Okay, I know I said the last chapter was it and that this one would be the epilogue, but I have decided to do one more chapter dealing with her pregnancy and birth for LorelaisLilSis who specifically asked for it. I was torn between wanting to write that in the story or have it just happen as a note during the epilogue. So, here you go. And if this is not how you think it would happen, tough. It is how mine happened and it is the only one I have to go on. So there! :P
Disclaimer: Still not mine, but if I win the Powerball maybe I can buy them? Please?
"Luuuuuuke," Lorelai whined, "please get me some ice."
"Lorelai, you've had 3 cups of it already"
"But I need more," Lorelai said as she waddled into the kitchen.
"Go sit down!" Luke commanded. "You know you are supposed to take it easy."
"It's not easy, taking it easy. I feel like a house. I feel fat and ugly and frumpy."
"Lorelai, you are not fat, you're pregnant. You are not ugly. In fact, I don't know if you have ever been more beautiful to me. You are carrying our children inside you and I don't know how much more beautiful you could get." Luke said taking her hands and leading her back to the couch.
Lorelai felt her eyes sting as the tears hit her. I don't remember this being so hard with Rory. I mean, when I went into labor, I was eating. Hmmm, maybe if I eat.."
"Lorelai," Luke said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "did you hear anything I said."
"Umm, sorry. I head you say I was still beautiful."
"Then after that I said that I know this is harder than the first time around for you, but you have me. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. You have made me the happiest man in the world. Who ever thought Luke and happy would go in the same sentence."
"I'm happy too, but I'm still miserable. I can hardly move. I haven't been able to wear cute clothes in months. And I miss my coffee."
"You still wear cute clothes. They are just maternity clothes. You get to have one cup of coffee a day, and if I remember last night correctly, you still move around just fine." Luke told her with a smile. "Tell you what, instead of thinking about how miserable you are, think about how happy you have been and how happy these babies will make us."
Lorelai thought back to the day she told Luke she was pregnant. They were at Disney World on their honeymoon and she had taken a test in their hotel room. When she told him, he was so happy he had tears in his eyes. When they had gone to the obstetrician for their first ultrasound, the machine had picked up two heartbeats. Luke had turned white as a ghost before smiling the biggest grin Lorelai had ever seen. "Twins?" He had said. "That means two? We're having two babies." Lorelai had smiled, as she remembered her dream. After the doctor's appointment, she and Luke had called Rory at school and told her the good news. Rory was thrilled to be having siblings, although she had said that it was kind of weird that she would have more of and age difference with them than she did with her own mother.
Emily and Richard were ecstatic to hear that Lorelai was having twins. Emily went out immediately and redecorated a guest room in yellow and green, since Lorelai and Luke wanted to be surprised by the sex. Sookie questioned this decision, since Lorelai had wanted to know what Sookie was having. Lorelai had just responded to her that she and Luke would be thrilled no matter what the babies were, and that as long as they were healthy then it didn't matter.
The townspeople treated the news with outright glee. Since Lorelai had been on bedrest, Kirk brought her videos on a daily basis. Patty and Babette came to fill her in on the town gossip. Even Taylor came to the house to get her thoughts on the issues to be brought up at the town meeting, since she couldn't be present.
"I guess it's not so bad." Lorelai finally said to Luke. "I mean, you're right. In one way this is harder than the last time. But it is also easier too. I have been happier, less stressed, and more relaxed. It's really nice to have all these people to care about me. Especially you."
Luke squeezed her hand and smiled. He had known all it would take was for her to remember how happy this had made the both of them.
"Now what do you want for dinner?" Luke asked her. "I can either make something or go and pick up whatever you want."
"Umm, you're never going to believe me. But I want fruit."
"What kind of fruit?"
"Watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, grapes, oranges, I don't know. Fruit. Any kind. All kinds."
"That's it? Just fruit?" Luke asked just to make sure.
"Yeah, just fruit. It's what I'm craving. The way I see it, most women eat fruit regularly when they aren't pregnant so when they get pregnant they crave bad stuff. Chocolate, ice cream, cake, cookies, and that kind of stuff. But me, since I eat the bad stuff regularly, now that I'm pregnant, I crave fruit. I'm like the opposite."
