"It's Still There – part 10"
. . .
Luke's eyes slowly widened. He stared at Lorelai silently for several seconds as he processed the information.
Finally, he started gesturing aimlessly as he stammered, "I'm gonna be. . .uh, you're. . .I mean, we're gonna have a. . ." He paused and swallowed hard. "Really?"
With her tears now trickling down her cheeks, Lorelai smiled and nodded. "It's positive."
He smiled and shook his head slightly. "Wow. That's. . ." He rubbed his forehead and shifted his feet. "Wow."
Lorelai giggled excitedly and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gave him several short kisses before she rested her head against his shoulder and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe it." When she stepped back from him, she pulled up her pajama top halfway. "A person that we made is in there, Luke. It's only like the size of a pea, but still. . .it's in there."
He nodded and ran his hand over her stomach. "Yeah."
Lorelai covered his hand with hers and squeezed it. "You're happy about it, right?"
He narrowed his eyes with surprise. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes guys say they want this to happen and then when it does, they decide it's too much to handle and they get scared and run off with their secretaries to Mexico."
"Well, lucky for you I don't have a secretary." He smiled and pulled her closer. "I'm very happy. The word thrilled could even be used."
Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good." She draped her arms over his shoulders. "We're gonna have a baby, Luke." Goosebumps covered her skin as the words left her mouth.
The words similarly sent a chill through Luke's body. "We're gonna. . . have a baby." He took a deep breath. "Wow, that sounds weird."
Lorelai shook her head. "It sounds amazing."
"You're amazing." He cradled her face in his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "And beautiful." He kissed her softly, muttering "And I love you so much."
"I love you, too," she whispered through the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, they stared at each other for a few seconds before Luke rubbed her arms and asked, "So. . .what now?"
"I think we just stand here for nine months and watch my stomach expand," she replied. "Then one day a little head'll just pop out down there and bam – we've got ourselves a kid."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Just give me a basic guideline for where it goes from here."
"A basic guideline, huh? Well, I can give you one for the next few days. Let's see." Lorelai ticked things off on her fingers. "First we go tell Rory. Then I'm gonna take a shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Then hopefully by that time it'll be a semi-decent hour and I can go see Sookie and tell her. Then on Monday, I'll make a doctor's appointment, and we'll just take things from there."
"Are we gonna tell other people right away? I mean, besides Rory and Sookie."
"I don't know. Do you want to?"
Luke shrugged. "They don't all have to know right now. I'd rather give it some time to sink in with us before the whole town knows."
Lorelai nodded understandingly. "We'll ask Rory and Sookie to keep it quiet." She grinned. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna go wake up Rory and tell her. You wanna come?"
Luke waved her off. "Nah, I think you should do it."
"Okay." She held up the pregnancy test stick that she was still clutching in her hand. "Here – take this. If you need me, I'll be jumping up and down like an idiot on Rory's bed celebrating my newfound impregnation."
"You don't wanna show her the stick? It'll make a very reliable visual aid."
"Ooh, good point." She kissed him, then stared at him for a moment before releasing a content sigh. "Thank you."
"For what – impregnating you?" he asked with a smirk.
Lorelai smiled. "That, yeah. And, you know, just. . .for being you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and spoke in practically a whisper. "For being everything I could want in a husband." She kissed him. "And for being everything I could ever want the father of my child to be." Her lower lip trembled and she blinked her tears away. "You make me so happy."
"Ditto." They hugged, then Luke pulled back and gently squeezed her arms. "Go tell Rory."
She smiled and kissed him. "Okay." She rushed past him and ran down the steps.
She ran down the hall to Rory's bedroom and knocked a few times on the door before pushing it open. Rory lay asleep in bed with her back to Lorelai.
Lorelai walked into the room and turned on the light. "Rory, wake up." She walked over to the bed and tapped Rory on the back. "Honey, get up."
Rory pulled the covers up tighter around her and muttered, "What time is it?"
Lorelai glanced at the clock. "6:18."
Rory groaned loudly into her pillow. "You better have a darn good reason for waking me up this early on a Saturday."
"What constitutes a 'darn good reason'?"
