Here We Stand

Chapter 11 - "Someone To Blame"

Disclaimer: I own the story, but not the show.

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Jess picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Jess?" He froze, feeling his body tense.

"Liz…"

"Hey kid."

Her raspy voice echoed in his ears as he tried to find a place to sit. He took a deep breath, and slowly sat in the chair beside him. He felt an anger begin rise from within him.

"Uh, hey."

"How have you been?"

"Good?" How the hell was he supposed to answer that? 'Gee, Mom, I've been great. I loved the way you never returned my calls, or showed up to my graduation, or to my wedding.'

"Good," her voice trailed off, "that's good."

There was a silence and Jess shifted Lorel from one leg to the other, then adjusted himself in the chair. What did she want, anyway? Money? A place to live? Did another boyfriend leave her bruised and broken and now she needed someone to fall back on? He frowned and shook his head at the thought. Glancing back up, he smirked at Lorel and stuck out his tongue in her direction. She giggled furiously and for a moment Jess forgot all about who he was talking to.

"Jess, hello? Jess?"

"Yea," he answered, half laughing and tickling Lorel.

"What the hell is that." Her stiff tone brought him up short. It always had, and he figured it always would.

"Its Lorel."

"Lorel? Who's that? A baby?"

Jess went to answer, but apparently she was on a roll, "God, are you babysitting now, Jess? Is that your job? Great future," she sneered, "Who knew you'd turn out so successful? My son, Jess the babysitter. Who the hell would trust you with their kid anyway? And…"

"Liz," he'd had enough, "It's my kid." He smiled, waiting for her reaction.

But there was none. At least, none yet. He could picture her, in the middle of her rant getting cut short, then leaning against the kitchen counter the way she always had when she heard disappointing news. She'd lean, gape, then boost herself up on the counter and let her head fall into her hands and sigh.

He heard a rustling, then a sigh, then she finally spoke.

"I just called to tell you that your Dad's in the hospital. I don't really know all the details. Nor do I care, but I figured you might. Jackass was driving drunk, again, and this time he slammed into a telephone pole…"

Jess jumped in his seat, and took in his surroundings. He'd fallen asleep again. When he remembered he was on the plane back to Hartford, he relaxed back into the grove of his seat and closed his eyes. 'God,' he thought, 'it never ends.' He had the dream again. The dream that reminded him why he left in the first place. It never left him alone.

"Hey kid," Jess turned toward the man beside him.

"Hm?"

The man seemed to be studying him, "You look like shit."

"Thanks asshole," Jess mumbled under his breath, turning back toward the window.

"What's that?"

Jess sighed and faced the man once more. "I just said thanks."

The man nodded, then took a swig of his drink and set it down in his lap, suddenly finding the half melted ice cubes very interesting. He seemed about mid forties, graying hair, and had a goatee that desperately needed some attention. He was wearing a suit and tie, but his tie was barely hanging onto his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. He turned his attention toward the seat in front of him, then back at Jess.

Ignoring Jess' last comment, he stuck out his hand, "I'm Rick."

"Jess." They shook hands and sat in an awkward silence. Jess stirred in his seat, avoiding eye contact.

"I didn't mean any harm before, just, trying to make conversation." His voice was rough. He probably smoked.

"Huh." Why couldn't this guy pick up on the fact that Jess really didn't want to talk?

"You woke up a little startled, I was just making sure everything was alright."

Oh, so now he's a sentimental guy. That's great.

"Yup, everything's just fine." Sounded convincing enough.

"You know," Rick started with a laugh, "I used to do that all the time. I'd have this dream that my ex-wife would come to my work and fire me. Not that she could, you know, but it was a dream. So anyway, she'd fire me, then…"

Jess stared at the man in disbelief. Now he had another thing to add to the list of reasons he couldn't wait to get the hell off that plane and back into Hartford.

*~*

Every second seemed to take its time, and every movement seemed so slow. In all the chaos and confusion, nobody seemed to be paying attention to Rory. But Lorelai did. So when she ran in behind the doctors, who immediately gathered at Lorel's bedside, she headed straight for Rory. But what she meet instead was the pale face of a woman who simply had to much on her plate. The face of a woman who was physically and mentally exhausted. The face of a woman that she didn't recognize.

She watched Rory's eyes close shut and her shoulders relax, she watched her knee's buckle from beneath her and her body fall limp. She thought she was watching from a distance, but when reality found a hold of her again, she realized she had caught Rory in mid fall. She screamed for help.

What was only a matter of seconds seemed like forever, and after the moment passed she felt Rory's tiny body being lifted from her arms, and placed gently on the gurney beside her.

"Wait," Lorelai's eyes darted back and fourth, confused as to which situation to pay attention to first. "What happened to her? What's wrong with Rory?"

The room was crowded.

"Exhaustion, food deprivation, stress… you pick." The nurse answered as she wheeled Rory out of the room.

Lorelai's instincts moved her feet forward, anxious to follow Rory and ask the nurse what was going to happen and if she would be Ok. But what about Lorel? She turned to find that in all the confusion, they had taken Lorel elsewhere.

'Ok,' she thought. 'Just breath.' She took a deep breath and turned to follow Rory. She would find out what happened with Lorel as soon as she found out what was wrong with her daughter. Anyway, she was almost sure wherever they took Lorel she wouldn't be allowed anyway.