Luke listened to her explanation, and while he wasn't entirely sure that it was logical, Lorelai seemed to think it was, so he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
When he got home, Lorelai was sitting on the couch with a cup of ice. Luke opened his mouth to say something, but Lorelai held up her hand.
"Just so you know, I didn't get up. When Kirk brought my videos, he got me some more ice. He also dropped off his resume for the 97th time and passed on his interest to become our nanny.
Luke shook his head as he walked to the kitchen. "For the last time, I am not hiring Kirk to be our nanny. I do not want him influencing our children."
"Me either, but I just think he's funny." Lorelai said with a grin. "Oh and my mom called."
"Anything new?"
"Well, she wanted the opportunity to be there when I have the babies. I told her that we had thought it was going to be just the two of us and Rory, but that we would talk to the doctor and see if it was okay. That way, I can blame it on the doctor if I have to tell her no."
"I don't have a problem with it. She missed it last time, so she probably wants a chance to be there for you. The decision is up to you, but I am fine with it."
"Okay, then I'll call her back and tell her it's okay. After I eat."
Luke set the fruit in front of her and fixed himself a plate with a sandwich and some fruit and sat back.
"You know our appointment is tomorrow." Luke said quietly as they ate.
"I know. And still no babies."
"Well, the doctor promised you last time that if you had not had them by tomorrow that they would schedule an induction."
"Yeah, I know. We've tried everything. I mean, the doctor herself even said that it is strange for twins to go to full term."
"True, but the doctor said she would check you tomorrow and see how they're doing. At any rate, it won't be too much longer now."
"Just enough time to do some last minute shopping."
"No. You are not leaving the house."
"After the appointment tomorrow I can. That will make them full-term and then I can walk to try to bring the labor on."
"As long as the doctor says it's okay. I'll even take you to the mall after the appointment."
"Goody." Lorelai said as she stuffed a piece of watermelon in her mouth.
The next day they woke up and showered before heading out to the doctor. While sitting in the office, Lorelai read a baby magazine, while Luke had brought his own copy of Sports Illustrated. They were called back and after weighing in, where Lorelai was told that she had gained 55 pounds during the pregnancy, which was normal for having twins, they were seated in an exam room to wait for the doctor.
The doctor came in and asked, "Okay, so how are we?"
"Fat, uncomfortable, hot. You name it," Lorelai responded.
"Well, lets get you hooked up to the monitor so I can check for movement and the heartbeats." Dr. Zachella instructed as she helped Lorelai into a comfy recliner.
Lorelai got hooked up and they started the machine. Dr. Zachella looked at the results and then got out her stethoscope and put it against Lorelai's round stomach. A concerned look crossed her face and she took the stethoscope out of her ears.
"Let's go have an ultrasound, okay?" She asked as she began unstrapping the monitor belt.
"Is everything okay?" Luke asked, suddenly concerned because of the doctor's reaction.
"Should be fine. I just want to take a look at where the babies are and see how they're acting." Dr. Zachella explained as she walked with Luke and Lorelai to the ultrasound room.
She put some gel on Lorelai's belly and then began to move the handset around, trying to get some good shots of the babies and where they were.
"Well, I have good news. The babies are both head down."
"Good," Lorelai affirmed. "But you still look concerned."
"Well, let's start with the facts. You are now full term. Which is wonderful because not a whole lot of women actually carry twins to term. Because you are full term, the babies are getting bigger by the day. With every passing day now, there is more and more a risk of a C-section."
"What's this mean?" Luke piped up.
"Well, if Lorelai was to be induced and deliver, I see no reason why she couldn't deliver naturally."
"I want drugs." Lorelai said plainly.
"Of course," Dr. Zachella smiled, "since you would be having an induction, we could give you an epidural pretty soon after we begin the induction. Pitocin's a bitch."
"Great. So my choices are, get induced and deliver naturally or wait and probably have to have a C-section." Lorelai asked.
"Basically."
"And when would you want to schedule the induction?" Lorelai questioned.
"Well, normally we would schedule it for a later date, but in your case I think it would be best to deliver today. The babies are healthy and I see no reason to wait."
Lorelai looked at Luke who was still absorbing the information. She squeezed his hand and asked, "Well, what do you think?"
"Me?" Luke asked, "It is your body that has to go through the labor. It should be your decision about which route to take."
