A/N: Go Ellie! Ellie wrote this because well, I don't know, she just did. Anyway, this is take two of chapter 17 and is much better than the take one. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We own some people…Haha, that's cool. We own people Elle!
On with the story…
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Chapter 17: So What If Big Girls Don't Cry is Fergie?
Nobody's POV
Rory held tight to Jess. An hour. They had been sitting for an hour, and there still wasn't word. She looked over at her mother. Her mother and Tabitha were sitting at the small kitchen table. They were playing slapjack and Rory couldn't help but smile. Her mother was still a little girl at heart. Taking Jess's left hand she played with his fingers. Luke would be the man that could do Lorelai justice. He could hold her when she cried. He could do it all. Maybe—Rory thought—he's Superman?
"Lorelai? Rory? Je—" Luke questioned busting through the door.
"We're fine Luke," Lorelai said standing and walking to him. Yeah, Rory thought, they fit perfectly. Lorelai hugged Luke and smiled confidently.
"I heard th—" Luke said as the sound of a gunshot and many more followed him. He looked to Tabitha. She jumped from the table and laid herself flat against the floor. Every person in the room looked from one to another. Jess pulled Rory to the floor at warp speed as Luke did with Lorelai. The men covered the two Gilmore girls as shots rendered closer to the diner. Tabitha started to breath loudly in the silence as she crawled closer to Jess. He pulled her close to him and Rory. Rory shifted to move the pain in her arm.
"Sorry," Jess muttered as Rory shook her head. Screams were emitted from the diner when glass was heard breaking.
"Oh my God," Lorelai whispered as Luke pulled her closer to his chest.
"WHERE IS SHE?" Dean's voice boomed from downstairs. Jess and Luke met their eyes.
"The bathroom," Tabitha said in her freak out. They all nodded and crawled to the bathroom. Jess signaled to Luke. He opened the door as Luke pushed the woman in. Quickly running in himself Jess locked the door.
"Think he heard us?" Lorelai muttered lowering herself in the bathtub, pulling Rory and Tabitha into a protective embrace. Luke shrugged removing his hat and throwing it on the counter. He leant his long lean muscular body against the counter as Jess sat on the edge of the tub.
"Jess," Rory squeaked. Jess turned and found Rory's arms outstretched. He squished in the tub as a creak in wood was heard. Every movement stopped as a couple more creaks followed. Breathing hard Rory fought tears as a noise was heard. It sounded like a chair scrapping the floor. She looked at Jess who pulled her under his chin. Before she could look shots were fired and all she could remember seeing was red…
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"Kyle? Boy where the hell did you go?" Tom yelled looking, running through the town square.
"Here," a labored breath whispered. Turning around Tom saw Kyle sitting next to the gazebo holding his arm.
"Where did you get hit?" Tom asked crouching by the boy he'd held under his wing for the last year.
"My left shoulder. It's a through and through though," Kyle admitted as Tom reached for it. Kyle moved his right hand and Tom gasped. It certainly was a through and through, but no matter how many times he had seen a bad bullet wound—he still cringed. The bullet was lodged into the side of the gazebo. Hearing whistles Tom held to Kyle.
"Come on boy, hold on, don't die on me," he said as Kyle's pulse grew weaker, his face paler, his voice frail.
"Tom, tell Maria I love her," he said as he went limp. Tom let out a cry and felt for a pulse. There was still one very weak one. But it was there, Tom kept telling himself.
"You'll tell her," Tom said as Maria Hunter ran to them. She bent with her EMT bag.
"What happened, dad?" She asked her father as Tom let his eldest daughter take over.
"He was shot through and through, left shoulder," Tom said watching his daughter fight crying over Kyle and working to save him.
"Oh thank God," she muttered.
"What?" Tom asked bending over her.
She pointed to a rip in his bullet vest, "This save him from dieing. It didn't hit the artery," she said. Tom nodded as three more men dressed in blue helped Maria load Kyle onto a stretcher. Tom looked back as he saw the diner. All of the windows were smashed and two people were being brought out on stretchers. That's were I left them, he thought and hustled at a run to get there.
"What happened?" Tom asked as they loaded the two stretchers. Both feet were in front of him and Tom couldn't see the people on the stretchers.
"Two males, one dead, one on his way," an EMT said as they pulled away. Tom ran a hand through his hair.
"Tommy," a female voice muttered as Tom turned. Tabitha sat in a horrid pile of sadness. She wasn't crying which blew Tom's mind. But he needed to help her, so he walked to her.
"What babe?" He asked and she just shook.
"I need to go home," she said and Tom nodded.
