DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

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~ I take zero credit for anything medical. That is all doctor google. I know very little, and don't have any kind of medical background at all.

Sorry guys, I was going to post this last night, but then I had a major PTSD flare up. I'm doing better today. I just have A LOT going on. I saw the cardiologist this last week, and I am now on a heart monitor for the next month, then have to go in for an Echo and a stress test. So far I've had 2 EKGs and I'm guessing that they both came back normal, because I haven't heard anything about them. Covid seriously messed me up! I know that things are opening back up lately, and some places are lifting their mask mandates, but I can't possibly tell you how bad Covid really is. I urge all of you to keep taking all the necessary precautions. You don't want to go through the crap that I am. Wear a mask and stay safe!

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. It really means a lot. :-)


May 3, 2017

10:30pm

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

New York City, New York

"Well Doctor Huntzberger, your sister looks perfect. I don't have any concerns with her at all. I am confident that she will be released first thing tomorrow morning. She is 33 weeks along now, so as long as she remains stress free, I don't see any reason why she shouldn't make it to her due date. The baby is in the proper position, her fluid level is fine, and everything looks absolutely normal. She shouldn't have any other problems."

"That's great. Thank you so much for checking her out." Logan said as he stood by the door to Rory and Honor's hospital room, speaking to Doctor Peterson.

"As for your wife, I didn't see too much free flowing blood in her uterus. Most women bleed for around two weeks post childbirth, and it usually starts out similar to a very heavy period, then tapers off. Other than the anemia and low blood count, everything else looks normal. I think getting the transfusion tonight will help her immensely. Has she been nauseous or vomited at all?"

"Not that I am aware of. She's just been a little bit dizzy and light headed."

"Those are both very common after giving birth. What I suggest for right now is getting the transfusion done tonight, then running the same tests again in about 12 hours to see where we stand. If her levels are back to normal, I would be ok with her being discharged at the 24 hour mark. Normally, I would keep her for further observation, but because she is going home with you, and you are a licensed physician who is trained to take care of this exact situation, I have no problem releasing her into your care, knowing that she will be receiving the same exact care at home where she is more comfortable, as she would receive if she were to remain inpatient. However, if her numbers are still low, or for some reason, worse, I would recommend that she remain inpatient for further treatment."

"That all makes perfect sense. What do you think about the gestational hypertension? Do you think that we are out of the woods, or would you recommend further monitoring?"

"I want to say that you are most likely out of the woods. There is no real way to know immediately. I don't necessarily think that she needs full monitoring, but one thing that you can do is either download a heart monitor app on your phone, and monitor her heart that way. Or, you can get her a smart watch. You can get them from Apple, or a cheaper version literally anywhere else; Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, anywhere, and have her wear that. All of those have a built in heart rate and blood pressure monitor, and they backup to an app on your phone. You can easily monitor her that way, and the app will alert you if there is any dangerous or suspicious activity going on."

"I will definitely do that. That is a great idea."

"If you get a watch, have her wear it on the inside of her right wrist. It will feel strange for the first short while, but as you learned in medical school the blood flow in your body goes to the right side first, and is the strongest passing through. By the time it moves to the left side, the blood is on its way back to your heart, and the flow has slowed down. You will get a much more accurate reading on the inside of your right wrist, than on your left wrist."

"That makes perfect sense.

"As for the anemia, you will definitely need to keep your eye on that. I recommend checking her iron levels a few times a week, if not daily. Do you have the diagnostic machine at your office to check her blood?"

"I do. I am on paternity leave, but I can run by there every day, and do a quick prick. Rory won't be thrilled with it, but it's either testing in my office, or the hospital, so I'm sure that she'll be fine with it."

"I would probably start with daily testing, and if her levels stay in the normal range, you can switch to testing 2-3 times a week, then space it out further if she remains normal. If her levels drop, I would increase testing. You will also want to give her a daily iron supplement and make sure that she is consuming an iron enriched diet."

"I will definitely do that."

"Now, as for your daughter. Everything looks great with her. Her test results should be in within the next couple of hours. I will stop back to check in with you probably in the next hour and a half, but if you get the results before I make it back, have me paged, alright?"

