A/N: I know, I suck… Christmas passed and I only have two chapters for Getting Into the Holiday Spirit. I'm still gonna finish! Just… yeah. Sorry! HOPE EVERYONE HAD A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY! Anyways, in honor of New Year's, I wrote this One Shot. If any of you have seen New Year's Eve (with Zac Efron… :p) then you should recognize this plot sort of. I changed it up a bit. Sorry if you haven't seen the movie… I kind of spoiled a storyline. But it's different! And if you haven't seen the movie, shame on you, it's the best! ZAC IS SOOO HOOT IN IT! *miniature spaz attack on Zac's hotness*
Anyways, I'm actually proud of this… I thought it was cute. I hope you guys like it too.
Btw: The song is Without You by David Guetta and Usher! I don't own it, or High School Musical!
Without You
One-Shot
New Year's Eve
A year has passed once again. It seems like it has gone by so fast, but in reality, 365 days of the year has gone by. People have faced hardships, quarrels with loved ones, drama, friendship, love. Many memories were made, some good, some bad. The year would not be forgotten, except it would be in the past. Now it's time to work on the future, and to focus on the 'now' instead of the 'has been.'
For Gabriella Montez, she looked forward to New Year's for more reasons than one. She has survived another year that should be reason enough to celebrate. But she wasn't in the mood to go with her best friends, Taylor McKessie and Sharpay Evans, to Times Square in New York City (where they lived) to see the ball drop like everybody else. No, she was looking forward to something else... Something better.
"Aw, come on, Gabi! Please come! It'll be a lot of fun!" Sharpay tried for the fifth time to convince Gabriella to join them.
The three best friends since college shared a penthouse in the busy city. Taylor was in Law School, her last year, and Sharpay was a famous fashion designer. As for Gabriella, she was a nurse at the nearby hospital. Before she celebrated New Year's, she had a short night shift until nine P.M. To her, that was nothing.
"It's okay; you girls go and have fun. Don't worry about me."
Taylor grabbed her coat and purse, walking over to the door with Sharpay right behind her. They both still looked uncertain whether or not it was good idea to go party without their third best friend.
Gabriella forced a laugh. "Guys, go! You need to go now if you want a good view of the ball drop at midnight."
Finally Gabriella managed to get rid of them. She got up off the couch and checked the time. It was three o'clock, and her shift began at four. She walked into her bedroom, grabbing her blue scrubs. She threw them onto her bed, but before she changed, she decided to go out on her balcony. She breathed in the fresh New York air, and heard the familiar cars honking, people talking and laughing, and every other noise you hear in New York City. She leaned against the rusty railing, staring off into the distance where she can see people getting to work for the big night tonight. She remembered last year when she had went along with Taylor and Sharpay, and how much fun she had. But she couldn't have fun tonight. She had another obligation.
She entered the hospital with a cheerful smile. She stopped to talk to some of the patients she recognized, and some of the anxious people waiting in the waiting room. Their loved ones were here on New Year's Eve, unable to enjoy the start of a new year because another loved one was sick in the hospital. Gabriella felt pity for those people.
She walked into the room she was assigned, belonging to . He was hanging by a thread. Gabriella admitted to the fellow nurses that she was surprised he had even lasted this long. It was somewhat of a miracle to still see him there. Tubes came out of his arms and hung out of his nose to help him breath. His eyes were squinted, practically closed, and his breathing came out in ragged breaths, as if it was difficult for him to breathe through his nose.
She grabbed his cold hand, trying to warm it up with hers as best she could. Mr. Gracia opened his eyes a little more, revealing his pale blue ones. Again, Gabriella felt a pang of longing when she saw those blue eyes and thought of someone else.
"H-hey. What are you doing here?" he whispered.
Gabriella smiled at the old, dying man. He was so sweet. He didn't deserve to be trapped in this bed, in this hospital, on New Year's Eve. Gabriella tried to remember a time when relatives came by to see him. She couldn't remember one time. His board against the wall, where family members usually pinned up pictures, was completely empty. There were no balloons, or cards, or teddy bears. Nothing. Gabriella squeezed his hand, as if telling him in her own way that she was here for him.
"I'm here for you, of course, Mr. Gracia. You didn't expect me to just leave you in here with a random, old nurse, did you?"
