AN: Does anyone else just hate their job? Lately, I never, ever want to be there. I think it's because our night crew always gets the short end of the stick. Every single day is a short-handed, rude-customered nightmare. I just want to scream.
Speaking of "Scream", if you haven't seen HSM3 yet, go see it soon! It was awesome. I usually feel guilty for spending ten bucks on a ticket (our theater is very expensive), but this movie was totally worth it. Troy was so hot. (Did I type that out loud? lol)
Since I've seen the new movie and I have the events set in my head, I might include small SPOILERS in this chapter. Please keep that in mind when you read. Also, I this chapter ended up extra long. Enjoy!
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Strength
Chapter Eight
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"Hello, Beautiful," Troy said opening the door to Gabriella's room. She grinned.
"Hi, Wildcat," she said, holding out her arms. Troy walked into them, and kissed her softly. A few moment passed before he broke away. When he did, he closed the door and pulled the curtains over the window, flashing Gabriella a mysterious grin.
"What are you up to?" Gabriella asked suspiciously.
"I brought you a dress," Troy said, lifting up a bag he'd carried in. The dress in question was white, with a swirly pattern in black and purple. Also in the bag was a black sweater and black flats. Troy helped Gabriella change. The dress was loose, but it fit.
"This is Elizabeth's isn't it?" Gabriella asked as she pulled her hair into a braid.
"Yeah," Troy said, sinking into a chair. "I saved all your things, but I can't find the boxes in the attic. Most of it is probably out of style anyways. I figure we can rebuild your wardrobe after you've gained some weight. "
"Too skinny for you, Mr. Bolton?" she asked coyly.
"When I can circle your waist with my hands, yes," Troy said. "I thought you'd be excited to go shopping. Elizabeth can help you pick out stuff and try it on, and I'll carry your purses and bags. It will be like old times."
"Ooh I get to have my family and new clothes," Gabriella said. "What more could a girl ask for?"
A nurse came in and brought all the paperwork that needed to be filled out for Gabriella to be released. Troy also had to sign a waiver that allowed the Highland Clinic to take Gabriella's wheelchair and the other supplies she would need to their house.
Half an hour later, Troy settled Gabriella in the front seat of his car, tucking a blanket around her lap. Closing the door, Troy turned to the clinic's van driver, and gave him final directions to his home. Then he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car, buckling his seatbelt quickly.
"Are you ready, Gabby?" Troy asked, taking hold of her hand. She looked nervous, but she gave an abrupt nod. Troy pulled out of the hospital's parking lot and rounded a corner towards the main road. He noticed that Gabriella let go of his hand to grip the arm rest tightly. As he prepared to turn onto the next street, Gabby grabbed the hand rail that hung over the window, gritting her teeth. The last time she had acted like this, she was going into labor with Elizabeth.
"Troy, stop!" she said before he'd even gone a quarter of a mile.
"What is it?" Troy asked, checking his mirrors for danger.
"Just please stop the car," Gabriella said, distressed. Troy pulled over, and the truck from the clinic followed suite.
"What's the matter, Gabby?"
"I can't do it. I can't ride in a car. I remember the accident, Troy. I remember the terror I felt the moment I realized that the truck was really going to hit me. Then I blacked out. I woke up for a few minutes. I heard Elizabeth crying. Mom said she loved me. I think she died right then. I remember trying to move to get Beth, but I couldn't. I was so helpless. Troy, I never want to feel like that again."
"I am a very good driver, Gabby. You don't have to be afraid."
"I was a good driver too. That didn't stop my accident from happening. Troy, please don't make me do this." Gabriella looked pleadingly into his eyes.
"I have an idea," Troy said. He made a u-turn and pulled back into the Highland Clinic parking lot.
"Is something wrong?" the truck driver asked, coming over to Troy's window.
"I've just decided that we are going to walk home," Troy said. "I'll be needing my wife's wheelchair, but you can drop the rest off at the house as planned."
