New Concerns

Author's Note: Hey everyone! So I am pretty much recovering from my science exam and just taking myself out of my world to present this new chapter. Ten or more reviews if you want an update please!

Chapter Summary: It has been several months since Victor's attack and Ethan still has not woken up. Troy and Gabriella think that Victor is gone, but one phone call and knocks at three in the morning proved them wrong.


There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem.

- Harold Stephens

--

It had been five months since the car crash and Ethan was still comatose, Gabriella was now almost eight months pregnant and Victor was nowhere to be found. Police believed that he had fled to Canada or had changed his name. Whatever assumption the police made, it only led back to one thing; Victor got away and left Troy's family broken to pieces. Ethan remained in the same condition; he didn't get worse or get better. As soon as Troy was finished shooting his scenes for his movie, he would go straight to the hospital and stay with Ethan. He would normally find Gabriella already there and they both just sat with Ethan in a silence. They would always stay with him for two or three hours, just so they could stay with him. There was no way for doctors to indicate whether he had gone into a vegetative state, but they talked to him, hoping that he would hear them and eventually wake up.

The events that happened with Victor had put a strain on Troy and Gabriella's relationship. Troy had to work everyday and Gabriella had to stay at home to work on her designs and she had to deal with her pregnancy on her own. Due to Ethan's condition, Troy and Gabriella had to decline the offer they put on the new house, which was a disappointment to Troy. Troy and Gabriella soon found that they were always arguing and getting upset over the smallest things. Due to Gabriella working at home, taking care of the new baby and worrying about Ethan has caused her to be almost twenty pounds underweight for a pregnant woman. Troy also noticed how much their fighting and bickering has taken a toll on their sex life. Several tabloids began to make stories about their relationship and told stories about how their marriage wasn't going to last very long. Their relationship was beginning to dwindle, but Troy refused to let it break apart. He knew he and Gabriella were just going through a rough patch; everything would get better eventually.

Troy was at Tess and Philip's restaurant, waiting for Tess to come with his order. He had told Wayne that he needed to take a week off work; the stress was too much for him to handle. He felt wrong going to work everyday when his wife was pregnant and his son was in the hospital dying. He wanted to be there for his family; he felt like he hadn't done that for them. They were all counting on him and he couldn't let them down. He sighed as he ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, patiently waiting for his order. Maybe he should do something special for Gabriella. They hadn't had date night since that night when Victor crashed his car into theirs. They had been arguing so much lately and he didn't want her to think that he was falling out of love with her. He had to assure her that he was still very much in love with her. He was shaken from his thoughts when he felt Tess tap his shoulder. She smiled when she caught his attention and held out three Styrofoam boxes for Troy to take.

"Here is your order, Troy. We have your caramel crunch cake in one box, olive pizza with fries in the other and chocolate fudge cake with extra whipped cream and chocolate sauce in the other. Looks like someone is hungry." Tess teased with a smirk. Troy smiled halfheartedly as he took the boxes of food from Tess.

"No, it's Gabriella. Her cravings have kicked in and it's always the husband's job to satisfy those cravings." Troy quickly explained, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice. Tess nodded her head and sighed as she cleaned off her star wars shirt that Philip gave her.

"Listen Troy, if you ever want me to stay at home with Gabriella while you go out and work on your movie, don't be afraid to call. Nothing means more to me than making sure that she has an easy pregnancy and I want you not to worry so much. I can see through that smile of yours; I know what's real and what's not." Tess told Troy with a sweet smile and caring eyes. Troy nodded his head with an appreciative smile. He really needed those words of comfort.

"Thanks Tess. I'll take you up on that offer. Hey, where's Phil? I feel like I haven't talked to him in days." Troy stated, finding it strange that Phil hadn't called him or stopped by to visit the past few days. Tess looked both ways before shrugging her shoulders at Troy.

"To be honest, I really don't know. Last time I checked, he went to the store down the road to get some more lemons. You want me to call him?" Tess offered. Troy shook his head with a sigh. He really would've liked to have seen Philip; he was always able to make him feel better.

