"One...two and cha-cha-cha," Logan said, as he pulled Rory up from the vanilla scented bathtub by her elbows. She didn't quite dare to bathe on her own at this point, worried she might not be able to get back up or perhaps slip - her balance was off too.
"A towel, please," she requested, really not liking the way she looked nude these days - not that she actually had a good visual of what she looked like below the waist.
"Here," he said, handing her the large waffle textured bath towel. He wrapped it around her shoulders and aided her to sit on the edge of the bathtub, then getting another smaller towel for her hair.
"I should've cut my hair. Going to the hairdressers is probably out of question now," she sighed as she attempted to towel-dry it, wanting to maintain at least some independence.
"I like your hair like this," Logan commented with a smile. Her hair was simple, she'd let it grow out in the past few years, not ever really having enough time to go get it cut. But as she mostly wore it pulled back these days - usually wearing it in a low bun. To Logan it was one of her most flattering looks - maybe because she'd worn her hair like that on their wedding day.
"I just think it'd get in the way, Finny was always clinging to it and now there'll be twice as many little fingers," she replied.
"But they'll be cute little fingers," Logan disputed, trying to divert her thoughts. "But sure, if that's what you'll want we'll find you someone who'll cut it here," he added, and helped dry off her legs and back.
"I just… hate this…," she said, disheartedly. "I hate being dependent on people, I can't even wash myself, not to mention shave," she replied, feeling embarrassed by the fact, even though Logan had seen her in any sorts of conditions by now. While expecting Finny she might have done a patchy job at it, but at least she'd made an attempt. Now all attempts seemed utterly futile. "I can't eat a full meal, I can't go anywhere, I can't play with my son, I'm all leaky, " she listed, wiping away the few drops of colostrum from her nipples. "I can't even have sex with you," she exclaimed, hopelessly. She was so tired of this.
Logan knew this was the hormones, the powerlessness, the stress. But yet, he couldn't quite fight the chuckle that escaped his lips at her latest worry, but he corrected it almost the next second realizing she was really distraught.
"Seven months, three weeks and two days," Logan then said.
"What?" Rory replied, not really following.
"That's how long we were apart when I was in London and you stayed in Yale," he replied.
"But..," she began, trying to find something more to say… but there just wasn't.
"We've done it before. This is just a few months. It's a small price to pay, isn't it?" he assured.
"I wouldn't say 'small'," Rory corrected him, with a pouty smile.
"Hey, technically not everything is forbidden, and we could just talk, we used to talk a lot when we did the long distance thing," Logan said, trying to look at this the glass half-full kind of way.
"Yeah, but it's a lot easier to say those things through a text or the phone," Rory argued.
"Then we'll use the phone if you want to, after all our current phone plan is much better than the one I had back then," he chuckled.
Rory needed a lot of 'picking up' these days, lots of cheering along, assurance that she was doing well and that things were going to be fine. He'd even considered proposing that perhaps she should have a talk with Dr. Thompson again. She really hadn't seen her in years, but she'd definitely helped her during the time she had been expecting Finny. But somehow, he didn't dare to suggest it. It was as if he did - she might take it the wrong way - that he was tried of cheering her up, that there was something more that was wrong with her. But he wasn't an expert - this all could just be normal.
"Can you just hand me that lotion, please?" she shrugged, wanting to change subjects. Sure it was a thought, but it all seemed just so desperate. If she didn't feel sexy, could she even talk sexy?
Logan began to hand her the Belly Butter, but then changed his mind.
"Come on, let me," he offered, and pressed a few dabs into his palms. He missed her body too. And while it really had been just a little more than a week like this - still he felt like he needed to do something, not just say something, to show his appreciation. He covered her in lotion almost head to toe, gently massaging it into her skin.
"This feels kind of nice," she exhaled with gratitude. It was especially her legs that had needed that, clearly the lack of excersise having it's effect as well.
"You're doing all the hard work here, caring for you is not hard at all, it's all pleasure," Logan assured and kissed her.
"I should go lie down," she said with a sigh soon. The edge of the bathtub wasn't the most convenient place to sit, her back already beginning to ache.
Logan helped her pull on some underwear and a pair of pajama shorts and a night bra, into which she tucked the breast pads. Definitely not a look that made her feel sexy.
