What's Next?

Are You Sure?

Rory sat, hugging the blanket close to her. It was a cold day, 34 degrees as the high.

"Hey there, you look comfortable." Jess said as he cuddled next to Rory.

Rory was too focused on ulterior things to notice Jess; she pondered and stared out of the window, quite motionless. Jess noticed when she failed to reply so he nudged her gently. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, gently rubbing his thumb across her shoulder. Rory still hadn't replied but rather kept her focus on something outside. "Hey." Jess tried again, nudging a bit harder and attempting to turn Rory around. This got her attention and she jerked from her trance and followed the conversation.

"Wha? Sorry, I was just thinking." Was her only reply.

"About what?" Jess wondered what lie deep in her mind, what thoughts could have caused her to concentrate so abundantly on something.

"Just...things." Her replies where short and concise and it worried Jess even further.

"Come on, Rory. I know there's more to it than that. Now, tell me what's racking your brain."

Rory looked quite abysmal now; her face grew considerably more white and her eyes had glimpses of terror in them. And suddenly, as if she had been hit by lightning, and all the silence was cast away, Rory blurted: "What if you don't like her!" She began crying. Not the soft kind, the kind someone does when they're mildly upset, but this cry was a boisterous sob. She dissolved into tears, letting it overwhelm her being. Somehow, all of her emotions hit her at once like a baseball being hit by the star player from a mile away and now it finally hit home plate.

Jess couldn't believe what he was witnessing. His little Rory....he saw her as that meager teen who would never cry in front of him. She never did but maybe once or twice and it was over something unmentionable like a sad movie or a hurt feeling. She was so comfortable with him, that now she cried. He hurt though, for the fact that she had been holding this all in for so long and never felt like she could open up to him about this. Or maybe she didn't want to seem weak in his presence. And she wasn't. No, she was not weak. In all honesty, Jess felt as if he was the weakest one of the two. Maybe he wouldn't show it, but he had urges of crying end on end. He grabbed the blanket and tissues that lay next to him. He wrapped her in the wool and handed her the tissues. He began stroking her hair and speaking softly to her, when she finally calmed down enough to get more words in, he asked, "What do you mean? Who wouldn't I like?"

"This baby." She answered right away for the first time. She rubbed her hand over her stomach and brought her knees close to her,

Jess's eyes grew. "Of course I'm going to like this baby. I'm going to love her as my own, Rory-"

Another thought entered Rory's mind and she spoke above him. "But she's not yours, you didn't help make her. I wish you had, I really wish she was yours. I just don't want you to end up disliking her because-"

Now it was Jess's turn to cut her off. "Don't talk crazy talk." He laughed. "This baby will get more love and more attention from me than any other baby ever has. Do you understand? I will never leave your side."

Rory felt the tears coming back, but this time they were gleeful ones. "Oh, Jess thank you! I love you!" She grabbed him in a hug and kissed him.

Jess enjoyed this and kissed back. He smiled and kissed her nose. "Are you ready? 3 more months and this little angel will be arrived."

Rory couldn't believe it, she felt like it was just yesterday when she was getting queasy over Sookie when she was in labor with Martha. "Yeah, I think I'm ready." Rory was honest, she grabbed Jess's hand. "Let's do this!"