Length of Time Chapter 13
Lorelai wheeled herself out of Millie's room.. her words of advice ringing in her head.
The little old, squeaky voice rang, "just try it. You'll realize it's not what you want and solve the mystery, so you can get over it OR... you'll realize it's what you've been missing. But please, for the love of god, Sadie, leave already, I'm tired!"
Her stomach was in knots now... well the part of her stomach that wasn't numb. She started wheeling herself blindly toward her room.
"Lorelai!"
Hearing her name called, she looked up and felt like the chair was going to tip and knock her to the floor. It was Luke. He started walking toward her. She held an arm out.
"Stop!"
He stopped in his tracks, still a ways down the hall from her. He looked confused.
"Uh, I brought Fake Coffee," he said, indicating the cup in his hand.
She was panicking now. She wanted to buy time. "Could you put it in my room? Just put it on the bedside table."
He was extremely confused now. "Lorelai," he started, slowly walking toward her. "I'll wheel you back to your room. The nurse said you were bothering some other patients----"
"No, stop," she repeated, holding her arm out again. She looked positively nauseous. She was practically shaking. "Uh, just put it in my room and THEN come back out into the hallway."
He lifted one eyebrow, making a mental note to ask the nurse what medications she had her on. He turned and walked toward Room 203.
Lorelai sat in her wheelchair, her mind reeling. She wasn't expecting to see him so soon. She thought she'd have more time to think about what Millie had said, and make up her mind about what to do. Suddenly she noticed that her chest was heaving... she was practically panting. She was really nervous, and had only just realized it. Her palms were sweaty and she just kept pressing her lips together, her jumbled thoughts starting to make her dizzy. She was happy she was sitting, and not standing, or she'd have fallen over by now. Thinking that Luke would be coming back into the hall and would want to talk to her, since he was obviously visiting now, she started freaking out more, and used her right arm to turn the chair in the opposite direction and start wheeling that way.
"Lorelai, where are you going?" she heard Luke ask, clearly back in the hall.
She turned the chair back toward him. "Luke, hey! You came to visit me! How nice! I, I, I... how do you like my wheels?"
She held her hand out to him again, as he was walking toward her, clearly concerned at her behavior.
"Uh... the wheels are ni----- Lorelai, what's wrong?"
She swallowed nervously. She needed time to think, before she saw him up close. She knew she needed to buy time and was wracking her brain as to how to do it.
He stood there, looking at her expectantly and, he realized, nervously. She looked like she was about to bite away her bottom lip.
"Lorelai----"
She looked up at him. "Tie your shoelaces together!" she exclaimed, to which his eyebrows shot up to the strap of his cap. She even looked confused herself as to where she might be going with this, but she would work with it.
Meanwhile at Yale-----
Rory patiently waited for the cook to hand her her omelette, looking around casually. She spotted Jess sitting at a table a little ways away, seemingly unaware of her. She became embarrassed all over again at the morning's events. She just stared at him, reading intently, his feet on the chair beside him, looking comfortable and not in the mood to have company. He seemed positively engrossed in his book---
"Miss," the cook said, interrupting her thoughts. She turned back to him and grabbed the plate.
"Thanks," she mustered out quietly.
She walked away from the cooking area and looked around for an empty table. She took a deep breath and headed toward Jess's table finally.
"Hey," she said.
He looked up and smirked. "Listen, I didn't read your notebook, I swear. I just accidentally put it in my bag when we were getting ready to----"
"---no, that's not what I was gonna say," she said.
"Ah. I just assumed," he said coyly, to which she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well it's not good to assume," she said, standing there uncomfortably, shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking around for a table still.
"I'll try to remember that," he said, looking back at her book.
"Well, me too. Sorry for this morning," she said, a little under her breath, if truth be told. "I just didn't sleep really well last night. I kept waking myself up to remind myself that my mom was okay and..." she stopped and looked at him, his expression clear that he was waiting for the rest. "And well I'm sorry."
He let out a small laugh. "It's okay. But let me just ask you.. is this you seeking me out? Because that's not really appropriate acquaintance etiquette. I mean, according to your rules, aren't we supposed to like, collide into each other in order to talk?"
She furrowed her brows at him, knowing that he was enjoying this. "I said I was out of it, this morning. Those rules don't apply. Just forget it," she said, frustrated.
He looked around, also noticing that there weren't any empty tables around. "You can eat here if you want. I mean, I'll just read my book and you can just eat. I wouldn't want to cross any lines. We're still in that fragile acquaintance stage, after all."
She sighed and put her tray down. "You gonna hold this over my head forever?"
