Chapter 3 Notes: I received a good question this week about when Jess started eating so healthy. It was never mentioned that he did in canon, but if Jess is going to be rocking the kind of body he had in the revival, I felt that I wanted to show him being very serious about eating healthy and working out, maybe even a bit obsessive, to make his being in that kind of shape seem realistic. I didn't want him to be like canon-Lorelai, appearing in peak physical shape while constantly scoffing at exercise and eating mostly junk food. That drove me nuts on the show! :) He is likely going to chill on the strictness of his diet and gym schedule as his priorities shift due to having Jeremy in his life. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, following and reviewing! You guys make my day every time I hear from you! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own obsession with Gilmore Girls.

Trigger Warning: Blood? Needles? Idk...

On Sunday morning, Jess was up with the sun. He skipped his workout and was showered, dressed and in the kitchen making breakfast by seven. Today was going to go smoothly. He would make sure of it. After his call with Luke the day before, he had tried to get his shit together for today. He had searched the internet for vegetarian friendly recipes, bookmarking several that looked appealing. He had run out to the market and stocked up on everything he expected to need for the week. He was currently in the process of making buckwheat pancakes and tempeh 'sausage.' He had been a little disappointed to learn that Jeremy was a vegetarian, knowing it meant that he would need to adjust how he cooked and what he ate to make Jeremy feel welcome. He wanted them to share meals together, not live like two roommates with their own separate groceries and meals. Jess' current diet centered around protein and greens. Lots of chicken breast, eggs and kale. But he respected the fact that Jeremy cared about animals enough to not eat them. He found his careful diet helped him get the best results at the gym, but maybe it was time to broaden his horizons a little, now that he had another member of his family to think about. Jess smiled to himself as he browned and seasoned the tempeh in a pan.

He heard Jeremy's door creak open, followed by the bathroom door being shut, and a few minutes later Jeremy walked into the living room.

"Good morning, Jeremy! Did you sleep ok?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"I hope you like tempeh, because these little 'sausages'…" Jess curled two fingers of his free hand in quotations on the word sausages as he manned the frying pan with the other. "are looking pretty good over here." Jess internally winced at the giddy cheerfulness in his voice and made a mental note to turn it down a notch. And to never use air quotes again. He hated that. He still felt a little nervous around the boy, but he didn't want to overcompensate and come off too over the top.

"It smells great in here." Jeremy stood awkwardly in the living room just beyond the kitchen, still in his pajama pants and tee shirt. "Can I do anything to help?"

"Nope. Everything is under control over here! I've got vegan buckwheat pancakes being kept warm in the oven, there's fruit salad already chopped in the fridge, and I just need five more minutes to finish up these little guys and we'll be good to go." It dawned on Jess that maybe he should let Jeremy help for his sake, even if Jess didn't need the help. Maybe it would make the kid feel useful. "Oh, hey, you can set the table if you want to do something."

Jess watched as Jeremy nodded and then took a couple of steps into the kitchen before stopping when he realized he didn't know which cabinets to head to.

"The plates and glasses are in this one." Jess tipped his head to the side to indicate the upper cabinet to the left of the stove. "And the silverware is in the drawer closest to the fridge."

"Thanks."

Jess watched the boy maneuver around the kitchen, carrying plates and glasses to the table. "So, is there anything special you'd like to do today?"

Jeremy looked over at Jess as he laid the plates out on the table. "Um, I don't know. I don't think so." He paused. "I guess I need to do laundry. If that's ok. Is there a washer in the building or do I need to go to a laundromat?"

"Laundry sounds good. There are a couple of machines in the basement. I need to do some, too, so if you want to just throw your stuff in with mine, I can take care of that for you." Jess didn't like the idea of them each doing separate loads of laundry. It didn't feel like how a real family would operate. He and Charisse had always done joint loads, probably her more than him if he was being honest, and he could count on both hands how many loads of laundry he had done when he had lived with Luke as a teenager, while his uncle had picked up the considerable slack without complaint. "Plus, I don't want you to spend your last day of freedom before school starts doing laundry."

