I'm back! I won't bore you with the details of my long absence, only apologise and hope this updating thing is now more regular. In this story I'll be posting collections of not-quite-stories I have, mostly posted to Tumblr before I put them here. This one had no prompt beyond it being written for someone's birthday, and is present-day. Enjoy!

About four minutes before her alarm was due to go off, Rory woke abruptly. A cool October breeze was rolling in, a sign that she'd been alone in bed the entire night. According to their routine she would sleep with the window open, and when he finally joined her in bed he'd close it. Nothing was adding up as she slipped into her slippers and padded out to the living room, passing the vase of flowers and cards from family and friends. In their entire relationship Jess had never once let her wake up on her birthday alone. She found her answers sleeping fitfully on their couch, still in his clothes from yesterday and drenched in sweat.

"Jess?" She asked tentatively, moving towards her husband to sweep his matted hair from his face. As his eyes fluttered open she recoiled at the sheer heat radiating from him.

"Morning, birthday girl," he offered weakly as he attempted to sit up, before a shot of pain hit his abdomen. Memories of grogginess from the night before entered his mind as he saw his wife turn paler than usual.

"Jesus, you're burning up!" Rushing to the kitchen she returned with a thermometer, to which he firmly kept his mouth shut.

"No time for this. Too much stuff planned," shakily he rose to his feet and shakily started to walk towards the bathroom. Rory attempted to protest but he shook her off, finally finding himself in the shower.

After making a pot of coffee Rory was sitting at the dining table, trying to figure out what was wrong with Jess. Her first thought was the flu, but they'd both had their shots not too long ago and it didn't seem like he was coughing or anything of the sort. Appendicitis was next, but she had a vague memory of tracing an appendix scar with her fingers, as well as her tongue. So caught up was she in trying to diagnose him that she almost didn't hear the loud thud as Jess fell in the shower, a loud groan following it.

Rushing in, she turned off the water and grabbed some towels. Wordlessly she attempted to dry him as he feebly argued, words about birthday surprises and picnics escaping his lips as he shook with fever. Finally testing his temperature Rory knew there was no other option but the hospital, even if she had to carry him on her shoulders. Attempting to calm his fevered mutterings, she caressed his cheeks as she shushed him.

"Shh, Jess… It's okay. Look, everything's fine. But if you want me to have a good birthday we need to get you better, okay? Shh…" He was whimpering now, and it broke her heart, "We'll get you dressed, and I'm going to drive your car with zero complaints about how I ride the brakes. Then you'll get the nice drugs and everything will be okay."

"You're not mad?" He asked softly, making her almost want to laugh.

"I love you, silly boy."

Fairly certain of having broken several laws, Rory turned into the emergency section of the hospital and hurried to get Jess out of the car. He'd been better as they made their way out of their apartment, but as the drive went on things had only gotten worse. Before long he was vomiting, apologising over and over about everything. Worried about having to support his weight, she was relieved when someone ran out to assist her.

"What's happened here?" She asked Rory as they got Jess into a nearby wheelchair.

"I don't know. I woke up this morning and he was in so much pain. Really out of it, fever through the roof, and he kept clutching his stomach. Is he going to be okay?" Now that her time of diligent caregiver was over, Rory was flicking the switch to full-on panicked spouse. The nurse had found a clipboard and was writing something down.

"I see. Any history of drug or alcohol abuse?"

"He hasn't OD'd!" Rory yelled indignantly, earning her a few looks from patients and staff alike. To her credit the nurse didn't flinch, but wrote something else down as she smiled thinly.

"Sorry miss, standard procedure. Patient's name?"

"Jess- Jess Mariano," Rory responded, watching sadly as Jess was taken away.

"The author?" After a sharp glare, the nurse apologised, "Right, not the time or place. If you'd like to grab a seat someone will be by shortly to update you on the situation," she paused, as though knowing she was overstepping her boundaries, "Cases like these almost always end up being nothing."

"Could've done without the 'almost' in that sentence."

"Sorry about that," the nurse offered with a sad smile, "You're Rory, aren't you? From the dedications?"

"The whole time and place thing has gone out the window, hasn't it?"

