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May 3, 2017
7:00pm
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
New York City, New York
"You better not screw this up. I've been used as your personal pin cushion far too many times. I'm not so sure that I trust you to start my IV." Honor said as she watched her brother sanitize her arm, preparing her for an IV.
"Really Honor? Really?!" Logan asked, without looking up, completely focused on the task in front of him.
"You would think that in the last 9 years, you would have actually learned how to start an IV correctly."
"Don't be mean to me. I started Rory's IV this morning, and she's been perfectly fine. In fact, I think I've started her last 5 IVs."
"Probably because it took you 5 tries to get it right."
"Wow, I like hostile Honor!" Paris smirked, as she watched over Logan's shoulder.
"You better move Paris, you're in elbowing territory." Logan warned her.
"Paris, why are you trusting my jerk little brother to do this?"
"Would you rather have Paris do it? Because she's not nearly as gentle as I am. And she insists on using bigger needles."
"Logan likes using child size needles. They go well with his grubby child hands." Paris commented.
"Fine, you know what? I can quit right now, and walk away leaving you in the hands of someone who is way meaner and rougher than I am, not to mention, far less qualified."
"Like who?!"
"A brand new nurse, fresh out of school who has only ever practiced on a dummy."
"Please, like this hospital would ever hire one of those."
"I'm sure I can call down to the ER and find one."
"Maybe one of the nurses down there can teach you how to do this properly."
"Seriously Paris? Can we please go back to you being nice to me? I know why my sister is picking on me, but I don't need to get crap from you too." Logan told her.
"I could have been done by now."
"I could have done this in under 30 seconds if I needed to, but this is my sister, who I actually care about, and don't want to just jab a needle in her arm, and not actually care that it's done properly and with minimal trauma to her."
"You can really do it that fast now?" Honor asked.
"If I need to, yes. I've done it in under 20 seconds from start to finish in the ER. But when it's not an emergency, and I actually care about the patient getting the needle jabbed in their arm, I tend to go slower and be gentler. Would you like me to just shove the needle in your arm, and call it a day?"
"Not really, but I would like to see how fast you can do it."
"Well I just did it so fast that you didn't even realize that I'm already done. Paris, whatever blood draw you want me to do for you, I need vials for."
"Who said that we're drawing blood?" Paris asked.
"Hospital protocol and my medical degree both say that we're drawing blood to test for infection, dehydration, anemia, extra proteins, or anything else that would have caused my sister's blood pressure to spike."
"Paris, you trained him well." Honor smiled up at her friend.
"And he doesn't even work in this department." Paris told her, handing Logan the vials he needed.
"Paris, I could work here if I wanted to. You know for a fact that I did a rotation through here a few years ago. And I've helped out when needed."
"Helping out doesn't make you qualified to run the place."
"I'm just as qualified as Wendy is. I might not have a midwife certificate, but I'm pretty sure that I could get one if I really wanted to."
"You don't have it in you to do that."
"You just keep thinking that. Maybe next time Rory and I decide to have a baby, I'll be the one doing the delivery."
"Yeah right. Rory would never allow that."
"Really? Would you like to ask her?"
"Rory isn't going to choose between you two." Honor told them.
"That's because she already has. I'm the one that she married."
"You can't really argue with that logic." Josh told them.
"Take your blood, you vampire." Logan said, handing the full vials back to Paris, then flushing out Honor's IV line and hooking up a saline drip for hydration.
"I'm starving. I'm allowed to eat, right Paris?" Honor asked.
"You can have whatever you want, as long as you are feeling ok. If you start to get nauseated or anything, I need to know about it."
"I feel fine, I'm just hungry and really tired."
"You should try to rest. Collin said that Lorelai will be bringing food by soon." Logan told her.
"Would you like to take your daughter?" Josh asked as Logan moved away from Honor's bedside.
"I would love to. There is a bag of snacks on the table over in the corner, if you guys want to dig into them. They're Gilmore snacks though, so they may be too sugary for us normal people." Logan said as he took his daughter from Josh, watching as her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him. "Hey baby girl. Daddy is so happy to see you awake. You are such a good little sleeper today."
"She looks so much like Rory."
"And I'm not complaining one bit."
"Fatherhood suites you. She looks really content right now. Look at how she just stares up at you."
"She's done that every time I've held her. She'll stare at me until she falls back asleep."
"She's a Daddy's girl already."
"You will never hear me complaining about that." Logan smiled.
"Alright Honor, you are all hooked up." Paris announced as she finished getting Honor settled for the night. "If you need to get up to use the bathroom, call for a nurse to unhook you."
"Paris, I can do it." Logan told her.
"Do you know how to hook up a fetal monitor?"
"One probe on each side. Make sure one is more toward the top and the other toward the bottom and both picking up the baby's movements, heart beat and any contractions. Not my first rodeo."
