A/N: I totally forgot I was writing this fic! A long haul flight reminded me and here is the next (longer than intended) chapter.

Luke came to slowly. He blinked his eyes in an effort to focus but the howling wind and snow made his brain feel static and fuzzy. A deep throbbing in his head made him dizzy and when he lifted his hand up to this face he realised it was wet with blood. He tried not to panic, knowing head wounds bled a lot but it was hard not to succumb to the fear as he looked out into the surrounding darkness. The truck was on its side, with the drivers door on the top with a fallen branch against it making it impossible to open. The windshield was broken and snow was floating in but Luke was too big to crawl through that gap and would cut himself to ribbons if he tried. he reached up to roll down the drivers side window but a sharp pain across his shoulder made him wince and pull his arm back. He took a few deep breaths to control the stabbing pain then leaned back to aim his feet at the window instead.

He kicked two or three times before the window smashed, raining shattered glass down on him. Luke covered his face with his arms and screwed his eyes tightly shut. slowly be moved again to brush the glass off himself then started to climb out of the truck. In the distance he could hear voices and he thought he could make out some moving lights. If only he could get out of the truck maybe he could flag someone down. His left arm was aching and he could barely move it so all attempts to climb out proved unsuccessful. Luke thought of calling out, but instead settled for blaring the horn and flashing the lights.

Ollie and Harry raced through the snow and reached the truck in no time. The blaring horn and flashing lights were a sure sign that who ever as in there was still alive. Olle jumped off the horse and started to climb up the underside of the truck.

"Hey! You ok in there?"

Luke looked up at the young man who was staring down at him through the broken window. "Yeah, I think my shoulder is dislocated, I can't seem to pull myself out."

"Ok, hold tight. we'll get you out in a jiffy!" Ollie turned back to gesture at Harry. "Toss me the rope will ya?" He lowered one end of the rope down to Luke. "Tie this around yourself. we'll haul you out."

By the time Tom arrived in the truck, Luke was sitting next to his own truck cradling his left arm against his chest. Ollie was kneeling in front of him, dabbing the wound on his forehead with some gauze as Harry was walking around the truck checking for damage or other passengers.

"No one else was in the truck?"

"No, just me."

"Do you know what happened?"

"Hit some black ice, spun out, clipped the guardrail and flipped over a few times down the ridge."

"You're lucky you didn't go further." Harry spoke as he squatted next to them.

"Huh?"

"The truck is about 5 feet from a cliff edge, if you kept flipping you would have dropped over that cliff, 20 ft into the ravine below."

"Lucky me."

"Hey guys," Tom called out as he approached. "All ok here?"

"Peachy," Luke muttered.

"Looks like we have a dislocated shoulder and a head wound, but nothing worth crying about."

"Easy for you to say." Luke winced as they helped him to his feet and led him over to the truck Tom had left running by the side of the road.

"We'll see you back at the inn," Ollie called as he slammed the door shut and slapped the roof.

It wasn't until right that moment that Luke realised these were staff members from the Inn and they were taking him right back there now. He quickly ran through his other options but realised there were none and resigned himself to going back to the inn. Tom drove slowly but every single jostle sent a shiver of pain shooting out from his shoulder, to his fingertips and across his back. The wound on his head was seeping again but Luke didn't have the energy even to brush it away. As they turned up the driveway He tried to focus but was finding it increasingly difficult to stay awake. Tom drove around to the back and parked near the employee entrance.

"Here we are, lets get you inside." Luke opened the door but was struggling to get out when Tom hurried around the truck and helped. He led Luke over to the door and ushered him in to a large staff room. Tom put him onto a tattered but comfortable couch and covered him with a checkered blanket. "I'll be right back."

Luke felt his eyes succumb to the tiredness and closed them over for a second but when he opened them a woman was standing over him a concerned look on her face.

"Hey there mister, you need to stay awake," she slapped his cheeks with the back of her hands but his eyes were heavier than normal and slid over again.

The next time he opened them Tom was standing over him, pulling at his shoulders to make him sit up and the sharp pain that shot through him was enough to make his eyes open wide in shock. Luke looked around him and saw a small crowd standing in front of the couch, each with a look on their face of a varying degree of concern.

"What happened… where am I?"

