Every Breath You Take
Troy pushed his way through a crowd of reporters and entered the Albuquerque General Hospital. He got into the nearest elevator and pushed the button for the eighth floor. "Please let them be okay. Please let them be okay." Troy muttered to himself in the empty elevator.
The elevator doors opened and Troy saw Chad. "Troy!" Chad called. Troy ran over to his best friend.
"Where are they? Are they okay?" Troy asked anxiously.
"The doctors say that Ryan surprisingly has a minor head injury but Gabriella has a concussion. But they're gonna be fine." Chad said. Troy ran to Gabriella's room.
Troy entered the room to see the whole gang there. Gabriella saw him enter the room. Troy ran over to the bed and hugged her. Gabriella cried in his arms. Troy felt like the only he could do was comfort her. Troy looked around the room and didn't see Jesse. "Where's Jesse? Is he with your mom?" Troy asked, which made Gabriella cry harder.
"He took him! Paul took my baby!" Gabriella cried. After hearing this, Troy could only hold her tighter. His son, their son was gone. Not gone, taken by Gabriella's psycho ex-fiancé.
The whole gang looked depressed. Zeke held Sharpay; Jason held Kelsi; Chad held Taylor, who held a sleeping Darius; and Martha leaned against the wall. No one noticed Lieutenant Maria Sanchez and her partner, Detective Scott Marks enter the room.
"Excuse us." Everyone turned to look at them. Troy and Gabriella broke apart but they held hands. "Mr. Bolton, Miss Montez, I'm sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances." Sanchez said sympathetically.
"Miss Montez, can you tell us what happened?" Detective Marks asked.
Gabriella sighed. "Sharpay took me to Lava Springs Country Club so I could relax and Ryan was babysitting. She was dropping me off when I noticed all the lights were off. I went inside and tripped over something. I then realized it was Ryan. I checked his pulse and wandered through the dark trying to find the door so I could get Sharpay."
"Then all the lights suddenly came back on. That's when I h-heard him behind me. I turned around and…and Jesse was…was in his arms. I talked him into putting Jesse down. The last thing I remember is Ryan's cell phone ringing a-and everything else is a blur." Gabriella said. She started crying again and Troy comforted her.
"Why didn't you just call Miss Evans on her cell?" Detective Marks asked.
"Because my cell phone was in my purse, which I dropped when I tripped. Why are you here questioning me? Shouldn't you be out there looking for my son!" Gabriella cried. Troy rub his hand up and down her back to calm her down.
"Don't worry. We put out an Amber Alert so every cop in New Mexico is looking for Jesse, Miss Montez." Lt. Sanchez said sympathetically. Gabriella relaxed somewhat but she was still extremely worried.
"Miss Evans, you were the one who called the police?" Detective Marks asked bluntly. Sharpay nodded and Zeke placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. "Can you tell us what you know about this?"
Zeke rubbed Sharpay's shoulders. "I saw the lights come back on. I assumed Ryan was helping her so I waited. But no one came out so I called Ryan's cell. Like a minute later, I heard a crash inside and Jesse crying. I quickly ran in and found them both on the floor. And Jesse was…" Sharpay couldn't continue. She returned into Zeke's comforting embrace.
"What I want to know is what that son of a bitch is doing out of prison?" Troy said. He was furious.
"He was released." Gabriella said and everyone, who didn't know, turned to look at her in confusion.
"And how do you know this, Miss Montez?" Detective Marks asked.
"He called me…six months ago after I had Jesse." Gabriella said. Troy looked at her in shock but she didn't look at him at all.
"You knew he was getting out and you didn't tell me." Troy said. He pulled away from her and ran both his hands through his hair.
"This isn't the time or the place. Let's please just focus on getting Jesse back, okay." Gabriella said calmly but she was on the verge of tears.
"I need some air." Troy said and left her room.
"Well, I guess that's everything we need to know. We're doing everything we can to find your son. The FBI is sending some agents in the morning." Lt. Sanchez said. Marks opened his mouth to say something but Sanchez cut him off. "Do not ask for autographs." She pointed a finger at him and the two left the room.
Chas opened the door to the roof and saw Troy on the phone. "Yeah, Mom… I'll call you back when we know something… Love you too. Bye." Troy finished talking to his parents and hung up. He put his phone away and saw Chad walking towards him. "How did you know I was up here?"
"Well, the entrance is covered with reporters and paparazzi so the only place to go is up." Chad said and pointed up to the sky. He stood next to his best friend. The two friends stared up at the stars in silence.
"Why didn't she just tell me?" Troy thought out loud.
"I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason." Chad said.
