My Baby

Chapter 5: Fine and Content

Footsteps eased around the house. The floorboards moaned and shadows danced across the wall. Gabriella sat up and peered out her bedroom door, straining to see past its dark passage. The hall was silent now, but she was sure she had heard something. Maybe Sophi or Lena got up from their sleep. Gabriella swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up slowly. She made her way out of her room, checking around her every few seconds.

When she was sure that nothing was out of place, she started walking back into her room.

Until a weak cry stopped her.

Gabriella spun around. The door to Sophia's room was room was closed. She was sure she had it open. Gabriella stealthily moved to her door and pulled on the door knob. But it was locked. "Sophia? Lena?" Gabriella pulled again and turned. She heard another cry and was sure it was from the other side of the door. She started banging on the door now. "Sophia! Lena! Girls, what's wrong?"

Gabriella tried the knob again and this time the door was pushed open successfully. Gabriella gasped. Eric was stood there, grasping Sophia by the neck as Sophia struggled to get free. All the while, Lena was still asleep, clutching onto Sophia's blanket.

"Sophia!" Gabriella screamed when she found her voice. She ran into the room and pushed Eric, but it was as if he were a wall, unable to move. Eric laughed and grinned impishly down at Gabriella. "My love," he whispered before twisting Sophia's neck. Sophia let out a strained scream and fell limp against Eric's big hands, dead. Gabriella's eyes went wide, her heart stopping. She looked into Eric's soulless eyes as her hands fell from his chest limply. Eric let go of Sophia and grasped her shoulders. Gabriella was frozen as he bent down next to her ear. "I'll find both of you, Love," he said, his whisper breezing across her skin. Gabriella shivered involuntarily and Eric gave her shoulders a shove. She stumbled back into a black, bottomless abyss, screaming.

Gabriella's eyes came open as she jerked up into a sitting position. She felt something terrible grip at her lungs, locking them and cold sweat drenched her body. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, staring ahead at the darkness. "A dream," she whispered. "Everything's fine." Gabriella slipped from her bed and walked slowly out of her room and down the hall.

Sophia's room door was open. Sophia and Lena slept peacefully in the bed, their faces glowing from the luminescent moonlight shining through her open window. Gabriella sighed and leaned against the door frame. Eric was out there somewhere, tracking them down. But she would let him take her and kill her than let him take Sophia and kill her.

The next day Gabriella awoke. She narrowed her eyes against the sunlight, trying to adjust to the new light. She blindly reached for her alarm clock and peered at the time. It was ten o'clock. Just in time to see Chloe.

Gabriella threw her covers off of her and hastily made her way to Sophia and Lena. They were up jumping on the bed. Gabriella smiled and cleared her throat. "And you said you guys weren't monkey," Gabriella said, smirking at them. Sophia shrugged and plopped down on the bed. "We're pretty monkeys."

Gabriella smiled. "Well, pretty monkeys, you guys have to get dressed. We're visiting Auntie Chloe in the hospital."

"What happened to Auntie Chloe?" Sophia asked, hoping off of her bed.

"She had an accident. But she's fine, don't worry." Gabriella sighed. She hated lying to Sophia, but she was too young to understand this. And it would crush her heart knowing that her dad is out to get them.

"You're mommy's pretty," Lena said to Sophia when Gabriella left. Sophia grinned and nodded. "I know. She has a pretty voice, too."

Gabriella walked back into the room with fresh towels and rags. "Okay, let's hop on the tub." Sophia and Lena rushed out of the room and towards the bathroom. Gabriella followed after them, smiling softly as they started a soft banter about nothing.

"Ow," Sophia complained, tilting her head to the side as Gabriella pulled the comb through her tangled hair.

"Sorry, Sophie Smiles, but I have to comb your hair. Did a tornado fly through it last night?" Gabriella pushed the comb in Sophia's hair again and Sophia started complaining again. Knots twirled around the comb and Gabriella sighed. "Okay, I think that's good. Do you want a ponytail or do you want it straight?"

