Title: Your Faith In Me
Disclaimer: Oh, if only I could say that I owned all GG related things. Life would be grand, wouldn't it? But alas.. I do not. *sigh*
Author: Shay
Rating: R with perhaps a bit of NC-17 violence
Spoilers: Umm.. not sure. Anything through Season 2 is fair game though
Pairings: R/M at first, L/C, T/R eventually
Archiving: Go ahead. Just email me and let me know
Feedback: Is much appreciated. Email: tlcforever@hotmail.com. IM: Shay52784
Authors Note: Yep, me rambling again. Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. School started a few days after my last update and its been mad crazy (senior year can do that to ya :\) But anyways, here is the new chapter that will answer.. well, none of the questions, quite yet. I suck, I know..
"Your Faith In Me"
Chapter Five
With her eyes moist with unshed tears, Lorelai huddled into the crook of Christopher's comforting arm as they stepped into the hospital room that belonged to her Rory. The room wasn't any different from any other room in the cool, sterile hospital, but to Lorelai it looked as though it was a jail cell, keeping her daughter prisoner, foretelling the inevitable fate that this place was going to take her away from her parents, from her life. Choking back another round of sobs, she stopped just short of reaching the bed on which Rory laid. There were machines surrounding her, and Lorelai felt her heart drop as the thought that these machines, should one of them malfunction, could take her precious child with it. And machines.. they were so unreliable. How were they supposed to stand here and trust a stupid machine to keep Rory alive, to keep her heart beating, her blood flowing? Unwillingly, a cry escaped her throat and she turned, a hand over her mouth and tears pouring from her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed them all to go back to a point in time where things were still good, when Rory was still her little girl and they were all happy. A second later, she felt a sudden warmness settle over her and she opened her eyes to see Christopher's concerned eyes staring back at her.
"You okay, Lor?"
Mutely, Lorelai shook her head, the tears coming more and more steadily. A low moan left her body and she buried her face in her husbands shoulder.
Christopher wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. He knew, as much as this was killing him, to see his firstborn and only daughter laying on that bed, her face even more pale than it normally would be, it was even harder on Lorelai. She had been the one raising her all her life, the one who had brought her into the world, one that had been so uncertain and unsteady for so long. It had always been the two of them against the world, there was no telling how much this would, could and most likely was affecting Lorelai. "Shhh.. She's gonna be okay. You heard the doctor. She's going to pull through. And we're going to get that son of a bitch for what he did to our daughter. He's not going to get away with it this time. Not while Im still breathing."
Still shaking slightly, Lorelai glanced up at his stern face, his eyes mirroring the own pain, heartbreak and utter and complete anger that hers portrayed. Slowly, almost hesitantly her hand came up and touched his cheek and she nodded. "I know.. I just.. why would someone do this to Rory? Why would anyone want to hurt my little girl? Especially someone who claimed to love her? I just don't understand."
"I can't answer that," Christopher responded after a minute. "I can't, because I don't understand it either. But I swear to God, nobody is ever going to hurt her again. If anyone even so much as lays a hand on her, they're going to have to face me and probably the rest of Stars Hollow as well."
Chuckling softly at the reminder of their hometowns over protectiveness of the now grown Rory, Lorelai let out a pent up sigh. "We can't let her go back to him this time, Chris..We can't."
Tightening his hold on his wife, Christopher nodded. "We won't. The day she goes back to him is the day that there's no longer a breath in my body."
Lorelai opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a soft and weak sound.
"Mom?"
*******
"You like cars, huh?" Tristan asked Adam, who was sitting on the floor in the maternity ward waiting room, playing with the toy cars they had for the children.
Adam glanced up, a worried expression on his face. He nodded and then after a pause, asked. "Tristan, is my sissy going to be okay?"
Tristan hesitated, not knowing the severity of Rory's condition and at the same time, not wanting to get the kids hopes up too high. "I don't know, Adam. She's pretty hurt. But the doctors here are really good and they'll make sure that they do their best to make her feel better."
