Title: Finding Family (Part 9)
Author: Sirius
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Pairing: R/J
Summary: Rory and Jess find that they are supposed to be together. Jess
gets a visit from someone in New York, which leads to a very complicated
week.
(A/N: Hey guys! There were a few people I wanted to thank for reviewing my last chapter and they are: Molly, Shari, one anonymous reviewer, and a special thanks to Arianna! Your reviews mean the world to me!)
[OPEN TO JESS' CAR]
(Jess is driving and looking really mad, Rory is in the passenger seat looking confused, and Carly is in the back looking depressed.)
Jess: (To Carly) So, are you ever going to tell me why we are speeding down a highway to get to New York?
Carly: It's Dustin.
Jess: We've established that.
Carly: He's sick.
Jess: What kind of sick?
Carly: Bad sick.
Jess: How bad?
Carly: Bad bad.
Jess: What's he got?
Carly: Cancer.
Jess: (Jess clenches his jaw so his muscles tighten across his face and when he talks his voice comes out shaky) How long?
Carly: A year.
Jess: (Gets quiet. Rory looks over at him and she knows Jess is having a hard time processing the information. Jess talks under his breath for a second.) Oh god. Why didn't I know about this?
Carly: He didn't want you to know.
Jess: (Gets angry) What? How could he not want me to know?
Carly: Because he knew you'd act like this!
Jess: How am I supposed to act! My best friend is probably dying and he didn't even tell me about it! Tell me, how am I supposed to act!
Carly: (Starts crying) I don't know Jess, stop yelling! You're not making this any better!
(Jess' face hardens and he pulls off onto the side of the highway and Jess sits back into his seat. They all sit for a minute, not sure what to do. Rory wants to comfort Jess but knows it's probably better to leave him be. Carly sits forward and puts a hand on Jess' shoulder. After a minute, Jess covers her small hand in his own and gives it a little squeeze.)
Jess: (Quietly) I'm sorry.
Carly: It's okay Jess, I should have told you sooner. But Jess, Dustin needs us, we need to go see him.
Jess: You're right, we have to go.
[OPEN TO THE FRONT OF A BUILDING]
Rory: (Looks up at a run-down building that was about twelve stories tall.) Where are we?
Carly: The apartment.
Jess: This is where Carly and I used to live before we moved to Stars Hollow.
Rory: Oh, okay.
Jess: We need to go call Mrs. Freeman and find out what hospital Dustin is at. Mrs. Freeman is Dustin's mom.
Rory: (Nods) Sure.
Carly: (Opens the door to the building, strolls in, and begins up the stairs.) We're on the eighth floor, so it'll be a while.
Jess: (Takes Rory's hand and follows Carly up the stairs. He turns and looks in an embarrassed way at Rory.) It's really not much, but it's all we had. (Referring to the building.)
Rory: It's fine. It's got a lot of character.
(They get to the apartment and knock. No one answers. They knock again. Still no answer. Jess takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door.)
Carly: Liz! You in here?
Jess: Liz!
Liz: (Comes out a bedroom at the end of the hall.) What the hell do you want?
Jess: (Ignores her tone and gets to the point) Have you heard from Mrs. Freeman?
Liz: Who the hell is that? (Jess and Carly look stunned and furious at the same time.)
Carly: Ahh! Just let us use the phone and we'll be out of here. (Steps to the kitchen where a phone hangs on the wall.)
Liz: Answer me Jess! Who is this Freeman person?
Jess: Dustin's mom.
Liz: Who the hell is Dustin?
Jess: My best friend.
Liz: Like you'd have friends.
Carly: (Comes back out of the kitchen with a piece of paper) He's at St. Mary's. That's on 24th. Visiting hours start in an hour.
Frank: (Comes out of the same bedroom Liz just came from) Liz, where'd you go? (Sees Jess) Jess! Carly! I thought I told you to stay the hell away from here!
Jess: We tried.
Frank: Well you didn't do very good now did ya? And who the hell is this tramp you brought with you? (Gestures toward Rory) You've got no right coming here in the first place, but I sure as hell don't need you bring your sluts back with ya!
Jess: (Punches him square in the jaw) Don't call my girlfriend a tramp! (Punches him again) Or a tramp! (Stands back up, gathers Rory in his arms, and leads her out of the apartment for the hallway. Carly follows and starts down the stairs. Jess and Rory follow, Jess' arm draped protectively around her shoulders.)
Rory: That's Liz? And that's Frank?
Jess: Yeah. As you can tell, we aren't exactly on great terms.
Rory: They're horrible! How can they treat you like that!
Jess: I got used to it as a kid.
Rory: How can they not know who Dustin is? How can they discard you as trash?
