Title- Angel's Lullaby, Alternate Ending
Author- a2.MI.Pride
Fandom/Pairing- High School Musical/Troyella
Rating- K+
Notes- Drum roll please! Here it is, people: the original ending to my "Angel's Lullaby" series! Because I labeled the story as a tragedy, I kept the ending tragic, so some of you may want to have a couple of tissues handy. I don't know whether or not I overdid this and made it a complete mess, but I hope it will bring some tears, LOL. Anyway, read on and give me some feedback!
.o.O.o.
Gabriella sat on the windowsill in Zac's dark nursery with Haidee tucked in next to her and Zac wrapped in her arms, watching both of them sleep, in a frozen kind of trance. She closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. Today had been the longest day of her life, and all she wanted was to wake up and discover that it had all just been a terrible nightmare. All she wanted to do was open her eyes and find herself in bed, tucked snuggly in Troy's strong embrace and to hear his familiar soft snoring. Gabriella squeezed her eyes tighter and pursed her lips so the tears wouldn't run and her sobs wouldn't sound. Troy…
5 days earlier
"Open up, Zacky! Here comes the choo-choo train!" Gabriella cooed at her baby boy, moving the spoonful of baby food towards his mouth and resting the spoon on his smiling lips. Zac gave a bubbly baby laugh. "Come on! Open up!" She smiled as he obeyed and put the food into his mouth. Behind her, the door slammed open and a bright voice sounded.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Gabriella rose from the stool she'd been sitting on and turned to face the little six-year-old who had shouted for her. She smiled as she saw her daughter running towards her, a cheerful grin lighting up her face and Troy closing the door behind her. She put down the spoon and embraced Haidee, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Hey, cariña," Gabriella greeted her. "How was school?"
"It was great! Mrs. Tracy says that my writing's improved a lot since last year, and my math is still really good. But I kinda don't want it to be that good, 'cause then she's gonna put me in that special program thing for 'gifted' kids and that's just gonna make me miss basketball after school." Haidee chattered happily as she climbed onto a chair in order to reach her little brother on his high chair. "Hey, Zac-attack!" The little girl planted a big kiss on his nose and hopped back down again. "Well, I'm just gonna go do my homework now." Haidee declared, and she skipped off to her bedroom, backpack bouncing on her back.
Gabriella watched her, laughing, and suddenly found herself enclosed in a strong embrace. She turned to face her husband and looked up into his bright eyes.
"Hello, stranger." The young woman greeted him with a smile.
"Hi," Troy grinned, leaning down to give her a kiss.
Gabriella kissed him back then turned to clear up Zac's clean plate and spoon. "Did you have a good practice?" She placed the plate and spoon in the sink and started to rinse them.
Troy nodded as he gently wiped his son's face and hands, smiling. "It was great. The coach was worried about whether or not we were gonna be down with jet lag today, but no worries now. I'm pretty sure we're gonna be in shape for the match on Friday."
"Well, that's good." Gabriella paused as she put the plate and spoon in the dishwasher. "Troy, you're gonna be home next week, aren't you?"
He looked up at her. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am."
"Good, 'cause you know Haidee's birthday is in a week."
"Of course!" Troy grinned at her. "You think I'd forget our daughter's birthday?" He tsked playfully. "Gabby, you are forever underestimating me."
She laughed and walked towards him. "Well, maybe it's not my estimating. Maybe you're just surpassing my expectations." Gabriella raised her eyebrows and smirked as her husband looked at her.
Troy grinned and reached out an arm and hooked it around her waist to pull her to his side and kissed her. When they pulled apart, Troy looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Only someone who loves you very, very much could ever 'surpass your expectations'."
Gabriella smiled softly. "I know." She pulled back slightly and watched Troy lift Zac from his high chair. "So what did you get her for her birthday?"
"I'll show you. Come here." Troy carried their baby up the stairs and into the nursery. Gabriella followed curiously. He put Zac down in his playpen and turned to one of the cabinets, rooting through a drawer.
"Aha…" Troy turned to her with a CD in his hand. On the cover, he had scribbled in black marker, "To my special Haidee-bug. I love you!"
"What is it?" Gabriella asked, taking the CD from him and inspecting it.
"Weelll, one of the guys on the team has some… interesting connections. I asked him to hook me up with someone so I could get this thing done, so he made a call and I got to do this on Monday."
"And 'this' is…" Gabriella raised an eyebrow.
Troy paused. "It's a recording. Of me singing 'Angel's Lullaby'."
