Title: Life As I Know It
Chapter 13: Lies, Cries, and a New Life
Disclaimer: Well, I'm going to shock all of you right now and tell you the truth. No, I do not own the Gilmore Girls. Whoo, it's nice to get that off my chest.
~~~~~~
"Um, excuse me, what time do I get discharged tomorrow?" Lorelai asked the nurse that brought Rory. Lorelai had her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, and her mother's incessant voice was babbling on the other end.
"Ten o'clock." The nurse promptly responded with a smile.
"Okay, thank you."
The nurse nodded and left the room. Lorelai waited until she was sure the nurse was out of hearing distance and then lowered her hand from the phone.
"I get discharged at noon tomorrow, Mom."
"Really? That seems awfully late in the day."
"It's only noon, Mother. It's not like it's seven at night."
"Well, I guess you're right. So I'll see you tomorrow at noon."
"Right."
"Okay, good night, Lorelai."
"Good night. Oh, and Mom? I love you."
Emily, shell-shocked, responded with the same, bid good night to her granddaughter, and hung up the phone. Lorelai hung up the receiver. She bit her lip. She'd lied to her mom many times before, but for some reason this felt a thousand times worse. Of course, she was planning to run away, so that might be part of it. Lorelai kissed Rory on the cheek and picked the reciever back up. She dialed the number that was burned into her memory. After three rings a very familiar voice answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi."
"Lor? What's wrong? Is the baby okay?"
"Oh, she's fine. I actually need to ask you something, Chris."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Can you pack me a suitcase, bring it to me tomorrow at quarter to ten, and then take me to a small town outside of Hartford at ten?" Lorelai said in one breath.
"What? Lor, slow down. Breathe."
"Okay." Lorelai took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm running away. I know that you're waiting to go to California after we get out of the hospital, so I was wondering if you could maybe pick me up tomorrow when I'm discharged."
"What about your mom? What do you mean you're running away?"
"I can't live in that house anymore. It's gonna kill me. I found this great Inn about half an hour out of Hartford three months ago, and I figured I could get some kind of job there. But my mom will never let me go, especially with the baby, so I have to do it on my own. I need your help." Lorelai finished meekly, contradicting herself. After a moment's pause and a very deep sigh, Chris responded.
"Okay. What do I have to do?"
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!"
~~~~~
Chris showed up at nine o'clock Sunday morning. He carried a large suitcase into the hospital. Amost mechanically, he rode the elevator and navigated the halls until he made it to Lorelai's private room. He placed the suitcase gently down on a table and quietly walked over to the side of the bed where Lorelai lay sleeping. He gently kissed her forehead and she awoke.
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.
"Nine sharp." he pronounced proudly.
Lorelai opened the suitcase to find half her clothes stuffed in it. She extracted an almost unwrinkled shirt and some jeans and exited into the bathroom. Chris nervously danced on his toes. He tried to calm down and plopped down into a hard plastic chair. The second he did so, a nurse backed into the room with a rolling plastic box with no top and a pile of blankets inside it. Chris jumped up and then noticed the blankets were moving.
"Is that--uh--is that my daughter?"
The nurse nodded at what was certainly not the first nervous father she'd seen since her shift started an hour ago. She lifted the bundle of blankets into Chris's arms and left the room. It was time for her break. Chris looked at his daughter's face for only the second time. He still couldn't believe that she was his. She looked beautiful--exactly like Lorelai. Chris slowly rocked the restless baby, and in a matter of minutes, she was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He slowly sank into the chair behind him, trying not to move too much.
Lorelai took a long shower. She put on her clothes. She felt almost free. She didn't have to wear elastic clothes anymore! She wasn't quite to what her original weight was, but she had time. She brushed her hair and left it down and wet. She pulled open the door and glanced Chris and Rory. She edged over to them and kissed Chris on the forehead. His head popped up and he smiled.
"Ready to go?"
"Just a sec." Lorelai held up a finger and dug through the suitcase on the table. She pulled out a newborn outfit and waved it at Chris.
~~~~~
Lorelai was squashed in the back of the Rolls next to Rory in her car seat and Chris's boxes. Rory was dressed in the newborn outfit. Lorelai thought she looked so cute, especially since she was sleeping. Lorelai rested her head on the car seat and closed her eyes. She opened her eyes a few seconds later to find the car stopped in front of a hardware store. A slightly familiar hardware store. She lifted her head up and glanced at the name. Williams Hardware. Where did she know that name? She glanced around and noticed the area she was in looked familiar. She wondered where she was, how it looked familiar, and...where the hell was Christopher?
Her question was answered seconds later as Christopher and a boy a few years older than him stepped out of the hardware store. The boy pointed out directions to Chris. Lorelai looked at the boy more closely and remembered him. What was his name? Duke? She decided to go with that. She made sure Rory was still asleep, got out of the car, and made her way over to the boys.
