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CHAPTER 14
"Hello?" Gabi answered the ringing phone as she dashed into her flat, dropping her bag on the floor to reach it in time
"Gabi?" the voice checked
"Yes?" she asked back
"It's Margaret, Amy's mum" she said and Gabi immediately knew something had happened to Amy
"Oh my god, is she okay?" she asked, panicked
"She's not been well, for a long time…but she got taken into hospital this morning and she asked for you" she said quietly
"Oh my god, I should have come when she called me two weeks ago" she felt so bad
"No, it's okay, you weren't to know. She was hiding it well. That's why she came to see you because she wanted to see a familiar face. I don't know if you can come?" she asked
"Of course I can" she said straight away
"I understand if you have work…" Margaret said nervously
"It's okay, I'm not due back until after the New Year. Its getting a flight that will be the problem but don't worry, I'll come as soon as I can" she promised
"Thank you Gabi. I know how hard it will be for you to come back, but I know Amy will appreciate it"
"Margaret?" she said before she went "What's wrong?"
She heard a sigh "We think it's a heart problem. She's been getting tired and having trouble with chest infections"
"Will she be okay?" she asked, wondering if she should
"I hope so, Gabi, I really do" she said and they bid goodbye, Gabi calling the airport straight away fro a flight, the first one not available until the following Tuesday, and at a price she couldn't afford.
Gabi looked at her mobile. Should she call Troy? He was doing interviews all day today but she he might be able to help get her an earlier flight. She cursed herself for even thinking of using him in that way and went into her room to dig out her train timetable. It would probably take three days to get there but it was her only option right now.
Her phone rang at midday and she smiled as she saw Troy's name flash up.
"Hi" she smiled into the phone
"Hey, how are you? I'm just on my way to Google TV studios for my next interview and thought I'd call you. Guess what?" he asked excitedly
"What?" she asked
"I got Robert Nix tomorrow night!" he said like a little boy at Christmas, Robert Nix being a huge chat show host.
"Oh my god, Troy, that's amazing!" she said happily
"I want you to come with me." He said softly
"I can't." she blurted
"Oh. Wait, what's up?" he asked, realizing he hadn't waited for her to answer his question about how she was.
"It's Amy. She's been taken into hospital. Apparently she's been ill for ages but didn't tell anyone. She asked for me. I'm going to see her." She explained
"Oh my god that's awful, is she okay?" he asked
"I don't know. I just know I have to go" she sighed
"Of course, of course....you getting a plane?" he checked
"There's no flights till next week. I'm going on the train."
"Gabi, that'll take forever. Let me speak to Greg, we'll get a private jet" he said easily
Gabi laughed "Troy! You can't just get a jet so I can go see my sick friend." She objected
"I can. And why shouldn't I?" he bristled
"Just because…" she said softly
"I want to do this for you" he said "Let me speak to Greg. I'll come by later" he promised
"Okay, see you later" she said forlornly, wondering if she really could accept a private jet to Colorado to see Amy.
If it meant getting there quickly then she might have to swallow her pride and take up Troy's offer.
---
"Hey are you okay?" Troy asked as she opened the door to him later that evening
He pulled her into a hug, holding her as she shook in his arms
"I'm just so worried about her" she admitted with a sob.
"Well I've got some news, some good, some not so good" he admitted with a grimace
He sat with her on the sofa, stroking her face gently, then putting an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him as he relaxed back into the cushions.
"We got you a flight to Colorado for tomorrow but I could only get one seat. And as much as I would like to come, I have commitments work wise that I can't just cancel…" he explained and Gabi looked at him
"I didn't expect you to drop everything and come too" she said, touched that he had even thought about it
"I want to babe, you don't know how much. But if I miss these interviews, it could look really bad on me" he sighed heavily, having been through this with Greg already.
Even Greg said he had to honour his commitments.
"It's okay. Thank you for trying" she murmured, hugging him and not wanting to go home and face her past.
"I know it's gonna be hard for you. Is there anyone else who can go? What about Karen?" he checked
Gabi shook her head "She has to work. It's okay. I'll be okay" she assured him
Troy watched her brown eyes close and knew the churning in his gut wouldn't stop unless he was on that plane with her tomorrow night but there was nothing he could do about it now.
