Chapter 10: I Need You
Here's chapter 10 I hope you enjoy it!
"Troy, you are… going home today. Pack your bags kid cause you're out of here." Chris said with a smile. Both Troy and Gabriella let out a breath that neither of them knew they were holding.
"Are you serious?" Troy asked in disbelief
"As a heart attack." Chris said with a chuckle "I'm going to get the discharge papers together and after those are sorted you will be a free man once again."
"This is so awesome." Troy said with a huge grin on his face
{Gabriella} sent a text to [Sharpay] as Troy continued to talk to Chris a little bit longer.
{Everything is g2g. Troy is getting out today and he should be home in an hour or 2}
[That's great Gabs! Tay and I are finishing up decorating. The cake looks fantastic and almost everyone is here. We're just waiting on Jason, Kelsi, and your mom. But momma Montez said she will be here in 5.]
{Awesome. I'm gonna call Chad and tell him to help me bring Troy home. And I'll have him text Tay when we get close to the Bolton's.}
[Ok. I will let her know. Do you want me to tell Lucy that Troy is getting out?]
{No, I'm going to give her a call and let her know. I told her I'd keep her posted.}
[Okie dokie. We'll be waiting for you guys. Ttyl love]
After reading the text, Gabriella called Lucille to let her know the good news.
"Hello" Lucille said happily into the phone
"Hey Lucy, I have news." Gabriella replied
"Good news I hope?" Lucille asked
"If you count Troy coming home as good news." Gabriella replied
"Oh honey, that is fantastic news." Lucille said with a giant smile on her face.
"Troy is so excited to finally be able to go home." Gabriella said
"I bet, he's been in the hospital for quite some time now. Do you have an idea about what time you'll be home?" Lucille asked
"I'm not 100% sure so I'm gonna ballpark it and say around 1 in the afternoon." Gabriella replied
"Alright I will put the lasagna in the oven soon then." Lucille said
"Sounds good. I'm going to have Chad help me bring Troy home because I am not strong enough to do it by myself. I'll have him let you know when we're close to the house." Gabriella said
"Ok. I will see you when you get here. Bye now." Lucille happily replied
"Bye Lucy, see you soon." Gabriella replied with a smile.
"How is mom?" Troy asked as Gabriella hung up the phone.
"She's great, super psyched that you're going home today." Gabriella said with a smile
"That makes two of us. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and eat my mother's food again." Troy said
"I know, I miss your mom's cooking." Gabriella said. "I'm going to step out for a minute and make a phone call."
"Ok. Take your time babe." Troy said
Out in the waiting area
Gabriella dialed Chad's number and waited for him to pick up
"Hey Gabster what's up?" Chad asked
"Hi Chadster. Not much other than the fact that Troy is going home today." Gabriella said
"That's great." Chad replied
"Yeah it is. I'm going to need your help getting him home. I have my mom's car so you don't need yours." Gabriella said
"Alright Gabs, I'll get Zeke or Tay to take me. See you soon." Chad said before he hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Gabriella went back in the room to hang out with Troy until Chad arrived.
At noon Chris entered the room with a slightly somber smile on her face.
"Hey Chris." Gabriella said
"What's up Chris?" Troy asked
"I just stopped in to say goodbye. I am officially off the clock now so I wanted to make sure that I said bye to you guys before you go home. I really enjoyed treating you Troy. You were the most pleasant patient I've had this whole month, I really am going to miss you. Out of all the patients that I have treated you are my favorite hands down. And I'm not just saying that because you were unconscious for the majority of the time I was treating you." Chris said with a chuckle and a warm smile before she gave them both a hug. "Nurse Jill should be in shortly with your discharge papers. Once those are sorted your I.V will be removed and you can put on real clothes for the first time in over a month. After all that you, Mr. Bolton, will be a free man once again. But you must take it easy. I don't want to see you back here unless it's for a checkup or to bring me some kind of gift." Chris playfully said with a laugh
"Will do captain." Troy replied as he saluted her. They all laughed and Chris gave Troy another hug before she started for the door.
