*The next day—10am.
*Rory's sitting in the waiting room, Jes went into surgery 15 minutes ago.
Rory sits quietly leafing through Jess' copy of Oliver Twist. In times of stress, Rory always turns to the one book she can count on to for comfort.
"Rory!" Luke's gruff voice rings through the room.
Rory looks up, her flushed, "Luke! Mom!"
"We got your message, just as we pulled up in front of the house."
"So, when did he go in?
"About a half hour ago."
"How does he look?" Luke asks, concerned.
"Well, last night he looked ok I guess, they had a whole bunch of stuff plugged into him, and monitors…plus he was pretty messed up from the medication, but today, I don't know. They were prepping him when I came in and the nurse said I couldn't come in"
"So did you get to talk to him at all?" Lorelei says sympathetically.
"I don't know if you could call it talking. He wasn't making sense, the only thing I understood was when he called me fat."
"Fat?" Lorelei exclaims.
"…He was on medication, he didn't know what he was saying, probably couldn't see clearly either." Luke says looking at Rory but addressing Lorelei.
"I know. It was just eerie, hearing him talk like that. He was so out of it, It was kind of scary."
"I bet." Lorelei states honestly. Her gaze turns to the hallway where Doctor Thatcher stands. "Oo, he's got that whole going-gray-mature-George- Clooney-thing going for him."
"Shut up he does not." Rory answers grumpily.
"Will you look at him he's—
"Disillusioned."
"We don't like him?"
"No, we don't. He's a jerk."
"Alright…won't ask." Lorelei replies.
"Hey, I'm going to get a drink. Does anyone want anything? Lunch? Luke interrupts.
"Coffee!" Lorelei exclaims.
"You have got to stop doing that. Rory?"
"Um…food. Anything that's not from the cafeteria."
"Gotcha." Luke says leaving.
*Half hr later—Luke returns with 2 bags of Wendy's food.
"Ok…A cheeseburger, fry, and vanilla milk shake for beautifully, sickly thin women." Luke says beaming at Rory.
"Thank you."
"…Here you go." Luke says quietly handing Lorelei a bag.
Rory starts to speak but stops herself; watching closely as Luke proceeds to take a burger out of the other bag and eat it…a sign to Rory, that he's worried. She decides not to draw attention to it and takes a sip of her milkshake before starting up a conversation with her mother.
*Hr later.
*Rory has fallen asleep on Lorelei's shoulder.
"You ok?" Lorelei whispers.
"Yea. I just hope he's ok."
"He will be."
Luke sighs, running his fingers through his hair, "What are they going to do? This is a lot to deal with. I mean a new baby alone can be overwhelming, but now he's going to be limping around…at least for a few months."
"The doctor says it isn't bad—
"Knees don't just heel over night Lor. Plus even after he's out of the hospital, he can't be left alone all day, and Rory can't stay home with him for the next 6 months."
"Ok, Chill. Luke it's going to be fine. I can take some time off from the Inn and help out."
"I don't know…maybe I should just stay."
"You can't do that…if I take off from the inn Sookie's still there to run it. You're the only person at the diner…Caesar can't do it by himself."
Luke scratches his head in thought, "Your right…but I can come up on weekends, right?"
"Right."
"Excuse me, um Mrs.….
"Gilmore."
"Mrs. Gilmore, Mr. Mariano just got out of surgery. He'll be in recovery for about an hour and then one of you can go in and see him." The nurse states quietly.
"Thank you." Luke mutters.
*Hr later
"Ror-Rory?"
"Hu-what?"
"You can go see Jess." Lorelei whispers in her ear.
Rory stands up abruptly suddenly awake. "Hear I go." Rory utters to herself moving mechanically down the hall.
"Hey." Rory whispers.
"Rory." Jess says hoarsely.
"How ya feeling?"
"Better now." Jess replies stroking Rory's arm, "Sit."
Rory sits on the edge of the bed, "I was so scared."
"…I'm sorry. I was just coming out of the store and—
"Don't say it."
"Alright, I won't. It's so good to see your face."
"It's nice to hear your voice, your real voice; again."
"Oh man. You came to see me yesterday."
"What did you think I wouldn't" Rory says sternly.
"No, I did I just don't remember."
"Yea, you were really out of it…I didn't like you drugged up, you were mean."
"To you? Not possible."
"You were, you said I was fat…and then ignored me the rest of the time."
