Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Hey! Glad you guys like this story so far! This chapter we find out what's going down with Troy. Obviously, as stated in the summary, Troy is going to die. Unfortunately, no amount of pleading will make me change my mind. Sorry :D

Sorry for the delay! I was in Hershey, Pennsylvania all weekend and just got back (with five pounds of chocolate, lol)

Random Moment of the Chapter: School's out!

Enjoy!

Gabriella was sitting in the OR waiting room, her head in her hands as she watched Jack wear the carpet down with his constant pacing. Kellie was sitting next to her, her face pale and betraying her worry. They had been sitting there for half an hour, waiting for any news on Troy.

The sound of running footsteps made Gabriella look towards the door to the room. Sharpay and Ryan were hurrying toward them, wearing identical worried expressions. Sharpay's jeans were still stained with blood where she had knelt next to Troy.

"How is he?" she asked, spotting Gabriella and running over.

Gabriella shrugged. "They haven't told us anything. He's in surgery right now."

Sharpay nodded, running a hand through her hair as Ryan caught up to her.

"How long has he been in there?"

"Half an hour," Gabriella said, letting her head fall back into her hands.

Sharpay sat next to her, putting an arm around Gabriella's shoulders.

"Were you two there?" Jack asked, walking over to the three teenagers and addressing Ryan and Sharpay.

Ryan nodded, taking the seat next to Sharpay. Jack nodded and resumed his pacing, refusing to look anywhere but the floor in front of him.

"Maybe you guys should go on home," Kellie said softly, following her husband with her eyes as he continued to walk back and forth. "We don't know how long it's going to be, or if we'll even be allowed to see him tonight."

"No. Mrs. Bolton, I'm staying," Gabriella said firmly. "I love Troy, and I want to be here for him."

"We're staying," Sharpay echoed, looking at Troy's mom.

"Alright. I'm going to run to the cafeteria then, and get us some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks," Gabriella and Sharpay said simultaneously.

"We're fine," Ryan said. Kellie nodded and stood up, pausing to ask Jack before walking down the hall towards the cafeteria.

"The police want to talk to you later," Ryan said, reaching over to squeeze Gabriella's hand in support. "They need your statement."

"Thanks," Gabriella said quietly, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back on the chair. The sound of footsteps forced her to look up.

A surgeon was entering the waiting room, holding his surgical cap in his hands. He looked at the chart he held, before looking up.

"Richards?"

Gabriella sighed, closing her eyes again as the doctor walked over to a middle-aged couple. She started to tune their conversation out, but snippets of it drew her attention.

"Drew suffered a major injury," the surgeon was saying to the couple, who were holding each other tightly. "The bullet fractured his skull, and lodged in his brain. We were able to remove it, and reduce the swelling a little bit. But, I'm afraid, Drew's condition is very serious. He's in the ICU, in a coma. I'm very sorry."

"Sorry?" Gabriella found herself saying loudly, barely aware of what she was doing. "Sorry? He should be dead!"

"Gabriella!" Sharpay cried out, placing a hand on her friend's arm to try and calm her.

"No, Shar, he shot Troy! He doesn't deserve any pity. He killed his own brother!" she screamed, standing up quickly, ignoring the stares of the others in the waiting room.

"Gabriella, calm down," Jack said, walking to her and trying to calm her down by gently trying to sit her down. Drew's parents were watching her, shocked, as the doctor stood immobile.

"He shot Troy! My boyfriend is dying, and it's his fault," Gabriella sobbed, unable to control her emotions. She cried out in anguish and fell to the floor, only Ryan's quick actions keeping her from hitting the ground. He pulled her into a hug and held her close, gently rubbing her back to soothe her.

"It's okay, Gabi, it's going to be okay," he whispered, placing a hand on her head to comfort her.

"He's going to die, Ryan," Gabriella sobbed into his shirt. "Troy's going to die."

"Gabi, don't say that," Ryan whispered, rubbing her back. "Troy is going to make it, he's going to pull through."

They sat like that for several more minutes as Jack walked over to Drew's parents to apologize for Gabriella's actions.

Six hours later, Gabriella, Kellie, Sharpay, Ryan, and Jack were the only people left in the waiting room. Drew's parents had accepted Gabriella's apology, and were now sitting with their remaining son in the ICU. April had made it through surgery and was also in ICU, her family with her. The other clerk had received thirty-two stitches to the forehead and was being held overnight for observation of his concussion. The only victim they were waiting for word on was Troy.

