That night, Troy walked into the master bedroom and sat on the bed next to Gabriella. He looked at his wife's face and could see that she was in deep thought. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly and took her hand in his.
"What are you thinking about? You look like you are in deep thought" Troy said as he put his hand on Gabriella's stomach.
"I'm just thinking" Gabriella said.
"Baby, you know that you can tell me if something is bothering you right?" Troy said looking at his wife.
Gabriella smiled and nodded. She put her hand on Troy's face and kissed his lips softly.
"I'm thinking about the baby. We are going to have two girls" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"Yeah we are. Are you happy?" Troy asked.
"I'm happy and scared" Gabriella said.
"Brie, we just need to take everything as it comes okay? She may be completely fine when she is born. We need to stay positive okay? I hate seeing you so upset. I feel so helpless" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled and kissed her husband's lips.
"You are not helpless. You are the one person that has stood by my side through all of this. Just being here with me makes me feel so much better Troy. You give me the strength I need to get through this" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.
"I love you very much and would never be able to go through this without you" Gabriella said.
"I love you too honey. I would never let you go through this alone. You are my wife, who is carrying my unborn child. I'm always going to be by your side, no matter what. You are stuck with me" Troy said.
Gabriella giggled.
"There's the smile I love. We are going to be okay baby. Don't worry" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Do you think Natalie is happy?" Gabriella asked.
Troy looked at Gabriella.
"About having a baby sister?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Gabriella said.
"I think she is happy. She didn't say anything when I put her to bed" Troy said.
"I don't want her to feel like we are leaving her out" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head. Gabriella was always worried about everyone before herself.
"Baby, she's fine. She doesn't feel like she is being left out" Troy said.
"How do you know?" Gabriella asked.
"She would have said something to one of us. She would tell us if something was bothering her" Troy said.
Gabriella shrugged.
"You are worrying too much. Everything is fine okay? If you want me to talk to her tomorrow I will" Troy said.
"Talk to her tomorrow" Gabriella said.
"Okay" Troy said.
Gabriella yawned.
"Go to sleep sweetheart" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Good night. I love you" Gabriella said as she kissed Troy's lips.
"Good night honey. I love you too" Troy said.
The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was sleeping. He smiled and kissed her head softly and got out of bed. Troy walked down the hall to Natalie's room and saw her open her eyes.
"Hi bug, how did you sleep?" Troy asked.
"Daddy" Natalie said as she held her arms up, signaling that she wanted to be carried.
Troy picked Natalie up and set her on his hip. He kissed her head softly.
"Do you want to go on a walk after breakfast sweetie?" Troy asked.
Natalie nodded.
"Alright, come on. Let's get you dressed and ready to go" Troy said.
Troy put Natalie down and picked out her clothes for the day. He changed his daughter quickly. The father daughter duo then went downstairs and went into the kitchen. Troy walked over to the refrigerator and took a box of berries out. He washed them and put them into a bowl. Troy then set the bowl in front of Natalie. Natalie ate her fruit and looked at her father.
"Where is mommy?" Natalie asked.
"Mommy is upstairs sleeping. The baby is making her tired" Troy said.
"Oh" Natalie said.
Natalie finished her fruit and pushed her bowl to the side. Troy took the empty bowl and brought it to the sink. He washed the bowl and placed it into the dishwasher.
"Alright, let me go tell mommy that we are leaving" Troy said.
Troy walked upstairs and saw Gabriella getting out of bed. He walked over to her and kissed her lips.
"Nat and I are going to go on a walk. We will be back in a little while" Troy said as he put his hand on Gabriella's bump.
"Okay, let me know how it goes" Gabriella said.
"I will" Troy said.
Troy left the bedroom and walked downstairs. He looked at his daughter and smiled.
"Ready?" Troy asked.
Natalie nodded. Troy took his daughter's hand and the duo left the house. Troy and Natalie started walking down the street.
"Nat, you know that mommy and I love you very much right?" Troy said.
Natalie nodded. Troy stopped walking and kneeled down in front of his daughter.
"Tell me the truth sweetheart. Are you sad that we are having another baby?" Troy asked.
Natalie sighed.
"You know that you can tell me anything Nat. I won't be upset" Troy said.
Natalie looked at her father.
"You and mommy will forget about me" Natalie said.
"Baby, that's not true. We love you so much Nat. We will never forget about you" Troy said.
Natalie looked at her father and hugged him.
"I love you so much Natalie. Even when the baby comes, you will still be my best buddy" Troy said.
"I love you daddy" Natalie said.
