Chapter Eight
"Where'd Rory go?" Georgia asks, she had been watching the fight as intently as the rest of the diner.
"Probably home sweets, let's order some breakfast." Lorelai suggests.
"Shouldn't we go be with Rory, I think she was crying." Georgia shows concern for her older sister.
"She was crying, but we need to give her some time to be alone right now." Lorelai states as Jess comes slamming into the diner.
"Everyone return to your meals!" He yells to the patrons, "show's over." With his words he slams back upstairs.
"I should go talk to him." Luke sighs.
Lorelai gently places her hand over Luke's, "I would just now, I have a feeling he is going to want answers."
"Maybe he deserves answers." Luke retorts, and once again the town is watching the back and forth banter taking place in the diner.
"Well they sure aren't ours to give." Lorelai sighs.
"What the hell do you know that I don't?" Jess demands of Luke and Lorelai, he had slipped downstairs more quietly than he had gone up them.
"Jess..." Lorelai begins.
"No, I know you both know something about Rory that I don't, but I'm getting the feeling I need to be clued in. Maybe then I could figure out why she hates me so much."
"Jess maybe you should go for a walk, calm down a little because we can't give you any answers." Lorelai shoots Luke a warning glance.
"Jess, you do need to cool it." Luke adds, it seems that he is going to go along with Lorelai.
"Whatever." Jess walks out of the diner, slamming the door behind him so hard that the windows all rattle and Luke can hear something upstairs crash.
Running into the house Rory trips over a familiar looking box, dropping to her knees she opens the box and lifts the familiar yellow box out of the large box and Rory stares at the box for a long time before she lifts the lid off and once again she pulls out the pink layette. Dropping it on her lap Rory's hand mechanically moves to her flat stomach. With her free hand Rory runs her fingers over the soft baby cloth of the pink layette but she jumps at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Rory jumps up quickly as she faces Jess, "what the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to get some answers from you." Jess responds.
Rory backs up slowly, hiding the baby clothing behind her back, "there's no answers necessary, known for you at least."
Jess' gaze falls on the open yellow box and he asks, "are you pregnant?"
"What?" Rory asks attempting to stall.
"Pregnant, you know expecting?" Jess urges.
"Why would you think that?" Rory asks.
"Well the baby things kind of gave it away." Jess comments, "you don't have another sister besides Georgia so I figured that you were having a baby, most people don't just have baby things lying around."
"Jess you don't know what you're talking about so just leave." Rory's order sounds more like a plea.
"If you aren't pregnant then you were pregnant?" Jess ignores Rory and proceeds with the questioning.
Rory backs up further her back resting against the wall, "Jess please."
"Jess should be back by now, maybe I should go after him." Luke is pacing back and forth in front of Lorelai's table.
"He's probably just cooling off." Lorelai suggests.
"He doesn't cool off, he walks around the block and then comes back and slams things around until his anger has dissipated." Luke states.
"Maybe he went to fight with Rory some more." Georgia suggests.
"What do you mean?" Lorelai quickly looks at the young, but observant girl.
"Well he went the same way as Rory did earlier, I watched him." Georgia informs, "maybe they will make up."
Lorelai quickly jumps out of her seat and she looks Georgia straight in the eye, "you need to stay here, all right? You can't leave the diner."
"Order whatever you want, Jessica should be here soon." Luke places his hand on the small of Lorelai's back as they hurry out of the diner.
"I swear to God Luke if he hurts her anymore than he all ready has I'll kill him." Lorelai threatens.
"You'll have to take a number." Luke hisses.
"Rory you've never lied to me before, tell me now, tell me what you are keeping from me." Jess has moved right in front of Rory staring into her eyes, searching them for answers.
Rory looks away, "please don't ask me to do this Jess, because I can't."
"You can't what? Be honest with me? Fill me in on whatever part of your life is missing?"
"Both, all right, both." Rory sobs.
