And, here's chapter four!
The next few weeks passed rather quickly for the newly engaged couple. Logan had spent two of the weekends that they were supposed to spend together in the city straightening out the paper. The third weekend was Lily's Homecoming and Rory had spent it in Stars' Hollow helping her little sister get ready. Luckily for Lily, her dance was less eventful than Rory's first dance.
It was the first weekend of November when they were finally able to get together. Currently, Rory was sitting at their kitchen table leafing through Bridal magazines to get ideas for the dresses and bouquets. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she had on a pair of Yale sweatpants and a long-sleeve white t-shirt. Her head was resting on her arm with her elbow on her knee. Getting more and more frustrated by the 'lack' of ideas that she didn't like, she slammed the magazine shut and moved on to the 5" binder her grandmother and Shira had provided her. It was full of table settings and flower arrangements. Not to mention the 100 + pages of dresses by couture designers. Shoes and various other accessories were also included. Brushing back the hair that had fallen in her face she glanced at the clock.
10:29 pm
Logan was due to arrive at 11:30.
11:13
Logan glanced at the clock on the dashboard on his car. Turning down the radio, he felt his headache get worse. Placing the SUV into cruise control, he brought he knee up to use it to steer. Rubbing his temples, he replaced his knee with his hand and used the other to dig in the center counsel for the bottle of Tylenol. Popping two into his mouth, he turned off cruise control and pulled onto the Yale exit.
Pulling into the parking garage of the apartment building, he found an empty space and turned the engine off. The Tylenol still hadn't helped his headache and it felt as though it was getting worse. Barely managing to get out of the car and walk through the lobby without falling, he had just made it to the elevator. Reaching the 8th floor seemed to take decades and the abhorrent elevator music made his headache worse. The ding of the elevator reaching his floor seemed to be comparable to the detonation of multiple explosives at the same time.
Being the only apartment on the floor had its advantages. Hearing the 'ding' of the elevator, she couldn't help but feel excited. Deciding to 'play it cool' she remained sitting at the table. Hearing the door open, she spoke.
"Do you realize the atrocities that are wedding gowns? I mean, I've never seen anything this ugly in my life! This one looks like a train hit a tulle truck!"
She was about to continue talking when she realized that Logan had yet to come wrap his arms around her like he normally did. Turning in the chair, she turned to see him leaning against the door, looking positively exhausted. Not to mention the fact that he was pale as well. Quickly leaving her chair, Rory rushed over to him. Placing the back of her hand against his forehead, she quickly removed it.
"My God Logan, you're burning up!"
All she got was a groan in return.
Wrapping her arm behind his back, she guided him to the bedroom. As soon as they reached the bed, she allowed him to gently fall to the heavy down comforter. Removing his shoes, she helped him to lift his legs to the bed. Helping (more of doing it for him) to remove his sweater and pants, she brushed his hair off his forehead and lightly kissed him. She crossed the bedroom and walked into the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, she pulled the box of Nyquil out and read the back. Well, he's over 12, so two pills must be okay… She thought. Grabbing a Dixie cup, she filled it with water. Walking over to the side of the bed, she kneeled down.
Whispering, she willed him to open his eyes.
"Logan, hun, you've got to take this."
Barely sitting up, he took the pills into his hand and popped them into his mouth. With her help, he managed to take a sip of water to wash the pills down. Placing another kiss on his forehead, she moved to the other side of the bed. Pulling the blankets back, she crawled into bed.
The next morning, Rory awoke to find Logan still sleeping, rather restlessly, next to her. Walking to the kitchen, she turned the coffee pot on and walked to the door to retrieve the news paper. Sitting down at the table, she noticed that the wedding binder was still open. Looking between the newspaper and binder, she sighed. Grabbing a cup of coffee, she sat down to the binder once again.
About 30 pages of dresses later, she heard a moan come from the bedroom. Closing the binder, she walked into the bedroom. Placing a hand on his forehead, she felt that he was still burning up. She gave him more medicine then wondered back into the living room. Grabbing the cordless phone from the end table, she called a familiar number.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
The phone seemed to ring thirty times when it was finally picked up.