He took his legs off the chair beside him and she pulled it out and sat down, looking angry, but realizing that she was also secretly amused.
"I think I might," he said, and he put his elbows on the table and put his book back in front of him. He read a few sentences before looking back up at her. She was glaring at him playfully before taking an angry bite of her food. He smiled slightly and turned his attention back to the book.
And at St. Marks's.. still in the hallway-----
"Tie my shoelaces together?" Luke asked, incredulously, to which Lorelai nodded energetically, beaming from ear to ear a nervous, giddy smile.
"Yes, Luke, tie your laces together," she said happily.
He just stood there. "Can I ask why?"
"Oh! I just..." she thought for a moment. "I have to practice walking, Nurse Lady said, and my steps are really short, and quite painful if truth be told, and I just thought you should take small steps too," she smiled at herself for her cleverness.
"Couldn't I just walk alongside you? I'd be walking in small steps, and also be able to be there in case you stumble or something," he said, clearly very concerned now.
"Damn," she thought. He had a point. She wracked her brain again. "Uh, I just thought this would be more fun."
"Fun? I'm sorry if I don't share your definition of fun. For me, tying the laces of my shoes together.... well, isn't fun. Lorelai, why are we standing a hallway apart talking in depth about my shoe laces?"
"Ah, but that could end if you would just cooperate, Luke," she said smartly.
He began to hesitate and again, she held her hand out to him. He took a deep breath and just looked at her, crossing his arms. "Lorelai," he said, an air of suspicion in his voice.
Finally, she thought of an idea. A far fetched one, but an idea nonetheless.
"I want to play a game!" she said, too eagerly.
Now he was sure she was on something strong. "A game."
"Yes, you tie your laces together and I'll stand up and we'll walk toward each other and see who gets to the other one first! That person wins!"
"You do realize that we'd get to eachother at the same time, don't you?" he asked.
"So we'll tie!"
"Why play if we know the outcome?" he asked, going along with her craziness.
"Luke! I am having day after surgery pain and suffering! Just play this game with me! Please! Come on, Luke?"
She was looking truly desperate, he noticed. He took a deep breath before bending over to tie his laces together. "Fine," he grunted.
Looking at her looking so nerve-wracked and desperate, and basically telling him that her stomach was hurting got him. He figured she must know that. That he would do anything for her, just to help and cheer her up. Or just ever. This is what he was thinking while he tied his laces.
"Be sure to knot them," he heard her say, to which he just grunted. She was a good twenty NORMAL steps away from him, and doctors and patients were giving them odd looks as they walked by the scene of these two people, who clearly knew each other, talking from such a distance.
He stood and up and looked at her, as if to say "pleased?" She smiled and started to stand up. Slowly and painfully, but surely, she was eventually on her feet. "Okay. Go!" she said.
He took a step but stopped when he heard little yelps coming from her side of the hallway. "Ah... ah!......ah!........ah!......."
She was taking tiny tiny steps, and yelping like a little puppy with each step.
He was stopped in his tracks. "You gonna do that with every step?" he asked.
She stopped and looked up at him, her mouth hanging open like she was very upset with him. "Well, excuse me, I just----"
This time he held a hand up at her. "I'm just.. Lorelai, you look like you're in pain. Let me untie my shoes and come over and help----"
"No! I'm fine! Really. And Luke, you are BREAKING the rules! No talking!"
"There are rules to this insane game?" he asked.
"Yeah.... the ones you're breaking," she said, in a way that suggested he was a little slow.
He gritted his teeth and noted that this woman managed to make him absolutely insane, even when incapacitated, well more or less.
He braced himself and continued, after hearing another yelp, realizing she was already continuing.
They were walking at a snail's pace toward one another, while occasionally passing nurses, doctors, patients and visitors glanced at them as if they were insane. Luke nodded at them in total agreement.
"Ah!...... ah!..........ah!..........ah!!....... ah!......."
Luke looked up and watched Lorelai take her small, careful, painful steps. She was holding her right side, the side that hadn't been operated on, her face painted over with what looked to him like pain. He started quickening his little steps, so to get to her faster and end this stupid game.
"Ah!.......ah.... ah!---whoa, uh, LUKE!" she said, too eagerly, now looking him in the face, smiling in an attempt to hide her nerves. "Uh, I win!"
"I thought we agreed that we tie. And we're actually standing closer to where YOU started, so I think that makes ME the winner, if there is a win--- -"
"Luke! Day after surgery pain and suffering," she said, frowning playfully.
