So Chris is gone FOR GOOD! I knew he had to come up at some point in the story so I thought why not get him out of the way near the beginning :D now it's javajunkie all the way!!!
Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last couple of chapters, I'm glad I didn't scare you all away by bringing Chris into the mix and you'll be pleased to know that everything will be good again. Enjoy the chapter!!
Lorelai and Luke were asked to wait outside while Rory was examined. The doctor said it would take ten to fifteen minutes to complete the examination and Lorelai didn't want to be apart from Rory for that long. She wanted to be with her, holding her hand while they did whatever they were doing to her but all she could do was wait until they had finished. Luke was sat on the chairs outside the door to the exam room and Lorelai was pacing around in front of him nervously, biting her nails.
"Lorelai will you sit down?" he asked.
"Sorry, I just wanna make sure she's ok."
"I know." He reached for her hand and pulled her into his lap. "She'll be fine in there; the doctors know what they're doing."
"Yeah I know but I've been away from her for so long, I just wanna hold her again."
"You will once they've checked she's ok."
"Do you think there's something wrong with her?" she asked, that worried tone taking over her voice again.
"I don't know I'm not a doctor."
"I did not know that." She smiled at him and a warm feeling filled his heart. He hadn't seen that smile for almost nine hours and was so glad it was back. He brushed her dark curls away from her face and left a light kiss on her forehead. "How much longer till they're done?" she asked quietly.
"About five minutes."
"Ok." She rested her head on his shoulder and they sat in silence. It was nearly ten thirty and the hospital was quiet, with only a few people walking past them in the time they were sat there. Ten minutes passed by and a doctor came out of Rory's room, smiling at Luke.
"How is she?" asked Luke, looking down at Lorelai who was now asleep.
"I'd like to talk to the both of you if that's ok."
"Err yeah. Lorelai, wake up," said Luke softly. She opened her eyes slowly and became familiar with her surroundings. She saw the doctor stood next to them and immediately became alert.
"Is Rory ok?" she asked quickly. The doctor took a seat beside them and looked at the two.
"We took your daughter's body temperature and found that it had dropped to 34 degrees Celsius. This means she has mild hypothermia, which is easily treated."
"Is that the only thing wrong with her?" asked Lorelai anxiously.
"No there is something else. Because Rory didn't have anything to drink all afternoon, she is dehydrated. It's quite moderate, not severe but we need to keep her in until her fluid levels are back up to where they should be." Luke noticed Lorelai was upset again and rubbed her back comfortingly.
"Is she gonna be ok?" asked Luke.
"She'll be fine; we just want to monitor her for a while. We've adjusted the heat in the room she's staying in and we've wrapped her in some blankets to warm her up. We've also put her on an intravenous drip to cure the dehydration." Lorelai looked up at the doctor.
"Isn't that like a needle?"
"Yes it is. We had to insert it in her arm so we can get the correct fluids back into her body." Lorelai put her hand over her mouth in shock.
"Is her condition that bad?"
"It's not serious, if we were treating an adult, or a slightly older child, we would have acted differently but because your daughter is an infant, we needed to use an IV to get her body working properly again." Lorelai breathed heavily.
"When will she be able to come home?"
"It's hard to say at the moment, it may take twelve hours to build her strength up or it may take longer."
"Can we see her?" asked Luke.
"Of course." The doctor stood up and Luke and Lorelai followed him into the room. Lorelai stared at Rory as she walked over to her bedside. The baby was asleep and was wrapped in several blankets with a hat on her head. She felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away and stroked Rory's cheek with her fingers.
"What are the tubes up her nose?" asked Lorelai.
"It's just a breathing aid."
"You mean she isn't breathing properly?" she raised her voice, mostly in worry.
"The aid is a precaution because of the hypothermia, there's nothing to worry about," assured the doctor.
"Ok, sorry for practically shouting at you," she said quietly.
"It's ok, I understand. I'll leave you to it," said the doctor as he left the room followed by a nurse.
"Do you wanna be alone with her?" asked Luke.
"No, don't leave," she pleaded. He walked over and stood next to her, pulling her closer to him as he looked at Rory. "I can't believe we're here," said Lorelai. "When I woke up this morning I would never have thought something like this would have happened today."
"I know, nobody could have predicted this." Luke sighed deeply. "You know this whole thing is kinda my fault."
"How?" she asked, shocked at his statement.
"After they left the inn, you were gonna go after them but I stopped you. If you'd have gone after them, this never would have happened and Rory would be fine. It's all my fault." She could sense the sadness in his voice.
"Luke stop it. This wasn't your fault ok?"
"But you have every right to blame me for this."
