A/N: Sorry for the late update, two games this weekend really set me back. So, to make up for it, the longest chapter of my story!!
LAST TIME-
Troy looked to Taylor, his heart stopping. He choked as chocolate eyes he never thought he would see again found his. The same sad, but accomplished smile crossed her face; mirroring the one she had showed him seconds before Chase Barker had kicked at her. He returned it as her head inclined only slightly. She gave him a 'see you later' look as her eyes slowly closed. She went slack in Taylor's arms, making the friend panic.
He inclined his head too, the world swimming in front of his blurry eyes. The fighting was done; he was surrounded by friends, he had survived.
It was over, but at what cost?
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Gabriella was hemorrhaging. That, Taylor knew from the blood seeping from the corner of her friend's mouth. There was more to her injuries than just bruised skin.
Taylor tried to clear her mind, but every moment the action was getting harder and harder. Things were building up: guilt, anxiety, worry, flashes of the past, last year, the year before that, when they were all carefree. One thing still remained constant, Taylor figured out as she looked at her friends paling face: Gabriella was bleeding internally. They had to get her to a hospital, or she would die.
Another thing that was kind of important: They were on an island in the middle of a lake. Moving Gabriella or Troy for that mater was out of the question. They would end up causing more damage to their injured friends.
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Chad grunted as Troy went slack in his arms. He lowered his friend to the ground, next to Taylor. He moved next to her, placing the back of his hand on Gabriella's wet forehead.
His brow furrowed. Gabriella's skin was cold to the touch. Cursing, he scrunched off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her. She was shivering.
"Chad, my man!"
Blake.
Reluctantly, Chad stood, leaving Taylor and Gabriella on the floor, turning and covering them with his body, the other crowding around as well. He felt Ryan and Jason at his back, readying themselves for a full out brawl.
The former captain of the West High Basketball Team was smiling and laughing as he staggered to his feet, his hands griping his sides in pain. He was obviously enjoying the situation his rivals were in. The situation he had put them in.
"How is she?" Blake asked, maneuvering closer to Chad, trying to get a better look.
"She's alive," Chad, replied strongly, his mouth in a thin line as he visually checked Blake for any signs of what he might be planning. Vash was down for the count, Chase Barker was off in the woods somewhere, alive or dead, Chad didn't care. Blake was completely alone.
Blake pulled his head back, surprise crossing his face for only a second,. "But… Chase beat the shit outta her!" He flashed a grin at Chad. "Wow. He must really be off today. Either that, or she's a fighter."
The curly haired teen was completely floored by Blake's nonchalance. He felt the others mirroring his feelings as well. This kid had no regret written on his face, at all, what so ever. The boys sickening smile grew wider and wider as he kept scanning over Gabriella's unconscious body.
Un. Fucking. Believable.
"Well," The blond boy was talking to himself, surveying the unconscious Gabriella. "She's bleeding internally. I'd give her another hour. Give or take. Hypothermia will set in eventually if she stays out here for to long. What do you think?" He looked at the group of teens expectantly, smiling at the fury and shock playing out in front of him.
His answer was Chad's right fist connecting with his face, a roar of pure rage filling the quiet forest.
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Sharpay watched as Chad lunged forward, slamming his fist into the blond boys face. The two went sprawling backwards into the mud, Jason and Ryan close behind.
As Chad's roar echoed through the forest, it brought a new sound, a sound Sharpay had been longing to hear. Strong shouts were sounding from behind the group, coming from where the boat had been parked.
Sharpay found Taylor's surprised eyes before whipping around. Small beams of light were penetrating the settling darkness. Sharpay realized that it had gotten considerably dark, darker than her body and mind had registered. Her hopes rose as she forgot about the boys fight, their grunts fading to the back of her mind. The beams of light were stronger, the voices louder.
In an instant, cops burst into the clearing, rushing past the three conscious girls and tackling Chad off of Blake, others wrestling Jason and Ryan to the ground as well. Sharpay watched as Kelsi burst forward, the brunette desperately shouting at the cops to let them go.
