Chad's heart rate became faster, and faster, and he suddenly flat-lined. Taylor gasped and four nurses rushed in and one of them pushed her out of the room and shut the door. "What happened?" Ryan asked. Taylor sobbed, "He – he flat-lined!" Gabi gasped, and the rest of them stared. Troy asked, "Flat-lined, as in, umm, he's uh," he couldn't think of the right word that wouldn't make Taylor start sobbing hysterically. Taylor finished, "Dead, he's dead." Sharpay put an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Taylor broke away and watched the door to Chad's room. Gabi and Sharpay had both started crying almost as bad as Taylor. Troy pulled Gabi into a tight hug and he whispered in her ear, "It's OK, it's OK, shhh," and Gabi just stayed there, she had forgotten how Troy could comfort her, and how he made her feel. Snap out of it Gabriella, she thought, He probably has a girlfriend, even though he said no, he's just not telling us. Troy sat down with Gabi in his arms, and she walked over to the chair next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her and stroked her hair.
Sharpay was crying and Ryan was telling her, "It'll be fine, Shar, it'll be OK." She nodded and a nurse came out of Chad's room. Taylor looked at her with hopeful eyes and the nurse merely shook her head. Taylor started crying even harder and she buried her face in her hands. The nurse said, "We tried reviving his heart, but he just wouldn't wake up. I'm sorry, you can go see him now." Taylor fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Gabi helped her up off the floor and hugged her, and Sharpay, Troy, and Ryan put their arms around the others. Taylor said, "I can't – I can't b-believe that – he's g-gone!" Troy said, "You can see him now, you know, say a final goodbye." Taylor broke free of the mass of people and walked into Chad's room. Troy let some tears fall down his cheeks and he hastily wiped them away. Gabi hugged him and he stroked her hair and smelled Gabi's special scent of jasmine flowers and her sweet perfume of vanilla. They were an unusual combination, but they both suited her so well. It was quiet without the noise of the various machines, without all the beeping and ticking.
Taylor sat down next to Chad's bed again and sobbed, "Chad, why did you leave? I need you Chad, more than I ever told you. I always said that we were just friends in high school, but I was afraid that you didn't like me the way I liked you. I love you Chad. I love you so much. I'm sorry that I didn't call you, or talk to you, but I just, forgot, I forgot how much I loved you. Goodbye Chad, I love you, and I will forever." She placed a kiss on his lips, and held his hand. She heard a knock on the door and she said, "Come in," and in walked the rest of the gang. Ryan was letting tears flow slowly down his cheeks, and Gabi and Sharpay's cheeks were covered in tears that kept coming like a waterfall. Troy kept trying to wipe his tears away, but he eventually gave up and let them fall freely. Taylor said, "I can't – I can't believe that he's actually gone." Troy said in a hoarse voice, "None of us can Tay, none of us can." Gabi said in a small voice, "I'm sorry Tay," and she replied, "It's OK, I guess." Sharpay told her gently, while trying to suppress her tears, "We know how much you – how much you loved him." Taylor nodded and said, "I don't think he even knows that I love him." Ryan protested, "Tay, he knows, trust me, he knows that you love him." She sadly nodded and squeezed Chad's still-warm hand, and he squeezed hers back.
She gasped and everyone asked, "What? What is it?" She said, "I thought, thought, that Chad just squeezed my hand." Her hand was gently squeezed again, and the heart monitor started beeping again, but only slow beeps. Taylor gasped, "He's alive?" Gabi looked from the monitor to Taylor to Chad, and answered, "Well, the monitor is beeping, and you said that you thought he squeezed you hand, so, I guess that he is?" That was more of a question then a statement and Sharpay ran over to the call button and started pressing it over and over again. A nurse came in and saw the monitor beeping. She went to get some other nurses and three of them came back with her. They pushed the rest of the gang out of the room and detached Taylor's hand from Chad's. They waited outside for twenty more long minutes, and one of the nurses came out and said, "I don't know how, but he's alive, when we tried reviving his heart, it must not have responded right away." Taylor gasped, as did the rest of the gang. The other three nurses came out and Ryan asked, "Can we go in and see him?" The nurses stepped aside and let the gang in.