Seeing Rory crying calms Jess' anger and as always his feelings for her calm him as he gently touches her chin, turning her to face him, "Rory please, please tell me what's going on." Jess is suddenly consumed with finding out what has taken Rory, the strongest person he's ever known, and completely destroyed her.
Luke and Lorelai hurrying through the front door and are shocked by the sight that they find in front of them, Rory in tears and Jess pleading for her to talk to him. When Luke looks as if could pound Jess Lorelai grabs his arm, she's confident that for the first time in three years everything is going to be brought into the light.
Rory takes a deep breath and holds it, unsure if she can actually go through with what Jess is asking of her, "what do you want from me?"
"Just the truth." Jess whispers.
"Just the truth." Rory echoes hollowly. "There's nothing just about the truth, nothing fair about what happened."
Jess' heart drops, he's suddenly afraid of what Rory has to say, "Rory..."
"The truth hurts Jess, it's going to hurt you and I don't want you to have to hurt the way I have." Rory whispers her voice shakes as she speaks. "But you need to know the truth." As Rory slides to the ground Jess follows her, his hands gently on her shoulders as he kneels in front of her. Balling her fists Rory takes a deep breath and she can feel her pulse in the tight fist and she can feel her heart pounding. "I was pregnant, before," Rory closes her eyes as she speaks because she can't watch Jess' face, she can't watch his heart break. "I was going to tell you the night we got into that fight, but we got into the fight and I couldn't tell you that night. The things we said...it wasn't the time..."
"What are you saying Rory?" Jess' voice is strained and the three other people in the entrance way can hear that he is about to be destroyed by the words that are going to come out of Rory's mouth, because he's expecting it.
"I...the doctors all just said that these things happen...that it's not always so one's fault."
"Oh God Rory," Jess' voice is clogged with pained tears and Lorelai and Luke don't have to see his face to know that Jess' face is tear streaked.
"I couldn't tell you, I just couldn't..." A sob breaks up Rory's words and she gives into them this time, unable to continue with the rest of the story.
Unable to stand her daughter's pain but wanting her to work it out with Jess Lorelai steps into Luke's embrace, burying her face in Luke's shoulder and softly crying, so much like the time she had gone to Luke with the situation years before. When Jess stands up his face is heartbreaking and Luke wants to reach out to comfort his nephew but Jess doesn't even see Luke or Lorelai there as he bolts out the door and down the street.
"I should go after Jess." Luke suggests.
Lorelai shakes her head, "let me, I can explain everything to him better than you can, can you stay with Rory."
Luke nods, "of course."
Lorelai hurries out the door after Jess completely sure as to where the young man would be headed and Luke moves to Rory's side. Rory is curled up into a ball, her entire body is shaking with sobs and when Luke wraps her arms around her she clings to him and doesn't let go until her entire body has gone limp in Luke's arm. When Luke is sure she is asleep he scoops her into his arms and carries her to her bedroom carefully laying her on her bed, gently laying a blanket over her Luke watches her sleep. Gently Luke pushes Rory's dark hair off of her wet cheeks, gently touching her cheeks Luke can't help the fatherly gesture, he'd never admitted it to anyone but he saw Rory as a daughter and he hated to see her in so much pain. He remembered how she had been after the miscarriage, she hadn't left the house and refused visitors and as soon as she was well enough she had fled to New York and she hadn't been back since. With a sigh Luke stands up and walks back into the entrance way carefully putting the baby things back in their box, returning the lid to it's proper place and then Luke sets the box back in the large box it must have come from.
And doing something he had never done before he picks up Lorelia's telephone he calls the diner, "Jessica, it's me." Luke sighs, "Luke. Yeah. Listen, kick everyone out of the diner, tell them it's closed. Yes closed. Do it now, and then could you bring Georgia over to Lorelai's house. Thanks."
On the next Gilmore Girls:
Jess turns to Lorelai his face is tear stained and his question is simple, "why didn't she tell me?"
"Luke's is closed?" Babette as well as a crowd of other Stars Hollow residents stand around Luke, "has Luke's ever been closed?"
