A/N: Hey babes, sorry I haven't updated in forever. Well High School Musical stuff for that matter. I am thinking of putting Left Behind on hiatus until summer. I'm having the worst writer's block on that, but I really am trying. The story isn't flowing like I was hoping it too. I've written it out several times, and ended up taking acetaminophen and crumbling up pieces of paper because it turned out to be an epic fail. This idea just came to me out of no where, but I hope you like it! Love you all bunches, and please review. PM me anytime if you have any suggestions. -court
Summary: He always knew her to be strong and healthy, but all he saw was a sick and dying girl lying in that hospital bed, and the sight killed him. "Troy, please tell me everything is going to be alright." she pleaded with tears in her eyes, and he had no idea how to answer her.
Show me what I'm Looking For
Diabetes is a chronic disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Most people don't realize it until one or more of the symptoms of diabetes happens to the victim. For Gabriella Montez it was the symptom labeled- "Unexpected Heart Disease."
It was just a usual basketball game for Gabriella as she led the East High Lady Wildcats out to play against their rivals the West High Lady Knights. The referee signaled the captain from each of their respective teams to meet at the center of the court for coin toss.
"Nice seeing you, Montez." Nikki Stevens said with malice in her eyes.
"Wish I could say the same to you, Stevens." Gabriella replied coldly.
Gabriella could handle herself around the best of them, but with Nikki Stevens, she could barely restrain herself from punching Nikki in the face.
The two refs were regular East High refs, and they were clearly aware of the on-going rivalry between the two girls.
"Alright ladies, we are here to play a nice, fun game of basketball today. Not football, not wrestling, so no punches or tackles are to be seen today out on the court." One ref announced, and the two girls glared at each other. "East High, you are home team so you will call the coin toss." and he pulled out the silver dollar, and Gabi glanced out to her best friend, Troy Bolton, the reason for her love of basketball.
Show me what I'm looking for.
Save me, I'm lost.
Oh lord I've been waiting for you.
I'll pay any cost.
Save me from being confused.
So show me what I'm looking for.
Troy smiled knowing exactly why she was looking towards him. "Heads," he mouthed, and she nodded and focused back on the ref who was preparing the coin to be tossed.
"Call it in the air,"
"Heads," Gabriella stated coolly, and it the coin landed, heads side up. Gabriella looked up at Troy, and smiled when he winked back. Troy always knew the answer to that one. It was his sixth sense, as Gabriella would refer to it as.
"Heads it is," the ref stated. "Which way, Wildcat?"
Gabriella pointed for them to guard the side her coach had assigned her to choose, and the ref nodded.
"Shake hands, and let's get this game started."
Gabriella and Nikki looked hard at each other before grimacing as the shook hands.
"Good luck," Nikki said sarcastically.
"You'll need it," Gabriella replied, and Nikki rolled her eyes before they departed to their respective team huddles.
"Carter as center forward, Peters at power forward, Jefferson at right wing, Tyree at left wing, and Montez, point guard." Coach Jack Bolton, who had decided to take on the boys and girls teams this year, said, and each girl nodded, as they placed their hands in the middle of the huddle, and yelled their team chant, and ran out to their place on the court.
Allie Carter, being six foot five, went up against the, six foot one West High opponent for jump ball.
"Ready ladies?" the ref asked, glancing at both nodding girls. He blew his whistle, and tossed the ball in the air. Allie easily knocked the ball into Gabriella's hands, and Gabriella took off towards the basket for a layup, and made it with ease, causing the East High fans in the stands to go wild.
"Captain Gabriella Montez puts the first points of the game up on the board, two for East High." the excited announcer said.
"Woo! Go Brie!" Troy cheered, clapping happily for his best friend. Gabriella never ceased to amaze Troy. She was smart, beautiful, and a goddess of basketball. She just had a way of gracefully moving with a basketball in her hands up and down the court. Gabriella was strong and healthy, always had been, always would... so he thought.
"With two second left in the fourth quarter, the West High Lady Knights, and your Lady Wildcats are in a close ballgame, Knights- 46 Wildcats- 44, with Wildcats possession." the announcer announced after Coach Bolton called his last time out.
"Alright, Peters you inbound the ball to Jefferson, and Jefferson you pass across court to Montez, and Montez you shoot a three. Got it?" he spouted off, and a very tired Gabriella looked into the eyes of her coach. Everyone was depending on her, and she couldn't catch her breath. Something was wrong today, she could feel it. She was never usually this tired, but today she felt like she couldn't stand up any longer.
Don't let go.
I've wanted this far too long.
Mistakes become regrets.
I've learned to love abuse.
Please show me what I'm looking for.
"Montez, can you do this?" Coach Bolton asked her, and it sounded like a blur. "Montez, I said can you do this?!" and Gabriella subconsciously nodded, and placed her hand in with everyone else'. "Break!" they all yelled, and went to their cued places, and Gabriella staggered over to her position. The crowd was going wild, but their yells and chants seemed so distant.
Nikki jogged by, and ran her shoulder into Gabriella's roughly. "Time to give up Montez, no way you can score in two seconds." she taunted. "Shut up, Nikki." Gabriella replied, shaking her head to regain full consciousness. "Why don't you make me, Montez." Nikki challenged, and Gabriella tried to focus her now slightly blurred vision of Kylie Peters and Hannah Jefferson.
The ref blew his whistle, and Kaley quickly bounced the ball in to Hannah, who instantly threw the ball cross court to Gabriella, who barely caught it in her hands.
"SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTT!" the crowd yelled at Gabriella, but the buzzer sounded, and Gabriella smacked the ground hard, the ball following in succession.
