CALIFORNIA DREAMS
Chapter 40—Dreams Coming True

The December sun was beginning to peek through the closed bedroom curtains as Gabriella willed her sleepy eyes to open. She smiled at the incredible memories of her date with Troy the night before, and snuggled closer to him. They laid facing one another, her head nestled into his bare shoulder, and as she stirred, his arms tightened protectively around her even as he slept. She felt his even breath on the top of her head, and tilted her chin up to look at the face of the man she loved more than anything on earth. He was amazing in every way. Unable to resist, she lifted her hand from his chest and traced a finger lightly across the stubble that dotted his jaw. She was so absorbed in her exploration that she didn't notice that he'd wakened until his lips curved into a smile. Her eyes rose to meet the endless pools of blue that made her heart skip a beat.

"Good morning, lover," he murmured, lifting a hand to trace her features as she had his.

"Hi," she whispered, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face.

Troy tucked his hand behind her head and pulled her up to kiss him. "You are so beautiful," he sighed against her lips.

"Mmm," she hummed as her lips parted to kiss him more deeply. When she finally forced herself to pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Last night was incredible, Troy. Everything—it was a perfect date. And the best kind, too, where we could go home together at the end of the evening."

"I love waking up next to you," he told her, his voice growing husky. "It was an amazing evening. Going out, showing you off, dancing with you, and making love to you until you fell asleep in my arms…"

Her eyes went wide as realization struck her. "Oh my gosh, Troy… I fell asleep after…! I'm so sorry! I remember… I felt so warm and safe and peaceful… I can't believe I did that!"

He couldn't stop the chuckle that rolled out of his chest. "Don't be sorry, baby. I didn't mind. It's quite a compliment, really." She raised her head to look at him strangely, and he kissed her forehead. "I wore you out, and I like that you were comfortable enough to fall asleep with me still inside you. I found it rather sexy, to be honest."

"You did?" she asked, frowning doubtfully.

He nodded. "Absolutely. I watched you sleep for a few minutes before I laid you down, and just enjoyed the feel of you. You were adorable, all snuggled up against me. Besides, I don't think I've seen you sleep that peacefully in months."

Her cheeks warmed, as did another area of her body farther south. "That probably explains the nice dreams I had about you," she confessed softly.

Troy laughed again. "Better than reality?" he teased.

"Never," she assured him, leaning up to kiss him firmly. He met her lips hungrily, and soon their breath quickened, hands roamed, and passion flared back to life.

Late that afternoon, Troy got a call from one of the detectives at the San Francisco Police Department. Strickland's suspected accomplice had turned herself in, and was prepared to give a full confession, but only in the presence of Troy and Gabriella. Troy was hesitant to agree for Gabriella's sake, but she told him calmly that this would be the only way to wrap things up once and for all.

And so, an hour later, the couple sat in an interrogation room along with Lt. Callahan and the detective in charge of the case, staring across the table at Beth Donovan. She looked terrible. Her eyes were dull and puffy, and her hair hadn't been touched since the day before. She was still dressed in the server's attire they'd seen her in at the ball. Gabriella clutched Troy's hand in her lap, feeling his strength flowing into her as she braced herself to hear Beth's story.

After the preliminary questions by the detective, Beth began her story. Her real name was Lacey George, and as Kelly had recalled the night before, she had been expelled from nursing school after getting caught in a cheating scandal. She had transferred to a small school in southern California to finish her training, and worked at a local hospital after graduation. After being injured in a serious car accident, she'd gotten addicted to pain killers, and had ultimately come under investigation after a large amount of medication was discovered missing from the pharmacy of the hospital where she worked. Before she could be fired or arrested, she'd fled the city and returned to San Francisco with a new identity. She'd managed to land a job with the home health care service, where she'd worked for a little over a year.

Lacey suddenly leveled an icy stare at Gabriella. "Everything was fine until you came along."

Gabriella felt Troy's fingers tighten around hers. She returned Lacey's stare, but didn't respond.

"I was assigned to work for you," Lacey continued. "And then, after my first day on the job, I got a late-night visit from David Strickland. Apparently he had some connections with the board that contracted our services on your behalf, and was able to find out about my assignment. And then he did some digging and found out about my past. He told me that I had to help him or he would expose my past and ruin my life."

Troy heard a small gasp, and wasn't sure if it had come from his lips or Gabriella's.

"I didn't really have a choice," Lacey rambled on. "I'd worked so hard to make a new life for myself…. He gave me fake pills and told me to switch Gabriella's pain medicine. And he let me keep some of the pain killers for myself."

Troy's eyes narrowed. "But there was a pharmacy tech at the hospital that confessed to stealing pain medication," he reminded them.

"Total coincidence," Lacey told him. "Strickland was so mad when he heard that Troy had discovered the fake pills." Her voice dropped guiltily. "He wanted her to suffer, to make her weak and vulnerable."

Gabriella's free hand came up to cover her mouth in disbelief, while Troy felt his free hand tighten into a fist.

