11:00 pm
Dinner had been eaten, the dishes washed and put away. The house was quiet as Mr and Mrs Bolton headed to bed. Downstairs, in the room off of the living room, Troy was curled protectively around his girlfriend, Gabriella. It had been a long day and the newly graduated high school seniors were exhausted. Ever since the ceremony, they had been celebrating with the gang, and even Sharpay had become one of them (Gabriella thought that being put in her place by Tiara Gold had a great deal to do with it). But now the sun was down, all the stress and worries of high school with it. The Wildcats weren't ready to leave it all behind. Going to college the next year meant splitting up; it meant a new and unfamiliar chapter in their lives, something Troy and Gabriella weren't ready to start just yet. They wanted to stay right there in the moment; wrapped in the warm embrace of each other, enveloped in the dark room, reminiscing the bittersweetness of the final curtain drop on their last musical at East High. Saying goodbye to the school had been painful to every one of them, like leaving behind a part of themselves… but for now, they had each other.
11:17 pm
Gabriella's eyes were still closed when she first felt the sharp stabs of pain. Her stomach had first started hurting at graduation, but she had hidden it from Troy, knowing that he would drop everything to make sure she was okay. She wanted him to enjoy his last day, no matter how sad it was.
Gabriella stirred under Troy's arms, burying her face into his bare chest. He unconsciously readjusted himself, holding her tighter and resting his cheek on her head. The pain in her stomach slowly began to grow and she curled in on herself, softly whimpering. Finally she opened her eyes and turned on her back to stare at the ceiling, trying to gauge her pain. She had been dealing with it all day, and it was beginning to take a toll. Slowly, she slid out of Troy's embrace and shuffled painfully to the adjacent bathroom, grabbing her flip-phone on the way.
Quietly closing the door, she checked his sleeping figure: he hadn't moved. She took a deep breath and leaned against the counter. Gradually she raised her head to examine her reflection in the mirror: she did not look too great. A strand of hair dangled in front of her face, shaken loose from her soft curls Troy always loved to run his hands through. She was wearing his school sweatshirt; she loved sleeping in his clothes.
A sharp spasm of pain twisted her features and she staggered back, dropping to the tile floor, her phone falling somewhere off the counter. She wrapped her arms around her knees, fighting back tears as her abdomen throbbed with pain. Gabriella tried to slow her breathing, but she had to lay her head down. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that Troy would come and take the knife-like agony away… and then she remembered her phone somewhere on the floor. Lifting her head, she painfully reached for it.
11:34 pm
The vibrating of Troy's phone jerked him from a peaceful sleep. He groaned and rolled over, swatting at the offending sound on his bedside table. Finally he reached for it, eyes still closed, and picked it up.
"Hello?" he answered groggily.
"Troy," Gabriella's strained voice whimpered through the speaker.
Troy sharply jerked his head up, examining the bed next to him. "Gabriella? Where the heck are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm in your bathroom. And I'm in so much pain," she sobbed softly.
Troy threw off the comforter and rushed into the bathroom, halting in the doorway in shock. His girlfriend was curled on the floor, arms wrapped tightly around her middle, tears streaming down her cheeks. He dropped to his knees at her side, his phone falling out of his hand.
"Hey, hey, baby, what's wrong? What's the matter?" He pulled her head into his lap and ran his hands down her arms. "What happened?"
Gabriella only quietly sobbed.
He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, feeling along her sides to find the problem. He tried to gently pry her hands away from her stomach, but she cried out and curled up even tighter, her head still resting in his lap.
"Baby, please tell me what hurts. You're scaring me." He was near tears himself watching his precious Gabriella writhe with pain. He tangled one hand in her hair and rubbed her arm with the other.
She slowly removed a hand from her abdomen and pointed to just below her navel to the left. He ran a hand down her stomach, but only more of her tears flowed. She strained her head up, squeezing her eyes shut, and gasped for air.
Troy sighed in desperation and ran his fingers through his hair. Groping around in the dark, his hand fumbled for his phone. He flipped it open, the light faintly illuminating his face, and he punched in 911.
