Part 3
Luke still hadn't moved from the table. At the time he had been shocked by Jess' declaration. Although, now that he had had time to process it, he didn't know why. Somehow Jess and Emma always seemed to end up together. Ever since they were 15...
"I forgot my bag."
Luke looked up at Emma standing just inside the apartment door. "Come on in, Emma." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "Sorry about Liz."
"Where is she?" Emma asked as she walked towards the table where she had left her bag.
"In the bathroom. Calming down."
Emma smiled. "Now do you see why we waited six months to tell her?"
"Yeah." Luke nodded. "I understand."
They were silent for a moment. "We wanted to tell you. Jess wanted to tell, but we didn't want Liz to find out. We knew she wouldn't...take it well."
"You think?" Luke asked sarcastically. They both looked around the apartment in a moment of awkward silence. Luke finally looked at her again. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Emma said smiling. "Jess is waiting."
Luke nodded. "Come back later. The three of us will talk."
"Okay," Emma replied before she left.
Luke looked at the closed door for a minute before yelling to Liz that he was going down to the diner. Entering the diner he saw Lorelai sitting at the counter.
"Who is she?"
"Who?" Luke asked confused.
"The girl who got off the bus. The girl Jess was kissing. The girl who just left your apartment," she said calmly. Too calmly.
Luke looked around the diner and was grateful to see that Lorelai was the only one there. "She's...his wife," he said for the first time. It sounded so strange to him. Jess was married. He had a wife. Jess was somebody's husband.
To say that Lorelai was shocked would be an understatement. That was probably the last thing she had expected to hear. "Uh...what...when?"
"They've been married for six months."
Lorelai snorted. "What'd he do? Marry the first girl he met?"
"Actually, they've been together on and off since they were 15."
"Define 'on and off.'" Lorelai was getting mad again.
"Well," Luke started as he poured her a cup of coffee. "If he wasn't here, then most likely he was with her."
Lorelai gave him a questioning look, and Luke made the decision he had been putting off since Jess had come to live with him.
"They met when they were 15, and from I understand it was love at first sight. And I get the impression from Liz that she thought they were too serious, too fast." Luke paused for a moment before continuing. "When they were 16...Emma got pregnant. She miscarried at three months, and I think they were more scared by the miscarriage than the pregnancy. For Liz, it was the last straw, and she sent him here."
Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "You let Rory date him when you knew that he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant! I trusted that you would look out for her. How could you not tell..."
"Lorelai!" Luke interrupted. "She's been pregnant twice that I'm aware of, and she was on the Pill both times."
"When was the second time?"
"When Jess went back to New York after he and Rory were in that car accident. She miscarried again, and then last spring...Do you remember when Jess kept disappearing?"
Lorelai nodded.
"He was in New York with Emma. She was in a car accident. Her parents were killed, and her brother broke his arm and was pretty bruised. Emma...Emma was unconscious for a week...and they weren't sure she would ever wake up. Jess never left the hospital. Her left leg had multiple fractures, and she had some broken ribs. After that I think they came to the conclusion that all the reasons they weren't together didn't really matter anymore." Luke stopped and looked at Lorelai for the first time since he started talking about the accident. She had tears in her eyes. "What? What are you thinking?"
"I....I don't know"
"Now do you understand why I kept giving him so many chances?" Luke asked.
"Yeah." Lorelai smiled and then stopped smiling as something occured to her. "Rory doesn't know about any of this, does she?" she asked quietly, although it was more of a statement than a question.
"I doubt it. He didn't like to talk about her. I think it hurt him more than he ever let on, so he just...didn't talk about it."
Lorelai nodded. "I should go find Rory. Tell her a story."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Lorelai stopped at the door. "I'd rather have her hear it from me instead of one one the town gossips."
Luke nodded as he watched her leave.
Luke still hadn't moved from the table. At the time he had been shocked by Jess' declaration. Although, now that he had had time to process it, he didn't know why. Somehow Jess and Emma always seemed to end up together. Ever since they were 15...
"I forgot my bag."
Luke looked up at Emma standing just inside the apartment door. "Come on in, Emma." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "Sorry about Liz."
"Where is she?" Emma asked as she walked towards the table where she had left her bag.
"In the bathroom. Calming down."
Emma smiled. "Now do you see why we waited six months to tell her?"
"Yeah." Luke nodded. "I understand."
They were silent for a moment. "We wanted to tell you. Jess wanted to tell, but we didn't want Liz to find out. We knew she wouldn't...take it well."
"You think?" Luke asked sarcastically. They both looked around the apartment in a moment of awkward silence. Luke finally looked at her again. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Emma said smiling. "Jess is waiting."
Luke nodded. "Come back later. The three of us will talk."
"Okay," Emma replied before she left.
Luke looked at the closed door for a minute before yelling to Liz that he was going down to the diner. Entering the diner he saw Lorelai sitting at the counter.
"Who is she?"
"Who?" Luke asked confused.
"The girl who got off the bus. The girl Jess was kissing. The girl who just left your apartment," she said calmly. Too calmly.
Luke looked around the diner and was grateful to see that Lorelai was the only one there. "She's...his wife," he said for the first time. It sounded so strange to him. Jess was married. He had a wife. Jess was somebody's husband.
To say that Lorelai was shocked would be an understatement. That was probably the last thing she had expected to hear. "Uh...what...when?"
"They've been married for six months."
Lorelai snorted. "What'd he do? Marry the first girl he met?"
"Actually, they've been together on and off since they were 15."
"Define 'on and off.'" Lorelai was getting mad again.
"Well," Luke started as he poured her a cup of coffee. "If he wasn't here, then most likely he was with her."
Lorelai gave him a questioning look, and Luke made the decision he had been putting off since Jess had come to live with him.
"They met when they were 15, and from I understand it was love at first sight. And I get the impression from Liz that she thought they were too serious, too fast." Luke paused for a moment before continuing. "When they were 16...Emma got pregnant. She miscarried at three months, and I think they were more scared by the miscarriage than the pregnancy. For Liz, it was the last straw, and she sent him here."
Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "You let Rory date him when you knew that he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant! I trusted that you would look out for her. How could you not tell..."
"Lorelai!" Luke interrupted. "She's been pregnant twice that I'm aware of, and she was on the Pill both times."
"When was the second time?"
"When Jess went back to New York after he and Rory were in that car accident. She miscarried again, and then last spring...Do you remember when Jess kept disappearing?"
Lorelai nodded.
"He was in New York with Emma. She was in a car accident. Her parents were killed, and her brother broke his arm and was pretty bruised. Emma...Emma was unconscious for a week...and they weren't sure she would ever wake up. Jess never left the hospital. Her left leg had multiple fractures, and she had some broken ribs. After that I think they came to the conclusion that all the reasons they weren't together didn't really matter anymore." Luke stopped and looked at Lorelai for the first time since he started talking about the accident. She had tears in her eyes. "What? What are you thinking?"
"I....I don't know"
"Now do you understand why I kept giving him so many chances?" Luke asked.
"Yeah." Lorelai smiled and then stopped smiling as something occured to her. "Rory doesn't know about any of this, does she?" she asked quietly, although it was more of a statement than a question.
"I doubt it. He didn't like to talk about her. I think it hurt him more than he ever let on, so he just...didn't talk about it."
Lorelai nodded. "I should go find Rory. Tell her a story."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Lorelai stopped at the door. "I'd rather have her hear it from me instead of one one the town gossips."
Luke nodded as he watched her leave.