

"Send the fastest rider into the next town," Elizabeth said looking over her shoulder at Bobbie, "I don't care how young or old that person is but I want them to get the doctor back here as quickly as possible. I'm also going to need some strong men," she looked back down at Jason, "I know where my father's office was suppose to be and we're going to taken Jason there and have everything ready for the doctor."

"I know who I can get to help us," Bobbie said climbing to her feet, "I'll be back as soon as I can Elizabeth."

"No need Barbara Jean," Luke said as he hopped off an approaching wagon, "We're here to take Jason wherever he needs to go. Lucky's already been sent to the next town to fetch the doctor. We're not sure how many injuries we have here."

"Let's lift him up into the back of the wagon," Ric said as he came around the other side of Luke.

"Be careful!" Elizabeth cried out as she watched Ric grab his feet, "Try to jar him as little as possible. He's lost so much blood."

"Elizabeth," Lorenzo said softly as he came up beside her, "You're welcome to sit up front. I can have Bobbie drive the wagon while we make sure Jason isn't shifted too much in the back. I'm assuming you want us to bring him to where your father's practice was?" he continued when she nodded, "Lucky was sent because he's the best horseman around. He will get back here as fast as he can, even if it means running his horse into the ground."

"Thank you," Elizabeth whispered tearfully, "We need to get him help immediately. It's…" she looked to where Ric and Luke were settling Jason in the back of the wagon, "It's really bad."

"Then we don't have a moment to waste," he motioned towards the wagon, "Climb up and we'll be ready to go."

Elizabeth hurried over towards the side of the wagon and she hoisted herself up. She turned and looked behind her to see Luke pressing something over Jason's chest to try and staunch the blood flow. Lorenzo climbed up behind Jason and held his legs down while Ric kept hold of his chest. They nodded when they were ready to go.

Bobbie took a whip towards the horses, "Now let's just hope everyone stays out of our way."

"Michael! Sam!" Sonny yelled as he shoved aside the swinging doors that led into his saloon.

He could see the chaos around him. Bullets had shattered windows and the tables had been flipped over, used for protection, by the girls and any patrons that were in the saloon at the time. Sonny looked over at the bar area and saw bottles of liquor shattered, their contents spilling onto the floor. There were loose pieces of wood that were shot out and dangling from the ceiling above him. The expensive wall hangings he had brought down from California were destroyed. But at the moment he didn't give a damn about that. He needed to find his son and Sam.

"Sam! Michael!" Sonny asked running around behind the bar, "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm here," Sam said as she stumbled out of the kitchen, her hand wrapped around her bleeding arm, "I was checking on the cook. Michael is upstairs making sure that all the girls are alright," she threw her uninjured arm around his neck and hugged him tightly, "I'm glad your okay. I thought something terrible would happen to you."

"What happened to you?" Sonny asked as he immediately pulled her back and looked down at her arm, "Were you shot?"

"No, I was hit by a piece of glass that fell from one of the frames," she said, "It doesn't hurt that bad. I think that we should go upstairs and check on the girls with Michael. There was a lot of screaming and I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"No," Sonny said taking a firm grip of her uninjured arm, "You need to get to a doctor immediately. I'm going to have someone fetch a wagon from the livery…"

"Sonny, I'm fine," Sam said softly as she pressed her hand against his cheek, "I can tie this off and have it taken care of later. I know that you're worried but there are people out in the street who are worse off than I. We can check on Michael and the girls and then…"

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he pulled her injured arm up against his chest, "For this morning, for thinking that…I'm sorry," he pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss against her hair, "I'm sorry, Sam. I'm glad," he pulled back and smiled at her, "I'm glad that you're okay."

"We're both okay," she whispered as he leaned up and kissed him softly, "And Michael's okay too."

"Dad!" Michael called as he came down the stairs with Courtney in tow, "I'm glad to see you made it back. As soon as the bullets were flying I made sure everyone got as far away from the windows as possible."

"You did good here," Sonny said looking around, "All of this can be replaced and cleaned up. Is there anyone else injured upstairs?"

Michael shook his head, "Rachel is leading the clean up. There's a lot of glass repairs and nicks in some of the paintings. There's a bullet embedded in Sam's wall."