"I don't want Rory to die," Adam said quietly, hanging his head.
For the first time in a very long time, Tristan felt the foreign emotion of compassion enter his heart and he squatted down next to the child. "Hey, buddy, Rory's not going to die, okay? It might take awhile, but she'll get better. You don't think she'd leave her little brother all alone, do ya?"
At his words, Adam looked back up at Tristan, a tear escaping down his face. "Michael's mean." He said suddenly.
Tristan faltered for a moment. Who was Michael? "Michael? Whose he?"
"My Law'in-Brother."
Law'in Brother? Completely at a loss for words, Tristan stared helplessly at the child for a moment, before a voice came up from behind.
"Michael Rowland, formally of Cleveland, Ohio. Business major at Harvard. Rory's husband."
Tristan and Adam simultaneously turned around to see Paris standing there, her arms crossed and a terrified look on her face.
"Auntie!" Adam screeched, jumping up and hugging the woman's waist. Paris smiled slightly at this and hugged him back.
"Hiya, Ads. What are you doing here?"
Adams head drooped again and he shuffled his feet loudly. Paris, realizing she wasn't going to get an answer out of him, looked over at Tristan expectantly.
Tristan sighed. "Rory had some kind of accident..I met her parents in the ER and they didn't want him to see her in that condition, so I offered to bring him up here and watch him for a bit."
Paris looked at him confused. "They just let a complete stranger take their child? Somehow, I don't see Lorelai or Chris doing that."
"Ah, no. I told them Madeline was up here and you were here and then they agreed."
"Oh," Paris said. "So it happened again..." She muttered, more to herself then to anyone else, but Tristan overheard anyways.
"What do you mean, 'it happened again'?" He questioned, tugging her arm and pulling her a bit further away from Adam.
Paris eyed him curiously when she detected the worry and concern laced within his voice. Could he possibly still be on this pining for Rory gig? Lowering her voice, she gave him a weary look. "Michael Rowland.. I presume you've heard of him?"
Tristan shook his head, his face looking confused. "No. Should I have?"
"You remember when we were kids in Mrs. Malphys class and there was this one boy who used to come to school, covered in bruises and cuts all the time? And when the teachers started asking questions, he just disappeared?"
"Umm," Tristan murmured, scratching his head in thought. "Sounds vaguely familiar, yeah."
"That was Michael Rowland. His father was Arthur Rowland, of Mitchell Designs, Inc. After the child abuse accusations flew around Hartford, he packed up the family and moved to Ohio." Paris told him, glancing around nervously.
"Oh, yeah. I remember now. But what's that have to do with Rory?"
"I'm sure you've heard that certain things run in the family. It seems as though abuse is one of those things for the Rowland family."
Tristan's mouth fell open and his face paled considerably. "Are you saying...?"
Paris nodded sadly. "This isn't the first time its happened. I mean, if she's here, then obviously its worse then what happened before, but yeah, he hurts her.. a LOT."
"Then why does she stay with him?" Tristan questioned. "I'd think someone as smart as Rory wouldn't stay in that situation."
"I know, that's what I thought the first time it happened. She came and stayed with me for a few days and went back, swearing up and down she was going to go get some of her things and then go stay with her parents, but she went home and stayed there. I asked why she stayed, after the third time, back in January and she asked me why shouldn't she stay. They were married, they loved each other. He didn't mean to hurt her, she shouldn't have done this, shouldn't have said that. I think she thinks its her fault." Paris revealed, her eyes glistening with tears for her friend.
Tristan ran a hand through his tousled hair and sighed. "Wow.. Why the hell would anyone lay a hand on her? She's one of the sweetest, most caring people around."
Paris just shrugged. "I don't know. I really don't know."
*******
Okay, this is a LOT shorter than I had anticipated. I've already got the next chapter in the works though, so maybe, just maybe, there will be another update Sunday. If not, then next weekend for sure! Feed back please!
