"It's Still There – part 23"

. . . . .

Luke walked out of the delivery room and down the long hospital hallway toward the waiting room. When Rory saw him approaching, she jumped up out of her seat and rushed over to him. "Well?"

Luke smiled. "It's a boy."

Rory gasped, then let out an excited squeal. "Oh my God, it's a boy!" She threw her arms around Luke's neck and they hugged. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks."

Rory pulled back with a grin. "Oh my God, this is so exciting. How's Mom? How was the birth? How's the baby?"

"Your mom's doing great," Luke assured her. "She's exhausted, obviously, but the birth was fine. She was so amazing. The baby's fine, they're looking him over right now."

"Are you guys sticking with the Joshua-for-a-boy's-name game plan, or was there a last-minute change of heart?"

"No, it's Joshua." Luke smiled and shook his head slightly toward the ground. "He's so small. And cute. God, Rory, you won't believe how cute he is. And I'm not just saying that 'cause he's my kid, he really is a good-looking boy. Even with the, you know, gross mucous-y stuff that was on his body when he came out."

Rory smiled at his excitement. "I can't wait to see him and Mom. Can I go in there?"

"Not yet, but soon," Luke replied. "They're cleaning everything up right now and then you can see 'em. They need to stay in that room for a couple of hours, and then they'll be moved into one of the recovery rooms."

"Should I call Sookie and my grandparents?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, your mom wanted me to ask you to do that, but she doesn't want visitors right away, so try to stress the fact that she really needs to rest first. If you have to, tell 'em that's what the hospital suggests."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

He gestured behind him toward the hallway to the delivery room. "I'm gonna head back in there. I'll come out and get you in a few minutes."

"Okay." Rory gave him another congratulatory hug before walking off to make the phone calls, and Luke headed back to the delivery room.

The bed had been cleaned up and Lorelai was now wearing a clean hospital gown. The baby was crying loudly with some nurses on the other side of the room. Luke walked over to the bed and Lorelai smiled up at him. "Did you tell her?"

Luke nodded, then gestured toward the baby. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's hungry," Lorelai replied. "One of the nurses is getting him a bottle."

The nurse wrapped Joshua up in a blanket and brought him over to Lorelai, and a few moments later, another nurse handed her a small bottle. Lorelai placed the tip gently on the baby's lips, and his cries disappeared as he instinctively began sucking.

Lorelai smiled down at him. "That's all you wanted, wasn't it? I hear ya, kid. Mommy's so hungry she's about to start crying, too." She kissed him on the forehead and watched him eat.

The doctor walked over and talked with them for a few minutes, then she and the nurses left the room.

When he was finished eating, Lorelai brought Joshua up to her shoulder to burp him, and she asked Luke, "Can you go get Rory now?"

"Sure." Luke glanced down at the green hospital scrubs he was wearing. "I can take these off, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "I think they were just for the delivery." Luke pulled the scrubs off and smoothed out his clothes before leaving the room.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Lorelai said, "Come in."

The door opened and Rory walked into the room, and her face lit up when she saw Lorelai. "Mom!"

Lorelai grinned. "Hey, you. Get over here." She lowered the baby from her shoulder and cradled it in her arms. "Meet your brother."

Rory walked over to the bed and let out a soft gasp. "Oh my God. . .he's so cute."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I know. I'm two for two in my attempts to produce attractive offspring."

"Yes, you are." Rory leaned forward and hugged Lorelai gently, careful not to press up against the baby. "Congratulations, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetie." Lorelai kissed her on the cheek. "Aw, look at me with my two babies. This is such a Kodak moment and there's no one to take a picture. Where's Luke?"

Rory pulled back from the hug and shrugged. "I don't know where he went, but he said he'd be right back." She stared down at Joshua in awe as she ran her finger over his tiny arm. "God, it's so weird to think that just fifteen minutes ago he was inside of you and now he's right here in front of me."

"Do you wanna hold him?" Lorelai asked.

Rory hesitated a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah."

