Here We Stand
Chapter 10 - "Heart, Body, and Soul"
Disclaimer: I own the story, but not the show.
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Jess pressed the buttons of his cell phone hard, attempting to call Rory back. He leaned his weight against the wall and waited; one ring, another ring… then voicemail. Frustrated, he closed the phone and slowly brought it to his chin, staring to the ground.
He closed his eyes and he took in a deep breath, wondering what happened and why the hell he couldn't be there. The stress was taking a toll on him, physically and mentally. Every time he tried to think of reasons things ended up this way, all he could think of was how they got that way to begin with…
"Hello?"
"Jess?"
"Liz…"
Jess abruptly opened his eyes. He exhaled and dropped his head back, and slid down the rough wall to the cold ground below him. He didn't want to remember what brought him here in the first place. He couldn't go back there… he wouldn't let himself. But every time his eyes closed - the memory replayed itself over and over in a way he couldn't even begin to understand. It was like his mind was punishing him… never letting him forget how he got himself into this situation in the first place. Silently he wondered if there would ever be a time that he could close his eyes and find peace amongst the ruins.
*~*
Before turning the corner into the waiting room, Lorelai stopped to compose herself. She hated to see her daughter this way. After all, hadn't Rory had enough pain and hardship in her life? Hadn't Brad, her father never being around, and the car accident put her through enough?
She sighed heavily and wrung her hands together one last time before trying to find a place for them. Sticking her hands in her pockets and planting a smile on her face, she rounded the corner. But when she looked where Rory had been sitting - she was gone. Frowning, she walked down the hallway, peaking down each separate corridor looking for Rory. She began to quicken her pace when she hadn't found her after the first few corridors, and accidentally ran into Dr. Lamb.
"Oh," She yelped, jumping back.
"Mrs. Gilmore, I'm sorry," he apologized, bending down to pick up the charts he dropped.
"No, no," she bent down to help, "I wasn't paying attention I'm really sorry. Definatly my fault."
Standing pack up, Lorelai handed him the charts she had picked up and smiled.
"Well," he nodded, "best of luck to you and Mrs. Mariano. I'll be checking up on Lorel in a little bit to get ready for the surgery."
Lorelai smiled and nodded, "Thank you."
"Your welcome."
She watched him walk away, only getting a few steps before she called after him.
"Um, Dr. Lamb… really quick; do you know where Rory went?"
"Excuse me?" He asked, cupping his hand behind his ear in an attempt to hear her better.
"Rory, my daughter. I came back inside and she was gone. Did you take her somewhere?"
Dr. Lamb nodded and walked back, not wanting to yell across the hallway anymore. He stuck his hand out in front of him and continued to walk past her, "This way please."
Lorelai smiled and followed closely behind him, the same way Rory had only a few minutes earlier.
*~*
"Help! God, someone, help me!" Rory screamed, bolting out of Lorel's hospital room. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and stopped to scream for help again.
"Help! Please, somebody, I need help!"
Lorelai and Dr. Lamb heard her blood curdling cries for help, only taking a second to look at each other before Dr. Lamb lead the race to find out what was wrong.
"Mike, Shaun!" Dr. Lamb yelled, never slowing his pace, "Come with me! I think something's wrong with the baby in room thirty-five."
"The one with Hirschsprung's Disease?" One of the Doctor's yelled, watching him race by.
"Yes, now MOVE!" He screeched over his shoulder.
The two Doctors grabbed their stethoscopes and slung them around their necks before following Lorelai and Dr. Lamb toward room thirty-five.
Lorelai felt her heart racing. "Rory!" she desperately yelled, but didn't even recognize her own voice. It sounded tired, terrified, and on the verge of tears; mimicking the way it had been the night at Luke's when she heard Rory's pleas for help. She froze, the fear and terror temporarily taking over her body. The doctors continued without her, not noticing her absence, and disappeared behind the corner.
Lorelai took a few deep breaths before looking up and noticing the doctors had gone. Regaining her composure and quickening her pace, she turned the corner she assumed the doctors had and just barely saw the four of them entering Lorel's room. Running in behind them, she jerked to a halt at the sight before her eyes.
*~*
"Hello? … Yes. … This is the private charter, right? … Great. How much are you guys? … Wow. That's, a lot. … No, its Ok I just didn't know it was that much. … Right. Ok. … Listen, do you go to Hartford? … You do? … That's, wow, ok this is great. … Soon. … Like, now soon. … I know its short notice. … I'll pay extra, Ok? I just need to get there. … Thank you. … Off of US 19, exit 14. … No, I think I got it. … Yea, thanks."
Jess hung up the pay phone and stared at the piece of paper he'd written down the directions on. He couldn't afford what the guy asked for, but he figured this was the only way. He looked down at the randomly scattered pieces of his cell phone. Earlier, he had thrown it down in frustration when after five failed attempts of getting hold of a private charter combined with the pent up anger of not being able to get a hold of Rory; and finally made him burst.
But now he had a way to get to them, and quickly picked up the pay phone; dialing the first car rental number he found.
*~*
Rory sprinted into Lorel's room with the doctor's close behind. They immediately surrounded Lorel, and began yelling orders at each other.
She tried to explain what had happened, but the constant quivering of her jaw made it unbearably hard. "I just- I was talking. On the uh, the phone and then things started beeping and she stopped moving," Rory bit her lip hard and struggled to continue, "so I ran outside to get you and- God what is wrong with her!"
Rory held her face in her hands and dropped her head, the moment taking over her body and hurling her mind into a different world. She stopped thinking, she stopped feeling, but she couldn't stop crying. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking as she felt her body finally lose control.
Starved, deprived of sleep, and emotionally exhausted; Rory turned to Lorelai's ghostly white face as she felt her heart, body, and soul finally cave and her knees collapse beneath her.
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A/N - Told you it was soon… hehe. Alright, again, very sorry but I have just been terribly busy. This chapter was hard for me because I knew where I wanted to go… but this chapter was the critical step in getting there and I wanted to make it just right. I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Also, the reviews are helping so much and I thank you all for them. Please review this chapter whether it be a constructive flame or just something nice and uplifting : ) Thanks so much!!!
