A/N: Okay, the story gets a little AU here. I need you believe Albuquerque is only an hour away from where Gabriella lives. Also, please forgive any incorrect or, um, impossible medical situations. They are completely made up. And don't worry, this is still Troyella. Just be patient, it'll come. Thanks!
Disclaimer: Ha, I wish.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNChad raced into Los Angeles General Hospital and ran up to the first nurse he saw. "Gabriella Montez! Where is she?" he exclaimed, thourghly out of breath. She glared at him for yelling in the waiting room before typing the name into a nearby computer.
"Fourth floor, room 4957," she replied nonchalantly.
Chad dashed up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, and reached her room in no time. When he burst in the door, he saw her pale face resting against a pile of pillows. He had never seen someone look so sick. "Gabi?" he asked, not wanting to believe this was her.
Her eyes shot open at the sound of her name. It took a moment for her to fully understand what she was seeing. "Chad? What are you..?" She was physically exhausted, and even speaking was difficult.
"Oh God," he whispered, rushing to her side. He wrapped his arms around her and she cried softly into his chest. Though they had not gotten along at all when Troy and Gabriella first began dating, Chad and Gabriella had become incredibly close during the few months before she left. Whenever she fought with Troy, Gabriella was much more likely to turn to Chad than Taylor.
He rubbed her side to comfort her and his hand landed suddenly on her stomach. He glanced down in shock. "You're…pregnant?" he asked, not really making sense of what was happening.
Her eyes squeezed shut and she refused to let any more tears fall. Gabriella sat up a little but still held on to Chad's shirt. His hand remained on her belly. She kept her eyes on the floor when she spoke. "Six months. Twins."
He exhaled slowly and rested his forehead against hers. "You aren't…having them now…right?" She would have made fun of him for his question, but the whole situation was too far from funny to even try. Instead she shook her head and did her best to remember what the doctor had told her when she came to an hour ago.
"There was a blood clot in the uterine lining. My regular doctor saw it at my last ultrasound and marked it in my medical file, but she swore up and down it wouldn't be a problem. It moved to the umbilical cord and blocked the oxygen flow to the babies. I almost miscarried, but they did another ultrasound after they cleared up the clot. They're alright. For now at least," she whispered the last part, and didn't mean for him to hear it. Still, that had never stopped Chad before.
"You think they aren't okay?" his voice was soothing, but it only made Gabriella miss Troy and the comfort he always brought her.
"I'm not eighteen yet. Girls who give birth under eighteen are much more likely to give birth to premature babies with extreme health problems. The doctors don't think the clot started contractions, but I could still deliver them tomorrow or the next day! They don't even have white blood cells yet!" her voice grew louder with each word and she took a deep breath to calm herself down, "If they're born today, there is a ninety-nine percent chance they won't live to see tomorrow." Gabriella saw tears forming in Chad's eyes. He was about to speak, but was interrupted by a nurse.
"Hello, Ms. Montez. We spoke earlier. Right now we need some more information from you. We got all we could from the driver's license in the wallet on your bedside table, but, as a minor, your parents need to be contacted." The nurse gave her speech with little emotion and rarely glanced up from the chart clutched against her chest. Gabriella gave her mother's contact information and prayed the nurse wouldn't ask anymore questions.
"Very well. Now we just need the name of the babies' father," she looked up expectantly, glancing between Chad and Gabriella.
"Troy Bolton," she croaked shakily, turning away from Chad. His eyes met hers for a split second, and all the pain she feared was present in his eyes. The pregnancy had been a complete surprise to him, and he knew Troy didn't know. Once the nurse left, Gabriella took a deep breath and turned back to face Chad.
"When I found out, I knew this was my future. But Troy…Troy could still have that future. I loved him too much to take it away from him." Her voice cracked but she refused to let herself cry.
"Oh Gabi. Oh God, Gabi." She knew he felt bad for not being there and she squeezed his hand to let him know she wasn't upset that he had been mad at her. He held her close and, after a few minutes, she fell back into a fitful sleep. He laid her head against the pillows and walked out to find something to drink. Halfway down the hall, his cell phone rang. He frowned at the name on the Caller I.D. Troy.
"Hey, man."
"Dude, where the heck are you? I thought we were supposed to shoot some hoops today but you didn't show up at the park and you aren't at home."
"Well, I'm in a hospital in L.A." Chad anticipated his friend's shocked reaction.
"Um, what?"
"Look, you know how we all called Gabi yesterday, you know, trying to smoke her out?"
"Yeah…" Troy spoke slowly, clearly confused by the whole situation.
"Well, she called me last night. She thought she dialed her mom's number. She hung up when she figured out it was me." Chad listened carefully and heard his friend curse under his breath. He took it as his cue to continue. "I was going to tell you when we met up today, but I wanted to call her and try to talk to her first. When I called she was screaming and crying. Something was wrong with…I don't know. I got her address and called 911. Then I drove here to find out if she was okay."
Several minutes of silence passed before Troy spoke. "Is she?"
"Yeah, she's okay. But, dude, you need to get down here. You just…get here." Before hanging up, he told him how to get to the hospital. Chad prayed that somehow it would all be okay, if that was possible.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNWell there you are! I might update again tonight, or tomorrow morning, I'm not sure. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!