"Relax." Tom leaned forward. "You crashed your truck, you're at the Dragonfly Inn."

"His shoulder is dislocated. We need to put it back in…"

"What the hell do we know about putting in dislocated shoulders?"

"I've watched it on ER a million times."

"ER?"

"We can't leave it out, its cutting off blood to his arm."

"Is it?"

"Probably…"

Ollie arrived with a first aid book and flipped through it to the page he was looking for. "Here Ms Lorelai, I found the book."

Lorelai took the book and read the instructions. "Okay, we can do this… Tom get him flat on his back." Tom guided Luke back onto the couch. "Move his arm so its down flat, then turn it to a 90 degree angle from his body." She stepped closer and explained the instructions to Tom then guided him as he pulled Luke's shoulder back into place. Everyone in the room groaned when his shoulder made a loud "clunk" as it slid back into place, except for Luke. Luke yelled out in agony then succumbed once more to the darkness.

The next time he woke up, only one person was in the room. Lorelai was sitting on a stool next to the couch and was focused on cleaning the wound on his head. His arm was strapped to his chest but the pain was reduced to a dull ache. He wiggled his fingers and was pleased to see them respond and with only a little niggling pain.

"How long have I been out?"

"Only 5 minutes or so. I'm glad you woke up, as I was going to wake you as soon as I had your head wound cleaned up."

"How bad is it?"

"Just a small cut, it looks worse than it is because of the blood."

"A lot of blood?"

Lorelai smiled at the worried look on his face. "Not any more." She continued to clean it up, then rummaged through the first aid box for the pack of butterfly stitches. "Okay, this might sting a little." She pinched the wound closed then carefully placed three stitches over the wound. "There, all good."

"Thanks."

"All part of the hospitality." Lorelai said as she put the equipment away. Luke looked away, all too aware of the crimson blush that covered his cheeks. He tried to sit up but she pushed him back down onto the couch. "You are on strict bed rest, but without the sleeping."

"What?"

"You had a head wound, you lost consciousness and you could have a concussion. You need to stay awake and be monitored for 24 hours."

"I'm fine, seriously."

"Yeah, ok mister, well regardless, I could do without the kind advertisement your death would bring to my Inn."

"So…I need to lie here for 24 hours?"

"Yep." Lorelai stood up and went to the door. she pushed it open and called out to someone then returned to sit on the stool again. "Do you have a headache?"

"Yeah, I do," he admitted reluctantly.

"Do you know todays date?"

"Um…the 24th?"

"Correct…Whats your name?"

"My name? Are you testing my memory?"

"No, but I'd rather not call you 'Buttinski' all night."

"Luke, Duke Danes."

"Hi Luke," she said and she smiled sweetly. Behind her, the door opened and another woman walked in carrying a wide tray. Luke's instinct was to sit up, help her, but Lorelai pushed him back down. "Thanks Sookie."

"Oh you're alive!" She squealed as she put the tray on a small table and smiled at Luke with a wide genuine smile.

"Um yeah… was there a chance I wouldn't be?"

"Don't mind Sookie, she is just glad to see you." Lorelai grabbed a glass of water and a bottle of pain pills off the tray. "Here take this." She dropped two pills into Luke's hand and handed him the glass of water. She helped him sit up to drink and took the glass off him when he was done. "And try to eat some of this…" Lorelai said and she passed him a bowl of fruit.

"Can I sit up?" He looked at her with a sideways glance and she nodded. He pulled himself up with a little help from both Lorelai and Sookie and Lorelai put the bowl of fruit on his lap.

"How are you feeling?" Sookie asked as she rubbed his good shoulder.

"A little woozy…"

"And your shoulder?"

"Better than it was a little while ago."

"Well eat up and drink some water." Sookie turned to Lorelai and gripped her shoulder. "I just spoke with Ms Gordon about tomorrow."

"Oh, is everything set?"

"A simple ceremony with the friends and family who have made it today."

"Great, and you have the ingredients you need to cater?"

"Yeah, we went over a menu for a buffet so we're all set."

"Great, thanks Sook!" she covered her friends hand and smiled. "Another crisis diverted." Sookie chuckled then turned and left as Lorelai turned back to Luke who was slowly eating through his bowl of fruit.

