Bianca opened her eyes to a view of white ceiling tiles.

Her head felt a little woozy and there was an uncomfortable pressure on her chin and her forehead. She moved to wipe the sleep from her eyes only nothing happened. A terrible numbness had descended on her whole body; she couldn't even feel the pressure on her back of the bed she was lying on.

She was about to scream at the horror of it but then she remembered… she remembered the gunshot, she remembered the pain and she remembered Marissa falling alongside her, blood trickling down her forehead. All she had wanted to do in that moment was reach out and touch her but she couldn't move.

Bianca knew where she was now – Pine Valley Hospital.

She also knew she was paralysed.

…

She had been disturbed by the sound of someone entering the room.

"Glad to see you're awake."

She heard David but couldn't see him. He was outside her eye-line. Her field of vision limited to the view directly in front of her.

"David! How is Marissa?" she gasped, desperate for news. Visions of Marissa, so still and pale, refused to leave her. She saw her dead and cold and gone and she didn't want the nightmare to be real.

David was still moving around the room and she caught a glimpse of him as he moved to the foot of the bed.

"She's alive. She had a compression fracture from where the bullet struck her skull. She's out of surgery now. She's still unconscious though and we won't know the full extent of her injuries until she wakes up."

"But she's going to be alright?"

"Bianca…" David began, but Bianca wouldn't let him share any more bad news.

"Please say she's going to be alright?" she pleaded.

"I wish I could." said David quietly.

Bianca's heart sunk.

"And is my mother – is she…?"

"She's in intensive care. The bullet did a lot of damage. She's in good hands, Bianca. She's hanging on in there – the indomitable Erica Kane."

"And Kendall?"

"Bianca." said David, still out of sight at the foot of the bed. "Your sister is unhurt – whereas you… Bianca, I need you to focus on your injuries - How are you feeling?"

"I'm not feeling anything, that's the problem isn't it?"

David's face suddenly loomed into her vision. He was closer than she had been expecting.

"Using humour, that's a good sign. What have the nurses told you?"

"Not much." replied Bianca.

"You were shot…"

"I know that!" said Bianca, trying to mask her fear with a little sarcasm.

"Yes, well…" began David. He looked down and Bianca wondered if he was taking her hand. She couldn't feel it if he was. "The bullet has damaged you spinal cord which in turn damaged your nervous system. We have put you in a head brace to prevent any neck movement; you may feel the pressure on your chin and around the crown of your head. The surgery was successful and we safely removed the bullet…"

"So I'm paralysed." said Bianca interrupting, not wanting it sugar coated if this was going to be her life from now on. "Is it permanent?"

"If you were talking to any other doctor than the answer would be yes. Luckily you have me as your physician so the answer for now is not necessarily."

"What does that mean?"

"I've started you on an experimental treatment. It isn't a quick fix and there will be a long road ahead, more surgery and new drugs. It will be a while before we even know if it is successful. But there is hope Bianca. I'm here to offer you hope…"

…