"I'll walk you out Chris." Gabriella said
"Thank you, Gabi." Chris said as they started down the hall
"Thank you so much for everything you did for Troy. You really brightened up this place and he needed that. I know you made his days more cheerful and less melancholy." Gabriella said with a grateful smile
"It's my job. And it was a pleasure working with him. He helped brighten up all my bad days. Which come often when you work in a hospital." Chris said with a chuckle as they approached the elevator
"Take care Chris." Gabriella said as they hugged
"You too Gabi." Chris said with a smile
As Chris entered the elevator, Chad walked out and gave Gabriella a hug.
"Gabster!" Chad said as he picked her up and spun her around mid hug
"Chadster" Gabriella said with a laugh
"How's he doing?" Chad asked as he set Gabriella back on the ground
"Hanging in there, waiting to go home. Thank god that day is today. I know he's so excited to finally be able to sleep in his own bed and eat a home-cooked meal." Gabriella said
"I bet, Lucy's cooking is the bomb. I've missed it while Troy's been in here." Chad replied
"Lucy does make the best food. She hasn't cooked much while Troy's been cooped up in here. It probably made her sad to do knowing that he couldn't eat it." Gabriella said
"That's true." Chad said
"Oh, by the way, when we get close to Troy's house I need you to text Tay and let her know." Gabriella said as they started making their way back to Troy's room
"Why do I need to tell Tay when we get close. I would think to tell Troy's mother not my girlfriend." Chad said
"You don't need to worry about that right now. Just text Tay when we're close and whatever you do, DON'T tell Troy. If you say anything about this to him I swear I will castrate you and then you can explain to Tay why you can't have children." Gabriella said
"Gotcha, loud and clear. Text Tay and don't tell Troy." Chad replied slightly scared.
As Gabriella and Chad enter the room they see a nurse who looks about the same age as Chris standing next to Troy with a clipboard in her hand.
"Chad, Hey." Troy say with a smile
"Hey buddy, how are you doing?" Chad asks as he gives Troy a hug with a smile on his face.
"I'm awesome. I'm finally about to leave this place." Troy says with a huge smile as he returns Chad's hug.
"You know you really scared all of us." Chad said suddenly serious. "Never do that again, I can't lose another Bolton brother.
"Trust me I don't plan to." Troy says as he pulls Chad into another hug, thankful that his best friend is always there for him.
After they're interaction the nurse introduces herself to the two who recently walked into the room.
"Hello, I'm Nurse Jill." She says with a bright smile as she holds her hand out for Gabriella to shake.
"Hi. I'm Gabriella, Troy's girlfriend." Gabi says with a warm smile and shakes Jill's extended hand.
"Hey, Chad, Troy's best friend slash non-biologic brother." Chad says as he shakes Jill's hand.
"I was just telling Troy here that once he signs these papers I can take the I.V out." Jill says.
"Gab, can you help me look over these? My eyes are tired so it's taking a lot of my energy to read and I don't want to fall asleep right when I get home." Troy asks
"Of course babe." Gabi says as she makes her way over to him.
While Gabi is helping Troy, Chad strikes up a conversation with Nurse Jill
"So how old are you? Cause you look really young." Chad asks
"I'm 24. Older than Nurse Chris who's 22. Unlike me she stared college right out of high school." Jill says warmly slightly surprised that someone wants to know more about her and not just the status of who they're visiting.
"Why did you wait to start college? If you don't mind me asking."
"My grandmother got ill and didn't have anyone to take care of her so I put my education on the back burner to step up and help care for her." Jill replies a glint of sadness flashes in her eyes.
"Wow. That's really cool of you. Is that what made you want to become a nurse?" Chad asked genuinely curious
"Partly yes. I enjoy taking care of people and helping my grandmother is what jump started my choice in careers. It warms my heart to know that I helped her as much as I could while she was slowly deteriorating. I'll admit that it was hard at times to watch someone I loved so much just kind of waste away but there were good days along with bad ones." Jill replies fondly remembering her grandmother before she got ill
"What did your grandmother have if that's not too intrusive?" Gabriella chimes in.
