"It's Still There – part 9"
. . . . .
That night, Lorelai and Luke lay next to each other in bed, both breathing heavily. Lorelai glanced at him and remarked, "I don't know why you're so exhausted. I'm the one that did all the work."
"Hey, I did a little bit," he retorted. "And do you know how difficult it is trying to balance severe pain and pleasure at the same time? It's tiring."
Lorelai smiled and rolled onto her side. "Yeah, you were making some pretty weird facial expressions there. Did your arm hurt bad?"
Luke inhaled deeply, then slowly let out the breath. "Not too much at first, but then. . .yeah, it kinda hurt."
Lorelai frowned sympathetically and ran her hand over his chest. "I'm sorry. We probably should've waited a few more days."
"It's fine. The pleasure more than compensated for the pain."
She smiled. "It was damn pleasurable." She rolled onto her back and put her hands behind her head. She glanced down at her chest and announced, "I should get bigger boobs."
Luke groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not this again."
She covered her breasts with her hands. "They feel small."
"Well, they're not. They're fine."
"I don't want them to be fine boobs. I want them to be spectacular boobs."
"Fine, they're spectacular."
"Tsk, you're just saying that."
Luke sighed. "What did I say the last time you brought this up?"
"That you would like me better with bigger boobs?"
"Try again."
"That Larry Flynt will never put me on the cover of Hustler with boobs like these?"
"Lorelai."
Lorelai sighed and muttered, "That my body's perfect the way it is."
"Yes. And?"
"And that I don't really want bigger boobs, that I just bring it up as a conversation topic because I like saying the word 'boobs', which, by the way, is not true."
"It is, too."
Lorelai smirked. "Okay, maybe it is." She snuggled up against him and he draped his arm behind her and held her protectively against his body. They lay quietly for a few minutes as he gently ran his fingers over her back.
Lorelai lifted her head. "Hey, know what I just realized? What's the date?"
Luke thought for a moment. "Uh. . .November first."
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah. So it's our two-month wedding anniversary."
Luke nodded. "Huh, so it is." He kissed her. "Happy anniversary."
Lorelai smiled. "You, too." She rested her head against his chest and let out a content sigh.
They lay quietly for a moment, then Luke kissed the top of her head. "Hey?"
She craned her neck to look up at him. "Yeah?"
"I wasn't just saying it." A smirk slowly appeared on his lips. "They really are spectacular."
Lorelai smiled and kissed him, then leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes.
. . . . .
The next afternoon, Lorelai walked into the house carrying a bag from the market. She waved to Luke, who was sitting on the couch talking on the phone, then walked to the kitchen. She glanced into Rory's bedroom where Rory and Lane were sitting on the bed doing homework.
"I'm home," Lorelai announced, and they both looked up.
"Hey," Rory replied.
"Get anything good?" Lane asked.
"Yup." Lorelai pulled a container of Pringles out of the bag and tossed it to them. "Knock yourselves out."
They thanked her and she walked over to set the bag on the kitchen table. While she was unloading the groceries, Luke walked into the room. "Hey," she greeted him.
"Hey." He walked over and kissed her.
"Who were you talking to?"
Luke pulled a box of macaroni and cheese out of the bag and walked it over to the cabinet. "Oh, Bert."
Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "Your toolbox?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "The guy who hit the truck."
Lorelai slapped her forehead. "Right, Bert. I forgot his name. What were you talking about?"
"He called to see how I was doing," Luke replied. "And he wanted to make sure we were still gonna handle this ourselves and not through the courts."
"He's worried that you might change your mind?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know, I guess so. He knows it was his fault, he knows there are witnesses who saw that it was his fault, and he knows that I'd win if I sued him. Oh, and he also thinks that you're a lawyer, so I think that makes him nervous."
Lorelai let out a surprised laugh. "What?"
Luke smirked. "I told you how when we talked at the hospital he admitted it was his fault and offered to pay for what insurance didn't cover, remember?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I didn't believe him at first. I asked him if he was kidding – you know, thinking he was all talk, telling him he shouldn't make a promise he can't keep, but he said he was serious. So I mentioned that he better not screw me over because my wife's a lawyer and would file a lawsuit faster than he could blink."
Lorelai gasped. "No, you didn't."
"Yup. So I think he's a little scared that I'll suddenly just change my mind and decide to sue him."