He smiled at her then began coughing. It took great difficulty for him to swallow before he could speak.
"But a pretty girl like you should be out there... watching that ball drop at midnight... hanging out with friends, or with a... with a date."
Gabriella smiled sadly at the man and patted his hand comfortingly.
"You're my date tonight, Mr. Gracia."
Doctor Reynolds entered the hospital room, carrying his clipboard and glasses with him. He nodded to Gabriella and put on a smile for the man.
"Happy New Year's Eve, Mr. Gracia."
Mr. Gracia made a noise, and Gabriella figured that he was chuckling sarcastically. She couldn't blame him.
"Happy? I'm stuck in here, for another day."
Doctor Reynolds wrote a few things down on the clipboard and sat down in the chair next to him. "You've had quite a long journey, Mr. Gracia. The chemo worked for a little while, but now it seems there's nothing else we can do."
Mr. Gracia waved his hand in the air. "Face it, doc, I'm dying in here. Every second I'm dying."
Gabriella sighed and rested her head on his arm. She closed her eyes tightly. His vulnerability was coming out in the open, and even though she had been working with Mr. Gracia for a little over a month, she knew how stubborn and headstrong he was.
Doctor Reynolds frowned, "What will make you happy, Mr. Gracia? It's the start of the New Year... You should feel relieved that you've even lasted this long."
Mr. Gracia wasn't listening. He waited for the doctor to finish talking before taking a deep breath.
"I want to watch the ball drop."
Gabriella's head popped up, shocked at Mr. Gracia's confession.
"Well, you can see it just fine on the television."
Gabriella wanted to punch Doctor Reynolds at the moment. She knew what Mr. Gracia meant by watching it drop, and she knew that Doctor Reynolds knew too. She didn't care about the policy at all at the moment. She wanted to help this man out. She wanted to grant his wish.
Mr. Gracia shook his head. "You know what I mean, Doc."
The doctor stayed silent for a few moments before shaking his head sadly. "It's too cold outside, you won't be able to handle it. Besides, no patients are allowed on the roof. You're to stay in this bed, Mr. Gracia, I'm sorry."
The old man shook his head, sighing defeated. "Forget it, forget it."
"Gabi, you sure you don't want to come? There's still time. Tay and I have a perfect view of the ball!"
Gabriella smiled as she heard the background noise of people talking, laughing, shouting. Part of her wished she could be there. But a bigger part, the majority of her heart, knew that wasn't where she was meant to be tonight.
"It's okay, Shar, I have plans."
Sharpay was silent on the other line. "Is... Gabi, is this about..."
"Shar, I got to go, Mr. Gracia needs his meal, talk to you later and have fun. Bye."
She quickly ended the call and stared at her phone for a moment. She didn't want to tell Sharpay the reason why she was busy, or what her true plans were. She hadn't told anybody.
"G-Gabriella."
She rushed over to Mr. Gracia's bed. She saw that he was choking, fighting for his breath. She sighed. This was a regular occurrence. She called for the doctor, and together they turned him on his side. The doctor patted his back and pulled the oxygen mask over his nose. Gabriella held his hand tightly, and he held it just as tight, as if he didn't want her to let it go. Gabriella leaned down and whispered into his ear, "I won't let go."
Once he was fine with his breathing, he lay on his back once again, falling into a deep sleep. She knew his time was coming soon, sooner than anyone thought. She just wished that someone other her and Doctor Reynolds and the other nurses could be there for him. He needed support, love, and family. Gabriella got an idea.
She walked over to Margaret who sat at her desk, talking on the phone. Once she hung up, Gabriella approached her timidly. "Hey Marge, you know Mr. Gracia, in Room 201?"
Margaret sighed and nodded. "Poor guy, he's been such a trooper through his sickness. Cancer really took a toll on him."
Gabriella nodded in agreement and leaned against the desk. "Do you have any... contacts for him? Like, people to call when he really does... pass?"
Margaret opened her file cabinet, searching through each folder until she finally brought out his folder. Henry Gracia was written at the top. She handed it to Gabriella. "Bring it back when you're done, hun." Gabriella nodded, quickly thanked Margaret, and walked back into Mr. Gracia's room, already searching through the folder.
