A couple weeks later, Gabriella was three months pregnant. She and Troy were still trying to grasp the idea of their unborn child having a disease. Gabriella would cry at night at the thought of something bad happening to their baby and that she was to blame. One day, Troy walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom and saw Gabriella in the bathroom with tears running down her face. He walked into the bathroom and just held his wife. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly and kissed her head.
"Everything is going to be okay babe. Don't worry" Troy said.
Gabriella tightened her grip around Troy's waist.
"It just scares me that our child will never be able to be normal" Gabriella said.
"I know it does. It scares me too. But, we are going to get through this. You are the strongest woman I know and I know that we can get through this together" Troy said.
Gabriella had tears running down her face. Natalie came into the bathroom and looked at her parents.
"Why are you crying mommy?" Natalie asked.
Troy picked Natalie up and set her on his hip.
"She's just sad that's all sweetie. Don't worry" Troy said.
"Why is she sad?" Natalie asked.
Troy looked at Gabriella and then at Natalie.
"The baby has a couple problems and it is making mommy and I sad" Troy said.
"We need to protect her" Natalie said.
"You want to protect her? We can do that" Troy said.
Troy put Natalie down and she walked over to her mother and hugged her leg. Gabriella looked down and smiled. She carefully lifted Natalie up and hugged her daughter.
"I love you baby" Gabriella said.
Gabriella put Natalie down.
"Go play Nat" Troy said.
Natalie left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.
"It's going to be hard to deal with this" Gabriella said.
"I know it is honey. You are not going through it alone. You have me, Nat, and our families by your side" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled and leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
"Why don't I call my parents and let them take Nat for the night?" Troy suggested.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
"Alright, I am going to call them" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek and walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs. Gabriella put her hand on her little bump and smiled.
"You are going to be alright honey" Gabriella said.
A couple minutes later, Troy walked into the bedroom.
"Nat is all set. My dad is going to come pick her up in an hour" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy looked at his wife and smiled. He kissed her head softly. An hour later, the doorbell rang. Troy walked downstairs and went to the front door and opened it. He smiled when he saw his father.
"Thank you for picking her up" Troy said.
"No problem. What is going on?" Jack asked.
"We found out the baby has a disease and it tore Gabriella apart" Troy said running his hands through his hair.
"I'm sorry to hear that. We will keep Nat for as long as you both want" Jack said.
Troy nodded.
"How are you doing with all of this?" Jack asked.
"I'm stressed out. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix any of this" Troy said.
"Troy, listen to me. All you can do is take everything day by day and be there for Gabi when she needs you. That's all you can do. It may not seem like Gabi wants you around while she's dealing with this, but she needs you more than ever. You need to get through this with each other" Jack said.
Troy nodded and hugged his father tightly. Jack rubbed Troy's back.
"Everything will be fine. Now, where's my granddaughter?" Jack asked.
"She's in the kitchen" Troy said.
Troy and Jack walked into the kitchen.
"Hey big girl" Jack said.
Natalie turned around and smiled.
"Grandpa!" Natalie yelled as she ran into her grandfather's arms.
Jack caught Natalie in his arms and kissed her cheek.
"Nat, you are going to spend the night at grandpa and grandma's okay? I will see you tomorrow" Troy said.
"Okay" Natalie said.
"Can I have a kiss?" Troy asked.
Natalie leaned over in her grandfather's arms and kissed Troy's lips.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too daddy" Natalie said.
"Be good for grandpa and grandma" Troy said.
"Let me know if you want us to keep her" Jack said.
"I will. Thanks dad" Troy said.
"No problem" Jack said.
Jack and Natalie left the house. Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom.
"How are you doing?" Troy asked.
"Hold me please" Gabriella said quietly.
Troy lied down on the bed next to Gabriella. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her head.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
"My dad picked Nat up. We have the whole house to ourselves" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"What are we going to do Troy?" Gabriella asked.
"Baby, we need to take everything as it comes. I know that it might not be easy to do, but that's the only way we are going to get through this" Troy said.
Gabriella sighed and put her hand on her stomach.
"When is your next doctor's appointment?" Troy asked.
"Tomorrow" Gabriella said.
"Okay, we just need to be positive" Troy said.
Gabriella got off the bed and stood next to it.
"How can I be positive Troy? Our child has a disease that could be life threatening! I can't just go on with my life and not think of things that could happen" Gabriella said as her voice rose.
Troy knew that he had to let Gabriella yell and scream so that she could deal with everything. He sighed and looked at his wife.
"Babe, I know you can't, but stressing yourself out over this isn't going to solve anything" Troy said calmly.
