Disclaimer : Same thing that applied to the previous twenty-four chapters
applies here. I own nothing.
A few notes before I get going on this chapter. There are a few words of German sprinkled through out this chapter, which may or may not be 100% correct. I don't know German, so I used the online translator thing. Also, I really really suck at all things geography related, so ignore any mistakes made there as well. And finally, until this story is complete, all my other stories are on hold. This story is almost a year in the works and I want to finish it.
-- Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I appreciate it beyond words. A bigger thank you goes to Alisha, for beta-ing this chapter for me. I lurve you chica.
Oh yeah, and remember, this is in the future, so whatever hasn't occurred yet, in real life, is just me adding random stuff to the story, to set the tone. I, in no way, hope that any of these events occur. Okay? Okay.
Don't Say You Love Me
Chapter 25
2 Years Later, London England
"Uh-huh. I understand," Rory nodded into the phone as she began shoving her belongings into the open suitcase that lay on the bed. "Right. 11pm, Heathrow. I'll be there." She paused, evidently listening to the person on the other end. "Okay, thanks, goodbye."
Hanging up, she let out a sigh and sat down on the bed beside the large suitcase, gazing around the hotel room that had been her home for the past three months. After spending nearly nine months in Israel, admist all the war and famine, she had been sent here, to London, to cover the recent terrorist bombings that had occurred. As much as she enjoyed being in the thick of things, she was looking forward to covering a story on a smaller scale, with no immediate danger to her well-being.
Doing the overseas correspondent thing was great, it was everything she had ever wanted. But with her always on the go, barely getting five hours of sleep a night, if she was lucky, combined with the time differences, didn't give her many chances to check in back home, to talk to her mom or any of her friends. In fact, she had only spoken to her mother twice since arriving here, and the last time had been six weeks ago. She had talked to Jess four weeks ago, her mother and Luke apparently having gone out of town at the time. She smiled, as she recalled Jess telling her how he and Paris had gone out on a date the night before, which surprisingly, hadn't been a complete disaster. Offhandedly, she wondered if they had gone out again since.
Thoughts of Jess and Paris, she knew, would lead to thoughts of him , and that she could not and would not allow. So jumping back to her feet, she wandered around the room and continued packing.
"Deutschland, komme hier ich," she murmured to herself.
******
Three weeks later, Stars Hollow
Jess tucked the slip of paper he used as a bookmark in between the pages of the book he was reading and glanced around the diner. It was surprisingly quiet today, only a few customers eating quietly at their tables. Luke had run to the store, for what, he wasn't sure, leaving him in charge, with Caesar manning the kitchen. He hopped off the stool he was sitting on when one of the elder ladies approached the cash register. She paid her bill, he gave her the change and things went back to the way they had been after the bell above the door had twinkled and she had left.
Rolling his eyes in boredom, he went back to his book, putting it down only when a new customer came in or when they came up to pay. Luke returned a few minutes later, heading into the storage room without a word and then muttered something about leaving something upstairs and that he'd be right back. Jess watched him go before pouring himself a glass of Coke and settling back down at the counter. It was only a few minutes later that the bell rang loudly and Lorelai's frantic voice screeched his name.
"Jess, thank God!"
Looking up, he felt his heart drop at the look on her face. Lorelai was often over dramatic, but something told him that there was something wrong, something very wrong.
"What's going on? Is Rory okay?" He asked hurriedly, surprising at the tone of his voice.
Lorelai nodded vehemently and then shook her head. "It's not Rory, it's Tristan."
Allowing a fleeting second to let out a sigh of relief that Rory was okay, Jess looked at Lorelai expectantly. "Tristan? What happened?"
"His father just called. He was in some kind of accident. I don't know what exactly happened, but he's in the hospital and we need to go, now. Where's Luke?"
"Luke's here. What's going on?" Luke asked as he came into view from the stairwell.
"No time to explain," Lorelai gasped, grabbing his hand. "Close the diner, we've gotta get to the hospital."
"Hospital? Lorelai?"
"It's Tristan, Luke. Can we go, now?"
"You two go, I'll close up," Jess offered, getting up off the stool. "I'll meet you guys there."
Luke nodded and followed Lorelai out the door. Jess ushered the last few customers out the door, tossed Caesar the keys to lock up with, grabbed his coat and jogged out to his car. Revving the engine, despite Taylor's insistent law against such a thing, he threw it into drive and slammed on the gas peddle. The tires squealed as he raced out of town towards Hartford.
