Hey guys and gals! As usual – thanks for the reviews! 92 reviews for 7 chapters – I'm pretty darn stoked with that!

Some shout outs: tuttiflutey630 – yeah, I'm an Aussie! I keep reminding myself to write 'Mom' instead of Mum, but I guess I didn't pick myself up on the rest! fictacious-thejunkiehehe you cracked me up Jess!!! -refreshes the page madly- hehe ;) And to everyone I made cry – SORRY! The tissues are on me in the future hehe :D

I hope you like Chapter 8 – it's my longest so far, I didn't want to have to split another, it was starting to draw the story out more then I planned!

Charli xox


Chapter 8

Lucille Bolton and Maria Montez sat in the quiet hospital hall outside Gabriella's room on the hard plastic chairs, sipping lukewarm coffee (or in Maria's case, gripping the Styrofoam cup between her hands and staring blankly at the wall).

"She's a fighter, you know," Lucille said sincerely.

"Hmm?" Maria replied distantly.

"Gabriella," Lucille repeated. "She's a fighter – if anyone can beat this it is her."

Maria nodded slowly. "I know. I know – I have every faith in her strength, I just...the thought of what she's facing is just...it's unbearable, Luc. She's been through so much already – losing her father, moving all over the place – and she never complained. Now – just when she is finally settled and happy, life kicks her once again."

Lucille wiped her eyes as they filled with tears listening to the shattered woman beside her talk about the girl she had come to love as a daughter.

"We're all here – for both of you," she told her.

"Thank you," Maria nodded, showing an appreciative smile. "It means a lot."

"Maria!" Jayda McKessie exclaimed as she rushed up the hall, Taylor and Chad hot on her heels. "How is she? How are you?"

"We're both doing ok. I'm still in a bit of a daze at the moment."

"How are you two?" Lucille asked as she stood up, placing a comforting hand on both Taylor and Chad's shoulders.

"Shocked, scared, upset..." Taylor admitted. "But we can't imagine how Gabi is feeling."

"Taylor wouldn't sleep until she saw Gabriella for herself," Jayda told Maria apologetically.

Maria smiled and hugged her daughter's best friend. "It's fine honey – you can both go in, she's awake. Troy is with her."

Chad followed Taylor towards the door, almost running into her as she stopped suddenly, her hand halfway to the door handle. She turned around and caught his eye and he recognised the expression within them.

"It's ok," he said softly. "She's still the same Gabi."

Taylor nodded wordlessly and turned back to the door, taking a deep breath and pushing it open.

Troy and Gabriella were still lying together on her bed - their hands intertwined – when the door opened. They looked up, expecting to see their mother's or one of the doctors or nurses, but were pleasantly surprised to see Taylor and Chad in the doorway.

"Gabi..." Taylor started, a hundred different emotions flashing across her face.

"Hi guys," Gabriella smiled tiredly. Troy climbed off the bed and crossed the room to greet their friends, kissing Taylor on the cheek and sharing a brotherly hug with Chad.

Chad moved towards Gabriella's bed, where she was laying with the blankets kicked down, her exposed legs sticking out the end of her oversized hospital gown. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. Gabriella smiled at his gesture of support and friendship.

She took his hand and gave it a friendly squeeze. "Thanks for coming," she said earnestly.

Chad just smiled, doing his very best to hold it together. He wouldn't allow himself to break again, while Gabriella – the one who had the most right to be scared out of all of them – was being so brave.

"Gabi..." Taylor repeated, from her spot right by the door. "Gabi...I..."

"Tay, I'm not gonna break!" Gabriella joked. "Get over here and give me a hug!"

Taylor let out a small happy sigh and immediately found herself seated on the edge of Gabriella's bed, clinging to her as though her life depended on it.

"So, uh...what...what happens now?" Taylor asked tentatively.

"Now? Well, we all pile onto this uncomfortable little bed, crank the volume on the TV as high as the tiny little speaker can deal with, and then we get this party started!" Gabriella joked, laughing weakly. Troy smiled at her and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I had some tests run earlier that showed the cancer has spread beyond my lymph nodes – it's in stage 4."

Taylor was unable to hold in a gasp.

