Hey! Hope you enjoy this, thanks for the reviews!

Also, I'm not a doctor or a nurse or anything, so everything is based off what the Internet says. If it's not right, I'm dreadfully sorry.

Chapter 12

Coach Bolton and Mack walked into the waiting room. Elaine had tried to get some of the players to leave, and most did, being as cooperative as they could to the worried parent of their star teammate. Chad, Zeke, Jason, Cam, Ryan, Gabriella, Sharpay and Taylor were the only seniors left. Mack noticed Calum and ran into his arms.

"You're soaked," he said laughing.

"Me and my dad went outside."

"I sent the others upstairs to Mikaela. Your mom was getting kind of mad at how many people were still in the waiting room."

"That's my mom," Mack said, showing the first smile she had put on her face since Cam had cheered her up. "Did they come out and say anything to her?"

"A nurse came out, but they didn't say much. I'm assuming you guys are waiting for something important," he said.

She sighed. "Yeah, if Troy's alive or not."

Calum smiled sadly and looked over her head. "Your parents are gone."

"They probably went in to talk to the doctor. Did you go see Mikaela?"

"Yeah. She's still herself."

"Mikaela will be like that until her dying day." She blinked. "How's she doing, really."

Calum didn't answer for a minute. "She's not doing well."

"Why is this happening Calum?"

"I don't know."

She broke away from him and walked over to the double doors. She looked inside through the windows and sighed. It was relatively calm, making it easy to tell that Troy wasn't in there. "He's not in there," she said when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe they took him up to a room."

"Or the morgue."

"Mack, you can't say stuff like that!"

"What," she asked. "It could be true."

Calum looked down at his shoes, knowing that it was a 50/50 chance that Troy was dead or alive. Mack walked over to the others, leaving Calum standing by himself. She stood looking into each of their faces, all etched with worry, fear and sadness.

"Mack, your mom wants you," Chad said. She turned and walked to her mother, preparing herself for the worst.

"Sit down Sweetheart," Elaine said when Mack arrived by her side. Mack did as she was told and Elaine sat in the chair next to her.

"He's dead, isn't he," Mack said, more as a statement than a question.

"No, but he just went in for a three hour surgery. He's getting something put in that's going to help his heart. Do you know what a defibrillator is?"

"That's what they used to get his heart beating again, right."

"I believe so. The doctors are going to implant an internal one in his body, so that it can help him, if his heart ever..."

"I understand. He's going to be normal again, right Mom?"

"He won't be able to participate in contact sports and he'll have to keep electronics away from it."

"Where's Dad? Is he upset?"

"Upset yes, but happy Troy's going to be okay. He walked off somewhere, I don't know where he went."

Mack smiled. "I'll be right back."

She walked to the elevator and went up a few floors. When she got off she stood at the end of a long hallway. At the very end of it, he father was looking into a window. She walked over to him and smiled at his confused face.

"How did you know I was here?"

She shrugged. "I guessed." She looked into the window. It was the newborn nursery.

"See that one, right there," he said pointing to a little girl with a pink hat on. "That's what you looked like. When you were born, I couldn't help think about how lucky I was. I mean, I lost my college scholarship and my father disowned me because of it and then you and Troy...you two were so beautiful. You know, I always wanted a little girl."

"I always thought you wanted a boy for basketball."

"I did, but not as much because of my own experiences. I wanted a daughter so I could watch her grow, so I could give her away at her wedding. You don't know how excited I was when you were born and you were a girl. Troy wasn't too happy, but I was ecstatic; you were healthy and a girl, what more could I have asked for?"

Mack looked up at him and he looked back down at her, a smile on his face. "You know why you knew I was up here? You're like me, Troy's like your mother- very independent."

"I agree." She looked down at one of the baby boys. His blanket had sports balls on it. "So he'll never play again."

Jack shook his head, looking away. "No."

"Does he know?"

"We told him, but I think he was too out of it to understand what was being said to him."

"But he'll be okay Mom said."

"Yeah," Jack said quickly. "He'll be all right."

"I know you really wanted Troy to be the star, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

When he didn't answer, Mack walked back to the elevator. Jack watched her go and then sat down on the bench that was in the hall. He pulled out his wallet and flipped through the pictures, his glance finally settling on Troy's first grade picture. His big, blue eyes and cute smile made him look as if he was the perfect child.

In truth, Jack knew that Troy was a parent's worst nightmare. He was always the smallest, at five his shoe size was two sizes smaller than Chad's. The first few years of his life was spent in and out of hospitals. When he was three and they brought him outside for the first time without a jacket, even though it was 79 degrees out, he caught a cold. That cold turned out to be pneumonia which turned into a hospital visit. They were told his body would be a few years behind, where other kids would be immune to something, Troy was twice as likely to get it.

When Troy caught chicken pox in kindergarten, Elaine had been too scared to let him go back. Jack had felt so bad keeping the five-year-old home that wanted to be around other kids his age. He would come home from work and find Troy with his head under a pillow, trying to block out Mack's screams. Troy had been the quiet baby, Mack the loud one who wailed at every little thing.

"You again, what are you a magnet?"

He looked up at the voice. "Oh, hello. Mrs. Quinn right?"

"Yes," said the elderly lady. "Your son, I presume."

"Yeah."

"You seem upset," she said in her accent.

"I guess I am a little."

"Your son is the star and won't be the star anymore." Jack looked at her. "I know, weird how I know these things. But, I do know, you must let him decide."

Jack looked down at his feet. "Decide what," he asked her, but she was no longer there.

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"You can go see him if you like."

"Lead the way," Jack said. The doctor nodded and led them to Troy's room. Mack opened the door and they filed in.

"Hey Troy," Jack said. The boy blinked once and looked around. "Hi," he said softly.

"How are you feeling," Elaine asked.

Troy got comfortable before answering. "Good, I guess."

"Good," Jack said. "That means you can answer some questions."

"Jack," Elaine warned.

"Why weren't you taking your medicine," Jack asked, ignoring Elaine.

Troy breathed a few long breaths before asking, "who told you?"

"Mack-"

"I told you not to tell anyone," Troy yelled with as much energy he could muster up. "I told you to stay out of my business."

Mack's eyes narrowed. "I should have told earlier. You wouldn't be here if I hadn't listened to you."

"Get out," Troy hissed.

"Why would I want to stay?" She turned on her heel and walked to the door, slamming it hard behind her. Elaine ran after her, wanting to make sure that Mack didn't leave the hospital.

After an awkward silence, Jack said, "you didn't answer my question. Why weren't you taking it?"

Troy turned his head. "I just wanted to be normal. All my life I've been a...a freak; the freak that couldn't go to kindergarten, the shrimping first grader, then I was the basketball guy. I didn't want to be 'the basketball guy whose heart didn't work'. I guess, I thought if I didn't take the medicine, then all this wasn't real."

"Troy, you're not a freak," Jack said. "How much do you remember, do you remember anything after you collapsed?"

"I saw you and Mom, you were talking to me, but...I couldn't make out what you were saying."

Jack took a deep breath. "Okay. You're going to have to listen to this and don't blow up at me. Got it?" Troy nodded and Jack continued. "They implanted a defibrillator in your body. They said that it will help your heart...but, there are a few consequences."

Hope you liked it!

Again, I'm no doctor so bare with me. If it's wrong, I'm sorry.

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