Troy looked at Gabriella and tried to figure out if he heard her correctly.
"Troy" Gabriella said with tears in her eyes.
Troy sat up so that he was looking at Gabriella.
"Did you take a test? Have you not been feeling well?" Troy asked.
"I just have a feeling" Gabriella said looking down and bringing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
Troy knew that he needed to say something supportive. But, he was trying to wrap his head around the idea. He placed his warm hands on Gabriella's sides and brought her closer to him.
"Baby, look at me" Troy said softly.
Gabriella looked at Troy and tears ran down her cheeks.
"I am happy. It's just a-" Troy started.
"Trigger" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded.
"It's not you. It's just all the stuff coming up in therapy" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded as she wiped her tears away. Troy opened his arms. Gabriella crawled into Troy's lap.
"In the morning, we will go get a couple of tests and see" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella mumbled.
Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly. That night, the couple fell asleep in each others arms, not knowing what the next day would bring. The next day, Troy came home with a bag of pregnancy tests.
"Baby, I'm back" Troy said.
Gabriella walked to the front door.
"I brought a couple different ones" Troy said.
"Thanks baby" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed her lips.
"Come on. Moment of truth" Troy said holding out his hand.
Gabriella took Troy's hand and the couple went upstairs to the bathroom.
"Come out when you are done" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Troy sat on the edge of their bed and looked at the closed bathroom door. Five minutes later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom. Troy smiled. Gabriella sat next to Troy.
"How long do we wait?" Troy asked.
"Seven minutes" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella and kissed her cheek. Seven minutes later, Gabriella looked at Troy.
"Time's up" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Do you want me to look?" Troy asked.
"We'll do it together" Gabriella said.
"Okay" Troy said.
The couple walked into the bathroom and looked at the tests. All the tests said positive. Gabriella looked at Troy.
"Hey, hey. What's this all about?" Troy asked seeing Gabriella starting to get emotional.
"We are in the middle of therapy. We aren't married. I am in school" Gabriella said.
Troy led Gabriella back to their bed.
"Gabi, we can handle it. I admit, we should have been married first before we had another baby. But, I didn't want to put that all on you when we were both going to therapy" Troy said.
Gabriella looked down at her hands.
"We are going to be okay, baby" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Hey, look at me" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Troy.
"I love you" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled slightly.
"I love you too" Gabriella said softly.
"I can call Dr. Menard and make an appointment for you" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy held Gabriella's cheek in his hand. He then called Dr. Menard's office and made an appointment for Gabriella.
"Next Thursday at ten" Troy said.
"Okay. Thanks" Gabriella said.
Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. A week later, Troy came home and saw Gabriella pacing in the living room. Lily was watching television with Jack, Troy's father. He smiled at his father.
"Gabi, are you ready to go?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Gabriella said.
"Alright, let's go" Troy said.
Gabriella kissed Lily and walked out of the house. Troy kissed Lily.
"Be good for grandpa" Troy said.
"She will be fine, Troy" Jack said sensing that he was worried about Gabriella.
"She's nervous and that makes me nervous" Troy said.
Troy walked out of the house and saw Gabriella waiting in the car. He got into the car and looked at Gabriella.
"Gabi, relax" Troy said.
Gabriella sighed. Troy started driving. He placed his free hand on Gabriella's thigh. Gabriella placed her hand on top of his and held his fingers.
"I'm just worried about everything that's all" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"I know. But, you have me to help you with that" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled into Dr. Menard's office. He looked at Gabriella.
"You ready?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded nervously.
"Hey, remember what I told you" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled slightly. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. An hour and a half later, the couple got back into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella, who looked anxious.
"What are you thinking about, babe?" Troy asked.
"You wouldn't-" Gabriella started.
Troy knew where this conversation was going to go. He placed his hand on Gabriella's shoulder.
"Never going to happen, Gabriella. I love you with all my heart" Troy said.
Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.
"I can't help but think about it sometimes" Gabriella said softly.
"I know. But, we are working on that, right?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips one last time and started driving home. That afternoon, Troy walked into the kitchen, where Gabriella was eating a banana.
"I'm going to go over to mom and dad's for a little bit" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's lips and left the house. He drove to his parent's house and parked his car. Troy walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Lucille opened the door and smiled.
"Troy, what a nice surprise" Lucille said hugging and kissing her son.
"Hi mama" Troy said.
"How is it going? How's Gabriella and Lily?" Lucille asked.
"Everything's okay. The girls are fine. Gabriella's pregnant, mom" Troy said.
Lucille's eyes widened.
"Really?" Lucille asked smiling.
Troy smiled.
"You don't look too happy. What's wrong, Troy?" Lucille asked.
"I'm happy. I just didn't expect us to have another one before we even got married" Troy said.
"Things happen, Troy. Maybe this baby is a blessing in disguise" Lucille said.
