Disclaimer: I do not own HSM
Positive Tests
Troy sat looking down at the note in his hand. No more than one hour ago, she had been sitting in their apartment. No more than one hour ago, he had left her and gone to his team dinner. No more than one hour ago, she had packed her stuff and left.
One hour before
Gabriella sat on the couch waiting for Troy to come home. She had something to tell him, but she didn't know how he would take it. The tests had come out positive. She had known for a week, but he had been too busy to hear her out. Tonight was his first night off, and she was going to tell him.
To be truthful, she was scared. Oh, she couldn't tell you how scared she was. She was scared of how he would react to the news. But most of all, she was scared for them. For their future together. These tests would change their lives.
One year ago today, was their wedding anniversary. They had been advised to wait until after college, but Troy had decided that he couldn't wait for two more years. He had asked her to marry him and within five months, they were husband and wife. And Gabriella's happily ever after had begun.
She looked at the clock and noticed that he was two hours late. Well, that wasn't such a big surprise to her. He had been coming home late for the past few months. It was always something along the lines of, "Practice ran really late" or "The guys wanted to celebrate the win."
With the way she was feeling right now, he might as well have said to her, "I'm too busy for you" or "My team is more important than our marriage."
When he had announced that his coach was going to help him prep for the NBA scouts that were coming at the end of the season, she had been happy for him. Ecstatic. Sure he had told her that his schedule would be hectic, but at the time, it really didn't matter.
Not even a week after he had told her, she was already seeing just how busy his schedule really was. If it wasn't practice, it was a game. If it wasn't an away game, it was a team dinner.
In a matter of days, Troy's top priority had changed from the love of his life to the love of the game. He had replaced her with conferences, practices, and a stupid rubber ball.
They fought more and more. Since his announcement, he's had to miss his mother's birthday, one of his best friend's wedding, Thanksgiving, and if he didn't come home soon, their anniversary.
She wasn't in a flirty dress or dressed up at all. She was in grey sweats and a blue tank top. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail. She didn't want to dress up, because she knew that it would be like this. A waste of time. He'd forgotten everything before, why should he remember her now? Oh, that's right, because she's his wife. But apparently, that just wasn't good enough anymore. So much for her happily ever after.
She broke out of her trance when she heard the front door open, and his bag hit the floor. She could see him from where she was sitting, but she knew that he didn't know she was there.
He hung his letterman jacket and took off his shoes. He turned around and walked towards their bedroom. He still hadn't seen her.
"Practice ran late again?" She asked. He turned to the voice and for the first time noticed that she was sitting there.
She looked as best as she could through the dark, but from the way he was dressed, she could see that either he had been working out at the gym, or he had been practicing with his team. He was dressed in dark blue or black shorts and a white tank top.
"Yeah." He said shortly. "What are you doing in the dark?"
She ignored his question and continued. "So did you think I was asleep or were you too tired to stay up and talk to me?"
"I have to get ready. The team's having another dinner." He explained to her.
She turned on the lamp next to her and stood up. "Another one, Troy? How many stupid team dinners do you have to go to?"
In the light, she noticed just how amazing he looked. His body was still glistened with sweat. His hair was shorter, she noticed, than when she had seen him for five minutes last night. It was still long; it went past his ears, but it wasn't as long as the last time she had seen it. The barber got to see him more than she did. His dark blue eyes were really noticeable. If she wasn't so angry at him, she would've thought that he was so incredibly hot. But her rage clouded everything else.
"Stupid team dinners?! These dinners are going to help me get into the NBA, and will therefore provide for our family." He retorted.
"It can't be a family if you're not there to share it." She argued back.
"We're still going to be a family whether I'm here or not. I don't understand why you're being so difficult. Everyone else understands except for you! Why can't you be supportive of me?!"
"Everyone else understands?! You're mental if you think that your dad understands why you missed your mom's birthday and made her cry?! Do you think that Ryan and Kelsi understand why you missed their wedding?! Do you think that I—"
He cut her off. "I have to get ready." He told her.
She threw a pillow at his head. "You don't deserve the second chances that everyone gives you! I've watched you morph into this person, this…thing that I don't know anymore!"
He turned around when she hit him. "Well, let me tell you, I'm feeling the best I've ever felt in a long time. I'm on top of the world here! In a matter of months, my name will be everywhere!"
"Do you here yourself?! You're sounding like a spoilt, egotistical brat! If your dad heard you say that, you wouldn't be here right now!"
