Beside You
A/N: Forgive my French, but holy shit. It's been a while, huh? I finally sat my ass down and wrote this. Honestly, it's been sitting in some kind of form on my computer for the past four years, but I was never satisfied with what I wrote and I didn't finish. Finally, I decided to get to it and have been working on it for the past three days. So, a lot has changed from the last time I updated this. One: I moved again, but this time I moved to a completely different state. Two: I have a somewhat full-time job, though I still get paid hourly (but, hey, it's a job). It's been a long time coming with this one guys. There's still one more chapter after this. I was just going to make it one long chapter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for much longer and I don't know how much longer it will take me to write the rest of it. I know how I want this story to end, I just have to get into the groove of writing again. Anyway, here you guys go. I know it's short, but I was tired of making you wait.
Chapter 8
June
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Troy! Happy Birthday to you!" He couldn't keep the smile of his face as his friends sung to him and his wife placed a small cake in front of him with a single lit candle in the middle of it. For the third year in a row, he didn't hate the day of his birth. For the third year in a row, he had people who cared about him to remind him why his life was worth living.
"Make a wish and blow out the candle," Chad said, one arm wrapped around Sharpay, the other resting on Destiny's shoulder.
"What for? Everything I could ever wish for is right here in this room." He looked back at Gabriella. "Or will be in a few months." She smiled and touched her belly. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap. "What else could I wish for?"
"Wish for something," she suggested. "Anything."
"Well…there is one thing…" His words faded off and he took a moment before blowing out the candle.
"So, what did you wish for, Uncle Troy?" Destiny asked.
"I can't tell. If I do, then it won't come true," he answered. It seemed to quell the child's curiosity as her next question was about getting a piece of cake. The adults chuckled and Sharpay went to grab a knife to start cutting slices.
"What did you wish for?" Gabriella asked in a low voice.
He grinned. "I'll tell you later."
Confusion and curiosity crossed her face, but he refused to give in. Taking her hand, he placed a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist before turning his attention to the cake being cut in front of him.
::
An hour later, after the others had gone, Troy found himself beside Gabriella in the kitchen; washing dishes. She washed, he dried. They went about the chore in a comfortable silence. Troy would have never thought he would find himself in this position, but two years after meeting this remarkable woman, he wouldn't have it any other way.
"So, what was it?" she asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Hm?"
She handed him another plate for him to dry. "What did you wish for?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
Turning off the water, she leaned her hip against the counter. "I would, that's why I asked." She crossed her arms. "Come on, Troy, tell me. Please!"
Chuckling, he turned towards her and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her to him, he cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb against her cheekbone. "I wished to spend every day by your side and that our son will be healthy and happy."
Smiling, leaned into his hand. "If that was all, why couldn't you just tell me that earlier?"
He shrugged. "I may have also slipped in something about birthday sex, as well."
Laughing, she pushed him away. "I should have known. Such a horny bastard."
"Hey, you knew what you were getting into when you married me," he pointed out.
"That I did," she answered with a nod. Moving closer to him, she brushed a piece of his unruly brown hair from his eyes. "Best decision I've ever made." He took hold of her wrist and wrapped her arm around his neck before grasping her waist and pulling her closer. Their lips met in a sweet kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled back, though still close enough that she could feel his breath against her mouth. "I love you."
Smiling, he rubbed his nose against hers. "I love you." He went to kiss her again, only for her to move away. Confused, he watched her start in the direction of their bedroom.
"Aren't you coming?" His blue eyes questioned her. With the coyest smile, she quirked her head and said: "I believe you mentioned something about birthday sex."
Catching the message, he quickly followed; closing the bedroom door behind them.
::
July
"Troy, will you promise me something?"
He looked over at his sister's face; a solemn look on her features. "Anything you want, Emma."
"Promise me you'll come find me." She pushed a piece of her hair out of her face. "Promise me that we'll be together again one day."
Smiling, he nodded. "I promise."
"I guess your promises don't mean anything." His head swiveled to face a woman who looked familiar, but who he couldn't place.
"What?"
"You promised me. You promised, and now look what happened." Looking into her blue eyes, he realized that this woman was – what his mind thought her to look like – an older version of Emma. He looked beside him and found the younger version gone.
"Emma?" He jumped to his feet and started towards the older version of his baby sister. "Em, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, Troy. I'm dead, and it's all your fault."
"No, I…"
"If you had searched for me sooner, I'd still be alive, but you took too long and now I'm dead." Tears began falling from her eyes. "I hate you!" She turned and ran.
He followed; calling her name as he chased her across the open field. He watched as she ran into the group home they stayed at and stopped. He hadn't seen this place since he turned 18. Hearing the door slam, brought him back to where he was. Climbing the small staircase that led to the front door, he went inside and found the place empty.
"Emma!" He called, but received no answer. He searched every room on the bottom floor, but could find no evidence of anyone. As he neared the staircase, he heard a floorboard creak and looked to the top of the stairs. There was an outline of a woman standing there, but he couldn't see her face. He immediately assumed it was Emma and called out her name. The woman didn't answer; instead, she turned and walked into an open doorway. He climbed the stairs two by two and found the once open door now closed. "Emma?" He opened the door and stepped inside.
The scenery didn't match what he remembered. The room he stepped into was completely different from the room that had once belonged to him and another foster kid, yet it was still familiar. Sobs reached his ears and his attention shifted to a closed door on the other side of the room where he knew a window should be. Light filtered from underneath it and as he neared it, the sobs grew louder.