"Are you sure?" Gabby asked.
"It's not as far as it seems. See that park across the street?" Gabriella nodded, and Troy continued. "That's Brooke Valley."
"Really? I've never seen it from this side," Gabby said.
"East High is on the other side of that. From there, we can be home in about fifteen minutes." The truck driver placed Gabriella's wheelchair next to the car and then drove off.
As Troy lifted Gabriella out of her seat and set her down in the chair, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I love you," she whispered. Troy grinned.
"Right back at you."
…..
Elizabeth heard a car door bang shut.
"They're here!" she said with a grin. Everyone crowded towards the side gate, then flowed into the front yard, ready to greet Gabriella's smiling face.
Instead of Troy's CR-V, a large van with the Highland Clinic logo was parked in the driveway. Out climbed a large man in a jumpsuit like a janitor would wear. He took three boxes out of the truck, stacked them one on top of another, and carried them towards the group.
"Is this the Bolton residence?" he boomed.
"Yes," Elizabeth said.
"These are your mother's medical supplies," he said, setting the boxes down in the grass. "I need someone to sign for them."
"I've got it," Taylor said, taking the man's digital clipboard and scrawling her signature on it.
"Thank you, ma'm," he said, tipping his hat.
"Was Mr. Bolton right behind you?" Taylor asked.
"No, he and the missus decided to walk home. They'll be along shortly."
"Thanks!" Elizabeth said cheerfully. The driver got back in his truck and left. The group was very quiet. Jason, Chad, and Zeke were looking at the ground apprehensively.
"What?" Taylor asked.
"Have you ever seen those cartoons with a giant man whose shadow covers everything?" Jason asked. "That was him."
"Jason!" Kelsi said.
"Well that was mean," Elizabeth said.
"Just for that, you can carry all the boxes in," Chad said, edging towards the stack of cartons. Squaring his shoulders, Jason walked towards the boxes and grasped the top one. He lifted it slowly, walked three staggering steps, and then let it slip to the ground.
"What's in here? Rocks?" he exclaimed.
"Whimp," Chad said, hiding the word with a cough. He went for the second box, but he only made it two steps. Elizabeth took the box from him.
"It's not that heavy," she said, hauling the carton into the house.
"What does Troy feed that girl?!" Zeke said, looking after her.
"It must be spinach," Jason concluded, thinking of Popeye.
…..
Troy pushed Gabriella around the fountain in the east entrance of the park. She was close enough to run her fingers through the water. Gabriella giggled as minnows nibbled at her fingertips. She pulled her hand out of the water and reached up for Troy's.
"I used to bring Elizabeth here in her stroller," she said. "When it was warm enough I let her kick her feet in the water."
Troy looked down at his wife. She was biting her bottom lip, pondering the memory. Her eyes lit up as they rounded the last corner of the path.
"East High looks the same," Gabriella said. Troy pushed her wheelchair to the crosswalk so that she could get a better view of the school, and began a narration of the tour.
"Home of three generations of Bolton Basketball Stars, it is East High School," he drawled, trying to sound like a tv announcer. "It's the place where Chad Danforth began his basketball career, the place where lieutenant governor Taylor McKessie started out, and where the Evans Broadway Stars first shone."
"But most importantly, it's the place where the Basketball Guy fell in love with a Freaky Genius Girl," Gabriella said softly. He stopped to kiss her once again.
"I'm glad to be coming home, Troy," Gabriella interrupted.. "But if we keep stopping every two minutes, we'll never get home." Troy chuckled.
"Fine," Troy said, clasping her hand again. Ten minutes later they turned onto their street. Five more minutes, and they could see their house.
"Here we are," Troy said. "1441 Green Tree Lane."
"Who do all those cars belong to?" Gabriella asked.
"There are a lot of cats around here," Troy said innocently.
"Of the Wild variety?"
"Possibly," he returned, making the p in the word pop.
Gabriella continued. "Is this a party for me? Troy! You and Taylor planned this, didn't you?!"
