Chapter 9 SC2

As/n: This begins right after chapter 8 ends. One might say, as SC1 is going on. Read, enjoy, review. (Please no flames)

Recap: Gabriella leaves the hospital as Ryan comes into the ICU.

Flashback

"Ryan, get out of my room!!" Sharpay shouted.

Ryan knew he should stand up to his little sister, but instead he said, "Sorry, Sharpay, I…didn't realize I was walking into your room. I was reading this letter from Mom."

Sharpay scrambled over to Ryan and snatched the letter from his hands, "Why didn't you tell me, Ryan? Ugh!"

The letter read:

Dear children,

My show is going so well that they decided to extend the tour. I will return in a year.

Your mother,

Lucie Estelle Evans

Sharpay ripped the letter to shreds and threw it up in the air. "Another year! She's already been gone two years. Ryan, just…what did you say to her? What did you tell Dad to say to her? Huh? Why couldn't you just have let her… get away from me!"

"I didn't say anything to her, Sharpay! She's an actress, that's what she does! I don't think it's right that you're blaming me… you're just taking your anger out on me… and it doesn't work like that! At least, not anymore it doesn't."

Ryan stormed out of the house and got into his car. He drove around for fifteen minutes without knowing where he was going. He didn't look, he didn't pay attention, he didn't care. Then, his car stopped abruptly. It must have been a tree branch; I'll just go around the other way.

…Mommy, there's a dead boy in the street.

Ryan stared at the blank expression on Troy's face. He looked and he looked, but he couldn't see a thing. In his head, he made excuses, reasons, apologies, offerings of peace, but he couldn't begin to imagine just how much it was going to take to relieve his mind.

"Ryan!"

Ryan stumbled into the house, his mind numb, "What?" he screamed back.

"Where have you been? Mother's gone for another year, and you're out tiptoeing through the tulips when I need someone to talk to!" Shapay screamed.

"Go see a shrink," Ryan mumbled.

"What?"

"Go see a shrink if you want to talk to somebody!" Ryan shouted.

As Ryan snapped out of his memories, a doctor walked into the room. He nodded to Ryan and walked over to another patient. After doing some things over there, he came across the room to Ryan and Troy.

"Mr. uh…"

"Evans, Ryan Evans."

"Ah, thank you, Mr. Evans, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the room while I run some tests on another patient," the doctor replied.

"Oh, sure," Ryan stood up and walked out to the lobby. After being in the dark ICU, the shrill light of the lobby was blinding. Blinking, Ryan sat down at a chair, dodging a sprinting nurse.

Suddenly, the nurse at a nearby desk looked up from the magazine she was looking at, "Well, hi there! I'm Nurse Felicia, and who, may I ask, are you?"

"Uh…Ryan Evans," Ryan replied. Oh no! This is the nurse that Chad and Taylor were ranting about right after Troy went into the hospital.

"Ryan…hmm," she seemed to mull it over in her mind, "Evans…hmm," she looked down at the magazine and suddenly looked back up, "Lucie Evans! The actress! Do you know her? Oh, this is so exciting!"

Ryan looked over at Nurse Felicia, "Can I see that magazine?"

"Ah, a long-lost cousin that sounds familiar but you have to see to remember! This is so exciting! Uh…can you…possibly…please…maybe…get me her…autograph?"

Ryan turned away and mumbled back, "Uh, I don't see her very often."

"Oh, okay. Here's my number."

Ryan looked at the folded piece of paper then back at the nurse, a confused expression on his face. Was this woman asking him out?

"Call me the next time she's in town. Also, you can go back in."

"Oh, I think I'm going to go home. I'll just come back in a few hours."

3 Hours Later:

"You can go in."

Ryan nodded and pushed open the door to the ICU. Once again he walked over to where Troy was. However, Troy wasn't there, at least he wasn't in sight. There was a white sheet over the body lying in Troy's hospital bed.

"Troy! No! How could this have happened? You were fine a few hours ago!" Ryan fell into a fit of tears.

Accidentally, Ryan brushed against the sheet covering his lifeless friend. He screamed when he saw an unfamiliar face staring back at him.

"You know him? Harsh fire…really," a nurse said to him.

"Oh, no, where's Troy? Uh, Troy Bolton," Ryan stammered.

The nurse couldn't help but smile, "I guess that's what made you scream. No, Troy was moved a few hours ago to a single room because he's in stable condition. Room number 234 I think."

"Thank you!" Ryan dashed out of the room to the elevator.

As he peeped into the doorway, Ryan spoke loudly, "Troy!" entering the room he continued, "You have no idea how…"

Troy rolled over and mumbled.

"I swear, I didn't mean to, I swear!" Ryan screamed. He ran out of the room screaming.

Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, Jason, and Zeke were coming to see Troy when they heard someone screaming. "It's Ryan," Kelsi gasped.

When they heard him they all stopped dead in their tracks, everyone except one, Chad was already running to the stairs.

As/n: Yes, another cliffhanger. But, it will be the last one because chapter 10 is the last chapter of this story. Below is the mini-trailer.

They lived two different lives…

But shared a broken past…

Gabriella sits in front of a grave. Troy is lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Tragedy was something they knew…

Gabriella is crying. Troy is watching hopelessly as Gabriella walks away.

They just never knew how much it would change their lives…years after it had happened.

Screech of wheels, sound of metal on metal

Now, she'll do anything…just to see him again.

Gabriella is sitting in an airport, head in her hands.

And he…is waking up from a nightmare no one should experience.

Troy stirs in his coma.

But these are the times…to remember when things get hard.

Troy and Gabriella kiss.