"Ponytail," Sophia answered. Gabriella pulled Sophia's hair back tightly and clipped into a neat ponytail. Sophia sighed and slipped from her mother's grasp. "You guys ready?" Gabriella hauled her purse over her shoulder and the girls nodded. They walked out of the house and Gabriella looked around herself. She had talked to the police after she left the hospital. She told them all she could about Eric and they went on a search for them. But for now, she had no idea if he's near her or far away.

Gabriella helped Sophia and Lena in their car seats before climbing in the car herself and pulling off. No matter how much it took, she would keep them safe.

"Bailey." Troy sighed and crouched down next to his dog. "What did I tell you about pooping on my bed? I did not enjoy the surprise to left me this morning." Bailey whined and nudged her wet nose onto Troy's cheek. She licked him and Troy laughed. He ruffled her fur and stood up. "Well, I'll let it go...again. But do not do it again or you're sleeping in the garage."

Bailey barked and trotted off. Troy shook his head and sighed. "I really need a girlfriend." When he said that, Gabriella popped into his mind. He smiled and reached for his phone. When she arrived home yesterday, she had seemed happier. They watched Brother Bear with the girls until they went to sleep and then he left.

Gabriella picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Gabriella, hey," Troy said smoothly.

"Oh, hey Troy. What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could have that shopping date today?"

"Um...sure. But can we do it at like four or something? I'm visiting Chloe."

"Yeah, yeah, of course. So, I'll talk to you later?"

"I'll hunt you down if you don't," Gabriella said playfully. Troy laughed. "Well, okay. Bye."

"Bye. See you later."

Troy sighed and pressed the ended call button. He looked down when he heard a bark. Bailey was sat in front of him, her doggy bone food bowl captivated in her mouth. She dropped it by his feet and nudged it towards him, telling him silently she was hungry. Troy grinned and picked up her bowl. "I fed you thirty minutes ago, Bailey. You'll eat me dry." Troy started walking towards the kitchen. Bailey followed after him, barking eagerly.

Troy poured her bowl up halfway and Bailey shoved her muzzle toward it, gobbling the mushy dog food up. Troy wiped his hands against his jeans and stalked out of the kitchen. He was about to walk up the stairs when someone peering through his window stopped him. His eyes narrowed in confusion and he backed up, leaning backwards to see the person. It was a guy with black hair and green eyes. When he saw Troy, his eyes narrowed in a silent threat before he walked away. Troy's face creased in confusion and he walked to the door, opening it and peering around.

But his lawn was empty and so was Troy's mind. Who was that guy and what did he want? Troy looked down and up the block once more before closing his door again. He shook his head, wiping it from his head. Maybe he was imagining things because he was paranoid about Gabriella's crazy ex. But little did he know, he was in danger as well.

"Dude, I seriously need some McDonald's," Chloe groaned, pushing the tray of mush hospital food away from her. "I am going to hurl if I see another cup of orange jell-o. "

"Miss Montez," Doctor Katrina said, entering the room. Chloe looked up at her and nodded for her to speak. "You have a few visitors. Will it eb alright if I let them in all at once?"

"Of course," Chloe said, affirming it more with a nod. Doctor Katrina smiled and exited the room only to come back seconds later with Gabriella, Sophia, Lena, and Chloe's mom. Chloe's mom, Loretta, tumbled into Chloe's arms, enclosing her tightly into a hug. Chloe let out a breathy laugh and hugged her mom back. "Hey, mom. I do admit, I absolutely love your hugs, but I don't like getting hugged to death by you."

Loretta chuckled and pulled back. She pinched Chloe's arm and Chloe jumped. She rubbed the red skin and looked up at her mom, bemused. "You have better stop getting yourself in mix-ups, Chloe," Loretta said. Gabriella sighed and stepped forward. "It's really my fault, Aunt Loretta. I...my boyfriend Eric he stabbed her because she tried to keep Sophia and me safe. I'm so sorry. Believe me, Chloe is the sister I never had, I would never wanted this to happen. But it's my fault."

"No it's not," Chloe said. "It's Eric's fault. Please don't blame yourself, Gabriella."