"Well, if your dad were here, I don't think he'd be too approving of you either." He said coolly.
She stopped at his words. Never in their arguments had he ever brought her deceased father into their arguments. Her eyes widened and filled with tears. He suddenly realized what he said.
"Gabriella, I—"
She walked silently past him and went into their bedroom, closed the door, and locked it. Troy stood rooted on the spot for a moment. He rubbed his eyes and silently cursed himself for saying what he said. He had never done anything like that.
He walked towards the bedroom and was about to knock but then he heard her sobbing. He grabbed his keys and went out to the car. He'd just have to go to the dinner as was. When she settled down, they would talk, but not when his team was counting on him to make an appearance.
Through her sobs, Gabriella heard him leave. He'd never done such a thing when they argued. They usually just kept it to them. But Gabriella had had enough that night. He had taken it too far when he had decided to miss their anniversary.
Gabriella got up from the bed and went to the closet to grab a suitcase. She realized that she had never gotten to tell him about the tests. Something in her realized that they would've been arguing too much for her to tell him. She never would've gotten to it.
She stuffed all she could into the suitcase and quickly got out a pen and paper. She wrote out the best explanation she could give and hope that he would come to his senses and come for her, eventually.
She left the note on the bed where she hoped he would notice her absence and left.
Troy got to the restaurant and located his team. He pulled out his chair angrily and took a seat. He ordered his drink from the waiter and grabbed some of the bread.
"Jeez, Bolton. Ever heard of the word shower?" One of his teammates asked him.
"Shut up, Mitch. My wife locked me out of our room so that I couldn't take a shower." He argued.
"And how is the Mrs.?" Another one of his teammates asked.
"Don't ask." Troy answered.
"Why even bother asking anyways? We all know that Bolton here doesn't have a life. From the way coach has been pushing you, I'm surprised that you aren't still on the courts right now." He told him.
"Yeah. Can't argue with that." Troy said. He looked around at his teammates and smiled.
The smile was a fake. It was a masquerade to hide his pain and confusion he had felt mere minutes before when he had heard Gabriella's sobs knowing that he had been the one to initiate them.
He decided right then and there that when he got home, Gabriella and he were going to work this whole mess out. He had apparently neglected her more than he thought he had, and now it was up to him to make it right with her.
This argument had really opened up his eyes to see that his marriage was going through a rough patch. A really rough patch. He needed to make it right with her. He needed to tell her that he loved her and that he was sorry.
Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had said "I love you" to his wife. He couldn't remember the last time he kissed her or hugged her.
Most of the time, he would get home late into the night so that she was usually asleep. He would climb into bed beside her and fall asleep too tired to do anything but lay there. And when she wasn't asleep, they were arguing.
If he couldn't remember the last time he kissed her or said "I love you" or did anything for her that a husband should do, he was really in some deep trouble. As soon as he got home, he would march straight into the bedroom and apologize to her. He didn't care if she was asleep, he was going to apologize.
"So are you guys ready for the game next week?" Troy asked his team.
"Yeah's" and "Duh's" could be heard throughout the table, but one answer to his question stopped everyone.
"Mitch, why aren't you ready?" Troy asked him a little skeptical.
"Can't go to the game, guys. Sorry. That day's my wife and my anniversary. Can't miss that." He explained to them.
"But coach was just about to start you." Troy argued.
"So? I can start later. I only get one anniversary a year. Only one wife to share it with." He told them.
Some of the guys snickered at his opinion of women. Some called him whipped. But Troy saw the way Mitch smiled when he was talking about his wife. He was proud that he was missing the game for his…anniversary.
"Crap. Holy crap! Oh my gosh!!!!!!!" Troy stood up.
"Dude, what's wrong?" Mitch asked.
"Guys, I can't be here right now. Today's my anniversary, and Gabriella—oh crap."
"Ooooo, you're in trouble."
Troy ran out of the restaurant and got to his car. He had even more apologizing to do than he thought. How could he have been so stupid? He was a jerk, an unbelievable jerk, who didn't deserve his wife. He was surprised that she hadn't left him yet with the way he had been acting.
When he opened the door to their apartment, something didn't feel right.
"Gabriella?" He called out.
He heard no answer. He walked over to the bedroom hoping, praying that she would be asleep on their bed. That his instinct was wrong and that she was right there.
He opened the door and almost fell to the floor. Where she should have been she wasn't. Instead a note was on her pillow.
He slowly walked over to the bed and sat down while he picked up the note.
