Chapter Seven

They had been driving for two hours when the update came in from the hospital. "It's Mom." Rory announced, her voice cracking.

"Put it on speaker." Jess mumbled, without taking his eyes away from the road.

"Hello?" She answered the phone, nervously.

"Hey, Rory. It's Sookie. Your mom asked me to call you. She's with Luke, but she wanted to make sure you knew that he's going to be okay."

"Sookie, what happened?"

"He was restocking the shelves in the store room at the diner. He must have fallen off the ladder and knocked himself out. Cesar found him. He's awake now, but he did break his arm, and he has a concussion. They're keeping him overnight to keep an eye on him."

Jess shook his head, being able to visualize the entire accident in his head. "Tell him we're on our way." Jess said, knowing how much Luke would hate all of the attention he was undoubtedly receiving.

"Who's that?" Sookie asked, not realizing that she was on the speakerphone.

"It's Jess, Sookie. We're riding back together. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Oh, that's right. You're mom said that since we know that Luke is going to be okay, maybe you should go to the house for the night. She's staying here, of course, but Luke will be resting and all..." Her voice trailed off.

"Ok, if she's sure that she won't need us."

"Everything is going to be fine," Sookie reassured her. "I'm so glad you're coming home. Don't leave without stopping by. We miss our little Godmother Rory."

"See you soon. Thanks for calling, Sookie."

Jess smirked. "Godmother Rory?"

"Yeah, what about it." She asked, defensively.

"Oh, nothing," He laughed. "I'm just picturing you with a wand and wings, that's all."

"I'm not a fairy godmother." She smiled and punched his arm, finally letting go of the stress she had been holding onto since leaving Philadelphia. "I'm so glad that Luke is okay."

"Me too. I wish we had known that 2 hours ago, but I'm glad he's okay." She reached over and took his hand, locking her fingers with his.

"I promise that Stars Hollow won't be as bad as what you're imagining." She assured him, squeezing his hand.

"Really? Short of getting rid of every single person that lives there, how exactly do you plan on fulfilling that promise?"

"Don't you worry, Mariano. I've got my ways. For starters, I'll have Kirk print a t-shirt that says Leave Jess Alone."

"Yeah, that'll work." He scoffed. "I'll never get a fair chance in that town. Nevermind that people change. I'll always be the guy that broke your heart over and over again." He stopped himself, pulling his hand away.

"I would change that if I could." She whispered beneath her breath.

"So would I." He admitted.

Jess pulled the car into the parking lot at the hospital and shut off the engine. He had heard Sookie relay Lorelai's request that they just go to the house, and that everything would be fine, but he had to see with his own eyes.

Not wanting to wake Rory, he quietly slid out of the car and closed the door. He quickly made his way inside, asked the front desk volunteer for the room number and made his way to Luke's room. Peering in the window of the closed door, he could make out Lorelai sleeping in the chair beside Luke's bed.

Despite his best efforts, she woke up as he pushed open the door. "Jess? What are..." She jumped up from the chair and met him halfway across the room. He looked over at the bed, seeing Luke lying there, hooked to an IV and monitors blinking out his vital signs.

Lorelai pointed to the hallway, and pushed him gently back towards the door. "He's going to be alright, Jess. Where's Rory?"

"She's in the car. She fell asleep a little while ago. I didn't want to wake her. Sookie said he has a concussion," His voice cracked. "Is it okay that he's sleeping? Aren't you supposed to keep him awake?"

"It's okay, Jess. He was coherent before he fell asleep. The doctor said he would be fine," She looked back into the dark room, as if trying to convince herself that he would truly be okay. "Look, there's not a whole lot that you can do here tonight. Why don't you take Rory back to the house. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe you should take Rory home. I'll stay here, and I'll call you if there's any change." Lorelai protested weakly, but he finally convinced her that sleeping in the chair all night was not a wise decision.

He walked her to the car, where Rory slept, and handed her the keys. "So, you're the reason that my daughter didn't come home for Christmas."

He shook his head. "I didn't have anything to do with it. She came to see me all on her own."

"Well anyway, thank you for bringing her home, Jess." She climbed into the car, and put the window down. "Call me if there's any change."

He nodded and watched as the tail lights of the car until they disappeared.

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