"Yes, please don't," Loretta agreed, nodding her head. "I just hope they find him. Next he'll be coming for you and Sophia, Gabriella." Loretta shook her head, sadness laced through her brown eyes. Sophia tugged on her mom's arm and Gabriella looked down. She almost broke down at the tears swimming in her daughter's eyes. Gabriella bent down and picked her up. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Who tried to kill Aunty Chloe?" Sophia asked quietly.

"Someone you don't have to worry about," Gabriella said. She looked back at Lena and grabbed her hand. "You, too, Lena. You both don't have to worry because the police is going to protect us." Sophia laid her head on her mom's shoulder. She pushed her thumb into her mouth and sucked on it, closing her eyes. Gabriella caressed her cheek and sighed. She looked at Chloe and smiled. "We got you a get well present."

"I picked it out!" Lena exclaimed. She trotted over to Gabriella's bag and pulled out a bag of McDonald's. Chloe squealed and reached for it. "Thank you, Lena!" Lena giggled and plopped back in her seat. Chloe dug in, scarfing fries and burger meat down her throat. Loretta smiled. "Chloe, don't eat it all at once. You'll throw up. Look, I'll be back at seven. I promise. I have to fill out a few things for work." Chloe nodded. Loretta bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Chloe."

"Love you too, mom." Loretta smiled and left, closing the door soundlessly behind her. Chloe offered a fry to her guest, but they shook their heads, having said they ate already. It was almost four when the door opened. Chloe and Gabriella stopped talking and looked at the door. Troy came walking it, holding a bear. Chloe smiled. "Aw, Mr. Bolton, you shouldn't have."

Troy smiled. "Well, consider it as a 'Hello, I'm Troy Bolton and I hope you feel better' present." Troy handed the bear over and Chloe squeezed it. She placed it on the table beside her. "Well, hi, I'm Chloe Montez. Your girlfriends cousin."

Gabriella looked at Chloe, her eyes wide. She was about to scold her when Troy spoke. "Nice to meet you." Gabriella looked at him, her mouth agape in surprise. Troy didn't correct her mistake. Did that mean he wanted her to be his girlfriend? Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled softly. Maybe after a few more dates. "Miss Montez." Doctor Katrina came in once again. She looked up from her clip board and smiled at Chloe. "It's time for your sedative. I'm going to have to ask all of your visitors to leave for the moment."

Chloe nodded and Gabriella walked to her, crushing her softly into a hug. Sophia and Lena joined and just for the heck of it, Troy did too. Chloe laughed when they all pulled away. "I love feeling loved."

"I'm sure everyone does," Gabriella said. "But we'll be going. Talk to you later?" They were already backing up to the door. Chloe bit her lip and nodded. "Yep. Bye."

"See you later, cousin. Love you." Gabriella closed the door and looked over at Troy smiling. "Seriously?" Troy chuckled and shook his head. They walked out of the hospital and Troy grabbed Lena's had while Gabriella grabbed Sophia's. "Yes, seriously," Troy said back. "I wanted to meet your cousin. She seems nice." Gabriella nodded and Troy grabbed her other hand. "Wal-Mart's a block from here. Feel like walking?"

"Can we?" Sophia begged, Lena nodding eagerly with her. "There's ice cream up there!" Lena pointed to the ice cream stand a few meters away. Gabriella nodded and the four walked towards it. Gabriella picked strawberry for her and Lena and Troy picked chocolate like Sophia. Sophia bit into her ice cream and her face pulled back as she groaned quietly. Gabriella looked down at her. "What's wrong, Soph?"

"Mmm, mmm, it's cold," she groaned. Gabriella smiled. "It's ice cream, Sophie Smiles. It's supposed to be cold." But Sophia shook her head. She moved it to her lips for another lick, but it slipped off the cone, splattering onto her mouth and the neck of her white shirt. Gabriella gasped as Sophia's bottom lip popped out and began to quiver. Gabriella shook her head and grabbed for a napkin. "It's okay, Soph. Don't cry." But Sophia let tears pour over as she cried. Bystanders looked at her and frowned, disapproving of her screaming and tears. "Sophia, come on, stop," Gabriella pleaded softly. "I'll buy you another."

