Chapter 6: Wednesday
Author's Note: I apologize a zillion times to everyone who has a vague memory of enjoying this story, but can't remember what has happened because it's been four months since I've updated. I am an abomination of huge proportions. I can only hope that the following chapter will appease you and perhaps allow you to forgive me for my utter lack of updating. The inspiration for this one comes as a result of watching three Jane Austen films and "The Count of Monte Cristo" in 24 hours.
Summary: Rory has been diagnosed with mono, she keeps falling on Jess, and Luke and Lorelai have flirted. Now, on with the story.
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Rory looked around her. She was standing in a field of tall grass and wildflowers. The sky was an intense blue, and held small clouds and a fat yellow sun. As Rory turned around, she felt a small tug at her knees. Looking down she saw that her skirt was caught on a small thorn plant. Reaching down, she released the material, pricking herself in the process.
"Oh!" the soft exclamation came. A ruby drop of blood appeared on her pointer finger, and she quickly moved the injured digit to her mouth.
"What is it, Miss Hayden?" Came a voice from her left. Looking over, Rory saw Dean, dressed in breeches and knee socks, a shirt, vest, and overcoat, and cravat. He was lying on a checked picnic blanket, reclining on his elbows, watching Rory with adoration radiating from his eyes.
"I have pricked myself on a thorn. It is nothing, Mr. Forrester."
"No, come here, let me look at it." Rory walked over to the oak tree that the blanket was under and knelt down beside Dean. She held out her hand, and he took it between his own and brought it near to his face. "It does not look deep, but perhaps we should have a doctor look at it."
Rory laughed gently. "It is nothing, I assure you. I cannot even feel it any more."
Dean bent slightly and placed a kiss on the end of Rory's finger. "Alright, darling, if you insist. But do be careful. You never know where there may be a thorn plant."
"I will watch my step more carefully now, thank you. It is so sad that there must be thorn plants. Why cannot there be merely flowers and no thorns?"
"Thorns are a part of life, my dear. Some prick more deeply than others, I fear." A note of disgruntlement entered Dean's tone as he said the last phrase. Rory knew that he was worried about a soldier that was residing in town, one Lieutenant Jess Mariano. A rakish officer, he had all of the single ladies, and some of the less-than-single ones, in a fluster. Dean's younger sister, Clara, had danced with Lieutenant Mariano at a party a week ago, and could speak of nothing else. Dean was worried for his sister's heart, and hoped that it wouldn't be broken when the regiment moved on. Reading the anxiety in the lines on Dean's forehead, Rory reached out to smooth the skin there.
"Do not worry about Clara. She is a sensible girl; when the regiment leaves, she will forget entirely Lieutenant Mariano." Rory smiled at Dean and waited for him to smile back before standing again. "I am going to go pick some flowers for Maman. She loves the flowers of early spring, and it gives me pleasure to see her happy. Lord knows she has had enough to be sad about of late." Rory's stepfather, Luke, had come down with a fever at the end of winter, and it had been a hard battle. He had nearly died, but Lorelai had nursed him back to health. Now, nearly two months later, he was still weak, but his condition improved daily. Rory thought about her parents as she moved through the field, looking for the prettiest flowers. Her mother had married young, against her parent's wishes, to a man named Christopher Hayden. Within two years, they had a daughter, who they named Lorelai, after her mother. A year later Christopher was killed in a duel by the husband of the woman he had been sleeping with. Lorelai, too ashamed to go back to her parents, moved into a small apartment in town, and made a living with the meager inheritance that she had come into with Christopher's death. All through this time, Luke Danes had been a friend to Lorelai, and would help her out however he could. In time, Lorelai had come to realize that Luke loved her, and that she loved him back. They were married when Rory was five, and had been completely happy with each other ever since. Luke had persuaded Lorelai to make amends with her parents, and was a better husband and father than Christopher had ever been.
With a smile, Rory looked at the bouquet in her hands. She had been picking flowers for nearly an hour, and the efforts she had made were obvious. Comprised mostly of white daisies, her mother's favourite, there were also hints of soft purples and pinks in Rory's flower basket. She had enough flowers to make a beautiful arrangement for Lorelai, so she turned around and began walking back to the tree where Dean was waiting patiently.
Within half an hour, Rory knew that she was hopelessly lost. None of her surroundings looked familiar, and there were no buildings near by. Turning around slowly, Rory tried to gauge her position. The sun was moving west, but that was no help to her, because it had been full in the sky when she had left. However, Rory set out east – it seemed sensible to her, as she would likely reach some sort of civilization by moving in that direction. She walked for a considerable amount of time before spotting a building in the distance. Forgetting about her flowers, she began running towards the stone house. Soon she was on the grounds, and recognized them instantly. This was the Gardener household, and the two brothers who lived here often rented space to the militia. Lieutenant Mariano was staying here. Rory would have groaned if she had had the energy. As it was, she slowed to a walk so she wouldn't be out of breath when she approached the door. Before she was completely restored, however, she was greeted by a warm voice infused with a hint of laughter.
