Britney Spears' 72 hours are almost up, but she may want to hold off on packing her bags just yet—whether to leave the hospital or head for beyond.
While the 26-year-old is in the final throes of her 5150 hold at UCLA Medical Center—which would theoretically allow her release sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday morning—a source close to the situation told E! News there is no more than "a 5 percent chance" she will check out of the hospital this weekend.
"The best place for Britney right now is where she is," the source said. "The longer she remains there, the better it is for her."
News that Spears may be prolonging her stay in the hospital's psych ward, where she has been undergoing a battery of mental evaluations since voluntarily checking into the facility in the early-morning hours Thursday, comes in the wake of confirmation that even if she's allowed to leave the hospital, she won't get far.
E! News has confirmed that during the emergency Friday afternoon hearing, in which the singer's father, Jamie Spears, and attorney Andrew Wallete were appointed temporary coconservatorship over decisions pertaining to the Blackout singer's estate and a restraining order was granted on behalf of Spears against manager-pal Sam Lutfi, court commissioner Reva Goetz said a free Spears had the potential to be either a "flight or kidnapping risk."
While neither Goetz nor attorneys for Spears mentioned in the hearing who they feared posed the possible risk of facilitating either a flight or kidnap situation, the source told E! News the Spears family was taking great precautions to ensure their daughter's safety.
"Britney will now be provided adequate security. She had been convinced in the past to do away with personal security by certain people in her life, and that was very dangerous. It was a possibly deadly situation."
The source also confirmed that the amped-up security measures were particularly in response to the kidnap risk, saying the real danger lay in what may happen if Spears leaves UCLA Medical Center without being in the proper state of mind, adding, "Should she be released too early, hypothetically someone could try to take her away."
As for how Spears is holding up in the hospital, the source told E! News the pop star was "ill and vulnerable" and that the family hoped she would remain in treatment as long as possible so as to prevent "another Cedars debacle."
Accusations roundly arose following Spears' previous hospitalization, which took place on Jan. 3 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, that the singer was prematurely released.
"This girl is getting the help she needs," the source said, while declining to state the singer's exact diagnosis. "It is very sad that this is even necessary."
Another sad yet apparently necessary action was taken Friday, when the Spears family went to court, something they were apparently loath to do.
"Everything has been chaos," the source told E! News, adding that Lynne and Jamie Spears were "together on everything."
"This was done very reluctantly, but it had to be done because of what has been done in terms of endangering her property, her health and her estate…They did not want to jeopardize her future as a mother. They wanted to make sure they were protecting this very vulnerable person and making sure she is safe. This is all very agonizing for the parents."
Slightly less agonizing, no doubt, was the decision to seek—and receive—a restraining order against Lutfi.
"There was significant and dangerous conduct that he exhibited," the source said. "It was not even a close call for the judge."
The order, which will be in effect for 22 days, effectively bars Lutfi from either going to Spears' home or visiting her at the hospital, for however long she remains there.
In what appears to be part of the Spears' family's attempt to completely extricate Lutfi from their daughter's life, the source told E! News that Britney's future with the Trope and Trope law firm, which has been representing the singer in her ongoing custody battle with Kevin Federline, is "uncertain."
In the past, the law firm has worked closely with Lutfi and counted him as an ally. A source previously confirmed to E! News that the manager was the go-between for all legal dealings between Spears and her attorneys.
Meanwhile, Trope and Trope, along with Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, are due back in a separate Los Angeles courtroom Monday, where a previously scheduled hearing in the custody battle is expected to take place.