Lorelai hung up the phone with a sigh the following morning.

Okay, it could have been worse, she told herself. According to Michel, the Jane Austen people were very happy with everything. Of course it had all been resolved in a typically Emily fashion, she having called in every DAR obligation she had. What were the ladies-who-lunch in Hartford going to do without their maids this weekend? she wondered glumly. It could almost amuse her, and maybe it would someday, but not today. She shuddered a little over the close call but had to hand it to her mother for mobilizing the troops (or in this case, the troops' maids;) scheduling them in shifts, and arranging with her own employment agency contact, (a beleaguered woman to whom Richard had his secretary send a case of champagne every Christmas,) for a round of fresh maid prospects to arrive on Monday afternoon to endure Michel's scrupulous interviewing process.

Actually, her mother had handled it really well. Emily was even going to throw some business Lorelai's way, and was already talking to Michel about setting up some meetings of her various groups and organizations at The Dragonfly.

So Lorelai sighed again. She had been good. She had been mature. She had sincerely expressed her gratitude to Emily over the phone. And Emily had been gracious, truly happy to have helped, to have been involved.

So why did she feel so damn pissy then?

She grabbed her book and went out to the hammock Luke had set up, kicked down, and set up again, climbed in, and just tried to shake it off.

Not much success though.

When Rory found her at lunch time, she was spooning Ben & Jerry's into her mouth. Stabbing the spoon in for a scoop, then licking it off slowly while staring into space. Rory tried to plop down in the hammock with her, but Lorelai waved her off.

"No, no," she pleaded, "No more rocking..." she leaned back gingerly and stabbed her spoon back into the tub.

"Does it make you dizzy?" asked Rory sympathetically.

Lorelai shrugged, "a little."

Rory pulled up a nearby lawn chair instead and eyed her mother, "You didn't go out to get that ice cream, did you?"

"No, Mom. Babette came by on her way to the market and asked if I wanted anything."

Rory nodded. "So aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

"How I'm feeling?" said Lorelai a bit sourly. "It's the universal question."

"Oh, how are you feeling?" Rory played along.

"Well, you know that scene in Mary Poppins where they're all having so much fun they dance on the rooftops of London?"

"Yes."

"Well, not like that."

They paused and Lorelai stabbed her spoon in again.

"Well, Emily took care of things, just like she said she would," said Lorelai finally.

Rory nodded, "Yeah, I know. She called me and told me all about it. She's very proud of herself. It's cute."

"Yep," Lorelai agreed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Is Luke coming by tonight?" Rory asked to change the subject.

"No, he's closing tonight and opening tomorrow. He wants to take Monday off."

"He's going with us to the hospital?" asked Rory in surprise.

"He thinks he is," said Lorelai darkly.

"Mom, if he wants to go, you should let him."

"Rory, I don't want anyone to go. I'm only letting you come because they won't let me drive home when it's over."

"I don't understand why you don't want us all there. I mean I'm trying to..."

"I know. I don't think I can explain it really," said Lorelai. Then, "I'm sorry, honey. I'm in a bad mood."

"That's okay. I think it's understandable given the circumstances," said Rory.

"I know I shouldn't be feeling this way. Everything is going well, all things considered, really: Luke is doing better, you're doing better, Richard and Emily are doing better, The Dragonfly is doing better, I'm doing..." she broke off there. "...I think I'm going nuts," she finally added with another vicious stab at her ice cream.

Rory lifted her brow at the final comment.

"Don't even..." said Lorelai in warning.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday morning Lorelai decided to snap herself out of it with a Monty Python marathon, but when even the Lumberjack song didn't lift her spirits, she gave up on that.

When Luke finally came over in the early evening, he found her on the floor inside the bedroom closet sorting out shoes. He looked about; The seeming entire contents of her closet were laid out about the room.

He poked his head in. "Hey."

She looked up and tried to smile, "Hey. I didn't think I'd see you so early."

He sat down on the floor as well. "Yeah, well it was slow tonight and I've got both Lane and Rory on, so...."

"I'm glad you came," she told him sincerely.

They paused a moment.