"So you solved the crisis?"

"Postponed it more like." Lorelai turned on the stool to face him again and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. "Feeling ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Lorelai chuckled. "Despite the concussion, and the dislocated shoulder…?"

"Yeah, despite those minor inconveniences."

"Do you remember what happened?"

Luke rubbed his face with one hand and sighed. "Black ice… my truck spun out."

"You shouldn't drive angry."

Luke glanced over at her. "About that…"

"Forget it."

"I need to apologize for how I acted."

"Seriously, forget it."

"No, I was an ass. I was impatient and rude and despite what you may think of me, I'm not usually like that."

"So today was an exception in your otherwise unblemished record?"

"Something like that." He offered her a half smile and she returned it.

"So…Luke Danes…She said as she moved off the stool and sat next to him. "Tell me about yourself."

"Huh?" he looked at her and watched as she picked a slice of kiwi out of the bowl on his lap.

"You need to stay awake, I need to keep asking you questions."

"Because of the concussion?"

"Because of the concussion." She took a grape this time. "So… tell me about yourself."

"I just moved to Stars Hollow."

"Oh? From where?"

"A small town just north of Boston." He started eating again. "My family used to live in Stars Hollow though, so I decided to come back."

"Why now?"

"My parents just passed, I needed a change of scenery."

"Oh I'm sorry." She rested her hand on his free forearm and squeezed it gently.

"Thank you," he said softly and watched as her fingers trailed off his skin as she moved her hand again. "I bought Willis Hardware store."

"You're going to run a hardware store?"

"No, I converted it into a diner."

"Oh! You're going to run a diner!" She said this time her voice excited.

"I hope so."

"Is that what you were doing before?"

"No, before I was…" he hesitated and glanced over at her.

"What? What were you doing before?"

"Nothing… I was a handyman, I looked after my father. He was ill for quite some time."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I did it again."

"Thats alright."

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Luke fought the urge to let his eyes roam over her crossed legs. Her skirt was twisted and showed more leg than he remembered from earlier. Slowly he let his eyes close over and focused on his breathing.

"Hey now mister," she jabbed him lightly in the ribs as she spoke. "You need to stay with me."

"Seriously, I'm fine, you do not need to sit here with me."

"You've taken a nasty bang to the head. You lost consciousness and you have a headache and are woozy." She moved his head to take a look at the wound there and inadvertently leaned over him to see, and Luke screwed his eyes shut as he realised he was staring right at her breasts. "If you fall asleep, you could go into a coma or something."

"Okay, okay, I'll stay awake. But you don't need to wait with me."

"The minute I walk out that door you will be asleep. I can see it in your eyes." She moved his chin to make him look at her and intently studied his eyes. Lorelai was a little shocked to see how blue they were. Deep rich pools of blue that shimmered under her gaze. She also became acutely aware of her hand on his face, her shoulder leaning on his, her thigh against his and immediately pulled back. She stood up and walked over to the tv to grab the remote then rejoined him on the couch, though not as close. "We can watch tv if you don't want to talk, but you will be staying awake."

Luke nodded and focused on the fruit he was supposed to be eating. Lorelai scanned through the tv channels and settled on an old black and white Christmas movie. Luke really didn't care what was on the TV as long as it was enough to stop her from manhandling him and asking him personal questions. But then to his horror the characters on screen started to dance and sing. He glanced over at Lorelai who was watching with a wide grin and he could just about hear the faint humming of her voice in time to the music on tv.

"Don't you love how in the old movies everything seemed so simple." She reached over for a grape and popped it into her mouth. "I mean these guys just met like 2 days ago and now they are waltzing on an ice rink… and he's about to propose." She shook her head with a chuckle. "They haven't even kissed yet!"

"Maybe getting a divorce was also simpler," he muttered and received a jab in the ribs for it.

"In two days he has professed his love for her, bought her a ring, taken her on their second date and has now proposed."

"Madness."

"You don't believe in love at first sight?"

Luke chuckled. "Not like they show in the movies."

"Ah, so you do believe in it in some way?"

"No! I'm just saying, these movies cram a full blown relationship into 24 hours and propose before they've even kissed." Luke scoffed. He looked at the TV to see the two characters doing that cheek to cheek hug. "Like what even is that?"