Jess: To them, Carly and I are trash. Liz never was a good mom and Frank is just a terrible drunk.
Rory: I'm so sorry you had to grow up with her. That's horrible.
Jess: It's okay, really. I didn't spend much time at home. I can't believe they treated you like that though. I'm so sorry about that. Frank didn't know what he was saying. He really is a jerk.
Rory: Well, we should go see Dustin now right? At the hospital?
Jess: Yeah, let's go. (They climb into the car, Carly is already settled in the back) Carly, what's the address?
Carly: 10245 24th Avenue.
[OPEN TO THE HOSPITAL]
(Jess, Rory, and Carly walk through the doors of a hospital in New York, everything is white, sterile, and quiet. Jess walks up to the reception desk)
Jess: Hi, I'm looking for a Dustin Freeman. Can you tell me what room he's in?
Receptionist: Are you family?
Jess: Yes.
Receptionist: What relation?
Jess: I'm his brother, this is his sister, and this is our cousin. (Points to Carly and Rory) Can you tell us what room he's in?
Receptionist: (Looks at them skeptically, then down at her room log) Room 103.
Jess: Thanks.
(The trio heads off to an elevator and Jess hit's 10 on the button panel. When the ride is over, they all get out and walk down the hall. They reach room 103 and Jess puts a hand on the doorknob. Carly holds him back though.)
Jess: What? Carly, this is his room.
Carly: I can't.
Jess: Yes you can, this is your boyfriend. He needs you. You have to come in with me.
Carly: No, Jess, I really can't. I can't see him like this.
Jess: Carly, everything is going to be fine. He's going to be fine. You'll see, you just have to come in with me.
Carly: Give me some time. I'll wait out here with Rory. You go in.
Jess: Fine. (Looks at Rory apologetically) I'll be back in a few minutes. (He opens the door and walks in.)
Carly: (Sits down in a chair outside Dustin's room.) I'm such a wimp.
Rory: (Takes the seat next to her) No, you're not. You're just worried about him. That's completely fine. I wouldn't be able to go in if I was you either.
Carly: It's just, it's Dustin. He doesn't get sick. I have never seen him sick and I've known him for twelve years. It's hard to see him this way.
Rory: (Puts a hand on Carly's shoulder) It's okay. He'll be okay. You'll see.
(Jess walks into the room and closes the door after him. A lady in her late forties is sitting in a chair by his bedside table and seems to be sleeping. Jess walks up to the bed and grips the barrier around the edge of it and stares at his sleeping friend.)
Jess: Dustin, how could you man? Why didn't you tell me you were sick? It's all my damn fault! I shouldn't have left. You needed me here. Ah, I shouldn't have left.
(The lady stirs and wakes up.)
Mrs. Freeman: Jess? Jess, honey, what are you doing here? (Stands up and hugs Jess fiercely before breaking into sobs.)
Jess: Hey Mrs. Freeman. I heard about Dustin and I needed to come see him. Carly is out in the hall.
Mrs. Freeman: Oh bless your heart. Dustin will be so happy to see you. He's missed you so much.
Jess: Why didn't he ever tell me? (Jess' voice breaks) I mean, how could he keep this from me?
Mrs. Freeman: He knew you would worry. He only found out last month. He didn't want you to have to deal with it.
Jess: Was anyone ever going to tell me?
Mrs. Freeman: He was planning on telling you but the cancer took over so fast and he had to be hospitalized immediately.
Jess: (Helplessly) I should have known. I could have helped.
Mrs. Freeman: No. Jess, honey, there's nothing you could have done. There's nothing anybody can do.
Jess: It's that bad?
Mrs. Freeman: He's got about three weeks left at best.
Jess: Oh God. (Steps back and starts to pull his hair) Oh my God. (Falls into a chair by the window) How can it take over so fast?
Mrs. Freeman: These things work in all different ways. Dustin's just been very unlucky.
(Carly hesitantly opens the door. Mrs. Freeman turns at the noise and runs to hug her.)
Mrs. Freeman: Oh Carly. It's so good to see you.
Carly: (Cries into Mrs. Freeman's shirt.) How is he?
Mrs. Freeman: Not so good sweetie.
Carly: (Pulls back from Mrs. Freeman and makes her way over to Dustin, tears falling down her face. She picks up his hand and holds it in hers. He opens his eyes and stares are her.) Hey guy.
Dustin: Carly? What are you doing here?
Carly: I came to see you. Jess is here too.
Dustin: (Looks over at the window where Jess is slumped into a chair, his head in his hands.) Jess?
(A/N: Okay, I know, I'm mean. Hehe. I have an idea for the next chapter already but I have to go to Chicago this weekend so I might not get a chance for it to get updated. Depending on my homework load until then, it might get up Wednesday night. Thanks so much for reading and as always, please review!)