He softly kissed her head as she continued to curl around her stomach, sobbing. "Hang in there, Gabriella."
11:45 pm
"911, what's your emergency?"
Troy gently rubbed Gabriella's shoulder. "I found my girlfriend on the bathroom floor crying in pain."
"Have you located the pain?"
"I think so, her stomach."
"Alright, what's your address, honey?"
Troy told her.
"An ambulance is on the way. Stay on with me in case something changes, okay?"
Troy stroked her cheek. "They're coming, baby. Do you feel any different?"
Gabriella cried out again. "It's getting worse!" she gasped.
The dispatcher spoke again. "The ambulance is seven minutes away. Make sure the door is unlocked so they can come right in."
Troy thanked her, hung up, and set his phone on the counter. He kissed Gabriella's wet cheek. "I'm gonna take you back to my bed, okay?" He stood and scooped her up, cradling her close to his chest. She clutched him, whimpering, as he carried her back into his room. When he tried to lay her down, she clung to him and sobbed in pain.
"No, no, Troy, please! I want to stay with you," she cried.
He set her down, adjusting the pillows behind her head, but she curled in on her stomach again. "Shh, it's okay, I just need to go wake my parents, okay?" He crouched next to the bed and ran a hand down her side all the way down her leg. The ambulance would be here any moment. He had to hurry.
He pulled on a shirt and ran upstairs to him parents' room. "Mom! Mom, wake up." He shook her shoulder. "Please!"
Mrs. Bolton stirred and lifted her head. "Troy? What's going on?"
"Gabriella's in a lot of pain. I called an ambulance; they'll be here any minute."
His mother jerked awake. "You called an ambulance?"
Troy ran a hand over his face. "Mom, I found her on my bathroom floor crying in pain. She can hardly breathe, she's suffering so bad."
His dad lifted his head as Mrs. Bolton began to climb out of bed. "What's going on?"
Mrs Bolton was putting on her robe. "It's Gabriella."
Gabriella cried out and Troy bolted down the stairs, his parents on his heels. He burst into his room to find her thrashing and crying in agony.
"Gabriella!" he shouted. He jumped onto the bed to pin down her arms before she hurt herself. Mrs. Bolton gasped and hurried to the bed. Gabriella had been like a daughter to her ever since her son had started dating her over two years ago.
"What's wrong with her?" she asked.
Troy rubbed his girlfriend's back. "I think it's her stomach." He pulled her into his lap. "I've never seen her cry so hard. It was everything she could do to keep from screaming."
12:05 am
Sirens were right outside the house and Mr Bolton went to the door. Soon, three paramedics came into the room, swarming Gabriella. Troy continued to hold her.
"What's her name and age?" the female asked Troy.
"Gabriella Montez. She's 17," Troy responded quickly.
She called to the other paramedic. "We're taking her in. Get some IVs ready." Then she turned to Troy and Mrs Bolton. "When was the last time she ate?"
"Dinner, around four hours ago." Mrs Bolton responded.
"Good. Just in case we have to take her in for emergency surgery," The paramedics began to place her on the stretcher.
Troy looked shocked. "Surgery?"
"Troy!" Gabriella cried out for him as they began to carry her to the ambulance.
Troy's head was chaos. Gabriella. Surgery. They're taking her to the hospital. She doesn't belong there! "I'll go with her," he told his parents.
His dad clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll follow behind."
Troy followed the paramedics, climbing into the back of the ambulance alongside a sobbing Gabriella. He took her hand and stroked her head as the ambulance took off, wailing down the dark streets. The doctors tried to insert IVs into her arm, but she was thrashing so much. Somewhere in the middle of it, Troy was pushed onto a fold-down bench. His mind was haywire with his girlfriend's crying, paramedics shouting at each other, and the sirens piercing through it all. Suddenly he saw a needle flashing through the air, close to Gabriella's arm, before it penetrated her skin.
"NO!" he shouted.
Gabriella screamed and soon after went almost completely silent. An oxygen mask was put over her mouth. Troy slumped back.
