Nearly a month after Luke first began making an attempt to resume his normal routine, most people were convinced that he really was doing better and moving on, but those who knew him best could tell he was still grieving. However, only Lorelai and Buddy, the two people who spent the most time with Luke, could see how much he struggled with his grief on a daily basis.
Even though Lorelai was proud of Luke for fighting against the darkness that had threatened to consume him after William's death, she was careful not to overwhelm him. Despite her efforts not to cause him any undue stress, some things could not be avoided and certain decisions, particularly those involving the babies, had to be made sooner rather than later.
Lorelai knew that the twins' nursery was one of the things that could not be avoided for very long, so on a day when Luke seemed to be doing especially well and could almost be described as happy, she decided it was time to start the discussion. That night, while she and Luke were lying in bed, she rolled over to rest her head and one hand on his chest and when he wrapped his arm around her, she said, "Hey, Luke, we need to talk."
"My four favorite words. They're specifically designed to strike fear into the heart of any man, anywhere, at any time."
"I'm serious," Lorelai warned him, even though the joke had caused her to smile.
Heeding her warning, Luke adopted an appropriately serious demeanor. "Okay, Lorelai. What do we need to talk about."
Lorelai took a deep breath and, on the exhale, she let her words pour out of her at lightning speed. She had wanted to ease him into the idea of setting up the nursery, but that idea was quickly forgotten as she started to ramble. "The babies are going to be here soon. I mean, I know we have a few months, but it's going to go by so fast and we don't have anything ready. I think we need to start working on the nursery. Or at least start thinking about the nursery. What do you think?"
"I think you use the word think too much," he deflected.
"I'm still being serious, Luke. These babies can actually have a nursery, something Jess and Rory didn't get. I'm excited about this or, at least, I want to be excited about this. I want you to be excited too, but a nursery means we have to make some, uh, choices."
Luke's entire body tensed at Lorelai's implication. "You're talking about my dad's room. You want us to move into my dad's room and turn this room into the nursery."
"Or we could use Liz's," Lorelai countered.
"No. Dad wouldn't want that. He would say that he left us the house so that we could use it to raise our kids and that we should use all of it, not just part of it. He would also say that he's gone and doesn't need his bedroom or his things anymore, but Liz still might need hers. He would want us to leave her room alone, at least for now, and use his."
"Are you sure, Luke?"
"I'm sure," he answered definitively. "I'll start cleaning out his things tomorrow."
"I can do it. If you want," offered Lorelai.
"No, I should do it, but, uh, maybe you could help?"
"Yeah, I can help." Lorelai agreed readily as she began squirming against Luke's side, trying to move toward the head of the bed.
"Hey! Watch it," gasped Luke when Lorelai accidentally elbowed him in the ribs. "Would you just hold still?"
"Not yet." When she reached her destination, Lorelai kissed Luke's cheek and then his lips. "It's going to be okay."
"You keep saying that everything's going to be okay and things will get better."
"Eventually, I'll be right."
"You always are."
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It took Luke and Lorelai a week to sort through William's belongings. Working an hour or two at a time, they chose several of William's flannel shirts to be made into blankets for the babies, put the rest of his clothes into bags to be donated to the next town rummage sale, redistributed items holding sentimental value throughout the rest of the house, and placed everything else into boxes to be stored in the attic.
When the room had been emptied of everything except for the furniture, Luke and Lorelai began moving their things into the master bedroom. They had decided it would be easier leave William's bedroom furniture where it was and put the furniture from their old bedroom into storage. This way Luke only had to move one set of furniture; an idea Luke fully supported because he was sure it was in the best interest of his lower back.
Just over two weeks after she had first talked to Luke about the nursery, Lorelai stood in the middle of the empty room staring at the blank walls, trying to picture what the nursery would look like when it was finished. She was having trouble visualizing the final result. Something seemed wrong with each of the images she'd dreamed up, but she couldn't figure out what. Biting her lower lip, she tried to concentrate on the smaller details, believing that was where she would most likely find the problem.
Lorelai was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Luke walk up behind her and was startled when he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. Luke chuckled at Lorelai's overly dramatic reaction. "A little jumpy, aren't you?"
"You scared me half to death!"
"Oh? Were you expecting someone else?"
"I wasn't expecting anyone, and you snuck up on me."
"I just came to check on you. You've been in here for over an hour."
"I have not!" Lorelai gasped in surprise, stepping out of Luke's arms and turning to face him.
"You have and I'm guessing you still haven't decided how you want to decorate the nursery."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because when I walked in, you were glaring at that wall," Luke said, pointing at the wall behind Lorelai.
"Oh."
"Don't you think it might be easier to plan the nursery if we knew whether the babies were boys or girls?"
"We could be having one of each," Lorelai reminded Luke.
"That's my point. Wouldn't things be easier if we knew?"
"You mean our décor decisions?"
"And choosing names."
"I could just name them when I see them. Like I did with Rory."
"Weren't you high on Demerol when you decided to name Rory after yourself?"
