Accidents and I Love Yous
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the Gilmore Girls, or any of the characters, or any of the brilliant plot ideas. Please don't sue me. I don't have any money to speak of, so it would be disappointing.
Rating: PG-13, maybe... maaaaaybe R later on....
A/N: Here's chapter five! Sorry, it's shorter than the rest...hope you like it!
Chapter 5: The Decision
There was silence for a moment, as Lorelai waited impatiently for Rory's response.
"What?" Rory said finally, the shock evident in her voice. "Luke?"
"Luke." Lorelai confirmed.
"Our Luke?" Rory asked.
"Yep," Lorelai replied.
"Flannel shirt, backwards baseball cap Luke?"
"That's the one," Lorelai nodded.
"Wow," Rory said.
"Wow?" Lorelai scoffed. "All you can say is wow? You've got to give me more than that! This is a life changing event. This is huge. Monumental—"
"I get the picture," Rory said quickly, cutting her mother off.
"I don't know..." Lorelai said, more to herself than to Rory. "Is this a good thing? I mean, Luke's one of my best friends. Anything deeper might ruin that. But..." Lorelai sighed. I don't know what to do. The man is downstairs on my couch. I'm not going to be able to talk to him. Now I have 'feelings'." Lorelai emphasized the word. "Feelings make everything all awkward..."
"Wait," Rory interrupted. "Luke is on your couch?"
"Yeah. Downstairs." Lorelai replied, like she couldn't even believe it herself. "He's slumbering away, with no idea that the crazy lady upstairs is in love with him."
"So...why is Luke on your couch?" Rory asked, confused.
Lorelai hesitated, realizing that she should have told Rory about the night's events sooner. She immediately felt bad. "Luke was in an accident, hon," Lorelai said softly.
"Oh my God!" Rory said, her voice rising. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine," Lorelai reassured her quickly. "It's a long story, but the weather was terrible tonight, and he ran his truck into a tree. But he's only got a few sore muscles and a big cut on his forehead."
Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She paused. "You're sure he's okay?"
Lorelai smiled, touched by her daughter's concern. "He's fine, sweetie. Believe me. I asked about twenty times."
"Okay," Rory said finally. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Why's he on your couch?"
"Because," Lorelai said, as if it was obvious. "He's Luke. He refused to go to the hospital. So I made him stay here. You know... in case anything went wrong."
"Oh. Makes sense," Rory said.
"He's very stubborn." Lorelai stated.
"This is true," Rory agreed. "So... Luke came to stay on your couch, and now you're in love with him."
"Yes."
"It seems like there's some pertinent information missing here..." Rory said.
Lorelai let out a frustrated sigh. "I was getting him an ice pack. For his head."
"Ooh! To prevent bruising. That first aid class finally paid off!" Rory chimed in.
"I told you it would," Lorelai continued. "So anyways, Luke reached up to hold the ice pack to his head. And he touched my arm!"
Rory waited for her mother to continue, but she didn't.
"Was that the end of the story?" Rory asked. "Because if it was, I'm not impressed."
"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. "When he touched my arm, I felt it!"
"It?" Rory asked. "What's it?"
"It. What you feel when you're in love." Lorelai responded.
"Oh... that it."
"Except this was different," Lorelai explained.
"Different how?"
"Just...different." Lorelai recalled the incident, the moment Luke's hand had brushed her arm. "Different than with anyone else. Better."
"I see," Rory said, smiling. "I have to say, it's about time."
"What do you mean by that?" Lorelai asked defensively.
"Well, no offense, Mom, but I've seen this coming for a long time. So has Sookie. Miss Pattie. Babette. Actually, the whole town has."
"What?" Lorelai asked, shocked.
"Yeah... It's pretty obvious to just about everyone except you guys. With the cute little fights at the diner. And he's always over here helping out. Not to mention the fact," Rory continued, "that he loaned you thirty thousand dollars. People who are 'just friends' don't do that—"
"Wait..." Lorelai said. "How did you know about the thirty thousand dollars?"
"That's not the point, right now," Rory replied.
"Fine." Lorelai frowned. Rory did have a point. Maybe her feelings for Luke had been there all along...she'd just never noticed before.
"So what should I do?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, I have one question," Rory said. "What do you really want?"
Lorelai hesitated, thinking of how to answer. "I want Luke," she said finally.
"Then you should tell him," Rory replied.
"But what if he doesn't want me?" Lorelai asked, more frightened by the thought than she had realized.
"He does, Mom," Rory replied confidently.
"Yeah?"
"Definitely. I've watched you two my whole life. The way he looks at you, the things he's done for you..." Rory grinned. "There's no question."
Lorelai smiled at Rory's words. "Okay. Then I'll tell him."
"Good," Rory replied. "Now, can I please go back to bed?"
Lorelai laughed. "Yeah. Go. Sorry I got you up so late."
"No problem. Call me tomorrow?" Rory asked. "I want details."
"Will do. Night, Sweets."
"Night. Oh, Mom?" Rory said, right before hanging up.
"Yeah?" Lorelai asked.
"I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, babe." She smiled.
Lorelia hung up the phone, nervousness already building in the pit of her stomach. Her mind was already racing, thinking of things that could go wrong. What if Luke didn't feel the same way? What if things didn't work out?
What if—
But Lorelai was sick of what-ifs. She had to take the risk. She had to tell him.
And, she decided, she had to do it now, before she lost her nerve.
With a deep breath, she left her room and walked slowly downstairs, to where Luke lay sleeping on the couch.
TBC...
A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked this. I don't know whether I have Rory's character down very well, but I tried! Please review.