Troy smiled and nodded. He and Lucille talked for a little while longer until Troy left. A couple weeks later, Troy came home from work.
"Daddy!" Lily said.
"Hey Lily pad" Troy said catching her in his arms and spinning around in a circle.
"Mommy said you are going on a date" Lily said.
Troy chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah. Mommy and I need to talk about some grown up stuff" Troy said.
"Oh" Lily said.
Troy smiled.
"Grandma is going to come over and stay with you" Troy said.
"Okay" Lily said.
A couple hours later, Troy and Gabriella were walking around downtown Albuquerque. Troy was nervous. He was going to do something that would change his, Lily's, and Gabriella's life. The couple found a place to eat and sat down. As soon as their food arrived, Troy looked at Gabriella.
"Baby" Troy said.
"Yeah?" Gabriella asked.
"You know how much I love you, right?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"And that I want to be with you forever?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded but was confused.
"Troy, what's going on?" Gabriella asked.
"Gabriella, you changed my whole life five years ago. You opened my eyes to so many things that I was missing. You have shown me that it is possible to love again, especially after all that I have been through. We have been through so much together. We have the most beautiful daughter and another baby on the way. We have been there for each other through good times and bad. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. So, Gabriella, I wanted to ask you if you would marry me?" Troy asked with tears running down his face as he got down on one knee.
Gabriella was speechless. Tears ran down her cheeks.
"Yes, Troy" Gabriella said tearfully.
Troy stood up and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled away. Troy pulled out a box from his back pocket and opened it. Gabriella gasped. Troy slipped the ring onto Gabriella's finger.
"It's beautiful, Troy" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"I had help. Dad and Chad helped me out with the setting" Troy said.
"Thank you" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.
That night, Troy went to sleep and couldn't believe that he could call Gabriella his fiancée. The next day, Troy and Gabriella were trying to figure out a way to tell Lily that they were getting married.
"Lily?" Troy called up the stairs.
Lily stood at the top of the stairs and looked at her father.
"Mommy and I have to talk to you about something" Troy said.
Lily walked downstairs and followed Troy into the living room where Gabriella was sitting.
"Lily, remember how you said that we weren't like your friends' parents and weren't married?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah" Lily said.
"Look" Gabriella said holding out her left hand.
Lily smiled. She knew what it meant. Lily started to cry.
"Baby don't cry" Gabriella said lifting her daughter onto her lap.
Lily wrapped her arms around Gabriella's neck and continued to cry. Gabriella rubbed her back soothingly. Five minutes later, Lily stopped crying and looked at her mother.
"Why were you crying, Lily?" Troy asked.
"I'm happy" Lily said.
The couple looked at each other and smiled. They looked back at Lily.
"We also have something else to tell you" Troy said.
"What?" Lily asked.
"Mommy's going to have another baby" Troy said.
Lily smiled.
"Really?" Lily asked looking at Gabriella.
Gabriella nodded. Lily hugged her mother. Gabriella smiled and kissed Lily's head softly. She smiled at Troy, who smiled back at her.
"You happy?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah" Lily said.
The couple smiled. That night, Gabriella changed into one of Troy's t-shirts. It was loose and hit her knees. She climbed into bed. Troy came into the bedroom.
"Hey, feeling okay?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"Just thinking" Gabriella said.
Troy took off his jeans and shirt and got into bed.
"About the baby?" Troy asked.
"And Lily" Gabriella said.
"She was so happy" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled and nodded. She leaned her head on Troy's chest.
"When she cried, I wanted to cry" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled and nodded.
"She's wanted it for a while. But, I told her that it was going to happen the day she was born" Troy said.
Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.
"Get some sleep, okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. The couple fell asleep. A couple days later, Troy woke up and didn't see Gabriella next to him. He looked around the room and saw the bathroom door shut. Troy got up and walked to the bathroom door and knocked politely.
"Gabi, are you okay?" Troy asked.
When he heard no answer, he checked to see if she had locked the door. Troy smiled when he found the door unlocked. He walked into the bathroom and saw Gabriella hovering over the toilet. Troy grabbed one of Gabriella's hair ties that were on the sink and quickly tied her hair back. He then closed the bathroom door in case Lily woke up. Troy kneeled and rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly. A couple minutes later, Gabriella backed away from the toilet. Troy helped Gabriella stand up. Gabriella walked to the sink and brushed her teeth and washed her face. She took a deep breath and released it.
"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked.
"I forgot about morning sickness" Gabriella said.
Troy chuckled.
"Did Lily wake up?" Gabriella asked.
"I don't know. I closed the door so that she wouldn't come in here" Troy said.
Gabriella opened the bathroom door and saw Lily climbing into the bed. She snuggled into the sheets on Troy's side of the bed. Gabriella turned to Troy, who was still in the bathroom.
"She's awake" Gabriella said.
