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'God, why is my body in so much pain?' wondered Gabriella as she slowly opened her heavy eyelids, blinking several times as she tried to figure out where she was. Gabriella tried to sit upright but immediately laid back down as she winced in more pain, feeling a soft, familiar hand brush some of Gabriella's dark brown hair back off her face.
"Shh, sweetie, lay back down and relax," said Annette in the most soothing voice she could. "You're home now, you're safe."
Gabriella allowed her mother's voice to wash over her, relaxing her body despite the pain she was still in. It was then that Gabriella, now holding Troy's Valentine teddy bear tightly in her left arm, remembered what happened the day before. After she had passed out in Troy's arms, she woke up at the hospital, seeing his worried blue eyes staring at her as she gained consciousness for the first time in hours while they performed tests on her to look for any possible brain damage while she also was cleaned and stitched up. Gabriella also remembered seeing a bag of O negative blood hanging from a steel pole with Troy's name on the sticker, recalling some corny remark he made about her now always for sure having him with her wherever she went before she fell asleep again.
Now Gabriella looked around her room and saw that she still had some medical equipment that was monitoring her vitals attached to her body but nothing life supporting. She remembered coming home early that morning to avoid the paparazzi and being carried into her room by her father, who had gently laid her onto her bed, Troy never leaving her side until Annette and Stephen both insisted on him going to school after talking to his parents.
"Am I going to be all right?" asked Gabriella in a soft voice.
Annette's eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head. "Yes, sweetie, you will be. My, what a fighter you have become too. Paul and Curtis said you saved yourself yesterday and were very brave. Do you remember the fight?"
Gabriella nodded her head slightly. "Where's Alicia?"
"She's being held at the hospital right now as her own injuries are being examined," answered Annette. "You're only home because we're able to have a private medical staff for you here. Your CT scan yesterday showed no major injuries except for the bumps on your head. Do you know how lucky we all are that you didn't suffer some type of internal bleeding or a concussion from everything that happened yesterday?"
"I know, I'm very lucky," agreed Gabriella. "Can I have something to drink?"
"Oh, of course, I should have thought of that. I'll be back all right?" said Annette, getting up and kissing Gabriella's forehead before leaving the room.
When she returned, Emma and Stephen were both with Annette as all three adults smiled down at Gabriella, who took slow sips of water from the glass.
"How's my baby doing?" asked Stephen, taking Gabriella's left hand in his as he raised it up to kiss the back of her hand. "Doing all right?"
"Yeah, I just wish this pain would go away," said Gabriella, squeezing her father's hand lightly as she saw the concern in his eyes.
Annette disappeared for a moment but came back with two orange bottles. "I almost forgot, the doctor said to give you these when you woke up to help. God, I'm so scattered brained right now."
Gabriella took the pills from her mother and swallowed them with the remaining water while Stephen gave his wife a comforting smile from across Gabriella's bed. "Don't worry Annette, I think that's totally understandable considering the circumstances."
Emma watched the little family talk for a little while longer, inwardly relieved that Gabriella was awake and seemed to be in decent spirits after the events from the day before. For Emma's part, she had been worried about what had actually happened between Alicia and Gabriella and whether there was a setback now in Gabriella's progress. Seeing Gabriella smiling softly at her parents though as they continued to talk to her assured Emma that if there was a setback, it wasn't by much.
Fifteen minutes later, Paul and Curtis both came into the room, a serious expression on both of their faces that worried Annette and Stephen immediately. Without a word, both of them left the room after kissing Gabriella on the forehead, leaving Emma some time to talk to her young patient.
"What was that about?" asked Gabriella, looking at the now closed bedroom door.
"Who knows with those two bodyguards of yours," replied Emma. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"Good," answered Gabriella. "Well as good as can be expected. She really almost had me Emma, Alicia almost convinced me that her reality was the real reality yesterday."
"But?" prompted Emma, interested in filling in the blanks Emma had in her head. "What changed that?"
"Me," said Gabriella rather simply. "Alicia told me the world would be better without me, that everyone hated me and I almost bought into it until flashes of my life with my friends, with my family, with Troy came and reminded me that my reality was more the truth than hers. She was so desperate yesterday Emma, she looked so crazed, I actually thought that I would have died yesterday."
Emma became more intrigued by this admission. "So what happened?"
Gabriella stayed quiet for a few moments as she thought back to the turning point of her fight with Alicia in the locker room. "After seeing all those happy memories and all those people who are so important in my life, I decided that I couldn't let her take me without a fight. I told her she was wrong and used the last remnants of my energy and my consciousness in fighting her, using moves I learned from Paul this summer and fought her off, forcing her to lose control. After that, all I remember is being in Troy's arms again before passing out."