Lorelai gently passed the baby to Rory, who cuddled it nervously against her chest. "It might be more comfortable if you sit down," Lorelai suggested. She pointed to the rocking chair a few feet away, and Rory slowly walked over and sat down in it.

"Ah, much better." Rory stared down at him for a moment, then brought her gaze to Lorelai. "So how are you? The birth and everything was good?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, everything was perfect. A couple of pushes and he was outta there. I think he wanted to get out just as much as I wanted him out." Lorelai shifted in the bed to get more comfortable, and she sighed as she leaned back against her pillows.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked.

"Well, honey, I would like to share with you a little something I've learned – some words of wisdom from a mother to her daughter."

"Go ahead."

"Wait, you should really write this down," Lorelai said. "Do you have a pen and paper?"

"No, but I'll remember it," Rory assured her.

"Okay, well, here's what I've learned. . . when you force something the size of half a watermelon through a hole the size of your fist, there's a little something called residual pain." Lorelai frowned and shook her head. "And as you might imagine from the use of the word pain, it doesn't feel good."

Rory frowned sympathetically. "Aw, I'm sorry." She shuddered and made a face. "But let's move on now, 'cause thinking about the image is kind of wigging me out."

"Sorry. I just felt it was important to pass on my knowledge."

"I appreciate that." Rory glanced down at Joshua. "You know, you're a pretty lucky kid. You just happen to have the greatest mom in the whole entire world. I can attest from personal experience that she's a great child-raiser."

"Yeah, well, considering the fact that I know nothing about little boys, let's not get his hopes up about my abilities," Lorelai interjected. "You may be setting him up for some major disappointment."

"And your father," Rory continued to the baby, "happens to be one of the nicest men in all of Connecticut, and even though he doesn't have much experience with babies, I know he's gonna be great with you."

"I'll drink to that," Lorelai said. "Run out and get me some alcohol, would ya?"

Rory smiled. "I would, but I don't have my fake ID with me."

Lorelai sighed. "How many times have I told you to keep it with you at all times? Have you learned nothing from me?" She reached for her cup of water on the table next to her and took a long sip.

They sat quietly for a few minutes until the baby whimpered and Rory's eyes widened. "Oh no. . .what do I do?" Within seconds, the baby began crying, and Rory worriedly repeated, "Mom, hurry, what do I do?"

Lorelai beckoned her over. "It's okay, just bring him here."

Rory brought the baby over to Lorelai, who gently took him from her and cradled him to her chest. "Shh, it's okay, honey," she whispered. "Mommy's here, you're okay." She rocked him gently in her arms until his cries quieted down.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Luke walked in. "I'm back." He was carrying a bag in one hand, and in the other, an arrangement of flowers in a small white basket. He set the flowers on the bedside table. "Picked these up at the gift shop for you."

Lorelai smiled. "Ah, so I've finally figured out what I have to do to get my husband to bring me flowers – give birth. I'll make a note for future reference." She tugged on his shirt and pulled him down to kiss him. "Thank you, I love 'em." She gestured to the bag. "What's in there?"

"Well, you said you were hungry. . ." He reached into the bag and pulled out a white Styrofoam cup with a lid. "So I got you some chicken soup from the cafeteria." He set it on the table.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, thank God, I'm starving. I was five minutes away from drinking Josh's formula."

He set the bag next to her on the bed. "There's also crackers, chips, candy bars, and apple juice. That should last you awhile."

"Mm, great selection," Lorelai commented. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He turned to Rory and smiled. "So. . .did you get to hold him?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, for a few minutes until he started crying."

"Then she freaked out and got rid of him as fast as humanly possible," Lorelai added. "I'm thinking we shouldn't let her babysit alone."

"Hey, I've never been around kids," Rory reminded her. "They take getting used to."

"Here, let me take him so you can eat," Luke offered. He took the baby from Lorelai and sat down with him.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I called Sookie and Grandma," Rory said. "I told them not to come visit before 5:30. I figured that would give you plenty of time to rest."

