Nobody Said it Was Easy
- Guinevere -
A/N: This one's A LOT of dialogue, so prepare yourself. I tried to make it less depressing, and things are looking up for future chapters. Thanks for your reviews, and keep them coming. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: Well, as of thins very moment in time, I own the newest addition, J.D., but no one else.
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Ch 6 - Jeremiah Dane Richard Gilmore
"Can we please not sit here and flip between three games while the turkey cooks, just this once?" Liz asked her brother who was flip-flip-flipping to catch the scores of several football games.
"He always does this," Jess explained, though he was sure his mother remembered. "This is the one day out of the entire year Luke will watch football; he doesn't even watch the Superbowl."
"Now that's not true," Luke countered without taking his glance for the tv. "I've watched both times New England was in it."
"You call watching the ads and leaving the room when they cut back to the game actually watching it?"
"I'm done arguing about this. Liz, what does the timer say?"
Liz checked the clock on the oven, then reported "Three hours left to go. I think I'm going to go for a walk, okay?"
"Just be back in time to put your green bean thing in the oven," Luke reminded her.
Liz left the apartment and Luke and Jess sat in silence on the couch, the former engrossed in the game, the latter reading Franny and Zooey. Neither heard the phone ringing in the other room until a voice that sounded distinctly like Lorelai began yelling. Luke jumped and picked up before she disconnected.
"Slow down," he commanded. "What's up?"
"Luke, there's something wrong with Rory and we're at the hospital right now but I don't know what's going on, and she just went in with the doctor and they're probably going to admit her, but it's something with the baby and she didn't know what it was; oh God, if something happens to her, I'll die, I'll kill myself for staying over here when she could have been at home where everyone knows the doctors are the best-"
"Lorelai, cool down. I'm sure she'll be fine, just wait for the doctor to tell you what's up. Take deep breaths, go get a cup of coffee and call me back in twenty minutes, okay?"
"Okay," Lorelai breathed deeply and mumbled "'Bye."
Luke carried the phone with him into the living room where Jess was still reading, but looking concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"They just took Rory to the hospital; she thinks something is wrong and she's in with the doctor right now so Lorelai's hyperventilating."
"Do you think something is really wrong?"
"Hard to tell since Lorelai has a fit over stubbing her toe. She's going to call back in a few minutes."
Jess nodded, then returned to his reading. No reason, he figured, to be getting all upset himself if no one was sure what the matter was.
Luke sat down but couldn't sit still, anxiously awaiting Lorelai's return call. The next twenty minutes seemed to take hours to pass, and even then, the phone didn't ring. Half an hour later, there was a beep-beep and Luke pressed the 'on' button. "Hello?" he croaked.
"Luke, everything's fine," Lorelai exclaimed breezily. "Rory's having the baby though. She was having contractions but her water hadn't broken, but it just did, so J.D. is definitely on his way now."
"That's good. I'll let you get in there with her, but call back and let us know how things are going."
"I will. Oh, and is Jess there with you? 'Cause I thought you mentioned that he was coming today."
"Yeah, he's actually right here beside me."
"Well, let him know that he's about to be a daddy, whether he likes it or not."
"Lorelai, he knows. Talk to you later."
"Bye-bye."
"So?" Jess asked, his face full of emotions.
"She's having the baby, now."
"Is that okay? I mean, how far along is she? Isn't it a little early?"
Luke was confused and surprised by his show of concern. "It's early, but a lot of young mothers go early, and it has been about eight months."
"So by the end of the day, I'm going to be a dad?"
"Judging by our earlier conversation, I'd say yes, if you use the term 'dad' loosely."
"Yeah, Luke, that hurts. Can't you just lay off?"
"I'm trying, but sometimes it's just so easy."
"I'm going to be a dad," Jess said again, this time to himself in disbelief.
~*~*~
Twenty-one hours later, Lorelai came running out of the delivery room to her parents who were collapsed in the chairs just outside. "Mom! Dad! It's a boy, Rory has a baby boy!"
Emily rubbed her eyes and Richard yawned, then said "We know it's a boy already, anything else?" The two were by now in for the long haul and very tired, apparently not understanding Lorelai's words.
"No, she just delivered! They're cleaning him up, checking everything out right now, but so far, so good. Come on!"
The two stood up, hugged each other, and then squeezed into the tiny room where Rory lay sweaty and exhausted. In the corner, two nurses were tending to the baby, not yet prepared to hand him over to his mother.
