Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
A/N: Well, that chapter was odd. This one is a little out there, too. Sorry. This story is dwindling down, so expect the heaviest and saddest chapters to be coming soon. But this one is a little happy. Just a little. I don't want to give away the ending, so that's all I'll say.
Random Moment of the Chapter: I LOVE JASON DUNN!
Timeline Note: This chapter takes place a month after the last.
Enjoy!
Troy reached out for his alarm clock, finding the snooze button after several minutes of groping. The incessant beeping ceased and he rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.
"Troy!" his mom called, dragging him back to the land of the living.
"Mmmm," Troy mumbled into the pillow, scrunching his eyes tighter.
A few minutes later, the door to Troy's room opened and he felt a slight pressure on the end of his bed as Kellie sat down. She gently rubbed his back, catching his attention.
"How are you feeling today, sweetie?" she asked, leaning closer to hear the mumbled reply.
"Not good."
"Do you think you can go to school today?"
Troy shook his head, swatting his mom's hand away. Kellie sighed, leaning forward to gently kiss his head before standing up and leaving the room. Troy pulled the covers past his head, trying to hide from the pain that shot through his head. This was his fifth consecutive missed day, the fifth day he had felt too sick to go to school.
As Troy tried to fall back asleep, the pain in his head reached a crescendo, almost blinding him. Hissing, he tried to bury himself deeper in the pillow, attempting to block out the throbbing. After a few moments of vain struggle, Troy decided to get up and get his pain meds.
Groaning, he rolled out of his bed and onto the floor, standing slowly. He staggered into the bathroom, closing his eyes against the light as he rummaged in the medicine cabinet. Retrieving several small orange pill bottles, he unscrewed the lid of the first, taking out the required dosage. Having done that for the others, he downed them one by one with water from the sink.
Having taken his meds, Troy stumbled back into his room.
"Troy, I'm calling the school, okay?" Kellie called up the stairs, hearing Troy walking around.
"Whatever," he called back, collapsing onto his bed and burying himself under the covers again. Barely five minutes later Kellie walked back in, setting a glass of water on the bedside table.
"Did you take your meds?"
Troy grunted in response, not bothering to look up at his mother.
"Do you need anything?"
"No."
"I'll be just downstairs if you do."
Troy didn't reply, only snuggled deeper into his blankets.
"I'll check on you in a few hours," Kellie said, looking sadly at Troy before walking from the room.
Five minutes later the only sound in the room was Troy's soft snoring as he slept.
Kellie sat at the kitchen table, punching numbers into a calculator as she worked on catching up with bills. Putting her head in her hand, she stared at the numbers on the calculator, unable to make head or tail of them. Sighing, she looked up at the clock. It was just about time for her to check on Troy.
Placing the papers into a neat pile, Kellie stood, walking over to the cabinet and taking out a glass. Filling it with juice, she set about preparing something for Troy to eat. Just as she got ready to go up, the phone rang, making her stop what she was doing. Wiping her hands on her jeans, she walked over to the phone on the kitchen wall.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Bolton? It's Dr. Michaels."
"Dr. Michaels? What's going on? Is anything wrong?"
"Actually, I have some good news."
"Good news? What is it?"
"We found a donor to match Troy."
"Oh, my God," Kellie breathed, a feeling of intense happiness coming over her.
"We want you to bring him in as soon as possible, so we can go over the procedure. If everything works out we'd like to do it as early as tomorrow."
"Thank God," Kellie said, tears of happiness stinging her eyes. "Thank you so much, Dr. Michaels. You have no idea how wonderful this news is."
"I think I have some idea," Dr. Michaels chuckled. "Can I count on seeing you later today?"
"We'll be there as soon as possible. Thank you so much."
"No problem. I'll see you in a bit."
"Thanks again."
Kellie hung up the phone, pausing for a moment to smile to herself. Turning, she picked up the phone again, quickly Jack's number at the school. After three rings, he picked up, clearly surprised to hear Kellie's voice.
"Kellie? What's going on? Is something happening to Troy?"