Troy,
I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you got home. I just had to leave. I couldn't stay any longer. I had to go somewhere where someone could take care of me. I'm so sorry. I hope that maybe someday you'll become, once more, the man that I fell in love with in high school. Don't worry about where I'm going. Just know that I'm going home. I love you so much. Never doubt that.
All my love,
Gabriella
Present time
Troy read the note carefully. It couldn't be. She was in their apartment somewhere. In two seconds, she would jump out and say "Gotcha! Happy anniversary!"
But she never did. The room stayed as quiet as when he came in. Now look how important his career was. Now how important was his team dinner? It was worth nothing. If he could go back in time, he'd knock some sense into himself.
But he couldn't let this happen. He had to get her back and apologize for everything he had put her through.
He turned his attention back to the note. She had never said where she was going. The only thing that he had a clue to was either his parents or Taylor. She was either going to Connecticut or Albuquerque. But she had said 'home'. There was only one place they both considered home and that would be Albuquerque.
With more resolve than he had had in a long time, Troy got off the bed and ran to his truck. He pushed his truck as far as it could go without breaking down and drove to the airport.
Gabriella fiddled with her ring and waited for her flight to be called. Ever since she had left the apartment, she had spiked a fever. She wasn't feeling well at all, but she couldn't back out of her decision to leave. If she went home, he wouldn't be there anyways. He'd be at his team dinner having a great time.
She couldn't go back and wait for him either. The tests had come out positive, and she needed someone to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Since Troy wasn't there, she had to go somewhere where someone would care.
She sat there fiddling with her ring for ten minutes…twenty minutes…thirty minutes…forty minutes…fifty minutes…one hour. She took a look at her plane ticket wondering when her plane was to board.
The flight attendant answered her question. "Flight 907 to Albuquerque will be boarding in ten minutes. Ten minutes."
Gabriella sighed and started to get her carry-on items ready. She sat back down on her seat and waited for the final boarding call. She tried to keep her tears in as she thought about how Troy would feel when he found their apartment empty in about one hour.
"Happy anniversary." She heard a voice say behind her.
Troy finally reached the airport and parked his truck outside.
Airport security yelled out. "Sir, if you park there, it will be towed."
Troy didn't turn around to reply. His truck didn't matter. All that mattered to him was getting Gabriella back.
He looked at the list of flights and easily found the one heading for Albuquerque in less than five minutes. He had to hurry. There wasn't much time.
He ran for it. He didn't care that people were staring or that security was yelling for him to stop running. She was within 50 feet of him, and he needed to find her. He finally found the boarding for flight 907 just as they were calling for people to start going onto the plane.
She was easy to spot among all the other passengers. She was still in the same clothes she was in before he had left. She was completely oblivious to his presence; she was sitting in one of the chairs.
He approached her slowly trying to reign in his emotions as he saw her sitting there.
"Happy anniversary." He simply said.
Her breath caught in her throat as she heard his voice. It couldn't be. Her head was playing tricks on her. Nonetheless, she looked behind her and met his blue eyes that she had so fallen in love with. They weren't the dark blue that they had been for long while they were arguing. They were back to their light blue that made her melt every time.
"Troy." She breathed.
He walked the remaining steps necessary to reach her and knelt down so that he was eye level with her.
She kept her voice a whisper. "What are you doing here?"
"It took me about one hour after we fought to realize that I was being a spoilt, egotistical brat. And that today was our anniversary. I went home first and found your note, and here I am. Look, I need to apologize."
"Troy…"
"No, please, let me get this out." He made sure that he had her full attention before he proceeded. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for missing mom's birthday; I'm sorry for missing Ryan and Kels's wedding; and I'm sorry for what I've put you through.
"I've had my life in the fast lane for so long that I lost myself along the way. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I was just so blinded by everything that has happened that I didn't realize what I was doing to you.
"I don't deserve you at all. I wouldn't blame you if you got on that plane right now and walked out."
She corrected him. "I wasn't the one walking out. You walked out when you went to that dinner."
Troy nodded his head. "Yeah, I see that now." He brought up his hand and stroked her cheeks. Tears were running down her face, and he used his thumb to stroke them away.
"Gabriella, I don't expect you to forgive me right now. I don't expect you to forgive me any time soon, but I needed to apologize. I need you to know that I love you more than I could ever tell. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm sorry that I lost sight of that for a little while."
"I forgive you, Troy." She told him through her tears.
"I know, I don't deserve a second—what?" He asked a little shocked.
