Chapter 61

Christmas came and went, and the new year was upon them. Shelby spent New Year's eve at Lorelai and Rory's house this time. Ethan finally apologized for the way he treated his best friend. Shelby grabbed onto the boy, squeezing him tight.

"I's okay, Ethan. I forgive you," she assured him and let go.

"Thanks, Shelb," he told her. "But you do get spoiled rotten, you know that?"

Shelby shrugged. "I already have a job so I ge' to earn money and buy wha'ever I wan'."

"But then you get a GameCube and a cool scooter for Christmas," he pointed out.

"My dad, and Jess, and our friends all put their money together, and Jess ge's a discoun'."

Alan asked, "What's that?"

"I's where he ge's fi'teen percen' off anything at Wal-mar' in'tead of the whole price," she explained. "And my uncle has no kids of his own, so he spoils me and my other cousins."

"Still don't seem fair to me," Ethan said, bitterly.

"I share all my toys with you," she pointed out.

"I know." Ethan shoved his hands into his sweatshirt pocket. "I just wish I could get cool stuff I want too, you know?"

Shelby nodded in understanding.

It was Alan who said, "Come on, Ethan. Don't you think Shelby deserves it? We have both our mom and dad since we were born. Shelby had to live in a bunch of strangers' homes and didn't meet her dad until she was five and got a mom who got's issues." Shelby fell quiet at that point, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"Alan," their mother gently scolded.

"I'm just saying," he shrugged innocently. "Shelby deserves to be spoiled. Right, Shelb?" Alan turned back to Shelby, who was still staring at the floor. Catching on, he, too, apologized, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

So, because Shelby had the cool, new toys, the twins came around a lot more than they did before, spending almost every day and weekend. They also finally got to see Gexie awake. Jess wasn't too thrilled about it. Thankfully, he had work and Rory, so he didn't have to be around that often when the place was "crawling" with little kids and made sure to threaten them not to touch any of his stuff or bother him.

"There's nothing you can do that our brother hasn't done," Ethan boldly proclaimed while holding his Nerf gun aimed at Jess.

"You really want to take that risk, shorty?" Luke rolled his eyes as Jess gave the kid a hard, warning glare, who tried to remain tough.

But Ethan eventually gave in and shook his head.

"Wow, Shelb. Is everyone in your family scary?" Alan asked, afterwards.

"Jess is a'ually very nice, he jus' doesn' like to show i'," she informed her friends, which made Luke chuckle under his breath without the kids knowing he was listening.

When they weren't playing the GameCube, the kids were taking turns on Shelby's scooter that Shelby had also been out, riding pretty much every day, as well. If she ever went anywhere, she would take her scooter along. Shelby even asked her dad to run errands for him just so she could have a reason to ride it more, and would even ride it to both the Crap Shack and the inn, on multiple occasions. She was surely enjoying her Christmas gifts, but wasn't letting the fact she was technically spoiled go to her head. Shelby was too humble for that.

School resumed for the second half of the school year. It also meant there were four more months of second grade and then she would have another new teacher. Mr. Harris was still Shelby's favorite teacher she has had so far. He helped each student reach his or her potential and would work with them, one on one whenever they needed help. He was also the first teacher Shelby could start opening up to and hear her talk, even if it was quiet. Jess had even tried to tease his cousin as if she had a crush on the guy, but Shelby told him that was gross, that he was an old man.

"You do realize Mr. Harris is in his thirties like me, right?" Luke pointed out during dinner.

"Yeah, you're old too," she said.

Jess choked out a laugh, ducking his head away while he held his drink to his lips.

Luke was not one bit amused, shooting his nephew a glare. "Okay. Well, Lorelai is also in her thirties. So is she old, too?"

She nodded. "Yep. When you're thirdy or older, you are old."

"Didn't you like Kirk, though?" Jess pointed out.

"He isn' thirdy ye'." Shelby had a look to show she wasn't sure on that one. "Is he?" She switched back to her dad for confirmation.

"I went to school with Kirk. So, yeah, he is, kiddo."

"Oh." Shelby fell silent for a moment before she added, "Kirk doesn' look old," shaking her head.

"Oh, but me, Lorelai, and Mr. Harris does?" Luke chuckled to show he was picking on her harmlessly.

Shelby thought about it, looking up towards the ceiling. "Okay, fine. You don' look tha' old either," she decided, shaking her head this time.