"They're hugging!" Lorelai laughed.

"Have you ever hugged a man like that?" Luke nodded at the tv. "It looks like her neck is breaking!" Lorelai laughed. "If he hugs her any tighter, he's likely to end up hugging a corpse."

"Stop…its romantic!"

"Its chiropractic."

"Okay, okay…" she held her hands up and cast him a sideways glance. "You're not a romance guy."

"Hey, thats not fair, thats not what I was saying."

"So you are a romance guy?"

Luke shrugged and immediatly winced from the pain in his shoulder. "I'm an idiot guy," he mumbled and he gripped his shoulder.

"Let me get you some ice." Lorelai got up and Luke watched her hurry out of the room. As the door closed behind her, he resettled himself on the couch and reached up to fix his ever present baseball cap, only to find it was gone. He looked around to see if it was nearby but it was no where to be found. Lorelai came back in with an ice pack, she perched on the other side of the couch and gently pressed it to his shoulder. "Is that ok?"

"Yeah, thanks." He held the pack in place and looked back at the tv. "You missed the wedding scene."

Lorelai chuckled and moved back to her spot on the couch. She kicked off her shoes and curled her feet beneath herself. "There's another movie on after this and I bet they get married even quicker and after even less contact."

"You like movies huh?"

"Yeah." She snagged a grape from the bowl on his lap. "All of them."

"All of them?"

"I've never met a movie I didn't like."

Luke looked at her with a slight frown. He wasn't sure if she was mocking him or being serious. He focused back on the tv as another movie started. Lorelai settled deeper into the couch to watch and Luke tried to focus on what was going on. He watched the old style credits which seemed to last forever. He tried to read the names, to stay focused on the screen but his eyes were proving difficult to keep open. Slowly they slid down and his head rested back against the couch as the soft music lulled him into sleep.

"Hey," Lorelai poked him and squeezed his arm. "Wake up buddy." She turned a little on the couch to face him more and rested her arm across the back of it.

"I'm awake, I'm awake." Luke forced his eyes wide open and sat up a little straighter.

Lorelai reached a hand out to his forehead and felt for a temperature. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted."

"Any pain?"

"Not really…my shoulder aches a little and I have a headache but considering what could have happened, I feel fine."

Lorelai smiled. "Well thats good to hear. But you really need to stay awake."

"I know, I'm up now."

"As movies won't work… we're back to talking."

"Talking. Great." Luke shuffled on his seat again.

"So Luke Danes, who just moved to Stars Hollow to open a diner… are you married?"

"Married?" Luke glanced over. "No."

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"Gay?"

"No."

"Kids?"

"No." Luke smiled and looked over at her. "How about you?"

"I have a kid."

"You do?" He looked around as if he expected to see a baby in a crib.

"She's with her grandparents tonight."

"On Christmas eve?"

"She was supposed to drive over this afternoon but the road was closed before she could make it."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that." There was a pause. "Wait… drive? What age is she?"

Lorelai chuckled. "She's 17."

"17?" Luke looked at her without disguising his interest.

"I started young… got a head start."

"So, you're married," Luke said as he settled back into the couch and rested his head back again.

"No, not married." Lorelai waited for the judgmental look from him but he didn't offer her one.

Before either could speak again the door opened and Sookie walked in. She was carrying a tray and hurried over to the couch and put it down on the coffee table in front of them. "The kitchen is closed." she said as she stood up straight and brushed down the front of her apron. "I made you a couple of toasted cheese sandwiches, and a fruit smoothy."

"Thanks Sookie," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she took the ice pack from his shoulder when she noticed all the ice had melted.

"Much better now, thank you. Just tired."

"But you're not allowed to sleep."

"So I hear," he said with a glance at Lorelai.

"What better night to stay up though!" Lorelai said with a chuckle. "We might get to see the man in red!"

Sookie smiled. "Do you guys need anything else?"

"No thanks Sookie. Get to bed. We've an early start tomorrow."

Sookie waved at them with a smile. "Goodnight. And Happy Christmas!" She closed the door softly behind her and Luke and Lorelai watched the tv for a little while in silence.

"If you need to get to bed, for your early start, I'm fine here."