Sophia sniffled and looked down at her shirt. A huge, brown stain was running down her shirt. "My shirt is messy, mommy."

"I know, I know," Gabriella said. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Gabriella picked Sophia up. She gave Troy a look and Troy nodded, understanding. Gabriella moved into a nearby store and Troy and Lena sat on a bench, waiting patiently. Lena leaned back and looked up at Troy. "Will you be Sophia's new daddy?" Troy almost chocked on his ice cream. He coughed and cleared his throat. "Um, why, Lena?"

"Because Sophie doesn't have a daddy. I do, though."

"Well...I mean, I'd have to marry Miss Montez first," Troy said. "And we haven't even made it into a, um." Troy cleared his throat. "Um, a relationship yet. Like girlfriend and boyfriend."

"What's taking so long?" Lena licked her ice cream and acted so nonchalant as if the topic weren't as big. Troy laughed softly. "I wish I could, but I can't just ask Sophia's mom to be my girlfriend. I want to take her on some dates and get to know her some more. Then, I'll ask her. And we'll see what happens then." Lena nodded and continued to eta her ice cream. Troy looked down at her, his eyebrows raised. He chuckled and shook his head. See, this is why he loved kids. He couldn't survive if they weren't in his life.

Gabriella and Sophia came from the bathroom minutes later. Sophia was dressed only in her jacket now while her shirt was balled up and stuffed in Gabriella's bag. After retrieving some vanilla ice cream for Sophia they were finally off to Wal-Mart. "I want this, mommy!" Sophia exclaimed, pointing to a Selena Gomez shirt. She tugged out it and Gabriella came over to it. She checked the price. It was only ten dollars. Smiling, she picked up two, one for Sophia and one for Lena and dropped them into the cart. "Yay!" Lena squealed, taking the shirt.. Lena and Sophia were placed inside the basket of the cart. They had complained their feet were killing them ever though they didn't walk that long so Troy and Gabriella placed them in the shopping cart.

"Okay, enough clothes," Gabriella decided, dropping a shirt for her into the cart. "Time for food."

Troy smiled. "And after that how about we go to my house a meet my dog Bailey."

"You have a dog?" Lena and Sophia asked together. They giggled and looked at each other. Troy nodded and placed two milk cartons in the cart. "Yep. Her name is Bailey. She's really friendly and I even reserved a time for you guys to meet her."

"Cool!" Sophia exclaimed. "I want a dog, but not now."

"I have a dog," Lena quipped. "Her name is Friday because we got her on a Friday."

"That's a unique name," Troy commented. "You know, maybe I should reconsider Bailey's name."

"No," Lena said. "I like Bailey. She's from Suite Life on Deck."

"No, no," Troy insisted. "I think I should call her like Paper or something." Troy squinted his eyes as if he were lost in decision. The girls giggled and Gabriella smiled. He was really good with kids. "You can't!" Sophia said through her giggles. "That's a silly name."

"Well, how about Key?" Troy said, smiling at their giggles. "Or maybe Car."

"No, Bailey is a nicer name," Sophia said, grinning. She scrunched up her nose and giggled. "A car is what my mommy drives."

"Really, I thought she drove a Bailey," Troy said, his voice teasing. Sophia and Lena erupted into new giggles. Gabriella smiled and let out a soft laugh. She shook her head and dropped a few cans of dog food in the cart for Bailey and Friday. "No, seriously," Troy said.

"No, that's your dogs name!" Lena giggled. Gabriella smiled and turned down a corner. "Okay, fine, I'll keep her name Bailey. Hey, Mommy Montez, can we have snacks?" Troy stopped the car at an aisle filled with cookies, crackers, and other sweet stuff.

"Can we?" Sophia begged, standing up in the cart.