"So I'm thinking the beloved blue dress sandals have seen their best day," Lorelai reflected over a pair of shoes.

"You have had them for a long time," he nodded.

They paused again.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"No reason."

"Uh huh," she doubted. "Okay," he caved, "Rory said that earlier you seemed..."

"Yes?"

"That you seemed a little, I don't know..." he looked down at the floor.

"So you came over early?" she asked.

He looked up at her and nodded. "I thought we could watch a movie or play scrabble, or something..."

She looked back at him.

"Don't do that," she said quietly.

"What?" he asked, truly not knowing.

"Be so selfless," she stated irrationally.

He looked at her.

"Lorelai..." he began.

She got up and walked past him with the blue sandals in hand and stuffed them into a clean trash bag with the other cast-offs on the bed.

"So how many flannel shirts do you think you have, anyway?" she asked with her back to him.

He sighed, got up and walked over to sit on the bed and look up at her.

"No idea," he told her.

Lorelai began folding some old t-shirts. "I counted twelve earlier that I could specifically remember," she reported without looking at him.

"Really?" he said.

"Don't sound so surprised," she snapped, "you knew how long I'd had those shoes."

"Lorelai, what the hell is going on?" he finally blurted out.

"Nothing. Nothing is going on," she told him and moved to the other side of the bed to fold pants.

Luke stood up and looked at her.

"I've got to make room in the closet for your stuff," she went on. "And you actually have a lot of clothes, believe it or not. And I have a small closet. I'm just trying to figure out where to put everything. I don't think I have room."

"Well, we could get a wardrobe or something," he tried. "Something nice from Mrs. Kim maybe."

"I'm not sure I have room," she repeated then eyed him, "That is, if you still want to move in."

"What do you mean if I still want to move in?" he demanded, angry now.

"Just what I said."

"Lorelai, you're not being yourself...." he said in exasperation. "I thought we'd agreed that I was moving in."

"I just want to make sure that it's still what you want... I mean without the closet space, and the spatula situation being what it is and all."

He stared at her.

"Don't you want me to move in?" he asked gruffly.

She knew he was hurt but for some reason couldn't care right now. "That's not what we're talking about... I'm concerned about there being enough room."

"Lorelai, if you don't want me to move in... I don't know what to say," he sat back down on the bed, his back to her.

"Well, maybe you can find a book to give you the answer," she said waspishly and grabbed a stack of sweaters.

He stood up and spun to face her. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She stopped what she was doing and looked down at that. "I'm trying Lorelai, I really am. It's not being selfless... It's you... I've never stepped up before in this way. I'm not young. I have my ways, I know that. But I can buy a spatula, I can build a closet... I'm willing to do all that. For Godsake, I... I couldn't even stand the way Nicole folded the towels. I mean, she didn't even fold them, she rolled them up, like little sleeping bags, because it looked nice... How crazy is that?!" he yelled. "But you could hang them on a Christmas tree for all I care!... I don't know how else to make it clear... except to say I don't care what you do with your towels as long as they are our towels... So I repeat, What the hell is the matter with you?!"

"I have this little heart thing," she mumbled sarcastically, still looking down.

Luke sighed and looked at her.

"I'm coming with you tomorrow and it's going to be fine," he told her.

She lifted her eyes to look at him, "You don't know that."

"No, I guess not. But I'm still coming. And I still don't care how you fold your towels."

She met his eyes.

"I usually don't fold them. I usually walk dripping wet and naked down the hall to get one out of the dryer."

"Then I'll fold the towels," he said drily, but then added, "On second thought, no I won't. I'll just watch you go get one."

They paused and looked at each other, eyes a little bright.

"So, how many flannel shirts do you have?" she asked again.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Early the next morning, the three of them sat in a row in the Out-Patient Admitting room. Three take-out cups from Luke's in hand, one per person. Rory and Luke, each a-flank of Lorelai, sat with lips pursed thin.

Lorelai bubbled on. "So why did the elephant paint his toes green?" she asked.

"I don't know," grumped Rory in a monotonous tone.

"So he could tip-toe across the pool table!" Lorelai sang out.