"No, and we've been over this already." She leaned over to grab the plate of sandwiches. She held it up in front of him and he took a cheese sandwich. She took one herself and balanced the plate on her knee. "What has you out on a night like this?"

"I was on my way back from Bear creek lake."

"You were up there? In this cold?"

"Well it wasn't this cold when I went up." He finished off the sandwich and reached for another one. "The diner is just about refurbished and Tom, the contractor working on it, forbid me from interfering, so I took off for a week. Went to a cabin up there and tried to make it back before the storm landed."

"So you spent a week in a cabin, alone, with no tv?"

"I never said there was no tv."

"I've been to bear creek lake cabins… there was no TV."

Luke chuckled. "Well there wasn't a tv."

"Ugh…a whole week?" she shuddered and tightened her shoulders closer to her ears.

"A little over a week actually." Luke leaned forward and lifted a smoothy. He handed it to Lorelai then took the other and sat back again. "I read, fished, slept. It was very relaxing actually."

"Until the drive home," Lorelai added.

"Until the drive home."

"Well now you have to try to relax all over again, this time without the fishing, and with some TV."

"And without the sleeping."

"Yep. No sleeping until tomorrow." Lorelai sipped her drink and placed it back on the table. "I'm hoping it will be clear enough tomorrow for the doc to call round."

"If its clear tomorrow I can just go back to Stars Hollow."

"How exactly were you planning on making it there?

"My truck…" she watched the realisation that his truck was crashed cross over his face.

"Yeah your truck is toast."

"Oh yeah…"

"You're sure you're ok?" Lorelai placed the back of her fingers against his forehead again.

"I'm fine, really."

"Okay, but no sleeping."

"What movie is on next?" Luke asked as he nodded at the tv, hoping to take her attention away from him and onto, well anything really he realised.

"Well," Lorelai sat cross legged on the couch and pick up the remote. "Its a wonderful life is just starting, or Miracle on 34th is about half way through."

"All Christmas movies?"

"Its Christmas eve. What did you expect?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"You forgot its Christmas eve?" Lorelai lifted her hand again to feel his forehead but Luke dodged out of her reach and grabbed her hand.

"I forgot because I've been alone in a cabin all week. Not because I have amnesia, or a concussion."

Lorelai stared at him then looked down to where his hand was still gripping hers. She looked back up to him and he glanced at their connected hands before letting her go and looking back at the TV.

"How about Charlie Browns Christmas?" Lorelai said with a smile, as she flicked through the channels. "Or Nightmare before Christmas. Oh no way…!" She screeched as she slapped her hands on the sofa cushion. "Black Christmas. We're watching this." She looked over at him with pure delight at her find but he just looked confused. "1974, Black Christmas, directed by Bob Clark. Often thought to the the first slasher movie."

"Slasher?"

"It's a Christmas horror."

"A Christmas horror?"

"All these girls are in their sorority house."

"Of course they are…"

"And its Christmas break so everyone is leaving but instead of actually going home, they are being killed off, one by one by some maniac."

"Sounds festive."

"See its perfect, no one misses them, because everyone thinks they are gone home."

"Thats how I'd do it." Luke spoke softly, and slowly Lorelai turned her head towards him but he kept his eyes facing forward.

They watched the movie quietly and Lorelai clutched a cushion against her chest. She winced during all the kills and laughed her tension away. Luke watched her watching the movie. How her eyes were wide and she took every drop of entertainment it offered. She clutched the cushion as if it would offer her protection and leaned forward as the main protagonist hid from her Christmas stalker. At the peak of tension in the movie, Lorelai leaned towards him, pressing her shoulder against his and held the cushion up to her face so only her eyes could peer over the edge. The music in the movie was loud but not loud enough to drown out Lorelai's shriek. Finally as the credits rolled, Lorelai sat up away from him and put the cushion back on the couch.

"Whew… that was a great movie. Been ages since I saw it."

"You've seen that before?"

"Yeah, a few times."

"So why were you so scared if you knew what was going to happen?"

"Its about letting go and succumbing to the movie." She turned to face him. "If you start trying to work it out and remember what you've already seen, then you're missing the most important part of watching a movie."

"Whats that?"

"The journey to another world."

"A world where a madman is chasing young girls around a sorority house on Christmas eve?"

