Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Chapter 4 - Overcoming the Pain

When Gabriella woke up, she saw white walls all around her and machines beeping. She was in the hospital. She looked around her and tried to scoot up in bed but was too sore to do so. She looked over at the side of the bed and sleeping in a chair was Troy. She tried to sit up more in bed and in the process made enough noise to wake Troy up.

"Oh Brie! You're awake! How are you feeling? Are you ok?" He jumped up and hugged her, trying to be careful not to hurt her.

"I'm really sore. What happened? Why am I in the hospital?"

"You don't remember? The doctors found enough evidence on you to conclude that you were raped, Brie."

Suddenly, it all came back to her and she started to cry. She felt so dirty and all she wanted to do was take a long, hot shower to wash away the feel of that man touching her.

Troy climbed up and sat on the bed next to her and rubbed her back while whispering encouraging words in her ear until the sobs subsided. "They found the man that did it. He's in jail, Brie. They used the evidence on you to track him down. He won't hurt you anymore. I will make sure of it."

"Why are you here? I treated you like crap on the phone last night and this is the treatment I get? I don't deserve for you to be here. You should just go home."

Troy's heart was broken for her. "I don't want to go home. This is where I need to be. My best friend is lying here broken in a hospital bed. Right now, this is home, as long as I'm with you."

Gabriella started to cry again, but happy tears this time. She was so relieved to have a friend like him, even though she didn't deserve his kindness towards her. She curled up next to him with his arm around her and fell asleep until the doctor came in a little while later.

"Gabriella, I'm Doctor Jones. I have looked over your charts and it looks like you are good to go. I'll go get the papers for you to sign and we'll get you out of here so you can go home. Just take it easy for a few days. It won't be good for you to get stressed."

"Ok, thank you Doctor." Doctor Jones walked out.

"Oh Troy, it will be so good to sleep in my own bed. That will make me feel so much better. But are you sure they got the guy? I don't know if I feel safe going back to my apartment with people like that lurking around."

"Brie, they got him for sure. He's going to be locked away for a long time. And if it makes you feel any better, I could stay with you for a few nights to make it feel safer."

"That would be nice, but are you sure you don't mind?"

"Positive. Now let's get you ready to go home."

Troy drove Gabriella home and he stayed there for a few days while Gabriella got better. The more time he spent with her, though, the more his heart broke because he was realizing now more than ever that he could never be with her. David called Gabriella every couple of days and it seemed as if their relationship was stronger than ever, even if they didn't see each other. How am I ever going to live without you Brie?