"Hi, Duke." Lorelai addressed the boy. The boy nodded and continued giving Chris directions. Chris, however, paused and looked back and forth between "Duke" and Lorelai.
"You know each other?" Chris asked, completely interrupting the directions.
"Yeah," Lorelai answered before the boy had a chance to register the question, "I met Duke here a couple of months ago when I visited the town."
"Actually, my--"
"Really? And is that why you wanna move here so badly?"
"No. You're being paranoid."
"Am I?"
"Ooh, how cryptic! 'Am I?'" Lorelai imitated Chris.
"Well, am I?"
"Are you what?"
"Am I--am I--I don't know."
"Ha! I got you, I got you, I got you." Lorelai did a little victory dance to go with her song.
"So anyway! You take a right after that and you're there." The boy finished the directions. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. You're welcome, young man," the boy shook Chris's hand, "and I'll probably be seeing you around, so you're welcome too." The boy shook Lorelai's hand and went back into the hardware store. Lorelai and Christopher walked back to the car. Lorelai stood at the driver's side door with her hand out. The couple conducted a short argument with only their eyes (boy were they perfect for each other) and Chris gave in, handing his keys to a now giddy Lorelai. Chris tried to get in the passenger side. Lorelai shook her head and pointed to Rory. Chris sighed and got into the backseat next to the sleeping baby. Lorelai slid into the car, started it, and sped off as slowly as she could, so as not to wake Rory.
~~~~~
Chris set Lorelai's suitcase at her feet.
"Well, good luck." Lorelai looked away as she said it, because there was a tear in her eye and she didn't have an arm to wipe it away. Chris put his hand on her chin and steered her face toward his. He wiped the tear away.
"Good luck to you too." Chris leaned in close and kissed Lorelai softly on the lips. They parted but remained close and Chris leaned down and kissed Rory on the forehead. "You, too, little one." He straightened up and the couple shared a sad smile before Chris turned and walked down the Inn steps to the Rolls. Lorelai picked up the car seat, stuck it under her arm, picked up her suitcase, and struggled to open the door. She entered the Inn and gazed around in wonderment. She dropped her suitcase and the car seat at her feet. She noticed someone who looked like they were in charge and marched over to her.
"I'm here for a job. Any job."
Chapter 13: Lies, Cries, and a New Life
Disclaimer: Well, I'm going to shock all of you right now and tell you the truth. No, I do not own the Gilmore Girls. Whoo, it's nice to get that off my chest.
~~~~~~
"Um, excuse me, what time do I get discharged tomorrow?" Lorelai asked the nurse that brought Rory. Lorelai had her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, and her mother's incessant voice was babbling on the other end.
"Ten o'clock." The nurse promptly responded with a smile.
"Okay, thank you."
The nurse nodded and left the room. Lorelai waited until she was sure the nurse was out of hearing distance and then lowered her hand from the phone.
"I get discharged at noon tomorrow, Mom."
"Really? That seems awfully late in the day."
"It's only noon, Mother. It's not like it's seven at night."
"Well, I guess you're right. So I'll see you tomorrow at noon."
"Right."
"Okay, good night, Lorelai."
"Good night. Oh, and Mom? I love you."
Emily, shell-shocked, responded with the same, bid good night to her granddaughter, and hung up the phone. Lorelai hung up the receiver. She bit her lip. She'd lied to her mom many times before, but for some reason this felt a thousand times worse. Of course, she was planning to run away, so that might be part of it. Lorelai kissed Rory on the cheek and picked the reciever back up. She dialed the number that was burned into her memory. After three rings a very familiar voice answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi."
"Lor? What's wrong? Is the baby okay?"
"Oh, she's fine. I actually need to ask you something, Chris."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Can you pack me a suitcase, bring it to me tomorrow at quarter to ten, and then take me to a small town outside of Hartford at ten?" Lorelai said in one breath.
"What? Lor, slow down. Breathe."
"Okay." Lorelai took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm running away. I know that you're waiting to go to California after we get out of the hospital, so I was wondering if you could maybe pick me up tomorrow when I'm discharged."
"What about your mom? What do you mean you're running away?"
"I can't live in that house anymore. It's gonna kill me. I found this great Inn about half an hour out of Hartford three months ago, and I figured I could get some kind of job there. But my mom will never let me go, especially with the baby, so I have to do it on my own. I need your help." Lorelai finished meekly, contradicting herself. After a moment's pause and a very deep sigh, Chris responded.
"Okay. What do I have to do?"
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!"