--Shay
Disclaimer: Oh, if only I could say that I owned all GG related things. Life would be grand, wouldn't it? But alas.. I do not. *sigh*
Author: Shay
Rating: R with perhaps a bit of NC-17 violence
Spoilers: Umm.. not sure. Anything through Season 2 is fair game though
Pairings: R/M at first, L/C, T/R eventually
Archiving: Go ahead. Just email me and let me know
Feedback: Is much appreciated. Email: tlcforever@hotmail.com. IM: Shay52784
Authors Note: Yep, me rambling again. Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. School started a few days after my last update and its been mad crazy (senior year can do that to ya :\) But anyways, here is the new chapter that will answer.. well, none of the questions, quite yet. I suck, I know..
Chapter Five
With her eyes moist with unshed tears, Lorelai huddled into the crook of Christopher's comforting arm as they stepped into the hospital room that belonged to her Rory. The room wasn't any different from any other room in the cool, sterile hospital, but to Lorelai it looked as though it was a jail cell, keeping her daughter prisoner, foretelling the inevitable fate that this place was going to take her away from her parents, from her life. Choking back another round of sobs, she stopped just short of reaching the bed on which Rory laid. There were machines surrounding her, and Lorelai felt her heart drop as the thought that these machines, should one of them malfunction, could take her precious child with it. And machines.. they were so unreliable. How were they supposed to stand here and trust a stupid machine to keep Rory alive, to keep her heart beating, her blood flowing? Unwillingly, a cry escaped her throat and she turned, a hand over her mouth and tears pouring from her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed them all to go back to a point in time where things were still good, when Rory was still her little girl and they were all happy. A second later, she felt a sudden warmness settle over her and she opened her eyes to see Christopher's concerned eyes staring back at her.
"You okay, Lor?"
Mutely, Lorelai shook her head, the tears coming more and more steadily. A low moan left her body and she buried her face in her husbands shoulder.
Christopher wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. He knew, as much as this was killing him, to see his firstborn and only daughter laying on that bed, her face even more pale than it normally would be, it was even harder on Lorelai. She had been the one raising her all her life, the one who had brought her into the world, one that had been so uncertain and unsteady for so long. It had always been the two of them against the world, there was no telling how much this would, could and most likely was affecting Lorelai. "Shhh.. She's gonna be okay. You heard the doctor. She's going to pull through. And we're going to get that son of a bitch for what he did to our daughter. He's not going to get away with it this time. Not while Im still breathing."
Still shaking slightly, Lorelai glanced up at his stern face, his eyes mirroring the own pain, heartbreak and utter and complete anger that hers portrayed. Slowly, almost hesitantly her hand came up and touched his cheek and she nodded. "I know.. I just.. why would someone do this to Rory? Why would anyone want to hurt my little girl? Especially someone who claimed to love her? I just don't understand."
"I can't answer that," Christopher responded after a minute. "I can't, because I don't understand it either. But I swear to God, nobody is ever going to hurt her again. If anyone even so much as lays a hand on her, they're going to have to face me and probably the rest of Stars Hollow as well."
Chuckling softly at the reminder of their hometowns over protectiveness of the now grown Rory, Lorelai let out a pent up sigh. "We can't let her go back to him this time, Chris..We can't."
Tightening his hold on his wife, Christopher nodded. "We won't. The day she goes back to him is the day that there's no longer a breath in my body."
Lorelai opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a soft and weak sound.
"Mom?"
*******
"You like cars, huh?" Tristan asked Adam, who was sitting on the floor in the maternity ward waiting room, playing with the toy cars they had for the children.
Adam glanced up, a worried expression on his face. He nodded and then after a pause, asked. "Tristan, is my sissy going to be okay?"
Tristan hesitated, not knowing the severity of Rory's condition and at the same time, not wanting to get the kids hopes up too high. "I don't know, Adam. She's pretty hurt. But the doctors here are really good and they'll make sure that they do their best to make her feel better."
