The next morning, Rory woke up early, before the sun was fully up. The sky outside the hospital window was still grey, and she was the only one moving in the room. Colin had fallen asleep on the floor in a corner; Finn had pulled his and Colin's chairs together and his tall frame was folded nearly in half to fit in them. Logan was as still as ever, and Rory stared at him for a long time trying to discern if anything at all had changed overnight. The hospital seemed quieter at this time—even the footsteps of doctors and nurses passing outside the door seemed slower and further apart, punctuating the periods of silence, rather than being the constant pulse of the hospital.

Rory stretched and yawned, cracking her back as she flexed the stiff muscles, and then stood, walking to the bathroom, then opening the blinds before pulling her chair closer to Logan's bedside, so that she was facing the window. It was peaceful—almost, dare she say it, relaxing—in the early morning calm, and she sat with her blanket around her shoulders, knees tucked up to her chest, watching all three of them sleep while the sun rose over the East River, sending its rays in through the window.

The early-morning light, as it increased in intensity, spilled directly over Logan's face, brightening his grayish pallor, and highlighting the stubble that had begun to grow. It made him look healthy—different from the way he looked under either the harsh fluorescent lights that were on during the doctors' examinations or the dimmer lamps that they kept on in the room the rest of the time. If it weren't for the bruises and stitches covering his face, Rory would almost believe that he was just sleeping.

She sat there until the sun was fully up, listening to the activity on the other side of the door increase in frequency and intensity, lost in her own world, nodding off to sleep every few minutes, then shaking herself awake again, caught in her own cycle of consciousness and dreams.

It wasn't until the sun was fully illuminating the room that her head dropped onto her knees, and she fell into a deeper sleep again, only waking up when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Before she even opened her eyes, her heart jumped and she caught her breath, hoping she was about to wake up from a terrible nightmare to find Logan beside her, reaching for her in his sleep.

"Rory." It wasn't his voice, though, and she took an extra second to adjust before she opened her eyes to see Colin standing in front of her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," she murmured sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. "What time is it?"

Colin looked at his watch. "Almost nine," he said.

"What a weird night," Rory said, stretching again. "I don't think I slept for more than two hours at a time. I was awake to watch the sunrise," she told him, staring out the window. "It was actually really beautiful to see over the river."

Colin smiled wearily, the discomfort of sleeping on the floor clearly evident in his face. "Hey—can I talk to you for a second" he asked.

Rory sat up straighter and pulled the blanket around herself again. "Sure."

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, playing with the hem of his t-shirt, immediately worrying Rory—this kind of discomfort wasn't like Colin at all. "Colin," she asked, placing a hand on his forearm. "What's wrong?"

"What's going to happen with this?" he blurted out.

Rory looked at him, confused. "Um, I don't know. The doctors haven't told us how long it'll be, or what kind of rehab he'll need, or... what."

"No," Colin interrupted her. "I know that. I mean... we all have school—we have classes, you have the paper, exams are coming up, we all have papers to write. Logan, Finn, and I are all supposed to graduate this year; you're still trying to get back on track after last semester. Not to mention the fact that we can't sleep on the hospital floor and the chairs in here forever, and you, at least, have family that will want to see you sometimes..."

Rory was silent, looking at her feet. "So," she started in a tiny voice, "you think that we should all just go back to New Haven and leave him here?"

"No!" Colin interjected loudly, causing Finn to stir in his sleep. "No," he repeated more quietly, emphatically. "I don't like the thought of leaving him here any more than you do. Rory, Logan's like a brother to me. And I know that you still sometimes think that we just egg each other on to do stupid things and that we're just rich party boys, but..."

"I don't think that!" Rory protested. Colin looked at her pointedly. "Well, not always," she clarified.

"But," Colin repeated, cutting her off, "we've gotten each other through a lot. These guys are the closest thing to family that I want to associate myself with. And trust me—I'm not abandoning Logan any more than you are. We just need to think about what we can do."

