Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 69

Jess and Natalie took a honeymoon to a little cabin in Vermont and spent a week enjoying their newfound status as husband and wife. Truth be told, Jess didn't care much about dropping a ton of money for a luxurious vacation when the two likely wouldn't find much time to be outside of the bedroom.

Natalie made it clear she had no qualms about the plans he made. She was happy to be with her husband— wow, he was now a husband!— and be able to explore this new side of their relationship. Since everything between the two of them had progressed so fast, a physical relationship never came before the rings were placed on one another's fingers.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Mariano returned home, they decided to consolidate into Natalie's residence. Jess was also added to Natalie's bank accounts and Jess closed his out. The couple had made it clear that, because they were now husband and wife, there would no longer be anything known as 'mine' or 'yours' but everything would be 'ours'.

Settling into married life, Jess thoroughly enjoyed looking at his left hand and seeing a ring encasing his third finger. A few pictures of Natalie found their way onto his desk. He also encouraged her to call him at work anytime she wanted, whether it was important or not. In all facets of his life, Jess wanted his wife to be ingrained. She deserved to know the whole truth, no matter what area of his life they were discussing. He never kept anything back, whether he feared it would hurt her or not; it only changed how he approached the topic.

That, Jess felt, was the only way a marriage would succeed. And he desperately wanted this marriage to succeed.

*****

Rory was pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair pushed by Logan. She had a sense of déjà vu of when she wheeled Logan out of the hospital after his accident in Costa Rica.

Looking back over the last few days, Rory knew she needed to take it easy for a while. The doctor said he wasn't entirely sure of the cause of her loss of consciousness. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed but there were no signs as to why. He supposed it could be a sudden onset of eclampsia but Rory's medical history gave no indication as to pre-eclampsia...or any other red flags, for that matter.

The doctor had processed her release this morning with strict instructions to do less than the bare minimum. Logan ensured that Rory would find her way to bed and would stay put until a doctor said she was cleared to begin easing into normal activities. He also called and scheduled a follow up appointment with Rory's OB for the following week so that they could, hopefully, stay on top of whatever was going on.

The wheelchair coming to a stop beside the passenger side of his SUV, Logan helped Rory into the front seat and gingerly closed the door. She watched as he rushed around and climbed into the driver's seat and slowly eased toward the main road up ahead. As he merged into traffic, Rory could tell he planned to drive well below the speed limit.

Laughing, Rory placed her hand on Logan's forearm. "You can drive normal. Well, maybe not your normal but the speed limit would be fine."

Logan smiled, though the concern never left his eyes. "I'd rather be safe than sorry. I seem to remember a certain girl who took every single precaution when I was injured. And this," he gestured toward Rory and the baby, "is much more important than I was. Than I am, for that matter."

Knowing that they wouldn't be arriving home for quite some time, Rory leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She had hoped to get in a cat nap in but she couldn't stop thinking about her grandfather. Her interaction with him while she was unconscious felt much more vivid than a dream. She could still feel the hugs, smell the cologne, hear his laugh as they'd been. For lack of a better way to categorize it, though, she reduced it to a dream even though it was a drastically inadequate way to describe it.

Rory hadn't told anyone about what she had seen. Part of her was worried she's be thought of as crazy, especially given the exchange between herself and Richard. Knowing that talking about things was the best way to work through them, though, she turned to Logan and broached the subject.

"Logan, do you remember anything from when you were unconscious after your accident?"

"What do you mean?"

"While you were out, did you have any...dreams...or anything?"

"If I did, I couldn't tell you. That accident happened over ten years ago, Ace."

Rory deflated a little. "Okay. I was just curious."

Logan glanced at her a couple times, then reached his hand toward hers. "Something happen to you while you were unconscious?"

"I don't know. I had a...I don't think it was a dream but I'm not sure what else it could have been. But I had a dream about my grandpa. He was alive and in the Hartford house. It's like he was waiting for me, like he knew I'd passed out and was coming to soothe my worry until I came to."

Logan's head tilted. "Maybe it was more than a dream. Maybe Richard really met you while you were in limbo."

Rory gasped. "Limbo! That's what he said, that it seemed I was in limbo!"

"What else did he say?"

A tear slid down her cheek as Rory recalled the rest of the conversation. "He said he missed me and Mom. That he missed Grandma terribly. He told me he was honored to be a part of my life."

Logan squeezed her hand as he stole another look at her. "He should be. You're an amazing woman."

The two drove in silence for several miles before Logan asked a question. "Are you planning to tell your mom or grandma about it?"

"Do you think they'll think I'm crazy or that I'm making a big deal out of a dream?"

"No, I think they'll be comforted that Richard misses them. They'll be happy to know that he is watching over them."

"So you think I should tell them?"

"I do, Ace. I really do."

Rory said no more, but thought back to the strength that her grandfather, the irreplaceable Richard Gilmore, brought to her life. He may have been honored to be a part of her life but she was entirely blessed to have been a part of his.

What was it he had said? "And don't forget me."

Not a chance, Grandpa. Not a chance.