72Neither Troy nor Gabriella could believe the media buzz over Sharpay's miscarriage. Some magazines were betraying her as the victim while others were saying that Troy and Gabriella were meant to be together. "They're the new Brangelina," one magazine said. Not that Gabriella liked being compared to Angelina. She was a good actress and all, but in that whole mess, Gabriella had always sided with Jennifer Aniston.
But Troy and Gabriella knew the truth about her miscarriage. Part of her felt sorry for Sharpay, besides, she had lied to Troy for ten years herself. Not actively, but keeping Tori from him was one big lie. That wasn't why she felt sorry for Sharpay though. She knew what it was like to be in love with Troy and not to be with him. She knew what it was like to be pregnant with his child and lose it. She understood, but that didn't mean that made things better.
Because Sharpay had to take time to recover, filming was put on hold. Troy was glad, because the next few games he had were home games and they could spend some time alone together. Gabriella was just plain tired lately. She wasn't getting her rest, no matter how hard she tried. She didn't know why other than the nightmares she kept having.
It was early, but she'd slept a lot since we got back from Hawaii. Not only was she recovering from a head wound, one couldn't plainly remember how she had gotten it, but she couldn't help but feel there was another reason she wasn't resting well. She just felt exhausted, from her head to her toes. As for her head, she remembered pretty much everything, or at least she believed she did. Tori seemed excited Gabriella was home, and Gabriella was doing her best to be the best mother she could be for her. Gabriella loved her. She knew she always had, despite leaving her with her aunt Esme.
Gabriella tossed on the couch in her sleep, dreaming of what happened that night she left Troy. She dreamed about it a lot. Leaving the house. Walking into the city... A gun and then-
"Nooooo!" she screamed, bolting upright on the couch.
That was all she ever remembered. She always woke up at that point, screaming. Troy sat up quickly, his breathing heavy as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Shh, beautiful. It's just me... shh..." He kissed her head. "You're okay. You're safe... you're with me and our daughter's asleep in her room... shhh." He hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead. "Shh, it's okay." She woke him up a lot with her fear. It killed him that he couldn't fix it. That he couldn't fix what had happened. "I love you..."
Gabriella looked around the room, trying to focus on something. The movie they had been watching was done playing. She don't know how long it had been on the menu screen, but they were still laying on the couch. He must have fallen asleep as well, because Gabriella could tell she had scared him when she had screamed out. She had scared herself. Inhaling deeply, she relaxed back into his arms, her eyes closing tightly, and doing her best to relax.
"I'm sorry," she swallowed, her own breathing heavy, even if she was trying to relax. "I'm ok. I am."
She held on to him tightly, not wanting him to let me go. She knew he wouldn't, and she knew what he was telling her was true, but it always take her forever to calm down after that nightmare.
"Don't be sorry," Troy murmured against her hair as he smoothed a hand down her back. "You're fine. You have no reason to be sorry." He leaned her head back just a smidge and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Was it... a dream about that night again?"
Gabriella barely nodded, but at least she was calming down now, thankful to have Troy's arms around her.
"Yes," she barely whispered. "I can't get past it. And it always ends in the same spot. I see the gun and the loud-" she sobbed silently, unable to say gunshot. She could barely think the word, let alone say it.
"It's okay. I'm so sorry I wasn't..." Troy closed his eyes. "It's okay, baby. I love you. And it's over now. You're safe. You'll always be safe with me. Always." He kissed her head. "Maybe we should... go to counseling?" He had said 'we.' It could do both of them some good.
Gabriella closed her eyes, tears seeping silently from under the lids. "As long as it's us," she told him, shaking her head only slightly. "I wouldn't be able to do it alone."
She didn't want to relive it, but she knew if she didn't sooner or later, it was going to bother her forever, and she didn't want it to hurt Troy, but what she was going through was hurting him already. She opened her eyes, looking around again.
"Tori's asleep?" She inhaled deeply, wiping her eyes softly. "Maybe we should go to bed too. Don't need to sleep on the couch." She didn't want to go to sleep, but Troy didn't need to be sleeping on the couch.
"Yeah, she got sleepy during the movie and asked if I'd take her to bed. I didn't want to wake you so I walked her up there. She hasn't been up there long. We can lay here. We don't have to go to bed. We're fine right here. As long as you're comfortable I am." He kissed her lips. "Are you feeling a little better?"
