Rory sighed as she pushed the door open with her back her arms full with a large cardboard box. Jess hurried over to her, "Give me that."
Rory scowled. "I'm pregnant not crippled!" she snapped. Jess pulled back his outstretched hands. Rory shook her head. "I'm sorry. Jess. I'm really sorry. It's just you know."
"Hormones."
She nodded. "I just… I'm excited about the baby! But I hate just sitting here waiting to pop."
Jess laughed. "Pop? You do know how babies are born right?"
Rory raised her arm and then let it fall. "I'm too pregnant to hit you."
Jess laughed and hugged her from behind kissing gently. "How was your last day?"
"It was nice. Kerry bought me cupcakes. I ate about seven."
They sat on their sofa, Rory's legs thrown over Jess's lap. Jess kneaded her feet in the fluffy knee high socks she now wore constantly. Rory was reading to her stomach. She had been doing this for the past month or so of the pregnancy working her way through Shakespeare's sonnets because she liked the rhythm. Lorelai had said it was weird and insisted on reading 'The ning, nong, nang' to the baby.
Rory shuffled around and then swung her legs off the sofa standing up and rubbing her back. "You ok?"
She nodded. "I'm ready to not be pregnant now."
Jess smiled up at her from where he sat on the sofa. "Hey Rory?"
"Yeah?"
"You're beautiful."
Rory smiled, "I'm hormonal you'll make me cry!"
Jess stood up. "You look radiant, glowing, gorgeous and absolutely beautiful." Rory grinned and pirouetted then stopped suddenly gasping. Jess was at her side in a second. "Rory? Rory! You ok?"
Rory gasped again. "I think the baby's coming!" she cried. They looked at each other for a moment both speechless and then began to gabble at once.
"I'll get the bag!"
"I've gotta call my mom!"
"Quick, coat! It's cold!"
"Have you got the keys?"
Jess finished wrapping a scarf around his neck, Rory's overnight bag in one hand, the key's to Lorelai's car, which she had lent them for just such a moment, in the other. Rory stopped at the doorframe. "What?" he asked.
Rory looked up at him, her face alight her eyes glowing. "It's really happening."
Jess grinned a smile that lit up his whole face "I know. We're going to have a baby!" Rory pulled his curly head down for a kiss.
Lorelai burst into the maternity ward. "Hi! My daughter's having a baby! Where is she? Can I see her?"
Luke hurried in after her. "I'm so sorry." He apologised to the slightly shell shocked looking nurse. "Um Lorelai Mariano? Came in about two hours ago?"
The nurse checked her clip board. "First time?" she asked. Lorelai nodded frantically her bobble hat almost falling off. "Room 78, just on your left."
Rory was sitting in the bed sipping ice chips when Lorelai flew in like a tornado of motherly affection. "Mom!" Rory cried throwing her arms around her.
"Hey babe. How's it going?"
"The doctors say it's going really well." Jess said.
Lorelai fixed him with an almost manic gaze. "Jess!" he was squashed too. "How are you doing."
Jess's nervousness showed in his lack of a witty quip. He just nodded. "Good. Really good."
Rory suddenly cried out again in pain. Lorelai was at her right, Jess her left both gripping her hands tightly. Luke settled himself in one of the chairs in the corner placing the huge bouquet of sunflowers on the side table.
The hours passed by, Lorelai drinking insane amounts of the vile coffee, Luke calling Sookie and Jackson, Lizzie and TJ, Emily and Richard and Lane and Zack. All of them promised to be there ASAP and soon the waiting room was almost overflowing.
The midwife came in periodically to see how Rory was doing. Rory groaned again. "If you ever, EVER think you are EVER touching me again Jess Mariano you have got another thing coming!"
Jess looked suitably repentant. The midwife smiled, "They all say that, sweetie." She reassured him. All righty Mrs Mariano looks like we're good to go to the delivary room."
Rory looked at her husband all her anger suddenly dissipated. "You're coming in too aren't you?" she asked, fear in her blue eyes.
Jess kissed her forehead. "With you all the way, Rory."
It all passed in something of a blur. Rory crying out with pain and the contractions came in one steady stream. Jess sitting on the bed behind her, bracketing her body with his lending her his strength and then suddenly they were handing her an impossibly small bundle. Jess started down in rapture at his daughter.