"Jack, Dr. Michaels just called. They've found a bone marrow donor for Troy, they want to do the procedure tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Does he need to go-"
"I'm taking him in now, come to the hospital after school. Tell Gabriella, too, if you can. I have to get Troy ready, now."
Before Jack could respond, Kellie had hung up and was halfway up the stairs to Troy's room.
Jack knocked on the door to Gabriella's Chemistry class, attracting the attention of her teacher.
"Sorry to interrupt, but could I borrow Gabriella Montez for a moment?"
The teacher nodded, motioning to Gabriella before returning to her lecture on acids and bases. Gabriella stood quickly and walked out to Jack, her face a mask of worry.
"Mr. Bolton? What's wrong? Is Troy okay?"
"He's fine, Gabriella. Better than fine, actually. They've found a donor."
Gabriella's face lit up, and she broke into a smile.
"Oh, my God, that's amazing!" she cried, throwing her arms around Jack's surprised form. He awkwardly patted her back, sharing her joy for a moment.
"I'm meeting Kellie and Troy at the hospital after school, you're welcome to come along," he said, gently disengaging himself from her embrace.
"I'll be ready," Gabriella said, her expression betraying her happiness. Jack nodded, letting her go back to class as he turned back toward the gym. He suddenly felt the urge to shout from joy. This was the first time any of them had been happy in the last seven months.
Troy sat in his hospital bed later that day, talking with his parents and Gabriella. Dr. Michaels had already run all the necessary tests, and they were waiting for the results. As they talked the conversation turned to college, and where Gabriella was going in the fall.
"So, where did you apply?" Kellie was asking, trying to keep the mood light to cover the tension in the room.
"Stanford, Columbia, Harvard," Gabriella said, smiling broadly at Troy's mother. "I also applied to Notre Dame and Georgetown and a few others, just in case."
"Come on, Gabi, you'll get in," Troy said, his voice almost bitter.
"Troy? What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, concern creeping into her voice.
Troy sighed, looking at his father for a long while before answering.
"College is a bit of a sensitive subject with me," he said, looking down at his hands.
"Oh, Troy, I'm sorry," Gabriella said, understanding finally dawning on her. This would have been the time when Troy would have been off at Duke, selling his talent for a scholarship.
"Don't be. It's not your fault."
"Come on, Troy, cheer up," Jack said, trying to bring the conversation back to a lighter level. "If this works, you'll get better, and you'll even be playing again by the fall."
Troy sighed heavily, staring the blanket covering his knees as he spoke.
"Dad, I think we all know that even if this does work-if it does make me better-the chances I'll be the player I was are slim to none. I'm not getting any scholarships, and I probably won't play again."
"Troy-" Gabriella began, but her cut her off.
"Please, don't do that. I've accepted that fact, and I'm okay with it. It's a part of life." Pausing, he turned to his father. "Which is why I want you to call Duke, Dad. Tell them-" he broke off, collecting himself, "-tell them I can't accept their offer."
Silence greeted Troy's announcement, as Jack sat stunned.
"Troy, don't you think that's a little hast-"
"Dad, please don't make this harder then it already is. Just call them, and get it over with."
"But what about college, Troy?"
"If I make it through this, then I'll think about college. But basketball won't be part of that."
Jack nodded, clearly struggling with Troy's decision. His next remark was cut off when Dr. Michaels walked in.
"Your results are in, Troy, and you're all clear for the procedure. I've scheduled you in for noon tomorrow."
"Oh, thank God," Kellie said for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She hugged Troy happily, and gripped her husband's hand. The tension in the room from moments before immediately evaporated.
"Now, before we can do the procedure, I have to go over the risks."
"Hold on a minute," Troy said quietly, looking up at the doctor.
"Yes, Troy?"
"Is there a chance that I could not make it through the procedure? Is there a chance I could die on the table?"
Dr. Michaels nodded slightly.
"There is a chance of surgical complications, but-"
"Then I want to sign a DNR."
A/N: Cliffhanger of sorts, again!
FYI, DNR stands for Do Not Resuscitate. It means that, if something happens, Troy doesn't want any heroic measures (like respirators or defibrillators) used to resuscitate him.
Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!
Coming in Chapter 19: Why does Troy want a DNR? What happens during the transplant?