"Logan, it's after 11pm. I just got my baby to sleep, and I am completely exhausted. It had better be an emergency." Honor said, her voice soft as she stifled a yawn after answering her phone.
"Hey, can we talk?"
"You have a wife, Logan. Why can't you talk to her?"
"We're fighting."
"So stop being a jerk, and go apologize. I'm going to bed."
"Honor, please?"
"Logan, I'm tired. You know what it's like to have a brand new baby. I need sleep." Honor protested. "Whatever it is that you've done to piss Rory off, stop. Go apologize, admit that you are being an ass, figure out what you need to do to fix things, and do it."
"What makes you think that I did something?"
"Because you're a Huntzberger. It's in your nature. Go apologize to your wife. I'm going to bed."
"Rory wants her ex-boyfriend to stay here when he is released from the hospital."
"Jess is her cousin, Logan."
"How do you already know about this?"
"Because Rory texted me hours ago. Go apologize to your wife. You have nothing to be jealous over. Jess is her cousin. If something were going to happen between them, it would have happened over ten years ago. Go tell Rory that you're sorry. I'm going to bed. Love you." Honor told him, before disconnecting the call.
Logan sighed as he tossed his phone on the bed, before heading toward the bathroom, stripping his clothes off, down to his boxer shorts, and tossing them in the hamper. He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out, before he rounded the corner into the large walk-in shower. Logan sat down on the marbled bench at the end of entrance, hunching over to stare at the floor in front of him.
"Were you wanting a shower?" Rory asked as she lathered the shampoo in her hair, gently massaging her scalp.
"You told my sister?"
"I know that you aren't mad that she knows, because you tell your sister everything, so are you mad that I told Honor first, or are you mad because she's on my side?"
"Rory. . ."
"If you are going to be in here while I shower, you could at least come help."
"You talked to Honor . . ." Logan started.
"I was with her when Jess called. I've been updating her all day."
"So she knows everything then?"
"She knows that we are having the same fight over Jess that we've been having since college, yes."
"And?"
"And Honor said the exact same thing that she always says when we have this same stupid fight. You need to grow up and get over your jealousy. If anyone has something to be jealous of, it's Jess, because you won. I married you. I gave birth to your daughter. You have no right to sit around sulking when I come home to you, and sleep in your bed, every night."
"God, you sound exactly like her."
"So, what did she tell you?"
"The same thing that she always does. Then she hung up on me."
"Sounds about right." Rory smirked.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Logan, if you aren't going to shower, then why are you in here?"
"I don't like that Jess has feelings for you."
" you even care Logan? Because the last time I checked, he's not the one sitting here watching me shower."
"He better never see you shower."
"He's not you, Logan. You are the only creepo in the world, who has ever watched me shower."
"And if that ever changes, I will have to murder someone with my bare hands."
"I would certainly hope so." Rory chuckled as she stepped under the shower spray to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, then reached for the bottle of body wash, holding it out toward Logan as the water ran down over her head.
"I'm sorry." Logan said, finally look standing from his seat, and moving toward Rory.
"Shorts."
"You just want to see me naked."
"Maybe." Rory smirked, watching as Logan stripped his shorts off, and tossed them toward the shower entrance, before moving toward her.
"Is this better?"
"It'll do."
"It will do? Really?" Logan asked, taking the bottle of body wash, and pulling Rory into his arms, placing a kiss on her shoulder.
"Are you finally done being upset about the whole Jess thing?"
"I still think that he has feelings for you."
"Well, it doesn't matter, because there is only one man that I have feelings for, and its the hot one standing right in front of me."
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier . . . I would never kick you out of HPG. I shouldn't have said that. I should never have threatened you. I am so sorry, Rory."
"I know . . . I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I didn't call you about Jess, right away. I didn't want to pull you away from work, or add to your stress."
"It's fine, I get it . . ." Logan sighed, setting the bottle of body washdown, and wrapping his arms tighter around his wife.