She found pictures of him when he was younger and pictures of him when he got diagnosed with cancer. Such a dramatic difference, Gabriella noted. She saw paperwork from his previous appointments and some about his chemotherapy and some just about his illness. Then she finally came across a paper in the very back for his contacts.
There was only one written.
An Emilia Gracia. She grabbed her cell phone, immediately typing out the number and placing the phone to her ear, waiting for someone to answer the phone. She noted the time was already seven o'clock.
"Hello?"
Gabriella heard a girl shout into the phone. She heard 'Party Rock Anthem' playing in the background and assumed this Emilia girl was at a party. Gabriella couldn't help but feel disgust for this woman. SHe didn't even bother to come visit her... grandfather? father? uncle?
"Hello, is this Emilia Gracia?"
There was so rustling and then silence. "Who is this?"
Gabriella cleared her throat, "I'm Gabriella Montez... I work for Henry Gracia, I'm his nurse. It's just... tonight is New Year's and we don't... we don't think he'll be lasting for very long... and I just want him to have a memorable New Year's with his loved ones."
Silence.
"Look, you were the only name written in his Contacts paper. Just please... come down and visit him. He's not doing very well, and I think him being alone through this has been difficult for him."
Gabriella heard a sniffle and then a quiet sob through the phone. "Is... Can I talk to him?"
"He's asleep at the moment."
Emilia sobbed, "Thank you for calling, Gabriella... I feel horrible. I haven't... he's my dad and I haven't even been there for him. What kind of daughter am I? I just... I couldn't cope with it all. I had lost my mother and then he was diagnosed with cancer..."
"Don't tell that to me; tell that to your father. My shift ends at nine, come by then and stay with him... That's my suggestion."
After a couple more minutes of talking, they hung up. Emilia promised she would be here by 8:30, not a minute later. She sighed and threw her head back, gathering her hair and putting it into a messy ponytail. When she glanced down at her patient, she saw that his eyes were teary and were on her.
"What is it, Mr. Gracia?"
He reached for her hand and squeezed tightly.
"Thank you," he mumbled.
"Daddy..."
Gabriella and Mr. Gracia looked over at the young woman in the doorway. She held her scarf nervously, and her hair was curled to her shoulders. She looked to be about twenty years old. Mr. Gracia's face beamed and he reached both of his hands out toward his daughter he probably hasn't seen for who knows how long. She walked up and grasped both of his hands, tears in her own brown eyes.
"Hey... hey, kiddo... it's really you!"
Emilia smiled and nodded, "Yeah, dad, it's really me... and I'm so sorry."
Gabriella smiled at the father-daughter pair. She walked to the doorway, about to give them some privacy, but Mr. Gracia quickly stopped her from leaving.
"Gabriella, come over here."
She hesitantly walked over to him and kneeled down. "Yes?"
"Can you put this up?"
He handed her a photograph of three people: a woman that looked very much like Emilia, a younger version of Mr. Gracia, and a baby in their hands. The picture was black and white, and crumpled. But Gabriella grabbed a pin, and for the first time, she pinned something up on the blank board of Mr. Gracia's.
"Hey, Margaret, my shift just ended."
Gabriella walked into the storage closet, quickly changing into her light gray leggings, blue dress that came down to her knees, brown combat boots with white socks sticking out from the top, and her brown coat and beige scarf. She came out, ready to go.
Before she left, she said a long goodbye to Mr. Gracia and she thanked Emilia for coming by and finally keeping him company. Right when she was saying goodbye to Eleanor, another patient she used to work for, Margaret ran up to her.
"Gabriella! Mr. Gracia isn't in his room..."
Gabriella sighed and nodded, I know." She looked toward the ceiling and smiled knowingly. His wish was going to come true. Margaret nodded and silently walked back to her desk.
"Gabriella Montez, you truly are an angel."
"Look, Emi, the ball is going up."
Emilia looked down at her father, the one she refused to see for all those years, the one she loved most dearly, the one she couldn't bear to lose. Not now, not ever.
"Yeah, dad, I see it. Are you cold?"
He waved the question away. "Right now, I'm not a sick and dying patient at a hospital. Instead I'm a father getting ready to watch the ball drop with his daughter... Just like old times."