"I said that I forgive you." She repeated once more.
"But how can you? After what I put you and everyone through, how can you forgive me?"
"Troy, you know me. I'm not one to hold a grudge."
"So all this time, you've never been angry at me for the way I've been acting."
"I was mad that I was losing you. I was sad that you were going through this phase for the second time in your life."
"That still doesn't answer my question as to why you're so willing to forgive me."
She sighed. "Troy, life is too short to hold grudges. Life is also too short to not tell that special someone that you love them. I've been willing to forgive you as long as you were willing to apologize. So, I accept your apology, Troy. And I love you."
Troy was immobile for the moment. She had just forgiven him when he hadn't deserved her forgiveness. And she had just told him she loved him when he hadn't deserved her love.
"I love you, too." He crushed her to him and held her. "I love you so much."
She let go of the remaining tears that she had been holding in. It didn't matter now. Everything was fine. He was there. They were both going to be a lot better now.
"Troy, I have something to tell you." She whispered to him. She still needed to tell him about the tests.
"Let's wait till we get home all right, Sweetheart? Let's go back home."
She nodded and cooperated with him. He grabbed her bags and helped her up. Gabriella had forgotten about her fever during their make up session, but when she stood up, she felt it coming on again.
He started to walk but stopped when he noticed that she wasn't walking.
"Gabriella?"
Gabriella swayed on the spot a little. Everything moved in slow motion for Troy. He dropped the bags and caught her before she fell.
"Gabriella!" He said shaking her. "Baby? Someone call 911!"
Troy waited anxiously in the waiting room. Gabriella had fainted and had been admitted into the emergency room with a high fever.
"Mr. Bolton." The doctor said.
Troy looked up and saw that it was the doctor who called him. "How is my wife?"
"She spiked a fever. We've done some things to bring her temperature down. Thankfully, her body's responding well to the process. We've managed to bring her temperature down so that it's not so critical. We suspect that because she was in an airport with so many risks to her immune system something was able to get past her immune system and cause the fever.
"I don't understand why she would go to an airport though. She knew that it was high risk."
Troy was confused. "I'm not sure that I—"
A nurse came out. "Mr. Bolton, your wife would like to see you." She said.
Troy walked away from the doctor and entered Gabriella's room. She lay on the bed. She looked at him when he came in.
"Hey." She said whispering.
"Hey." He replied. He grabbed the seat next to her and sat by her bed. "Don't you ever do that to me again. I was so scared."
"I'm sorry." She told him.
He chuckled. "Just don't do that to me again, and we're even."
"How much did they tell you?"
"You spiked a fever, and they had to bring your temperature down. The doctor said that he didn't know why you went to an airport when you knew that there were high risks. What was he talking about?"
She stayed silent.
His smile faded and was replaced with a serious look. "Gabriella, is there something that you're not telling me?"
She sighed and kept her voice at a whisper. "I never meant for you to find out like this."
Troy felt a lump in his throat as she spoke. Something was wrong. "Gabriella, sweetheart, you're scaring me. What was I not meant to find out like this?"
Gabriella looked him directly in the eyes and started her explanation. "Over the past few weeks, I've been feeling a little off. Two weeks ago, I fainted a few times during classes. They made me go to the hospital and take some tests. I only got the tests back last week. They told me to avoid going where large crowds of people were so that they could start treatment soon. I guess I sort of forgot about that when I went to the airport."
"Baby, you're still not telling me something. What were the results of the tests?"
Gabriella's eyes started to fill with tears, and she took his hand into hers. She tried to keep her voice as calm as she could. "Troy, they tested me for a lot of stuff, including cancer, and the tests came back positive. I have stage 4 leukemia."
Troy's heart stopped. This was the second time that night he expected someone to yell out. "Gotcha!" This was also the second time that no one came out yelling it. His shock took the form of tears as he looked into her face. She was crying too.
"No, you can't have cancer." He said. He was trying to convince himself that everything was fine, but they weren't. "You're perfectly healthy."
Gabriella kept crying. "No, I'm not, Troy. I'm not healthy, and we can't lie to ourselves. We have to face this together. When you walked out to go to your team dinner, I thought that I was going to have to go through this alone." She reached up with her free hand and ran it through this hair. "But you're here. You're with me right now. And that's all I could have asked for."
"Is this why you said that life's too short to not tell someone that you love them?"
Gabriella nodded.
"Well, then," He said climbing into the bed sitting himself next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders, and started to kiss her head. "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
He punctuated each set of those words with kisses. She sat there next to him crying.