"I'm so sorry that you are going through so much. This whole Jess thing just isn't the best timing. I was actually thinking that maybe next weekend, we could take a little vacation. Just the two of us, and Ayribella. Maybe we can head to Martha's Vineyard, or something."
"That sounds amazing right now."
"We'll go next weekend then. We can leave as soon as Jess is recovered enough to go home."
"That sounds perfect. I promise that I'll try to give Jess a chance while he's here. I'll help you get a room ready for him in the morning."
"Thank you, Logan."
"I hate fighting with you, Rory."
"Well, why don't you make it up to me then."
"You want help washing your hair?"
"I already shampooed it once, but it's a lot more relaxing when you do it."
"Hand me the bottle." Logan agreed.
*~ * 45 Minutes Later * ~ *
"Hey Babe?" Rory started as she laid in bed with her head resting on her husband's chest, staring at the wall in their dark bedroom.
"Hmmmm. . ."
"I don't want to start another fight, but . . . Why did you get so upset about Jess today?"
"Rory. . ." Logan muttered softly.
"You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course I trust you. You are the only person in the world that I trust."
"So why did you get so upset then?"
"I don't know . . . I wasn't even mad, until Mikayla referred to you as Jess' wife."
"It was an honest mistake, Logan."
"I know. And in a way, it's my own fault, for keeping my work life completely separate from my home life. I've always made it a point to never talk about my personal life at work. I never talked about dating, getting married, or anything. The only people who even know that I'm married outside of hospital administration, are a few doctors who I'm close with, a couple nurses, and the labor and delivery staff. I just don't talk about my personal life at work."
"I don't know how you've done that, because I've never been capable."
"That's because you grew up in the petri dish of Stars Hollow. Everyone in that town, knows everyone else's business. No matter how hard you try to keep things to yourself, if one person in town knows your secret, then the entire town knows. But here, in the big city, it's a lot easier to stay out of the spotlight. No one knows me here. They don't know my family, or any of the stupid things that I've done. Growing up with my parents was a lot like growing up in Stars Hollow. My entire life was spent in their stupid societal circles, and I've always been Mithum Huntzberger's pain in the ass son. But now I'm all grown up, I've moved away, and the only people who know who my parents are, work at HPG. At the hospital, I'm a nobody, and I really enjoy it."
"Do you ever regret opening the clinic at HPG?"
"Never."
"But you aren't a nobody there. Everybody knows who you are."
"I know, but it's different. It's still HPG, but my Dad was such a jerk around that place, that now that he's gone, and you and I have taken over, I've finally been able to make a name for myself, without my Dad's shadow hanging over me. I'm still a Huntzberger, and my name is still on the building, but at least now I'm just Logan, and not Mitchum's screw up son."
"Do you miss working in the hospital where no one knew you?"
"I miss the hospital, but not because no one knew me. I miss the rush and the variety of working in the ER, but I love having my own office too. It's a change of scenery, and I'm not rushed with my patients. I'm a better doctor at the clinic than I was in the hospital."
"How so?"
"I get to spend more than two minutes with my patients. I can actually spend time getting to know them, and understanding what they are going through, so I can help them better. Each patient is a face and a name, instead of just a number. It's a completely different environment."
"Would you ever want to go back to working at the hospital?"
"Not permanently. I like my schedule exactly the way it is right now. I was working way too much while I was at the hospital. I didn't have a life outside of that place. But now I have you. And I have Ayribella. I like having time to spend with you guys."
"Do you ever wish that things were different? Like maybe wish that we had dated longer, and not gotten married and had a baby so soon?"
"Rory, we dated for 3 years before our break. It's rare for people to wait that long, unless they're in high school."
"No, I know that. But that's not what I meant. I meant after we got back together. Do you ever wish that we had waited a little longer?"
"Not even once. If anything, I wish that we had gotten married 8 years ago. But then again, if we had gotten married right after college, we probably wouldn't be where we are today. Our lives would be completely different."