"That might have been a little too strong for her to knock out that quickly, Jason," one EMT said.
Troy took a deep breath. He needed to calm down… for Gabriella's sake. He leaned his arms on his knees, closing his eyes.
"Call ahead to OR. She has to go in for emergency surgery." The female EMT pulled down some more IVs.
Troy's head snapped up.
Another paramedic spoke into a radio. "Seventeen-year-old female with suspected appendicitis. Prepare for operation."
"Take her straight to prep. OR will be available. Dr Roger, it's all yours," came the response.
The ambulance pulled under the awning of the emergency entrance, where they lifted an unconscious Gabriella out of the back. Troy followed closely as they rushed her through swinging doors and a couple more doctors joined the procession.
A nurse pulled Troy aside.
"No, Gabriella," he struggled slightly.
The nurse was a kindly woman, a little younger than his mom, he guessed. "You can't go back there right now, honey. They're taking her to surgery. You could wait here."
Troy lowered into a chair, leaning his head back. "What's going on? She's so healthy, I don't understand."
The nurse smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, appendicitis can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter if they're healthy or not, so the plan is to remove it."
Troy nodded.
She cleared her throat. "By the way, would you happen to be Troy Bolton?"
He lifted his head. "Um, yeah actually. Why?"
"My daughter goes to East High, so we go to the games and shows. Your final game was unbelievable, and the senior musicale put me in tears. You are a very talented young man."
Troy looked down with his crooked smile. "Yeah. We worked hard. I miss it so much."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "And I know that Mrs Montez is a very special and talented young woman as well. She's in good hands, I promise."
"Thank you," he said softly.
The nurse stood and walked down the hall.
Troy took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He had to call Mrs Montez.
After three rings, she picked up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Mrs Montez. It's Troy."
"Oh Troy! How are you?"
He closed his eyes. "Well, there's actually something really important. I'm at the hospital. Gabriella just went into emergency surgery."
Mrs Montez was silent. When she spoke, her voice sounded tearful. "Troy, what happened?"
It was still painful for Troy to say. "She woke me up because her stomach was in a lot of pain. So bad she was having difficulty breathing. I called an ambulance… and now we're here. It's her appendix. They're removing it right now."
"Thank you for telling me. I'm getting on the first flight back."
"Oh no no, you don't have to do that, Mrs Montez. I promise you, we're taking good care of her," Troy hastily responded.
Mrs Montez took a deep breath. "Okay, Troy. I know you are. Thank you so much."
"Of course. I'll update you as she progresses."
Ten minutes later, his parents rushed through the doors.
"Oh Troy." Mrs Bolton pulled him into an embrace.
"I'm okay, Mama." He squeezed her back, closing his eyes.
"Have you heard anything yet?" His dad was concerned.
Troy shook his head. "No, but I called Mrs Montez. She's really glad we're here." He pulled his phone out again. "I'm gonna call Chad."
He stepped away and waited for a long moment for Chad to pick up. When he did, his voice was groggy with sleep.
"Troy, this had better be important," he groaned.
"I'm at the hospital, Chad."
His friend immediately sounded more awake. "What? Dude, what's going on? You okay?"
Troy shook his head. "I'm fine. Gabriella went in for emergency surgery on her appendix. Would you call Taylor?"
"Yeah, for sure."
Troy stuck his free hand in his pocket. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."
"You need anything, Hoops?"
Troy was quiet, then shook his head. "No," he said softly. "Just Gabriella."
On the other end, Chad nodded. "Taylor and I will be over in the morning."
"It's after midnight."
"You know what I mean."
Troy smiled. "Alright. Later."
1:30 am
Walking back to his parents, he saw a doctor talking to them. He sped his pace, anxious to hear what had happened.
"Oh, this is my son," Mr Bolton said to the doctor.
"Troy." Troy held out his hand and the man shook it.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Roger. I operated on Miss Gabriella."
Troy nodded. "How is she doing?"
Dr Roger folded his arms in a relaxed position. "We just finished the surgery, and I am pleased to say it was successful. Good job calling an ambulance so quickly. Any longer and it's likely her appendix would have ruptured."