"I don't want Rory to die," Adam said quietly, hanging his head.
For the first time in a very long time, Tristan felt the foreign emotion of compassion enter his heart and he squatted down next to the child. "Hey, buddy, Rory's not going to die, okay? It might take awhile, but she'll get better. You don't think she'd leave her little brother all alone, do ya?"
At his words, Adam looked back up at Tristan, a tear escaping down his face. "Michael's mean." He said suddenly.
Tristan faltered for a moment. Who was Michael? "Michael? Whose he?"
"My Law'in-Brother."
Law'in Brother? Completely at a loss for words, Tristan stared helplessly at the child for a moment, before a voice came up from behind.
"Michael Rowland, formally of Cleveland, Ohio. Business major at Harvard. Rory's husband."
Tristan and Adam simultaneously turned around to see Paris standing there, her arms crossed and a terrified look on her face.
"Auntie!" Adam screeched, jumping up and hugging the woman's waist. Paris smiled slightly at this and hugged him back.
"Hiya, Ads. What are you doing here?"
Adams head drooped again and he shuffled his feet loudly. Paris, realizing she wasn't going to get an answer out of him, looked over at Tristan expectantly.
Tristan sighed. "Rory had some kind of accident..I met her parents in the ER and they didn't want him to see her in that condition, so I offered to bring him up here and watch him for a bit."
Paris looked at him confused. "They just let a complete stranger take their child? Somehow, I don't see Lorelai or Chris doing that."
"Ah, no. I told them Madeline was up here and you were here and then they agreed."
"Oh," Paris said. "So it happened again..." She muttered, more to herself then to anyone else, but Tristan overheard anyways.
"What do you mean, 'it happened again'?" He questioned, tugging her arm and pulling her a bit further away from Adam.
Paris eyed him curiously when she detected the worry and concern laced within his voice. Could he possibly still be on this pining for Rory gig? Lowering her voice, she gave him a weary look. "Michael Rowland.. I presume you've heard of him?"
Tristan shook his head, his face looking confused. "No. Should I have?"
"You remember when we were kids in Mrs. Malphys class and there was this one boy who used to come to school, covered in bruises and cuts all the time? And when the teachers started asking questions, he just disappeared?"
"Umm," Tristan murmured, scratching his head in thought. "Sounds vaguely familiar, yeah."
"That was Michael Rowland. His father was Arthur Rowland, of Mitchell Designs, Inc. After the child abuse accusations flew around Hartford, he packed up the family and moved to Ohio." Paris told him, glancing around nervously.
"Oh, yeah. I remember now. But what's that have to do with Rory?"
"I'm sure you've heard that certain things run in the family. It seems as though abuse is one of those things for the Rowland family."
Tristan's mouth fell open and his face paled considerably. "Are you saying...?"
Paris nodded sadly. "This isn't the first time its happened. I mean, if she's here, then obviously its worse then what happened before, but yeah, he hurts her.. a LOT."
"Then why does she stay with him?" Tristan questioned. "I'd think someone as smart as Rory wouldn't stay in that situation."
"I know, that's what I thought the first time it happened. She came and stayed with me for a few days and went back, swearing up and down she was going to go get some of her things and then go stay with her parents, but she went home and stayed there. I asked why she stayed, after the third time, back in January and she asked me why shouldn't she stay. They were married, they loved each other. He didn't mean to hurt her, she shouldn't have done this, shouldn't have said that. I think she thinks its her fault." Paris revealed, her eyes glistening with tears for her friend.
Tristan ran a hand through his tousled hair and sighed. "Wow.. Why the hell would anyone lay a hand on her? She's one of the sweetest, most caring people around."
Paris just shrugged. "I don't know. I really don't know."
*******
Okay, this is a LOT shorter than I had anticipated. I've already got the next chapter in the works though, so maybe, just maybe, there will be another update Sunday. If not, then next weekend for sure! Feed back please!
--Shay