Rory sighed as she paced around the living room looking at all of Tristan's stuff and wondering what she was going to do. Tristan wasn't off work until midnight and she was done with her article. Deciding that she was going to slowly go crazy if she didn't do something, she thought a nice bath might help her relax. She ran her water and slipped into the tub. It wasn't much later that she heard footsteps. Sitting up, she wondered who it could be. Tristan wasn't supposed to be back yet.
"Ror?" She let out a sigh of relief as Tristan's voice found its way into the bathroom.
"Taking a bath!" She yelled. "What are you doing home?" She asked as he opened the door and peered around it.
"I got someone to cover the rest of my shift." He said with a smile as he entered the room.
"Is anyone going to die because you are here?" She asked.
"Have you unpacked the last of your boxes yet?" Tristan asked.
"Touché." She muttered slowly. "But it's only been a couple weeks."
"A month."
"Fine, a month. But you should forget that and join me, I just got in, the water is still hot."
"I don't take bubble baths." He said.
"What do you mean, you don't take bubble baths?"
"I'm a guy, we don't take bubble baths." He was being kind of moody, a trait she rarely saw from him, so she let it go.
"Then you can just sit here and watch me enjoy my bath." She said. He nodded as he sat down on the toilet. "How was your shift?" Tristan shrugged.
"It was good. Troy and Sarah are still together."
"That's a good thing." She said with a smile.
"I don't know. Sarah's not doing well." Rory caught the flash of emotion cross Tristan's countenance before he quickly changed the subject. "How was your night?" He asked.
"It was fine." He didn't buy it. "I was bored." She caved as Tristan smiled. "Hence the bath."
"You were bored, so you were going to sit in hot water?" He raised his eyebrow.
"I could've found a way to entertain myself." She said. Tristan thought about that answer for about three seconds before he looked at her again.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" He said, surprised. She rolled her eyes.
"You do realize that not everyone has a one-track mind like you do, right?"
"I've heard rumors." He shrugged.
"And yet you passed up the opportunity to get naked with your girlfriend." She tsked. "You must be coming down with something." He laughed. "Hand me a towel?" She asked as she stood up. The water was dripping down her body, causing the bubbles that were sticking to her skin to slowly dissolve. They slid down her skin and fell back into the tub. Tristan's eyes went black as he scanned her wet and naked body. One look in his eyes and she knew that she was not getting that towel. He wrapped his arm around her waist and plucked her out of the tub.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a squeal as her body soaked through Tristan's clothes.
"Correcting the situation." He said as she laughed.
OOOOO
"I know it's soon, but Mom's adamant. She's getting married in December. Well she wants snow." Rory said into her phone. Tristan walked through the front door and saw his girlfriend covered in files and pads of paper. She had a pencil stuck through her hair and a pen in her hand and she looked like she had been there a while. Chuckling to himself, he set down his bag and walked over to the couch. He loved the fact that he got to come home to her every day. It made his day twenty times better just seeing her face when he walked through the door. Giving her a quiet kiss on the top of her head, he walked back into the bedroom to take a shower and change. He was on ER duty today and wanted nothing more than to collapse.
After his shower, he threw on an old pair of sweats and a t-shirt and went back into the living room to find Rory.
"Hey," she said as he emerged from the hallway. "How was your day?"
"Long, how was yours?" He asked as he sat down next to her.
"Busy. I had no idea planning a wedding took this much work!" He smiled.
"How is your mom holding up?"
"Pretty good. She wants to just elope, but because it's her first marriage, that's not an option. I'm not allowing it."
"Good for you." He yawned. "I was thinking of ordering Chinese for dinner, what do you think?"
"Sounds perfect." She examined his face and put her hand on his face. "Are you okay?" He nodded.
"I'm fine, just a little tired." He said.
"You're pale." She said. "And clammy. Are you sure you feel okay?"
"I'm a doctor. I would know if I were getting sick." He said with a smile. "But thank you for your concern."
OOOOO
Two hours later, Tristan was horizontal on the couch, thermometer in his mouth and covered in a blanket.
"102." Rory said as she took the thermometer out of his mouth.
"How is that possible? I was feeling just fine when I got home from work." Rory shrugged.
"Can I get you anything?" He sighed, knowing the right answer to give, but hating to say it.