"Yeah, that's a good time," Lorelai agreed. "Thanks."

"They both told me to tell you congratulations," Rory said. "Sookie squealed into my ear so loud that she partially deafened me, and Grandma was excited, too, but thankfully refrained from squealing, so I still have one good ear."

"Well, that's good."

"Grandma has to wait for Grandpa to get home from work, so she said they probably wouldn't be here 'til around seven."

A few minutes later, a nurse came in to check on them. "How are we doing in here?"

Lorelai set her cup of soup on the table and picked up the empty baby bottle. "Very good. He finished his bottle."

"Oh, good, I'll get that out of your way, then." The nurse took the bottle from her. "Have you gotten out of bed yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Okay, just make sure that you don't try to do it alone," the nurse warned her. "You're probably going to feel lightheaded and dizzy, so if no one's in here to help you, make sure you call for a nurse before you attempt to stand up."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, I will."

The nurse walked over to check on the baby. "Everything's looking good with him. Any troubles or questions?"

"Nope, everything's good so far," Lorelai replied.

"Okay. You should try to get some rest when you're done eating," the nurse advised her. "If you'd like us to move the baby to the nursery while you sleep, just call the nurses' station and someone will come get him."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, thank you." The nurse left the room, and Lorelai returned to eating her soup.

Luke stared down at the baby in his arms and muttered, "I can't believe there was a time when I thought I didn't want kids. How could anyone not want this?"

Lorelai and Rory smiled at each other, and Lorelai teased, "I think this newfound fatherhood is making someone a softy."

"I think so, too," Rory agreed.

Luke ignored them and lightly stroked the baby's chin with his finger. "I'm not gonna lie to you, kid. . . these girls can be tough to live with sometimes. You and me gotta stick together."

. . . . .

A few hours later, Lorelai was moved from the delivery room to a recovery room. As Luke helped Lorelai from her wheelchair to the bed, a nurse rolled the bassinet containing a sleeping Joshua right next to her.

Once they were settled and the nurse had left, Lorelai eyed the bassinet for a minute. "You know, I think I'm gonna take a shower while he's asleep. You guys are gonna be here in case he wakes up, right?"

"Yeah, we're not going anywhere," Luke replied. "Go ahead, take as long as you want."

Rory eyed her with concern. "But you're still a little wobbly when you walk. . .how are you going to be able to stand in the shower?"

"I won't have to," Lorelai said. "There's a special shower chair in there."

"Wow, convenient."

"Yeah, I think we should get one for home," Lorelai said. "You know, for those lazy mornings when you need to take a quick shower but you're just too tired to stand."

"Because going out and buying a special chair made for the shower is much more convenient than just sitting down in the tub," Luke dryly remarked.

"Yes, it is," Lorelai agreed. "And the chair's padded, so it's much more comfortable than a porcelain tub. I think it'll make a nice addition to our bathroom. What do you think?"

"I think you should go take your shower before you have visitors," Luke replied.

Lorelai frowned. "Fine. Help me."

Luke helped her out of the bed and walked her to the bathroom. He turned the water on, and when it was a comfortable temperature, helped her into the shower and onto the chair.

"God, this feels good," she moaned as the warm water cascaded over her. She slicked her hair back and leaned her face out of the falling water. "Can you bring my overnight bag in here? It has all my bathroom stuff in it."

Luke retrieved it for her and handed her the toiletries she needed. "I'll be right out there in the room if you need me. Don't try to get out of the shower by yourself," Luke warned her. "Call me for help."

"Yes, sir," she playfully saluted him before pulling the shower curtain closed.

. . . . .

A few minutes after she'd gotten out of her shower, a nurse brought in a tray of food for dinner. After watching Lorelai take a few bites of the roast beef and mashed potatoes, Luke asked, "How is it?"

"I've had worse," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Here, try some." She fed him a forkful of food and he made a face. "Apparently, you haven't."

Luke shook his head as he forced the food down. "Ugh. You know, one time at John's house, he was grilling steaks on the barbecue outside and as he was moving one of the steaks from the grill to a plate, he dropped it on the ground and it got covered in dirt and grass and all that fun stuff."