Luke just laughed as he continued eating. "Thought I would have to tell Lorelai on you, and you know how she gets when it comes to stuff like that." Instead of scaring her, Shelby just giggled in return, knowing Lorelai wouldn't actually do anything to her. Except maybe tickle her.

Jess changed the subject. "Hey, Scout."

Shelby turned back to her cousin. "Yeah?"

"I have Thursday night off and Rory's meeting Lane at that carnival thing. How about me and you do something and hang out until she's done? Up for it?"

"Sure," she replied, excitedly. "Wha' are we gonna do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we'll go to our spot and practice more of your sounds or study your spelling words for the week. How about that?"

"Okay. I have a tes' on Friday, anyway."

"You don't want to go to the carnival with Lorelai and Rory?" Luke asked Shelby in surprise. It was rare when the kid turned down anything that involved spending time with the Gilmore girls.

"The carnival ge's boring too fas' and there's nuh much to do," she briefly shrugged.

Luke nodded in understanding. It was apparent Shelby was spending way too much time with her dad and cousin.

Thursday evening, Shelby tagged along with Jess, who was going to pick Rory up to walk her to the carnival before the cousins headed off for their spot. Shelby brought her scooter, along with her backpack. Luke reminded Shelby to wear her helmet and to watch for cars, and told Jess to make sure she wore her helmet and watch for cars. However, despite neither cousin having any interest in the high school's winter carnival, they still ended up going.

"I' was Jess' idea," Shelby told her dad when they returned later that evening.

Luke's eyebrows rose when he heard Jess willingly went to the carnival.

"Dean and his sister wen' with us. I bea' both of them ah ice bowling and bea' Jess at the one where you throw a ball at milk bo'toes. He kep' missing. I didn' know anything can be funny and sad a' the same time."

Jess looked annoyed by the statement. "I wouldn't have if I didn't have the feeling of having Stuart Little shoved in my ear," he pointed out in annoyance.

"Yeah, suuurrre." Shelby smirked up at the guy. "I' was Clara's faul' you couldn' hi' them."

"You know, you I can deal with, so you might want to watch it, Scout," he warned, but in a joking manner.

Shelby just stuck her tongue out at her cousin as if to egg him on. That caused Jess to suddenly chase after her, rushing up the stairs. A few minutes later, Luke heard squeals of laughter as no doubt Jess was now reenacting WWE on the kid.

Early the next morning, two hours before Luke's usual wake-up. The sound of somebody hurling up the contents of their stomachs, followed closely by a loud freak-out by Jess, alerted him from a sound sleep. Shooting out of bed like a rocket, Luke dashed across the room, barely stopping to turn on the light, almost tripping over himself.

Now on the cousins' side of the room, Luke saw there was a puddle of vomit on the floor beside their beds and a freaked out Jess pinned against the wall. The side of his own bed also had vomit leaking down the side of the comforter, mattress, and bed frame. Shelby was halfway leaning over the edge of the railing, looking pale in the face.

Carefully stepping around the puddle, Luke made his way over to check on his little buddy. "Hey, kiddo. What happened?" he asked, gently, pushing some hair out of her face. That's when he felt how warm she was.

"She blew chunks all over the floor, that's what happened," Jess replied for her, a little disgusted.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked out, pitifully.

"It's alright, kiddo. Come on," Luke gently nudged Shelby to sit up and helped her over to the ladder so he could lift her into his arms, carrying Shelby to the bathroom. She could barely lift her head, much less walk on her own. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite make it to the bathroom before round two and threw up all over her dad.

"Aw jeez!" Luke suddenly rushed her, the rest of the way. He set Shelby on her feet and kneeled to her level as he lifted the toilet seat. While Shelby hovered over the toilet, Luke rubbed her back in soothing circles. Heat was coming off her, which he took that time to properly feel her forehead. "Shell, you're burning up." Standing to his feet, Luke opened the medicine cabinet to grab the ear thermometer, using it to take her temperature.

Jess wandered over. Now that the shock worn off, he was rubbing at his eye, tiredly. "How is she?"

"She has a fever of a 103," Luke told him.

"Must be the flu. Funny, though, that this is the first time she's been sick as long as I've known her."