Troy inwardly sighed with relief. "Can I see her?"
Dr Roger nodded. "The medication hasn't worn off yet, so she's still asleep. But you are welcome to stay. I'm sure you will be the first thing she wants to see when she comes to."
"When can she come home?" Mrs Bolton asked concernedly.
"I'm wanting to keep her here, at least for tonight to monitor some recovery. But I am nearly certain she can go home by tomorrow afternoon" To Troy he said, "She's in room 378. The nurse can answer any questions you have."
"Thank you so much, Dr Roger." Troy shook his hand again, and set off in search of room 378.
He didn't like the plain pristine hallway that led to Gabriella's room, but after asking a nurse for directions, he found himself standing in front of a white door with a wall plate next to it. '378. Gabriella Montez, Recovery. Dr. Roger,' it read. He took a deep breath and gently knocked as he opened the door.
The room was nicer than he expected. He closed the door behind him and stood just inside the room. It was dimly lit by a lamp on a tiny side-table. Next to the table was a couch. On the other side of the small room, lined up on the wall next to the bed, were IVs and machines. One was quietly beeping, measuring the rate of her heart. As his eyes scanned the room, they finally landed on the bed's occupant. Her dark, soft curls were spread across the pillow, her face, normally so sweet and cheerful, was now slightly pale. Her chest rose and fell with every weak breath and her eyes were closed in dreamless sleep. His gaze followed two IV cords that went into her right wrist, which lay lifeless on top of the blanket.
He moved to the bedside and slowly sat down, taking her left hand (the one without the IVs) into his lap, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. He sighed deeply. Gabriella was safe. He began to softly sing as he stroked her knuckles.
We're soaring, flying
There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach
If we're trying
So we're breaking free.
He stopped when he heard a shaky inhale come from Gabriella. Turning his head, he saw she was still asleep, but her head had turned slightly, as if she was able to hear him. Troy leaned forward, careful of all the cords, and tenderly kissed her forehead. Her eyelashes fluttered.
"Hey, baby," he whispered against her forehead.
She moaned quietly, stirring a little. "Troy…"
"Yeah, it's me." He pushed a stray hair out of her face. "Can you open those pretty eyes for me?"
She exhaled softly as her brow furrowed, trying to wake up, but her body was refusing to obey.
Troy rested a hand on her cheek. "Come on, Gabi."
She pressed her cheek into his hand, her eyes finally slowly opening. A faint smile pulled at the corners of her mouth when she saw Troy.
"Hi," he whispered.
"Hi."
Caught up in relief that she was awake, he leaned on his arm that wasn't holding her hand, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She responded weakly, lifting her hand with the IVs in it, and holding the back of his head, running her fingers in his hair.
"I love you," he murmured into her mouth.
Gabriella only sighed.
Troy pressed their foreheads together and nuzzled the side of her nose. "I'm glad you're awake. I was so worried."
"Really?" she asked weakly.
"You scared me to death," Troy said, closing his eyes.
She smiled softly and pulled him in for another sweet kiss.
When the nurse came in to check on Gabriella, she stopped in the doorway, finding Troy sitting on the bed, leaning over the girl, tenderly kissing her. Gabriella had her arms around his neck, weakly holding on as he held her up. The nurse smiled and softly closed the door. She was awake. She'd check back in a bit.
2:15 am
Fifteen minutes later, Gabriella was asleep again, but this time, it was peaceful; not forced by drugs. Her head lolled to the side, resting on Troy's shoulder. Troy had his arm around her, his head leaning against the wall behind the bed. He had crawled in next to her on top of the blankets, as she had told him that sleeping on the couch was not an option.
Gabriella's eyes slowly opened. A pain in her stomach had become very noticeable, but she knew it wasn't as bad as earlier in the night. She only had vague memories of previously, the last thing she remembered being a sharp pain in her arm, a needle perhaps, and someone shouting… probably Troy. She raised her eyes to his sleeping face, unsure whether to wake him or not. She knew he would want to know it she was in pain. That was partially what got her into this mess to begin with.