She nodded, relaxing more against him. She didn't want to think anymore about her dream, she just wanted to be with him, and not think about anything. If he wanted to stay here, she was good with that. Besides, she hated sleeping. She was always afraid she'd have the nightmare again.
"Yes. We can stay here. Just keep me awake, please."
"What would you like to do? You hungry? I can whip us up something real fast? And then we can watch another movie?"
Gabriella shook her head. "No. Not another movie. But yes. I'm hungry."
Standing, she grabbed his hand and walked with him to the kitchen. Hopping up on the counter, she tried to act as though she was ok. She knew he knew she wasn't, and she was sure he knew she didn't want to dwell on things. She just wanted to eat.
"What you gonna make me?"
"Hmm, that depends what you in the mood for?" he asked, opening the fridge.
Gabriella thought about it for a moment, crossing one leg over the other, making her nightgown slide up a bit. "Do we have strawberries? And ice cream?"
She smiled. I knew they were cold foods, but they had a warm house, and they had our own body heat, snuggled underneath a blanket. It was what she really wanted.
"Mmm, you always make the best choices."
He opened the fridge, pulling the strawberries and ice cream out before setting them down on the counter next to her, leaning forward to let his lips brush over her bottom lip as he opened the ice cream box. He reached over to get a spoon out of the drawer beside her long legs and dipped it in the ice cream, bringing it up toward her lips.
"Open up." He grinned.
Biting her lip, she smiled brightly at him. "You always treat me like a queen."
She knew she was blushing, but that's what he did to her. He'd always do it to her. Opening up, she took the bite, closing her eyes and savoring the taste.
"Mmmm, soooo good." Opening her eyes, she smiled at him, softly. "Te quiero, babe. Por siempre."
Troy felt his cock lurch at her lips moving against the spoon and her soft moaning but didn't utter a word of it. "Te quiero, bonita."
Picking up a strawberry, he leaned forward to lick a little bit of the ice cream off her bottom lip that had dropped there before holding up the strawberry to her lips. She couldn't help but moan softly. She loved when he did that, food on her lip or not. Taking the bite of the strawberry he offered her, she swallowed, smiling softly at him.
"Mmm, T."
Opening her eyes, she looked at him, uncrossing her legs and sliding over so she could wrap them around him. Picking up a strawberry, she rolled it in the ice cream, letting it get coated in ice cream before holding it up to his lips.
"For you.."
Troy leaned forward, taking a bite, moaning as he swallowed. "Thank you, baby." Shifting, he let her feel his cock as he moved to stand better between her legs.
Gabriella couldn't help but moan herself, feeling his cock at her core. She pushed herself more against him, letting him know she wanted it.
"More?" she asked, playfully.
She didn't want more ice cream. What she wanted was for him to push her back over this counter and make love to her, but if he wanted a little more foreplay, she could do that. Besides, foreplay was really good. She let her finger dip into the ice cream, scooping up some and holding it up to his lips.
"Open?"
Troy let his mouth slide over her finger before tugging her closer, his arm hitting the container full of strawberries off the counter and onto the floor, sending strawberries all over the place. He tugged at her panties quickly, pulling them off before pushing his own down his shorts and boxers. He had to have her. Here and now.
"I want you!" he groaned, sliding her to the edge some and slamming hard into her, groaning in pleasure.
Gabriella smiled, even though he'd surprised her. Yes, she knew he wanted her, but not this badly, not as much as sje wanted him. She gripped at his biceps, moaning out almost breathlessly. They'd both been recovering from the hurricane, and they hadn't been able to be so rash with each other, but they were both feeling up for this, pun definitely intended. It felt so good, so perfect. She couldn't remember the last time it felt so amazing, and every time was indescribable. She couldn't explain it, but it felt like every time was better than the last.
"T! O, T!" she gasped.
They had a little girl upstairs to be quit for, but Troy always made her scream so loud. No one could make her feel the way he does. She slid her hands up his arms and over his shoulders to the back of his neck, up into his hair.
"Oh!"
"Lily," he grunted, lifting her up off the counter and walked over to lay her down on the kitchen table, noticing and loving how thankfully easier it was, because he was still a bit sore. But he didn't have to strain so much in this positon. He could move at a quicker speed, the table making a soft squeak each time he thrust into her. God, he loved and missed the hell out of making love to her like this.
Gabriella gripped at the table, arching her body to him so he could fill her even more. Nothing was like making love to him. Nothing ever. She loved him more than anything and she felt so good every time he touched her. And making love to him was so incredible. She knew it would always be.
