Chapter 22- Visions of Last Night
She rode in the ambulance the entire way to the hospital. He'd passed out right after the paramedics had gotten there. Now he just lay there on the stretcher. He looked like he was asleep, but more than that he looked somewhat lifeless. As far as she could tell he was still breathing, but it seemed very shallow.
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She awoke in an uncomfortable chair. Unaware of where she was, she puzzled over it. Looking around she remembered where she was. It was morning and she was at the hospital, how could she forget? The events of the previous night spun in circles through her head. Like a little movie, she relived the terrifying moments. It was hard to believe that such a thing could happen in a sleepy little town like Stars Hollow.
Aren't robbers something from the big cities? Why Stars Hollow? Why Jess? That scary realization came flooding back to her again; it could have been her. She could have been lying in some hospital room right now, with doctor's poking around her. But she wasn't.
She'd been in the Stars Hollow hospital enough to know where the coffee was. She shuffled around in her pocket, looking for change to put in the machine.
"You need some change?" A voice behind her asked. She recognized the calm tone of someone she'd known all her life. She turned around. "Well?" The voice asked again.
"Luke." Rory sighed.
"How are you, Rory?" He asked.
What kind of a question was that? He must have known how she felt. "You have that change?" She asked avoiding the actual question.
"Yeah, here it is." He reached into his own pocket and pulled out seventy- five cents, and handed it to her.
"Thanks." She replied accepting it, and putting it in the machine.
"So---" He continued.
"How long have you been here?" She asked, picking up her cup of coffee.
He looked at her solemnly. "Only a few minutes, your Mom would be here too, but she had some urgent business at the inn."
"Thanks for the coffee." She replied wandering back down the hall that she came from. Luke followed after her silently. Rory approached the nurse's station that she had just been asleep near.
"Ma'am, could you tell me the condition of a patient?" She asked.
"Which patient, miss?" The brunette nurse asked.
"Ah---his name is Jess Mariano." Rory stammered. The nurse checked the computer.
"He's not listed as a condition yet. Is he the gunshot victim?
"Yes, that's him."
"He came in last evening, right?" She asked.
"Yes, evening." Rory repeated.
"Well, we should have a condition listing for him. Let me go talk to some of the doctors. You can just have a seat; I promise I'll be right back."
"Fine, I'll be here." Rory nodded. She trudged back to the chairs, and sunk down into one. Sipping her coffee, she heaved a deep sigh. Luke sat down next to her. "Shouldn't you be at the diner, since your staff is not there today, because of circumstances?" She asked.
"I should, but Caesar can watch the place." Luke replied. "I came to see that Jess was okay."
'How okay could he be? He got shot.' She thought. She didn't say that to Luke though. "Well, I know he's your nephew, and you can stay if you want. The nurse might be a while with the condition information. I can call you if I find anything out."
"All right, I suppose your right. Sitting around here isn't exactly ideal. I do have a diner to run. Promise you'll call?" He asked.
"Yes, of course I will." She replied expressionless.
"All right, here's some more change for coffee and the payphone if you need to call." He handed her more coins.
"Thanks, Luke." She replied. He got up and turned to leave.
"You're welcome, Rory." He answered as he left.
She sat there for what seemed like hours. She sipped her coffee, finished it, got up and bought another one with some of Luke's money. She sat back down. There were magazines sitting on a small wooden coffee table. She glanced at them. The entire selection consisted of Seventeen, Time, Parent's Life, and a few newspapers. Time seemed too depressing, news about war and fighting. She wasn't a parent, so Parent's Life was out. The newspapers were days old, some she had read and some she hadn't but they all looked uninteresting. Seventeen was bright, and shiny. It had a beautifully made up blonde girl on the cover. She was frosted, and highlighted, and everything that most teeny boppers are, but it was inviting. The colors did something to her, probably hypnotization.
Leafing through the magazine, everything was mostly a blur. There were ads for companies she'd never heard of, quizzes about pointless things like 'are you cute or not', and stories about famous people. One article stood out above the rest though. The title in big bold letters read; 'How to Get a Guy'. For any normal teenager, that might have been an interesting article. Not Rory. Right now she was more worried about keeping the one she had. She threw the magazine back on the table.