Taylor put her hand in Chad's again and told him softly, "Thank you for coming back, I love you." Her hand was squeezed again and she smiled. The rest of the gang sat down in various chairs around the room and talked about memories from East High, like the play, and Sharpay and Ryan's plan to rip Troy and Gabi apart, good times, good times. Taylor asked, "Remember when Gabi slipped and her lunch went all over Sharpay's shirt?" Everyone, even Sharpay laughed. Sharpay said in her defense, "Hey, those chili fries were really hot," but that just made everyone else laugh even harder. After they had calmed down a bit, they heard a familiar voice ask, "What's everyone laughing about?" They looked at each other, and then to Chad's bed. Chad was awake! He sat up a bit and Taylor threw her arms around him, squeezing the daylights out of him until he choked out as a joke, "Tay, you're killing me, can't breathe." This only made her hug him tighter, and then Chad gasped, "Taylor, can't, breathe, really, can't breathe, not joking," he turned to the gang, "Help!" Troy said, "Tay, he's alive, for now, but if you keep squeezing him like that, you'll kill him for sure," and everyone laughed.
Chad studied the faces of the familiar people in the room and asked, "Troy? Gabi, Sharpay, Ryan, is it really you guys?" Gabi nodded and she apologized, "Sorry that we didn't call, none of us did, really." The others nodded and Chad asked, "How long has it been since we've talked to each other?" Sharpay answered, "Five years." Chad gave a low whistle and said, "Man, five years, that's a pretty long time." Taylor asked, "Did you hear anything while you were in a coma?" Chad thought for a minute and said, "I remember hearing voices talking to me, and I heard someone say 'I love you'." Taylor blushed a bit and said, "That was me." Chad asked, "Now that you know I'm alive, do you still love me?" Taylor smiled and said, "Of course." Chad asked, "I also heard that you wanted to call me or something, but you kept backing out or something like that, what was that about?" Taylor explained, "Well, I kept thinking you had a girlfriend, and that you didn't like me the way I liked you." Chad scoffed, "Tay, that's ridiculous, I don't have a girlfriend, and I did like you, you know, like you, like you." Taylor smiled and said, "I love you Chad." He replied, "I love you too Taylor." They shared a kiss and Troy teased, "How sweet."
Chad said, "Whatever Troy." Gabi giggled and Chad rolled his eyes at her. Taylor asked him, "So, when I was hugging you and you said that you couldn't breathe, was that a joke, or for real?" Chad replied, "The first time, it was a joke, the second time, it was for real." Taylor apologized, "Sorry, but it's just that, you were alive." He said, "Yeah, I know." The nurse came back in and said, "I see he's awake." The gang smiled and said, "Yeah, he is." The nurse said, "Mr. Danforth, you will be at the hospital for two more weeks, and then you will be able to go home, but you'll have to do some rehabilitation for about three weeks after that." Then, she handed Taylor a bottle of pills and said, "He'll need to take these if the pain grows, and if the pain doesn't subside, bring him to the hospital immediately." Taylor nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure he'll be fine." The nurse smiled and said to Chad, "You're lucky to have such a devoted wife," and walked out of the room. Chad's jaw dropped and Taylor's did too. Ryan teased, "So, Mr. and Mrs. Danforth, how long have you been married?" and Sharpay added, "How come you didn't tell us you were married? I would have been the Maid of Honor." Gabi argued, "No, I would be the maid of honor, and Troy would be the Best Man." Ryan joked, "Who said that?" Troy said, "Since I've been his best friend since elementary school, it's only fair that I be the best man." They all laughed, except for Chad and Taylor. Taylor said, "Ha-ha very funny," and Chad said, "Oh, I'm dying of laughter, I can't breathe."
The gang laughed even harder and finally, they calmed down. Then, Taylor said to tease Chad, "Honey, are you feeling any better?" Chad rolled his eyes again and played along, "Yes sweetie I'm fine." The gang, all of them, laughed and Troy joked, "Hey, that looked good with the two of you." Chad laughed, "Yeah, I guess." They laughed again and after they had calmed down, Gabi asked, "Hey, Chad, Taylor, do you guys want us to go down to the cafeteria and get you guys some food?" Taylor said, "Sure that's fine." Chad nodded and Gabi and Sharpay started acting like waitresses. Sharpay asked, "What you like to order ma'am?" Taylor smiled, "I'd like to get a slice of pepperoni pizza." Sharpay asked, "To drink?" Taylor giggled, "I'd like, a root beer please." Sharpay asked, "Would you like some dessert?" That was it for Taylor. She burst out laughing and choked out, "Sure, a vanilla ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup and a cherry." Sharpay smiled, "That'll be right up, ma'am." Gabi asked Chad, "What about you sir? What would you like to eat?" Chad grinned, "A slice of sausage pizza, and to drink, Mountain Dew." Gabi questioned, "Any dessert?" Chad grinned even wider, "An ice cream sundae, same as Taylor." Gabi asked as a joke, "Are you here on your honeymoon?" Chad said, "No, we're not." Sharpay and Gabi said, "Right," and they dragged Troy and Ryan down to the cafeteria.
(A/N: Didja like it? Review to tell me, please! Five reviews saying you love/like it will continue the story for you!)