Logan was sitting in his corner office at the HPG building in London considering the events of that last week in Connecticut. He couldn't help but be angry of the way his two best friends treated him over the Rory situation and thrown off by his run-in with Rory. He hasn't expected to see her at all, but especially not in Finn's Porsche. He ran his hand through his hair and signed heavily as he reflected on the situation. How had things gotten to this point? And had Rory started something with one of his best friends?
He quickly opened his internet browser and typed in "Rory Gilmore Hartford" to see what he could dig up about her life since New Hampshire. Scrolling through the links and clicking here and there, he learned that her daughter, Emma Leigh Gilmore, had has been born in Hartford on July 3, 2017. There were more links with exerpts and reviews of a book that she had apparently written, aptly named Gilmore Girls. It has been published by a small publishing house in Philly. And then there was an article about a benefit for childhood leukemia that made his heart stop beating for a minute. Surely it couldn't be, could it?
Quickly considering his options, Logan finally picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number, hoping that he would answer. After three rings, he did.
"Morgan," came the voice of one of his best friends.
"Finn, how are you, man?"
"I'm good, mate. How are the moving preparations going on your side of the pond?"
"They're going well. That's the beauty of having a wife - she handles all of that while I put in my time in the office. Listen, I know this might be awkward, but I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead, mate," Finn answered quickly.
"First, this isn't what I called to ask you, but are you and Rory seeing each other?"
"Logan, where is this coming from? You walked away from them. You can't have it both ways, man."
"I know that, Finn. I just happened upon some info today that made me wonder how close you two are."
Finn sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"Yes, we are seeing each other, but its still very new."
"So you know quite a bit about Emma?" Logan hedged.
"I'm not discussing Emma with you, Logan. If you want info on her you'll have to talk to Rory, although I really don't think she will give you any."
"I just need to know...is she okay? I read the article about her condition..." Logan trailed off.
"What are you talking about, mate?"
"You really don't know, Finn?" Logan asked in shock. "I just assumed that she would have told you, but maybe she doesn't trust you enough to," he finished, trying to get a dig in at the relationship. If he couldn't get his information from Finn maybe he could at least cast some doubts on the budding relationship between his friend and his ex.
"That's bullshit, Logan. Don't try to ruin this; I won't let you do it."
"Don't take my word for it, man. I just emailed you the article so you can read it yourself. It's not my fault your girlfriend didn't tell you."
"You're on thin ice, mate. I'm hanging up now; stay out of mine and Rory's relationship," Finn warned as he pressed the end button and cursed silently.
Right at that moment his email dinged with a notification of a new email from Logan. Finn reluctantly opened his email and clicked on the message. He followed the link and his jaw dropped as he read the article. This couldn't be right. Why wouldn't Rory have told him herself? Finn was numb as he shut down his computer and told his secretary that he was taking the afternoon off. He sent Colin a quick text asking him if he could meet him at a local bar and steered his car in that direction as soon as he got the confirmation from Colin.
Colin walked into the bar half an hour later to find a forlorn looking Finn nursing a glass of scotch.
"I got here as soon as I could, man. What's going on?"
Finn just opened the link to the article that Logan had sent him and slid his phone over to Colin. Colin quickly began reading the article and turned to Finn when he finished it.
"I had no idea," Colin told Finn quietly.
"Neither did I, mate. Logan called today and was asking questions and sent me the link to the article. Why wouldn't she tell me, Colin? This seems like the kind of thing I should know, does it not?"
"It does, Finn, but I'm sure that she had her reasons. Have you talked to her about it?"
"Not yet. She's at work. Logan said...well, he insinuated that she doesn't trust me enough to tell me," Finn lamented. "I thought that we were on our way to something good, but now I have no bloody idea what to think."
"I think you need to go talk to her in person and give her a chance to explain. Don't accuse or get angry. Just let her know what Logan sent you and see what she says. I really think she's crazy about you, man. I'm sure there's a reason."
"I hope you're right, mate," Finn replied quietly.
"Are you okay to drive?" Colin asked, eyeing Finn's glass.
"Yeah, this is my first and I haven't even had half of it. I'm good. I'll go meet them when they get home from school and talk to her. I'll call you later and let you know what she says. Thanks for talking me down, mate."
"What else are friends for?" Colin chuckled.
