They packed several days' worth of clothes, Troy walked out to his truck with their bags. His mind swirling with all kinds of emotions, but main two were anger and sadness. He was mad at his dad still for hitting him and completely disowning him, but then again he was saddened that his dad could be possibly dying right now. He felt the tears starting to well up again so he quickly erased the thought from his mind. Making his way back into the apartment he called out, "Hey are there any more bags that need to go out to the truck?" Ryan called out in a hurried voice, "No! I'm already let's go" he came out of there bed room, wearing a pair of black slacks and a long sleeved silver shirt, a brimmed hat placed upon his head. Troy just stood there looking at him with love in his eyes, Ryan was adjusting his shirt when he felt Troy's eyes on him, "Come on we got to get going" he said as he made his way towards the door. Troy reached out and grabbed Ryan's butt which made him jump a little, "Let's get going Troy" Ryan said grinning back at him. They got into Troy's truck, starting the ignition Troy pulled out of the parking lot, as they made their way down neighborhood streets where their apartment building lay, Ryan was messing with the radio and Troy was just sitting there thinking about what he might find when he arrived at the hospital. His dad lying in the hospital bed with tubes sticking out of him and a heart monitor beeping gradually. Tears were beginning to sting his eyes; he just let them fall lightly onto his blue Hollister t-shirt. Ryan finally stopped messing with the radio and looked over at his boyfriend, seeing the tears falling from his eyes made his heart break in half. He hated seeing Troy cry, he reached over and grabbed Troy's right hand, and he brought it to his lips and kissed it gently.

"I'm glad you're here with me, Ryan I would not be this calm if you weren't with me" Troy said as he took his eyes off the road to look at the boy he cared about more than anything in the world

"Troy, nothing will stop my love for you" Ryan said as he leaned in and kiss him quickly on the lips, "Now keep your eyes on the road, we have to get there as soon as possible"

Troy pressed down on the accelerator, they finally made it onto the highway, and it took only two hours for them to pull into the city limits. They hadn't been back since they left for college. Sharpay had always come to visit and she of course dragged Zeke along with her. As they pulled down the same familiar streets, the memories of old seemed to flood their memories, all the events and loving time they had as they started their relationship. Troy onto the main street that led to the hospital, pulling into the parking lot, he parked the car in the farthest spot from the front doors. As he shut off the ignition he just sat there looking at the stirring wheel. Ryan grabbed his right hand again, "Are you ready for this?" he asked, Troy just sat there and shook his head slightly, "Come on you need…we need to be there for your mom" Ryan said as let go of Troy's hand and opened the door and stepped out. Troy followed suit, locking the truck he grabbed Ryan's left hand and they started towards the electronic double doors of the hospital. With a gentle swish the door opened, taking a deep breathe Troy let go of Ryan's hand and crossed the threshold. He walked to the reception desk, the nurse who was working it sat there popping some gum and twirling her brunette hair, Troy cleared his throat, looking up at him, she said with a bored tone, "Yeah?", "Um I'm here to Jack Bolton" Troy said with unease in his voice, "Um…he's in room 213, that's down this hall way to your left and then take your next right he's the last room on your left, wait are you family?" she asked giving them both a inquisitive look.

"Yes I'm his son and this is my boyfriend" Troy said looking back over his shoulder at Ryan, who was standing behind him looking at the linoleum floor.

"Okay, like I said take this hallway to your left and take your next right, last room on your left" she re-iterated and then she went back to just popping her gum and twirling her hair.

They both started down the hallway she told them to take, as they rounded their next right. Troy's steps became slower, Ryan who had passed him noticed this and turned, "Are you okay baby?" he said as he placed both hands on Troy's shoulders.

"What if I get in there and I can't handle it, even though he basically removed me from his life altogether, he's still my dad and I love…" Troy couldn't finish as he gave way to tears. Ryan just wrapped his arms around Troy and kissed his cheek, "You will do fine, I will be strong for the both of us" Troy looked into the eyes of Ryan and said through voice that was labored with emotion, "I love you Ryan", "I love you too Troy" Ryan replied. He gave Troy a reassuring kiss on the lips and then sighing quickly attempting not to cry himself, He took Troy's hand and started down towards the room.

