A/N: Thanks for the reviews. It's been a little while since I've updated and that has been due to the following: basketball practices (I am right now extremely sore), the sun (it's so pretty and shiny and it burns you. I'm sitting here with a huge sunburn) and my boyfriend (boy are they time consuming, especially during the summer ;) ) And so I guess…on with the story…by the way if at all possible i need a beta?
I'll sacrifice one moment for one truth
His head is numb and he thinks it has something to do with the questioning. Fortunately for him, nothing coveted has been revealed and above all, he can leave the room with his reputation, ego and even his heart, in tact. The smile on the investigators face has now turned into a mocking grin, something which Jess finds thoroughly bemusing. He wants to rip the stupid smirk off her face, but thinks better of it.
"Right, now that wasn't so hard was it?" she asks him.
He mutters under his breath slightly and she's beginning to realize this is the type of response to expect.
"Am I done?" he asks, trying to be polite and hide is sarcasm.
"Yes," she says to him, and he gets up from his chair ready to go into a mad dash home, once he leaves the room, but then she stops him – again.
"Right after you meet Ms. Gilmore."
He turns toward her, his mouth curved down. He tucks his hands into his leather jacket and gives her a slightly pissed off look.
"Excuse me?" he asks her.
She gathers her notes and shoves them into her suitcase, pausing before answering him.
"You need to meet Ms. Gilmore, Mr. Mariano, I told you, one face could make all the difference."
He shakes his head.
"I'm not going to see her," he tells her confidently and supremely. "I answered your stupid questions, honestly too. I could have lied but I didn't so I'm not going in there to see her."
He moves towards the door but she grabs the sleeve of his jacket and in turn he flings back slightly.
"Look here, Mr. Mariano. I don't think you're hearing me correctly. You are going to see Ms. Gilmore and you are going to talk to her. I don't care if I have to carry you myself into that room. You will see her."
He finds himself slightly scared of her again. Jess Mariano isn't supposed to be scared. But he is, oh my, is he ever.
She takes her briefcase and carries it confidently over to the door, where she opens the door and turns to leave.
"Mr. Mariano, she's next door when you're ready. Oh and by the way, don't even try to run; I will be watching this door like a hawk."
Then she does something surprising, she places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Then turns on her heel and slams the door. He cusses under his breath at her, but what's the use, if she can't hear it. To him the worst part is that the only thing he hates more than confrontation is pity.
>
It takes every piece of self restraint in his body not to walk right out of the room and leave completely. He reminds himself that he is bigger, stronger and most likely faster than her, but he knows deep down what's the right thing to do. He finally decides it's better sooner than later, and before he knows it, he finds his feet have carried him all the way to the hallway. He finds himself standing face to face with a little boy. He can't be more than five years old. He lies in a bed, with an IV stuck in his fragile hand. Jess watches the little boy and finally he realizes, with contempt that the little boy is staring at him. He looks away quickly, bewildered.
"Excuse me, Mister?" he hears the boy utter.
His first instinct is to pretend not to have heard him, but really, he's not trying to be the Grinch. So he does turn towards the little boy.
"Mister, can you hand me that book," he asks as he points towards a book underneath the bed. Jess bends down, collects the book and places it on the boy's bed.
"Thank you, sir."
The 'sir' part startles him, but he finds solitude standing there. The boy makes him feel unnerved.
"So what's wrong with you?" the boy asks him.
Jess looks at him and wonders whether to be grateful or offended.
"I'm not sick. I'm here to see someone," he answers.
"Who?" the kid asks.
Jess figures he really doesn't have time for this, especially because he despises kids, but then he realizes what the alternative is, so he sticks next to the boy.
"A friend."
The little boy nods his head slowly and picks up the book.
"So, uh, what are you reading?" Jess finally asks.
The little boy coughs for a moment then answers, "Jane Eyre."
Jess cringes.
"It's a waste of paper," he replies.
The boy doesn't say anything and Jess wonders whether or not he's hurt his feelings.
"Here," he says pulling a book out of his back pocket.
"What is it?" the boy asks wide-eyed.
"Hemingway," Jess answers, handing the book to him, and placing the other book in his back pocket.
"Thank you…" he says.
"Jess," he finishes.
"I'm Danny," the boy says, thoroughly loving Jess' company.
A soft silence draws over them.
"So what's wrong with you?" Jess finally asks, looking for anything to distract him from what he's really thinking about.
"My heart doesn't work right," the boy replies softly, starting to warm up to Jess even more.
"Oh, does it hurt?"
The boy laughs a little and then so does Jess.
"Not now, but sometimes it does."
