Title: Life As I Know It
Chapter 10: Irritations, Complications, and Distractions
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gilmore Girls. Or the Bangles
Month: September, 1984.
~~~~~~~
Six o'clock already I was just in the middle of a dream
I was kissing Valentino by a crystal-blue Italian stream
But I can't be late cause then I guess I just won't get paid
These are the days when you wish your bed was already made
Just another Manic Monday (Oh-e-oh)
I wish it was Sunday (Oh-e-oh)
Cause that's my fun day (Oh-e-oh)
My I don't have to run day (Oh-e-oh)
It's just another Manic Monday
Lorelai stopped the car and ejected the tape. The Bangles song had been her anthem for the past few days, even though it wasn't Monday.
It was the first week of her senior year, and Lorelai was seven months pregnant. She got a lot more attention now that she was a whale than she'd ever gotten as a cute perky junior. Depending on her mood, she either glared at everyone or smiled. She was glaring a lot.
But even the glare was dropped as Lorelai glanced Christopher at his locker. Although, she was walking around the area his locker was in, even though her locker was at the other end of the school.
He turned around and his eyes caught hers, and she felt like a deer in the headlights. She spun tail and waddled as quickly as she could in the opposite direction. But she'd been spotted.
"Lor! Lor, wait up!" Chris jogged up to her in a matter of seconds. She continued waddling. "Lorelai, talk to me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't know." Lorelai suddenly stopped waddling as she burst into tears.
"Lorelai, it's okay. Now, why haven't you talked to me in forever?"
"Cause I thought you were ashamed of me."
Chris snorted. "What gave you that idea?"
"Cause you haven't talked to me in two months."
"My parents sent me away."
"What?"
"Yeah. My parents are still kinda sore with me about the whole thing, so they sent me away to this boarding school summer camp thing."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." Lorelai hugged Chris tightly. Chris laughed and kissed Lorelai on the forehead before seperating her so they could get to class. Lorelai blew kisses at him all down the hall.
~~~~~~
To show exactly how much he wasn't ashamed of her, Chris took Lorelai to that night's football game. Chris treated, so Lorelai bought out the concession stand. Then they edged through many, many thousands of people (or so it seemed) to squeeze into a seat that was hardly big enough for one person, and certainly not big enough for two and a half people. The couple next to them moved and let them have their seats. (A/N: Was that utterly confusing?) Lorelai munched away on a big swirl of cotton candy while Chris munched away on a box of popcorn. Then Lorelai decided she wanted the popcorn and made them switch. Chris obliged, hoping to avoid another breakdown like the one she'd had when he picked her up and wanted her to wear a jacket. They settled down to watch the game, and during halftime they got up and mingled. Lorelai kept running into classmates who wanted to gossip and asked all about the pregnancy.
"When are you due?"
"What're you gonna name it?"
"Are you gonna keep it?"
"Is it Christopher's, or someone else's?"
The girls shreiked and giggled at the last question and headed off before Lorelai had a chance to answer anything. She headed back to Chris to watch the rest of the game.
~~~~~~
Lorelai walked into the house a few hours later exhausted, sweltering hot, and bored out of her mind. She didn't like football, couldn't follow it, didn't wanna. And Chris had insisted on going over the entire game play-by-play. But now she was home, and she could collapse. She was planning to, but she saw a light on in the sitting room. Lorelai was surprised to see her parents up.
"Hello, Lorelai. Did you have a good time?" Richard lowered the newspaper at his daughter's entry.
"No." Lorelai answered flatly.
"I must say, Richard, this is a rare occasion. We are actually awake and present when our daughter is coming in from a date. And with Christopher Hayden, no less!"
"Mom, let it drop. I get it. We all get it. You don't like Christopher that much."
"Yes, well, certainly not as much as you like him."
"Just drop it, okay!"
"Alright." Emily reluctantly agreed when Lorelai's mood swung severly. Lorelai sighed and plopped down on the couch.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"It's alright, dear. Your mother was much worse when she was pregnant."
"Richard!"
"Well, it's true Emily."
"You're right." Emily gave in and laughed. Lorelai feebly laughed along and got up to go to bed. She bid adieu and started across the foyer to the stairs, but she didn't get very far. She stopped in the middle of the foyer and held onto the table as a sharp pain shot across her stomach. She grimaced and continued as it faded. But the next one hit harder about two seconds later and this time she had nothing to hold onto. She cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Her parents rushed over.
~~~~~~~
A few hours later, Lorelai was lying in a hospital bed in Labor and Delivery with machines strapped to her stomach and an IV in her arm. Dr. Joelle entered the room to explain.