Rory let out a long yawn before mumbling, "A fire, a death, or a severe illness that requires going to the emergency room."
Lorelai leaned over Rory's body. "What about if your mother takes a pregnancy test and wants to immediately share the exciting results with you?"
There was silence as both girls were completely still.
Finally, after processing the words, Rory slowly rolled over onto her back and stared up at Lorelai with wide eyes. "What'd you say?"
Lorelai kneeled on the bed next to Rory and proudly held out the stick. "Two lines means yes, one line means no."
Rory quickly sat up in bed and eyed the two pink lines on the stick. "Two lines means. . ." Her voice trailed off and she smiled. "You're pregnant?"
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my God!" Rory squealed as she pulled Lorelai down into a hug. "This is so great!" Lorelai giggled as she fell on top of Rory, who then almost fell off the side of the bed. "Ah, whoa!"
They sat back up, both grinning widely. "Mom, this is so exciting!" Rory squeezed Lorelai's hand. "Oh my God, I'm so happy for you. I know how much you wanted this to happen. What did Luke say? He does know, doesn't it?"
"No, I figured I should tell the baby's father first," Lorelai replied. "What's Headmaster Charleston's number?"
Rory shuddered and made a disgusted face. "Oh my God, that's one of the grossest images you've ever put into my head."
"Sorry. Won't happen again."
"Good. So, really, what'd Luke say?"
Lorelai smiled. "He's happy. Very happy. He even used the word thrilled."
Rory grinned. "Aww, that's so cute." She took a deep breath and stared down at her blanket. "Oh my God. A baby. This is so. . .wow. I mean, I knew it would probably be happening soon because I knew you were trying, but it's still. . .wow. I'm still digesting it."
"I know. Me, too." Lorelai smiled and hugged her stomach tightly. "I still can't believe it."
Rory's eyes widened. "I should probably learn how to change a diaper and other stuff like that. I mean, you might need me to babysit and I won't know how to do anything. I should sign up for a babysitting class at the community center as soon as I can. I'll look into it today."
Lorelai smiled and patted her on the leg. "You have plenty of time to learn how to change a diaper, hon. And if you learn it now, you might forget by the time the baby gets here."
"Speaking of which, when will you find out when it's due?"
"I'll call the doctor on Monday and make an appointment," Lorelai said. "But by rough estimation, I'd say it'll probably come in the middle of summer."
"So I'll probably be able to spend some time with it before I leave for school," Rory remarked. "That'll be good."
"Yeah, that'll work out nice." Lorelai tapped the pregnancy stick against her palm, then realized what she was doing and made a face. "Okay, I should probably stop carrying around this thing I peed on."
Rory made a similarly disgusted face. "Ew, gross. Go throw it away. And make sure you scrub your hands."
Lorelai stared down at the stick and smiled to herself. "Is it weird that I wanna take a picture of these two lines?"
"Yes, but not weirder than wanting to save the stick itself, which is so something you would do."
"The thought crossed my mind." Lorelai climbed off the bed. "I'm gonna go shower and get dressed and eat breakfast, then I'm gonna go tell Sookie. Wanna come with me?"
Rory yawned, then nodded. "Sure."
"Okay." They smiled at each other for a moment, then both squealed excitedly and hugged again.
. . .
A few minutes later, Lorelai walked back upstairs to the bedroom and found Luke lying on the bed. Lorelai walked over and lay down next to him, and they both stared up at the ceiling.
"What'd Rory say?" he asked.
Lorelai grinned. "She's so excited. Enough to forgive me for waking her up so early."
"Well, that's good." He was quiet for a moment as Lorelai stroked his arm. "I didn't think it would feel like this."
"Well, what did you expect?"
"I don't know. I guess I thought you'd say something like, 'Hey, we're having a baby' and I'd say 'Okay' and we'd hug, and then I'd go on with my normal routine. I didn't think it'd be so. . ." His voice trailed off and gestured circles with his hands. "I don't know. I'm just lying here thinkin' about it and. . . I mean, this is big."
"Very big," she agreed.
"And I'm. . .I don't know. . .my heart's racing." He gave an embarrassed shrug. "I'm just more excited about it than I thought I would be."
