Chapter 21 – Déjà Vu

-oOo-

Emily did not seem surprised to see Luke holding Lorelai's hand as they strode to the emergency room. She was all business – rattling off a list of things to do for everyone and calling various people as if the whole thing was planned. She gave tasks to everyone in the waiting room, including Logan, who came in to be with Rory.

Nobody – not Emily, not Rory, not even Lorelai – wondered for a second why Luke was there at the waiting room with the Gilmores. Although technically he and Lorelai were "dating" – if one date counts – but they couldn't really be called "together" at that time. She had been careful to keep things light and casual between them, and he respected her wishes. But when tragedy struck, it was as if their instincts took over and all of the carefully cultivated distance and detachment just flew away. He found himself holding Lorelai close to his side, rubbing her back, whispering comforting words to her ear and planting soft kisses to her hair. Lorelai clung as closely to him as she could, occasionally burying her face in his chest when her emotions got the better of her.

After almost an hour sitting in the waiting room, Luke whispered, "Do you want some coffee? I can get some in the cafeteria for you."

Lorelai gripped his shirt and shook her head vigorously, but refused to look at him. "No, Luke, please no… Please don't leave me here alone."

"It will only be a few minutes," he assured her softly, giving her a tight squeeze.

"I need you more than coffee."

Luke turned and kissed the side of her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."

-oOo-

After what seemed like hours, Dr. Reynolds came out. All of the Gilmore girls immediately stood up in nervous anticipation, followed closely by Luke and Logan.

"He's stable now," the doctor quickly assured them.

"Oh thank God," Emily said fervently, nearly collapsing out of sheer relief. She was the epitome of tranquility during the entire wait, but now she started to shake. Rory walked up to her and held her close to calm her down.

"To be honest, we almost lost him," Dr. Reynolds continued. "But Richard's a strong chap. He pulled through. They'll be taking him to the ICU soon. He's asleep, but you can sit with him for a few minutes, one at a time."

"Thank you, John." Emily finally replied. Rory made her grandmother sit down, then went and hugged Logan in relief.

Luke turned to Lorelai, who was still gripping his arm tightly and staring at the retreating figure of the doctor. "Lorelai?"

"Oh Luke," she cried, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his chest.

He stroked her hair and let her cry for a few minutes, then mumbled, "I have a hanky this time. Looks like you need it. You can keep it after. I'm not gonna want it back."

Lorelai gave a small laugh. "I know."

-oOo-

Luke drove Lorelai home that night. She was quiet, but kept glancing at Luke as he drove. He tried to ignore it at first, but it was unsettling. As they drove by the Stars Hollow sign, he finally turned to her.

"Lorelai. Are you okay?"

Lorelai nodded but said nothing. Finally, she reached over and touched his arm tentatively. "Luke, do you mind… can you…" she whispered. "I, uh, don't really want to be alone tonight."

He looked at her with tenderness. "I'm not going anywhere, Lorelai," Luke said for the second time that day.

"I mean… I'm not ready to, uh, you know," she mumbled, embarrassed. "I just…"

Luke chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't really thinking of that. I'll stay with you tonight – that's all. I can sleep in the couch."

Lorelai heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks Luke. Really. You being here with me… It means a lot."

-oOo-

The moment they walked into the house, Luke could sense that they've finally turned a page. There was none of the previous awkwardness, or the forced cheerfulness, or the stilted conversations. It was as if they were back to when they were together.

"Want a beer?" Lorelai asked, heading straight to the kitchen while he plopped down on the couch.

"Sure."

She handed him a beer and curled up on the couch beside him, drinking her own beer silently. He leaned back and put his right arm around her shoulder while holding the beer on his other hand.

"What a day, huh?" she finally said.

"What a day."

"Man, that was rough," she commented. "I've never been so scared in my life."

"I know. I'm just glad your Dad is okay now."

"Me too."

"We should probably go to sleep now. I mean, we should head back to the hospital pretty early tomorrow, right?"

Lorelai smiled at how naturally he said "we" – as if there was no question that he was coming with her. "I think visiting hours start at nine, but I promised my mom that I would drive by their house to get her a change of clothes and some stuff. So maybe we should leave the house by eight?"

"Sounds good," he said. After several minutes, he spoke again. "You must be exhausted. You should head up to bed now," He looked at her still figure beside him, her head cradled on his chest, her eyes closed.

"But I'm too tired," she mumbled without opening her eyes.

"That's why you should head up now before you fall asleep."

"I am asleep."

"Right," he snorted. He stood up and tried to pull her up from the couch but she wouldn't budge. "Come on, let's get you upstairs."

Lorelai muttered a few incoherent words, still without opening her eyes, and promptly drifted off to sleep. Luke watched her tenderly, and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. He took off her shoes and pulled her feet up so that she was lying completely on the couch, and went off in search of a blanket to cover her up. He then sat on the recliner and promptly fell asleep, not thinking about how his neck and back would feel tomorrow.

-oOo-

A week passed as Richard continued to recover at the hospital. For selfish reasons, this was a good time for Luke. He got to spend nearly every minute of the day with Lorelai – taking care of Richard during the day, and sleeping at her place during the night. Lorelai was still a bit clingy to him, always grabbing his hand or resting her head on his shoulder.

When they got home the second night, Lorelai told him he could sleep at Rory's bed to be more comfortable, but he steadily refused. He slept at the couch if Lorelai slept at her own room, or he slept at the recliner if Lorelai slept at the couch. Lorelai never invited her up to her bed, though he knew that even if she did, he would refuse. She was feeling lonely and vulnerable, and he was not about to take advantage of her that way.

One morning, Lorelai called him gaily. "Luke! I need a favor."

"Yes?"

"Dad's getting discharged this afternoon," she explained, trying to keep a huge grin from her face. "You mind driving him home?"

"In my truck?" he asked in disbelief.

Lorelai laughed. "Sorry hon, you'll need to take the Jag."

Luke scratched his head. "Uh, won't he mind me driving his car?"

"Nah, it was actually Mom's idea. Believe it or not, Dad was quite excited to go home in your truck. Said he hasn't been in a Chevy truck since his teens. Mom absolutely refused, and the only compromise that he would agree to is that if you – not Mom, not me, not Rory, not anyone else – would drive the Jag home."

Luke was puzzled, but shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I have to go get the Jag then."

Lorelai grinned. "I'll come with you."