A/N
Hey guys, we're back!!! sorry for the wait, it was mainly my (Evie) fault, my computer wasn't working and needed fixing or something. Anyhow, this was originally going to be all one chapter, but we've halfed it because its pretty long already.
17 PAGES!!!!
I don't think anyone's written that much for one chapter have they?? The next part should be up pretty soon so bear with us!
Anyways, let us know if its been a good use of all those pages and (6002) words!!
Much love, Evie and Luc xx
3 months to go
The tears ran down her face as she watched from the upstairs window. She watched as the cab drew off into the distance. She saw his head in the backseat; he turned back and raised his hand, too far away to see the tears. She responded raising one hand, the other on her bump.
He'd told her he was off, for a whole month, for business. She knew it was real; she'd rung his work to check. They'd confirmed he was going with the rest of his work team to Argentina for company purposes. She hated that she had to result to checking up on him, but if she didn't, she'd drive herself crazy.
When he was no longer in view, she closed the curtains. Walking over to the wardrobe, she took out her suitcase and opened it, laying it on the bed. With her tears dropping onto the floor, she folded each and every piece of clothing she owned, placing it in the case. Then, she dragged the case into the nursery they'd set up together, repeating the system with all of the baby's things. All the time the tears never stopping.
Eventually, when she'd finished, she left the case upstairs, walking one more time around the house they'd bought together, when everything was alright with them both.
She sent him a text, the only question she could put to him without poring her whole heart out.
'Why? Why did you have to go?'
She had her diary in hand, and sat on the couch for one last time.
20 minutes later
Gabriella jumped at the sound of the phone ringing, she'd been so engrossed in writing that she hadn't heard it, she let it ring, not wanting to speak to anyone. Then Troy's voice came up.
'Hey baby, it's me, I'm here, at the airport, I can't stand it, I miss you so much.
I know I can't be there, Baby, it's alright, I'll be waiting for you tonight. I pray that you'll be there, when I close my eyes, meet me in my dreams.
We are the perfect couple, we're just not in the perfect situation. Distance is the test of our love, so if we survive it we are going to be forever. Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for love doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart. And believe me, my heart is counting the minutes till I can see you again.
I love you, bye'
BEEP
The machine sounded the end of the message. Gabriella was smiling. He'd made her see reason without even knowing. God, she hated how much she loved him.
One of these days maybe your magic won't affect meAnd your kiss won't make me weakBut no one in this world knows me the way you know meSo you'll probably always have a spell on meThat's how much I love youHow much I need youThat's how much I need youThat's how much I love youThat's how much I need youAnd I hate that I love you so--And I hate how much I love you boyI can't stand how much I need youAnd I hate how much I love you boyBut I just can't let you goAnd I hate that I love you soAnd I hate that I love you so…
She grabbed her sidekick and sent him a message.
Gabriella
'Even if you are far away, you are always close to my heart. It's good that we are far away because we learn the patience to wait for each other.'
Troy
'There is a saying, 'Out of sight, out of mind.' But how can that be true? You are not here, yet I can't get you out of my mind.'
Gabriella
'I wish that you were here or that I were there, or that we were together anywhere!'
Troy
'When the night has come and the land's dark, when the moon is the only light we'll see, look at the stars; can you count them? I miss you that much.'
Gabriella
'Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad, because I miss you, I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.'
Troy
'When you feel alone, just look at the spaces between your fingers, remember that in those spaces you can see my fingers locked with yours forever.'
Gabriella
I love you
Troy
I love you more
Gabriella
I miss you so much
Troy
If you think missing me is hard, you should try missing you!
Gabriella
'Whenever you smile for no reason & whenever you feel an unexpected burst of joy, just know that it's because I'm thinking of you.'
Troy
'When you miss me just look up to the night sky and remember, I'm like a star; sometimes you can't see me, but I'm always there.'
Gabriella
'Aww, cute'
Troy
'I miss you like the sun misses the flowers, like the sun misses the flowers in the depths of winter, instead of beauty to direct it's light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world which your absence has banished me to.'
Gabriella
'You watch that film too much!'
Troy
'Fits though, doesn't it?'