Gabriella looked at him, surprised. "I thought you swore you were never going to record another song after high school."
Her husband grinned, a little sheepish. "Well, yeah, but I thought she might like this. I know she has trouble sleeping when I'm not there, and since I'm probably gonna be a lot busier this season, she'll at least have this to play when I'm not there."
"Good idea!" Gabriella laughed. "This thing is going to save me a whole bunch of trouble getting her to sleep!" She saddened slightly as she thought about the nights she was going to have to get through alone when he was away at another game. "Even if it won't be as good as the real thing…"
"Hey," he said softly, seeing her expression and pulling her to him. "At least it's something, right? And I'll always be back the next night."
Gabriella hugged him tight. "You better be." She told him, smiling.
Present
"'And I'll always be back the next night'…" Gabriella whispered, holding back tears. "'You better be'…" She opened her eyes and angrily wiped them on her shoulder. She leaned her head back against the cool window and closed her eyes again, to stop more tears from flowing. "You better be, Troy. But somehow, I don't think this time is going to be as easy as the last." A cold chill ran down her back and made her shiver. Suddenly, she was back in that cold, clear hallway, running to keep up with the stretcher that was being rushed to the emergency room.
Six hours earlier
It all seemed like a blur. One moment her world had frozen at the sight of Troy splayed across the stairs, bleeding, the crowd of basketball spectators closing in around him, and the next she was running with the paramedics down the hallway to the emergency room. One of the paramedics turned to her now as they banged through yet another set of doors. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay out here."
"No," she begged. "Please." Gabriella clutched the railing of the stretcher, refusing to let them take her husband away. The paramedics attempted to pry her fingers open, but she still wouldn't move.
"Get her away!" one of them had ordered. Another grabbed her arm and pulled gently. Haidee cried out and Zac had awoken.
Gabriella wrenched herself away. "Troy!" she called him desperately, but the paramedic had caught her arm again and restrained her as Troy was rushed down the corridor. She pulled and writhed helplessly watching them take him away, the cries of their children sounding from what seemed like so far away. But then…
"Dear Lord," one of the paramedics at Troy's side had stopped dead. He stared at the man he had been rushing down the hall. "He's conscious!" The others stopped and gaped for a moment then started calling orders to the people around them. The man who had been tightly gripping Gabriella's arm had slackened his grip and she tore off, fighting to get to Troy with Haidee trailing behind her.
"Troy!" She slipped past one of the people crowding around Troy and frantically grabbed his hand. Troy was conscious. His blue eyes were clouded with pain as he gazed at her. He slowly opened his mouth.
"Gabby." His voice was hoarse, and so quiet that she could barely hear it. She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand, stomach clenching. She felt someone reach for her to pull her back, but another voice whispered, "No. Not yet." By now, Troy's stretcher had reached the emergency room.
"Daddy! Daddy, what's happening?" Haidee had run up to Gabriella's side and tried to raise herself high enough to see him. Tear tracks now ran down Troy's face. He moved his hand and reached through the rails on either side of him to gently touch her face.
"I'm sorry, Haidee-bug," he whispered.
Gabriella clenched her teeth, holding back tears. She then bent her torso over her husband. She put her lips next to his ear. "Promise me you won't leave me yet." She kissed him softly on the lips. "Promise me that won't be the last kiss you give me," she whispered to him desperately.
She barely heard Troy's reply. His voice cracked as he whispered back, "I won't leave you, Gabby. Not now, not ever." Troy weakly reached up to touch her face, then moved his hand to caress his baby boy's tiny head.
Now the paramedics were frantically pushing him away.
"DADDY!" Haidee's screech shattered Gabriella's heart. Haidee still clung onto her father's hand and had started to run to keep up with him. Gabriella saw Troy give their daughter's hand a tight, loving squeeze, and then he let go. She ran towards Haidee and scooped her up with one arm, the other still cradling Zac, and the three watched Troy disappear behind the double doors and let their tears fall freely.
Now, nearly two and a half hours later, she sat in the waiting room. Although Haidee had being hysterical for the first hour they had endured in the waiting room, she was now frozen in her seat, eyes closed, but not sleeping. Since she had last seen her husband, Gabriella's mind had been completely numb. Everything she did she did without thinking. Even as she had soothed her two children, her mind had been absent, all her thoughts with Troy in the emergency room. This isn't happening… This can't be happening… The mantra ran through her head constantly.
