"It's Still There – part 7"
. . . . .
Rory pulled Lorelai down the short hallway toward the door that led outside. "Come on, hurry up," Rory urged.
Christopher followed them, jogging to keep up with their fast pace. "What's going on?"
"I went to get the coats and then I walked outside and . . .that's when I saw it. And so I ran back inside to get you. . ." Rory swallowed hard as she pushed open the outside doors.
"Saw what? Honey, what's – " Lorelai's voice trailed off as she stepped out the door and onto the front steps of the school. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the crowd that had formed at the intersection in front of the diner. It only took a second to see that they were gathered around a car accident.
And it only took half a second more to realize that Luke's Explorer was one of the vehicles. The other was a white van that had slammed into the passenger side of the truck.
Lorelai's breath caught in her throat as she began to tremble, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God." Next to her, Christopher pulled out his cell phone and called for help.
Lorelai's body went numb as she stared at the scene. The worst case scenario entered her mind, but she quickly tried to push the thought away. She convinced herself that the crash wasn't severe enough to be fatal, despite the fact that she wasn't close enough to have a good opinion about it.
When she finally snapped out of the shock, she rushed down the school steps toward the cars. Muttering Luke's name, she pushed her way through the crowd and over to the driver's side of his truck.
She stopped near the hood to check on Luke through the windshield, and she let out a sigh of relief when she realized that he was conscious. But he lay slumped against the seat clutching his left shoulder, and blood trickled from a small gash on the side of his head. The site of him so weak and helpless was overwhelming, and the tears that Lorelai had tried to hold back started to run down her cheeks.
A man from the crowd had opened the driver's door to check on Luke. "What about your legs?" the man was asking him.
"They seem okay," Luke muttered.
"Okay, just stay put and wait for medical assistance," the man said. "I hear 'em coming."
Lorelai could hear the faint sound of sirens in the background as she stepped forward. "Luke," she choked out through her tears.
Luke looked up and the sight of her made his pain momentarily diminish. "Lorelai." The man stepped back, gesturing for her to step closer to Luke.
She did, and she grabbed Luke's hand. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Stupid guy rammed into me," he mumbled. As he tried to sit up straight, he grimaced and rubbed his shoulder. "Ow, dammit. I slammed into the door pretty hard."
Lorelai winced with sympathy pain and she stroked his hand. "You might hurt something even worse by moving. Just wait 'til the ambulance gets here."
He sighed and clenched his eyes shut. "God, my head is killin' me."
Lorelai gasped and squeezed his hand. "Agh, don't close your eyes, Luke! You might not wake up!"
Luke opened them back up and he had a faint touch of a smile. "Oh, you'd make a good paramedic," he muttered. "Accident victims loved to get yelled at right in the middle of a near-trauma."
"I'm sorry, I just. . ." Lorelai sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You know, I'm just. . ." She swallowed hard as more tears ran down her cheeks.
"It's okay." Luke glanced toward the passenger side and sighed at the damage. "Damn truck's only a few months old."
"Forget about the truck. Just worry about you."
"I'm fine, I'm just a little. . ." He grimaced again and rubbed his shoulder. "My shoulder's just. . .ow, geez."
Loud sirens and flashing lights announced the arrival of two ambulances at the scene. "Help's here." Lorelai leaned down to kiss him. "I'll be nearby."
Luke nodded, and Lorelai took a few steps back from the truck as the paramedics walked over.
Rory and Christopher separated from the crowd and walked over to her, and Rory rubbed Lorelai's back comfortingly. "Mom, he looks like he's gonna be okay." Lorelai sniffled and nodded as she pulled Rory into a hug and squeezed her tightly.
"Yeah, Lor, he's tough," Christopher added. "It probably looks worse than it is."
Lorelai nodded, and the three of them watched the paramedics help Luke out of the truck.
. . . . .
Lorelai rode to the hospital in the ambulance with Luke. Despite her protests that they should go home and get some sleep, Rory and Christopher picked up the Jeep and met her at the emergency room.