"She had Alzheimer's disease. It got really bad toward the end and that was the hardest for me because I was there through it all. Her passing was especially hard because I wasn't there when it happened and I've beaten myself up about that too many times to count." Jill said with a small laugh
"I had work that day and I planned on only going in for half a day so I could be with her because I just had a feeling that this day was the day she would leave us. My mother insisted that I stay at work and that she would be fine until I made it to hospice in time to say goodbye. As I was walking into the hospital that evening I just had this overwhelming feeling that she was gone and I rushed to her room and saw the nurses unplugging all the machines and taking out all her tubes and . I immediately sunk to the floor in the middle of the room and my mom rushed to my side to comfort me. Had I left work just a couple of minutes earlier or ran that yellow light after getting off the highway or a dozen other miniscule things that probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, there is a chance that I could have made it in time but I didn't." Jill's face contorts into a small frown as she tells the teens her story.
"It took a long time to get over the guilt that I was by her side through everything but not when it felt like she needed me the most. At the funeral I was supposed to give the eulogy because I was there for her the whole time, living with and caring for her throughout her illness. Before it started my mother pulled me aside and told me that it was better that I wasn't there right when she passed and that my grandmother told her earlier that day that she didn't want Julie there to see her like that. Towards the end she thought that I was my mother Julie and after a while we stopped correcting her because she wouldn't remember anyway. My grandmother held on as long as she could and waited for me to be away from her so I didn't have to go through watching her die. It made me angry at the time but now I see that even in her state of barely remembering me, she didn't want to put me through the anguish that accompanied her death more than she knew it would. She was selfless like that. She put my needs before hers up until the end and for that I am forever grateful. I honestly don't know how I would have handled being there when she passed. I was her rock through her bad days and she ended up being my rock through mine. Even after she passed I still felt like she was with me and I still feel her sometimes." Jill said with a smile fondly remembering her grandmother as lively and not what she was at the end.
"I get exactly how you feel. My grandfather passed away from Alzheimer's my summer before 8th grade and then my father followed just shy of two months later." Gabriella said with a small frown.
"That must have been really hard for you. How did your father pass if you don't mind me asking?" Jill asked the younger girl.
"He had colon cancer and my parents kept it from me until they couldn't hide it any longer and that hurt the most." Gabriella said before she went into the story of how she found out. Upon telling the story, Gabriella and Troy are both brought back to the day where they became inseparable. The day she told him about her father.
**Flashback 4 years earlier**
May 15, 2008
Troy goes over to Gabi's house because she hasn't answered his phone calls all morning and he starts to worry 'cause that isn't like her at all. He knocks on the door and Maria Montez opens the door looking slightly distraught.
"Hi Mrs. Montez, is everything alright?" Troy asks upon looking at her tired and slightly puffy eyes.
"Hello Troy, I'm fine, just a case of allergies." Maria replies forcing a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"Is Gabi here? She hasn't answered my calls and I'm starting to worry." Troy said with concern laced in his voice.
"She should be up in her room, be gentle with her today I'm sure she'll tell you why she's been distant. Just trust me." Maria says softly. He nods and proceeds up the stairs to a room that he knows well.
When Troy enters Gabriella's room he looks to her bed first because that is where she usually sits reading a book. He notices that she's not there and wonders where she is when he sees that her balcony doors are open he heads over to them thinking that she's either on the balcony or the roof. When he gets to the balcony there is no physical sign of Gabriella but he can hear faint sniffles coming from somewhere. He looks over to the roof on his left and when he doesn't see her looks higher thinking that maybe she climbed higher to think. He still doesn't see her but he hears her.
Troy looks down at the backyard and sees that the back gate, the one leading into his yard, is opened slightly. He proceeds to climb down the tree next to the balcony one that he's climbed down dozens of times before and walks across her yard and into his own. He stops to listen for her faint sniffles and when he hears them again he suddenly knows exactly where she is. He climbs up the wooden ladder that leads to his treehouse and sure enough when he gets up there he sees Gabriella curled up on the bean bag chair in a darkened corner of the treehouse.
