Bedside Manner Part III

"Mom, are you going to ring the doorbell anytime tonight?"

Lorelai looked over at Rory. "You can't rush the Emily preparedness phase, Honey. It takes a while."

They both stood in front of the Gilmore mansion staring at the front door.

"Okay, just let me know when. I'll be here," Rory said with exhaustion. Lorelai nodded. "Probably will have finished school," she added. Lorelai smiled, nodded again. "Probably will have had a set of twins." Nothing. "A white picket fence encasing a big basset hound." Lorelai smiled harder. "Proooobably will be looking into finding a good nursing home to die in." Silence. Rory sighed loudly. "Mom!"

Lorelai laughed. "Such impatience in your genes," she said as she pushed the lighted doorbell.

The maid opened the door within seconds, letting them both in. She led them into the living room where they were greeted by Emily Gilmore.

"There you two are. I thought I'd have to send out a search and rescue team for you."

"We're two minutes late, Mom," grumbled Lorelai.

Emily looked down at her expensive wrist watch. "Late is late, Lorelai. Now, come and have a seat." She waved them over to the couch while she went to get them all their drinks. "Rory, how are you doing?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm doing fine, Grandma."

"Good," Emily said with a wide grin and a sparkle in her eye. She handed everyone their beverage and took a seat. "And, Lorelai, how are you?" She asked as she looked to her.

"I'm okay. I'm not feeling as good as I should be, though. I took a shower with Herbal Essence shampoo, and I think I missed the off ramp. I want my money back."

"The off ramp?" Asked Emily.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, where I was supposed to...get off. Like the woman in the commercial."

Emily looked toward Rory. "Do I want to know?" She asked simply.

Rory smiled and shook her head. "No, you don't."

"Thanks, Rory," Emily replied as she tossed a glance at Lorelai. "So, how is the inn coming along, Lorelai?"

"It's coming along," she said shrugging. "They're moving quickly, and everything seems to be going smoothly."

"That's nice. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Mom."

"And, your friend? How is he doing?"

Emily actually sounded sincere. Lorelai's eyes fell as her thoughts went immediately to Luke. "He's okay. There hasn't been much change."

"That's too bad," Emily commented plainly. "You know when Diane Hagler's daughter fell into a coma after that boating incident, she was unconscious for two and a half years. Then, she died."

Lorelai looked up at Emily suddenly. "Why would you say something like that?"

Rory's brows had wrinkled toward Emily, but she turned attention to her mother. "Mom," she said soothingly.

Emily continued. "But, she was always a weak girl." Lorelai rolled her eyes down to the floor with Rory's hand lying gently on her shoulder. "Even as a young girl, she was so weak," Emily punctuated with disgust. "She was spoiled rotten, and she cried all the time, even as a teenager." She paused thoughtfully. "But, she was a nice young lady. Very respectful," she added. "Still weak, though," she said again.

Emily looked over at Lorelai. "But, that was her," she said strongly. "That's not Luke." Lorelai met her eyes, and she and Emily shared a brief look. Emily looked at Rory. "Rory, do you mind going to see how Gertrude is coming along with dinner?"

Rory looked between the two of them. "Sure, Grandma," she said without hesitation. She stood up and left the room.

Emily watched Rory walk out before standing up and walking over to where she had been sitting next to Lorelai. Lorelai looked at her sparingly, unable to fully blink away the tears that had formed in her eyes. She prayed for Emily to not be able to break through her weakening defense. She barely had one to speak of.

"Mom, I don't really want--"

"Lorelai, I want you to listen to me," Emily interrupted. "I don't agree with many of the decisions you make."

"Great," Lorelai whispered.

Emily went on. "This should come as no surprise to you. Despite what I think of your life choices, one thing will never change. You are my daughter. My only daughter. No matter what you think, I do not care to see you in pain, and whenever I am the cause of it, it is never intentional." Lorelai looked down, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. "When you told me about Luke, nothing in me saw that as something to take lightly. That news, believe it or not, caused me grief. And, do you know why that is, Lorelai?"

Lorelai closed her eyes, shook her head.

Emily answered instantly. "That news hurt me because I knew that it hurt you." Lorelai brought her lips in and nodded, her eyes still shut. Emily's voice remained determined, even as she noticed Lorelai's vulnerable state. "I'm not stupid. When it comes to their child, no mother is stupid, Lorelai. I know how much you care for that man. And, I can only imagine how you're holding up as he lays in the hospital. But, he's going to pull through just fine," she said with unbelievable certainty. "I want you to know that. He's strong, and he's solid."