"Hayden Residence"
"Hey Isaac."
"Oh, hey Rory."
"Is that any way to greet your favorite older sister?"
"Hello Rory, how are you today? I trust that you are well?" For a nine year old, Isaac was particularly sarcastic.
"That's better. Can you put mom on?"
"Yeah, it might be a minute. Last time I saw her, she was wrestling Ben into his sweater. It's picture day at pre-school."
"Oh, okay. Speaking of which, why aren't you at school?"
"Snow day."
"What? We have no snow in New Haven!"
"And, that's my problem?"
"Smart aleck. Put Mom on."
"Hang on."
A few minutes later, Lorelai picked up the phone.
"What could my dearest oldest child need?"
"Advice."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. Logan's sick. And besides giving him Nyquil, I have no idea what to do."
"Ah… yes, looking back, I should have made you take care of your sick brothers and sisters."
"Then I would have gotten sick. And you never wanted to take care of more than one sick child at once."
"True. So what's wrong with the fiancée?"
"Honestly, I don't know. He's been sleeping since he got home last night."
"Okay. Well, here's the general stuff. Take his temperature. If it's over one hundred, call me. If it's not, give him some Tylenol to help the fever and headache and make sure he gets enough fluids. Juice, tea, but no dairy… it'll make it worse. Also, make sure he eats. Even if it's chicken broth, anything will help."
"Oh… okay, thanks Mom."
"You're welcome. Oh, and, while you are out buying that thermometer, because I know you don't have one, pick up some medicine. Decongestants, cough suppressants, some throat lozenges. That kinda stuff."
"Thanks mom. Talk to you later."
"Bye hon."
Placing the phone back in its charger, she grabbed her running shoes, which were never used for running, and a sweat shirt. Checking on a sleeping Logan one last time, she grabbed her fleece North Face jacket and Logan's keys off the table.
Walking to the parking garage, she pressed the unlock button on the remote. Hearing the beep and seeing the lights go on helped her to find where Logan had parked. Seeing that he brought the SUV, she was grateful. It was the only car of his she could drive. The rest were stick shift and even though he tried, Logan's attempt to teach her how to drive stick failed miserably.
Pulling into the parking lot of Walgreen's, Rory entered the store somewhat hesitantly. It was the first time she had ever taken car of someone who was sick. Sure, she had taken care of Logan after the whole cliff-jumping incident, but he was hurt then, not sick. All she had to do was make sure he didn't do anything to fast. Now… well, now she had to make him better.
Walking the length of the store, she found the aisle with the pharmaceuticals. She quickly became overwhelmed with the amount of choices she had. Biting her lip, she grabbed a box of the shelf. Vick's VapoRub? Do I need this? She had thought. Placing the blue bottle back on the shelf, she continued to contemplate. Soon, she was startled out of her thoughts.
"Do you need any help?"
She turned toward the voice. Seeing an older man in a white coat, she assumed he was the pharmacist.
She sighed, "Yes."
"What are you looking for?"
"Honestly… I don't really know. My fiancée is sick. And, I don't know anything more than that."
The older man smiled, he must have been around 65, and said, "My name is Marcas, we're gonna be awhile, we'd might as well know one another."
He held out his hand.
She returned the gesture, "Rory, it's nice to meet you."
"So, what's wrong with your fiancée? A very lucky man, I must say."
She blushed, "Well, he came home last night and had a headache and a fever."
"What was his temperature?"
Rory felt her cheeks heat up. "Actually, we kind of don't have a thermometer."
Marcas laughed good-naturally. "Ah, well, follow me."
Following Marcas through a maze of aisles, Rory saw a bag of Red Vines and a book she wanted to read and grabbed both. Well, if I'm going to have to stay with him this weekend, I might at well have something to do, she thought.
Stopping in front of a display, Marcas asked, "What kind of thermometer do you need?"
Rory was slightly perplexed, "There are different kinds?"
He smiled, "Yes, there are kinds that go in the ear, under the tongue, in the… Well, I'm going to say that you'll want the one that goes under the tongue."