Lorelai chuckled and shrugged. "So…how is your head?"

"I've got a headache. I think its from lack of sleep," he added with a frown.

"Well I'm afraid you have to wait a few more hours to catch up on your sleep."

"I know, I know."

"So you're not a movie guy…"

"I like movies. Clearly not as much as you though."

"You said earlier you spent the time at your cabin reading. You're a book guy?"

"I like to read."

"Crime? Political thrillers?"

"Biographies mainly but I also like the old style western books."

"Yes, westerns, of course."

"What does that mean?" He glanced at her with a curious frown.

"Nothing," Lorelai said with a smile. "Just that I could have guessed westerns." Luke looked away, not knowing how to take that comment. "No, I don't mean anything bad, sorry. Its just that you have a…"

"A what?"

"A certain quality."

"A quality."

Lorelai blushed and Luke shuffled in his seat to face her a little more. "A quality?"

"Oh please, you know what I'm talking about."

"No, I really don't!" He was truly baffled and while he didn't take offense from her comment, he was incredibly curious to know what she meant.

"What ever." Lorelai stood up and went over to the window. Luke followed her with his eyes and watched as she pulled the curtain back. "Its started snowing again."

"Heavy?"

"Yeah, its really coming down."

"There go my chances of getting home tomorrow," Luke said with a sigh as he let his head fall back against the couch.

"Eager to leave?" she looked over her shoulder at him. Luke looked over at her without lifting his head, but she turned back before he spoke.

"Not particularly," he whispered, unsure if she heard. Unsure if he wanted her to hear.

Lorelai came back to the couch and fell onto the cushions with a whumpf. "Another movie?"

"Oh please no."

"I've got a pack of cards."

"Thats more like it."

Lorelai jumped up and grabbed the cards from the shelf behind the door, then came back to where he was sitting. She dragged the coffee table closer to him then knelt on the floor on the other side. "So… poker? Blackjack? Gin?"

"I'd love a gin."

Lorelai laughed as she shuffled the cards. "No alcohol for you."

"Texas hold 'em." Luke held his hand out for the cards and shuffled them as best he could with his hurt arm. Frustrated by the confinement of his sling he pulled it off and tossed it aside.

"Hey!"

"Its fine, its just while we play, I'm not moving it much anyway." He dealt out the cards and picked up his hand. "How many do you need?"

"How many can I have?"

"Up to 4."

"Then give me 4." Lorelai handed him the cards she wanted to discard and Luke dealt her more out.

"I'll take two."

They played for a few hours, passing matchsticks back and forth for money until all matchsticks were in front of Luke.

"Okay, okay… I give up."

"Give up? You lost." Luke gathered all the cards and shuffled them again. Lorelai was sitting forward, her arms on the table as she leaned forward enough to collect all the matches. Luke looked up and his eyes went to her chest where her blouse was low cut enough to give him a tantalizing view of her cleavage. Luke immediately looked away but not before she caught him looking. Lorelai smiled at the blush that crept up his cheeks, and she carefully stood away from the table, brushing the front of her clothes down as she rounded the table to sit back on the couch.

"Sun is almost up."

"Are you saying I can go to sleep?"

"Not yet. I'll call the doctor at 7. If he can't make it up, then he can at least tell us what to do."

Luke glanced at his watch. it was twenty to seven now. Twenty minutes. He could last that long. He could. He shook his head and realised she was talking to him. "Huh?"

"I asked how you were feeling?"

"Exhausted."

"Almost there. Do you want a coffee?"

"No thanks, I don't drink coffee."

"Oh my god… how do you cope day to day without caffeine?"

"Quite well."

"Monster!" Lorelai stage whispered in horror. "Well I need a coffee. So if I go into the kitchen to make a cup of joe, do you promise not to fall asleep."

"I promise."

Lorelai stood and hurried out of the room and Luke watched her go. The minute she was gone he let his head roll back and his eyes close over and before he knew it, she was standing in front of him, patting his good shoulder.

"Hey!" she put her coffee onto the table and sat next to him. "You promised."

"I wasn't asleep. I just rested my head and then…"

"And then you fell asleep."

Luke sat up and dry washed his face. "Sorry, I didn't think I would fall asleep."