"No I don't, stop beating yourself up. Chris is the only one to blame here and he's gonna pay."
"Are you gonna get a restraining order?"
"Damn right I am. He's never gonna get his hands on my daughter again."
"If he tries to come near either of you, he'll have to get through me first."
"I'm glad I have you," she said appreciatively, stretching up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for being here."
"Don't mention it." He turned his attention to Rory. "This situation could have been a lot worse you know."
"I know, I guess we're lucky in a way."
"In a way," he agreed. They looked down at Rory who had begun to stir from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she observed her surroundings, taking in the bed she was lying in and the various machines around her. When her eyes found Lorelai, she smiled and gurgled slightly. The sound wasn't as loud or as strong as it was before but Lorelai didn't care. She hadn't heard that sound all day and she missed it.
"Hi baby," she said softly as she leant down to get closer to Rory. "I missed you so much today, I'm so glad you're ok."
"Mama," said Rory quietly.
"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." Rory started to move around in the blankets and tried to lift her arm up to reach for Lorelai's face. "You've gotta stay under the blankets hon," she said as she tucked her back in. She caught a glimpse of the drip in Rory's arm and tried her best not to think about it. She was never a fan of needles, they freaked her out. Luke noticed her looking at it and grazed her arm with his fingers.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Yeah I just don't like needles that's all."
"Just try not to think about it." She nodded and smiled down at Rory again.
"Sorry I let this happen sweetie, I didn't know he was gonna disappear like that." She turned her head to look at Luke. "Rory look who else is here." She switched places with Luke so Rory could see him.
"Hey Rory," he said, smiling at her. He leant down to her, the way Lorelai had done just seconds before and she reached up arm up again. Luke tucked her arm back under the blankets to keep her warm. "You've gotta stay under the blankets sweetie, sorry." Rory began to pout at him. "Some things never change." Lorelai laughed as she watched them together. Rory noticed the tube in her arm and started to play with it using her fingers. "No, no, no," said Luke, taking her fingers away. "You're not allowed to play with this ok?"
"Luke I'm just gonna find a pay phone so I can call Mia and my parents."
"Do you wanna use Mia's cell phone? I still have it."
"Thanks." She took it from him and went outside into the corridor. She dialled her parent's number first and waited as it rung.
"Hello?"
"Hi can I speak to Emily Gilmore please?"
"Who is it please?"
"It's Lorelai."
"Lorelai who?"
"Lorelai Gilmore. Who are you the FBI? I'm their daughter."
"Ok I'll just get Mrs Gilmore for you." Lorelai waited as the maid found Emily and brought her to the phone.
"Lorelai?"
"Hi mom."
"Is she ok?"
"She will be. She has mild hypothermia and she's dehydrated."
"That doesn't sound good."
"It's not, she's got a drip in her arm that's sending fluid into her body and she has a breathing aid....it's horrible."
"What does she need a breathing aid for?"
"The doctor said it's just a precaution because of the hypothermia."
"When will she be able to go home?"
"Not till at least twelve hours."
"You should get some sleep, you must be exhausted."
"I'm fine; I wanna stay up with Rory."
"Well we'll be there to visit in the morning, which hospital are you at?"
"St. Francis."
"Ok call us if anything changes."
"I will, bye mom." Lorelai hung up and dialled the number for the inn. Mia picked up just after the first ring.
"Lorelai?"
"Hey."
"How is she?"
"She's ok, she has hypothermia and she's dehydrated."
"Hypothermia?"
"It's mild. They've turned the heat up in her room and wrapped her in some blankets."
"What about the dehydration?"
"That's a bit worse, she's on a drip."
"Oh my god."
"I know there's this needle in her arm and there's fluid going through it."
"Poor girl, she's gonna be ok though right?"
"Yeah the doctor said she'll be fine. She won't be able to come home for at least twelve hours though."
"Oh dear, do you want me to come over there?"
"No it's ok, Luke's here. You stay at home and get some sleep."
"I'll be there in the morning to see her."
"Ok Mia."
"I'll bring you some stuff too, like fresh clothes and some things to keep Rory occupied."
"Thank you Mia, for everything."
"You're welcome, now you get back to that gorgeous girl of yours. Give her a kiss from me."
"I will bye."
"Oh and Lorelai?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure you get some sleep tonight." Lorelai chuckled a little.
"I will, see ya." She hung up with a smile and opened the door slightly to Rory's room. She paused when she heard Luke talking and listened to what he was saying.
