AN: Sorry for the delay! Work and summer fun got in the way! But after seeing the amazing video of ZV at the concert in Vancouver last night, I just got inspired! (if you haven't seen it yet, you need to go to right NOW). As always, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, story alerted, and favorited this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM or its characters.
Northern Star
Chapter 4
After setting down their plates, the waitress left Troy and Gabriella as they stole looks at each other while taking the first bites of their meals.
Gabriella looked up from her food and gave Troy a small giggle. "You haven't changed at all, Wildcat."
"How so?"
"I see you still love your mac and cheese." Gabriella slightly pointed at the side of macaroni and cheese as Troy lifted a heaping forkful in his mouth.
He laughed and tried not to choke on his food. "Hey, mac and cheese made sure I didn't starve during medical school!" he jokingly protested.
"If I didn't come to Berkeley some weekends to cook for you, I think you would have eaten it all through freshmen year!"
"Oh, don't remind me! I missed your home cooking so much after you left!"
"What is it with you boys and your mac and cheese? Ever since I introduced it to Ethan last year, he requests it every week."
Troy grinned at the mention of Gabriella's small boy. However, he did still wonder who Ethan's father was if she never married Trevor. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, Ethan inherited none of his looks from Gabriella.
"So how does Ethan's father feel about his eating habits?" Troy picked at his food with his fork hoping that he sounded casual.
Gabriella was in the process of taking a bite of her hamburger as she suddenly froze at Troy's question. Taking a deep sigh, she put her burger down and looked at Troy. "I knew you were going to ask eventually."
"Oh, I didn't mean to pry, Brie," Troy said quickly after seeing that this topic of conversation obviously caused her some discomfort. "If you don't want to talk about it, I'm totally okay with that."
"No, it's ok. I'm sure you're curious. It's… just a really long story," replied Gabriella as she looked Troy in the eye. However, the look he returned back was enough to erase all the hesitations she voiced to Kelsi earlier that day in regards to Ethan's paternity.
"Take as much time as you need." Troy lifted his right hand and reached across the table to place it above Gabriella's left one hoping it would encourage her to go on.
"So I guess I should start at the very beginning. After I broke off the wedding with Trevor, I spent my summer off in Europe. I backpacked for two and a half months, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. It gave me a lot of perspective on my life and what I was doing. When I got back for my second year of law school, I realized that my life was completely different than the one I had left."
"Or you were a different person than the one you left the summer before?"
Gabriella nodded in agreement with Troy's deduction. "Definitely. Two weeks into school, I realized, law wasn't it for me anymore. I mean, it wasn't because I was struggling. I was actually doing really well."
"And I would have expected anything less from you," Troy interjecting.
"But, it didn't hold my interest as much as it did before during first year. So, I withdrew from Harvard. My neighbor's son was a partner for a public relations company, and she said they were looking for an assistant who had a background in law, but they didn't necessarily have the funds to hire a real lawyer. After speaking with her son, I packed up my bags, and headed to Boston. Eventually, I picked up the business pretty well, and I became really interested in publicity. They gave me a position as junior publicist and then promoted me to senior manager of the publicity department. That's where I met my assistant, Emma Bates."
"Emma Bates… Ethan Bates. I get it now," said Troy as Gabriella nodded seeing the expression on his face that he was putting the pieces together.
"She and I became really good friends. I would say she was my best friend in the city. However, she was dating this one guy for a couple of weeks, and when he found out she got pregnant, he left and she never heard from him since. I don't even know his name. Emma was great though; she was determined to keep the baby and raise him herself. She ended up moving into my apartment complex, and she even asked for me to be with her in the delivery room when she had Ethan. I've loved him ever since."
"You really have a special connection with him don't you?" asked Troy as he couldn't help but notice that that Gabriella's face softened at the mention of Ethan.
"I do. Soon after Emma delivered, she took on a second job to be able to provide more for herself and Ethan. I took care of him for those nights when she was working." Gabriella had to pause as she tried to hold back tears before reliving the next memory. "Then, when Ethan was barely a year old, I was taking care of him for the night, when I got a phone call from the police department..."
Troy could see that the memory still caused pain in Gabriella, and he squeezed the hand he still held under his right hand hoping to give her comfort.
