Lorelai entered the hardware store and shook the snow out of her hair. The worst snowstorm of the year was raging outside and she was grateful to be inside, away from the frigid wind and heavy snowfall. She slowly unwound her scarf, using the time to survey the store before approaching the counter. "Hey, Buddy," she greeted the older man warmly.
Buddy looked up from where he was adding up the day's receipts on the other side of the counter. "Hi, Lorelai. Is it as cold as it looks out there?"
"Colder," she laughed. Setting her purse and scarf on the counter, Lorelai took another look around the store. "He didn't come in today?"
"No," Buddy confirmed, shaking his head sadly.
"I called the house earlier and he didn't answer the phone, so I was hoping he was here."
"He didn't answer the phone for me either." After a moment's hesitation, Buddy asked, "Are things getting any better at home?"
"He comes downstairs for dinner now and, some nights, he'll sit in the living room and watch the kids play."
"But he's still not interacting with them?"
"Not really. It's not like he pushes them away or anything, but he doesn't encourage them."
"Is he talking to you?"
"Does grunting count?"
"He can't go on like this, Lorelai. None of us can."
"I know, but I don't know how to help him. I'm out of ideas."
"Are you open to suggestions?"
"Sure. I'll try anything. I just want my husband back, preferably before I give birth." Lorelai gestured toward her growing stomach with both hands, clearly indicated that time was of the essence.
"In that case, I think it's time for the diner."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sure you know that when William first got sick, he made Luke promise to turn the hardware store into a diner."
Nodding, Lorelai admitted that she knew about the promised, but confessed, "Luke hasn't talked about it in a long time though."
"William expected that Luke would forget his promise, possibly on purpose, so he asked me to remind Luke and help him get started."
"I didn't know any of that."
"Neither does Luke. We were all hoping that William would be around to run the hardware store for a long time. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way and I think it's time that we all started keeping the promises we made."
"You want to force Luke to open a diner? Now?"
"I wouldn't say it like that, but yes."
"How do you plan to get Luke to agree?"
"I don't. I've already made arrangements to begin the renovations. I'm hoping that Luke's sense of responsibility will force him to get involved."
"You already made arrangements to renovate the store? Were you even planning to tell me?"
"I thought I just did," Buddy retorted.
"Gee, thanks," replied Lorelai sarcastically. "When are these renovations supposed to start?"
"Monday. Luke has a week to decide whether he's going to help or let me do it on my own."
"I'll talk to him and see what I can do."
"Thanks, Lorelai."
"You're welcome. Is there anything else or can I grab the kids and go home?"
"I can't think of anything else. You should head home before the weather gets worse." Buddy glanced out the window and noticed that the storm had driven all of the townspeople to seek shelter. Scowling, he added, "In fact, I think I'm going to close early and go home too. I'll drop you guys off on the way."
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After leading Jess and Rory into the house, Lorelai closed the front door and leaned heavily against it. The silence of the house was an almost overwhelming contrast to the howling of the wind. "Luke, we're home," Lorelai called out to the quiet house. When there was no answer, she let out a frustrated sigh and wearily pushed herself away from the door. She began helping the kids remove the extra layers of clothes she had forced them to wear in an effort to keep warm against the bitter cold.
"Mommy, where's Daddy?" asked Rory while holding her arms over her head to allow Lorelai to pull off her bulky sweater.
"Probably upstairs resting."
"Daddy's sick like Papa." Jess declared with a level of certainty that made Lorelai uneasy.
"No, sweet boy." Lorelai turned to offer him a reassuring smile and saw that he was struggling to take off his boots. "Try untying your boots," she suggested gently.
Rory wasn't easily deterred by her mother's attempt to change the subject. "Will Daddy go to heaven? To live with Papa?"
"Of course not," soothed Lorelai, bending down to tuck Rory's hair behind her ear. Lorelai struggled to keep her voice calm and even as she explained, "Daddy's just really sad right now."
"About Papa?" Jess asked innocently.
"Yeah. About Papa."
"How long will Daddy be sad?" Rory demanded to know.
"I'm not sure, Rory. We just need to be patient."
Jess sighed sadly. "I miss Daddy."
"Me too," Lorelai muttered under her breath. More loudly, she said, "Let's have a snack. How does cookies and hot chocolate sound?" She laughed when Jess and Rory took off running for the kitchen. "I guess that answers that question."
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Standing outside the bedroom door, Lorelai hesitated, uncertain about whether confronting Luke was the right choice. The sound of Jess and Rory giggling in the kitchen carried up the stairs and cemented her decision. She entered the bedroom quietly, not wanting to disturb Luke if he happened to be sleeping, but he was awake and staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Luke," she said softly, calling attention to her arrival. Luke turned his head to look at her briefly, but quickly returned his gaze to the ceiling. "We need to talk." There was no indication that he heard her, so she tried again. "You know I love you, right?" This time Luke grunted in acknowledgement and Lorelai took it as a sign that she should continue. "I know you're hurting and that you miss your dad, but you need to realize that our kids miss their dad. They need you. I need you. The babies need you." Lorelai paused, desperately hoping that Luke would say something, but the only sign that he was even listening was when he rolled onto his side to watch her. "Can you just tell me how to help you? What do you need me to do? Please, just tell me," she begged.