Gabriella
I still miss you though
Troy
'Whenever you feel the wind blow gently against you, it's me blowing you a kiss, whenever you feel the sun's heat on your back, it's me sending you a hug'
Gabriella
Go away now, you're making me cry! X
Troy
Blow me a kiss?
Gabriella
In your dreams lover boy!
Troy
I'm counting on it :P xx
Gabriella laughed and shut the sidekick, putting it on the table. She suddenly felt a sense of loneliness, she spread her hand wide, looking at the space between her fingers, and smiled, it made her feel better.
She walked up the stairs and slowly began to unpack, not before writing in her beloved diary though, this was going to be her best friend for the next month Troy was gone.
Oh what he did to her, she'd been all set to leave him for what he'd done, but one phone message reminded her exactly how much she loved him.
4 weeks to go
Gabriella replaced her diary in the secret place she kept it and went downstairs. So far, she'd managed to keep Star and Troy's affair out of her head, in fact, things were a lot better. Gabriella knew this. She felt a lot better in herself as well, and her trust in Troy was building up again. It all started when they had a heart to heart...
Flashback
Gabriella was just getting ready to go shopping for the baby with Troy. She was fairly satisfied with how she looked. Although she was pregnant, her legs were still lean and long, as were her arms. The only part of her that had put any weight on was her stomach and her breasts, naturally. She'd pulled her maternity jeans on, with the elasticised waist band, a flowing purple top gathered under her growing breasts and Troy's brown leather jacket, it was the only thing that zipped up over her swollen belly in case it was cold. When she reached the living room, she saw Troy, head in hands, sat on the couch.
Her heart sank, did he know that she had kept everything from him?
'Baby?' she asked.
Troy lifted his head and smiled, he motioned for her to come and sit next to him. She did so and he took her hand in his.
'You know how you said I could tell you anything and you wouldn't get mad, no matter how bad it was?' Troy asked, the guilty look returning.
Gabriella knew what he was trying to say, it was as if a huge weight was lifted off her. He was going to tell her, he couldn't keep it from her; he loved her so much that he was willing to risk everything to keep the relationship strong. She couldn't let him do it.
'Baby, you know you can tell me anything, but whatever happened in the past is over. I don't know what you're worried about, but honestly, just forget about it, I'm more interested in what's happening now, you and me, not whatever's bothering you so much from long ago.'
Troy's relief was evident on his face.
'Honest?' he asked her.
'Honestly' she confirmed, smiling.
Troy grinned and leaned in for a kiss. It deepened and soon they were removing each other's clothes on the couch, the only room they hadn't christened in the house.
1 day to go
Gabriella and Troy were sat down stairs relaxing, Gabriella in Troy's arms that were wrapped tightly around her with both their hands resting on her bump. Gabriella had been feeling really tired all day and unwell. No matter how many times Gabriella reassured him that she was ok and it was just because she was due now any day that was making her feel the way she was, Troy was still worried. Troy suddenly felt Gabriella flinch in his arms.
"Ella, are you ok?" Troy watched as Gabriella's face grimaced as she took a deep breath.
"Troy I think I'm having contractions." Gabriella said as she held her hand to her stomach. Troy quickly moved from his position behind her and helped her lean back.
"Just stay there and I'm going to grab some shoes and your bag." Gabriella nodded as she took deep breaths and watched Troy run off. She knew she was in a lot of pain which worried her.
Troy quickly grabbed Gabriella's bag and slipped some shoes on as he grabbed his cell phone that was on the side of the bed along with Gabriella's before running back down to his wife who was trying her best to remember everything they had been told she needed to do.
"Ok, do you think you can walk or do I need to carry you?" Troy asked.
"I think I can try to walk." Troy nodded as he helped her stand up and wrapped her arm around his neck while he put his arm around her waist to support her as they slowly made their way out to the car.
Arriving at the hospital, Troy quickly ran ahead to get a wheelchair for Gabriella before helping her in and letting the hospital know she was there. The nurse led Gabriella off to a room while Troy filled in the necessary paperwork.