Luke and Rory continued staring straight ahead.

"Okay, okay.." said Lorelai taking on the challenge. "How did the elephant hide in the grape arbor?"

Rory sighed at this.

"He painted his balls green. Have you ever seen an elephant in a grape arbor?"

Rory turned to look at her mother then, "If you continue this... And especially if you start in on elephant footprints in peanut butter next, you will not survive to have your heart tested again. Capiche?"

"Jeez," snorted Lorelai, "Elephant crawl up your butt?"

"I'm going to go ask the nurse how much longer we have to wait," said Luke rising.

Lorelai laid her hand on his forearm and pulled him back down.

"Luke, you have already harassed that woman enough. Do you really need a restraining order limiting your freedom at this point in your life? Just relax. They'll be ready when they are ready."

"It's just..." he tried to explain his frustration.

"I know. I know. Maybe you should go home," Lorelai said sympathetically. "Seriously, Luke, Rory and I will be fine. I know how you feel about hospitals."

Luke crossed his arms and set his chin. "I'm not leaving."

"All right. All right," soothed Lorelai.

"Maybe I should go try to find us some more coffee," offered Rory.

"Honey, just sit still. They will call us in soon. I wasn't even supposed to have this cup I just had before the test."

"Lorelai!" barked Luke at that.

"Mom!" Rory added her indignation.

"So, how do you know an elephant's been in your refrigerator?" asked Lorelai brightly.

They stared at her darkly.

"Oh come on! Okay this one is a little tricky, I admit it. I'll give you a hint: Nothing on the elephant is painted green."

Rory tried a different tack and picked up the small periodical on the table next to her.

"Mom," she said patiently, "If you are quiet and good, I will let you have this Reader's Digest," she lured.

Lorelai gasped in delight, "No! Isn't that the magazine with...?"

"Yes," nodded Rory, "Laughter is the Best Medicine, that's right."

"Gimme! Gimme!" Lorelai reached for it.

"Lorelai!" they all three looked up. "Here you are!" said Emily puffing in her hurry to get to them, Richard in tow.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" asked Lorelai in surprise.

"You didn't think we were going to wait at home by the phone to find out if your heart had stopped, do you?" she demanded in indignation.

"Mom..." Lorelai began wearily.

"Don't you Mom me, young lady. Could you sit at home if Rory were here?"

Lorelai looked over at Luke, begging silently for help. He merely shrugged.

"Mom, I'm an adult, I wanted to do this myself," Lorelai tried to explain.

"I see," said Emily icily. "I am trying, Lorelai. I am trying to respect your ways. I helped with the Inn. I have not criticized your home, or your pornography-pushing friends, " She stared down at her daughter, eyes ablaze.

Lorelai shifted uncomfortably. "I know, Mom, you did, you have, and I'm grateful..."

"But you still don't want me around, is that it?"

"No!" Lorelai tried. "That's not it..."

"Well, what? What is it?"

"Emily, she just wants some privacy," said Richard, though the hurt was evident in his voice as well.

"You don't get privacy from your mother, Richard," Emily barked at him.

"Mom, you've been great through all this, you really have... I just... I feel like I don't have anything any more of my own any more..." Lorelai tried.

"That's ridiculous, Lorelai! You have everything in the world right now, except your health. And that is the one thing..." Emily broke off, tears in her eyes, "That is the one thing I can't buy you, even if you would let me! Which you wouldn't!"

They all looked at Emily now. She was crying. Lorelai couldn't remember having ever seen that before. Even when she'd announced her pregnancy at sixteen—then she'd watched her mother go white with fury, then silent with disappointment. The Emily before her now was scared.

Lorelai stood up, "Mom... I'm sorry," she said gently.

"Lorelai Gilmore!"

They all turned their heads to the nurse's call then.

"Well, gotta go," Lorelai smiled at them all.

Rory hopped up to hug and kiss her mother. Luke stood as well, she met his eyes before he pulled her into a hug.

"He leaves footsteps in the peanut butter," she whispered in his ear.

"I'll remember that," he whispered back before she turned to follow the nurse.