Here We Stand

Chapter 9 - "Follow Me"

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. And I'm really trying to refrain from some 'witty' comment where I say I only have 3 cents to my name so if you want to sue me that's all you'll get. Really, I'm avoiding it.

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"Mrs. Mariano?"

Rory looked up at Dr. Lamb with a hopeful look on her face, "Yes?"

"Would you like to see Lorel now?"

Rory shot out of her seat, "Absolutely."

He smiled and extended his arm, showing her the way. "Ok, then follow me."

Rory stayed close to the doctor as he led her through two thick double doors. She noticed that they were the same double doors the doctors had gone through when they stole Lorel from her arms; and the same ones that Dr. Lamb had come out of to deliver the bad news. She used her small arms to push through them with force, hoping she might find some comfort in doing so. To her dismay, she found none.

Once she past them, the potent smell of pain and suffering crept into her nose and hit her hard. It traveled through her, down her spine into the pit of her stomach, making her shiver. She protectively wrapped her arms around her waist as she looked at the world around her.

She thought about how different the circumstances were last time she had come here, which ironically, was to give birth to Lorel. After a few false alarms, Jess and Rory had decided they weren't going to go to the hospital unless they were one hundred and ten percent sure that it was time for Rory to go into labor. Unfortunately, by the time they had made that decision, it was to late and Rory had to be brought in by ambulance. The side of her mouth curved slightly upward as she reminisced on the day of her daughters birth. The smile faded as quickly as it came.

"Mrs. Mariano,"

She looked up at Dr. Lamb, not realizing that she had been looking down the whole time.

"I'm sorry we couldn't bring you here earlier." He said, his hand on the doorknob.

She stared at the door, trying to brace herself for what she might see inside. "It's Ok," she replied numbly. Silently, she chastised herself for not bringing Lorelai with her.

"We just wanted to make su-"

"Make sure that she was alright, I know." She whispered; her eyes locked on the door.

Taking the hint, the doctor nodded and slowly turned the knob.

*~*

"Uh, excuse me, Miss?"

A young lady, whose nametag read 'Kim' turned around and smiled, "Yes?"

"Hi, I was wondering, are there any flights to Hartford available?"

"One second please." Jess shifted uncomfortably and placed his weight against the counter. Tapping his hand on the desk and glancing around. Kim shot him an annoyed look, but he hadn't noticed.

After a moment, she gently placed her hand on his, "Sir, the tapping…" She took her hand back and forced a smile.

Jess leaned into the counter again, "Look, lady, would you mind just looking up the flight for me? It's kind of an emergency."

The lady quietly grunted and returned to checking the flights, while Jess turned his attention elsewhere. Outside, he noticed the sky was only getting darker and the rain only coming down heavier. His mind traveled to before he had left, before things had gotten so messed up.

He wondered how could he have done this to Rory, and to Lorel. He wondered how he could have let his selfishness get the best of him. But most of all he wondered how he could have left the two best things that ever happened to him in his life behind, especially when they needed him the most.

His jaw tightened.

"Sir?"

He turned back to her, "Hm?"

"Sorry, but it seems that all the flights have been canceled. Apparently there's a big storm coming. Looks like you'll just have to wait right over there." Smirking, she pointed to the chairs behind him and then waved him off with a jerk of her wrist.

"No, wait," he shook his head in disbelief and gestured toward the computer, "there has to be some flight available. This is an emergency! I have a sick kid at home."

"Sir, I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do . I told you there are no flights, and I have other people waiting in line. If there's a problem, you'll have to talk to someone else."

Jess backed up, and decided not to let his anger get the best of him. There was no time for arguing now, he needed to find a flight, and fast.

*~*

Fifteen Minutes Earlier

"Lorelai," Luke gently nudged her with his elbow and brushed the hair out of her face.

She had fallen asleep with him outside on the bench, the day proving to be just as physically exhausting as it was mentally. She quietly stirred, lifting her head off his shoulder giving him a confused look.

"You feel asleep," he said, answering her unasked question.

"Oh," She rubbed her eyes and spoke through her yawn, "what time is it?"

Luke shrugged, "I don't know."

She cracked her neck. "Check your watch."

"I'm not wearing one."

Lorelai looked at him curiously, "But you always wear a watch."

"The same way I always carry around a pen?"

"Yes, exactly the same way. I'm guessing you forgot that to though, slacker."

Luke smirked, "I left in a bit of a rush."

Lorelai smiled and pulled him into a gentle kiss. She was so glad she had someone to lean on, someone to count on, and someone that would always be there for her. 'Poor Rory,' she thought.

"Oh damn, Rory!" Lorelai said, shooting out of her seat.

Luke jumped up as quickly as he could without waking Mikey, who was asleep in his arms. "Whoa, wait, where are you going?"

"I fell asleep, and Rory's in there all alone!" She said, backing towards the entrance of the hospital.

"Calm down, I'm sure she's fine. She probably wanted some alone time anyway."

"Yea, well, I think I gave her enough. Maybe you should take Mikey home, and get some rest yourself. It's going to be a while and I can call you if anything happens."

Luke's eyebrows narrowed, "Lorelai-"

"No, really Luke…" She paused. He wondered if she was trying to get rid of him. "I think it would be hard on Rory to keep seeing Mikey, all healthy and happy."

Luke nodded, understanding, and feeling a little relief. He walked toward her and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him and kissing her forehead. She put her hand on his chest and molded into him, finding all the comfort she needed before going back inside.

After giving Mikey one last kiss, she slowly backed up and waved goodbye as she watched Luke fade away into the darkness.

*~*

Rory walked into hospital room thirty-five and cautiously made her way toward the bed. It was quiet, but to her, it was comforting. Silence seemed to be the only thing she could count on lately.

She approached the bed and placed her hands on the side railing, then looked down into the blanketed bin.

"Oh my God," she whispered. Her jaw began to quiver as she took in the sight of her helpless daughter, but she wouldn't cry. She'd done enough of that tonight. Leaning into the bin, she delicately kissed Lorel's forehead and smiled a sad smile. Everything was going to be ok. It had to be. Soon, Jess would come back, Lorel would get her surgery, and she would do everything in her power to make sure things turned out right. She took in a sharp breath and pulled a chair to her daughter's bedside, she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Just as she sat down, she felt a vibration on her hip.

She flipped open her phone, "Jess?"

*~*

"Hey, Rory." She sounded horrible.

"Where are you?"

"I'm still at the airport."

"Jess!"

"Rory, I can't get a flight. There's this storm rolling in and everything got canceled. But I'm trying to find another way home, maybe I can find a personal charter or something."

"Yea, or something."

Jess knew she was disappointed, he knew she was hurt, and he felt horrible for it. He knew it was all because of him, and even if it wasn't, it was easier just to place the blame somewhere.

"Rory, I'm trying, really-"

He stopped when he heard a loud beep in the back round.

"Rory?"

No answer. He heard the beeping get louder and faster, matching the racing rhythm of his heart.

"Rory," he yelled into the phone, "answer me, what's going on? What's that noise? Rory!"

He heard what he thought was the phone dropping, then the faint sound of her voice. It sounded like she was yelling, 'help'… then line went dead.

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A/N - Sorry this took so long, but I hit a huge writers block and school recently started back up. I don't have much time to update, but trust me; I'm not abandoning this fic! Please let me know if you like it's direction, and I'll try to keep updating as much as I can. Thanks so much! Feedback is greatly appreciated, along with thoughts and suggestions. ;)