"I'm sticking around," Rory said stubbornly. "I'm not leaving him—I'm not just walking away because it's hard."

"I know," Colin assured her. "You... you're amazing for him. And we want you to stick around. But you need to finish your classes—you need to write your papers and take your exams. I'm going to stand in Logan's stead and tell you that he's not going to let you forfeit another semester because of him."

"But—"

"No. You need to realize, Rory, that you're not the only one here who loves Logan enough to stick around." Colin laughed self-deprecatingly. "Loves him. He'd have my head if he heard me talking like that, but it's true—I love the guy, and I'm not leaving, either. Neither is Finn. Okay? We're here, too. You don't have to try and do it by yourself."

Jess' words from the night before came flooding back to Rory. And don't try to be strong. You'll just make it worse. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to yell, that's okay too, but don't try to be strong for everyone else. It's not your job. It seemed like everyone was trying to get the point across to her—this was a team effort, whether she liked it or not. This, as unconventional as it may be, was family. Rory, Colin, and Finn, and even, in a way, Jess; getting through it somehow.

Rory took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "Okay."

Colin reached out again and squeezed her hand lightly, smiling. "We'll be okay," he said.

"Yeah," Rory said, trying desperately to convince herself. She took a few more breaths, trying to wrap her mind around everything, and then decided to switch trains of thought slightly. "So, how were you thinking this would work?" she asked.

Well," Colin said, leaning back and switching from big-brother mode into problem-solver mode, "Finn and I were talking last night about sub-letting an apartment near here so that someone can be here until Logan wakes up, and then after that, until he's finished rehab and can go back home, however long that is. We were thinking of finding someplace close enough to shower, keep some food, have a few changes of clothes... spend the night, so we don't have to sleep in these chairs all the time. We think that if we work our class schedules right, at least one of the three of us can be in the city almost all the time, and we can pretty much all be here on weekends."

He ran a hand through his hair, and his voice was stronger than Rory had heard it in a long time—almost like he was detaching himself, but she knew that wasn't the case. This wasn't detachment; it was sacrifice. "If anything changes, we can all be here within two hours, tops, and we'll stay in constant communication about everything. When Honor and Josh get back, we'll let them know what we're thinking, and we'll see how they want to fit into all of it. I'm not counting on anything besides the hospital bills from Mitchum and Shira—if they haven't come so far, they're not going to be around for anything..."

He continued outlining the plan, and his confidence reminded Rory of her own love of planning and lists, and it made her feel more secure than she had felt since getting the first phone call.

A few hours later, when they had all been asked to wait in the hall again, Rory excused herself from the boys and took out her phone to make a call. "Mom?"

"Hi, babe," Lorelai greeted her daughter with a sympathetic tone. "Any news?"

"Well," Rory began, glancing down the hall toward Logan's room, "they won't tell us much, because we're not family. Which I think is pretty stupid, because none of his family is here, so if they're not telling us, and the Huntzbergers aren't here, no one actually knows what's going on. All we know is that he's in pretty serious condition, but he should be okay. The doctor was really nice, though; he said it could be a few days or a week before Logan wakes up."

"Mmm." There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Rory, have you thought at all about how you're going to do this? You can't be in New York all the time. You still have school, and the paper... I don't want to tell you to leave Logan in a situation like this, but you have to think about your own responsibilities, too."

"I know, Mom." Rory was infinitely glad that she had a plan when her mother brought this up. "I thought about that, actually. Colin and Finn and I all want to stay here for Logan, but we all have school. They're supposed to graduate this year, too, so they can't be here all the time. So we've thought about getting a temporary apartment near here, just some place to keep some clothes, shower, and sleep in actual beds. Between all of us, someone should be able to be here most of the time, and it's only a few hours from New Haven, so it won't be that big a deal to travel back and forth. And that way, we can be around for as long as it takes—weeks, months… it's all open ended, but at least this way, we've got a place to start."