Emma shook her head but smiled at Gabriella. "You definitely have spirit and more strength that I think you have been hiding from me Gabriella. Yesterday was huge, for a lot of reasons. You showed Alicia you weren't going to be bullied by her, you proved to yourself that you could save yourself, and you finally believed in yourself, in your worth. Congratulations Gabriella, I couldn't have done it better myself."
"What? Really?" asked Gabriella. "Do I like graduate from all the therapy?"
Emma gave a little laugh. "Should I be insulted that you want to be rid of me so fast?"
Gabriella joined in the laughter for a moment before she forced herself to stop as the laughter was causing her side stitches to pull and cause more pain. "No, it's just, it's nice to say that I don't need therapy. Of course I still want to see you Emma."
"Well that's nice to hear. I think that yes, we can slow the therapy sessions down again, but I'd still like to meet at least once a week now to monitor things and we can slowly fade them out. You've really done well Gabriella, truly," assured Emma, smiling at the young princess who looked so relieved to hear those words.
The sound of the door opening drew their attention away from their conversation as they saw a somber Annette and Stephen walk back into the room, leaving the door open as Paul and Curtis followed them in. Emma made to leave but Annette put a hand on her arm, gently stopping her departure. "I think we may need you depending on how this goes," murmured the other woman, making Emma root herself to her spot at the end of Gabriella's bed.
"Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" asked Gabriella, instantly panicked by the seriousness in the air.
Stephen and Annette exchanged glances, silently deciding that Annette would be the first to speak. Annette took a seat on the side of Gabriella's bed and gently took Gabriella's hand in hers. "Your car was vandalized sometime in the last twenty-four hours at East High. The tires were slashed, the windows broken, and there are words written all over the car."
Gabriella paled at this, wondering what it could possibly look like. "Words like what has been written on my locker?" asked Gabriella, directing this more towards the bodyguards who were more familiar with what she was thinking of.
"Yes, along those same lines," answered Paul. "Your car was fine yesterday before we left with you to the hospital but when we sent someone back to get it late last night, we discovered its sorry condition. Unfortunately, since it was parked out on the street because you couldn't find a spot in the parking lot, there is no camera evidence to tell who did this."
Gabriella shivered at the idea that someone else, someone other than Alicia and Riley could want to harm something of hers like that. "At least it was just a car, right?"
Annette smiled down at her daughter. "You're right, it was just a car."
"There's more though. Last night, the police found Alicia bleeding from around the wrists in her hospital room. Apparently, Alicia used the handcuffs around her wrists that bound her to her bed to try to kill herself," revealed Stephen, carefully choosing his words as he watched Gabriella's reaction turn to one of horror.
"Is she all right?" asked Gabriella.
Stephen nodded his head. "The doctors patched her up and she was restrained with less dangerous things before she was moved to a padded room under suicide watch early this morning."
"How do they know she was trying to kill herself though? Those handcuffs can cause chaffing, right?" questioned Gabriella, trying to understand what happened to the other girl after the locker room fight.
This time Paul stepped in, confirming what Gabriella said. "Handcuffs, if tugged on hard, can cause cuts into the skin, but her wrists showed repeated attempts at cutting the same spot repeatedly, deeply. Gabriella, Alicia knew what she was doing, she was trying to kill herself. She even screamed that she wanted to be left alone to die at her own hands when the medical staff and police officers swarmed her room. There's no doubt of what she was trying to do."
As Gabriella remained silent, trying to absorb everything, Stephen noticed Troy hesitantly standing in the doorway and motioned with his head for the young man to come in, and seeing the paleness of his skin, it seemed that Troy had heard the last bit about Alicia's suicide attempt.
"So what does this mean for her?" asked Gabriella, finally asking the question everyone was wondering at the moment.
Stephen turned his attention from Troy, who was now standing behind Annette, to Gabriella. "Well, there's two ways this can go. She can be prosecuted and sent to jail or we can have her heavily watched in a facility to get help. Your mother and I have talked and we want this to be your decision."
Gabriella let out a sigh as she thought about Alicia and all that had gone on in the last day, in the last few months, and even in the last year. She thought about the words Alicia had said to Gabriella in the past, especially focusing on the dialogue they had the day before in the locker room, recalling the crazed look in Alicia's eyes and that maniacal grin. "I want her to get help. Alicia needs it more than I need to see her behind bars. I don't think Alicia ever truly meant for what happened yesterday in the locker room to happen, I think something was driving her crazy and she just snapped by the looks she was giving me yesterday. Can we just make sure she gets the help she needs? That's all I want, is for her to get better," announced Gabriella, finally looking up at her father and then everyone around the bed that now included Troy's familiar face. "Troy!"