"I will. Thank you so much, Doctor Peterson. You've really helped alleviate a lot of stress for me tonight."

"It's not a problem at all, this is what I am here for. Is there anything else that I can do for you? How are YOU doing?"

"I'm alright. I am keeping it together, all things considered. Having extensive medical training really helps in this kind of situation. I actually fully understand what is going on. I know all of the risks, and I know how to treat it. If I wasn't a doctor, I would probably be completely terrified right now, but I'm alright. All of this is 100% treatable. It's nothing that I can't and haven't handled before."

"You need to remember to take care of yourself too. You have a lot going on right now, with your family, but your health matters too. You need to make sure that you are eating, and getting plenty of sleep. Just like we tell the new mothers, it's much easier said than done, but you really should sleep when the baby sleeps. All of the extra house work and everything can be put off for another day. It isn't important, and doesn't need to get done right away. You need to rest too. That little baby in there is entirely dependent on you, and you need to be ok before you can even think about taking care of her. Just like on an airplane, you need to put on your own oxygen mask first."

"I know. I'm really doing my best. We have a ton of help right now. Rory's mom and Dad are at our house, her grandparents have an attached apartment, so they are there to help us out, and her sister is coming into town on Friday. Plus, my sister and Josh live across the street from us. We also have several friends nearby, who are always available to help if we need it. None of today's events were supposed to happen, other than my daughter's birth. Things are a little bit stressful right now, but it will all be better, as soon as we get home."

"Good, that's good. I see a lot of new Dads that get so caught up in taking care of their wife and newborn baby, that they forget to take care of themselves, and end up battling postpartum depression and anxiety themselves. Which is all perfectly normal. But they don't realize that they are even suffering, until it is much too late. You need to remember to take care of yourself, first. I want you to come to me, the second that you need anything, alright?"

"I promise you, I will. I know all of the risks, and all of the signs. If any of us start to go down that rabbit hole, I promise you, I will reach out."

"Alright then. I have some other patients to check in on, but I will check back in with your shortly, alright?"

"Thank you Doctor Peterson. I greatly appreciate all of your help tonight."

"It's my pleasure. Go lay down and get some rest. I'll be back within a couple of hours." Doctor Peterson smiled, then left the room.

"Hey Logan?" Rory said softly as Logan shut the door.

"Yeah?" Logan answered, moving back across the room to her side. "Are you ok?"

"I'm really tired."

"I know you are. Let me take Ayribella. I'm going to put her down in the bassinet, and let you guys go to sleep. I need to go track down your blood transfusion, and get you hooked up."

"Doctor Peterson was right Logan, you need to get some rest too." Honor spoke up.

"And I will, I promise. As soon as I get Rory's transfusion started, I'll go to sleep too." Logan told them as he carefully lifted his daughter out of Rory's arms, and carried her a few feet to her small bassinet. "I'm going to turn the lights off, so you guys can rest. I'll be back as soon as I track down Rory's blood. Is there anything else that anyone needs?"

"Just you." Rory answered with a yawn.

"You need to get some rest. I'll be right back, as soon as I find your blood, alright?"

"Will you sleep up here with me?"

"Don't I always?"

"You make a good pillow."

"Get some rest, ok?"

"I love you."

"I love you more." Logan grinned, moving to give his wife a quick kiss, then heading for the door, slowly opening it and stepping outside, making sure to shut it securely behind him.

"Doctor Huntzberger, it's nice to see you." Kelvin said, seeing who joined them in the hallway.

"Hey Kelvin, Brandon, how are you guys?"

"We're doing good, Sir. How are you? You look exhausted." Brandon told him.

"Like you wouldn't believe. It's been a really long day."

"Congratulations on your new baby. She's adorable!"

"Thank you. She really is. I might need a favor from one of you . . . I'll be right back." Logan said before stepping away, and heading to the nurses station. "Hey Billie, has the blood arrived for my wife yet?"

"It should be on its way up." Billie answered. "I'll bring it in as soon as it arrives. Doctor Gellar just called to check in."

"What did you tell her?"

"I just told her the lab results."

"And?"

"I told her that you are handling it."

