She woke up tired the next morning. She didn't feel like her normal refreshed self. She was exhausted, depleted, and done. She looked at her alarm clock and at her phone deciding to snuggle into the sheets a little more, and sleep an extra five minutes. She quickly opened one eye as she smelt pancakes, seeing Sharpay opened her door with a tray of food. A slow smile crept on her face.
"Today you don't have to rush into work early. Today you will be having my home made pancakes and you will leave at 6:45 when Troy comes and picks you up." Gabriella smiled some more sitting up beginning to eat her pancakes as Sharpay sat there.
"Thank you." She said softly yawning.
"So I have a hot pressing question…" She said seeing Gabriella take another bite, smiling contently.
"And I have a hot pressing answer." She said calmly. Sharpay smirked evily.
"So what's going on with you and Troy anyway?" Gabriella looked up to her question popping a blueberry in her mouth.
"We're just really good friends." She said casually not caring. She took a piece of bacon and ate it.
"You seem more like friends." She noted and Gabriella shrugged.
"I guess." Gabriella didn't really care about her relationship with Troy. She knew they were great friends and all, but she didn't think he liked her like a girlfriend. "But honestly, we just flirt with each other and mess around." Sharpay raised an eyebrow. "No, not that messing around. Just light hearted."
"Oh, alright." Sharpay sighed defeated. "Hey, let me try something on you today okay?" Gabriella finished one pancake smiling at Sharpay.
"Go for it."
Troy and Chad found themselves eating a lot more fast food since they started working. Troy noticed that they both put on some pounds and Chad suggested morning workouts. Unfortunately for Chad, he wasn't motivated enough to set up workouts, so Troy did them. The two were running quickly around the area as Chad stopped quickly, huffing and puffing as Troy was still going. He turned around slowing down seeing Chad on his knees.
"Come on baby." He shouted at Chad.
"Is this what it feels like to be dying!?" He shouted back at Troy. Troy chuckled looking out at the sun rise. He coughed.
"We're almost home and we have to go to work." Troy said to Chad. Chad stood up and started walking with him. "And I have to pick up Brie, so let's go." He raised his eyebrow.
"Brie?" He wondered as Troy nodded. "What's going on between you two anyway?" He asked his best friend. Troy laughed.
"Me and her are just really good friends. That's it." He said trying to hold back from what he was going to say.
"Yeah okay, and me and Taylor are dating." He said sarcastically. Troy wondered why he brought up Taylor.
"Are you?" He pushed and Chad made a face.
"No way in hell." He said. Troy didn't buy it.
"We just flirt a little but honestly were really good friends." He said catching his breath finally.
"So you're telling me that you don't get flutters when you see her, or when you get texts from her?" Troy shook his head at him. "Alright, just wondering. Let's go loser." Chad took off and Troy groaned annoyed.
"You're the loser, loser." He said chasing him. Once he got home, he checked his phone before taking a shower, seeing a text from Gabriella. His stomach fluttered slightly as he read over the information. She was already there checking on her trauma patient. He sighed reading the text over to make sure.
Gabriella:
Morning Bolton, I'm already here checking on Mr. Crain. I'll see you later.
He sighed, stepping into the shower. Thinking of something witty and playful to say but he drew a blank thinking of Chad's words. Maybe they did have something more?
She stood next to Doctor Choi as he spoke to their family. He unfortunately slipped into brain dead this morning. He was explaining the difficulty that he had during the surgery. He was doing fine, but there was so much one could do with surgery in a difficult position.
"So I will leave you with goodbyes." The two doctors left and Gabriella felt sorrowful. "Sometimes it sucks, but you know god has it planned." She nodded looking at the family.
"He had a strong fight." She noted looking at the reception desk as Doctor Choi was uninterested.
"Alright, Thanks Gabriella. See you around." He walked off and she looked over examine his charts. Dolores was working the table that day and she smiled seeing Gabriella. Dolores was like everyone's grandma. She had a dark complexion and she was quite old, but she was still active, more than ever.
"Someone looks beautiful today." She said at her. Gabriella gave her a small smile. Sharpay might have gone overboard with the look today. She straightened her hair and did her make-up. She looked beyond beautiful, but even without, she still was.
"Thank you." She picked a chart up feeling sad. She looked over Mr. Crains file.
"The good ones always die." She said. Gabriella felt sad.
"Yeah..." She said distant. "Alright Dolores, have a good day okay?"
"Oh you too sweet heart. You better stop by later!" She smiled as Gabriella walked off wanting to hide. She walked into the on call room and turned the lights off. She sat there and felt depressed. She lost her first patient, even if she wasn't the head of the case, her name would go down on the case as assisting medical professional on his surgery. She remained still.
Troy walked around with such a good outlook on life. He took care of a little boy today and it brightened up his day. He had to go to the bathroom and look for Gabriella. He saw the on call room dark, figuring it was unoccupied. He opened the door and spotted her lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling.
"Hey you." He said trying to get eye contact. She looked at him and it hit him how beautiful she looked today. He walked over and sat next to her.
"Mr. Crain died." She said sighing and looking at him. That was a low blow.
"Oh Brie..." He said reaching out for her hand. She held his hand closing her eyes.
"I mean, it just sucks. Letting something like that happen." She said sitting up and snuggling into him. He allowed her to snuggle. "Thanks for being here for me." She said feeling much better whenever she was in his arms. He nodded.
"Anytime, just for you." She smiled standing up. He made her day so much better and she loved him for that. They both parted ways and she went to do her daily rounds. He stepped out and went on with his rounds with the other group of interns.
She was tired and angry. She was sitting in the medical library late in the night with Troy trying to figure out what to do with one of her patients. He doesn't have kidney disease, but he had a failure with his kidneys. He "Took care of himself", but she wanted to get down to his illness. Doctor Martin put him on the transplant list, and Gabriella is working hard.
"Did you examine his kidneys to see any unusual aspects of it?" He asked and she nodded looking up at him. "Then I don't know. Did you talk to Doctor Martin?" He asked her.
"Yeah, and she said not to worry about it." She told him and he groaned slamming the book she was reading shut.
"If she said not to, then don't!" Troy looked at her like she was in trouble.
"Well, if I'm going to be a doctor, then I should be able to do this!" Troy chuckled looking at the watch.
"Alright, let's go home." He said looking around stretching. She nodded grabbing her things, saying goodbyes to people in the library to some fellow interns. She got a text from Taylor.
Taylor:
Sharpay and Fiance' are at home banging all night. Wouldn't be safe to be there for a while.
Gabriella burst out in laughter reading the text. Troy looked over her shoulder and read the text laughing with her. They walked to his car, she looked out the window.
"Would you mind if I went home with you tonight?" She asked him and his heart fluttered. She looked at him waiting for his response. "I'll leave before bed time."
"Uh. Yeah. I wouldn't mind." He cracked a smile. Driving home was so easy considering that they lived two minutes away from the hospital. They walked in, got some beers, food, and hid in his room. She took her hoodie off and plopped down on his bed. He turned the TV on and relaxed opening up a beer. The two watched the New York Yankees battle it out for a win.
"I'm so glad you're a Yankees fan. If you were a Mets fan, I think I'd disown you." He told her and she gasped. He laughed at her and she joined in.
"That's true, I'd do the same." He laughed at her. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, only a little space. He sat there and looked at her as she sat there drinking beer, relaxing. He fell over and rested his head on her shoulder. She smiled and sat back, letting him snuggle into her even more. She put her beer down, and the two watched the game cuddling with each other.
And from that night on, something both in them changed. And it would never be the same again.