"Well, Taylor planned it. I mostly just consented to it."
"Gabriella!" someone called from the front door. Kelsi ran down the steps and into her friend's arms. "Oh my gosh, it's really you!" she squealed.
"Kels!" Gabriella said, returning the hug. She looked over her friend's shoulder. Some of the others were coming around the house. "Jason! Zeke!"
The two lifted Gabriella from the wheelchair, carrying her towards the backyard.
"Sharpay! Look at you! You're glowing!" Gabriella called.
"And I can barely stand!" Sharpay said with mock excitement.
"I was hoping to get her into the house before the mob attacked," Troy said to Elizabeth.
"You didn't stand a chance," Beth told him. Troy looked at Sharpay. She really could barely stand.
"Would the lady careth for a ride…eth?" he said with an exaggerated bow, arms extended towards the wheelchair. Elizabeth helped her sit down.
"Times Square, cabbie!" she said as they took off. "And there's an extra twenty in it for you if you get me there quick!"
By the time they reached the backyard, Gabriella was already settled into a wicker chair, surrounded by pillows and blankets.
"One at a time," Troy said as everyone crowded around Gabriella. Taylor, satisfied to wait her turn, went back into the house. The others dispersed a little, getting food and finding various seats.
"You don't know how good it is to see your smiling face," Zeke told her.
"I missed you guys," Gabriella said as Troy parked the wheelchair beside her. "Okay, Sharpay, since you look like you're ready to pop, you spill first. When were you married? When are you due? Boy or girl?"
"Two years ago in May, I wish it was yesterday, and a girl, I hope." Sharpay fired off the answers as fast as Gabriella asked the questions
"I think we're going to have to slow down a little," Zeke said.
"About five years ago, I took myself out to New York City and opened a little bakery called 'Fabuloso.' That's where Shar and I were reunited."
"I went in after a breakup to load up on chocolate and sugar and other carbs, and came out with a date," Sharpay added. "We were married a couple years later in Las Vegas."
"I always hated those 24-hour places," Zeke continued. "But we managed to find one that wasn't tacky. It seems a lot of people like to be married by a preacher dressed as an Elvis impersonator."
"And now, we're having our baby," Sharpay said, rubbing her belly proudly.
"I remember how I felt right before I delivered. Becoming a mother is the best feeling in the world. Did you pick out any names?"
"Well, if it's a boy, we are going to call him Cameron James," Zeke said.
"And when it's a girl, we will be calling her Miranda Ann. Doesn't that sound pretty? Miranda Ann Baylor. Fabulous!"
Gabriella grinned. "It's beautiful."
"By the way, my brother told me to hug you for him. He can't get away right now because his new play is opening tomorrow, but I'm sure he's going to come and see you soon."
Troy placed a plate of food in her lap, then he sat on ground next to her. "Mmm," she said, looking at the treats on her plate. "You all are going to have me fattened up in no time."
"What food did you miss the most?" Jason asked.
"Well I was asleep, remember, but for the last few days I've wanted chocolate," Gabriella said, placing a piece of brownie in her mouth. "They don't have any at the clinic."
"That's brutal," Kelsi said. "A girl's gotta have her chocolate."
"I know, right," Gabriella said. "So how's it been going for you, Kels?"
"Well I assume Taylor told you the biggest news," Kelsi said, holding out her hand so that Gabriella could see her ring.
"Yes! Congratulations!"
"We're going to get married in June," Kelsi continued. "And then, I'm going to try to get pregnant. You'll be in the wedding, won't you?"
"I can't wait," Gabriella said. At that moment, Taylor rejoined them from the house. Her toddler was in her arms.
"Gabriella, I want you to meet two someones," she said. Chad had his older son by the hand.
"This is Jack," he said. "And this is Baby Jake."
"Nice to meet you, Aunt Gabby," Jack said, extending his hand to be shook. Gabriella grinned, and her plate was passed on to Troy so that she could take the younger Danforth boy onto her lap.