Lorelai felt as if the knot that had formed in her throat had exploded and managed to spread across her face, under her eyelids. Her eyes remained closed, but just as her mom finished talking, one tear slipped through her tightly closed lid, and Lorelai placed her hand over her face to stop it from rolling down.

Emily looked at her stoicly. "Now, I'm going to go check on Rory and Gertrude." She paused. "I want you to take a minute and get yourself together, then meet us in the dining room. For dessert, I had Gertrude prepare that pudding that you and Rory seemed to have enjoyed that one time." She stood up and ran her hands down her skirt. "I'll see you in a minute," she said before turning to leave.

Lorelai sat on the couch in silence for a few minutes as she, little by little, was able to pull herself together.

Finally, she opened her eyes and sighed calmingly before standing. She moved into the dining room to join her family for dinner.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Wednesday of the following week, Lorelai sat in her usual spot next to Luke's bed. She held a novel in her hand as she read it quietly.

"Hey, Lorelai," Liz said as she came back into the room. "Susan wasn't here, so I wasn't able to get into the nurse's lounge where the good coffee is," she said.

Lorelai waved her hand. "Oh, that's okay. I'll just flirt with Tim when he comes back to the nurse's station." She returned attention to her book. "Works every time."

Liz laughed. "How is it that you know everybody here? And, they all seem to be familiar with you too. I'm jealous," she said playfully.

Lorelai smiled. "They're all good people. They usually give me what I want, so that makes them pretty amazing in my book."

Liz walked over and leaned over Luke. "He looks better every day, doesn't he?" She asked quietly.

Lorelai looked up from her book. She nodded with a small smile.

"He'd look even better if he'd wake up," Liz replied lightly with a chuckle. Lorelai smiled wider as she looked at his profile. "Luke has always had incredible eyes. He got them from our mother," she said reflectively. "I just got boring old brown." She laughed as she looked over at Lorelai.

"You have amazing eyes, too." She stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips thoughtfully. "You guys would have the most beautiful kids."

Lorelai's eyes widened before breaking out in a wide grin.

"Is that a blush?" Liz asked playfully as she walked around the bed to where Lorelai sat.

Lorelai continued to smile uncontrollably. "No, it's amusement. That comment just came completely from nowhere."

"It's true, though. If you two had kids, they'd be ridiculously beautiful." Liz watched Lorelai's eyes fall to Luke's face. Her smile slowly faded as she looked at him considerately. Liz smiled widely as she looked at her. "You see it, don't you?" She asked quietly after a few moments.

Lorelai's attention immediately went to Liz. And, the grin returned, mixed with a tiny bit of embarrassment. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said as she looked back to her book.

Liz laughed. "Okay, I'll accept that," she said with an indifferent shrug. She sat down in the chair that she had pulled up next to Lorelai. "Who are you reading?" She asked as she tried to look at the cover of her book.

"Mary Higgins Clark," Lorelai replied as she held the book up so that Liz could see it. "Deborah had it, and she lent it to me."

"Deborah…the nurse?"

"Yeah, the one with curly hair," Lorelai replied flippantly.

"You spend way too much time in here," Liz said jokingly.

"I don't spend enough time here," she replied quietly.

Liz looked into her face. "You're here more than the doctors that get paid to be here."

Lorelai smiled. "That's the same thing Sookie said."

"Second time's the charm."

"Thought it was the third."

Liz paused. "You're here more than the doctors." Lorelai laughed. "There. There's your third time. Charmed yet?"

"Beyond measure."

A slight rustling sound caught both their attention as they snapped their heads toward Luke's bed. Lorelai's breath caught, and a temporary freeze came over her as she looked into his eyes. He looked confusedly from her to Liz before moving his eyes around the rest of the room with greater confusion.

"Oh, my god! We ne—go get the nurse or the doctor or the…somebody!" Liz said quickly to Lorelai. Lorelai sat frozen in her chair. Liz looked at her quickly, noticing her immobilizing shock. She hurried to the door to get someone herself.

Lorelai's novel slid to the floor as she slowly stood. She walked over to Luke. His eyes were busy scanning the room.

"Luke?" She said quietly. He looked at her, and she could think of nothing to say. His gaze moved to the machines that stood behind her and his brows narrowed even more.

He opened his mouth, but before any words could come out, the door opened and the staff swarmed inside. They moved quickly as they surrounded the bed. Lorelai staggered back, suddenly aware of her position. She was asked to leave the room, and she nodded and walked out of the door in a daze.

She found Liz in the hallway on her cell phone. She flipped it shut and went to face Lorelai. "That was Miss Patty. The town should know within the hour. Do you want to call Rory?"