Lorelai smiled. "Good. Better that than the other way around."
"True." He kissed her, then reached down and rested his hand on her stomach. She covered his hand with hers and squeezed it gently.
They lay silently for a moment, then Lorelai asked, "So I'm not gonna come across any plane tickets to Mexico anytime soon, right?"
Luke smiled. "If you do, they're not mine."
Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good."
. . .
Ten minutes later, Lorelai was in the shower and Luke was getting dressed in the bedroom. When he was finished, he walked downstairs to start breakfast and found Rory in the kitchen making some coffee. "Morning," he greeted her.
Rory looked over and smiled. "Luke!" She walked over and threw her arms around his neck, surprising him with a tight hug. "Congratulations!"
Luke smiled shyly as he hugged her back. "Thanks."
Rory pulled back and tapped him excitedly on the arm. "It's so great! I'm so excited! Are you excited?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah, of course I am."
Rory grinned. "Mom's so excited, too. She looked so happy. She really wanted this to happen."
Luke smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know she did. We both did."
Rory walked back to the counter to finish up the coffee. "I still can't believe it. This is such big news."
"Yeah, it is." Luke walked over to the refrigerator. "Did your mom tell you that we're not telling anyone yet?" He pulled out the container of eggs. "I mean, besides Sookie."
"No. How come?"
Luke shrugged as he walked over to the counter. "We just wanna wait, that's all. Not too long, but a little while."
Rory nodded understandably. "Okay. I won't say anything."
"Thanks." He pulled out a pan to start the eggs, and was surprised when Rory walked over and hugged him again. "Whoa, okay, more hugging." He brought his arm up and patted her on the back.
Rory stepped back and smiled. "I'm just so excited for you guys!"
Luke smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He pondered a moment, then said, "Everyone's gonna do that when they find out, aren't they? I mean, the hugging thing. . ."
Rory nodded. "Probably." Luke sighed, and Rory gave him a sympathetic tap on the shoulder. "It'll be okay."
. . .
An hour later, Lorelai parked the Jeep along the street by the gazebo, and she, Luke, and Rory climbed out. Luke headed toward the diner, and Lorelai and Rory walked toward Sookie's house.
Lorelai shoved her hands into her pockets. "Man, it's cold out today."
"Well, it is mid-November," Rory reminded her. "We're getting into the wintry weather."
"This weekend'll be a good time to get out the winter clothes. I can't wait to get into all those cute sweaters."
"You mean the cute sweaters that'll be hanging in my closet in a few months when they don't fit you anymore?" Rory teased.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Aw, man. I hope they make cute winter maternity clothes."
"Well, if they don't, maybe you can make your own. You do know how to sew."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, in between the morning sickness and the mood swings, I'll start my own clothing line." She glanced around, then put her arm around Rory's shoulder and lowered her voice. "You know, we shouldn't talk about this outside. Someone might overhear us."
Rory's eyes widened and she quickly glanced around. "Oh, right, sorry. I'll try to ix-nay mentioning the egrancy-pray when we're outside-hay."
Lorelai smiled. "Wow, is there a Pig Latin class at Chilton? 'Cause you're getting goooood."
They walked up the walkway to Sookie's house and into the screened-in front porch. Lorelai knocked on the door, and eventually Sookie answered, understandably surprised to see them. "Hey guys. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Can we come in?" Lorelai asked. "It's kinda cold out here."
"Oh, sure, yeah." Sookie opened the door wider and they walked into the house. She closed the door, then turned to them. "What's up? You're up early on a Saturday. Are you going to the inn?"
Lorelai shook her head. "No. Listen, we're gonna play a little game."
"A game?" Sookie asked. "That's why you're here at 7:40 on Saturday morning?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, well, I have to be at the inn by eight."
"Don't worry, it won't take long," Lorelai assured her. "It's actually not so much a game as it is word play."
Sookie glanced questioningly at Rory, who shrugged. "Just play along."
Lorelai smiled. "Okay, so, this is all you have to do – you ask me if I want a nice cold beer, and then I'll respond."
"That's the game?" Sookie asked. "Er, I mean, word play?"
