Love Overcomes it All
Chapter Seven.
Mockingbird.
Summary: Love: Strong affection, unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for others. An emotion so strong, that when put to the test can overcome anything.
Disclaimer: This is simply my imagination at work. I do not own the characters, Disney, or any lyrics.
AN: Yeah, hey, I'm still here. Sorry for the late update but I've been busy. Life just took over with school and work, and a whole lot more. I feel that the ending for chapter six was a bit...weird. However I am not apologizing for it. It was meant to show you that, even though it is a somewhat happy time because Troy and Rachel have met, Rachel is still sick. She still has cancer and she will not automatically become better because her father is in her life. That does play an important role, you will find that out in further chapters. I write for me, because while sitting in geometry instead of focusing on parallel angles, I think about ideas for this story and others. I write because it makes me happy not to see what others may think about my work. Also I chose the song "Mockingbird" as the title, because that song is about a father's love for his daughter, while this chapter and a good part of this story is about Troy's love for Rachel.
Yeah.
I know sometimes things might not always make sense to you right now
But hey, what daddy always tell you?
Straighten up little soldier.
Stiffen up that upper lip.
What you crying about?
You got me.
The aura of peace that filled the room was comforting on that morning. A father and daughter who had just re-united were laughing and getting along as if they knew each other their whole lives. Joking around, amusing the other occupants of the room with their banter.
It was a very intense game that they were playing. They'd been at it for hours and both were desperate to win. The thin white rectangle shifted in the hands of each person. The white black and red objects lining up behind each other. Eyes trying to peek at the others possessions, both quickly glancing away deftly before being caught. The other occupants of the room were just as focused on the game, highly amused at the lengths the players were going to. Again the objects were shuffled, tongues poked out and licked dried lips; a mouth opened speaking for the first time in what felt like ages when in reality only a minute had passed.
With an eyebrow cocked he looked up, "Got any threes?"
She smirked triumphantly, "Go fish,"
"Damn!" He shouted and threw the cards down only to receive a glare from the petite brunette sitting across the room. "I mean..darn?" He asked her,
"Much better, I'm sure my fourteen year old hears enough cursing in school." Gabriella stated, knowing all too well about the way teens spoke when adults were not around.
"Our fourteen year old. Our very smart fourteen year old." He motioned to the cards he threw after their most recent game of go fish that he lost.
"Well you don't exactly have to be smart to win go fish, dad. I've played with a three year old."
"Ha ha, I see you have your mother's sarcasm as well." He taunted, only receiving a grin from Rachel instead of the usual sarcasm filled comment. For a moment he smirked, happy that he gotten the final word in during their playful argument. That was before she spoke up again and his smirk fell off his face.
"Yeah, and I obviously got my good looks from her too," She replied in a joking manner.
He huffed as he walked around the little table they had set up for their game to get to her. "Well then,"
He spoke right before his hands went down to tickle her. Rachel squirmed and shrieked, causing Troy to smile. The day was, so far, proving to be a good one for her. She had not gotten sick, and was even able to keep the small breakfast she had consumed down. She was still quite pale, and had body aches, but compared to the previous day her health had improved immensely.
"Troy, maybe you should take it easy." Gabriella, ever the precarious one, called out, not wanting him to knock into, or loosen any wires. Troy, knowing her all too well just smiled, "'Kay Gab," He would do anything to make her happy. Just as in love as he was in high school, even though he would most likely deny that.
It had been a little over a week since Troy had met Rachel. He had of course been around to see her everyday. Stopping by early in the morning before basketball practice and afterward . Rachel had been in California since mid October, and it was now November tenth, in five days Rachel would turn fifteen. It also worked out that she would be home on her birthday. She would be leaving the hospital on the thirteenth, and returning on the twentieth. In the week she had been spending with her father, they had become extremely close, a strong father-daughter bond already forming. They shared the same sense of humor and personality, likes and dislikes; there was no doubt about it, Rachel was Troy Bolton's daughter one hundred and fifty percent.
"So, I heard that a certain someone," At the word 'someone' Troy not so subtly looked at Rachel, causing her to giggle. "....is turning fifteen next Tuesday,"
"I wonder who that could be," Gabriella mocked, playing along and Troy shrugged at her.
"You guys are such dorks." Rachel said, her head thrown back in laughter.
"Hey!" Troy playfully scolded.
They painted a picture of the perfect family. You would not guess that Troy and Gabriella were actually not together, nor had they not seen each other in fifteen years. Or that a week ago, Rachel had not known her father. But yet the chemistry that Troy and Gabriella shared as teenagers had come back. The easy banter, conversations and shy glances had returned, it was like re-living their years at East High. In the same light. yet it was so different from anything they had experienced in high school. Life worked in strange and mysterious ways. The easy-going relationship Troy and Rachel shared, being able to joke and talk with each other so naturally. He was happy, of course pained at the fact that his only daughter had cancer, nevertheless happy that he was involved with her life. The room was filled with laughter, so much that no one noticed the door open.
"Okay Rachel! You ready for your next batch?" A nurse said. It was Karen Donner, she had been the main nurse taking care of Rachel since her arrival at LAMH. She was tall and average weight, with light brown hair. Her smile made her look young, but the few gray hair told you she was in her early forties. Karen looked up from the medication she was holding to see a disgusted look on Rachel's face.