Lorelai nodded. She pulled out her own cell and hit the speed dial for her home number. She placed the phone against her ear and waited for Rory to answer. It didn't take long.

"Hey, Honey…yeah, I'm at the hospital…no, everything's okay. Luke is awake. He woke up," she said unsteadily. She smiled into the phone. "I know. Okay…yeah…no, they're in there now…okay, I'll call Sookie, and she'll come and get you…" She laughed. "Tell me about it…yeah, me too…yeah, Babe, love you too. See you in a little bit." She hit the END button and then another to get Sookie on the line quickly.

A full hour didn't pass before the entire floor was abuzz with Stars Hollow residents. Nearly everyone in the small town had dropped everything, hopped in any car that had room, and high-tailed it to Hartford Memorial.

Everyone had managed to hear the news and make it there quickly, and they still had not allowed visitation to Luke. They were still running tests and going in and out of the room. Each time the door would open, about ten heads would try to peak inside to no avail.

The number of people in his room decreased, and soon there was more nurses leaving than entering. The doctor was the last to exit, and when he came out, he went right over to Liz and Lorelai. They stood next to one another, but that didn't matter as all visitors crowded the doctor as several shhhh's resonated through the crowd.

He pointed between the two of them. "Which one of you is his fiancé?" He asked. Everyone's face took on a look of confusion, but before anyone could correct the doctor, Lorelai's hand raised impatiently. She wanted him to get on with the news.

Liz had already been aware of Lorelai's fabricated title. She waited for the doctor to continue.

He looked at Lorelai and smiled. "Ms. Gilmore, Mr. Danes is going to be okay." A small cheer rung throughout the hallway, and Lorelai had to lean in to hear his continuing explanation.

He continued to run through his doctory speech as Lorelai listened for anything that would make sense to her. It all seemed to be good news, so she wasn't in a rush to interrupt with questions. "Wait, what?" Liz asked quickly as Lorelai turned to quiet the still cheerful crowd around them.

The doctor repeated himself. "I said that Luke seems to be experiencing a small amount of paralysis in his right leg. It's nothing to worry about, in that it's not at all uncommon in comatose patients. With a few weeks or maybe a few months of therapy, he has a chance to regain full mobility."

Lorelai looked down. "Is he talking? Does he sound okay?"

"He's doing fine. He is able to speak, and judging by the size of this crowd here, you guys are probably anxious to get in there." Everyone laughed. "That will be okay, but we don't want but one or two people going in at a time. For now." He smiled at Lorelai's grateful expression. "Let me know if you have any questions," he said before walking down the hall.

Lorelai turned toward everyone. "Okay, um, I was here first," she said with a chuckle, "so, Liz, Rory, and I will—"

"No, Rory and I will wait. Why don't you go in, Mrs. Danes." Lorelai shook her head with a smile. "Rory, do you mind?" Liz continued.

"Uh, no. We'll just go in after you," she said cooperatively. She urged Lorelai inside.

"Okay, my arm is twisted. I'll be right out, guys," she said to everyone.

She stepped to the door and released one final breath before pushing it open. Luke was sitting up in the bed as he fingered the cords taped to his wrist. Lorelai smiled upon seeing him.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly. He looked up at her voice.

He pulled himself up even more. "Hey," he said as he looked at her strangely.

"What?" She asked as she moved over to him. It suddenly occurred to her that his memory may had been affected. She hadn't even considered that possibility. "Do you, uh...you remember me, right?" She asked nervously.

He frowned. "What are you talking about? Of course I remember you."

"Okay, so for my own peace of mind..."

"I remember you, Lorelai," he deadpanned. Lorelai released the breath she was holding. "I thought you were supposed to be coming back next week."

"From where?"

" Europe."

"Oh." It hit her that he wasn't aware of how long it had been. He obviously thought that it was still the week that the accident had occurred. "No, um, that was, uh, three weeks ago that I came back."

Luke looked down thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah," he said shaking his head slowly. "That's right. The doctor told me that. I, uh...must have forgotten. Sorry."

He smiled a little as he looked back at her worried expression. "Don't look at me like that. I'm okay."

"I know," she said instantly.

"No, you don't," he refuted calmly. "But, I'm okay. I just forgot."

Lorelai bit her lip and nodded timidly. "Okay," she whispered as she looked at him intently.

Luke took in her distance. "You can stand closer if you want. Post-comas aren't that contagious," he joked.

Lorelai was standing in front of the door.

She looked at her position. A coy smile fell over her face as she moved slowly to his bed. "Are you in pain anywhere?" She asked as she came to stand directly beside him.

"No, I'm okay. I don't have any feeling in my right leg, though."