"Well, at least you can have your brother waiting on you hand and foot, so you won't have to wait for a nurse to be available."
"Yeah, but he's usually bossier than the nurses." Honor told her.
"As bossy as I am?"
"No one is as bossy as you are, Paris." Rory commented as she came back into the room and stepped up behind her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder, gazing at the little baby in his arms.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright. A little sore, a lot tired. Pretty hungry."
"How sore?"
"A good amount."
"On a scale of 1-10."
"Probably a 5 at the moment. It comes and goes."
"How is the bleeding?"
"I'm not even sure how to answer that."
"Is it like a super heavy period, or gushing? What color is it?"
"It's red, some chunks. More heavy period than gushing."
"Are you light headed or dizzy at all?"
"Not so much."
"Logan, give the baby to your sister, and do a blood draw for me. Blood loss after delivery is completely normal, but I want to check her levels and make sure she doesn't need a transfusion." Paris said as she moved toward the computer. "Are you cramping at all?"
"A little. It's not too bad, it's manageable."
"Did the nurses give you pain killer after I left earlier? I ordered some for post delivery after the epidural wore off."
"Logan made me take them."
"About what time was that? It's twenty after 7 right now. You delivered just before 3."
"It was around 5." Logan answered.
"At least your pain isn't higher, but I'm concerned that with narcotics, it's still as high as it is. Logan, pass off the baby, and get your wife back in bed. I need to get her blood to the lab."
"Would you like to hold your niece?" Logan asked, as Rory stepped away from him, allowing him to move across the room toward his sister.
"I would love to!" Honor answered, holding her arms out.
"Rory, hit the call button on your bed for me, please?" Paris asked.
"Can I help you?" A voice was heard over the intercom a moment later.
"This is Doctor Gellar, I need a blood draw."
"For which patient? You have two in there, don't you?"
"It's for Doctor Huntzberger's patient."
"One moment."
"So I'm Logan's patient now?"
"No, of course not! Do I look like an idiot to you?! It just identifies you to the staff without identifying you to anyone who may be hanging around the desk. Using the name Doctor Huntzberger is completely common around here and only identifies that he is in treating patients, and not that his wife is inpatient. It's called a security measure."
"How are you REALLY feeling?" Logan asked, his voice soft as he helped Rory settle back in bed."
"I'm ok. I promise. I would have told you if I wasn't."
"You didn't tell me that you're in pain."
"It's manageable, Logan."
"I need to know these things." Logan said as he hit the call button on Rory's bed again.
"Can I help you?" the intercom voice answered.
"I need a stethoscope, please? And a thermometer."
"One moment."
"Logan, I'm fine." Rory told him again.
"And I'm making sure of that. Paris, what orders are you putting in?"
"I put in a volume test."
"Add a Coagulation, metabolic, culture and complete count."
"You don't think that's a tad over kill?"
"For a patient who had a high risk pregnancy with gestational hypertension and tachycardia, no, I don't. And for the record, your lack of concern is making me judge your medical aptitude."
"Oh really?! And who is the one with the degree in obstetrics, who deals with this exact same situation every day, patient after patient, for the last 6 years? I know what I'm doing, Logan."
"Either order the tests, or I'll do it myself. I want to know exactly what I am up against. Everything is probably fine, but if something does come back, you can thank me for being proactive and possibly saving your patient's life." Logan snapped, glaring over at his friend, who was glaring right back at him.
"Wow! Normally I would leave the room right about now, but I'm kind of afraid to move right now." Josh commented, looking toward his wife, then to Rory.
"I wouldn't recommend going near either one them right now." Honor agreed.
"Doctor Huntzberger, I have the supplies you requested." Veronica's friendly voice spoke, over the tension in the room she was walking into. "Uh . . . Is everything ok in here?"
"Don't get between them." Honor told her.
"What's going on?"
"They're fighting over blood tests. I wouldn't get involved."
"Alright then . . . I will just put these down over here . . ." Veronica said, setting the supplies down on the counter near Rory's bed. "Rory, is everything ok? Do you need anything? Maybe a tranquilizer for these two?"
"I'll be fine. Would you mind putting in blood test orders for Logan? I don't know the names, but I'm pretty sure he's ordering everything."
"Is that what they are arguing about?"
"Yep!"
"Would you like me to call in another doctor?"
"No, they'll get over it. The less people that are involved, the better."
"Are you sure that you're ok? They look like they are going to kill each other."
"I'll be fine. I can handle this. It's nothing new."
"I can have security separate them if you need me to."
"I really don't recommend getting involved. If something comes back from all my blood work, it might be needed, but I'm pretty sure that I can handle it."