Lorelai frowned. "Aw, poor Bert, all nervous and worried."
"Forget poor Bert. Worry about 'poor Luke's truck'."
Lorelai finished putting the stuff away, then walked over to Luke by the water cooler. "So, I kinda have some news that you probably don't wanna hear."
"What is it?"
"It looks like the construction started today."
"What construction?"
"Taylor's construction," Lorelai said. "On the flower shop."
Luke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Great. Is it a mess around there?"
Lorelai nodded. "Kind of."
"Geez. I'll have to call Caesar and tell him that if it gets to be too crazy to let me know so I can take it up with Taylor."
Lorelai smiled. "One of your favorite pastimes." She ran a hand through his hair and lowered her voice. "You know, I think that later we should do something fun with my fake lawyer status."
He kissed her. "Like what?"
She shrugged as she stroked his neck. "Oh, I don't know, maybe a little role playing. I can be the lawyer and you can be the criminal I'm prosecuting. Only, you know I'll win the case, so you have to persuade me to lose on purpose so you can go free."
"And just how would I do that?"
"You have to seduce me, silly."
"Ah."
"And you have to get us having sex on videotape because then you're gonna use it to blackmail me by claiming that you'll tell the judge that I was the one who promised you sex in exchange for a guilty plea."
Luke sighed. "Now it's getting way too complicated."
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Sorry. I always get carried away in my role playing."
"Yes, you do."
She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him loosely, careful not to put too much pressure against his sling. He kissed her deeply, and she let out a soft moan of approval as his tongue found its way into her mouth.
"Okay, could you not make out right where we can see you?" Rory called from her bedroom. "I mean, I'm used to it and all, but I do have a guest in here, you know. And I'm sure Mrs. Kim doesn't want Lane exposed to these kinds of graphic displays of affection."
"If she gets word of this, I might not be able to come over here ever again," Lane added.
Still kissing passionately, Lorelai and Luke took a few steps toward the kitchen table, out of the view of the bedroom door.
"Thank you," Rory called.
. . . . .
A few nights later, Lorelai and Rory were in the kitchen setting out bowls of snacks for movie night when the doorbell rang. "Oh, that's probably John. I got it." Lorelai walked to the front door and opened it, and sure enough, John was on the porch. "Hey John."
"Hey Lorelai. Is Luke ready?"
"Almost. Come on in."
"Thanks." John followed Lorelai into the house and into the living room.
"Luke, John's here!" Lorelai called up the steps.
"Be right down!" Luke called back.
Lorelai turned to John and smiled. "He'll be right down. Though, you probably heard that since you're only a few feet away from me and he said it pretty loudly."
John smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I heard it."
"Have a seat." Lorelai sat down in the armchair and John sat on the couch. "What are you guys up to tonight?"
John shrugged. "Oh, you know, just hanging out, doing typical guy stuff."
"So you're gonna consume lots of alcohol and then pick up a couple of hookers?
"Maybe," John replied. "Though that's what we did last time, so I don't know if Luke will be up for it again."
Lorelai smiled. "A man with a sense of humor, just the way I like 'em."
Luke walked down the stairs and he nodded toward John. "Hey. What's going on?"
John stood up and walked toward him. "Nothing much." He gestured to Luke's sling. "That looks pretty bad, man. Does it hurt?"
"Not as much as it used to," he replied. "I should be getting the sling off this week."
"Good. The sooner you get it off, the sooner you can help me put up my new shed." John checked his watch. "We better go. I told Jeff we'd pick him up at six."
"Okay."
The three of them walked to the door, and as John walked outside, Luke turned to Lorelai. "I don't know what time I'll be back. Probably not too late since the guys both have work tomorrow."
"Okay." Lorelai kissed him. "Have fun. Try to get really drunk so you don't notice the mess that will inevitably be waiting in the living room when you get home."
"I'll try."
"Thanks. Bye."
"Bye."
Lorelai watched Luke walk outside and get into John's car. As they pulled away, she closed the door and walked to the kitchen, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "Okay, let's get started on movie night. I vote for Blazing Saddles first."
Rory gasped. "You totally read my mind. That's what I was gonna suggest."
Lorelai tapped herself on the head. "Yes, see, I knew that, 'cause Mommy's psychic." She picked up some snack bowls from the table and walked toward the living room.