"No, it's okay. I'll call him later tonight. Take it easy." Troy said as he left the restaurant and went to his car. Troy sat in his car and he thought to himself. That was weird. Philip wasn't there and Tess seemed perfectly okay. Troy knew that everything was okay, but Troy just felt a vibe. The vibe he felt was almost enough to make him feel uneasy and worried.

Troy ultimately decided that he wouldn't worry about it and he began to drive home to Gabriella. Before Troy left to satisfy Gabriella's cravings, Gabriella was in her design studio, making clothes for the baby. Gabriella had Taylor take her to her ultrasound and she found out what their baby was going to be. But Gabriella didn't tell Troy what the baby was; she wanted him to be surprised. She already had the nursery all designed and decorated but she locked the door and hid the key so Troy wouldn't find it. And she was sure to block the windows from the outside so Troy wouldn't get creative. Troy knew that she was trying to take care of the baby so Troy could take care of Ethan. Troy knew that she felt bad getting ready for the new baby when Ethan was in the hospital. She felt bad about doting over her unborn baby when her other child was in the hospital dying.

Troy continued to drive home when the sudden sound of his cell phone ringing was heard through the car. Troy saw that his cell phone was resting on the passengers' seat next to him. He extended a long hand and he clutched onto his phone and he looked down at the caller ID. He raised his eyebrows at the ID. It was Philip calling him. Did Tess call him and tell him that Troy had been asking for him? He didn't want Philip to think that there was an emergency and he had to call Troy right away. Troy flipped the phone open and he put the phone to his ear and mouth and he began to speak into the phone.

"Hey Phil, what's going on? I haven't seen you for days what's up?" Troy asked casually, waiting to hear Philip's laid back voice. But he didn't; he heard a long awkward pause. After repeating his name several times, he finally got a response. But it wasn't from Philip.

"Did you miss me?" A dangerously low voice asked. Troy was so taken aback that he almost swerved off the road. It was Victor; he was back. He was back for Gabriella. Anger had boiled up in Troy as soon as he heard Victor's voice.

"What the hell are you doing calling me Victor?! The next time I see you, I am going to rip you apart!" Troy threatened through his hissed teeth. Victor cackled through the phone.

"Still a little pissed off I see. Well, I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk to me. However there is someone here who wants to talk to you." Victor informed. Troy could hear the phone being moved around and soon enough, Troy could hear heavy breathing right in his ear.

"Troy! Troy, don't do what Victor tells you! Don't think of me; think of Gabriella and Ethan and that other baby! Troy…" Philip's panicked voice was soon faded out. A panic erupted in Troy.

"Phil! Oh god, Phil! Victor, don't touch Phil! He has nothing to do with any of this." Troy pleaded, fearing for his friend's life. Victor chuckled once more before telling Troy what he wanted to hear.

"You're right he doesn't have anything to do with this, but I had to get your number since you changed your home number. There is only one way that I will stop this. But you have to do what I say or else the terror will never stop and your friend here will die." Victor told Troy with pure evil in his raspy voice. Troy couldn't even talk; he had never met a man so sick in his whole life.

"Not the chatty one I see. Then let's get to business. If you just divorce Gabriella, leave the kids and stay out of her life I will leave you alone. I will leave you and Gabriella and those kids unharmed, but you have to give her to me. If you fail to do so, then I will continue to make your life hell and the only one who will suffer is Gabriella and that little unborn baby. I will stop at nothing until that baby is harmed if you fail to do so." Victor threatened, his low and evil voice sending chills down Troy's back.

"No. You are sick. I swear to God, I am going to hunt you down and I am going to kill you!" Troy half hollered into the phone. Victor did not hesitate to holler back at Troy.

"What did you just say?! What did you say to me you little shit?!" Victor screamed into the phone, the screaming hurting Troy's ear. But Troy didn't falter; he was going to fight this man if it was the last thing he did. No one was going to hurt his family if it was the last thing he did.