The three of them sat in the waiting area while Luke was being examined. Lorelai was tapping her feet and biting nervously on her nails, Christopher was asleep in his chair, and Rory busied herself by reading a pamphlet about the harmful effects of smoking.
Lorelai sighed loudly. "What's taking so long?"
"They're checking him over," Rory reminded her. "Don't you want them to be thorough?"
"Yes, but why can't they be thorough and still do it fast?"
"Because you can't have it both ways."
"Well, why won't they let me in there to watch them be thorough? I'm his wife." Lorelai stood up and gestured toward the nurse's station. "I'm just gonna go ask the nurse if – "
"No!" Rory jumped up and grabbed Lorelai's arm. "You've already annoyed the nurses enough tonight."
Lorelai scoffed. "I have not!"
"Oh no? What about your big tantrum when one told you that you couldn't go into the X-ray room with him?"
Lorelai frowned and muttered, "It wasn't a tantrum. It was just a slight freak-out."
"And what about when you asked if he'd have to stay overnight and the nurse said she didn't know, and you told her that the actresses on ER probably knew more about nursing than she did?"
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Well. . ."
"It's probably not in Luke's best interest if you alienate all the people who are supposed to help take care of him," Rory pointed out. "Now come on, let's sit."
As they both sat back down, Lorelai sighed. "I'm just so tired of waiting. Of not knowing anything. Of wondering what's going on."
"I know." Rory put her arm around Lorelai. "But they'll tell us in a little while."
Lorelai pouted and leaned her head against Rory's shoulder. "He hates hospitals. He needs to see a familiar face."
"He will soon enough," Rory assured her. "Don't worry."
. . . . .
A short while later, Luke was transferred up to an overnight room. Lorelai and Rory stood next to the bed while the doctor explained everything that was going on. Lorelai was preoccupied with staring at Luke but she caught most of the important words, like dislocated shoulder, concussion, and overnight for observation.
When the doctor left, the three of them talked for a few minutes, but Luke was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
"We should probably let you get to sleep," Lorelai finally said.
Rory nodded in agreement. "The doctor said you need lots of rest." She leaned over Luke, careful not to bump his left arm that was now in a sling, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're okay."
Luke rubbed her arm. "Thanks."
"I'll come back tomorrow." Rory stepped back and turned to Lorelai. "Ready?"
Lorelai nodded. "Uh, yeah...I'm just...can you give me a minute alone with Luke?"
"Sure. I'll be in the waiting area with Dad," Rory said.
"Thanks."
Rory left the room, and Lorelai perched herself on the edge of Luke's bed. She frowned as she gently ran her fingers over the bandage on the side of his head. He flinched slightly, and she quickly pulled her hand back. "Luke...I'm so sorry."
Luke waved her off, then ran his fingers over the bandage. "Forget it, it didn't hurt that much."
Lorelai shook her head. "No, I mean. . .about all of this." She glanced down toward the floor. "It's all my fault."
Luke narrowed his eyes. "How is it your fault? You hire that guy to ram into me?"
Lorelai sighed and brought her gaze back to him. "No, but if I hadn't entered that stupid contest in the first place, none of this would've happened. We both would've been at home, sleeping safe and sound, and you wouldn't be. . ." Her voice trailed off as she gestured to him. "Like this."
Luke half-rolled his eyes. "Knock it off. You know it's not your fault."
Lorelai swallowed hard and felt tears forming in her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that night. "I just hate seeing you like this."
"Well, it ain't my preferred scenario either, but. . .nothing I can do about it now." He yawned and shifted his body to get more comfortable. "This bed stinks."
Lorelai stood up. "You should get some sleep. I'll be back in the morning."
"Okay."
"And what about the diner? You need me to call Caesar and ask him to open up?"
"Well, he opens up on the weekends anyway," Luke reminded her. "I'll just call him tomorrow and tell him what's going on."
"Okay." Lorelai cautiously leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back slightly and stared at him, reluctant to leave his side. As his eyes started to close, she ran her finger over his bottom lip and whispered, "I love you."