"I know. This is a first for me, too," he agreed as Luke continued rubbing Shelby's back, who was now laying her head and arms on the bowl. Jess even commented, she looked like she was hungover. Luke remembered Rachel saying something about rarely being sick but when she did, all hell breaks loose, while they were dating. Naturally, Shelby would be the same way.

"By the way, you got something on you. About right there." Jess pointed out the mess all over Luke's shirt.

"Yeah, I know." Luke told him, annoyed, knowing Jess was probably having fun with the fact the guy was covered in kid puke. Letting Shelby know he was going to get a change of clothes for the both of them, Luke headed for his closet to change first. When he returned with another pair of pajamas for Shelby, Luke saw Jess had taken his place, turning his head when round three came up, grossed out. That's when he noticed his uncle had returned and stood up to let Luke have his spot back. Luke thanked him as he kneeled back down.

"Whatever," Jess just shrugged if off like it wasn't a big deal.

Once Shelby seemed okay, Luke helped clean her off and change into another set of pajamas. So she wouldn't have to climb back up the ladder, Luke made a bed for her on the couch and let her sleep there. When that was all taken care of and Jess' sheets were changed, as well, the guys tried to get some more sleep. Thankfully, with a glass of ginger ale, Shelby was able to sleep. But when his alarm went off, another round hit. Luke had set a trash can beside where Shelby could lean over and got most of it inside. By this point, she was whimpering and kept kicking the blanket away but reaching for it to pull the blanket back over her only to kick it off again. It was hard to see his little buddy huddled in a ball, whimpering like a tiny puppy.

Luke made some plain oatmeal and helped Shelby over to the table to eat. She took a few bites here and there while briefly lifting her head before dropping it right back down on her folded arms.

"I' hur's," she complained with tears in her eyes.

"What hurts, kiddo?" he asked her, gently.

"Everything."

"I'm gonna run to the pharmacy once Caesar gets here," he assured her. "I'll get some medicine to help ya, and some juice and more ginger ale." Luke pulled a chair up next to hers. He was going to rub her back some more until Shelby slowly slid off her chair to climb onto his leg, snuggling against him. Luke wrapped his arms around his little buddy, holding her so he could rub soothing motions on her arms and side where they ached.

"Feel better, Scout," Jess told her on his way out for school.

Shelby glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. "Bye, Jess."

He gave her an encouraging smile before leaving.

Once Caesar got there, Luke laid Shelby back on the couch and asked if Caesar could open the diner and keep an eye on Shelby while he ran to the pharmacy and to Doose's. He gave him one of Shelby's walkie-talkies so she could get a hold of him if she needed anything.

"I can make some sopa my nana used to make for me as a kid," Caesar offered. "It always helped whenever I got sick."

"You don't have to," Luke assured him.

He shrugged. "It's not a problem."

"You sure?"

Caesar nodded. "Mm hm."

Thanking him, Luke told both of them he will be back as soon as he could. Caesar asked him to pick up a few things, as well.

Luke went to the pharmacy first, picking up a bottle of children's cold and flu medicine, stopping at Doose's on the way back to grab some apple juice instead of orange in case Shelby's throat started hurting. He also got some more ginger ale to help settle her stomach and the stuff Caesar asked for.

"Everything go okay?" Luke asked, setting the paper bag with Caesar's stuff on the counter just inside the diner's kitchen.

"Yeah. Lorelai took over when her and Rory stopped by," he replied.

"Okay. Thanks, Caesar." Luke headed upstairs, taking the rest of the stuff with him. He shifted the bag to hold it on his knee so he could open the door, nudging it the rest of the way with his foot, also shutting it with his foot.

Lorelai was indeed up there, sitting on the couch. Shelby's head was on her leg like a pillow as she watched cartoons. "Hey."

"Uh, hey," he returned the greeting, awkwardly. Luke set the bag on the kitchen table and began taking everything out before folding the bag in half. He had already informed Shelby he wouldn't be getting orange juice. She was disappointed, but said if she had to drink some other kind of juice, it would be apple.

Luke dropped the folded bag into the trash can under the kitchen sink and got a cup from one of the upper cupboards, grabbing ice from the freezer since the juice wasn't cold.

"Do you remember Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes?" Lorelai asked while watching the cartoon.

"Vaguely. Why?" he asked, picking out a few ice cubes from their tray and dropping them into the cup.

"Apparently, they are babies now?"