Lorelai sat back next to him. "No harm done. How do you feel?"

"You have got to stop asking me that," he said with a chuckle. "I'm tired. My shoulder aches a little and I've got a headache but I really do feel fine."

Lorelai smiled softly at him. "Look, I'll go call the doctor now. And see if we can get you some nap time."

"Thanks."

Lorelai left the room again and this time rather than risk the chance of falling back asleep, Luke stood up and walked over to the window. He pulled the curtain aside and watched the heavy snowfall. There was no way the doc was going to make it out to the inn. But there was equally no chance he was going to be able to make it home. He rested his forehead against the cold glass and closed his eyes over again.

"You're not asleep over there are you?"

"No," he said without moving.

"Well the bad news is Doc Shelton cannot make it out until the roads are opened again. But the good news is he told me what to look for and said if I don't find it, you can get some rest."

"Oh?" Luke stood and turned around to face her.

"Come over here, sit down," she said as she sat on the coffee table and patted the sofa in front of her. Luke walked over, and sat where she instructed and faced her. "Look straight ahead." She lifted her finger up between them. "Follow my finger with your eyes." She moved her finger back and forth across the front of his face and he tracked it easily. "Any pain or discomfort?"

"No."

"Okay, then he asked me to look into your eyes with a light." Lorelai pulled a small pen light out from her pocket and checked his eyes again. "Pupils reactive and dilating." she said, and Luke just knew she was quoting some medical show or movie and he couldn't help but smile. "Any nausea?"

"No."

"Headache?"

"Dull."

"Dizzy?"

"No."

"Okay, I think we're good to get you some pillow time."

"Thank god." Luke let his eyes close over and she noticed his body slump a little against the back of the couch.

"Follow me, and I'll get you to a room."

She stood and he followed her out to the reception. She worked on the computer to find a room near the ground floor then turned to the shelf behind her and grabbed a set of keys. "Wait here one sec." Luke leaned against the counter as she disappeared through a swing door behind the reception desk. He felt the little energy he had left seeping out of his every pore and he just could not wait to get his head against a pillow and close his eyes. When she reappeared he stood up straight and tried to focus, lest she make him wait up any longer. She gestured for him to follow and they took the stairs up one flight to a room near the back of the hotel.

"First floor, room 106. The wedding guests that did make it are on another floor and on the other side of the hotel so you should get some quiet time here." She unlocked the door with an old fashioned key and swung it open, then gestured for him to enter before her. The room was tastefully decorated with soft colors and natural woods. The bed was against the window in the centre of the room with a fireplace on one side and a small desk and chair on the other.

"Wow, its really nice."

"I got you this." She held up a tote bag with the hotel logo on it and he took it.

"Whats this?"

"Some supplies I thought you might need." She went over to the fire place and grabbed a remote to turn it on, then fiddled with the settings to get it right then walked over to the bedside table and left the remote there. "You can turn this on and off as you please, but maybe leave it on for a while, to get the chill out of the room."

"Thanks, this is great."

"I'll be in to check on you for a few hours. The doc said I can let you sleep, but you need to be woken every once in a while to be sure you're ok."

"You don't need to do that, I can set an alarm."

"An alarm can't check your eyes for signs of concussion."

"But I-"

"So get sleep, I'll see you around noon."

Luke checked his watch. That was 4 hours away. He looked up at her and she was smiling with tight lips and he knew this was an argument he would lose so he didn't even try.

"Get some sleep."

"I will. Thanks."

Lorelai left and Luke didn't hesitate in sitting heavily onto the bed. He took in a moment to look around the room and let his day wash over him then rather than lying back and just falling asleep he squeezed his eyes shut then stood and stretched. He emptied the tote bag out onto the bed and saw toiletries, a tee shirt and a pack of 3 men's boxer briefs. He frowned. Unusual hotel amenities to be sure but also…how would she know his size? He picked up the pack and examined them closer and saw they were indeed his size. He chuckled a little, too tired to over think this friendly gesture and instead grabbed the toiletries and went into the bathroom. He couldn't resist taking a shower but tried not to linger too long. His eyes were barely open a slit by the time he discarded the towel on the chair and climbed between the sheets. A soft sigh of comfort and contentment pushed past his lips as he succumbed to the sweet release of sleep.