Chapter 10

A short ride later, they arrived at St. Francis Memorial. Finn carried Rory inside and found a wheelchair. She was still clutching her stomach as he raced to the ER. They checked her in and immediately brought her to a room. They attached fetal monitors around her tiny bump. She put her hand over her mouth as she retched again. The nurse handed her a small, blue bag.

Finn stood next to her, holding her hand, and feeling helpless. They started an IV, and the doctor came in. He ordered some anti-nausea medication along with some fluids prevent any possible dehydration the vomiting may cause. The medicine kicked in, and Rory started to regain some color. She was still experiencing abdominal pain.

"Finn, could you call my mom?"

"Of course, Love. Anyone else?" he asked, knowing that she would probably want to contact Logan because of the baby. He didn't relish the idea of having to talk to him, but he would do anything she asked of him.

Do I really want Logan to know? No, but if it is the baby, he has the right to know, she thought.

"As much as I don't want to involve him, Logan should probably be notified," she said.

"Ok, I'm going to step out to make those calls," he replied, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"Take my phone. It's got my mom's number in it," she suggested as he was about to leave.

He took her phone and scrolled to Lorelai's number.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite daughter," Lorelai said answering the call.

"Actually, Lorelai, it's Finn," he responded.

"Why are you calling from Rory's phone? Is there something wrong?" she replied, starting to sound panicked.

Finn could hear Luke in the background.

"Something's wrong with Rory? What's going on? What happened?" Luke asked.

"Luke, hold on, I'm trying to get that information from Finn," she said to Luke.

"Finn? What's he got to do with Rory being hurt?" he replied concerned.

"Just be patient, Luke!" she said. "Sorry, Finn, Luke is just concerned about Rory."

"Rory's in the hospital. I'm not sure what's going on, specifically, at this point."

"Can you tell me anything?" she asked, obviously very worried about her daughter.

"After dinner, she got sick and thought it was some lingering morning sickness. Then she started feeling pain in her midsection. That's when I rushed her to the ER," he explained.

"Is there something wrong with the baby? Is the baby ok?"

"That's all I know. They are checking her out now. She sent me to call you," he replied. It made him feel helpless all over again. There had to be something he could do.

"I'm on my way, Finn. Are you at St. Francis? I'll be there in an hour," she said.

"An hour? How do you - Oh! I forgot to tell you she flew out to visit me while I'm working in San Francisco. I didn't know she was coming until I saw her in my hotel lobby," Finn replied. At that moment, he knew what he could do to help.

"That will take more than an hour," she said, sounding defeated about not being there for her pregnant daughter.

"If you can get to the airport, I'll make sure my family's plane is ready to go. Tell Luke he's welcome as well," Finn said, confident in his actions.

"You don't need to do that, Finn."

"I insist. You should be here for Rory. I'll text you the details," Finn replied.

"You are quite the knight in shining armor," Lorelai said, thankful for his kindness.

"Don't let anyone know, or you'll ruin my reputation," Finn said, jokingly. "I'll let her know you're on your way."

"Thank you for taking such great care of my daughter, Finn," Lorelai replied, sincerely.

"That's what friends are for," he replied, hanging up.

He took a moment to process. He'd immediately gone into crisis mode at the hotel. He still had no idea what was wrong with her. Could there be something wrong with her? Or the baby? He thought. He couldn't bear the thought of her hurting, or worse, losing her. She meant more to him than anyone else. He'd do anything in his power to make sure she was ok.

Before making his next call, he took a minute to arrange the flight out of Hartford for Lorelai and Luke. He texted Lorelai the details, including a car to bring them to the hospital. Then he took a deep breath and called Logan from his phone. How could this possibly go wrong? He thought, sarcastically.

"Finn, what's up, man? You back in town?" Logan greeted him.

"No, I'm not," Finn replied in a serious, somber tone.

"What's going on? Is everything alright?" he asked, sounding mildly concerned.

Finn took a deep breath and continued, "I'm calling to let you know that Rory's in the hospital."

"What? Why? Where?" Logan asked, firing off questions.

"Look, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but she got really sick and started clutching her midsection. I rushed her to the hospital as quickly as I could," Finn explained briefly.

"Is she ok? The baby?" Logan replied quietly.

"I don't know. I came out to make the necessary calls, and it's not like they'd give me any information since I'm not family."

"I'm still in Hartford, so I can be there shortly. Where are you at? St. Francis?" Logan asked.

"Well..." Finn started, unsure how to tell him they were in San Francisco. He figured Logan would have put it all together since he had asked if Finn was in Hartford.

"Well, what? Where are you, Finn?" Logan asked again, sounding a little agitated.

"I don't think you heard me when I said I wasn't back in town. I'm still in San Francisco," he replied, bracing for the storm he felt was imminent.

"Oh," he replied, pausing, and thinking. "So, Rory's in San Francisco...with you?"

"Yeah," Finn said quietly.

There was a long period of silence. Logan tried to process the information. Finn was still bracing for the cyclone of fury from him. This wasn't something Finn had planned or pursued.

"So, you're the reason she was going out of town," Logan said, sadness in his voice.

