Chapter 18
Sharpay burst through the door of the waiting room bawling her eyes out. Did she see me in the room before? Is Zeke OK? Everyone in the room turned to look at her.
"Troy!" she yelled. I ran over to her. She was panting heavily, probably from running here.
"Shar, what happened?"
"No...time...to explain." she panted. Sharpay grabbed my hand and we ran toward the stairs. Oh, no. Something must have happened to Zeke. We made the turn and sprinted to his door. Sharpay turned the handle and motioned for me to go in. What I saw was a miracle. Zeke was awake. Breathing steadily in and out.
"Zeke!" I ran over to him.
"Troy?" he choked. I turned to Sharpay.
"Do the doctors know he's awake?" I asked her.
"I don't know." She responded. I pressed the 'call' button on the side of Zeke's bed.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Zeke.
"Troy, where am I?" Sharpay hadn't talked to him.
"You're at the hospital." I said as a heavy-set nurse walked in.
"He's awake?" she stared in awe.
"Yeah. Isn't it great?" Sharpay smiled.
"I'll go get a doctor. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do." Just as quick as she came, she left.
"Sharpay? How did I get here?" There was a brief silence before Sharpay began. She sat down, held Zeke's hand, and told him the whole story including the part where she met me and my parents here. When she was done, both Zeke and Sharpay were crying.
"Is that why you were praying for me?" Zeke asked. Both Shar and I gasped. He heard that?
"You heard me?" Sharpay said.
"Yeah, you sang too." He said, the tears still falling.
"Yeah, Zeke, I did. And you know what? I prayed for a miracle and guess what. God sent me one. You see, God always provides." She turned and winked at me.
"Yes. Yes he does." Zeke said before he drifted of to sleep. The doctor burst through the doors. Finally, this guy is like an hour late.
"He's not awake." he said motioning to a sleeping Zeke.
"Yes he is. He's just sleeping. See?" Sharpay smiled. She shook Zeke's arm and told him to wake up. His eye's fluttered open.
"Well I'll be! He is awake." The doctor smiled. "We didn't think you'd make it till morning, you know. It's a miracle you survived." Miracle is a pretty popular word today.
"Yeah, it is." Sharpay answered for Zeke.
"What time is it?" I asked the doctor. I probably should be heading back to Gabriella to tell her the good news. I wonder if she heard what I said when she was sleeping. It will be a long night if I have to sit there and explain it all again. But you know what? I'd do anything for my girlfriend.
"It's almost 1:00 AM"
"1:00!" the three of us shouted in disbelief. The doctor chuckled.
"Yeah, one. I'll be needing to monitor Zeke here for the next couple of days. The doctor before me, who first admitted Zeke, said that his parents were unreachable. Did you contact either of them yet?"
"Umm," I began, "Zeke doesn't have a mom, and his dad is on business."
"Oh," his face reddened, "I guess I missed reading that in his history. I'm sorry to hear that. I guess we will have to contact your father at a later time."
"Uhh, Zeke's father, well, he said he went on a business trip three years ago. But he never came back. He calls him every birthday and sends some money monthly. I don't even think that he knows that Zeke's mom is dead."
"So you're saying that Zeke lives by himself. A sixteen year old?"
"No actually. He lives with his uncle."
"Oh, well, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" The doctor looked agitated.
"I didn't even think about it."
"Try seeing if you can talk to the uncle to come down here and sign some papers."
"OK." Sharpay spoke.
"I'll be back later." he looked at Zeke, waved, and left us alone.
"Uhh, I should go. Gabi is probably wondering where I am." I started to back towards the door.
"Ok, I'll be down in a while." Sharpay informed me.
"Bye Troy!" Zeke said. I waved at them and started back to Gabi's room. Everything's turning out OK. When I arrived at her room, my parents were gone and Ryan was holding Gabi's hand. She was crying. I listened closer to what Ryan was saying.
"...Then, I saw Troy here..." I heard him say. He must be telling Gabi the details of our very eventful day.
"Troy! You're here." Gabi spotted me.
"Yeah, and I brought the best news." I smiled radiantly.
"What is it?" Ryan inquired.
"Zeke is awake!"
"No way!" Gabi gasped.