Troy smiled and kissed Natalie's head softly. He pulled back and looked at his daughter.
"Come on, let's go home" Troy said.
Natalie and Troy walked back to the house. Troy opened the front door and watched Natalie walk into the house. Troy closed the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. He saw Gabriella cutting some vegetables and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"How was your talk?" Gabriella asked.
"It was fine. She told me the answers to all of my questions" Troy said as he kissed Gabriella's shoulder.
"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.
"She thinks that we are going to forget about her when the baby comes" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.
"Baby, don't cry" Troy said.
Gabriella stopped what she was doing and wrapped her arms around Troy.
"I feel horrible" Gabriella said.
"Baby, it's a phase. She will be fine, I promise" Troy said.
"So she isn't happy that the baby is coming?" Gabriella asked.
"She didn't say that. I think she is happy baby. She is three, you can't expect a three year old to tell you how she really feels about something" Troy said.
"It upsets me though" Gabriella said.
"I know, but you can't do anything about it honey. All we can do is wait and see what happens. She will be fine" Troy said.
Gabriella sighed and put her hand on her bump.
"I don't want her to feel left out, that's all especially when the baby has a problem" Gabriella said.
"I know you don't. She will be fine Brie. I promise" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy put his finger under Gabriella's chin. He brought her face up to his and kissed her lips.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
"Mommy" Natalie said as she came into the kitchen.
Gabriella looked at her daughter and smiled.
"Yes honey?" Gabriella asked.
"Can I have juice?" Natalie asked.
"Yeah, but not a lot. I'm making dinner" Gabriella said as she opened a cabinet and took one of Natalie's sippy cups out.
Gabriella walked to the refrigerator and took a bottle of apple juice out and poured it into Natalie's sippy cup. She then handed her daughter the cup and watched her drink it.
"Did you have fun on your walk with daddy?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah" Natalie said.
Troy smiled. Gabriella made dinner and put everything on plates and brought it to the table. The little family ate together and talked about the baby. Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Troy noticed this and looked at Gabriella concerned.
"Are you feeling okay?" Troy asked.
"I have a headache and I am really tired" Gabriella said.
"Maybe you should just relax tonight. I will do everything" Troy said.
"No Troy" Gabriella said.
"Gabriella, please. Let me take care of everything" Troy said.
"What's wrong mommy?" Natalie asked innocently.
Gabriella looked at Natalie and smiled.
"Nothing baby. I'm fine" Gabriella said.
The little family finished dinner. Troy took Natalie upstairs and gave her a bath and put her to bed. He walked downstairs and went into the kitchen and saw Gabriella holding onto the counter with her eyes closed.
"Baby, are you okay?" Troy asked.
"My head hurts" Gabriella said.
Troy rubbed his wife's back soothingly.
"Come on honey, let's get you to bed" Troy said.
Troy helped Gabriella walk upstairs and get into bed. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.
"How's your head feeling now?" Troy asked.
"It still hurts" Gabriella said as she put her hand on her bump.
"If your head isn't feeling better tomorrow, I am going to take you to Dr. Green" Troy said.
"I'm fine, Troy. It's just a headache" Gabriella said.
"It may be just a headache Gabriella but I just want to make sure everything is okay. We don't know if hydrocephalus can affect you too" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"I'm just looking out for you honey, that's all" Troy said..
Gabriella put her hand on Troy's face and smiled.
"I know, thanks" Gabriella said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.
"I love you. Get some sleep okay?" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
Gabriella fell asleep. The next morning, Gabriella got out of bed and felt dizzy. She held onto the bed frame and tried to regain her balance.
"Troy?" Gabriella called.
Troy came into the room and looked at Gabriella.
"What's wrong honey?" Troy asked.
"I'm really dizzy" Gabriella said.
"Alright, I am going to take you to see Dr. Green today" Troy said.
Gabriella started crying.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Troy asked.
" The baby is making this happen" Gabriella cried.
"Brie, we just need to get you checked out" Troy said.
"This is a big mess" Gabriella said.
"We are going to figure everything out okay? I called my mom already and she agreed to watch Nat" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy wiped Gabriella's tears away and kissed her cheek.
"Do you need anything?" Troy asked.
"No" Gabriella said.
"Okay, I will be downstairs" Troy said.
Troy left the room. Gabriella changed her clothes and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where she was met with Lucille Bolton.
"Hi sweetie, Troy told me you aren't feeling well" Lucille said.
"Yeah, I just have a headache and I'm a little dizzy" Gabriella said.
"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked his wife.
