Chapter Six

There was a slight rustling in the bed. Richard felt Emily's hand shift within his. She let out a small groan as her eyes began to blink open. Richard squeezed her hand and stood up, using his other hand to gently stroke her cheek. "Emily? Sweetheart?"

She groaned once more. "Richard?" Her voice was very hoarse.

Richard felt his heart expand in his chest as tears welled up in his eyes. "Yes, Emily, I'm here. I'm here, my love."

Emily felt like she was wading through a fog. Everything felt heavy and slow and fuzzy. She tried to sit up but she couldn't. "Richard, where are we?" she asked. Things were starting to become clearer. The room was unfamiliar.

"You're in the hospital, Emily. In Litchfield. Try not to move too much. You fell at The Dragonfly, and they had to perform surgery on your spine," he explained.

She tried to remember falling, or even why she had been at The Dragonfly. The Dragonfly. Lorelai. "Is Lorelai coming?" she asked, preparing herself for Richard to tell her that Lorelai was too busy or some other excuse to keep away.

"I'm here, Mom." Lorelai came closer to her mother's bed so she could be seen. She stood beside her father and leaned into him. He put his arm around her, and just like before, she felt safer.

"Lorelai. You're here," Emily said with an air of surprise.

It gave her a pang in her heart to realize that her mother hadn't expected her to be there. And, honestly, it was a fair expectation to have. But that would change, she hoped. "You were in the barn, Mom. I rode with you to the hospital and waited with Dad while you were in surgery. I just got back from your house. I brought you some things, but I can go back for anything else you need while you're here."

Emily frowned. "How long will I be here?"

"The doctor said one week, but the recovery is going to take a while," Richard answered.

She sighed in frustration. "What happened?" Emily was asking herself more than anyone else. She may have just woken up from surgery, but it bothered her that she couldn't remember anything.

Lorelai looked over at Luke and jerked her head toward the door. "Mom, we're going to find a doctor to come talk to you and answer your questions."

"We?"

Luke stepped forward and waved. "Hi, Emily."

Emily nodded weakly. "Hello, Luke."

Lorelai took Luke outside to find a doctor and give her parents some privacy. After the door closed, Richard felt himself fall apart. The tears returned. He pressed kisses to her hands and gently stroked her hair. "I was so worried."

"Richard, I'm fine," she insisted. Though, she had no idea if that were true or not.

"I'm so sorry, Emily. Those things I said to you were completely inexcusable and reprehensible and I regretted every word as soon as they came out of my mouth."

It took Emily a moment to remember what he was talking about. The memory of that morning came flooding back to her. Planning the DAR luncheon. The awful things Richard had said. Going to The Dragonfly. Lorelai hadn't been there. She'd gone to see the horses…and a car backfired. "And then Cletus reared and I fell back into the bench," Emily remembered aloud.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry, I was just remembering what happened. I was upset about what you said. And rightfully so, Richard, that was an awful thing to say."

"Yes, dear, I'm very sorry."

"I heard you, yes," she interrupted. "We can talk about that later. But I was upset and so I left to go to The Dragonfly earlier than I expected. Lorelai wasn't there. Probably avoiding me. Michel showed me the plans for the decorations, but in my state, I'd forgotten my notes in the car, so I went back to get them. But on the way, I decided to visit Lorelai's horses. And I was petting Cletus when a car outside backfired, and it scared the horse. He reared up and I fell backward into the bench across from his stall. I don't remember anything after that."

Before Richard could respond, Lorelai came back with the doctor. "Hello, Mrs. Gilmore. I'm Dr. White. When the ambulance brought you in, we found two fractures in your vertebrae. I surgically inserted screws into your spine to stabilize the bones and prevent any damage to your spinal cord. You also hit your head when you fell, which is why it took almost three hours for you to wake up after the anesthesia left your system."

"Lorelai, it seems a car backfired in the driveway, causing your horse to rear up, and your mother fell into a bench in the barn," Richard explained to his daughter.

Dr. White nodded. "That would cause the spinal fractures. There shouldn't be any lasting damage, but just to be sure, Mrs. Gilmore, do you mind if I conduct a quick neurological exam?"

"Go right ahead," Emily replied.

The doctor checked Emily's pupil dilation and nerve reactions in her extremities. After receiving a poke to the bottom of her foot, Emily became quite agitated, but she kept it to herself. Lorelai could see that her mother would erupt as soon as the doctor left.

"Everything looks just fine, Mrs. Gilmore. You'll need to stay in bed for the next two to three days to allow the spine to heal enough for us to help you start walking again. And if you can walk without assistance after the week is through, I'll discharge you, provided you return for weekly checkups."

Emily frowned but nodded. Dr. White smiled and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Emily complained, "What on earth was all that for!? Shouldn't they know in the operating room if they'd paralyzed me? That was ridiculous. And she's saying I have to stay here for a week and then come back every week after that? This is preposterous. I fell. Because of that damn horse!"

Richard sat down and patted her arm. "Emily, there's no use getting upset over it. The doctor will discharge you when she feels you're ready. And if that's earlier than expected, wonderful. But if not, you'll just have to be a good little patient and do what the doctor says."

She glared at him but said nothing.