"Gross. What's your point?" Lorelai asked.

"My point is that I think if I had taken a bite of that dirt-covered steak, it would've tasted extremely similar to this." He pointed to her plate.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Tsk, it's not that bad. Rory, try it and tell me what you think."

Rory held up her hands innocently. "No, thank you. I'm not taking sides in the meat debate."

"What are you guys gonna eat for dinner?" Lorelai asked. "You gonna get something from the cafeteria?"

"Actually, while you were in the shower, we ordered pizza," Rory told her. "I have to go down to the lobby in a few minutes and wait for the delivery."

Lorelai gasped. "Why are you letting me eat this crappy roast beef when you ordered yummy stuff?"

"You seem to be enjoying it," Rory pointed out.

"Well, I'm not. I was forcing it down because I'm starving again and it's right here in front of me. Forget this, I'm waiting for pizza." Lorelai dropped her fork onto her tray and brushed off her hands. "Are you sure you're allowed to bring outside food in here?"

"We asked the nurses," Luke replied. "We're allowed as long as we dispose of the garbage ourselves and don't clog up the trash cans in the room."

"And when Pete heard why we wanted it delivered to the hospital, he said it was on the house," Rory added.

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, really? That's so nice."

Rory glanced at the clock, then stood up. "I should probably go down and wait for it now. They might come early."

Luke stood up and pulled out his wallet. "Here, the meal's free, but you should still tip 'em." He handed her some money, then Rory left the room.

Lorelai patted the edge of the bed, and Luke walked over and sat next to her. She took his hand into hers. "Hi."

"Hi." He kissed her. "How ya feeling?"

"Not too bad, actually," Lorelai replied. "A little tired, a little sore, but nothing Lorelai I-am-woman-hear-me-roar Danes can't handle."

"Good."

"I'm thinking of having my middle name officially changed to that, by the way. What do you think?"

"I think it has a good flow."

"And if you don't have a good-flowing name, you got nothin'."

"That's what I always say," Luke agreed with a nod.

Lorelai smiled and hugged him. "You're so cute when you humor me."

"As opposed to. . ."

Lorelai kissed his cheek. "Sorry, you're cute all the time."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lorelai glanced past him at the bassinet and smiled when she saw that Joshua's eyes were open. "And speaking of someone who's cute all the time. . .look who's awake."

. . . . .

Meanwhile, Rory stepped off the elevator on the first floor and walked down to the lobby where she found Sookie and Jackson sitting in the waiting area by the door.

Sookie jumped up when she saw her. "Rory, hi!" She rushed over and hugged her tightly. "Congratulations on becoming a big sister!"

"Thanks, Sookie," Rory replied. "Hey Jackson."

"Hey Rory," he replied as he hugged her.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Rory asked.

"Well, we got here a few minutes ago and we got our visitor's passes, but you told us not to come up until 5:30, so we're sitting here staring at the clock." Sookie gestured to the large clock on the wall. "Seven minutes to go."

Rory smiled. "I'm sure Mom won't mind if you guys come up a little early."

"No, we were given a time to come, and we're going to respect that," Sookie replied. "We'll wait."

Rory shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself. Did you tell anyone else about the baby?"

Sookie winced and nervously bit on her fingernail. "Oops, was I not supposed to?"

"No, it's okay. Who'd you tell?"

"Well, just a couple people, but two of them were Patty and Babette. . ."

"So basically the whole town knows by now," Rory deduced.

"Yeah, pretty much," Sookie said. "And I read in one of the baby magazines that having too many visitors on the first day can be a little too much for both the mom and the baby, so I told everyone that it might be better to visit after they bring him home."

Rory nodded. "That was a good idea. I'm sure Mom'll appreciate that."

Sookie giggled excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait to go up and see them." She glanced at the clock. "Five more minutes."

On a chair behind Sookie, Rory noticed a gift bag with an "It's a Boy!" balloon attached to it. "Is that yours?"