"Yup."
"It doesn't sound like it's much fun," she remarked, shaking her head.
Lorelai grinned and nodded. "Trust me, it'll be fun. Go on, ask me."
Sookie shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. "Uh, do you want a nice cold beer?"
Lorelai gasped. "Sookie, you're not supposed to give pregnant women alcohol!"
Sookie scoffed. "But you're the one who just told me to. . ." Her voice trailed off as she realized what Lorelai had said, and her eyes slowly widened. "Wait - what?"
Lorelai patted Rory on the back. "Honey, tell Auntie Sookie what Mommy just said."
Rory smiled. "Mom's pregnant."
Sookie gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "No!"
Rory nodded. "Yes."
"No!"
Rory shrugged and glanced at Lorelai. "Mom, maybe she'll believe you if you say it."
Lorelai smiled. "It finally happened, Sookie. I took a pregnancy test this morning."
Sookie gasped and started waving her hands excitedly in front of her. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" She grabbed onto Lorelai's arms and the two of them started jumping up and down, squealing loudly. After a moment, Lorelai reached for Rory's arm and she joined in on the celebration.
"What's going on?" a voice asked. The three of them settled down and glanced toward the hallway where Jackson was standing. "Wait, let me guess – Lorelai finally figured out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootise Roll Pop and she rushed over here to tell us."
"No, but you're close," Lorelai said.
Rory narrowed her eyes. "How is he close?"
"Well, because there's a Tootsie Roll in the center of the lollipop, right? So if we pretend that my stomach is a lollipop and that the baby is the Tootsie Roll, it's sort of a similar analogy-type thing."
Rory gave her an impressed nod. "Nice connection."
"Wait, did you say baby?" Jackson asked.
Sookie giggled and clasped her hands together. "Lorelai's pregnant!"
Jackson's mouth dropped open with surprise, then he smiled. "Wow, that's great. Congratulations." He walked over and hugged her.
"Thanks, Jackson."
He took a step back. "How'd Luke take it?"
"Ooh, yeah, what did he say?" Sookie asked.
Lorelai smiled. "Oh, God, he's so excited. First he got all wide-eyed like he couldn't believe it, and then he got this cute little proud-father-to-be smile."
"Aww, that's so adorable!" Sookie gushed. She nudged Rory. "And what about you, girlie? You excited to be a big sister?"
Rory smiled and nodded. "Definitely. I'm really excited about it."
"Wait, did you have any symptoms?" Sookie asked. "What made you take the test?"
"Well, I was two days late," Lorelai started.
Jackson started walking backwards. "Okay, this is going to a weird place, so I think I'm gonna go. . .uh, see about that thing in the. . .yeah." He turned around and quickly walked to the kitchen.
Sookie rolled her eyes and waved him off, then turned back to Lorelai. "Go on."
"I was two days late so we bought a test last night, and then took it this morning and it was positive," Lorelai said.
Sookie giggled excitedly and hugged Lorelai. "Aw, this is so great. I'm so happy for you, honey."
"Thank you." She pulled back. "Listen, we kinda wanna keep it quiet for a little while. Not too long, just a week or two so we can get used to it before everyone starts talking about it. Think you can handle it?"
Sookie nodded. "I'll try."
Lorelai bit on her bottom lip. "Sookie. . ."
"Really hard," she added. "I'll try really hard, I promise."
"Thank you."
. . .
On Monday morning, Luke was wiping down the counter at the diner when the phone rang behind him. He draped his dishtowel over his shoulder and walked over to answer it. "Luke's"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong number. Is this 1-900-Touch-Me, Stars Hollow's one and only phone sex hotline?"
Luke smirked. "As a matter of fact, it is. What are you wearing?"
"Nothin' but a smile," Lorelai replied. "And for some reason, the guests keep giving me strange looks."
"Can't imagine why."
"Me either. Do other inns not have beautiful naked women standing at the front desks?"
"Guess not."
"Ah well. I strive to be different."
"So what's up? Did you call the doctor?"
"Yup. They didn't have any appointments 'til Wednesday, so that's when I made it for. Wednesday at 4:45."