"Oh… okay, thanks."
"Now, you said he had a fever and a headache?"
"Yes."
"Well then I'm going to assume that he has the flu."
"Oh."
Marcas smiled at the young girl. She seemed confused. He saw the Yale sweatpants and North Face jacket. It was a slow day and he also saw her pull up in the Cayenne. She was nice, and obviously from society. She must have never taken care of someone who was sick before. Guiding her back over to the aisle of medications, he picked up several boxes and instructed her how to use each one. Biding her a good day, he said to come back if she needed anymore help. He also handed her a business card and told her to call if she needed to. Smiling, she thanked him, paid for her things and walked out the door.
It was nine thirty when Rory got back to the apartment. Walking with slightly more confidence than she had the night before, she entered the bedroom. Logan must have woken up sometime in the time she was gone and removed the blankets. Currently, he was lying on top of the bed in only his boxers. She could see the sweat on his forehead and chest.
Poor boy, she said under her breath.
Running a hand over his forehead, she saw his eyes flutter open. A weak smile crossed his lips.
"Morning" She said.
His reply was hoarse, forced even, "morning"
Sitting down next to him, she replied, "Okay, so first, we need to take you temperature."
He only looked at her expectantly.
Reaching into the plastic bag, she retrieved the thermometer. Reading the back of the package, she tore it open. Shaking the thermometer so that it would work correctly, she told him to open his mouth. Groggily, he opened his mouth and somewhat lifted his tongue. Sticking the thermometer into his mouth, she sat with him until the reading was finished.
"104.5. Well, when you want to do something, you really do it, huh?"
All the medical shows her mom and her and watched had made her want to take him to the doctor. But, Marcas had told her than anything from 100 to 104 and even 106 was normal for the flu and not to worry.
Reaching back into her self-dubbed "miracle bag" she retrieved the aspirin she bought out of the bag. She walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of water. Sitting back down next to him, she gave him an aspirin and decongestant. He hadn't coughed yet, so she saw no need for the cough drops. Picking up the plastic bag, she walked over to her side of the bed. Sitting down, she placed a pillow on her lap and let him lay his head down.
Between reading her book and writing her articles, Rory had passed the day rather quickly. Or, as quick as caring for her sick fiancée might go. Logan had woken up intermittently and Rory had taken that as the time to give him more medicine. It was eight thirty at night now and his fever had gone down to 101. Seeing that as making significant progress, she helped him move to the living room so that she could make him something to eat and still watch him.
Walking to the stove, she bit her lip. Nope, she thought. Grabbing a bowl out of the cupboard, she poured the soup into it. Slipping the bowl into the microwave, she heated the soup up. Hey, who said she couldn't cook?
Kneeling down next to Logan, she placed the bowl of soup on the coffee table. Helping him to sit up, she sat on the edge of the couch and fed him the soup. Another good sign, she thought, he's eating.
10:30 pm
She had taken his temperature once again and his fever was down to 100. Walking with him back into the bedroom, she helped him to the bathroom. Filling the bathtub with lukewarm water, she helped him to bathe quickly. Assisting him to the bed, she laid down next to him.
The next morning, Rory rolled over to find the bed empty. Sitting up slightly, she looked at the clock, eight am, it read.
Throwing the covers back, she realized she was still wearing the same clothing from two days ago. Walking into the kitchen, she spotted Logan at the kitchen table. Walking up behind him, she ran a hand up his back.
"Feeling better?"
He turned to her and smiled, "Much."
She looked at him. Giving him a look, she walked back into the bedroom to retrieve the thermometer. Sticking it under his tongue, she waited. Once time was up, she read it.
"98.6" she read aloud. "Good as new."
He got up from the chair and wrapped her in his arms.
"Thanks for taking care of me."
And, that was chapter four. Thanks so much for your feedback. Really, I love it. Oh, I'm watching House right now. I love it. So, what do you think of this chapter. I don't really know where to go after this. Should I skip to spring break and send them somewhere? Or graduation? I don't know. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.