"Some water? I should stay hydrated."
"Okay, I'll be right back." He sighed. If there was anything he hated more than being sick, it was being wrong about being sick. He grabbed the remote and flipped to ESPN. "Here you go," Rory handed him a bottle of water and some ibuprofen.
"Thanks." He said as he followed the pills with a long swig of water.
"You're welcome." She said. She settled into the chair next to him and picked up her latest book. A chapter later, Tristan got up from the couch and ran into the bathroom. Rory sighed. She couldn't help him with that. Vomit made her throw up just as much as the person who was sick. She walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Puking." Tristan said before quickly throwing up again. She waited outside the door until she heard him washing his face.
"Come on," she said, "I'll set you up in the bedroom." He shook his head.
"The couch is better." He said. "You can have the bedroom."
"I am not getting sick." She said. "The sheets I can wash, the couch I cannot." She said as she steered him towards the bed. She helped him get tucked in and she turned on the TV to ESPN again. "TV. Check. Garbage can, check." She said as she moved it to his side of the bed. "I'll bring you some clear soda, it will help settle your stomach." He closed his eyes and nodded.
"Ror?" He said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." She smiled.
"You're welcome. Now go to sleep." She said as she turned off the light. He did just as he was told.
OOOOO
"And he's up." Rory said as Tristan walked into the kitchen the next morning. "Feeling better?" She asked.
"Not really." He said. "There's just nothing left to throw up." He muttered as he took out some more soda from the fridge.
"I'm sorry." She said. "How's the fever?"
"101." He said as left again. She couldn't help but chuckle at his situation. He was clearly sicker than he realized because Rory was standing in the kitchen, wearing only a t-shirt of his and he didn't even notice. She blamed the fever, he was obviously delusional. Grabbing an ice pack out of the freezer, Rory wrapped it in a towel and followed Tristan back to the bedroom.
"Here," She said. "Put this on your forehead, it'll help." He took the bag from her and noticed her attire.
"Damn, you look hot." He muttered as he settled back into bed. "Remind me when I can see straight again that I want to have sex with you like that." She smiled.
"Whatever you say dear." She said sweetly. "Are you drinking your water?" She asked as she noticed the bottle on the bedside table.
"Yes." He said, as if he were a patient.
"Good. I'll bring you some more." She said. "And maybe some crackers?" She asked, hopeful. Tristan shook his head.
"Too much, too soon." He groaned at the thought of eating anything.
"Fine, but tell me when you think you can eat again." She said. "I don't want you wasting away." She started rifling through the closet for something to wear.
"No," he groaned. "Stay like that forever."
"I've got an interview with Mike Levrett today at UCONN. I could stay like this but…" She started getting dressed.
"As in the expected number one draft pick and part time model for the NCAA?"
"Maybe?" She said, not really knowing the answer.
"Why are you interviewing him? Isn't that the sports writer's job." Rory glared at him. "Oh, like that's insulting? Do you even know what a ground rule double is?" He asked, his sickness eliminating any filter he would usually put in between his brain and mouth.
"No." She shook her head. "But that's not the point. He's started a charity and it's a human interest piece."
"As in humans are interested in his batting average and supermodel looks."
"This is a big story, could we at least try to be helpful, especially after I just took care of you when you were all sick and whiny, please?" She asked as she slipped on another earring.
"Okay fine." He said. "But don't let him try and charm you with his un-diseased, perfect ten, collegiate body."
"When I have you at home?" She smiled sweetly. "I wouldn't dare think of it."
"I'm serious."
"No, you're delusional and you're taking it out on me." She said with a smile. "But I love you, so it's okay. And because I'm such an amazing girlfriend, I'm going to forget that you mentioned anything."
"That's probably for the best." He said as he watched her apply some lipstick in the mirror.
"Okay, I love you, I'll be back in a couple of hours. If you need anything, my cell phone will be on, please call it. If I don't answer, it's only because I'm having hot, hot college sex with a future member of the Red Sox." She said as she dabbed the corner of her mouth, fixing a smudge.
"Not funny!" He shouted as he heard her leave the apartment.
OOOOO
Rory came home a few hours later with some chicken soup for Tristan. She was surprised to see the top of his head sticking over the top of the chair in the living room.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked as she took off her coat. "I brought you some soup." When he didn't answer, she looked over at him. "Is everything okay?" She asked. When she came around to look at him, she noticed that his eyes were bloodshot.