"Wednesday at 4:45." He made a note on the back of his order pad. "Okay."
"Yeah, and I just got done telling Sookie about it and she invited us over for dinner afterwards."
"After the appointment?"
"Yeah. 'Cause I told her I'd stop by after and tell her how it went, so she said she'd make dinner and we could stay and eat over."
"That was nice." Luke glanced around and lowered his voice. "So. . .how ya feelin'? Still nauseous?"
"Yeah, a little bit. I haven't hit the throwing up stage yet though."
"Well, that's good, I guess."
"Yeah. Okay, I should probably go put some clothes on."
Luke smiled. "Okay. See ya tonight."
"Bye."
. . .
On Wednesday afternoon, Lorelai and Luke were sitting in the otherwise-empty doctor's office waiting room. Lorelai was flipping through a magazine while Luke sat quietly next to her, tapping his hands on his knees.
Lorelai set the magazine back on the table next to her, then rubbed his arm. "Hey. . .you okay?"
Luke nodded quickly. "Yeah. Sure. Fine."
Lorelai patted him on the thigh. "Just relax. I'm the one who's gonna be examined, I'm the one who's gonna have to pee in a cup. All you have to do is stand there. There's nothing to be nervous about."
"I'm not nervous. I'm just. . ." Luke shrugged. "I don't know. . . I'm anxious. And tired of waiting." He checked his watch. "It's past five and the appointment was for 4:45. If they can't keep the appointment time, they shouldn't make the appointment to begin with. It's like making reservations at a restaurant and then getting there and having to wait for your table. What was the point of making the reservation to begin with if you're gonna have to wait anyway?"
Lorelai ran her hand over his leg. "Okay, I don't have an explanation for the whole dinner reservation part of your little rant there, but it's a well-known fact that you always have to wait when you go to the doctor." She gestured around the room. "When they go to all the trouble to build a room specifically called the waiting room, you have to expect that there's gonna be waiting. They wanna get good use out of the room."
"Uh huh."
"And just a small reminder – we're gonna have a lot of doctor's appointments over the next nine months, so you better get used to the whole waiting thing."
Luke sighed and put his arm around her. A few minutes later, the nurse opened the waiting room door. "Lorelai, the doctor will see you now."
Lorelai and Luke glanced at each other, then stood up and followed the nurse down the hallway.
. . .
They spent some time talking with the doctor, and then Lorelai underwent her physical examination and had some tests done. The pregnancy was confirmed, and the doctor congratulated them. "So let's figure out the due date, shall we," Doctor Palmer said. "You said you have a regular cycle, correct?"
Lorelai nodded. "Yes."
"Okay, good. Can you recall the first day of your last menstrual period?"
"Um. . ." Lorelai glanced at Luke and thought for a moment. "It was the Thursday after your birthday, so that was. . .October 17th. " She glanced back at the doctor. "Yes, October 17th."
"Okay, let's see." Doctor Palmer flipped to the calendar on her clipboard. "That would make your expected due date. . .July 24th."
"July 24th." Lorelai smiled and reached for Luke's hand. "Sounds like a good date."
"Yup," Luke agreed. "Good date."
"So right now the baby's 4 weeks and 6 days old," the doctor told them. "Would you like to try to pinpoint the date of conception? Some couples like to know exactly when it happened."
Lorelai smiled. "Oh, yeah, that'd be cool."
"Okay, well, conception occurs approximately 14 days after the first day of your last menstrual period, so that would put the probable conception date on or around. . ." She glanced down at her calendar. "October 31st."
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Well, I know we didn't do it on Halloween." She thought for a moment. "Ooh, but we did do it the next night. Actually, that was the only time we did it that week."
"Well, that's it, then," the doctor said.
Lorelai smiled and squeezed Luke's hand. "Aw, Luke, we conceived on our wedding anniversary. How cute is that?" She turned to the doctor. "Isn't that cute?"
She smiled and nodded. "That's nice. You said you were just married in September, right?"
"Yup, September first," Lorelai replied. "November first was our 2-month anniversary."
"Wait, that was only two weeks ago," Luke piped up. "But you said the baby's four weeks old. How is that possible?"
