"Our beautiful little girls," Lorelai smiled, looking down at their tiny faces, one in each arm. She was still a little loopy from the Demerol but she was pretty sure the sense of overwhelming happiness she was feeling was unrelated to the narcotics.
"They're perfect," Luke agreed, unable to keep a broad smile off his own face. Lorelai had never seen him smile so much. "Should I get Rory and April now?"
"Yes, I think it's time. Now that the part with the blood and screaming is over, they'll want to meet their sisters."
Luke paused, trying but failing to tear his eyes away from his newborn daughters. When one of them grasped his finger, as if asking him to stay, he gave up. "Maybe we can just stay like this for a little while longer?"
Lorelai nodded her assent. The two parents watched the twin girls until both were asleep in their mother's arms and Luke finally forced himself to leave and get Rory and April.
"So have you decided on names yet?" April was asking Luke as they walked down the hallway to the hospital room.
"I, um, told Lorelai she could name them," Luke said hesitantly. "And she wanted to meet them first so..."
"Oh no," Rory exclaimed. "They're both named Lorelai aren't they?"
"She hasn't decided yet," Luke said laughing. "Hopefully she'll wait until all the drugs are out of her system this time."
"What happened to Sid and Nancy?" Rory asked. Rory had not-so-secretly been hoping the twins ended up with those names.
"I think that was a joke," Luke said. "I hope that was a joke."
"Ah, not a Sex Pistols fan?" April asked, as the three of them walked into the room.
"Not a fan of naming my children after the Sex Pistols," Luke clarified.
"Hi!" Lorelai said brightly as the group entered. "I think your sisters want to meet you. They woke up as soon as they heard your voices."
Rory and April each took a different side of the bed and began playing with the baby girls.
"Wow, this room is huge!" April said, looking around the room for the first time. "I didn't know maternity wards had such fancy accommodations."
"All thanks to Emily," Lorelai smiled and then, in an impression of her mother, continued. "Need I remind you the Gilmores donated an entire wing to this hospital. I don't care that she's three weeks early and it's booked up, if my daughter wants the deluxe maternity suite, my daughter gets the deluxe maternity suite!"
"When are grandma and grandpa getting here?" Rory asked.
"They got on the first flight back from Rome and should be here tomorrow morning." Luke answered.
"Only one more day of freedom before your grandma gets here," Lorelai warned her newborns. "Better make it count and get your flirt on with the cute doctors while you still can."
"Don't give them any ideas," Luke groaned.
"Aww, only a few hours old and already your Dad is being over protective. Maybe we'll skip flirting with boys then and go right to the coffee, junk food, and pop culture obsession. You guys did bring me coffee right?" Lorelai said, directing her last comment mostly at Rory.
"Oh, well, umm..." Rory stuttered.
"You got to her already didn't you?" Lorelai glared at Luke, who merely shrugged.
"Oh, but I did bring videos," Rory said. "If you're feeling up for it, we can have a very special edition of movie night in the hospital room."
"Is there a theme?" Lorelai asked.
"Of course, but it's a surprise!"
"We'll see, sweets. I may be too tired tonight, what with the whole giving birth to twins thing."
"Ah, well I have that covered," Rory explained. "I picked movies you've seen so much you won't mind falling asleep to them. Plus, after you see the first one, it will be as if you've seen them all..."
"Very cryptic." Lorelai said, considering the idea. "It might be nice to have a little distraction when the babies are in the nursery..."
"Well, they're here just in case," Rory said holding up the bag with the videos and then turning again toward the little girl closest to her. She had been fussing when Rory had been talking with her mom but settled down once Rory began playing with her again. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you," Rory whispered to her sister.
"This one definitely likes to be the center of attention," Lorelai said.
"Hmm, I wonder where she gets that?" Luke arched his eyebrow.
"Oh, my little girl just wants to be a star!" Lorelai cooed, kissing the top of her head. Immediately the other girl began crying until Luke went over, picked her up, and began to gently rock her.
"And she's already a star!" Rory laughed. "She sure knows how to work a room."
"Yes, quite the little performer we have here," Luke said quietly to the little girl.
"Well that settles it then," Lorelai said, finally deciding on the twins' names and looking down at the little girl in her arms. "You and me have to stick together Esther, because Vicki over there is a staaaaar."
"Oh mom, that's too perfect!" Rory squealed, as April and Luke exchanged puzzled looks.
"Do you understand?" April asked her Dad.
"No, but honestly I'm just glad they won't be named Doula," Luke grinned.
. . . .
Later that night, little Esther and Victoria had been placed in the nursery, giving the new parents a few hours to sleep. Luke had just returned from dropping April off at the airport to head back to Arizona and was already dozing on the cot in the corner of the suite. Rory was sitting next to Lorelai reading. And Lorelai could not shut her brain off and go to sleep.
"Hey, Rory?"
"Yeah mom, are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm fine. Just a little restless. Do you think we can start that movie night?"
"It won't wake Luke?"
"No, he sleeps through anything."
"Well, that is a good skill to have when you have newborn twins." Rory smiled, going to get the bag with the videos and popping the first one in the VCR.
Lorelai could only laugh in amazement when the movie started and the opening credits flashed on the screen: "Selznick International Presents: A Star is Born. Starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March."
"See, I told you the names were perfect," Rory said, sitting on the hospital bed with her arms around Lorelai, as the mother and daughter settled in to watch the first of three movies.