"What time is it?" Sharpay asked quietly from her spot against the wall. She was stretched across four chairs, facing the center of the room. Ryan was sitting against the opposite wall on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest. Gabriella was asleep, her head on his shoulder. Kellie and Jack were sitting together, wrapped in each other's arms as Kellie slept restlessly.

"About 1 o'clock," Ryan said, lifting his arm to look at his watch. "He's been in there for almost seven hours."

"I wonder-" Sharpay began, but she was cut off as a doctor walked into the room, his head hanging and a shadow of sorrow crossing his face as he looked out at the five.

"Kellie," Jack whispered, shaking her awake and standing up to face the doctor. Ryan stood up as well, waking Gabriella as Sharpay quickly crossed the room to them.

"How is Troy?" Kellie asked worriedly, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Mrs. Bolton, Troy was injured very, very badly. The bullet entered his chest, striking several blood vessels as it went. Finally, it hit his aorta, tearing it. The aorta is one of the main arteries that supply blood to the body. The tear caused by the bullet was small, but enough to cause severe damage. Troy lost a large amount of blood. Without the quick response of the emergency team, he wouldn't have even made it out of the store. As it is, his condition is extremely precarious."

"But he's alive?" Gabriella asked, looking for confirmation.

"Yes, he's alive. But I must warn you, he is far from out of the woods. These next few days are touch and go. If he can survive them, he has a good chance of pulling through. We've done everything we can for him. It's out of our hands now."

Gabriella sat in the hallway outside Troy's ICU room, staring at Sharpay and Ryan, who were sitting directly across from her. It was now three in the morning, and they were waiting for Troy's parents to let them see Troy. The ICU staff had made allowances for them to stay, as usually only two people were allowed at a time.

"I can't believe we still could lose him," Gabriella whispered, rubbing her eyes as she looked over her shoulder through the window of the room. Troy was lying in the bed, his mother tightly holding his hand as his father stood by the window.

"I know," Sharpay replied, laying her head on Ryan's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, comforting her.

"When did the doctor say he'd wake up?"

"He said the anesthesia should wear off in a few hours, then we'll be able to tell how well he's doing."

"Gabriella?" Kellie asked, standing at the door and peeking her head out.

"Yes?"

"Troy's awake. He's asking for you."

Gabriella stood up quickly, looking over at the twins.

"We'll be right here," Ryan said, nodding at her as she walked over to the door.

"Tell Troy we love him," Sharpay added, sitting up straight. Gabriella nodded, and followed Kellie into the room. The sight before her shocked her.

Troy was lying awake in bed, his eyes locked on his father, who was talking to him. His complexion was pale, the stark whiteness of his skin almost blending in with the sheets on the bed. His hair was still matted with blood, splayed out around his head. The monitor at his side was slowly beeping out the rhythm of his heart, the pace worrisomely slow. The slight rise and fall of his chest was almost unnoticeable, and Gabriella was startled by how sick he looked.

"Hey," Troy whispered, smiling slightly at her as she walked in. The smile immediately turned into a grimace of pain as he attempted to shift his position.

"Hey, baby," Gabriella replied, walking over to him and running her fingers along his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Never better," Troy joked quietly, smiling goofily at her.

"We'll leave you two for a moment," Kellie said, squeezing Troy's knee and leaning to kiss his forehead. "We have to get the doctor, anyway."

She and Jack left the room, leaving Gabriella and Troy alone.

"Troy, I was so worried about you," Gabriella whispered, sitting in Kellie's recently vacated chair and picking up his hand, holding it tightly. "When Drew had the gun, and he pointed it at you-" She broke off, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Hey," Troy whispered, reaching up to brush tears from her cheeks. "You're okay, though, right?"

"God, Troy, of course I'm okay. Because of you."

"That's good, then."

"Troy, I never thanked you. You-you saved my life, and now you might die because of me."

"Not because of you," Troy said almost breathlessly, every word seeming to cause him pain. "For you."

Gabriella let out a choked sob, bringing Troy's hand to her lips and kissing it.

""I love you," Troy said, taking his other hand and brushing her hair from her eyes. "I love you so much."

A/N: Well, that was the end. Hehe you all think Troy is okay now, don't you?

Well, you're wrong! Lol

Reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 5: Does Troy survive?

NOTE: Chapter 5 will not be posted until next Monday or Tuesday. I have to study for exams, so my mom doesn't want me typing fanfiction. Sorry :D