A/N: I can't believe so many of you thought I was mean/cruel for cliffhanger last chapter. I mean, c'mon, people! You gotta have a little faith in me! ;)

(for disclaimer, etc. - see prologue)

Chapter 40

The whole world faded away when Rory fell to the ground screaming. Jess just didn't know what to think or what to do, he went to pieces and that wasn't helping. Seeing Rory in pain was the worst feeling he had ever experienced, and sat here now in the waiting area of the hospital knowing he could do nothing to help her, that was the second worst feeling. It was just Jess and Luke in there now. Lorelai was around, but couldn't bear to sit still when her baby was in pain. She had gone to find a nurse to get more information, and a coffee to steady her nerves that were all on edge, plus she had promised to call her parents and Mrs R to let them know what was going on, not that they knew much yet. Luke stayed with Jess but his presence had little to no effect on his nephew. He was staring across at the opposite wall, not seeing a thing but an image of Rory, her face contorted in pain.

Something was wrong. This wasn't just the baby coming, it was too sudden, too painful. Besides it was a month too early. Not that babies couldn't be premature, but four weeks sure seemed like a lot. Something was wrong, and Jess could do nothing about it.

"Jess?" said Luke when he thought he heard his nephew speak, albeit in a muttered tone.

He got no answer but Jess did get up from his seat. He paced back and forth a couple of times, and then out of nowhere he picked up his chair and threw it against the far wall. Luke rushed to him immediately, grabbing his arms, yelling at him to calm the hell down. Jess raged a minute more, and then gave in, muscles going slack all over, uncharacteristic tears welling in his eyes.

"Why does this always happen, Luke?" he asked him desperately. "Why when things are finally good...?"

He was trying his damndest not to cry and Luke knew it. Poor Jess. He hadn't always been the greatest kid, but that wasn't all his fault. He had a pretty crappy start in life, no real support, nobody to care about him. He learnt to be hard, to be wild, to be what he had to be to survive. Sure, he screwed up with Rory but he had more than made up for it since. The two of them were working hard at making their relationship all that it should have been before, loving and stable. They had a home, a family, a baby on the way. Things were finally coming together, and now it seemed something awful was happening to blow it all to hell.

"Jess, I... I don't know what to say," Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry."

He pulled his nephew into a hug and Jess went willingly. Screw being manly and brave, this was killing him. Luke held onto him a while, patting his back, offering what comfort he could in a moment of panic. Truth was, he was almost as worried about Rory and the baby as Jess was. That girl had been like a daughter to Luke for so many years now. Seeing her in pain had torn him apart inside, seeing Lorelai crying and panicked over her little girl's distress too. Still, they had to be strong and have faith. Things could work out yet.

"People in this family are tough," he told Jess, pulling back to look him in the eye. "The Gilmores as well as our side. We're all tough, that means Rory and that kid of yours are probably going to be just fine. We gotta have a little faith, Jess."

He nodded that he understood that, but it didn't stop him feeling sick to his stomach. The alternative ending to this scenario was stuck on a loop in his brain, the version where he lost Rory, or that they lost their unborn child. Either one of those things would kill him, Jess was sure.

Sniffing hard, he dragged the back of his hand across his face and then pushed his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he apologised to Luke, but his uncle shook his head.

"You have nothing to apologise for," he assured him. "People you love are in a hospital, you're allowed to care, Jess. You're allowed to be upset about it. It's not a weakness, it just shows how much you love them."

He smiled slightly at that before the deep frown and teary eyes returned.

"Y'know I expected to be freaked out in this place," he admitted. "I didn't expect it to be for another month, but... but I expected the panic."

Luke wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Well, I guess that's normal," he considered. "Becoming a father has to be a big deal. Most new parents are nervous..."

"More than nervous," Jess shook his head, dropping down into the next seat over since the one he had been in before was a twisted mess across the room now.

Luke couldn't understand where this was coming from. Worry over Rory's condition, tears and tantrums, that he could make sense of. If he had a little less self-control, he would be throwing furniture himself, but this was different. Now Jess was talking about a happy day that ought to be, that might still happen, when Rory gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. Obviously Jess was apprehensive about taking on fatherhood. It was a big deal, and Luke didn't have to have gone through the experience himself to understand its significance.

A flashback seemed to happen in his mind then, like a piece of an old black and white movie. Sat in the waiting room of a hospital in New York whilst Jimmy paced the floor and Liz screamed her lungs out down the hall. Suddenly, Luke understood exactly.