"Love you," he muttered sleepily.
. . . . .
The next morning, Lorelai walked out of the house carrying her purse and a duffel bag, and as she headed toward the Jeep, Babette hurried out of her house. "Lorelai, sugar! Wait a minute!"
"Hey Babette." Lorelai tossed her things into the Jeep, then started walking toward Babette.
They met in the middle of the yard, and Babette hugged her tightly. "Oh, doll, I heard what happened. How is he?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. "Well, thankfully, he's not too bad. He dislocated his shoulder and he has a concussion, and he has a couple scrapes and bruises."
Babette shook her head sympathetically. "Aw, that poor baby. And he's still at the hospital?"
"Yeah, they just wanted to monitor him for a little while. He should be home in a few hours."
"Patty said she saw his truck being towed to Hewes Brothers late last night, all smashed on the one side," Babette said. "Poor thing, seemed like it was brand new."
Lorelai nodded. "It practically was. Luckily, the car suffered more damage than Luke did." She gestured toward the Jeep. "Well, I gotta get going. I'm heading to the hospital to see him."
"Oh, all right, doll, I'll let you go," Babette said, pulling her into a hug. "Give him our love. And you call if you need anything."
Lorelai smiled gratefully as she pulled back. "I will, thanks." She walked over to the Jeep, climbed in and pulled out of the driveway.
. . . . .
At the hospital, Lorelai walked up to Luke's room and slowly pushed open the door. She peeked in to see if he was awake, and she saw him sitting up in the bed. She smiled and walked into the room. "Hey."
Luke smiled, relieved to see her enter the room and not another nurse. "Hey."
"I'm glad you're awake," Lorelai said. "I was half expecting to get here and have someone tell me that you slipped into a coma while you were sleeping, so I'm very relieved to see that that didn't happen." She paused. "Huh. Unless it did, and I'm in a coma, too, and we're interacting in some sort of dream world."
"That could be," he agreed.
She dropped her stuff on the floor and walked over to him. "How're you holding up?"
Luke shrugged. "Been better. They woke me up at seven with a tray of what the nurse said was food, but I had to strongly disagree. And doctors and nurses keep coming in here checking stuff, it's annoying. And my shoulder's killing me despite the painkillers they gave me, plus I keep getting these stupid headaches."
Lorelai frowned and stroked his arm. "Aw, I'm sorry, hon."
He sighed and ran his fingers through the soft curls dangling neatly from her ponytail. "But you're a sight for sore eyes." He pulled her down into a kiss.
Lorelai smiled through it. "Glad to hear it." She walked over and retrieved the duffel bag, then brought it back to the bed. "Okay, I have some clothes for ya. I brought a tank top because I figured that would be the easiest for you to put on. You wouldn't have to bend the arm too much."
"Good thinking."
"And right before I came here, I stopped at the newsstand and scanned the racks for anything sports-related in the title." She pulled a stack of magazines out of the bag and set them on the bedside table. "Just in case you were bored and felt like reading."
"That was nice."
She pulled a small brown paper bag out of the duffel bag. "And because I'm so extremely thoughtful, I stopped and got bagels because I figured the food here would suck and that you'd need something edible."
"I do." He took the bag from her. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." She put the duffel bag down on the floor, then perched herself on the edge of the bed next to him. He pulled out a bagel and handed it to her. "Thanks."
As he pulled out the second one, he said, "So, I called Caesar a little while ago and told him what's going on."
"Oh, good. And he's gonna be able to handle things while you're out of commission?"
"Yup." He took a bite of his bagel, then leaned his head back against the pillow.
Lorelai slowly leaned back with him, and she was pressed up tightly against the right side of body. "Is this. . .does that bother you?"
"No, that's okay." He nodded toward his left arm, immobilized in a sling. "Only that side hurts."
They were quiet for a few minutes as they both ate their bagels. Finally, Lorelai said, "Oh, Babette sends her love. As does every other person I ran into during the walk from the car to the newsstand to the bakery, then back to the car."
"That's nice."