When he was done, he rubbed her arm and took her hand into his. "We're going to get through this together. I'm not going anywhere."
Gabriella had been exhausted from the emotional roller coaster that she had been on so Troy had told her to go to sleep. No more than five minutes after she had fallen asleep, the doctor came into the room. Troy gently laid Gabriella back down onto the pillows and motioned for the doctor to talk with him outside of the room.
Troy closed the door behind him.
"Mr. Bolton, I was informed that you knew nothing of your wife's condition. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, but I know now. Is there anything, anything that we can do to save her?"
"Well, because she is in stage 4 of the cancer, the chances of her surviving are very slim, but they have been known to happen. From her test results, we found that large amounts of the cancerous cells have gathered in various parts around her body. That is the main problem we are seeing right now. However, we do not have the technology in this hospital to perform the surgery."
"Where can she get the surgery?"
"Well, Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles could probably perform the surgery, however, the expenses are very expensive."
"Will it cure her?"
"It will not cure her completely, but removal these cancerous greatly increase her chances of her survival. I recommend that you do it."
"All right. We'll do it." He didn't think about his answer. There was no thinking involved when it came to Gabriella's life. She was going to get the surgery done. What was a few dollars compared to the one he loved?
"Very well, I'll prepare all the paper work and call the hospital, and we can helicopter her over within the next five hours." The doctor walked away.
Troy took out his phone. "Mom, can you come up here? I need you."
Troy sat in Gabriella's room watching her sleep. It was hard to believe that only a few months ago, they had been so happy together. Now, they were here in a hospital room, and Gabriella wasn't well at all.
He heard a knock at the door before he saw it open and his parents and Gabriella's mom came in followed by a few more people that he didn't expect to see.
"Hey, Mom, Dad." He hugged her and his dad and turned his attention to everyone else. "Hey, Maria. It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Troy."
The rest of the Wildcats had come too. "Hey, Chad. How have you been?"
"Great. The Redhawks are doing great."
"Hey, Kelsi, Ryan, I'm so sorry that I missed your wedding. It must have been great."
"It's all right, Troy. We forgive you." Kelsi assured him.
"Hey, Shar, Zeke. How are you two doing?" He asked.
"Great. I'm staring in the U of A play this winter." Sharpay told him.
"Hey, Jase. How's everything?"
"It's good." Jason said.
"Taylor's on her flight right now she should be here in a little bit. But enough about us, Hoops. How are you doing?" Chad asked.
Troy turned to Gabriella and replied. "I've been loads better. To tell you the truth I'm scared for her. This isn't something that I can take away from her. I'm scared that I'll lose her. I can't lose her. I regret these past months. I've been arguing with her when I could've been spending every waking moment just being with her."
Everyone comforted him. "It'll be all right, Troy. Gabriella doesn't blame you for these past few months." Ryan told him. "Gabriella's strong. She'll get through this. You'll both get through this, and we'll be there every step of the way. You're not alone."
Everyone agreed that they were going to do everything they could to help out. Troy and Gabriella weren't going to go through this alone.
"Happy anniversary by the way." Jason said to him.
Troy scoffed. "Yeah. Some anniversary this turned out to be. Basketball practice runs late; Gabriella and I argue; I forget my anniversary; I find out my wife has cancer; yeah. It's been a really great anniversary."
"So what did the doctor say, Troy." Maria asked him trying to change the subject.
Troy took a deep breath before he began. "She's in stage 4 leukemia. He-he said that there's a slim chance that she'll survive. There's a bunch of groups of cancerous cells throughout her body. He said that there's this…surgery that they can perform at Cedar Sinai that can remove a lot of the cancer. It won't cure her completely, but it'll help her a lot, but it cost a lot of money. I've agreed to have the surgery done, but we can't afford it without going into debt."
"Well, I can help with that." Sharpay offered.
"Thanks, Shar, but I don't think that—"
"Don't be stupid, Troy. Gabriella's my friend. She's changed me for the better. What's a few dollars compared to losing someone you love?" She argued.
Troy was surprised that Sharpay had said the exact same thing that he had thought a couple of hours before. "Fine. I'm only going to let you help me if you'll let me pay for half of it." He told her.
She was about to argue with him, but she saw that there was no changing his mind about this.
"Then it's settled." Zeke said.
They heard Gabriella stir. "Troy." She said.
Troy made his way to the bed and grabbed her hand. "Hey, shh. I'm here. You have some visitors."