"I need help!" Taylor cried out besides the blond, half sobbing half yelling at the preoccupied cops, Gabriella's unmoving body clutched in her shaking arms.
Sharpay was assaulted with flashes of bright red as EMT's flowed into the clearing. She dropped down next to Taylor as they approached, her blond hair flowing over her shoulders and into her eyes. The first EMT had an overly stuffed backpack with a walky-talky in his left hand raised to his lips. The man behind him carried a shock board in both hands, the look on his face made Sharpay's heart fall. Sympathy was flowing from his deep blue eyes, his lips set in a grim frown. The first EMT made it to them and knelt down next to Taylor.
"What's your name," he asked, his voice low and soothing.
"Taylor," she replied, her voice shaking. The EMT smiled, and then glanced down to the body in Taylor's arms.
"Taylor, I'm going to need your help with," he paused again, searching Taylor's eyes for Gabriella's name.
"…Gabriella," a pained and shallow voice sounded from the ground behind them. Troy was pushing himself up with his left hand, his right lying uselessly across his lap. His eyes were staring at Gabriella's still face, his breaths coming in deep pants.
"I'm gonna need you to let her go," the EMT's eyes softened when Taylor shook her head vigorously, "Where just going to put her on this shock board, ok, you can stay with her." Taylor still wouldn't let go. The other EMT approached and knelt down, his brown eyes finding Taylor's.
"Taylor, my name is Allen, I give you my word that nothing more will happen to her."
Sharpay felt her right hand move forward, landing on Taylor's shoulder, she squeeze it softly, nodding her head in encouragement. Her heart broke as her friend let out a choked sob, letting the EMT's take Gabriella from her shaking hands. Both the girls stood at once, Taylor's face crashing into Sharpay's shoulder.
Sharpay gave a surprised squeak, but her eyes softened as she wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl. She watched as Allen lifted Gabriella up and onto the shock board, his partner, Wes placing a breathing mask over her small face. Sharpay caught snippets of the conversation, as Kelsi was able to join them.
"Going…hemorrhagic shock…possible…collapsed lung…hospital…now,"
Commotion from behind Sharpay caught her attention. Blake was fighting to get away from the cops; three were having trouble holding him down. Chad, Jason and Ryan were being freed of their handcuffs, Ryan catching Sharpay's eye, as Blake was lead away, cursing and screeching all the way into the forest. The three boys shook hands with the cops, and made their way over towards the group of girls.
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Troy was swaying on his feet as the other boys joined the group. His heart had shattered when Taylor had refused to let go of Gabriella. This whole situation was his fault; Gabriella's condition was his fault.
He took another breath, his chest tightening only a little, the burning fading faster. His ribs weren't the problem; his right elbow was killing him. He took a step forward, the motion automatically swaying his body. Blinding pain shot up his arm, finding its way to the back of his head, forcing the blackness to take control of his vision for a moment. He steadied himself as he felt strong hands on his shoulders. He opened his eyes only to look at an unfamiliar face. The bright red of an EMT jacket caught his attention, then the man's mouth moved, but Troy heard no sound. The EMT's grip tightened, but he couldn't really feel it. The weight on his shoulders was back again, increasing ten fold. Troy slumped forward, his blue eyes closing as he crashed into the unsuspecting EMT.
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Chad was pacing, his hands wrapped into fists at his side as he, and the others waited for the doctors. The white walls and floors making the room too bright for th ecurrent mood that inhabited it The paramedics had called Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, and when no one had picked up at Gabriella's home the cops had gotten suspicious. Dispatch had found Miss. Montez on the floor of her kitchen, knocked out with a nasty bruise forming on her head.
Chad stopped for a second, glancing at the stressed mother. Her head was in her hands, a white, thick, bandage wrapped around her head. Chad fought the urge to go to her, he had to keep himself occupied, or he would go crazy.
