CHAPTER 13

Rory was glad that it was Thursday. She had one more class after lunch before she could celebrate the weekend. She planned to do her homework, go to her first scheduled prenatal appointment then meet up with Tristin in DC. She was excited to see him again. All week, they acted like teenagers. They emailed each other like crazy and called each other just to see who would hang up first. Right now, she promised to see Graham for lunch. He was leaving for DC and he wanted to say good-bye to her before he boarded the bus.

Graham was seated at the patio, his Oakley sunglasses hiding his dark blue eyes. He was in deep thought when she met up with him.

"Hey," Rory greeted.

He woke up from his reverie and smiled at Rory. "Hey, lady!" And then he proceeded to look at her belly and talk to it. "Hi, punk," he greeted the baby and kissed it. It had become his routine ever since the night they studied in his room. His fascination with the baby was contagious.

"You know, you're going to give her a complex," Rory said, laughing.

"If she has half of her mother's spunk, she will be fine," he mused. He stood up and kissed Rory on the cheek. Both of them decided the baby was going to be a girl. So they referred to the baby as such. It was funny how her pregnancy became their little secret.

"You're too kind," Rory responded. She dropped her purse on the bistro chair and made herself comfortable right by him.

"Excited?" she asked him.

"Nervous," he responded. "This is such a big thing, seeing congress in action especially so close to the election. I just hope I really get to learn something from the whole thing."

"Oh you will," Rory assured him. "When we see you this weekend, you won't be able to stop talking about what you did and you're going to start dreaming of taking up residence at the 1600 block."

"Ouch, Rory. That hurts!" he mocked back. "Maybe I won't meet with you guys in DC after all!"

"You don't mean that," she said. She whispered a 'thank you' to the waiter that served her water. Rory and Graham looked into their menus and scanned its pages. They let the waiter know what they wanted.

"So what's on your agenda today?" he asked.

"Well, I'm going to my first prenatal appointment today at three," she said with a smile.

"I wish I could be with you for that," he said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well," she said without finishing the thought. "I just want to tell you that I am so grateful for everything you've done for me."

"Thanks," he said softly. "You know I can do so much for you if you let me."

"But you've already done enough," Rory responded, touching his hand. "I couldn't have asked for a better friend. You're the sweetest man I've ever known."

Friend. That was one word he hoped Rory wouldn't say. And surely, it came out. He saw it in her eyes. She was in love and that love was not meant for him.

"I feel that there so much more I can do to take care of you.. and your little package," he exclaimed.

"Trust me, if you can deliver this baby for me, it would really get rid some of the anxiety I'm going through right now," she giggled. She took a spoonful of the rigatoni that was served in front of her.

"You know that if I had the proper equipment, I'd do it for you, Squirt," he told her. "However, I can do the next best thing."

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, wiping her lips with her napkin.

Graham started turning red as he fumbled with his pockets. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. "This isn't happening to me."

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, quite amused with what she was witnessing in front of her.

"I was not prepared to do this," he muttered.

"You? Not prepared? That's like saying the sun doesn't shine ," Rory said as she gnawed on her salad.

"Rory," he said going down on one knee. "Would you do me the honor of being your husband?" He revealed to her a platinum, round cut, solitaire diamond ring. The sun caught the right angle for the diamond to wink back at her.

Rory stopped shoving the salad in her mouth. "What are you doing? Get off of your knee!"

Graham was flabbergasted. "I wasn't expecting this kind of reaction."

Rory started crying. "Oh, God, no. Please. Don't do this to me. Graham," she pleaded.

"Do what, Rory. I want to take care of you. We can get a place close to campus. The baby will be cared for..." Graham listed.

"No, Graham. I'll take care of this baby in a manner I see fit. It's not your job to make sure I do it," she responded. "Graham, you may have been there for me since summer. Heck you were the first person I saw since the conception of this baby but it's me who has to deal with the consequences. Not you."

Graham was perplexed. "But Rory.."

"Don't 'Rory' me," she said to him. "As of the first week of September, I've been carrying a three-month old fetus in me. At this point, I have no intention of telling Dean that I'm carrying his child and I am not going to start having you be responsible for her, either."

Graham was upset. "Fine," he said as he threw a couple of bills on the table to cover for dinner. "I thought I was trying to help you out. I thought I'd let you know that I'll be there for you. Rory, I never thought things would turn out this way. I know you don't want to hear it but I love you. I'm willing to adopt the kid you're carrying. Let's see if Tristin can handle that."

"How dare you speak of him that way!" she said getting up from her seat.

"I've got to go," he said in a hurry, slipping the ring into his pocket.

"Wait. Graham...," she tried to stop him.

"Please, don't come to DC this weekend," he pleaded. "Don't come unless you thought of my proposal." He kissed her on the lips; with desperation and pain.

And just like that, he walked away from her.