Lorelai sighed. "Sweets, I know you seem to have it all figured out, but how are you going to actually do this? You can attend classes, sure, but how are you going to handle your responsibilities while spending every free moment in New York? And how are you going to afford the apartment? Those guys probably haven't even thought about the money, but how are you going to do that, unless you ask your dad for money? And while I'm sure he'd be happy to give you anything you ask for, I know you, and I know you wouldn't be comfortable with that."

"Right," Rory said flatly. She felt a surge of defensiveness, and she had to hold herself back from yelling at her mother.

"Honey, I'm not trying to ruin your plans, I'm just trying to make sure you've thought about everything before you make a decision like this."

"Mom, the decision has already been made. I'm not leaving Logan alone while he's unconscious, if the situation were reversed, I'd want him to go to school and do his work, but I'd still want him with me as often as he could. I want—no, I need to be with him through this. I'm sorry you don't understand, but that's just the way this is," she snapped the last few words.

"Okay, Rory, I'm sorry. I do understand, and I know this is important to you. I just don't want you to take on too much, that's all."

Rory pushed her bangs off her forehead and leaned against the wall. "I know, Mom," she acquiesced. She was too tired to fight anymore. There was silence for a few minutes, then Rory remembered she had to ask a favor. "Mom, can you do something for me? I need some clothes here... I was wearing the dress from the wedding for a while, and then I found a t-shirt and sweatpants at a store, but I could really use some of my clothes, and a few other things, too. Can you send them down here? FedEx or something?"

"Of course, honey," Lorelai said. "I'll send someone from the Inn on a little trip. Which hospital are you at?"

"You don't have to do that, Mom, just ship it, don't make anyone go out of their way," Rory protested.

"It's a done deal, missy, just give me the address."

Rory rattled off the name and location of the hospital. "Thanks, Mom."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for," Lorelai said gently. "I love you."

"I know," Rory said, smiling a little. "I love you, too, Mom," she responded before hanging up, closing her phone as she walked back to where the boys were waiting, just as Colin was hanging up his phone.

"I made some phone calls," he announced, rubbing the back of his neck. "I found a short-term, furnished apartment—it's got two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a little kitchenette. It's only a few blocks over, and it's ours as soon as we want it."

Rory breathed a sigh of relief. She had never been so grateful for their connections and the fact that any of them could pull innumerable strings at any given moment, getting almost anything they wanted. "Colin, you're a lifesaver," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck impulsively. He squeezed her back, and when she stepped back, she said, "My mom's sending some of my things, but I should get some things from the apartment—I don't have any of my books, or my laptop, or anything for the paper."

"Well," Colin said thoughtfully, "maybe one of us needs to go back to New Haven and bring back some of everyone's stuff."

"Who needs to be back at class first?" Rory asked. "I've got a class on Tuesday morning, and I should check in at the paper soon. I'll call in tonight and get things covered for tomorrow, but I do need to go in and get people organized to cover however long I'm gone for."

"I've got one tomorrow morning," Finn said. "I was planning to be still drunk in Costa Rica, but I can make the supreme sacrifice and go to class, for your sakes."

"I've got a class tomorrow, too," Colin offered, "but not until late afternoon. Now, the real question is, Rory, do you trust Finn in your apartment?"

They all laughed, and Finn raised his eyebrows at Rory as she pretended to deliberate. "Well... I think the only thing I'd be worried about would be the liquor cabinet. But, since that's not mine anyways... as long as Finn behaves, I don't mind."

"That's a mighty big risk you're taking," Colin said. "Are you sure you don't want to get someone else, or get it yourself?"

Rory grinned. "I think it'll be okay. I'll stop by and get anything he misses."

"And tomorrow's soon enough?" Finn asked.

"Hey, we've managed this long without basic hygiene; I don't think another day will make that much of a difference," Colin said.

"We should figure out who's going to be here, too," Rory said, looking around for a piece of paper and a pen.

"What are you doing, love?" Finn asked.