"Where'd Rory go?" Georgia asks, she had been watching the fight as intently as the rest of the diner.
"Probably home sweets, let's order some breakfast." Lorelai suggests.
"Shouldn't we go be with Rory, I think she was crying." Georgia shows concern for her older sister.
"She was crying, but we need to give her some time to be alone right now." Lorelai states as Jess comes slamming into the diner.
"Everyone return to your meals!" He yells to the patrons, "show's over." With his words he slams back upstairs.
"I should go talk to him." Luke sighs.
Lorelai gently places her hand over Luke's, "I would just now, I have a feeling he is going to want answers."
"Maybe he deserves answers." Luke retorts, and once again the town is watching the back and forth banter taking place in the diner.
"Well they sure aren't ours to give." Lorelai sighs.
"What the hell do you know that I don't?" Jess demands of Luke and Lorelai, he had slipped downstairs more quietly than he had gone up them.
"Jess..." Lorelai begins.
"No, I know you both know something about Rory that I don't, but I'm getting the feeling I need to be clued in. Maybe then I could figure out why she hates me so much."
"Jess maybe you should go for a walk, calm down a little because we can't give you any answers." Lorelai shoots Luke a warning glance.
"Jess, you do need to cool it." Luke adds, it seems that he is going to go along with Lorelai.
"Whatever." Jess walks out of the diner, slamming the door behind him so hard that the windows all rattle and Luke can hear something upstairs crash.
Running into the house Rory trips over a familiar looking box, dropping to her knees she opens the box and lifts the familiar yellow box out of the large box and Rory stares at the box for a long time before she lifts the lid off and once again she pulls out the pink layette. Dropping it on her lap Rory's hand mechanically moves to her flat stomach. With her free hand Rory runs her fingers over the soft baby cloth of the pink layette but she jumps at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Rory jumps up quickly as she faces Jess, "what the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to get some answers from you." Jess responds.
Rory backs up slowly, hiding the baby clothing behind her back, "there's no answers necessary, known for you at least."
Jess' gaze falls on the open yellow box and he asks, "are you pregnant?"
"What?" Rory asks attempting to stall.
"Pregnant, you know expecting?" Jess urges.
"Why would you think that?" Rory asks.
"Well the baby things kind of gave it away." Jess comments, "you don't have another sister besides Georgia so I figured that you were having a baby, most people don't just have baby things lying around."
"Jess you don't know what you're talking about so just leave." Rory's order sounds more like a plea.
"If you aren't pregnant then you were pregnant?" Jess ignores Rory and proceeds with the questioning.
Rory backs up further her back resting against the wall, "Jess please."
"Jess should be back by now, maybe I should go after him." Luke is pacing back and forth in front of Lorelai's table.
"He's probably just cooling off." Lorelai suggests.
"He doesn't cool off, he walks around the block and then comes back and slams things around until his anger has dissipated." Luke states.
"Maybe he went to fight with Rory some more." Georgia suggests.
"What do you mean?" Lorelai quickly looks at the young, but observant girl.
"Well he went the same way as Rory did earlier, I watched him." Georgia informs, "maybe they will make up."
Lorelai quickly jumps out of her seat and she looks Georgia straight in the eye, "you need to stay here, all right? You can't leave the diner."
"Order whatever you want, Jessica should be here soon." Luke places his hand on the small of Lorelai's back as they hurry out of the diner.
"I swear to God Luke if he hurts her anymore than he all ready has I'll kill him." Lorelai threatens.
"You'll have to take a number." Luke hisses.
"Rory you've never lied to me before, tell me now, tell me what you are keeping from me." Jess has moved right in front of Rory staring into her eyes, searching them for answers.
Rory looks away, "please don't ask me to do this Jess, because I can't."
"You can't what? Be honest with me? Fill me in on whatever part of your life is missing?"
"Both, all right, both." Rory sobs.
