Gabriella awoke with a start the next morning. When she heard breathing next to her, she immediately freaked out. But, looking over, she realized Troy had fallen asleep on her left side, facing her. His eyes were closed and his face relaxed, he looked so peaceful. She looked around to spot Sharpay, wondering if she'd left last night. She hadn't. She was in the chair on the right side of the bed, curled up, her knees tucked into her chest, and her head resting on her knees. Someone had been courteous enough to through a cotton blanket over her.

Troy and Sharpay had spent the night with her. That meant the world to her. She smiled to herself, happy she now had some good friends. She'd only known Sharpay a day, but she was nice and funny, and she made Gabriella laugh. So that was all it took for Gabriella to befriend her. Gabriella needed friends. She craved the feeling of love, which she had apparently lacked so much in her past.

She had been abused. How a father could do that to his father, she didn't know. But it scared her. So if he'd done it once, he'd done it many times. And who's to say he couldn't come and do it again? She shuddered at the thought. No, her brain told her. Don't be silly, Gabriella. He's locked up for good. They're not ever letting him out, not after the pain and misery he put you through. You shouldn't feel scared, you should feel strong for fighting through all of that.

"Ella?" Troy's voice came from beside her, raspy and hoarse and still half-asleep. He shifted his body a little closer to her, snuggling against her.

Gabriella smiled and relaxed against Troy's body. She felt perfectly safe with him. She knew he wouldn't hurt her. If anything, she hoped he would protect her. And he was here at the hospital all of the time. Just to see her. Just for her. Not for anyone else. She was the only patient he ever visited here, Lucille had told her. She was the only one he cared about enough to come and see every day.

Troy stirred again in his sleep. He mumbled something under his breath, before sitting up straight, with his eyes still closed. He said something again but it was too quick for Gabriella to catch. Then, he fell backwards onto the bed again, with such force, that the bed shook. Gabriella giggled. What on Earth was he doing? Troy snuggled back up against Gabriella, smacking his lips weirdly together, making a sound that made Gabriella shiver.

And then his eyes flickered open, revealing the baby blue orbs underneath. He grinned at Gabriella, that freaking award-winning grin again. She almost melted right there, before him. If he was a god, she would bow down to him. Because right now, he looked like some sort of god. Such a handsome god. "Good morning," he whispered.

Gabriella realized she was facing him as well now. And they were only inches apart. "Good morning," she whispered back, not even sure why they were whispering. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Troy said, closing his eyes for a millisecond. When he did that, Gabriella missed seeing his beautiful eyes probing her with such curiosity. "But I stayed up half of the night…"

"Well, why did you do that?"

"I was watching you sleep," Troy responded nonchalantly. "You're very beautiful. Did you know that?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No one's ever told me that before."

"What?" Troy looked at her in disbelief. "Whatever."

Gabriella bit her lip and shook her head again. "No, T, I'm serious. No one in my life has ever told me I'm beautiful before."

"That's impossible," Troy said, softly in Gabriella's ear. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Gabriella blushed. "Are you sure no one's ever told you that you are? Maybe you just don't remember anyone saying that. I bet they have…"

"No, I would remember," Gabriella said. "Being told your beautiful is one of the most amazing compliments a girl could ever get."

"Well, then, your beautiful," Troy said again. "How did you sleep, beautiful?"

Gabriella blinked and paused to get rid of the redness in her cheeks. "Very well, actually. You're very warm. Did you know that? You radiate a lot of heat."

"I know," Troy replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I get to sleep with myself every single night at my house."

"Lucky," Gabriella whispered. She could feel Troy's sweet breath hot on her face. It sent tingles down her spine, making her entire body shiver and shake and shudder. It was amazing; the feelings this one boy could bring upon her. It was crazy; that she was already so attached to him after knowing him for only about two months. But Troy was the first one who was there for her, who talked to her, who comforted her, who cared for her. And that meant a lot to her. She hesitated. "Why did you stay the night here with me last night?" She asked softly, playing with her fingers nervously.

"Because I wanted to," Troy said simply.

Gabriella continued to play with her fingers and gave him a small nod.

Troy's hands found Gabriella's simultaneously and her intertwined his fingers with hers. She looked up at him, her breath taken away by what he'd just done. "And there's one more reason…" He said, his breath still warm on her face, taking her own breath out of her lungs. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. Troy drew out the answer, making Gabriella's curiosity peak at it's highest. It seemed like eternity that he just simply looked at her, holding off the other reason.

"What… What's that?" She managed to breathe out.

Troy paused again. He brought her hands up to his lips and placed a kiss on them. "Because I love you."

Gabriella's world completely froze. She swore her heart missed about fifty beats. She just stared at Troy, her eyes wide mocha orbs, shocked by what he had just confessed to her. This has to be a dream, her brain told her. Wake up, wake up. You're only dreaming. Gabriella swallowed hard. Troy placed a kiss on each of her knuckles, bringing her back to her senses. "You… You what?"

Troy chuckled lightly. "That's right. I said it. I love you."