"Logan, I had no idea she was coming to see me," Finn tried to explain and reassure him his intentions weren't aimed at pursuing Rory.

"Tell me the truth. Give it to me straight," Logan demanded, sounding angry.

"I am telling the truth! I had no idea she was coming out here, but she did tell me about you trying to get her back," he replied.

Logan was quiet again.

"Does she want me to come?" Logan asked softly.

Finn couldn't imagine what was going through Logan's mind. The woman carrying his child is in a hospital across the country, and his best friend was the only one there because she went to see him. He knew how helpless he felt, and he was right there, with Rory.

"That's up to you. She just asked me to let you know. I don't have any other information, but I should get back to check on her," Finn replied.

"But does she want me there?" Logan insisted.

"Dammit, Logan, I don't know! I'm not a mind-reader. I do know she's vulnerable and confused about how she feels. So, you're going to have to decide for yourself. We're at St. Francis Memorial in San Francisco," Finn answered and hung up.

I don't want Logan here. I didn't want him to bother Rory and stress her out any more than he already had. I wanted to say that Rory seemed to know what she wanted last night in my hotel room, and it's definitely not him. I couldn't tell him to go back to his fucking wife, and leave Rory alone, he thought.

He decided he needed another minute to calm down from the worrisome situation, and the angry phone call with Logan. Rory was counting on Finn to be there for her, and that's what he was going to do. He knew he could relax a bit more once Lorelai got there. Right now, he needed to go back in and check on her.

"How are you doing, Love? Did they say what's going on?"

"They aren't really sure what going on, but they still have some tests to do. The nausea has dissipated though, so that's a good sign," she replied.

"Everything's going to be fine. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere!" he said, holding her hand.

"Thank you for being so wonderful!" she said, putting her other hand top of his and giving him a little smile. "Did you talk to my mom?"

"Of course, and she's on her way out here."

"Is Luke coming, too?"

"I'm not sure, but I put both names on the manifest," Finn replied.

"The manifest?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, I arranged the flight on my family's plane."

"Finn, you did not have to do that," she replied.

"Your mum said the same thing, but I insisted. It's the least I can do. Besides, she'll get here much faster than flying commercial, and last minute fares cost a small fortune."

The nurse came into the room and informed Rory she had to take her away for a few tests and an ultrasound to check on the baby. Finn took the opportunity to go find some coffee. He made his way to the cafeteria and bought a cup of coffee. He took one sip, and it was terrible. He drank it despite the fact it was the worst cup of coffee he'd ever had. He walked into the lounge closest to Rory's room. He asked the nurse at the desk if they would let him know when she came back.

As he sat, his mind drifted. I can't believe she flew out here to see me. Now, she's in the hospital, and God only knows what's wrong with her. What about the baby? I can't lose them! How did I fall so fast for her? I guess she's always had a special place in my heart, but up until a few days ago, it was a place of friendship, not romance. How in the hell could I be in love with my best mate's ex? She was carrying his baby, not mine. I couldn't help it though, and she returned the feelings.

"Excuse me?" a voice said. "Excuse me, sir? Rory Gilmore is back from testing. You can go back and see her."

The nurse's voice brought Finn back to reality. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't know how much time had actually passed. He followed the nurse back to Rory's room. She smiled, and he sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Good news! They said the preliminary indicators show the baby is doing ok!"

Finn let out a sigh of relief, but they still didn't know what was going on.

"That's wonderful news, Love!" he replied, smiling.

"I was really scared, Finn! I thought I might lose the baby!" she confessed.

Finn took her hand in his and smiled. She smiled back, warming his heart.

A minute later, the doctor came back into the room. He told her he wasn't concerned with her going into labor or anything else with the baby.

"Oh, that's a relief!" Rory exclaimed as they both let out sighs. She brought Finn's hand to her stomach. He smiled and melted.

"I am concerned about the vomiting and the abdominal pain at this point. What did you eat today?"

"We ate Vietnamese at The Slanted Door," she replied.

"Based on these symptoms, I suspect food poisoning. I'm going to do a little digging to see if there have been any other cases," he replied and left.

She turned to Finn," Guess it's a good thing we didn't have the same thing, huh?"

"Yes, or we'd both be sick," he replied.

"Did you call...Logan?"

"Yes, I did as you requested. I told him, but I don't know if he's coming."

"You could text him and let him know it's not the baby. Maybe he hasn't left Hartford yet and he'll stay put," she said hopefully.

"I doubt that would stop him."

"You're right. I just don't know if I can face him right now," she said, sounding worried.

"Rory, I'm here. Your mum will be here, too," Finn replied, trying to sound confident.

The doctor returned with an update. He explained there were several cases throughout the city, and it was linked to some tainted produce. The doctor recommended Rory stay for a day or so. With the pregnancy, he wanted to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated.

"You should listen to the doctor and get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise," Finn said.

"You need some sleep, too. You should go back to the hotel and get some rest," she countered.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily. Looks like this chair reclines, so I'll be fine. Now, get some sleep, Darling," he said and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled and closed her eyes.