She glanced at his leg. "Yeah, the doctor told me," she said as she looked back at him. Their eyes met and Luke smiled.

"Thanks for coming," he said.

"Don't thank me for that," she replied softly.

He smiled even more. "Why is that?" He asked. "Is it because it's your duty...as the future Mrs. Danes?"

Her eyes dropped to the floor, and she tried her best not to laugh or blush. "Who told you?"

Luke chuckled tiredly. "The doctor mentioned something about it when he was leaving. He didn't say who, but I just assumed..."

"And that you remember." She shook her head. "Good assumption."

He maintained a smile as he looked at her. Lorelai looked at him and her lips turned up on their own. She looked down at his hand. Glancing at him shyly, she inched her hand up to his as it lay by his side. Luke saw her actions, and he turned his palm upward. Lorelai smiled wider as she slid her hand into his. She stared down at their linked hands for a moment before looking into his face. Those eyes.

"You scared me, you know?" she whispered. Luke nodded and squeezed her hand. Lorelai could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and she prayed for them to stay in place. She knew that that was a longshot, though. She forced a smile. "Next time, look both ways, okay?"

"I will," he answered.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, um..." She looked down to their hands. "...everyone's waiting to see you, so I should...probably go."

She felt Luke's hand tighten around hers. "Okay," he said.

Her fingers tightened as well. "Okay," she followed still looking where their hands joined. The second she lifted her eyes, two tears rolled down her face.

Their eyes connected. "Just a few more minutes?" Asked Lorelai shyly.

Luke nodded. "Definitely."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke remained in the hospital for three days after finally waking up.

He got visits for a little under an hour that day as everyone took turns welcoming him back. Once everyone had left, Luke figured he'd be left alone while everyone went back to their lives. That wasn't the case for one person, though.

Lorelai stayed. She remained in the hospital until about 3 the next morning. She left in order to go home and prepare herself for an early breakfast meeting. When that ended, she drove back to the hospital. She did this the entire three days. Any moment not spent working or doing various things for Rory was spent by Luke's side.

They mainly talked. About anything and everything they could think of, which usually resulted in plenty of laughter because Lorelai's mind couldn't take so much freedom. They played cards, Trouble, 20 Questions, anything that they could think of. They even played a game of Scrabble. Just one. The game didn't last long. Luke put an immediate end to it when he realized the myriad of dirty words that Lorelai knew and was very much willing to put on display.

Luke found that sleeping around her was impossible. She wouldn't allow it to happen, even if it was abundantly clear how tired she, herself, was. Lorelai had little desire to see him resting. She had seen it for several weeks, and that was all she cared to see. 'Sleep when you're dead' became her new mantra, and Luke came to expect it even when he was seen blinking a little too long.

Luke wanted to show annoyance. She was always around, and because of it, his eyes had dark circles that would put a raccoon to shame. When she did let him sleep, she would call his name every half hour, waking him up, then smile at him as she waved him back off to sleep. Yep, he wanted to be agitated. But, he wouldn't. He couldn't.

He would roll his eyes, his favorite pastime. He would grit his teeth and give her pointed looks. Yep, he wanted to let his frustration be known.

But, instead, he'd end up shaking his head. More often than not, he'd end up smiling and internally kicking himself at how he'd lose his sense of self around her. Just from a look. Being in a hospital bed, unable to move or busy himself with other tasks helped him to acknowledge the feeling even more. He didn't want her to leave when she would get ready to go. Every time she prepared herself to do just that, he'd start to complain of how he couldn't get his bed just right. He'd need her opinion on something to watch. Whatever he could think of. He found that once she got going on trying to sell a good program or movie, he'd buy at least 15 minutes for himself.

If only he knew that Lorelai's departures were just as, if not more, unwelcomed by her.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

After three days, Luke was released. He went to stay with Liz in her home while she drove him back and forth to the hospital for therapy. It took much convincing on her part since he felt that he had been away from the diner for far too long. She told him how it made since for him to have someone there should he require any assistance. Liz tried over and over to convince him of this, but it wasn't until Lorelai added her two cents that Luke actually caved.

He was issued a temporary wheelchair, and he all but bit off the head of any person that dared get behind it and try to push him.

"Why aren't you saying anything to her?" Liz asked with a smile as she walked beside where Lorelai pushed Luke in his chair. They had exited Luke's truck and was headed toward the diner.

"I have said something to her," he grumbled as he got pushed along.

Lorelai looked up at Liz and smiled. "I don't really pay him any attention," she finished for him.

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own sanity in order to keep crazy people placid," said Luke.

"Luke is just a little grumpy right now."