"Let's have the babies today." Lorelai answered firmly. "We're ready. They're ready. Let's do it."
"Okay." Luke agreed. "I'll call Rory and your mom."
"And we'll get her a wheelchair to get her up to a room." Dr. Zachella said as she handed Lorelai the final ultrasound. "Now you can compare the pictures with the ones right after they are born."
Luke dialed Rory's cell phone, because Rory had been shopping with Emily for last minute things for the nursery.
"Hello?"
"Rory, hi. It's Luke."
"I know. What's up?"
"Well, we are at the doctor's appointment now and they are going to induce your mom today."
"WHAT?" Rory exclaimed. "Oh my god. Okay. We'll be right there."
"What?" Emily demanded. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
Rory covered the mouthpiece of the phone and answered Emily.
"Everything's fine, Grandma. The doctor just thought that it would be best to induce mom today. So they are getting checked in at the hospital." Speaking into the phone she asked, "Is there anything you or mom need that we can bring you?"
"Well, we have her bag. And the doctor is busy explaining to her that she won't be able to eat or drink during labor, which is causing an uproar, but I can't really think of anything we need."
"Gotcha. We'll be right there. See ya."
"Bye."
Rory hung up and she and Emily nodded in agreement. They walked to the cash register and paid for their purchases.
"Good thing we got the car seats for them today huh?" Rory said as they left the store.
"Absolutely." Emily agreed. "When you leave things to your mother, she waits until the last minute. And unfortunately, it is sometimes too late. It's just too bad your grandfather had to go to New York today for a meeting."
Emily picked up her phone and dialed.
"Hello."
"Richard. It's me. Lorelai is having the babies today. You might want to come to the hospital."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Goodbye."
Emily pressed the end button on her phone as she and Rory set out. They drove to the hospital and walked up to the Labor and Delivery floor with a few bags of things. When they walked into the room, Lorelai looked up and smiled.
"Hey guys. They are just getting ready to start the pitocin and break my water. Good timing."
"Ha. Pitocin. I've read about that. You're going to have a blast." Rory said with an evil grin.
"What? What do you mean?" Lorelai began as the nurse started the IV drip.
Dr. Zachella walked in and asked everyone except Luke to either turn around or leave the room while she broke the bag of waters. Rory and Emily smiled and said they would be right outside.
Lorelai's face took on a queasy look as she felt the water rush out of her body. "Ewww. That feels gross." She told Luke.
"It looks gross." Luke told her, kissing her on the top of the head. "But isn't it worth the outcome?"
"Definitely."
Rory and Emily walked back into the room and within 5 minutes Lorelai was writhing in pain, begging for drugs.
"PLEEEEEEEASE! Give it to me! I can't do this." She cried.
Luke held her hand while Emily walked to the nurses desk to inquire about the epidural.
A nurse, looking slightly worn, came back to the room with Emily. She measured Lorela's progress, and when measuring her at 3 centimeters dialated, ordered the epidural.
Dr. Lee came in to administer the epidural, and as he helped Lorelai take a few deep breaths after the IV was in her back, she smiled at him and said, "If I wasn't married, I would ask you to marry me.
He laughed and told her, "If I wasn't gay, I'd accept."
"I'm lovin you like a two dollar whore."
"I take it that's a good thing?" He asked her with a smile.
After the drugs were in her system, Lorelai felt her whole body relax. Dr. Zachella came in and told her that she was at 4 cm's and that she could take a nap if she wanted, since she would need all of her strength when it was time to push. Lorelai sleepily agreed and closed her eyes.
When she was completely out, Rory walked over to Luke and whispered, "Hey, go get yourself something to eat. This could be a while."
"Are you sure? I mean, if she wakes up I don't want her to think I left her."
"Don't worry. She'll be out for a while. Just grab something downstairs. You can take my cell and I'll call you if it looks like she's going to wake up."
"Okay. Do either of you want anything?"
"We're good. We had just eaten when you called."
Luke left the room to grab a sandwich and when he got back Lorelai was still sleeping peacefully.
When Lorelai woke back up, she felt some pressure on her hips, so she called for the nurse, who came immediately. As the nurse entered the room, she glanced nervously at Emily, who just nodded to her. When Lorelai was examined she was 10 cm dialated and fully effaced.