"She's probably thrilled about that one."

"She could definitely use a little work on her sarcasm."

"Did you tell her that we talked to Doctor Peterson?"

"Do I look crazy to you? I suggest that you tell her though, before she comes in tomorrow and finds out that you gave him access to your family's medical records."

"Don't worry, I have zero problem dealing with her. But I've had a REALLY long day, so dealing with Paris, is definitely going to wait until tomorrow."

"For the record, I think you did the right thing by calling in Doctor Peterson. But I don't need to be yelled at by Paris."

"You won't get yelled at. You had nothing to do with it. I'm the one who asked for someone to be sent down from peds. Don't even worry about Paris, I have zero problem taking all the blame. I'm not the type of person to throw someone else under the bus."

"You are probably the only doctor in this building who wouldn't immediately throw a lower ranking staffer under the bus."

"Because I'm not an egotistical prick. I don't make many mistakes, but at least when I do, I own them. Blaming your co-workers for your mistakes is really childish. I'm not 5 years old anymore. People need to learn how to lead by example, rather than by fear."

"If only more doctors felt that way, this hospital would be a very different place."

"Don't I know it?! Did you by any chance happen to know Patrice before she was fired?"

"I didn't, I was hired as her replacement. Wendy told me about what she did to you though. I am so sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault."

"She didn't even treat your wife. I don't understand how she can possibly make such ridiculous accusations."

"Well, luckily for both of us, the hospital board felt exactly the same way. There may be a few jerks that work here, but administration does a really good job. They are very fair, and actually care about the staff. If you have any problems with anyone, Doctor Schultz will take care of you. He's a really good guy."

"He seems very nice."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Doctor Gellar . . . Wendy told me that she is a friend of yours . . . Is she always so snippy? Is there a way to get on her good side? Does she even have a good side?"

"I've known Doctor Gellar since my Junior year at Yale, and I've never been on her good side. Honestly, the ONLY person who is on her good side, are her kids, husband, and my wife. That woman has never liked me, and only tolerates me because she is best friends with my wife. It doesn't matter how much I kiss up to her, she's still Paris Gellar. She was very nice to me this morning, but then snapped back to being normal stone wall Paris as soon as my daughter was born. And I have to admit, mellow, nice Paris, was kind of terrifying. I've known her long enough that I knew that it would never last, and I was just sitting here waiting for her to snap. The best advice that I can give you is to just be efficient, and do your job to the best of your ability. Try to anticipate her needs, and do everything in your power to not piss her off. She is snippy with everyone, but if you manage to get on her bad side, you will be hating life."

"She was nice to you today?"

"She gave me presents. I was waiting for something to explode in my face. It was very unlike her." Logan chuckled."

"Is it bad that I would actually expect an exploding gift from her?"

"Welcome to my life! Just don't take anything that she says personally. It's definitely not you that is at fault, Paris is just that type of person. She's a professional, she's good at what she does, and she knows how good she is. But I'll tell you a little secret . . . She will NEVER admit it, but I'm a better doctor than she is. She helped train me, but I've surpassed her level."

"Wendy told me to expect arguments between the two of you."

"We've already had a big one tonight, and I'm sure a giant one is coming first thing in the morning. Just don't take her wrath personally. She can come after me all she wants. I'm not afraid of Paris Gellar."

"You are probably the only one who feels that way."

"Just me and my wife."

"Hey Billie, I have a delivery from the blood bank." a man said, walking toward the nurse's station carrying a small cooler.

"Thanks Gary." Billie smiled.

"Is that for Lorelai Huntzberger?" Logan asked.

"It is." Gary answered.

"I'll take it. You can keep the cooler. Thanks Gary. Billie, I'll go get this started, then I'm going to try to get some sleep. Will you let me know when the other test results come in?"

"Of course. Call me if you need anything. And thanks for the advice."

"You are very welcome." Logan said as he reached into the cooler Gary held out toward him, retrieved the blood, then headed back to his wife's room.

* ~ * Rory & Honor's Hospital Room * ~ *

"Finally." Honor commented as her brother walked back through the door.

"I had to wait for the blood to be delivered."

