My notes: Glad you like the previous chapter. :) Do you want a surprise? Duh, duh, duh - no cliffhangers this time! Are you happy? ;) It was hard for me to wrote that chapter, medical terms and stuff, but I tried and I hope you like the result. What do you expect - Rory and Jess had unpleasant surprise; Doctor Straus is close relative to someone well-known for Rory and Jess; stressful situation lies ahead. Enjoy reading!:)

Story: Four years after Philadelphia, Rory and Jess meet again. (In my story that night ended different. Keep that in mind.)This time in Stars Hollow for Luke and Lorelai's wedding. Each of them keep a secret. Secret, that can change a life.

Chapter 37 Save Me

'There is something that concerned me, though…' Doctor Straus gazed carefully at the monitor and stopped affix in one place.

'What?' Rory widened her eyes and squeezed Jess' hand even more. Her heart raced. Not again, she thought.

'You had a problem with the placenta previous time. I think that the problem is still here.'

'What do you mean?' Jess tried to sound calm. Rory needed his strength. He did not allowed to fear came out on the surface. However, inside he shook.

'The doctors were right when they told you that the problem is in your body. The walls of your placenta are thin and that provokes the problem here. Your blood pressure is too low and that didn't supply enough oxygen to your baby.'

'Oh, my God!' Rory put one trembled hand on her mouth. She threatened her baby's life!

'Now calm down!' Doctor Straus turned off the ultrasound machine and looked back at her. 'We need to observe you once in every month and everything will be okay!'

'We'll do!' Jess said and ran calming fingers through Rory's hair. 'I'll take care of it!' he saw the tears in her eyes; saw the fear and tried to give her his strength. 'Just calm down and try to breathe!'

Rory tried to listen. Really tried, but her heart bled. It was not easy for her to hear that news. She was so scared, scared even more than before. Jess helped her to sit on the bed.

'Now, I saw in your file that you two live in Stars Hollow?' Doctor Straus looked them above her glasses.

'Yes.' Rory still tried to gulp the news.

'My daughter used to live there with her father. We're divorced. Nice place with good hospital. Good climate to raise a child.'

'Maybe we knew her? Your daughter?' Jess tried to distract Rory's attention. 'How is her name?'

'Shane. Shane Straus. She is at your age!'

'Shane?' Rory felt one unpleasant feeling in her stomach. She looked at Jess. He frowned. 'Could you describe her?'

'She is blond and…'

'We know her!' Jess interrupted the female doctor.

'Really? You know her?' Doctor Straus smiled.

The blond bimbo girl that Jess used to made Rory jealous. The bad feeling in her stomach started to get worse. Yeah, Rory remembered her well! Suddenly she jumped of the bed with hand on her mouth.

'Excuse me… bathroom…' she mumbled and slammed the door of the bathroom beside her.

Doctor Straus looked after Rory, and then turned her eyes on Jess. He still was frowned.

'I'm sorry.' She said. 'My daughter wasn't one of the good kids. Maybe you didn't remember her with good…'

Jess blushed but decided to tell her the true. After all, she was trying to help his wife and their baby.

'Shane was my girlfriend before my wife…' he mumbled. 'Well… not my girlfriend exactly… hm-mm… We just… sort of… hanging out…'

'Oh…' Doctor Straus nodded, but she looked curious.

'Let's just say that this is a touchy subject for Rory…' Jess finished uncomfortable conversation.

'I see…' Doctor Straus smiled. 'I was about to tell you that I am moving my practice in Stars Hollow. Started next week. This whole pressure here, I am tired of it. So, if you want I can take Rory's case.'

Jess smiled her back.

'That would be great, thank you… I'm former New Yorker; trust me I know about the pressure here.'

Rory opened the door of the bathroom. She looked the both of them and reached hand to Jess. He helped her as they walked to the other room. They sat in the doctor's cabinet.

'How are you feeling?' Doctor Straus looked at her pale face.

'Not so well…' Rory answered with thin voice.

'Is that happening often?'

'These days more often than usual.' Rory answered and felt Jess' arm on her shoulder.

Doctor Straus wrote something on Rory's file.

'We have to do something with your appetite. You are very thin and I'm afraid that this gets things worse for you…'

'What do you mean?' Jess' fears rose again.

'She looks anemic and that is not good for her and the baby. I'll give you a prescription and we'll see how the things work next week.' Doctor Straus passed one little piece of paper to Jess and they stood to leave.

'OW!' Rory suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach and cried out in pain. "OW!" She fell to the floor on her knees.

'What? What happened?' Jess bent over her.

"I… I don't know. OW! OW! It hurts!" Rory clutched her stomach and Jess lifted her off the ground.

'Take her on the bed!' Doctor Straus said and called for help.

Jess took her gently on the bed. She cried and squeezed his hand.

'My baby Jess… our baby…' she clutched her stomach again. 'I can't loose it… I can't…'

'Sh-hh… calm down… calm down… I'm here…' his eyes caressed her. Jess was scared for her and this time he could not hide it.

'Oh, God… please…' Rory felt the same pain. 'I can't loose it…'

The medical team rushed into the room and Jess stepped back. He watched helplessly how they tried to safe their baby. He clenched his fists and tried to pray. Jess never was a believer, but now, when his wife and his baby were in danger, he started to pray. Rory cried. He saw the tears on her face.

