The look Rae gave her kept Rory quiet, made it so her only reply was a nod of her head to acknowledge what her friend was saying. Rory wanted her sadness to be broken by anger, but that was so the sadness would stop. And, realistically, even if Rae was mad, she'd still be heartbroken beneath that. One wouldn't eliminate the other. It was all nothing more than wishful thinking, and selfish at that.
"It's...going to be hard for a while," Rory said softly. She couldn't say she knew how hard it was, because Rory didn't. Not really. Even as Dennis told her about their father, it was more confirmation than anything else. She already knew her family was gone. Dennis was an unexpected exception, someone she hadn't expected to walk through the door. Rory didn't have personal experience to tap into, so she thought back on all those grief-stricken individuals who were made hysterical by their disbelief, by their loss. The words they wailed, the pain they shared. "You're strong, Rae, but that doesn't mean this will be easy."
She sighed softly, then shook her head. "Listen to me, Rae. Moving on...it shouldn't happen quickly. You need time to mourn, you need time to grieve the loss of this life you were going to make with him. You'll find someone eventually, if that's what you want. But until then, taking his name, honoring him through the name of your child? That isn't disrespecting his wishes. It's helping you to mourn."
Rory paused, then took a slow breath. "Elliot would understand that."