"My husband proposed using a quote from a Mariano book. All those words are for you, aren't they? Even when it's a priest talking to a crack whore, those words of love and true beauty are inspired by you. That's gotta be incredible."

"Maybe you should be a writer," Rory's felt her eyes watering as this complete stranger explained the love she and Jess shared in the plainest terms. Within each other they found the beauty they'd otherwise be lacking, and it was absolutely a two-way street. If she had any skill for fiction at all she'd write it in-between each line as he did for her, but her love could never be conveyed in this way. It was in the laughter, the seriousness as they bantered about every conceivable literary complaint, the quiet nights needing nothing but each other's company. In that moment she knew the love she had for that man was worth more than any birthday picnic.

"Ms Gilmore?" A masculine voice echoed from where they took Jess. Taking her leave of the sweet nurse with a smile, she made her way to face fate.

"That was quicker than I though. Which is good, right?" She tried to push back the reasons for this doctor to speak to her, and felt her heart soar when he gave a terse nod.

"Kidney stones, which are considerably more painful than dangerous considering Mr Mariano's age and health. He's on an IV now and may need shock wave therapy, but we've managed to make the pain bearable as they pass."

"Thank God. Thank you so much. Can I see him?" She was surprised when the serious-looking man gave a deep chuckle.

"Please put us all out of our misery and see that boy. He hasn't shut up once about ruining your birthday, it's driving the nurses crazy."

"None of you are stuck with him apologising for the next few weeks, I think you're getting off easy." Rory joked with a radiant smile, which the doctor couldn't help but return.

Walking the long, white corridors of the New York hospital she was painfully reminded of the last time she spent any lengthy amount of time in one of these places. Tears sprung to her eyes and by the time she'd reached Jess they were flowing freely, as much as she tried to quell them. Crossing the room, she fell into Jess' open arms and wept loudly, her mind reeling with relief as well as fear and grief.

"Shh… Rory, I'm fine. Come on Ror, it's okay. I'm sorry I scared you, I'm so, so sorry…" He continued to mutter words of comfort into her hair, even as the pain in his lower abdomen worsened.

"Oh god Jess… I was so-" Another wave of tears swept over her, and it was a moment before she could continue, "Promise me something? Don't die, Jess. Never. I can't… lose you… you can't die."

"No one's dying, I promise," He said soothingly, before realising his own stupidity as her cries got louder, "God. It's barely been two months, has it? Fuck, I'm so sorry for putting you back there. Bringing you to one of these places, just when things were getting better."

"He was supposed to be out in two days. Jess, we thought he was getting better. But…"

"I know. That's why I was trying so hard to make today special. You need it so much. Bet you've got a hundred missed calls from Lorelai too. We were supposed to be there an hour ago."

"Where? At mom's?"

"Kind of. A little first date recreation in Stars Hollow that I've royally screwed up."

"You were taking me to Al's?"

"Not that first date, the other one."

"When we were dating in high school?"

"Earlier."

"Earlier? How can we- Jess! That wasn't a date!"

"I beg to differ. There was food-"

"Inedible food!"

"-literary debates-"

"In that case I've been on dates with half of Yale!"

"-not to mention a pizza and a very steamy post-date phone call."

"About The Fountainhead!" Despite her protests she couldn't stop smiling. "So we were having a picnic?"

"Only after I'd won your basket, of course."

"Bid-A-Basket's in February, or March if you count that one time with Kirk and the gophers."

"Strings have been pulled."

"How very New York businessman of you."

"Yeah well it doesn't matter now anyway, the whole thing is ruined."

"Wait here."

"In my hospital bed, with the IV in my arm? Sure, I guess I can do that."

"Don't be sassy to the birthday girl."

Jess was only left to his own devices for about ten minutes when Rory returned with a small basket. It was bright blue with an 'it's a boy!' balloon tied to the handle, and looked to contain a variety of cafeteria specials from the hospital.

"If this is your way of telling me you're pregnant I've gotta say, I'd prefer it written on top of a cake or something."

"If you're going to mock my basket choice I can go eat all this stuff by myself."

"Don't you dare."

"Good, because I swiped about ten jell-o cups and without you I'll eat them all."

"Anything in there not made of gelatine?"

"Two muffins, some fries and some seriously bad coffee."

"It's no stale Pop-Tarts, but it'll do."