Chapter 51 Funeral
Rory did not sleep well even though Logan gave her another Benadryl. After tossing and turning most of the night she decided to just get up.
"Where are you going Ace?" Logan asked as she got out of bed.
"If you must know, I am going to pee, wash my face and head into the sitting room. I'm going to order breakfast and call mom." She told him.
"Okay" he said as he sat up in bed.
"Logan, go back to sleep. I know I kept you up most of the night with tossing and turning." She told him. She was a little annoyed. Not sure if it was at him or just the situation. Hormones were already playing havoc on her.
"No, I'm up, I want to be here for you." He said, smiling at her. Rory smiled back at him as she entered the bathroom.
After eating breakfast and showering, Logan and Rory left for Ronnie's house. Rory explained to Logan that besides his sons Ronnie was the only close family that Billy had. Both their parents had passed. She further explained that Billy had a 19- or 20-year-old son that lives in California with his mother.
"The last I heard, he was going to Berkeley." She told him. "Two of his uncles live in Washington D.C. and New York City. They were not close with Billy or Ronnie. The uncles were upset when George, Billy's father died and left the company to Billy." Rory wanted to give Logan the cliff notes of Billy's family. She did not want him to surprised.
Ronnie was glad to see her. This was the first-time meeting Logan in person. "Rory, I am so glad you are here." Ronnie said as she hugged Rory. "and Logan, it is so nice to finally meet you. Billy talked very highly of you."
"Come on in," James said. "A few of the employees are in the sitting room." Rory and Logan followed James to the sitting room. Ronnie had a hold of Rory's hand. Rory squeezed her hand. She wanted to let Ronnie know that she is there for her. As they entered the sitting room, Rory pulled Ronnie back a little, wanting to talk with her.
"We are not bringing the boys until the funeral." Rory said as she looked down at her shoes.
"I understand, they are so small." Ronnie started crying again. "They will not remember him. He was such a good daddy. I remember when he found out you were having twins. He was scared to death." She smiled.
"Ronnie, we will make sure they do not forget him. I will make sure they always have a picture of him."
"Melissa was here for a little while. She is scratched up". Ronnie told Rory. "I think Melissa was being a little dramatic." Ronnie said, rolling her eyes. Rory just smiled. She would tell Ronnie about Melissa yelling at the boys and being jealous late. Now was not the time. Rory and Logan stayed at Ronnie's for a little while. Both Logan and Rory were jetlagged, so they left to go back to the Martin. They made plans to meet up at the funeral home at 10:00 in the morning so they could make arrangements. Rory asked Ronnie if she was sure, she wanted her to help make decisions. Ronnie just nodded, telling her that because the boys are too small to be making decisions, she could make them.
When they returned to the Martin, Rory called her mother. They talked for a while, then she talked with the boys. She was trying so hard not to show any signs of her crying. She did not want to upset the boys. Her and Logan decided to leave after the meeting at the funeral home. They would land in Hartford and talk with the boys. They decided to return the day before the funeral with the boys.
Logan and Rory were sitting in the parking lot of the McKinney Family Funeral Home on Beaver Street waiting for Ronnie to arrive. They were discussing the things that they needed to get done before they left to come back to Jacksonville. Ronnie pulled up with James. Rory made a metal note to ask her if they were back together. She thought James was good for Ronnie. Ronnie had always been a little spoiled. A lot of that was Billy's doing.
As they were getting out of the cars and greeting each other another car pulled up. It was Melissa on Billy's white McLaren. Rory just assumed that was the car he was driving when he wrecked. She looked at Ronnie and Ronnie just shrugged her shoulders. Logan grabbed Rory's hand and squeezed, reminding her that he was there with her. Melissa joined the group. She was wearing a black dress with black 6-inch heels. Ronnie again just shook her head. This was going to be a long few days.
As they were talking with the funeral director, he asked about insurance. Rory told him that as far as she knew he had a burial policy. Ronnie nodded and opened her purse and pulled out a card with the insurance agent on it. The funeral director stepped into his office to make the call. When he returned, he told them that he had affirmed that Mr. Greene had a burial policy. He showed them into the casket room.
When Rory and Logan left, she was fuming. Melissa had taken over the arrangements. She only allowed Ronnie to have a say every now and then. Rory and Billy were divorced. She was well aware of that. But Billy is (was) the father of her children. She felt like she, as a representative of Will and Chris should have been consulted on some things. Ronnie must have thought so too, or she would not have asked Rory to come along.