"Maybe," she admitted, shrugging one shoulder.
"Maybe? How about we try to plan ahead this time?"
"I guess we could try it your way. Do you really want to know the babies' genders?"
"Yes. I do."
"Okay. We should be able to find out at my next appointment."
"That's not too far away. Let's just wait on the nursery."
Lorelai scowled at Luke's suggestion. During the break in the conversation, Lorelai noticed that Jess and Rory were being suspiciously quiet. Concerned, she asked, "What are the kids doing?"
"They're playing library in the living room," Luke answered with a wide smile. "They're taking it very seriously. Jess was shushing me and Rory kept telling me that 'we gots to be quiet at the liar-berry.'"
"Those two and their books," laughed Lorelai. "They're something else."
"Yes, they are, and they want you to go check out books."
"I guess I better go find my library card."
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Relaxing against the half dozen pillows that were propped against the headboard, Lorelai tried to focus on the book she was reading while listening to Luke move around the master bathroom as he got ready for bed. At the sound of the bathroom door opening, she looked up and saw that Luke was still wearing the same goofy grin that had been on his face since they had left the doctor's office early that afternoon. He had been deliriously happy all day, starting the moment the doctor told them the babies were both boys.
"You are incredibly happy," stated Lorelai, pointing out the obvious.
Luke dropped onto the bed and rolled onto his side to rest one hand on Lorelai' stomach. "You bet I am," he said proudly.
"What if they were girls?"
"I'd be just as happy with girls as I am with boys. I'm not happy because we're having boys. I'm happy because now we know what we're having. It makes it more real," he explained, gently stroking her stomach. "Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, babe, it does," Lorelai murmured, threading her fingers through Luke's hair to massage his scalp. "I guess Rory's title of Daddy's Little Princess is safe."
"For now."
Lorelai froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Only that our first four kids were surprises, so who knows what might happen in the future."
Groaning, Lorelai let her head fall back against the pillows. "We're going to have a whole, um, uh," she stammered and began to gesture wildly with both hands. "Some sort of sports team," she finished.
"One more and we'll have enough for a basketball team."
"Ah geez," cried Lorelai, mimicking Luke's favorite oath.
Luke laughed at her antics. "It amazes me that with all that useless trivia floating around in your head, you can never remember a single fact about any sport. Not even what they're called!"
"Hey! It's not my fault your sons make me forgetful."
"You can't forget what you never knew."
"Hear that, babies?" Lorelai said, patting her stomach. "Your daddy is being mean to me."
Leaning close to Lorelai's stomach, Luke let his face hover just above where he was rubbing small circles with his thumb and whispered, "Don't listen to her, boys. I'm not mean. I'm just being honest. It's not my fault she doesn't understand sports. We'll teach her though, won't we? The two of you and your brother and sister will play sports and Mommy will have to learn."
"If you plan on any of our kids playing sports, you better hope they don't end up with my athletic ability."
"I'm sure they'll all take after me. Won't you, boys?"
"Hey!" Lorelai exclaimed, grabbing Luke's wrist.
Alarmed, Luke asked, "What's wrong?"
"One of our sons really likes their daddy's voice and is trying to kick their way out of me," she told him, dragging his hand to cover the spot where she could feel the relentless kicking. Every time one of the babies kicked while Luke was nearby, Lorelai would place Luke's hand over the area being kicked. She was eagerly anticipating the time when Luke would be able to feel their babies' movements. "Keep talking," she insisted. "Maybe you can feel them this time."
Luke spread his fingers further apart to cover as much of Lorelai's abdomen as possible and began to speak to his unborn sons. "Hi, little guys. I'm your daddy and I can't wait to meet you, but it's too soon, so you need to calm down and stay where you are. And maybe you could take it easy on your mom. She's doing all the hard work, you know." One of their sons responded to Luke's words and the gentle pressure of his hand on Lorelai's stomach with a swift kick, eliciting an amazed gasp from their father. "I felt that."
"So did I," whined Lorelai, gently rubbing across the spot their son had kicked.
"It was amazing. Do you ever get used to it?"
"Never," Lorelai replied with a wistful sigh.
Luke kissed her stomach. "Come on, little guy, kick again. Let me feel how strong you are," he coaxed. He was rewarded with another hard kick, this time on the other side of Lorelai's stomach. "There's my other little guy! Couldn't be outdone by your brother, could you?"
"They seem to take turns beating me up."
"Beating up Mommy isn't very nice. I thought I told you two to be nice to her?"
"Good luck with that," scoffed Lorelai.
"I'm sure they're trying. They're good boys. Aren't you, little guys?"
"Maybe they will be, but right now they're just pains in my ribs. Pains in my ribs that need names. And a nursery."
"We have plenty of time to choose their names and I'll start on their nursery as soon as you tell me what you want done."
"We can't keep calling them the babies or little guys. It will ruin their sense of individuality."
"They haven't even been born yet!" Luke asserted, confused by Lorelai's outburst. He pushed himself into a seated position and angled his body so he could study her face while he spoke to her. "They can't possibly have a sense of individuality."