"You're not fat" Jess says honestly squeezing Rory's hand, "You're beautiful."
"Think so?"
"Know so."
"Yesterday was so crazy, I don't remember ever crying that much. It took me a ½ hour to get here and then they wouldn't let me see you, so I went to go talk to the guy who brought you in, and it, it was Dean Then Finally I was allowed to see you and you were horrible and then the doctor practically kicked me out of here and I went home."
"Dean…thank him for me."
"You're not at all surprised by that?"
"No. I saw him, in the store. I figured he wouldn't recognize me, so I just left."
"Oh." Rory smiles shyly at jess.
"He's married and has kids."
"Huh." Jes says truthfully.
"As crazy as it was, I felt better having him there with me, I mean hospitals are really scary…and without you there, I started freaking out…I haven't been in one of these since…" Rory trails off.
"Well, I'm glad he was there. I don't think I could live with the idea of you sitting alone in this place."
"Jess…when they called yesterday, I-I thought I had lost you."
"Never. Not possible." Jess retorts.
*Hr Later
Luke enters followed by Lorelei.
"Hey." He says softly
"Hi." Jess smiles at his uncle.
"We just talked to the doctor." Lorelei says seriously. Rory winces at his mention. "He said, you can go home tomorrow."
"So soon?" Rory says amazed.
"Well, Jess'll have to come back for some physical therapy and rehabilitation stuff but, the doctor said there's no point in keeping him here, he's better off at home."
"…but he's going to have to come back here at least 3 days a week, at least for now." Lorelei chimes in."
"Oh…Uh I guess I'll have to call the school and get a sub." Rory says quietly.
"No, no you won't." Lorelei says putting her arm around Luke's waste. "We've made a decision…I'm going to stay here with you guys for a while and take Jess to his appointments while you go to work, and Luke's going to come up on weekends."
"I can't ask you to do that for m—
"Rory, I want to. Besides it'll give us a chance to spend some time together…get the apartment ready for the baby."
'Sounds like a plan." Jess says glumly
"Ok then, we're going to go back to the house, we'll meet you there?" Luke asks Rory.
"No…I think I'll spend the night here." Rory replies matter-of-factly turning to Jess who smiles faintly at her.
*Rory's sitting in the waiting room, Jes went into surgery 15 minutes ago.
Rory sits quietly leafing through Jess' copy of Oliver Twist. In times of stress, Rory always turns to the one book she can count on to for comfort.
"Rory!" Luke's gruff voice rings through the room.
Rory looks up, her flushed, "Luke! Mom!"
"We got your message, just as we pulled up in front of the house."
"So, when did he go in?
"About a half hour ago."
"How does he look?" Luke asks, concerned.
"Well, last night he looked ok I guess, they had a whole bunch of stuff plugged into him, and monitors…plus he was pretty messed up from the medication, but today, I don't know. They were prepping him when I came in and the nurse said I couldn't come in"
"So did you get to talk to him at all?" Lorelei says sympathetically.
"I don't know if you could call it talking. He wasn't making sense, the only thing I understood was when he called me fat."
"Fat?" Lorelei exclaims.
"…He was on medication, he didn't know what he was saying, probably couldn't see clearly either." Luke says looking at Rory but addressing Lorelei.
"I know. It was just eerie, hearing him talk like that. He was so out of it, It was kind of scary."
"I bet." Lorelei states honestly. Her gaze turns to the hallway where Doctor Thatcher stands. "Oo, he's got that whole going-gray-mature-George- Clooney-thing going for him."
"Shut up he does not." Rory answers grumpily.
"Will you look at him he's—
"Disillusioned."
"We don't like him?"
"No, we don't. He's a jerk."
"Alright…won't ask." Lorelei replies.
"Hey, I'm going to get a drink. Does anyone want anything? Lunch? Luke interrupts.
"Coffee!" Lorelei exclaims.
"You have got to stop doing that. Rory?"
"Um…food. Anything that's not from the cafeteria."
"Gotcha." Luke says leaving.
*Half hr later—Luke returns with 2 bags of Wendy's food.
"Ok…A cheeseburger, fry, and vanilla milk shake for beautifully, sickly thin women." Luke says beaming at Rory.
"Thank you."
"…Here you go." Luke says quietly handing Lorelei a bag.