Frank met them when they landed. Lorelai was at the Gilmore Manor when they got there. The boys were playing in the playroom. Rory did not want to put this off. She wanted to go ahead and talk to the boys. Lorelai went to the playroom to get them.
Rory, Logan and Lorelai sat them down and explained their daddy was in a car wreck and he went to heaven. Chris and Will both have had lots of questions. They tried to explain it to them in terms that 4-year-old could understand. All in all, Rory thought it went okay. The boys were again playing in the playroom while the adults were in the sitting room discussing what needed to be done.
The funeral was planned for Thursday. It was Tuesday. They will leave tomorrow afternoon. Lorelai and Luke will be flying with Rory, Logan and twins. Karson was going to stay home. She has finals and needs to study. The boys were still confused. They were trying to understand why they were not going to Disneyland like they planned. After a few rounds of questions, they finally settled down to watch a movie.
When they landed Rory called Ronnie's house.
"Hello," a male answered the phone.
"This is Rory, whom am I speaking?" Rory asked.
"This is Tommy, who would you like to speak with?" Tommy asked.
"May I speak with Ronnie?" Rory was trying to place Tommy. She met several of the employees the first of the week.
"Ronnie can't come to the phone" Tommy said. Rory was beginning to hear sarcasm in his voice. She didn't want to play games.
"May I speak with James?" Rory said. She was getting mad, she did not know who Tommy was and why he was answering Ronnie's phone.
"Hello, this is Melissa," Melissa said.
"Melissa, this is Rory." Rory said, rolling her eyes. She wants to speak with James or Ronnie. She didn't have the patients right now for must have handed the phone to Melissa
"Hey Rory, what can I do for you?" Melissa sounded too chipper for someone that just lost a loved one. Rory looked around the room to make sure the boys were not within earshot, then she moved the phone from her ear, sshed everyone and put it on speaker.
"I was hoping to talk with Ronnie or James." Rory said.
"Well, they are not here at the moment, can I give them a message?" Melissa asked.
"No that's okay, Thanks" Rory said. Rory was about to hit the end button on the phone when Melissa spoke again.
"Are the boys with you? I would really like to see them." Melissa told Roty. This shocked Rory.
"Yes,... yes they are with me. They will be at the funeral. They are still a little confused. It's hard to explain to 4 years olds." Rory told her.
"Yes, I'm sure," Melissa said. Rory hung up and called Ronnie's cell phone. James answered.
"James, can I speak with Ronnie please." James handed Ronnie her phone.
"Hey Rory, I assume you have landed." Ronnie asked.
"Yes, I called your house." Rory told her, then paused, trying to put her thoughts into words.
"Let me guess, Melissa answered," Ronnie said sarcastically.
"No, Tommy" Rory said matter of factly.
"Who is Tommy?" Melissa asked confused.
"It's your house," Rory said. Ronnie just laughed.
"We are at the airport waiting for Ricky. Is it okay if we stop by the hotel with him? He was asking about the twins and you. He has never met Melissa. I just think it would be better for him to see the boys without her hanging around" Ronnie asked.
"Yes, that is fine. We are going to out to eat. You, Ricky and James are invited. When you pick Ricky up come on by the hotel. It's the Martin room 1501." Rory told her.
About 30 minutes later there was a call from downstairs advising Logan that he had visitors. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Lorelai opened the door to Ronnie, James and Ricky. Lorelai grabbed Ronnie and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry for your loss" Lorelia told her.
"Thanks Lorelai. You remember my husband, James?" Ronnie said. Lorelai nodded her head with the eyebrows arched. He was her ex-husband or Lorelai thought he was an ex. "And this is Ricky" Lorelai hugged Ricky.
"It's been a long time," he said. Lorelai held on to him longer.
"I have missed you and I am sorry about your dad" Lorelai told him.
"Thanks Nana" Ricky said, then looked at Rory. Rory hugged Ricky after she hugged Ronnie.
Rory introduced Logan to Ricky while Luke went to get the boys in the other room. They were glad to see Ricky. After a while they all left to go eat. Ronnie, Logan, James and Rory were in James's car and Luke and Lorelai were in the rental car with Ricky and the twins. Rory and Ronnie talked about Melissa. James and Logan just listened. Rory agreed with Ronnie that Melissa was getting out of hand.
"I got a call from Nicholas Barber, Billy's attorney. He wants to have the reading of the Will as soon as possible. Because the funeral is at 11:00 with the wake to follow, I figured Friday morning, but he said no. He wants to have it Thursday night after the wake. I told him I would tell you." Ronnie said.
"Okay" Rory said as she looked at Logan. Logan nodded his head.