(A/N: Hey guys! There were a few people I wanted to thank for reviewing my last chapter and they are: Molly, Shari, one anonymous reviewer, and a special thanks to Arianna! Your reviews mean the world to me!)
[OPEN TO JESS' CAR]
(Jess is driving and looking really mad, Rory is in the passenger seat looking confused, and Carly is in the back looking depressed.)
Jess: (To Carly) So, are you ever going to tell me why we are speeding down a highway to get to New York?
Carly: It's Dustin.
Jess: We've established that.
Carly: He's sick.
Jess: What kind of sick?
Carly: Bad sick.
Jess: How bad?
Carly: Bad bad.
Jess: What's he got?
Carly: Cancer.
Jess: (Jess clenches his jaw so his muscles tighten across his face and when he talks his voice comes out shaky) How long?
Carly: A year.
Jess: (Gets quiet. Rory looks over at him and she knows Jess is having a hard time processing the information. Jess talks under his breath for a second.) Oh god. Why didn't I know about this?
Carly: He didn't want you to know.
Jess: (Gets angry) What? How could he not want me to know?
Carly: Because he knew you'd act like this!
Jess: How am I supposed to act! My best friend is probably dying and he didn't even tell me about it! Tell me, how am I supposed to act!
Carly: (Starts crying) I don't know Jess, stop yelling! You're not making this any better!
(Jess' face hardens and he pulls off onto the side of the highway and Jess sits back into his seat. They all sit for a minute, not sure what to do. Rory wants to comfort Jess but knows it's probably better to leave him be. Carly sits forward and puts a hand on Jess' shoulder. After a minute, Jess covers her small hand in his own and gives it a little squeeze.)
Jess: (Quietly) I'm sorry.
Carly: It's okay Jess, I should have told you sooner. But Jess, Dustin needs us, we need to go see him.
Jess: You're right, we have to go.
[OPEN TO THE FRONT OF A BUILDING]
Rory: (Looks up at a run-down building that was about twelve stories tall.) Where are we?
Carly: The apartment.
Jess: This is where Carly and I used to live before we moved to Stars Hollow.
Rory: Oh, okay.
Jess: We need to go call Mrs. Freeman and find out what hospital Dustin is at. Mrs. Freeman is Dustin's mom.
Rory: (Nods) Sure.
Carly: (Opens the door to the building, strolls in, and begins up the stairs.) We're on the eighth floor, so it'll be a while.
Jess: (Takes Rory's hand and follows Carly up the stairs. He turns and looks in an embarrassed way at Rory.) It's really not much, but it's all we had. (Referring to the building.)
Rory: It's fine. It's got a lot of character.
(They get to the apartment and knock. No one answers. They knock again. Still no answer. Jess takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door.)
Carly: Liz! You in here?
Jess: Liz!
Liz: (Comes out a bedroom at the end of the hall.) What the hell do you want?
Jess: (Ignores her tone and gets to the point) Have you heard from Mrs. Freeman?
Liz: Who the hell is that? (Jess and Carly look stunned and furious at the same time.)
Carly: Ahh! Just let us use the phone and we'll be out of here. (Steps to the kitchen where a phone hangs on the wall.)
Liz: Answer me Jess! Who is this Freeman person?
Jess: Dustin's mom.
Liz: Who the hell is Dustin?
Jess: My best friend.
Liz: Like you'd have friends.
Carly: (Comes back out of the kitchen with a piece of paper) He's at St. Mary's. That's on 24th. Visiting hours start in an hour.
Frank: (Comes out of the same bedroom Liz just came from) Liz, where'd you go? (Sees Jess) Jess! Carly! I thought I told you to stay the hell away from here!
Jess: We tried.
Frank: Well you didn't do very good now did ya? And who the hell is this tramp you brought with you? (Gestures toward Rory) You've got no right coming here in the first place, but I sure as hell don't need you bring your sluts back with ya!
Jess: (Punches him square in the jaw) Don't call my girlfriend a tramp! (Punches him again) Or a tramp! (Stands back up, gathers Rory in his arms, and leads her out of the apartment for the hallway. Carly follows and starts down the stairs. Jess and Rory follow, Jess' arm draped protectively around her shoulders.)
Rory: That's Liz? And that's Frank?
Jess: Yeah. As you can tell, we aren't exactly on great terms.
Rory: They're horrible! How can they treat you like that!
Jess: I got used to it as a kid.
Rory: How can they not know who Dustin is? How can they discard you as trash?
Jess: To them, Carly and I are trash. Liz never was a good mom and Frank is just a terrible drunk.