The waiting room was empty except for her and the rest of the chairs. The nurse was nowhere in sight. Having nothing else to distract herself with, her mind drifted back again to what happened. She could feel the shots that had hit Jess. She had felt them as some of the force of the blow had transferred to her through their touching bodies. She'd been frightened and recoiled at the sound and the feeling of the shot. She'd wanted to catch him as he collapsed to the floor. She had not made it in time though. It should have been her. She bent her head down and closed her eyes, nearly in tears again.
*
Last night I almost died,
I was thinking about my life,
And it just didn't seem like,
Anything was gonna change.
*
"Miss," The nurse asked as she returned to her station. Rory tried to regain her composure. She lifted her head.
"Yes?" She replied.
"Mr. Mariano is in stable condition, the doctor's are still evaluating his situation though. It's not often we see gunshot wounds around here. The doctor said he'd be out in a little while."
"All right, thank you." Rory replied sighing.
"Miss, if you don't mind me asking, what's your relation to Mr. Mariano?"
She looked up again. Her eyes were wide. She got up from the chair and approached the counter. "He's my boyfriend."
The nurse looked suddenly very somber. "I'm sorry this had to happen, miss. We're doing all we can."
Rory nodded. "Thank you. I think I'm going to take a little walk; I'll be back in a while. I've just got to clear my head." She walked out of the hospital. On the way out she stopped by the maternity ward. There was an observation window with many little babies behind it. Some asleep, some awake, and some crying. It seemed like she'd just been here to see the birth of Sookie's baby. It amazed her how lives could be given, just as quickly as they were taken away. She found a payphone close to the hospital, but outside on the street. The street was empty for some reason, but she slipped the coins in anyway. It rang twice.
"Luke's Diner," Luke answered.
"Luke. It's Rory. Jess is in stable condition I guess, whatever that means. The doctor's gonna come and talk to us in a little while. You can come back now, and talk to him."
"I'll be right there." He replied hanging up the phone.
*
But you saved me last night,
You saved--- me---last night.
Last night I almost died,
I was thinking about my life,
How I've failed at everything,
At everything but you---
*
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A doctor in a white coat emerged, some time later. Rory was back in the chair. Luke was beside her.
"Which one of you is here for Mr. Mariano?"
"Both of us, actually" Luke replied.
"Well, he's been shot pretty badly. It could have been much worse though. The shot to the chest only hit his shoulder area, it actually only caused bruising and some obvious flesh wounds. We were able to get the bullet out of that easily. His kneecap was fractured by the second bullet. He lost quite a bit of blood from his shoulder wound, so he's quite out of it right now. We've put a cast on his knee, and bandaged his shoulder wound. He was very lucky to get away with what he did."
"So what does that mean?" Luke asked.
"You mean long term?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, will he be all right?"
"Well, we've got him on some blood and some sedatives right now. Some medication to prevent infection in the shoulder wound. He will live, if that is your question."
Luke and Rory both let out a sigh of relief.
"When can we see him?" Luke asked. The doctor checked his watch.
"It's about noon, now. I wouldn't expect him to be coherent for a few hours. I'd say sometime after dinner, I should think six or seven."
"Thank you, doctor." He replied.
"Yes, thank you." Rory added. The doctor left and the two sat there in silence for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry this happened, Rory." Luke finally said.
"It's not your fault. But thank you, for being here." She replied.
"I'm always here for you."
She began to cry now; she felt it was all right to cry. She knew that Jess would most likely be all right. "I was so afraid when I heard the noise of the bullet and on the ride here in the ambulance. I was afraid he'd leave me again, without me getting a chance to say goodbye." She sobbed now. Luke wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his flannel shirt.
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As they walked down the street, people looked at her. Several people approached her, asking if she was all right. She would nod and sort of smile, reassuring them. When they reached the diner, she noticed her mother sitting at the counter.
"Rory honey, how are you?"
"I'm fine." She replied. Her tears had dried. She'd gone back home from the hospital and taken a shower. Luke had waited there for her. She actually found herself feeling hungry, now.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there, I had things I needed to do."
"It's all right, I understand. Luke was there." Luke did that half smile thing.
"What can I get you, Rory? Do you want breakfast or lunch?" He asked.
