Luke shook his head as he leaned against the counter with the phone to his ear. "Liz! The kid's been awake for less than a week and you already put him in traction?! Well what do you call it?" He sighed. "Well, you shouldn't have lost your cool... of course he lost his cool, he's Jess, he does that."

Lorelei watched him from the other side of the counter. She couldn't believe the amount of concern Luke was showing towards Jess, after all that kid had put him through. It was almost uncanny.

"What do you mean 'there's more'?" Luke asked, sounding suspicious. "You called him?! What's wrong with you?!" He groaned. "Liz, he didn't need to know. Because he didn't care enough to make things work with his own son... Y'know, maybe it really isn't Jess' fault this time. Yes! Okay? I hate Jimmy. Jimmy is scum. Jimmy is an idiot. Between the two of you it's a wonder Jess has any brains at-... hello? Liz?" He slammed the phone down. "She hung up on me."

Lorelei shook her head and took a sip of coffee. "With your tact, I wonder why."

"So Jimmy is on his way," Luke told her. "You get to see where my nephew gets his charm."

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm just lucky, I guess. What was that about Liz putting Jess in traction?"

Luke sighed. "They argued. He couldn't handle it."

"Oh, man," Lorelei replied. She actually was concerned. Luke really did care about his nephew, and she was trying her best to make things easier on Rory. The last thing her daughter needed was for Lorelei to be unsupportive. She refused to act like her own mother. "Does Rory know?"

Luke sighed. "Liz said Rory showed up a little while afterward. She's still there."

Lorelei nodded. "When is Jimmy getting in?"

"Tomorrow, Liz says," he replied, shaking his head.

"You're really dreading seeing this guy, aren't you?"

"He's a jerk! He abandoned Liz and Jess. He was the reason Jess skipped town," Luke replied. "If the guy had just stayed away..."

"Jess was unhappy."

"Jess is always unhappy."

Lorelei nodded. "And that's why he has Rory as a foil, because she's usually pretty happy."

Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "Lorelei."

"What?"

"Are you actually telling me that you're okay with Rory and Jess?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not likely."

She nodded. "Okay, then. I'm okay with it."

He blinked at her, and refilled her coffee to the brim.

*****

"Jimmy."

He nodded as he walked through the hospital the next day. "Liz."

She got to her feet and walked over to him from the waiting room. She thought about hugging him, but came to her senses quickly. "How are you?"

"My kid was almost killed, how do you think I am?"

"Our kid," she corrected calmly. Luke was right. She had to keep her cool through all of this, because neither Mariano was likely to.

"Well, hell's bells."

Both Jimmy and Liz looked over at Jess, who was coming down the hallway on his crutches.

"Jess?" Jimmy said quietly. The kid looked awful.

"Here we are," Jess said as he reached his parents. "One big, happy family. I wish I had a party hat."

"Jesus."

"I warned you," Liz reminded him, bringing up their recent phone conversation.

They stood in silence.

"You can stop staring," Jess said harshly. "Anytime, really."

Jimmy sighed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your mother called me," Jimmy replied. "I thought I should come."

"Huh. Nice."

Jimmy put a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Jess."

"No you're not," Jess snapped.

"What do you expect from me?!" The older Mariano shouted. "Father of the year?! I will never be what you want!"

"You didn't even try," Jess bit.

"Why should I?!" Jimmy snapped. "You came after me!"

"You came after me, first!"

Liz got in between them. "Alright, enough!" she yelled. She sighed and looked from one to the other. "Jess, Jimmy came all the way out here to see you."

"Out of guilt. It's not like he cares."

Jimmy glared. "I don't have to take this. I can just go home."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Go, then."

"I'm gone."

They stood there glaring at each other. Jess's hands were shaking as they gripped the holds of his crutches, but he ignored them.

Luke and Lorelei came walking up as the glaring battle raged on, and Luke shook his head, seeing the state his nephew was in.

"Jess, bed."

"Don't tell me what to do, Luke."

"Bed. Now."

"No."

Lorelei sighed, and pulled out her cell phone. "Jess, take this, go to your room, call Rory, and calm down."

Jess gave her the most confused look he could muster.

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Take it. Go. I mean it."

He nodded. "Thanks," he said softly. She couldn't tell if it was because he was losing his voice, or because he was that shocked. He took the phone and hobbled back up the hallway to his room.

Liz gave Lorelei a grateful look. "Thank you."

Lorelei nodded, refraining, for Luke's sake, about parents who can't seem to handle their kids properly.

Luke sighed and looked from Liz to Jimmy. "So... how long have you been here... ten minutes?"

Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"You brought this on yourself," Luke told the other man. "You're the one who waltzed into Star's Hollow to get a glimpse. What? You thought you could just sneak in and out and that would be the end of it?"

Jimmy didn't reply.

Liz shook her head and took Jimmy by the arm. "We should talk. Thanks again, Lorelei."

She nodded as Liz pulled Jimmy away to a far corner.

Luke blinked at Lorelei.

She glanced back at him. "What? Something in my teeth? Coffee stains?"

He shook his head. "Just... thanks, for dealing with him."

"Well, he really shouldn't be up and about yet," Lorelei replied. "He looked ready to fall over."

Luke nodded. "Yeah. Thank you, again, though."

She nodded and took him by the arm. "Come on, let's go find a snack machine."

"You just ate."

"Like that's ever stopped me before."

Luke smirked a little and let her drag him off.