"Sit down, and yes, we can." Sophia sat down and grinned. She and Lena and Troy picked out two packs of cookies and five things of popcorn. Gabriella had looked at them weirdly, but Troy just smiled mischievously at her before placing the items in. After the store visit they all packed the groceries in the car and Gabriella drove off to Troy's house. It really was close to hers. It was even closer than the park. She can drive run down some time.

When they arrived, they kept Gabriella and Lena's groceries in the car and brought Troy's in. Gabriella dressed Sophia in one of her new shirts and then they finally came into the living room for a movie. "Okay, I have The Goonies," Troy said, lifting the case. "Elmo in Grouchland. And, of course, the best for last." Troy paused and lifted a case. The girls went into squeals and he grinned. "Dora's Fairytale Adventure." Gabriella giggled and shook her head. She brought her legs up Indian style.

Troy slipped the DVD into the DVD player and pressed play. The girls were instantly mesmerized as the movie went pass the previews and immediately to the movie. Gabriella and Troy were huddled on his love seat and not really watching the movie. They were more focused on each other, sharing glances and playful touches throughout. "Stop," Gabriella giggled when Troy's fingers whispered across the back of her neck. She squirmed in her seat and smiled at him. "It tickles."

"I can use that against you," Troy whispered. He grasped her leg and tickled the bony flesh under her knee. Gabriella jerked forward as giggles launched out of her. The girls looked back at them, their eyes curious. "What's wrong, mommy?" Sophia asked.

"Nothing, the movie is just funny," Gabriella lied. She bit her lip. "Let's finish watching it." The girls shrugged and went back to the movie. Gabriella glared at Troy before laughing quietly in her hands as she bent over. She sat back up a second later and ran a hand through her long hair, trying to rid the giggles erupting from her. Troy smiled, loving her laugh. She let out a breath and leaned back against the couch, her eyes closing blissfully.

Troy's eyes went to her full, soft lips. He licked his own lips and leaned forward so he was hovering over her. Suddenly, Gabriella's eyes popped out and she sucked in a huge gust of air when she saw Troy's handsome, sexy face positioned in front of her. On instinct, her hand slithered up his profound chest and stopped at the back of his neck. "Kiss me," she whispered, her eyes closing and her lips parting, waiting and ready. Troy closed his eyes, wafting in her sweet, cheery smell and he gently pressed his lips to hers.

Gabriella's body jerked as his soft lips met hers. Her other hand wrapped tightly around his waist as she crushed their bodies together, determined to deepen the kiss and feel his curvy soft lips moving over hers. "Gabriella," Troy mumbled against her lips. Gabriella ignored him and arched her body into him, loving how her body fit perfectly with his.

"Mommy?"

Gabriella's heart deflated. She sighed and reluctantly detached her lips from Troy's. She swallowed and looked at Sophia who was looking back at her, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Hm, Sophia?"

Sophia looked at Troy and then looked back to Gabriella. She shouldn't ask. Because she didn't know if Troy wanted to be her daddy yet. So didn't that mean they didn't love each other, too? "Never mind," Sophia decided. Instead she stood and positioned herself in between them. She cuddled into her mom's side and Gabriella sighed softly. She caressed Sophia's hair down and Gabriella looked at Troy, her eyes sorry. Troy mouthed that it was okay, but Gabriella was bummed. She wanted to get a room and kiss Troy until he kissed her dead. She would be okay with that. Just dying in Troy's arms and knowing he was there for her and he was with her.

Gabriella reached over and grasped Troy's hand. He smiled at her before giving her fingers a squeeze. She didn't have to think about Eric right now. Because everything was fine and content now.

Three cheers for getting a chapter out! I tried to make it at least four thousand words, but I couldn't make it. I only got 3,949(not counting this part,That would be 4099 words). ): Oh well, at least I tried. Please review and I hope you guys enjoyed. It took me about two or three hours to write this. And I didn't get up. Yay! And don't worry, Eric will come back. I know how you all love him. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, please review. I'll smile if you do and give you a shout out. (:

Oh, and have you noticed how FF takes out some part of a sentence in stories? It does that to me. ): So, if one part doesn't make sense, then FF took it out. Sorry.

Thanks!-Brittany