"Okay, Lorelai, here's the deal. You went into premature labor. That is not good, because if your baby were to be delivered right now, he or she would only weigh about four pounds and their major organs would not be fully developed."
"That's bad."
"Yes, Lorelai, that is bad. But the good thing is, we were able to stop the labor with medicine. We are going to keep you overnight for observation, but that's merely a precaution. I am, however, going to request that you cut out anything in your life that is the least bit stressful or physically exerting. Do you think you can do that?" The doctor looked down his nose and over his glasses at Lorelai. She bit her lip and thought, and then nodded. "Good. Okay, now. You need to rest, but you have one visitor first."
Dr. Joelle's eyes gleamed with the look of a mischevious child who knows what your birthday present is but can't tell you as he backed out of the room. Before the door closed all the way, a hand with flowers poked through. Then the rest of the body came into the room, and Lorelai smiled at Christopher.
"Chris!"
"Lor." Chris presented the flowers, and then drew a box of chocolates and a coffee cup from behind his back. "Sweets to the sweet."
"Coffee!" Lorelai's eyes lit up like a little kid's at Christmastime. "But, is it decaf?"
"Yes." Chris laughed. Lorelai drank the entire contents of the plastic cup and pointed it at Chris.
"More, please? For the baby."
"Oh, yes, of course for the baby. If you don't slow down, this baby is gonna be addicted to coffee just like you."
"Too late!" Lorelai yelled to his back as he exited the room. She leaned back on her pillows and sighed. This was gonna be good. Being waited on hand and foot by a cute boy.
~~~~~~
On Saturday, after she was released by the prison they call a hospital, Lorelai was treated to a movie by Christopher. Lorelai snuggled up to Christopher throughout the movie (which was a total chick flick), only occasionaly stealing popcorn. She felt safe and secure and complete, with her boyfriend and her baby. On Sunday Christopher brought Lorelai a Bangles record, and they listened to that all day. On Monday, Lorelai did not feel like going to school, and she didn't feel like going to school ever again. So she dropped out. On Monday she dropped out. Just like that. She told her mom it was doctor's orders, called the school to tell them to piss off, and laid in bed all day. Finally, a weekday agenda she could handle.
Chapter 10: Irritations, Complications, and Distractions
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gilmore Girls. Or the Bangles
Month: September, 1984.
~~~~~~~
Six o'clock already I was just in the middle of a dream
I was kissing Valentino by a crystal-blue Italian stream
But I can't be late cause then I guess I just won't get paid
These are the days when you wish your bed was already made
Just another Manic Monday (Oh-e-oh)
I wish it was Sunday (Oh-e-oh)
Cause that's my fun day (Oh-e-oh)
My I don't have to run day (Oh-e-oh)
It's just another Manic Monday
Lorelai stopped the car and ejected the tape. The Bangles song had been her anthem for the past few days, even though it wasn't Monday.
It was the first week of her senior year, and Lorelai was seven months pregnant. She got a lot more attention now that she was a whale than she'd ever gotten as a cute perky junior. Depending on her mood, she either glared at everyone or smiled. She was glaring a lot.
But even the glare was dropped as Lorelai glanced Christopher at his locker. Although, she was walking around the area his locker was in, even though her locker was at the other end of the school.
He turned around and his eyes caught hers, and she felt like a deer in the headlights. She spun tail and waddled as quickly as she could in the opposite direction. But she'd been spotted.
"Lor! Lor, wait up!" Chris jogged up to her in a matter of seconds. She continued waddling. "Lorelai, talk to me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't know." Lorelai suddenly stopped waddling as she burst into tears.
"Lorelai, it's okay. Now, why haven't you talked to me in forever?"
"Cause I thought you were ashamed of me."
Chris snorted. "What gave you that idea?"
"Cause you haven't talked to me in two months."
"My parents sent me away."
"What?"
"Yeah. My parents are still kinda sore with me about the whole thing, so they sent me away to this boarding school summer camp thing."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." Lorelai hugged Chris tightly. Chris laughed and kissed Lorelai on the forehead before seperating her so they could get to class. Lorelai blew kisses at him all down the hall.