"It's nice to meet you too, Jack. You're a real gentleman." He looked up at Chad.
"Can I eat now?"
"Go on," Chad said with a laugh.
"And little Jakey!" Gabriella said, bouncing the baby on her knees. "You're so cute."
"You've still got your motherly instincts," Taylor told her friend.
"I hope I'm a good mother," Sharpay said thoughtfully.
"Uh-oh. It's the New Mother's Self-Doubt conversation," Chad said. "I've already had this one twice. Zeke, I advise you to make yourself as scarce as I am about to become."
"You'll become scarce alright," Taylor said, passing Jake from Gabriella to her husband. "Someone is getting a little ripe."
"Come on, Zeke. I'll show you how it's done," Chad said.
"Do boys really squirt you in the face?" Zeke asked as they entered the house. Chad's lying reply of "no" was barely heard.
"I'm glad I had a girl," Troy said. "And Sharpay, you are going to make a good mother. You're a lot less petty and self-centered than you used to be, and parenthood will make you want to put the baby first."
"Well I hope I'm a good mother too," Kelsi said. "I'm a little worried."
"You shouldn't have any problems," Gabriella said. "You already have experience with children, however large they may be."
Jason was sitting in the grass with Elizabeth and Jack. They had made a basketball game with their salad. A ring formed from a purple onion served as the hoop, and the basketball was a cherry tomato.
"He is a big kid, isn't he?" Kelsi grinned.
"Score!" Jason said. "I'm winning."
"That's because you cheat," Jack insisted.
"Jason, play nice," Troy said, still at Gabriella's side.
"We need two on two," Elizabeth said. "Let Mom talk and come play with us for a little while."
After Troy was out of earshot, Kelsi turned back.
"He really missed you Gabriella."
"It was like a part of him was missing," Taylor said. "And now he's whole again. It's amazing."
They watched the basketball game in silence for several minutes. At last Gabriella looked up, smiling contentedly at her friends.
"I think I'll be up and about again soon. Being with him, and all of you, is wonderful. You remember those Chicken Soup for the Soul books they used to have? That's you guys."
"Aww! And you are the wind beneath my wings!" Chad crooned, rejoining them. Zeke had an interesting wet spot down the front of his jacket. The other pretended they hadn't noticed.
"That was retarded," Troy said after Chad was finished making a fool of himself.
"Yeah, well, it's better than the Buckle-Up song," Chad teased.
"The what?" Gabriella asked.
"Dad's parenting style involved a lot of jingles," Elizabeth explained. "There was one for packing a school lunch, for bath time, even for potty training. The most interesting one was the Buckle Up song."
"I think I need a preview, Troy," Gabriella said with a sly grin. Troy sighed, but sang the jingle anyways.
I'm not gonna lie, Dad is the man
To be safe in the car, that is the plan
When I get in the car, you know I can
Buckle up, Buckle Up, Buckle Up
I wanna be real safe, that is the way
To keep from getting hurt, today is the day
Do I wanna listen to what my dad will say
Buckle up, Buckle Up, Buckle Up!
The backyard was silent. Crickets chirped. Sharpay was the first to laugh. Next was Gabriella.
"That one embarrassed me in front of every friend that ever rode with us," Elizabeth shared.
"I see how it is," Troy said dejectedly.
"I'm sorry, Troy," Gabby said. "But that truly is the most . . . interesting song I've ever heard . . . please don't ever sing it again."
"So my song will never be in a musical. I know it's goofy. If that was my worst blunder with raising Beth, I think I'm doing pretty good."
"You've done a lot better than good," Gabriella told him.
"I had a lot of help," Troy said, looking around at his friends.
"That sounds like my cue," Chad said, breaking out with a grin. "What team?"
"Wildcats!" Kelsi cried. No one else answered.
"That was pitiful," Elizabeth said, looking at her 'uncles.' "Come on, what team?!"
The second response was much louder.
"Wildcats!"