Sam shuddered against Sonny, "I'm glad I wasn't in the room and I'm glad everyone else is okay," she turned towards Sonny, "Maybe we should go out and see if there's anyone we could help outside."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Michael said as he looked between Sam and his father, "When you were heading back in, they were still shooting, and someone else got hit," he met his father's eyes, "Jason went down. Someone tried to shoot him in the back but he turned just in time."

"How bad?" Sonny asked quietly.

"He was shot in the chest," Michael said, "That's all I saw before Courtney and Rachel called me away. I wanted to make sure the girls were okay before I ran out there. It looked like someone was coming to his aid."

"We should go check on him," Sam said looking up at Sonny.

"I'll go check on Jason," Sonny said, "Michael, I want you to get a wagon and take Sam to the next town so that a doctor can look at her arm," he looked down at Sam, "I don't want any arguments. I want to make sure that…"

"Sonny."

Sonny turned towards the gruff sounding voice that called his name. He saw a figure stomping into his saloon, a small body lying limp in his arms. The glare from the sun was making it nearly impossible for him to make out the intruder and the voice sounded tired and weary. His eyes moved from the cowboy towards the woman and he realized that it was his old friend cradling an injured Lesley Lu Spencer.

"Lu!" Michael cried out as he pushed past his father and hurried towards Johnny, "What the hell happened?"

"She was shot," Johnny said, trying to keep the trembling from his voice, "She was hit and she needs a doctor. She needs someone right now and I have no idea where the office is. You need to tell me where to take her."

"There's no doctor in town," Sonny said, "There's an office down on the north end. We can take her there. I don't think it's a good idea to try and ride her into another town."

"Let me take her," Michael said interrupting his father as he approached Johnny, "I'll carry her down to the office. I don't think we should take her in the wagon. The ride would be too rough on her," he said as he turned towards his father, "Send someone into the next town for the doctor."

Johnny pulled Lu closer against him as he looked down at her, watching as her chest barely rose with her next breath. He could practically feel her slipping away in his arms and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He turned and kicked open the doors to the saloon, making his way towards the street.

"I'm taking her to the office," he called over his shoulder, "She's not going to die on me."

Sonny placed his hand on his son's arm when he started to follow Johnny out of the door, "Not now," he shook his head, "We'll all head down there together."

"No," Michael said, "I need to find Mr. and Mrs. Spencer. Someone needs to be there with them when they found out about their daughter, if they don't already know. I'll meet you at the office. I'm sure there's still supplies there so you can treat Sam's arm."

Sonny nodded as he watched his son hurry out of the saloon. He was glad that Michael was calm enough not to go after Johnny. An argument between the two men was the last thing they needed at the moment. He turned back towards Sam and took off his coat. Ripping the sleeve off of it, he tossed it aside and proceeded to wrap the piece of cloth around Sam's bleeding arm. He made sure there was enough pressure to try and prevent anymore blood flow.

"Forgot about here," he said quietly as he pulled her close to him, "We need to get down to that doctor's office. If Jason was injured as badly as Michael said that's where he's going to be headed," he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, "And I need to be there for Michael…and Johnny."

Elizabeth twisted the door knob to the doctor's office and found that it was unlocked but stuck. She slammed her shoulder against it twice before it managed to budge. She hurried over the threshold and started looking around dusty room for anything they could use to help Jason survive. She was lucky to find a tall cabinet that held all the tools of her father's trade. The town must not have cleaned the office out when the old doctor passed away and for that she was grateful.

"Where do you want him?" Luke gritted out as he stumbled into the office with his hands securely gripping Jason's arms pits. Ric and Lorenzo quick followed, each of them carrying Jason's legs.

"Find the first available bed," Elizabeth called over her shoulder, "Bobbie," she said to the woman who walked in behind Ric, "I think we need to find some candles. It's going to get dark soon and we're going to need light for the doctor. We'll need whiskey for the wound…and the person cutting the bullet out of him. Everything's here."

Elizabeth pulled a few silver tools out of the cabinet and then found some white pieces of cloth to be used for Jason whenever the doctor showed up. She stopped for a brief second to glance out one of the dust covered windows and saw that the sun was quickly disappearing from they sky. She knew that if the doctor didn't arrive soon that Jason wouldn't have much of a chance at surviving.