******
When Jess arrived at the hospital, he found Luke and Lorelai sitting in the waiting room, both looking nervous and fidgeting. Glancing around, he noticed Tristan's cousin sitting in the corner, reading a magazine while his wife sat next to him, talking quietly to their young daughter. "What's going on?" He asked, approaching his uncle.
"His parents are in with him right now," Lorelai answered before Luke got the chance. "He's not in too good of condition. Darren was out here a few minutes ago.. he was in an accident, tried crossing the train tracks before the train came and didn't quite make it."
Upon hearing what had happened to his friend, Jess cringed. Hanging his head, he dropped down into the chair beside Luke. "Shit.."
There was silence for a minute before Jess glanced over at Lorelai. "Have you tried calling Rory? She should know."
Lorelai nodded and poked around inside her purse for change. Finding it, she went over to the payphone and dialed the emergency number that Rory had given her a few days earlier, when she had called. One the other end, the phone rang before being picked up by a man with a heavy German accent.
"Hello?"
"Hi, yeah. Could you put me through to Rory Gilmore?"
"One moment, please."
Lorelai bit her lip as she waited to be connected. A few seconds later, Rory's voice could be heard through a large amount of static.
"Hello?"
"Rory!"
"Mom?"
"Ror, you've gotta come home."
"Mom? Is that you? I can barely hear you."
"Rory, you have to come home, Tristan's in the hospital," Lorelai shouted, her voice echoing down the silent halls, causing the other inhabitants to look at her warily.
"....can't..... you ..... call ...... later," was all Lorelai could make out before a dial tone sounded in her ear.
"Dammit," Lorelai cursed, slamming the phone back down. Turning back to Luke and Jess, she shook her head. "Damn the German and their crappy communication devices."
Just then Tristan's mother, Catherine, emerged from beyond the doors and approached the group in the waiting room. All eyes were on her and she cleared her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes. Sniffling, she managed a small smile. "He's awake. He's still heavily medicated and not completely coherent, but he's awake."
There was a collective sigh of relief from all before Catherine spoke again. Gazing at Jess, she nodded towards him. "He wants to talk to you."
Jess gave a slight nod of the head and stood. Catherine led him down the hall, towards the room where Darren was currently sitting, just outside the door. He glanced up and stood up when he saw Jess. "Jess," he said, and the two shook. "The doctors in with him right now, but you can go in once he leaves."
"Right," Jess grunted in response, leaning slightly against the wall. They all stood there in silence for a few more minutes, when the doctor, followed by a nurse, exited the room. The doctor motioned towards the DuGrey's, indicating he wanted to speak with them and Jess took his chance and went in. Tristan lay upon the bed, his entire face bruised, a bandage on his head and both arms. He was slightly propped up against two pillows and his blue eyes shone when he saw Jess.
Jess approached the bed and shook his head. "How the hell did this happen, DuGrey?"
Tristan's mouth twitched a little, into a tense smirk and he groaned as he shifted so he could see his friend. "Would - " He paused, clearing his scratchy throat before trying again. "Would you do me a favor?"
Jess nodded. "Sure, whatever you need, man."
"Find Rory."
"Okay."
"Thanks."
They stared at each other for a second, before the door opened and Darren informed them Jess had to go. Their good-byes were said silently, with only a look of understanding and mutual respect.
******
"I need seven hundred dollars." Jess said, as he returned to the waiting room, already have called the airport from a payphone.
At his request, Luke spat out the water he was drinking and Lorelai choked on the piece of gum she had been chewing.
"Are you crazy? What could you possibly need seven hundred dollars, for?"
"I'm going to Germany. I have to find Rory."
Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "We can just call her!"
"Yeah, right," Jess scoffed. "When ever have we been able to get ahold of her, without being disconnected or having some snooty foreign guy tell you to call back later?"
Lorelai's silence was all the answer needed.
"Right. So back to the $700. I need it."
"You're not going to Germany," Luke said, having regained composure.
"Listen, I'm going with or without your help. But the longer it takes for me to find Rory, makes it all the less likely that Tristan is going to pull through. You know that. Hell, he knows that, that's why he wants me to go find her!"
Luke sighed in resignation. "Fine. I have $500, you can have. You're going to have to find the rest somewhere else."
"I'll foot it," Lorelai chimed in. "But I expect to be paid back every last dime."
Jess nodded as the two stood and gathered their things and, piling into Luke's truck, heading towards the airport.
*****
Rory, sitting beside her now dear friend and camera man, Kris, was sorting through the piles of research that had gone into her most recent story. It hadn't been shot yet, as they were still in the research stage, but it was coming to a close. Her eyes scanned the papers, committing pieces of information to memory, when a knock came on the door.