"Alright . . ." Veronica agreed, reluctantly. "Let me know if you need help. I'll go put the orders in, and check back with you in 5-10 minutes for your blood."
"Thanks Veronica." Rory said, giving her a gentle smile as she turned to leave the room as a small cry could be heard coming from Honor's direction.
"Shhhh, it's ok. Auntie Honor's got you." Honor cooed, gently bouncing the baby in her arms.
"Logan . . ." Rory said softly, reaching her hand out to touch his arm. Rory watched at Logan glared at Paris for another moment, before finally shifting his eyes to his Sister across the room, holding his newborn baby, then to finally to his wife. "Let it go . . . Veronica is ordering the tests. I'm sure everything is fine, but it doesn't hurt to check, just in case."
"I think your baby is hungry." Honor spoke up.
"Can you hold her for another couple minutes, while I get this blood draw done?" Logan asked, finally breaking his silence.
"I'll hold her forever, but she's rooting, and I don't have anything to give her."
"Josh, there's a pacifier in the crib thing. Would you mind handing it to Honor?"
"No problem." Josh answered, quickly moving across the room to the clear hospital bassinet, to retrieve the pacifier for the baby as Logan moved to get the supplies that Veronica had left for him.
* ~ * 20 Minutes Later * ~ *
"Miss Lorelai, it's nice to see you again." one of the security guys greeted, outside of Rory and Honor's hospital room.
"Brandon! Hey, it's nice to see you. Have you been here all day?" Lorelai smiled. "Kelvin, how are you?"
"I'm good Miss Lorelai. How are you? We just swapped shifts. I think Carlos is still around here somewhere. He said he would check in with you guys before leaving for the night."
"I'm doing well, thank you. Tell Carlos I look forward to speaking with him."
"Are you really a Grandma now?" Brandon asked.
"Hey now, let's not go throwing around the G-word. Give me just a second, and I'll bring the baby to say hi."
"How is Rory doing?" Kelvin asked.
"Good, last I heard. You've probably overheard more than I have recently."
"I have no idea about anything here. These people might as well be speaking French or something. I understand very little of what anyone is saying."
"You and me both. Do you guys by any chance know what room Logan's sister is in?"
"His sister is here?" Brandon asked.
"Alright then. You know even less than I do."
"Sorry, we haven't been told much, other than to only allow visitors in from the approved list, and that the nurses are checking ID at the door."
"I'm sure Logan knows where Honor is." Luke spoke up from behind Lorelai.
"I'll be back." Lorelai smiled as Brandon opened the door for them to enter. "Who wants some dinner?"
"Hey Mom!" Rory chirped happily.
"Oh wow, party in here! I was wondering where Honor is, but I guess this makes sense. I have a bag of clothes and phone chargers for you. I wasn't sure what exactly you wanted, but put together a few outfits for both of you, and grabbed the chargers from next to your bed. I saw your IPad sitting there, so I grabbed that too."
"That is perfect, thank you Lorelai! We really appreciate it." Honor told her.
"It wasn't a problem at all. Everyone is all settled now, and Blake has two more nurses to help him out. Collin is still waiting on security, but they were enroute when I left. My parents are heading over as soon as they arrive."
"Lorelai, thank you so much for all of this. I'm sorry we derailed your plans today." Josh spoke up.
"Hey, don't even worry about it. These things happen. No one is blaming you guys. Luke and I brought dinner, but I'm not letting any of you eat until I get to hold my baby."
"I've got her right here, Mom." Rory chuckled. "She just finished eating."
"Great, so I'm the one that gets puked on."
"Hey, you're the one who showed up demanding baby snuggles."
"Well it's not like it will be the first or the last time." Lorelai shrugged, setting Honor's bag down next to her bed, then moving across the room to her daughter. "Come see Nanna, Sweet Girl. You and I are going to be best friends."
"Hey Rory, how are you feeling?" Luke asked as he stepped up next to Lorelai, and looked over at the baby. "She is beautiful!"
"I'm alright. Just trying to rest and adjust."
"I can only imagine how tough that is. Are you feeling ok though? You've had a really long day."
"Yeah, I'm ok. Logan is taking really good care of me. And Paris brought us that entertainment over there, so we're good."
"So you've heard about the drama back at the house then?"
"Some of it."
"We gave them the reader's digest version." Honor spoke up.
"That's probably for the best." Luke told them. "Are you guys hungry? We've got burgers, chili cheese fries, and cherry pie. And I threw in some salad because it's good for you."
"Thanks Dad. We really appreciate it. I'm completely starving. I haven't eaten since this morning."
"Well let me get this out for you then."
"Hey Rory, I'm going to borrow Ayribella for a second, and go show Kelvin and Brandon, outside the door. Oh, Logan, they said that Carlos should be coming by to check in before he leaves for the night."