"You heard me! I am going to kill you. If you think that I would even think about abandoning my family just so you can force Gabriella into a life she doesn't want to have, then you don't know me. I don't listen to freaks." Troy angrily replied, not letting Victor win over him. He could hear Victor breathing heavily, like he had just been jogging for a few hours and he was tired and desperate for thirst.

"If you say anything to me that I don't like, you know who will have to pay the consequences. Not you, not Ethan, hell it's not even Gabriella! It will be that little baby. That sweet, little unborn baby that you are constantly doting over, will only live and die inside Gabriella. And I will stop at nothing until I make sure that it comes true." Victor hissed into the phone, his anger obvious and the horrid truth showing. Anger brewed up inside Troy as well. He wasn't just going to let that threat pass him by. He couldn't let Victor think that he was dominant over Troy.

"If you think that will happen, you're wrong as usual Victor. You're not going to win; you're going to fail and you will leave my family alone. If the police don't do anything about it, then I will take things into my own hands!" Troy screamed into the phone, unaware of just how much anger was in his voice. For the longest time, there was a silence. There was a dead silence. There were no sounds from Victor or Philip. There was no indication that they were still connected. Troy looked at is phone several times and saw they were still connected. Troy said Victor's name several times, trying to indicate if Victor was still on the phone. Just as Troy was prepared to hang up, he then heard Victor's wicked laugh on the other end and Philip's desperate pleas.

"You shouldn't have said that, Bolton. If I don't get to your little boy, then I would make sure that you're awake at midnight or else..." Victor told him in an eerie voice, before hanging up to the sound of Philip's screams. Troy's eyes were wide and his face was frozen as he listened to the ringing on the phone, indicating that Victor hung up on him. When the feeling finally came back to his fingers, Troy hung up his phone and drove in a daze. When he was fully conscious, Troy reopened his phone and he called Chad's cell phone, waiting for him to pick up.

"Hello?" Chad's voice answered. Troy sighed in relief and rushed into conversation.

"Chad, I need you to call my security and get them to stay at the hospital with Ethan all day and night okay?" Troy asked Chad, almost begging. Chad noticed something wrong.

"What's going on man? You sound panicked." Chad stated with worry. That was an understatement.

"Victor's back. He just called on Philip's phone. He's got Phil. Man, he made a threat against Ethan and the baby. Please tell security not to leave Ethan until I call and not to allow any visitors, unless it is me or Gabriella. Is that understood?" Troy frantically asked, rushing home to Gabriella by that point.

"I understand. I'll get right on that boss." Chad said before quickly hanging up. Troy flipped his phone off and he sped home. He could only imagine what Victor was doing to Philip and how far or close he was to Gabriella. When would this all end?

--

Troy groaned tiredly as he looked at the clock. The time was almost three in the morning. Victor said he would come at midnight. If Victor didn't come to his house, did that mean that he went to the hospital to see Ethan? Troy ditched that fear. He had just got off the phone with his security and they claimed that Ethan was fine and that Victor didn't show up. As soon as Troy got home, he called the police and told them about Victor's threat and they sent two police officers to stay on lookout for the night. Even though he knew that the police officers were going to be looking out for them, Troy refused to fall asleep. He was exhausted and he was becoming pale but he refused to fall asleep. He couldn't let his family get hurt.

Troy held back a yawn as he rested his head down on the kitchen table. It couldn't hurt to rest for five minutes. As he settled his head down on the table, his eyes began to grow heavy and he slowly began to close his eyes. He couldn't help but sigh in comfort. He may not have been in the most comfortable spot, but he was more comfortable than he had been in days. Troy struggled to keep his eyes open, until he felt a gentle touch run up and down his back. He lifted his head and saw Gabriella standing behind him with eyes full of worry. Gabriella wore white pajamas with black flower print and she looked just as tired as Troy did. Her pregnant belly was seen under her pajamas shirt, but she seemed so frail. The stress was obviously getting to her. Troy slowly lifted his head off the table and he turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her tumescent stomach.

"Hey, you should be in bed." Troy whispered as he placed a kiss on her pregnant belly. Gabriella only stared at him as she ran her hands through his hair.

