Sarah, my beta is leaving me :( I appreciate all her amazing work though! (Thank you!) Does anyone else want the job before I trawl the Beta list? I need someone trustworthy, fairly prompt and good at spotting errors/providing feedback :)

Did I tell you to check out Phantom of the East Street Opera House by MissElenaSalvatoreEfron18? Well there it is!

Also on my faves list: The Single Girl by Miss Romance Lover. Both of which have been updated recently :)

Juli93- really no need to apologise, my alleged BFF is 16 chapters behind so you have nothing to worry about lol.

- My condolences and heart goes out to you. And I appreciate your words, I think every writer likes to hear they inspired someone :)

Kaybaby- I wrote a Zac/Vampire one shot, chapter 8 of my M rated one shots :) I love Vampire Diaries (Ian!) but I'm not so into writing it…I was wondering why my chapter made you think of vampires lol.

Chapter 18

"Hey, you need anything? Drink?"

Gabi was back home; home with Dex and Jody that is and being waited on hand and foot until they deemed her 'better'.

"I'm fine, Jody. Quit fussing…" she grimaced.

"Oh I forgot you're all Miss 'I don't need help'," he teased and sank into the sofa where her feet reached his thigh.

"I just don't want to be treated like a kid, you know? I can get my own drink." She grumbled, folding her arms sulkily.

"I know. But I like helping," he looked over at her and eventually she broke into a smile.

"Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Is Chad okay?" she checked worriedly.

"He's fine. He told me you called him and he told you he was fine and that he didn't want me going around there again," Jody recounted.

"Typical," she rolled her eyes.

"If he wasn't sick, I thought he might hit me…" he joked.

"He wouldn't," she assured.

"So…uhm…how's Troy?" Jody broached hesitantly.

She looked at him and smiled carefully.

"He wants to come home."

"Is he going to?" Jody wondered.

"No, I managed to convince him I can survive a roll without him here to fuss over me," she derided. "But he might be back earlier because of this."

Jody nodded. "He really cares about you."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked instead and he lifted his brows.

"Looking after you."

"I have a dressing change at the hospital, can you take me?" She checked.

"Of course," he agreed easily.

"Thank you," she widened her brown doe-eyes for effect.

"So, you wanna watch a movie?" he asked to change the subject and she smiled.

"I'd love to."

/

"Hey, did I walk in on the right couple?" Dex teased as his door-slamming entrance awoke Gabi and Jody from their comfortable slump together on the sofa.

"What time is it?" Jody complained sleepily.

"Eight, what have you two been doing?" Dex smirked.

"Nothing," Gabi answered crossly. "We just watched a movie and fell asleep."

"Uh huh, tell your boyfriend that…"

"He's not going to mind," Gabi frowned at Dex's teasing.

"He's easy-going…" Dex muttered as he went into the kitchen with the groceries he had bought, then yelled through. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Mashed potatoes?" Gabi yelled back and Dex winced.

"I hate peeling potatoes."

/

"How's the cast?" Jody asked the next morning, assisting Gabi down to the car for her trip to hospital.

"Itching again," she grumbled, limping on her sore leg.

"You getting crutches today?" he wondered.

"No, they want me to use it as normal, it just hurts to…" she admitted vulnerably.

"Hey, it'll get better," Jody assured. "It'll heal."

"Not for a few weeks. That's a few weeks without training, without practice. How can I ever be ready for next season?" she asked.

"With hard work," Jody replied.

"How can I ever get back in a car?" She added and he gave her a big hug for comfort.

"You will, Gabi. Just know that we'll be there for you when you do," he added.

She nodded a tiny nod and pressed her lips in. "Let's get to the hospital."

/

"Hey…" Gabi called as she struggled to get into the doorway of Troy and Chad's place while everything in her body was bruised and aching.

"Gabi, what are you doing here?" Chad called through and she went to plop next to him on the sofa.

"I came to say 'hi'," she explained.

"You're supposed to be resting…" he admonished.

"So are you and do you ever?" she challenged right back.

"I didn't just spin my race car a half mile and turn it over;" he pointed out and she smiled sadly.

"Yeah. I did that huh?"

"Hey, I'm sorry, I was kidding," Chad apologised. "Are you okay?"

"Everything hurts," she admitted. "I rolled before and dislocated my shoulder but this time it was different, this time I was so afraid…"

"Afraid of what?" Chad wondered.

"Of losing Troy," she looked to him and spelt it out.

Chad smiled inanely at her. "You have it so bad."

"Do you think…" she frowned, scared of asking the question. She took a breath and started over. "Do you think he'll still like me? If I'm all battered and gauged?"

Chad laughed shortly out of bemusement. "Gabi, he's not going to break up with you," he assured.

She pressed her lips in and sighed. "You haven't seen my leg."

"Oh come on," Chad scoffed, hugging her quickly. "He's not gonna care about some stupid scar."

"I might get more, though," she argued. "What if I get too many?"

"Gabi, did Troy ever tell you about his ex?" Chad broached and she looked up, shocked he even mentioned her.

"He told me she left him at the altar for Marlade…"

"She was a stunt woman, Gabi. If you think you're battered, you should have seen some of her marks…I promise you, Troy loves you for what's on the inside, not for what's out."