"Say it again," Gabriella whispered. "Please. So I know this isn't some terrible joke."

"I'm not joking, Ella," Troy said, looking serious as hell. "I've known you for two months now. And for one of those months, you were in a coma. But it was like I knew you before we met, before you ever even came into this hospital, before you came into my life. You're like an angel, who came down from heaven to save me. One beautiful little angel… And I know it seems impossible, I have a hard time believing it myself, but I'm helplessly and utterly devoted to you. I love you, Ella."

Tears had clouded Gabriella's vision.

"And I understand if you don't feel the same way," Troy spoke. "I get it. If it's too early, or if you don't even think about me like that… It's okay if you just want to be friends. I'm a big boy, I'll get over it, I think…"

"Troy, you're rambling," Gabriella whispered.

"Sorry…"

"And I love you, too," She added, a sweet smile on her face. She looked down at their intertwined fingers and loved the feeling of his hands, his skin against hers. His skin was so soft and warm. She loved the feeling of him, the sound of him, the scent of him. She loved everything about him. She couldn't deny it. There was no denying it. "But it's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible," Troy said quietly, kissing Gabriella on the cheek. He didn't know that she was ready for a real kiss yet. After everything she'd been through, he didn't expect it. And he didn't mind waiting. He wasn't going to pressure her. He would wait forever for her. "But can I ask you something?" He asked.

"Shoot."

Troy cleared his throat. "How come you never told anyone about your father abusing you?"

Gabriella closed her eyes. Oh, how she wished he hadn't brought that up. Any time anyone spoke of it, she would relive it over and over and over again. And she was sure that now she would dream about it tonight. But she couldn't blame him. Sometimes she wondered why she hadn't done that as well. But the truth was, she didn't know. She was young, stupid; a child. Maybe she'd thought it would only get her in more trouble. Maybe she was simply scared. Maybe he'd convinced her otherwise. She shook her head.

"I don't understand," Troy said. "Why would you let him get away with that?"

"He was my dad," Gabriella whimpered. "What was I supposed to do? Report him? That's not what good daughters do…"

"So you were trying to be a good daughter?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't really know." She closed her eyes, the images shooting back into her mind, replaying over and over again like movies in her head. She tried and tried to shake them off, but they just wouldn't leave. No matter what she did, she knew the memories and dreams of terror would stay with her for the rest of her life. She felt tears stinging at the insides of her eyelids. And she was sure that if she opened her eyes, she would cry. And she didn't want to cry in front of Troy again. She didn't like making herself that vulnerable in front of anyone, especially Troy.

Gabriella's lower lip quivered, showing that she was about to cry. And sure enough, the tears slipped from her closed eyelids and down her cheeks, down to the white sheets beneath her. She let go of Troy's hands, wrapping her arms around her own body, feeling extremely scared and left alone. Though Troy was here, it felt like he wasn't. She felt completely alone here and now. She felt the weight on the mattress lighten, as Troy sat up next to her. She figured he was leaving, making her cry even harder. But he wasn't. Suddenly, his arms wrapped around her and pulled her onto his lap. She buried her head into his chest, inhaling his scent. Troy allowed her tears to soak his shirt. It didn't bother him. What bothered him was that his baby was crying. He hated that. It made him want to cry as well.

Troy rocked her back and forth slowly, as if she were a baby. Sharpay's eyes snapped open, as soon as she heard Gabriella crying. She shoved the blanket off of her and stood up, walking over to the hospital bed. She sat down on the mattress and rubbed Gabriella's back in soothing circles, trying her best to calm her down. "What happened?" She mouth at Troy.

"Later," was all that Troy could say. He turned back to look at Gabriella, who was clinging tightly to his shirt, as if fearing he would disappear at any given moment. "I'm sorry, princess," Troy whispered into her dark curls. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to know why…" She only cried harder, causing tears to form on the edge of Troy's eyelids, and Sharpay's as well. Troy buried his head into the crook of Gabriella's neck, gripping her as tight to his body as he could.

Sharpay understood now. She slowly fit the pieces together in her mind. They had obviously been talking about her situation. She knew about that. Troy had told her beforehand. Gabriella was such a sweet girl. She didn't understand how anyone could ever want to harm her. She couldn't understand how sick Gabriella's father must have been. There must have been something mentally wrong with him. Not just the alcohol. Sure, alcohol makes a person different, but it doesn't cause a person to haul off and hit their own daughter.

"It's okay," she whispered, to Troy and Gabriella both, though she knew even herself that it wasn't okay. It would never be okay.

She realized now that Troy was whispering sweet nothings into Gabriella's ear.

She smiled to herself.

The door opened and Lucile stepped in. Sharpay was the only one who bothered to look. Troy and Gabriella may not have even noticed. They were too caught up in each other. Troy was still holding her on his lap, gripping her with all his strength, his head buried into her neck. Gabriella's head was burrowed into Troy's toned chest. She was crying and listening to his soothing heartbeat, which calmed her the smallest bit.

Sharpay stood up and walked over to Lucille. "What's going on?" Lucille asked Sharpay, immediately panicking.