Coach Bolton and Maria Montez immediately flashed to the middle of the court, friends and classmates flooding the floor behind them. Troy stood in the bleachers in utter shock, as several people were trying to revive the brunette, while others phoned for an ambulance. He knew he should be phoning or helping, but he was frozen. If it was someone else, he would be able to help, but it was Gabriella's life that was on the line, not someone else's.
Show me what I'm looking for.
Troy sat on his bed with his face in his hands, tears continued to sting his face. It had been two days since the incident, and Gabriella was yet to wake up. Troy hadn't visited her, he hadn't done anything. He hadn't eaten, slept, talked. He just sat in his room for forty-eight hours, and cried until he thought he couldn't anymore, and then cried some more.
He couldn't take it when he saw the ambulance lift her lifeless body onto the stretcher, and carry her out of East High. He couldn't bare to watch anymore. He ran out of the building, and just kept running, and running, and running. He finally fell to the ground in defeat, and broke down crying, face down in the dirt. His father found him hours into the night, and helped him get up, and drove him home in silence. After they got home, Troy went up to his room, and locked himself in there refusing to come out.
As Troy screamed and cried into his pillow, he heard a faint knock on the door.
"Son," Mr. Bolton said, knocking again.
"Go away, dad. Please." Troy replied.
"Troy, she's awake." Jack Bolton announced, and Troy opened the door immediately.
The car ride to the hospital was deadly silent, as Troy looked out the window watching the world pass him by. He felt confident in seeing her until he was in the elevator making his way up to her room. The scene of her collapsing to the ground kept replaying in his head, and he winced.
Wait, I'm wrong.
Should've done better than this.
Please, I'll be strong.
I'm finding it hard to resist.
"Dad, I can't do this." Troy said, reaching out to press the ground floor button on the elevator. Jack's hand clasped around Troy's wrist to restrain him from pressing the button.
"Troy, do this for Gabriella. You owe this to her." he reminded his son, who just nodded in defeat. He continued to battle himself over his strength to handle this matter.
When they reached her room, Troy reluctantly took a step back. "You go in first," he told his dad, and Jack opened the door and walked into the dimmed room, Troy following in tow.
"Hi Gabriella," Jack said, smiling sympathetically at the teenage girl.
Troy almost threw up his lunch when he saw her condition. She was attached to several machines, she had a tubes connected up her nose, IV's in her arms, and a heart monitor. Everything about her screamed that she was very ill. Her natural tan was now a pale sickly white, her eyes had dark circles under them, and her eyes were discolored to a deep yellow-brown, as opposed to her normal chocolate brown orbs. Her long raven waves were pulled into a side ponytail, and she could barely muster a smile.
Troy bit his lip tightly, drawing blood, and almost lost it then and there.
Maria and Jack looked at each other and nodded knowingly. "Um, we're going to give you two a few minutes." Maria said, dismissing Jack and herself.
Troy was facing away from Gabriella, with his arms stretched out towards the wall. Gabriella sighed heavily, and tried to sit up without setting off her heart monitor.
"Troy," she said in a weak voice. "Look at me,"
"I-I can't Gabriella." he replied, tears fixing to fall at any moment.
"Please, I need you to come here, and be strong." she croaked.
Troy hesitantly turned around to face her, and she wore a sad expression on her face.
"God, Brie." he breathed, not handling her condition well.
"Come here," she gently commanded, and he walked slowly towards her, and took a seat next to her bed. She was in the worst condition he had ever seen anyone.
"What are they saying?" he asked, referring to her condition.
"I have Type II diabetes. Have for the past six years. I went into cardiac arrest two days ago, and now I'm here." she stated, trying to hold it together.
"When are you getting out?" he asked, reaching for her hand, barely holding back the tears now.
The room was silent for a moment, as Gabriella looked away from him, a single tear streaming down her cheek. "Troy, I let my condition go on for too long without any treatment." she said, barely able to choke out the next words. "I'm not getting out, Troy. I'm dying."
Troy let out a loud cry, and he gripped onto her hand tighter, and buried his head into her stomach, the tears never ending. She stroked her other hand down his head, "Troy, please don't do this. I need someone stable in my life right now." she begged, and he shook his head.
"I can't be stable right now. The person I love is dying!" he shouted as bitter tears leaked from his eyes.
She started crying harder at his words, "Why would you say that now Troy? You can't tell me you love me now! I'm dying, you can't love me!" she screamed, and then threw her head back against the pillows. "We can't love each other now, it's too late." she cried.
Troy stood up, and hovered over her. "Don't say that," he said, trying to calm down, and reached down to stroke her cheek. "I love you, that's never going to change no matter what." he said, and she looked up at him with glossy eyes. "Gabriella, tell me what you want me to do,"
"Troy, tell me this is all going to be all right." she pleaded, and he froze at her words. He couldn't do that. He couldn't tell her she was going to make it just because he wanted that to happen. Wishing her to stay alive wasn't going to keep her alive. It was one thing he couldn't do.
"Brie, I can't do that, but I will promise to stay here until the very bitter end." he promised, and she cried harder, "I love you too, Troy." , and as she spoke those words, he leaned down to place their first kiss upon her lips.
Their first and last kiss.
Gabriella Montez, Born August 15, 1992- Died- March 10, 2009
Beloved daughter, and best friend.
We Will Miss you Always our Angel.
Ten years later...
Albuquerque Enquirer
Dr. Troy Bolton, a former student from East High School has started a new foundation for a diabetes research facility to train doctors, parents, etc. to notice the signs of diabetes faster and easier to prevent it from getting too far out of hand. He is naming the foundation the Gabriella Montez Foundation, in loving memory of his best friend who died ten years ago from unnoticed and uncared for symptoms of diabetes.
The end! What did you guys think? Review please. Thanks!