"Yeah." Lorelai stifled a yawn. "I'm exhausted. I couldn't sleep at all last night."
"Me, either."
She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "Every time I closed my eyes, I just kept seeing the scene. You know, of when I first walked out of the school and saw your truck all smashed. And I was. . ." She swallowed hard and clutched her chest. "I mean, I couldn't even breathe. I couldn't move. And I wanted to run over and make sure you were okay, but at the same time, I didn't want to just in case you weren't okay. You know what I mean? I didn't know if I'd be able to handle it."
"Yeah."
"I was so scared. I mean, my first thought was that you were. . ." Her voice trailed off. She bit on her bottom lip and turned to him. "I just didn't know how hurt you were."
"It's not that bad," Luke assured her.
"Well, I know that now, thank God. But last night in bed, I just kept thinking about how much worse it could've been. And I was lying there, crying, holding onto your pillow like it was you, thinking about how upset I'd be if you'd. . ." She took a deep breath to keep from crying.
"Okay, stop, please," Luke said with a sigh. "This place is depressing enough by itself, I don't need you adding to it with conversations like this."
"Sorry." She turned onto her side and snuggled up closer to him. "By the way, your pillowcase is probably still soaked with tears. Forgive me?" He nodded and kissed the top of her head.
A few minutes later, they were in the same position when a nurse walked into the room carrying an ice pack. She held it up and said, "Time to ice up."
"Ice up what?" Lorelai asked, sitting up.
"My shoulder," Luke answered. "It has to be iced a couple times a day."
"Oh." Lorelai climbed off the bed and took a few steps back as the nurse strapped the ice pack to his arm.
"How's that?" the nurse asked. "Too tight, too loose?"
"No, it's good," Luke replied.
"Okay, I'll be back in fifteen minutes to take it off," she said. "You haven't been moving your arm, have you?"
"I'm trying not to."
"Good." The nurse smiled at him, then at Lorelai as she walked past her out the room.
Lorelai walked back over to Luke. "Hm, isn't she a little. . ."
"A little what?"
"A little. . .I don't know. . .young to be a nurse."
Luke shrugged. "I don't know how old she is, but she gives a damn good sponge bath."
Lorelai gasped, but then a smirk slowly formed on her lips and she slapped his knee. "Liar. Trying to make me jealous?" Luke smiled deviously as he leaned back against his pillow, and Lorelai climbed back onto the bed next to him.
. . . . .
Almost an hour later, Lorelai and Luke were watching television when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Lorelai called. Rory and Christopher walked into the room, and Lorelai smiled. "Hey guys." She turned off the television.
"Hey," Rory said.
Christopher nodded toward them. "Hey.
"How's the patient?" Rory asked.
Luke shrugged. "Hanging in there."
"Did you guys just eat?" Lorelai asked, gesturing toward the takeout cup in Rory's hand.
Rory nodded and held the cup out toward Lorelai. "Yeah, at the diner. And I wasn't sure if the coffee here would be up to your standards, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to bring you some of the good stuff."
Lorelai smiled and took the cup. "Thanks."
"And Luke, like 20 people came up to me while we were eating and asked how you were doing," Rory told him. "And I wasn't sure because I hadn't talked to you since last night, so I kept saying 'he's doing okay', which I hope is true, because if it turns out you're not doing okay, a lot of people are going to think I lied right to their faces."
Luke smiled. "Well, your reputation is saved because I'm doing okay."
"Okay, good. Everyone sends their good wishes."
"That's good to hear," he replied. "Thanks."
"So, how soon do you get to leave?" Christopher asked.
Luke shrugged. "They're gonna take some more X-rays in a little while. Hopefully after that they'll send me home."
"So what have you guys been doing? Just hanging out?" Rory asked.
"Yup. Luke let me play with the remote control for the bed," Lorelai said excitedly. "While he was still in it."
"Oh yeah? What'd he do, use it as a bribe to get you to stop doing something?" Rory asked.
Lorelai scoffed. "No!" She paused and wrinkled her nose. "Well, sort of. It's how he got me to stop complaining about him making me watch a show about some stupid sports guy."
