Wanting That
A/N: Another Rogan oneshot, this time from Finn's point of view. It's actually my favourite out of all of them...maybe because I love Finn so much! Read and review, please.
The phone rings.
Finn locks his jaw and growls. He's in the middle of making out with the most beautiful redhead he's ever met (he can't remember her name at the moment, but he's sure he'll think of it later) and the phone has to ring.
"One sec, love," he tells her, crossing the room and picking it up. He's going to kill Colin. Colin is the only person he knows who has such perfectly horrible timing.
"What the hell do you want, Colin?" he barks.
"Finny?" a soft voice on the other end asks.
"Love?" he returns, softening his tone. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay," she says, and he notices immediately that her voice sounds funny.
"Rory, love?" he asks, moving further away from the girl lying on the couch. "What's wrong?"
"It's…I…" she sobs once, and his heartbeat speeds up.
"Rory, what is it?" he asks gently.
"I'm…I'm sorry to call you," she chokes out. "I just…I'm scared, and I…"
"Where are you, kitten?" he asks, getting to the point. It's obvious that she needs him there. He sighs, glancing back at the redhead.
"At the hospital," she says tearfully.
He's about to ask her what's happened, but realizes that she probably won't be able to get it out, anyway. "I'll be right there."
The redhead raises her eyebrows. "Finn?" she asks innocently. "Who was that?" Her questions are casual, but he sees the fire in her eyes. She's heard him call Rory 'love' and 'kitten'.
"My sister," he lies. "And I need to go." He scribbles down his number and hands it to her. "Call me, kitten."
He decides to take a cab; he's not in the mood for dealing with city traffic. He throws a couple bills at the driver, giving him a tip of about thirty dollars, and walks into ER.
Rory's sitting in one of those uncomfortable waiting room chairs, arms wrapped around herself and face tearstained. She gets up the second she sees him, runs to him, and throws her arms around him.
He feels her tears soak through her shirt and places a reassuring kiss on her forehead. He's proud of himself, for maturing in the past couple years. He's less crazy, and more responsible, and he understands that that is exactly what she needs from him, especially right now. "What happened, love?" he asks.
She pulls away a little, wipes her eyes. "Lucas. He…he just stopped breathing, Finn…" she runs a hand over her face, almost desperately.
"Okay. Okay." He repeats the word twice, making sure to stay calm. "Do you know what's happening now? How he's doing?" He wants to tell her to sit down, and he'll go find out what's happening, but she's clinging to him desperately, her eyes pained.
She needs Logan, he thinks. She needs someone to hold her and tell her that everything's okay. She needs someone to handle everything, like doctors and nurses and forms.
"Mrs. Huntzberger?" a nurse's voice interrupts his thoughts.
"Yes?" Rory asks, smoothing her hair and wiping her eyes again.
"Is this your husband, honey?" the nurse asks; she obviously feels bad for Rory.
Finn introduces himself and says, "I'm Lucas' godfather."
"He's doing fine," she tells them, "he's alright. Dr. Robertson wants to talk to you, hon."
Finn goes with her to see the doctor, who tells them that Lucas has severe asthma. Dr. Robertson hands Rory several pamphlets and leaflets and lists treatment options. Rory's breathing is shallow, and she doesn't release her tight grip on Finn's hand.
He squeezes her hand as she asks, "Can I take him home?"
Dr. Robertson smiles gently at her. "Not tonight. We want to keep him under observation. You can stay at the hospital, though, if that's what you'd like to do. He'll be fine, Mrs. Huntzberger. Don't worry."
Rory nods, looking at the pile of informative papers she holds. "Thank you."
"Not at all, my dear. Sally- the nurse who brought you here- will take you to see him."
Finn follows Sally and Rory through several hallways and up an elevator. Sally shows them to the room, introduces them to another nurse, and leaves.
Rory almost falls into the chair next to Lucas' crib-type-thing. "Hi, baby," she croons softly, swallowing tears. His little eyelids open the smallest amount and she whispers, "You scared me, Lukey."
Finn watches as she strokes Lucas' blond hair. "I'm going to get some coffee, okay? Do you need anything?"
She shakes her head, and he places his hand on her shoulder for a second, comfortingly. In the hall, he dials a long string of digits on his cell.
"What?" Logan asks sleepily.
"Your kid is in the hospital," Finn snaps.
"What?" Logan demands, his voice filled with worry.
"Lucas has asthma, apparently. He had an asthma attack and he stopped breathing and Rory brought him to the hospital. Lucas is fine now, but Rory's a mess."
"I'm going to book a flight."
"Why bother, mate?" Finn demands. "You're only going to come and then leave again. It's too late, anyway. She needed you the most an hour ago, and you weren't here."
"Damn it, Finn," Logan mutters, a warning buried in his words.
"I didn't marry her, Logan," he says. "She's gorgeous and everything, but she's your wife. I don't mind stopping by to see her every once in a while, or doing her favors sometimes. But this is not what I'm here for."
"I'm aware that I'm married to her," Logan growls.
"Yeah? Then where the hell are you?"
"Finn, you know the deal here. You know the situation."
"I don't care what I know, mate. Right now I know that I'm standing in the hallway of a hospital outside the room where your kid is lying in a hospital bed and your wife is an emotional wreck."
