Chapter 12

"Rory," Jess croaks, "I tried to get to you."

Rory's lip trembles, "Jess?"

"I tried..." Jess' voice cracks.

Rory takes his bandaged hand, "shh, it's all right, you're here not, don't worry about it."

"You were all..." Jess launches into a coughing fit.

"Jess, please just rest." Rory's eyes are overfilling with tears and they gently slip down her cheeks.

Jess makes a movement that Rory has to take as a head shake and he continues slowly on, "you were all I thought about in there."

Rory sniffles to hold back the tears, "it's all right, I'm here and you're here, we're together."

"Where is he." Luke bursts through the door and Rory can see the relief wash over him once he spots his nephew. "You idiot why would you go back in there."

"Rory needs her mother, and you need Lorelai too." Jess responds.

"Good, I'm glad to see that your family has arrived Mr. Mariano." An older female doctors walks into the room and around Luke, Rory and Lorelai who have all squeezed into the little hospital room.

"We thought he died." Rory mumbles.

"Nope," the doctor shakes her head, "he's not going to die, well not from fire injuries although it will be a long road to recovery. But right now I am taking Jess into have a MRI done to see the extent of his back injuries."

"Back injuries?" Luke questions.

"A beam fell on Jess and he was pinned until a firefighter risked his life to go in after him," the doctor responds.

It takes Rory several seconds that she is squeezing her mother's hand tightly throughout the story, "is Jess going to be all right?"

"We aren't exactly sure yet, as of right now Jess is unable to move his lower limbs but that could go away once pressure on the spinal cord is reduced, and the MRI will give us that answer."

"How long until we get the results?" Luke asks.

"Tomorrow morning." The doctor respond simply, "we'll take a look at them and figure out what Jess' options are."

"So what are we supposed to do until then?" Rory asks.

"I suggest you all go home and get some sleep, there's nothing you can do here and Jess will be sedated after his MRI."

"But..." Luke and Rory both start to protest.

"The doctor is right," Lorelai speaks up, "we need to get some sleep and there is a little girl waiting to go home."

"You're sure there's nothing we can do here?" Rory asks.

"Go." Jess urges from the bed.

Rory stands over the bed wanting to touch Jess but afraid to hurt him, "I'll be back first thing in the morning."

"All right," Jess mutters.

"What's going on?" Georgia asks once they meet with her Dean and Lane in the waiting room, "I thought we were all sad?"

"Jess is alive." Rory reassures the little girl.

"Really? Good, I'm glad." Georgia announces. "He's kind of grumpy but I don't want him to be dead. But my Mommy and Daddy would have tooken care of him in heaven."

"Taken care of him," Rory corrects but her heart goes out to her little orphan sister. "How about we stop and get some ice cream on the way home."

"And 3 ice cream cones," Luke finishes ordering for Lorelai, Rory and Georgia and then finally adds, "and one more coffee."

"Who's that for? Rory and I all ready ordered coffee." Lorelai looks at Luke suspiciously.

"It's for me." Luke responds.

"You don't drink coffee." Lorelai responds Luke.

"I have a feeling I'm going to need it, I have to call the fire chief to find out what caused the fire, and then I have to call the insurance company to see if whatever caused the fire means I'm still insured."

"You don't have to do that all today." Lorelai responds.

"I might as well get it out of the way as soon as possible." Luke responds.

Luke takes the coffee offered but the instant he takes a sip he makes a face, "how can you drink this everyday?"

"Easily, now give it here, you don't like coffee and you never will." Lorelai holds her hand out for the cup of coffee.

"That stuff'll kill you." Luke goes back to his old thoughts about his coffee.

"Actually," Lorelai begins, "they are now saying that coffee prevents diabetes."

"Right," Luke responds dubiously.

"Can I try the coffee?" Georgia asks.

"No." Luke responds quickly as both Rory and Lorelai ponder the question, "please tell me you aren't going to give her coffee?"

Rory finally sighs, "no, not yet, wait a few years Georgia we'll let you have coffee when we think you'll appreciate the taste."

"I don't want to be there the day you make her a coffee junkie like the two of you." Luke states.

"Fine, then we won't invite you to the party."

"I get a party?" Georgia asks.

Rory laughs at her mother and then responds, "we'll see."

"Rory you are happier." Georgia comments.

Rory stops to think for a minute, the last few days' problems seem to have melted away at the sight of Jess lying there in that bed, "yeah, I guess I am."

"Good, I didn't like when you were said, it makes me sad." Georgia states.

Rory hugs her little sister, "I'll try to be in a better mood, all right?" Rory asks.

Georgia nods, "good. Can I go play on the playground?"

Rory nods, "go ahead but only for a couple minutes because you have to come back and eat something."

"All right, thank you Rory!" Georgia calls skipping off toward the playground.

"Rory what are you still doing up?" Lorelai comes into the kitchen nearing one the next morning.

Rory sits at the kitchen table putting the finishing touches on second edition of the town bulletin for Taylor, "yeah I wanted to get this finished."

"Oh Rory," Lorelai sighs, "that could wait for awhile I'm sure Taylor would understand that you aren't up to it."

Rory shakes her head, "I really wanted to get it done, I'm sure I'll be at the hospital." In all reality Rory didn't want to go to sleep for fear that she would dream again of the baby and the life she had lost.

"Rory don't push yourself so hard," Lorelai urges.

"I'm just anxious to hear what the doctor has to say, what time did he say we have to be there?"

"Elevnish, why don't you get some sleep?"

"What do the tests say?" Rory asks trying to stifle a yawn, she hadn't slept the night before.

"He's suffering from severe trauma to his neck and spine."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Luke questions his hand griping Lorelai's uninjured hand.

"It means, he may never be able to walk again."

Rory's eyes fall on Jess who's expression remains stony, "is that a guarantee, are you saying there aren't any chances that Jess will walk again?"

"Certainly not, we have to wait and see," the doctor responds, her voice is upbeat, "we have to do some further treatment and rehab could help as well."

"So basically you know nothing." Luke snaps.

"I'm sorry, Jess' situation is really one that you have to wait out and see what happens." The doctor's beeper goes off then, "I have to take this but I will be back later to talk about this further."

Once the doctor has disappeared Rory hugs Jess, he'd been lucky in the respect that the beam had protected him from any serious burns to his body, Rory cries softly into Jess' shoulder and strangely enough Jess is the one comforting Rory.

On the next Gilmore Girls:

"I thought you would be returning to the city once the summer was over?" Emily questions Rory.

Rory shakes her head, "things have changed, I have to stay with Jess."

"Rory I know you have deep feelings for this boy but you can' put your life on hold while you wait for him to figure out if he will ever walk again."

"I'm staying here with you." Rory declares.

"No, you're not, you are going back to the city where you can have your job and the life you deserve!" Jess yells.