Warm Without a Care Chapter 4

Troy's POV

I had awoken about noon, and had promptly looked around for Gabby, before calling her cell constantly, but all the calls had gone unanswered. Now it was almost nine at night, and I still hadn't heard a word from her. The house was eerily silent, and i could hear the rise and fall of Austin's breaths in the next room. He'd been asleep for well over two hours. Suddenly, bright lights ran over the wall of the living room, I heard a car door slam after a few moments, and then the front door creaked open.

"Hello?" She whispered out softly, before swiftly walking past the living room, not even looking in on me, and heading through the hallway towards our shared bedroom. I could see her patting her constantly growing belly nervously. It was a habit she had developed soon after her stomach had gotten very large.

"Gabby." I answered sternly, trying to control my anger, "where have you been?"

"I was out with Chad…" She answered slowly; turning around, fear in her eyes, as if I would actually do something to harm her. The worst I had ever done was yell at her slightly, my voice had barely been raised.

"Why didn't you call, or at least answer your cell? I've been calling you all day. And what've you been doing with Chad forever?" I asked, glaring at her, before finally getting up off the couch to face her. She looked horrible, her mascara was faintly showing signs of being cried off, and her hair was a mess; she didn't look up to talking to me, much less being on her feet for two more seconds, however, I couldn't just let this be, I ahd been worried sick about my pregnant wife all day, and she just came sneaking in the door like nothing had happened.

"We went to see Taylor." She answered, looking down at the floor, as if ashamed of herself for going to the hospital to see that woman, if she was even considered that after what she did to her closest friends. She had tried and nearly suceeded to take both Chad and Gaby from me a few months back. But none the less I instantly felt horrible for being mad moments ago.

"You went to go see her? After what she did?' I asked, all traces of anger out of my system, I simply walked over to Gabby and began rubbing her arm softly, I knew that going to see her had to have taken all the courage she had.

"Chad was scared to go alone, and he knew you didn't really support him going, so he came by this morning to ask…and I couldn't just say no to him." She answered, while pulling me closer to her.

"Well, why were you gone so long?" I asked, looking into her eyes softly, where I could see that she had defiantly cried.

"She didn't recognize him, or me. Her condition completely erased her memories of us." She answered, a few tears slipping from her eyes, but she still held my gaze, refusing to look away.

"No way." I said, unaware of anything to really say. I was honestly speechless.

Some crazy disease had erased her two best friends in the world, the two people who knew here inside and out. The two people that she had loved since high school, one that had been her entire world, and the other that was there for her no matter what. They had built up years of adventures and secrets, only for them to be destroyed by something that had taken control of her mind, something that had turned her into a completely different person. One that her family, not even her closest friends could recognize.

"Where's Chad?" I suddenly asked, while hearing the car gun up in my driveway, and realizing that he had to be even worse than Gabby, and he was about to go to a home by himself.

"The car, about to leave." Gabby answered simply, while letting go off my shirt and stepping away from me slightly.

I raced out the door, and knocked on the slowly moving window, "Come in." I said smiling and opening the door while the car was still moving.

He smiled slightly before instantly cutting the engine off, and stepping out of the car. We walked back inside before talking about Taylor and laughing about all the good times until well past one o'clock, and then we set up the futon for Chad to sleep on it, we bid him goodnight before going back to the bedroom and lying in bed. At around three thirty, I awoke to hear a slight sobbing coming from the living room, I gently stepped off the bed, and walked the short hall way to where the sobs were loudest.

"You okay man?" I asked, sitting down on the futon beside where his body lay in the fetal position. He was seriously messed up, and I knew exactly why, and also that if I was in his position I'd be just like him, maybe even worse.

"I love her bro, and she's gone…she's not her anymore." He answered, letting tears flow from his eyes before hitting the soft surface of the pillow we'd allowed him to borrow.

"I know Chad, I know." I answered, sitting beside him and clapping my arm over his shoulder, trying to console her.

"Is it going to be okay?" He asked his eyes full of tears and looking hopeful.

"Of course it is. Love conquers everything." I answered, knowing that this had to be true because the universe had brought Gabby and I back together, and it had to bring Chad and Taylor back together, because he deserved it, more than anything. He deserved to be happy once again, I knew that he would be happiest with Taylor back in his life, and back to normal, and I knew that before I went back to sleep tonight, I would surely be praying for Taylor to somehow magically recover from whatever had taken over her mind.