"Troy," she said quietly. Her voice was still weak, as was her body. She couldn't wait to get home.
"Hmm?" His eyes fluttered open. The room was still only lit by the lamp in the corner, so he blinked a couple times to readjust. He looked down at her.
"Could you press the nurse's button? I think I need some pain medicine."
He sat up, pulling his arm from behind her. "You feeling it now?" He kissed her hair.
She nodded and dropped her head onto the pillow. "I miss your bed. It's so much more comfortable."
Troy smiled as he got up. He pressed the button on the wall that would summon the nurse and sat back down. "Well, Dr Roger said he wants to keep you here tonight. You can possibly go home in the afternoon. If not, the evening."
Gabriella nodded. "Good to know."
Her nurse walked in. "Hi there, I'm so glad you're awake." She smiled at her and went straight to the machines at her bedside. "How are you feeling?"
"My stomach is hurting again. May have some pain medicine?" Gabriella responded as Troy moved to the couch.
"You certainly may. Let me just take a quick look."
The nurse pulled the blanket down to Gabriella's hips and lifted her gown. On her stomach was the surgery wound, which was beginning to heal already. The nurse smiled. "You're healing nicely. Dr Roger may want to come in and take a look, but I think you may be ready to go home by this afternoon."
"What time is it?" Gabriella asked Troy as the nurse got the medication.
He glanced at his phone. "2:20."
"In the morning?" she asked incredulously.
His eyes twinkled and he nodded.
She closed her eyes and whimpered.
The nurse handed her a pill and a cup of water. "Here. Drink all the water."
Troy's phone rang as Gabriella took the medicine. "Talk to me."
"Hey Troy." It was his dad. "Your mom and I are heading home. Chad and Taylor are already on their way over, so they'll take you two home when you're ready."
Troy raised his eyebrows. "Already? He said they weren't coming until later. Like, not almost 2:30 in the morning."
Coach Bolton huffed a laugh. "Apparently he called Taylor right after your call and she went to his house to wait. They finally got impatient and Mr Danforth called me to let you know because Chad couldn't get a hold of you."
Troy quietly laughed. "Okay, thanks for letting me know."
"How is Gabriella doing? Is she awake?"
He glanced at Gabriella, her eyes closed, holding her stomach. The nurse was gone. He lowered his voice even more. "Yeah, she officially woke up about thirty minutes ago, but she's really weak and tired and in some pain. The nurse just came in to give her some medication."
"Have they said anything about her coming home?"
Troy took a deep breath. "Yeah, possibly later today… but man, my internal clock is really off, so who knows when that is."
Coach Bolton laughed. "Alright. Chad will text you when they get there. Take care of her."
Troy smiled. "You know I will. Alright, bye."
He tossed his phone on the table and went to Gabriella, putting a hand on her head, stroking her hair.
"Mm…" she moaned.
He kissed her head and sat down on the bed. "I love you." She smiled tenderly, her eyes still closed.
A couple minutes later, his phone buzzed. He got up to see a message from Chad: We're here. Where are you?
Troy quickly replied: Coming down to get you.
"Hey, I'll be right back, okay baby?"
Gabriella opened her eyes sleepily. He didn't mean to wake her. "Okay," she whispered.
After quietly closing the door behind him, he jogged down the corridor, through some doors, down the stairs before taking an elevator to the main entrance. When he stepped out, he was instantly greeted by a hug from Taylor. Surprised, he stumbled a bit before hugging her back.
"Hey guys," he said. "I thought you weren't coming until… later, I guess."
Chad clapped him on the shoulder. "Well after you woke me up in the middle of the night with a phone call saying Gabriella was in the hospital, you really expect us to go to sleep after that?"
Troy slapped his head. "Of course. Didn't think about that. Let's head up."
"How are you holding up?" Taylor asked as the elevator began moving.
He shrugged. "It was scary. Still is, kind of."
"She's strong," Taylor reassured him. "You know she'll get through."