Rushing to her daughters side, she grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"She's going to wake up, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Wow, real convincing.

"Well, when?"

"We'll pump some fluids into her, let her have some rest, and she will wake up on her own. Lucky you caught her, or we would have had a head injury on our hands."

Lorelai nodded and faced Rory as they wheeled her into a room. She tried to take everything in. The smell, the colors, the memories... She felt an all to familiar feeling as the flashbacks of Rory's previous hospital stay came flooding back. Once again, it was Lorelai who was spared as Rory was the one subjected to the confines of a hospital bed.

She watched the nurse hook Rory up to IV bags and machines, and pulled a chair up beside her bed. Gently brushing Rory's hair away from her face, Lorelai sadly smiled. At least this time, she knew she would be Ok.

*~*

"Could you go any faster?"

The cab driver glanced into his review mirror, "Could you move the cars out from in front of me?"

Jess rolled his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. He hated cabs. He had always hated cabs. Even when he lived in New York, he would always walk where he needed to go. He liked the sights, the sounds, and the feel of New York. It brought him somewhere nobody could touch him, not even the overbearing sound of his mothers screaming voice.

Stars Hollow has always seemed confining. To cheery, to happy, and to unproblematic to be his kinda town. Until he meet Rory. Everything, for its swift moment in time, seemed free. But as quickly as she came, Brad had come along and her tore away. Just like that, without warning. So Jess had waited, confined to his own feelings of jealously as he watched, and waited, and felt like the third wheel between two best friends.

Of course, things changed… and long story short, he had gotten her. Maybe it wasn't in the way he'd hoped he would, but nonetheless she was his.

Now the only question was had her lost her again.

"Hartford traffic isn't usually this bad, must be a crash or something…"

"Yea, or something." More like the whole world being against him.

"So, what's at the hospital? Wife havin' a baby or something?"

Jess looked away, "Just drive."

*~*

"Lorelai."

She stood and turned around, happy to be meet with a familiar face, "Luke."

He stood near the doorway. He had always hated hospitals, this one was no different, "I left Mikey with Sookie. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no. It's fine. What did you tell her?"

"Just that we had an emergency and I'd tell her about it later."

"She didn't push to know why?"

"I kinda left before she could."

She laughed dryly, "Smart man."

He could tell she needed comfort. Walking toward Rory's bedside he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest, "She's gonna be fine."

"I know," she whispered, leaning back into him.

"Then stop looking at her like that."

"Like what?"

"Like she's not."

She nodded, "I can't help it. We've been here, we've done this. Rory's paid her dues and more. She doesn't deserve any of this, and I can't understand why bad things keep happening to her."

"That's not true, she's had wonderful things happen to her."

"Luke…"

"Listen, I talked to the doctor, and he said the same thing the nurse did. She's just exhausted, she's needs a little sleep, but she's going to be fine."

Lorelai slid away from Luke's hold and back down into her seat. She's heard that enough. 'Shes going to be fine, she's going to be fine,' Anyone can say that. What she wants, is her to be fine. Up, walking around, and smiling kind of fine.

It was almost as if last time was easier. Then, she had someone to blame. Someone to physically point to and go, 'this is all your fault.' And now…

She froze, feeling her body tense.

And now… Jess.

"Luke," she stood up, "Is Jess almost here?"

"I'm not sure, I don't even know if…"

"Don't let him near her," she interrupted.

"What?"

"Jess. I don't want him near Rory. I would say the same about Lorel, but it's his daughter and he can do what he wants. He's made that perfectly clear, what with abandoning her and all," she sneered.

"Lorelai,"

"I wouldn't Luke. I wouldn't even try to change my mind. I want you out in the waiting room, waiting for him, and when he comes you tell him not to come near her."

"You don't think maybe, that you're… maybe just…"

"What?" She spun around and pierced him with her eyes, "That I'm maybe just… what? That I'm overreacting? I don't care what he is to you, or to me, or to Rory. All I know is that my daughter and my granddaughter are lying in hospital beds and he's not around! More importantly, he's the cause of it all!"

"Hey! You know Lorel would still be sick had he left or not!"

"Do you even know what he left for, Luke?"

He looked away, "No, but…"

"No. You don't. Neither do I. But what I do know is that Rory came to our home crying, about 'something horrible' between her and Jess. You call him, and he's on a plane. A plane Luke! That doesn't leave much to the imagination! He was leaving them, and you know it as well as I do. God, like father like son."

Luke had enough. He loved Rory and Lorel more than himself, but he couldn't stand Lorelai's constant put downs of Jess. He knew what Jess did was wrong, but he was going to wait for an explanation before he jumped to conclusions. Obviously, Lorelai didn't exactly feel the same way.

"Fine," he stormed out of Rory's room, but in Luke fashion, quietly closed the door behind him.

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A/N - I know, I said hiatus, right? Well… as soon as I wrote that I got inspired again. I'm completely off balance that way. I hope you guys liked this, and don't worry - the drama is about to start pouring in soon enough. Please review, let me know what you (and especially what you don't) like, and I'll do my best to keep up. Oh, and I know there was no Lorel…we'll get to that next chapter.