He continued pacing as Taylor stirred on the couch to his side. Sharpay was at the end, a Vogue magazine in her hand. He marveled at how she could keep her calm, out of all the teens, she had been the most, prepared. He shook his head. Prepared wasn't the right word. Composure. A smile tugged at his lips. That was the word. She had kept her composure while everyone else around her had fallen apart. He never thought he would admit it, but Sharpay was a good, friend.
Chad's eyes flew to the long hallway as footsteps met his ears; a nurse was walking slowly down towards them. He cursed her as she turned into the reception desk, sitting down in the comfortable chair. He continued pacing as he shook his head.
He hated hospitals.
The white walls and floors made it seem like some heavenly, sacred place. He snorted. How ironic, considering how much the place reeked of death and anticipant. Hospitals were the complete opposite of heavenly. Death was so thick in the air that you could almost choke on it, the smell of anticipant washing over your conciseness.
Chad moved his eyes and found Jason, Kelsi and Ryan. They were in the far corner talking with one of the cops that had found them in the forest. The EMT Allen was also there, his concern for Gabriella's condition, although thoughtful, just assured that it was severe. So much more severe.
He turned a second time towards the long hallway; a doctor in pea green scrubs was walking towards them. Chad's breath caught, for some reason, he couldn't breath. He had been waiting for this moment for three hours, but now, he realized that he feared what the answer might be. Was Gabriella dead on the operating table? Was Troy ever going to play basketball again? Were they both ok? How much damage had they suffered? How long would they have to stay in this retched place?
The Bolton's beat Chad to any questions. Both parents jumping off the couch as the doctor approached, bombarding him with questions of their own. Chad's eyes froze on the doctor's face. There it was again, that look. Was it sadness? No. Chad shook his head slightly; it was something else, something that couldn't be explained in words. The doctor held up a strong hand, both parents falling silent.
"Troy is fine," he assured, his voice quite strong, his emerald green eyes scanning over the group of friends and family. "But it's a good news bad news situation."
Both parents glanced to each other before nodding their heads. The doctor continued.
"The good news is that he suffered nothing life threatening, one or two bruised ribs, a strong concussion," the doctor paused, "The bad news is that his elbow was chipped and dislocated. The Ulna bone," the doctor pointed to his lower arm, running his hand on the underside, "twisted away from its joining with the Humerus bone," the doctor ran his hand on the top of his upper arm. "Causing the Ulna to chip slightly Now, since he's young and athletic his body is very fit, so the muscles, instead of tearing, just stretched."
"So, he's going to be ok?" Chad asked, his heart pounding.
"Yes and no," the doctor paused again, locking eyes with Mr. Bolton, "It was good that none of the muscles tore, but that only put all the more pressure on his nerves. When the Ulna relocated, it pinched the nerves, severing them."
The waiting room fell silent.
"He'll have little to no feeling in his lower arm or hand. Even with PT, which I highly recommend, the nerves are never going to recover. I'm sorry."
Chad choked; Mr. Bolton's hand ran through his hair.
"We had to insert two metal screws into the joint, but he will eventually regain full motion, although it wont be as fluid as before, he'll still be able to play basketball."
Chad's heart skipped a beat, his chest releasing the built up pressure. He sighed and looked up to the doctor's face, hoping to thank him. Chad's heart beat one, the loud thud echoing in the small white waiting room. He immediately recognized the emotion in the doctor's face. Grief. The man took a step forward towards Miss. Montez.
"Would you like us to talk in private," his voice was soft, his eyes pained. Miss. Montez held back the tears threatening to flow from her eyes.
"No. There Gabriella's friends, they deserve to hear as much as I do. It wouldn't be right not telling them."
The doctor nodded his head, his lips set in a grim line.
"As you all know, Gabriella's condition was more," he paused, his face searching for the right word, "critical."
Miss. Montez turned away, Mrs. Bolton's hands winding around the fearful mother.
"When she arrived, she was going into hemorrhagic shock, which means she was loosing a lot of blood, fast. Her body was unable to obtain or hold oxygen for a long period of time. Luckly the paramedics called ahead, so we were ready for the blood transfusions as soon as she got here." Miss. Montez turned to Allen, silently thanking him, " The bleeding was caused by a rib, one of the seven that had broken. Now, besides the internal bleed, her left lung had been punctured, again by one of the broken ribs."
