Chapter 12
To my remarkable readers: Echh, does anyone else hate it when websites die? For the record, that's why the story hasn't been updated in a million years. Anyways, if you were left hanging after Chapter 11 and you wanted to kill me slowly, I'm very sorry and I hope that this chapter will ease your worries. If it doesn't, well...please don't kill me. Anyways, luckily for you I'm not in a ranting mood, so I'll skip the usual rant and jump right into the story. Enjoy (& review...) -authors-anonymous
{...Tristan put the receiver to his ear and listened to the rings. One...two...three...four...five... "Suicide hotline, please hold" said a very feminine voice....}
Tristan waited patiently and listened to the rustling and muted swearing in the background. Finally someone answered.
"Hey, sorry about that. The lamp tried to eat me. But I don't suppose you phoned to talk about me, so let us cut through the chase. To whom have I the honour of speaking with?"
"It's Tristan."
"Were you impressed with my phone protocol? I phoned your house to see if Rory was with you about half an hour ago and Jeeves answered."
"Jeeves?" asked Tristan, slightly amused.
"Your butler!" said Lorelai, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ohh, him. Actually his name is Harold.... I think..." replied Tristan, trying to remember his name.
"No, I think it was Jeeves," said Lorelai, "because he sounded like a Jeeves. Which brings me to the reason of my telephone call. Where's Rory? She said she'd come home right after the concert and post-concert coffee."
"We're at the hospital."
"Uchh, if I've told her once, I've told her a hundred times. She knows that hospital coffee sucks."
"Actually, we didn't go for the coffee. Rory..."
"What? What happened to my baby?!" asked Lorelai on the verge of hysteria.
"Rory was attacked..."
"What? Where? How? Why? When?"
"Rory was attacked, after the post-concert coffee in the parking lot, the usual way, I don't know, and do you want me to be redundant?"
"No, not at a time like this. I'll be there in ten minutes." The line went dead. Tristan hung up slowly.
Tristan looked up from studying his shoes at the sound of frantic yelling down the hall. Mere seconds later Lorelai ran down the hall and burst into the room on Tristan's left. Tristan didn't bother following, as he knew what would happen to her.
"Hey, get your hands off me!" yelled Lorelai, struggling against the strong grip of the nurse. "I want to see my daughter!" They two fought for a few minutes, and the nurse only let go when Lorelai bit her hand.
"Lorelai!" Tristan scolded, and pulled her into the chair next to him, "calm down! Biting the nurse again isn't going to help Rory!" Lorelai looked at Tristan and saw the truth in his eyes. She sighed. "I know, I know. It was kinda satisfying though, in a weird way."
"Rory should be available for questioning in a few minutes" said the doctor, surfacing from the forbidden room.
"Doctor," Lorelai said, casually running her hand down her outstretched leg, "could you possibly...shorten the time span?"
"Well..." the doctor stuttered, clearing his throat, "I suppose something could be arranged..."
Just then the door opened and a nurse emerged. "Rory is ready to see you now." Lorelai brushed past Tristan and hurried inside. Tristan ran his fingers through his hair nervously and followed.
"Rory! Are you okay? What happened? Wh--"
"Mom, I'm fine!" said Rory, smiling slightly. "I'm just a little knocked up..."
"Literally?" asked Lorelai worriedly. Tristan coughed slightly.
"Tris..." Rory said, looking around for him, slightly nervous that he wouldn't' be there.
"Right here Rory," he responded and sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry Rory, I shouldn't have left you. I only hope..." Tristan's eyes welled up with tears. "I only hope that you will forgive me..."
"Tristan, it wasn't your fault, and even if you had been there it wouldn't have prevented anything," replied Rory, as her own eyes moistened.
"Are you ready to talk about what happened?" asked Lorelai, her annoying impatience surfacing at last. Rory looked at both Lorelai and Tristan. "I..."started Rory, as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
"I'll leave" said Tristan gallantly.
"No, Tristan, I need you!" called Rory, distressed.
"Tristan," began Lorelai, "you're one of the family. In a non-sexual way. Stay."
"Thank you" said Tristan quietly.
"Now, Rory, you were saying...?" prompted Lorelai.
"I was leaving the coffee shop, and Tristan was getting some napkins...and I walked over to the car, and then I saw something..." Rory paused to blow her nose. "...Then it jumped at me from behind, and it...it...bit me and scratched me...it tried to kill me..." Rory started crying. "If Tristan hadn't come and scared them off, they would have..."
"Who?" asked Lorelai, thoroughly confused.
"The rabid squirrels..." replied Rory, and started to cry even harder.
"The rabid squirrels? Like those tiny little animals?"
"They have big teeth Lorelai, they shouldn't be underestimated," said Tristan.
"Can you go home yet?" asked Lorelai, ignoring Tristan.
"As soon as the test results come in" replied Rory. "Mom, could you get me some coffee?"
"Aww..." whined Lorelai, "make Tristan do it!"
"Mom..."
"Ahh..." she responded, as realization dawned. "Sure."
Rory looked at Tristan. He looked so sweet, sitting at her side. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"How accident prone you are. It seems like every few weeks you get into an accident, and I'm always the one who takes you to the hospital. I mean, think about it. I'm always here. Don't you find it a bit perplexing?" Rory laughed, and the two fell into an easy banter.
Both Lorelai and the test results arrived at the same time. It turned out that Rory didn't have rabies. It only took her a few moments to change from her hospital gown into something more suitable, and the three left the hospital in much better spirits than they had come in with.