The doors opened on Gabriella's floor and Troy led the way down the long hallways, passing nurses and doctors.
"Too white," Chad quietly complained. Taylor swiftly elbowed him.
They got to the room and Troy softly knocked as he opened the door. He poked his head in.
"Hey, there are some people here to see you."
Gabriella's head was leaning to the side and she looked at him tiredly. "Really?"
He motioned for them to come in, stepping out of the way.
Taylor went straight to the bed. "Oh, honey."
"Taylor!" Gabriella reached up for a hug. "Ohh I'm so glad you're here."
Chad walked up next to her and hugged her too. "Hey, Gabster, how're you doing?"
She shrugged. "I'm in some pain, but it's alright. I'm just glad it's mostly over." She slowly blinked. "What are you guys doing here this time of night?"
Chad dropped onto the couch while Taylor perched on the bed. "Troy called me while you were in surgery. Woke me up at midnight, told me to tell Taylor too and then expected me to go back to sleep. I called Taylor, she came over, still middle of the night mind you, and we patiently waiting for morning."
Taylor interrupted his story. "We weren't patient, just so we're clear."
Troy, leaning against door, laughed and moved to sit next to Chad.
"Anyway," Chad glared at her, "we finally couldn't bear it and I tried to call Troy to tell him we were coming, but he didn't answer."
"We assumed he was with you at that point," Taylor noted.
"Right. So my dad called Coach to tell him we were on our way over… and here we are."
"Wow," Gabriella said weakly.
The door opened and the nurse walked in with a tray of food. "Oh! You have some company!"
Gabriella smiled. "Yeah, these are some of my friends."
"They also go to East High. Chad here is co-captain of the basketball team with me," Troy told her.
His friends look at him strangely.
"Her daughter goes to East High, so she's seen our games and shows and stuff."
"Ohhhhh." Chad nodded his head.
"Very nice to meet you all," the nurse said. She set the tray on the bed. "I brought something for you to eat, you haven't eaten anything in several hours," she said to Gabriella. "Do you need any more medication?"
Gabriella shook her head. "I don't think so. Thank you so much, you're so sweet."
The nurse left and Troy sat on the bed, pulling the tray to her lap. Taylor moved to the foot of the bed.
Gabriella examined the food in front of her. It consisted of a piece of toast, a small bowl of tomato soup, pear slices, and some cooked potatoes. She made a face. "I don't feel like eating."
"I know you don't, baby, but you just had emergency abdominal surgery. You have to eat something." Troy held up a pear slice. "Here."
She slightly turned her head away.
"Come on, honey," Taylor encouraged. She rubbed Gabriella's leg through the blanket. "You have to eat something."
She sighed in defeat and took a tiny bite of the offered pear.
They all held their breath as she chewed, waiting for her approval so she would eat more.
Gabriella coughed. It tasted like it was canned.
Troy rubbed her shoulder. "That's it. Good job."
She grimaced. "I'll eat it… the pears and the toast."
Chad shrugged. "Better than nothing."
"Look, I'll take a bite too," Troy compromised. He took the spoon and tasted the soup. He licked his lips and ran his tongue around his mouth trying to find flavour… there wasn't much. "I can't believe they feed this to people in the hospital," he said incredulously.
"That's because it's only to keep them alive. All the money is going to the machines she's hooked up to," Taylor commented.
"No kidding." He put the spoon back on the tray and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "You don't have to eat the soup, Gabriella."
"Wasn't planning on it." She picked up the toast and began to slowly nibble away at it.
"Alright, while we're here, we might as well call some of the others to let them know," Taylor said. "Kelsi especially would want to know."
Troy didn't look up from the food tray and trying to convince Gabriella to eat more than toast. "It's still three in the morning, Tay. We should at least wait until later."
"Good point," said Chad. "We don't want to wake them up."
Taylor yawned. "Unlike me." She sat on the couch next to Chad, leaning on his shoulder, and within minutes was asleep. Chad followed suit twenty minutes later, and by that time, Gabriella had finished the toast and all but two slices of pear. She was falling asleep even as she tried to finish, but Troy quickly took the tray, setting it on the small table. She took a deep breath and was soon softly sleeping on Troy's shoulder.