"T!" she gasped out. "Si! O, SI! T!"
Troy pounded harder, and felt his balls tighten just before exploding inside her, harder than he could ever imagine. He had needed this, her, so badly, and it felt so good. He kissed her shoulder.
"I love you, Lily. I love you so much," he whispered before kissing her lips.
Gabriella laid with him there, enjoying the feeling of the culmination of their love, her orgasm and him exploding deep inside her and him throbbing inside of her. There was nothing like any of this. Nothing in the world. She kissed him again, her hands lazily, and tiredly, gliding over his back, whispering against his lips.
"Te quiero, T. Te quiero tanto."
She just wanted to lay here with him, no matter how uncomfortable the table was, and enjoy this, but they had a little girl sleeping upstairs and there was no telling if she would wake up because she needed something, or she had heard their lovemaking and come to see what it was. She didn't want to move, not just yet, but she knew they'd have to soon. She kept her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands resting tiredly on his back.
"Don't move yet, please. I want to bask in you. In us." It was cheesy, but she did. More than anything. "But we're gonna have to get up soon. Just in case."
Troy smiled down at her. "Round two in our room?"
Gabriella bit her lip, smiling and nodding her head. "Si."
She giggled as he shifted and stood up, staying inside her as he lifted her off the table and started to head toward the stairs, kissing her lips, her face, her neck, her shoulders, the entire way. Tomorrow they'd call Dr. Hodgins, but for tonight, they wouldn't think about anything but each other and showing the other their love.
They had left Tori with Temperance and Dominick to go see Dr. Hodgins at the hospital. She wasn't a psychiatrist, but she would know the best one to refer them to. When they had called her, she had told them it was her day off, but she was glad they called. She would meet them at the hospital at ten.
Troy and Gabriella showered together, making love there before getting dressed and leaving for the hospital. Gabriella was nervous. She really didn't want to see anybody about this, but she didn't want to continue on this way either. She knew if she wasn't able to get around it, it would cause more problems for her and everyone else down the line.
They took the elevator to the eighth floor, walking down the hall to Dr. Hodgins office. The door was open and she looked up, smiling brightly when she saw them come into the doorway.
"Gabriella!"
She remembered to call her by her given name, not her stage name. Gabriella appreciated that. She barely remembered having met her while she was in the hospital, but a few wires were still crossed, but she did barely remember her.
"Troy." She smiled at both of them. "I'm so glad you're both here."
Dr. Hodgins looked at Gabriella and wondered how she could be hiding the baby so well. She would think she'd want to show it off, but even with what she was wearing right now, it didn't look like she'd have to try hard. If she continued to carry the baby in her back like this, her back was going to be killing her by the third trimester.
Gabriella looked up at Troy and smiled uneasily. She didn't want to get the conversation started, hoping he would. Troy nodded, turning back to Dr. Hodgins.
"I know you said today's your day off, Dr. Hodgins. Do you have time to speak with us?"
She smiled, nodding her head and closing there door. "Of course, I do. Come in. And please do call me Van." She had told them in the hospital, but at the time, she was sure they wouldn't remember. Troy and Gabriella followed her over to her desk and she leaned against it beside them, smiling across the table at them. "How are you feeling, Gabriella? How's your head?"
Gabriella smiled. "It doesn't hurt anymore. I think it's healing really well."
Van took a step closer and looked at her forehead when Gabriella pulled her hair back for her to take a look. Nodding, Van smiled and leaned back against the desk.
"It is looking very good. I'm very pleased."
"Thank you," Gabriella smiled softly up at her.
"How's everything else? Morning sickness gone?"
Van knew from the hCG levels of her bloodwork, she had been a few weeks into her fourth month, so by now, her morning sickness should have been gone a while ago if it wasn't by now. Gabriella's eyes opened wide and Troy almost choked on a breath of air.
"What?" Troy asked when Lily remained silent beside him.
Dr. Lane smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to be telling anyone. You have doctor patient confidentiality, no questions asked."
Troy over at Gabriella confused. She had no clue what the doctor was talking about either. Seeing that they had no idea what was happening here, Van stood, walking over to her filing cabinet. Could they possibly not have any idea what she was talking about? Did Gabriella truly not know she was pregnant. Van wasn't an obstetrician or a gynocologist, but she could read simple bloodwork results, and she knew she hadn't read them incorrectly.