"You know, I was so worried when you went missing. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to break down but I couldn't. I had to stay strong for your mom. You're a very lucky girl Rory, do you know why?" Rory stared up at him; it was as if she understood every word he was saying. "You've got the best mommy a person could wish for. She's very special, your mom. She loves you more than anything else in the world and she'd do anything for you. I want you to always remember that ok? I hope that someday your mom will love me as much as she loves you. I don't wanna be a rival to you or anything cause I know you're not used to sharing her, but I know the love she has for you will last forever, she'll never stop loving you, ever."
Lorelai looked at the floor. She was surprised by his words. They got her thinking; will she love Luke one day as much as she does Rory? She snapped herself from her thoughts to continue listening to Luke. "I know you think I'm your dad and I really wish that were true but it never will be. No matter how hard we both wish for it, it will never be true. But that doesn't mean I don't care you and it doesn't mean I won't treat you as my kid. I know we haven't known each other long but you've really grown on me and I think I've grown on you too. When I met your mom, I thought she was annoying. She was begging me for coffee, you know how she is, and she wouldn't wait her turn. But when I looked at her for the first time, she didn't seem so annoying anymore, she was beautiful and I mentally kicked myself for telling such a pretty girl to 'shut up and wait her turn'.
That really did seem like months ago to both of them, not weeks. Lorelai was about to enter the room when Luke began talking again. He had never talked this much around her before, in fact she wasn't sure he had talked this much his entire life. "You have your mom's eyes, those big, warm, happy, pretty, blue eyes. They're a part of the reason I can never say no to the two of you. When your mom's begging me for a cup of coffee and I look into those eyes, I find myself giving in. You're gonna have me wrapped around your finger when you figure out I'll never be able to say no, you already have that kind of effect on me now," he chuckled and his face broke into a smile. Rory didn't take her eyes off him as a smile spread on her face too, causing her eyes to light up. "Could you do me a favour and not tell your mom about our chat? I know you're getting smarter by the minute and I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to say everything yourself. Just keep this between us ok?" He brushed his fingers along her cheek and lightly tapped her nose with his index finger. Rory laughed and kicked her legs as much as she could with them being wrapped between the blankets. When Lorelai was sure their moment was over, she pushed the door open and smiled when Luke turned to look at her, his arm draped protectively over Rory's blanket.
"Hey."
"Did you make all your calls?" he asked as she approached him.
"Yeah I told them what's going on. They're coming to visit in the morning."
"Ok, I guess we should get some sleep," he suggested. "You look tired."
"Gee thanks."
"You know what I mean, you're eyes have lost their spark."
"You mean my big, warm, happy, pretty blue eyes?" she asked. She wasn't mocking him but it sounded that way when she said it.
"You heard that?" She nodded at him and he sat in the chair, obviously embarrassed. She moved onto his lap and draped her arms over his shoulders, joining her hands together at the nape of his neck. "How much did you hear?"
"From when you were telling Rory how worried you were when she went missing."
"So pretty much all of it?" She nodded again. "Jeez. Now you're gonna mock me and I'm never gonna hear the end of it."
"I'm not gonna mock you," she said quietly. "Not tonight anyway, but I can't promise anything for tomorrow. What you said, it was....beautiful. Everything about me being special, how you're gonna treat Rory as if she's your own, you saying I'm pretty."
"Well you are," he said sheepishly.
"I know everything you said to her was the truth Luke; I have no doubt about that."
"I don't know how I got so lucky."
"What do you mean?"
"Well three and a half weeks ago, my life was crap. The only thing I had was the diner, and Liz and Jess but I don't see them that much. I was kinda lonely, no one to talk to on the nights when I was in my apartment, no one to confide in and no one to spoil. I'm earning money at the diner and it's all going into a savings account cause I have no one to spend it on. Well I didn't until I met you and Rory. These past weeks, I feel like I'm worth something, I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning other than the diner. I am so lucky to have met you two. I sometimes wonder what you see in me." He didn't wanna look up at her. He had just poured his heart out to her, something he had never done with anyone. He noticed neither of them had said anything in at least a minute and Lorelai thought she should speak up.
"Luke?" He didn't say anything; he was focussing on avoiding eye contact. "Look at me." He lifted his chin to look her in the eye. "You really wanna know what I see in you?" He nodded. "Where do I begin? First of all, you're hot," she grinned and he rolled his eyes. "Second of all, you're a great guy. I know you put on a grumpy diner owner front for everybody else but I've seen the soft, gentle, sweet side of you. I've witnessed for myself how great you are. And finally, you care for Rory. If I was to even think of being with any guy, he'd have to get along with her cause we're a package deal. You care for her a lot, the fact that you searched for Rory all afternoon with me and you're still here with us now is living proof." Lorelai looked away from him and laughed to herself.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Us, when did we become so sappy?"
"I have no idea." The door opened and the doctor entered the room again carrying a thermometer.