"Very good question, and one that a lot of people have," the doctor commented. "It's because you count down the weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period, not from the date of conception. What this means is that women are technically about two weeks pregnant the day they conceive."
Luke nodded. "Ah. Learn something new everyday."
Doctor Palmer set her clipboard down. "Okay, well, there are a few more things I want to look over and discuss with you, and then you two can get outta here."
. . .
That night, Lorelai and Luke arrived at Sookie and Jackson's house around 6:30. They knocked, and Jackson answered the door. "Hey guys."
"Hey. Sorry we're a little late," Lorelai said. "We stopped home to tell Rory how the appointment went. She's sorry she couldn't make it. She has a lot of homework to do."
"Well, Sookie made plenty, so you can take some home to her," Jackson said. "Come on in."
As they walked into the house, Luke said, "I noticed that your railing's a little shaky out there."
Jackson nodded. "Yeah, I know, and I can't figure out why. All the screws seem tight enough."
Luke had started to take his jacket off, but he pulled it back on. "Well, let's go take a look at it."
Jackson grabbed his coat from the hook behind the door. "Maybe you can look at the weather stripping around the windows, too. I think it might need to be replaced, but I could use a second opinion."
"Sure, I'll check 'em out." He rubbed Lorelai's arm. "Be right back."
"Okay."
"Sookie's in the kitchen," Jackson added.
The men walked outside. Lorelai took her coat off and draped it on an armchair, then walked to the kitchen. "Hey Sookie."
Sookie turned around and smiled. "Hey. Ooh, I'm so glad you're here. How'd it go?"
Lorelai smiled as she sat down at the kitchen table. "Very good. I'm almost five weeks along, and it's due on July 24th."
Sookie grinned. "Aw, a summer baby. You'll get to have fun outdoor summer birthday barbecues. You can set up a sprinkler and have water balloon tosses and a piñata in the shape of a sun!"
Lorelai smiled. "Wow, you think much farther ahead than I do." They talked for a few more minutes about the doctor's visit, and then Lorelai sighed and stood up. "Okay, bathroom time. . .again."
She walked to the bathroom, and when she returned, Luke was sitting on the couch in the living room. She sat down next to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Ooh, your face is cold." She rubbed his cheek to warm it up. "Did you have some good male bonding out there?"
"Yup. Made up for having to listen to all that female talk at the doctor's."
Lorelai smiled. "Just be thankful you only have to listen to it. I'm the one who has to go through it."
A few minutes later, Sookie and Jackson walked into the room. Jackson was carrying a plate of appetizers, which he set on the coffee table, and Sookie was carrying a gift bag, which she handed to Lorelai. "Here, we got you a couple of things."
"Aw, you didn't have to get us anything." Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Wasn't that nice?"
"Yeah, very nice."
Sookie and Jackson both sat down and watched Lorelai open the gift bag. She pulled out a book and read the title. "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Lorelai gasped and smacked Luke on the leg. "Aw, look! Now I don't have to go buy it myself."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, good." He turned to Sookie and Jackson. "She just mentioned on the way home from the doctor that she should go out and get that."
"So you guys saved me a trip," Lorelai said. "Thanks."
Sookie smiled. "You're welcome. I guess it's probably more directed at first-time mothers, but we figured since it's been so long. . ."
Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, absolutely. I need to refresh my memory about this pregnancy stuff." She reached into the bag and pulled out another book. "Cool - 20,001 Names for Baby."
Luke's eyes widened. "Wow, I didn't know there were that many names in the world."
"That's nothing," Sookie said. "There was another book that had 93,000 names."
Lorelai gasped. "Oh my God, that's crazy."
Sookie giggled. "I know. I guess for some people, 20,001 names isn't really broad enough of a selection, and they prefer to explore the other 73,000 options before deciding on one."
"People are nuts," Luke commented.
Lorelai reached into the bag and pulled out the last book. She read the title, then smiled and handed it to Luke. "That's yours, hon."
Luke read the title aloud. "What To Expect When Your Wife Is Expanding. Huh."
"You're gonna need to know what you have in store, my friend," Lorelai said.