Emilia couldn't help but smile at him. He hated attention, especially when people worried for him. He cared for others more than himself. It was something Emilia loved most about him. She still couldn't help but worry for him, though. It truly was freezing up there, on the roof of the hospital.
They actually had a great view of the ball. They could see everyone down below getting excited, and Emilia felt a pang of sadness because she knew her dad really wanted to be down there, just another citizen watching the ball drop at midnight. But he still got his wish, to be able to watch it in person instead of on the television.
"Remember when I used to put you up on my shoulders and you, your mom, and I would go down there early in the morning just to get a good view of the ball?"
Emilia nodded, tears forming in her eyes at the wonderful memory.
"Those were the days when I was actually able to do stuff. It sucks getting old, let me tell ya."
Emilia laughed and grasped her father's hand gently. "Dad, I'm glad I'm here with you, no matter the circumstances."
It was 11:30 and Gabriella was stuck in traffic. She wouldn't get there on time. She failed. She wouldn't give them the best New Year's. She needed to get there...
Now.
She didn't care anymore. She opened her car door, shut it quickly and ran. She didn't even think twice about this. She knew it was stupid. She knew she would have to pay big time to get her car back. But nothing mattered except getting there before the clock struck midnight.
She saw her destination when she rounded the corner of the freeway. She licked her lips excitedly and ran faster toward the building. She glanced down at her clock. It was 11:50. She needed to get there. She never felt this big of a need before in her entire life, and she never knew that she would ever feel this way again. She felt happy and excited, like nothing could bring her down. She felt as if she was floating on thin air. She hadn't felt this way in such a long time; she almost forgot the peculiar feeling.
"Start the clock. It's time to start counting down from sixty seconds."
"Oh, look, the ball... It's dropping!"
Mr. Gracia reached up, removing his hat. Emilia worriedly looked at him. "Dad, put it back on, it's cold out."
He shook his head, smiling at the view of the lighted ball beginning its descent. "I want my last moments in life to be normal."
Together, they began watching the ball drop. Emilia wished this wasn't their last New Year's. She wished that it hadn't taken her a nurse to get her to come and see her father, one last time. Tears ran down her cheeks, and each time she wiped them, it was no use, they kept coming.
"I love you, baby doll."
"I love you too, Dad."
"Start the clock. It's time to start counting down from sixty seconds."
Gabriella didn't even bother to look up at the big screen. She knew she would see Ryan Seacrest. She knew the countdown was beginning and she had very little time.
I can't win, I can't reign
I will never win this game
Without you, without you
Gabriella shoved people aside and threw open the door, running at lightning speed.
Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven, fifty-six, fifty-five...
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you
She took one look at the escalator, and cursed at the slowness of it. She couldn't wait.
Thirty-six, thirty-five, thirty-four...
She took two steps at a time as she ascended the stairs. She threw open the door and ran down the long corridor. She passed the gates. She searched for gate 32.
I won't run, I won't fly
I will never make it by
Without you, without you
Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen...
She saw it. She jumped over a chair, not even caring if her dress flew up. She just... She couldn't explain the feeling of want, of need, of longing that was overcoming her entire body and soul and heart.
And that's when she saw him. She saw him walking out of the door, carrying his black luggage, wearing his green army uniform. He was here. He was here, in person, his blue eyes scanning the crowd of New York City Airport to find her. He was looking for her.
Ten, nine, eight, seven...
"Troy!"
He looked over, and his face formed into a big grin. He dropped his luggage, and extended his arms out as Gabriella raced toward him, her true love that came back to her from War.
Five, four, three...
Their arms found each other. Time stopped for them as he lifted her from the ground and spun her around. They clung to each other. They couldn't seem to get close enough.
Two, one...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Gabriella grabbed Troy Bolton by the face and brought her lips to his. The passion they felt for each other, the longing, the need, the love, everything they felt, was poured into that kiss. Gabriella missed this. She missed him.
Troy pulled away, kissing her cheek, her nose, her neck, and finally her lips again. He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled.
"Happy New Year, baby," he whispered.
"Happy New Year, Troy... Welcome home."
Their lips met yet again, finding their own way to express their love for each other.
I can't rest, I can't fight
All I need is you and I,
Without you, without... You!