For a long time, Luke remained silent. Eventually, he flipped onto his back and resumed staring at the ceiling. Realizing that Luke wasn't going to talk to her, Lorelai gave up. "Fine. I'll leave you alone. I hope you figure it out soon." She turned to leave the room and as she stepped into the hallway, she told him, "Just so you know, Buddy is going to start renovating the hardware store to turn it into a diner like William wanted. He's starting on Monday, if you want to help." Closing the door, she headed for the kitchen, certain that cookies and hot chocolate would make her feel better.
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The next morning, Lorelai woke up alone. Thinking that she must still be dreaming, she closed her eyes and pinched her arm. She opened her eyes again and determined that not only wasn't Luke in bed, he wasn't even in the room.
As she sat up and stretched, trying to alleviate the stiffness in her sore back, Lorelai contemplated the possible reasons that Luke may have decided to get out of bed. She hoped it was a good sign that he had ventured out of the bedroom so early in the day.
Eager to find out what had prompted the sudden change in Luke's behavior, Lorelai hauled herself out of bed, intending to go find him. However, she soon realized she would have to go to the bathroom first. Resting one hand on her stomach, she whispered, "Okay, take it easy, kids. I get it. Bathroom first, then we'll find Daddy."
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When Lorelai finally made her way downstairs, she found Luke in the kitchen cooking breakfast. From where they were coloring at the kitchen table, Jess and Rory were happily chattering away about everything they were doing in preschool. Luke seemed to be actively listening to them for the first time in weeks and the kids were delighted to have a captive audience.
Lorelai stood in the doorway, content to observe her family, until she was spotted by Jess. "Hi, Mommy," he squealed happily, effectively announcing her arrival to the others.
"Good morning," she replied, moving further into the kitchen. She kissed Jess and Rory on the top of their heads before leaving them to their pictures and making her way to Luke, who handed her a cup of coffee without comment. Lorelai took a long drink, but was met with an unexpected taste. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "This is decaf," she accused, handing him back the cup.
"Yes, it is. That's all you're getting from now."
"Why?" whimpered Lorelai, her mouth set in her trademark pout.
"It's about time I started taking care of my family again."
Lorelai suddenly became very serious. "Listen, Luke, if this is about what I said last night, I didn't mean…"
Luke interrupted her with a quick, firm kiss. "It's okay, Lorelai. I know exactly what you meant," he assured her.
"You do?"
The uncertainty in Lorelai's voice caused a wave of self-loathing to rise up in Luke. Swallowing a growl of frustration, Luke pulled Lorelai into a comforting hug. He refused to let her feel guilty for something that wasn't her fault. She wasn't responsible for his decision to spend most of the last two months in bed and, despite what she might think, she hadn't forced him to do anything. The way he saw it, all she'd done was give him a much needed wake up call. He pressed a kiss to her hair and said, "Yes, I do, and you were right. I miss my dad because he's gone, but my kids shouldn't be missing me because I won't get out of bed. I'm going to do better. I promise."
"I'm really glad you're back," Lorelai sniffled, fighting back tears.
Alarmed, Luke stepped back and placed his hands on Lorelai's shoulders to hold her at arm's length. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Lorelai laughed at Luke's overreaction and wiped away the tears that had begun to stream down her face. "It's just hormones. In case you haven't noticed I'm pregnant."
"Oh, I know. I seem to recall having something to do with that," joked Luke. He slid one hand down her arm and onto her stomach to gently caress her swollen abdomen. "Are the babies okay?"
"They're perfect," she stated with a quiet conviction meant to ease Luke's anxiety. Covering his hand with hers, she guided his hand a little lower to rest above the spot where one of the babies was kicking. "It seems your children like to kick me. I just started being able to feel them."
"Are they kicking now? I don't feel anything."
"They're kicking, but they're not big enough to be felt from the outside yet."
"Good. I don't want to miss their first kicks. I've missed too much already and later you're going to tell me all about it."
"You haven't really missed much. Just me getting fatter and fatter and fatter," Lorelai groaned dramatically.
"First of all, you're not fat. You're pregnant and beautiful. Second, I know I've missed things and, from now on, I'm going to be more involved. I know I've said that before and let you down. It won't happen again."
"What are you talking about? You haven't let me down."
"I have. I told you that this pregnancy would be different than it was with Rory and then I disappeared. I left you to deal with everything alone, just like Chris did."
"Don't be stupid, Luke."
"I'm just trying to apologize."