"Thanks." Troy said to one of the nurses who led him to where Gabriella was now. Troy took hold of her hand wishing she wasn't going to have to go through so much pain. Placing a kiss on her forehead, they turned their heads hearing the door open as the doctor arrived.
"I hear we have a baby that is ready to make its grand entrance?" Gabriella and Troy nodded as the doctor examined Gabriella for a few minutes. "Gabriella you are right now 3cm dilated, I am a little concerned at the baby's heartbeat because it is going so fast which suggests that there is some extra distress so I'm going to ask someone to keep an eye on that and we can just hope that it will settle down and it's just all the movement and labour that is causing it, ok?" Gabriella looked at Troy worried as he nodded at the doctor. "I'll be back shortly to check on you and the baby." The doctor left as Troy held Gabriella's head close to his chest trying to assure her that everything would be ok knowing that words right now just didn't seem right.
An hour later, thankfully the baby's heartbeat had gone back to a slower but still strong heartbeat which made Gabriella and Troy feel a whole lot better. Gabriella was now 5cm dilated and she was in a lot of pain when the contractions came but she didn't let Troy know thinking it was probably normal and didn't want to worry him anymore.
"How you feeling?" Troy asked as Gabriella smiled at him softly.
"Tired, hoping that this baby is going to come soon." Troy gently kissed her sweaty forehead.
"Hopefully not too much longer now; you heard the doctor, you're moving along quite quickly again now and are at 8cm so you shouldn't be too much longer and then we will get to meet our baby." Gabriella smiled before a frown came over her face as she gripped Troy's hand as another contraction hit.
After a couple more hours, Gabriella was fully dilated and quickly moved down to theatre ready to start delivering. She gripped Troy's hand hard as the doctor instructed her to start pushing.
"Gabriella I want you to give another push on three. One, two, three push." Gabriella pushed with all her strength, which was already weakening from the pain she had been in earlier and how long she had been in labour.
"You can do this Gabi." Troy whispered in her ear.
"Ok, I can see the baby's head so, on this next one I'm going to guide its shoulder's through and soon we will have baby Bolton in the world." Gabriella nodded as the doctor gave her the nod to start pushing. After one last push, a cry filled the room as Gabriella fell back exhausted and feeling very weak and Troy smiled looking at their baby. "It's a girl. Congratulations mommy and daddy." The baby was placed straight on Gabriella's chest as Troy cut the cord and went back to his two girls, gently touching their daughter's forehead after Gabriella wiped it softly.
"She's perfect. I'm so proud of you Ella." Troy proudly said as she handed the baby to Troy who held her a few moments before the nurse took her to clean her up.
'Perfect' Gabriella said, agreeing.
'She looks like you' he whispered.
'No' Gabriella was firm, although her voice was weak, 'she looks like you'
Troy lifted his head,
'She's a perfect mix of both of us' he said, smiling.
Gabriella grinned, stroking her baby girl's soft, downy hair.
Her eyes felt so heavy, so, so heavy. She could see a haze sliding over her vision, it felt so good. If she could just close her eyes...
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
'What's going on?' Troy asked.
'I don't know, we'll soon figure it out though. Whatever you do, don't let your wife close her eyes!' the Doctor ordered.
'Gabi, Gabs, come on, eyes open, please Ella' Troy pleaded.
She forced herself to open her eyes with all her might.
'So bright, Troy' she mumbled, trying to close them.
'Don't let her close them!' the Doctor shouted.
'Ella! Wake up now! Don't you dare close your eyes!' Troy commanded, shaking her.
Gabriella opened them slowly once again.
'Why?' she whispered, although her voice seemed to ring loudly in her ears.
'Just don't Ella, don't close your eyes, stay awake, look! Look at our little girl!' Troy said, creating a diversion from her going to sleep, he rocked the baby girl in front of Gabriella.
This seemed to work, although she didn't have enough strength to turn her whole body, Gabriella managed to move her head, she smiled at the sight.
'Baby' she murmured.
'That's right, our baby girl, what shall we call her?' Troy asked, trying desperately to ignore the bleeping and the sound of worried doctors.
'Baby' Gabriella repeated.