"She got hit by a drunk driver. She was already gone when they brought her to the hospital."
"Oh, Brie, I'm so sorry." Troy lifted his hand from her hand to gently bring it up to her shoulder and rub it gently to truly show his sympathy.
"Emma's parents came up from their home in Virginia for the funeral and to look after Ethan. It was so devastating to everyone. Ethan cried out for his mommy every night, and there wasn't anything any of us could do except try to console him. After the funeral, Emma's parents took Ethan to stay with them at their home. I felt like I was losing another person in my life so soon after losing Emma. I missed him so much when he was gone. However, a month later, I got a call from a lawyer for a meeting."
July 6th, 2017
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me so quickly, Ms. Montez," said the mid-age man sitting across from Gabriella in his office in downtown Boston. "Like I told you on the phone, my name is Kyle Livingston, and Ms. Bates hired me a last year to update her will, and as it involves you, it is my duty to make sure you hear it."
"Of course, Mr. Livingston," replied Gabriella from her seat. She was surprised that Emma had left her something in her will. It was probably some of her kitchen items that Gabriella always complemented and borrowed occasionally.
Clearing his throat and brining his glasses to his eyes, Mr. Livingston lifted the paper and began to read. "Last Will and Testament of Emma Grace Bates. I, Emma Grace Bates, being of sound and disposing mind, do hereby make, publish and declare the following to be my Last Will and Testament. I declare that I have one child now living whose name and birth date are: Ethan Alexander Bates born on March 20th, 2016.
"I give, devise and bequeath all of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, of whatever kind and character, and wherever located, to my parents, Samuel and Cassandra Bates, provided that they survive me. I ask that they sell whatever they can and to use the money to pay off my funeral expenses. Any left over should be added to the trust fund I have opened in my child's name at Boston Community Bank. Any items that cannot be sold will then be taken and donated to the Salvation Army. My parents are allowed to take anything they wish to keep as memories.
"If my parents do not survive me, then I give, devise and bequeath all, of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to Gabriella Anne Montez and ask her to do the same.
"As for the issue of custody of my child, I ask that, Gabriella Anne Montez, raise my son. As I am an only child, my son has no other family members except for my parents. However, with their current state of finances, they do not have the means to care for my child. Gabriella has opened up her home numerous times for me and my child, and I am confident that she will raise him the way I would have raised him and do everything for his benefit. The connection between her and Ethan is real, and I think this will be the best way for Ethan to grow up. If she is to accept this request, I name her, Gabriella Anne Montez, executor of my child's trust fund until he turns 18."
"If she refuses, then I request that my child be taken cared of by my parents and that they are named executors to his trust fund.
"For my dear child, Ethan Bates, I leave him my love and knowledge that it was not my choice to leave him. However, I have done everything in my power to assure that he will be taken cared of even if I'm not there. No matter where he goes, he will be happy and I will be looking down on him always. Signed, Emma Grace Bates."
When he finished reading, Mr. Livingston lifted his eyes to see the reaction of Gabriella's face.
"She left me Ethan?" Gabriella looked back at the lawyer with a combination of amazement and fear.
"Yes, she did. When I was drawing this up for her, she was very clear that she wanted you to raise her child. She seemed to think that you were the best one for him if it wasn't her."
"I don't know about that…" Her voice trailed as she pondered if she could really raise a young child.
"Well, you have about 2 weeks to decide. I have already contacted Mr. and Mrs. Bates, and they said they are willing to continue watching over Ethan while you make a decision. They have also said they are more than willing to take care of him if you decide to refuse."
Gabriella nodded slightly as she stood up to leave the office to really consider Emma's last request.
(Present time)
"So, you ended up taking care of Ethan?" said Troy when Gabriella finished her story.
She nodded. "I did." She hesitated slightly before lifting her eyes to meet his again. "Do you think I did the right thing?"
Troy was startled at her sudden question and doubt. "Gabriella, I'm confused. What are you talking about? Of course I think you made the right decision! I didn't see you with Ethan for very long, but the love between you is obvious to anyone."
"It's not a question of whether or not I love him, because I love Ethan with my whole heart and soul. But, do you think I'm doing the right thing raising him as a single mother when he had the opportunity to live in a home with two people who were married to each other." Gabriella looked down as she finally spoke the insecurities she had earlier in the day with Kelsi.
