Wow, I was so totally blown away by the response to the last chapter – 22 reviews!!! I love you guys!

xxGabriellaMontez – nope, I'm not Charli from YouTube, I don't have a YouTube account that I use :)

TuttiFlutey630 Lol my story will end up getting you in trouble at school hehehe! Love your dream!

Here is the next chapter. I'm not that happy with it, I wrote it in a bit of a rush. But whatevs. You be the judge.

Charli xox


Chapter 10

"Everything went beautifully."

Maria burst into tears of relief and Troy closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of happiness and sending a silent prayer of thanks skyward.

"We found that there were many more tumors and diseased lymph nodes around her neck and throat area than we first anticipated. But we are confident that we got them all. We will need to wait on the pathology results, but we are hopeful that tumors will have clear margins and if they do that's great news as far as Gabriella's prognosis. We were able to successfully remove her spleen, and although it looked like it wasn't going to happen for a little while there, we managed to fully resect the tumor on her liver. The central line is in, and working perfectly," Dr Zamitt concluded.

"Thank you doctor – thank you so, so much," Maria said gratefully.

"Not at all," Dr Zamitt smiled warmly. "Now, Gabriella is in the recovery wing so I will take you both up there now to sit with her until she comes out of the anaesthetic."

Maria and Troy stood up and followed the doctor along the corridor and off to the left, through another set of large double doors. Before they entered, Dr Zamitt turned to face them.

"Now - I have to warn you – Gabriella has just undergone major surgery. You may get a bit of a shock when you see her. As she comes out of the anaesthetic she will be extremely groggy and possibly disoriented. On top of the anaesthetic she is hooked up to a Morphine pump for pain relief and has a cocktail of other painkillers as well as preventative antibiotics and hydration running through her central line. The tubes, lines and machines can all be very daunting."

Troy felt his stomach twist with anticipation as Maria nodded slowly and Dr Zamitt opened the doors to the recovery wing and led them to the bed at the far end of the room. When they reached the bed, Maria immediately leaned over the side rails, softly stroking her daughters face and whispering to her. Troy hung back a little, taking in the scene.

Gabriella was lying in on the bed in front of him, but it was not the same Gabriella who had blown him kisses as she was wheeled into theatre some eight hours ago. The Gabriella in front of him looked so tiny and helpless in that huge bed, surrounded by what seemed like 101 different machines – IV poles, SAT monitors, heart monitors, Morphine pumps... all Troy could see that assured him this was his Gabriella was a the mass of dark brown curls fanned out across the pillow. Her neck was covered in Tegaderm dressings, covering the multiple incisions, and several Steristrips hid the spot where the central line threaded through one of her major veins and down into her heart.

The rest of her body was covered by a thin cotton sheet, but Troy could see even more lines protruding from underneath – drainage tubes and multiple lines with liquid flowing through that Troy assumed to be connected to her newly placed central line.

His attention snapped back into focus as Gabriella began to stir under the sheet. Shifting a little, she cried out in pain. Maria placed a cool hand to her forehead.

"Shhh, baby. We're right here – you just rest," Maria soothed.

Gabriella calmed at her mother's touch. "Mommy..." she murmured.

"Yes baby, it's me. Troy's right here too."

Troy swallowed hard and moved closer to the bed. "Gab..." he whispered, extending his shaking hand and running a single finger across her forehead and down the side of her face.

"Mmm..." Gabriella was having to fight sleep now. Troy's hand found hers under the sheet and she squeezed as hard as she could. "Are you proud of me?"

Maria smiled tearfully at Troy, who leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"More than you will ever now, El. More than you will ever know."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

By half past seven that night, Gabriella had been moved from recovery up to the Paediatric Observation Unit. If by the morning, Dr Zamitt explained, all her vital signs were where they should be and she was still doing well, she would be moved back to the regular Oncology Ward.

Gabriella had largely remained asleep since her brief awakening in recovery, apart from opening her eyes momentarily - shortly after arriving on the Observation Unit - only to say "Mom – I hurt!" before quickly drifting back to sleep.

After around an hour on the Observation Unit, Troy had fallen asleep in the chair next to Gabriella's bed. Maria covered him with a blanket and he was still fast asleep when Lucille arrived to take him home, just after 9pm.

Maria relayed everything Dr Zamitt had told them since Gabriella's surgery to Lucille, before Lucille moved over to where Troy was curled up rather uncomfortably on the chair, and knelt in front of him.

"Troy?" she said gently, reaching up to brush some hair from his eyes. "Troy, honey, wake up."

"Wha?" Troy suddenly sat bolt upright. "Gabi? Where's Gabi?" he panicked.

"Shh, she's right here honey. She's sleeping. But it's time for us to go home," Lucille replied.

Troy yawned and stretched, standing up and tossing the blanket onto the newly vacated chair. Leaning over his sleeping girlfriend, he placed soft kisses on her cheek and forehead.

"I love you baby girl," he whispered, stroking her hair. "I'll be back in the morning...you sleep well so I can see those beautiful brown eyes of yours again tomorrow."

As if on cue, Gabriella stirred and her eyes fluttered open, staring directly into Troy's.

Troy's face lit up. "Hey Sleeping Beauty," he said softly, smiling and kissing her nose.

"Hi," Gabriella replied, her voice raspy.

"How do you feel honey?" Maria asked, squeezing her hand.

Gabriella closed her eyes. "Like I got hit by a bus," she whimpered.

"If it starts to hurt too much, don't be scared to press the pain button, ok? Dr Zamitt said you should use it whenever it hurts for the next couple of days. Would you like a sip of water?" Maria asked.

Gabriella gave a slight nod, and Lucille placed a straw in a cup of water as Troy wound the back of the bed up a little so Gabriella hasn't lying completely flat. Lucille passed the water to Maria, who held the cup and placed the straw between Gabriella's lips. She took a couple of small sips, wincing slightly, before relaxing her head back into the pillows.

"Troy?" she whispered and he was immediately right back at her side.

"I'm here, Brie."

"Thanks...thanks for being here today. Thanks for waiting with my Mom and keeping her calm," she said.

"Hey," Troy soothed. "I wouldn't be anywhere else. And I think I should be thanking your mum for keeping me calm," he joked and Gabriella gave him a small smile.

"I love you," she told him and he kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you too Gabi. Now, Mom is taking me home but I'll be back tomorrow. You get some rest, ok? I'll see you tomorrow," he kissed her gently.

"See you tomorrow," she said tiredly. "Bye Mom, thanks for being here."

Lucille smiled. "Bye sweetheart. I'll call your Mom in the morning."

Troy blew her a kiss as they left the room. Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed softly.

"Mom?" she said hoarsely.

"Yes honey?" Maria replied.

"Am I brave?"

Maria's eyes filled with tears as she held her daughter's hand tightly.

"Yes honey, you are very brave – the bravest."


Yay, reprieve for the time being! Hope you liked it! Review reviewreview

Charli xox