"Hey Gab, what's wrong?" Troy asks as he walks toward his crying friend to kneel beside her.
"It's nothing Troy, I'm fine." Gabriella says as she lifts her head tears still streaming down her face.
"It's not nothing Brie, I know you're not fine. And it's okay to not be fine. Whatever it is I'm here for you." He says as he reaches up to wipe her tears away.
Gabriella launches herself at Troy and he catches her in a hug as he falls back against the wall of the treehouse. After what feels like an eternity, Gabriella's sniffles subside and she lifts her head to look at Troy who is silently holding her.
"Are you ready to tell me what's going on?" Troy asks quietly as he pushes away her remaining tears
Gabriella takes a deep breath and nods her head. She shifts in Troy's lap so she has a better view of him but neither of them make the move to let go of each other.
"My dad would have been 44 today. It's hit me harder than I thought it would. I couldn't be in that house with my mom because I'm still mad at her. I'm still mad at him." Gabriella says with a frown
"Why are you mad at your mom?" Troy asks hoping that Gabriella will finally tell him what happened to her dad. He knows that her papa passed away the year before and something happened to her dad not long after but he doesn't know exactly what because she tends to shut down when the subject of her father comes up.
"Because she lied to me, they both did. How can I trust her when she kept something so big from me that cost me my father's life?" Gabriella asked angrily
"Gab what exactly happened to make you this angry? I've never seen you like this and I want to help you." Troy said calmly
Gabriella took another breath before launching into the story
"Last year when papa was getting sicker I had noticed that my dad was looking more and more tired each day. He wasn't acting like himself, I figured it was just because watching his father slowly deteriorate was taking a bigger toll on him than he let on. Whenever I asked him or mom how he was doing they always said that he was fine and that I had nothing to worry about and that it was their jobs as parents to worry about me and not my job as their child to worry about them. After papa passed at the end of July I noticed that my dad didn't look the same as he always had. He got thinner and his skin had yellowed a little. They thought that I wouldn't notice but I did and every time I asked about it they would kind of brush me off or make up some story about how dad was just grieving papa's death." Gabriella said and Troy could see the anger and anguish on her face. He didn't say anything he just sat there holding her and occasionally giving her a squeeze or a kiss on the top of her head to let her know that he was still listening and for her to keep talking.
"A month passed and it was time to start 8th grade and dad still had not gotten better. He started sleeping later and going to bed earlier. He ate less, a lot less. He stopped going to work and one day in early September I was watching t.v with my dad when he started to cough up blood. It scared me so I called my mom and she came running in but didn't look worried about him, she seemed as if this were a normal thing and I knew that they were hiding something from me. Later that day while dad was resting on his chair in the living room I confronted mom about it and she finally told me that dad had cancer and that they didn't know how much longer he had left." Gabriella had tears softly running down her face but refused to stop talking because the truth was that talking made it hurt a little less.