"Johnny Unitas was not some stupid sports guy," Luke retorted. He gestured animatedly with his right hand as he explained, "He's one of the greatest football players to have ever played the game. He was the first quarterback to throw for 40,000 yards. He was Player of the Year three times. And when he retired, he held twenty-two NFL records." Luke cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, satisfied he'd made his point.
Lorelai shrugged. "So, what, should I be impressed by all that or something?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Probably not. Are you ever impressed by someone else's personal accomplishments?"
"Mine," Rory said, raising a hand.
"Besides Rory," Luke added.
"Yes. There's a guy from Japan who can eat like 50 hot dogs in twelve minutes," Lorelai said. "And not just the dogs, the buns, too. I'm very impressed by that."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Sorry, my mistake. You're only impressed by the really important things."
Lorelai smiled. "That's right." She turned to Christopher. "So, tell me, how's Fred Astaire holding up?"
Christopher shook his head slightly. "Remind me to write dance marathon on my 'Never Do It Again' list."
Lorelai giggled. "Aw, come on, you know you had a little fun. You said so yesterday."
"Yeah, well, the fun I had yesterday was instantly negated by the morning-after pain," he informed her.
Lorelai grimaced. "So I'm guessing your feet feel as bad as mine do?"
"Do yours feel like people are stabbing at them with a thousand flaming knives?"
Lorelai smiled. "Pretty much."
"Oh, then I guess it's normal."
Lorelai nodded. "I should've warned you about that. It'll go away in a day or so."
"It's gonna be a fun drive home." Christopher glanced at his watch. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna get going. I just wanted to stop by before I headed out. . .see how everyone was, say goodbye, you know."
"Aw, okay." Lorelai walked over to him and they hugged. "Thank you again. I really appreciate it." She kissed him on the cheek and pulled back. "And if your feet aren't better in a few days and you require some sort of surgery to get them feeling normal again. . ."
"I can send you the bill?" Christopher suggested.
"No, I was gonna say, let me know so I can send you some flowers."
Christopher smiled. "Okay, you were being slightly less generous than I presumed. But I'll keep you posted of any surgical procedures."
"Okay, good."
Christopher stepped toward the bed and extended a hand toward Luke. As they shook hands, he said, "Uh, hope you feel better."
Luke nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."
"I'll walk you to the car, Dad," Rory offered.
"Okay." Christopher and Rory left the room.
Lorelai sat in the chair next to the bed and took a long sip of her coffee. She set it on the bedside table, then stared at Luke for a few seconds before letting out a giggle. Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just, I've been so busy being concerned about your well-being that I haven't had time to fully appreciate how funny you look in that hospital gown." She leaned back in the chair and giggled toward the ceiling.
Luke rolled his eyes and glanced down at the gown. "I knew you'd get around to mocking it eventually."
She smiled. "Hey, it does show off your tattoo really well, so that's a plus. But I haven't seen you walk around in it yet – is it all open in the back so that your butt hangs out?"
"Can we change the subject please?"
Lorelai giggled. "It is, isn't it? Come on, get up and walk around for me."
"No."
"Come on, please."
"Forget it."
"Fine, I'll just wait until you go to the bathroom."
Luke sighed. "Could you make yourself useful and hand me that glass of water?" He gestured to his cup on the table.
"Sure." Lorelai stood up and retrieved it. She started to hand it to him, then pulled it back. "Wait, you're not gonna throw it at me, are you?"
"No, I'm gonna drink it."
"Promise?"
"Yes, can I have the stupid drink please?"
Lorelai handed it to him, then took a cautious step back. He took a long sip then held it out toward her. "Thanks."
As she reached for it, he jerked his arm like he was going to throw it at her, and she flinched and let out a small yelp. Luke smiled. "Kidding."
Lorelai frowned at him as she took the cup and returned it to the table. "I see you didn't lose your desire to tease me in the accident."
"Nope."