"You don't understand because you are not a mother who has to carry a baby that has something wrong with it" Gabriella said angrily.
That hurt Troy. Troy closed his eyes and sighed. He opened his eyes again and looked at Gabriella.
"I may not be a mother or the person that is carrying our child, but I am stressed out too. You don't think it hurts me too Gabriella?" Troy asked.
Troy left the bedroom and walked downstairs. He went into the kitchen and walked out to the backyard. Troy picked up a basketball that was sitting next to the garage. He bounced the ball in front of him and threw it into the hoop that was hanging on the garage. Troy knew that he and Gabriella would solve their argument. He dropped the basketball and walked into the house. Troy picked up his keys and left the house. He got into his car and drove to his parents house. Troy got out of the car and walked to the door. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. Lucille opened the door and smiled.
"Troy? I thought you were going to pick Nat up tomorrow" Lucille said.
"Gabriella and I had a fight" Troy said.
"About what?" Lucille asked.
"The baby" Troy said.
"Troy, you both are upset and all of your stress was built up and you exploded. It's nobody's fault. What you are going through is really hard" Lucille said.
Troy nodded.
"How's my baby?" Troy asked.
Lucille smiled.
"She's fine. She is watching cartoons in the living room with your dad" Lucille said.
"I want to go say hi" Troy said.
"Alright" Lucille said.
Troy and Lucille walked into the house. Troy walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Natalie. Natalie looked over at Troy and smiled. She jumped into her father's arms.
"Hi honey" Troy said.
"Daddy!" Natalie said happily.
"What are you and grandpa doing?" Troy asked his daughter.
"TV" Natalie said simply.
Troy kissed Natalie's cheek softly.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you daddy" Natalie said.
The phone rang and Lucille picked it up.
"Hello?" Lucille answered.
"Hi Lucille, it's Gabriella. Is Troy at your house?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah Gabi, he's here. What happened between you guys?" Lucille asked.
"We had a fight about the baby. All of the stress that we both had just exploded on each other. I feel awful for yelling at Troy. He was only trying to help and I just yelled" Gabriella said.
"Gabi, you both are going through a difficult time. It's normal to be upset" Lucille said.
"I know, but I never wanted to yell at him" Gabriella said.
"I know you didn't. Do you want to talk to him?" Lucille asked.
"Yes please" Gabriella said.
"Alright" Lucille said.
Lucille walked over to Troy and handed him the phone.
"It's Gabi" Lucille said.
Troy nodded. He put the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" Troy answered.
"Hi. I'm sorry for going off on you like that. I know you were only trying to help" Gabriella said.
"Brie, I want us to be able to cope with this together. I may not understand what it's like to be carrying a baby, but I do know that I am just as scared of what is going to happen in the future with this baby as you are" Troy said.
"Okay. I know you are scared too Troy. I'm sorry" Gabriella said.
"I accept your apology. I will be home in a little while okay?" Troy said.
"Okay, I love you" Gabriella said.
"I love you too" Troy said.
Troy hung up the phone and sighed. He got up and walked into the kitchen where his mother was.
"So what did she say?" Lucille asked.
"She apologized" Troy said.
"Did you accept it?" Lucille asked.
"Of course" Troy said.
"Good. You both need to take each problem you have and solve it step by step honey" Lucille said.
Troy nodded and hugged his mother.
"I am going to go home. I am going to leave Nat here, like we planned and I will pick her up tomorrow" Troy said.
"Okay" Lucille said.
Troy walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room.
"Nat, I'm going to go home okay? Be good for grandma and grandpa" Troy said as he kissed Natalie's head.
"Okay daddy" Natalie said.
Troy left his parent's house and drove home. He walked into the house and went into the kitchen where Gabriella was making a snack for herself. Gabriella turned and dropped what she was doing when she saw Troy. She ran into his arms.
"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.
"Hey, it's okay babe. This situation is something we need to work on together. I'm sorry too" Troy said.
Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.
"I love you" Gabriella said.
"I love you too baby girl" Troy said.
Troy kneeled down and put his hand on Gabriella's small bump.
"I love you too baby" Troy said as he kissed Gabriella's bump.
Gabriella smiled.
"How's Nat?" Gabriella asked.
"She's fine. She was sitting on the couch and watching TV when I got there" Troy said.
"Oh okay" Gabriella said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.
"Come on, I will run you a bath" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. The couple walked upstairs and went into their bathroom. Troy turned on the water and waited for the tub to fill up. He then turned off the water once it was filled and put some of Gabriella's favorite soap into the water. Gabriella took her shirt off and Troy smiled.
