AW! Who hates me? Sorry! I didn't update like I said I would. It slipped my mind that I had finals this week. I'm taking a minute out of studying to update for you all right now. I hope you're all not too mad at me! Enjoy this chapter! Sorry that it's short!

Chapter fourteen

The women elbowed her husband and he looked at her quickly. He sighed, taking his coat off of the coat rack by the door and nodded to Troy.

"There's a barn in the back." He said as he nodded to his wife and shut the door behind him.

Troy followed him to the backyard, feeling his knees become increasingly weak. The man opened the doors and grabbed a blanket that was folded on a bench and placed it on the barn floor, against some hay stacks.

"These storms don't last too long and I'm sure the power will come back soon." He said as he glanced at Gabriella and then back at Troy. "How did this happen?" He asked as Troy set her down.

"I don't know." Troy whispered. "I found her like this."

The man didn't say anything else as he left the barn. Troy knelt down by Gabriella and moved her hair out of her face. His heart was pounding. There was nothing he could do anymore. All he could do now was to sit by her and keep her warm. There was no phone reception due to the storm and his cell phone was no longer in his pocket.

The door opened slowly and the man's wife walked in with blankets and a box. She smiled at him and set the stuff by him.

"I don't know anything about medicine, so I don't know how I can help you. You have to keep her warm, so she needs to get out of those clothes." She said. "I'm sorry about my husband. He's an angry man." She said with a small laugh.

"Thank you." Troy said with a nod. "I don't know how I can repay you."

"No need. It's nice to do a good deed once in a while." She smiled and patted Troy's arm softly. "Good luck."

Troy nodded and looked down at Gabriella as the barn door shut. He slowly peeled off her sweater and his heart sank when he turned it around in his hands to see that the sweat shirt was his from high school; his name clearly visible on the back. He grabbed the blankets that the women had brought in and wrapped it tightly around Gabriella's body. He didn't change her clothes. He knew that if Gabriella knew he did that she would kill him and that thought made a small smile form on his face, but it faded quickly under the circumstances.

He took his jacket off and placed it next to him to dry out. He took off his shoes and then Gabriella's. He pulled the box that was included with the blankets, towards him and opened it, revealing a first aid kit. He cleaned Gabriella up and pulled out the drying mud and leaves out of her hair.

Gabriella was shallowly breathing and it was starting to worry Troy. He got up and walked towards the back of the barn towards the lanterns he saw when he first got there. He lit one with a match in the first aid kit and set it next to Gabriella.

He lay down next to her, placing another blanket over her and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her and he sheltered her with his body as he tried to keep her warm. He was shaking in the mean time, but he didn't think about his freezing body, instead he thought of keeping Gabriella warm.

"You're going to be okay, Gabi." He whispered against her hair. "You can't leave me. You're not supposed to leave me." He said. "I never needed to play basketball in college. I needed to know you were doing what you wanted. I needed you, but I was scared when you left so that is why I broke up with you. It was a mistake. A mistake I wished I could take back." He whispered.

Troy stayed next to Gabriella, rubbing her arm to keep her warm and as he lay next to her, no space in between them, he told her everything he wanted to tell her. Things he never got to tell her. Things she already knew. He talked and talked because in a way he knew she could hear him and that is what kept him strong, what kept him warm even though he was shaking so badly. Gabriella loved rain, he remembered. That is what kept him going.

Once again, sorry it is short. I'll work on this story after finals when summer is here! Review please!

Much love,

unknownbyhim22