Rory starts to speak but stops herself; watching closely as Luke proceeds to take a burger out of the other bag and eat it…a sign to Rory, that he's worried. She decides not to draw attention to it and takes a sip of her milkshake before starting up a conversation with her mother.
*Hr later.
*Rory has fallen asleep on Lorelei's shoulder.
"You ok?" Lorelei whispers.
"Yea. I just hope he's ok."
"He will be."
Luke sighs, running his fingers through his hair, "What are they going to do? This is a lot to deal with. I mean a new baby alone can be overwhelming, but now he's going to be limping around…at least for a few months."
"The doctor says it isn't bad—
"Knees don't just heel over night Lor. Plus even after he's out of the hospital, he can't be left alone all day, and Rory can't stay home with him for the next 6 months."
"Ok, Chill. Luke it's going to be fine. I can take some time off from the Inn and help out."
"I don't know…maybe I should just stay."
"You can't do that…if I take off from the inn Sookie's still there to run it. You're the only person at the diner…Caesar can't do it by himself."
Luke scratches his head in thought, "Your right…but I can come up on weekends, right?"
"Right."
"Excuse me, um Mrs.….
"Gilmore."
"Mrs. Gilmore, Mr. Mariano just got out of surgery. He'll be in recovery for about an hour and then one of you can go in and see him." The nurse states quietly.
"Thank you." Luke mutters.
*Hr later
"Ror-Rory?"
"Hu-what?"
"You can go see Jess." Lorelei whispers in her ear.
Rory stands up abruptly suddenly awake. "Hear I go." Rory utters to herself moving mechanically down the hall.
"Hey." Rory whispers.
"Rory." Jess says hoarsely.
"How ya feeling?"
"Better now." Jess replies stroking Rory's arm, "Sit."
Rory sits on the edge of the bed, "I was so scared."
"…I'm sorry. I was just coming out of the store and—
"Don't say it."
"Alright, I won't. It's so good to see your face."
"It's nice to hear your voice, your real voice; again."
"Oh man. You came to see me yesterday."
"What did you think I wouldn't" Rory says sternly.
"No, I did I just don't remember."
"Yea, you were really out of it…I didn't like you drugged up, you were mean."
"To you? Not possible."
"You were, you said I was fat…and then ignored me the rest of the time."
"You're not fat" Jess says honestly squeezing Rory's hand, "You're beautiful."
"Think so?"
"Know so."
"Yesterday was so crazy, I don't remember ever crying that much. It took me a ½ hour to get here and then they wouldn't let me see you, so I went to go talk to the guy who brought you in, and it, it was Dean Then Finally I was allowed to see you and you were horrible and then the doctor practically kicked me out of here and I went home."
"Dean…thank him for me."
"You're not at all surprised by that?"
"No. I saw him, in the store. I figured he wouldn't recognize me, so I just left."
"Oh." Rory smiles shyly at jess.
"He's married and has kids."
"Huh." Jes says truthfully.
"As crazy as it was, I felt better having him there with me, I mean hospitals are really scary…and without you there, I started freaking out…I haven't been in one of these since…" Rory trails off.
"Well, I'm glad he was there. I don't think I could live with the idea of you sitting alone in this place."
"Jess…when they called yesterday, I-I thought I had lost you."
"Never. Not possible." Jess retorts.
*Hr Later
Luke enters followed by Lorelei.
"Hey." He says softly
"Hi." Jess smiles at his uncle.
"We just talked to the doctor." Lorelei says seriously. Rory winces at his mention. "He said, you can go home tomorrow."
"So soon?" Rory says amazed.
"Well, Jess'll have to come back for some physical therapy and rehabilitation stuff but, the doctor said there's no point in keeping him here, he's better off at home."
"…but he's going to have to come back here at least 3 days a week, at least for now." Lorelei chimes in."
"Oh…Uh I guess I'll have to call the school and get a sub." Rory says quietly.
"No, no you won't." Lorelei says putting her arm around Luke's waste. "We've made a decision…I'm going to stay here with you guys for a while and take Jess to his appointments while you go to work, and Luke's going to come up on weekends."
"I can't ask you to do that for m—
"Rory, I want to. Besides it'll give us a chance to spend some time together…get the apartment ready for the baby."
'Sounds like a plan." Jess says glumly
"Ok then, we're going to go back to the house, we'll meet you there?" Luke asks Rory.
"No…I think I'll spend the night here." Rory replies matter-of-factly turning to Jess who smiles faintly at her.