Sookie turned around to look. "Oh, yeah. We picked up a couple of things before we came. You know, a couple of boy outfits, some little toys. And this afternoon I made some homemade sugar cookies in all these great baby shapes – bottles, pacifiers, baby booties, bassinets."

"Mm, I can't wait to try 'em," Rory said.

"What are you doing down here?" Jackson asked. "Are you leaving?"

"Nope, just waiting for dinner." Rory glanced out the window and saw the pizza delivery van pull up out front. "Oh, and there it is. Hold on, be right back." She walked outside to get the delivery, and returned a minute later carrying two pizza boxes.

Sookie giggled. "I can't believe you guys got pizza delivered to the hospital. No, actually, I can – that's such a Lorelai thing to do."

Rory smiled. "Believe it or not, it was Luke's idea. I think she's rubbing off on him." She glanced up at the clock. "Only one more minute to go. Ready to start heading up there?"

Sookie nodded. Jackson grabbed the gift bag, and the three of them headed upstairs.

. . . . .

Lorelai was standing over the bassinet changing the baby's diaper when the door opened and Rory walked in. "I'm back, and look who I found in the lobby. . ." Sookie and Jackson walked in behind her.

Lorelai smiled. "Hey, guys."

"Hey," Luke greeted them.

After all the congratulatory hugs and handshakes were out of the way, Lorelai gestured to the bassinet. "There he is. . .Joshua William."

Sookie gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God, look at him. He's so cute." She gently rubbed the baby's arm. "Aw, hello, little Joshua. . .I'm your Aunt Sookie, this is your Uncle Jackson." She giggled and hugged Lorelai again. "I can't believe you have a son."

"I know! And my son and your son will grow up together and be best friends and get into all kinds of trouble together!"

Sookie squealed. "Oh my God, that's so exciting!"

Lorelai inhaled deeply. "No, what's exciting is that pizza smell."

Rory was already eating a slice. "You better get some fast before I eat it all."

Lorelai walked over to the box and pulled out a slice. "Sookie, Jackson, you guys want pizza? There's plenty."

"No, thanks," Sookie replied. "What I want is to hold this cute little baby. Can I pick him up?"

"Absolutely. Go for it."

Half an hour later, Sookie and Jackson had left, and after some convincing from Lorelai that she shouldn't waste the whole day being cooped up in a hospital room, Rory had left to go over to Lane's house.

Luke was sitting in the rocking chair feeding the baby while Lorelai watched him from the bed. After a few minutes, she reached for the camera on the bedside table and took a picture of them. "You look so natural doing that," she commented.

"Feels pretty natural," he admitted.

"Must be that parental instinct kicking in. Or else you have a secret wife on the side with whom you've been secretly raising kids with for years and all that stuff about being scared to be a father was just a big lie to throw me off the track."

"Yep, you got me." Luke stared down at Joshua as he contentedly sucked on his bottle. "I don't wanna get you too scared or anything, kid, but tomorrow you're gonna be in some pain. Don't worry, it won't last too long, I promise."

Lorelai smiled. "Are you mentally preparing him for the circumcision?"

"I feel it's my duty as the father, seeing as how I went through it myself and can relate."

Lorelai smirked. "You can relate? Because you have strong thirty-eight and a half year old memories of your own circumcision?"

"Yes. Now, shh. . .I'm bonding with my son."

. . . . .

It was almost seven o'clock when there was a knock at the door. Lorelai, who was alone in the room with Joshua, called, "Come in."

The door slowly opened, and Emily and Richard stepped into the room. "Rumor has it we have a grandson in here," Emily said with a smile.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Lorelai greeted them. "Come in."

They walked further into the room. "We just saw Luke in the hallway," Richard said. "Uh, he said he's making an ice cream run. Is that right?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, I mentioned I felt like some, and he likes to cater to my every whim, so off he goes."

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked. "Rory said on the phone that the birth went well?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, I'm fine, Joshua's fine. Everything was perfect."