"How's she doing?" he asked as he went to Rory's bedside and leant over her. Rory had been lying silently, just staring at her surroundings.
"She's fine," said Lorelai, getting up from Luke's lap. "She seems to be her normal self."
"That's good; it shows she hasn't suffered any major trauma or shock. Has she been crying at all?"
"No she's been as good as gold."
"Ok I have to take her body temperature now so do you mind if I ask you to leave for a second?"
"Oh you're measuring it the uh....that way?" she asked.
"Yes I measure it twice actually, once in her ears and the once in her rectum."
"Right well we're leaving," said Lorelai quickly. She grabbed Luke's hand and dragged him out of the room. When the doctor told them it was ok to re-enter, they walked in cautiously. They saw Rory's eyes were watery and there were tear stains on her cheeks. They had heard her crying and Lorelai's heart broke knowing what her daughter was going through.
"So what's the verdict?" asked Luke.
"Her temperature has risen to 36 degrees."
"Is that good?" asked Lorelai.
"It means she's gotten over the hypothermia. It is considered that 35 degrees or less is classed as hypothermia and the average body core temperature is 37 so she's recovering well. We're gonna keep her in this room tonight to make sure she maintains her temperature as her body is still quite weak from the dehydration but hopefully she'll be able to move to the children's ward in the morning."
"That's great," said Luke, joy overtaking him. Both he and Lorelai had smiles on their faces that refused to go away.
"I'll get the nurse to bring you some formula for Rory. I know her routine has been messed up a little today but hopefully she'll be back into it in the morning."
"Thank you, for everything you've done for her," said Lorelai. She couldn't even describe how grateful she was.
"You're welcome; I'll see you in the morning." He began to walk to the door.
"Oh could you get the nurse to bring some diapers and stuff as well? We haven't brought anything in with us, it's in the car."
"Of course." He left the room and they walked over to Rory. Luke pulled a tissue from his pocket and reached over to wipe Rory's damp cheeks. Lorelai smiled at him.
"I'm so glad she's ok," said Lorelai, tears forming in her own eyes. She tried to blink them away but that made it worse and a few escaped.
"Do I have to dry your tears too?" asked Luke softly but he had a joking tone in his voice.
"Sorry, I'm just really happy."
"I know." He wiped her cheeks with the same tissue he had used for Rory and left a kiss where it had been.
"I hope you didn't use that tissue before you smothered our faces with it."
"I've been using that same tissue since last week," he grinned.
"Eww gross," she said while slapping his arm.
"Relax, I was kidding."
"You're cruel." The nurse came back with a bottle, a few diapers, some baby wipes and a pacifier. Lorelai watched as Luke picked up Rory, trying to avoid knocking the tube in her arm, and fed the milk to her. They sat in silence as they waited for her to finish Luke saw she had fallen asleep. He laid her carefully on the bed, trying not to disturb her and put the sides up so she wouldn't roll off in the middle of the night. Lorelai stood up and gestured for Luke to sit in the chair. "You don't mind me sitting on you all night do you?" she asked.
"No come on, hop on." He patted his thighs.
"Dirty," she replied as she climbed onto his lap and got comfortable. "Luke?"
"Yeah?" he asked, his eyes closed.
"You know when you were taking to Rory earlier?"
"Hmm." He was still embarrassed about that and didn't feel all that comfortable talking about it.
"Did you mean what you said about wanting me to love you as much as I love Rory?" His eyes shot open and he met her intense blue gaze. She wasn't mocking him or smiling for that matter, she was deadly serious.
"I erm...you know I..."
"I wanna know," she pushed. "I won't be freaked out by your answer, I promise."
"Ok...I..did mean it. Someday, I want us to be a proper couple. I don't know if it's too early to be talking about this but that's what I want."
"Wow."
"I freaked you out didn't I?" he asked knowingly.
"No, surprisingly you didn't," she replied. "I think I want that too. You me and Rory, we could be a family." He was shocked by her thought but he a part of him wanted it to happen. "Now I freaked you out didn't I?"
"No you didn't."
"Luke I want you to know that I'm on my way there."
"On your way where?"
"To falling in love with you." Luke couldn't help but smile.
"Me too," he admitted quietly as they both drifted off to sleep.
I know it was shorter than usual but I wanted to post tonight and it's already past midnight here in England! I hope you all like the Luke/Rory stuff; I have figured that Gilmore fans tend to like it when they bond with each other. I'm sorry if I got any medical details wrong in this chapter, I am not a doctor, I'm a Graphic Design student so I do apologise if any medical experts read this and there is something wrong. I hope you all enjoyed this and I'd love to hear what you think :D in other words, please review!!
Emily.