"Your hCG levels in your bloodwork from your stay in the hospital indicated that you were well into your second trimester." The two of them remained silent and he continued. "You're pregnant," she told them, handing them the pages with her bloodwork results.
Troy looked over the papers and he light finally went on inside his head, lighting up his whole face. Letting go of the heavy breath he had been holding, his body completely relaxed. Lily herself couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Sec... second trimester?"
Van nodded. "Yes, you're going to have a baby. In less twenty weeks, actually. Congratulations."
Gabriella slowly turned her head up to look at Troy. His face was bright. She was still processing this, but he seemed to have taken it and was happier than she could ever remember seeing him.
"We're going to have a baby, Lily!"
Without another word, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Pulling back, Gabriella blinked up at him, inhaling slowly.
"We're pregnant, baby! We're having a baby!"
Gabriella still couldn't believe it. Had Van really said she was pregnant. If she had less than weeks to go, that meant she was more than halfway through the pregnancy, she had to be in her fifth month. How could she have not known? She hadn't expected it to happen so easily, and yet it seemed to have happened almost immediately after she went off her birth control.
Slowly, she smiled, releasing air she hadn't even known she had been holding. When Troy finally saw the smile cross her face, he pulled her closer to him, kissing her one more time, breathing her into him. Pulling back, his smile remained on his face and she did her best to keep her smile there.
"I can't believe this, Lily! I love you!"
Swallowing, she whispered, "I love you, T," before pulling his lips back to hers.
It was easier to stay silent and not let him know how scared she was. She didn't want to ruin his moment.
"Hay que pensar seriamente en volver a New Mexico, Gabriella!"
Gabriella's Aunt Esmeralda stood from her seat where she had been sitting beside her in the doctor's office after he had left the room. Gabriella had just been told she was pregnant. It had been almost three months since she had left Albuquerque and Troy and all her friends behind. She had been sick for so long and Esme was barely able to convince her to go to the doctor.
Gabriella hadn't wanted to go. She didn't care she was sick. She missed Troy, but she wasn't going back. She had ruined him and she couldn't go back now. She had already hurt him too much and the pain she was going through was her fault. Her finding out she was pregnant was her fault too. She had slept with Troy that day before leaving Albuquerque, and now it was her punishment. God was punishing her for everything she'd ever done to Troy.
"No, Titi. I can't! I won't! I ruined his life. There's no way I can go back there and tell him I'm pregnant. We can't be together. I ruined him and we can never be together again."
But that didn't mean that she didn't still love him. She knew she would always love him. That didn't matter though. Nothing mattered but all she had done to ruin his life and she couldn't go back. Not now. Not ever.
"Tiene que decirle!"
Esme continued speaking in Spanish. It wasn't as though she didn't know English, she knew English as well as she knew Spanish, but when she was angry or frustrated or feeling any other extreme emotion, Spanish came out more easily, just like Gabriella.
"No, Titi! I can't. And I can't be a mother."
Esmeralda scoffed. "Que es un poco tarde para eso, Gabriella!"
Gabriella closed her eyes, turning her head away from Esmeralda. But then it hit her. Turning her head back to Esmeralda, she pleaded with her aunt.
"You have to take the baby for me, Esme!"
Esmeralda shook her head, planting her hands on her hips. "No lo sé, Gabriella. No lo sé."
Gabriella sat up more, reaching out and grabbing her aunt's hands, looking up into her eyes, pleading with her.
"Por favor, Titi. Nunca voy a pedir nada más. Prometo."
Esme looked down at her niece, her resolve dissolving as she stood there in front of her. "Gaby..."
Gabriella pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around her. "Por favor, Esme. Por favor."
Esmeralda sighed, wrapping her arms around her niece. "Ok, Gabriella. I'll do it." But she pushed her away, looking down at her sternly. "But as soon as you pull your head out of your ass, you come get him or her with his or her papa. ¿Entiendes?"
Gabriella smiled up at Esmeralda, nodding, grateful that she agreed. Gabriella knew she'd never be able to be a mother. She had begun to think for a moment that she could possibly be when she had been pregnant with Angel, but when she had miscarried, she knew it hadn't been meant to be. Getting pregnant now was God's punishment for her. If she gave birth to this baby, she knew she couldn't be the baby's parent. She knew she couldn't in the beginning when she found out she was pregnant with Angel, and she knew the same now. Nothing had changed, and it never would.