"They're just sort of having a bonding moment," Sharpay said, looking back at the couple on the bed. "Everything's fine. As long as Troy's with her, I think she'll be okay. I think he just asked her something about her past and it upset her. He didn't mean to, though, obviously. Would you look at the poor kid? He looks heartbroken that he made her cry."

Lucille nodded. "As long as you're sure they're okay… But I need to do some daily checking up on Gabriella. You know, take her pulse, her temperature, listen to her breathing… The usual. Do you think you could help me get them to get apart at least a little?"

Sharpay nodded and she and Lucille approached Gabriella's bed again. "Gabriella, sweetie, I'm here to do your daily checkup." When Gabriella didn't budge, Lucille sighed. "Troy, honey, do you think you can help me out here?"

Troy looked up, his eyes red and puffy from crying. "Mom, I can't just leave her."

"You don't have to leave her," Lucille whispered. "But I can't take her temperature without her facing me. And she's facing you. Gabriella, sweetheart, I understand you're upset, but it's procedure, remember?"

Gabriella whimpered.

"Troy, please," Lucille said. "At least get her to look at me."

"Baby," Troy cooed, his voice cracking from the dryness of his throat. "Can you look at Lucille, princess?" He asked her quietly. She still didn't move, she just started crying again. Troy tried to pry her away from him a bit, but she wouldn't move.

Sharpay attempted to do this as well, with the help of Lucille. "Gabby," Sharpay said. "Listen, we need to take your temperature and pulse. But you have to calm down first. And we need you to look at us, okay? Can you look at us?"

Gabriella finally looked up at them, her own eyes red and raw and puffy. She choked out a sob and climbed off of Troy's lap, sitting next to him instead. He was confused as to why she got completely off. Troy looked at her. God, she still looked beautiful. No matter what she did, she was always beautiful to him. But she looked upset. And then Troy realized what she must have been thinking. She must have thought that he wanted her to get off when he was prying at her. But that wasn't it. He was trying to get her to look at his mom.

Gabriella held herself away from Troy the slightest bit. She was hurt. Anyone could've seen that. Troy shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriella let out another sob, as Lucille put her hand to her forehead, making sure she wasn't running a fever. Then, she pulled a thermometer out of her pocket and unwrapped it, sticking it under Gabriella's tongue. Sharpay sat on the other side of Gabriella, placing her hand on her back and rubbing it comfortingly. There was a small beep, signaling the thermometer had done it's job.

"Okay," Lucille wrote that down on her clipboard. "Good." She picked up Gabriella's limp wrist and paused, waiting for her pulse. She nodded and wrote something down again. "I have something else I need you to do today. I need to weigh you and record your height, okay?"

Gabriella nodded weakly.

"Do you have the strength to stand?" She asked.

"I got it," Troy said, putting his arm around Gabriella's waist, rising slowly, bringing her to her feet. He helped her walk over to the door, where the scale was sitting. He stood stock still, as her leaning post, as Sharpay helped her to climb onto the scale. Her legs were still weak. She'd been going through physical therapy, but it would take some time.

Lucille adjusted the things on the very top. She bit her lip. "Eh… 92." She jotted that down. "Damn. I thought we'd been feeding you enough. Somehow, you managed to lose another three pounds. I don't know how that happened…"

"How much did she weigh when she came in here?" Troy asked, concern evident and his voice and written all over the face. Girls weren't supposed to be that skinny. That was just unhealthy. He knew that Sharpay weight at least 120 pounds and she was skinny herself.

"Uh, about 115," Lucille spoke.

"Twenty pounds," Troy whispered. "Baby, we gotta get you to eat more."

Gabriella looked at him and then at Lucille and then at Sharpay. "I'm never hungry."

"Don't do that," Troy warned her. "You're not anorexic."

As if on cue, the older nurse from the other night came in with a tray in her hands. She handed it to Lucille and left, as if in a hurry. Lucille looked down at it. "They're giving you more solids. Maybe that will help you get a little meat on those bones."

Gabriella shook her head again. "I'm not hungry right now. Troy, can you help me to my bed?" Troy put his arm around her waist and helped her make it safely over to her bed. She propped herself up on some pillows. Troy sat next to her.

"Ella, you have to eat," Troy said.

"Gabby, please eat," Sharpay said. "It's not healthy."

Gabriella shook her head and folded her arms over her chest.

"You're too skinny," Lucille said. "We've got to get you food somehow. Don't make me have to force you. It's too much of a struggle. And I don't want to fight you again."

"Precious," Troy whispered, intertwining his fingers with her again. "Please eat. For me?" He grabbed the tray from his mom and layed it on Gabriella's lap. He picked up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and held it up to Gabriella's mouth. Gabriella gave him a skeptical look, but opened her mouth and ate the food. "Thank you, love." He grinned.

Gabriella felt lucky to have so many people care about her. Though it was only three, it was still some people who cared about her, which she lacked for the majority of her life. And it felt good. It felt so good. Things were finally starting to fall into place for Gabriella.