Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Thanks again to those reading and reviewing. You all rock. Just for clarification, none of the events that happen after episode 7x03 happened for this story's purposes, because I started writing it between 7x03 and 7x04. Enjoy!
Chapter 5
A shrill ringing drew Rory out of her comatose-like state. She groaned as she opened her eyes, realizing it was still dark out. She reached out a hand and picked up her phone. She pressed the button to answer it.
"Hello?" She questioned, her voice scratchy from lack of use and her throat aching at the words. She swallowed and cleared her throat.
"Hey, Ace." Logan's voice greeted her pleasantly.
"Logan." Rory said, smiling as she settled back against her pillow. "What time is it?"
"Oh it's about 8 AM here." Logan said.
So it was 3 AM. Rory sighed. Why did they do this? Why didn't they ever just call at a time that was normal for both of them?
"What are you doing up at 8 AM on Sunday?" Rory asked, instead of voicing her annoyance over their poorly timed phone calls.
"Sunday? It's Monday morning, Ace." Logan said, amused. "What, did you sleep through the whole day?"
Rory's eyes widened. She must've fallen asleep when Jess dropped her off on Saturday and slept straight through the next day.
"Yeah." Rory said, "I guess I did. I've been sick."
"You OK now?" Logan asked, concerned.
Rory took a moment to think about that. She felt groggy and her head ached a little, and it hurt a little to swallow.
"Better, I guess." Rory said. "I had a fever, but it's gone."
"I'm sorry, Ace. I wish I could be there to play nurse."
"Yeah?" Rory asked, deliberately straightening her smile when she realized she was thinking about Jess. "You wanna take care of my poor sick self?"
"Of course." Logan said and Rory knew he was smiling. "I can make Campbell's chicken soup with the best of them."
Rory sighed at his words. She hated chicken noodle soup, even though it was a classic "get well soon" food. It probably had to do with the fact that when she was little, Lorelai didn't know that you didn't have to add water and it had never tasted right after that. Logan didn't know that though.
"What else would you do for me?" Rory asked before she could stop herself.
"Well…" Logan said in a deep voice, and Rory had to smile at his attempt to be seductive.
"Logan!" She exclaimed laughingly, cutting him off.
"Well you're better now, right?" Logan asked.
"Yeah." Rory said quietly. If it was Monday morning, Jess was probably back in Philadelphia already. She frowned at the thought, and then frowned because she was frowning at the thought.
"So how's London life?" Rory asked, closing her eyes tiredly.
"Hmm? Oh, no complaints on that field. Some of the people from the company aren't quite the old stiffs my father seems to favor. You'd like English bars."
"I've been there." Rory said. "Irish pubs are better."
Logan laughed. "Can't fight you there. Oh, I've got a meeting, Ace. I hate to cut this short but…"
"It's OK." Rory said. "Go meet!"
"I'll call soon, bye Ace." Logan said, hanging up.
Rory tossed her phone on her bedside table and sighed. Not once in that whole conversation had he used her real name. When had she started counting? She liked her name though. She liked being called Rory now and then. It was a good name. It was hers. It was her. She was Rory.
She sighed and rolled back over on her stomach. Her groggy state was confusing her. She just needed to go back to sleep for a little while. Rory frowned as her eyes closed again. Jess wasn't going to be there when she woke up.
"There's my sleepy girl!" Lorelai said as Rory shuffled into the kitchen. Her hair was messy and sticking up, and she was still in her pajamas.
"You let me sleep through Sunday." Rory accused, plopping down at the table and putting her head in her arms.
"That's not true." Lorelai said, brushing her hand against Rory's head. "I came in every couple hours and woke you up to take your temperature, make sure the fever didn't come back."
Rory lifted her head and blinked at her mom. "And I don't remember this…why?"
Lorelai shrugged. "I dunno. I'm pretty unforgettable."
"Wow, I must've been tired." Rory said, putting her chin in her hands.
"Well if your fever was as high as Jess said it was, that makes sense." Lorelai hesitated before continuing, "He was here yesterday."