Gabriella looked at everyone and smiled. "What are you guys doing here?"
Chad chuckled. "Please, Gabs. You think you're going to go through this with only Troy? I don't think so."
"It's great to see you too, Chad. Hey, Mom." Gabriella said.
"Hello, Mija, how are you feeling?"
"I've been better." She told them. "Hey, Mom, Dad." Gabriella said to Jack and Lucille.
"Hello, dear." Lucille said.
"Hey, guys." She said to the rest in the room. "Where's Tay?"
"Taylor is—" Troy began.
"Right here." A voice finished for him. Taylor walked into the room and made her way to Gabriella's bed. "Hey, Sweetie. Are you all right?"
Gabriella nodded. "I'm doing fine now that everyone's here."
"What did the doctor say, Troy?" Gabriella asked him.
Troy felt all eyes turn to him as he sat down on the chair and took her hand into hers. "Brie, the doctor and I spoke about what we can do to help you. He told me that large amounts of cancerous cells are grouped together throughout your body." He paused. "There's a surgery that can remove these cells. He recommends that we take you to Cedar Sinai to have the surgery done."
"Did you agree to it?" Gabriella asked.
He paused. "Yes. They said that they can prep everything and get you out of here within two hours."
Gabriella nodded and sighed. "All right. Well, then. We're really doing this."
"Yeah, and we're going to be beside you each step of the way." Taylor said.
"Thank you, guys. I don't know what I would've done without you." Troy said.
"It's no problem, Hoops. You and Gabs are family. There was no way you were going to go through this alone." Chad said.
Everyone threw in their agreement.
In the two free hours that they had, everyone had comforted Troy and Gabriella. After they had done that, everyone just talked and enjoyed each other's company. They hadn't done this in a long time. The last time they had done this sort of thing was almost over a year ago during Christmas when everyone happened to be in Albuquerque at the exact same time.
Their happy atmosphere was interrupted when the doctor came in to prep Gabriella for the helicopter ride. Once he'd explained everything that was going to take place, some paramedics came in with a stretcher to bring her to the helicopter.
They all said their goodbyes and said that they would be in L.A. as soon as she woke up. Troy was allowed to accompany her on the trip.
He held her hand all the way to the helicopter saying that everything was going to be all right and that he wasn't going to go anywhere.
When the helicopter took off, Troy held Gabriella's hand tighter.
"Troy," She whispered.
"Hm?"
"I love you."
Troy smiled at her. "I love you too, Gabriella. I love you too." He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.
The next few days were a blur for Troy. He waited out in the waiting room for the whole day while she was getting her surgery done. The next day, everyone arrived to visit Troy and see how Gabriella was recovering.
Gabriella's surgery had been very successful and as soon as she had fully recovered, she would start chemotherapy.
She would be able to go home in a few days time, but for now, she and Troy had made the hospital their home. Troy had brought some pictures and some of her favorite books from the apartment. Everyone else took the job of decorating the hospital room with "Get Well" balloons and bouquets of lilies and roses. Sharpay had taken the job of making the room more…fabulous. She had hung streamers everywhere so that it looked like a circus whenever you went into the room.
Everyone had taken shifts when Troy had to take a break. These breaks were no more than one hour, and Troy would be right back at her bedside telling her how proud he was of her and that he loved her.
Eventually, Gabriella was able to get out of bed and was able to go for walks. However, she still had to sit in a wheelchair so that she wouldn't over do it. One night, soon after her surgery, when one of the Wildcats was supposed to take a shift for Troy, all of the Wildcats and Troy and Gabriella's parents were there.
"Why are you all here? I thought that Taylor was supposed to come tonight. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you're all here, but I just wanted to know."
"Troy asked us all to come tonight." Chad said with a smile on his face that made Gabriella question his intentions.
"What's he up to?" She asked.
"Why whatever do you mean, Gabi?" Sharpay asked.
"Okay. Now I know something's up. I know my husband. He's about to do something, and I want to know what it is." She demanded.
"All in good time, Gabriella." Zeke said.
Chad's cell phone rang. "Yeah? Ready? All right. We'll be right there. All right, Gabs. Ready?"
The boys helped Gabriella into her wheelchair, and they opened the door. Gabriella gasped. Rose petals were scattered all over the hallway floor.
Gabriella let Chad push her as they all followed the rose petals. She saw that they led to one of the family rooms. When they opened the door, she was surprised to see Troy dressed up and standing on a stage with a microphone in hand.