Miss. Montez was crying. Chad's fists were clenched at his sides, it was all he could do to keep himself from crying. Taylor was next to Sharpay on the couch, her face full of unshed emotions.
"We managed to stop the bleeding and inflate the lung, her breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are back to normal but she's still not out of the red yet. These next couple nights are crutial," the doctor let a beat pass before he continued, "Her right knee was severly dislocated. The patella seemed to have shifted out and away from the femur, meaning something hard impacted it. But like Troy, she is a very fit young woman, so the muscles didn't tear on the initial dislocation," he paused again, taking a deep breath, "From what I've seen, the joint was forced back into place, tearing the MCL and Meniscus on the relocation. Her ACL was strained and bruised, but it didn't tear."
"What's the chance of her knee fully recovering?" Ryan asked from the back of the group.
"We've put four screws in, hopefully to support the joint and muscles as she works to strengthen it again. She should be able to get full motion back, but running track or participating in a contact sport will take some time and effort." The doctor reached into his chest pocket, pulling out two white business cards, "Berry Richardson is a friend of mine, he specializes in dislocations and physical therapy. He's very good. I've already called and informed him about your situation. Your medical insurance and this hospital will pay for the expenses. If any one of them gives you trouble, I'm Andrew Davidson, Chief Residence, call me and I'll help any way I can."
Mr. Bolton stepped forward and stuck out his hand. Andrew took it and firmly shook, a fake smile on his face. He turned to leave when Miss. Montez spoke up.
"Um, Andrew, when are we allowed to see them?"
"You can visit Troy in the morning when visiting hours start," his eyes softened, "You wont be able to see Gabriella until she's moved out of intensive care, maybe another day or two."
"Ok, thanks for all your help," Mr. Bolton replied wrapping his arms around his wife as the doctor left the group in silence.
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Troy broke through the blackness, finding his way to a very bright white room. His blue eyes opened painfully, as the strong light found its way into his conciseness. He groaned and tried to roll over, but his right arm would move. His eyes snapped over, the flashes of the past couple of hours making him feel nauseated. He glanced slowly to his arm. It was hung up at heart level, a strong and sturdy splint ran along the curve of his elbow, a salmon colored ace bandage holding it in place.
He took a deep breath, feeling bandages tighten around his chest. His eyes scanned the room, widening at the six bodies that inhabited it. Jason was across from him, occupying himself in one of the only spinning office chairs. He spun around and around, staring up at the ceiling, the actions making him look like a nine-year-old boy.
Sharpay, Taylor and Kelsi were knocked out on the only couch in the hospital room, their soft snores reaching his ears. The blond head of Ryan was just visible over the foot of his bed, the boy's deep breaths also reaching Troy's ears. His eyes scrunched together, something was missing.
Finally, Chad. He was positioned at the side, in one of the most uncomfortable chairs Troy had ever seen. His curly haired friend had slung his feet over one side and his shoulders pressed against the other. Troy glanced down and rolled his eyes as a deep sigh escaped his lips.
He hated hospitals.
The rough paper gown was making him uncomfortable, that, and the scratchy bed sheets. He watched as Chad stirred, and sat up, whipping the sleep from his eyes, which grew wide when he realized Troy was awake.
"Thank God!" Chad smiled out
The room fell silent, as Jason rolled over with his office chair, the three boys swimming in each other's happiness.
"How long was I out?" Troy asked, his eyes scanning the room again.
"A day," Chad replied, "you sleep for too long captain."
"Yeah, well, I was tired." Troy nswered with a wide smile.
"I would be tired to," Jason laughed out from his chair, mid spin, "running off to fight the bad guys, saving the girl." Jason's face paled, he realized his mistake to late.
Troy inhaled sharply, his blue eyes growing wide.
"Where's Gabriella?"