present tense

find luke a tongue depressor

Jess was back in Star's Hollow. Again.

He had spent the day with Rory, putting the final touches on the apartment and nursery in preparation for the baby. Plus Jess had brought her a couple books from the shop that she had had her eye on and she had cried with excitement when she was gifted them.

"I'm so sorry, it's the pregnancy hormones," she had said.

Jess was pretty sure he had never seen anything so beautiful.

She had also helped move some of his things into the apartment above Luke's diner. Rory was in her final days of pregnancy and Jess had promised he would help out, which meant moving into the one room apartment of his youth.

He was lying on his back in the dark room. The rumble of the refrigerator was slightly more concerning than it had been about 15 years ago. And maybe it was just his nose playing tricks on him but Jess could almost smell the cigarette smoke that used to linger around him like a stray cat. It was, overall, a strange experience. Moving back into this apartment to help his ex-girlfriend fulfill her dreams and raise someone else's child. However, all these uncomfortable feelings could be willed away when he thought about the conversation he'd had with Rory at the diner in Philly. She had been so desperate to be a writer and so excited about being a mother and he had just sat there so desperate and excited to watch her do both. That possibility made everything else worth it.

Jess rolled over on his side and closed his eyes trying to will himself to sleep. It must have worked eventually but it didn't last long because he was awoken by his cell phone ringing incessantly. Jess stumbled from his bed to the kitchen table.

"Hello," he said gruffly while sitting down on the floor.

"Hey Jess," Rory said breathlessly on the other end of the line.

"Rory. Why are you up? It's like 3:00 in the morning."

"Well, you see. Funny story actually. My water just broke."

That was the wake-up smack that Jess had needed.

"Oh, oh my god, okay."

"I already called my mom and Luke. Just if I go into the delivery room with my mom, Luke is going to be alone and he might wear a hole into the floor with his pacing so I figured someone should be with him or something. Plus... I just... really wanted to tell you," she finished slowly.

"Hey, I'd be happy to be there."

A long pause.

"Thanks Jess." You could hear the smile in her voice.

Rory hung up to call Lane and Paris, and Jess grabbed doughnuts and coffee for those not carrying children. About a half hour later, Lane's SUV pulled up in front of the diner and Luke got out of the backseat to move to the passenger's side. Jess confusedly got into the backseat.

"Hi Jess," Lorelai said pleasantly, "You're with Rory now because I was the only one calm enough to drive and Luke can't sit with her anymore because he's stressing her out."

Rory gave Jess a strained smile as he put the breakfast items in the front seat cupholders.

"So I see Lane's car but no Lane," Jess observed.

"Yes," Rory answered while Lorelai and Luke bickered about directions, "Zack is away on business so she can't make it until after she gets the twins to school. Her car just has a lot more space so she wanted us to use it and she took Luke's truck. She also told me to keep my legs together so the baby can't come before she gets there."

Rory was trying to be funny but she really just sounded stressed. Jess reached out his hand to rest against the back of her neck and massaged it lightly. Rory leaned into the touch and then she moved so she was leaning against him and her head was on his shoulder. His arm draped limply across her back and his hand rested on the top of her belly. She was shivering.