"Speaking of Rory, is she here?" Richard asked.

"No, she left a little while ago," Lorelai replied. "She'd been here all day long and she looked a little bored, so I told her to take the rest of the day off from hospital duty." She saw them eyeing the baby cradled in her arms. "So. . .do you guys wanna see him up close or is the view from over there good enough for ya?"

They walked over to the bed, and Emily gasped softly. "My goodness, he's beautiful. Richard, have you ever seen a more beautiful baby boy?"

"Never," he replied. "He's a hundred times cuter than Tellman McCabe's new grandson. That boy could scare the hair off a cat." He chuckled. "In fact, I think it once did."

"Oh, Richard, stop it," Emily scolded him. "That's not nice."

"Well, it's true."

"I know it is, but it's still not nice to say," Emily said. She smiled sweetly down at the baby. "Oh, he's just precious, Lorelai. Congratulations."

"Yes, congratulations," Richard echoed.

"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. Uh, do you guys wanna hold him?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Emily set her purse on the floor, then gently took the baby from Lorelai. She walked over to the rocking chair and sat down with him. "Ooh, he's looking up at me."

"Talk to him," Lorelai suggested. "He likes that."

"All right." Emily stared down at Joshua, but didn't say anything.

There was a long moment of silence, and Lorelai asked, "Uh, are you talking to him in your head? 'Cause we haven't taught him telepathy yet. That's next on our list after rolling-over, crawling, walking, talking and potty-training."

"I'm just not sure what to say," Emily said.

Lorelai shrugged. "Say anything. He doesn't know what you're talking about anyway."

"Okay." Emily cleared her throat. "Joshua. . ." There was another long moment of silence.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Okay, forget talking to him. Just smile at him instead." She reached for the camera. "Here, let me capture this first grandmother/grandson moment." She snapped a picture, then set the camera back on the night table.

"Richard, why don't you go get the gifts from the hallway?" Emily suggested.

"Oh, that's right, I almost forgot." He started walking toward the door.

"Oh, you guys really didn't have to bring any gifts," Lorelai insisted.

"Nonsense," Emily said. "When a baby is born, you bring it a gift. That's how it works. That's how it's always worked."

Lorelai raised her hands innocently. "Who am I to argue with tradition?"

Richard returned with several Nordstrom boxes tied together with blue ribbon. "Here you are." He set them on the bed.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Wow, this is way too much stuff."

"Oh, just open them," Emily encouraged her.

Lorelai began opening the boxes to find several baby outfits. Just as she finished with the last box, Luke returned with Lorelai's ice cream.

"Oh my God, Luke, look at all the cute clothes my parents got the baby," Lorelai said. She opened one of the boxes and pulled out a shirt. "Did you know that Ralph Lauren makes Polo shirts for infants?"

Luke smirked and shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"Nor did I until today, but I saw it and just had to buy it," Emily said. "Isn't it just adorable?"

"Yeah, it's cute," Luke agreed.

"And it'll come in handy for his golf game at the club next week," Lorelai added. She showed Luke the rest of the clothes.

"You guys really didn't have to get him all this stuff," Luke said. "That was really nice, thanks."

"Oh, it was our pleasure," Emily said. "I never get to shop for little boys, so it was fun picking things out."

"Speaking of little boys, how's he doing over there?" Lorelai asked as she started eating her ice cream.

"He's sleeping," Emily replied. "Richard, do you want to hold him?"

"Yes, of course." He walked over to Emily, who stood up and handed the baby off to him. "My goodness, he's so light."

"Seven pounds, six ounces," Lorelai said.

Richard sat in the rocking chair, and Emily sat down in the chair next to him. "So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Emily asked. She glanced around at the clutter in the room. "I'm hoping that cleaning up is on it."

"Well, let's see. . .in the morning he's getting snipped," Lorelai said, making a scissoring motion with her fingers. "Then later he's getting his official hospital portrait taken, which will probably be a picture of him crying because of the residual pain he's experiencing from getting snipped. Then in the afternoon we go home."