"Come in," she called out lightly. The door opened and the manager of the hotel stuck his head in.
"Frau Gilmore, Sie haben einen Besucher." (Ms. Gilmore, you have a visitor.)
It took Rory a moment to respond, as she silently translated the words in her head. "Schicken Sie sie in, bitte." (Send them in, please.)
The man nodded and stepped aside to allow the newcomer access to the room. Rory's mouth dropped open when Jess appeared and she let out a little shriek, launching herself into his arms.
"Oh. My. God! What are you doing here?" She asked excitedly, once the embrace had been broken. Her excitement fell once she caught the look on his face. "What's going on? Is it my mom? Is my mom okay? Luke? Jess, what's going on?"
Jess shook his head, his dark eyes troubled. "Your mom and Luke are fine."
Relief washed across her face, but she still bit her lip, her forehead creased with worry. "Then what is it? What are you doing here?"
Jess swallowed hard before meeting her blue eyes, darkened with fright. Silently, he led her over the couch she had been sitting on earlier. Kris, taking a hint from the other man's face, made himself scarce. Taking her hand, he sighed. "Ror.. it's Tristan."
At the mention of his name, Rory's face paled considerably and her hand began to tremble. "Tristan?" She asked, her voice wobbling.
"He was in an accident a few days ago," He started, pausing to wipe the tears that had begun to slide down her cheeks. "He's in the hospital."
"H-How bad is it?" She asked, her hand clutching his in a death grip.
"Pretty bad. He's really messed up. He was awake when I left, but they aren't sure how stable he is."
"Oh, God.."
"He needs you, Ror. I know you had this fight and it hurts for both of you, but if you love him, you'll come home."
Rory sat silent for a minute, letting the news sink it. Glancing up at Jess' expectant face, she nodded and got up. "Let me pack and call my boss and we'll go."
As she began to wander around the room, Jess let out a sigh, thankful she hadn't put up a fight. He hadn't expected her to, after all, the man she loved was in the hospital, and she wasn't the type to just blow them off, no matter what had happened between them before. Slowly, he got up and helped her throw her things into her suitcases and carried them out to the cab, while she called her employer, to let them know she was leaving, going home.
******
Bah. I know Jess is completely OOC, but I just can't seem to write him. Psh, whatever. *smiles pretty* Review, please?
More soon!
-- Shay
A few notes before I get going on this chapter. There are a few words of German sprinkled through out this chapter, which may or may not be 100% correct. I don't know German, so I used the online translator thing. Also, I really really suck at all things geography related, so ignore any mistakes made there as well. And finally, until this story is complete, all my other stories are on hold. This story is almost a year in the works and I want to finish it.
-- Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I appreciate it beyond words. A bigger thank you goes to Alisha, for beta-ing this chapter for me. I lurve you chica.
Oh yeah, and remember, this is in the future, so whatever hasn't occurred yet, in real life, is just me adding random stuff to the story, to set the tone. I, in no way, hope that any of these events occur. Okay? Okay.
Chapter 25
2 Years Later, London England
"Uh-huh. I understand," Rory nodded into the phone as she began shoving her belongings into the open suitcase that lay on the bed. "Right. 11pm, Heathrow. I'll be there." She paused, evidently listening to the person on the other end. "Okay, thanks, goodbye."
Hanging up, she let out a sigh and sat down on the bed beside the large suitcase, gazing around the hotel room that had been her home for the past three months. After spending nearly nine months in Israel, admist all the war and famine, she had been sent here, to London, to cover the recent terrorist bombings that had occurred. As much as she enjoyed being in the thick of things, she was looking forward to covering a story on a smaller scale, with no immediate danger to her well-being.
Doing the overseas correspondent thing was great, it was everything she had ever wanted. But with her always on the go, barely getting five hours of sleep a night, if she was lucky, combined with the time differences, didn't give her many chances to check in back home, to talk to her mom or any of her friends. In fact, she had only spoken to her mother twice since arriving here, and the last time had been six weeks ago. She had talked to Jess four weeks ago, her mother and Luke apparently having gone out of town at the time. She smiled, as she recalled Jess telling her how he and Paris had gone out on a date the night before, which surprisingly, hadn't been a complete disaster. Offhandedly, she wondered if they had gone out again since.
Thoughts of Jess and Paris, she knew, would lead to thoughts of him , and that she could not and would not allow. So jumping back to her feet, she wandered around the room and continued packing.
"Deutschland, komme hier ich," she murmured to herself.
