Wow, if the stats of the show get as bad as the ones of this story then the show will surely not get an eighth season. You guys must really hate the show at the moment. I hope I'll give you at least a happier alternative with this story.


Chapter 29: Sleep with interruptions

After Lorelai left him alone in the room he was not sure what to do. He wanted to follow her and talk to her about it, but he was exhausted and doubted that he could muster up the strength to walk back into the living-room again. And the house was still full of people and he really didn't want to fight with her in front of them. Honestly, he didn't want to fight at all. He was sick of his own bad mood, of his yelling and screaming and at the same time, he couldn't act differently.

William's and Laila's looks had gotten to him and he wished he could take all the harsh words back and just tell them how horrible he felt, how self conscious he was and how weak he still was, even after all those therapies. He was their father though and he had to be strong for them, make them believe that he could deal with everything. He wanted them to know him only as strong as he had been before this accident, but he wasn't as strong anymore, both physically and emotionally.

So he sat down on the bed when his arms started to shake and he knew his legs would give in any second. He lay his head down on the pillows, took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Suddenly he heard a strange noise and sat up again with a lot of effort. When he succeeded he saw what had caused the noise and had to smile: William had placed Meeko's and Barney's cage, along with the two inhabitants, next to his bed. A rant about pets in the bedroom appeared in his head, about the unsanitary of it all, but he pushed it aside, he was touched by the gesture.

Meeko looked curiously up at him and Luke took the guinea-pig out of his cage and sat it down in his lap, petted it a bit. The little pet lay down comfortable and Luke was sure that if it would have been a cat, it would have purred.

After a while he sat the little guy back into his cage, took of his shoes and lay down again.

He heard when the townspeople left, he heard when Emily and Richard left, he heard Lorelai and Rory cleaning up the mess after the party and he heard them both walk upstairs.

He also heard the bedroom doors and the bathrooms doors, the running water and their way back into the bedrooms.

When everything was finally quiet after nearly two hours, he was still awake and couldn't sleep. This wasn't how his first night at home was supposed to be. He was supposed to be happy, in his own bed, beside his wife. He tossed and turned for another hour and then finally fell asleep.


It was around two in the morning when Luke woke up, because he heard a noise. With one hand he fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand and switched it on when he finally found it. He looked down to the side where the cage stood and looked directly into William's scared blue eyes, which were filled with tears. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but not a sound came out.

"Will, what are you doing here?" Luke asked surprised, but not angry.

"I just wanted to check on Meeko and Barney" he sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath then faced his father again.

"Don't yell at them please, you will scare them. And don't yell at me now, in the morning, okay? Mommy's finally asleep" he said with a shaking voice and looked his father in the eyes the whole time.

"Oh, Will, come here," Luke sighed and held out his hand, which William took after hesitating a second. He stood beside the bed and looked at Luke who still lay in bed.

"I am sorry for yelling at you so much. I'm just not feeling very good, but I know that is no excuse, so I want you to know that I am really sorry" Luke told him.

"It's okay, daddy. Just don't yell at mommy, 'cause she is crying all the time 'cause she's so sad since the accident" William said and sniffed again.

"Come here" Luke said and tucked at William's hand. Luke rolled on his side and William lay down beside him.

"Does it still hurt, daddy?" William whispered.

"No, it's fine. It's just really exhausting and embarrassing to learn walking again"

"Why?"

"Because I have no more strength in my muscles and because of the stupid coma I get cramps and that hurts" Luke informed him and wiped William's last tears away with his thumb.

"What is coma, daddy?" William asked.

"That's what the doctors call it when one sleeps for a very long time without waking up" Luke explained.

"Mommy said to Rory that she is scared you don't wake up anymore when you were sleeping and she said she is failing with the kids and because she has to take the pills so she wouldn't yell at us and hit us anymore" William said and started to play with the buttons of the flannel shirt Luke still wore.

Luke had no idea about which pills William was talking and he couldn't picture Lorelai hitting the kids. With these little details William had given Luke a short glimpse into what he had missed. William wasn't the person to talk about all of this though; he was five and the child here.

"I am glad that I woke up, because I would never want to leave you and your mommy alone. I just need some more time to learn walking again and to adjust and then everything will be fine again."

