I am sorry that this took so long but I have been working loads of overtime at work and cleaning my house when I have free time. Things are dying down and I should be back to posting once a week as usual soon. I have no voice and I've also been sleeping more because I'm sick, I also think I have pink eye but I'm not sure. Any woo, I'm sorry for the wait.

Hope your valentine's day was awesome, mine was perfect!

Troy stood in the hospital room by the window looking down below at all the reporters and press situated on the sidewalk. Letting the blinds close he looked back at Gabriella who was still asleep. They'd gotten her here as fast as they could. If only he'd been there a moment sooner, maybe kicked the door in instead of knocking like idiot. Troy walked over to her bedside and reached to adjust a pillow behind her. He hadn't been two feet from her side since she came out of surgery. She had tubes and machines hooked up to different parts of her body.

"Troy?"

He looked towards the door to see Chad and Taylor walk in. "Any news?" Troy asked standing up straighter than before, in the mist of rushing Gabriella to the hospital Anthony had slipped away. He should have killed him.

"None," Chad said with a sigh, "but there looking for him," Chad looked at Gabriella and then back at Troy, "I'm so sorry,"

"You didn't do anything," Troy said looking back at her as she lay in bed. "I knew she was scared and I made a joke."

"Troy this is Anthony's fault." Taylor said in a cautious tone. "You can cut it three ways till Sunday and it will still be his fault."

Troy grinned a little and nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Taylor said looking at Chad then back at him, "Her parents should be here soon, their flight landed just a little while ago and there's a car brining them here."

"Should we tell them the truth?" Troy asked looking up at both Taylor and Chad.

"It's not our place," Chad said with a shrug. "She'll awake up soon and when she does she'll tell them or not." Chad shrugged. "I suggest you both talk about it before hand, get your affairs in order."

"She is going to wake up right?" Taylor asked looking over at Chad in a hushed tone.

"She has to." He replied.

Troy deciding to tune them out looked back at Gabriella feeling her small warm hand in his. He gladly switch places with her in a heartbeat. Letting out a sigh he slowly sat down in the seat by her side still holding her hand.

Three weeks later.

A margining headache would have been putting it mildly. Feeling like she'd been hit with a truck couldn't even cover it. Her eyes slowly opened as she looked around the room. There was white everywhere the moon light streaming in from the windows and as she adjust more to the dim lighting she saw flowers. The room was covered in flowers and balloons.

Squinting she glanced over at the clock on the side table by her side. It was 3:38 in morning. Moving her hand she felt a tug and looked down to see the needles and tubes coming from her hands. Not a good sign, she thought as she tried to focus on other details. There was a noise in the room, the sound of tapping, like computer keys. Troy. Sitting up more abruptly she winced.

"Hey, hey, don't hurt yourself," his voice was a low whisper.

Gabriella looked around the room a little more alert, her mother and father were asleep on the small couch. "Why are they here?" she said her voice crackling and aching as she look at Troy still trying to wrap her brain around the concept.

"You've been out for a little while." Troy said with a smile as he hurried to her side, quickly he reached for the glass of water and held it up for her.

Gabriella sipped the water feeling the reawaking of her mouth and throat fill with moisture she had long been denied. "What day is it," she asked panting a little from the water.

"It's Wednesday," Troy said in a nervous tone.

Gabriella looked up at him her eyes still glossy and her vision still a little fuzzy. "How long have I been out?"

Troy hesitated looking around the room at her parents then back at her, "Well, it's been about a month?" he said then pausing to thinking quietly to himself them turning back to her. "4 weeks, 3 days, 6 hours, and 45 minutes." Troy grinned. "But who's counting?"

Gabriella stared at him in confusion then looked around the room again. "You should be in Washington by now?"

"Not a priority." Troy said memorized by her.

"What about Anthony? About the hotel?" Gabriella panicked, "He drugged me an-"

Troy placed a hand on her cheek softly and shook his head. "Anthony is being dealt with, trust me he's no longer a candidate or free man."