She turned and walked towards the room where the men had carried him. Through the open door she could see that Ric was removing his boots and Lorenzo and Luke were working together to get his shirt off. Bobbie had placed candles around the room and lit them. She also managed to dust off some windows and open them so that some fresh air and light could be let in.

Elizabeth held the doctor's tools tightly against her chest as she headed towards Jason. She was trying her best to hold back the tears but as the minutes crawled by her resolve to stay strong was weakening. She just had to keep reminding herself that this man never gave up on her, when everyone thought she was dead, he continued to search for her and saved her when she thought that she had finally reached the end. He was there for her and now she would be there for him. Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth stepped into Jason's room.

Lorenzo looked up at Luke with hard eyes, "There's no exit wound."

"What?" Elizabeth asked as she quickened her steps and moved towards Jason, "There has to be an exit wound. If there's no exit wound…"

"The bullets still inside of him," Bobbie said from behind her, "The doctor is going to have to perform surgery in order to get it out. Luke, we're going to need a lot of whiskey and a lot of laudanum for when the doctor gets here."

"I know where it is," Luke said, nodding to his sister and heading out of the room.

"I'm not waiting for the doctor," Elizabeth said, "Jason can't wait for the doctor. He lost a lot of color. He's barely breathing. We have to operate on him now," she turned towards Bobbie.

"Elizabeth, I've assisted with some surgeries during the war but I've never performed one," Bobbie said as she approached the woman, "I'm not qualified for doing this on my own and I would be afraid that if I attempted to…"

"I'll do it," Elizabeth said as she turned towards Lorenzo and Ric, "I'm going to need your help in case he wakes up. I'm going to need you to hold him down. I won't be able to work on him if he starts thrashing about."

"We're here for whatever you need," Lorenzo said as he started to move the candles around so that there was more light on Jason's body.

"I'm going to tell Luke to hurry up with that whiskey," Ric said.

"Elizabeth," Bobbie said softly, "I know that your father was a doctor and I'm sure that you spent many hours in his office but I don't think you should attempt this. Jason could die if…"

"Jason could die if we don't do this!" Elizabeth yelled as she felt the tears fill her eyes, "And I am not going to lose him because I stood by and did nothing. He did everything he could to find me and I'm going to do everything I can to save him."

"Alright," Bobbie said as she placed her hands on Elizabeth's arms, "I will help you. I'll do the best that I can while you're working on him but I can't guarantee anything. Lorenzo," she said looking over Elizabeth's shoulder, "I think that you should be standing on the left side of Jason so you can hold him down if he starts to move. We'll put Ric by his side and Luke at his feet."

Lorenzo nodded and started to move towards the other side of Jason when they heard an anguished cry coming from the main part of the office. Bobbie started out of the room with Lorenzo following her. Elizabeth laid her supplies down on a table next to Jason before she went after them.

"What's going on?" Bobbie asked, "Oh my God."

"Lu," Luke whispered as he stepped towards Johnny O'Brien who was still carrying his limp daughter, "What happened to her?"

"She was hit by a bullet," Johnny said, unable to meet Lu's father's eyes.

"She wasn't supposed to be in town!" Luke cried, "Give her to me!"

"No, Johnny, take her into the other room back there," Bobbie said, "Luke did you find the whiskey? We're going to need it for Lesley Lu as well as Jason."

"I have some, plenty of it," Sonny said as he walked into the doctor's office with Sam behind him, "We figured that there wouldn't be a lot of supplies here so we wanted to bring the whiskey for the patients. I heard about Jason."

"Thank you," Bobbie said as she took a bottle from Sonny.

"Laura?" Luke asked as he looked towards the room where Lu was brought, "I have to find Laura."

"The last time I saw Laura she was with Emily and Alexis," Lorenzo said, "We told them to head back into the Mercantile when we went after Elizabeth and Jason."

"Michael went to find her," Sonny said, "Michael wanted to make sure she wasn't alone when she found out what happened with Lesley Lu. I know that he'll bring her right here."

"Tell your son that I said thank you," Luke said to Sonny before he started towards the room where Lu was. Bobbie quickly followed after her brother.

