AN: Alright, this chapter is a big ball of fluff. It's centered around Troy and his secret, so answers here are revealed. Thank you for the response on this so far. It's good to know what ya'll are thinking as you read this. That said, enjoy this next chapter. –LoB
To My Reviewers:
Lady Zarobiti: Let me know if you guessed right. I'm interested to see if what you thought was going to happen. browneyedswimmer: Thanks! 4-eyedDragon: Thank you for your review. dreamer 3097: Kind of. Thanks for reading. footychick: Thanks for letting me know you read. a: I appreciate it! CopperIslander: I love the music and the story of HSM, but as far as drama and being able to captivate me totally, Tammy wins, hands down. I mean, I once had a dream about Meathead. It was kinda scary… Thanks for reading!
Strength
Chapter Three
Troy could hardly believe it. The nurse on the phone had been calling in reference to his wife. Gabriella was not dead. She had been hurt very badly in her car accident, and she'd gone into a coma before the ambulance even got her to the hospital.
The doctors told Troy they could not be certain when Gabriella would awaken, if she ever did. He had been called to the hospital, and immediately sent to the trauma room where his daughter was being examined. He remembered the day vividly.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Bolton."
Tears ran down Troy's cheeks. He gently stroked his daughter's cheek with one thumb. His touch woke Elizabeth and she began to wail. Troy gathered her up in his arms, holding her close.
He was so thankful to have her near in the midst of the tragedy. Elizabeth gave him a reason to live. Even whispering this to her, Troy could not calm his baby down. Gabriella had always sung to her. Troy thought he should give it a try.
"You are the music in me…"
As he sang his voice was shaky with sobs, but Elizabeth calmed. When she slept, Troy kissed her forehead gently.
"It's okay, Beth. Everything will be fine. We can get through this together."
When he arrived at the Highland Clinic, Troy jumped from his car and went inside. A nurse looked up at him from the front desk.
"May I help you?" Her nametag read "Susan." Troy recognized her voice from the telephone.
"My name is Troy Bolton. I got a call-"
"Bolton!" another nurse interrupted. Susan smiled.
"Your wife is the miracle of the year! You must be so happy!"
"I will be when I see her," Troy agreed.
"Of course," the nurse said. "I just need you to sign in on our visitor log and Maggie will take you in."
Troy scribbled his name on the clipboard and accepted a green sticker with the word "visitor" printed on it.
"What was it that made her wake up after all this time?" he asked.
"She had contracted a touch of the flu, and she was given a medication called amantadine. Brought her right out," Susan said with a smile. "But the doctor will tell you more about it later. She was called out on an emergency, and she plans to be back early in the morning to talk to you and your wife."
Troy nodded. Dr. Kilan would be talking to him and his wife. Gabriella was okay. It still felt too good to be true.
"This way, Mr. Bolton." The second nurse, red-headed Maggie, lead Troy through a set of swinging doors and down a long hallway. He had been to visit Gabriella a few times over the years, but the dark blue carpet and peachy walls were not even somewhat familiar. Near the end of the hall Maggie turned to him.
"Dr. Kilan had her moved to a room in the recovery wing when she woke up. She doesn't need all that machinery to keep her alive anymore," Maggie bubbled. Troy understood the excitement. The odds had always been against Gabriella waking up. "Well, here we are. If you need anything, just buzz the front desk." Maggie looked reluctant as she left him alone.
Troy took a deep breath. He'd been wanting this moment for fourteen years. This was it. Slowly he turned the doorknob. Gabriella was sitting up in bed. When she saw him, he heard her gasp.
"Troy…" Slowly Troy walked towards her outstretched arms. When he was within touching distance, Gabriella ran her fingers over his face, dwelling on the crow's feet that were beginning to form near his eyes. "It really has been fourteen years," she whispered.
Troy caught her trailing palm and kissed it. A moment later he had pulled her into his arms. He held her tight, barely able to breathe with the need to hold and kiss her. His shirt grew wet; they were both crying.