******
Three weeks later, Stars Hollow
Jess tucked the slip of paper he used as a bookmark in between the pages of the book he was reading and glanced around the diner. It was surprisingly quiet today, only a few customers eating quietly at their tables. Luke had run to the store, for what, he wasn't sure, leaving him in charge, with Caesar manning the kitchen. He hopped off the stool he was sitting on when one of the elder ladies approached the cash register. She paid her bill, he gave her the change and things went back to the way they had been after the bell above the door had twinkled and she had left.
Rolling his eyes in boredom, he went back to his book, putting it down only when a new customer came in or when they came up to pay. Luke returned a few minutes later, heading into the storage room without a word and then muttered something about leaving something upstairs and that he'd be right back. Jess watched him go before pouring himself a glass of Coke and settling back down at the counter. It was only a few minutes later that the bell rang loudly and Lorelai's frantic voice screeched his name.
"Jess, thank God!"
Looking up, he felt his heart drop at the look on her face. Lorelai was often over dramatic, but something told him that there was something wrong, something very wrong.
"What's going on? Is Rory okay?" He asked hurriedly, surprising at the tone of his voice.
Lorelai nodded vehemently and then shook her head. "It's not Rory, it's Tristan."
Allowing a fleeting second to let out a sigh of relief that Rory was okay, Jess looked at Lorelai expectantly. "Tristan? What happened?"
"His father just called. He was in some kind of accident. I don't know what exactly happened, but he's in the hospital and we need to go, now. Where's Luke?"
"Luke's here. What's going on?" Luke asked as he came into view from the stairwell.
"No time to explain," Lorelai gasped, grabbing his hand. "Close the diner, we've gotta get to the hospital."
"Hospital? Lorelai?"
"It's Tristan, Luke. Can we go, now?"
"You two go, I'll close up," Jess offered, getting up off the stool. "I'll meet you guys there."
Luke nodded and followed Lorelai out the door. Jess ushered the last few customers out the door, tossed Caesar the keys to lock up with, grabbed his coat and jogged out to his car. Revving the engine, despite Taylor's insistent law against such a thing, he threw it into drive and slammed on the gas peddle. The tires squealed as he raced out of town towards Hartford.
******
When Jess arrived at the hospital, he found Luke and Lorelai sitting in the waiting room, both looking nervous and fidgeting. Glancing around, he noticed Tristan's cousin sitting in the corner, reading a magazine while his wife sat next to him, talking quietly to their young daughter. "What's going on?" He asked, approaching his uncle.
"His parents are in with him right now," Lorelai answered before Luke got the chance. "He's not in too good of condition. Darren was out here a few minutes ago.. he was in an accident, tried crossing the train tracks before the train came and didn't quite make it."
Upon hearing what had happened to his friend, Jess cringed. Hanging his head, he dropped down into the chair beside Luke. "Shit.."
There was silence for a minute before Jess glanced over at Lorelai. "Have you tried calling Rory? She should know."
Lorelai nodded and poked around inside her purse for change. Finding it, she went over to the payphone and dialed the emergency number that Rory had given her a few days earlier, when she had called. One the other end, the phone rang before being picked up by a man with a heavy German accent.
"Hello?"
"Hi, yeah. Could you put me through to Rory Gilmore?"
"One moment, please."
Lorelai bit her lip as she waited to be connected. A few seconds later, Rory's voice could be heard through a large amount of static.
"Hello?"
"Rory!"
"Mom?"
"Ror, you've gotta come home."
"Mom? Is that you? I can barely hear you."
"Rory, you have to come home, Tristan's in the hospital," Lorelai shouted, her voice echoing down the silent halls, causing the other inhabitants to look at her warily.
"....can't..... you ..... call ...... later," was all Lorelai could make out before a dial tone sounded in her ear.
"Dammit," Lorelai cursed, slamming the phone back down. Turning back to Luke and Jess, she shook her head. "Damn the German and their crappy communication devices."
Just then Tristan's mother, Catherine, emerged from beyond the doors and approached the group in the waiting room. All eyes were on her and she cleared her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes. Sniffling, she managed a small smile. "He's awake. He's still heavily medicated and not completely coherent, but he's awake."
There was a collective sigh of relief from all before Catherine spoke again. Gazing at Jess, she nodded towards him. "He wants to talk to you."
Jess gave a slight nod of the head and stood. Catherine led him down the hall, towards the room where Darren was currently sitting, just outside the door. He glanced up and stood up when he saw Jess. "Jess," he said, and the two shook. "The doctors in with him right now, but you can go in once he leaves."