Gabriella looked around the room taking her time to take in all the flowers and signs. "It feels like I've only been asleep for a few hours." She said bringing a shaky hand to her face. A faint memory of being slapped lingered as she passed her finger tips over a light scar from a cut. "Have you been here all this time?"

Troy nodded slowly their eyes not leaving from others. "We're in this together."

Gabriella bit her lip then decided to speak, "What about the divorce?"

"What about it?" Troy asked moving so that he could be sitting on the bed on arm over her for his own balance and his other hand still holding hers.

"You signed the divorce papers, didn't you?" Gabriella said looking now at their hands her wedding ring gone from her finger. "Did it already happen?"

Troy glanced at her naked finger as well. There was another silence between them. "Looking for this?" Troy pulled his hand away and held it up to show her his pinkie where her wedding band was.

Her parents stirred behind them and she could hear the mumble of her father asking what was going on. Unsure about what Troy's response meant her eyes lingered on him for a moment.

Gabriella father moved to get up and his sudden movement brought her mother out of her sleep and she jolted up. Her eyes immediately came to her and she let out a prayer and held her heart. "Gabi!" she hurried up and to her side taking Troy's spot. "Are you okay, do you need anything?"

"You scared us young lady," Gabriella father was at her side and she soon couldn't tell the difference between their voices as they both spoke to her at once. Her eyes rested on Troy as he took a seat in the chair off to the side. He was watching her as well.

"Do you need a new pillow?"

"Are you feeling any pain?"

"Where does it hurt?

"Are you hungry?"

"Do you need more water?"

"Luis, go get a doctor!"

Troy stood up and placed a calm hand on her mother shoulder. "I'll go get a doctor. Why don't you guys take a breath and ask one question at a time."

Gabriella felt her lips pulling into a small smile as she watched Troy whose own smile reflected hers. The feeling of him just being there put her at ease. The bizarre way he could read her mind, tell what she was thinking or even just know when she needed a moment. "I'm fine mom." She said gently then she looked over at her father. "I'm sorry to put you both through this again."

"That man tricked you; he took advantage of you in a vulnerable state." Her father said in a low voice. "if I had been honest with you about Jason this whole thing never would have happened."

Gabriella looked at Troy who nodded, "I told them the truth."

At that Gabriella felt a pressure on her chest lift. "I'm sorry I lied."

"You need to stop apologizing." Her mother said holding her hand with both of her own. "We all had a role to play in this, it's no one's fault alone."

"I'll go get a doctor so you guys can be alone for a moment." Troy said in a low voice as he left the room.

Gabriella didn't want him to leave and just when she was about to say it Troy gave her a wink. "I promise I'll be right back."

Once he was out if the room Gabriella looked from her mother to her father and she let out a sigh. "This has been a crazy year."

"That it has," her father said with a slow nod. He didn't say anything after that but his hands were wrapped warmly around her left hand.

"You're not really going to divorce him are you?" her mother asked breaking the silence.

Gabriella looked away from both of them and then back at her mother. "I don't know."

"He's a good man Gabi," Luis said with a firm nod. "Despite this arrangement and how it happened, he's a good man."

"He loves you dearly," her mother added with a soft smile. "He hasn't been away from your side for longer than a minute or so."

Gabriella felt a joy along with a sadden pit in her stomach, he had signed the divorce papers already. Did he love her or was he feeling obligated to be at her side? Was this because of the press? Because of Anthony? She had no idea what was going on in his mind. No matter how much he seemed to be able to read her like an open book everything about him was still a mystery.

"We love you dearly and if you want to come home and just get away from this then that's fine.' her father said letting out a sigh.

"But," her mother said giving her father the eye. "If you love him then I think you should see this through."

"And if he doesn't feel the same way?" Gabriella said looking down at the small tube in lying alongside her arm and disappearing back into the machine.

"Then at least it won't be because you gave up." her father said.

"I don't know how I got here?" Gabriella looked at her parents in disbelief it seemed like just yesterday she was hiding in her bedroom. Pretending the world didn't exist. "It just seems like the whole thing is so surreal."

"Well Love can make you crazy," her mother said with a smile.