"Promise?"

"Promise!" Luke said.

"Cross m heart and hope to die, stick a needle in your eye?" William asked.

"You mother taught you that, huh?" Luke asked with a smile.

"Yeah, mommy says you need to say that otherwise a promise isn't a promise" William explained, but smiled as well.

"Your mother is crazy"

"Yeah" William giggled and suddenly yawned loudly.

"I see someone's a bit tired"

"I'm so tired I can't walk" William said over dramatically and reminded Luke once again how much he had from his mother.

"Since I can't carry you, because I am barely able to hold up myself I think the only possibility is that you sleep in here with your old father"

"Good night daddy" William beamed up at him and gave him a kiss

"Good night Will, sleep tight" Luke whispered back and slung his arms around his son, who snuggled into him as close as he could.

Within minutes Luke was also asleep again.


The next morning Luke was woken up by something touching his face and when he opened his eyes he found Lorelai sitting on his bed, caressing his face. When she saw that he had opened his eyes, she pulled back her hand really fast, as if she had burned herself.

"Sorry" she said and got up, but Luke held her back.

"Good morning" he whispered and pulled her back down.

"Seems like you've had a visitor last night" Lorelai whispered back and pointed to William.

"Yeah, he had the urge to check on his guinea-pigs at two am" Luke told her.

"He wasn't checking on Meeko and Barney" she said.

"I know" Luke nodded and placed a kiss on William's forehead, while the boy kept sleeping.

"What time is it?" Luke asked and turned his head to look at the alarm clock, but couldn't see it.

"Seven" Lorelai said and stroked over William's hair.

"Why are up at seven o' clock on a Sunday?" Luke asked with raised eyebrows.

"Couldn't sleep" she shrugged. Luke thought for a second about asking her about the pills, but it was too early and with William sleeping beside them, it wasn't the place either.

"Why don't you lye down for some more time?" he asked her instead and held up the cover for her to lye down. She snuggled under the cover and laid her head on his chest, which was partially occupied by William's head.

"I really want you in our bedroom", she told him after a minute of silence.

"I know," he just said and stroked her hair. They both closed their eyes and enjoyed the nearness, but neither couldn't go back to sleep.


They lay in silence for another two hours until the door slammed open and Laila stood in the door, with a confused look on her face.

"Mommy, Sara wants you" she said while she still looked confused on the three figures in bed.

"Urgh, I don't wanna get up," Lorelai groaned and Luke laughed.

"I can get her" William suddenly said.

"Hey, honey, you're awake" Lorelai smiled at him.

"Uhuh, should I get her?"

"Will, I really appreciate it and I know that you are freakishly strong, but I doubt that you can carry Sara down the stairs. You stay here, I go and get her," Lorelai told him and got out of the bed.

"Mommy, I am hungry" Laila said after Lorelai had kissed her.

"Ok I go and get Sara and then I'll make breakfast, okay?"

"Mommy, can't daddy make the breakfast? Your pancakes are always burned or just yucky" William interfered with a disgusted look on his face.

"You are so going to pay for that comment, Mister! My pancakes were perfect!" Lorelai said and pouted.

"Mommy they were really yucky" Laila told her and giggled when Lorelai crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Mean!" she said and sniffed, all drama-queen.

"I'm making the breakfast, but only if you help me" Luke said still laughing.

"Yay, finally!" William yelled in victory.

"Okay, you traitors, then go upstairs and get dressed at least and tell Sara I'll be with her in a sec'" Lorelai told them in a normal tone again and the two ran off.

"You're sure you can cook?" Lorelai asked Luke and sat back down on the bed, beside where he was sitting now.

"Sure, I will make the batter with the kids and you just have to bake them."

"I really burned them all" she admitted and smiled.

"I will tell you when to flip them" Luke smiled back.

"Wow, so you're making me a professional?" she asked and started to laugh then.

"Dirty" she giggled.

"Go and get Sara" he said with an eye roll.

"You're okay here? You need any help? The wheelchair maybe?" she asked and tensed, not knowing what reaction she had to expect. Luke only kissed her for a moment, though.

"I'm good," he assured her and gave her another peck.

"Good" she smiled, stood up and left the room to go and get Sara ready.

TBC