Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
A/N: Well, I'm glad you all liked that chapter. If this chapter is kind of weird, it's because I'm totally watching "The Ten Commandments" right now. This movie rocks! LOL
This chapter explains some things. And other stuff happens. Yay other stuff! LOL
No, Troy is not bi-polar. At least, not in this fic…
Random Moment of the Chapter: I heart Prison Break!
Enjoy!
Troy sat in the waiting room of Dr. Michaels office, tapping his foot incessantly. He was sitting between his mother and father, waiting to be called in to see the doctor. Sighing, Troy shifted, beginning to tap his other foot. His father shot him a glare, and Troy stopped.
"Troy Bolton?" the receptionist said, poking her head into the room. He stood, walking over to her. "You can go on into room 3, Dr. Michaels will be right in."
Troy nodded, and walked down the hall to the exam room where he sat on the table, waiting patiently for the oncologist to arrive. He let his feet swing slightly as he sat, tapping his fingers on the paper covering the table. After what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, Dr. Michaels walked in.
"Hello, Troy," he said, picking up his chart and flipping through the pages.
"Hey," Troy said quietly, looking at his feet. Dr. Michaels put the chart down and pulled a stool over in front of Troy, sitting down.
"How have you been feeling?" he asked, taking his stethoscope and listening to Troy's breathing and heart rate.
"Alright, I guess."
"Any pain?" Troy shook his head. "Dizziness, weakness, faint spells?"
"Only right after chemo."
Dr. Michaels nodded, writing on the chart. He placed his fingers along the side of Ray's neck, feeling for swollen lymph nodes.
"Your mom said on the phone that you started a fight with your friend the other day. She's worried about you."
"It was nothing," Troy said, reluctant to tell the doctor what he had told Gabriella.
"Have you talked to anyone, Troy?" Dr. Michaels asked, sitting back on the stool and looking at Troy.
"About the fight?"
"No, about being sick. It helps to talk."
"Why? What good does talking do? It won't cure me," Troy said bitterly, staring down the doctor.
"But it will help with you emotions. Troy, you can't bottle everything up. It isn't healthy. It can lead to outbursts even worse than fist fights with a friend. It can lead to depression, mental instability, even suicidal tendencies."
Troy looked down at the floor again. Dr. Michaels noticed this and immediately became concerned.
"Have you thought about suicide, Troy?" he asked carefully, watching the teen's face for any sign of a reaction. Troy looked up, alarmed.
"N-no," he choked out, immediately looking away from the doctor.
"Troy, answer the question truthfully."
Troy paused, looking back at the floor again. Sighing, he looked up at the doctor. "I guess. I mean, who hasn't? It'd be a lot easier than going through this."
Dr. Michaels followed Troy back into the waiting room, meeting his parents as the stood up.
"I'd like to speak to you in my office," he said, motioning for them to follow him. Troy made to follow, but he stopped him. "Troy, I'd like you to wait out here while I speak to your parents."
Bewildered, Jack and Kellie stood, following the doctor into his private office. He sat behind the desk, folding his hands on the wood as he looked at them sitting across from him.
"What's going on?" Kellie asked, clearly anxious. "Is Troy alright? Is something wrong?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, I must say that I am more than a little concerned about Troy's mental state right now. It doesn't appear that he's come to terms with his diagnosis yet, and has rather been bottling up all his emotions. I fear that he may even be experiencing some suicidal tendencies."
"Suicidal?" Jack asked, upset by the news. "What are you talking about?"
"Cancer is a life-altering illness. When you deal with it the way Troy has, by internalizing every emotion, it starts to become a danger. It can lead to outward violence, or to self-injury. Troy has already experienced the first, and I fear that before long he may turn to the second."
"What do we do?" Kellie asked, clutching her husband's arm until her knuckles turned white.
"I would suggest that Troy start seeing a therapist, someone who could help him come to terms with his feelings. I can suggest a few names to you, and you can make the final decision. But I would highly suggest that you do something."
Troy sat in the psychiatrist's office, looking everywhere but at the doctor. She was a fairly young woman, maybe thirty-five, tall with vivid red hair pulled back into a bun. She was wearing an ID badge which told her name, Dr. Sara Cooper.
"How long has it been since you were diagnosed?" she asked Troy, watching him intently.
He shrugged. "Four or five months."
"How have you been handling it?"
"How would you handle it?" he shot back, finally looking at her.
"Fair enough. Have you talked to anyone?"
"My girlfriend."
"Has she been helping you?"
"I guess."
"Troy, Dr. Michaels said that you talked of killing yourself. Are you truly suicidal?"
"Maybe."
"Are you going to answer any of my questions?"
"Nope."
"Troy, I'm here to help you. I can't do that if you don't open up."
"Too bad."
Dr. Cooper sighed, closing her notebook. "We're out of time for today. I'll see you next Wednesday." She followed Troy out to the waiting room, where she met his parents.
"Well?" Jack asked, watching her face for any sign of how things went.
"It's going a little slowly, but in time I think he'll open up. For now, though, I think I have a diagnosis."
"What?" Kellie asked, looking at the psychiatrist.
"I believe that Troy is suffering from a form of PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The diagnosis was a shock, and therefore his mind shut down, refusing to accept anything. The behaviors and tendencies he's exhibited seem consistent with PTSD symptoms."
Troy sat in the back of the darkened theater, deliberately avoiding everyone. He currently had free period, which he usually spent catching up on homework. Sighing, he took his pocketknife from his pocket, staring at the blade. Dr. Michaels had made him think. It was true that he had been feeling slightly suicidal as of late, as well as increasingly violent. He knew his parents were making him see a psychiatrist, but he wondered why.
Troy's musings were interrupted when Gabriella walked into the theater. Spotting Troy, she walked over, quietly sliding into the seat next to him.
"Hey," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. Troy smiled, closing the knife and slipping it back into his pocket.
"Hey."
"What are you doing in here all alone?"
"I needed some space to think stuff over."
"What kind of stuff?"
Troy sighed exasperatedly. "Just stuff, okay, Gabi?"
"Okay, I'm sorry I made you angry," she said, pulling away from him.
"No, I'm sorry," Troy said apologetically, reaching out to her. "It's just-I was thinking over some things Dr. Michaels said the other day."
"Is everything okay?" Gabriella asked, all her anger immediately forgotten.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just-he's making me see a shrink."
"What's wrong with that?" Gabriella asked, watching Troy's face.
"I don't know, I guess nothing. But I don't-I don't want to talk about it. Talking about it makes it real. I don't want it to be real."
"Troy, maybe what you need is to talk about it. Maybe it will help you.'
"Maybe," Troy repeated, his voice trailing as he looked away from Gabriella. She watched him for several minutes, before speaking again.
"Troy, is everything okay between us?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking back at her.
"I mean, we don't have the same relationship we did before. We talk about stuff, but it just-it doesn't feel the same. I feel distant from you."
"Gabi, we're fine."
"Troy, you say that, but I don't know if you mean it." She paused, swallowing. "Troy, do you love me?"
Troy looked at her, slightly surprised. "Of course I love you."
"No, Troy, I mean real love. Do you love me enough to spend the rest of your life with me?"
Troy paused, then immediately thought of something. Twisting his class ring off his finger, he held it out to her.
"Gabriella, I love you more than life itself. You are everything to me." He slid the ring on her left hand, looking into her eyes. "Will you marry me?"
A/N: Hehe, cliff hanger. I know you guys love them :D I bet no one expected that one…
Coming in Chapter 15: Gabi's response to Troy's question. Will she marry him?