Two days later, Gabriella's fever broke. Troy knew that he had to tell her about the baby. After Dr. Jeffries left, Troy sat on the edge of Gabriella's bed, and hold one of her warm hands in his own hand.
"I need to tell you something," he said with a sigh.
"What, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked in a worried voice. Troy squeezed her hand.
"It's about the baby." Gabriella's hand began to tremble. "The baby's gone, Gabi," Troy said quietly. Gabriella fell back against the bed, and began to sob. Troy pulled her close, and stroked her dark hair. "Shh, shh, calm down."
"This is my entire fault," she sobbed into his chest. "I should have listened to you and Sharpay." Troy gently rocked Gabriella. It took him nearly half an hour to calm her down. "Why is this happening to us?" she demanded.
"I don't know honey, I honestly don't know."
That night, Gabriella had a horrible nightmare. She was standing in a dark room. All around her she heard the sound of a baby crying. She crumpled to her knees, and covered her ears.
"Stop, please stop," she pleaded before waking up in a cold sweat. Shaking, Gabriella rolled over, picked up the phone next to her bed, and dialed.
"Hello?" Troy mumbled. It was highly evident that he had been sleeping.
"Troy?" Gabriella asked, still upset about her dream.
"Gabi honey, what's wrong?"
"I had a bad dream, and, and I needed to hear your voice. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called. I wasn't thinking."
"No, it's fine. You would have woken me up if you were home; you're just adjusting a little." It pained Gabriella that she wasn't in Troy's arms at that exact moment. As if to read her mind, Troy said, "Don't worry, you'll be home in a few days."
"I know, but-"
"But nothing. You're not going to get better if you don't get some rest." Gabriella sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Troy was right. "I love you, Gabriella."
"I love you too." Gabriella hung up the phone, and rolled over.
After Gabriella got
settled, and nurse came in, and asked quietly, "You alright Mrs.
Bolton? I thought I heard you talking to someone."
"I'm
fine. I had a bad dream, that's all." Gabriella squinted,
because of the light from the hallway entering her room.
"Do you want something to help you sleep?" Gabriella hated sleep aids. Her Mother used to use them all the time.
"No," she replied firmly. "I'm fine, really." The nurse said goodnight and left to make her rounds. Gabriella wrapped her blanket around her a little tighter, and soon drifted off to a restless sleep.
Three days later, Gabriella was released from the hospital. She was given several medications, but she absolutely refused to accept any anti-depressants. Troy helped her into the car, and they left to go home.
"You glad that you're finally going home?" he asked as he put his hand on Gabriella's knee. She nodded. She pressed her forehead against the window and closed her eyes. "What's wrong honey?" A single tear slid down Gabriella's cheek.
"I was so excited about having a baby, and now this." Troy rubbed her leg gently to calm her down.
"This doesn't mean that we can't have kids at all, it's just a minor setback in our plans," he said. He himself was still upset, but he had to be strong for Gabriella. Gabriella put her hand over Troy's, and they rode the rest of the way home in silence.
When the couple got home, Gabriella went straight upstairs to lie down. All she wanted was to be in her own bed again. She passed by the would-be nursery without a second glance, and went to the master bedroom. After Gabriella got settled in bed, she felt Troy lie down next to her. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair. Soon, both were asleep in the comfort of each other's arms.
A/N: Next chapter is the LAST! There will NOT be a sequel (despite the NUMEROUS protests I know I'm going to get once you read the ending!). Much love!
Tina101