Understanding where her uncertainty was coming from, Troy scooted his seat closer to Gabriella so he was now next to her and put his arm around her. With his free hand, he lifted her chin so she could look at him. "Gabriella, you made the right decision. It doesn't matter if the parents are together, divorced, or single. What matters is the love and lessons that the child learns while he's growing up. Plus, one of the most amazing women I know was raised by a single parent."
It took Gabriella a moment to realize that Troy was speaking about her. She blushed slightly, and thought 'He still knows the perfect thing to say to make me feel better.'
"Thank you, Troy. Even after all these years, I still struggle with my decision."
"As long as you believe that Ethan is happy and healthy, then you know you made the right one." Gabriella nodded as she took in what Troy said. Troy continued, "Are you still in Boston, then? That's not too far from here." Excitement rose in Troy's chest at the prospect of having Gabriella and Ethan close by. He could get used to having Gabriella back into his life, and he was excited to get to know Ethan better as well.
"No; shortly after Ethan came to live with me, I figured it would be better to have family close by. I moved back to Albuquerque so my mom could help me out a little bit with Ethan."
The excitement that was building in Troy slowly deflated as he realized that Gabriella and Ethan lived across the country and would be going back there the next day. "Wow, to think we never ran into each other when I went home for the holidays."
"I know," stated Gabriella. She often thought about contacting the Boltons and Troy after she moved back. However, her promise not to turn his life upside down with her sudden announcement of never getting married and now having a young child to raise stopped her numerous attempts to contact him.
"Do you still work in PR?" asked Troy curious as to what Gabriella did presently. He wanted to know everything about her new life.
"I do. I work for a PR agency, Goodman and Howard Media Relations. I head their publicity department. I was doing a lot of local contracts before like working with the New Mexico Wildcats, the local arena football team. But, the bosses were quite impressed when an up and coming pop singer barged into the office and demanded that I work on her new CD launch."
Troy had to laugh at the picture of a girl, who he presumed wore all pink, storming in and making demands the minute she walked in. "Let me guess, Sharpay?"
Gabriella let out a giggle as Troy was able to correctly guess their friend. "Yes, of course. Sharpay hasn't changed at all. She's just as blunt as ever. But you should see her with Ethan. You would think she would get all grossed out by a creature that drools and spits their food, but she's great with him. He calls her Aunt Pay. She spoils him crazy too."
They both laughed at the memory until Gabriella realized she had been talking about herself for the past hour. "Troy, I'm so self-absorbed! I haven't even asked what you're up to now."
Troy shook his head to show that he disagreed with her. "No, you're not being self-absorbed at all. I was curious about you and Ethan."
"Well, I'm curious about you too."
"Ok, where do I start?"
"How about the fact that you're a doctor now. I would have never guessed. I'm sort of surprised. I expected you to be playing for the Lakers or something by now…"
"Yeah, me too. Remember, how I tore my ACL during the Sweet Sixteen my junior year?" Gabriella nodded. "When I got back to Berkeley, the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Lewis, said he would try to fix my ACL, but there were no guarantees. I had high expectations for a full recovery considering that scouts were calling me to tell me that they were planning on visiting some games. There was talk that if I recovered and played just as well during my senior year, I would be a shoe-in for at least first round pick at the draft, and maybe even top 10. But after 2 surgeries, countless hours in physical therapy, and missing the first 5 games of the season, I knew I would never get back to where I was."
"Oh Troy, I'm so sorry. I know it was your dream to be play in the NBA."
"It was, but if there's anything I've learned dreams change, and this is where I belong. It was actually my time with Dr. Lewis that encouraged me to take up medicine, orthopedic surgery to be specific. That summer, I changed my major from physical therapy/drama to pre-med. I figured, I wouldn't really be training so I had time to study. After 20-plus units every semester of science classes and summer school, I was barely able to get my degree in Biology. Then I moved up to Seattle to University of Washington for medical school that fall."
"Wow. That really explains why I never heard back from you after I moved to Cambridge. Why didn't you ever tell me you were working towards medical school? I thought you were busy in physical therapy or something."