He grinned at her and stepped forward a little more, giving her a comforting smile. "Hey Brie."
Annette looked to her right and smiled at her daughter's boyfriend before she asked, "Are you sure about this Gabriella? I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to see this girl sentenced to prison like Riley."
Gabriella shook her head at this though. "No, I don't think she was in the right mind yesterday. Alicia has remorse about what has happened otherwise she would never have tried to kill herself. Riley didn't ever have that, he relished in his truths, in his lies, and hurting me. I think she actually felt bad last night."
"But she never said she felt sorry about it," Stephen gently reminded his daughter. "Those words never came out of her mouth."
"They didn't have to," answered Gabriella, confident that this was the right decision. "Alicia has been troubled by what she perceived me as doing, stealing her life away. Is she paranoid? Yes. Is she a bit loopy in the head? Yes. Would she try to kill me again if she was rational? I don't think so. She's clearly hurting Dad, and I can't cause her more pain by having her suffer in a prison away from the help she needs. I really do want her to get help though."
"That can be arranged. We'll have her committed to a facility an hour outside of Albuquerque that has a very good reputation for rehabilitation. I'll speak with her parents and make sure they understand our views and our wishes. We'll work something out with them. Are you sure though Gabriella, that this is really what you want?" questioned Stephen, wanting to make sure that Gabriella wouldn't later change her mind.
"I'm sure Dad. I feel bad for her enough as it is already. I can't in good conscience make her life more hellish by condemning her to a life behind bars, even if it's for a few years," returned Gabriella.
"Then it's settled," announced Stephen, leaning down and kissing Gabriella's forehead again. "Your mother and I are going to go over and talk to the Covina family right now, they are expecting us. Will you be all right here?"
Gabriella nodded, looking over at Troy. "I'll have Troy here not to mention Paul and Emma. Go, please just promise me we'll help Alicia get whatever help she needs to feel better."
Annette smiled a little and kissed her daughter's cheek before straightening. "We will, don't worry sweetie."
With that, Annette and Stephen left the room with Curtis following them. Paul discreetly moved to the windows on the other side of the room leaving Emma and Troy standing beside Gabriella's bed.
"I'm strangely proud of you Brie for deciding that. I'm quite surprised actually," said Troy as he sat down where Annette had sat on Gabriella's bed moments before.
"That I could be mature enough to want her to get mental help instead of wanting revenge by putting her in jail?" questioned Gabriella.
Troy shook his head. "No, that you could be more level-headed than I am right now and make that decision for yourself to help Alicia get the help she clearly needs. Had it been me, I don't know if I'd be able to be that mature, to not want to make Alicia suffer. I guess that's why I have always said you were the smarter one of the two of us."
Emma smiled at the two. "I have to agree with Troy here Gabriella. That was very big of you and I'm proud of you too. I think what you decided just now about Alicia's future will help her far more than any amount of time in prison would. You did the right thing."
"Thanks Emma," murmured Gabriella, getting slightly distracted by Troy's thumb, which was currently drawing patterns on her open palm that was in his hand.
Emma noticed and grinned more. "I better leave you two. Paul, walk me to my car?"
Paul took this as a signal to leave the young couple alone and nodded his head, giving Gabriella a reassuring smile before leaving the room with Emma. When the door closed, Troy turned his attention back on Gabriella, smiling back at her when he saw her gentle smile on her face. "What?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking of how cute you are," admitted Gabriella. "I know that if you were in my spot, you would have decided the same thing. Your heart is just as gentle and as big as you say mine is and that's something I cherish in you."
"Oh really? What else do you cherish about me Brie?" asked Troy, cocking his eyebrow a little.
"Hmm, I think that's it," teased Gabriella, causing Troy to tickle her sides a little until she was giggling before she winced in pain, reminding Troy of her newly stitched injury.
"I'm sorry Brie, I forgot," stated Troy, guilt written clearly across his face.
"Don't be, I'm fine," assured Gabriella after taking in a few deep breaths to push aside the pain.
"No you aren't. How many stitches did you get?" asked Troy, for some reason curious.
Gabriella shrugged. "You can look. I haven't the faintest idea."