They talked for a few minutes before the door opened and Rory walked back in. "Look who I found downstairs," she announced. Sookie followed her into the room carrying a plastic container.
Lorelai smiled. "Sookie, hey."
"Oh my God, I heard about the accident this morning from Patty and I couldn't believe it." Sookie walked over to the bed. "How are you? What happened?"
"Some guy rammed into me while I was crossing the intersection," Luke explained.
Lorelai giggled, and everyone looked at her questioningly. She explained to Luke, "I'm sorry, but in addition to being too concerned about you to mock the gown, I've also been too concerned to mock the fact that you've repeatedly used the phrase 'some guy rammed into me'." She giggled. "Dirty!"
Rory made a face. "Mom, come on."
"Moving on." Sookie turned back to Luke. "So what's wrong? What happened to your shoulder?"
"Dislocated it," he replied. "It'll be in a sling for a few weeks."
"He also has a concussion," Lorelai added.
Sookie frowned sympathetically. "Aw, that stinks. But it could've been worse, I guess."
"What's in there?" Lorelai gestured to the container.
Sookie held it up and smiled. "They always say that nothing'll help ya heal faster than some nice homemade oatmeal cookies." She held the container out toward Luke.
Luke narrowed his eyes as he accepted it. "Uh, yeah, that's what I've heard."
"And don't worry, I know you don't like to eat junk food, so I made the low-fat, low-sugar recipe."
"Thanks."
The four of them talked for a few minutes, and there was a knock at the door. "Busy hour around here," Rory commented.
"Come in," Lorelai called.
The door slowly opened, and a nurse pushed a man in a wheelchair into the room. The man appeared to be in his early forties. He had a bandage across his forehead, one around his knee, and a cast on his right arm. He glanced around nervously. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but I'm looking for Luke Danes."
"You found him," Luke replied. "What can I do for ya?"
The man cleared his throat. "Well, I'm Bert. Uh, Bert Donaldson. I was. . .driving the van." He looked down uncomfortably.
Luke's eyes widened and he pursed his lips. "Oh."
"Yeah. And, uh, I just wanted to. . .you know, apologize for what happened." He glanced toward the ground with slight embarrassment, undoubtedly because of the people who were all staring at him.
Lorelai noticed his discomfort and quickly stood up. "You know, this is. . .uh, why don't we. . .we'll let you guys. . .you know. . ." She grabbed her cup of coffee, then ushered Rory and Sookie out of the room into the hallway. "Let's go for a little walk so they can talk."
"But what if they get into a fight or something?" Sookie asked.
"How bad can a fight be between two men in casts?" Lorelai asked. "Plus, the nurse is still in there."
"I didn't recognize him," Rory said. "Do you think he's from Stars Hollow?"
"I don't know. I've never seen him before," Lorelai said. "How do you think he tracked down Luke?"
Sookie shrugged. "He probably asked around the hospital for 'the otherguy who was in the accident.'" They walked to the waiting area and sat down, and Sookie eyed Lorelai's coffee cup. "How many cups have you had today?" Sookie held up two fingers, reminding her that two is the suggested limit. "Remember, you should only – "
"I know, I know," Lorelai waved her off. "This is only my second cup."
"Okay." Sookie nodded approvingly, then her eyes widened. "Oh, hey – while you're here at the hospital, maybe you should get a doctor's opinion on it, see what they say about the caffeine thing."
Rory glanced back and forth between them. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing, nothing," Lorelai replied quickly. "Don't worry about it." She sighed and glanced toward the room. "We should've brought the cookies with us. Maybe I can sneak in and grab them."
Rory rolled her eyes. "It won't kill you to wait five more minutes. And if it does, you're in luck, because we're in a hospital and there are lots of people here who can revive you from your death caused by 'lack of cookies.'"
Lorelai frowned and shook her finger at Rory. "Never mock cravings."
. . . . .
A few minutes later, the nurse wheeled Bert out, and Lorelai, Rory, and Sookie walked back into the room. Luke was sitting on the bed fingering a piece of paper, and he looked up when they walked in. "Hey."