"You're in for a bumpy nine months," Sookie warned. "Be prepared."
"Thanks." Luke turned the book over and read the back cover. "Looks funny."
"Informative and humorous," Jackson said. "I was flipping through it in the bookstore, and it's a pretty good read. And chapter three answers some very important questions."
Luke turned to the table of contents and read through the outline of chapter three, then smirked. "Ah. Thanks for the tip."
"What's in chapter three?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah, come on, share it with us girls," Lorelai said.
"It's nothing, never mind," Luke said quickly.
"Tsk, give me that." Lorelai reached for the book, but he held it away from her. She pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "Fine, forget it." She grimaced and dropped her arms. "Ow."
"What's wrong?" Sookie asked.
"My boobs are sore," Lorelai replied. "Sorry for the bluntness, Jackson."
"Don't worry, Jackson's heard of boobs," Sookie replied. "They hurt?"
"Yeah, and poor Luke found out the hard way," Lorelai said, patting him on the leg. "Before I could mention it to him the other day, he came up behind me and slipped his hands under my – "
"Okay, they don't need the whole story," Luke interrupted.
"Aw, he tried to grope something that didn't want to be groped?" Sookie asked.
"Yup, two somethings," Lorelai replied. "And I said something like 'ow, stop' really loud and he got nervous and jumped back. It was actually pretty humorous."
Luke sighed. "Okay, any time you wanna stop talking is good."
"Aw, sorry, I'm embarrassing you." Lorelai sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I just hope the pain goes away soon."
"The doctor said they wouldn't hurt as much after the first trimester," Luke reminded her.
Lorelai gave him an impressed smile. "Wow, you really were listening." Luke shrugged nonchalantly, and Lorelai added, "But I guess two women talking about breasts is a conversation any man would remember."
"I'd remember it," Jackson said.
Sookie picked up a book from the end table. "I also picked this up at the bookstore for me." She passed it over to Lorelai.
Lorelai smiled as she read the cover. "Homemade Baby Food, Pure and Simple. Aw, that's so cute, Sookie."
Sookie grinned. "Your baby's gonna be eating the healthiest, best-tasting baby food in all of Connecticut."
Lorelai flipped through the book and stopped on a page. "Uh, you can skip the pureed spinach. I'd never subject my baby to that."
"I'll make a note," Sookie replied. The four of them talked for a few more minutes in the living room, then moved into the kitchen for dinner.
. . .
That night, Lorelai and Luke pulled up to their house, and as they were walking to the front porch, Lorelai stopped and pulled him back. "Wait."
"What is it?"
"Look up." Lorelai smiled and pointed toward the streetlight, where she could faintly see a small sprinkling of snow flurries. "It's snowing."
Luke followed her gaze. "It's not snowing, it's flurrying."
Lorelai scoffed. "Excuse me – what's the definition of a flurry?"
"A very small. . .piece of. . .uh. . ." He searched for an alternate word, then reluctantly muttered, "Snow."
Lorelai pointed at him. "Aha! The word snow is in the definition, so it's snowing."
"It's melting before it even gets near the ground."
Lorelai pouted. "Luke."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine, it's snowing."
"Thank you." Lorelai unbuttoned her jacket, then lifted up her shirt a few inches to expose her stomach. "Look up there, little baby – that's called snow. Snow is magical and beautiful and Mommy loves it. Daddy. . ." She glanced at Luke. "Well, Daddy doesn't really like it, but we still love him."
Luke tugged her shirt back down. "Don't do that, it's cold."
"But I had to show it the snow."
He glanced up at the sky. "It's over already anyway. You really want that pathetic 30-second flurrying to go on record as the baby's first snowfall?"
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Hm, I guess not. Maybe we should pretend this didn't happen."
"Sounds good."
Lorelai kissed him, and they started walking toward the front door. "So how'd you like it?"
"Like what?"
Lorelai smiled and nudged him in the side. "Being called 'Daddy'."
Luke smiled and laced his fingers through hers. "I think I'll get used to it."
. . .
To be continued. . .
Thanks so much for all the incredibly nice feedback, and for letting me know you guys are still reading!