"Now you're defending her?" Troy asked.
"I know Gabriella. She never does something without thinking about. But I have a feeling that she was going to tell you…eventually." Chad said.
"You've been listening to Taylor's conversations on the phone again, haven't you?" Troy asked bluntly and with a smirk.
"Last week, I overheard Taylor and Gabriella talking about telling you something but I didn't know what. But the point is that she was going to tell you. But all hell has been breaking loose for the past few days." Chad said.
"Yeah. But she should've told me sooner." Troy said.
"Tell me this, man. What is more important right now: your personal vendetta or finding Jesse?" Chad asked. Troy looked at his friend. At first, he had been offended by the question but now all he could think of was his little boy. His dark hair and blue eyes, his laugh, and his smile. The best friends walked back inside.
The two entered Gabriella's hospital room to find Taylor and Sharpay lying on the bed with Gabriella. Martha and Kelsi were sitting at her bedside. The men had left to go check into a hotel.
When they saw Troy, the ladies got up and left the room to go wait in the waiting room. Gabriella sat up and the two looked at each other a minute. Troy walked over to the bed. He lay down beside her and she rested her head on his chest. He put his arms around her and held her.
Gabriella began to cry. "We're going get him back. I promise you that we're going to get him back." Troy said as he comforted her.
Two Days Later
Gabriella took two prescription pain pills with a gulp of water. She couldn't wait for the painkillers to kick in. She put the glass in the sink and leaned against the counter. She put her hand on the bandage on her head and sighed.
"You okay?" Gabriella looked up. Troy walked into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. Gabriella nodded and Troy knew immediately that she was lying. He walked over to her. "Hey, it's me." Troy said.
Gabriella sighed. "My head is killing me." Troy put his hands on her shoulders. "Where is he, Troy? It's been two days…" Gabriella said getting upset. He hugged her and she hugged him back.
"Hey. I promised that we would get him back. And I intend to keep that promise. You trust me, right?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. "I trust you." She said. The two began staring deeply into each other's eyes. Troy began leaning in slowly to kiss her.
"Excuse me, Miss Montez." The two turned to see a young police officer. "There's someone here to see you." The officer left the kitchen with Troy and Gabriella following him hand in hand. They entered the living room, where a man in an Air Force uniform was waiting.
The man had brown hair, was tall, and had a two day shadow on his chin and he was handsome. Gabriella recognized him. She let go of Troy's hand, walked up to him and hugged him. "Thank God you're here, Chris." Gabriella said.
"As soon as I got your call I asked for a temporary leave from the base. It was approved yesterday and caught the earliest flight here." Chris said. The two broke apart and Gabriella had seemed to forgotten about Troy.
"Care to introduce us, Gabriella." Troy said, trying to hide his jealously. Gabriella turned and looked at Troy.
"Oh, you must be Troy." Chris said. He walked up to Troy and held out his hand. Troy shook it.
"And you are?" Troy asked.
"Oh, name is Chris… Captain Christopher Curtis of the United State Air Force." Chris said. Troy's feelings went from jealousy to anger.
"Gabriella, can I talk to you in private." Troy pulled Gabriella out of the living room into the hallway beside the staircase. "Please tell me they're not related." Troy said softly.
"Chris is Paul's older brother." Troy sighed and rubbed his eyes. "But he's nothing like Paul. Chris is the black sheep of the family." Gabriella said.
"Let me guess, he got a girl pregnant." Troy said.
"This is not the time for jokes, Troy. Chris is a pilot and after college he decided that he wanted to serve his country so he joined the Air Force. But that's not the family business so his dad disinherited him. But when his mom died, she left him a lot of money, which he donated half to charity. You can trust him. He's one of the good guys." Gabriella said.
"You expect me to trust the brother of a psycho! The same psycho who took our son!" Troy exclaimed.
"You think I don't know that! Chris knows Paul better than anyone here, better than me. Chris has been nothing but a friend to me. He warned me about Paul when he and I were together, he helped me move out, and he even paid for my hospital bill when I had Jesse." Gabriella snapped.
I wondered who paid that bill, Troy thought. "But that's not the point! It's bad enough you were engaged to the bastard and now you're in bed with the brother too!" Troy snapped and instantly regretted it.
"Unbelievable! So you're saying it's my fault that Jesse's missing because I sleep around! Don't forget you're engaged to the Barbie you left me for!" Gabriella snapped back.
"First off, you left me. Second, I left Kate…two days ago." Troy said. Gabriella froze.
"You left Katie?" Gabriella asked in almost a whisper.
Troy nodded and pulled out the engagement ring from his pocket. Gabriella recognized Katie's engagement ring. "I told you a long time ago that I know what I want or should I say who I want." Troy said.