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the Gilmore Girls, or any of the characters, or any of the brilliant plot ideas. Please don't sue me. I don't have any money to speak of, so it would be disappointing.
Rating: PG-13, maybe... maaaaaybe R later on....
A/N: Here's chapter five! Sorry, it's shorter than the rest...hope you like it!
Chapter 5: The Decision
There was silence for a moment, as Lorelai waited impatiently for Rory's response.
"What?" Rory said finally, the shock evident in her voice. "Luke?"
"Luke." Lorelai confirmed.
"Our Luke?" Rory asked.
"Yep," Lorelai replied.
"Flannel shirt, backwards baseball cap Luke?"
"That's the one," Lorelai nodded.
"Wow," Rory said.
"Wow?" Lorelai scoffed. "All you can say is wow? You've got to give me more than that! This is a life changing event. This is huge. Monumental—"
"I get the picture," Rory said quickly, cutting her mother off.
"I don't know..." Lorelai said, more to herself than to Rory. "Is this a good thing? I mean, Luke's one of my best friends. Anything deeper might ruin that. But..." Lorelai sighed. I don't know what to do. The man is downstairs on my couch. I'm not going to be able to talk to him. Now I have 'feelings'." Lorelai emphasized the word. "Feelings make everything all awkward..."
"Wait," Rory interrupted. "Luke is on your couch?"
"Yeah. Downstairs." Lorelai replied, like she couldn't even believe it herself. "He's slumbering away, with no idea that the crazy lady upstairs is in love with him."
"So...why is Luke on your couch?" Rory asked, confused.
Lorelai hesitated, realizing that she should have told Rory about the night's events sooner. She immediately felt bad. "Luke was in an accident, hon," Lorelai said softly.
"Oh my God!" Rory said, her voice rising. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine," Lorelai reassured her quickly. "It's a long story, but the weather was terrible tonight, and he ran his truck into a tree. But he's only got a few sore muscles and a big cut on his forehead."
Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She paused. "You're sure he's okay?"
Lorelai smiled, touched by her daughter's concern. "He's fine, sweetie. Believe me. I asked about twenty times."
"Okay," Rory said finally. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Why's he on your couch?"
"Because," Lorelai said, as if it was obvious. "He's Luke. He refused to go to the hospital. So I made him stay here. You know... in case anything went wrong."
"Oh. Makes sense," Rory said.
"He's very stubborn." Lorelai stated.
"This is true," Rory agreed. "So... Luke came to stay on your couch, and now you're in love with him."
"Yes."
"It seems like there's some pertinent information missing here..." Rory said.
Lorelai let out a frustrated sigh. "I was getting him an ice pack. For his head."
"Ooh! To prevent bruising. That first aid class finally paid off!" Rory chimed in.
"I told you it would," Lorelai continued. "So anyways, Luke reached up to hold the ice pack to his head. And he touched my arm!"
Rory waited for her mother to continue, but she didn't.
"Was that the end of the story?" Rory asked. "Because if it was, I'm not impressed."
"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. "When he touched my arm, I felt it!"
"It?" Rory asked. "What's it?"
"It. What you feel when you're in love." Lorelai responded.
"Oh... that it."
"Except this was different," Lorelai explained.
"Different how?"
"Just...different." Lorelai recalled the incident, the moment Luke's hand had brushed her arm. "Different than with anyone else. Better."
"I see," Rory said, smiling. "I have to say, it's about time."
"What do you mean by that?" Lorelai asked defensively.
"Well, no offense, Mom, but I've seen this coming for a long time. So has Sookie. Miss Pattie. Babette. Actually, the whole town has."
"What?" Lorelai asked, shocked.
"Yeah... It's pretty obvious to just about everyone except you guys. With the cute little fights at the diner. And he's always over here helping out. Not to mention the fact," Rory continued, "that he loaned you thirty thousand dollars. People who are 'just friends' don't do that—"
"Wait..." Lorelai said. "How did you know about the thirty thousand dollars?"
"That's not the point, right now," Rory replied.
"Fine." Lorelai frowned. Rory did have a point. Maybe her feelings for Luke had been there all along...she'd just never noticed before.
"So what should I do?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, I have one question," Rory said. "What do you really want?"
Lorelai hesitated, thinking of how to answer. "I want Luke," she said finally.
"Then you should tell him," Rory replied.
"But what if he doesn't want me?" Lorelai asked, more frightened by the thought than she had realized.
"He does, Mom," Rory replied confidently.
"Yeah?"
"Definitely. I've watched you two my whole life. The way he looks at you, the things he's done for you..." Rory grinned. "There's no question."
Lorelai smiled at Rory's words. "Okay. Then I'll tell him."
"Good," Rory replied. "Now, can I please go back to bed?"
Lorelai laughed. "Yeah. Go. Sorry I got you up so late."
"No problem. Call me tomorrow?" Rory asked. "I want details."
"Will do. Night, Sweets."
"Night. Oh, Mom?" Rory said, right before hanging up.
"Yeah?" Lorelai asked.
"I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, babe." She smiled.
Lorelia hung up the phone, nervousness already building in the pit of her stomach. Her mind was already racing, thinking of things that could go wrong. What if Luke didn't feel the same way? What if things didn't work out?
What if—
But Lorelai was sick of what-ifs. She had to take the risk. She had to tell him.
And, she decided, she had to do it now, before she lost her nerve.
With a deep breath, she left her room and walked slowly downstairs, to where Luke lay sleeping on the couch.
TBC...
A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked this. I don't know whether I have Rory's character down very well, but I tried! Please review.