"I know something that'll cheer you up, a little at least..," Logan said after he'd brushed his teeth and joined her in the bedroom a few minutes later.
"What?" she asked, as she had already positioned herself on the bed, her legs on a pillow to elevate them just a little, a body pillow between her knees and under her bump. Even her sides were beginnning to ache a little from all the sideways positions she was in all day, every day.
He joined her on the bed and pulled up some old photos on his phone.
"Newborn Finny," he said and showed her the first photos he'd shot of him at the hospital. The boy had been a little puffy in the face, some unevenness in his skin tone. But the blond hair was still adorable, just like now, and him and Logan really looked so much alike.
"God, was he ever this tiny," Rory wondered, the pictures definitely doing the trick in reminding her of those emotions she'd felt back then. "And I do miss that smell," she recalled.
He could've assured her that this was something her body had made just the same, and now she was just making two. But it seemed too obvious somehow. Hence he simply let his palm rest on her belly and decided to do something different.
"Hey girls?" Logan spoke to her belly. "We've got to take it easy on mommy, okay? She's stretched thin as it is. So gentle kicks, okay? And it would really help if you stayed in there for a few more weeks," he continued, pausing as if expecting a reply or something. "I know it's a little tight in there, but you're in there with your sister, that's pretty cool right? Siblings need to learn how to share, okay?" he added. "And once you're born you'll get to meet mommy, me, your grandmother Lorelai and all of the three grandpas…," Logan continued, listing a long list of relatives, friends and all the great things that they were going to do in life, speaking well into the night.
It really did help, and the smile that appeared on Rory's face almost involuntarily, spoke for itself.
"You brought me Tito's?!" Rory exclaimed as she saw what her mother had been carrying in the large delivery bag, she'd brought along.
"Yeah, of course. Luke's doesn't preserve well with time, you should know this," Lorelai corrected her.
"Thanks," she replied, biting into a beef taco. She knew she could probably just have the one, but it did taste like… hangover food, which wasn't too much off from how she was feeling these days.
"So where is this little boy I was supposed to get to play with?" Lorelai inquired, looking around the place. She'd sent Luke to hang out with April for lunch, knowing she had to work later, so right now it was all just her and Rory.
"They should be back soon, the guys took Finny to the park," Rory explained, continuing to chew. Finn had been hanging out with Logan a lot these days, perhaps sensing that he too needed an outlet of somesort, even if it didn't involve much booze. Finn was good that way - he could appear completely oblivious and self-centered and then he just knew the right moment when he needed to switch out of it.
"Okay," Lorelai replied, and took herself a burrito from the bag.
"So wow, this place really is something," Lorelai added, as she walked across the parlor glancing upstairs to the second story half-floor that overlooked the parlor, the burrito in her hand and the other hand underneath it.
"Logan can give you a tour later," Rory replied, knowing she herself really wasn't supposed to move that much. She was taking the doctor's orders pretty literally now, having set a few of Finny's baby pictures as her phone background to remind her of the goal.
"How many floors does this place have?" Lorelai asked curiously.
"Six, but the sixth is just a half floor. That's Gigi's," Rory explained. "I might text her actually, maybe she's hungry," she added, noting the bag full of food that could feed a small army, and that including Finny, Logan and Finn. She sent Gigi a quick text.
Celeste's gesture to invite Gigi to join them for food had become a bit of a tradition. While she didn't hang out voluntarily a lot, when they did invite her, she usually came. She wasn't sure whether that was because she didn't want to impose on other times or whether she was just doing this for Rory's sake, not wanting to seem impolite by declining - but either way, they were seeing her more and talking a little.
It was then Finny stormed through the front door, Logan and Finn right behind him.
"Hey! We've got Tito's right here!" Rory called out from the couch.
"Somebody have a hangover, I don't know about?" Logan asked. "Hey Lorelai!" he greeted her.
"Ah, greetings," Finn said. "What's this magic food the Gilmore women consume that keeps them all this gorgeous," he flattered.
Lorelai smiled. Sure, she knew this was how Finn was - he was a sweet-talker through and through, but in her age, it was rather pleasant to get some attention.
They guys dug into the bag as well. Finny settling for some mild quesadillas, and sat by Rory on the couch, Rory trying to make sure he didn't completely stain the couch in the process.