"So should you." Gabriella whispered back to him. Troy sighed as he released her from his hold and watched as she took a seat next to him. They could see the stress in one another's eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to wait for the police to tell us that everything is clear." Troy explained, the fatigue clearly showing in his voice. Gabriella shook her head as she took Troy's hand in hers.

"Troy, it's three in the morning. I'm worried about you when I see the dark circles under your eyes. This isn't healthy." Gabriella told Troy with concern in her voice. Troy stared at her, almost offended by her words.

"Don't you want to get this guy? Don't you want to stop the man who put our son in a coma and almost cost this baby its life? If you do, then I suggest you stop worrying about me sleeping and worry about how I'm going to catch this guy!" Troy harshly stated, the stress and exhaustion getting to him. Gabriella stared at him with hurt and insulted eyes. She knew that she and Troy weren't going through a good time, but this was ridiculous. It may have just been her hormones acting up, but tears began to form in her eyes. She looked away from Troy as they brimmed around her eyes.

"I'm going back to bed." Gabriella quickly stated as she jumped from her seat and ran for the stairs. Guilt soon took over Troy.

"Gabriella…" Troy called for her in a soothing voice, but she was long gone up the stairs. Troy sighed again as he ran a hand through his hair. He knew that he was just trying to get a point across to Gabriella, but when he saw her reaction he felt terrible. He knew that it was part of her pregnancy hormones, but he wished that she weren't so sensitive. Troy got up to go and apologize to Gabriella, when a sudden knock at the door was heard. Troy was very careful to open up the door as slowly as he could. He didn't know who it could've been. Troy sighed in relief when he saw one of the police officers holding a paper package.

"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Bolton, but some clown came by and gave us this. And I'm not kidding around when I say a clown came by; he told us to give this to you." The officer said, handing Troy the package. Troy took the package and he walked to his dinner table, allowing the police officer in the house. Troy ripped off the brown paper and he opened the box and he nearly screamed at the sight inside the box.

There was blood. Not a lot, but it was enough to let Troy know that someone needed stitches. It must've been Philip's blood. Under all the blood, Troy saw a photo. Troy grabbed the photo and he used a nearby kitchen cloth to wipe away the blood. He froze at the sight. It was one of Gabriella's model shots. This was from Victor. Troy examined the photo and when he turned the photo around, the words 'She's next' was written in big black letters, with Victor's initials scribbled at the bottom. Troy's hands were shaking as he handed the bloody photo and note to the officer, who began to inspect the photo. This threat was real; Gabriella was now a potential victim. And this time, Victor wouldn't stop until she was dead.

"We'll look into this Mr. Bolton. In the mean time, you need to rest." The officer told Troy as he took the photo and the package away and left the mansion.

Troy stood in a silence, unsure of what to say and do. This nightmare was real. He couldn't wake up. He couldn't even scream. He had to get out of this nightmare. Victor wasn't going to stop until he had Gabriella. Troy bolted to the stairs and he jogged up the stairs and he headed for his bedroom where he knew Gabriella would be asleep. He walked into his room and he saw Gabriella's sleeping form on their bed. She was safe; Victor hadn't crawled in through their window to hurt her. With a deep sigh of relief, Troy walked over to their bed and he stood over his wife's sleeping form. He knotted his fingers through her hair before lowering himself down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. She stirred at the gentle touch and her moderate breathing was all Troy could hear. Troy smiled weakly, but it didn't meet his eyes as he crawled in bed next to his wife and he wrapped an arm around his wife, resting his hand on her stomach, where he could feel the baby kicking. It was as if the baby were kicking to say 'be strong daddy, I need you'. Troy closed his eyes as the thought. Everybody needed him.

Gabriella needed him.

Ethan and the baby needed him.

Chad, Taylor, Sharpay and Ryan needed him.

Philip needed him.

And for whatever sick and inhumane reason he had, Victor needed him.

It was time for Troy to be concerned.

To be continued…


Please read and review guys!! Alanna xo