Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Sorry this chapter took longer, swimming is killing me right now. Getting up at 5 every morning starts to wear on you. Anyway, yes Troy is waking up in this chapter. Yay! But don't get too excited, because as you will soon find out, Troy is far from okay.

Oh, and Sharpay makes an appearance here!

Warning: This story is taking a minor turn into the realm of cliché, but it is a necessary turn for the benefit of the story. If you just stick with it, I promise that it will turn out okay in the end.

"What's going on?" Kellie asked, her voice wavering.

The nurse smiled warmly, turning the volume on the monitor down. "It's good. He's triggered the vent."

"He-what?" Jack and Kellie asked, almost simultaneously.

"Triggered the vent. It means he took a breath on his own."

"So that's good?" Kellie asked tentatively, gripping Jack's hand tightly.

The nurse nodded. "I just have to page Dr. Andrews, she'll be here in a minute to tell you more."

"Oh, thank you God," Kellie breathed, turning to her husband and burying her face against his neck. Jack hugged her tightly, placing a hand on the back of her head as they stood there. The nurse smiled again, walking to the phone on the wall and quickly punching in Dr. Andrews' number.

Minutes later, the said doctor appeared at the door, her hair messy from the jog she had taken to get there. "What's going on?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"He triggered the vent," the nurse said, rechecking Troy's vitals.

"Really?" The doctor walked over to the bed, checking Troy's breathing. "His breath sounds are good," she observed, nodding. "He's breathing almost completely on his own."

"Does this mean he's waking up?" Kellie asked, looking to the doctor.

Dr. Andrews sighed. "Not necessarily. But it's definitely a step in the right direction."

Chad sat in his living room, staring absently at the television, which was tuned to the news, which his mom was watching. Ever since they had gotten back from the psychiatrist's and dropped Taylor off at home, he had remained stone still, not replying to anything his mother said.

He sighed loudly, shifting his position slightly. His mom looked over at him, her heart breaking.

"Chad, sweetie, please-"

"Mom, I don't want to talk."

"But-"

"Mom, there's nothing to talk about."

"Why didn't you talk to the doctor, he's only trying to help."

Chad groaned, pulling his legs up onto the couch and hugging his knees to his chest. "Don't want to talk about it."

Kellie sat at Troy's bedside, gripping his hand and talking to him quietly. Jack had run to the cafeteria to get some coffee, and she was left alone with her son. They had called Gabriella to tell her the news, and she was on her way over at that very moment.

As Kellie sat lost in her thoughts, she felt a slight pressure on her hand. Troy's fingers had curled slightly around her hand.

"Troy?" Kellie asked, looking at her son's face. "Troy, it's mom. Open your eyes if you can hear me." She stood up leaning over Troy, watching his face.

"Mrs. Bolton?" Gabriella's voice came from the doorway. She was standing behind Troy's father, both wearing similar confused looks. "What-?"

"I think he's waking up!"

"I'm going to get the nurse," Jack said, as Gabriella walked over to the bed, taking Troy's other hand.

"Troy, baby, wake up," she said, placing her hand along his cheek.

Troy's eyelids fluttered, his facial muscles twitching.

"Troy, come on sweetie," Kellie coaxed, tightening her grip on his hand.

His eyelids fluttered once more, before slipping open to reveal Troy's cloudy brown eyes. Gabriella shrieked with happiness, as Kellie started crying happily.

"Oh, Troy," she whispered, kissing her son's forehead. Troy's eyes were darting around the room as he tried to gather his surroundings, unable to talk because of the breathing tube.

The phone in Chad's kitchen rang, giving him an excuse to bolt up and answer it.

"Hello?'

"Chad?" a timid voice asked.

"Shar-Sharpay?"

"Yeah, um, I was wondering how Troy was doing. I'm sorry for calling you like this, and all, but I just wanted to know if he was okay. I saw the ambulances and everything and-"

"Sharpay," Chad interrupted, smiling at her excitement. "He's in the hospital. Coma."

"Oh." Her voice sounded like someone had deflated it like a balloon. "Is he-is he okay?"

Chad sighed. "Don't know. His parents and Gabriella are with him."

"Oh, well, Ryan and I just wanted to tell him to get well, could you do that for us?"

"Sure," Chad sighed.

"Ok, bye."

"Bye." Chad hung up the phone, walking back to his mom. Suddenly, he felt tears spring into his eyes.

"Mom, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

She had tears of her own running down her face as she pulled her son into a hug and let him cry on her shoulder. "It's okay, baby, it's okay," she whispered, rubbing his back.

"I just-I-I can't see him like that, it's just so hard," Chad whispered, burying his face in his mom's shirt.

"I know it's hard, baby, but you can't blame yourself. It was an accident."

"I didn't mean for it to go so far. I didn't want him to get hurt. I-" Chad was interrupted by the phone ringing a second time.

Mrs. Danforth stood up, answering it. "Hello? What-he's awake?"

Chad looked up, his face hopeful.

"Oh, thank heavens," his mother said into the phone, breathing a sigh of relief. "Yes, I'll tell him. Tell Troy we said hi."

"What-" Chad asked, looking at his mom.

"Troy's awake."

"Troy, I need you to focus on me, okay?" Dr. Andrews called, snapping her fingers over Troy's head. "Focus."

His eyes shifted towards her, confusion evident.

"Good, that's good. My name is Dr. Andrews," she began, speaking slowly and clearly. "You're in the hospital. There is a tube in your throat to help you breathe, but we're going to take that out right now, okay? Blink once if you understand."

Troy complied, blinking his eyes once.

"Okay, I'm going to grab the tube. I need you to take a deep breath on the count of three, and then blow out as hard as you can. Okay?" Troy blinked again.

"Alright. One…two…three!" She quickly pulled the tube out, leaving Troy coughing violently on the bed. "Slow, deep breaths," she told him, fastening an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and pulling the top half of his bed upright so that Troy was sitting up.

Troy nodded, leaning his head heavily against the pillow. He reached up to pull the mask off and ask a question, but Dr. Andrews stopped him.

"Not yet. Wait a few more minutes before trying to speak, your voice isn't strong enough. While you wait, I'm going to tell you about your condition." Troy nodded again. Kellie and Gabriella were standing against the wall, letting Dr. Andrews sit by the bed.

"You hit your head pretty hard when you fell. The short story is that we had to perform surgery to fix the problem, and you've been unconscious for about three or four days. Also, your left arm is broken a few places and you fractured a few ribs. That would account for the pain in your chest."

Troy's face clouded over, as he was clearly overwhelmed. He gestured to the mask, asking without words if he could speak. Dr. Andrews nodded, and Troy removed the mask, opening his mouth to speak.

"Mom?" he asked quietly, his voice rough. She stepped forward, reaching for his hand.

'I'm right here, sweetie," she said, smiling at him. Jack reappeared at the door, and Dr. Andrews stood up.

"I'll leave your four to catch up. I'll be back in about a half-hour to check on you again," she said, smiling at them as she walked out the door.

Gabriella stepped up closer to the bed, gripping one of the handrails as she smiled at Troy.

"You scared me so much, baby," she said, her voice filled with emotion.

Troy looked up at her, confused. He looked to his mom, then back at Gabriella, taking the mask away from his mouth.

"I-I'm s-sorry. Wh-who are you?"

A/N: Tee hee. That was fun. Well, there you go. Troy's awake. Reviews greatly appreciated!

Coming in Chapter 7: What exactly DOES Troy remember? Will Chad talk to his psychiatrist? Is there anything else wrong with Troy? How does Gabriella take it?