It amazed Rory to no end the three-hundred-sixty degree turn the people of Star's Hollow had made that weekend. Word had always spread fast, but none faster than the news of Jess' accident and subsequent coma.
Police had reported to Luke and Liz that they'd found a drunk driver behind the wheel of a banged up SUV heading in the opposite direction than Jess had been traveling. This information provided a shred of relief to the inhabitants of Luke's Diner that Sunday morning.
"Thank you, Officer," Luke said before hanging up the phone.
"At least we know he wasn't being a stupid kid," Liz offered half-heartedly. She looked tired. They hadn't made it back to town until four in the morning.
"He's always a stupid kid," Luke commented, rubbing his face with his hands. "He was probably driving way too fast."
"Why does it have to be his fault?"
"He probably wasn't paying attention."
"Luke-"
"Stupid kid."
Rory didn't register their banter. She had yet to touch her coffee. She sat at the counter, staring at her mug.
"A Gilmore that hasn't touched a single drop of coffee. I think we're seeing the first stage of Armageddon."
She turned to Ms. Patty who had taken the seat next to her. "Hi."
"How are you holding up?"
Rory shrugged and went back to staring at her coffee.
"That boy is a pain in the rear end, Rory," Patty told her gently. "And pains like him don't just go away. He'll be fine."
She nodded vaguely still staring intently at her mug.
Lorelei watched her daughter worriedly. "Luke, I'm gonna take her home. She needs sleep."
Luke sighed. "We all do. I'll call you guys if we hear anything… Liz is upstairs now, calling TJ." He made a slightly disgusted face.
Lorelei sighed. "I'll talk to you later."
Luke nodded as he watched Lorelei guide Rory out of the diner.
*****
"That's terrible," Emily Gilmore gasped. "Does Rory know?"
"She's the one who found him," Lorelei told her mother over the phone, as she bustled about the kitchen, making tea for herself and Rory. "It feels like… every disparaging thing I ever said about Jess is coming back to beat me over the head. I feel so bad."
"Well, he deserved those comments at the time, did he not?" Emily asked.
"Well… yeah… he was a complete nightmare."
"And Rory loves him?"
Lorelei sighed. "That's what she says. And she says that's what he said to her…"
"You obviously don't approve," Emily commented.
"That doesn't matter."
"Of course it does," Emily replied. "You're her mother."
Lorelei sighed as she put the kettle on the stove. "Mom, it… If she feels that strongly for the guy, I'm not standing in the way."
"Why not?"
"Because, she'd hate me," Lorelei replied. "And the kid is in a coma. If I bring that up to Rory now… I hate seeing her like this. She's so sad."
"Give her time, Lorelei," Emily soothed. "Just let her alone for a little."
"I don't know if time will help this. I think the only thing that will is if Jess Mariano walks through the front door and lights one of those nasty cigarettes and says something snide and witty."
Emily paused for a moment. "He smokes?"
"Not the point, Mom."
*****
"So… A coma? A real honest-to-god, Soap-Net style coma?"
Rory nodded as she spoke to Lane on the phone. Her friend was still at Yale. "Yeah."
"Wow."
"I just…" Rory got up and paced her bedroom a little. "I think he's just doing this to get a rise out of me. I keep expecting him to show up at my door all James Dean and go and say 'I can't believe you fell for that,' or something…"
"What would you do if that happened?" Lane asked.
Rory couldn't help herself and laughed. "Put him in a coma."
Lane laughed with her for a couple of minutes, but soon they both grew quiet.
"He's gonna be okay, Rory," Lane told her. "Who knows, maybe he'll be pleasant when he wakes up."
"Jess? Pleasant?" Rory asked, laughing a little again.
"Good point."
"Lane?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
She could hear Lane smile over the phone.
*****
"Hey, big guy."
Liz sat down at her son's bedside, holding a small, black teddy bear. She gripped it in her hands as she watched him sleep. He looked more at peace than she could ever remember him being.
It had been a week since the accident. She came to visit as often as she could bring herself to. She felt guilty for not only distancing herself from her son now, but in the past few years. Rory had spent all the free time she had between classes and homework with Jess. Talking to him, reading him all his favorite books.
Jess wasn't kidding when he'd told Liz that Rory was strong.
