Then I looked into his eyes and saw the tears he was trying to hide, the pain, the fake smile he was trying so hard to show, I could see all that. Then chad and monica came closer and hugged him, then I said 'okay troy.. what happened?' he sat down and I sat next to him, then he said 'my mum... she was beaten pretty badly..' I was in shock! I held his hand and said 'what? Who did that?' he first looked at me and then back on the floor, so I said 'troy?' he took a deep breath and said 'my dad..' I said 'what?' troy finally faced me and said 'he is abusive gabriella! He just is! He hit her badly this time! She is really hurt gabby! Really..really...hurt! and i...I can't do anything! I didn't.. I didn't protect her! This is all my fault!' I had tears in my eyes now but I pulled myself together and touched his face tenderly and raised it up so that I could put my eyes in his, and I said 'hey troy! Listen to me! This is NOT your fault! That is his fault troy!' he was nodding in refusal, so I looked at him and said 'you are the strongest man I have ever seen, you are caring, you are so sweet troy! You can make anybody feel safe just by being around! Troy.. your mother is going to be okay.. your mother must be so proud to have you as a son! Troy, she loves you, and she would never blame you for that! Ok?' then I gave him a long kiss as if trying to give him from my strength, as if trying to make him see through me, as if trying to keep him in my heart and protect him!

He cried on my shoulder for a while, monica and chad left us alone, then I sat next to him and he put his head on my lap and said 'gabriella.. she is going to be okay, right?' I gave him a tender kiss on his cheek and said 'I hope so troy.. but what I know for sure is that she is too strong to give up!' he sat back up, stared at me for a while, and then he leaned closer and kissed me, it was a strong kiss, I felt his body againist mine, his breath, his chest going up and down, his eyes closed and drowning in all the emotions that we share together! Then chad came and said 'gabriella come I want to tell you something' I stood and walked with him and when he made sure troy wasn't listening he said 'his mum.. she is pretty messed up!' I said 'yeah... he told me..' he said 'no gabriella! It's worse than he thinks!' I looked at him trying to comprehend what he was saying, then I said 'so, what's wrong?' he looked at troy again to make sure that he doesn't hear it, then he said 'she has internal bleeding, and her heart failed a couple of times now, but they helped her, but she needs blood or she'll bleed out gabriella! Olso, she needs surgery, and that blood donor will have to go to surgery with her, in case they needed anymore blood..' I said 'and troy doesn't know?' chad said 'no.. because he can't help her anyway since his blood doesn't match hers!' I said 'and mr. Bolton?' chad looked at me as if saying yeah right! So I said 'okay.. what's her blood type?' he said 'o neg' I said 'then I am a match!' chad looked at me in amazement and I smiled! But then I said 'but don't tell troy!' he said 'what? Why?' I said 'because I don't want him to feel guilty for putting me through this, or to worry! Just tell him that I went home to bring him clothes or something!' chad nodded and then I went to the doctor's office and talked to him, he said 'you might be saving her life by that!' I smiled and then he called the nurse to measure my temperature and blood pressure, and she did but then the doctor told me that my blood pressure was low, so I told him that it was normal especially because I was asthmatic, he was almost rejecting taking blood for me but I said 'doctor please! I have to do this! I'll sign any papers that would let people know that it was my choice and it wasn't your responsibility.. just please! You have to let me do this... please!' the doctor nodded and then called the nurse again who took the blood, I was feeling really dizzy, and I was fighting to take my breath, but I didn't care as long as it was going to help his mother, And as long as he won't feel the bitter cruel pain of loss and carry the burden of his guilt for the rest of his life..

The doctor went and explained everything to troy without telling him who was the donor, so I sat in a room to get prepared for surgery praying that troy wouldn't know. Chad was avoiding troy too, he didn't want to lie to him, but then troy saw him and said 'hey chad, have you seen gabby?' chad said 'what! No!' troy saw that he was hiding something so he said 'what chad? Where is she?' chad said 'how should I know? Maybe she went home to get some clothes or something!' troy said 'yeah.. maybe..' then as he was walking away the nurse came and told chad 'we need a signature for those papers for the donor' troy said 'donor? Who is she?' chad trying to cover up and said 'some girl! Who knows?' so troy said 'if she is some girl then why are they asking you for the signature?' chad was so nervous that he kept humming and thinking about what to say, then troy yelled at the nurse 'where is that girl?' the nurse showed him the room. He entered and saw me on bed, I looked at him in shock, then he called the nurse who came running and said 'she is who gave my mother blood?' the nurse nodded, so he said 'she is who will go with my mother to surgery?' again the nurse nodded. So troy looked at me with tears in his eyes and said to the nurse ' cancel the surgery, we don't have a donor anymore' then the nurse ran out of the room and troy kept staring at me for a while, but I was just sitting there on bed not knowing what to do, then as he was turning to the door to leave I said 'troy wait!' he didn't even look at me but he said 'go home gabriella' then he took a few steps towards the door again but then I said 'troy..' that time he turned and faced me then I said 'let me...' then I fell to the ground and passed out.