"It's ok, though – they say they can still treat it. But because it is so advanced, they need to get onto it right away – I'm having surgery tomorrow to remove as many of the tumors and diseased lymph nodes as possible, and have a central line placed. Then I have to have chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The treatment will probably take around a year in total, maybe a little less."

"And we'll be right by your side every step of the way," Taylor told her confidently, as Chad nodded in agreement.

"We love ya Gabs – you're not doing this alone."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"So I will see you bright and early then," Dr Zamitt concluded, closing Gabriella's file. Her surgery had been booked for 8.30am the next morning. Dr Zamitt and the anaesthesiologist would be coming to take her down to theatre an hour prior.

"It's a date," Gabriella joked, nodding.

"Heeey – should I be jealous?" Troy pouted and folded his arms, the curled up corners of his mouth a dead giveaway that he was trying not to smile.

Gabriella laughed as her doctor patted Troy on the shoulder.

"It's ok son, I'm much too old for her anyway. Besides, if she had to choose between a movie night with you or major surgery with me, I think we both know you'd win every time."

"Hmm yeah, I don't think there's any competition there...sorry Doctor Zamitt," Gabriella sighed dramatically.

"Ok," Maria laughed. It felt good to see her daughter still smiling and joking despite everything she had been through the past 24 hours. "Stop hassling the doctor you pair. Dr Zamitt, thank you for everything today – being so patient and supportive. We'll see you in the morning."

Dr Zamitt nodded. "I'm just sorry I couldn't have had better news for you all. But, like we've discussed, we're in a good position to fight here. That fight begins tomorrow, right?"

"No way," Gabriella shook her head and everyone looked at her. "It's already begun."

Troy grinned at Gabriella then at the doctor. "That's my girl!" he said proudly, as Maria and Lucille exchanged a glance and Dr Zamitt left the room laughing, and knowing deep down he had a new favourite patient.

"Alright Troy – it's time we headed home too. Gabriella needs her rest and you also need sleep," Lucille said carefully, bracing herself for her son's protests.

"But Mo..."

"Troy," Gabriella spoke up. "Your Mom's right. Keeping yourself awake all night to watch me sleep isn't healthy – I'm going to need you to be strong for me and part of that is looking after yourself."

"Bu..."

"Tro-oy..." Gabriella reached over and cupped his cheek in her hand, running her thumb back and forth. "Please."

Troy nodded slowly. "Ok, but I'm coming back in the morning – the first thing," he said adamantly.

Lucille looked at Maria. "Jack and I decided he could have the rest of the week off school. If he was there he'd only be getting himself detention for not concentrating," she said.

Maria nodded. "I think Gabi will appreciate having him here. And I can probably safely say I will need someone to remind me not to bite my nails right off while she's in surgery."

Lucille smiled sympathetically. "I'll come up with him in the morning and see how you're both doing," she hugged Maria before moving over to kiss and hug Gabriella. "Good night, sweetheart. You get some rest without boofhead over here disturbing you."

"Boofhead?" Troy said incredulously as Gabriella giggled. "Boofhead?"

"It's ok, Wildcat – you're my boofhead."

"Oh, well – that just makes it all better then," he replied sarcastically, leaning over to kiss her giggling lips. "Goodnight princess – I'll see you in the morning," he leaned down closer to her so he could whisper in her ear. "You're my inspiration El, be strong."

Gabriella responded by leaning up and kissing him again. "Goodnight Troy. And thank you for everything today – I couldn't get through this without you," she said honestly.

He kissed her one last time – on the forehead – before hugging her mother and leaving the room with his own mother's arm around him.

Once he had left the room seemed so much emptier. Gabriella took in her surroundings properly for the first time. She was in a hospital room. A hospital room on the Oncology ward.

Oncology.

Cancer.

As the reality of the situation suddenly hit, Gabriella did something she thought she had finished with for the day.

She burst into tears.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Kelsi Nielsen spun around, her hand flying to her chest as she closed her eyes and let out her breath.

"Ryan! My gosh, you scared the heck out of me!" she exclaimed, referring to the sharp tap on the shoulder she had just received mid-daydream.

"Ooh, sorry Kels," Ryan apologised. "I was just going to ask if you have seen Troy or Gabs yet today."

"Nope, sorry," Kelsi shook her head. "Let me know if you do come across them though – I have a song for them to have a read over."

"Nice," Ryan nodded. "I'll let them know if I do see them."