"Hi," Rory breathed.
"Oh, Rory, congratulations," her grandmother sighed, then hugged her granddaughter.
"Yes, congrats Rory. By what I can see from here, he looks perfect," Richard told her as he stepped in for his hug.
A nurse brought the bundle of blue blanket over and presented him to Rory. "Ms. Gilmore, your perfect little son. I've done the conversions and he is a trim 5 pounds, 9 ounces and seventeen inches, and by all accounts, quite healthy. Have you decided on a name for him?"
"Um, if it's all right with everyone else, I want to name him Jeremiah," Rory had given it a lot of thought, and decided that it was her favorite 'J' name, and one of her few overall favorites.
"That sounds wonderful," her grandfather agreed.
"Perfect," her Emily seconded.
"I love it," Lorelai sealed the deal. "And for a 'D' name?"
"Well, I was thinking of either Jeremiah Dane Richard or Jeremiah Dylan Richard," it seemed only fitting to Rory that her grandfather be thought of for all his help, and it would be carrying on, in a way, the Gilmore tradition of naming after ancestors.
"I'm honored that you would include me, Rory," he said.
"I'm quite partial to Jeremiah Dane Richard," Emily cast her vote, knowing full well where the 'Dane' part came from.
"Me too," Lorelai consented.
"So Jeremiah Dane Richard Gilmore?" the nurse asked. They all nodded and she left the room to file the necessary paperwork.
"Well, Mr. J.D.," Lorelai cooed, "It seems you have a full name now, and quite a regal one at that."
The Gilmore clan gathered around to ooh and aah at J.D., admiring his tiny fingers and toes, his deep blue eyes adjusting to the light and his dusting of blond hair, to which Rory remarked: "That doesn't look very natural considering."
"Just you wait," Lorelai responded, "You had blond hair until you were three, then it just turned brown all of a sudden."
They spent a good half hour with J.D. before the nurse came and took him away to the nursery, at which time Richard and Emily excused themselves to go home and rest for a while. Lorelai settled into the armchair beside Rory's bed and Rory turned the television on.
"Hand me the phone, will you kiddo? I want to call Luke and tell him the good news."
"Actually, Mom, I want to do it, if that's okay," Rory asked.
"Of course it is."
Rory picked up the phone and dialed Luke's number. After the first ring he picked up. "Hi Luke," Rory said.
"Rory, hi, how did it go? Your mother hasn't called for hours, so we were a little worried."
"Twenty-one hours and thirteen minutes later, J.D. was born, 5 pounds, 9 ounces and seventeen inches. We decided on Jeremiah Dane Richard. Like it?"
"It sounds great. And everything's fine?"
"Everything is good. Hey, is Jess there by any chance?"
"Yeah, he and his mom stayed overnight 'cause they didn't want to miss hearing if they went back to New York. You want to speak to him?"
"Yeah, if he wants to talk to me."
"Sure. Here he is."
She could hear a shuffling before his voice broke through. "Hi Ror, so I hear you have a son?"
"Actually, even though I read your letter and I understand every word of it, 'we' have a son, a perfectly healthy one at that, and his name is Jeremiah. And this may be the overwhelming amount of hormones, but I want you to know that I love you Jess, and I always will." Rory caught her mother's stunned glare and only stuck out her tongue.
"It's great that he's healthy, and the name sounds great, but you know my feelings on the whole situation. I still love you too, but I'm not ready to be a dad, and that's what you need now, someone who can be a dad."
"Like I'll find that in any eighteen-to-twenty year old guy. No, I'm not asking anything, I'm not even passing judgment anymore. I just want you to know how I feel. Anything more is entirely up to you."
"That's very noble of you, and you too know how I feel, so I'll let you get some sleep now."
"Okay, and you too. Bye Jess."
"Bye Rory."
"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, you should have never said that to him," Lorelai chastised her daughter immediately.
"Mom, I can't help it, but there's something about him, even after not seeing him for seven months, only talking to him a couple of times, I had to say it and see where it got me."
"You still never should have said it because even if he doesn't want to be a father to J.D., he'll still hang around, always coming back and wanting something, using your emotions against you. Believe me, I experienced it firsthand."
"Don't worry so much, just get some sleep. We've had a long day." And with that, the Gilmore girls hung their argument out to dry, waiting until it was time to try it on for size once more.
~*~ To Be Continued ~*~