"He was?" Rory asked, eyes getting wide. She could feel the smile creeping up her face.
Lorelai nodded, trying really hard to ignore the happiness on Rory's face. "He left mashed potatoes, just in case. He's…different."
"Told ya." Rory agreed. She got up and walked over to the refrigerator. Sure enough, there was a bowl of mashed potatoes covered in cellophane sitting on one of the shelves. She looked at it for a moment with a smile, then closed the fridge and sat back down.
"Well excuse me for having doubts about the rebel without a cause making good. I mean, outside of delightful 1980s cinema, when does that happen?"
"I guess." Rory said. "God, I don't know how I'm gonna make it through classes today."
"Umm, you're not?" Lorelai asked rhetorically. "You still look horrible. You're taking a day off."
"I can't do that!" Rory shook her head. "I've got classes and the paper and…and…a head that feels like it's the size of a genetically enhanced watermelon." She finished, collapsing back on the table.
"You totally wish you had the haunted leg instead, right? It's so much cooler!" Lorelai said. "But watermelon head would be cool too."
"Very cool." Rory agreed. "Ugh, I just want…"
"Jess?" Lorelai asked, trying to make it sound as joking as possible.
Rory didn't respond right away and Lorelai sighed. "Babe, I thought you two were finished after what happened in Philadelphia. Remember? He kissed you; you went 'No, I love Logan!'" Lorelai made her voice high and squeaky as she imitated Rory. "He was like 'I don't deserve this!'" Her voice went ridiculously low and she scowled as she mimicked Jess. "And then you were like-."
"Mom, thank you. I was there." Rory said, shaking her head. "And I do not talk like that."
Lorelai sat, waiting for Rory to respond to the most important part of her teasing.
Rory sighed, "I thought it was done too. And it is, I guess. He…he said something to me when he dropped me off here. He said he just needs to get over it…over me."
Lorelai tilted her head, "…and?"
"And it means he's not over me!" Rory dropped her head in her hands.
"So, the kissing and the "I don't deserve this" didn't tip you off about that?" Lorelai demanded.
Rory mumbled something slightly incoherent and Lorelai stiffened. "What was that? Repeat please."
Rory looked up and said, "What if I'm not over him either?"
Lorelai deflated and sighed. "That's what I thought you said."
"I never even thought about it before." Rory said. "I mean, he kissed me and it was nice, but I just felt so guilty about Logan. And when he came to see me in Hartford, he was so different and his smile just…made me tingly but Logan showed up and it was just always Logan. I didn't think that maybe…Jess."
"Maybe Jess." Lorelai repeated. "Put this on the list of conversations I never thought we'd have."
"That list is getting long." Rory said distractedly, still thinking.
"Can I offer some fabulously wise advice?" Lorelai asked. Rory nodded, placing her chin in her hand and looking at her mom.
"You know how Jess feels about this. He doesn't want to just sit around and wait. So don't make him. Make this decision by yourself. I might have spent a good number of years hating him, but no one deserves to be played with, not even him."
Rory nodded. "I hate that I hurt him. He hurt me so badly, but I still hated seeing that look in his eyes. That pain…I put that there."
Lorelai studied her daughter. She really had no idea how her voice softened and her eyes turned wistful when she spoke of Jess. She really didn't know the affect this was having on her; she really thought she was confused, not in the midst of choosing Jess. Lorelai could see it though, and it was confusing and frightening to her.
"Does this ever get less confusing?" Rory asked with a pout.
Lorelai smiled sympathetically. She reached out and took her daughter's hand. "Nope. It'll help when you don't have watermelon head anymore though. That'll make it a little easier."
"Just a little?"
"This much." Lorelai squeezed her thumb and index finger together so there was a small bit of space between them.
Rory sighed and stood. "I'll take what I can get. I'd better call Paris and tell her I'm not going to be at the paper today."
"Good girl." Lorelai said. "I'll get you some Tylenol and water, and do you want me to heat up the mashed potatoes that Jess brought?"
Rory looked at her mom. "It's ten in the morning."
Lorelai raised an eyebrow and Rory nodded, "Yes, please."