She wiggled a little then opened her lids revealing, as Jess had always known she would, a pair of beautiful sapphire eyes. "Look what you did." He breathed.
"Look what we did." She said pressing a kiss to the silky soft curls on her head.
They took mother and daughter back to their room and settled them into the bed, carefully tucking the blankets around them. Jess settled himself next to Rory and their sleepy daughter. He very gently stroked her nose with his forefinger. "Look at her fingers!" Rory said in wonder. Jess uncurled her fist marvelling at the tiny fingernails then she wrapped her fingers around his little finger so tight. Jess's breath caught in his throat and the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back over spilled. Rory looked up at him, "Are you crying?" she said her own eyes shimmering. She brushed the tear away with her thumb.
"Can we come in?" Lorelai whispered, poking her head around the door. Rory nodded and gestured them to enter with her free arm.
Lorelai tiptoed in. "Oh!" she gasped tears of her own running freely down her face.
"D'you wanna hold her?" Rory asked.
Miracles do happen. Lorelai was lost for words. Very carefully Rory placed her daughter in her grandmother's arm. The sleeping baby was passed around the hushed crowd and then placed back in Jess's arms. He was surprised at how natural it felt to hold her, how right it was. Like the first time he and Rory had kissed. That gut feeling that this, this right here, was what it was all about.
"Have you got a name?" Liz asked.
Jess glanced at Rory, still snuggled up next to him, she nodded at him. "World… meet Lorelai Elizabeth Mariano. Lora… meet the world."
"Lora!" the room at large cooed. Her two grandmothers teared up again. A nurse slipped in. "Shall we take her to the nursery to let the mommy get some sleep?" she asked.
Rory nodded. "Ok. I'll see you soon, Lora." She whispered.
Everyone filed out leaving Rory and Jess alone. Rory sighed, "That was really hard work. Mom was right, splits over a crate of dynamite!" she yawned.
Jess smiled softly. "You should get some sleep." He said disengaging himself from her arms.
Rory nodded, her eyes already closing. "Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked plaintively.
"Me or your mom. I promise. I just wanna pop out for something." Rory was already asleep. Jess smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "Love you, Rory."
Jess wandered down a corridor his hands in his pockets, passing other nervous looking fathers-to-be and exultant just-fathers. Lorelai was standing by a large window gazing in at Lora Mariano. Jess stopped by her and was once again struck by utter wonder. "You did good, Jess." Lorelai murmured, "You did real good."
"Yeah." He said. "She's just…. Perfect."
Lorelai smiled at him. "It never goes away you know." She said. He tore his eyes away from his sleeping daughter. "That feeling. That wonder. I still feel it every time I see Rory."
Jess hugged her quickly. "You're going to be the best Grandma ever." He said. Lorelai wiped her eyes on her sleeves. "Look, I need you to do me a favour. Can you sit with Rory? I wanna go and pick something up."
Lorelai nodded. "Of course!" and with a final long gaze at Lora she made her way back to Rory's room.
Jess rested his palms on the ledge. "I was half afraid I wouldn't know what to do with you when you came." He said softly through the glass. "I so badly didn't want to screw this up. I should have realized loving you was instinctive. I love you, Lora."
When Rory woke up her room resembled a florist's. Bunches of bright blooms of every hue of pink, orange, red and purple covered every available surface. On her bedside table was a pile of chocolate boxes, some already open. Rory smiled at herself. Chocolate was one of Mom's serious weaknesses.
There was a knock at the door. "Yeah?" she called out.
Jess sidled in, one hand behind his back. "Hey, Rory."
She sat up. "C'mere you." Jess grinned and bent down kissing her hard.
"Got something for you." He said pulling out a single, perfectly formed cream rose and then handing her a small box.
"What's this?" she asked placing the rose on the bedspread.
"Open it." He said.
She did so. "Oh Jess!" inside was a simple silver chain with a single lustrous pearl hanging off it.
"Thank you." He said sincerely. And Rory knew exactly what he meant.
Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for laughing with me.
Thank you for working with me when things go tough and basking with me when things were perfect.
And thank you for this miracle you gave me.
She knew exactly what he meant, because she meant the same things.