"I called in sick to work. They told me that Sarah died during surgery this morning." Rory's heart fell to her stomach.
"Oh Tris…" She sat down on the arm of the chair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close. "I'm so sorry."
"She was sick." He shrugged. "There wasn't anything that we could have done."
"That doesn't make it hurt any less." She sighed. "Her poor family. And Troy? I can't imagine." Tristan pushed her off his leg and stood up. "Tris, talk to me." She commanded.
"There's nothing to say." He said as he grabbed his glass of the coffee table and started to walk away.
"And if there were something to say?" She implied. "What happened to talking about these things with me?" She asked as she followed him into the kitchen. He threw his arms out, frustrated with her nagging.
"Can we not do this now, please?" He begged as he turned around. Rory couldn't reply because she was too busy staring at the glass of ice in his hand.
"Tristan." He followed her gaze to his hand.
"Oh my God, you think I'm fucking drinking? It's Sprite!" He said as he threw the glass into the sink. Rory flinched as it shattered against the silver basin of the sink.
OOOOO
"I'm sorry." She said as she crept her way into bed that night. He just watched as she sat down at his bedside. "I'm sorry that your favorite patient died, I'm sorry that you feel like you can't talk to me about it, I'm sorry that I freaked out and mostly I'm sorry that you don't have plastic glasses." He couldn't fight the brief smile that appeared at her joke. "Can you forgive me?"
"Always." He said as he raised his arm so she could settle in next to him.
"Thank you." She was just about to fall asleep when Tristan whispered against the top of her hair.
"I know that I can talk to you about anything. And someday I will. Just not right now." She nodded.
"I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her temple and settled in, ready for sleep.
OOOOO
Rory sat in the waiting room patiently waiting for Tristan to get off of work. They were supposed to be going to Stars Hollow for the weekend, but of course, he was running late.
"Are you waiting for someone?" The lady next to her asked. Rory smiled and shook her head.
"My boyfriend's a doctor here, and running late."
"What's his name? I know them all. My daughter used to be a patient here."
"Tristan, Dr. DuGray." She corrected herself. She still couldn't get used to saying that. The lady got a knowing look on her face.
"I thought it was you." She said with a sad smile. "You're the spitting image of my Sarah." Rory looked confused.
"You're Sarah's mom?" Rory asked. The woman nodded.
"Dr. DuGray told us that his girlfriend had the same big blue eyes that she could use to get whatever she wanted. And then he preceded to teach her how to use them." Rory laughed.
"Did it work?"
"She got everything she asked for."
"That's Tristan. Always using his powers for evil." Rory shook her head at his mischievous antics.
"Not always." The woman said with a smile. "He was the best thing that ever happened to Sarah in this hospital."
"He was devastated when she died."
"He talked to me about it, after the funeral." She reached into her purse and pulled out a photo. "Will you give him this?" Rory reached out for the photo. It was Tristan, with Troy and Sarah. Rory was taken aback at how similar she and Sarah looked. She did have the same eyes, but also the same nose, mouth and Rory was pretty certain that there used to be the same brown hair.
"I want him to have it." She said, breaking Rory out of her analysis of the photo.
"You should give it to him. He would want to talk to you. I'm sure he won't be much longer." She shook her head.
"I've spent too much time in this hospital as it is." She smiled. "You've got a good man. Don't let him go."
"I won't."
"Good." She nodded as she stood up. "It was nice meeting you." Rory added as she began to walk away.
"Bye now." Rory sat and stared at the picture in front of her and remembered that first meeting with Gigi. How could someone be so open with kids, with dying patients, but find it so difficult to talk to his own girlfriend about the issues that really mattered?
"I know, I know, I'm a half an hour late." Tristan said as he walked up to her. He knew that she would be upset. Things had been rough with them lately and Tristan didn't want to do anything else to provoke a fight. Rory stood up and gave him a kiss that was full of appreciation. He pulled away and looked at her curiously. "What was that for?"
"For being you." She handed him the picture in her hand. "This is for you." She said as she wrapped her arm around his and took his bag from him.
"Where did you get this?" He asked.
"Sarah's mom. Come on, we'll talk in the car." She smiled.