"Then he realized that he couldn't get anywhere near Gabriella with the police protection, so he decided to fake his death," Lacey went on. "He did a BASE jump off the bridge. He hid the chute under his jacket, and it was foggy enough that morning that no one on the bridge could see him hit the water. He rented a small fishing boat for me, and I pulled him out of the water before the Coast Guard got there."

Troy's teeth ground together as anger built inside him. Gabriella was completely still beside him, but he couldn't bring himself to turn and look at her.

"He was furious when he found out I'd gotten fired because I made a pass at Troy," she continued, daring to meet Troy's eyes. "I kept thinking I should go to the police and turn him in before he went after Gabriella again, but I… I couldn't stop thinking about you, Troy, and how, if she was out of the way, then I could be with you."

Troy could contain himself no longer. He surged to his feet, dropping his wife's hand, and shrugged off Lt. Callahan's restraining hand on his shoulder. He leaned menacingly across the table, shaking with fury. "You selfish, manipulative bitch," he seethed. "Allowing Strickland to hurt her just so you could get your hands on me? Let me tell you something… On her worst day, Gabriella is still a better woman than you are on your best day. I don't want you. I never have, and I never will. Even if I could somehow get past the idea of you making a play for a married man, the fact that you willingly, eagerly allowed my wife to suffer is absolutely unforgivable. Right now, nothing will make me happier than seeing you spend the rest of your life in jail, paying for what you've done."

"Dr. Bolton," the detective interrupted sharply. "Please take a seat."

Troy continued to glare across the table until he felt Gabriella's hand on his forearm. He backed into his seat, his eyes still fixed on Lacey. The storm of emotions that raged through him caused him to shake, but he couldn't look at his wife. He knew that if he did, he would soften and falter, and he had to stay angry until he got out of the interrogation room. Instead, his fingers circled the wedding ring on her finger, and he hoped she understood his message: "I chose you. Only you."

Beside him, Troy heard Gabriella draw a shaky breath before she said quietly, "You called Troy that day to warn him that Strickland was coming after me." Lacey nodded. "What made you decide to turn yourself in?"

Lacey shrugged nonchalantly. "Your friend recognized me last night, and I realized that I either had to run or face up to what I've done. I'm tired of running."

Gabriella's fingers tightened around Troy's a moment before she spoke again. "Thank you," she told the other woman. "Thank you for finally doing the right thing. For giving us closure so we can move on with our lives."

Troy squeezed his eyes shut, utterly dumbfounded by his wife's words. She had every right to hate the woman in front of her, to scream and curse her for all the ways she'd caused them pain, but there she was, thankingher. Her reaction was nearly inconceivable to him, and yet he realized that it was truly and completely the Gabriella that he'd fallen in love with. It was exactly the kind of person she was, and exactly why he loved her.

When his eyes reopened, Lacey was on her feet, being led out the door. She turned to look at the couple once more before disappearing from their view, and their lives, for good. Only then did Troy dare to look at Gabriella. Her eyes swam with unshed tears, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. He stood and swept her into his arms, crushing her against his chest, and allowed his own tears to escape. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. It was over, once and for all.

After a hectic week of administering and grading final exams and catching up on research, Gabriella invited Mark and Kelly over for dinner to celebrate the end of the semester. The foursome joked and teased and laughed until their sides hurt, and the men actually volunteered to clean up after dinner, claiming they needed a reprieve from all the merriment. Kelly and Gabriella eagerly accepted their offer, and moved their "girl talk" to the living room.

"What has gotten into those two?" Kelly asked as the men moved into the kitchen.

"It's almost Christmas," Gabriella told her with a giggle. "They're on their best behavior so Santa will bring them what they want."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Our men… What are we going to do with them?"

"I don't know about you, but I plan to hold onto my man for a very long time," Gabriella grinned.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think that Dr. Davis could turn out to be a keeper," Kelly confided with a wink.

Gabriella leaned forward, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Really? Do you know something you're not telling me? Are you thinking a certain piece of jewelry might end up in your Christmas stocking this year?"

Kelly slapped her playfully. "Whoa, slow down there, Gabi! We've only been dating a few months! I mean, things are going great, but neither of us wants to rush." She glanced toward the kitchen. "What you and Troy have together… It's beautiful. When did you know that he was it for you?"

Gabriella's lips twisted as she thought. "There was a connection between us from the moment we met," she explained. "But that's not to say that it was always smooth sailing. There were misunderstandings and disagreements. We even broke up for a couple weeks that first summer." Her voice lowered as scenes played in her mind's eye. "Probably the hardest time, though, was when we were seniors in high school and we thought we would be going our separate ways after graduation. I was going to Stanford, and Troy had a scholarship to the University of Albuquerque. I had no idea that he was even considering any other schools." She paused to clear her throat, her eyes suddenly glistening at the memory, and she smiled when Troy settled on the couch beside her, pulling her in close. He leaned down to place a loving kiss on her temple before he took over the story.

"It was tough," Troy remembered. "Everyone else thought they knew what was best for me, but the person whose opinion meant the most to me tried to set me free, not because she wanted to, but because she didn't want to hold me back." His arm tightened around Gabriella's shoulders as she blinked rapidly, struggling with her emotions.

