Well, this story only has three chapters left, including this one. When I have completed this, I may go back to another story I've been writing for the Sabrina the Teenage Witch fanfiction archives – so if you were a fan of the tv show back in the day - my story is called 'It's About Time'. Anyway, back to Troyella... Here is chapter eight, enjoy! (And please review!) :)
Gabriella Bolton tried to relax, taking a deep breath. But she was far too anxious. "Gabi, calm down. Everything's going to be fine," said her husband of fifteen years. But Troy was worried himself. They were in the doctors' surgery, awaiting the results of some blood tests that their youngest child, eight year old Matthew, had undergone the week before. Lily, now thirteen, was still at school. But they had had to excuse Matthew from his classes for the day as this appointment was too important to miss.
Matthew had been feeling unwell for a few weeks. But things had got worse in the last week, and it was Gabriella who had picked up on his symptoms. He was losing weight, for one thing. He was also constantly tired and thirsty. His mother was familiar with all the signs of Diabetes, so she had insisted that they take Matthew to the doctor and ask for tests.
"I know," she smiled, not wanting to scare their son. "Mattie, why don't you go and play with some of the toys over there for a minute, okay?" The young boy promptly walked over to the toy box on the other side of the waiting room. Knowing he was now out of earshot, Gabriella continued, "I know there was always going to be a chance that one of our children might inherit Diabetes from me. But Lily hasn't got it, and Mattie seemed fine until the other week. I really thought we were going to be lucky. I just...I feel so guilty, Troy." She looked at the floor.
He took her face in his hands and gently brought her face up to look at him. "Baby, listen to me. This is not your fault. Remember what I told you back when you were diagnosed? We will get through this, together." Gabriella covered Troy hands with her own. "Thank you," she whispered.
Seconds later, it was their turn to see the doctor. "Come on, Mattie, it's time to go in," Gabriella called to their son. Half a minute later, they were seated opposite their family doctor. His facial expression told them that it was the news they were expecting. "Mr and Mrs Bolton, the blood tests have confirmed that Matthew does have type two Diabetes." Troy gripped his wife's hand, silently reassuring her as they listened to the doctor go through their son's treatment protocol. Like his mother, Matthew would have to have insulin injections every day.
While for Gabriella, the injections had seemed like the worst part of having Diabetes; she knew that Matthew would find it more difficult adjusting to the drastic change in diet. Giving up sweets was going to be hard for him; needles, however, did not faze him in the slightest.
After the doctor had finished his explanation, and Troy and Gabriella had asked him a few questions, they took their son by the hand and headed home. By this point, he was aware that something was wrong and when they all arrived home, Matthew asked, "am I sick?" Troy looked at Gabriella, who nodded, then sat their son down on the couch.
"Well, you know how Mommy has to give herself special injections everyday?" Troy paused, and Matthew nodded. "They help to make her blood levels better, and you need to have the injections now too." Again, the little boy nodded, and replied, "Okay Daddy." Gabriella looked at her son and her heart swelled with pride at how brave he was being – it was a far cry from what her own reaction to the condition had been. She sat next to Matthew and took over explaining the situation to him.
"Mattie, the injections will make us better, but some foods can make us feel bad. So when I got sick, I had to stop eating sweets and other stuff that has sugar in it. And you're going to have to do that too. Do you understand?" He nodded a third time, and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you have any questions, sweetie?" Gabriella asked, growing concerned at her son's silence.
"Does Lily have what we have too?" he asked matter of factly. "No honey, it's just me and you that have this," Gabriella smiled at him. "But remember, whenever you have any questions or you're worried about it, you can always ask me. Okay?" Matthew responded by giving his mother a hug, and then asked his parents, "can I go and play?" They agreed, and he ran off to his room. The hardest part would come later, when they would have to show their son how to inject himself with insulin.
Troy took a seat next to his wife, who appeared deep in thought. "You okay, Gabi?" he asked, taking her hand. "Yeah. Just thinking about how brave our son is." Troy grinned and told her, "well, he takes after his father." This brought a smile to Gabriella's face, and another thought came to her.
They had been through so much together, as a couple and as a family. It had been hard, and she knew that there were more hard times to come. But she also held on to the many happy memories they had shared. And these memories would overrule the bad times.