Jeremy set the fruit salad down on the table and took a seat, watching Jess carrying the plates of pancakes and 'sausage' over from the counter. "You don't need to do my laundry. But, if you point me toward the basement, I can add your laundry to mine. I don't really have anything else to do today." Jeremy shrugged. "I mean, I don't have homework yet and I don't know anyone around here or anything."

Jess sat down across from Jeremy, reflecting on that. Jeremy was starting his senior year a week late in a brand-new school, over an hour away from his last placement and any friends he may have had there. Jess still remembered his junior year in Stars Hollow well enough to recognize how daunting that must be. "You know, if you ever want to meet up with some of your friends from your old school, I'd be happy to drive you out to Easton sometime on the weekends. Or you could take my phone with you and Uber out there." Jess realized that was a bad idea as soon as he said it since that would leave Jeremy with no way to contact Jess if he needed him. He really needed to get the kid a cell phone sooner rather than later.

Jeremy was looking down at his empty plate uncomfortably. "Thanks, but that's ok. I don't really have anyone back there that I want to see."

"Ok." Jess nodded, passing Jeremy the plate of pancakes and 'sausage'. "I get it. I didn't have a ton of friends in high school, either." Jess remembered the mention in Jeremy's case file that he had been bullied at a previous group home. He hadn't meant to embarrass the kid, but he clearly had. The boy had put one pancake and one 'sausage' on his plate without looking up.

"So, really." Jeremy spoke to his breakfast, as he cut off a piece of pancake with the side of his fork. "I'm fine with doing the laundry. Or any other chores that you want me to do. I want to be helpful…. while I'm here."

Jess chuckled lightly. "The word 'chores' always makes me picture Johnboy Walton out on the farm, milking cows and baling hay." He took in Jeremy's confused look and realized his mistake, but at least the boy was looking at him again. "And you have no clue who that is, do you, since you were born in the twenty-first century?"

Jess smiled warmly at Jeremy, and Jeremy smiled back, shaking his head from side to side. "No, but I guess chores is an intense word. But, I do want to be helpful. So, if there's anything you want me to do, just let me know and I'll do it."

Jess nodded. "Thank you, Jeremy. I appreciate that. But, I didn't want you to come live here so that I could put you to work. As far as chores go, I'm thinking we can put our dirty clothes together and whoever has time that week can do the laundry. As for everything else, I guess all I really ask if that if you make a mess, you clean it up, and I think we can both stay on top of doing the dishes before they pile up and taking out the trash before it gets gross. Just basic stuff like that. Other than that, I only do a serious cleaning day about once a month, but you are definitely welcome to help me with that the next time I do it. I won't stop you." Jess paused." But, only if it doesn't interfere with your studying, of course. That needs to come first."

"Ok. But, uh." Jeremy paused, averting his eyes for a moment before looking back at Jess. "If I'm not doing something that you want me to do, or if I am doing something that you don't want me to do, you'll let me know, right? So, I can fix it."

The earnestness in Jeremy's eyes pulled at Jess' heart. He wondered how many times the boy had gotten in trouble, or maybe even been removed from a foster home, for some small offense that he didn't even realize he was committing.

Jess picked up his fork. "Yes, Jeremy. If you do anything that drives me nuts or pisses me off, I'll be sure to let you know. And, I expect you to do the same. Ok?" Jess smiled at the boy.

Jeremy nodded slowly, a small unsure half-smile on his face.

"You do realize that I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you, my friend, not the other way around, right?" Jess was surprised at hearing his uncle's words coming out of his mouth. He couldn't remember ever using 'my friend' as a term of endearment before.

"I know. I just…." Jeremy shrugged. "Want to be helpful."

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"So." Jess began as he stood in front of the sink, handing Jeremy a freshly washed breakfast plate to dry and put away. "I was thinking we could go shopping today and get you anything you need. For school, or just in general. I have an appointment to donate blood at the Red Cross at ten, but I'm free all day after that." Jess normally spent a decent chunk of his Sunday, after his workout and any errands he had to run, reading for pleasure. Not something he had to read and evaluate for work to see if it was worth publishing, but something already published that he had chosen for his own enjoyment. Matthew and Chris always spent weekends with their families, and it occurred to Jess that the only Sunday he had spent in the company of another person since Charisse left had been during the weekend he had gone to Stars Hollow to visit Luke.