"I'll help you pack?" he suggested and Gabi nodded, leading him into her room where she pulled down her suitcase and she directed him to the wardrobe to pull out some jumpers.
"How long will you be gone?" he asked
"I don't know. Could be a few days" she shrugged "Her mom just said it was her heart." Gabi sobbed then "I hope she's okay. I don't want her to die" she cried into her hands and Troy rounded the bed to take her into his arms
"Shh" he whispered, stroking her hair and her back as she sobbed into his shirt.
"I never even asked how your interviews went!" she wailed and he chuckled
"That's okay, it's not important" he said
"It is to me" she said in a small voice and he sighed, tightening his muscled arms around her as they got comfy in their embrace, Gabi's arms around his waist, head on his chest.
"Well they asked me the same questions over and over, like what's it like being a superstar? And what's my favourite colour?" he quoted
"What is your favourite colour?" Gabi questioned from his chest
"Red" he smiled "And some of them asked about you…" he continued
"Oh, like what are you doing going out with that moron girl?" she joked
"No" he chuckled again "Like, is it true I have a girlfriend and what about our relationship all that stuff" he shrugged
"Wow, that's nosey" she frowned
"Yeah…I hope you don't mind but I just said we were dating but I didn't want to talk about it more than that"
She looked up to him and kissed him "I love you" she said and his heart flipped over as he smiled down on her
"I love you too. I'm gonna miss you while your gone" he said gently as she pulled out of his hug.
"I better finish up here. What time is the flight?" she checked
"Tomorrow at 6pm. But I've got interviews all day again. Shall I go get us some food and we can spend the night together?" he suggested
Gabi nodded "That would be great, thank you so much Troy- for everything" she kissed him before he went, not seeing him look back on her with a longing look.
---
Troy came back into the flat with packages of food, Gabi discovering it was delicious take away from Joe's diner, her favourite cheeseburger and chips.
She sat cross legged on her bed with him to eat and he leaned back against her suitcase which was also resting there.
"I love that I can sit here and eat a cheeseburger with you" he grinned as she lost a bit of lettuce down her chin and struggled to retrieve it with her tongue.
She frowned confusedly at him.
"Well you know, some girls wouldn't be too impressed if I turned up with a cheeseburger for dinner" he commented "They like the glitz and glamour of being with a singer"
"Ah" she nodded "Well we all know what happens when we do glitz and glamour" she raised her brows giving him a look and he looked sheepish
"Yeah, I embarrass the hell out of you" he grumbled
She stroked his arm "It's okay, I know what you're like" she said softly and he smiled at her under his lashes, still making her squirm with desire with just one look.
She put down her unfinished burger and leaned across to kiss him, Troy responding and she knelt up, as he took her waist and leaned back, taking her against him as their passion flared and he felt the suitcase as he went back, but didn't predict overbalancing, Gabi in his arms, tumbling off the bed and landing on the floor in a heap.
Gabi giggled from under him, she seemed to have flipped over, cushioning his fall
"Honestly, bunny, you are so accident prone!" she stroked his hair as he settled between her thighs snugly, his forearms resting on the floor and she took advantage of his bulging arms and stroked down them before she kissed him again, feeling his full weight press into her, arching into his hard body.
She pulled back, feeling guilty almost for enjoying this so much when her friend was in hospital.
She pressed against Troy's chest for him to let her up so he rolled over, taking a few breaths to calm his body down.
"I'm sorry" she said "I always do this to you" she sunk her head into her hands
"Hey…hey…" he hugged her shoulders "Don't ever, ever feel bad" he said, pulling her into him, kissing her hair
She nodded, wiping a tear away "I'll be okay when I've seen her"
He helped her up and they finished packing, clearing the suitcase from the bed as he watched her lay down, stripping his jeans and t-shirt to lay with her as she wriggled out of her jeans and pulled a nightshirt on over her bra, then took her bra off from under it and he had to smile at her shyness, wondering how on earth she ever managed to work in a lap dancing club in those outfits.
He snuggled into her on the bed "I'll text you loads" he promised as she lay on her arm watching him
"I'd like that" she smiled gently
"I have to go early, want me to wake you?" he asked, setting his phone alarm
She nodded "I wanna say bye to my bunny" she said, holding up her bracelet for him to see.
"Okay" he smiled, kissing her forehead, tucking her into his body as he fell asleep.