All she managed to get out was a "What?"
"I owe you an anniversary present. I know that I haven't been the best husband for the past few months. I've been stupid and selfish and egotistical and acting like how Shar used to act."
"Hey, you never said anything about insulting me!" Sharpay said.
Troy turned to Sharpay. "Right. Sorry. Anyways…" He looked at Gabriella, blue eyes filled with love for the woman in front of him. "You always said that you love it when I sing to you. Well, I've decided to put on a little private concert just for you and our friends of course. This first song I'm sure you remember. How could you forget the night we first met? It was the start of something new."
Music for "The Start of Something New" flowed through the speakers, and Troy started to sing.
Livin' in my own world; didn't understand
That anything can happen, when you take a chance
I never believed in what I couldn't see
I never opened my heart to all the possibilities
I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
And right here tonight
This could be the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you oh
And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart
The start of something new
Oh, yeah, now who'd of ever thought that
We'd both be here tonight
And the world looks so much brighter with you by my side
Oh, I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
I know it for real
This could be the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you oh
And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart
The start of something new
I never knew that it could happen till it happened to me, oh yeah
I didn't know it before but now it's easy to see, oh
It's the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you oh
And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart
That it's the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you oh
And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart
The start of something new
Everyone clapped when he finished his song. He spoke into the microphone once more and kept his eyes on Gabriella. Her eyes were glazed with tears.
"Well, music has been a big part of our lives ever since we met. I don't have time to sing every one of the songs that could be applied to our lives. Mostly because the nurses only gave me thirty minutes to do this for you." He added. "Anyways, this next song, Kelsi wrote for us. We sang it at the Midsummer's Night Talent Show and ever since then, we've celebrated everyday."
Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance
So I believe that you and me should grab it while we can
Make it last forever and never give it back
It's our turn, and I'm lovin' where we're at
Everyday of our lives wanna find you there
Wanna hold on tight
Gonna run while we're young
And keep the faith
Everyday from right now
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud
Take my hand together we will celebrate
Oh, everyday
They say that you should follow
And chase down what you dream
But if you get lost and lose yourself
What does it really mean?
No matter where we're going
It starts from where we are
There's more to life when we listen
To our hearts
And because of you I've got the strength to start
Yeah, yeah, yeah everyday of our lives wanna find you there
Wanna hold on tight
Gonna run while we're young
And keep the faith
Everyday from right now
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud
Take my hand together we will celebrate
Oh, everyday
We're taking it back; we're doing it here together
It's better like that and stronger now than ever
We're not gonna lose cuz' we get to choose
That's how it's gonna be
Everyday of our lives wanna find you there
Wanna hold on tight
Gonna run while we're young
And keep the faith
Everyday from right now
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud
Take my hand together we will celebrate
Oh, everyday, everyday
The music stopped, and everyone clapped once more. Troy kept his gaze on Gabriella and noticed that she had wiped some tears away.
"This next song, we made up on the spot. Kels, you would've been proud of us. When we sang this, we were so unsure of what the future would hold for us. All that mattered was living in the moment."
Hm, yeah yeah
Can you imagine what would happen
If we could have any dream
I'd wish this moment was ours to own it
And that it would never leave
Then I would thank that star that made our wish come true
Oh yeah, cuz' he knows that where you are
Is where I should be too
Right here, right now
I'm lookin' at you and my heart loves the view
Cuz' you mean everything
Right here, I promise you somehow
That tomorrow can wait for some other day to be
But right now there's you and me
If this were forever what could be better
We've already proved it works
But in two thousand one hundred twenty-three hours
A bend in the universe
Is gonna make everything in our whole world change
And you know that where we are
We'll never be the same
Right here, right now
I'm lookin' at you and my heart loves the view
Cuz' you mean everything
Right here, I promise you somehow
Tomorrow can wait for some other day to be
But right now there's you and me
Oh we know it's comin' and it's comin' fast
Always you and me so let's make every second last
Make it last
Right here, right now
Yeah I'm lookin' at you and my heart loves the view
Cuz' you mean everything
Right here, I promise you somehow
That tomorrow can wait for some other day to be
But right now there's you and me
You and me
But right now there's you and me
He finished the heart felt song and moved on. Gabriella's tears were slowly starting to stream down her face.
"This last song, is really special. We also made this up on the spot when first when you taught me how to waltz on the rooftop and second when I went to Stanford to get you, but of course it has no value unless we dance so…"
The music started and Troy started to sing his verse of the song. He set the microphone down and walked off the stage to a very confused Gabriella.
Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn will be safe with me
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you through it all
And you can't keep us apart
Cuz' my heart is wherever you are
While he was singing, Troy had swept Gabriella off of her feet and held her bridal style while he swayed and sang. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?
Troy stopped dancing and held her. The others had filed out of the room so that they could have just one minute of privacy.
"Gabriella?" He asked. She was shaking, and he could feel her tears on his shirt. "Sweetheart, are you all right?" He asked with concern.
Gabriella nodded and pulled back so that she could look into his eyes. "I'm more than all right. I loved it. Thank you. This was the best anniversary present you've ever given me. I love you."
"I love you too." He said before he gently kissed her.
Five years later
Gabriella had gone through all of the chemo and the radiation needed to get rid of the cancer. After one year of fighting, the doctors had declared her to be in remission.
Through it all, Troy had never left her side. He had given up a lot of opportunities to go into the NBA, but what did it matter? Gabriella was more important to him than anything in the world.
In the midst of the treatment, Gabriella had done the impossible and graduated at the head of her class, and Troy frequently praised her for her accomplishments.
Once Gabriella had gone into remission, everything seemed to be getting back to normal. They had moved back to Albuquerque. Gabriella had been able to get a job at a law firm, and Troy had been able to get a job as an assistant coach for the Wildcats.
Two years after Gabriella had been in remission, they had had their first born baby girl. They had named her Kylie Bolton, and she was the apple of their eyes. She was the spitting image of her mother. She had dark brown curls and big brown eyes.
They were Troy's world. Everything revolved around Kylie and Gabriella for him. He didn't mind one bit. He loved his girls, and he wouldn't have traded them for anything.
Gabriella had to go in for regular check ups. There were a few incidents when it seemed like she wouldn't make it, but she always did.
Now, Gabriella was going in for her final check up. She had taken tests the week before. While Kylie was being watched by Maria, Gabriella and Troy drove to the hospital to get her final results.
They walked into hospital and went to the oncology wing. They waited anxiously in the waiting room for her name to be called. Troy was trying to encourage her.
"Gabriella, whatever happens we're going to stay together. You, Kylie, and I are going to be a family whatever these test results may be. I love you."
"I know that. No matter what we'll still be together. I love you, too, Wildcat."
"Gabriella Bolton." The nurse called.
Troy held Gabriella's hand and led the way to the doctor's office. They both sat down. It seemed like an eternity before the doctor spoke.
"It's good to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Bolton." The doctor said. The doctor had kept it as casual as possible. He didn't want to give anything away too quickly.
"We have your tests results right here, Mrs. Bolton. I'm happy to tell you that you won't be having regular check ups here any longer. You're all clear."
Troy sat there speechless trying to decide if what the doctor said was true.
"Mr. Bolton?" The doctor asked. "Are you all right?"
"He's just in shock. Thank you for everything, doctor." Gabriella said shaking his hand.
Gabriella took Troy and led him out of the doctor's office. They both walked silently to the car. When they got into the car, Gabriella asked, "Troy, are you all right?"
Troy didn't respond but instead kissed her so thoroughly Gabriella thought that she would've fallen if she had not been already sitting.
"I'll take that as a yes." Gabriella said.
They drove in silence enjoying each other's company and basking in the feeling that cancer would never again haunt Gabriella ever again.
They soon arrived at their home. Troy held Gabriella's hand and led her to the front door. When he opened it, a familiar batch of Wildcats screamed. "Surprise!"
Before Gabriella could say anything to express her shock, Troy yelled out, "All clear!"
Everyone started to cheer and congratulate Troy and Gabriella. They had surrounded Gabriella and hugs went all around.
Troy felt a hand pulling on his pants and looked down to meet the eyes of his two-year-old daughter. Though she was young, she showed signs of great knowledge.
"Daddy, is Mommy better now?" The little girl asked him.
Troy picked her up and hugged her. He hugged Gabriella with his other arm and said, "Yup. Mommy's all better now. I love you both."
The whole room filled with "Aww's" as Troy kissed Kylie on the forehead and Gabriella on the lips.
Finally, their happily ever after could begin.
A/N: All right. This isn't the new story that I'm going to start, but this story has been in my head for a little while now, so I figured what the heck. Might as well put it out there. I can't say that I absolutely loved the ending, but I did enjoy writing it. Hopefully, you've all enjoyed reading it. Thanks and please review.