"Excuse me." Gabriella said and ran upstairs to her old bedroom. She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, where she began to cry.
Troy went back into the living room to see everyone staring at him. One of the cops was even eating. "Enjoy the show?" Troy asked annoyed.
Most of cops and FBI agents shook their heads no. "Yeah," replied the one cop that was eating. Two older cops then smacked him on the back of the head. "OW!"
"Rookies," mumbled one of the older officers.
Chris stood awkwardly in a corner with his hands in his pockets. Then one of the laptops started ringing. "We're a go! Looks like the bastard is calling her cell!" Everyone put on the headsets, listened, and started a trace.
Gabriella wiped the tears from her eyes when she heard her phone ringing. She was so upset that she did not bother checking her caller ID. She just answered the phone. "Hello." Gabriella said.
"How's your head?"
"Paul? Where are you? Where's my son?" Gabriella asked immediately. Then she heard a baby cooing over the phone. Gabriella got up and walked over to her bed. She smiled and sighed in relief when she heard Jesse.
"He looks so much like you. He has your nose and hair but these eyes. I hate these blue eyes and this chin. It drives me insane knowing he got it from him. Jesse should've been ours, Gabriella. I'm surprised I haven't gotten rid of the little brat yet. Maybe I'll just dump him in a lake or abandoned warehouse." Paul said. His voice growing colder and colder.
Troy suddenly burst into the bedroom and grabbed the phone. "If you touch him, I will kill you! I mean it! ONE SCRATCH AND YOU'RE DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME!" Troy yelled. Gabriella tried to take the phone back but Troy had a strong grip on it.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't lover boy. Gabriella told me all about you and how you broke her heart. Here's some advice. One, if you're going to sleep around, then be discreet. And two, unless you want more than a scratch on little Jesse, give the phone back to Gabriella now." Paul said.
Troy handed the phone back to Gabriella. "Paul, please don't hurt Jesse. I'm begging you." Gabriella said calmly like the FBI agents told her to.
"Do you want your son?" Paul asked coldly.
"Yes, I do." Gabriella answered with tears in her eyes.
"Then have another one." Paul said. Then all she heard was a dial tone.
"Hello? Paul!" Gabriella cried. She dropped to her knees and cried into her hands. Troy knelt beside her and hugged her. She cried in his arms and he rubbed her back trying to comfort her to little avail.
"We got something!" Someone cried downstairs. Gabriella and Troy looked at each other and then jumped up, racing down to the living room.
They entered to see agents rapidly typing on their laptops and cops running back and forth across the room. "What is it? Did you find Jesse?" Troy yelled above all the voices. It quieted down somewhat.
"He called from a pay phone somewhere on the I-10 heading…southeast." An agent said and went back to work on his laptop to pinpoint their exact location.
Chris Curtis looked up when heard what the agent said. Chris grabbed the nearest laptop and began to type rapidly. "Hey!" An agent cried but Chris ignored him and began loading satellite images of the area.
"Son…of…a…bitch!" Chris muttered as the satellite images zoomed in on the exact location the call came from. Chris turned the laptop around to how everyone in the room. "I know where he's going." Chris said.
Gabriella, Troy and Chris boarded a FBI private jet with a group of agents. Their destination: San Antonio, Texas. They were now 20,000 feet in the air. "Tell us everything you know." FBI Special Agent Mark Larson demanded.
Chris leaned back in his seat. "Paul called Gabriella from a pay phone at an old gas station on the I-10 outside Ozona, Texas." Chris said bluntly.
"How did you know that? We just found that out five minutes before takeoff. Why are we going to San Antonio, anyway?" Larson asked.
"The old family ranch." Chris answered bluntly.
"What are you talking about? You're leading us on a wild goose chase! We have checked every piece of property your father owns and the only ranch he owns is in Colorado." Larson said.
"Did you bother to check under my mother's maiden name: Walker?" Larson closed his eyes and sighed. "You didn't, did you?" Chris said. Larson shook his head no.
"Where is he taking our son?" Troy asked. Gabriella put her hand atop Troy's, which kept him calm.
"To my grandparents' ranch south of Ozona. As kids, we went there every summer and we always stopped at that gas station. I still go up there sometimes." Chris said.
"Yes, I've been there before. Why would he take Jesse there?" Gabriella asked.
"My grandparents take a yearly anniversary vacation for two weeks. And they left for Bora Bora three days ago." Chris said.
"And he took Jesse two days ago. Son of a bitch planned the whole thing but he's not as clever as he thinks he is." Larson said.
