The next day, Luke came in early to the hospital room to find Lorelai not only awake, but happy. Deliriously so, in fact. It kind of came as a shock to Luke, who knew from firsthand experience Lorelai was anything but a morning person.

"We just gave her an extra dose of nausea medication after she threw up again yesterday," a nurse explained on her way out, "She's a little loopy right now, but conscious."

Luke carefully approached Lorelai, wary that if she was dosed up on meds, that she was liable to do anything. I mean, more so than on a normal basis.

"Hey," he greeted her as he walked into the now familiar room, "You feelin' okay?"

"Heeyyyy.. burger-boy," Lorelai said with a saucy smile, "Of all the gin-joints in all the world.."

"..I walked into yours," Luke finished for her. "You've used that one before."

Lorelai stuck out her bottom lip and pretended to pout. "Hey, no fair! You don't get to steal away my punchline, especially not after you betrayed me this morning!"

"What did I do this time?"

Lorelai harrumphed at him and crossed her arms, which he found aggravatingly cute. "You weren't here to hold my hand when I got the shot-to-end-all-shots. The mother shot. The Goliath of Shots."

"Well, I'm sorry," Luke said, holding back a smirk of superiority. "Would you like me to hold your hand now?" He asked, only half-joking.

Lorelai considered him for a second, her bright blue eyes suddenly piercing and focused. It was a look that made his skin tingle, and not necessarily in a bad way.

"Come here," she said after a second.

Hesitantly, he walked up to her and stood at her bedside. "..what?"

"Closer," Lorelai commanded softly, lifting her arms with great effort.

Luke bent down, leaning over the bed to her. "Okay, you're starting to freak me out here."

Lorelai reached up and put both hands on his face, slowly pulling him down to her level. Luke wanted to resist, but he feared that if he did, she would get upset or things would get awkward. Something about the way she was looking at him made him want to do whatever she wanted, without question. Dirty.

She carefully slid his cap up off his head and set it down next to her. She held his gaze, her face unreadable. Luke was acutely aware that their faces were just inches from each other.

"Lorelai," Luke said, trying to keep his voice level, "What… Are you doing? Wh—" He stopped short when she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I've been seeing you from a distance forever," Lorelai said, softly, in a matter-of-fact tone, "I wanted to actually touch you for a change."

Luke could feel his face turning red as her hands drew circles across his scalp. She smiled at him, and Luke had to recite baseball statistics in his head to keep his body from responding in.. inappropriate ways.

"Um, Lorelai, listen," Luke said, then stopped as she moved one hand down to caress his cheek.

"You're scruffier that usual," Lorelai laughed lightly. Luke wasn't sure how much of this was the medicine making her loopy, and how much of it.. wasn't. God, he hoped it wasn't the medicine.

"Lorelai?" He managed to choke out.

"Mhhhm?" She murmured, her thumb brushing against his jawline, fingers butterfly-light as they edged toward his neck. Suddenly the baseball statistics weren't enough.

"What are you— why are you… why?"

She hummed and continued lightly rubbing his face and neck. "Because I wanted to. I wanted to see if you would let me."

"Why wouldn't I—"

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Lorelai asked abruptly. At his questioning look, she elaborated.

"I mean the flowers, the hospital visits, staying with Rory after school..."

(Luke had been letting Rory hang out at the diner every day after school and making sure she was being fed and cared for [even though Rory was sixteen, every kid needs someone to help during tough times]. Luke didn't know Rory had told her mother. Luke had just wanted to help.)

"So, why are you doing it?" Her eyes were so, so blue.

Luke didn't know what to say. He had been waiting to tell her how he felt for so long, he didn't know where to begin. The horoscope, maybe? She was looking at him, her hands still holding his face up to hers.

"I, uh," Luke said, stumbling over his words then cursing himself for stammering, "Well, I just, you— you and Rory, are my, um.. you don't… well, I really.."

She watched him fumble with his words with an amused smile, those sparkling blue eyes pinned on his own nervous ones. Luke wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore.

Then her mouth was on his, and his racing thoughts melted away, consumed in a kiss.