"Hey. How'd it go?" Lorelai asked.
Luke shrugged. "Fine." He held up the piece of paper. "This is his name and phone number and stuff. Can you hold onto it?"
"Yeah." She took the paper, folded it up, and put it into her pocket. "What did he say?"
"He apologized," Luke replied. "Said he knows it was his fault and that he'll cover the damages."
"Did you guys fight or yell or. . ."
"No, it was all calm. He said he was having family trouble and he went out for a long drive to clear his head. Said he wasn't thinking straight and he didn't see my truck 'til the last second, and he went to slam on his break and he accidentally hit the gas pedal."
Lorelai scoffed. "Oh my God. Aren't you required to know the pedals before you're allowed to get a license?"
Luke shrugged. "I guess when you're not really concentrating on driving, things can happen."
"Didn't you see him coming and try to swerve?" Rory asked.
"I saw him before I went through the intersection, but I had the right of way. So by the time I realized he hadn't stopped at the corner like I thought he would. . ."
"It was too late to do anything?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah. But it's all settled now, don't worry about it." He yawned and leaned back against his pillow.
"Oh, we should go," Sookie said. "Let you get some rest."
"Yeah, we'll get outta here," Rory said. She patted Luke on his good arm. "I'll see you later at home."
"Okay. Thanks for coming by," Luke said. "And thanks, Sookie."
"You're welcome. Feel better," she replied. She glanced at Lorelai and held up two fingers.
Lorelai smiled. "I know, bye Sookie." She walked over and hugged her, then Rory. "Bye hon." Sookie and Rory left the room.
Lorelai walked back over to the bed, and Luke's eyes were closed. "I'll just get outta your way, too," Lorelai whispered. "I'll wait down in the waiting area."
Luke opened his eyes and grabbed her hand. "Don't."
"What?"
"Stay in here." He scooted over on the bed, grimacing slightly from his shoulder pain, then patted the mattress.
"You sure? Because I can just – "
"Please." He patted the mattress again. "I need you to stay."
Lorelai nodded. "Sure, okay." She climbed into the bed next to him.
He pulled her closer and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."
. . . . .
A few hours later, Lorelai was helping Luke get dressed as they prepared to go home. As she buttoned his jeans for him, he sighed. "This is so demeaning. I feel like I'm two years old with you having to dress me like this."
Lorelai smiled. "Two-year-olds don't fill out the front of their jeans quite as well as you do, hon."
He glanced down at them. "I think sweat pants might've been better. It'd be easier to get 'em on and off."
Lorelai shrugged. "I'll help you change when we get home." Luke rolled his eyes at the thought, and she patted him on the chest. "Don't worry about it. You probably won't need as much help with getting dressed and stuff after a few days."
"I know."
"So just enjoy the personal attention while it lasts," Lorelai told him.
"I'll try."
Lorelai began throwing his things into the duffel bag, and she held up his hospital gown. "Wanna take this as a memento?"
"No, thank you. I never wanna see that again. Burn it."
"I'll ask the nurses to send it directly to the incinerator," she promised. She picked up his flannel shirt. "You wanna put this on? It's a little cold out."
Luke nodded. He slipped his right arm through the sleeve, and she draped the left side of the shirt over his other shoulder, tucking the sleeve gently into the sling. "That okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
She stuck Sookie's cookie container and the stack of magazines into the duffel bag, then glanced around the room. "Let's see, did we miss anything?"
Luke shook his head. "Nah, I think we got it all." Lorelai zipped up the duffel bag. Luke stepped into his shoes, then sat down on the bed. "Can you, uh. . ."
"Yeah." Lorelai kneeled in front of him and tied the shoes, then stood up. "There."
Luke stood up. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Lorelai pulled on her jacket. Luke picked up the duffel bag, but she quickly took it from him. "Don't worry about it, I got it."
"I'm not a complete invalid," he reminded her. "I can carry it."
"I got it." She kissed him. "Let's go home." She grabbed her purse and they walked out of the room.
. . . . .
To be continued. . .