Luke looked over at the TV while he twisted the cap off the apple juice. "Since when?" he questioned. It may have been a long time since Luke last watched Looney Tunes, but was pretty sure they were never babies.

"And now there's a girl bunny?" Lorelai continued to question.

That he knew, thanks to the movie Shelby had gotten for Christmas. "You mean Lola? Yeah, it's Bugs Bunny's girlfriend."

Lorelai stared over at him in shock. "Bugs got himself a girlfriend?"

"Apparently, and she plays basketball." Luke took the cup of juice and medicine over to the couch, sitting on the edge beside where Shelby laid.

"When did all this happen?"

Luke tore off the plastic wrapping from the medicine lid, tossing it on the coffee table. He then grabbed Shelby's movie that was lying nearby, passing it to Lorelai, who took it to look over while Luke read the label to see how much Shelby should to take.

"Wait, Michael Jordan did a movie with the Looney Tunes?" she continued to question, bewildered.

Shelby turned her head to look up at the woman. "I's good if you wan' to watch i'."

"Heck yeah I want to watch this. Should I pop it in?"

The kid nodded but Luke pointed out, "Don't you have to go to work?" He helped Shelby sit up and handed her the small cup the medicine came with, having her drink it.

Lorelai stood up to go put the movie in. "I can take the morning off," she waved him off. Once the movie was playing, Lorelai pulled out her phone to call Michel at the inn, asking him to cover the desk for a couple hours.

Meanwhile, Shelby drank down the red liquid that was supposed to be cherry flavor. Luke passed her, her juice to wash it down afterwards, exchanging it for the dosage cup when she stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Lorelai ended up being a lifesaver, watching the movie with Shelby. For two hours, the diner was packed with hungry customers looking to get out of the cold and warm up with some hot tea or coffee. Once the sopa was ready, Luke took a bowlful up for Shelby for lunch. Everything seemed to have been at peace, but it was only the calm before another storm hit. He had told her to eat slowly but since it was soup, Shelby's favorite type of food, she couldn't help herself and some of it ended up a mess on the floor.

Lorelai had to leave as soon as the movie was over since Michel didn't have the mental capacity to deal with annoying people any longer. So Luke had to help Shelby to the bathroom and clean up the mess.

"Sorry I keep making a mess, Daddy," Shelby told him once it had passed and Luke was now scrubbing the floor down on one knee.

"It's fine, kiddo. Just remember to eat slowly, okay?"

Shelby did just that. Though, it probably helped she felt worse after that last round and could only take a few more bites before wanting to take a nap. Every ten minutes, Luke came up to check on her, carefully feeling her forehead without waking her. About another two hours later, Shelby called him back up with her walkie talkie, complaining her stomach hurt but nothing was coming up.

Luke gave her the second dosage and offered to rub her stomach. By this point, Shelby looked very feeble, it was literally shattering his heart, especially when the whimpering resumed.

Lorelai and Rory stopped by after their Friday night dinner, asking how Shelby was doing. It was still about the same as that morning, so it seemed the kid would be bedridden for a few days. Thankfully, she had the weekend to rest and would hopefully feel better to return to school on Monday.

Jess got home late that night after Luke closed, heading straight for where Shelby was still laying, now watching cartoons again. He held out a VHS case to her.

"Wha's tha'?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Got ya something to watch while you're sick," he shrugged causally.

Shelby reached up to take the VHS movie and looked at it. "Whoa, you go' me Lilo and 'titch?" she asked.

"Yep. Saw it while unloading a shipment of tapes and DVDs."

"Thank you."

"No problem, Scout," he told her.

Giving her cousin the best puppy dog look she could, Shelby asked, "Will you watch i' with me?"

There was some hesitation and discomfort. "I'm actually pretty tired and about ready to crash."

Shelby looked disappointed but said he could go to sleep instead of watching the movie. He thanked her and told Shelby he would make it up to her some other time.

"You can even cream me on the basketball game some time this weekend if you want," he assured her.

"Okay." She still looked disappointed as Jess headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed.

Luke went over to take the movie from her, ripping the clear wrapping off. "I'll watch it with ya, kiddo." That made her smile up at him, which he returned.

With Jess in bed, they had to keep the volume down as Shelby half laid on her dad, both watching the movie. Or tried to at least. Neither one made it through the whole thing and ended up falling asleep.