For the next two weeks Lucy and Kevin spent a lot of time with Jess and Rory, trying, in vain to show the couple how completely normal their relationship could be. Still, nothing they tried was effective.
Thursday night at the Dragon fly Inn, Lucy lay curled up next to her husband. "Did you see the look on Jess' face when Rory asked him if he needed to use the bathroom?"
Kevin nodded, "In front of the dancer teacher, yet. That woman has a bigger mouth than Mrs. Pool."
"I never thought we'd see that day," Lucy agreed. "What do you think? Matt suggested we might need to divide and conquer. Let's do that tomorrow. You get Rory and I'll take Jess," Lucy suggested.
Kevin nodded, "It's a plan."
The next morning, Lucy headed for the Gilmore home where she knew Jess would be working out. Kevin stayed behind at the Dragonfly where Rory was working.
Jess was lifting arm weight out on the front porch, enjoying the late summer sun when Lucy approached, "Hey Luce. Where's Kevin today?"
"He's back at the Dragonfly doing his own thing today," Lucy replied. "Where's Rory?"
"At the Dragonfly. Thank God too because I can only lift the heavy weights when she's out, otherwise she gets all wacky," he continued reps.
"She only does that because she loves you. Its evident, even to me," Lucy told him.
Jess out the armbell down and wiped the sweat off his brow, "Yeah, she loves me all right, so much she embarrasses me in front of you, Kevin, Babette, Miss Patty…"
"I'm sure that wasn't her intent," Lucy told him. "I used to do things like that with Kevin all the time. It's instinctive," Lucy told him.
"No offense, Lucy, but I don't think the need to cause repeated embarrassment in instinctive," Jess countered.
"No, it's not," Lucy agreed sitting on the top porch step. "But the need to protect a loved one is, the need to care for a loved one is, the embarrassment it causes is just an unfortunate side effect."
"I wouldn't mind so much…" Jess trailed off. He didn't want to open up to Lucy Kinkirk, he barely knew her. But who else was there really? Luke and Lorelai tried to be impartial but they weren't and even so, they have no idea what it was like to be in this situation. Lucy did, who better to understand than she?
"Go on," Lucy urged.
"If…What you do with Kevin is motivated by love. You're married to him, and you clearly are in love with him. His injury doesn't…that relationship exists with or without the wheelchair factor," Jess explained.
"And you're saying your relationship with Rory doesn't?" Lucy questioned. "Not true."
"How can you make that assessment?" Jess asked. "Right before the accident, I was at Rory's dorm practically begging her to come away with me so we could build a life together and she said no. She shouted no. Rory wanted no part of me not that I blame her because I really messed things up with us, but before the accident she couldn't get far enough away. Now, it's only her guilt keeping her here."
Lucy listened and processed Jess' words, "You believe she's with you now because she feels guilty about the accident?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Jess' old sarcasm was returning. "I admit I was no prize, but just cut me loose, don't tease me."
"Well, Jess the Lord works in mysterious ways…"
"No offense, but I'm not a really big fan of the Lord. I don't subscribed to that everything happens for a reason kind of stuff," Jess replied.
"Even so, Rory needed a push back to you, a reason if you will. That came as an accident that cost you very dearly. An accident that made life very difficult for Rory. It is not easy dealing with proud men," Lucy sighed. "And me, I was stuck once it happened. I was married, I had no choice, and I couldn't cut and run. Once Rory went to the hospital and saw you out of the woods, she's one, there's no more obligation, you had someone to look out for you, Rory can go on with her nice Ivy League life, but instead, she leaves Yale to stand by her man," Lucy was hoping Jess realized how ridiculous he sounded. Guilt was powerful, but love had even greater power.
"Guilt is a very powerful emotion," Jess replied.
"It's not that powerful, Jess. Guilt makes us do crazy things, yet, but love makes you do them without question," Lucy replied. "I know I'm talking about Jess."
"How? Did you pull the trigger?" Jess asked cynically.
"No, but if we didn't argue that morning…maybe, I don't know, I just wonder," Lucy sighed. "But I don't blame and there lies the difference. If Rory still blames herself, you have a problem, Jess. She may not be kept with you by guilt, but she is doomed to a life dominated by doubt, you can't want that for her, Jess, not if you love her like you say you do. Talk to her, tell her your doubts and absolve her. Once her guilt if its there, is absolved she'll only have one reason to stay won't she?"
Jess considered Lucy's words and saw the wisdom there. He and Rory needed to talk, talk seriously without misreading signals or overanalyzing facts. It was soul bearing time, now or never time, and Jess knew it. He smiled at Lucy patted her shoulder and said, "Thank you. I'll go talk to her right now."
After a long talk with Kevin Kinkirk, Rory needed a break. She was lucky she still had Jess in her life if what Kevin had said was true. She was sure though after defending her motives that she wanted to be with Jess, wheelchair or not, because she loved him. Rory knew she would do anything to keep him in her life.
Mistakenly, Rory believed she could do that best by taking care of Jess, making him see he needed her. Little did she know, all that did was drive him away.
Kevin had made some really good points. At first Rory found his advice invasive but it turned out to be indispensable. His strongest point was to surrender her guilt, to Jess, admit she felt responsible. Once was done they could move beyond the trap they'd been stuck in since May. Rory knew he was right, it was soul bearing time, it was now or never for Jess and she, and Rory couldn't bear the never.
Rory heard a branch snap and jumped to attention. She turned her head towards the sound to see Jess' wheel had snapped the branch. "Thought I'd find you here," he said.
Rory nodded, "Our place."
"We need to talk," Jess said solemnly.
Rory's heart clenched and she took a deep breath, this was it, she thought, but said only, "Yes we do."