"..Not really," The teen responded the look of disgust still decorating her face.
"Look on the bright side, sweetie, you're almost done your week. Then on Sunday you get to go home, and someone was telling me about your birthday next week. My present to you is not having to see me for a full week." She joked trying to lighten the mood.
"That's just torture, not getting to see my favorite nurse."
"Yes, because I am certain that you will be thinking of me on your birthday." Karen smirked.
Rachel laughed, but stopped when Karen approached. She connected the chemo bag to the IV, and made sure it was placed correctly in Rachel. "I really hate IVS" Rachel said, referring to the tube that was in her arm. "And I really hate chemo." She then looked up into the bag that was placed over her bed.
"Only a few hours. You get a break in between batches remember?"
"Yeah, I know. I guess I'll see you in an hour or two." She called to Karen when she noticed the nurse was about to leave the room.,
A few hours later the mood in the room was severely different. Laughter could no longer be heard down the hall from her room. Troy watched from his chair that was placed to side of Rachel's hospital bed, as Gabriella ran a washcloth over Rachel's face. The chemo had hit her hard today, and it was the first time that Troy was there to experience what it was like. He was usually at work during Rachel's treatment, and the past days had been good ones for her.
Today, she could barely move.
She had not been able to keep any type of food or drink down, and she was sickly pale. The worst she had been since coming to the hospital. Her blood count had been low, so she received a blood transfusion. All the poking and prodding was getting to her, causing Rachel to feel down right irritable, but, who could blame her? She had cancer. The treatments she had to undergo were beyond terrible. The only medication that could save her life, could ultimately kill her, and the aftermath was painful. The fatigue and vomiting, the white hot pain that occurred whenever she moved. The exhaustion had taken over her body and she fell into sleep about a half hour ago.
Gabriella was glad that she was sleeping. Rest was the best medicine for her right now. An idea popped into Troy's head and he turned his gaze to Gabriella, a smile playing on his lips.
"What's her favorite movie?"
Gabriella looked over at Troy, having not heard what he said. Her attention devoted to Rachel. "What?"
"Does she have a favorite movie? Particularly a comedy?" Troy inquired.
"She loves Men in Black." Gabriella responded with a giggle. "She knows the opening of the second one word-for-word." Troy chuckled at the latter statement.
"Really?" He pondered, thoughts drifting off for a moment. "There's a video store not too far from here, I'm going to head over and see if they have a copy."
"Aw, Troy, she'll love that. Thanks so much." She acknowledged his kindness, her heart touched at the offer.
"I'd do anything to see that smile." He declared, leaning over and placing a kiss onto Rachel's pale forehead. He leaned over and did the same to Gabriella, squeezing her shoulder softly. "I won't be long Gab."
"'Kay." She affirmed quietly, in awe at the man that just left the room. He was simply amazing.
A few hours later Rachel Bolton woke up. Her bleary blue eyes searched the room for her parents. When she found no one, she attempted to sit up in bed which proved to be a big mistake. Pain soared through her and with a groan of defeat she plopped back onto the bed. Her head falling then rolling on the pillow. A few minutes later Troy walked in the room to find Rachel awake, still lying in bed.
"Hey sleepy head!" He called out cheerily. Walking into the room with a plastic bag adorning the name of the video store he had just went to.
"Hey," She croaked out. "What's in the bag?" She gestured to the white and red plastic bag he was holding.
"A surprise," He responded attempting to be as inconspicuous as possible.
"What kind of surprise." Rachel inquired, leaning up to get a glimpse at the contents of the bag when Troy walked over to her.
"The kind that surprises you." He joked, earning a pout. Even after years of being tricked by that pout he was still defenseless to it. It was a fact that he was simply whipped. He was completely at their beck and call. "I thought we could watch a movie, want to?" He looked over at her as he asked the question, then turned to TV.
"Sure," She answered as she watched Troy put the DVD in. Yawning as the waves of sleepiness passed over her and she became more comfortable laying back on the bed. "What movie?"
"Men in Black, part one and two."
"I love those movies!"
"That's what I heard." He chuckled at her excitement.
"What about mom, where is she?"
"She went back to your apartment to get a change of clothes for the both of you. Then she's going to come back here for her shift. She said something about sticking with the night shift, so she can stay with you during the day, then switching on the weeks that you're at home." Troy clarified; trying his best to remember all the information Gabriella had filled him in on before she had left.
"Oh, okay," She replied, quickly becoming distracted by the movie once Troy put in into the DVD player.
Hours and many laughs later, the menu for Men In Black II was playing on the screen. Rachel was quick to grab the remote and press play.
"Oh, I love Jeff." She quietly exclaimed a few minutes later. The quietness of her voice giving away how tired and worn out she was. Though the movie had worked to lift her spirits, she had still been in extreme pain through the day. Troy looked over at Gabriella and they shared a look, both thinking how much they wanted Rachel to get better. They knew it would be a long battle, but they could still dream. Troy looked back down at Rachel as her eyes drooped closed, finally giving into the tiredness that had been trying to claim her. The movie could wait for when she woke up.