Finn sat on Rory's front porch waiting for her and Emma to get home from school. He was more nervous than he had been in quite some time. Damn Logan for trying to manipulate him and Rory and get in their heads. Finn kept trying to reassure himself that there had to be a good explanation until he finally saw Rory pull into the driveway.
"I wasn't expecting you when we got home," Rory greeted him happily as she got out of the car and unbuckled Emma, who immediately ran into his arms giggling.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed to talk to you about something. Perhaps we could get Little Love situated in her room and we could talk in the living room?"
Rory took in the solemn expression and serious tone of Finn's request and was immediately worried. Was he breaking up with her? She had just opened herself up to him, but that didn't mean that losing him wouldn't hurt.
"Yeah, sure. Let me just get her a snack and then I will let her watch a movie in her room," Rory replied feeling quite nervous. She quickly got Emma's snack and turned on a movie before meeting Finn back in the living room.
"Is everything okay, Finn?" she asked as she sat down.
"I don't know, love. I really thought things were going well between us and that we trusted each other, but this whole thing has me feeling very unsure. Logan called me today and had some questions about you and Em. I didn't give him any information and told him that he would have to talk to you, but then he threw me for a loop. Do you trust me, Rory?"
"Of course I do, Finn. Where is this coming from?"
Much like he had done with Colin, he unlocked his phone and handed it over to her silently. Rory's heart dropped as she read the article and suddenly she understood why Finn felt so hurt. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was more her trying not to dwell on the harsh realities of Emma's situation and trying to respect Emma's wishes.
"I'm so sorry, Finn," she told him with tears in her eyes. "I do trust you completely. It's just...God, sometimes I just don't even want to think about it myself, much less talk about it. It sucks, you know? No child should have to go through what that kid has gone through. It was hell for a while. I wasn't keeping it from you out of malice. Emma and I had talked about it, and she didn't want to share quite yet, and because it's her story to share I let her make that decision. She doesn't like being reminded of it either and likes to just be a normal girl."
"I can understand that, kitten. God, I'm glad Colin talked me down. Logan had me questioning our relationship."
"I'm so sorry, Finn. Let me go talk to Em and I'll be right back," Rory replied softly.
Rory walked into Emma's room and paused the movie before sitting down next to her on her bed.
"Hey, Em. Can we talk? You know how Finn has been spending a lot of time with us?"
"Yeah, Mommy."
"Well, Finn really loves you, and I think it would be good to tell him about your condition. Do you think we could do that together now?"
"Do you think he will still love me just as much, Mommy?" Emma asked tearfully.
"Of course, sweet girl," Rory reassured her.
"Okay," Emma quietly consented.
The two girls walked back into the living room and Emma sat down between Rory and Finn.
"Finn, Emma has something she would like to tell you," Rory prodded. Emma slowly reached over and grabbed each of their hands before she looked at Finn.
"Finny, Mommy said that you love me and that won't change, right?" she asked timidly.
"Of course, Em. There's nothing that could make me quit loving you."
"Mommy lets me decide when to tell people about me and I want to tell you."
Finn was taken aback by how much older than a four-year old Emma sounded, likely the product of her being an only child, being Rory's child, and the things she had experienced in her short life.
"I'm glad you want to tell me, Little Love," Finn encouraged her.
"I'm okay for right now, but I have to take medicine to stay okay because I have leukemia," Emma told him quietly.
Finn felt tears prick his eyes and pulled Emma into his lap and hugged her tightly and took a moment to compose himself.
"Thank you for trusting me with your secret, Emma. I'm so glad you're okay."
"You're welcome, Finny. Can I go play now, Mommy?"
"Of course, sweet girl. You go ahead," Rory replied with a small chuckle. They both watched Emma hop up and run back to her room before talking again.
"She has lymphoblastic leukemia and is in remission. She's did what's known as targeted therapy, and it was very successful. We have to go in next month for labs and scans to make sure that she's still clear and be very aware of any illnesses. She's been through so much, Finn. It was heartbreaking to see her there in the hospital any not knowing what was wrong, and then I felt like I couldn't put one foot in front of the other when we got the diagnosis. It's not fair that my baby has to deal with this, Finn," Rory finished as she broke down in tears.
Finn gathered her in his arms and held her, stroking her hair soothingly, as she sobbed into his chest.
"You don't have to deal with this alone, Rory. I'm here for you now, and I'll be there for Emma, too. You girls can count on me," Finn reassured as he held her tightly.