"I brought you Hephaestus…" She held up the bear a little, as if to show him. "I know you're too old for stuffed animals, but… I don't know… I still keep him with me, and I just thought maybe you'd…" she sighed. "I know we haven't been very close… I just… Aw, hell, Jess. Don't do this to us, okay? I know I'm not a good mother. I know Luke is… Luke. I know you don't like TJ, and I know you could never get close to your dad, but… even though you can be a rotten, bitter little snot, you're wanted… I want you. You're my kid."
The door behind her opened gently and Liz turned to see Rory holding a hefty, hard-backed book. When she saw Liz, she looked surprised.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, it's alright, Rory, come on in," Liz smiled.
"Are you sure? Cause I could-"
"Sit."
She smiled and pulled up a chair on the other side of Jess's bed.
"I was just telling Jess that I brought Hephaestus."
Rory looked confused until Liz held up the small stuffed bear. "That's Jess's?"
Liz nodded. "I put it in the cradle with him when he was a baby. His name was Mr. Bear, but he got renamed when Jess started reading mythology." She sighed. "He always loved to read."
Rory smiled a little. "Was he always so…?"
"Angry?" Liz offered. "He got that way as he grew up… I stopped being around so much… started dating again. He never had many friends… the ones he had... never 'em, but they always got him into trouble. Or the other way around."
Rory nodded, leaning forward a little.
The blond looked sad "He got worse when I shipped him to you guys… He started thinking nobody wanted him."
Rory gazed down at Jess. "I did. Still do."
Liz nodded, staring at young woman. "I think he wanted you, too, but it's scary for him. His dad left, I sent him off. Luke sent him back, and I shipped him right back Luke."
"Why did he follow his dad?" Rory asked softly, looking at the other woman.
Liz shrugged. "Curiosity, maybe? Hard to tell why he does anything."
Rory nodded, again, turning her attention back to Jess.
Liz sighed and got to her feet. "I promised TJ he and I would go to dinner," she said. "So I'll let you guys have some alone time." She placed the stuffed animal in the corner of the bed near his pillow. "See you soon, Honey." She kissed Jess's forehead, smiled at Rory and walked out.
Rory watched her go, and then opened her book to read aloud.
Police had reported to Luke and Liz that they'd found a drunk driver behind the wheel of a banged up SUV heading in the opposite direction than Jess had been traveling. This information provided a shred of relief to the inhabitants of Luke's Diner that Sunday morning.
"Thank you, Officer," Luke said before hanging up the phone.
"At least we know he wasn't being a stupid kid," Liz offered half-heartedly. She looked tired. They hadn't made it back to town until four in the morning.
"He's always a stupid kid," Luke commented, rubbing his face with his hands. "He was probably driving way too fast."
"Why does it have to be his fault?"
"He probably wasn't paying attention."
"Luke-"
"Stupid kid."
Rory didn't register their banter. She had yet to touch her coffee. She sat at the counter, staring at her mug.
"A Gilmore that hasn't touched a single drop of coffee. I think we're seeing the first stage of Armageddon."
She turned to Ms. Patty who had taken the seat next to her. "Hi."
"How are you holding up?"
Rory shrugged and went back to staring at her coffee.
"That boy is a pain in the rear end, Rory," Patty told her gently. "And pains like him don't just go away. He'll be fine."
She nodded vaguely still staring intently at her mug.
Lorelei watched her daughter worriedly. "Luke, I'm gonna take her home. She needs sleep."
Luke sighed. "We all do. I'll call you guys if we hear anything… Liz is upstairs now, calling TJ." He made a slightly disgusted face.
Lorelei sighed. "I'll talk to you later."
Luke nodded as he watched Lorelei guide Rory out of the diner.
*****
"That's terrible," Emily Gilmore gasped. "Does Rory know?"
"She's the one who found him," Lorelei told her mother over the phone, as she bustled about the kitchen, making tea for herself and Rory. "It feels like… every disparaging thing I ever said about Jess is coming back to beat me over the head. I feel so bad."
"Well, he deserved those comments at the time, did he not?" Emily asked.
"Well… yeah… he was a complete nightmare."
"And Rory loves him?"
Lorelei sighed. "That's what she says. And she says that's what he said to her…"
"You obviously don't approve," Emily commented.