"Oh yeah?" Rory grabbed the rest and followed her.
Lorelai glanced over her shoulder at Rory. "Yes, Mommy knows all and Mommy sees all." As she turned to face forward, she tripped over her purse on the floor and stumbled into the desk chair, spilling marshmallows and cookies all over the desk. "Dammit."
Rory giggled. "Did Mommy see that coming?"
Lorelai gave her a look and muttered, "Mommy sees someone getting sent to her room."
Rory helped Lorelai clean up the mess, then they put the movie on and situated themselves on the couch under some blankets.
"So where did Luke go?" Rory asked.
"I'm not sure. I know they're getting dinner, but I'm not sure what they're doing after that."
"It's good that he's getting out of the house," Rory commented.
"Yeah, maybe this'll help loosen him up a little. I think he was getting cabin fever." Lorelai smiled. "Plus, it'll be nice for us to have a girls-only movie night."
Rory smiled. "Yeah, we haven't had one in awhile. It'll be fun." She paused, then added, "Not that coed movie nights aren't fun, because you know I like having Luke around."
"I know."
"I just meant, you know, that it'll be nice to have some mother/daughter time."
"Yeah, I know what you meant. You can never have too much mother/daughter time."
"Exactly."
Lorelai smiled and moved closer to Rory, and they settled in to watch the movie.
. . . . .
A week later, on Wednesday afternoon, Lorelai and Sookie were driving from the inn to the diner for lunch. Lorelai was telling Sookie about Luke's doctor appointment the day before. "So the doctor told him he doesn't have to wear the sling anymore."
"Ooh, I bet he was thrilled to hear that."
"Yeah, definitely. He was so sick of that thing. He still can't use his arm for much of anything though, like lifting things or driving. We had to meet with this physical therapist who gave Luke some strengthening exercises to do at home. And this guy, I swear, if he was not in the medical industry, he could be an underwear model."
Sookie giggled. "He was a cutie, huh?"
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "And then afterward when we were walking out, Luke was like, 'God, I'm surprised you didn't just ask him for his number right in front of me.'"
Sookie laughed. "Guess you were staring a little too hard."
Lorelai shrugged. "Guess so. But I made it up to him when we got home." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. She parked the Jeep along the curb and the two of them started walking toward the diner.
"I can't believe that Thanksgiving is in two weeks," Sookie said. "Did I tell you that I'm letting Jackson cook the turkey this year?"
Lorelai gasped. "Wow, you gave up the rights to your kitchen on the biggest cooking holiday of the year? I'm shocked."
"I know, I think I'm still in shock myself. I can't believe I did that. Maybe he'll relinquish the rights back to me."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll do fine."
Sookie sighed. "I know, I know."
"And I'm sure you'll be right there supervising him anyway, so you'll still be involved."
"That's true." Sookie took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm not gonna think about it anymore."
"Good girl." Lorelai put her arm around Sookie. "Wow, Thanksgiving already. This year went by so fast, huh?"
"Too fast. But it was a good year."
Lorelai smiled. "It was a great year. I can't believe that this time last year, Luke and I weren't even together, and now. . ." She glanced down at her wedding ring and sighed happily. "I can't believe we started dating, moved in together, got engaged and got married all in the same year. Hell, not even a whole year, more like a seven-month period. Things moved pretty fast."
"Yeah, but you were both ready for things to move that fast."
Lorelai smiled. "Very true."
They walked into the diner and sat down at a table. As they were looking at the menus, Sookie glanced at the counter and saw Luke walk out from the kitchen. "Uh, did you know that Luke was gonna be here?"
Lorelai looked up from her menu. "What?" She followed Sookie's gaze and saw Luke refilling the coffee of a customer at the counter. "Huh."
"Has he been to work since the accident?"
"Well, he's come in a few times to check on things and to help with the inventory stuff, but he hasn't actually served people or cooked or anything." Lorelai stood up and called, "Hon?"
Luke looked up, then nodded toward her. "Hey. Just a second."
Lorelai sat back down, and when Luke finished up at the counter, he walked over to their table. "Hey."
"Hey. What are you doing here?" Lorelai asked.
"Helping out. I couldn't sit at home anymore, I was going nuts."