"Ah, right. Um, now that I look again, I think... yeah, you definitely won that one. Now let me just----" he started, beginning to bend down to untie his laces. But her right hand reached out to his left arm, stopping him. He stood back upright and looked down at her nervous face. He tilted his head, now exasperated and concerned.
"Lorelai, what's going on? Are you okay?"
She tried to talk, to answer him, but only a series of "uhs" and "ums" came out because her mind was racing and reeling. Her head and thoughts were clouded by voices-----
A crazy mix of things Lorelai and Luke had said to each other over the years, mixed with their laughter, thoughts of hugs, and special moments blended with Millie's dominant voice, in all the chaos, screaming "kiss him already!..... what you've been missing.."
She took a breath, shut her eyes, and tried to lift both of her arms around his neck. Her left arm didn't make it, as it was painful to lift it due to the pain on that side of her stomach, but her right arm made it over his shoulder, her hand pressing the back of his neck. She pulled him down so his face was level with hers.
He wasn't sure what was going on, as she was clearly holding onto him, pulling on him. Her eyes were shut and she looked unsteady, he noted. He reasoned she was dizzy after the walking, because she must be on medications that have dizzying side effects with exertion. Her breathing was growing labored and she still hadn't opened her eyes, after pulling his head down. He was starting to get really nervous that she was going to faint, and so he put one arm around her waist, trying to steady and relax her.
"Lorelai," he said, his voice practically a whisper. "Are you-----"
She opened her eyes slowly and looked right into his eyes which were right there, looking at her, concern clearly in them... and something else, she saw. She pressed her lips together and took one more breath before leaning in.. in slow motion it seemed to both of them.. she moved until their lips were touching. She kissed him slowly and gently, and while he was confused, he kissed back immediately. The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever, for both of them.. a sweet, passionate, yet gentle kiss that expressed more than either of them could ever say. Lorelai finally pulled back and they just stared at each other.
"That's what I've been missing," Lorelai whispered to herself, as her mouth fell open slightly, shock overcoming her.
"Huh?" Luke said, not feeling capable of more than that one syllable.
After making sure she was steady, he turned, meaning to pace a little, but fell down, due to his laces being tied together. Trying to play it cool he turned and rested casually on his elbows and looked up at her, flustered.
"Yeah," she said, in agreement, looking down at him, knowing exactly how he felt.
Lorelai wheeled herself out of Millie's room.. her words of advice ringing in her head.
The little old, squeaky voice rang, "just try it. You'll realize it's not what you want and solve the mystery, so you can get over it OR... you'll realize it's what you've been missing. But please, for the love of god, Sadie, leave already, I'm tired!"
Her stomach was in knots now... well the part of her stomach that wasn't numb. She started wheeling herself blindly toward her room.
"Lorelai!"
Hearing her name called, she looked up and felt like the chair was going to tip and knock her to the floor. It was Luke. He started walking toward her. She held an arm out.
"Stop!"
He stopped in his tracks, still a ways down the hall from her. He looked confused.
"Uh, I brought Fake Coffee," he said, indicating the cup in his hand.
She was panicking now. She wanted to buy time. "Could you put it in my room? Just put it on the bedside table."
He was extremely confused now. "Lorelai," he started, slowly walking toward her. "I'll wheel you back to your room. The nurse said you were bothering some other patients----"
"No, stop," she repeated, holding her arm out again. She looked positively nauseous. She was practically shaking. "Uh, just put it in my room and THEN come back out into the hallway."
He lifted one eyebrow, making a mental note to ask the nurse what medications she had her on. He turned and walked toward Room 203.
Lorelai sat in her wheelchair, her mind reeling. She wasn't expecting to see him so soon. She thought she'd have more time to think about what Millie had said, and make up her mind about what to do. Suddenly she noticed that her chest was heaving... she was practically panting. She was really nervous, and had only just realized it. Her palms were sweaty and she just kept pressing her lips together, her jumbled thoughts starting to make her dizzy. She was happy she was sitting, and not standing, or she'd have fallen over by now. Thinking that Luke would be coming back into the hall and would want to talk to her, since he was obviously visiting now, she started freaking out more, and used her right arm to turn the chair in the opposite direction and start wheeling that way.
"Lorelai, where are you going?" she heard Luke ask, clearly back in the hall.
She turned the chair back toward him. "Luke, hey! You came to visit me! How nice! I, I, I... how do you like my wheels?"
She held her hand out to him again, as he was walking toward her, clearly concerned at her behavior.
"Uh... the wheels are ni----- Lorelai, what's wrong?"