"Your bump actually looks bigger without a shirt" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled.
"Yeah it does" Gabriella said.
Gabriella removed the rest of her clothing and got into the tub. She closed her eyes.
"How does that feel?" Troy asked.
"Perfect. Thank you baby" Gabriella said.
"No problem" Troy said as he kissed Gabriella's lips.
Troy left the bathroom and walked downstairs. He went into the kitchen and started pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator. Troy started cooking dinner for Gabriella. He didn't want her to worry about anything. Fifteen minutes later, Troy put the chicken that he had made on two plates. He then walked upstairs and saw Gabriella walking towards the door.
"How was your bath?" Troy asked as he kissed Gabriella's lips.
"It was relaxing" Gabriella said.
"Dinner is ready" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
Troy took Gabriella's hand and the couple walked downstairs and went into the kitchen. The couple sat down and started eating.
"When is your appointment tomorrow?" Troy asked.
"At ten. When are we going to pick up Nat?" Gabriella asked.
"We could pick her up before we go to Dr. Green's if you want" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
"Is the baby moving around?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded as she ate her food. Troy knew Gabriella was worried about the baby.
"You know that you can always talk to me if you need to right?" Troy asked.
"Yeah I know. I'm just kind of in my own little world right now" Gabriella said.
Troy reached across the table and took Gabriella's hand in his.
"Don't shut me out please" Troy said.
"I'm not going to" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded. The couple finished eating and brought their dishes into the kitchen. Troy kissed Gabriella's shoulder as she washed her dish in the sink. Gabriella put her dish away and turned around and looked at her husband. Troy put a stray hair behind Gabriella's ear.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.
"I think I am going to go to bed" Gabriella said.
"Are you feeling okay honey?" Troy asked.
"Yeah, I'm just tired" Gabriella said.
"Okay. Good night" Troy said.
"Night" Gabriella said.
Gabriella walked upstairs. She went into the master bedroom and changed into her pajamas. Gabriella then walked over to the bed and got under the covers and fell asleep. An hour later, Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom. He smiled when he saw his wife sleeping. Troy took his shirt off and got into bed. He placed a kiss on Gabriella's forehead and fell asleep. The next morning, Gabriella woke up feeling nauseous. She ran to the bathroom and sat in front of the toilet and released the contents of her stomach. Troy heard movement in the bathroom and opened his eyes. He got up and ran to the bathroom. Troy kneeled down next to Gabriella and rubbed her back soothingly as she threw up. After Gabriella had finished, she stood up carefully. She walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. Troy got up and leaned against the doorframe.
"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.
"Lousy" Gabriella said simply.
"Maybe seeing the baby will make you feel better" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"We have to go get Nat first" Gabriella said.
"I know" Troy said.
The couple got ready for the day and walked downstairs.
"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Gabriella said as she put her hand on her expanding stomach.
"Okay" Troy said.
Troy and Gabriella left the house and drove to the Bolton home and parked the car. The couple got out of the car and walked to the front door. Troy rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door. Lucille opened the door and smiled.
"Hi guys" Lucille said.
"How was Nat?" Gabriella asked.
"She was perfect as always. How are you two?" Lucille asked.
"We are fine. Just trying to cope with everything" Troy said looking at Gabriella.
" What you guys are going through is something that is very difficult. You both are doing great so far" Lucille said.
Gabriella smiled and entwined her fingers with Troy's.
"Thanks mom. Where is Nat?" Troy asked.
"She's watching cartoons" Lucille said.
Troy and Gabriella walked into the living room and smiled. Gabriella sat next to her daughter and kissed her head. Natalie looked at Gabriella and smiled.
"Mommy!" Natalie said happily.
Natalie jumped into her mother's arms.
"Hi baby. Did you have fun with grandma and grandpa?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah, I colored" Natalie said.
"What did you color honey?" Gabriella asked.
Lucille handed Gabriella a piece of paper. Gabriella looked at the paper and saw the drawing that her daughter had made.
"It's beautiful, Nat" Troy said as he looked at the picture.
"Who are the people?" Gabriella asked.
"You, daddy, the baby, and me" Natalie said as she pointed to each person.
"I love it sweetie" Gabriella said as she kissed Natalie's head.
"We need to go babe or we will be late for your appointment" Troy said.
"Okay, thank you Lucille for watching Nat" Gabriella said as she hugged her mother-in-law.
"It was no problem" Lucille said.
"Nat, say goodbye to grandma" Troy said.
Lucille kneeled down and Natalie ran into her grandmother's arms.
"I love you Natalie" Lucille said as she kissed her granddaughter's head.
"I love you grandma" Natalie said.