Troy went pale, what was happening?
'What the hell is going on?' he shouted.
'Mr Bolton, I need you to step outside please, with me now' one of the doctors said.
'No! I'm staying here!' he yelled.
'Outside Mr Bolton if you want to have any chance of your wife surviving!'
Troy's heart stopped, he just stared at the man.
All the other nurses and surgeons stared at the doctor, you weren't supposed to shout like that, or tell patients loved one their wife is dying, in that way.
'Surviving?' Troy whispered.
'Follow me' the doctor said.
Before he did so, Troy walked over to Gabriella.
'Ella, baby, whatever you do, don't close your eyes, don't leave me, promise me you won't?'
Gabriella moved her head and stared straight into the icy blue eyes she loved so much, with all her heart.
'Promise' she confirmed.
Troy smiled slightly, kissing her forehead and followed the doctor.
'Tell me what the fuck is going on!' Troy screamed.
This resulted in the baby in his arms crying. Troy instantly began rocking her, soothingly from side to side.
'Your wife is in dire need of a blood transfusion, she is having what we think is a haemorrhage.'
'Well give her a transfusion then! What are you waiting for?'
'Mr Bolton, if you'd let me finish, you wife is in dire need of a blood transfusion, but we don't have the blood'.
It took a moment for Troy to digest this.
'WHAT!' he roared, completely undoing all the soothing he'd just managed to do with the baby.
'HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE ANY BLOOD! YOU'RE A FUCKING HOSPITAL!'
'Mr Bolton, I understand you are angry right now-'
'Oh HELL NO! I'm not angry, I'M ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!' Troy yelled in his face.
'We do have blood, but your wife has a very rare blood type, very rare, which we need for the transfusion'
'I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO, JUST GIVE HER THE FUCKING TRANSFUSION!' Troy screamed, the veins in his neck sticking out.
'Mr Bolton, that is what I'm trying to tell you, we will give her the transfusion, as soon as it arrives from the other hospital, we've had to send out for it. I suggest you stay with your wife and baby girl for now, it may be your last chance'
Troy broke down at these last words. He stroked the baby's cheek with his little finger, and kissed her forehead.
Wiping the tears from his face, he walked back to his wife.
Seeing she'd closed her eyes again, he ran towards her.
'ELLA! OPEN YOUR EYES!' he yelled desperately.
Gabriella heard a voice, far away. Calling her name, but there was another voice, telling her to forget the other one. The second voice was promising peace, no bright lights, it said it was good, it felt good, it felt like she should agree.
'Ella, I love you' Troy whispered in her ear, fearing it would be the last chance he got to say it.
There it was again, the first voice, and this time Gabriella knew who it was. It was Troy, she loved Troy. She knew Troy was good, so the second voice must be the bad one. Troy wouldn't hurt her. No, she'd go to Troy.
'Troy' she murmured.
'Yes, yes, Ella, I'm here baby, I'm here' Troy responded desperately.
Troy gripped her hand, kissing it over and over, the baby in his firm grasp in the other arm.
'The other voice Troy, the other voice, he wants me to go with him' Gabriella told him.
She seemed to be struggling, wriggling.
'Will someone dim the lights!' Troy shouted.
His request was answered, it wasn't a lot, but it was a noticeable change to darkness.
'El, open your eyes baby' Troy encouraged.
Gabriella squinted, expecting bright, dazzling beams, but instead, it was as if dusk had drawn.
She looked at Troy and repeated,
'The other voice, the other voice Troy, he wants me to go with him'
Troy shook his head, oblivious to the worried glances exchanged between the medical staff.
'No, stay here with me sweetheart'
'He wants me to go, he said it will be nice and calm, but then you were the other voice'
Troy nodded, urging her on, glad she was speaking.
'I knew you were the other voice, I knew you wouldn't hurt me. I knew I loved you'
'I love you too' Troy began, but he was silenced by another doctor, Troy sensed it was important what she was saying, and let her continue.
'But the other voice, he said he loved me more, he said he'd prove it, and take me somewhere brilliant, somewhere where no bright lights would hurt my eyes, but then I heard you again, and-and-and'
'And' Troy willed her on.
