Love Overcomes it All
Chapter: Three
I'll be there.
Summary: Love: Strong affection, unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for others. An emotion so strong, that when put to the test can overcome anything.
AN: Here is chapter three, Sorry if it is Crappy. I had some trouble writing this. I know that this is a bit late, but this past week has been crazy for me. Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving (If you are Americans).
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You and I must make a pact.
We will bring salvation back.
Where there is Love, I'll be there.
…
With just one look at their faces Rachel and Gabriella could tell that the news was bad…very bad.
Butterflies swarmed Rachel's already uneasy stomach. Deep inside she had known that this was serious. No matter how many times she'd lie to herself and say it was just the flu, she knew she was wrong.
Lying to herself had become her coping mechanism. At first it had worked, she had allowed herself to believe that she was fine. That she had fainted because she was overworked with school and basketball. As the day progressed and test after test failed…her mechanism broke....The tough front she had put up had began to crumple. She was hanging by a string that was slowly breaking, gripping onto the last bits of sanity she had left. She wished she could go back to being scared.
She was now beyond terrified.
She was not okay. She wanted to take everything, every single emotion out on the doctors. Needing an outlet desperately and they were the only ones she saw. Not thinking rationally anymore she was seeing the doctors as the enemy. It was almost like if she was never brought here she would not have ever known something was wrong. She would not have to prepare herself for the bad news she knew she was going to receive.
The sinking feeling in her stomach, the twisting and turning, like there was something physically twisting her insides into knots, it was all too much. She could not breathe. It was suffocating her. Taking deep breathes to calm herself down she looked up and into her mother's eyes needing comfort. Gabriella looked up at the same time and they locked eyes, channeling comfort from each other. It was as if there was a time bomb…waiting…anticipating to go off. She could almost hear the…tick….tick…tick…She needed to face this. So she took her eyes off her mother put on her best brave face and looked Dr. Michaels in the eye.
"The test results just came in." Dr. Michaels began.
Tick….tick….tick…
"I am so terribly sorry to say this…"
The string broke the tiniest bit more…
"Rachel," The intensity of his eyes killed her. "I'm sorry, but you have Acute Myeloid Leukemia."
A sonic boom erupted inside of her shattering her heart and soul.
"C-cancer..?"
Rachel did not know who spoke the words. She turned to her mother who was staring at her with tears in her eyes. Then she realized…it was her. The rest was a blur. She barely heard her mother's anguished cries, or the Doctors consoling words. She did not register the booklets that were placed beside her with titles that read Overcoming Cancer, and what is Acute Myeloid Leukemia? She did not hear the Doctor telling her mother all about her disease, explaining about treatment and different stages. Nor did she hear about the tests she would undergo right away to find out how far the cancer had spread. Only bits and pieces of the conversation got through to her. She had abnormal cells in her body that were not growing into healthy white blood cells. There was no staging with this cancer. Treatment depended on how far it spread in her body. She would have to see an oncologist and hematologist. She fell into shock. She looked at her mother who was still crying, and then Rachel Lorraine Bolton broke.
……………………………..
She awoke later to a dark room, the walls taunting her.
Cancer….cancer…cancer….incurable….cancer……cancer
Then she remembered the test she took. She would need a stem cell transplant. That would take place right away the next morning. The first steps were surgery for transplants and to remove the cancerous growths on her bone marrow. The good news was that they caught the cancer early on so the survival rate was high. Her mother had decided to move them to California for her treatment. After doing research she found that she was leaning toward the cancer treatment centers in C.A more than any other state. They had the diagnosis, they were aware of the side effects and the hard times they were about to encounter. Once they were in California the treatment could start and Rachel could get better. Her mother was now packing up their clothing and other material they had used while at the hospital.
"So that's it? Just like that we move to Cali?"
"Yes" Gabriella paused, searching her mind for the best way to explain this to her daughter. "It is for the best. I Know you would feel better having your friends there but my first concern is getting you better, and if that means moving to across the country that is exactly what I am going to do."
Rachel knew all this. She knew that from now on every decision her mother made would be for her benefit. It would just make her feel better having her best friend with her. Every Since fourth grade when Rachel met Jasmine she had become her best friend. It was quite a shock to both girls when their mothers met one day during a shopping trip. Rachel and Jasmine had wanted to go the mall. Their mothers were not under any circumstances allowing their ten year old children to wander the mall alone, so they went too. It would also be the first time the mothers would meet…..at least that is what they thought. They were completely shocked when they met and found out they were former high school class mates. Sharpay and Gabriella quickly became friends, again. They had been through a lot together. In Fact Sharpay Evans was one of the only people who knew that Gabriella was once upon a time pregnant with Troy Bolton's child. She was there for Gabriella during the pregnancy but their friendship had started to fade when Gabriella moved to Florida with a new born Rachel Lorraine. So when Sharpay Evans barged into the room wheeling a hot pink suitcase with Zeke and Jasmine at her side Rachel was not surprised.
"We're coming with you" Was all Shar said.
"What?!" Gabriella turned to her best friend clearly shocked.
"We. Are. Coming. With. You" The dramatic blonde said as if she was talking to a four year old.
Gabriella turned to Zeke hoping for an answer. All she got was a shrug and a nod to confirm what Sharpay was saying. Jasmine copied of her father offering her own shrug.
"You're out of your rabbit-ass mind Sharpay Evans." Zeke's neutral face crumpled and he started to laugh, earning a glare from his wife.
"Hey my best-est friend's daughter is sick, and she also happens to be my daughters best friend. You seriously think that I am just going to sit on my ass over here?
"Shar…."
"No Gab…when Tr…." The blonde stopped suddenly, not knowing whether to mention the man's name. "When you were pregnant I promised you that I would be there. I promised I would help you with Rachel. We made a pact in senior year, best friends 'til the day we die…and I'm still breathing. When you decided to move out here I let you, thinking we'd still keep in touch…but that didn't happen. I'm not going to let you leave alone again. It just is not going to happen. So tomorrow we're going to get on that plane together…" She made eye contact with every person in the room. "All of us."
Knowing that Sharpay was serious and grateful to have a friend like her Gabriella smiled.
"Okay." She whispered as the two women embraced.
And that is exactly what they did. Sharpay informed Gabriella that she had purchased her tickets already so the next morning the five got on plane to L.A.
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They were now settled in the L.A apartment. It belonged to Maria Montez. Her company had bought it for her to stay a during the frequent conferences that were held in California. Now the quite expensive four bedroom two and a half bath apartment served as a home for the Montez/Bolton/Baylor family. They may be different but family was what they are and always will be. The hospital Los Angeles Memorial Hospital had received all Rachel's papers. The next morning she would go in and have an IV in her arm so she could receive chemo, and the process would begin. Yes it was scary in a few short hours she would be undergoing her first round of chemotherapy. But looking around the room she could not help but smile knowing that she had amazing people to help her get through this.
"Come on Rach. Let's get to bed, long day tomorrow."
She nodded at her mother and followed her into her new temporary room. Yeah, she was definitely going to beat this.