"Yeah way." I walked over to her and kissed her forehead lightly. "Isn't it great?"
"It sure is. I think I'll go over and say hi and sorry to him. Is Shar there?"
"Uh huh."
"Ok, I'll be back later." He left us alone. I walked around the bed and sat in the chair he was just in.
"I can't believe it. Shar's pregnant." Gabriella started.
"Yeah. Me either. Zeke's going to be a daddy."
"And to think, he might not have found out."
"Wanna know a trick? Just don't think about the past. Zeke's OK now and that's all that matters." I told her.
"That's a lot easier said than done you know."
"Yeah, I know. I have God's help. There would be no way I could do it on my own."
"Troy, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. Anything." I said.
"How do I find God? I mean, I see how you are always positive, even in situations like this. I see how you don't judge people, you love them. You live you're life in the present not the past. I want that. I want that so bad. I just need someone to run to. It works so well with you. You have the strongest relations with Him. Even when your dad is dying of cancer, you're girlfriend's cutting herself, you're best friend doesn't believe you, and you're teammates going to be a dad. I just want to know how I can have that?"
I jumped out of my chair and danced around. "That's GREAT!" I gave her a huge hug. I don't think I've ever been happier. "All you need to do is surrender you're life and heart to Jesus."
"How in the world do I do that?" she asked.
"You need to sit down and pray. You pray to Jesus that you don't want to live with out Him. You cant take the stresses of life. You want him to take away your sins and start you fresh. You want him to come into you're life and take your heart. Once you've done that, Jesus takes you're sins and throws them away like ashes into an ocean. That's how I live in the now, I don't want to take the time to gather all the ashes. You start fresh and new."
"Troy will you help me. Will you do it with me?"
"Yeah, I'll be right here." I reached over and took both of her hands. "When ever you're ready."
"Ok." she bowed her head and closed her eyes. I did the same. Then I heard my girlfriend give her life, her heart, to the Lord. "Father, I want to surrender my life and heart to you. I see Troy and his life is so much brighter with you. I want mine to be like that. I can't handle this life I have anymore. I need you here with me. Please forgive me of all the sins I may have committed in thought and actions. Take them like ashes and throw them into the deepest ocean. Come into my life. Show me the way. I want to walk with you. Please. In your name I pray, Amen."
We sat there, heads bowed, for a few minutes. Finally, I looked up and squeezed her hands. "I love you, Gabi."
"I love you too, Tr–"she was cut off by Sharpay running through the door.
"Troy! Guess what! You'll never believe it! Zeke gave his life to the Lord. Right there in the hospital room with me watching. It was the greatest. I've never felt so happy." I gasped.
"That's AWESOME!" I ran up to her and gave her a hug. "You'll never believe it! Gabi did too!"
"No way!" her jaw dropped. "Really?" she looked at Gabi. My girlfriend smiled back at her. "Wow! This is just...unbelievable!" She ran over and hugged Gabi for a while. I walked over to the two and got in on the group hug. Before we knew it all three of us were crying. Happy tears.
After about five minutes, we broke our embrace. The girls were still silently crying. I wiped the few tears from my face and smiled.
"There are no words to describe how I feel right now." I told them. "I could sing."
"Why don't we?" Sharpay asked. I started to sing a song I thought was appropriate for the occasion.
Well if I come across a little bit distant
It's just because I am
Things just seem to feel a little bit different
You understand
Believe it or not but life is not apparently
About me anyways
But I have met the One who really is worthy So let me say
So long, self
Well, it's been fun, but I have found somebody else
So long, self
There's just no room for two
So you are gonna have to move
So long, self
Don't take this wrong but you are wrong for me, farewell
Oh well, goodbye, don't cry
So long, self
Stop right there because I know what you're thinking
But no we can't be friends
And even though I know your heart is breaking
This has to end
And come to think of it the blame for all of this
Simply falls on me
For wanting something more in life than all of this
Can't you see
Don't feel so bad (don't feel so bad)
There'll be better days (there'll be better days)
Don't go away mad (but by all means)
Just go away, go away
Just as we finished singing the last line, Ryan burst through the door. "TROY!"
A/N: How do you like it? Please review!