"Mrs. Bolton?" Gabriella turned sharply towards the doctor who had called her. He was a tall man still in his long, white overcoat and paper mask although he had already disposed his rubber gloves. Gabriella stood up, careful not to wake her baby boy. Haidee slowly sat up.
Gabriella stood, just staring at the man in front of her, wanting to know everything and dreading to know at the same time. The doctor's eyes were unemotional, telling her nothing. They stared at each other for over a minute, Gabriella's heart tightening painfully with every passing second. Her eyes dared him to tell her anything that might hurt her. Then…
"I'm sorry." As soon as those two words had left the doctor's mouth, Gabriella's world shattered. It felt like her heart had turned into ice and had been smashed.
The doctor was shaking slightly now. "I'm so, so, sorry… Troy Bolton was one of the fiercest fighters I've ever known, but this time, he just wasn't strong enough. No one could've been strong enough."
Behind her mother, Haidee let out the tiniest cry. Gabriella stiffly turned to her, eyes burning, and held out her free arm. Haidee was quick to join her brother in her mother's embrace. Gabriella held her two children for what seemed like ages, then released her daughter and took her hand instead. She turned back to face the doctor who was still standing there.
"Please," she whispered, eyes dry. "I want to see him."
Without another word, the man turned and led them down the corridor. He pushed open the doors and led them to the bed at the far end of the room, surrounded by curtains. Once they had reached the bedside, he drew back the curtains and stepped away to allow them some privacy.
Gabriella stepped forwards, but felt Haidee pull back. She glanced back. The little girl was rooted to the spot, shaking her head furiously, tears streaming down her face. It was obvious that she was refusing to approach the bed. Gabriella felt hot tears well up behind her eyes, but turned back and stepped towards the bedside.
Upon reaching the bedside, Gabriella gazed down at Troy's still face. If it weren't for the unnatural paleness of his face and the stern expression on his mouth, Troy might've been sleeping. Her eyes brushed over his sandy hair, still dark with sweat from the game and clinging to his face. She tried hard not to see the hair near the back of head, also dark, but with blood. Clutching Zac with one arm, she reached her free hand down to brush the hair off of Troy's forehead. She traced a line across his brow and down his cheek and over his lips. A single tear landed on Troy's chest, and she realized that it was hers. Without thinking about it, she kissed her fingers, then pressed them gently onto his lips.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Gabriella turned away and faced the doctor and her daughter again. She met Haidee's icy blue eyes.
"Haidee…" She whispered softly, holding a hand out to the girl, but the six-year-old shook her head yet again. Gabriella beckoned her hand and then Haidee ran to her mother, burying her head in Gabriella's shirt. Even as she cried, Gabriella's daughter was silent. Gabriella held her tightly, rubbing her back.
She looked up and was numbly surprised to see that the doctor who'd been standing off to the side the whole time was still there, wet tracks now showing on his cheeks. The two adults looked at each other for a moment, then Gabriella nodded to him. Arms still around her children, the young mother walked away as the doctor watched.
Present
Gabriella felt her tears threaten to fall again and bit the inside of her cheek, fighting not to lose her composure. Haidee stirred suddenly, and Gabriella opened her eyes to find that Haidee was awake. She sat up slowly, careful not to waken Zac.
"Haidee, I thought you were asleep." She said softly. Her daughter didn't reply.
"Haidee," Gabriella called quietly. Haidee blinked slowly, but didn't face her mother. Gabriella shifted again to see her more clearly and reached out to tuck Haidee's hair behind her ear. "Haidee-bug?"
At this, Haidee jerked angrily away from her mother. Gabriella felt her lower lip begin to tremble and stubbornly pursed her mouth, and then she remembered something. She gently laid Zac down in his cradle, stopping to caress his soft cheek when he stirred slightly, and stood up. She crossed the room to open one of the drawers and took out the CD Troy had hidden in there. For a second, grief overwhelmed her and she stood there, clutching the precious disk. Composing herself, she turned and went to crouch in front of her daughter.
She reached out again and swept the hair off of Haidee's wet face. Her daughter's eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Gabriella inhaled sharply. It hurt to see both of her children so lost as much as it hurt her to lose him. She paused and composed herself again.
"Haidee?" She whispered with a watery smile. "Would you like an early birthday present?"
Slowly, Haidee opened her eyes to look up at her mother. She sat up a bit then nodded tentatively.
Smiling more widely now, Gabriella handed her Troy's CD. "It's from Daddy."