'And I told him, I told him you'd never hurt me, and I love you, so, so I left him. I came to you. I don't want to go to him. He's lying, I know you're not lying. You're not lying are you?' Gabriella asked in whispered tones.
'No, no I'm not lying' Troy answered.
Gabriella smiled at him, then laid a hand on the baby's head.
'Mr Bolton, can I see you for a minute?' another doctor asked.
Troy agreed, laying the baby in a cot next to Gabriella, where she could stroke her head.
'What is it?' Troy asked.
'Mr Bolton, what your wife just said, it's very serious'
'So you've heard it before?' Troy asked.
'Not exactly, but there's a theory, that when someone is dying, they have a battle inside their minds. There's one voice, which is usually the persons loved ones, begging them to stay alive, and then there's the second voice-' the doctor finished, unable to say who the second voice was.
'The second voice, it's Death, isn't it?' Troy asked.
The doctor could only nod.
'Right' Troy said quietly.
'But Mr Bolton, nowhere, in this theory, does the first voice succeed. Death always conquers, that's the way the world goes round, Death comes to everyone'
'Sometimes a damn site earlier than it should be' Troy snarled.
'Naturally, Mr Bolton, I know you're seething right now, but you should know, something special occurred here just now, your wife, she came back from almost death, on her own accord. That never happens, you Mr Bolton, somehow gave your wife the strength to pull back from Death'
'How long?' Troy asked shakingly.
'The blood can't arrive until tomorrow'
'How long?' Troy repeated.
'She has less than 5 hours without the blood' the Doctor answered.
All the colour drained from Troy's face.
5 hours? Only 5 hours left to be with the one he loved most in the entire, wicked world.
'Mr Bolton, I'd use this chance to allow friends and family to say goodbye, then if I were you, I'd spend the last few hours with just you, your wife and your daughter' the Doctor advised.
Troy agreed, slowly, he made his way to the waiting room.
'Troy!' they yelled, jumping up excitedly, they didn't know.
'What is it?' Sharpay questioned.
'A girl' he responded.
He was overpowered by hugs and slaps on the back when suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.
'SHE'S DYING!' he yelled.
Everyone instantly stopped, every smile wiped off their face, all colour drained.
'W-what?'
'Ella, she needs blood, but they don't have it' he said.
'What do you mean they don't have it?' Sharpay asked with attitude, anger flaring inside of her.
'I MEAN THEY DON'T HAVE IT!' Troy yelled.
He didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with stupid questions like that.
Sharpay was immediately silenced. It was usually her the one that silenced others, and as she was so close to Troy and Gabriella, it hurt her to be shouted at like that.
'I want you to see her, but you can't let her know she's dying, I don't want her to know. I want her to live her life to the full till the very end. I don't want it all morbid. She loves you all, do her the courtesy of allowing her happiness for the last time' Troy said.
'Troy, dude, you know we love you, you also know we love Gabi, we'd do anything-' Chad began.
'Anything. You'd do anything to save her? You'd do anything to make this right? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'D DO CHAD! FOR FUCKS SAKE FOR ONCE IN YOUR WHOLE FUCKING LIFE WOULD YOU THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!'
Troy had lost it. The one thing he treasured most, was leaving. The one person that could soothe him in situations like this, was dying.
It was then that Troy noticed Gabriella's mother, Arlene. She'd sat down on the bench and had her head in her hands.
He realised it must hurt as much for her as it did for him. Sure, all their friends would be torn up inside, but they could move on, they could have children with the people they love. All that was taken away from Troy. And Arlene, she'd lose her only child, her dearest child.
Sharpay, sensing they obviously needed time alone, ushered the others out and made their way to Gabriella's room. Tears coursing down all their cheeks, even the men's. Gabi was their baby sister, their joker, she kept them all together when there was a fight. She was their little protector and it hurt them that they couldn't protect her now, when she needed it most.
He walked over to her,
'I'm sorry' he whispered.
'Don't be' Arlene responded, looking up. 'You gave my daughter a brilliant life, she loves you with every fibre of her being, you gave her a reason to be happy. For that I will be forever grateful towards you'
'I'm no saint' Troy disagreed.