When they got to the restaurant everyone got along great. They shared stories about Billy. Ricky told everyone that he is in college but dropped all his courses for this semester after he got the call from his Aunt Ronnie. He told them that he wanted to help with whatever needed to be done.
The next morning after having breakfast, Lorelai helped get the boy's dress. They were not too keen on having to wear a tie. Logan and Luke entertain the boys while Rory and Lorelai get dressed. Rory was not feeling well. She was sure it was morning sickness. Logan was worried. They have not told Lorelai, Luke or the boys about the pregnancy. It was still too early.
They arrived at the funeral at 10:30. The funeral starts at 11:00. Rory, Logan, Luke and Lorelai took the boys in to see their dad. The boys were sad. Logan didn't think they knew why, they just knew they were supposed to be sad. He watched them. They were watching Ricky and how he was. They were trying to follow his lead.
Melissa gave a touching eulogy. Rory was trying not to dislike her, but she was making it hard. She could see through her. Literally. The dress she had on was sheer black with the back cut out. It was so tight you could tell she wasn't wearing any underwear. Rory thought this was sick. This is her boyfriend's funeral. Rory kept dismissing those thoughts. This was none of her business.
After the funeral and graveside service, everyone met back at Ronnie's. Rory found out from Ronnie that her and James are seeing each other again. The boys played in the back yard with their cousins. After excepting condolence from everyone, Ronnie called Rory into the study. When she entered, she saw Nicholas, Billy's attorney?
"Rory, how are you?" Nicholas asked.
"I'm fine Nick. How are you? Bet your girls have gotten big" Rory said, remembering he was married with 2 girls.
"Yes, they are in Middle School already. Time flies." He told her.
"Yes, it does." Rory said as she took the seat Nicholas was offering her.
"The reason I asked you in here is that we will be reading the Will this afternoon." Nicholas said. He paused.
"I'm sure there are papers for me to sign in regard to the twins. Any way I can sign them now?" Rory asked.
"No," Nicholas said. "You will need to be at the reading. There is more than just signing papers" Ronnie looked at Rory. Surely Billy did give her the business.
Rory sighed. She saw Ronnie looking at her., "Fine, just tell me what time." Nicholas took out a card and wrote a time, date and his cell number on the back.
"This is when and where; I have also included my cell number in case you would like to have your lawyer call me." Nicholas told her. This shocked Rory. Why would she need to have her lawyer call him? She knew that Billy had left the boys insurance money. It was in their divorce/custody agreement. She planned to put it in their trust accounts to be used for college. "I understand you got married." This brought Rory out of her thoughts.
"Yes, Logan Huntzburger, will that be a problem?" She couldn't imagine her marrying had anything to do with what Billy left the boys.
"No, but I think he should also be at the reading." Nicholas told her.
"I'll ask him," Rory said. "I will have my mother keep the boys. You don't need them at the reading, do you?" This worried her. The boys were too young. She and Logan would be there to protect their interest.
"No, you will be their representative." Nick told her. He told them that he is sorry for their loss and that he will see them tonight as he left the study. Rory looked at Ronnie.
"Do you know what is going on?" Rory asked.
"Not sure, I have an idea. Billy and I talked about something at Christmas. Ricky stayed with me at Christmas. He and Billy spent sometime together. That's all I can think it is, other than the insurance policy for the boys." Ronnie told her.
When she left the study, she ran into her mother looking for a bathroom. She pointed out the bathroom and went to find Logan. She gave Logan the card and asked him to put it in his wallet. She would tell him about it later. She also whispered to him that the reading of the Will is to be tonight, and Billy's lawyer suggested he be present. Logan took the card and put it in his wallet and nodded at Rory. They both didn't want to say a lot because there were ears everywhere. Rory nor Logan thought it was a good idea to talk about it in public.
Several of Billy's employees made an effort to talk with Rory. Logan noticed this and wondered if Billy had told them something that was in the Will.
When they started to leave Rory told Ronnie she would see her tonight. Lorelai turned around and looked at Rory trying to figure out why she would be seeing Ronnie tonight. She thought they were leaving for Stars Hollow tonight.
When they got in the car and got the boys buckled in, Lorelai said "What is this about seeing them tonight?"
"Mom, we will talk about it when we get back to the hotel." Rory told her. Lorelai didn't like that. She wanted to be in the know. She looked at Logan to see if he knew. She couldn't tell. She was going to be upset if Logan knew something that she didn't.