"I'll just have a hamburger I guess, I don't know what else I'd have."
"All right, I'll make it for you right now." Luke went back, and shooed Caesar away from the grill, taking the spatula in his hand. Lorelai and Rory sat there in silence, not sure what to say.
"How is he?" Lorelai finally asked.
"He's stable, looks like he'll make it after all." She replied. Luke came back with her burger, and placed it in front of her. It was a burger with the top off, drawn on it with ketchup and mustard was a smile. Rory looked up. "I didn't know you were artistic, Luke."
"I'm not. I just thought maybe it'd help. You could give him a name if you like."
"He's like Mom's Santa burger, except he's happy burger." Rory replied.
"What can I say, my art is cooking." He added.
"I love him, his name is happy burger." Rory actually smiled a little. It felt good to smile again.
"Eat up, you haven't had any breakfast." Lorelai added.
She did as she was told. Somehow the time passed, very fast. Somehow she'd talked with her mother, and Luke, and every other person that had come into the diner. It was time to go and see Jess.
She walked up the stairs to Luke and Jess's apartment. Rummaging through his book collection, she found the one she was looking for. She went back downstairs, and Lorelai and Luke joined her in the walk back to the hospital.
They arrived in the same waiting room, and she told Luke to go in first. He did. He was in there for fifteen minutes at least. Lorelai bought gummy bears from the candy machine, and they shared them in almost complete silence. They were tropical fruit of course. Lorelai went in next, although Rory wasn't sure why, as she sat there eating her gummy bears. Maybe her mother had actually taken a liking to Jess. Looking back, it seemed like she had. Lorelai came back out in a shorter time, and it was Rory's turn. Her mother gave her a reassuring smile. She handed her the gummy bears that remained.
She walked down the hall to his door. It read: Room 103. She breathed in, and knocked on the door. From the other side she heard a muffled response. She breathed heavily again, and tightened her grasp on The Old Man and the Sea. She grabbed the knob, and pushed the door open.
"Hey, Jess." She said, attempting a smile.
A/N: Lyrics are AM Radio's "You Saved My Life." That's all I want to say, season finale tomorrow, if not tomorrow, then for sure on Monday.
She rode in the ambulance the entire way to the hospital. He'd passed out right after the paramedics had gotten there. Now he just lay there on the stretcher. He looked like he was asleep, but more than that he looked somewhat lifeless. As far as she could tell he was still breathing, but it seemed very shallow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------
She awoke in an uncomfortable chair. Unaware of where she was, she puzzled over it. Looking around she remembered where she was. It was morning and she was at the hospital, how could she forget? The events of the previous night spun in circles through her head. Like a little movie, she relived the terrifying moments. It was hard to believe that such a thing could happen in a sleepy little town like Stars Hollow.
Aren't robbers something from the big cities? Why Stars Hollow? Why Jess? That scary realization came flooding back to her again; it could have been her. She could have been lying in some hospital room right now, with doctor's poking around her. But she wasn't.
She'd been in the Stars Hollow hospital enough to know where the coffee was. She shuffled around in her pocket, looking for change to put in the machine.
"You need some change?" A voice behind her asked. She recognized the calm tone of someone she'd known all her life. She turned around. "Well?" The voice asked again.
"Luke." Rory sighed.
"How are you, Rory?" He asked.
What kind of a question was that? He must have known how she felt. "You have that change?" She asked avoiding the actual question.
"Yeah, here it is." He reached into his own pocket and pulled out seventy- five cents, and handed it to her.
"Thanks." She replied accepting it, and putting it in the machine.
"So---" He continued.
"How long have you been here?" She asked, picking up her cup of coffee.
He looked at her solemnly. "Only a few minutes, your Mom would be here too, but she had some urgent business at the inn."
"Thanks for the coffee." She replied wandering back down the hall that she came from. Luke followed after her silently. Rory approached the nurse's station that she had just been asleep near.
"Ma'am, could you tell me the condition of a patient?" She asked.
"Which patient, miss?" The brunette nurse asked.
"Ah---his name is Jess Mariano." Rory stammered. The nurse checked the computer.
"He's not listed as a condition yet. Is he the gunshot victim?
"Yes, that's him."
"He came in last evening, right?" She asked.
"Yes, evening." Rory repeated.