"Good afternoon, Miss Hayden. Paying a social visit?"
Turning around, Rory nearly stepped on the toes of Lieutenant Mariano. Stumbling back two steps, Rory tried to collect herself. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant. I am sorry to say this is no social call. I was picnicking in yonder field," she explained with a wave of her hand in the direction of the field, "and decided to pick some flowers for my mother. I became lost, and have been looking for anything familiar for some hours. I was hoping that perhaps I could borrow a horse, now that I have my bearings, and go back to the tree and my picnicking partner." All through Rory's speech, Jess watched her with a slight smirk on his face. By the time she was finished speaking, Rory's face was flushed, and she looked down. When Lieutenant Mariano spoke, the laughing tone was still in his voice.
"I am sorry to tell you that the Gardener brothers are not at home. They have gone into town for the day. They took the carriage with them, so my horse is the only one on the grounds at the moment. I would be happy to offer him to you, but for the fact that I need him myself, to ride into town as well. Unless, perhaps, you would like to ride with me into the village and move from there to your picnicking area…"
Rory could sense that Jess was mocking her, but did not rise to the bait. Instead, she raised her chin defiantly and looked straight into the Lieutenant's eyes. "No thank you, Mr. Mariano. Now that I have my bearings, I believe I will walk. Thank you for your time." With that, Rory flounced off in the direction of the tree that Dean was hopefully still resting under.
"Miss Hayden, wait." Rory ignored Jess's call. She began taking faster steps. "Miss Hayden, please stop." Rory again ignored the man, but was forced into submission when she stepped in a hole in the ground. As she fell, she heard and felt a pop in her left ankle. With a cry, she reached for her lower leg, but her skirts interfered. In an instant, Lieutenant Mariano was at her side.
"What happened?"
Rory whimpered in pain. "I stepped in a hole. I fear my ankle has twisted."
There was no mischief in Jess's voice when he spoke again, only grave concern. "May I look at it, to see if there is any damage?"
Rory nodded and bit her lower lip. Jess felt the bones of her ankle, and moved her foot gently up and down. When he tried to bend it towards the left, Rory cried out.
"I believe that you may have sprained your ankle quite badly, Miss Hayden. You will not be able to walk on it, but we must get you indoors. There is a storm brewing to the East, and I don't think my horse can carry both of us to town in time to outrun it. If you lean on me, we will walk up to the house, and I will go to town to fetch a doctor. Do you think you can manage it?" Rory nodded, and Jess helped her to stand. As soon as she put weight on her left foot, however, she nearly crumpled to the ground again. Only Jess's quick reflexes prevented a fall. He had wrapped an arm around her waist for stability, and now had both arms around her to keep her upright. The last thought to cross Rory's mind before she fainted was that Lieutenant Mariano had green eyes, and that it was not entirely unpleasant to be in his arms.
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When Rory awoke, she was being carried inside. Her head rested against Jess's shoulder and her arm was around his neck. Almost at the instant that she realized the situation, she felt herself being lowered onto a chaise. She shivered as Lieutenant Mariano moved away, and she was no longer close to his warmth. He knelt beside her and looked into her eyes as he spoke.
"Are you comfortable?" Almost as soon as he asked the question, Jess realized how inane it was. "I mean, would you like some tea or a book to read while I go into town?" At Rory's negative head-shake, he stood. "Alright. I shall set out immediately, and hope to return within the hour with a doctor." With that, he strode quickly from the room. Now Rory allowed herself to cry. Tears ran down her face unchecked as she wallowed in misery. Ten minutes later, she wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffled one last time. Her ankle was throbbing and her head hurt as well. Thunder rolled overhead. Suddenly, the door opened and Lieutenant Mariano came in, sopping wet, followed by and equally drenched doctor.
"Miss Hayden, you are lucky. I was just returning to town from a call when your Lieutenant rode up as though the Devil himself was chasing his horse. 'Good Doctor,' he said to me, 'you must come to the Gardener residence. Miss Hayden has injured her ankle.' So, I turned right around and came back with him. Now, if you will allow me." He knelt down and felt Rory's ankle just as Jess had done. Rory never even had time to refute the claim that Jess was 'Her Lieutenant" before she again cried out in pain as her foot was bent to the left.
