Leaps and landings

38

Celeste observed with curiosity how Jess seemed to be the only person keeping calm, definitely the right choise of chauffeurs, now driving the three of them towards the hospital. Rory was panicking due to the shock of her water breaking and what that meant - not even so much for the pain, feeling just mild contractions, or something of the likes, so far. Logan was on Facetime, frantically running around their apartment at the same time, looking for Rory's hospital bag and gathering their charger and other necessities Rory and Celeste kept going over in their head, making sure they had everything. Rory was still just 38 weeks, and while not uncommon, and clearly being tired of being pregnant, it was still a shock.

Logan was already pacing nervously at the front entrance as they finally arrived, Rory wearing one of Celeste's wrap dresses, which barely fit, they'd quickly changed her into, so she wouldn't have to arrive in her wet leggings.

"Finally! How are you feeling?" Logan asked with a sigh, nervously studying Rory from head to toe.

"Scared," was Rory's honest answer, as she held onto Celeste's arm, Jess having gone to park his car. She muttered something more about 'coming round the mountain' barely audibly, clearly not making a lot of sense in her panic mode.

"She doesn't seem to be in too much pain now," Celeste commented.

They walked inside, getting Rory settled in the waiting room of the private maternity ward, as Logan went to let the nurses know she'd arrived having alterted them in advance.

"What if I can't do this? What if I am not ready?" Rory worried, stroking her belly nervously.

"I bet I'm going to be asking the same things in five months," Celeste chuckled, trying to to calm her. "He can't stay in there forever. You're going to meet your son soon, just think! And besides, you have a village, a rather large one," she rubbed her shoulder supportively. That was certainly true, just by the mere amount of baby gear she'd been getting as gifts - from Emily, Lorelai, a lot of people in Stars Hollow, ...even Shira.

"Alright, the nurse is going to come and take you in so they can check how far along you are," Logan said, trying to stay practical and clear headed. 'Trying' rather than actually succeeding in it.

"Oh boy," Rory sighed, the thought still only sinking in.

"Mrs. Huntzberger?" the nurse in pink scrubs, in her 50s, came to get her.

"That's me," she waved at her hesitantly.

"Come on, let's get you to the wheelchair and get you checked out," she said, as Logan already helped her up and towards the wheelchair.

"Good luck!" Celeste said, looking after them as they rolled off. She wasn't sure if they should stay. She knew the theoretical parts - this could still take hours, if not days, but to just leave felt just as wrong. If she had any family besides Jess', Logan and Rory were it. At the very least she wanted to know the first update.

Jess arrived some minutes later, finding Celeste lounged in one of the leather sofas in the waiting room, browsing some maternity magazine.

"How is she?" Jess asked her.

"They're just checking her progress," she replied, as Jess sank into the seat next to her.

"That was some crazy 30 minutes," Jess sighed at the panic mode that had occurred.

"Yeah, and that was just the beginning. But you seemed to be solid as a rock. Now I definitely feel confident in trusting you to drive me here when it's my turn," Celeste chuckled.

"Well I am not sure I'll be that calm then - Rory is not you, and that is not my child in there," Jess said as he ran his finger through the back of his hair. 'My child' had a certain unique ring to it, he'd not quite said out loud before.