'Please save him! Save my baby…' she repeated constantly and those words nailed into his brain.

'Rory please breathe…' Jess heard Doctor Straus. She turned on the ultrasound and put one belt over Rory's stomach. 'I need you to breathe now… C'mon listen to me!'

'It hurts…' Rory cried again.

'I know it hurts, but I need you to breathe! Do it slowly, c'mon…'

Rory tried to listen and started to breathe following doctor's advice.

'Good…' Doctor Straus said. 'Now, I do not want you to worry. You have a minor bleed, but we will check for the baby's heartbeat now. That's why I put you this belt.'

'Baby…' Rory felt the pain slowly go away and looked for Jess. 'Jess?' she cried panicking.

'I'm here!' she felt his hand on her head almost immediately.

Medical team was still there, but it looked like everything calmed.

'Here it is.' Doctor Straus turned on the sound of the ultrasound. Baby's heartbeats echoed in the room. Rory released her breath. Jess did the same.

Doctor Straus nodded at the medical team and they went out from the room. Rory reached for Jess' hand and squeezed her. She needed him and he was there.

'Are you calm now?' Doctor Straus asked her and Rory nodded. Suddenly she felt very tired.

'What happened?' Jess asked.

'I told you about her condition. This was one of the possible complications.'

'Baby…' Rory whispered. She was not strong enough to talk.

'Baby is okay. You heard him.' Doctor Straus looked at her. 'You are the one, who need a rest right now. Take a rest, until I talk with you husband.'

'Jess…' she whispered and he bent down to kiss her. 'I'm sorry…'

He frowned.

'You need a rest now, do not talk… You're not doing anything wrong…'

'I love you…'she felt the need to say those words.

'I love you too…' he smiled at her. 'Now rest, I'll talk with Doctor Straus and we go back in my room.'

'Okay.' She said and closed her eyes.

Jess' smile faded and he turned back to talk with the doctor. Something told him that this conversation would be hard.

'I'm listening!' he said with strained face.

'I know that you are recovering from your surgery and probably I shouldn't put more pressure on your shoulders, but the situation with Rory get more complicated.'

'I'm not important at the moment!' he snapped. 'She is! So tell me what the picture is! I want to be prepared.'

'You really care about her…' Doctor Straus suddenly smiled. 'Now I can understand why you two broke all the rules here.'

Jess looked at Rory. She slept. His eyes told everything.

'She is my life!' he said without any shame. He was before. He did not like to talk about his feelings. He thought that was weakness. Now all that shame was gone. Rory pushed it away.

'I can tell…' Doctor Straus said and Jess looked back at her. 'Now, I want you to be very careful with her. We get under control the bleeding and the contractions. Baby's heartbeats are in norm, but she is very weak and that really concerned me. She probably was strong before, when she's taking care for you, thanks to her will. Now the baby take her all the strength and the physiological problem didn't make things easier.'

Jess rubbed his eyes and tried to avoid the weariness. He has to think about Rory right now. She was important. He tried to stay focus and looked back at Doctor Straus.

'What can I do?'

'You have to make sure that she will spend more of her time in the bed. She needs rest and you have to buy those medications, which I wrote on the prescription.'

'Okay.' Jess said. 'Anything else?'

'No stress. Seriously, no stress at all!' Doctor Straus looked at him carefully. 'You look tired.'

Jess rubbed his eyes again.

'I'm okay. Doctor Smith said that my recovery runs well, so at least in that front Rory will not be stressed.' He tried to smile.

Doctor Straus nodded and grabbed the phone.

'I'll call for stretcher.' She said, but Jess shook his head.

'No need.' He said and went into Rory's bed. 'I'll carry her if there is no problem.'

'If you feel strong enough…' she said, but in the mean time, Jess already was with Rory in his arms. 'Come tomorrow, before you go home. We'll set the appointment.'

'Thank you doctor.' Jess said before he leaved.

He gently put Rory in her bed and put one blanket over her. She slept peacefully. He twirled one curl over his finger and caressed her face. She slowly opened her eyes.

'Hey…' she sounded throaty.

'Hey…' Jess continued to caress her. 'I'm sorry I wake you.'

'It's okay.' Rory said and shivered under the blanket. Jess noticed her hand over her belly. She looked at him concerned. 'Baby…'

'The baby is okay. Doctor Straus said that we have to take care about you. She would be your doctor. She'll move in Stars Hollow next week so…'

'That's great…' Rory smiled, but then frowned. 'You don't look good, Jess.'

'I'm okay, little tired, but okay.' He forced himself to sound calm.

'You have to sleep. That pressure so soon after surgery it was not good for you.' Rory bit her lip. 'I'm sorry…'

'I told you not to!' Jess said quietly and kissed her forehead.

'But…'

'Sleep now, I'll wait and then I'll sleep too.' He tried to relax her.

'You promise?' she had to be sure.

'I promise!' he said and winked.

One nurse came to put her IV and little after that Rory fell asleep. Jess watched her for a while, but then the weariness said its word and he fell asleep too. He had no idea how the things will work from now on, but he was determent to watch over Rory no matter of the cost.