"Are you sure you're ready to be back here working already though? You just got the sling off. I mean, you can't even really use that arm much yet."
"I know, but I have another arm that's being wasted by me sitting at home all day. I can pour coffee and cook some of the easier things and deliver plates."
Lorelai was still doubtful. "But – "
"It's fine. I'm all right," he insisted. "If I didn't think it was all right, I wouldn't be here."
Lorelai chewed on her bottom lip momentarily. "Just promise me that if you get too tired or if your arm starts to hurt too much, you'll go home. You still need to rest, remember? The physical therapist said it yesterday."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm surprised you could hear anything he said over your heavy panting."
Sookie giggled. "Man, I have to see this cute doctor."
Lorelai smirked and smacked Luke playfully on the stomach. "Just promise me."
"Promise." Luke leaned down and kissed her. "You guys know what you want?" Lorelai and Sookie ordered their food, and Luke walked back to the kitchen.
"So, I got my side of the bed back last night," Lorelai announced.
"Oh yeah? How was it?"
Lorelai shrugged. "It was okay. I think he might be mad at me for abandoning him." She scoffed. "But I was only gone for two and half weeks, and I was only two feet away, so I don't know what his problem is. It's not like I was using another bed. I was using the other side of him. He's too sensitive."
"Your bed's a 'he'?" Sookie asked.
"Of course."
"Does Luke know it's a he?"
"No." Lorelai gave a quick glance toward the counter, then lowered her voice. "And don't tell him. He might feel a little weird about it. You know, his masculinity might feel threatened."
"My lips are sealed," Sookie promised.
. . . . .
On Friday night, Lorelai, Rory and Luke walked up to Emily and Richard's house, and Rory rang the doorbell. The door opened and the maid invited them inside and took their coats.
As Rory followed the maid to the living room, Luke took Lorelai's arm and held her back. "Hey, wait a second."
"What? Something wrong?"
"No, but. . .are you okay?"
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'm good, but you just seem. . .quiet tonight," he said. "I mean, you didn't say much when you got home from work or on the drive here."
"I'm okay, really."
"You're sure?"
"Yup. What about you? You haven't been here in a long time. Are you ready for a month's worth of questions about the diner, the accident, your arm, your sexy new haircut, et cetera, et cetera."
Luke shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"Okay, let's go." Lorelai kissed him, then took his hand and led him to the living room. Richard and Emily were seated on a sofa each holding a drink, and Rory had sat down in an armchair. The three of them were already talking, and Lorelai cleared her throat. "Hey Mom, hey Dad."
They both looked up and smiled. "Ah, here they are," Richard announced.
"Come in, sit down," Emily insisted, gesturing to the empty sofa.
Luke and Lorelai sat down, and Richard gestured to the coffee table where two glasses sat on coasters. "I already poured some wine for you."
"Thanks," Luke replied.
"Oh, yeah, um, that was nice." Lorelai stared at the wine hesitantly for a moment. "But, um. . .I just. . .I think I'm gonna get some club soda instead. You know, since I'm the designated driver tonight." She walked toward the drink cart.
"But aren't you the driver every week?" Emily asked with a confused look.
"Yes, but, uh, this week I have two people in the car, so I have to be extra careful."
Emily shook her head slightly. "I'm not going to try to understand you." She turned to Luke. "Luke, we were so sorry to hear about your little accident."
"Yes, very sorry," Richard added. "Lorelai says you dislocated your shoulder?"
"That's right." Luke gestured to his left arm. "I just got the sling off a few days ago."
"Have you returned to work?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, but I still can't use the arm much, so it's pretty limited what I can do there," Luke said.
"Does it hurt much?" Richard asked.
Luke shrugged. "Sometimes, like when I try to do something I'm not supposed to do yet. Like lift something that's too heavy or reach out too far."
Lorelai returned to the couch with her drink. "Or like when he gets mad and tries to slap me around. He can't use as much force with his left hand as he used to."
Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you think that abusive relationships are something to joke about, Lorelai."
"Yes, what kind of example are you setting for Rory joking about a matter like that?" Richard asked.
Lorelai sighed and turned to Rory. "Honey, if you ever find yourself in an abusive relationship, please seek help immediately."
Rory nodded. "Got it."
Lorelai smiled at her parents. "Better?"
Richard ignored her and turned back to Luke. "So, Luke, how's the truck? It was relatively new, was it not?"