Liz nodded. "I know. He gets like that directly after therapy sometimes, but he's doing a lot better, so I don't understand why he's in a mood."

"Will you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

"Sorry," they said simultaneously as they shared a brief wink.

"I don't even see why I still have to be in this damn thing. I can walk," Luke continued.

"Well, Luke, it's only been two weeks. Your leg may still be a little weak," Lorelai said soothingly.

"My leg is fine," he said flatly as he placed his hands on the sides and wheeled himself up the ramp at the back of the diner. He moved his hands quickly on the wheels causing Lorelai to fall back. "Thanks," he said over his shoulder. "Just get the door for me."

Lorelai moved to pull open the door. "Here you go, Babe," she said lightly.

"Watch your foot," he said quietly as he motioned for her to move it back. She moved it and pointed to the unobstructed path.

Liz watched the two of them, unable to hide the cheesy grin that took over her lips. Lorelai had been over her house a lot over the past couple of weeks visiting Luke. She knew before she took him in that she was going to see her a lot. It wasn't surprising at all to see her every other day as she visited with him and helped out with getting him to therapy.

It was so clear to her how Lorelai felt about her brother. It was impossible not to see it. After Lorelai called Luke Babe, Liz looked at Luke, noticing how he didn't think it the least bit weird. Lorelai seemed oblivious to her own endearment. But they came out more and more often. Liz noticed this.

Luke rolled inside, followed by Liz and Lorelai. He looked around the diner as he moved over and began speaking with Caesar.

"We'll be upstairs, Luke," Liz said as she waved Lorelai over to the curtain. They had come to the diner so that Luke could check on things and Liz could pack him a few more pairs of clothes. They both went up the stairs.

"Luke is getting more grumpy by the day," Liz complained as she came inside the apartment. "It's a good thing I love him to death," she said with a proud smile.

"He's not that bad," Lorelai said as she went over and sat on his bed. She ran her hands over the comforter as she looked down at it. She looked up at Liz suddenly and smiled wide. "How much would you like to bet that he has plaid sheets?" She stood up quickly and looked under the top cover.

Standing back up, she smiled and clapped her hands. "Ha! I knew it!"

"Luke loves his plaid," Liz said with a shrug.

Lorelai continued to smile. She was still proud of being correct. "I so knew that. Man, I'm good."

Liz had gotten one of Luke's old bags and started filling it. Lorelai walked over and started admiring his many trophies. Liz looked up at her, smiling from ear to ear at what was so obvious in her eyes. "So, Lorelai..." Lorelai looked at her. "...are you seeing anyone these days?"

Lorelai laughed and shook her head quickly as if that was a ridiculous statement. "No, I'm not," she answered after her laughter had subsided.

"Why's that so outlandish?" Liz asked curiously.

"It's not. It's just...I guess it's not where my head's at these days," she said with a serious air.

"Why?" Liz asked quietly.

"I don't know," Lorelai said with another instant shrug. "I have a lot on my plate--I mean, the inn, getting Rory ready for school," She looked over at the bed and back at Liz. "Luke," she added quietly. "Dating just isn't a priority right now."

Liz smiled. "I understand."

"I mean, not that I see any of those things as being burdensome," she said quickly. "Because I don't." She paused, looked back at the bed, Luke's trophies. "They're just things that come first," she said with a knowing nod.

"Yeah," said Liz. She finished putting clothes inside the bag and zipped it up. "You have been unbelievable with my brother. I thank you so much for that." Lorelai smiled. "When a person isn't able to be around their close family, they hope that there are people in his/her life that will be there for them and look out for them. Care for them. I realize that Luke has that and more. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for him to have you in his life."

Lorelai looked down modestly. "It's not much of a choice on my part. He's a great friend of mine."

"And you care about him?"

Lorelai paused and looked at her. "I do."

Liz smiled. "In what way?" She delved.

"Wow, I really can't hear the subtext in that," Lorelai said in a rehearsed tone. She and Liz both laughed. "I care about him in the way that I don't want to see him hurt or any pain. And I want to see him happy," she added timidly.

"Do you have feeeeeeeeelings for him?" She asked as she swayed playfully.

"Is there any answer that you're looooooooooooking for in particular?" Lorelai mocked.

"No, no," came her unconvincing response.

Lorelai chuckled. "Well, Luke means a lot to me. Let's just leave it there."

"Okay," Liz said with a conspirator smile. She picked up his bag and slung it over her shoulder. "You ready?"

Lorleai had picked up one of Luke's trophies, and she set it back down carefully. She turned toward the door. "Let's go," she said as she led the way out.

...TBC...