"Elizabeth," Lorenzo said quietly, "Do you still want to take the bullet out of Jason?"

Elizabeth blinked her eyes as she pulled them away from Lesley Lu's room. She should have never stepped foot out of her Aunt's house. The last few weeks of her life had been bearable at best but at least no one had been shot at. Now, the day she chose to face society, her cousin was lying in one room and the person who she depended on the most was lying in another. Both of them seemed very close to dying and she was faced with a decision to make. She turned towards Lorenzo and then she turned towards the other man whom she had yet to meet.

"I don't know you," she said quietly as she approached Sonny Corinthos and Samantha McCall, "But there's someone in that other room that means a lot to me and if I don't get that bullet out of him soon he might never open his eyes again."

"Jason," Sonny said softly, "I know Jason. And he's had many wonderful things to say about you Elizabeth. This is a friend of mine, Samantha Mc Call, and I'm Sonny Corinthos."

"Well Mr. Corinthos," Elizabeth said tearfully, "It's nice to meet you and your friend. I'm glad that you're here because I…Jason…Jason and I are going to need your help."

"Tell me Barbara, what's going on with my daughter?" Luke asked his sister as he hovered over her. He knew that she needed space to work and find out what was going on but he couldn't help himself. His youngest child, his only daughter, was lying on a table in front of him and she looked paler than the sheets she was lying on.

"There's an exit wound," Bobbie said, "That's a good sign. All I have to do now is clean Lu's wound and make sure that it's bandaged properly," she looked over at Johnny with a soft smile, "She was brought here quickly enough and we may be able to prevent infection. Thank you."

Johnny couldn't respond. He was only able to nod his head slowly as Bobbie Spencer started to unbutton Lu's white blouse. He couldn't believe that he was standing here. His mind was still out in the middle of the street, watching the red stain grow larger on Lu's shirt. And all she kept saying was she really didn't want him dead. He hoped that she would open her beautiful blue eyes so he could thank her for saving his life.

"What happened?" Laura shouted as she ran into the room with Michael Corinthos following behind her, "My baby!" she cried as she saw Lu, "Luke, what happened?"

"She was involved in the shoot out somehow," Luke said as he wrapped his arm around Laura, "Barbara said that it's an open wound and she's going to clean it real good and make sure that it's properly bandaged. She's still breathing, darlin'. We've got to believe that she's going to be okay."

"Has she woken back up?" Michael asked Bobbie.

Bobbie shook her head, "But that's normal. The best thing for her to do right now is to just rest. Her body needs to help her recover from the incredible shock that she's just been put through," she looked at Michael, Johnny and Luke, "I'm going to ask you boys to leave. Laura and I will need to get her blouse off so that we can get a better look at the wound and clean it properly."

Luke squeezed his daughter's hand and placed a kiss on his wife's forehead before he walked over towards Michael. He slapped a hand on the boy's shoulder and they walked out of the room together. Johnny couldn't help but linger.

"Ma'am," he said to Laura, "I wanted to apologize. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that this happened to your daughter."

"This is Johnny O'Brien," Bobbie said to Laura, "He was one of the men who went out in search of Elizabeth when she was missing. He's a friend of Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos. He brought Lesley Lu in."

"Mr. O'Brien," Laura said with a tearful smile, "Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

Johnny couldn't respond. He only acknowledged Laura with a nod and quickly made his way out of the room and he didn't stop there. He walked right out of the doctor's office and stood on the front porch, gripping the wood railing until he could feel the splinter's digging into his palms.

Laura Spencer, Charlesville's queen, was thanking him for saving her daughter. He wondered what type of response he would receive if Mrs. Spencer found out that he was the one that actually shot her.

Elizabeth looked at the whiskey bottle she held in her hand. She was tempted to take a very long sip to steady her nerves but she decided against it. Jason needed it more than she did. She turned and placed the bottle on the small tray behind her and picked up a pair of silver tweezers. She then took a deep breath and looked at the men in front of her.

"I've never done this before," she said quietly, "But I know that if I don't get this bullet out of him he won't last long enough for the doctor to see him. I just need you to hold him down in case he wakes up. I'll move as fast as I can."