"Making a schedule," Rory replied, distracted, as she continued to search. "Do either of you have a pen?" Colin sighed and handed her a pen that was sitting on the small table beside him with the out-of-date magazines and box of Kleenex, and Rory began scribbling and muttering. "Okay... I have to be at class on Tuesday and Wednesday... I think I can swing Thursday, at least this week; Friday, I've only got a morning class, so I can leave here early in the morning, and then come back that evening..." she paused. "What about you two?" she asked, not looking up.

They didn't answer, and Rory finally looked up to see them sitting across from her, shoulders together, staring at her in disbelief. "What?" she asked indignantly.

Finn shook his head. "Nothing, love," he said, laughing.

Rory briefly considered sticking out her tongue at them, but decided against it as a thought struck her. "How much is rent going to be?" she asked.

Colin and Finn glanced at each other nearly imperceptibly before Colin answered, "Nothing."

Rory sat up straighter and crossed her arms over her chest. "Liar," she retorted.

"Rory..." Finn protested.

"No," Rory said firmly. "How much do I owe for rent?"

"Nothing!" Colin repeated more vehemently.

Rory sighed loudly, nearly stomping her feet in frustration. "Stop babying me!" she exclaimed. "I'm not letting you pay for everything."

Colin and Finn exchanged another look. "You want me to take this one?" Finn asked under his breath.

"Be my guest," Colin replied, gesturing broadly with his hand.

"Rory," Finn started. "You're paying some of the bills at yours and Logan's apartment, right?" She didn't reply immediately, and he repeated, "Right?" until she gave a small nod. "And you'll be paying for gas and parking, or train fare, or some way of getting between New Haven and here, right?" Rory nodded again, with less hesitation this time. "And if you're spending your time here, you won't be able to work much—if at all. Right?" This time, he didn't wait for Rory's response. "Rory, we'll cover rent. You're not paying for it, okay?"

Rory made a small noise of protest, and Finn cut her off before she could even form a full word. "You're not. You can buy groceries for the apartment if you absolutely have to pay for something."

Rory snickered. "Do you realize what you're doing, asking a Gilmore to provide groceries? If you'd ever seen my mother's cupboards, you'd realize that since I inherited her cooking skills, there'll be nothing but pop-tarts, Red Vines, a case of soda, and leftover takeout."

"Sounds good to me," Colin said with a grin. "Obviously, you haven't spent much time in our fridge, either. That sounds almost gourmet compared to what we've usually got." They were interrupted by a shrill ringing from Colin's pocket. "Oh, Christ, what now?" he muttered. He checked the phone's display and his annoyance dissipated. "It's Honor," he told them and walked down the hall a bit to take the call.

He came back a few minutes later. "Honor and Josh got a flight last night. There's a lot of connecting, but they should be here tonight at the latest." He sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes.

Both boys had gotten fresh clothes from the drugstore the previous day, but after sleeping on the floor or uncomfortable chairs--that is, if they had slept at all--they were disheveled and their clothes were more than slightly wrinkled. They had dark circles under their eyes, something she had never seen, not even after days of drinking and partying and hardly any sleep. This was taking its toll on all of them. Rory placed a comforting hand on Colin's arm. "When she gets here, hopefully we'll know more."

Dr. Ackerman exited Logan's room, his expression unreadable. "Ah, Miss Gilmore," he greeted.

"Any change?" Rory asked hopefully.

"It's too soon to say," he evaded. "But I'm sure that having the three of you here helps. Mr. McCrea and his partner here have been making sure young Mr. Huntzberger's quite comfortable."

Partner? Colin and Finn looked at each other in surprise, then an identical look of amusement appeared on their faces. Finn wrapped his arm around Colin's shoulders. "Yes, well, we work wonders together, isn't that right, darling?"

Rory shook her head and rolled her eyes. She was certain it wasn't the first time they were mistaken for that kind of partners, and she didn't bother to correct the doctor. She thanked him and shoved the boys ahead of her into the room.