When they got to the Hotel, Rory asked her mother to take the boys to the suite. She and Logan are going to the coffee shop across the street to talk a minute. This did not help Lorelai's feelings. Luke could tell she was not happy.
"Come on guys, let's get out of these suits, come Nana, you can help." Luke said as he gently pulled on Lorelai's arm.
Rory and Logan talked about Rory's meeting with Nicholas tonight. She told Logan he suggested that she talk with her lawyer. Billy used Nicholas as his divorce lawyer. He is one of the corporate lawyers employed by Greene Chapter. She explained to Logan that the lawyer she used in Florida for the divorce was a friend of Emily's. Logan suggested they contact Collin, her Dad, or Josh. Any of the three.
"Why would I need a lawyer? Billy has a life insurance policy that leaves the boys $150,000 each to decrease as the boys age. This is in the divorce papers. All I will need to do is sign to receive the money and show that it is being deposited into their trust/college fund." Rory said. She had a bad feeling about the reading of the Will.
Logan told Rory "Nicholas could be suggesting this because he wants to make sure you and the boys are taken care of. Maybe he anticipates some relatives to show up and contest." Rory nodded her head. Logan suggested that they send Luke, Lorelai and the boys back to Hartford now.
He looked at his watch, "It's 3:30 now. You call your dad, ask him to come to Jacksonville. Tell him what you know. He can be here before the meeting. If he cannot get here tonight, we will ask Nick if he can postpone it. We will get the boys, Luke and Lorelai on the plane back to Hartford as soon as we get back." Logan stood up and help Rory up.
"We better get up to the room before mom comes down looking for us. She had that look in her eye. She wants to know what is going on." Rory told Logan. They headed back to the hotel, both with cell phones pressed to their ears.
When they got back to the suite, Rory asked Lorelai to step into her and Logan's room. She told her what was going on and asked her if she and Luke would take the boys back with them. She told her to call Karson. She can help. Lorelai agrees calling Christopher would be best. He would have the boys' best interest."He will make sure the boys are not taken advantage of." Lorelai told her. Rory nodded.
"You know the boys will be okay without Billy's money. They both have trust funds. Billy and I set one up when they were born. Grandpa left a trust for any future children." Lorelia knew all this, she just nodded. "I am married to a billionaire." Rory told her with a smirk. "If there are stipulations on the money, I will sign it over to Ricky."
While they were packing Rory talked with the boys. She told them that she and Logan are going to stay here for a few days and that they are going to go to Nana and Poppy's. They seemed to be okay with that. They asked about Ricky. Rory tried to explain that Ricky lived in California with his mom.
She left them to finish packing. Rory was exhausted. She took her phone and went out of the balcony. She called her dad.
"Rory, how are you?" Christopher said when he answered the phone. "The boys are okay? I'm sorry I could not make it to the funeral. I just got out of court for the day."
"Everyone is fine. Do you have to be in court Friday?" She asked. She hated for him to have to postpone court, but she needed him with her in Florida.
"No, today I wrapped it up. What's going on." He asked. He could hear the stress in her voice. This worried him.
"Dad, I need you to come to Jacksonville. I have a meeting tonight with Billy's lawyers. He suggested I talk with my lawyer. The lawyer I used for the divorce is a friend of Grandma that retired down here." She told him.
"Okay, as soon as we get off the phone, I will call my pilot. Should be wheels up in an hour or so. What time is the meeting?" He asked.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30. We have a suite at the Martin. You can stay with us. Mom and Luke are taking the boys home on Logan's plane." Rory laughed. She was thinking about Logan having a plane, her dad having a plane and Billy had a fleet of planes and to top it off they were staying in the penthouse suite of the Martin, owned by a dear friend."Yes, it is great having a friend in the Hotel business. We have a suite at any Martin hotel we need. All I need to do is call Finn. We are staying in his suite"
"Okay, anything I need to know before I get there?" Christopher asked. He was driving home. He was going over the list of things he needed to do to be ready to leave in an hour.
"All I know is Nicholas suggested I get a lawyer. I asked could I just sign the papers now figuring I just needed to sign the insurance papers. The divorce stated that Billy had to have an insurance policy set aside for the boys. I still own some shares in the company, not many, I think I have 3.5 shares. That's all I know." Rory told him. She was getting tired. She wanted to take a nap before the meeting.
"Okay, I will call you when I get on the plane and you can meet me at the airport." He told her.
Everyone is packed and ready to go. Logan called for a car to drop them off at the airport. They all said their goodbyes. Rory and Logan took a nap while they waited for Christopher to call. They decided to have a car pick him up so Rory would have time to take a good nap before the meeting.