Jeremy looked toward Jess as he put the dried dish in its spot in the cabinet. "Oh, um, I think I'm ok. Thanks, though, but I don't think there's anything I need."

"Yeah? I can already think of something. What about a cellphone?"

Jeremy walked back over to take the next thing from Jess and started to dry the glass he was handed with a dish towel. Jess knew that having the kid dry the dishes and put them away instead of letting them air dry in the perfectly good drying rack was unnecessary, maybe even a little ridiculous, like recreating a scene from an old sitcom. But, Jess liked that they were doing it together. It felt homey. And it gave them more time to talk and something to do with their hands while they had a conversation.

"A cellphone? Oh, uh, I don't need a cellphone."

"Really? I beg to differ. What about if I need to get in touch with you in an emergency? Or if you get stranded somewhere where you can't catch the train or get a bus and you need to call me to come get you? Or when you meet someone at your new school, a friend, or maybe some cute girl, and they ask for your number. Do you really want to have to give them mine?"

Jeremy looked uncomfortable. "You make some good points. But, I should probably wait until I get hired somewhere. Aren't the phone plans pretty expensive?"

Jess sighed. "Jeremy, I wasn't suggesting you pay for it yourself. I'd like to buy it for you and add you to my plan."

"You don't have to do that, Jess. You're doing so much for me already."

Jess laughed. "Thanks, I'm glad you think that, but I feel like I've set the bar pretty low so far. I haven't been handling things very well. I upset you the night you got here. I forgot to register you for school the next day. And for my big finish, I almost killed you with a jar of Skippy."

"Yeah, but…." Jeremy was looking down, concentrating on wiping the dish towel back and forth across the already dry bowl in his hands. "I don't know…..You've been nice. I appreciate that."

Jess watched Jeremy for a moment, before he realized he was staring and turned back toward the sink. He felt his chest tighten in sympathy for Jeremy. For the kind of life the kid had led to make him so grateful to have someone being nice to him, even when that person was a bumbling near-stranger. He wasn't sure what to say, but he felt pressure to respond as the adult. To say something to make things better. Before Jess was able to come up with anything suitable, Jeremy spoke again.

"Can I come with you?"

"Uh." Jess tried to remember what they had been talking about. "With me where?"

"To the Red Cross. Maybe I can donate blood, too."

Jess nodded. "Oh, sure. Yeah, you can come. I'm not sure whether they'll let you donate since you're not eighteen yet, but we can definitely ask."

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A couple of hours later, Jeremy was lying on a cot at the Red Cross waiting for his blood to be drawn. As they had walked the few blocks to the facility, the lingering summer humidity dampening their skin with sweat during the short walk, Jess had told Jeremy that he had been donating blood since he was eighteen, when his uncle had gotten him into it. His uncle's father, Jess' grandfather, had died from lung cancer around the time Jess was born, when his uncle had only been twenty-years old. His grandfather had needed regular blood transfusions toward the end, and Luke, Jess' uncle, had started donating then, and had kept it up after his father passed to help other people who needed it. Jess had accompanied his uncle a few times over the course of his senior year, then stopped when he had moved out, but had resumed the practice again when he was settled in Philly. Jeremy had wanted to ask about Jess' family. This was the second mention of his uncle, but he had never heard Jess say anything about either of his parents, or any brothers or sisters. It seemed weird, but it also seemed like none of his business unless Jess brought it up himself. He knew that asking personal questions this early into a placement was rarely ever appreciated. The new foster parents got a case file with as many details of his past as existed in one place, while all he got was a rough outline of their current situation. But, Jess never talking about his parents made Jeremy wonder how much of his life Jess would be able to relate to.

