A/N: Check it out! lol. Don't own HSM
Chapter 3 – Ice cream
"Y-Y-Your d-d-d-"
Gabriella slapped his arm as she handed him the key to unlock her small house. "Just spit it out."
"Your daughter?" He croaked, turning the key in the lock and pushing it open. He allowed her through first and leaned against the doorframe for support.
"I said it ten minutes ago." She rolled her eyes, turning around to face him, Allie slowly waking up. "Are you coming in or not?"
Troy stepped over the threshold and closed the door. "Sure."
"I'm just going to settle her in bed. Could you do me a favour?" Gabriella asked, stroking Allie's hair.
"Mama." Allie cried, burying her nose into Gabriella's neck.
"Shhh… Mi hija, it's okay." Gabriella whispered, rocking from one foot to the other. "I know you don't feel very well." She kissed Allie's head and turned back to Troy. "Could you get some ice cream from the freezer? Just bring the tub. A spoon, a glass of milk and a flannel or towel run under the cold tap?" She asked.
Troy nodded, heading into the small kitchen. "Sure." He whispered.
Gabriella turned around and carried Allie upstairs, into a small bedroom, closing the door behind her. She sat them both down on the small bed covered in a pink fairy duvet and turned to Allie, slipping her scarf and mittens off. "Okay, Baby Girl, I'm going to make you better. I promise."
Allie nodded, sniffing, and allowed her mother to remove her coat and shoes. "Who-"
Gabriella shook her head. "Don't talk, mi hija."
Allie poked Gabriella gently in the arm until she lifted her head. She pointed the door and turned back to Gabriella, raising her arms as Gabriella pulled her jumper and t-shirt over her head.
"That's Troy. He's my friend." Gabriella explained softly, slipping Allie's pink Disney princess nightshirt over her head.
Allie wiggled out of her jeans and socks and furrowed her brow as Gabriella tucked her in. "Is he nice?" She whispered, snuggling into her covers.
Gabriella nodded after a moment. "Yeah. He is. Now, wait here a second, okay?"
Allie nodded as Gabriella kissed her forehead.
Gabriella straightened up and opened the door just as Troy was about to knock. "Oh, Troy. You find everything?"
Troy nodded, balancing a tray on one hand, stuffing his other into his pocket. "Yeah. It's cool. Is Allie okay?" He asked, glancing over her shoulder at the little girl.
Gabriella shrugged. "I'll find out in a minute. Go on in, introduce yourself and talk to her about anything to do with fairies and princesses. That kind of stuff. Tell her to drink the glass of milk but only little sips at a time. Help her to sit up while she drinks it and make sure she's lying back down when she's done. Stroke her forehead with the flannel and then I should be back. Don't let her talk because it'll hurt and she'll cry. Got it?"
"Introduction. Fairies. Princesses. Milk. Sips. Flannel. Got it." He nodded.
Gabriella glanced at him momentarily before walking off. "I'll be back." She called over her shoulder.
Troy walked into Allie's room and he smiled softly at how much she looked like Gabriella. "Hey." He said softly, walking over and placing the tray on her bedside table. "I'm Troy. You must be Allie."
She nodded timidly.
"Well, your mama just told me that you need to drink your milk, okay?" Troy asked tenderly.
Allie nodded and held her arms up.
Troy chuckled and helped her to sit up before gently holding the glass to her lips. He brought it away, setting it on the tray again. He started to stroke her forehead with the flannel. "How was that?"
She smiled weakly and nodded. "Nice. Please can I have some more?"
Troy smiled and repeated the process before making her lie down. "I think that's enough for now." He whispered, stroking her forehead tenderly. The glass was half empty and she kept eyeing it. "I'm sorry, Allie, but your mama's coming back in a few minutes."
She smiled weakly and pointed to a shelf on the opposite wall.
Troy turned and saw dolls and teddies lined up. He turned back to her and laughed gently. "You want one of them?"
She nodded.