To my remarkable readers: Echh, does anyone else hate it when websites die? For the record, that's why the story hasn't been updated in a million years. Anyways, if you were left hanging after Chapter 11 and you wanted to kill me slowly, I'm very sorry and I hope that this chapter will ease your worries. If it doesn't, well...please don't kill me. Anyways, luckily for you I'm not in a ranting mood, so I'll skip the usual rant and jump right into the story. Enjoy (& review...) -authors-anonymous
{...Tristan put the receiver to his ear and listened to the rings. One...two...three...four...five... "Suicide hotline, please hold" said a very feminine voice....}
Tristan waited patiently and listened to the rustling and muted swearing in the background. Finally someone answered.
"Hey, sorry about that. The lamp tried to eat me. But I don't suppose you phoned to talk about me, so let us cut through the chase. To whom have I the honour of speaking with?"
"It's Tristan."
"Were you impressed with my phone protocol? I phoned your house to see if Rory was with you about half an hour ago and Jeeves answered."
"Jeeves?" asked Tristan, slightly amused.
"Your butler!" said Lorelai, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ohh, him. Actually his name is Harold.... I think..." replied Tristan, trying to remember his name.
"No, I think it was Jeeves," said Lorelai, "because he sounded like a Jeeves. Which brings me to the reason of my telephone call. Where's Rory? She said she'd come home right after the concert and post-concert coffee."
"We're at the hospital."
"Uchh, if I've told her once, I've told her a hundred times. She knows that hospital coffee sucks."
"Actually, we didn't go for the coffee. Rory..."
"What? What happened to my baby?!" asked Lorelai on the verge of hysteria.
"Rory was attacked..."
"What? Where? How? Why? When?"
"Rory was attacked, after the post-concert coffee in the parking lot, the usual way, I don't know, and do you want me to be redundant?"
"No, not at a time like this. I'll be there in ten minutes." The line went dead. Tristan hung up slowly.
Tristan looked up from studying his shoes at the sound of frantic yelling down the hall. Mere seconds later Lorelai ran down the hall and burst into the room on Tristan's left. Tristan didn't bother following, as he knew what would happen to her.
"Hey, get your hands off me!" yelled Lorelai, struggling against the strong grip of the nurse. "I want to see my daughter!" They two fought for a few minutes, and the nurse only let go when Lorelai bit her hand.
"Lorelai!" Tristan scolded, and pulled her into the chair next to him, "calm down! Biting the nurse again isn't going to help Rory!" Lorelai looked at Tristan and saw the truth in his eyes. She sighed. "I know, I know. It was kinda satisfying though, in a weird way."
"Rory should be available for questioning in a few minutes" said the doctor, surfacing from the forbidden room.
"Doctor," Lorelai said, casually running her hand down her outstretched leg, "could you possibly...shorten the time span?"
"Well..." the doctor stuttered, clearing his throat, "I suppose something could be arranged..."
Just then the door opened and a nurse emerged. "Rory is ready to see you now." Lorelai brushed past Tristan and hurried inside. Tristan ran his fingers through his hair nervously and followed.
"Rory! Are you okay? What happened? Wh--"
"Mom, I'm fine!" said Rory, smiling slightly. "I'm just a little knocked up..."
"Literally?" asked Lorelai worriedly. Tristan coughed slightly.
"Tris..." Rory said, looking around for him, slightly nervous that he wouldn't' be there.
"Right here Rory," he responded and sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry Rory, I shouldn't have left you. I only hope..." Tristan's eyes welled up with tears. "I only hope that you will forgive me..."
"Tristan, it wasn't your fault, and even if you had been there it wouldn't have prevented anything," replied Rory, as her own eyes moistened.
"Are you ready to talk about what happened?" asked Lorelai, her annoying impatience surfacing at last. Rory looked at both Lorelai and Tristan. "I..."started Rory, as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
"I'll leave" said Tristan gallantly.
"No, Tristan, I need you!" called Rory, distressed.
"Tristan," began Lorelai, "you're one of the family. In a non-sexual way. Stay."
"Thank you" said Tristan quietly.
"Now, Rory, you were saying...?" prompted Lorelai.
"I was leaving the coffee shop, and Tristan was getting some napkins...and I walked over to the car, and then I saw something..." Rory paused to blow her nose. "...Then it jumped at me from behind, and it...it...bit me and scratched me...it tried to kill me..." Rory started crying. "If Tristan hadn't come and scared them off, they would have..."
"Who?" asked Lorelai, thoroughly confused.
"The rabid squirrels..." replied Rory, and started to cry even harder.
"The rabid squirrels? Like those tiny little animals?"
"They have big teeth Lorelai, they shouldn't be underestimated," said Tristan.
"Can you go home yet?" asked Lorelai, ignoring Tristan.
"As soon as the test results come in" replied Rory. "Mom, could you get me some coffee?"
"Aww..." whined Lorelai, "make Tristan do it!"
"Mom..."
"Ahh..." she responded, as realization dawned. "Sure."
Rory looked at Tristan. He looked so sweet, sitting at her side. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"How accident prone you are. It seems like every few weeks you get into an accident, and I'm always the one who takes you to the hospital. I mean, think about it. I'm always here. Don't you find it a bit perplexing?" Rory laughed, and the two fell into an easy banter.
Both Lorelai and the test results arrived at the same time. It turned out that Rory didn't have rabies. It only took her a few moments to change from her hospital gown into something more suitable, and the three left the hospital in much better spirits than they had come in with.