"Well, we should have a condition listing for him. Let me go talk to some of the doctors. You can just have a seat; I promise I'll be right back."
"Fine, I'll be here." Rory nodded. She trudged back to the chairs, and sunk down into one. Sipping her coffee, she heaved a deep sigh. Luke sat down next to her. "Shouldn't you be at the diner, since your staff is not there today, because of circumstances?" She asked.
"I should, but Caesar can watch the place." Luke replied. "I came to see that Jess was okay."
'How okay could he be? He got shot.' She thought. She didn't say that to Luke though. "Well, I know he's your nephew, and you can stay if you want. The nurse might be a while with the condition information. I can call you if I find anything out."
"All right, I suppose your right. Sitting around here isn't exactly ideal. I do have a diner to run. Promise you'll call?" He asked.
"Yes, of course I will." She replied expressionless.
"All right, here's some more change for coffee and the payphone if you need to call." He handed her more coins.
"Thanks, Luke." She replied. He got up and turned to leave.
"You're welcome, Rory." He answered as he left.
She sat there for what seemed like hours. She sipped her coffee, finished it, got up and bought another one with some of Luke's money. She sat back down. There were magazines sitting on a small wooden coffee table. She glanced at them. The entire selection consisted of Seventeen, Time, Parent's Life, and a few newspapers. Time seemed too depressing, news about war and fighting. She wasn't a parent, so Parent's Life was out. The newspapers were days old, some she had read and some she hadn't but they all looked uninteresting. Seventeen was bright, and shiny. It had a beautifully made up blonde girl on the cover. She was frosted, and highlighted, and everything that most teeny boppers are, but it was inviting. The colors did something to her, probably hypnotization.
Leafing through the magazine, everything was mostly a blur. There were ads for companies she'd never heard of, quizzes about pointless things like 'are you cute or not', and stories about famous people. One article stood out above the rest though. The title in big bold letters read; 'How to Get a Guy'. For any normal teenager, that might have been an interesting article. Not Rory. Right now she was more worried about keeping the one she had. She threw the magazine back on the table.
The waiting room was empty except for her and the rest of the chairs. The nurse was nowhere in sight. Having nothing else to distract herself with, her mind drifted back again to what happened. She could feel the shots that had hit Jess. She had felt them as some of the force of the blow had transferred to her through their touching bodies. She'd been frightened and recoiled at the sound and the feeling of the shot. She'd wanted to catch him as he collapsed to the floor. She had not made it in time though. It should have been her. She bent her head down and closed her eyes, nearly in tears again.
*
Last night I almost died,
I was thinking about my life,
And it just didn't seem like,
Anything was gonna change.
*
"Miss," The nurse asked as she returned to her station. Rory tried to regain her composure. She lifted her head.
"Yes?" She replied.
"Mr. Mariano is in stable condition, the doctor's are still evaluating his situation though. It's not often we see gunshot wounds around here. The doctor said he'd be out in a little while."
"All right, thank you." Rory replied sighing.
"Miss, if you don't mind me asking, what's your relation to Mr. Mariano?"
She looked up again. Her eyes were wide. She got up from the chair and approached the counter. "He's my boyfriend."
The nurse looked suddenly very somber. "I'm sorry this had to happen, miss. We're doing all we can."
Rory nodded. "Thank you. I think I'm going to take a little walk; I'll be back in a while. I've just got to clear my head." She walked out of the hospital. On the way out she stopped by the maternity ward. There was an observation window with many little babies behind it. Some asleep, some awake, and some crying. It seemed like she'd just been here to see the birth of Sookie's baby. It amazed her how lives could be given, just as quickly as they were taken away. She found a payphone close to the hospital, but outside on the street. The street was empty for some reason, but she slipped the coins in anyway. It rang twice.
"Luke's Diner," Luke answered.
"Luke. It's Rory. Jess is in stable condition I guess, whatever that means. The doctor's gonna come and talk to us in a little while. You can come back now, and talk to him."
"I'll be right there." He replied hanging up the phone.
*
But you saved me last night,
You saved--- me---last night.
Last night I almost died,
I was thinking about my life,
How I've failed at everything,
At everything but you---
*
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A doctor in a white coat emerged, some time later. Rory was back in the chair. Luke was beside her.
