Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
A/N: Once again, I'd like to apologize for the delay of the last chapter. But you all forgive me, right? Lol
I'm glad you all think it would be funny if Chad dyed his hair pink. Hehe. It won't happen in this chapter, but it will. It will.
This chapter picks up after Troy goes all psycho on his dad.
Enjoy!
Jack sat in the living room with the newspaper in his lap, Kellie sitting next to him with an untouched novel in her lap. Sighing, she put her hand to her head, distracting her husband.
"What?"
"I can't believe you let him run away."
"Kellie, we've been over this. There was nothing I could do."
"Jack, he's sick. And now he's angry. How could you just let him walk right past you?"
"Kellie-" Jack's reply was cut off by the phone.
"I'll get it," Kellie said, placing her book on the coffee table and standing up. She walked into the kitchen, lifting the phone off the hook.
"Hello?"
"Is this the Bolton residence?"
"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"
"Mrs. Bolton, my name is Dr. Cameron from the ER at Albuqueque General Hospital. I'm calling regarding your son, Troy."
Kellie felt her stomach drop, and she tightened her grip on the phone. "What happened?"
"Troy was in a minor car accident a few hours ago. I'm currently treating him for minor injuries."
"Christ," Kellie whispered, putting a hand over her eyes. "We'll be right there." She hung up the phone, grabbing her purse off the counter and walking into the living room.
"What's going on?" Jack asked, clearly confused.
"We're going to the hospital," Kellie said, tossing him his car keys.
"What?"
"Troy was in an accident."
Jack cursed quietly, standing quickly and following his wife to his car.
"Can you tell me where my son is?" Kellie inquired politely at the Admit desk when they arrived at the ER.
"Name?" the harried nurse at the desk asked, barely looking up at Kellie and Jack.
"Troy Bolton."
The nurse paused, glancing at the white board behind her before turning back.
"Curtain 4, second curtain on the left.."
"Thank you." Kellie nodded at the nurse, then grabbed Jack's hand and they set off down the hall. They reached the curtain and she pulled it back apprehensively. Troy was sitting on the bed, dangling his legs over the edge. He was holding a wad of gauze to a cut on his forehead, but other than that he appeared fine.
"Oh, thank God," Kellie breathed, rushing forward and hugging Troy. "We were so worried."
"Mom, I'm fine," Troy said, pushing her away.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Jack asked, glaring at his son.
"Dad, I-"
Troy was cut off when a young doctor pulled back the curtain. He appeared to be in his late twenties, clean-cut and quite handsome. The name tag on his lab coat read "Dr. Cameron."
"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton?"
They nodded, turning to shake hands with the doctor.
"I'm Dr. Cameron, I've been treating Troy. Luckily, his injuries weren't too severe. Minor concussion, thirteen stitches to the head, and a minor wrist sprain. With his condition, we were worried about-"
"But he's okay?" Kellie interrupted, prompting an affirmative response from the doctor.
"It appears that he blacked out at the wheel, lost control of the car, and hit a tree. Other than the momentary blackout, there don't seem to be any other complications from the leukemia. As a precaution, I've paged Dr. Michaels, who's coming down in a few minutes. After that I see no reason why we can't send Troy home."
"Thank you, doctor," Jack said, shaking his hand. The doctor nodded, pulling back the curtain as he left.
"Well, to be completely honest, I'm astonished Troy was even driving," Dr. Michaels said, sitting opposite Troy's parents as they talked in the ER. Troy was sitting on the bed, watching the exchange between his parents and doctor.
"We didn't realize he got in the car," Jack said quietly, clearly annoyed at himself.
"Have you been driving to school?" the doctor asked, directing the question at Troy, who nodded feebly.
"I thought I made it clear that the drugs used for chemotherapy are extremely potent. Driving while using them, even after several weeks, well-" Dr. Michaels let the sentence hang, glancing suggestively at the bandage on Troy's forehead.
Troy hung his head, clearly upset by the doctor's admonishment.
"I can guarantee he won't be driving again any time soon," Jack said, glaring at his son. Kellie had moved to sit next to him on the bed, rubbing his shoulders in a motherly gesture. Dr. Michaels nodded, standing and signing Troy's chart.
"Everything seems to be fine, but try to keep a closer reign on him," he said, shaking hands with all three. "I'll see you next week."
"Keys," Jack said when they walked into the house, holding out his hand to Troy. Troy reluctantly took them out of his pocket, dropping them into his father's palm.
"I'm going to start dinner," Kellie said, anticipating the argument that was about to occur. Jack acknowledged her statement with a wave of his hand, taking Troy by the arm and pulling him into the living room.
"I can't believe you were so irresponsible," he half-shouted, releasing Troy from his grip. "You could have been killed."
"Dad, I'm fine. Nothing happened."
"Nothing happened? Troy, you crashed your car into a tree. You needed stitches. You're damn lucky I didn't kill you myself."
"Dad, chill out. I just needed-"
"What you need is to grow up. This is your life you're playing with, Troy. This isn't a game."
"Dad-"
"Troy, shut up and listen. You just can't act like this. Maybe before it would have been alright, but now-"
"Dad, I'm sick, I'm not broken."
Jack shook his head, trying to clear the tears that clouded his eyes.
"Troy, your mother and I just want to keep you safe."
"It doesn't matter what you do, Dad. I'm still going to be sick. Nothing's going to change that. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die."
Jack sat heavily on the couch, putting his head in his hands.
"You sound so much older than you are," he said wistfully, looking up at Troy. "It's like you've aged years in the last few months. I just-we don't know how to deal with this, Troy. Losing a child, it's like losing a part of you."
"Dad, you're not losing me. At least not yet."
A/N: That was a little shorter than normal, but I wanted to end it there. Kind of intense, but I wanted it there. Reviews greatly appreciated as always!
Coming in Chapter 12: Chad dyes his hair pink! Troy deals with the Duke thing.