Troy stood up and went over to the shelf. Unable to ask her which one she wanted, he didn't know. So, he gathered them all in his arms and carried them back over to Allie, placing them gracefully onto her bed. He helped her sit up and watched as she searched through them, picking up a small doll with a tattered, soft, pink body and a solid head up for Troy. He smiled as he took it off her and sat on the side of her bed. "Is this your favourite?"
She nodded and then pointed to her bedroom door.
"It was you mama's?" He asked.
She nodded and started coughing.
Troy hurriedly dropped the doll onto the bed and reached for the glass of milk and held it softly to her lips, allowing her to take small sips. He placed it back on the tray and ran his hand through her thick, dark curls. "That better?" He reached for the flannel and started stroking her forehead once again.
She nodded rubbing her eyes slightly to clear the tears that had gathered there.
The door opened and Gabriella walked in with a black leather briefcase. "Hey, mi hija." She said softly, walking over to sit on the bed. She spotted the dolls and teddies and raised her eyebrows at Troy.
He held his hands up defensively. "She wanted to show me." He picked up the doll with the pink body and held it up. "Apparently this was yours."
"She's called Molly." Gabriella explained, opening the briefcase and taking out a thermometer, placing it in Allie's mouth.
"Molly the Dolly? You couldn't do better than that?" Troy teased.
Gabriella shot him a mock glare. "I was three!"
"Uh-huh." He muttered, holding the doll out for Allie who gladly accepted it, hugging it tightly.
Gabriella removed the thermometer from her daughter's mouth and checked it. "Okay, Sweetie, open your mouth." She placed the thermometer back in her briefcase and brought out a tongue compressor. Allie opened her mouth and Gabriella pushed her tongue down with the wooden stick, frowning slightly as she inspected Allie's throat. She removed the compressor and stroked her daughter's cheek. "Your throat hurts, doesn't it, mi hija?"
Allie nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Okay, Sweetie. I'm going to make it better, I promise." She dug through the compartments of the briefcase before finding a brown bottle. She unscrewed the cap and poured five millilitres of an orange liquid onto a medicine spoon. "Allie, you won't like this but it's going to make you better. And Troy will give you ice cream straight after." She looked at Troy pointedly.
He hurried for the ice cream tub and took the lid off. He grabbed the spoon and scooped some onto it. "Ready."
Gabriella quickly gave Allie the medicine and then Troy gave her the ice cream. Allie swallowed and Gabriella hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Okay, Baby. That's going to make you better. Now, you get some sleep." She helped Allie settle into the covers and packed the briefcase away before setting all of the dolls and teddies onto the floor, only leaving Molly with Allie. She kissed Allie's forehead tenderly. "Te amo."
"Te amo, Mama." Allie whispered, closing her eyes.
Gabriella picked up her briefcase and signalled for Troy to bring the tray with him. They left the bedroom and went downstairs together into the kitchen. She set the briefcase on the island and turned to Troy, taking the tray from him. "You okay?"
He nodded and scratched the back of his head. "I'm just still in shock that you have a daughter."
"Why are you so surprised?" She asked indignantly, placing the ice cream into the freezer and washing the glass of milk out.
"Well, you're not married and… You seem the kind of girl that wants to wait to marriage." He admitted. "You aren't married, are you? Because otherwise, your records are in need of a serious update."
Gabriella giggled and threw the flannel into the washing machine. "Calm down. I'm not married."
He nodded. "So, what were you doing up there? And what did you give her?"
"Just some medicine." She shrugged.
"How did you get it?" Troy asked in a slightly demanding voice.
Gabriella turned to him and sighed, folding her arms. "I'm a doctor."
"I'm sorry?" Troy asked.
Gabriella pulled her hoody over her head, let it drop to the floor and sat down in her swimsuit and jeans. She fiddled with an apple from the fruit bowl and felt Troy sit beside her. He grasped one of her hands and she stared at their interlocked hands. "I'm a qualified doctor." She whispered.
"So why are you working at Lava Springs?" He asked softly, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.
"I let my guard down." She whispered. "I went out with the first guy in three years and maybe I should've been smarter. He was my boss after all. Then, he broke up with me and fired me." She explained quietly. "I haven't worked at Lava Springs all these years. Sharpay just kept me on the listings in case something like this happened."