She swallowed nervously. She needed time to think, before she saw him up close. She knew she needed to buy time and was wracking her brain as to how to do it.
He stood there, looking at her expectantly and, he realized, nervously. She looked like she was about to bite away her bottom lip.
"Lorelai----"
She looked up at him. "Tie your shoelaces together!" she exclaimed, to which his eyebrows shot up to the strap of his cap. She even looked confused herself as to where she might be going with this, but she would work with it.
Meanwhile at Yale-----
Rory patiently waited for the cook to hand her her omelette, looking around casually. She spotted Jess sitting at a table a little ways away, seemingly unaware of her. She became embarrassed all over again at the morning's events. She just stared at him, reading intently, his feet on the chair beside him, looking comfortable and not in the mood to have company. He seemed positively engrossed in his book---
"Miss," the cook said, interrupting her thoughts. She turned back to him and grabbed the plate.
"Thanks," she mustered out quietly.
She walked away from the cooking area and looked around for an empty table. She took a deep breath and headed toward Jess's table finally.
"Hey," she said.
He looked up and smirked. "Listen, I didn't read your notebook, I swear. I just accidentally put it in my bag when we were getting ready to----"
"---no, that's not what I was gonna say," she said.
"Ah. I just assumed," he said coyly, to which she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well it's not good to assume," she said, standing there uncomfortably, shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking around for a table still.
"I'll try to remember that," he said, looking back at her book.
"Well, me too. Sorry for this morning," she said, a little under her breath, if truth be told. "I just didn't sleep really well last night. I kept waking myself up to remind myself that my mom was okay and..." she stopped and looked at him, his expression clear that he was waiting for the rest. "And well I'm sorry."
He let out a small laugh. "It's okay. But let me just ask you.. is this you seeking me out? Because that's not really appropriate acquaintance etiquette. I mean, according to your rules, aren't we supposed to like, collide into each other in order to talk?"
She furrowed her brows at him, knowing that he was enjoying this. "I said I was out of it, this morning. Those rules don't apply. Just forget it," she said, frustrated.
He looked around, also noticing that there weren't any empty tables around. "You can eat here if you want. I mean, I'll just read my book and you can just eat. I wouldn't want to cross any lines. We're still in that fragile acquaintance stage, after all."
She sighed and put her tray down. "You gonna hold this over my head forever?"
He took his legs off the chair beside him and she pulled it out and sat down, looking angry, but realizing that she was also secretly amused.
"I think I might," he said, and he put his elbows on the table and put his book back in front of him. He read a few sentences before looking back up at her. She was glaring at him playfully before taking an angry bite of her food. He smiled slightly and turned his attention back to the book.
And at St. Marks's.. still in the hallway-----
"Tie my shoelaces together?" Luke asked, incredulously, to which Lorelai nodded energetically, beaming from ear to ear a nervous, giddy smile.
"Yes, Luke, tie your laces together," she said happily.
He just stood there. "Can I ask why?"
"Oh! I just..." she thought for a moment. "I have to practice walking, Nurse Lady said, and my steps are really short, and quite painful if truth be told, and I just thought you should take small steps too," she smiled at herself for her cleverness.
"Couldn't I just walk alongside you? I'd be walking in small steps, and also be able to be there in case you stumble or something," he said, clearly very concerned now.
"Damn," she thought. He had a point. She wracked her brain again. "Uh, I just thought this would be more fun."
"Fun? I'm sorry if I don't share your definition of fun. For me, tying the laces of my shoes together.... well, isn't fun. Lorelai, why are we standing a hallway apart talking in depth about my shoe laces?"
"Ah, but that could end if you would just cooperate, Luke," she said smartly.
He began to hesitate and again, she held her hand out to him. He took a deep breath and just looked at her, crossing his arms. "Lorelai," he said, an air of suspicion in his voice.
Finally, she thought of an idea. A far fetched one, but an idea nonetheless.
"I want to play a game!" she said, too eagerly.
Now he was sure she was on something strong. "A game."
"Yes, you tie your laces together and I'll stand up and we'll walk toward each other and see who gets to the other one first! That person wins!"
"You do realize that we'd get to eachother at the same time, don't you?" he asked.
"So we'll tie!"
"Why play if we know the outcome?" he asked, going along with her craziness.
"Luke! I am having day after surgery pain and suffering! Just play this game with me! Please! Come on, Luke?"
She was looking truly desperate, he noticed. He took a deep breath before bending over to tie his laces together. "Fine," he grunted.