Gabriella nodded.
"Alright. We will be back soon" Troy said.
The couple left the house and got into the car. Troy drove to Dr. Green's office and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the office. Troy signed Gabriella in and sat next to her. He took her hand in his.
"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.
"My head hurts" Gabriella said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's hand softly. A couple minutes later, a young woman with long blonde hair and who was probably in her early thirties came into the waiting room with a clipboard.
"Gabriella Bolton?" the nurse called.
Gabriella and Troy stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. The couple was then escorted into an exam room.
"Gabriella, please change into this gown and Dr. Green will be in shortly" the nurse said.
The nurse left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.
"Does your head still hurt?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. She changed into the gown and sat down on the bed.
"There may be nothing wrong but I just want to make sure" Troy said.
"I know" Gabriella said.
There was a knock on the door and Dr. Green came into the room and smiled.
"What's going on guys? You were supposed to come in a couple weeks" Dr. Green said.
Troy looked at Gabriella and then looked at Dr. Green.
"Last night, Gabriella had a really bad headache and she got a little dizzy. She woke up this morning with the same thing. I wanted her to come in and get checked out, just to make sure" Troy said.
Dr. Green smiled.
"One thing that I forgot to mention when I had found that the baby had hydrocephalus is that because the baby has it, then Gabriella will also have it until the baby is born. The symptoms include headaches and dizziness. Once the baby is born, the symptoms that Gabriella is having will go away" Dr. Green explained.
Troy looked at Gabriella.
"So what is the plan? What do we do?" Gabriella asked.
"I am going to put you on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. You did nothing wrong Gabriella. Don't think that you did. I just want to monitor everything better and see how things are going and the best option for that is to put you on bed rest" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella felt tears run down her cheeks. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.
"The only time you can get up is to go to the bathroom. I need you to stay off your feet as much as possible" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella sniffled.
"I know this is hard for you Gabriella, especially when all of this extra stuff is happening. But I would never want to put you or your baby in danger" Dr. Green said.
Gabriella nodded.
"I know" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.
"I'm also terribly sorry that I didn't mention that earlier" Dr. Green said.
"It's not your fault, Dr. Green" Troy said.
"I want to see you back here in two weeks okay?" Dr. Green said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
"Take care of yourself" Dr. Green said.
Dr. Green left the room. Troy looked at his wife and felt horrible.
"Baby, don't be mad" Troy said.
Gabriella sighed and looked at Troy.
"I'm not mad. I'm frustrated" Gabriella said.
Troy took a deep breath. He stood up and kissed Gabriella's lips.
"We just need to get through this okay? Everything will be fine" Troy said.
"Why does this pregnancy have to be so difficult? Why can't it have been like when I was pregnant with Nat?" Gabriella asked.
"I don't know babe. I really don't. I wish I could tell you why all of this stuff is happening" Troy said.
"Let's just go home" Gabriella said.
"Alright" Troy said.
Gabriella changed back into her clothes. The couple left Dr. Green's office and drove home. Troy opened the door and saw his mother look at him.
"What happened?" Lucille asked.
"She needs to be on bed rest until the baby is born" Troy said.
"Did the doctor say what happened?" Lucille asked.
"She said that because the baby has hydrocephalus, Gabriella will also have it. That is why her head hurts and why she is dizzy" Troy said.
Gabriella walked into the house. Troy and Lucille looked at Gabriella.
"How are you feeling honey?" Lucille asked.
"Upset" Gabriella said simply.
Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. She got into bed and sat there. Meanwhile, Lucille looked at Troy downstairs.
"She's really upset mom" Troy said.
"I know she is. All you can do is tell her that everything is going to be okay and that you and Natalie love her" Lucille said.
"This pregnancy has just been really difficult" Troy said.
"I know it has been Troy. But you have to put your feelings aside and be there for Gabi" Lucille said.
Troy nodded.
"Thank you for watching Nat" Troy said.
"You are welcome. I love you" Lucille said.
"I love you too" Troy said.
Lucille left the house. Troy walked upstairs and went into Natalie's room and saw her sleeping. He left the room and walked into the master bedroom.
"How are you feeling baby?" Troy asked.
"Fine" Gabriella said folding her hands on her bump.
Troy sat on the edge of bed and looked at his wife.
"Babe, I know you are upset but Dr. Green wants you and the baby to be safe" Troy said.
"I know that. It just sucks that all these problems are happening" Gabriella said.
"We are going to get through this together okay? You just need to stay in bed and not stress about anything. Let me take care of everything" Troy said.