Troy frowned, kissing her cheek. "You haven't been out with someone in three years?"
She shook her head. "Not many guys want to get tied down with a three year old daughter."
Troy rested his head on her shoulder. "Well, they're bastards, aren't they? There are loads of guys who would kill to have a woman like you and a wonderful girl like Allie."
"You don't even know us." She sniffed.
"Guy's intuition." He whispered, making her giggle slightly.
"Do you want some coffee or something?" She asked after a moment.
"You want me to stay?" He asked unsurely, releasing her from his arms.
"You don't look like you're going anywhere." She noted.
"I'm not going to." He promised.
"I bet you used that line on a million other girls." She whispered, sliding off her stool.
"What?" He asked in confusion.
She switched the kettle on and reached up to the top cupboard to bring down two mugs. She turned to him, cocking her head to one side in an inquisitive manner. "You've said that to a million other girls, right?"
He shook his head seriously. "I don't make promises I can't keep." He whispered.
* * *
Troy slipped his jacket on and smiled at Gabriella. She had changed and was now in some black skinny jeans and a thick, white jumper. "You going to be okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks for staying."
He shrugged. "Hey, I like to take care of my employees."
She raised her eyebrows. "I'll believe you. Thousands wouldn't."
"Never heard that one before." He said sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "What can I say? I'm close to my dad."
He chuckled and nodded. "Figures."
"Your Dad's the same?" She raised an eyebrow.
He nodded. "And every dad in the world is the same."
"Mama." A voice croaked.
They turned to the bottom of the stairs to see Allie standing on the bottom step, rubbing her eyes with one hand and grasping Molly tightly with the other. Troy rushed forward and bent down to her level. "Allie, Baby Girl, what are you doing awake?"
She yawned and her eyes fluttered closed momentarily before she opened them again. "I wanted some ice cream." She whispered.
Troy picked her up, resting her on his hip. "I'm sure your mama will give you some."
"And some hot chocolate if you're a good girl and let Troy go on his way." Gabriella said sternly.
Troy chuckled. "Don't worry so much. I'm in no rush and I want to make sure this little Chocolate Baby is okay, don't I?" He asked.
"Chocolate Baby?" Gabriella asked in confusion.
"Her eyes remind me of chocolate. Just like her mother's." He whispered softly.
Gabriella blushed and folded her arms. "Thank you." She whispered.
He smiled gently and turned to Allie, looking her in the eyes. "Are you going to be a good girl for you mama?"
Allie nodded. "Yes."
"Are you going to pout with me until you get ice cream?" He grinned.
Allie giggled and nodded.
He kissed her forehead gently and then handed her over to Gabriella. "She's beautiful."
Gabriella nodded, holding her daughter tightly. "I know she is."
Troy leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I wasn't talking about Allie." He kissed her cheek and straightened up. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."
Gabriella frowned. "What? I thought you were giving me the day off? And I kind of can't go to work now."
He shrugged. "I was actually going to swing by tomorrow to see how Allie is."
"Oh." Gabriella whispered. "I guess that's okay."
Troy nodded. "Good. By the way, what has Allie actually got?"
"Nothing serious. A mild case of tonsillitis. We're both prone to getting it in the winter." She explained.
"Well, make sure she gets loaded up on ice cream and milk." Troy said in a stern voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Allie?"
Allie smiled weakly and nodded, holding her arms out to him. "Goodbye Troy."
Troy took her off Gabriella one more time to hug her. "Get better soon, okay?"
Allie nodded as Gabriella took her in her arms once again. "Mama will make sure I do." She whispered tiredly, resting her head on Gabriella's shoulder.
Gabriella smiled slightly at Troy. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Troy nodded. "I plan on it."
Ladies' man. Gabriella sighed softly and nodded. "Well, tomorrow…"
"If you need me at all. No matter what it is, or what time, you call me okay?" He asked seriously.
She nodded. "Sure thing."
He kissed her cheek once more before pulling the door open. "Goodbye, Gabby." He said softly before closing the door.
Gabriella sighed. Gabby… That one word from one guy… "Come on, Allie, let's get you that ice cream Troy promised you."