The volunteer working the reception desk had assured him that he could donate at seventeen with the consent of his parent or guardian and Jess had gladly signed the consent form. Jeremy wasn't sure that Jess qualified as either for something like this, since he was well aware that having a legal guardian was a different and more permanent status that having a foster parent, but he didn't want to ruin things by bringing that up. He had gone through the interview and iron check and was now watching the nurse move around his cot getting everything set up for his donation. Jeremy couldn't see Jess, who was lying on a cot behind his head. Jess had already begun filling his bag with blood when Jeremy had walked out of his interview, and he had smiled encouragingly and asked him if everything had gone ok. Jeremy had felt good. This was obviously something that was important to Jess, and maybe Jess would be proud of him for doing it, too. But, now, lying here alone watching the nurse wipe the crook of his elbow with iodine as she smiled and chatted to make him comfortable, he was starting to panic.

This might not have been the best idea. He got a little freaked out by needles. It wasn't so much the concept of having his blood taken, but something about the idea that a metal rod was piercing his skin and getting inserted into his vein that made him squeamish. He really needed to get better at thinking before he spoke. He was aware of his tendency to say really stupid things that he didn't mean, like offering to do something he had no interest in when he wanted to please someone or lashing out in anger at people he liked when his feelings had been hurt. He knew he was too old too still be reacting like this. He needed to get his shit together and start making better decisions.

He could feel his heart rate picking up with anxiety. He really wanted to go through with this. It would be way too embarrassing to back out now. He didn't want Jess to think he was a coward, or that he didn't care about helping people. But, he needed to get himself under control because he also didn't want to humiliate himself by having a panic attack in the middle of the Red Cross. "Ok, you're going to feel a little pinch now. Just for a second then it will be in and it shouldn't cause you discomfort after that." The nurse was young, maybe mid-twenties, pretty and cheerful. Jeremy thought she was Filipino. She reminded him of a girl at his last school that he had had kind of a crush on. He suddenly wished for an older nurse, someone who would have mom instincts toward someone his age and be able to tell how freaked out he was and make everything better. It wasn't the first time he had wished for that kind of comfort from a random stranger, and the thought made him feel pathetic. He knew that having this particular nurse witness him panicking would only add to his mortification. "If you still feel uncomfortable after the first pinch, you let me know, ok?"

Jeremy nodded back at her, hoping he looked less like a scared kid than he felt.

He heard Jess' voice coming from behind him. "You doin' ok over there, Jeremy?"

Jeremy nodded, then realized Jess might not be able to see his response from his vantage point. "Yeah, I'm good."

The nurse turned her smile toward Jess, who had made a point of telling her that it was Jeremy's first time before she had taken him into the partitioned off cubicle for his interview. "He's doing fine, Dad. I'm being very gentle with him. Right?" She turned back to Jeremy with a conspiratorial smile on her face. He returned it with a weak one of his own that he was afraid would look more like a grimace. "Ok, here we go!" The nurse announced. He barely had time to register that Jess hadn't corrected her on addressing him as his dad, not that that really meant anything, what was the guy supposed to say, really, when he felt a sharp pin prick in his elbow. He thought afterward that he might have been ok if he hadn't made one strategic mistake. He instinctively looked down at the injection site. The image of the thick metal needle protruding from his arm and bulging in his vein under his skin somehow felt shocking despite this being exactly what he had gone there to do. He felt a wave of light-headedness and a queasiness in his stomach. He looked back up at the pretty nurse hovering over him, trying to distract himself, but her pretty was blurring. He felt off. She was leaning closer to him now, looking right in his face, but he was unable distinguish her features. He knew that wasn't good. He heard her say his name twice, as if she was asking a question, but his head was swimming and he couldn't respond. Then the nurse faded out completely.

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The first thing Jeremy saw when he regained consciousness were three pairs of brown eyes staring down at him. The young Asian nurse had been joined by a black woman in her fifties or sixties on one side of the cot. They wore matching expressions of concern on their faces. On the other side was Jess. Jeremy watched the moment when Jess' concern gave way to relief, his eyes crinkling with happiness and a warm, genuine smile taking over his face as he realized that Jeremy was awake. "There he is." Jess said softly. "You really freaked me out for a few minutes there, Jeremy." He reached out and ran a hand over Jeremy's head, gently pushing his sweaty hair back off his forehead.

