Have 'The Resident' Fans Seen the Last of Kaley Ronayne's Cade?

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for The Resident Season 5.

Fox's The Resident doesn't seem to believe in happy endings. After killing off Emily VanCamp's Nicolette "Nic" Nevin when the actress left the series, the medical drama dealt Conrad Hawkins — and fans — another life-threatening blow in the May 3 episode, appropriately titled "Risk."

Kaley Ronayne's ER doctor Cade — one of Conrad's possible love interests — shared a sweet moment with him in the Chastain parking lot. But in true TV and movie fashion, just as Cade was about to drive off into the sunset, she was the victim of a drive-by shooting.

Naturally, Conrad sprang into action to save her, but The Resident made a point of showing viewers how many bullets had hit Cade's vehicle. So, does Cade die in The Resident Season 5? Or is there a chance she somehow pulls through? Here's what we know.

Fans will remember that in Season 5, Episode 15, "In for a Penny," Cade revealed to Conrad that she had been secretly working with the FBI to take down a prescription pill mill run by the mafia. However, that left her with a fear of the mafia eventually catching up to her and deciding to take her out as a result.

The drive-by shooting suggests that's exactly what happened. Cade doesn't have a lengthy list of people who might want to kill her. Other than the forged prescription she helped Conrad out with, her other major issue was drama with her sister Ava.

It's just heartbreaking that The Resident went down this road again, since viewers are still reeling from Nic's shocking death. (It may be a few years later in the show, but it's still fresh in fans' memories!)

While Conrad did his best to help Cade, she took an awful lot of gunfire, so he may be losing someone else he cares about. This plot twist is almost cruel, because while Nic was killed in a car accident away from Conrad, Cade is dying literally in front of him. If he's not able to stop it, he'll be burdened with a whole new wave of guilt.

One way or another, Kaley Ronayne's time on The Resident appears to have run its course. Even if her character hadn't been shot, she was leaving the hospital anyway, so her storyline was wrapped up before the shocking plot development. And if she gets very lucky and survives, she's not going to want to stay where people just tried to kill her.

However you slice it, the character's done.

It's possible that Cade lives and gets whisked by the FBI into witness protection (which she clearly needs). Or, since The Resident is so good at yanking at viewers' heartstrings, she'll pass away and give Conrad something else to angst over — if he doesn't get angry and decide to try to help find the shooter.

The Resident airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.