They both sit there for what feels like hours, but mere minutes pass by and suddenly their silent solitude is broken.
A nurse, with a horrible high-pitched voice, comes up from behind.
"Danny? We're going down to get some x-rays now!"
The boy nods, obviously used to this sort of thing and waves.
"Bye Jess."
And as the nurse wheels the boy past him, Jess merely smiles at him. Once the boy is out of sight, he turns to leave, but he hears a chirp.
"Mr. Mariano?"
Damn, he was so close.
"You're heading the wrong direction. Ms. Gilmore' room is the way," she says pointing towards the door.
"Silly me," he says grumbling and thus turning around.
>
She opens the door for him, indicating that he should be the first one to enter, so he does. He enters a room much like the one, he had been in before, except this one is furnished. There are piles and piles of gift baskets, flowers, teddy bears and what looked like already open chocolate containers, spread throughout the room. A few banners hang on the wall, Get Well Soon and We Love You. And then he sees her. She's up moving around; obviously she didn't sustain any other serious bodily harm. His heart suddenly starts to beat faster and something seems to rise in his throat, to the point that he can't talk. Her figure is turned, her back towards him. Her brown hair is cut short, which gives her a more mature appearance. She hears the door open and turns towards them smiling.
He's imagined a million different scenarios. Thousands upon thousands of way they would meet again, what he would say, what she would do, but somehow he had never quite guessed this one.
"Rory, this is Jess," Kristin says, introducing them.
The brunette steps closer to Jess, so close he can smell the usual scent of her slight perfume. Her clothing is subdued. Her cashmere turtleneck and denim miniskirt are off played by the bruise on her forehead. Her blue eyes smile genuinely at him, something he never thought would happen again unless he got down and begged for forgiveness and even then he was still unsure. She sticks her hand out for him to shake and it startles him. But then he realizes that's what you do to strangers.
"Hello, Jess," she says. "It's nice to meet you."
He reaches out to shake her hand, and as he does he just nods at her. The genuine sparkle in her eyes is still there and he realizes that she remembers nothing about him – nothing at all.
Kristin lingers in the background for a moment and then takes a step forward.
"How are you feeling Rory?" she asks lightly.
Rory turns towards Kristin, giving her another heartfelt smile and says graciously, "Oh goodness, I feel much better thank you."
She turns her attention back to Jess, who is being his usual self, standing there, being moody and doing nothing, but then again she doesn't know this.
"Do you remember Jess?" Kristin asks.
Rory's eyes scan his body. They start at the top of his head, the unruly disarray of dark hair. She works her way down through his face, only stopping for a moment as his eyes. Her eyes travel down to his leather jacket, to his sagging jeans and finally to his scuffed shoes. He feels extremely naked at this point and turns away shyly.
"No, I'm sorry, have we met before?" she asks him smiling like she would at the mailman, or at a little boy she had just met.
"You and Jess were friends," Kristin explains. At this Jess sends her an extremely pissed off look, but she doesn't seem to notice.
Rory considers the words thoughtfully, scanning him again, trying to see something, but doesn't.
"I'm sorry," she tells him regretfully. "I don't remember you."
He's about to tell her he has to leave, and get the hell out of this place, but the door opening stops him.
"Rory, baby!" He hears a voice shout.
Jess turns around to see a tall, well built, blonde haired man standing in the doorway, his arms outstretched, a huge smile on his (fake and bake) tanned face.
He embraces her in a monstrous hug, consuming her entire body. When he pulls away he sees Jess and instinctively wraps his arm around her waist.
"Clark, this is….Jess. Jess this is Clark," she introduces.
"Her fiancée," he says finishing her sentence, sticking out his hand for Jess to shake. And he does.
"Nice to meet you," Jess says, in a voice that sounds particularly to the contrary. "Well I'd better go I have to work tomorrow."
He turns to leave, and as he does, the book in his back pocket falls out onto the floor. Rory watches this and reaches out to pick it up.
"Jane Eyre?" she asks eyeing the former book of the little boy.
Jess nods.
"Have you ever read it?" he asks.
"No," she answers, handing him the book, as he shoves it back into his pocket, "but I think someone once told me it was a waste of paper."
He doesn't blink; he doesn't even flinch at this.
"Here," he says pulling it back out and handing it to her. "Find out for yourself."
She looks at him, wide-eyed at the prospect of a new book.
"Thank you Jess," she says.
"No problem," he tells her as he leaves through the doorway, with her staring at him, in silent, sparkling wonderment.
a/n: Just a little something for you right now. I'll be gone for a while the next chapter probably will not be up until next week (fingers crossed). Feedback appreciated :) LacY