Rory: I'm so sorry you had to grow up with her. That's horrible.
Jess: It's okay, really. I didn't spend much time at home. I can't believe they treated you like that though. I'm so sorry about that. Frank didn't know what he was saying. He really is a jerk.
Rory: Well, we should go see Dustin now right? At the hospital?
Jess: Yeah, let's go. (They climb into the car, Carly is already settled in the back) Carly, what's the address?
Carly: 10245 24th Avenue.
[OPEN TO THE HOSPITAL]
(Jess, Rory, and Carly walk through the doors of a hospital in New York, everything is white, sterile, and quiet. Jess walks up to the reception desk)
Jess: Hi, I'm looking for a Dustin Freeman. Can you tell me what room he's in?
Receptionist: Are you family?
Jess: Yes.
Receptionist: What relation?
Jess: I'm his brother, this is his sister, and this is our cousin. (Points to Carly and Rory) Can you tell us what room he's in?
Receptionist: (Looks at them skeptically, then down at her room log) Room 103.
Jess: Thanks.
(The trio heads off to an elevator and Jess hit's 10 on the button panel. When the ride is over, they all get out and walk down the hall. They reach room 103 and Jess puts a hand on the doorknob. Carly holds him back though.)
Jess: What? Carly, this is his room.
Carly: I can't.
Jess: Yes you can, this is your boyfriend. He needs you. You have to come in with me.
Carly: No, Jess, I really can't. I can't see him like this.
Jess: Carly, everything is going to be fine. He's going to be fine. You'll see, you just have to come in with me.
Carly: Give me some time. I'll wait out here with Rory. You go in.
Jess: Fine. (Looks at Rory apologetically) I'll be back in a few minutes. (He opens the door and walks in.)
Carly: (Sits down in a chair outside Dustin's room.) I'm such a wimp.
Rory: (Takes the seat next to her) No, you're not. You're just worried about him. That's completely fine. I wouldn't be able to go in if I was you either.
Carly: It's just, it's Dustin. He doesn't get sick. I have never seen him sick and I've known him for twelve years. It's hard to see him this way.
Rory: (Puts a hand on Carly's shoulder) It's okay. He'll be okay. You'll see.
(Jess walks into the room and closes the door after him. A lady in her late forties is sitting in a chair by his bedside table and seems to be sleeping. Jess walks up to the bed and grips the barrier around the edge of it and stares at his sleeping friend.)
Jess: Dustin, how could you man? Why didn't you tell me you were sick? It's all my damn fault! I shouldn't have left. You needed me here. Ah, I shouldn't have left.
(The lady stirs and wakes up.)
Mrs. Freeman: Jess? Jess, honey, what are you doing here? (Stands up and hugs Jess fiercely before breaking into sobs.)
Jess: Hey Mrs. Freeman. I heard about Dustin and I needed to come see him. Carly is out in the hall.
Mrs. Freeman: Oh bless your heart. Dustin will be so happy to see you. He's missed you so much.
Jess: Why didn't he ever tell me? (Jess' voice breaks) I mean, how could he keep this from me?
Mrs. Freeman: He knew you would worry. He only found out last month. He didn't want you to have to deal with it.
Jess: Was anyone ever going to tell me?
Mrs. Freeman: He was planning on telling you but the cancer took over so fast and he had to be hospitalized immediately.
Jess: (Helplessly) I should have known. I could have helped.
Mrs. Freeman: No. Jess, honey, there's nothing you could have done. There's nothing anybody can do.
Jess: It's that bad?
Mrs. Freeman: He's got about three weeks left at best.
Jess: Oh God. (Steps back and starts to pull his hair) Oh my God. (Falls into a chair by the window) How can it take over so fast?
Mrs. Freeman: These things work in all different ways. Dustin's just been very unlucky.
(Carly hesitantly opens the door. Mrs. Freeman turns at the noise and runs to hug her.)
Mrs. Freeman: Oh Carly. It's so good to see you.
Carly: (Cries into Mrs. Freeman's shirt.) How is he?
Mrs. Freeman: Not so good sweetie.
Carly: (Pulls back from Mrs. Freeman and makes her way over to Dustin, tears falling down her face. She picks up his hand and holds it in hers. He opens his eyes and stares are her.) Hey guy.
Dustin: Carly? What are you doing here?
Carly: I came to see you. Jess is here too.
Dustin: (Looks over at the window where Jess is slumped into a chair, his head in his hands.) Jess?
(A/N: Okay, I know, I'm mean. Hehe. I have an idea for the next chapter already but I have to go to Chicago this weekend so I might not get a chance for it to get updated. Depending on my homework load until then, it might get up Wednesday night. Thanks so much for reading and as always, please review!)