"When I thought I'd lost her, that's when I realized that nothing about my future mattered to me unless she was a part of it." His gaze met hers, and awareness shimmered between them. "That decision changed my life," he continued thoughtfully. "If I hadn't followed her here, I would never have been whole again." She couldn't stop the tears that spilled down her cheeks, and he wiped them away with a gentle smile.

"What a great story!" Kelly proclaimed, watching the tender exchange between them.

"But you left out the best part," Mark interrupted, feigning hurt.

"What's that?" Troy asked.

"Well, if you hadn't decided to attend Berkeley, you would never have met me!" he proclaimed proudly. "And come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that I am single-handedly responsible for getting you through medical school."

Troy scoffed. "Yeah, because you were always focused on your studies, and never on women or parties, right?"

"Hey, it's all about maintaining balance, my friend," Mark announced before tossing a wink toward Gabriella. "Of course, I can recall more than a few times when you were more focused on a certain law student than your medical textbooks."

"Guilty as charged," Troy confessed, tightening his hold on the woman in question.

"So, Gabi," Kelly redirected the conversation, "what do you have planned for your holiday break?"

"It's not fair," Mark whined childishly. "I want three weeks off like Gabi!"

"And don't forget the three months every summer," Troy taunted. "Looks like we chose the wrong profession, man."

Gabriella laughed. "I'll hardly be sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Dr. Lentz and I need to finish the research I'll need for my new class next semester."

"I thought he was cleared to return to work," Kelly said.

"He is," Gabriella clarified. "He's already been teaching part-time for several weeks. But since we work so well together, we decided to share the Scientific Methods class. It'll be so much fun to teach with him!"

Troy chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Is he going to get to spend time with his daughter for Christmas, or is his teaching partner going to monopolize him for the next three weeks?"

"He's leaving for Virginia on Wednesday," Gabriella informed him with a playful slap. "That'll give me time to get ready for our parents' visit."

"Aw, you're not going back to Albuquerque for Christmas?" Kelly frowned.

"No, Troy's parents and my mom are coming here since Troy has to work the day before and the day after Christmas," Gabriella explained before her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, no, Troy, that means I have to endure two days with our moms dropping not-so-subtle hints about how they're not getting any younger and it's about time we started giving them grandchildren…"

Troy slapped a hand over his face. "Ugh! Hearing it from one mom is bad enough, but when they're together…"

"So, kids, when are you going to start giving us grandchildren?" Mark teased in his best "mom" voice, earning him a slap from his girlfriend.

Troy glanced at Gabriella, getting her nod of permission before sharing with their friends. "We plan to start trying to get pregnant around this time next year, so that by the time the baby comes, I'll be done with the first phase of residency and Gabriella will have two years of teaching under her belt. Then we'll have more time to commit to raising a child together."

Gabriella's cheeks tinged pink, and Troy stroked his fingers across her arm tenderly. They'd talked many times before about starting their family, but sharing the specifics with their friends was exciting. It made things seem more real, more solid.

"Well, you two will make great parents," Kelly observed softly.

"Ooh, I have an idea of how you can deal with your moms," Mark suddenly proclaimed.

Gabriella giggled. "This ought to be good."

"Tell them that you've decided you don't want to have kids at all," Mark advised.

"Mark, that's a terrible idea!" Kelly moaned.

"I like it," Troy announced, earning a surprised look from his wife. "No, really, they'll be so busy trying to convince us that we shouldhave kids that when we tell them we're waiting a year, they'll be relieved that we're actually going to go through with it. It's brilliant!"

Gabriella shook her head. "No way! I'm the one who'll be stuck here with them while you're at work, and you always say I'm a terrible liar. They'd break me in no time."

They laughed, and Kelly glanced at her watch, grimacing as she noted the time. "I hate to be a party pooper, but some of us have to work tomorrow," she teased, rolling her eyes in Gabriella's direction.

"I don't!" Gabriella sing-songed, and Kelly threw a pillow at her as she stood to leave.

After the friends exchanged hugs, Troy and Gabriella stood on the porch to watch as Mark and Kelly drove away.

"Well, Mrs. Bolton," Troy declared, slinging his arm around her shoulder, "I dohave to work tomorrow, so I think I'd better head off to bed."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she answered. "You could use a good night's sleep."

"Who said anything about sleep?" he replied with a growl, bending to scoop her up in his arms.

Gabriella couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her throat as her husband kicked the door shut and carried her through the house to their bedroom. Troy beamed at the sound as he lowered his wife onto the bed. It was the sound of happiness, and love, and of dreams coming true.

A/N: This is it, the final chapter of "California Dreams." When I started this journey six months ago, I had no idea what a great response there would be, what amazing reviews I'd receive, and what terrific readers I'd get to know. Thank you for coming along with me on the journey. The good news is, although this part of the story is over, the next part of Troy and Gabriella's journey is now being written! If you'd like to read the continuing story of these characters, look for "Sweet Dreams, Fragile Hearts" on this website. And please, once more, hit that magic "Review" button and brighten my day. Thanks again!