"That doesn't matter."
"Of course it does," Emily replied. "You're her mother."
Lorelei sighed as she put the kettle on the stove. "Mom, it… If she feels that strongly for the guy, I'm not standing in the way."
"Why not?"
"Because, she'd hate me," Lorelei replied. "And the kid is in a coma. If I bring that up to Rory now… I hate seeing her like this. She's so sad."
"Give her time, Lorelei," Emily soothed. "Just let her alone for a little."
"I don't know if time will help this. I think the only thing that will is if Jess Mariano walks through the front door and lights one of those nasty cigarettes and says something snide and witty."
Emily paused for a moment. "He smokes?"
"Not the point, Mom."
*****
"So… A coma? A real honest-to-god, Soap-Net style coma?"
Rory nodded as she spoke to Lane on the phone. Her friend was still at Yale. "Yeah."
"Wow."
"I just…" Rory got up and paced her bedroom a little. "I think he's just doing this to get a rise out of me. I keep expecting him to show up at my door all James Dean and go and say 'I can't believe you fell for that,' or something…"
"What would you do if that happened?" Lane asked.
Rory couldn't help herself and laughed. "Put him in a coma."
Lane laughed with her for a couple of minutes, but soon they both grew quiet.
"He's gonna be okay, Rory," Lane told her. "Who knows, maybe he'll be pleasant when he wakes up."
"Jess? Pleasant?" Rory asked, laughing a little again.
"Good point."
"Lane?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
She could hear Lane smile over the phone.
*****
"Hey, big guy."
Liz sat down at her son's bedside, holding a small, black teddy bear. She gripped it in her hands as she watched him sleep. He looked more at peace than she could ever remember him being.
It had been a week since the accident. She came to visit as often as she could bring herself to. She felt guilty for not only distancing herself from her son now, but in the past few years. Rory had spent all the free time she had between classes and homework with Jess. Talking to him, reading him all his favorite books.
Jess wasn't kidding when he'd told Liz that Rory was strong.
"I brought you Hephaestus…" She held up the bear a little, as if to show him. "I know you're too old for stuffed animals, but… I don't know… I still keep him with me, and I just thought maybe you'd…" she sighed. "I know we haven't been very close… I just… Aw, hell, Jess. Don't do this to us, okay? I know I'm not a good mother. I know Luke is… Luke. I know you don't like TJ, and I know you could never get close to your dad, but… even though you can be a rotten, bitter little snot, you're wanted… I want you. You're my kid."
The door behind her opened gently and Liz turned to see Rory holding a hefty, hard-backed book. When she saw Liz, she looked surprised.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, it's alright, Rory, come on in," Liz smiled.
"Are you sure? Cause I could-"
"Sit."
She smiled and pulled up a chair on the other side of Jess's bed.
"I was just telling Jess that I brought Hephaestus."
Rory looked confused until Liz held up the small stuffed bear. "That's Jess's?"
Liz nodded. "I put it in the cradle with him when he was a baby. His name was Mr. Bear, but he got renamed when Jess started reading mythology." She sighed. "He always loved to read."
Rory smiled a little. "Was he always so…?"
"Angry?" Liz offered. "He got that way as he grew up… I stopped being around so much… started dating again. He never had many friends… the ones he had... never 'em, but they always got him into trouble. Or the other way around."
Rory nodded, leaning forward a little.
The blond looked sad "He got worse when I shipped him to you guys… He started thinking nobody wanted him."
Rory gazed down at Jess. "I did. Still do."
Liz nodded, staring at young woman. "I think he wanted you, too, but it's scary for him. His dad left, I sent him off. Luke sent him back, and I shipped him right back Luke."
"Why did he follow his dad?" Rory asked softly, looking at the other woman.
Liz shrugged. "Curiosity, maybe? Hard to tell why he does anything."
Rory nodded, again, turning her attention back to Jess.
Liz sighed and got to her feet. "I promised TJ he and I would go to dinner," she said. "So I'll let you guys have some alone time." She placed the stuffed animal in the corner of the bed near his pillow. "See you soon, Honey." She kissed Jess's forehead, smiled at Rory and walked out.
Rory watched her go, and then opened her book to read aloud.