"Can't you rearrange the schedule so he has his picture taken first?" Emily asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "That's the schedule they gave me. I'm not sure it's negotiable."

"Everything in life is negotiable," Richard stated. "You should really check into it."

"Will do, Dad," Lorelai replied. "Oh, wait." She reached for the camera and took a picture of Richard holding Joshua. "There we go – the first grandfather/grandson moment is now documented, too." She set the camera down and resumed eating her ice cream.

. . . . .

Twenty minutes later, Emily and Richard had left, and Joshua was sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. Luke had just carried the baby gifts down to the car to take home, and was now getting ready to leave for the night.

"You're sure you don't want me to stay?" Luke asked. "I can sleep on the chair. It reclines into a bed just for this situation."

"No, I'll be fine," Lorelai replied. "Besides, it's the last full night of sleep you're gonna get in that house for a very long time, you might as well enjoy it."

"Good point." He stepped over to the bassinet. "When's the nurse gonna take him to the nursery?"

"She said she'd be in in a few minutes."

Luke gently rubbed Joshua's back and whispered, "I love you, kid. I'll see you tomorrow." Lorelai smiled, and Luke walked over to hug her. "Love you."

"Love you, too." She kissed him. "Thank you for being my slave all day."

"No problem. I'll be back bright and early to do it again tomorrow."

"And every day after for as long as we both shall live?"

"Yup."

Lorelai smiled. "Now I really love you." She kissed him again. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye." He hugged her again before leaving the room.

. . . . .

The next afternoon, Joshua sat crying in his infant car seat on the floor while Lorelai, Luke, and Rory checked over the hospital room making sure they'd packed up everything.

"Wow, he really doesn't like that thing." Rory kneeled in front of the car seat. "It's okay, Josh. You won't be in it for too long. We're just going home, it's only a five minute ride." His cries got louder, and Rory stood up with a frown. "Okay, apparently he doesn't believe me."

"He's a very untrusting baby," Lorelai said. She glanced around the room. "I think we got everything." She sat down in the wheelchair the nurses had brought in for her.

"Okay, explain the wheelchair to me again," Rory said.

Lorelai shrugged. "Hospital policy. New mothers are wheeled out to their cars in a wheelchair by a nurse." She pointed to her overnight bag on the bed. "Can you grab that?"

Rory complied as Luke walked out of the bathroom. "Nothing's left in there. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, as soon as the nurse comes back in." Lorelai frowned at Joshua, who was still crying. "Aw, my poor baby's so sad."

Luke grabbed the handle of the carseat and lifted it up from the ground. He rocked it gently back and forth. "Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, Josh. We're going home."

The nurse walked in with some check-out papers for them to sign, and then they headed down to the parking lot.

. . . . .

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of their house. The baby had been quiet during the car ride, but as soon as the car stopped, his cries started up again.

"Okay, I think we might have to move into a Winnebago," Lorelai commented. "He likes to keep moving." As she climbed out of the truck, she saw several baskets of flowers lined up by the front door of the house. "Aw, who are those from?"

"I don't know," Rory replied. "They weren't here when we left this morning."

Luke unbuckled Joshua's carseat from the backseat and removed it from the truck. They walked up to the front door, and before going inside, Rory kneeled down to check the cards on the flowers. "One's from Patty, one's from the inn, one's from the Kim's, and one's from Doose's Market."

Luke pushed open the front door and they walked inside. Lorelai and Rory followed him into the living room and Lorelai sat on the couch with a sigh. "God, I'm so tired."

"I'll go make some coffee," Rory offered. She walked to the kitchen.

Luke set the carseat on the floor and unbuckled Joshua. He picked him up and cradled him against his chest, gently rocking back and forth until he stopped crying. "See, you're okay. . .there's nothing to cry about," Luke said softly.

Luke sat down on the couch next to Lorelai, who leaned over and kissed Joshua's forehead. "Welcome home, little boy," she whispered. "I think you're gonna like it here."

. . . . .

To be continued. . .