"That's true . . ."
"Do you ever wish that we had waited?"
"No. . . I've only ever wished that I hadn't been so stupid, and said no to you."
"I've definitely wished that quite a few times." Logan chuckled.
"So you really never told anyone after we started dating again?"
"Nope. I didn't even tell Honor for the first few days."
"But what about Veronica? She was there the day I was brought in after the scissors accident."
"Nope. I think she asked how you were, but I never said anything to her about us being together. She only knew that we used to be friends. She didn't even know we got married until Honor brought you in the day that you fell out of bed."
"Seriously? How did you no tell anyone?" Rory asked curiously.
"It just wasn't anyone's business, and I refuse to be part of the hospital gossip."
"No one ever noticed that things changed with you?"
"I was on a leave of absence when we got married. I took a few weeks off, remember?"
"That's true."
"I took a few weeks off for my Dad, and when I finally went back, I had already had my schedule changed, so no one ever questioned anything. All anyone knew was that I had taken some time off for family stuff."
"Is it weird that it feels like all of that happened a few years ago?"
"It's actually sad that it feels like all of that happened so long ago. It hasn't even been a full 9 months yet.
"In the last 9 months, we've gotten back together, gotten married, and had a baby."
"That is literally about 3 to 5 years of events all in just 9 months."
"How do you figure?"
"Most people date for at least 6 months to a year before getting married, and then it takes around 6-12 months to plan a lot of weddings. Then there is another year or so before a baby. Not many people have honeymoon babies anymore." Logan explained.
"That's true."
"We aren't normal people."
"No, we're not. Normal is boring. Normal is overrated. And normal, is NOT why you love me."
"Are you stealing my lines again?"
"Maybe." Rory smiled as Logan tilted his head to kiss her.
"I love you, Ace."
*~ * Flashback * ~ *
"Doctor Huntzberger! You're back!" one of the nurses spoke as Logan approached the central nurses station in the Emergency Department of the hospital.
"You've been gone for so long, that we were beginning to think that you weren't ever coming back." another nurse commented.
"Nope, I just needed some time off." Logan told them.
"Doctor Huntzberger, welcome back!" Veronica smiled as she stepped up to the group gathered around the desk. "How is your Dad doing?"
"Hey Veronica. My Dad is alright, thank you for asking. How are things going here? What have I missed?"
"Not much. There is a patient in room 6 that needs stitches. You up for it?"
"Lead the way."
"So your Dad is recovering alright?" Veronica asked as they headed for the patient's room.
"Yeah, we got him in a rehab center. He should make a full recovery."
"That's wonderful! And how is your girlfriend? Is her hand healing alright?"
"Wait, what?" Logan asked, stopping in his tracks as they walked down the hall, and turning to face Veronica.
"Your friend that came in with the scissors accident. You told Doctor Greenley that she's your girlfriend when your Dad was here."
"Oh. . ."
"I had no idea that you were dating anyone. She was really sweet. How is she doing?"
"Rory is good. She is recovering really well. Do me a favor though?"
"Of course."
"My work life and my home life are two completely different things. I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything to anyone else about Rory. I don't need my life being part of the hospital gossip-mill."
"No, of course. Don't even worry about it."
"Thank you." Logan said, heaving a sigh of relief.
"You guys dated in college, right?"
"Yeah, a lot time ago. Tell me about this patient. Where do they need stitches?"
"It's a football injury. The guy got tackled into a bench during practice."
"Ouch! Arm or leg?"
"Leg."
"Have x-rays been done?"
"Not yet. You're the first doctor I saw after he was brought in."
"I'll take a look at it, but let's get x-rays ordered."
" the order into the computer." Veronica said as she reached for the door knob to the patient's room, opening the door for Logan to step through.
"Hi, I am Doctor Huntzberger." Logan said as he entered the room, and immediately reached for a paid of gloves from the box next to the door, quickly pulling them onto his hands.