"I got mad because they knew while papa was dying and didn't say anything. The kept it quiet for 3 whole months and mom claims it was because they didn't want me to hurt more than I already was due to papa's condition. Mom and I got into a fight because I was hurting so much and I was mad that they didn't tell me. I was so mad that I couldn't even look at her so I just left. I didn't tell either of them where I was going I just walked out the front door and kept walking. I walked until I got to the beach and I didn't even realize that's where I was headed until I got there." Gabriella had angry tears running down her face and Troy pushed them away
"Dad's favorite place was the beach particularly this one spot by these big rocks. He said it was because when you sit on the rocks you can see the whole horizon and it made him feel alive and whole, like he could do anything. I sat there for hours just watching the waves and eventually watched the sun start to sink behind me in the sky. As the sun went down I sat perched atop that rock and just watched the waves lap the shore. Eventually I felt a presence next to me and when I looked to my left my dad was standing there leaning against the rock. He looked so tired and worn down. I was surprised to see him and asked how he knew I would be here and he said that this was his favorite spot to think and that I tend to follow in his footsteps. He told me that he waited a few hours for me to cool off before he walked here by himself. We sat and just talked for a while before eventually walking back home. It wasn't that far of a walk but it took a lot out of him and after that day I spent as much time with him as I could before he was gone. I was mad at the both of them but I never let my anger hold me back from being around my dad and helping him as much as possible. He passed away about 3 weeks after I found out on September 23. All the holidays were really hard because it was my first without him. When my mom told me about her job transfer I was mad at first but then felt relieved that I wouldn't have the constant reminders of my dad everywhere I went. I didn't want to be sad forever so a change of scenery was welcome. It's really sinking in today that he's not going to come back and all the anger I had back then has resurfaced because I'm still so mad at them. It makes me sadder knowing that I'm mad at him and I don't want to be but I just am." Gabriella said with a frustrated sigh and she raked her fingers through her hair angrily.
"Brie, it's okay to be mad at your dad even though he's not here and it's okay to be sad about it as well. Whatever you're feeling, let yourself feel it. If you need to cry then cry, if you need to punch something then punch something hell I'll let you punch me if you need to. Whatever you're feeling is normal and you just need to let yourself have those feelings to help you move on." Troy says
"What if moving on means forgetting. I don't want to forget him." Gabriella asks with concern
"You won't forget him, I think that maybe you should talk to your mom and tell her how you feel and help her understand why you're angry because if you don't those feelings will just stew inside you and make you resent her down the road. I love you Gab and I'm always here when you need me but right now I think you need to go be with your mom because as hard as it is for you it's probably a lot worse for her." Troy said as he stood up bringing her with him
"You're right I should go talk to her. Thank you for listening and holing me and just being there for me even when I didn't want to talk. You truly are the best friend I've ever had and I love you for that." Gabriella said as she hugged him tight.
When they pulled away Troy pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Anytime Brie, I'm glad you trusted me enough to talk about this with me." Troy said with a small smile and with that Gabriella gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed him bicep before giving him a small smile and climbing down the wooden ladder to go find her mother.
**End of Flashback**
"… and that's what happened to my dad. It was hard for a long time but after I had a long cry/talk with Troy I felt better and my mom and I ended up staying up until like 2 in the morning talking things through and it helped us grieve in a way that we didn't before and it actually brought us closer together." Gabriella said with a fond smile thinking about how grateful she is to have her mother be a mom but also a friend when the time comes.
"That was quite the story, I'm sorry you had to go through that pain in such a short time." Jill said empathizing with the younger girl in front of her. "Chad what are you thinking of doing with your life?"
"I want to play pro-ball. I got a basketball scholarship to the University of Albuquerque. I think I might minor in teaching so I have something to fall back on if the pro-baller thing doesn't work out." Chad says confidently
"Well it's always good to have a backup plan." Jill says with a warm smile
"Alright Nurse Jill, I'm pretty sure we're done with these." Troy says as he hands the papers back to her.
"Everything checks out. "Jill says after looking over the papers and begins to take out Troy's I.V. "Alright Mr. Bolton, you are officially a free man again."
"Man I can't wait to get home and just chill out." Troy says with a smile as he gets his crutches to help him get to the bathroom to change into the clothes that Gabriella brought him after he woke up
"Hey hoops, do you need any help?" Chad asks
"Yeah, probably." Troy says with a chuckle as he pokes his head out of the bathroom. "I'm still a little weak and wobbly can you help me?"
"Of course man, Lucy will kill me if she finds out you got hurt trying to put clothes on knowing that I was here and didn't help." Chad said and everyone laughed. "I love that woman as if she were my own mother but she scares the crap out of me sometimes. She may be small but she hits pretty hard." Laughter fills the room again and Chad rubbed the back of his head where he can still feel the pain of Lucy's many smacks there. He chuckles and proceeds to help his best friend dress.