"Which one of you is here for Mr. Mariano?"
"Both of us, actually" Luke replied.
"Well, he's been shot pretty badly. It could have been much worse though. The shot to the chest only hit his shoulder area, it actually only caused bruising and some obvious flesh wounds. We were able to get the bullet out of that easily. His kneecap was fractured by the second bullet. He lost quite a bit of blood from his shoulder wound, so he's quite out of it right now. We've put a cast on his knee, and bandaged his shoulder wound. He was very lucky to get away with what he did."
"So what does that mean?" Luke asked.
"You mean long term?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, will he be all right?"
"Well, we've got him on some blood and some sedatives right now. Some medication to prevent infection in the shoulder wound. He will live, if that is your question."
Luke and Rory both let out a sigh of relief.
"When can we see him?" Luke asked. The doctor checked his watch.
"It's about noon, now. I wouldn't expect him to be coherent for a few hours. I'd say sometime after dinner, I should think six or seven."
"Thank you, doctor." He replied.
"Yes, thank you." Rory added. The doctor left and the two sat there in silence for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry this happened, Rory." Luke finally said.
"It's not your fault. But thank you, for being here." She replied.
"I'm always here for you."
She began to cry now; she felt it was all right to cry. She knew that Jess would most likely be all right. "I was so afraid when I heard the noise of the bullet and on the ride here in the ambulance. I was afraid he'd leave me again, without me getting a chance to say goodbye." She sobbed now. Luke wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his flannel shirt.
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As they walked down the street, people looked at her. Several people approached her, asking if she was all right. She would nod and sort of smile, reassuring them. When they reached the diner, she noticed her mother sitting at the counter.
"Rory honey, how are you?"
"I'm fine." She replied. Her tears had dried. She'd gone back home from the hospital and taken a shower. Luke had waited there for her. She actually found herself feeling hungry, now.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there, I had things I needed to do."
"It's all right, I understand. Luke was there." Luke did that half smile thing.
"What can I get you, Rory? Do you want breakfast or lunch?" He asked.
"I'll just have a hamburger I guess, I don't know what else I'd have."
"All right, I'll make it for you right now." Luke went back, and shooed Caesar away from the grill, taking the spatula in his hand. Lorelai and Rory sat there in silence, not sure what to say.
"How is he?" Lorelai finally asked.
"He's stable, looks like he'll make it after all." She replied. Luke came back with her burger, and placed it in front of her. It was a burger with the top off, drawn on it with ketchup and mustard was a smile. Rory looked up. "I didn't know you were artistic, Luke."
"I'm not. I just thought maybe it'd help. You could give him a name if you like."
"He's like Mom's Santa burger, except he's happy burger." Rory replied.
"What can I say, my art is cooking." He added.
"I love him, his name is happy burger." Rory actually smiled a little. It felt good to smile again.
"Eat up, you haven't had any breakfast." Lorelai added.
She did as she was told. Somehow the time passed, very fast. Somehow she'd talked with her mother, and Luke, and every other person that had come into the diner. It was time to go and see Jess.
She walked up the stairs to Luke and Jess's apartment. Rummaging through his book collection, she found the one she was looking for. She went back downstairs, and Lorelai and Luke joined her in the walk back to the hospital.
They arrived in the same waiting room, and she told Luke to go in first. He did. He was in there for fifteen minutes at least. Lorelai bought gummy bears from the candy machine, and they shared them in almost complete silence. They were tropical fruit of course. Lorelai went in next, although Rory wasn't sure why, as she sat there eating her gummy bears. Maybe her mother had actually taken a liking to Jess. Looking back, it seemed like she had. Lorelai came back out in a shorter time, and it was Rory's turn. Her mother gave her a reassuring smile. She handed her the gummy bears that remained.
She walked down the hall to his door. It read: Room 103. She breathed in, and knocked on the door. From the other side she heard a muffled response. She breathed heavily again, and tightened her grasp on The Old Man and the Sea. She grabbed the knob, and pushed the door open.
"Hey, Jess." She said, attempting a smile.
A/N: Lyrics are AM Radio's "You Saved My Life." That's all I want to say, season finale tomorrow, if not tomorrow, then for sure on Monday.