Seeing Rory crying calms Jess' anger and as always his feelings for her calm him as he gently touches her chin, turning her to face him, "Rory please, please tell me what's going on." Jess is suddenly consumed with finding out what has taken Rory, the strongest person he's ever known, and completely destroyed her.
Luke and Lorelai hurrying through the front door and are shocked by the sight that they find in front of them, Rory in tears and Jess pleading for her to talk to him. When Luke looks as if could pound Jess Lorelai grabs his arm, she's confident that for the first time in three years everything is going to be brought into the light.
Rory takes a deep breath and holds it, unsure if she can actually go through with what Jess is asking of her, "what do you want from me?"
"Just the truth." Jess whispers.
"Just the truth." Rory echoes hollowly. "There's nothing just about the truth, nothing fair about what happened."
Jess' heart drops, he's suddenly afraid of what Rory has to say, "Rory..."
"The truth hurts Jess, it's going to hurt you and I don't want you to have to hurt the way I have." Rory whispers her voice shakes as she speaks. "But you need to know the truth." As Rory slides to the ground Jess follows her, his hands gently on her shoulders as he kneels in front of her. Balling her fists Rory takes a deep breath and she can feel her pulse in the tight fist and she can feel her heart pounding. "I was pregnant, before," Rory closes her eyes as she speaks because she can't watch Jess' face, she can't watch his heart break. "I was going to tell you the night we got into that fight, but we got into the fight and I couldn't tell you that night. The things we said...it wasn't the time..."
"What are you saying Rory?" Jess' voice is strained and the three other people in the entrance way can hear that he is about to be destroyed by the words that are going to come out of Rory's mouth, because he's expecting it.
"I...the doctors all just said that these things happen...that it's not always so one's fault."
"Oh God Rory," Jess' voice is clogged with pained tears and Lorelai and Luke don't have to see his face to know that Jess' face is tear streaked.
"I couldn't tell you, I just couldn't..." A sob breaks up Rory's words and she gives into them this time, unable to continue with the rest of the story.
Unable to stand her daughter's pain but wanting her to work it out with Jess Lorelai steps into Luke's embrace, burying her face in Luke's shoulder and softly crying, so much like the time she had gone to Luke with the situation years before. When Jess stands up his face is heartbreaking and Luke wants to reach out to comfort his nephew but Jess doesn't even see Luke or Lorelai there as he bolts out the door and down the street.
"I should go after Jess." Luke suggests.
Lorelai shakes her head, "let me, I can explain everything to him better than you can, can you stay with Rory."
Luke nods, "of course."
Lorelai hurries out the door after Jess completely sure as to where the young man would be headed and Luke moves to Rory's side. Rory is curled up into a ball, her entire body is shaking with sobs and when Luke wraps her arms around her she clings to him and doesn't let go until her entire body has gone limp in Luke's arm. When Luke is sure she is asleep he scoops her into his arms and carries her to her bedroom carefully laying her on her bed, gently laying a blanket over her Luke watches her sleep. Gently Luke pushes Rory's dark hair off of her wet cheeks, gently touching her cheeks Luke can't help the fatherly gesture, he'd never admitted it to anyone but he saw Rory as a daughter and he hated to see her in so much pain. He remembered how she had been after the miscarriage, she hadn't left the house and refused visitors and as soon as she was well enough she had fled to New York and she hadn't been back since. With a sigh Luke stands up and walks back into the entrance way carefully putting the baby things back in their box, returning the lid to it's proper place and then Luke sets the box back in the large box it must have come from.
And doing something he had never done before he picks up Lorelia's telephone he calls the diner, "Jessica, it's me." Luke sighs, "Luke. Yeah. Listen, kick everyone out of the diner, tell them it's closed. Yes closed. Do it now, and then could you bring Georgia over to Lorelai's house. Thanks."
On the next Gilmore Girls:
Jess turns to Lorelai his face is tear stained and his question is simple, "why didn't she tell me?"
"Luke's is closed?" Babette as well as a crowd of other Stars Hollow residents stand around Luke, "has Luke's ever been closed?"