Haidee's small hands trembled as she held the CD. Lovingly, she traced the words her daddy had written on the cover. "To my special Haidee-bug. I love you!" Carefully, she opened the cover and slid the disk out. Without speaking, she stood and walked over to the CD player in the corner of the nursery and put her disk in. She started the disk and stood in front of the CD player, listening. Suddenly, Troy's voice was coming out of the speakers to fill the room.
"Well, Haidee. Today's your big day! You're turning seven, finally! I bet you're so excited." There was a small pause. "But… Haidee, you don't know how hard it is for Daddy to see you grow up so fast. Mommy, too, I think." Another pause. "You're getting to be such a big girl. Every day I see you get smarter, sweeter, and prettier. You're going to be beautiful like your mommy soon, Haids." Gabriella could hear the smile in his voice. "You know that even when you grow up, and you face grown-up problems, and feel grown-up things, you can always come to me, all right? I'll always be here, and Mommy will be here, to listen to everything, and I'll try my hardest to help you become a great woman someday." A small laugh came from the speakers. "I'll try my hardest to help you break free." Troy paused again. "Okay, well, I'm done with my little speech, so I'll get on with it." They heard him take a deep breath and then the music started. Troy's smooth alto filled the whole room. His voice soothed, then soared, always comforting. Gabriella felt a very familiar tingling sensation, one she always got when she listened to her husband singing, but this time the feeling was accompanied by her newly found heart-wrenching sadness. The song was winding down, and as Troy sang on, Gabriella listened harder than she'd ever listened. This time she felt the lyrics, almost as if Troy was speaking to her. He is… She realized.
And when the world seems cold
And you feel that all of your strength is gone
There may be one tiny voice
Your reason to carry on
And when I'm not close enough
To kiss the tears you cry
You will sing your Angel's Lullaby
Let this be our Angel's Lullaby…
The last notes faded away, but Troy hadn't finished his message.
"Well, I hope you liked that!" He sounded a little embarrassed at himself then gave a little laugh. "Happy birthday, Haidee-bug. Now go on and grow and don't be afraid to fly. Don't forget to look after baby Zac and Mommy when I'm not there, too! I love you, and I always will."
As the track ended and the room was silent again, Gabriella realized that the tears she had been fighting to hold back now streamed down her face. Blurrily, she saw that Zac had awoken but was half asleep again, soothed by his father's voice, and that Haidee still stood in front of the CD player, little head tilted up to stare at the speakers. It seemed as if the little girl was looking for her daddy in those speakers. Unsteadily, Gabriella made her way over to her daughter. For a moment, she just stood behind her, watching.
Haidee slowly lifted her hand up to the CD player and touched it with her small hand. In a quiet little whisper, she replied to his message. "I love you, too, Daddy."
Feelings overwhelmed Gabriella in that one instant. Love, loss, warmth, coldness, pride, shame, strength, uncertainty… And then the words Troy's voice had sung moments before came back to her. 'And when the world seems cold, and you feel that all of your strength is gone… There may be one tiny voice; your reason to carry on'… I do have a reason to carry on without him. I have a reason for living. They're right here in this room, and I shouldn't just sit and cry and be useless. Haidee and Zac need their mommy.
Gabriella stepped forward and swept her daughter up into a tight embrace. The little girl wrapped her arms around Gabriella's neck and began to sob, burying her face in her shoulder.
"It's okay, cariña. It's going to be all right." Gabriella murmured over and over, rubbing her daughter's back gently. Troy's little girl cried until she had run out of tears. Gradually, her sobs faded and were replaced by quiet sniffs. Gabriella looked around the room and saw Zac sleeping peacefully now. She then lifted her gaze up to the window, looking up into the heavens, and smiled softly. Yes, she thought. It's going to be all right.
.o.O.o.
A/N: So here it is: the real end of "Angel's Lullaby". Did you like it? I hope you did. Personally, I think this ending fit the whole theme of the story better than the first ending I posted. But I really didn't want to kill Troy off, so the first ending was written. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! I might even give reviewers a little look into my next story or oneshot!
And cookies to Tough Girls Don't Cry, XoXbAbYbXoX, Haloangel504, say.hey.a.dancer, HSMxmusic is lifexHSM, larabaybee, xXGabbyXx, xFreaky Piccolo Girlx carito06, peachie1st, zvlove4ever, sugarush7z, HSMlover4ever, weeziebomb, Amalta, XxTinkyBlondieBellxX, zoe.xo.LiFE, and zanessa4eva2012 for their awesome, awesome reviews! Love y'all!