Troy walks out of the bathroom in a pair of gray joggers, his red Wildcats t-shirt that says BOLTON 14 on the back, and his favorite black Nike running shoes.
"Take it easy Troy, don't rush anything and be careful not to pop the stitches on your side." Jill warns as Chad exits the bathroom behind Troy
"Yes ma'am. I've got the best nurse there is right here." Troy says as he pulls Gabriella close and kisses her hair making a blush grace her features.
"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything too strenuous." Gabriella says with a smile as she leans into Troy's embrace while also holding him in place.
Nurse Jill and Chad help Troy into the wheelchair for easy transport out of the hospital. Once in the chair, Chad says that he's going to go down ahead of them to pull the car around front. Gabriella carries Troy's crutches and her backpack as she walks alongside Nurse Jill who is wheeling Troy to the elevator.
Once in the elevator Chad gives Lucille a call to let her know that they're on their way out now.
"Hello." Lucille says into the phone after picking it up on the second ring.
"Hey Lucy, I just wanted to let you know that Troy is being discharged now. Gabi and the nurse are wheeling him down, I went ahead to pull the car up for them." Chad says
"That's great news. The lasagna is almost ready we'll be waiting for your test to Taylor." Lucille gushes with excitement. They exchange goodbyes as Chad walks up to Mrs. Montez's car.
As he pulls up to the doors Nurse Jill is wheeling him out while Gabriella walks up to open the back door and put the crutches as well as her things on the floor. Chad gets out of the driver's side to help Troy into the car. The teens bid Nurse Jill a goodbye and after everyone is in the car all buckled up they start to make their way to Troy's house. As Gabriella drives them through the parking lot of the hospital Troy takes a big breath in and grips the seat in fear. Gabriella notices this and pulls over to the side and parks the car.
"Hey are you okay?" She asks as she grabs his hand
"Um not really, the last time I was in a car I almost lost my life so I'm a little shaken up." Troy says fear lacing through his eyes.
Gabriella pulls his hand up to her lips and gives it a kiss. "That's understandable but your house is only 10 minutes away and I'll drive very carefully. If you start to feel scared or anxious just let me know and I'll pull over until you're ready to continue. You went through a traumatic experience so it's perfectly okay for you to feel scared." Gabriella says reassuringly. Troy nods his head and thanks her and with that they start on their way home.
Ten minutes later they're pulling into Troy's driveway and Lucille comes running out of the house. Chad had texted Taylor when they got to the stop sign on Oak Street by his neighborhood.
Chad gets out of the car first to help Troy and Lucille rushes over to grab his crutches for him. Once he's stable on them Lucille pulls him into a tight almost bone crushing hug and plants a bunch of kisses all over his face.
"Mom." Troy whines with a smile as he hugs her back
"Oh hush. I'm just so happy that my baby boy is healthy and home." Lucille says as she pulls back from the hug but still holds onto Troy's arms to look at him. "Come on in lunch is almost ready and your father wants to catch up with you."
Gabriella helps Lucille lead Troy up to the front door while Chad gallops ahead to open the door and give everyone a heads up that Troy is walking up now.
With the help of Gabriella and his mother, Troy makes it to the front door and Chad opens it further so he can step in and reveals all of Troy's friends standing in the living room of the Bolton house awaiting Troy's return with a banner hanging above them that says "WELCOME HOME TROY!"
"Oh my god." Troy says with a huge smile on his face. "Did you do all this?" He asks as he turns to Gabriella
"I had help." Gabriella blushes as she nods in the direction of Taylor and Sharpay who rush over to welcome Troy with hugs.
"Thanks guys, this was so thoughtful of you. I'm so grateful to have friends as awesome as you." Troy says as he hugs the girls.
After making his rounds saying hi to everyone Lucille announces that lunch is ready and begins dishing it out.
"Lasagna! This is my favorite. Did you do this too?" Troy asks turning to Gabriella once again
"Nope. The lasagna was all Lucille." Gabriella says with a smile. "We know it's your favorite and you haven't had a home cooked meal in over a month. Lucille insisted on making her baby boy his favorite food for his welcome home party."
