Author: Meagan Musick

Title: Change in the life of Gilmore

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, nor do I own the characters.

Rory's POV

It had been a few days since the incident with Tristan, mostly because I hadn't gone back to school yet. Luke had called Chilton letting them know I was unable to attend and they seemed disinterested in me now, but oh well. That's life.

I walked into the diner and Luke nodded in my general direction, but I know he was saying hello. I took a seat at the counter and took a drink from the fresh coffee he had just sat down for me. "When are you going back to school kid?"

I looked up at him with my Bambi eyes and shrugged my shoulders. "I cant stand it there. Like I just feel restrained."

"Well it is school Ror, and you have to go back sometime... your mom wouldn't want you missing school and you know that just as well as I do."

I knew he was right but I didn't care. My mother, my best friend was in the hospital possibly dying! I continued to drink the coffee ignoring his statement for now and gazed at the menu, choosing carefully not to order me and mom would order. "Just a tuna melt today Luke."

"No fries on the side?" He asked surprised.

I just shook my head and slid the menu away from me.

Luke stopped in front of me as if wanting to say something and finally he did. "My nephew Jess is coming into town later this evening and he's going to be staying here a while, just to let you know." (AN: this is jess's first appearance in my version)

"Oh really? Well maybe I could show him around the town tomorrow a bit, give me something to do you know." I offered.

He stood there pondering it then nodded. "I think that might be a good idea."

Next day at Chilton

I had gone most the day without running into Tristan, and yet I wasn't even avoiding him. Lunch time came around and I had contemplated leaving school once again and heading to the hospital to see my mom. I knew I shouldn't, and she would want me to stay in school, but I needed her so badly right now. I took my tray of food over to an empty table and sat with a book propped open next to me. It's not like I could actually concentrate on books or words anymore, but it offered quiet time for myself.

"Hey." I looked up from my book, surprised to see Paris standing there.

"Oh hey Paris. So what are you up to?"

"I just wanted to say that im sorry about your mother. I heard about the accident and I know you two are very close so you must be overwhelmed and devastated."

I nodded slowly, hating the subject she chose to approach me with. "Thanks, that means a lot." And then she just walked off, but its not like I expected a hug or anything. What I didn't expect was to see Tristan standing so close, probably having heard everything just said. "Oh hey Tristan..."

"So it was your mother you were seeing at the hospital." I knew it was a statement, rather than a question and that's when I felt my body shake with sobs and my barrier crumble.

Then I felt Tristan pull me up into his arms and carry me out of the cafeteria. I couldn't even form complete phrases to tell him to put me down. But mostly I was thankful for his rescue. I just clamped my eyes firmly shut until I felt that I was being sat down. I opened my eyes and took In my surroundings. We were obviously in Tristan's car, next question would be where are we going?

"H-hey Tristan... where are you g-gonna take me?" I was still shaken up. I had been so mentally unprepared for someone to bring up my mother outside of stars hollow.

His hand reached over and smoothed my hair out of my face. "Where should I take you? Do you want to go home?" I shook my head, knowing Luke would be disappointed if I left school again early. "Well then I can take us to my house for a bit."

The ride was silent, except for a few sobs from me occasionally and sniffles. Finally the car came to a stop in front of this huge house, well mansion. "Is this where you live?"

"Yeah this is where I live." He seemed disappointed when he had to admit that. He came around and opened my door. "Come on Mary, can't stay in the car all day."

I gratefully took his help out of the car and walked up the stone staircase to his house. I was led through what looked like a small maze of hallways and doors before we finally got to what he announced as his room. It wasn't very big, and it was messy, but it felt very comfortable and lived in. Without even asking I sank down onto his bed, the memory foam mattress enveloped my body in its comfort. "Wow, your bed is really comfortable."

He just looked at me. "Are you going to avoid the subject of your mother then?"

I gave out a heavy sigh. "I just don't know what to say. She's in a coma and she probably won't come out of it." I knew my words sounded like I didn't care, but I wasnt good at this subject. "I miss her all the time, and its hard to concentrate if im anywhere but the hospital. I feel like im missing out on all this time with her, so I should at least be able to sit in that chair next to her hospital bed."

"That's understandable. I didn't know just exactly how closed you were but I know you must feel like close to dying without her the way you broke apart in the cafeteria earlier." I looked up into his blue eyes and they finally showed honesty in them.

"I do. And the only thing I think is why did she have to save me..."

Flashback

"I don't think that counts as being adventurous mom." I explained to her through heavy laughter.

"Why not? We drove all the way to Hartford for this ice cream." She was waving animatedly at the contained of ice cream she held in her hand.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Yeah but it's the same ice cream shop we go to everytime we're in Hartford. Adventurous would be going to a whole new place and trying different flavors."

"Yeah well who made you queen of late night adventures. Besides it was the only place open until 11 p.m."

We each continued to laugh as we dug into our ice cream. And that's when I heard her gasp and yank the steering wheel. A truck was speeding right into our direction, and it would have hit my side if she had continued to turn. But instead, she yanked into another direction so that it clipped her side of the car.

End Flashback

"What do you mean she saved you?" He sat down next to me on the bed.

"The drunk driver in the truck was speeding and was going to hit the passenger, me, but instead she turned the car so that it hit her side... and in the process threw her out of the jeep. She has internal bleeding and something wrong with her brain activity. I don't understand the medical jargon they throw at me." I looked down at my hands, fidgeting with my thumbs. "I obviously got away with minor scrapes, nothing too serious." Tears rolled down my cheek and I felt his warm hand wipe them away. "She could have lived and had another daughter, but who is supposed to replace my mother?! Nobody will ever be able to replace her!!"

"I'm pretty sure your mom was thinking the same thing about you, that nobody would ever be able to replace you in her life and you could still go on and experience the things you still need to experience."

I looked up at him, and for some reason his eyes on mine felt like he was sending shocks through my body. "That sounds exactly like something she would say."

He shrugged his shoulders and lightly placed his hands on mine to calm the fidgeting. "Im no expert in the family department, nor the comforting, but everything happens for a reason and I know it seems shitty as hell right now, but just wait it out okay?"

"Thanks. And no offence but I never really thought I would get such a calm feeling after talking to you of all people about this."

I held back my tears and did something that I wasn't too sure of. But that's how I was going to live from now on. I'll take my chances before they get taken away from me. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, and I didn't know what he was thinking, but I knew that it felt amazing to me.

To be continued...

R/R please!!!