"And they never will if we don't give them names."
"They need names right now? Shouldn't we take our time? This isn't like naming a goldfish or a hamster."
"You haven't given any thought to what you want to name our sons?" demanded Lorelai, horrified at the thought.
"Of course, I have," Luke assured her with a heavy sigh.
"So?"
"We're really doing this right now?"
"Yes. Let's hear them. What names do you like?"
"How about Caleb?"
"Maybe."
"Nicholas?"
"St. Nick?"
"Is that a no?"
"That's a no."
"What about Alexander?"
"Um, maybe, I guess."
"Benjamin?"
"Ooh. I like that."
"Good because that was the last name I had. What's on your list?"
Lorelai shrugged, feigning uncertainty. "Oh, I don't know. What do you think about Zachary? Or William? Or Tyler? Or William? Or Dylan? Or William? Or Matthew? Or William?"
"You want to name one of the babies after my dad?"
"Yes, but we can call him Liam."
"Okay."
"I know you hate the idea, but I really think it's the right thing to do."
"I said okay."
"He was your dad."
"I think he'd like it."
"And he's a big part of the reason we're even here right now. If he hadn't agreed to help me after I had Rory, we probably wouldn't be together."
"You're right. It's a good idea."
"Plus, it's your middle name, so it's kind of like tradition."
"Lorelai!" shouted Luke, interrupting her. "I said okay."
"You did?"
"I did. But only if we name the other baby after your dad."
After carefully considering possible nicknames, Lorelai shook her head. "Too stuffy and no good nicknames. Middle name instead?"
"If we use Benjamin as a first name."
"Deal."
"Benjamin Richard and William…what?"
"Your choice. I already got what I want."
Luke thought back to the list of names Lorelai had proposed, silently trying each of them. "Matthew," he announced. "William Matthew."
"William Matthew," repeated Lorelai. "I like it."
"Great. They have names. Are you happy now?"
"Almost. We need to talk about their nursery."
"There is no way I can get the nursery done tonight. It's not going to happen."
"Duh. But we might want to start before Emily decides to hire an interior designer or import a boatload of baby furniture from France."
"She wouldn't do that," argued Luke, earning a stern look from Lorelai. "Okay, she might do that, but we won't give her a chance because, as I keep telling you, I'll get it done as soon as you tell me what you want."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. It shouldn't take long and Buddy will help if I need him."
"Are you sure you guys have time right now? Aren't you busy with the diner?"
"We have the time. Everything with the diner is fine. Besides, if we needed to, we could delay opening the diner. I'm pretty sure we can't delay the babies."
"Good point."
"I even set aside some paint chips and wallpaper samples when I was cleaning out my dad's office and brought them home for you. You can look at them tomorrow." Lorelai began sliding toward the edge of the bed, but was pulled back by Luke. "Tomorrow, Lorelai. It's time to sleep."
"Fine," she pouted, settling into the middle of the bed and letting Luke cover her up with the blankets.
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When Luke woke up just before dawn the next morning, Lorelai was already wide awake and laying on her side, staring at him. She was so close to him that Luke's nose brushed against hers when he turned his head to look at her. "What the hell, Lorelai?" he snapped, jerking away from her.
"Where are they, Luke?"
"What?"
"Paint chips? Wallpaper samples? Ringing any bells?" Lorelai growled menacingly
"I left them on the kitchen table."
Suddenly in a much better mood, Lorelai scrambled out of bed as quickly as her pregnancy would allow. "Thank you!" she called over her shoulder while hurrying out of the room.
Luke stared at the doorway Lorelai had just fled through. "This pregnancy might actually kill me," he muttered to himself, pulling a pillow over his face to muffle his groan of agony.
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Lorelai spent the morning sorting through dozens of paint chips and wallpaper samples. She was oblivious to everything around her until Luke set a plate of apple slices in front of her and obstructed her view of the paint chips she had been studying. Confused, she looked up at him and blinked until she was able to focus on his face. "Eat," he ordered.
Realizing that she had forgotten to eat breakfast, Lorelai picked up an apple slice and ate it in one bite. She moved the plate off to one side while gesturing for Luke to sit next to her. In the time it took Luke pull a chair closer to Lorelai's and sit down, Lorelai devoured three more apple slices. "You know you're supposed to chew those, not just swallow them whole, right?" Luke asked pointedly.
Lorelai responded by looking Luke in the eye as she picked up another apple slice, bit off small chunks, and chewed each bite methodically. When she was finished, she handed Luke a small stack of paint chips and a wallpaper sampled. "I've decided on blue with teddy bears," she announced. "I just can't decide which of those blues we should choose."
Luke compared each of the paint chips to the sample of the teddy bear wallpaper border. Finally, he handed one of the paint chips back to Lorelai. "This one." At Lorelai's nod of approval, he took back the paint chip and said, "I'll take care of everything."
"Thanks, babe. You're the best," Lorelai praised, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