"Thanks mom. I have missed your cooking." Troy says as he gets up and hobbles over to his mother to give her a hug.
"I've missed cooking for you. I love you more than you will ever know." Lucille says after returning the hug while caressing his face.
After eating everyone retires to the living room and before Gabriella can make her way there Troy pulls her back.
"Hey come with me." Troy says as he leads her through his backyard and into hers. They got to her hammock and sat down.
"Troy why are we in my backyard?" Gabriella asks as she sits up to look at Troy
"Because I have something to say to you, or rather something to sing to you. Can you go get the guitar?' Troy asked pointing to the guitar that is leaning against the tree next to them. "I asked your mom to put it there for me before I left the hospital."
"I'm guessing this was when I was walking Chris to the elevator." Gabriella says knowingly
"Yeah, Maria called me to see how I was doing and to reassure some of my fears." Troy replies sheepishly
"She's good at that. What kind of fears?" Gabriella asked her curiosity piqued.
'"That she is. My fear of getting back in a car after what I've been through…. my fear of losing you again." Troy hung his head on the last part.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. There is nothing you can do or say that would drive me away." Gabriella said softly as she lifted his face to look in his eyes. "I promise that I am yours forever. I love you Troy Alexander Bolton and I can't imagine my life without you. This past month was the hardest of my life because I didn't know if you would wake up and come back to me. I've already lost my grandfather, my dad and one Bolton brother, losing the other would have broken me beyond repair. And you wouldn't be here to put me back together." Gabriella said as the tears fell from her eyes.
"You're not getting rid of me that easy. I need you more than you could ever know." Troy said and then pulled her in for a passionate kiss. "I wrote a song for you."
Troy begins strumming a soft tune
I wanna drink that shot of whiskey
I wanna smoke that cigarette
I wanna smell that sweet addiction on my breath
I wanna ride across West Virginia in the backseat of a Cadillac
You know some cowboys like me go out like that
So I need you
Like a needle needs a vein
Like my Uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs the rain
I need you
Like a lighthouse on the coast
Like the father and the son need the holy ghost
I need you
As Gabriella listens the song begins to sound familiar to her so she chimes in with a verse of her own
I wanna get lost in some corner booth
Cantina Mexico
I wanna dance to the static of an A.M. radio
I wanna wrap the moon around us and lay beside you skin on skin
Make love 'til the sun comes up, 'til the sun goes down again
'Cause I need you
Like a needle needs a vein
Like Uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs the rain
I need you
Like a lighthouse needs a coast
Like the father and the son need the holy ghost
I need you
Oh, I need you
Troy takes over the singing again and Gabriella stares lovingly into his eyes
I wanna drink that shot of whiskey
I wanna smoke that cigarette
You know some cowboys like me go out like that
So I need you
Oh, I need you
Troy finishes the song and pulls Gabriella in for a kiss
"I know that most of the lyrics don't pertain to us, but I thought of this song while I was in the coma. It made me think of you and how much I need you. I've heard it somewhere before I just can't remember where exactly. " Troy said leaning back on the hammock with his arm draped around Gabriella.
"I remember where you've heard that song because it was familiar to me too." Gabriella says sitting up abruptly. Troy looks up at her with a raised eyebrow in amusement.
That was Chapter 10 and I hope everyone liked it. I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to get you guys this chapter I hit a rough patch after posting chapter 9 and I lost my motivation to write I also didn't have the time to write. Between work and school I was stressed and swamped. I've finally gotten my Associates in Arts degree and hope to be in nursing school in the fall. I will try my best to write more often and get a chapter or two out before then but I can't make any promises. The song used in this chapter is "I Need You" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my story as well as review it. I greatly appreciate each and every one of you. I know I'm not the best writer there is but I like to put the stories in my head out into the world. As always if anyone has any questions or ideas please don't hesitate to message me. I will message you back and answer your questions as well as try my best to incorporate any ideas you may have into this story or any future stories. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review.
Xoxo - Christina