Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing. I am aiming for about ten chapters altogether for this story. Anyway, here is chapter three. Slightly different than the last two, but don't worry, there is still plenty of Troyella cuteness! :)
Waking up early one Saturday morning, Troy turned to see his wife sleeping beside him and sighed. He had been worried about her for the past few weeks. Gabriella had barely been able to eat, causing her to lose weight, and seemed to be constantly tired lately. She had been to the doctor, after Troy had insisted that she needed to get checked out. But all that was said was that she may be anaemic. Blood tests had come back clear, and after that the doctor didn't seem concerned. Yet it was evident that something wasn't right.
"Morning," sitting up, Gabriella kissed her husband of just over a year on the cheek. "Hey," he replied. "How are you feeling?" Troy reached up to caress her cheek, searching her face to judge for himself whether she looked any better. "Troy, I'm fine. Please stop worrying," she told him. But he knew her too well, and could see in her eyes that things were not fine. Nevertheless, the couple got up and made plans to meet Chad and Taylor for lunch.
Gabriella was just doing the first of the day's laundry, while Troy finished his breakfast, when she began to feel faint. She reached a hand out to the kitchen counter to steady herself, "Troy..." she called before losing her grip and falling to the floor.
"Gabi! Oh my god..." Troy ran to her, picking her up and laying her on the couch. Gabriella was now unconscious, and he knelt down to watch her as he frantically dialled the emergency services, asking for an ambulance as soon as possible. As he waited, she came to, and managed to whisper, "Troy..." He stroked her hair and shushed her, "It's going to be okay, baby. Please stay awake for me, okay?" he told her, but she fell unconscious once again.
Pacing the hall of the emergency room at the hospital, Troy was growing more and more anxious by the minute. Then, a doctor appeared in front of him. "Mr Bolton?" Troy nodded. "We believe your wife fell into a diabetic coma, although can't confirm this until the test results come back." He was baffled. How had this been missed by their doctor? But he couldn't think about that now. All he could think about was his Gabriella. "Is she awake? Can I see her?" he asked hurriedly. The doctor gave him a small smile as she replied, "Of course. She woke up not too long ago. She's been asking for you."
Entering the small hospital room, Troy was relieved to see his wife look up and smile at him. "Troy. I'm sorry, I scared you didn't I?" she asked, seeing how pale he was. "Hey, it's not your fault. But..." he tried to hold back the tears as he took Gabriella's hand and kissed it, holding it to his mouth for one long minute. "I thought I was going to lose you..." He wrapped his arms around her, just holding her. They both let the tears fall, as the realisation of what could have happened dawned on them. Minutes later, the doctor arrived.
"Am I okay to come in?" she asked, noticing the couple still embracing. Troy gave her a smile and gestured for her to enter the room. "Yes, come in." She took a seat and faced them, holding some paperwork. "Well, I have your test results right here. Mrs Bolton, your tests confirmed that you have type two Diabetes. You have a high glucose level in your blood, and this means that your body isn't making enough insulin."
Troy and Gabriella were struggling to take it all in. But Gabriella was the first to find her voice, "So, what do we do about it?" she asked the doctor. "In your case it is quite severe, so you will need to inject yourself with insulin everyday. You will also need to adjust your diet. This includes eating foods that are low in fat, sugar and salt, and foods that are high in fibre – so plenty of vegetables." The doctor handed them a leaflet. "I know it seems daunting right now, and it's hard to take in all this information at once. This leaflet will give you more details on the treatment and lifestyle changes. I'll leave you alone for a while, then I'll come back to talk you through the injections." Troy thanked her, before she left the room.
Gabriella turned to Troy. "Diabetes. I guess it could have been worse. I don't know how I'm going to inject myself everyday though, I've always hated needles." He clasped her hand and replied, "I'll be there to help you. I'll even help you with the injections if that'll make it easier. I know it's going to be hard, but we can get through this." She smiled up at him, "thank you."
Troy simply kissed her on the forehead, letting her cuddle into him. The image of his Gabriella, lying motionless on the floor, would stay with him forever. He had never been so terrified. Now, he couldn't think of anything other than how thankful he was that she was still with him, and that her condition was manageable. He knew they were facing a new challenge, but he had no doubt that they could conquer it, together.