Gabi gave him the biggest smile Chad thought he'd ever seen and her flat brown eyes lit up. "You really think so?"

"I know so," he nodded and she brightened up, chatting about his treatments until her cell phone bleeped, marking her lift home with Jody.

"I hope you're home soon," Chad told her and she smiled as she realised that this was home for her now.

"Me too. Just a couple more days…" she promised.

"Take care." Chad called before she left.

/

"Did I fall asleep again?" Gabi lifted her head and realised she was sleeping in Jody's lap.

"You did," Jody quickly retracted his hands from stroking her hair.

"Ugh, I'm sorry," she winced as she attempted to sit up.

"You can stay there if you want," Jodie offered.

"No, I should get up," she insisted.

"Troy called while you were asleep…"

"Oh no," she pouted. "Can I call him back?"

"He told me to let you know that it would be fine to call him whenever you woke…"

She smiled softly at his caring nature. "Thank you."

"I'll get out of your hair for a while," he offered and Gabi watched him go, wondering if things really were alright between them. She shook off the feeling and dialled her favourite number.

"Hey, racer-girl," Troy greeted with a warm, husked voice.

"Were you asleep?" she wondered. "You sound sleepy."

"I…ah…might of closed my eyes for a minute and drifted off…"

She giggled. "You are getting old…"

"Did I say I would miss you?" he wondered. "Because I take it back…"

"Well I miss you," she assured.

"I wish I was there to hold you," he admitted, feeling the familiar ache of loss in his arms where he used to be able to hold her.

"Me too," she sighed. "But it's okay that you're not."

"It's not okay," he counter-acted. "But it is what it is…"

"Jody and Dex are taking care of me," she shared.

"Is Jody holding you?" He wondered.

She paused. "I fell asleep in his lap…does that count?"

He smiled. "No, I think that's allowed."

"What's not allowed?" She wondered, winding the wire of the phone around her cast as she spoke.

"Hugging." He decided.

"Well I might have done that…" she worried.

"Damn I knew I shouldn't have left," he teased.

"Troy, don't be silly," she admonished. "I hugged everyone before we met so I'm not going to stop now…"

"Okay, then no sexy hugging," he amended.

"Sexy hugging?" She questioned. "What's that?"

"Any hugging with you involved," he explained and he heard her giggle again which made him smile.

"It is not. How's Sharpay?" she changed the subject.

"She's good. She says hi and sends her love."

"Tell her I said the same."

"Will do."

"I went to see Chad today. He's doing better," she shared.

"You went to see Chad?" he sighed. "You're meant to be resting."

"Don't you start…" she pursed her lips even if he couldn't see her.

"So how are you feeling?" he wondered, broaching the sensitive subject.

"Beat up," she replied sulkily. "Ugly."

"Why ugly?" he asked in surprise.

"Because I have bruises all over me. Big, ugly ones."

"I hope you still have them by time I get back…" he said suggestively.

"Don't be disgusting."

"I'm not! I want to see them before they change colour."

"You don't mean that…"

"I really do!" he assured.

"You're weird…"

"That makes two of us."

"I had my dressing changed today…" she ventured.

"How did it go?" he wondered gently, sensing her vulnerability.

She shrugged. "Okay…it was sore. It still looks horrible…"

"It'll get better, once it's healed." He promised.

She licked her lips. "Chad said your ex was a stunt woman…"

"Oh, did he now?" Troy derided.

"So, you're okay with it?" she checked.

"Gabi, what are you asking me?" he puzzled.

"If you're ok with having a girlfriend who comes home all bruised and scarred and…ugly?"

"Gabi, you are not ugly, okay?" he said off the bat. "You could never be ugly to me…"

"You haven't seen me, yet."

"I know, and I can't wait until I do because then I can hug you and never let go," he promised.

"A sexy hug?" she ventured, feeling teary at his assurance.

"A very sexy hug," he agreed. "As long as it didn't hurt you…"

She giggled and wiped her eyes. "I miss you."

"I'm coming home, Gabi. Sooner than you think."

"I'd like that," she admitted. "I should go and help with dinner now…"

"I love you, beautiful."

"Love you, too." She clicked the receiver back on the hook and swallowed.

When would she ever feel the same as before her accident?

/

"Hey, I'm driving out to Lake City today if you feel like coming with me…" Dex offered as Gabi ate her cereal with sadness he hadn't ever seen on his sister before.

"Mm, okay," she agreed flatly and met his gaze.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just feel like I have this fear now. I've never felt this way…I don't know what it is…" she puzzled.

"It's called being human" Dex touched her shoulder and gripped lightly.

"I don't like being afraid."

"Weren't you afraid of how you felt about Troy?" Dex asked.

"No. I was afraid you might hurt him though…"

Dex smirked. "Well, you learnt not to be afraid, right? It meant too much to be afraid…"

"It did."

"So racing means too much to you. Right now you're just figuring you look a mess with all these bruises and stuff. In a month when it's all gone and the pain dies down, you'll be itching to get back in the driving seat."

She nodded, looking up to him. "Will you come with me, when I drive again?"

Dex felt the tears sting the back of his eyes at her request. Once upon a time he never thought she'd look at him like that again.

"Try and stop me."

/