"Oh, Gabriella," he breathed at last. Setting his forehead against hers. "Finally."
"What about our daughter- Troy- how is Elizabeth?" Troy grinned, wiping his eyes.
"She is perfect, Gabriella. She's happy and healthy, and everything we'd always dreamed of."
"Is she beautiful?" Gabriella questioned. Still grinning, Troy fished his wallet out of his back pocket. He opened it to a picture taken at a basketball game earlier that season. He was standing with his arm around his daughter as she held a gleaming trophy.
"She still looks like me," Troy said, handing over the picture. Gabriella gazed at the picture, eyes gleaming with pride.
"I see she inherited the Bolton Basketball gene," she commented. Troy nodded.
"And when she sings rainbows appear, flowers bloom, and little forest critters gather around." Gabriella giggled. Troy felt giddy hearing that sound again.
"I want to see her," his wife said, looking at another picture in his wallet. This one was of her and Troy while she was still pregnant with Elizabeth. Troy loved that picture.
"Soon, Gabriella. I promise."
"Why do you keep saying my name?" she asked. Troy's eyes glistened with fresh tears. He hadn't felt so much raw emotion in ages, but he was loving every minute of it.
"Because I thought that you and I would never be together again," he answered emotionally. Gabriella patted the bed, allowing him to crawl under the blanket and snuggle in beside her. Troy didn't hesitate. He was perched precariously on the edge, but Gabriella was in his arms, and that was all that mattered. She rested her head on his shoulder and Troy smelled roses in her clean, dark hair. He had never been so content.
Troy sat holding his beloved for over an hour before he broke the silence.
"I lied to her, Gabriella," he said quietly.
"Who?" she softly asked. If she was startled by his sudden speech, she didn't show it.
"Beth. I lied to Beth. She thinks that you died in the accident, Gabriella." Troy sighed with self-frustration. "I thought that Beth and I would never be able to survive if I built our life around waiting for you to wake up. The doctors all told me that Beth was more likely to turn green than you were to wake up." He paused again and clasped her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't have faith." He looked at Gabriella to try to judge her reaction. She didn't look angry.
"Troy Bolton, don't you dare be sorry about anything!" she began. "You had to raise Elizabeth all on your own. Sure, our friends and family would have helped you, but in the end you are responsible for her upbringing. I know you, Troy. You did the very best that you could. And I, for one, think that you made the right choice."
"I did?" He didn't trust his ears. Gabriella was glad that he'd told their daughter she was dead.
"Yes. It wouldn't have been good for her to grow up at my bedside, hoping that I would wake up. Thank you for keeping her safe and being a good father."
"I'm a good mother too," Troy quipped. "I make the best oatmeal."
Gabriella's eyes sparkled. "I'm sure you do. With cinnamon?"
"No, brown sugar. Cinnamon is for hot chocolate, of course," Troy quipped.
"Mmm. That sounds good," Gabriella said with her warm smile. It was the smile that Troy had first fallen in love with. "All I've had was soup and an orange. I can't wait to taste your home cooking."
"I'll cook whatever you want. We'll have a big dinner the night you come home, just the two of us and Elizabeth," Troy was getting excited.
"I'd like that," Gabriella said, kissing him again.
"So, what did the doctor say?" Troy was curious. Her legs were covered by blankets, but her arms looked thin and very weak. After all that time of idleness, would Gabriella's muscles and bones support her?
Gabriella told him that she was looking at several months of therapy, but with a wheelchair, she could go home within a week.
"A week, Troy, and I'll finally be home," she said with a smile. "I'll be with you and Elizabeth. And you can teach me about the world, and help me find a place in it. Part of me is sad about all the time I've missed; I'll never get those memories back. But a bigger part of me just wants to move on and adjust. I'm so excited about that, Troy."
Troy squeezed her in his arms again. He knew no feelings other than love and contentment. For the night, it was Troy and Gabriella, like it should be.
"I love you, Gabby," he whispered.