"Mr. Mariano, you were correct. Miss Hayden has a sprained ankle." Turning to look at the young man, he continued. "She must stay off her feet for at least two days." Now he looked at Rory. "I am afraid, Miss Hayden, that you must stay here until Saturday. And you will have to miss the dance at the Chesterton residence. I am sorry."
Rory was not nearly as sorry as the doctor was about the last statement. The Chestertons always threw incredibly boring parties. However, not being able to go home for two days was a problem. "But, Doctor, I must go home. My mother and step-father will worry. I am already far later than I said I would be; I must return as soon as possible."
"And you will. The very soonest that you may return is Saturday, and that is final. I will inform your parents of your situation." The doctor began repacking his medical bag. "Now, Lieutenant, please make sure that Miss Hayden does not move any more than is absolutely necessary. I know that this is inconvenient for you and the Gardeners, but it must be done. Good day." In eight quick strides he was outside again.
An awkward silence followed the doctor's exit. Rory and Jess were unable to look at each other, and focused on walls, feet, tables; anything but each other. The uncomfortable quiet was broken when Jess sneezed.
"Lieutenant Mariano, you should go change into drier clothes. If you fall ill, we will be in quite a desperate situation. I'm dreadfully sorry for all of this…" Rory gestured at her ankle and frowned.
"No, I am sorry. If I had been more courteous, we would not be in this situation."
Rory wanted to agree with Jess, but she was a better person than that. She would just have to maintain her cool for the duration of her stay. She sighed heavily. Saturday seemed very far away indeed.
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Rory spent the next two days at the Gardener's house. Lieutenant Mariano proved to be quite a gracious host, and Rory found herself enjoying his company. He read to her some of Shakespeare's sonnets, and she discovered that he had quite a lovely voice. One time, he had looked up in the middle of a verse and smiled at her, and Rory's heart had skipped a beat. She lowered her head, blushing, and tried to convince herself that she was merely reacting to the lovely words of Sonnet 116, but she knew deep down that she was becoming attracted to the young Lieutenant. Many of the town's men dismissed Lieutenant Mariano as a rogue and a skirt-chaser, but as Rory listened to his ideas and how he worded them, she began to understand that underneath his suave exterior was a truly kind and intelligent man. Her initial encounter with him was all but forgotten by Saturday afternoon when Lorelai and Luke came in their carriage to pick up Rory and take her home.
After Rory was bundled into the carriage and Lorelai and Luke were expressing their thanks to the Gardener brothers, Jess came over to the vehicle and handed Rory his book of sonnets.
"I am awfully sorry about your ankle, and I wanted you to have this. I know most of the poems by heart, and you seemed to enjoy them." Rory reached out, and as she took the book, her fingers met Jess's, and a tingle ran up her arm and down her spine. Their eyes met, and Jess lifted Rory's hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the backs of her fingers. Rory couldn't stop herself from visibly shivering at the contact. As Jess stood back up, he smiled at her, bowed slightly, released her hand, and turned and walked away. Rory sat staring at him until Lorelai and Luke came back to the carriage, and they set on their way.
When they arrived home, Rory was situated in her room, and the servants were ordered to look after her every whim. The first thing Rory told them to do was to leave her in peace unless she called for them. She wanted time to think about what had happened over the last two days. At the beginning, she had thought that she loved Dean Forrester, but she was beginning to realize that he was like an older brother to her. There was no excitement in the relationship. Her mother would call Dean a stable man, but Rory was beginning to see him as boring and extremely dull. Lieutenant Mariano, on the other hand, was captivating. Rory smiled as she ran her finger over the embossed cover of the book of sonnets. As she opened the book, a folded piece of paper fell out of it. Curious, she set the book down and unfolded the paper. On it was written, in Jess's neat cursive, a poem. Rory held it up to the light and began reading.
Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling. Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? Do you feel the same; am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame? I believe it's meant to be, darling. I watch you when you are sleeping - you belong with me - do you feel the same? Or am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame? Say my name, sun shines through the rain. My whole life so lonely, but you come and ease the pain. I don't want to lose this feeling, love. Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling. Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? Do you feel the same; am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame?
Rory's eyes filled with tears as she finished the poem. Had Jess written this for someone? Had he written it for her? She had to know.
"Edmond! Please bring me some paper and a quill and ink." Rory smiled as she folded the poem and placed it inside the book of poetry. It marked the page that Sonnet 116 was on. She would write a letter to Jess, and let her words answer the question in his poem.
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Rory opened her eyes and looked around her. She was in her pyjamas on her bed. The blankets were bundled down around her feet, and Lorelai was standing over her, looking confused.
"Rory? Are you alright? You were singing Bangles in your sleep."
Rory rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a dream."