"Yeah, it was only a few months old. The passenger side was in pretty bad shape," Luke said. "It's gonna take a few more weeks to get it fixed up."
"But he can't drive for awhile anyway, so it works out," Lorelai added.
"And what about the other driver?" Emily asked. "There was another driver, wasn't there?"
"No, believe it or not, the other car was moving by itself," Lorelai said. "Kinda like the car on Knight Rider."
Emily rolled her eyes. "He could've hit a parked car, Lorelai."
"Yes, or some other inanimate object, like a pole or a house, and thus there would be no other driver," Richard added.
"A house? You think Luke's that bad of a driver that he could crash into a house?" Lorelai asked, amused.
"Trust me, you wouldn't believe some of the things I saw when I was working at my old company," Richard says. "People crashing into houses are more common than you'd think."
Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, there was another driver. He's all right, just a broken arm and a sprained knee."
"It was completely the other guy's fault," Lorelai added. "He crashed into Luke."
"Oh, well, I hope you're making him pay," Richard commented.
"Yes, we are," Lorelai replied. "Everything's taken care of."
"Good. Well, if you need any help, I'd be happy to offer some advice," Richard said.
Luke nodded. "I appreciate the offer. Thanks."
The four of them talked for a few more minutes, then moved to the dining room for dinner.
. . . . .
That night on the way home, Lorelai and Luke dropped Rory off at Dean's house. They both watched her until she walked into the house, then Luke turned to face forward, expecting Lorelai to pull away.
When she didn't, he turned to her. "What are you waitin' for?"
Lorelai turned off the engine, then turned her body to face him. "Listen. . .um. . .I need to talk to you."
Luke narrowed his eyes with concern. "What's wrong?"
Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."
"Then what is it?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. "Um. . .I'm late."
"Late for what?" Luke glanced at his watch. "Do you have plans tonight? You didn't mention – "
"No, Luke," she interrupted. "Late, as in. . .you know. . .a woman's kind of late."
Luke's eyes widened as he caught on. "Oh. That. . .kind of late."
"Yeah. So that could mean. . ." Her voice trailed off and she smiled. "Well, you know what it could mean."
Luke stared at her for several seconds, then muttered, "Wow." He shook his head slightly. "I don't know what to say. Just. . .wow. Are you sure?"
Lorelai smiled. "Am I sure that I'm late? What, like, you think maybe it came and I missed it?"
Luke shrugged. "Well, I don't know. I don't know what to ask when you say you're late."
"Yes, I'm sure."
Luke took a deep breath. "Okay. . .well. . .how late are you? Like, really late?"
"Two days."
"Is that. . .really late? I don't know how all that. . ." He gestured aimlessly toward her. ". . .stuff works."
"Well, it's late enough," Lorelai told him. "I was supposed to get it Wednesday and it didn't come, but I didn't think too much of it because I've been a day late before. It happens. So I figured it would come yesterday, but then yesterday passed and it didn't come. And I didn't wanna get my hopes up too much, but when it didn't come today either. . ." She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "It made me think that. . .this could be it."
Luke glanced down at her stomach, then smiled at her. "Wow."
"Yeah."
"No one else knows?"
"No. And I was gonna tell you sooner, but I didn't wanna get your hopes up if it turned out to be nothing. I told myself to wait and see if it came today and if it didn't, then I would tell you. So now I'm telling you."
Luke leaned back against his seat. "Wow."
"And I was gonna tell you before we went to my parents' house, but I didn't know if that would make you all nervous and weird during dinner. And I didn't want you to be uncomfortable since it was your first time there in awhile."
"Right. . .makes sense." He thought for a few seconds. "So that's why you didn't drink tonight?"
Lorelai nodded. "Just in case."
"I was wondering about that." He rolled his eyes and added, "Though the designated driver story was very convincing."
Lorelai smiled. "Thank you."
Luke glanced out the window and saw a little girl peeking out at them from the front door of the house. "Uh, Dean's sister thinks we're stalkers. We should go."
Lorelai started the Jeep and pulled away from the curb. "So, um, listen. . .I'm gonna go buy a pregnancy test, so if you want, I'll drop you off at home first and – "
"No, I'll come with you," he interrupted.
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."
. . . . .