"Emma?" The sobbing stopped. He reached for the door knob and found it locked. "Emma, open the door, please, so we can talk." He tried the door knob again, but it still wouldn't budge. "Emma, please!" Finally, the knob clicked and the door swung open, but what he found on the other side wasn't what he expected. "G-Gabriella?" His heart dropped and his blood ran cold when he saw the woman he loved slumped on the porcelain tile with blood pouring from her wrists. "No. No, no, no, no." He quickly dropped to his knees beside her and grabbed her arms. Hands wrapping around her wrist, he attempted to staunch the blood flow. "Come on, Babe, you can't die on me."
"Looks like I wasn't the only one you let down." His head snapped to the doorway, where Emma stood, looking down at the scene before her with sadness.
"Help me!"
"What for?" Her blue eyes met his. "She's already dead."
Glancing down at the unconscious form of his wife, he realized that Emma was right. There was no movement in her chest. "No! Gabriella." He picked her up and held her against his chest. "Come on, sweetheart, open your eyes."
"She's dead, Troy. Just like I am."
"No, she's not!" he cried. "She can't be. She can't be."
"But she is." He shook his head and buried his face in her neck as he cried.
Troy awoke suddenly; eyes flying open. A dream? He stared at the ceiling above him, tears sliding down the corners of his eyes, before turning his head. Beside him, Gabriella slept soundly, unaware of his distress. He reached for her, the back of his fingers close to brushing her peaceful face, but stopped. She was dead. She died right in his arms. He pulled back and rolled over, sitting up at the edge of the bed. He glanced back at Gabriella's sleeping face, but all he saw was the lifeless one from his dream. Grabbing his discarded shirt on the floor, he threw it on and left the room.
::
Gabriella awoke alone.
It wasn't unusual; there were many mornings where she woke up to find Troy gone – already heading to work for an early start. But there was an unease that had settled itself in her chest. That unease turned into full worry when his boss called looking for him. Not knowing what to say, she lied and told the man on the other line that Troy was sick, and apologized for not calling sooner. Once the call was ended, she quickly dialed Troy's number, only for it to go straight to voicemail.
"Troy…" As she began to leave a message, her eyes caught sight of the calendar and she froze. "Babe, it's me. Please call me back when you get this. I know you're in pain right now, but I'm here for you. You know that, right? I love you. Never forget that, okay? Come home…please." She ended the call and let the phone drop from her hands. She sunk onto the couch and ran her hands across her face. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized the date. Looking back at the calendar, July 12th shone in non-existent neon lights. She prayed to the God she didn't believe in that Troy was okay; wherever he was, she just hoped that he was okay.
::
It was nearing midnight by the time Troy came home. He was surprised to find Gabriella curled up on the couch, fast asleep, when he walked through the door. Moving to her side, he knelt in front of her and noticed the tear tracks on her face. Guilt came over him as he realized he made her cry again. He hated himself for that. He promised himself that he would never provide her with a reason to shed tears again – unless they were tears of happiness – yet, here he was, going back on his word. He pushed a strand of hair from her face and silently apologized for causing her heartache. As if sensing his presence, she stirred; her eyes fluttering open.
"Troy?"
"Hey." He smiled softly.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she buried her face into his shoulder. "I was so worried."
He returned the hug; enveloping her in his embrace. "I'm so sorry for disappearing on you. I just needed to clear my head."
She pulled away and shifted to make space. He took a seat beside her and leant his head back. His eyes closed and he felt her move up beside him; laying her head on his shoulder. Her fingers laced with his and she brought his hand up to her lips. A smile played on his lips when he felt the feather light kiss on his knuckles. His head drifted to lean against the top of hers and they sat there in silence.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" she finally asked after minutes of absolute quiet.
He sighed and sat up. Propping his elbows on his knees, he pressed his face into his palms. Behind his closed eyes, he could still see the image of Gabriella lying lifeless on the porcelain tile of the bathroom. Despite the fact that she was sitting beside him, alive and breathing, it still haunted him. That could have been reality. If not for Sharpay's warning, he would have come home to her dead body lying in the middle of her bathroom. He still couldn't forgive himself for that. Feeling her hand running up his back, he glanced backwards at her.
"It's okay if you don't want to, just…" She gave him a small smile, "know that I'm here if you need to." She stood to retreat to their bedroom, when he grabbed her hand.
"Stay." He looked up at her; his blue eyes desperate. "Please." Nodding, she sat back down with her legs tucked under her body. "How did you do it?"
"Did what?"
Blue met brown. "Forgive me. After what I said to you, how could you forgive me?"
She smiled sadly and touched his cheek. "Because I love you." He turned away from her, but she used both hands to keep his gaze on her. "You make me happy, Troy, and when I'm with you, I feel like I'm home. You are the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. Yes, you said some stupid shit to me that pushed me over the edge, but I was already at that edge before you even walked into my life. I don't blame you for it and I don't hold it against you."
"None of that had to happen, Gabriella. If I hadn't walked into your life with all of my bullshit, then none of that would have happened."
"And if you hadn't have walked into my life, I would be stuck in a loveless marriage and still trying to convince my father to love me. True, I wouldn't have gotten to that point so quickly, but I would have gotten there eventually…and there wouldn't have been no you to save me." She took his hand and pressed it against her chest. "Do you feel that? That's my heart; still beating because of you. Still continuing to beat for the ones in my life that I love: Shar, Ryan, Chad, Destiny," She quirked her head, "you." She moved his hand down to the bulge that was just beginning to be an obvious sign of pregnancy. "And for this child that we made together."
His eyes stared at her belly; remembering that they were to be parents in a few months' time. He smiled and stroked her stomach through her shirt. She stood and held out her hand to him. Without speaking, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him to their bedroom. Gabriella climbed into their bed, staring up at him as he followed. Lying down beside her, he felt himself relax completely when she rested her head on his chest. Neither cared that they were still fully clothed. Just being next to each other was all they wanted. His arms wrapped around her and he held her closer; breathing in the raspberry scent of her shampoo. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.