"Excellent!" Logan answered as he accepted a plate of food from Luke.
"Grandma and Grandpa should be here soon too. They are heading over as soon as the extra security guys make it to Honor's house."
"That's awesome! When is April getting here?"
"Friday afternoon." Luke answered as he handed Honor and Josh their own plates of food.
"Hey Kelvin, check her out." Lorelai said as she opened the door, and stepped out into the hall with the baby.
"Wow, she is tiny!" Kelvin smiled.
"She looks just like Rory." Brandon commented.
"She looks exactly like Rory did as a baby. She has Logan's nose though." Lorelai agreed.
"Well that is the luckiest kid on the planet, because you guys have some really good genes! You do NOT look old enough to have a grandchild."
"That's because technically, I'm not. Or at least I don't think that I am . . . But then again, as I'm sure you will be seeing in the next short while, my parents don't look old enough to be great grandparents."
"Well she is adorable! Congratulations Lorelai!" Kelvin told her.
"Why thank you! And thank you guys for being here today. I know this is not your regular job."
"Hey, it's a change of scenery. Your daughter likes to keep us on our toes."
"Well don't be too surprised if you are shuffled between locations for the next few weeks, because there is A LOT going on right now."
"Well I don't mind it at all. Your daughter is a way nicer boss than our last one." Brandon told her.
"Speaking of which . . . Let us know if he shows up here, because he's not supposed to."
"We've already been given instructions. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."
"Thanks guys. I appreciate all your help. I'll bring you cookies or something in the next few days, once things start to settle down a little bit." Lorelai smiled, then headed back into Rory's hospital room, kissing the baby's forehead as she walked.
"Did you have fun bragging?" Logan asked, seeing Lorelai heading back toward them.
"I did. It was great! I can't exactly go brag to anyone else right now, so your security guys had to be my audience."
"Well I'm sure that they don't mind."
"They just told me that Rory is a way nicer boss than the last guy."
"Well, yeah, she knows everyone's names, and most of their life stories. My Dad treated everyone like yesterday's trash. Everybody likes Rory better. I'm constantly hearing how much more people enjoy working for HPG now. No one is afraid of us. Well, except my Dad's moronic cousins and uncles, but we prefer it that way."
"I can't even blame you there! I honestly don't even know how you deal with that family. They make my crazy relatives look completely normal."
"Trust me, the more I find out, the more disgusted I become."
"Well then you really don't want the rest of the story about what happened today, because you will completely lose your mind!"
"It can't possibly be worse than the last two weeks."
"It gave me flashbacks to the night you first introduced them to Rory."
"Well that explains the 2007 reference."
"Sorry. I shouldn't be the one to burst your happy baby bubble."
"It's fine. It was already burst. And frankly, I would much rather just deal with it right now, and then go home to a peaceful life than have to walk into all of it with Ayribella when we go home. It's easier to deal with it from a distance, than having to deal with it in person."
"If it makes you feel any better, for a minute, I thought we might have to bail your sister out of jail for physically attacking your mother."
"Now that, I would have happily paid for! There isn't by any chance any video footage of that smackdown, is there?"
"I honestly didn't even think about that. Had it occurred to me at the time, I would have gotten it on camera. Maybe next time." Lorelai chuckled.
"Promises promises." Logan smirked.
"Hey, it explains hostile Honor." Rory piped up.
"Hostile Honor is exhausted right now. Those people completely drained me!" Honor spoke up.
"Well since you and Josh are inpatient now, I no longer need to stay overnight. My plan is to wake up in the morning, and make sure that they are cleared out of your house before you come home."
"Lorelai, I love you right now! You are my favorite person in the world!"
"Honor, I hope you realize that depending on what your test results say, I may be moving you into one of our guest rooms, when we all go home."
"I'm fine, Logan. I'm pretty sure that this is all just stress and exhaustion induced. You have Rory and Ayribella to take care of. I'll perfectly fine in my own house."
"Don't be ridiculous, Honor. You're my sister, and my best friend. You are just as important to me as they are. I will move you into the bedroom next to Ayribella, just so I can keep an eye on you easier."
"No you will not! I won't allow it! And neither will Josh. If I need extra help, I'll hire myself a nurse. You have more than enough to deal with right now. I won't allow myself to be an extra burden."
"Your sister is right, Logan. We won't let you prioritize us over your own family. Honor will be completely fine. My mom is already offering to come stay with us." Josh told him. "I'll even have Luke change the locks, just to keep you out, if I need to. You have enough going on."
"Hey, none of you guys are alone. You all have a ton of help right now. We will get through all of this, alright? So all of you stop stressing out." Lorelai told them. "Let's all just focus on this adorable little baby, and be there for her, alright?"
"I agree with that." Luke told them. "Everything will work itself out. I'm sure of it."