And she would try to remember everything that her father had done. She had watched him dig these types of bullets out of criminals before. He used precision and technique that he had learned in his years in medical school. She would be as delicate as possible and gone on what she had seen her father do.

Elizabeth moved slightly, to allow the candle light to fall on Jason's wound. She then bent her head and brought the tweezers towards his body. Her hand started to shake as she touched his skin and she took another deep breath, reminding herself to remain calm.

"Jason would trust you with this, Elizabeth," Lorenzo said a few feet from her, "You should trust yourself."

Elizabeth looked over at him, the brother in law of the man whom she was operating on him. She wondered if he would blame her if something went wrong. No, Lorenzo wouldn't, he still carried the guilt from the first night they met, when he mistook her for an intruder. But Emily might blame her and possibly the man holding one of Jason's ankles, Sonny Corinthos. Jason's life was now about to be put in her hands.

Looking back down at the man, Elizabeth steadied her hand and moved towards his bullet wound. His life was in her hands and she was going to save it. As she searched for the bullet she felt Jason start to spasm. His eyes didn't open but his body did thrash and she was nearly knocked aside. He started to moan and Lorenzo took a firm hold of his upper body. Sonny and Ric struggled, but managed to control his legs.

She moved back towards him and inserted the tweezers once again. She felt metal hit metal and she realized she had found it. Pinching the tool together, Elizabeth took a firm grasp on it and pulled the bullet out. She dropped it onto the tray behind her; the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead had followed it. She turned back towards Jason, the bottle of whiskey in her hands, and poured it on his wound.

His eyes snapped open, he cried out in sheer agony and then he passed out again, his body going limp against the table beneath him. The men who held him waited a moment before they released their grip.

Elizabeth turned back towards the table and placed the whiskey down. She then hurriedly started to wrap the bandages around Jason so that the wound was covered. Lorenzo came over and assisted her with handing her the tape and discarding any old pieces of cloth. His blood covered shirt was also trashed.

"I could stitch it but the stains would never come out," she said quietly as Lorenzo took the shirt from her, "I don't think I'd ever want to see him in it again. Thank you, all of you, for…" she looked back down at Jason, "Everything. And tell Emily that I did the best I could. Maybe the doctor can do something better."

"You did amazing, Elizabeth," Sonny said, "Jason would be proud of you."

"Emily will be too. She'll thank you for everything that you've done," Lorenzo said, "He's alive and he's breathing and he might not be if you left that bullet in there a minute longer. Thank you for stepping in and saving my brother in law."

"I was returning the favor," Elizabeth whispered as she moved towards Jason again, "And he still has a long night ahead of him."

Kristina Lansing wrapped her arms around her waist and stared at the town of Charlesville. The people were going about their normal business as if a shoot out had not happened just a few hours ago. It was something that was familiar for western towns but for her it was very surreal. Her best friend lie a few yards away fighting for her life.

The town was shocked at what had happened. She was with her own mother and Laura Spencer when Michael came running in to tell them that Lu was injured. He had told them that he wasn't sure what happened but that she was hurt badly and she needed to see a doctor immediately. No one had yet to get any answers; no one knew anything, no one except Johnny O'Brien.

Kristina had seen him when she walked out onto the porch of the doctor's office. He was standing where she was right now, his hands beat red from gripping the wooden post. She had known there was something between Johnny O'Brien and Lu Spencer. They liked to push each other's buttons and sometimes Kristina enjoyed watching them bicker. Yet she was surprised to see the look of torture that was on Johnny's face. There was anguish in his deep brown eyes and when she tried to speak to him he walked away, heading towards the back of the doctor's office where he was pacing. She could hear him kicking around the stones out back.

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms before she turned back towards the north end of town, where the Spencer's lived, where the road led to the Alcazar ranch, where the path was that Lucky had taken earlier that day to try and find a doctor. He had yet to come back and he had yet to learn that his sister was fighting for her life.

"Kristina," Ric said softly as he placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder, "I think that its time we head home. Your mother cold use some help at the store. I'm sure there's a lot of cleaning up that has to be done."

Kristina turned towards her father and felt queasy when she saw Jason Morgan's blood on his shirt, "I can't leave right now. But tell Mama that I'm okay and I'll be home later."