"Mr Evans? Miss Nielson?" the teens turned in the direction their names had been called from to see their principal heading their way with a grim look on his face, Sharpay, Zeke and Jason following close behind looking plain confused.

"Yes Principal Matsui?"

"I need you both to come with me to my office. I...well, let's just go – I'll explain when we get there."

The Wildcats all exchanged a glance and shrug, following the head of the school along the corridor. When they reached his office, the gang were surprised to see their parents, as well as Chad and Taylor, in the office already. Worryingly, they all looked upset – many as though they had been crying.

"Mom?" Ryan said, his forehead creased.

Mrs Evans patted her son on the shoulder.

"It's ok, Duckie – just sit down and listen to Principal Matsui," she said softly, her expression void of its usual dramatisation.

The youngsters sat down in front of Principal Matsui's desk, looking at him both expectantly and apprehensively. Taylor and Chad stood back, near the parents, Chad's arms around Taylor as they waited for the principal to speak.

"I have news to tell you all that is going to come as a big shock," he began. The Wildcats frowned. "It is about Gabriella Montez. I'm sorry to have to tell you all this, but...Gabriella was diagnosed with cancer yesterday..."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed as a figure that looked like a bunch of balloons with legs appeared in her room the next morning.

"Good morning beautiful," Troy replied, emerging from behind the mass of colourful, helium filled decorations and leaning over to kiss her. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Yeah alright...a little nervous, but ready to get this over with," Gabriella told him.

Troy set the balloons down in the corner of the room and perched himself on the edge of her bed. "That's the spirit. You're going to breeze through this surgery, and I'm going to be right here waiting for you when you wake up."

"Lucky me," Gabriella grinned as he kissed her again.

"Good morning, Troy," Maria smiled at the boy as she emerged from the small bathroom, her hair damp. She looked like she hadn't slept a wink.

"Morning Maria," Troy greeted. "Mom's just parking the car, she should be up soon. Has Dr Zamitt been in yet?"

"Not yet," Maria replied. "But he shouldn't be too far off."

As if on cue, Dr Zamitt entered the room, closely followed by a grey haired man wearing a colourful tie.

"Good morning Gabriella," he smiled. "All ready for our big date?" he asked, continuing their joke from the night before.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she nodded.

"Ok," the doctor replied. "I'm just going to steal your Mom away for a few moments to sign some forms and all that other boring mom-stuff. Then Kirsten will be in to take your Obs and after that it's show time."

"Sounds like a plan," Gabriella said as he left the room with her mother.

As the door closed behind them, Gabriella pulled Troy down to lie next to her – she needed him as close as possible.

"Are you scared?" he whispered into her hair.

"To death," she replied. "I'm scared of the pain, I'm scared of being sick, I'm scared of dying...but most of all I'm scared of leaving you. If something happens to me...I can't imagine never seeing you again, Troy."

"Hey, hey, hey," Troy soothed, placing a kiss in her hair and rocking her in his arms. "Don't you even think about that, right? You're going to get through this, I know it. You are the strongest person I know. You are strong and smart and brave and beautiful...you're going to get through this."

Gabriella nodded into his chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Troy."

"Well you'll never have to find out," Troy replied, pulling back from their embrace to look her in the eyes. " I'm here for good. I..." he swallowed. "I love you, Gabriella."

Gabriella smiled, a feeling of bliss washing over her as she heard those words emerge from his lips. She kissed him softly on the lips before returning her gaze to his crystal blue eyes, feeling the best she had in months.

"I love you too, Troy."

Outside the door, Lucille Bolton and Maria Montez exchanged a tearful glance as they listened to the heartfelt exchange between their children.

"Lucille Bolton," Maria said sincerely. "Your son is an angel."


Well, there you have it – Chapter 9!!! Next up, how did the Wildcats react to Principal Matsui's news?? And how will Gabriella's surgery go?? Will I ever be cured of my obsession with using exclamation marks and question marks???!!! All will be revealed! Please review!

Charli

PS. No, you aren't going crazy - Yes, I did go back through the chapters and change Mrs Bolton's name to Lucille. It hasn't been mentioned in the movie credits but she is credited as that on IMDB for HSM3 and Wikipedia for HSM2 so...I dunno, I just changed it in case!