CHAPTER 14

The rain drenched everything around her. The roads were so wet and dark that it seemed like it was midnight rather than half past six. Rory hated driving in the rain but she had to do it.

"Rory, I'm quite concerned about the growth of your baby," the doctor told her. "With your lack of prenatal care and your bout with heat exhaustion, I am afraid that we have to run a series of tests to make sure that your baby is growing right. According to the conception date you provided us, this is where you should be." The doctor showed her a chart. "And I'm also concerned with your temperature and heart rate..."

Rory didn't comprehend a thing the doctor was saying. She might as well have been like the Peanuts characters hearing the muffled, whining voice coming from their parents.

"I won't allow you to take any fever reducers unless it gets over a hundred or more than three days... We'll try to use amniocentesis as our final option...," the doctor proceeded to educate her as she scheduled for her another visit the coming Monday.

She walked out of the doctor's office in a total haze. She didn't even realize that she drove to Stars Hollow. She saw her mother at a distance having a discussion with Cletus, the horse and she saw Dean, ironically, talking to Lindsey. She knew it was too late to have the baby aborted. She had to focus and get a hold of herself.

A little over a hundred miles, Rory saw signs for Trenton, New Jersey. If Tristin was sincere about their relationship, this was the time for him to prove his "face value baggage" clause.

She tried ringing Tristin's phone repeatedly but he wouldn't pick up. When she arrived at the university, she had to walk under the rain until she found someone to help her find Tristin's residence. She realized at this point how thoughtless she was not planning this whole trip before traveling it.

Finally, she was standing in front of Tristin's door. She was cold, wet and shaky. She was also hungry and fatigued from the drive. She raised her fist to bang on the door when it opened. Out came a man putting his paramedic jacket on.

"Oh," Matt said. "Hi."

"Hi, I was wondering..." she started saying.

"You're Rory, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Tristin's not expecting you, I think," he said absentmindedly. "Oh, I'm Matt."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" she asked.

"No, I don't," he sadly admitted.

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Tristin was feeling good after he spoke to his professor.

"Mister DuGrey, I am expecting this kind of work from you all through out the semester. Don't let me down," his professor told him.

He never received such accolades. Nothing would make his day any better except seeing Rory.

He was walking up the steps when he heard muffled voices. It sounded like Matt and the female voice sounded like Rory. He checked his watch and the date told him it was Thursday. He checked his cell phone and cussed. He forgot to turn it back on since his afternoon class. He smiled thinking that his woman came to surprise him. It must be a great day after all.

Then he saw her. Her hair was pasted to her head. Her wet jacket and dress clung to her skin. She was shaky and ash white.

"Rory, what are you doing here?" Tristin asked, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach.

There was a sigh of relief that escaped Matt's lips. "Thank God. Dude, I'm headed for work. I'll be coming back around twoish or so." He looked at Rory and said, "Nice meeting you."

Rory and Tristin mumbled their goodbyes. Tristin pulled her into the room and shut the door behind them.

"You're wet," he said. "Let's get you into drier clothes."

She mumbled a thank you through her chattering teeth. She donned on the shirt he handed her, not caring that Tristin was seeing her in her naked form. He noticed that she gained a little weight, filling out rather proportionately. What he was witnessing before him was arousing him.

"So, babe," he nervously added. "I am glad to see you but I thought we were meeting in DC?"

"Well, "she started saying, "Graham... and I..." she sobbed. Tristin stared at her trying to make sense of her gibberish words. He came up to her and grabbed her arms. He tilted her chin up so she could look him in the eyes.

"Throw me a bone here," he suggested gently.

Rory gulped a huge breath of air before anything else. "Tristin, I'm pregnant".

Tristin let go of Rory's arms like she singed him. He took a step back and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. He felt like someone just punched him on the jaw and blood was drawn.

"What? When did you find out?" he stuttered.

"Is that important? I guess it is, huh," she said, wiping the stream of tears cascading down her cheeks. "No, it's not important. Tristin, I am pregnant and... and..." she stuttered, "Graham asked me to marry him."

"What did you say?" the gleam of anger twinkled in Tristin's eye.

"I said, "No," and he's pissed at me. He left for DC really upset," she hiccupped.

Tristin said a silent prayer for her refusal. It didn't help that he was upset that she was carrying another man's child.

"The child's not..." he asked.

"Of course, it's not yours. I know you've called me Mary but unless you have the whole Triune God thing going on, I didn't have an Immaculate Conception," she explained.

Tristin wasn't comprehending Rory. He blamed it on her confusion and her frustration. He sighed and approached her. Like a delicate flower, he put his arms around her tenderly. "Remember what I told you before I left you last weekend? I am here for the long haul. Whatever happens, I am not going to let you go. You understand that, right?" he asked.

She nodded her head.

"Great," he acknowledged her. He walked her to his bed. "Just relax. Do you have classes tomorrow?"

She shook her head no.

"Alright. Just relax. I'm going to get us some drinks from the vending machine. Make yourself at home, okay?" he told her calmly. "Do you want to take a shower?"

"In a little while," she responded. "Tristin, thank you. And I am so sorry I haven't told you sooner," she said in between sobs.

Tristin smiled at her wanly. "I'll be back." He kissed her on the forehead before stepping out of the room.

He shut the door quietly behind him. He rounded the corner to the common bathroom. On the way to it, he leaned against the wall for support. He felt like his legs were going to give out on him at any time. He opened the door gingerly. He checked around to see it was vacant. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he closed the door behind him. He took a few gasps of air like he was suffocating. All of a sudden, he let out a gut-wrenching cry and broke down in tears, sobbing his pain away until he crumbled on the cold tile.