"There's nothing more we can do here," Ric said, "They're running out of room in there. Emily just came in and Sonny is going to be staying in there with Michael."

"There needs to be room for at least one more," Kristina said presenting her father with her back, "Lucky hasn't come back to town yet so he doesn't know that Lu's been hurt. I need to be here when he finds out."

"Kristina…"

Kristina swirled around and glared at her father, "You can take away my saddle, you can keep me locked up in my room and you can even force me to work day and night in the store but I am not leaving. Lucky needs someone," she sniffled, "And that someone is going to be me."

She watched her father open his mouth to say something but the words were droned out by the sounds of a fast approaching horse. Kristina saw a cloud of dust swirling up around the horse and then Lucky appeared before her, his stallion rearing at the reins being pulled.

"The doctors not there," Lucky said as he jumped down from the horse, "Apparently the same gang came through another town east of here and the doctor was needed there. There's no word on when he'll be back but I'm going to head out and find someone else. I just need some supplies," he looked towards Ric, "I was hoping you'd oblige."

"If you need to stock up before you leave town again, come down to the store," Ric said and nodded to Lucky, "If you'll excuse me I need to go check on my wife. Kristina, I expect you home by dark."

Lucky looked curiously as Ric walked away and then turned toward Kristina, who was now walking towards him, "That's odd. He seemed friendly." he then noticed her red eyes, "Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

"No, no," she said tearfully, "The bullet had to be dug out of Jason by Elizabeth. There wasn't time to wait and no one thinks that he's going to last through the night but…but it's not that."

"Okay, than what is it?" Lucky asked, "Kristina you are really starting to worry me and…"

"Lu's been shot."

Lucky stumbled back into his horse at the sound of those words, "What?" he whispered.

"There's no definite answer on what happened but Johnny brought her in and she was bleeding heavily. She's been unconscious since it happened," Kristina reached for Lucky and took hold of his arm, "Bobbie cleaned her wound and said the bullet went straight through her chest."

"Her chest?" he nearly choked, "She was hit near the…"

"She's still breathing. She's still alive," Kristina said, "Your parents are in there with her; Michael and your Aunt Bobbie too. They're trying their best to be there. They're talking to her and…"

"She's not going to make it?" Lucky asked, "Is that what you're telling me?"

"No," Kristina said shaking her head as she pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around him, "You're here now and you're going to help Lu get through this. And I'm going to be right here Lucky," she whispered before pressing a kiss to his neck, "Right here."

Lucky wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her close against him. He then buried his face in her red hair and started to cry.

Johnny had stepped into the doctor's office quietly. The outer room, which was packed earlier, was now empty. Emily and Lorenzo Alcazar had gone back to their hotel and Sonny Corinthos and Samantha McCall headed back to the saloon. The moon was now high in the sky and it was well past time for decent people to be in bed. He knew that he shouldn't be here. This was the time and place for family and friends. In Lu Spencer's book he was neither one of them.

But still, he couldn't bring himself to go back to the hotel. He felt the need to be close to Lu. In case she needed anything, in case she woke up, he wanted to be there, he wanted her to see his face. He wanted to be the one to tell her that he would take it all back if he could and turn and aim the gun at himself.

Stopping in the middle of the office he saw the door to Lu's room open. Luke was standing at the head of his daughter's bed, one hand on Lu's hair, the other one clasped with his wife's. Laura gripped Lu's hand with her free one and seemed to be talking softly to her youngest child. Michael Corinthos sat in a chair in the corner, his eyes teary and focused on Lu. Lucky stood outside of the doorway, his body leaning against the frame, his gaze on his sister. He was just a few short feet from his family but an entire world stood between them. The whole scene broke Johnny's heart.

And he knew he couldn't interrupt that. He knew that even if he couldn't go back to the hotel he couldn't disturb them. He quietly turned to leave when another sight stopped him. Elizabeth Webber sat alone in Jason's room.

He wasn't sure how his feet led him there but the next thing he knew he was standing in the open doorway of Jason's room. Elizabeth was sitting in a chair beside the bed, her two tiny hands, clasping Jason's large one. The moon light was reflecting on her tears and her eyes were closed. She was still wearing the blood stained dress that she had on that afternoon.