"Hey," Gigi appeared from the stairway, wearing a crop top and a pair of jeans shorts. Rory could only envy those abs at this point, suddenly recalling Louise's words from picture day at Chilton saying how she was never going to look as hot as she did then. Wise words - Rory thought.
"Hey, Gigi!" Lorelai greeted her. "Have a taco," she gestured towards the bag.
"Thanks," she hesitated, glancing around the selection, finally choosing two chicken tacos, and sat onto the couch next to Finn.
"So how's the city treating you?" Lorelai asked Gigi, having not seen her since Rory's baby shower.
"It's very cool, definitely happy I get to stay here," Gigi replied, trying to clear her mouth before speaking.
"Did you go to Bushwick?" Finn asked her.
"I did, thanks for the tip," Gigi replied, wiping the corner of her mouth.
"While you guys were at the hospital, we talked about all off the beaten path places the City has to offer," Finn explained.
"Ugh, that must've been the scariest day of my life," Gigi commented with a giggle. While she still avoided the elevator, she did't seem very scared right now. "Here, I can show you some pictures I made," she suggested and scooted closer to Finn and began to flip through her photos.
"That was a freaky night," Rory commented. The news had flooded with tons of weird occurances that had taken place during the blackout.
"So you're feeling better?" Lorelai asked Rory.
"I've had a few false contractions since, but the app says we're good for now. I'm going in on Monday for another check-up," she replied.
"That's good," Lorelai noted. "Do you have everything unpacked?" she asked, offering, "I could help."
"We're almost done, Logan has been home and the nursery will be finished next week," Rory explained.
"I could help too if you want," Gigi then offered, surprising Rory.
"Thanks Gigi," she replied, "we'll see, okay?" she added, not wanting to let her mother know that they really weren't even half way through with packing. But somehow she prefered Gigi's help to her mothers. These days she only wanted her company in small doses - maybe it was their energy levels - her just barely feeling like she could keep up with her.
"How about that tour?" Lorelai then asked, having finished her meal and seeing Logan was done it with as well.
"Logan, would you?" Rory suggested, mouthing to him to not show her the third floor guest rooms that currently held most of the unpacked boxes, making Finn chuckle quietly at their unaudible conversation.
Logan rose, and led Lorelai through the rooms, Rory already bracing herself for the commentary that was probably coming laster. She knew that to her mother this place was comparable to the Gilmore mansion, too grand for her tastes, too finished, too clean, containing too few homey items and not enough chaos.
Rory texted Celeste a couple of messages in the meanwhile, having been talking to her before Lorelai arrived. Celeste was back in Stars Hollow for the weekend, this time only focusing on moving and the renovations.
"Hey, what is a good place to go swimming around here?" Gigi suddenly asked Finn and Rory. "I used to go like twice a week in Boston, I kind of miss it," she added.
"Well you could go to the Marriott probably," Rory added. Unless of course the place was under renovations like the indoor pool sometimes was during July.
"Yeah, I couldn't put you on a list there, but in the summer I myself would mich rather to go outside somewhere," Finn commented, beginning to think of other suggestions.
"Yeah, Finn, not everyone has a rooftop pool like you," Rory noted. God, how she missed swimming.
"You do? Wow, that sounds amazing," Gigi noted. "Hey why didn't you get a place with a pool - I've heard you sigh like ten times how much you love it?" she asked Rory.
"Well we were quite set on a place that didn't need a lot of work and the number of rooms," Rory explained. "There was one we saw, but it would've needed a complete renovation," she added recalling the narrower townhouse in Upper East side with the pool in the basement.
"I think most of the public pools are quite crowded right now, even the exclusive ones, so maybe you could come to my place with Logan and Finny one of these days," Finn suggested.
As he'd said it, Rory observed something peculiar though. She could see Gigi's face radiate excitement up until Finn had mentioned Logan and Finny. She couldn't be, could she? Finn was a easy guy to like - his flattery, friendliness and humour went a long way. But definitely not for a 16 year old.
"That'd be great," Gigi replied, excitedly, having by then corrected her impression.
"Yeah," Rory sighed, thoughtfully pondering whether she should talk to her. She had a sneaky feeling that if she did she would automatically fall out of favor.