Thanks for the great reviews…keep them coming! This story "Accidents Happen" is based on the wonderful "Gilmore Girls" television series and the amazing characters created by…not me!

Accidents Happen

Chapter Six All in the Families

"What the hell was that, Jess?" Luke asked Jess after they left Rory's room and were out of earshot.

"What the hell was what?" Jess asked, following Luke into the family room.

"Don't you play dumb with me, Jess Mariano. You know damn well that I am talking about that kiss. You kissed Rory? You kissed Rory!"

"So what?"

"So what?" Luke asked, annoyed. "So what!"

"What are you, Luke, a mockingbird? Yeah, so what. I kissed Rory. Big deal."

"It's a huge deal! That kiss wasn't nothing. You didn't just kiss Rory, Jess. You kissed Rory in front of Lorelai! That action spoke volumes. Do you know what you're doing?"

"Damn it, I don't care, Luke! No, that's not it. I do care. I care that I kissed Rory, but I don't care who saw me or what Lorelai might think. I only care about what Rory thinks. This is just going to be between me and Rory. We were talking before and then you and Lorelai came in and I didn't want Rory to forget about what was going on."

"What was going on?" Luke asked.

"I was just starting to tell her how I feel about her. I was going to tell her why I came back. I was going to tell her that I want a second chance. I want chance for us to start over, but the only way I'm going to get that chance is if I can talk to Rory!"

"So, you've been thinking about this a lot," Luke said, smiling.

"I love her, Luke. I feel like I've loved her forever. I've never stopped loving her. And now that Logan is out of the picture, I've got a second chance with her."

"Boy, do I know how that feels," Luke said, smiling. "Substitute Christopher for Logan and you've got me and Lorelai. You've got to do what you got to do, Jess."

"I just need to talk to Rory. I need Rory to talk to me. We need some time together to figure this all out."

"Lorelai Gilmore, where is she? Where's Rory?" Emily Gilmore demanded of her daughter. The Gilmores were coming off the elevator as Lorelai stepped out of the ladies' room in the lobby. "You were so cryptic on the phone. What happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's great, actually. She woke up, Mom, which is exactly what I told you on the phone. How is that cryptic?"

"You most certainly did not tell me she woke up."

"Mom, I'm not going to argue with you about this. Rory is awake now and that's all that matters. She doesn't remember much about the time right before the accident or anything about the accident itself, but she's awake and she's going to be okay."

"She has amnesia?" Richard asked. He had been standing quietly to the side.

"Something like that, I guess," Lorelai said. "She doesn't remember the day of the accident, but she remembers everything else."

"Where is she now?"

"She's in her room."

"What have the doctors said?"

"They're planning on keeping her in the ICU for a day or two before they move her to her own room, just for observation. She has a CAT scan scheduled for later today and the neurologist wants to run some more tests before she puts her into a regular room. The orthopedist said he needs to keep Rory in the hospital until they can take her out of traction, but then she can come home. She'll be in a wheelchair for a while and will probably need physical therapy, but she's going to be okay."

"I'm so glad that she's finally awake. She's given me quite a scare the past few weeks. Can we see her?" Richard asked.

"Soon," Lorelai promised. "In a little while, actually. Christopher and Gigi are in with her now and I want to give them some time alone."

"Christopher? What is Christopher doing here?" Emily asked.

"Hmm. Let's see. He's Rory's dad, Mom. Of course he's here."

"Oh, of course he's here," Emily mimicked sarcastically. "Just like he's been there for Rory throughout her life."

"No. Not here and not now, Mom. Leave it alone. This is a happy day for all of us. Rory's awake and she's going to be okay."

"Emily, Lorelai's right. We'll wait until Christopher's done visiting. Is there someplace we can wait?" Richard asked. "The cafeteria perhaps."

"Sure," Lorelai said. "You can hang with us in the family room. Luke and Sookie have made sure that we've got a ton of food!"

"Us?" Emily said. "Who else is here?"

Emily and Richard followed Lorelai down the hall to the family room. Luke and Jess quickly rose to greet Lorelai's parents.

"Jess. What are you doing here?" Emily asked, shocked to see him.

"Mom, Rory was asking for Jess. Jess helped Rory wake up."

"It's no big deal," Jess said.

"It is a big deal, Jess," Lorelai said firmly. "You got Rory to respond to you and she woke up. She asked for you and you came. You did it for her. You guys have some unfinished business and I am going to let you both work on that. Jess, I owe you everything. You brought my daughter back to me. Thank you."

Lorelai pulled Jess into a hug and as Jess was getting used to it, he didn't even flinch.

Christopher and Gigi came into the family room to see Lorelai hugging Jess.

"I'm not even going to ask," Christopher said as Lorelai brushed tears from her eyes. He didn't want to know why Luke's no-good nephew was there.

"Christopher. How is she? How is Rory doing?" Richard asked Christopher.

"She's okay. Very groggy, but she's awake and talking. We need to get going. I've got to get Gigi home. Lore, call me if there are any changes."

"Of course. Bye, Chris."

"We're going in to see Rory now," Emily said, still eyeing Jess suspiciously. She didn't trust that boy. He had hurt Rory once and she knew that, given the opportunity, he would hurt her again.

"Good," Lorelai said, smiling at her mother, trying not to grit her teeth. "I'll come by in a little while and join you."

"We don't need a chaperone, Lorelai. We won't do anything to hurt our granddaughter," she said pointedly with a sidelong glance to Jess.

"I know that. Humor me, okay?"

"Sorry about them," Lorelai said as soon as her parents left.

"It's okay. I haven't given much reason for them to trust me," Jess said.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Jess. You've got one. And you've more than earned this one!"