Lorelai stepped forward. "Hey Mom? Luke brought food, if you're hungry."

"Actually, yes, I am a bit hungry."

"We've got burgers and fries and pie."

Emily eyed the box Lorelai held up with disdain.

Luke quickly offered, "I can go back to the diner and get something else. Or I can go to the store. Whatever you want."

His kind gesture made Emily want to smile, but she pressed her lips together stoically. "A burger sounds very good, Luke. I've heard from my daughter and granddaughter that your burgers are the best."

Lorelai's eyes went wide. "Mom, you've never had one of Luke's burgers?"

"No, whenever we've eaten Luke's food, everyone always assumes I want a sandwich or a salad or something."

With a happy glint in her eye, Lorelai brought the box of food over to her mother. "Prepare to have your world changed, lady."

Richard watched his wife with an amused expression. Unlike Luke and Lorelai, he had seen Emily eat a burger before. Many years ago when they were dating and they had once gone into a diner not unlike Luke's. Richard smiled at the memory.

Emily picked up the burger with both hands and bit into it, trying to ignore the way everyone was staring at her. She chewed and swallowed and looked at Luke. "My god, that's delicious!"

Lorelai and Luke glanced at each other in surprise and delight. Richard just smiled and went back to his own burger. The four of them all ate in relative silence.

"There's pie if anyone wants it. I brought apple and cherry," Luke announced.

"Both, please!" Lorelai requested, making grabby hands towards him. He just rolled his eyes and began cutting slices for her.

"I think I'll go for a small slice of cherry, Luke." Richard then turned to Emily. "Would you like some?"

"Apple would be nice. Thank you. But Richard, you know you shouldn't have too many sweets."

He sighed. "I'm fine, Emily."

"Oh really? What have you eaten today?" When Richard avoided eye contact, she instead asked, "Lorelai, you said you waited with your father all day? What did you two eat?"

"Uh...stuff from the vending machine?" she replied, unsure of how to navigate this particular Gilmore minefield.

Emily sighed. "One small slice of pie, Richard. But I swear, you'd better stick to your diet starting tomorrow, because I will not have you joining me in this hospital as a patient."

Richard accepted that rationale and happily ate his pie. Once more, Luke and the Gilmores fell into a comfortable silence. Richard caught Lorelai's eye at one point and they shared an understanding smile. Lorelai couldn't quite believe how well she was getting along with her father. Even more surprising, she actually liked having that connection with him. She wanted to protect it and let it grow. She wanted the relationship with her father that she had never had, something Rory had with him that Lorelai never realized she envied.

A nurse entered the room. "I'm so sorry, but visiting hours are over."

Luke began cleaning up all the food and putting things away. Lorelai gave him minimal help, but helped nonetheless. Richard looked at the nurse, conflict brewing in his face.

Emily spoke the words that Richard's mind had been trying to form. "Already? What time is it?"

"It's after seven," the nurse replied.

"That's ridiculous. What kind of hospital has visiting hours that end so early? Bring your supervisor in here, please. We'll see what kind of rule that is," Emily said, irate at the very idea that this small town hospital would kick her family out at only seven o'clock.

"It's hospital policy, Mrs. Gilmore." The nurse's voice was small. Lorelai did feel bad for her, but it was also fascinating to watch her mother, not four hours after major surgery, lying in a bed and bossing around employees as well as she ever did.

The nurse left to do what Emily had asked. Richard didn't want to leave, but he prepared himself for the reality that he had to go. He gently pushed a lock of Emily's hair behind her ear. A small smile appeared on her face and she leaned into his hand.

Lorelai watched the small exchange and was struck, for not the first time, that her parents, despite their myriad of flaws, were still so in love after so many years. They were comfortable together. And their affection for one another showed in the most unexpected of ways. It never failed to make her simultaneously happy and sad. Seeing two people in love like that was always joyful to see. But seeing it in her parents, Lorelai felt a gaping hole in her heart, because for so long, that love and affection had been withheld from her; she had never really been a part of that unconditional love. Not like that, at least.

A hospital administrator came in wearing a very sharp suit. "Mrs. Gilmore, what can I do for you?" he asked with a sickly sweet smile.

"You can tell me why visiting hours at this hospital end at seven when every single other hospital I've ever heard of allows family members to stay until at least eight."

Her tone clearly threw him off. He sputtered for a moment before saying, "Because you had surgery this afternoon, Mrs. Gilmore, I will allow your family to stay an extra hour. But they must be gone by eight." He left, visibly annoyed by the situation.

Emily smirked triumphantly. Richard was glad. Luke, however, was all packed up and ready to go. He turned to Lorelai and said in a low voice, "Maybe we should…"

Lorelai nodded. She would give her parents some time alone. "We're gonna go now, Mom. But I'll be back in the morning. If there's anything else you need from the house or anything, I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Thank you, Lorelai. And thank you, Luke. It was very kind of you to feed us all," Emily said kindly.

"Not a problem, Emily. I'm glad I could be here."

Richard turned to him. "Luke, I think I will take you up on your offer."

"Okay, great. I'll have everything ready for you. Just come on by the diner."

Richard nodded and thanked him, and Luke and Lorelai left.