"I know. I'm so sorry Gabriella. It was kind of overwhelming. It was the first time I really had to work hard. I mean, I got decent grades in high school and my first couple years of college, but it was different not having my smart girlfriend correct all my homework. Plus, I didn't want to disappoint you. What if I didn't get in? What if all the hard work I put into the last 1.5 years wasn't enough compared to the people who worked their whole lives to get into med school?"
"Troy, you weren't that bad during high school. And look… Here you are a doctor, and you did that all by yourself. Who knew when you were dating the science nerd during high school that you would turn out to be the bigger nerd?"
Troy had to laugh at Gabriella's joke.
After taking a sip of her drink, she asked "So you said you were originally interested in surgery, but how did you get into pediatrics?"
"Well, it wasn't until I had a pediatric rotation during my third year in medical school. I was at a real turning point in my life because I was getting really depressed with medicine. I felt like all I was doing was giving bad news to families. But with children, they are just so resilient and full of hope. I found that I really liked working them."
"And not because you're such a big kid yourself?"
Troy smiled as he remembered Gabriella and Taylor constantly telling him and Chad that they were little kids stuck in adult bodies during college. "Yes, that too."
"So that's why you did a pediatric residency at UPenn. Troy, I don't know if I've told you, but I am so proud of you. So very proud. I'm sorry I wasn't there to witness all your accomplishments, but looking at the man you've turned out to be, I'm in awe of what you've done the past 8 years."
"Me? How about you? You've raised an amazing little boy Gabriella."
Gabriella blushed as he complimented her. She silently scolded herself at allowing him to still have that effect on her after so many years. "I guess we can both agree that we've both changed a lot these last few years."
The waitress then came by to clear off their empty plates. When she asked them if they wanted dessert, Gabriella finally looked down at her watch. "Oh wow, I can't believe it's so late. I should get going; we have an early flight tomorrow."
Lifting his head, Troy turned to the waitress. "No dessert today, but can we have our check, please?" The waitress silently nodded as she turned to retrieve their check. Troy turned back to Gabriella not looking forward saying good bye to her.
"So, when's the next time you're coming back to Albuquerque?" asked Gabriella, she too not wanting the moment to end just yet.
"Well, my residency ends after June, and I'm still deciding what I should do next. I may have time afterwards to visit."
Gabriella's face suddenly fell as she realized that was over a month from now. "Well, if you come into town, make sure you call me."
Picking up the check that the waitress had left at the edge of the table, Troy put enough money to cover the bill and tip. Standing up, he watched as Gabriella did the same.
"Of course I will. Now that we've opened up the lines of communication again, there's no way I'm going to let them close again," he said as he led them to the outside of the diner.
"I hope not. I've really missed you Troy." Gabriella moved forward and pulled Troy into a hug.
Troy squeezed gently as he took a whiff of her hair. The familiar scent of coconut shampoo brought back the memories of college and his feelings for her.
Pulling apart, Troy looked down and moved his hand from her hips to brush off a stray bang that was blocking Gabriella's eyes. His hand remained on the side of her face and Gabriella leaned into his hand. "I've missed you too, Brie."
The two of them stood their frozen in their spots, hearts racing but not knowing what to do. Troy lowered his head towards hers as Gabriella stood on her toes to lift her lips closer to his when suddenly a loud honk brought them out of their stances.
Looking behind him, Troy saw an old man wearing a beanie in a taxi cab. "Do you need a ride?" hollered the taxi driver from his seat.
Gabriella smiled nicely at the old man while Troy visibly scowled at him. "I do need a ride back to Kelsi's place."
Turning to Troy, she gave him one last hug. "Call me when you get back safely home," instructed Troy.
"I will. Good luck with the rest of your residency. And keep me updated." While still in their embrace, Gabriella turned her head quickly to kiss his cheek. She pulled away to walk to the taxi. Before getting in, she smiled at him again. "Bye Troy, I had a great time."
"I did too. Give Ethan a high-five for me."
Smiling at him one last time, Gabriella climbed in and Troy watched as the taxi drove away.
As Troy walked towards his apartment, he couldn't help but feel like he was walking on Cloud 9 as he smiled at the recent night with Gabriella not knowing that she was doing the same from her seat in the taxi.