"Preston, this is Doctor Huntzberger. He is going to be taking care of you today." Veronica said cheerfully as she moved through the room behind Logan, on her way to the computer.
"Hey Doctor Huntzberger." the patient said softly.
"I hear we have a football injury. What position do you play?" Logan asked.
"I'm a wide receiver."
"That's awesome! How is your team doing this year?"
"Not too bad at the moment. If we keep up the momentum, we could go to the state playoffs."
"That's great! Let's take a look here, and see if we can get you back out on the field. Can you tell me where your pain is?"
5Hours Later
"Hey Doctor Huntzberger, do you have a minute?" a nurse asked, approaching Logan as he left a patient room.
"What do you need?"
"There is a woman at the front desk, who is asking for you. She says it's a family emergency."
"Blonde or brunette?" Logan asked, his head snapping up to look at the nurse's face.
"Blonde. But there is a brunette woman with her."
"Crap! That sounds like my sister and my wife."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were married." the nurse said, quickening her pace as she followed Logan down the hallway toward the entrance to the Emergency Department, stepping through the heavy door as Logan threw them open.
"Honor? What's going on?"
"We've been trying to call you. Rory fell about an hour ago, and she's in a lot of pain. She called me for help, so I brought her here." Honor explained, her face brightening the second she saw her younger brother walk through the door, and hurry toward her.
"Ace, are you ok?" Logan asked, beckoning for the girls to follow him back through the doors.
"Hey Dee, did you know that Doctor Huntzberger is married?" the nurse asked her counterpart at the front desk as she retook the seat she had been occupying before Honor and Rory had come in.
"What are you talking about?! Doctor Huntzberger isn't married. Last I heard, he's been single for years. I don't even think that he's dating anyone."
"One of those women that were just here is his wife."
What!?!"
"The blonde woman asked for him and said that it was a family emergency. When I told Doctor Huntzberger that there was a woman here asking for him, he asked blonde or brunette, and he said that it sounds like his sister and his wife."
"Are you sure that you heard him right, Christina? I didn't know that Doctor Huntzberger even had a sister. But there is no way that he's married. I've never seen him wearing a ring in the entire time that he's been working here."
"He's been off work for a few weeks now. Maybe the family leave he took, was to get married?"
"His Dad had a heart attack. I was here when it happened. He took leave to help his Dad."
"Are you sure about that? He could have gotten married. He's been gone for what, like 3 weeks?"
"Something like that. But why would you hold a wedding right after your parent had a heart attack? You would think that a heart attack is a good reason to postpone." Dee told her friend.
"I don't think he's married. Last I heard he isn't even interested in women. Carmela has been throwing herself at him for the last two years, and it's never worked. He doesn't even talk to anyone."
"Except for kiss up Veronica."
"So then go ask Veronica."
"Or we can just check the computer to see if a patient pops up with his last name."
"But it could still be his sister."
"But still. Let's watch the computer. You and I are the ones entering patients names. Whatever pops up that we didn't put in, tells us who the patient is. His wife will have the same last name as him, but his sister might not."
"But if he's not really married, then it could just be a girlfriend, right?" Christina asked.
"I guess. You should go ask Veronica if she knows anything."
"No way! That kiss ass will tell him that we're asking about him."
"Well then why don't you go find him, and see if he's wearing a ring?"
"You want me to go stalk him?"
"Sure, you're the one who thinks that he's married."
"Who's married?" Veronica asked, stepping up behind the desk, and reaching for the stack of new patient paperwork.
"Doctor Huntzberger." Dee answered.
"No he's not. Is this top form the next patient?"
"Yep."
"You guys need to stop gossiping. Doctor Huntzberger hates it."
"Are you sure that he's not married?" Christina asked.
"I'm positive." Veronica told them as she stepped away from the desk with the paper she had come for, to call for the next patient. "Ryan McClusky?"