A/N: Things are heating up,hope you like the conversation at the end, please be advise a few mentions of upsetting scenes in this chapter.
Just Hold Me
Chapter Twelve
For a few moments, there was a deadly silence in the room, before they all realised what the doctor had said and started questioning him.
"No, no you must be wrong!" Richard said not believing what happened to his daughter.
"Wait...you mean she was attacked?" Rory said bursting into tears.
"But who would..." April said looking at the floor
"Richard, what does he mean? RICHARD? What does he mean?" Emily asked unable to believe what she was hearing.
"I am sorry, clearly this has come as a shock, but as a hospital, by law, we have to report any incidents like this, the injuries are fresh so they can't be more than a few days, a week at most, old if anyone has any idea of her whereabouts or the men she has come into contact with recently it would greatly help the investigation" the doctor addressed them.
"We live in a small town" Rory cried "Everyone knows everyone, there is a list of men as long as my arm of men she would have come into contact with but none of them...they wouldn't, I have known them since I was tiny" Rory replied wondering who on earth who could have attacked her mum.
"Any new residents?" the man asked. Rory shrugged to upset to think.
"It was him," Luke said. Everyone turned to look at the man who had been quiet up to that point. He looked pale and sickly, and shell shocked like he had seen a ghost.
"Who dad?" April asked touching his arm
"Christopher," Luke said "He whacked her in the face and he is the only person who has come into her life the last few months, I knew there was something else going on, I could see the fear in her eyes, but I never thought..." luke said. Emily got annoyed.
"Christopher loves my daughter and just because you do not like him does not mean you can go around accusing people," the woman said glaring at him.
"He's been drinking, he came to the diner looking for her, he punched me and tried to attack her, he has a violent streak when he is drunk and he is jealous he hates me talking to her" Luke went on looking straight ahead unable to process anything.
"Who is this man?" the doctor asked confused
"My dad" Rory replied looking at Luke, she didn't want to believe him but she didn't know what to believe.
"We found bruises on her arms and legs as if she was pinned down, which also gives our theory credit she was attacked, and if this man has a violent str..." the doctor replied but he didn't get to finish because Luke suddenly stood and rushed out the door.
"Dad" April said looking worried about how he was taking the news as he left.
Luke only just made it to the toilet in time to be violently sick. He couldn't help it, the thought someone pinned down Lorelai to rape her physically turned his stomach, he was sick a few times before he put the toilet seat down and sat on it, sobbing into his hands, guilt and hurt wrecking through his body at what he knew had happened to his blue-eyed woman. Her fear and upset physically hurt his heart.
"He isn't here," April said looking in a nurse's station for her dad. Rory put her arm around her gently.
"Men hate it when people see them cry, grandad can you go see if Luke is in the toilets considering you are the only other man here?" Rory asked. Richard folded his arms.
"After what he accused Christopher off I will not," he said stubbornly.
"Grandad look I know you don't like Luke, but he hasn't been himself since the breakup and now he has just found out the woman he loves has properly been ra...attacked" Rory replied unable to say the word, she let out a sob "I don't want him to do anything stupid in his vulnerable state" Rory replied biting her lip worried.
"You think he's hurt himself?" April said looking at Rory with tear-filled eyes. Good going Rory way to upset the kid. "I am just saying when people don't think straight they do silly things, now go find him, grandad, unless you want to be the one to explain to mum when she wakes why Luke is in intensive care" Rory replied. Richard gulped, hating the man but knowing for reasons he didn't get his daughter had fallen for him and Rory loved him and he now had another daughter to worry about. The man stood.
"Please excuse me," he said. Emily nodded sobbing quietly as she had been for the last ten minutes. Rory went and sat with her.
"Grandma," she said hugging the older woman.
Richard went into the nearest bathroom, seeing a closed cubicle and stood outside it. "Luke if you are in there come out please," he told him.
"Go away," Luke said leaning his forehead against the door, no longer crying but completely broken.
"You have a daughter out there who needs her dad and Rory needs you to step up as she is scared and ...Lorelai needs you...try as my wife might she will always go back to you Luke," Richard told him. Luke let out a sob.
"I bet you are loving this aren't you...what are the rules about grown men crying in the Gilmore family, we have to suck it up and get on with it I suppose?" Luke said not wanting a lecture when he left about crying in a toilet.
"When a man is hurting they can cry...my only daugther...someone attacked my only daughter and I love her despite what she thinks..." Luke was shocked to hear a genuine sob from the other man. He was crying. "I cry at times too when one of my girls is hurt, never in front of my wife but...I cry" Richard replied crying as he looked at the floor. Luke opened the door seeing the man was sobbing, he had waited until he was away from his wife and he could let himself go.
"Our girls have a way of bringing out our soft side don't they?" Luke replied wiping his eyes. Richard chuckled slightly. "And I wouldn't change it for anything," he said. "Whoever attacked my little girl doesn't know pain yet," Richard said in a threatening town.
"They won't know what's hit them" Luke replied "I love her, I am sorry it annoys you and I know we broke up but I do, and I will be here when she needs me, always, any time, any place, I am staying," Luke told Richard wondering if he was going to try to get him to leave.
"Don't tell Emily, but I always liked you more than Christopher, you are alright Luke Danes" Richard told him seeing all the love deep in his eyes behind the incredible pain they showed, in that moment accepting Luke for who he was, he loved Lorelai and had the same look in his eye that Richard had when he was with Emily. He could see it, clear as day and in that moment all doubts he had about Luke been involved vanished.