"Excuse me, miss," Johnny said quietly as he plucked the hat from his head and twirled it in his hands. He grimaced when she jumped, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I know that I shouldn't be here but I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you handled things this afternoon. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

Elizabeth forced a smile, "Mr. O'Brien, please don't feel the need to apologize. From what I've heard through the hall, you were actually the one who brought my cousin in. Thank you for that, I appreciate it," she looked back at Jason, "I just hope that everything we did for Jason is enough."

"It is," Johnny said as he stepped into the room, "It will be," he hesitated before he placed his hat back on his head, "I hope you don't mind me saying but Jason admired you. He thought you were the strongest person he had ever met and that means a lot coming from Jason. He's met some pretty tough guys through his…work. What I'm trying to say is, he'd be proud of you. I think you should be proud of yourself too."

Elizabeth looked at him as another tear fell from her eye, "Thank you Mister…"

"Johnny," he said, "Please, call me Johnny."

"Thank you, Johnny," she said softly. She watched him turn around and started to head out the door before she turned back towards Jason, "He's the strongest person I know," she said quietly, causing him to stop, "He wanted to protect me. That's all he wanted to do and he was so hesitant about telling me what he did for a living, like I would be afraid of him. And he didn't want that. But I'd never be afraid of Jason, ever."

She turned towards Johnny and looked at him with anger in her eyes, "I stayed locked up in my Aunt's house and his house for the past few weeks. I was terrified of what this town had to say about me. But him," she looked back at Jason, "He deals with it everyday. They talk about what he does and who he use to be and how he wasted his life. They say cruel things, horrible things, and he just doesn't care. He's only concerned about me. Me," she whispered, "And I want him to open his eyes back up to thank him. For being concerned about me when no one else was."

Johnny stood behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before he removed it, "He'll open his eyes back up Elizabeth," he smiled at her when she looked up at him, "And he'll do it for you."

Kristina put away the rest of the dishes and took one last look at the kitchen. Everything looked tidy and organized, ready for Bobbie to start using tomorrow. She walked over towards the last lit candle and blew it out before starting down the hallway and towards the front room.

She had come over not long after leaving the doctor's office. Her parents would not let her return and spend the night with the Spencer family but they did give in to Bobbie when she asked for Kristina's assistance in cleaning up the boarder house. Since Bobbie had been away all day, nothing had gotten done and the renters had a late dinner. Bobbie offered to pay her but Kristina refused.

"Bobbie, I'm all finished," she called as quietly as she could up the stairs, "I'm going to head home now. I'll be over first thing in the morning and I can help you with breakfast."

Bobbie came halfway down the stairs with a smile on her face, "Thank you for all your help. I know that Lucky isn't coming here this evening but I've prepared a room just in case. I think maybe it will be a good idea to make breakfast for the family and take it over there in the morning, don't you?"

"I was going to make that suggestion," Kristina smiled, "I'll put the lock on the door on my way out and take care of the last few candles. Go on up to bed and I'll see you tomorrow. We've all had a long day."

"Thank you again," Bobbie said, "I don't know what I would have…" she stopped when she heard a knock on the door, "It never ends when you're running one of these places."

"I'll get it," Kristina said, "I'll let the person know that you're filled up. The hotel has plenty of room. If they want to try back tomorrow they can," she smiled, "Really, go on upstairs."

Kristina headed towards the door and turned back to see Bobbie making her way up the steps. She was glad, the older woman needed rest. This day had been barely bearable for the citizens of Charlesville.

Placing a smile on her face, she opened the door, "Hi, I'm sorry…hello."

The man gave a handsome smile to the red head on the other side of the door, "I wasn't aware the boarding house was run by such a beautiful woman. Had I know that I would have made the carriage driver whip those horses into a faster trot."

Kristina smiled then shook her head, "I'm sorry. We're full this evening but you're welcome to try back tomorrow morning when some of the other boarders check out."

He walked into the house and around Kristina, "I'd like to hear that from the actual owner's lips."

"Excuse me, sir…" Kristina started towards him only to stop when she heard a gasp from the stairs.

"Oh my God."

The man turned his smile towards Bobbie Spencer, "Hello mother."

Bobbie felt her eyes water as she pressed her hand to her mouth, "Patrick."