A/N this one's for you DrewSaywer, thank you for your feedback, I hope this is satisfactory :)

Chapter 7

The Long Road Home

After 3 hours of driving in silence Jess turned off the highway as they reached the New Jersey turnpike and found a hospital in Elizabeth to take Rory to. She didn't protest as he parked in the busy car park. She unlatched her seatbelt and made to reach for the handle to open the car door when she suddenly froze and slumped back into her seat, unable to make herself get out of the car. Jess made his way around to her door and opening it he knelt down beside her, looking up into her eyes, trying to gauge their next move.

"There's something I need to tell you. Before we go in there and they find out and they tell you. I need to tell you. It needs to be me. It can't be them. I need you to promise me that you will stay. I need to know you're not going to leave me. I need to know we can work this out together because you're the only thing keeping me together right now. You are my glue. I need you to help me fix the cracks. I need you Jess. I need you."

At last she paused for breath and he reached for her hand, squeezing it gently in his own, he waited for her to return her eyes to his before promising her "I will" even though he had no way of knowing what he would be holding himself to. She took a deep breath and sighed, opening her mouth to speak but the words got trapped somewhere behind her teeth and wouldn't come out. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"I'm pregnant" she confessed, eyes still closed, too afraid to witness his response. She opened them at last to find his gaze had never left her face and his eyes were empty of everything but love. He shook his head slightly, a proud smirk tilting the edge of his mouth. The string that tethered them just gained an unbreakable tensile strength with those two words. He stood up then pulled her up out of her seat, being careful not to bump her head on the doorframe as she exited the car.

He pulled her to him and held her whispering his promise once more into her hair as he placed a kiss on her temple "I will."

He hadn't even asked her if it was his baby. She didn't want to break away from his safe embrace but she needed him to know that it was. She tilted her head back to look up into his eyes to tell him and found his unspoken question there.

She nodded her head, "it was the night I came to Truncheon. I only found out yesterday myself and then, well..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the truth dawning in his eyes.

Those marks on her neck and her jaw and the others he had not yet seen were because of a baby he had made with her. It wasn't his fault and yet she knew he would blame himself but this was a secret she couldn't keep for much longer, one more month and she'd be beginning to show and her morning sickness would quickly give her away. No, this was right, he needed to know. She saw his eyes withdraw before she felt his arms loosening their bind around her. He turned and walked away. He made it as far as the end of the neat row of cars in their section then just stood there running his hands through his hair in an agitated manner, messing up his already disheveled waves. She stood still as a statue watching, waiting, her eyes never leaving him. After several minutes he turned and walked back to her. He locked up the car, took her bag from her to sling over his own shoulder and grasped her small hand in his own.

"Let's go make sure you and our baby are okay" he said as they stepped away from the car in the direction of the hospital entry. For now he would deal with what he could control. There would be time to deal with Forester later.

Several hours later Rory had been thoroughly checked over and despite being slightly dehydrated from her morning sickness had no physical injuries aside from the telltale bruises of the events of the night before. They gave her some IV fluids for the dehydration and a script for some mild sedatives in case she needed help to sleep that night. The baby was fine and they were able to see the tiny shape on the screen and hear it's steady heartbeat - healthy and strong. The circumstances were far from ideal but in that moment, with their child's heartbeat echoing around the room, Rory and Jess shared a kiss The nurse was very discreet about Rory's bruises, giving her a selection of information pamphlets including information about applying for a restraining order. Rory tucked them away into her purse, she would look at them later when she was ready. Right now all she wanted to do was have her IV removed, put her own clothes back on and get back on the road.

The sun was already setting as they rounded the turnpike, returning to the highway that would take them back to Philly. There was a bitter chill in the air as they walked the short distance from the car to Jess's apartment. The words remained unspoken but it was her home too now. It had been a long and exhausting day for them both and despite the still early hour they were happy for it to be over so they could let tomorrow begin. Rory changed into her fleece pyjamas and snuggled herself down beneath the comforter, waiting for Jess to join her. She was sound asleep when his weight eventually hit the bed beside her. He kissed her sleeping face and whispered "I love you" before finding his own comfortable position and surrendering himself to sleep.