Troy slowly drew down the comforter and raised Gabriella's t-shirt a little so that her right side was exposed. He gently peeled back the medical tape and the bandage and drew in a breath as he saw the seven stitches glaring back at him before he replaced the bandage and the tape. "Seven," he announced before taking the opportunity to kiss the bandage first and then her bare stomach before pulling her shirt back down and then the comforter back up. "Seven stitches. I think I may have you beat but it does look like she dragged that knife down after she took a stab at you."
"How many stitches did you get?" asked Gabriella, realizing she never knew.
"I think eight or nine," replied Troy.
After a few moments, Gabriella decided she wanted to see Troy's scar. "Can I see your scar?"
Troy looked back at her before he nodded. "Sure," agreed Troy, drawing up his sweatshirt and t-shirt to expose his abdominal muscles but specifically his left side where there was a pale white scar on his body.
Gabriella gently reached out a hand and touched it, running her fingers along it before looking back at Troy. "I'm sorry Troy, you wouldn't have that if it wasn't for me."
Troy immediately dropped his clothes back into place as he looked back at his girlfriend. "No, you don't get to blame yourself, remember? And if you insist on blaming yourself for this, I'll blame myself for your soon to be scar on your right side as I already do because I promised to protect you and failed, again."
"No, you didn't," argued Gabriella, seeing Troy's logic even though it wasn't the truth. "I had to save myself yesterday but you were with me, as were my parents, as was Tessa, Taylor, and the others. You are all the reason why I didn't give in, why I fought. Even after Alicia lunged at me and managed to stab me with her knife in my side, after she had me in a hold with the same knife at my throat, I knew that she was full of it and that my life, my reality was the truth. You can't protect me from everything Troy, in fact I don't want you to, but you being there in my mind, in my heart, that is what matters. That's what I draw on when you aren't by my side so you see, you have nothing to blame yourself for."
"Well then Miss Philosophical, you can't blame yourself for my scars either. They were for good causes," teased Troy. "I swear though, if you do anything more like passing out on me after losing so much blood again, I don't know what I'll do."
Gabriella weakly smiled back at him. "Don't worry, I don't plan on doing that anytime soon."
"Good," returned Troy. He saw Gabriella try to sneak a yawn by covering her mouth and got up from the bed. "I better leave you so you can get your rest."
"I am tired," admitted Gabriella. "Could be the pain medicines. Will you stay with me?"
Troy eyed the closed door and then looked back at Gabriella. "Are you sure?"
Gabriella nodded her head. "I just need you beside me right now and not in a chair mister," said Gabriella, seeing Troy was going to get her desk chair.
"Oh," uttered Troy, a grin forming on his face as he understood what Gabriella meant.
He went to the other side of her bed and kicked off his shoes, pulling his sweatshirt off as well before he carefully got onto her queen sized bed and scooted over to Gabriella. He stacked two of her pillows together so he could rest his back and head against them as Gabriella shifted her body so she was lying on her left side, slightly curled into Troy's body with the comforter between them. Troy felt himself smirk as the teddy bear he had given her so many months ago came tumbling into his lap while Gabriella abandoned her hold on the stuffed animal to wrap her arm around Troy's body while she rested her head on his chest and immediately drifted off to sleep.
About twenty minutes later, he heard a soft knock and looked over to see Taylor and Tessa entering the room. They gave him a knowing look as they took in Gabriella's sleeping form snuggled against him and he gave them a small shrug back. Tessa just shook her head as she returned his smirk while Taylor just smiled.
"Glad some things never change Bolton," said Tessa quietly.
"Me too, me too," responded Troy, absently running his fingers through Gabriella's dark brown wavy hair and smiling as she let out a dreamy sigh just then, causing Tessa and Taylor to giggle softly together.
"Guess she knows she's in good company," remarked Taylor softly. "Mind if we stay and keep vigil with you until she wakes up again?"
Troy shook his head. "Not at all. I know Brie would love to see you two, as she always does. Grab two chairs and we'll just wait for Sleeping Beauty to wake herself up."
Tessa raised an eyebrow at this. "Aren't you supposed to be waking her up with a kiss then?"
"Nah, this Sleeping Beauty has a spirit of her own as she showed clearly yesterday. She'll wake up when she's ready and all we can do until then is wait," said Troy, kissing Gabriella's forehead lightly before smiling again at Taylor and Tessa who were now seated next to the bed.
"I guess so," agreed Tessa, returning the smile before she settled into her chair and began to read the book she'd brought, determined to do just that, to wait to talk to her best friend who she knew she could have lost yesterday and may still lose in the near future.