Chapter 10
"If it's positive," Luke thought to himself as he stood outside the bathroom door, "No matter how it comes out I will be a good father." He looked at the clock and saw they still had 2 minutes to go. "If it's false, then I will do anything in my power to make sure that when we finally have a child, we won't screw up that time." He looked at the clock, then the door, then at the clock. 1 minute to go. He stood still and tried to remain calm. He could hear Lorelai breathing on the other side of the door.
Luke closed his eyes and told himself one last thing. "Never blame Lorelai if your child is born with problems." Luke clenched his fists and tensed his back. "Never blame her," he thought.
The door opened, and Lorelai came out. To make this moment even scarier, she said she wanted to take the 2nd test to be sure. And she didn't let him see the first. He couldn't take it any more.
Luke stormed into the bathroom to look at the test.
Positive.
They looked at the 2nd test 3 minutes later.
Positive.
Luke was going to be a father. Before Lorelai could say aloud that they were now parents, Luke grabbed her in a loving embrace. He was happy, so happy. Although this was earlier than he had planned, he was going to be a father.
"So you think this is good then?" Lorelai asked him.
"More than anything," Luke replied. And off to her bed they went, to celebrate. Lorelai wasn't going to tell Luke yet that it would be a good idea to get a doctor's prognosis as well. But she knew as they undressed each other, that she'd have to find a way to tell Rory some how. Her daughter might not be in her life at the moment, but she needed to know.
But how?
Luke was flying high. Although he knew deep down that his baby might have some difficulties in life, he was trying to be very optimistic at the time. Other than the slight alcohol on Lorelai's part -and her age, which he wasn't about to bring up- the baby would be taken care of very well. He was going to get Lorelai to stop drinking coffee, or at least switch to decaf. He would keep her away from bad foods, how he wasn't sure. He would be at every doctor's appointment. Read every book he needed to. Luke would be a good Dad. Nothing was going to get in his way, he hoped.
"Kitchen's closed," he said as he heard the diner door open after he'd already switched the sign to closed. He turned around to see Rory. "Rory?" he said in surprise.
"Hi, Luke," Rory said, being sheepish but trying to stay chipper.
Hi," was all Luke could say.
"So, kitchen's closed?"
No, no, no, it's not closed. Come on in,"
Luke invited her to sit on one of the bar stools. As she sat down he poured her a cup of coffee. They talked a little about the town. And Rory asked how "people" were doing. Luke knew her well enough to know she wanted to hear about her mother. So he like her referred to Lorelai as "people." 'People are good' he had said.
Luke was able to handle this situation; he loved Rory no matter what choice she had made. He knew Lorelai did too. But he wasn't giving Rory the cold shoulder like her mother was. He felt Rory deserved honesty. He knew his fiancée might kill him, but he had to say it.
"You're mother and I are engaged," he told her.
"Engaged?" she said allowed not really to ask but to process.
"Yeah," Luke said.
"Wow. Congratulations," Rory said.
"What? How? Where?" Lorelai asked. Luke had told Rory they were engaged.
"She came into the diner last night. It was awkward and stupid, and I ended up telling her we were engaged!" Luke told her from the roof. He was angry. He was mad that Rory didn't know. He loved Rory, she was practically his daughter. But, hid 'daughter's' mother wanted to keep Rory out of it. This upset him greatly.
They had a small quarrel about how Rory should have known. Toward the end of the yelling from roof to grass conversation, Lorelai asked Luke a question.
"Did you tell her about…..our other news?" She wasn't about to say 'baby' when T.J was near by, he was a loud mouth. She could just imagine him running around town yelling to the square that he was going to be an uncle. Like anyone cared? Well, they cared that their favorite Stars Hollow couple would be having a baby, but hearing it from T.J? She'd never hear the end of it from them.
"You guys set a date yet?" Rory spat at her mother.
"Grandma redecorate the pool house yet?" Lorelai spat back.
"Be sure to send me a picture," Rory said sarcastically.
"Be sure to send me a change of address card," Lorelai channeled her daughter's tone.
Rory informed her mother that she wasn't allowed to talk to 'outsiders.' Lorelai started to walk away from Rory informed her.
"You and Luke getting engaged without telling me, you hurt me!" Lorelai whipped her body around, and said what she felt was perfect for the moment. She needed to tell Rory eventually.
"I'm pregnant," Lorelai said for the first time out loud. Rory's face turned to stunned. "And that hurt you were talking about?" Lorelai asked. Lorelai started to walk away again, "right back at you!" she said without a backward glance.