Sorry to have left you with a cliffhanger! Although I would have loved to have written about pure perfection, I wanted to show that there are always obstacles in life that even the strongest of couples have to face. Anyway – as ever, please review! :) Here's the next chapter...

Troy had been sitting at Gabriella's bedside for about an hour when another nurse brought their newborn daughter to him. He had been sat silently, holding his wife's hand, wondering if she would ever wake up. The loss of blood had been concerning enough to warrant a blood transfusion. She was still unconscious, though stable for the time being. Troy knew that Gabriella would be desperate to see their baby if she...when she woke up. He let go of her hand for a moment while he settled the little bundle in his arms. Looking down at her, he saw that she had her mother's eyes.

She was just over an hour old, and he was transfixed with those eyes. They were an exact match - the first time he had met Gabriella, he had become lost in her eyes. While Troy, in a daze, continued gazing in amazement at their little girl, Gabriella's eyes opened. She managed to whisper, "Troy?" His head shot up and, hugging the tiny baby closer to him, he moved to sit beside her on the bed. "Gabi. I...I thought I was going to lose you..." he sobbed. He kissed her gently on her forehead as she closed her eyes. It was heartbreaking for her to see what her husband had been put through, and she began to sob too. They stayed like that for a minute, embracing in tears with their daughter between them.

Gabriella looked down and finally saw her daughter properly for the first time. Smiling, she told Troy, "our baby." He returned the smile and asked, "What shall we call her? She's still nameless, she's been waiting for her mommy to wake up." Gabriella looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "How about Lily? I saw it in the baby book a few days ago, and forgot to ask you if you liked it. I think she looks like a Lily."

"Lily Bolton," Troy grinned. "Perfect." At that moment, the couple noticed a group of people through the window. It was Gabriella's mother, along with Troy's parents, and Chad and Taylor. Troy had called their parents not long ago, and they had passed the message on to Chad and Taylor. They had all frantically made their way to the hospital, thinking the worst. So the relief they all felt when they saw that Gabriella was awake was enormous. The nurse decided to let them all in at once, given how serious the situation had been. Maria Montez dashed over to her daughter in tears. She couldn't believe she had almost lost her daughter. When everyone had calmed down, they were introduced to the new addition to the Bolton family.

Gabriella sat up, feeling strong enough to hold her daughter. The moment little Lily was placed in her arms, the surge of love she had felt when she had first seen her rushed back. It was then that she realised just how close she had come to leaving her daughter without a mother. The thought made her burst into tears. Troy put his arms around her and spoke softly, "hey hey hey, don't cry baby." Their visitors decided to leave the couple alone for a while, sensing that they needed some time alone.

"It's okay now, everything's going to be alright," Troy whispered as he held her. "You came back to me. And our little girl. Hold on to that thought, Gab." Gently rocking baby Lily back and forth, Gabriella looked up at her husband tearfully. "I know. I just...I felt a little overwhelmed for a minute there."

Troy knew the feeling. An hour ago, he feared he was losing his whole world. He took Lily from her and placed her in the little cot that had been left by the hospital bed. Then he returned to his spot on the bed, next to his wife. "I have never been so terrified," he told her, "in my whole life. I don't know what I would have done without you." Gabriella leaned into Troy. She could not find the words to respond. All she could do was be thankful that she was still here.

"I love you so much." The words had been said many times before, and would be said for many more times to come. But Troy needed to say them now more than ever. He stroked Gabriella's hair as she replied, choking back another sob.

"I love you too. More than you will ever know."