"Jess," he said softly, crouching down to his level, putting a hand to his nephew's shoulder so he would take his face out of his hands and look at him. "You are not your father. You're not. You're nothing like Jimmy."

"Bull," he shook his head. "I met the guy, Luke. We talked, we... we're not that different."

"Yes, you are," his uncle insisted, gripping Jess' shoulder more tightly as he made him meet his eyes. "Now you listen to me, you can be nervous, flat-out scared in fact. You can get the urge to bolt, and I'm sure many a man before you has too, but here's the difference, Jess; I know you won't do it," he said definitely.

Jess didn't look so sure.

"I did it before," he reminded him. "After the car accident. When I dropped out of high school. God, even the day I first told Rory I loved her. I just get on a bus or jump in a car and I'm gone. I hurt her over and over, Luke. I... I know that I did, and I hate myself for it, but sometimes... sometimes when things get bad, it's still there. That feeling in my gut that tells me to get my stuff and go, fast as I can, before things get any worse," he explained, not even noticing that he had made himself cry in the process.

Luke felt like crying too, truth be told. Jess had to have been holding this in for weeks, months even, worrying himself silly over something that would never happen. Luke knew his nephew had made mistakes in the past, and some of the worst had involved running from those who loved him and needed him, but he wasn't that person anymore, he just couldn't see it.

"Jess, listen to me," he insisted, hand moving to his face so he couldn't look away. "Now you pay attention, because I'm not a fan of repeating myself. I know how you feel about Rory, and about that baby you two have made," he said definitely. "And yeah, sure, you made mistakes before, but you learnt from them. You've grown up in ways I can't even count. You're holding down two jobs, you have a home of your own, you're engaged for crying out loud!" he reminded him. "And I know what you're gonna say, that Jimmy was married to your mom, didn't stop him running out, but honestly? He was never as committed to Liz as you are to Rory, never. He married your mom because she was pregnant, because I pretty much told him it's a wedding or a funeral for him. He didn't make that choice. The only choice he made was to leave the two of you and not look back for eighteen years! That's not you, Jess. It's not you, and Rory knows that. I know it too. It's just you that can't see it."

Jess didn't know what to say to any of that. He wanted to believe he was a better person than he thought, but it was so strange to know others had such faith in him, especially Luke. Jess had given his uncle every reason to think the worst of him over the years. Sure, he was trying to turn his life around now, for Rory and the baby, as well as for himself, but Jess was seriously shaky on whether or not it was working. Maybe he was worrying over nothing, but his genetics meant he was programmed to be a loser and a flake, at least directly from his parents. Of course, he shared blood with Luke too, and the steadfast William who he never knew but had to be a slightly more stuck-in-the-mud version of his uncle, as far as Jess could tell. If he could find the over-riding blood of the Danes men in him, Jess thought maybe he could live up to the standards Luke and Rory both believed him capable of. First, Rory had to be okay, and the baby too.

Right on cue the door opened and Lorelai walked in. She had tears streaming down her face and immediately Luke rushed to her. Jess followed, desperate for news, even if it was bad. He just had to know.

"She's okay," Lorelai cried openly, wiping at her cheeks with both hands and laughing through her tears. "It was a false alarm, one of those Braxton-Hicks kind of things. The doctors said it can come on that quickly sometimes, but ultimately she's fine, and the baby's fine," she cried.

"Thank God!" said Luke, grabbing a hold of Lorelai and hugging her tight.

Jess felt all the air rush out of his lungs, his legs turning to jello beneath him as the relief hit like a ton of bricks. Rory was okay, and their baby too. They were okay. It was all going to be okay.

"Can I see her?" he asked Lorelai who nodded.

"The doctor says yes," she confirmed. "They're keeping her in the rest of the night just to be sure nothing else is gonna happen, but they're pretty sure she's fine. The panic didn't help her."

"The panic didn't help any of us," said Luke, looking at Jess. "You okay?"

"I am now," he nodded with a smile that was as real as anything.

Jess didn't see or hear much from there to Rory's room. He walked in the door and saw her lying in the hospital bed and she broke his heart all over again when she saw him and started to cry.

"Rory," he rushed to her, gathering her up in his arms and holding her close.

"Jess, I'm so sorry I scared you," she told him between sobs.

"It's not your fault," he assured her. "It's okay. You're okay now."