"You don't need to. You're nothing like Chris. You didn't abandon me or our kids. Any of them. Grieving for your dad is different than partying with your friends."
"I don't see it that way."
Before Lorelai could argue her point any further, Rory called out for Luke, demanding his attention. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" she chanted his name while waiving a piece of paper in his general direction. "Come see!"
Luke looked at Lorelai, silently seeking permission, which she granted. "Go see her latest masterpiece. I'll finish cooking breakfast." When Luke started to walk past her, Lorelai put a hand on his chest to stop him. "Just so you know, I'm right and you're wrong. I don't want to hear another word about how you've let me down because you haven't. Got it?" Luke nodded solemnly. Lorelai smiled and let her hand fall from his chest. "Good. Now, you better get over there before Rory convinces Jess to stage a mutiny."
Chuckling, Luke kissed Lorelai's cheek. "Yes, dear."
"Daddy!" screeched Rory. "Come see now," she cried, her voice fading into a whine.
Lorelai smirked. "Told you."
"Yes, you did," agreed Luke, kissing her cheek again as he stepped past her. Making his way across the kitchen, he asked Rory, "What did you draw for me?"
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After breakfast, Luke called Buddy to thank him for all of the time he had spent managing the hardware store and to discuss plans for the store's future. They decided that with most of the businesses in town still closed after the previous day's blizzard and the renovations to convert the hardware store into a diner set to begin the following Monday, they were just going to close the store permanently, effective immediately. The remaining inventory would be sold to anyone who asked, but William's Hardware was on its way to becoming Luke's Diner. Pleased with the decisions he and Buddy had made, Luke ended the phone call and went looking for Lorelai.
He found Lorelai in the living room watching The Land Before Time with Jess and Rory. The sight of his family cuddled together on the couch made Luke feel happier and more alive than he had felt in weeks, so he took a moment to watch them and enjoy the feeling.
It didn't take long for Lorelai to become aware of Luke's presence. "See something you like?" she asked coyly, her lips twisting into a smirk.
"Yes."
"You could join us, you know?"
"How about I sit with the kids while you go call Mia?" he suggested as he crossed the room to stand in front of her and held out his hand to help her up.
Lorelai took Luke's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Why do I need to call Mia?"
"Most of the town is still closed after yesterday's blizzard, so I thought you might want to find out if you're supposed to go into work."
"I didn't know things were that bad. I'll give her a call right now."
A quick phone call to Mia confirmed that the inn was among the businesses closed. Lorelai learned that not only had the weekend guests all managed to check out before the storm had settled over Stars Hollow, but the few midweek guests that had been expected had been delayed by the weather. Since there were no guests at the inn, Mia felt that she and the few employees who had been snowed in together would be okay on their own and that everyone else, including Lorelai, should stay home. Before they said goodbye, Mia promised to call later that afternoon to let Lorelai know when she should return to work.
Lorelai was thrilled to have an unexpected day off and was excited at the prospect of being able to spend a quiet day with her family. She hurried back to the living room and scooped Jess off of the couch so that she could take his seat next to Luke. Settling Jess in her lap, Lorelai leaned close to Luke and whispered, "I'm yours for the day."
Luke draped an arm around Lorelai's shoulders. "I'm a lucky guy."
"Shh," Rory hushed her parents. "Have to watch the dinos!"
Luke and Lorelai erupted into laughter, which they quickly stifled. "Yes, Rory," they chorused obediently.
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Their quiet family day ended up being packed full of activities that included everything from baking cookies to building a snowman. The schedule was set by Lorelai who was determined to keep Jess and Rory entertained and Luke distracted. She was so successful at keeping Luke distracted that he didn't have a moment to himself all day.
At the end of the day, when Jess and Rory were tucked into their beds for the night, Luke retreated to the bedroom by himself. Lorelai chose to leave him alone while she went downstairs to pick up the living room and wash the dinner dishes. She stalled for as long as possible, but eventually there was nothing left for her to do except go to bed, so she headed back upstairs.
Luke was sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows propped on his knees and his face buried in his hands when he heard Lorelai open the bedroom door. He felt her sit down next to him, but didn't look up. They sat in silence for several minutes while Lorelai ran her fingers through Luke's hair. Finally, Luke said, "I didn't miss him today." His hands muffled the sound of his voice without disguising the guilt he was feeling.
"Sure you did. You just didn't dwell on it today."
"No, I didn't," Luke insisted. "I was too busy to miss him."
"Luke, you've spent weeks missing your dad all day, every day. It's okay to feel guilty because missing your dad wasn't the only thing you did today, but you know he wouldn't want you to," Lorelai told him.
"It's too soon to be moving on."
"No, it's not. It's what's supposed to happen. It's what William would want to happen."
"I don't think I'm ready."
"It will get better," Lorelai promised. She knew it was true, but it didn't seem like enough, so she wrapped her arms around him as best she could and pulled him into an awkward hug, offering him the only real comfort she could.