Rory ran through the Hartford hospital very fast.. She was stopped by three people, but as soon as she was out of their sight, she started running again. Her heart was beating faster then usual, but then again, maybe it was just her running in high heels. When she got to Room 153, the words kept going through her mind, she opened the door and almost lost her breath.
Her grandfather, who she had seen almost every Friday night for the past eight years was sitting still on a hospital bed. Not quite well, but still alive. She went over to the side of his bed and felt his hands. They were colder then usual.
"Grampa?" Rory said,"I love you." But Richard did not reply.
" Thank you Grampa, you've done so much for me and mom. You paid for Chilton and Yale, and you helped me and guided me through Yale, and everything..." Rory continued.
"And you helped me with connections and shared your books with me..."
"You gave joy to your friends and Gramma."
The Wall Street Journal, lay untouched neatly next to where Rory's grandfather lay. The Life Support next to his bed beeped constantly. Gramma must hate this, Rory thought almost laughing to herself. Rory looked down at her stomach where her unborn child lay and said to herself, "If this is a boy, I'm naming him Richard Charles Gilmore, like you Grampa."
The life supports beeping slowed down and and Richard Gilmore took his last gasp of breath. "I'll miss you, Grampa." said Rory, almost bawling now.
"I'll miss you too, Rory." Richard said. Then his life was over, even though he had not yet finished it. Rory layed there for 45 minutes, crying, then got up and left her grandfather for the last time.
ONE WEEK LATER
Rory sat at her desk in the New York Times and wrote a small piece in a section called "Modern Love". The section was about stories of love in everyday life. Rory wrote about her grandfather. Finally, she got to the last paragraph and when she was done, the final paragraph read:
Some experiences, you can provent from ever happening. Like making
an enemie. You can easily avoid that. But some experiences, you cannot pre-
vent from happening. Losing one you truly loved with all your heart is an experi-
ence that you cannot prevent. It will leave with a big hole in your heart and soul.
This piece dedicated to Richard C. Gilmore. Rory Gilmore's grandfather.