"Baby #1, ready to go." The nurse told her.
Dr. Zachella was called, and when she entered the room, she began pulling on her gloves. She took the lower end off of the bed, while Luke and Rory helped Lorelai put her feet into the stirrups. The neonatal nurses came in and set up the warming beds for the babies.
Emily walked over to the warming beds and slipped a small yellow bear in one and a small green bear in the other. "Every baby needs a first bear." She told Lorelai, who was looking at her in amazement.
Dr. Zachella brought Lorelai's attention back to her. "You're going to need to focus on me okay. I'll tell you exactly when to push and when to stop. If you listen to me exactly, we'll try to minimize the tearing, okay?"
"Okay." Lorelai whispered, suddenly nervous.
Luke and Rory got on opposite sides of Lorelai and each held a hand. Emily stood at the head of the bed, behind Lorelai and began gently wiping off her forehead.
Dr. Zachella began instructing Lorelai to push, and then stop, breathe, and push. They repeated this pattern over and over until Dr. Zachella finally said, "One more push and the head is out Lorelai. You can do it. Come on now. Push!"
Lorelai pushed until she heard Dr. Zachella shout, "Stop!" and then opened her eyes to see the doctor using suction on something she couldn't see.
"Okay one more half push okay? Go."
Lorelai pushed and felt a great weight come out of her. She heard a loud cry and she looked down and saw a squirming pink blob.
"Congratulations!" Dr. Zachella exclaimed. "It's a boy!"
"A boy." Luke whispered. "I have a son."
Lorelai looked up at Luke, who had tears in his eyes. The neonatal nurses took the baby from Dr. Zachella, who told Lorelai to get ready because the next baby was right there.
Lorelai began the pushing routine again, and 4 minutes later she heard the doctor tell her to stop. She saw Dr. Zachella using the suction once more and was then told to half push one last time. When she pushed, she felt the last bit of weight leave her and heard a tiny cry. She looked at the baby Dr. Zachella now held and asked, "Well? What is it?"
"A girl. Congratulations."
Lorelai smiled and leaned her head back against the pillow. Luke bent over and kissed her. The nurses brought her son over to her arms. Lorelai looked at Luke and asked, "So, what do we name him?"
"It's up to you. I can't think right now."
"How about William Michael Danes. We can call him Michael."
"Sounds good." Luke said with a huge grin.
Little Will began to nurse almost immediately.
Rory laughed and said, "Well, he is obviously a Gilmore. Hungry already."
The nurse then placed their baby girl on Lorelai's chest, where she promptly fell asleep.
"So," Luke asked. "What about a name for our baby girl?"
"Your turn. I picked the last one."
"How about Emily Katherine Danes? We can call her Katie?"
"I like it. Michael and Katie."
Emily and Rory just stood there watching the exchange. They looked at each other and smiled.
Soon after Lorelai was moved to her room, Richard arrived and walked in, his arms filled with balloons, bears, and flowers. He set them down and walked over to Lorelai and kissed her on the head. "I never thought you would make me a grandfather again." He said with a smile. "Thank you."
Lorelai heard a rumble and then snapped her head up and looked around. "Where's my food?" she asked, "I need food. I have been through a major battle involving tremendous exercise. I need food."
Luke smiled and told her that he would be right back. When he returned, he set bags of food down and set up plates for everyone, even handing Emily a knife and fork with which to eat her burger.
The nurses brought the babies in, shortly after everyone had finished eating. They were clean from their first bath, and wrapped tightly in blankets. Emily and Richard gave Lorelai, Rory, and Luke hugs and then left. While Lorelai held both of the babies, Luke and Rory sat on the bed with her and draped their arms around her shoulders.
Lorelai looked at Rory and said, "It's amazing how much our little family grew in just a year huh?"
Rory just nodded and smiled as she tightened her arm around her mom. Luke smiled down at the scene. His beautiful wife and their three children. He would always feel that Rory was his child, just the same as Michael and Katie. He quietly got up, not wanting to disturb them, and got his camera. He took a picture before Lorelai looked up and asked, "What are you doing?"
He put the camera down and walked back over to the bed as he answered her, "I wanted to remember this moment for the rest of my life."
Well guys, just one more chapter. Please R&R. It was your reviews that made this chapter happen.