~~~~~~
To show exactly how much he wasn't ashamed of her, Chris took Lorelai to that night's football game. Chris treated, so Lorelai bought out the concession stand. Then they edged through many, many thousands of people (or so it seemed) to squeeze into a seat that was hardly big enough for one person, and certainly not big enough for two and a half people. The couple next to them moved and let them have their seats. (A/N: Was that utterly confusing?) Lorelai munched away on a big swirl of cotton candy while Chris munched away on a box of popcorn. Then Lorelai decided she wanted the popcorn and made them switch. Chris obliged, hoping to avoid another breakdown like the one she'd had when he picked her up and wanted her to wear a jacket. They settled down to watch the game, and during halftime they got up and mingled. Lorelai kept running into classmates who wanted to gossip and asked all about the pregnancy.
"When are you due?"
"What're you gonna name it?"
"Are you gonna keep it?"
"Is it Christopher's, or someone else's?"
The girls shreiked and giggled at the last question and headed off before Lorelai had a chance to answer anything. She headed back to Chris to watch the rest of the game.
~~~~~~
Lorelai walked into the house a few hours later exhausted, sweltering hot, and bored out of her mind. She didn't like football, couldn't follow it, didn't wanna. And Chris had insisted on going over the entire game play-by-play. But now she was home, and she could collapse. She was planning to, but she saw a light on in the sitting room. Lorelai was surprised to see her parents up.
"Hello, Lorelai. Did you have a good time?" Richard lowered the newspaper at his daughter's entry.
"No." Lorelai answered flatly.
"I must say, Richard, this is a rare occasion. We are actually awake and present when our daughter is coming in from a date. And with Christopher Hayden, no less!"
"Mom, let it drop. I get it. We all get it. You don't like Christopher that much."
"Yes, well, certainly not as much as you like him."
"Just drop it, okay!"
"Alright." Emily reluctantly agreed when Lorelai's mood swung severly. Lorelai sighed and plopped down on the couch.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"It's alright, dear. Your mother was much worse when she was pregnant."
"Richard!"
"Well, it's true Emily."
"You're right." Emily gave in and laughed. Lorelai feebly laughed along and got up to go to bed. She bid adieu and started across the foyer to the stairs, but she didn't get very far. She stopped in the middle of the foyer and held onto the table as a sharp pain shot across her stomach. She grimaced and continued as it faded. But the next one hit harder about two seconds later and this time she had nothing to hold onto. She cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Her parents rushed over.
~~~~~~~
A few hours later, Lorelai was lying in a hospital bed in Labor and Delivery with machines strapped to her stomach and an IV in her arm. Dr. Joelle entered the room to explain.
"Okay, Lorelai, here's the deal. You went into premature labor. That is not good, because if your baby were to be delivered right now, he or she would only weigh about four pounds and their major organs would not be fully developed."
"That's bad."
"Yes, Lorelai, that is bad. But the good thing is, we were able to stop the labor with medicine. We are going to keep you overnight for observation, but that's merely a precaution. I am, however, going to request that you cut out anything in your life that is the least bit stressful or physically exerting. Do you think you can do that?" The doctor looked down his nose and over his glasses at Lorelai. She bit her lip and thought, and then nodded. "Good. Okay, now. You need to rest, but you have one visitor first."
Dr. Joelle's eyes gleamed with the look of a mischevious child who knows what your birthday present is but can't tell you as he backed out of the room. Before the door closed all the way, a hand with flowers poked through. Then the rest of the body came into the room, and Lorelai smiled at Christopher.
"Chris!"
"Lor." Chris presented the flowers, and then drew a box of chocolates and a coffee cup from behind his back. "Sweets to the sweet."
"Coffee!" Lorelai's eyes lit up like a little kid's at Christmastime. "But, is it decaf?"
"Yes." Chris laughed. Lorelai drank the entire contents of the plastic cup and pointed it at Chris.
"More, please? For the baby."
"Oh, yes, of course for the baby. If you don't slow down, this baby is gonna be addicted to coffee just like you."
"Too late!" Lorelai yelled to his back as he exited the room. She leaned back on her pillows and sighed. This was gonna be good. Being waited on hand and foot by a cute boy.
~~~~~~
On Saturday, after she was released by the prison they call a hospital, Lorelai was treated to a movie by Christopher. Lorelai snuggled up to Christopher throughout the movie (which was a total chick flick), only occasionaly stealing popcorn. She felt safe and secure and complete, with her boyfriend and her baby. On Sunday Christopher brought Lorelai a Bangles record, and they listened to that all day. On Monday, Lorelai did not feel like going to school, and she didn't feel like going to school ever again. So she dropped out. On Monday she dropped out. Just like that. She told her mom it was doctor's orders, called the school to tell them to piss off, and laid in bed all day. Finally, a weekday agenda she could handle.