CHAPTER 5
Rory trudged across the quad when she heard a voice calling after her.
"Hey, Squirt! Wait up!" the male voice said. The humid, still air muffled the tenor voice.
Rory smiled to herself before turning around. "You know, I am going to start disliking that as much as 'Mary"," Rory warned him.
A grin broke on Graham's face. "Are you really that offended with me calling you 'Squirt'?"
Both started strolling side by side. "I guess not. It's just my name's pretty much four letters long and you and your cousin seem to have this problem of not calling me properly."
"Well, technically, your name's not Rory either," Graham mocked.
"If you ever call me Lorelai, I'd be thinking you're calling my mom," Rory pointed out. "I guess you can call me Squirt. I just hope there's a significance behind it rather than a biblical reference."
Graham wasn't sure if there was a reason he called her Squirt. When he thought more about it, he thought it juvenile. His affection for her still bordered sibling-like but he wanted their relationship to transcend. However, she was the reason for the strain between him and his cousin. She was bound to be the band-aid that heals or the cleaver that severs.
"No, no significance. You're literally the closest I've got that's like family and Squirt sounded appropriate. It's better than 'terd' or 'freckle face' or something as ridiculous," he reasoned out.
"Thanks. Now I feel so special," Rory said mockingly.
They walked a couple of paces before Graham blurted, "Tristin was asking about you."
Rory stood still for a moment. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The mention of his name made her queasy and tingly all over. "I thought we made a pact not to mention him."
"I just thought you might want to hear," Graham divulged.
"Well..." Rory stalled. "Consider me notified... How's he doing?"
"He's holding on. He's a bright guy," Graham mentioned.
"You think he's still angry with me?" Rory asked.
"It's been over a month, Rory. If he hasn't, he's a dunce," Graham indicated.
Rory smiled at him. "You know, I hope you get to work for the UN. Your diplomatic skills are very sharp," Rory complimented him.
"Why, thank you. I hope you were sincere with that comment," Graham said smugly. "Which brings me back to why I ran after you this nasty day," he segued as he gazed up to the rolling dark skies.
"And that is?" Rory asked.
"Meet me in DC in two weeks," Graham answered.
"DC? What's in DC?" Rory asked. "No, wait. Are you with the Model Congress group?"
"Yeah! How did you know about it?" Graham asked.
"Oh, Doyle gave me the assignment of covering the press release this Saturday," she mentioned. "And, I get to announce your group in the local cable."
"Wow, I guess that makes things easier for me," Graham said as he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Why'd you say that?" Rory queried.
"You could be my date to the event," he suggested.
All of a sudden, Rory's world turned hazy and she blacked out.
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Rory woke up in a state of panic. She took a deep breath in and sat up rather quickly. Her head throbbed like someone clobbered her repeatedly.
"Rory, you're okay," a male voice soothed her, a warm, sweaty hand covered her clammy ones.
She swiveled her head to focus on a worried Graham. "Where am I?" she asked groggily.
"Nurse's station," Graham mentioned.
"Why?" Rory croaked.
"Well, I think you were really overwhelmed when I asked you if you'd want to be my date for the Saturday event. I'm not really a bad date you know," Graham swore.
"I guess that leaves the theory to be tested, huh," Rory tried to joke.
The nurse entered the room quietly. "I see our patient's up," she deduced.
Rory flashed her a weak smile.
"You know, this gentleman carried you in here really quickly. You should thank him for his chivalry," she pointed out.
Rory blushed and Graham noticed it. "Don't mention it," Graham whispered.
"So, can I go now?" Rory asked.
"Not yet, missy. I need you to sign some paperwork. We also drew some blood from you to check up on your dizzy spell. It's not everyday that someone gets whirled in this clinic by a Superman," the nurse teased staring at Graham.
This time, it was Graham's turn to blush. "I think she's got the hots for you," Rory whispered back to him.
The nurse handed Rory a clipboard. "While you're filling out the paperwork, would you like me to get you something to drink? Water, sports juice?"
"Water is fine, thank you," Rory responded.
"I'll get it for you," Graham volunteered, giving Rory a hand squeeze before letting it go. He walked out of the room right after the nurse.
Rory was almost through filling out the documents when Graham walked in with two cups of water with ice.
"How long have we been here?" Rory asked. She took one of the glasses of water Graham handed to her and chugged it down,
"About fifteen minutes. Twenty at most," Graham informed her.
"What? That means..." Rory stared at her watch. "You missed your five o'clock class!"
"That's okay. It's just a lab for an hour and a half. Don't worry about it," Graham mentioned.
"You know I am grateful, right?" Rory said. "I'm no damsel in distress from the Victorian era."
"Even if you were, I still would do what I did for you today," he told her quietly.
"Are you done?" the nurse asked as she popped her head through the door.
"Yep," Rory responded, waving the clipboard over her head.
The nurse walked in and took the clipboard. She did a once over the sheets and informed her she'd be back. Graham and Rory exchanged glances as the nurse walked in and out quickly.
"So, Miss Gilmore, do you want us to talk about your visit in private?" she asked hinting that Graham should leave the room.
Rory looked at Graham.
"I'll wait outside until you're done," he responded as he stood up.
"Stay, Graham," Rory pleaded.
Graham looked at the nurse. "If she says it's fine, it's your prerogative to stay or go," the nurse informed him. He sat himself back next to Rory.
"Well," the nurse started, "You have the case of heat exhaustion. You're more dehydrated than the usual. So, you're going to have to drink a lot more water, young lady."
"Ooh, I hate water," Rory mumbled.
"Take it with lemon or something," the nurse said sternly. "But you have to drink more water."
"I guess that rules out coffee, huh?" Rory teased.
"Especially coffee," the nurse added. "Add all caffeine into that category. Take it off your diet."
"Why? I mean, yeah, I pretty much am one part blood, nine parts coffee," Rory emoted.
"Well then, you have to change something especially now that you're eating for two," she added.
"I'm not following you," Rory said, mentally counting down the days since she last had her period.
"You're just a tad bit pregnant."
"Pregnant? How pregnant?" Graham asked, shocked.
"Oh, about six weeks maybe? Only a quantitative test can tell you how pregnant you really are," the nurse said.
A big lighting flash brightened the sky outside the window. A loud, crashing boom followed it.