Looking at her looking so nerve-wracked and desperate, and basically telling him that her stomach was hurting got him. He figured she must know that. That he would do anything for her, just to help and cheer her up. Or just ever. This is what he was thinking while he tied his laces.
"Be sure to knot them," he heard her say, to which he just grunted. She was a good twenty NORMAL steps away from him, and doctors and patients were giving them odd looks as they walked by the scene of these two people, who clearly knew each other, talking from such a distance.
He stood and up and looked at her, as if to say "pleased?" She smiled and started to stand up. Slowly and painfully, but surely, she was eventually on her feet. "Okay. Go!" she said.
He took a step but stopped when he heard little yelps coming from her side of the hallway. "Ah... ah!......ah!........ah!......."
She was taking tiny tiny steps, and yelping like a little puppy with each step.
He was stopped in his tracks. "You gonna do that with every step?" he asked.
She stopped and looked up at him, her mouth hanging open like she was very upset with him. "Well, excuse me, I just----"
This time he held a hand up at her. "I'm just.. Lorelai, you look like you're in pain. Let me untie my shoes and come over and help----"
"No! I'm fine! Really. And Luke, you are BREAKING the rules! No talking!"
"There are rules to this insane game?" he asked.
"Yeah.... the ones you're breaking," she said, in a way that suggested he was a little slow.
He gritted his teeth and noted that this woman managed to make him absolutely insane, even when incapacitated, well more or less.
He braced himself and continued, after hearing another yelp, realizing she was already continuing.
They were walking at a snail's pace toward one another, while occasionally passing nurses, doctors, patients and visitors glanced at them as if they were insane. Luke nodded at them in total agreement.
"Ah!...... ah!..........ah!..........ah!!....... ah!......."
Luke looked up and watched Lorelai take her small, careful, painful steps. She was holding her right side, the side that hadn't been operated on, her face painted over with what looked to him like pain. He started quickening his little steps, so to get to her faster and end this stupid game.
"Ah!.......ah.... ah!---whoa, uh, LUKE!" she said, too eagerly, now looking him in the face, smiling in an attempt to hide her nerves. "Uh, I win!"
"I thought we agreed that we tie. And we're actually standing closer to where YOU started, so I think that makes ME the winner, if there is a win--- -"
"Luke! Day after surgery pain and suffering," she said, frowning playfully.
"Ah, right. Um, now that I look again, I think... yeah, you definitely won that one. Now let me just----" he started, beginning to bend down to untie his laces. But her right hand reached out to his left arm, stopping him. He stood back upright and looked down at her nervous face. He tilted his head, now exasperated and concerned.
"Lorelai, what's going on? Are you okay?"
She tried to talk, to answer him, but only a series of "uhs" and "ums" came out because her mind was racing and reeling. Her head and thoughts were clouded by voices-----
A crazy mix of things Lorelai and Luke had said to each other over the years, mixed with their laughter, thoughts of hugs, and special moments blended with Millie's dominant voice, in all the chaos, screaming "kiss him already!..... what you've been missing.."
She took a breath, shut her eyes, and tried to lift both of her arms around his neck. Her left arm didn't make it, as it was painful to lift it due to the pain on that side of her stomach, but her right arm made it over his shoulder, her hand pressing the back of his neck. She pulled him down so his face was level with hers.
He wasn't sure what was going on, as she was clearly holding onto him, pulling on him. Her eyes were shut and she looked unsteady, he noted. He reasoned she was dizzy after the walking, because she must be on medications that have dizzying side effects with exertion. Her breathing was growing labored and she still hadn't opened her eyes, after pulling his head down. He was starting to get really nervous that she was going to faint, and so he put one arm around her waist, trying to steady and relax her.
"Lorelai," he said, his voice practically a whisper. "Are you-----"
She opened her eyes slowly and looked right into his eyes which were right there, looking at her, concern clearly in them... and something else, she saw. She pressed her lips together and took one more breath before leaning in.. in slow motion it seemed to both of them.. she moved until their lips were touching. She kissed him slowly and gently, and while he was confused, he kissed back immediately. The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever, for both of them.. a sweet, passionate, yet gentle kiss that expressed more than either of them could ever say. Lorelai finally pulled back and they just stared at each other.
"That's what I've been missing," Lorelai whispered to herself, as her mouth fell open slightly, shock overcoming her.
"Huh?" Luke said, not feeling capable of more than that one syllable.
After making sure she was steady, he turned, meaning to pace a little, but fell down, due to his laces being tied together. Trying to play it cool he turned and rested casually on his elbows and looked up at her, flustered.
"Yeah," she said, in agreement, looking down at him, knowing exactly how he felt.