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Rory sat with her mother in the bouncing ambulance. Lorelai held Luke's hand as Jess sat on the other side of him. Rory's eyes flicked to the ambulance without lights behind them. There were three ambulances. One carried Kyle—that was the first one, the second one they were in carried Luke, and the third without lights carried the deceased Dean Odin Forrester.
Her skin crawled as they got to the hospital. She watched them unload Luke as Lorelai and Jess ran after him. She didn't have the energy. So instead she sat on the bench by the ambulance loading area. Closing her eyes she took in a breath.
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"That was so not Avril Lavigne, plus Tommy, since when do you listen to Avril Lavigne?" Tabitha asked as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
"Complicated was her, so what if Big Girls Don't Cry was Fergie?" Tom laughed and parked. Listening to the engine die they both looked to the hospital.
"You have to say good bye," he said as Tabitha looked to her hands.
"But dad, what if I can't," Tabitha said as Tommy laughed.
"Since when do you call me dad?" Tabitha shook her shoulders and looked back at the hospital.
"Since I need you," she admitted as Tom rested a comforting hand on his youngest daughters shoulder.
"I need you too babe, but your mother won't let me see you," he said recalling his stupid mistakes. Thomas Martin had been married years ago—to Maria's mother Samantha. When Samantha took Maria to NYC he followed for visitation. That's when he met Tabitha and Madison's mother. He married her and had Tabitha. But Madison has a different father. Recalling his past in short blurts Tom looked at Tabitha.
"We can do this," they said taking deep breaths and opening the doors.
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Rory sat on that bench. Her arm ached but she didn't feel anything. Luke was hurt, Dean was dead, and it was all her fault she added.
"Hey, where's everyone?" Tabitha asked as she and Tom came up from the parking lot.
"Inside," Rory said staring back at her shoes. Tabitha sat down next to her and pulled Rory in from her side.
"What's wrong?" Tabitha cooed as Rory shook her head.
"It's all my fault," she said as Tom stood a little ways away.
"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore this is not your fault, he was a sick SOB and he deserved what he got," Tabby said as Rory cried.
"What about Luke? Huh, yeah that's what I thought?" Rory said laughing humorlessly.
"What about Luke?"
"He could die because he had to protect me!" Rory expressed flailing her arm up.
"He didn't have to protect you," Tabitha hissed as Tom cringed. He had never been there for her.
"But he did," Rory sighed. Tabitha bit her anger and kissed Rory's forehead.
"I know honey, but don't feel guilty," Tabitha said and stood. She put her hands in her front pockets and walked to her dad. She stood next to him. They looked like each other. Tabitha had been the one to get his looks, like Maria looked like her mother.
"I have to stay," she said.
"I know honey, and I'm proud of you," Tom said and turned, leaving Tabitha to wipe away the first tear she had shed. Afraid of letting her guard down, Tabitha wiped it off and turned to bring Rory inside.
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"Miss. Gilmore," a male doctor said as Lorelai stood.
"Yes?"
"Are you family to Lucas Danes?"
"No, but just tell me how he is," Lorelai said deflating. The doctor nodded. Tabitha, Rory and Tom walked to Rory to lend support. Rory grabbed her mother's arm and braced her small delicate frame.
"I'm Dr. Shepard and I've been working with Lucas," he started. "The bullet shot through Lucas's left leg. I prescribed him some pain medication and I'd like for him to stay for a while. I want to work through this and get him some physical therapy. He will be able to use crutches, but his leg will be stiff after the next two months," he said and Lorelai nodded.
"But he will walk again?" Jess blurted as the doctor nodded.
"Yes, you may go see him now," the doctor said and Lorelai followed as Rory, Jess, and Tabitha all feel down with a content sigh.
"Want gum?" Tom asked as Rory and Tabitha nodded. All four of them sat staring at a blank wall—he was alright.
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Lorelai walked into the hospital room. Luke sat smiling as Lorelai smirked and slipped into the chair next to the bed. Luke smiled and reached for Lorelai's hand. She gulped and lifted her head.
"It's okay to cry in here," Luke whispered. Rain started to putter on the windowsill as Lorelai nodded and let the tears spit out sporadically. She held tight to Luke's hand.
"I thought we lost you, and I can't lose you," she said and bent her head and laid it on his hand. "Oh God, I can't lose you," she muttered more.
"It's okay, you didn't," Luke said and rubbed her back.
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A/N: Amazing job Ellie! God, I felt bad when you had to rewrite this, but this one is so much better! I love you! Reviews are love so press the pretty little button!
A/N: Thank you, thank you! Ellie takes a bow