They sat wrapped in each other's arms, rocking back and forth for a long time. It could've been ten minutes or an hour and they wouldn't've noticed. When they finally parted, he reached out to move her hair off her face and wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"You scared the crap outta me, Gilmore," he told her with a delirious sort of smile because she was okay, everything was okay now.

"Kinda scared me too," she admitted. "It was just so sudden, and... and I really thought..."

"Hey," he stopped her from upsetting herself again, his hand over hers on her pregnant belly now. "He's fine, so are you, and you're gonna stay that way. I'm gonna make sure of it."

"The doctor said I needed to rest more," Rory sniffed. "He thinks maybe the stress of the move and the vow renewal and everything caused the false alarm. I'm not on absolute bed rest but more or less apparently," she sighed.

"If that's what the doctor says then that's what we're doing," Jess assured her. "And you're not being left alone either."

"Jess, you can't babysit me twenty four seven. You have to work!"

"Hey, there are enough people that can takes shifts on this. Me, Lorelai, Luke, Lane, Mrs R. We'll figure out a schedule. I'm not... I'm not taking any chances here, Rory, I'm just not," he said definitely.

Rory smiled in spite of her tears, and reached out a hand to Jess' cheek.

"I love you," she told him softly.

"And I love you; both of you," he promised, leaning in to kiss her lips.

Jess had meant what he said about sticking to the doctor's orders, and Rory was only mildly surprised by how serious he really had been. Though she wasn't literally confined to her bed, she was mostly kept in the apartment for her own good. Honestly, Rory didn't mind so much since her back ached most of the time, her ankles swelled, and she felt pretty crappy all in all. When Jess had to work, a friend or family member came to sit with Rory, so she didn't feel like she was missing out on much. She got all the town gossip and such brought right to her door, and it was kind of nice to get the chance to sit and chat with so many people.

It was Thursday and Jess was getting ready to head out for a shift at Walmart. He was supposed to have left five minutes ago if he was going to be there on time, but so far Lorelai hadn't shown up to take over watching out for Rory.

"You can go," his fiancée insisted. "Mom will be here soon, and I think I can survive a few minutes by myself."

Jess knew she was right and still he was reluctant to leave her. Anything could happen in a minute or two, as proven at the Gilmores vow renewal. As sudden as Rory's distress had been then, Jess didn't want to leave her even for a moment, especially as they were getting ever closer to her due date all the time. Reaching for his cell, he dialled Lorelai's number but it went to voicemail. He tried the inn's number next.

"Michel? It's Jess. Is Lorelai there?"

"She is not," he replied in his usual snotty tone. "At least that is what she is telling me to say as she throws things into her purse and runs for the door."

"She's just leaving now?"

"Is that not what I just described to you?"

Jess tried not to get mad, but it was never easy with guys like Michel. He forced out a thanks and hung up from the call. Automatically he checked his watch and then sighed. If he left now he might just get to work on time, but Lorelai was anything up to a half hour away.

"Jess, please, just go," Rory insisted. "Mom is on her way, and if there's an emergency I am within easy reach of the phone. I can call 911, and Mom will probably still get here faster than an ambulance."

The very idea of her needing a hospital again made Jess shudder, which was dumb because she was probably going to need one when the baby came, and that wasn't a tragedy, it ought to be a joyous day. Shaking his head he checked his watch again. He really didn't want to piss off his boss right now. Coming over to the couch, he leaned down and kissed Rory's lips tenderly.

"You feel anything, and I do mean anything that might be a pain or a problem, you call for help," he told her firmly.

"Yes, sir," she mock-saluted with a smirk, trying to inject a little humour.

"You're cute."

"I know."

He kissed her one more time and then grabbed his jacket to leave. Even then Jess hovered at the door a few seconds before he actually dragged himself away. Rory smiled and shook her head. She loved how much he cared, honestly, she did, but there was no need for quite this much panic. At the time when it happened, she was as scared as anybody, but Rory hadn't felt any pains or twinges since then and doubted she would again until the baby decided it was time to be born. That wasn't due to happen for more than three weeks yet.

A knock on the door made her jump then. It couldn't be her mom, unless Michel was exaggerating about Lorelai only just leaving the inn when Jess called. Frowning, Rory levered herself up off the couch and slowly waddled towards the door. She opened it up cautiously and peered out, getting a real surprise when she saw who was stood on the other side.

"Dean? What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"We need to talk."

To Be Continued...