Second last chapter. Sorry for delays, but I'm getting better. Maybe I'll get around to finishing my other stories? Maybe our new computer will come so I CAN!

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Chapter 9

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Lorelai leant her head against Luke's shoulder and sighed tiredly. They had been there for nearly two hours, and still there was no word on her father. Several doctors had rushed past, talking about heart rates and brain functions, but nobody could tell them if it had anything to do with her dad.

Rory had taken the twins for a walk. They were getting restless and bored. Lorelai could understand that. She was getting restless and bored and she was in her forties. How was a five-year-old supposed to cope?

It was the not knowing that was killing her. Killing all of them. She could have dealt if the damn doctors would just tell them something. Anything. It didn't have to be the full details, just "he's having surgery to fix this" or "we've got him hooked onto the machine to monitor that". But there was nothing.

As she sat, she could see her mother out of the corner of her eye, sitting ramrod straight, her eyes fixed and staring at a spot on the wall. Lorelai had never seen her mother sit so still. She was normally flipping pages of a magazine, or book, or something, organizing this and that and trying to decide what new sheet set she should buy.

But a silent and frozen Emily was so out of the ordinary that Lorelai thought maybe, just maybe, her mother knew something she didn't.

And, of course, she couldn't talk to her about it because the Gilmores never talk about anything painful because that'd be, well, painful. And far be it for Emily to share her worries with Lorelai when it concerned something they were both worried about.

If it had been one of Lorelai's children in the hospital, Emily would be all over it. Demanding to know what was going on. But she just sat there. Still. Silent.

That scared Lorelai more than anything.

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Rory returned carrying a sleepy Kate, Charlie clinging to the leg of her pants.

"Mommy." He whined, running over and crawling onto Lorelai's lap.

"Hi-ya, baby." She whispered in reply, kissing his brown hair that reminded her so much of Luke. "Where'd you go?"

Charlie yawned before replying. "Wory found a room with a TV and a PlayStation so me and Katie played on that for a bit. And then Katie got bored of the game, so she went and sat wif Wory and they read and then I went with them and then Katie felled asleep."

Lorelai nodded and looked at her youngest daughter, now clinging tightly to her dad. Her bright blue eyes were sparkling in the way that Lorelai knew meant tears were coming and she offered her little girl a pout.

"When can we see grandpa, mommy?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Lorelai sighed and looked at Luke. She hated lying to her children, but she didn't know what else to tell them. "Soon, I hope."

Kate yawned widely and nodded. "Me too." She buried her head into the flannel of Luke's chest and drifted off again.

"You try and get some sleep, too, sweets." She whispered into her son's hair.

He nodded and was soon drifting off, too.

The twins had barely been sleeping for fifteen minutes when a doctor came over. "Hi, I'm Doctor Jones. Are you Mrs. Gilmore?" he asked, looking at Emily.

Emily nodded slowly. "Yes. I am. This is my daughter, Lorelai and her husband Luke and my granddaughter, Rory. Do you have news?"

Lorelai and Rory met each other's gaze. The usual fight and spark was gone from Emily. She seemed flat, like she hadn't had enough coffee.

Dr. Jones nodded. "Yes. Your husband will be sent up here shortly. You'll be able to see him, but we really need to have a discussion about the best way to go from here. I'm sure you realise your husband was badly injured in the accident?"

Emily nodded.

"Well, we have done surgery to try and repair what damage we could, but he was, uh, injured pretty badly. He has six broken ribs, a broken wrist and leg, a punctured lung and his heart stopped on the way in here. Currently, he is on life support and we can keep him alive for a few more hours so you can decide what you want to do, but, in my opinion, it think its best if you each get a few minutes to say goodbye."

Emily's eyes glazed over and she seemed to process what the doctor said slowly.

"I'll, uh, come and get you when he's here."

Emily nodded absentmindedly as the doctor shot sympathetic looks at Lorelai, Rory and Luke, before turning and heading down the hall towards the elevator.

It wasn't until then that Emily Gilmore let a tear slip down her cheek and she spoke the first words in nearly half an hour. "He made me this promise…" she sniffed.