Troy and Gabriella smiled. Troy picked Natalie up and the little family left the house. Troy put Natalie into her car seat and shut the door. He then got into the driver's seat and drove to Dr. Green's office. Troy parked the car and got out. He went to the backseat and helped Natalie get out. Troy then walked to Gabriella's side and took her hand in his. The little family walked into the office. Troy and Natalie sat down while Gabriella signed herself in. Gabriella then walked over to Troy and Natalie and sat down. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's stomach.
"The bump grew today" Troy said.
"Really?" Gabriella asked.
"I think it did" Troy said.
A young woman with dark brown hair and who was probably in her mid thirties came into the waiting room with a file.
"Gabriella Bolton?" the nurse called.
Gabriella, Troy, and Natalie followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. The little family was then escorted to an exam room.
"Gabriella please change into this gown and Dr. Green will be in shortly" the nurse said handing Gabriella a gown.
The nurse left and Gabriella looked at Troy.
"I will take Nat into the hallway. Open the door when you are done" Troy said as he lifted his daughter into his arms.
"Where are we going daddy?" Natalie asked.
"We are just going outside for a minute Nat" Troy said.
Troy walked out of the exam room. Gabriella changed into the gown and opened the door. Troy and Natalie walked back into the room and sat down. Gabriella looked at her husband, who winked at her.
"Has the baby been moving around today?" Troy asked.
"A little bit. My back is killing me" Gabriella said as she rubbed her back soothingly.
"When we get home, I will give you a back rub okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded and looked at Natalie.
"Are you excited to see the baby today Nat?" Gabriella asked.
Natalie's eyes lit up. She nodded and giggled.
"Do you think the baby is a boy or a girl Nat?" Gabriella asked.
"A girl" Natalie said.
Gabriella smiled.
"I hope it is a girl, but I would love a boy too. I don't care, just as long as it is healthy" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Green walked into the room and smiled.
"Hi guys. How is everything going Gabi?" Dr. Green asked.
"Everything is fine right now. I'm just a little stressed out" Gabriella said truthfully.
Dr. Green smiled.
"Why are you stressed out? That's not good for the baby" Dr. Green said as she washed her hands.
"I'm just stressed about the baby having hydrocephalus and what could happen in the future. I guess I am just scared" Gabriella said.
Dr. Green sat down on a chair and looked at Gabriella.
"I know you are scared. But, you can't get yourself stressed out about this, Gabi. It's not good for the baby or you" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella nodded and put her hand on her bump.
"I just don't want anything to happen to the baby" Gabriella said as her eyes filled with tears.
Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and kissed it softly.
"I know you don't. I don't want anything to happen either. I am going to try my best to give you a healthy baby okay?" Dr. Green said.
"Okay" Gabriella said sniffling.
"Alright, let's see how the baby is doing today" Dr. Green said as she turned on the ultrasound.
Gabriella lied down on the bed. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.
"I love you baby" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
Dr. Green raised Gabriella's shirt above her bump. She then picked up a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. Dr. Green then took a wand and moved the gel around. She looked at the screen.
"There's your baby guys" Dr. Green said as she pointed to the screen.
Troy and Gabriella looked at the screen. Gabriella had tears running down her face.
"How is the baby looking today?" Troy asked.
Dr. Green moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach and stopped.
"The baby looks good. He or she is growing. Would you like to know the sex?" Dr. Green asked.
Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy smiled.
"It's up to you babe" Troy said.
Gabriella turned to Dr. Green and nodded. Dr. Green moved the wand across Gabriella's stomach and looked at the screen.
"You are having a girl" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella smiled tearfully. Fresh tears ran down her face. She looked at the screen and couldn't believe that she was having a girl. Troy smiled and kissed his wife's cheek.
"Are you happy baby?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"Congratulations" Dr. Green said.
"Thank you" Gabriella said.
"I just need to examine you and you can leave" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella nodded as she spread her legs apart. Dr. Green sat at the foot of the bed.
"Take a deep breath for me Gabi" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Dr. Green examined Gabriella and then threw her gloves away.
"Everything looks fine. You are twelve weeks right?" Dr. Green asked.
"Yes" Gabriella said.
"Alright, I will see you in a month and hopefully not sooner. Take care of yourself okay?" Dr. Green said.
"I will make sure that she does" Troy said.
Dr. Green left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy smiled.
"I'm going to take Nat into the hallway so you can change. Come out when you are done" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy and Natalie left the room. Gabriella changed back into her clothes. She then walked out of the room. The Bolton family left Dr. Green's office and drove home. They hoped that everything would be okay.