"Sorry for the delay." His doctor exclaimed in a rushed manner as she closed the door to his room. Most instantly most of the hustle and bustle of the hospital had been blanked out. Luke could feel his heart beating quicker as soon as she had come into the room. "I hear you're itching to get that tube out."

Luke blinked once. Yes.

Dr. Schenizer smiled, looking over Luke's chart, and then closed it. "Well it looks like everything is going according to plan. Your lungs are healed enough that we can take the tube out, but you're still going to have to take it easy for awhile."

"That's great news." Lorelai commented for both herself and Luke. "Is that going to be taken out today then?" She doubled checked, knowing that Luke would probably want to ask the same question.

"Yes…and I'm even going to take it out myself. Right now in fact, so you can get this tube out quickly and hopefully painlessly." As she went through the plans, the clipboard was placed down on the table nearby. She washed her hands at the nearby sink and donned some gloves.

"So this is it, huh?" Lorelai quipped, rocking on her heels, gazing over at Luke with the same excitement and anxiousness that mirrored the other.

"This is definitely it." Rory confirmed, standing by her mother's side.

Dr. Schenizer smiled softly, touching his shoulder softly to get his attention. "You ready for this?" Luke blinked again, almost in a nod. She smiled at him reassuringly, "Okay, we're going to take this nice and slow."

Luke blinked, feeling her holding on to the tube—and then he felt Lorelai's hand squeezing his. "Hi." Lorelai spoke softly, her eyes doing all the talking. She was anxious, and he couldn't blame her. She had been sitting by his side for the past four weeks. He was awake; more or less alive, and getting this tube out was definitely a milestone.

Dear Lorelai,

So I'm writing you this letter because I don't want to focus on the fact that Dr. Schenizer is pulling a tube out of my throat right now. But I could talk about how good is to feel your hand in mine. I don't think you know how much I wish I had enough strength to squeeze back. I know I don't say this enough…but thank you--for everything.

Love,

Luke

---

Are you excited? Can you say "Tube out?" --throws party confetti--