'I agree with you, you're not a saint, and neither am I, but for what it's worth, in my eyes, you always will be, my daughter found her true love in you, therefore you will always remain in my heart'
Troy broke down into tears. Allowing himself to be comforted by his wife's mother.
'Troy, you mustn't dread death, but you must face it. You must acknowledge it and then fight it as fiercely as you can. You must caution it with the thing it hates most'
'What's that?'
'Acceptance, you must accept the inevitable. You might not agree with it and you sure as hell might not like it, but you must. This way you live the last moments to the full, never letting it get you down.'
'So I have to accept the fact that the love of my life is dying and I can't do anything about it?' Troy asked menacingly.
'Yes, or you could accept the fact that God does as he sees fit, and as one life enters, another must exit. Gabriella is simply being the generous and wonderful girl she always is, and is making way for others, as she has done her whole life.'
Troy nodded, he understood.
With Gabriella
Sharpay walked in, followed by the others. They had all wiped their faces clean of tears so as not to worry Gabriella, but as soon as they saw her, fresh ones came pouring out onto their cheeks.
Gabriella laughed weakly at the sight of them.
'I never knew you were one for crying Chad' she said softly.
'I am now' he answered, 'some things change, they get put in a different perspective you know? And once you know-once you know life isn't all it's cracked up to be, you stop worrying about images and appearances. It's the people you love that count'
'Gee, Chad, I had a baby, it's not a funeral' she said, not realising she was being horribly ironic.
Sharpay sobbed loudly at this statement, causing Gabriella to face her.
'What's wrong Shar?' she asked.
'I just can't believe you two have made such a cute baby' she wailed.
Gabriella smiled, 'she is gorgeous isn't she?'
Everyone agreed, she had blue eyes, although they were starting to show signs of maybe changing, as most babies' do. Her hair wasn't exactly thick, but it was definitely there, it had blonde wispy bits at the side, although it was darker towards the top. Her cute button nose was identical to her mothers. And her mouth was perfectly formed.
'So what do you think, will I make a great Mom?' she asked them.
No-one answered, until Sharpay carefully placed herself on the bed and put her hand on top of Gabriella's.
'You'll make a great Mom' she assured.
At this moment, Troy walked in closely followed by Arlene.
'Mom! Say hello to your baby girl's baby girl!' Gabriella said, her voice scratching her throat.
Troy watched, the back of his throat burning, his eyes stinging. This wasn't how it was meant to be. He was supposed to be crying for joy. Instead, he was crying on the inside, trying to hide it from his dying wife, so she could be spared the hurt he was feeling right now. So she could leave this world without pain, without tears, but with love.
2 hours later
Everyone had left, all having decided to keep the secret from Gabriella, loving her too much to want to hurt her, even her own mother. The only one left, was Troy.
God how much he loved her. How much time he had wasted, being away from her. A whole month he'd spent on a business trip. A whole wasted month they could've spent together.
Slowly, Troy made his way back to Gabriella's room. Not wanting to waste any more time apart, but also not wanting to greet Death. He knew he only had a couple of hours, and he wanted to spend it as it should be, all three of them, together.
'Hey' Gabriella said weakly, as Troy entered.
Troy managed a smile, although it was hard to ignore the constant beeping from the countless machines.
'I thought of a name' Gabriella told him, smiling.
'Really? That's good baby, what is it?' Troy asked, walking over to the bed and picking his little girl up.
'Ava' Gabriella replied, watching her daughter.
'I think it's perfect' he told her, kissing her cheek.
'Troy, I know I'm dying' Gabriella said.
Troy's head snapped up, staring at her.
'W-what?' he asked.
'Come on baby, you really think new moms have all these machines keeping track of them? Besides, I did study medicine for a while; I know I need blood Troy. I also know they don't have it'
'I'm so sorry Ella, I'm so sorry, I tried, I did try' Troy insisted.
'I know you did, I know' Gabriella responded.
A couple of minutes silence ensued; both parents watching their little girl sleep.
'Look after her Troy' Gabriella told him.