Jeremy was transfixed. He couldn't remember the last time he had been touched this lovingly. Or looked at like he mattered this much. It had to have been years. The older nurse asked if he felt ok. He responded that he did without taking his eyes off Jess' smiling face. He heard the older nurse send the younger one to get a chair for Jess, saying that she didn't like how quickly 'dad' had gotten up when Jeremy had passed out. The last thing she needed was him passing out on her, too. Jeremy slowly turned his head back toward the nurse and apologized, but she told him there was no need. It happened. He wasn't the only first-time donor to pass out on one of her beds. He certainly wouldn't be the last. He listened as she told him to drink lots of fluids, stay out of the heat and take it easy the rest of the day. He nodded and said he would. She patted him on the shoulder and told him to lay still for a while before trying to get up. There was no rush.

When he looked back at Jess, his foster father was sitting on a folding chair next to the cot and the younger nurse was handing him a can of cranberry juice with a bendy straw. He held it up toward Jeremy. "You think you can handle this lying down, or do you want to wait until you're able to sit up?"

Jeremy started to prop himself to a sitting position and felt a rush of light-headedness, then Jess' hand on his chest, exerting enough pressure to hold him flat against the bed. "Whoa! I didn't mean for you to sit up right now." Jess lightly patted his chest twice before he removed his hand. "Just keep lying down for a few minutes, ok?"

Jeremy nodded his head slightly. "Donating blood is brutal."

Jess chuckled. "Um, you didn't exactly donate blood. You passed out just as the nurse was trying to put the needle in."

Jeremy looked down at his elbow then, the needle gone, and a red rubbery bandage wrapped securely around his elbow, holding gauze padding in place. "But, she got the needle in. I saw it. Why didn't they take my blood?"

Jess smiled. "It seems it's their policy to take the needle out once a patient passes out on them." He shrugged and feigned exaggerated confusion. "Crazy, right?"

"Oh." So, Jeremy had failed after all. Another thought occurred to him then. "But, you got to donate your blood, right?"

Jess shook his head, a small smirk on his face. "Not exactly. I was about half-way through filling my bag when you passed out. My nurse rushed over to you, so I pulled my needle out myself and came over, too." Jess winced at the memory. "It was much more painful and quite a bit messier than when the actual nurse removes it. I would not recommend it, in case you were wondering."

Jeremy frowned. "I'm sorry for wrecking this."

Jess placed a hand on Jeremy's shoulder, and Jeremy savored the touch, enjoying the feeling of the warm, comforting weight connecting him to another person, one who might actually care about him. "Don't be sorry, Jeremy. I'm just glad you're ok."

Jeremy knew he probably wasn't hiding his embarrassment well. He never did. "I really wanted to do this with you."

"I know you did. And I love that you wanted to. But, today was probably a bad day to bring you for the first time, with it being so hot and muggy. If you ever want to try again, you can, but if you don't, there are all kinds of other volunteer things we could do together instead. We can find something you're interested in. Something that doesn't involve needles." Jess was smiling his infectious smile again, and Jeremy found himself smiling back and nodding, not really clear on which option he was agreeing with. "I'm thinking when you're up to it we'll Uber back home and just take it easy like the nurse said. We can set you up on the couch with your pillow and a bottle of Gatorade, aim the fan right at you, and find something good to watch on Netflix. I still want to get you a phone, but we can go shopping after you get out of school tomorrow instead." Jess moved his hand back to Jeremy's hair, idly carding through it and rubbing his scalp. "How does that sound? We'll have a nice lazy Sunday."

Jeremy felt his head turn without his permission, reflexively moving further into Jess' touch. A lazy afternoon sounded good. He hadn't realized how exhausting passing out was. "That sounds good. Thanks."

Jeremy's original nurse reappeared by the bed, smiling broadly. "How are we doing over here, gentlemen? Everybody feeling ok?"

Jess smiled directly at Jeremy as he responded. "I think we're doing pretty good."