"I'm surprised that you didn't go get it yourself."

"I thought about it. Why aren't you asleep?"

"Strange room, weird uncomfortable bed."

"It grows on you after a while."

"Can I use your computer?"

"Movie night?"

"You know me well."

"Pick a movie, and I'll join you as soon as I get Rory's transfusion started." Logan said as he grabbed his computer from the table it had been sitting on, and handed it to his sister. "Do you need snacks?"

"Probably."

"We haven't done this in a while."

"Not since you moved out." Honor confirmed as she watched her brother move across the room.

"I loved living with you, but it was time for me to stand on my own two feet again."

"I know that. But you're still my baby brother."

"And it's Wednesday."

"That's true." Honor chuckled. "Things have been so crazy for the last few months that we've missed a few days together."

"I'm really sorry about that Honor. I never meant to ditch you."

"You have nothing to apologize for. We made that agreement years ago. It was never supposed to be a permanent thing. You have a career, a wife and baby now. It wouldn't be fair of me to hold you to the agreement that we had while you were in school."

"I enjoyed our agreement through. I actually looked forward to spending the day with you every week."

"Speaking of spending the day together, don't feel like you have to come to my shower on Saturday. You and Rory just had a baby. You have every reason to stay home with your family. You are excused from coming to my party."

"Honor, don't be ridiculous. I am going to your party. Rory may skip it, but she'll have Lorelai, April and Emily to hang out with. I will be at your party. It's at your house, right?"

"Yeah. Donna and Megan are throwing it."

"Megan?" Logan asked as he finished starting Rory's transfusion, then headed back across the room toward his sister.

"Yeah, my friend Megan. Brunette, tall, one of my bridesmaids . . ."

"I just haven't heard that name in a while."

"I still talk to Megan every few weeks. She travels a lot, but she was really excited when I told her about the baby."

"What about your other bridesmaids?"

"You mean Walker and Alexandra?"

"That would be the others."

"Alexandra I believe is coming. I haven't seen or talked to her in a while. Donna told me that she sent in an RSVP. I haven't talked to her in about a year. Walker I usually hear from about once a month. I'm not sure if she's coming. She's usually out partying and getting drunk. I doubt a baby shower would be something she would want to be seen at. She hasn't exactly grown up since college. She still acts like she's 19, and refuses to admit that she's actually pushing 40."

"She sounds irresponsible."

"You have no idea. She's gotten even worse since the rest of us grew up and settled down. Alexandra is married with two kids now, and Megan works for a fashion house and splits her time between here and Paris. She's been engaged for like 3 years, but isn't in one place long enough to ever actually plan or execute a wedding."

"Sounds like she needs to just elope then."

"I told her that too. I'm honestly not sure if she will ever get married. She's been with Mike for like 5 years, but she just isn't ready to settle in one place. She loves traveling, and she is really great at her job. She's been getting to help design and model at the same time, and she really loves it. She is having the time of her life, and she isn't willing to give that up. Her career comes first."

"I can understand that. I put my career ahead of everything for the last several years." Logan said as he sat down on Honor's bed, and handed her the bag of snacks that Lorelai had brought to the hospital with them that morning.

"You did it because there was only one person that you wanted, and nothing else mattered to you. The only thing that Megan really wants, is her career. She loves Mike, but she isn't ready to take a step back from her career. I can kind of understand it, but then again, I can't imagine not being with the man I love, and putting a career ahead of him. You were all about your career until the day that Rory walked back into your life, and then you did a complete 180. All of a sudden, Rory came before everything. Which is exactly how things should be. Megan just doesn't see things that way."

"Well, in her defense, you can only model for so long. If she were to step back and settle in only one place, or even start a family, she might not have a career to go back to."

"That is exactly what she is afraid of. She'll still have the designing to go back to, but the rest of it will disappear like a puff of smoke."

"You have to look a certain way to model."

"She loves what she does, and she isn't willing to sacrifice it for anything else."

"At least she's dedicated to something, and she's being responsible."

"Yeah. She's the most successful of all my friends."

"Do you ever wish that you had decided to have a career?"