~~~~~
Chris showed up at nine o'clock Sunday morning. He carried a large suitcase into the hospital. Amost mechanically, he rode the elevator and navigated the halls until he made it to Lorelai's private room. He placed the suitcase gently down on a table and quietly walked over to the side of the bed where Lorelai lay sleeping. He gently kissed her forehead and she awoke.
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.
"Nine sharp." he pronounced proudly.
Lorelai opened the suitcase to find half her clothes stuffed in it. She extracted an almost unwrinkled shirt and some jeans and exited into the bathroom. Chris nervously danced on his toes. He tried to calm down and plopped down into a hard plastic chair. The second he did so, a nurse backed into the room with a rolling plastic box with no top and a pile of blankets inside it. Chris jumped up and then noticed the blankets were moving.
"Is that--uh--is that my daughter?"
The nurse nodded at what was certainly not the first nervous father she'd seen since her shift started an hour ago. She lifted the bundle of blankets into Chris's arms and left the room. It was time for her break. Chris looked at his daughter's face for only the second time. He still couldn't believe that she was his. She looked beautiful--exactly like Lorelai. Chris slowly rocked the restless baby, and in a matter of minutes, she was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He slowly sank into the chair behind him, trying not to move too much.
Lorelai took a long shower. She put on her clothes. She felt almost free. She didn't have to wear elastic clothes anymore! She wasn't quite to what her original weight was, but she had time. She brushed her hair and left it down and wet. She pulled open the door and glanced Chris and Rory. She edged over to them and kissed Chris on the forehead. His head popped up and he smiled.
"Ready to go?"
"Just a sec." Lorelai held up a finger and dug through the suitcase on the table. She pulled out a newborn outfit and waved it at Chris.
~~~~~
Lorelai was squashed in the back of the Rolls next to Rory in her car seat and Chris's boxes. Rory was dressed in the newborn outfit. Lorelai thought she looked so cute, especially since she was sleeping. Lorelai rested her head on the car seat and closed her eyes. She opened her eyes a few seconds later to find the car stopped in front of a hardware store. A slightly familiar hardware store. She lifted her head up and glanced at the name. Williams Hardware. Where did she know that name? She glanced around and noticed the area she was in looked familiar. She wondered where she was, how it looked familiar, and...where the hell was Christopher?
Her question was answered seconds later as Christopher and a boy a few years older than him stepped out of the hardware store. The boy pointed out directions to Chris. Lorelai looked at the boy more closely and remembered him. What was his name? Duke? She decided to go with that. She made sure Rory was still asleep, got out of the car, and made her way over to the boys.
"Hi, Duke." Lorelai addressed the boy. The boy nodded and continued giving Chris directions. Chris, however, paused and looked back and forth between "Duke" and Lorelai.
"You know each other?" Chris asked, completely interrupting the directions.
"Yeah," Lorelai answered before the boy had a chance to register the question, "I met Duke here a couple of months ago when I visited the town."
"Actually, my--"
"Really? And is that why you wanna move here so badly?"
"No. You're being paranoid."
"Am I?"
"Ooh, how cryptic! 'Am I?'" Lorelai imitated Chris.
"Well, am I?"
"Are you what?"
"Am I--am I--I don't know."
"Ha! I got you, I got you, I got you." Lorelai did a little victory dance to go with her song.
"So anyway! You take a right after that and you're there." The boy finished the directions. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. You're welcome, young man," the boy shook Chris's hand, "and I'll probably be seeing you around, so you're welcome too." The boy shook Lorelai's hand and went back into the hardware store. Lorelai and Christopher walked back to the car. Lorelai stood at the driver's side door with her hand out. The couple conducted a short argument with only their eyes (boy were they perfect for each other) and Chris gave in, handing his keys to a now giddy Lorelai. Chris tried to get in the passenger side. Lorelai shook her head and pointed to Rory. Chris sighed and got into the backseat next to the sleeping baby. Lorelai slid into the car, started it, and sped off as slowly as she could, so as not to wake Rory.
~~~~~
Chris set Lorelai's suitcase at her feet.
"Well, good luck." Lorelai looked away as she said it, because there was a tear in her eye and she didn't have an arm to wipe it away. Chris put his hand on her chin and steered her face toward his. He wiped the tear away.
"Good luck to you too." Chris leaned in close and kissed Lorelai softly on the lips. They parted but remained close and Chris leaned down and kissed Rory on the forehead. "You, too, little one." He straightened up and the couple shared a sad smile before Chris turned and walked down the Inn steps to the Rolls. Lorelai picked up the car seat, stuck it under her arm, picked up her suitcase, and struggled to open the door. She entered the Inn and gazed around in wonderment. She dropped her suitcase and the car seat at her feet. She noticed someone who looked like they were in charge and marched over to her.
"I'm here for a job. Any job."