They drove ten minutes to Yalesville and pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy. They both walked inside, and Luke stood uncomfortably nearby while Lorelai perused the selection of tests. She finally picked one out and bought it, and they walked back out to the car.
Lorelai pulled the box out of the bag and started to open it. Luke's eyes widened. "What are you doing? You're not. . .are you gonna take it now?" Luke stared at her, confused. "Don't you need a bathroom?"
Lorelai smiled and rolled her eyes. "I just wanna check something." She pulled the instructions out of the box. "Last time, I remember reading that you're supposed to . . ." Her voice trailed off as she read through the instructions. She nodded and muttered, "Right, that's what I thought."
"What?"
She folded the instructions and stuck them back in the box. "It says that if you're only a few days late, the early morning is the best time to take the test. That's when you'll get the most accurate results." She stuck the test back into the bag and put it on the dashboard.
"So. . .you'll do it tomorrow morning, then," Luke deduced.
Lorelai nodded. "Tomorrow morning."
. . . . .
At six a.m. the next morning, Lorelai lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, anxiously fingering the fringe on the warm blanket that covered her. She'd been up for awhile, as her many attempts to fall back asleep had failed. She was antsy. She was ready to take the test. She needed to know.
She glanced at Luke, who was lying on his side with his back to her. She'd fought the urge to wake him up for the thirty or so minutes she'd been awake, but she finally had to give in to her impatience.
She sat up and rubbed his back. "Luke. . .hon. . .wake up."
"I am up," he muttered as he rolled onto his back. "I've been up for a little while."
"Why didn't you tell me that?"
Luke yawned. "'Cause I thought you were sleeping."
"Well, I wasn't. I've been waiting for you to wake up." Lorelai pushed the covers off of her. "I'm ready to do it, I can't wait anymore." She climbed out of bed and grabbed the pharmacy bag from her vanity. "Let's go."
Luke sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."
Lorelai frowned. "Come with me."
"I'm not watching you go to the bathroom."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You've seen it before."
Luke gestured aimlessly as he explained, "Yeah, but this time, with the stick and everything. . .it's just. . ." He shook his head. "No, thanks. I don't need to see the whole process."
Lorelai sighed. "Well, at least come wait by the door."
Luke climbed out of the bed and followed her into the darkened hallway. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. She started to shut the door, then walked back out and hugged Luke tightly. "I love you."
"Love you, too."
She kissed him, then pulled back with a grimace. "Okay, I think we should brush our teeth first so that if it is positive, we don't have this gross morning breath interrupting our celebratory kisses."
Luke rolled his eyes as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom. He didn't bother arguing with her. Instead, the two of them stood side by side at the sink and brushed their teeth.
When they were finished, she kissed him again, then smiled. "Much better."
"Okay, good." Luke gestured to the door. "I'll be right out there."
Lorelai nodded. "Okay."
Luke walked into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him. He leaned against the wall right outside the door. The rest of the house was silent, allowing him to hear exactly what was going on inside the bathroom. The sound of Lorelai taking the box out of the bag. The sound of her opening the box and pulling out the contents. The sound of the empty box landing in the garbage can. The sound of her unwrapping the stick.
"Here I go," Lorelai said from inside the bathroom.
The unmistakable sound that followed was what made Luke finally grasp that what happened in the next minute could have life-changing effects. He folded his arms across his chest and nervously shifted his feet. A moment later, he heard the sound of running water, presumably of Lorelai washing her hands.
Then there was silence.
To Luke, it felt like an hour, but was probably only half a minute or so. He started grinding his teeth and tapping his foot impatiently.
Then the door opened, and the light from the bathroom flooded the hallway. Luke squinted slightly as his eyes adjusted to the light, and Lorelai stepped into the doorway. Luke was unable to interpret the expression on her face.
Luke took an anxious step toward her. "Well?"
She was holding the pregnancy test stick in her hand, and she held it out toward him.
Luke glanced at it briefly, then shrugged toward her. "I don't know how to read that thing. What does it say?"
Lorelai stared down at it for a moment, then brought her gaze up to meet his. Luke noticed tears forming in her eyes – though whether they were tears of joy or disappointment, he couldn't tell.
"Well, it says that. . ." Lorelai took a deep breath, then a smile slowly formed on her lips. "You're gonna be a dad."
. . . . .
To be continued. . .