"Right," Jess grunted in response, leaning slightly against the wall. They all stood there in silence for a few more minutes, when the doctor, followed by a nurse, exited the room. The doctor motioned towards the DuGrey's, indicating he wanted to speak with them and Jess took his chance and went in. Tristan lay upon the bed, his entire face bruised, a bandage on his head and both arms. He was slightly propped up against two pillows and his blue eyes shone when he saw Jess.
Jess approached the bed and shook his head. "How the hell did this happen, DuGrey?"
Tristan's mouth twitched a little, into a tense smirk and he groaned as he shifted so he could see his friend. "Would - " He paused, clearing his scratchy throat before trying again. "Would you do me a favor?"
Jess nodded. "Sure, whatever you need, man."
"Find Rory."
"Okay."
"Thanks."
They stared at each other for a second, before the door opened and Darren informed them Jess had to go. Their good-byes were said silently, with only a look of understanding and mutual respect.
******
"I need seven hundred dollars." Jess said, as he returned to the waiting room, already have called the airport from a payphone.
At his request, Luke spat out the water he was drinking and Lorelai choked on the piece of gum she had been chewing.
"Are you crazy? What could you possibly need seven hundred dollars, for?"
"I'm going to Germany. I have to find Rory."
Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "We can just call her!"
"Yeah, right," Jess scoffed. "When ever have we been able to get ahold of her, without being disconnected or having some snooty foreign guy tell you to call back later?"
Lorelai's silence was all the answer needed.
"Right. So back to the $700. I need it."
"You're not going to Germany," Luke said, having regained composure.
"Listen, I'm going with or without your help. But the longer it takes for me to find Rory, makes it all the less likely that Tristan is going to pull through. You know that. Hell, he knows that, that's why he wants me to go find her!"
Luke sighed in resignation. "Fine. I have $500, you can have. You're going to have to find the rest somewhere else."
"I'll foot it," Lorelai chimed in. "But I expect to be paid back every last dime."
Jess nodded as the two stood and gathered their things and, piling into Luke's truck, heading towards the airport.
*****
Rory, sitting beside her now dear friend and camera man, Kris, was sorting through the piles of research that had gone into her most recent story. It hadn't been shot yet, as they were still in the research stage, but it was coming to a close. Her eyes scanned the papers, committing pieces of information to memory, when a knock came on the door.
"Come in," she called out lightly. The door opened and the manager of the hotel stuck his head in.
"Frau Gilmore, Sie haben einen Besucher." (Ms. Gilmore, you have a visitor.)
It took Rory a moment to respond, as she silently translated the words in her head. "Schicken Sie sie in, bitte." (Send them in, please.)
The man nodded and stepped aside to allow the newcomer access to the room. Rory's mouth dropped open when Jess appeared and she let out a little shriek, launching herself into his arms.
"Oh. My. God! What are you doing here?" She asked excitedly, once the embrace had been broken. Her excitement fell once she caught the look on his face. "What's going on? Is it my mom? Is my mom okay? Luke? Jess, what's going on?"
Jess shook his head, his dark eyes troubled. "Your mom and Luke are fine."
Relief washed across her face, but she still bit her lip, her forehead creased with worry. "Then what is it? What are you doing here?"
Jess swallowed hard before meeting her blue eyes, darkened with fright. Silently, he led her over the couch she had been sitting on earlier. Kris, taking a hint from the other man's face, made himself scarce. Taking her hand, he sighed. "Ror.. it's Tristan."
At the mention of his name, Rory's face paled considerably and her hand began to tremble. "Tristan?" She asked, her voice wobbling.
"He was in an accident a few days ago," He started, pausing to wipe the tears that had begun to slide down her cheeks. "He's in the hospital."
"H-How bad is it?" She asked, her hand clutching his in a death grip.
"Pretty bad. He's really messed up. He was awake when I left, but they aren't sure how stable he is."
"Oh, God.."
"He needs you, Ror. I know you had this fight and it hurts for both of you, but if you love him, you'll come home."
Rory sat silent for a minute, letting the news sink it. Glancing up at Jess' expectant face, she nodded and got up. "Let me pack and call my boss and we'll go."
As she began to wander around the room, Jess let out a sigh, thankful she hadn't put up a fight. He hadn't expected her to, after all, the man she loved was in the hospital, and she wasn't the type to just blow them off, no matter what had happened between them before. Slowly, he got up and helped her throw her things into her suitcases and carried them out to the cab, while she called her employer, to let them know she was leaving, going home.
******
Bah. I know Jess is completely OOC, but I just can't seem to write him. Psh, whatever. *smiles pretty* Review, please?
More soon!
-- Shay