"I should warn you. There will be armed guards and they're all ex-military." Chris said.
"Then I have to make a call." Larson said and went to the back of the jet.
Soon, Gabriella fell asleep while Larson was talking to someone at the FBI Texas office. Troy covered her with a blanket and went to get a cup of coffee. Chris walked over to get a cup of coffee to. Troy made a quick glance at Chris and then went back to his seat. Troy rolled his eyes when Chris sat across from him.
"I know that you don't like me. I don't blame you. You don't know me and all I know about you is what Gabriella told me and those ridiculous tabloids. But we both care deeply for Gabriella. And I want to set the record straight. Gabriella and I are not sleeping together. If it wasn't for her, I probably never would've met my fiancé, Julie, who happens to be a med student at Phoenix County." Chris explained and the knot in Troy's chest loosened.
"I more than care about Gabriella, I love her. But I think I may have lost her again. Eight years ago, I made a mistake and I lost the love of my life. When this is over, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to her." Troy said.
"Then I guess you're just going to have to do something more than leaving your fiancé, if you want her back." Chris said and Troy nodded.
San Antonio, Texas
As they exited the plane, they were met by a convoy of black FBI SUVs. FBI agents wearing Kevlar vests stepped out of the cars. "Welcome to Texas!" The special agent in charge greeted them.
The special in charge pulled out a map and spread it out on the hood of the first SUV. Chris talked with the agents on different access roads and surrounding the Walker Ranch.
Troy and Gabriella leaned against one of the SUVs in a very awkward silence and frequently exchanging nervous glances. "I'm sorry." Troy blustered out, unable to stand the silence. Gabriella tucked her hair behind her ear and ignored. "I said I was…"
"I heard you. And I don't accept your apology." Gabriella said coldly.
"You know I didn't mean anything I said. I was just angry and confused. I am very, no, extremely sorry. I wish that I could take back everything that I said. You know I do." Troy pleaded.
"That doesn't change the fact that you practically called me a whore. Did you actually think that I jumped into bed with every guy I've met. I cared about you, Troy. And I actually thought you cared about me." Gabriella said Troy lowered his head in guilt and too ashamed to reply so Gabriella walked away.
The convoy soon pulled up to the Walker Ranch. Troy was in the sixth SUV and Gabriella and Chris were in the third one.
The first SUV pulled up to the security gate, flashed their badges and their warrant. They asked the guard to open the glass gate in front of them. He said something into his walkie talkie and then he opened the gate. The convoy slowly drove until they were stopped at a second metal security gate.
A few guards approached the gate. The agents in the first SUV immediately flashed their badges and held out the warrant. Then the guards pulled out MP5 submachine guns and holes right through the warrant.
Troy's POV
I am such a… I don't even know what I am. I don't know what to do. I've already tried apologizing and I left Katie. I sigh. I'll figure something out when we get Jesse back. That's when I heard the gunfire.
I roll down the window and stick my head out to get a look at what is going on. I watch guards in suits fire on the first car and smoke rises from its engine. A bullet nearly hits me as the agents in my car jump out and push me back into the car. They use the car doors for cover and fire at the guards.
I watch in horror when the guards started shooting the SUV Gabriella is in. I immediately jump out of the car and start running.
Gabriella's POV
We pulled up to the ranch's first gate and agents in the SUV in the front were talking to the guard. I watch the guard then speak into a walkie talkie. "Well?" Chris asks.
"Well what?" I ask, still watching the guard. My only thought is that my baby boy is somewhere in ranch-styled mansion.
"What's going to happen with you and Troy when this is all over?" Chris asks. He strokes the ridiculous stubble of his.
"Hopefully, we'll go back to being friends…for Jesse's sake." I say, trying not to sound disappointed. The idea of being just friends with Troy is going to be very difficult for the both of us. I shouldn't have slept with him. I am relieved when the guard finally opens the gates and we slowly drive in.
"Friends, huh? I assumed you two were seeing each other." Chris says. Julie thinks it's hot but I think that stubble is awful.
"No, it's complicated but don't believe everything you read in Snapshot magazine." I say. Technically, I am telling the truth. However, Snapshot accused me of trying to steal Troy back from Kate and I wasn't. How was I supposed to know that they were engaged? And that stubble is really starting to get on my nerves. "God, I really hope you shave soon."
Chris smirks. We pull up to and stop at a metal gate. I sigh. "Don't worry. I'll shave soon. So friends…with benefits?" Chris asks.
"God, you're unbelievable!" I cry and elbow him in the arm. It was the first time I smiled in days. Chris's smile disappears. Before I could turn to see what is going on, he grabs me and pulls us both down.