There is silence before Logan says, "Can I talk to her?" It's an honest-to-god request, and for a second, Finn feels bad for his friend.
"Yeah," he says before walking into the room. Rory's murmuring softly to Lucas. "Love," Finn says softly. He holds out the phone. "It's Logan."
Rory accepts the phone with a shaky hand. A moment later, tears start trickling down her cheeks again. "I was so scared," she whispers. "What if I lost him?" She's quiet for a minute before saying, "Tomorrow morning? Yes. Yes. Okay. Yeah. I will." A mangled sob escapes her lips before she says, "I love you, too. Okay." She hangs up the phone gently. "He'll be here tomorrow morning."
Finn nods. "How's our guy?" he asks, looking over at Lucas.
"He's okay," she says, giving him a small smile. "Aren't you, baby?" she asks Lucas. "Your daddy said to tell you that he loves you." She turns back to Finn. "Can I use your phone? I should call Mom."
He hands it over and goes into the hall to give her privacy. Before closing the door behind him he hears her say, "Mom," her voice rich with relief.
This is not his job. He knows that both Logan and Rory are unhappy with the way their lives are right now. He knows that it's not really Logan's fault. He loves Rory, and he will do anything for her, but he loves her the way you love then girl who is, in every way but blood, your sister-in-law. It's not his responsibility to hug her and kiss her and make sure she's okay. It's not right for him to be doing that.
Lorelai shows up three hours later. She smiles wearily when she sees him. "Hey."
"Hey," he returns.
She doesn't bother with pleasantries, and he doesn't blame her. They're both worried and tired. "Is he coming?"
Finn nods. "He gets in tomorrow morning."
Lorelai squeezes his arm. "Thank you for doing this. Rory really needed…someone." Her eyes are angry as she says, "This isn't your job."
"You read my mind, Lorelai. I know. That's what I told him."
She smirks softly.
"I can't keep this up, Lorelai. Logan is my best friend, and I love Rory, and I want them to be happy. But they aren't, and this…"
She nods. "Isn't your job. But don't…be too hard on him, Finn. I hate him. I really do." She sighs. "But he loves my daughter more than anything, and I know that. I can see it in the way he looks at her."
Finn nods again.
Lorelai walks into the room, careful not to let her shoes squeak on the hospital floors. Finn, still standing outside the door, hears Rory's cry of, "Mommy!" and the muffled sobs of both women. He sticks a post-it note to the door that says, Rory, love. I'm going to head home. Don't worry, Lucas will be fine. Love, Finn.
The next morning, he picks Logan up from the airport. His friend's eyes are bloodshot and he looks exhausted, and Finn feels a combination of anger and intense sympathy. "Hey, mate," he says.
Logan's tired eyes somehow manage to register surprise. "Finn. What are you doing here?"
"Thought you might want a ride to the hospital."
Logan nods.
When they arrive, both Rory and Lorelai are asleep. Rory's resting her head on her hands, which are resting on Lucas' crib, and Lorelai's head is resting on her daughter's back.
Logan rushes to the crib, places his fingertips gently on his son's cheek, and watches Lucas's little chest move up and down as he breathes.
Then Logan touches Rory's cheek the same way, the gentle press of fingertips to skin, and she stirs. Lorelai shifts in her sleep as well, and she's the one to wake up first.
She squints at the two men standing in front of her; it takes her a moment to recognize them in her sleepy state. "Finn, Logan," she says softly. "Hi."
"Hey, Lorelai," Logan greets before turning his attention fully to Rory. He kneels beside her, strokes her hair, and, finally, she opens bleary eyes.
The second it registers that her husband is crouched beside her, she throws off the blanket Lorelai had wrapped around her and flings her arms around him.
Finn sees Logan's eyes close as he holds Rory tightly, placing a couple kisses on her head, and he knows what Lorelai meant. He really does love her more than anything, but it's hard for him. His father's constant, nagging presence makes his life so much harder than it would be.
He hears Logan murmur, "I'm so sorry, Ace."
Lorelai rests her hand on her daughter's back momentarily, a silent comfort, a silent reassurance. Then she leads Finn out of the room. "Thanks for bringing him over."
"No problem."
She just looks at him for a moment before saying, "Go home, Finn. I appreciate everything you've done so much, and so do Rory and Logan. But you need to get out of this hospital and back to your life!" She attempts a playful smile, but doesn't quite make it.
"Lucas'll be fine," he tells her.
"You're a sweetheart, Finny," she replies, her lips forming a full-fledged smile this time.
He shifts his weight from foot to foot, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "You were right, you know?"
She tilts her head, still smiling. "Finn, I'm always right. What specific occasion are you referring to, honey?"
He returns her smile. "About Logan. Loving Rory. He does. They're…right for each other. Despite the hell they can put each other through, they're right for each other."
"I know," she sighs. "I love that Rory has found that, Finn, I do. But I hate that even when she's happy, she's miserable."
Finn peers back into the room. Logan's holding Lucas, and Rory's smiling at both of them, one hand on Logan's arm, the other on Lucas' back. There are tearstains on her cheeks, he looks beyond tired, and they both look worried, but she's smiling at him. He leans down and presses his lips to hers, and she moves her hand from his arm to his cheek.
Finn looks away to give them privacy, turning back to Lorelai. "I think I want that," he admits.