Troy lifted his head,
'I promise' he whispered.
Gabriella closed her eyes as Troy leaned down for a kiss.
When they pulled apart, Troy, not wanting to be separate from Gabi for too long, laid Ava back in her cot.
'No, wait, I want to kiss her goodbye' Gabriella said, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Troy passed her over, the tears also running down his face.
'Bye bye, baby girl. I want you to know that I loved you, ever since I knew you were coming. Me and your daddy, we waited all this time for you to come along, and I know this isn't how we imagined having you. I always thought we'd raise you, and maybe when you got a little bigger, have some more children, so you'd never be lonely. I'm sorry sweetheart, that I can't do that for you, but I know Daddy will look after you, he'll love you forever, just like I will. Bye bye angel, my gorgeous little Ava, bye bye sweetheart.' She whispered.
She kissed the top of Ava's head, before breathing in her smell one last time, and then she placed her in the cot next to the bed.
'Will you tell me one thing?' Troy asked.
Gabriella brushed away the tears that were forming and nodded.
'Did you ever think I might not love you?'
'There was one time, in High School, where I thought you wanted out of our relationship. Whenever I saw you, you were with the cheerleaders or with other girls, and when I called you over, you seemed like you didn't want to come.'
'Is that the time when I searched the whole school for you and couldn't find you?'
Gabriella nodded again.
'The truth is, we hide so we can be found, we walk away to see who follows, we cry to see who will wipe away our tears and we let our hearts get broken to see who will fix them. You found me, you followed me all those times, you wiped away my tears, and most of all, you fixed my broken heart. You may not know it, but my heart had been broken for a long time, ever since my parents split. Then I met you and you healed it' she told him.
'No-one's going to be around to wipe my tears though, or fix my broken heart. Once you've gone, there'll be no-one left' Troy said.
'Yes there will, there's Ava. Let her heal your heart Troy. Let her be me. Let her be the one light in your life that is never put out. She'll fix your heart Troy, in her own time. You'll see.'
Troy climbed into the bed with Gabriella. First, he switched every single machine off, stopping their incessant beeping.
'What did you do that for?' Gabriella asked.
'I don't want to hear all that noise, I just want you and me to be together, just us, no noise' Troy answered.
'But then you won't know when I-' she stopped herself, unable to say it.
'I know, I don't want to, I just want to hold you in my arms, loving you until it happens'
Gabriella nodded, moving over slightly to allow him room.
'I love you Troy, you know that don't you? I want you to be happy'
'I love you too Ella, always and forever'
'Kiss me' Gabriella said, closing her eyes.
Troy leaned in, pulling her close, and kissed her. As his eyes squeezed shut, tears slid out of the corners. But still he kissed her, fearing it may be the last.
When they broke apart, Gabriella looked into his eyes.
'Don't let them know' she whispered, 'don't tell them I knew, tell them I fell asleep looking forward to tomorrow, please, don't tell them I knew'.
Troy nodded as she buried her head into his neck, breathing in his smell.
'Go to sleep baby. But before you do, just know, I'm not leaving your side, wherever you go, I will always be there, and I know that wherever I go, you will never be gone because you will always have this space in my heart, this irreplaceable space that no-one can take. I will love you forever, and I'll raise Ava the best I can, telling her how wonderful her mother was, how beautiful and treasured she was. I love you, and I can't believe this is happening, but I want you to know that, I never stopped loving you Ella, never, and I never will' Troy whispered into her ear.
Gabriella looked up at her husband, at the one man she loved, at the one person in the entire world who knew her best.
'You took the words right out of my mouth' she said as she smiled, 'I love you too Troy, and I know you love me, so don't for one second, no matter what you read or anyone tells you, believe that I didn't. Because I can see how much you love me, and I just hope that you can see how much I love you, 'cause you know, I think falling in love with you was the best idea I ever had'
Troy pressed his mouth to hers, their noses touching.
'I love you' they whispered at the same time.
Smiling, Troy pulled Gabriella even closer, and closed his eyes, as did she. They fell asleep, trying to forget that this would be the last time they would be together on earth.