5:37 am
Almost two hours later, Troy opened his eyes. He had a kink in his neck from the uncomfortable position he was in. He slowly lifted Gabriella's head off his shoulder and gently laid it on the pillow. The food tray was gone.
Chad was stirring too, Taylor was already wide awake.
"Do you think they'll discharge this morning?" she asked hopefully.
He examined his sleeping girlfriend. "She seems to be doing pretty good, so it's looking hopeful," he remarked.
Chad groaned in his half-awake state and groped around. "Ball…" he muttered. "Where's my ball…"
Troy walked over and shook him. "Chad. Your basketball isn't here. Remember?"
Chad jerked awake, at first startled by his surroundings. Then he relaxed. "Dude, you scared me."
There was a knock at the door and the nurse walked in. "Good morning! I have good news. Dr Roger thinks Gabriella is fit enough to be discharged!"
"Alright!" Chad exclaimed.
"That's great news! How soon?" Troy asked.
"I can do a quick examination, go over some questions, and then you're free to go."
"We'll step out." Taylor pulled Chad towards to door, closing it behind them.
Troy took Chad's place on the couch.
Gabriella was awake by this point. She allowed the nurse to remove the blanket to examine the surgery healing. Then the nurse suggested standing up. Gabriella reached for Troy to help.
He stood and took her hands as she dangled her feet off the edge of the bed. She was still weak, but Troy encouraged her. "Come on, baby, you got this."
She locked eyes with his and slowly pulled herself to her feet, Troy holding her up. He backed up a little, letting go of her hands so she could take some steps. "Come to me now," he said.
She walked straight into his arms, where he pulled her into an embrace.
"Oh, Gabriella," he murmured softly into her hair. She nuzzled into his chest, holding onto him tightly.
The nurse cleared her throat. "I have your clothes right here, if you would like to take off your gown. I'll step out while you change, and bring you your pain medicine prescription."
"Thank you." Gabriella pulled herself out of Troy's arms and picked up her clothes as the nurse left. "Will you help me?" she asked Troy.
"Of course."
He untied her hospital gown, tossing it onto the bed, and helped her pull on the sweatshirt and shorts. When he finished, she sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands.
"Mm, I'm so tired," she mumbled.
Troy sat next to her and rubbed her back. She leaned on his shoulder and sighed. "I know you are," he said. "Which is why we're going home."
"And I'm going to sleep for eternity."
"Go for it." Troy stood and opened the door to let Chad and Taylor back in.
"You ready to go?" Chad asked, putting an arm around Gabriella's shoulders.
She nodded.
Troy opened the door. "I'm gonna go clear some things with the nurse real quick, and then I think we can go."
The nurse walked in. "Beat you to it," she said cheerfully. She handed Troy a red and white paper bag. "Here's her medication. The instructions are in the bag, but she needs to take with food. So at every meal should be perfect."
"Thank you so much," Taylor said.
"You're welcome." To Gabriella, she said, "You're free to go. Take it easy, okay dear?"
Gabriella smiled. A real smile. Troy helped her up and they all walked slowly down the hall to the elevator and out to Chad's car, where the sun was just beginning to rise.
The drive home was quiet. Troy rode in the front with Chad driving, while the girls sat in the back. Gabriella fell asleep on Taylor's lap.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up in front of Troy's house, where Mr and Mrs Bolton were anxiously waiting.
Troy opened the back door and scooped Gabriella up. Chad and Taylor waved goodbye, promising to visit later that day.
He carried her up the walk, where his dad opened the door to them. Troy took her straight to his room, laying her on his bed, right where she was seven hours earlier. The most eventful night, and they would start the next day, slowly of course so Gabriella could keep up. Troy set the medicine on his bathroom counter, and pulled back the covers to slide in next to her. The house was quiet as Mr and Mrs Bolton headed to bed. Troy curled protectively around Gabriella, thinking that it had been the longest night of his life. And he drifted away to sleep.