The couple walked out of the bathroom.
"Hey Lily pad, how did you sleep?" Gabriella asked.
"Good. Mommy, am I going to have a baby brother or sister?" Lily asked.
"We don't know yet. But, we can find out soon" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. He walked over to the bed and lifted Lily up so that he could lay down in the bed. Troy then placed Lily on his body and held her in his arms.
"What do you want the baby to be?" Troy asked.
"Sister" Lily said.
"Three girls in the house? You will be outnumbered, Troy" Gabriella said.
"Yeah, but if we have a girl, then they will be daddy's girls" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled. Whenever Troy talked about fatherhood it made Gabriella fall in love with him all over again.
"What do you want, baby?" Troy asked.
"I would love to have another girl in the house. But, I also wouldn't mind having a boy either" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"We will just have to wait and find out" Troy said tickling Lily.
"Daddy" Lily giggled.
That night, Gabriella tossed and turned in her sleep. She woke up sweating. Gabriella sat up and took a deep breath and released it. Another nightmare. She wiped away her tears and poked Troy. Troy rolled over and opened his eyes.
"What's wrong, baby?" Troy asked.
"Nightmare" Gabriella said.
Troy sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He turned on his bedside lamp. Troy looked at Gabriella.
"Tell me about it" Troy asked as Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.
Gabriella replayed her nightmare to Troy.
"They are coming less frequently" Troy said rubbing Gabriella's back.
Gabriella nodded.
"But they still scare me" Gabriella said.
"I know" Troy said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.
"Go back to sleep, okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. A week later, Gabriella had an appointment with Dr. Menard to find out how far along she was. She walked into the house and went into the kitchen.
"So?" Troy asked.
"Eight weeks" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"Are you excited?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. She placed her hand on her flat stomach.
"Lily taking her nap?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah" Troy said.
"She keeps looking at my ring" Gabriella said looking at her engagement ring.
Troy smiled.
"She's happy" Troy said.
"I have some homework that I need to work on" Gabriella said.
"Okay" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.
A couple weeks later, Troy came home and smiled when he saw Gabriella reading a pregnancy book while waiting for dinner to be done in the oven. He walked over to her and kissed her cheek.
"What are you reading about?" Troy asked.
"Pregnancy" Gabriella said placing her hand on her small bump.
Troy smiled.
"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.
"Threw up an hour ago because of the smell of the food" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, baby" Troy said.
"It's all part of the process, right?" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded. He kissed Gabriella's cheek. That night, the little family ate dinner together and thought about what life would be like once their new addition came. The next day, Troy stayed home from work. Gabriella had an appointment with Dr. Menard.
"Gabi, I just need to examine you and then you can go" Dr. Menard said.
Gabriella crossed her legs and looked at Troy. Troy got the message. He looked at Gabriella and nodded.
"I've been having some flashbacks" Gabriella said softly.
Dr. Menard nodded.
"Let me know if I make you feel uncomfortable, okay?" Dr. Menard said.
Gabriella nodded. She took Troy's hand in hers. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. He could see her start to panic.
"Baby, just look at me. She needs to check" Troy said lovingly.
Gabriella took a deep breath. Troy looked at Dr. Menard and nodded. Dr. Menard conducted her exam.
"Gabi, eyes on me okay?" Troy said softly.
Gabriella nodded. A couple moments later, Troy felt Gabriella relax. He smiled and leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Everything is okay, Gabriella" Dr. Menard said.
The couple nodded.
"I'll see you guys in a month" Dr. Menard said.
"Thank you, Dr. Menard" the couple said.
Dr. Menard left the exam room. Troy helped Gabriella sit up.
"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded tearfully.
"I feel like a burden" Gabriella said.
"No, no, no. Baby, remember this is a process. Some days you are going to be fine and others are going to be rough. You will never be a burden" Troy said.
Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said softly.
"Let's get out of here" Troy said.
Gabriella got dressed and the couple left Dr. Menard's office. As they drove, Gabriella leaned her head against the window.
"What are you thinking about, Gabi?" Troy asked.
"I was doing so well" Gabriella said.
Troy put one of his hands on Gabriella's thigh.
"There is a lot of trauma, baby. It will come and go" Troy said.
"Yeah, but for a while, I was okay" Gabriella said.
Troy knew that no matter what he did or said, it would not take away the pain that Gabriella felt. That night, Troy and Gabriella kissed Lily goodnight and walked to their bedroom. Troy took his shirt off and climbed into bed.
"Why would you want to marry someone that has so much trauma?" Gabriella asked quietly.
Troy's face softened. Gabriella looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Because I love you. If there are problems, we can work through them together. If there is pain, we can work through that too. I want to do all of those things with you, Gabriella" Troy said.
"Whatever it is, we will get through it. Together" Troy said.
Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. The couple didn't say anything else to each other for the rest of the night. They just let the conversation sit.