As they entered the room, the vision Troy had had in the truck heading over here came into full view. His dad was hooked up to a heart monitor and there were tubes sticking out of him, cuts and scrapes covered his face. Each beep of the heart monitor seemed to rip into Troy. His mom was sitting in a chair next to the bed; she had her face buried in the bed next, to Coach Bolton's right arm.

"Um…mom?" Troy said

"Troy?" she said as she looked up from the bed, "Oh my god! Troy I'm so glad you got here!" she stood up from her chair and crossed the room in two strides; she grabbed him a big embrace and began to wipe. Troy broke down in his mothers arms. Ryan stood in the door way of the room with tears streaming down his face as well. Troy's mom looked at Ryan and said with a choked voice, "Ryan, honey so glad you came with Troy" she released Troy and hugged Ryan. He squeezed her back and released him and wiped the tears from her, "How did this happen mom?" Troy asked as he took her place by the bed.

"He was driving to the school, when a suburban didn't stop at the four way to stop just outside of the neighborhood and it side swiped him completely, I was called by the hospital after he had been brought in and then I called Sharpay and told her to call you. I'm just glad you two are here honey." She said as she grabbed both Ryan and Troy's hands. They all three stood there weeping silently, there came a voice from the door way.

"Uh Mrs. Bolton?" said a doctor standing in the doorway looking over some notes on his clipboard.

"Yes doctor…"

"Doctor Collins, um I am in charge of your husband while he's in the hospital, now we tried to contact his normal physician but he was unavailable, so we did a blood culture, along with a head scan to see what damage was done by the accident." Doctor Collins said with a concerned look on his face.

"Well Doctor is my dad going to be okay?" Troy said getting his feet and standing by Ryan, who immediate slipped right hand into Troy's left.

"I'm sorry to say this but it appears that he could be in this coma permanently and if he does wake up the brain damage is so severe that he was basically be completely handicapped in all facets of life. He would have to learn to walk again, talk again, and do all normal things again. He may never be the same person." The Doctor said he kept avoiding the gaze of Troy and his mom. "I'm sorry; we'll have to keep him here for several weeks if not longer. I'll be back later to check on him and there'll be a nurse in every few minutes or so." He left the room and started off down the hall, still looking over his notes. Troy's mom just stood there this new information just seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks. She just walked back to the bed and said with almost a monotone voice, "Troy, why don't you and Ryan just go to the house and I will be there in a few hours"

"No, mom I want to stay here with you, Ryan?" Troy said as he turned to Ryan

"Yea Mrs. Bolton, we want to be here for you" He said

"No, boys you all go back to the house and that's final!" She said as she faced them with tears streaming down her face.

Without saying a word Troy, turned with left the room Ryan followed behind him. They were silent until they reached the truck. Troy unlocked the doors and they both climbed in, they just sat there looking at each other, "I had no clue that he would look that bad" Troy said finally breaking the silence, "He's always been so tough and hard, looking at him in that bed so frail and still, it took every ounce of strength I had in me not to run out of the room" Troy reached across the seat and grabbed Ryan's left hand with his right and squeezed it tight. He started the Truck and backed out of the parking space, pulling out of the parking lot; he merged onto Main Street and headed towards his house that he hadn't seen in several years.

Pulling into the drive way, Troy turned off the engine and just sat there looking at the house whose threshold he hadn't crossed since the day after he started living with Ryan. He sighed and opened his door and stepped out, looking at Ryan he said, "Come on let's go inside" They both grabbed their bags and walked to the front door, Troy knelt down and grabbed the fake rock that sat next to the door, he pulled a house out from underneath it. He opened the door and walked inside with Ryan behind him. Sighing Troy walked upstairs and headed towards his bedroom. He opened the door and stepped in, Ryan followed and shut the door behind him. Troy sat his bag down and started to remove his shirt, "You want to take a nap?" He asked sitting down on the bed, Ryan grinned slightly and sat next to Troy and took off his own shirt. Troy stretched out on the bed with Ryan nuzzled up next to him. Ryan laid his head next to Troy's as they both stared up into the ceiling, "I don't what I would do without you Ryan, I really don't" Troy said as rolled onto his side, putting his arm around Ryan's waist. "Same here Troy, you are my world and my light" he said as he kissed Troy softly on the lips and they both fell asleep in each other's exhausted from the days events.