"No . . . I love being Josh's wife, and your sister. I've got plenty of time to help my friends with their projects and stuff, and I'm able to help out at HPG when you and Rory need it, and I still have time to help with Mom and Dad's drama, and to be there for whatever Josh needs. I have a great life. I don't need to have a high profile career to make me happy. I actually enjoy doing my charity work, and helping everyone else out. I'm not at all the society wife that Mom always has been, but I have my own thing going."

"No, I know. You don't have to explain it to me. You've always been amazing at everything that you do. How many charities are you on the board for?"

"Like six? Seven if you count the Huntzberger Foundation."

"That is still on the ground floor though."

"Not for long. I just got the 501(c) approval a few days ago."

"You did? That's awesome!"

"I am planning to fully launch everything this summer. Once Rory and I are both recovered enough to jump back into work full-time, we'll get the launch going."

"Honor, that is awesome! You know what I will help you with whatever you need."

"I know. And you know that I will hold you to that. You are the one person that I know I can fully count on for everything."

"You are probably the only person who I've never let down."

"How do you figure?"

"Because I'm me, and no matter how badly I screw up, you are never mad at me, because I'm always there when you need me, and I always answer when you call."

"That's true. But you've also lived up to all of my expectations. You've stumbled quite a few times, but you've always gotten back up, dusted yourself off, and jumped back onto your horse. You are the most resilient person that I've ever known. You've had a lot thrown at you, but you've always succeeded, no matter how slow or rocky of a start you've gotten. You've never given up on yourself."

"Because you refuse to let me."

"Oh come on Logan, you know what a hard worker you are. You are incredibly dedicated to your career, and to your family."

"You taught me how."

"I doubt that. I hate to say it, but I think that you actually got that from Dad. You are a much better man than he will ever be though."

"Don't I know it." Logan agreed with a roll of his eyes.

"Dad has a lot of faults, but he was always dedicated to his career, and to us."

"He should have been more dedicated to his marriage though."

"Yeah, well, look what you and I learned from it."

"That's true. We make it a point to be everything that our parents aren't."

"Dad could never be as successful as you are."

"Dad would never be as faithful as I am either."

"I don't know, I think he's done fairly well lately. Him and Mom are on much better terms now than they have been in years."

"Probably because Mom doesn't know his sordid past."

"Maybe not, but I'm pretty sure that she knows that Dad hasn't been faithful to their marriage in the past."

"Or even their present."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing . . . I'm just mad at Mom and Dad."

"Logan . . . I know that there is something that you aren't telling me."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Just tell me. It's clearly been bothering you. You've been on edge for a few weeks now."

"I just have to deal with evicting people from company properties that never should have been there in the first place. Dad might have been a hard ass cheapskate about the business, but he sure knows how to waste massive amounts of money on stupid crap that only matters to him."

"How many people?"

"Six here in New York. Three of them are local."

"Former employees that he had affairs with?"

"That would be two of them."

"And the other one?"

"The other one is just questionable."

"What do you mean by questionable?"

"I really question Dad's judgment."

"What do you mean? Is she that bad? Or is it a guy? What aren't you telling me?"

"She's that bad. It really makes me question Dad's loyalty to our family. I always knew that he wasn't ever loyal to Mom, but I could have sworn that he was loyal to you and me."

"Having an affair doesn't mean that he's not loyal to his kids, unless he's got another family that she's a perfect dedicated father to, and we just get crapped on."

"So far, there aren't any other kids that I've found. Dad did a good job of taking care of his slip ups."

"Wait a second . . . Dad took care of his slip ups . . . You make it sound like Dad knocked up some mistresses and then forced them to have abortions."

"I can verify one for sure." Logan sighed.

"Oh really?! And you know this how?"

"Because the property that the woman lives in is owned by the Morgan family."

"The Morgan family? Like Finn Morgan?"

"That is correct."

"Wait a second . . . You said this woman lives in the city?"

"Yep."

"In a building owned by Finn's family?"

"Yep."

"How many buildings does Finn's family own?"

"I have no idea. Quite a few I would imagine. Why?"

"My friend Walker lives in a building owned by the Morgans'." Honor said, watching her brother's face closely. "Logan . . . What are you not telling me?"