Gabriella sighed.
"What are you going to tell Nat?" Gabriella asked.
"I will tell her that you have to stay in bed for a while. I won't go into detail with her" Troy said.
"Okay. Is she taking a nap?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah, she's asleep" Troy said as he put his hand on Gabriella's bump.
Gabriella nodded.
"Do you want me to bring some movies up here?" Troy asked.
"No, I just want to sit here" Gabriella said.
"Brie, it's not your fault honey" Troy said.
"Then why does it feel like it is?" Gabriella asked tearfully.
"Hey, listen to me. You did nothing wrong. Dr. Green said that also. It just comes with hydrocephalus Gabriella" Troy said.
Troy wiped Gabriella's tears away and kissed her forehead.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
"When Nat wakes up, I will tell her what's going on and bring her in here" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
"Alright, let me know if you need anything" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy left the room and walked downstairs. An hour later, Natalie walked downstairs and went into the living room where Troy was sitting. She climbed onto the couch and snuggled into her father's side.
"Did you have a good nap?" Troy asked.
Natalie nodded.
"Where's mommy?" Natalie asked.
"Mommy is upstairs. Mommy's doctor wants her to rest until the baby comes. She needs to stay in bed for a while" Troy explained to his daughter.
"When can she come downstairs?" Natalie asked.
"She can come downstairs after the baby is born" Troy said.
"We can't play anymore" Natalie said.
Troy looked at Natalie and smiled.
"Baby, you can still play with her. She just needs to stay in bed when you do" Troy said.
"Oh" Natalie said.
"Do you want to go upstairs and see her?" Troy asked.
Natalie nodded.
"Alright, let's go" Troy said.
Troy got off the couch and lifted Natalie into his arms. Troy and Natalie walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. Gabriella looked at Natalie and smiled. Troy placed Natalie on the bed and watched her crawl over to Gabriella.
"Hi sweetie" Gabriella said.
"Hi" Natalie said.
"Did you tell her?" Gabriella asked looking at Troy.
"Yeah I told her" Troy said.
"Baby, mommy has to stay in bed for a while" Gabriella said.
Natalie leaned her head against Gabriella's shoulder. The little family talked about the baby the rest of the day and tried to cope with Gabriella being on bed rest. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was four and a half months pregnant. Her bump had grown a lot in the last couple of weeks. Troy had been doing everything for Gabriella, including taking care of Natalie. One day, the doorbell rang. Troy walked to the front door and opened it and smiled when he saw Chad.
"Hey, how's it going?" Chad asked shaking Troy's hand.
"I'm kind of stressed out" Troy said.
"Why?" Chad asked.
"Now that Gabriella is on bed rest, I have to take care of her, Natalie, and everything else by myself" Troy said.
"Do you want me to do anything?" Chad asked.
"No, but thanks. I just have my hands full" Troy said.
"Let me take Nat off your hands for the night. It will give you some time to relax" Chad suggested.
"I don't want to make you feel obligated. I'm her father and she's my responsibility" Troy said.
"I know that and I am not obligated. I just don't want my niece's father to go crazy when he could easily eliminate one of the stress factors for a night" Chad said.
Troy sighed and looked at Chad.
"Alright, you win" Troy said.
Chad smiled.
"Don't worry Troy, I will take care of her" Chad said.
Troy nodded.
"I am going to upstairs and tell Gabriella and get Nat ready" Troy said.
"Okay" Chad said.
Troy walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom.
"Babe, Chad wants to take Nat for the night" Troy said.
"Why?" Gabriella asked as she sat up in bed.
"He wants us to relax" Troy said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
Troy left the bedroom and walked into Natalie's room.
"Nat, Uncle Chad is here. He is going to take you to his house for the night okay?" Troy said.
"Why?" Natalie asked.
"He wants to spend some time with you. He hasn't seen you in a while" Troy said.
"Oh" Natalie said.
Troy packed some clothes for Natalie.
"Alright, let's go downstairs" Troy said.
Natalie and Troy walked downstairs. Natalie ran into Chad's arms.
"Hey pretty girl. How's it going?" Chad asked as he set Natalie on his hip.
"Good" Natalie said.
Troy smiled.
"Nat, I will see you tomorrow okay? I love you" Troy said as he kissed Natalie's cheek.
"I love you daddy" Natalie said.
"Thanks again man" Troy said shaking Chad's hand.
"No problem" Chad said.
Chad and Natalie left the house. Troy walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. The couple spent some much needed quality time together. They were glad that they had each other to lean on during this difficult time.