The Torment of the Sun
A/N: This was originally going to be a one-shot fic, but I realised that it's gonna be too long to stick in one chapter, and I love posting multiple chapter stories! So this will only be 2 or 3 chapters long. I'm still working on 'What if' and 'The Whole Package'!! It is set sometime in season 4, before all the Luke & Lorelai goodness, and post Nicole and post Jason.
This story is based on my current state of being… you will understand by the end of the chapter. I'm not a happy bunny right now!
Disclaimer: the characters aren't mine, but if they were hehehe I would have a field day! Don't try and sue me, I'm just a poor little high school student, I have no money. Seriously. Search me. Oh! DIRTY!
Lorelai lay flat on her back on her bed and moaned up to the ceiling. Her body was aching all over. There wasn't one part of her body that wasn't screaming out it pain. She reached for the phone and dialled Rory's cell number, groaning all the while.
"Hello," Rory answered, slightly sleepily.
"I hate you," Lorelai replied.
"What did I do?"
"You told me to go to the lake with Sookie and Jackson yesterday," Lorelai said, still groaning at the pain.
"And you hate me, why?"
"I'm sunburnt Rory! All over!" she groaned.
"Awww, owie!" Rory replied sympathetically, "well just put some cream on it and it should be right by tomorrow."
"Oh no, no, you don't understand. My entire body is sunburnt. Not one INCH of my body has been spared!" Lorelai replied desperately.
"Not one inch? What about…" Rory suggested.
"Oh well, of course that's fine! The only places that haven't been burnt are where my bikini was… and my palms – well, the jury's still out on that one," Lorelai replied, looking at her slightly pinkish palms. "Is it possible to burn your palms? Well, if it is, I can't feel it anyway, there's too much pain everywhere else!"
"How could you get so burnt?!"
"Well, I sunbaked all day," Lorelai replied.
"What about sunscreen?" Rory enquired.
"Yeah, I knew I forgot something."
"Mom!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll remember next time! If I ever go outside again," she muttered.
"Well go and get some coffee, that will make you feel better," Rory offered.
"I still don't think you understand the situation here. I can't move! I can't even wear clothes!"
"Hang on, are you telling me…"
"Yes! I'm naked!"
"You're naked!" Rory said with a slightly disgusted look on her face.
"I'm under my sheets in my bed and I am naked!"
"Eww, mom…"
"Clothes hurt! Clothes touch the sunburn and rub the sunburn! Ugh, I'm never gonna be able to get out of this bed!"
"Mom…"
"No, I'm serious Rory! And still, in bed, there is not ONE comfortable position to lie in! No matter which way I do it, I'm always lying on sunburn! It's brutal!"
"Why didn't you put on sunscreen?" Rory asked disapprovingly.
"I don't knoooow," Lorelai whined. "Ugh, now I have a headache."
"Well, just stay in bed… I'll… well… I have classes today so I can't come home and help you, so… so… I'll call Luke and get him to bring you some coffee and food, okay?" Rory offered.
"Luke?! Luke can't come over! I'm naked!" Lorelai protested.
"Well then put some clothes on!"
"I can't I'm too sunburnt!" Lorelai retorted.
"Then put your swimsuit back on," Rory replied quickly. This was met with silence.
"Mom?"
"Why didn't you suggest this before?" Lorelai said in softer, and in somewhat evil voice.
"Just go put your bikini back on and I will call Luke, okay?" Rory replied.
"Fine," Lorelai said, defeated.
"Okay. You'll be fine, Luke will take care of you. I'll see you later," Rory said.
"Bye," Lorelai replied sadly before hanging up. She sighed, and slowly got out of bed, wincing with every movement. She wrapped the sheet loosely around her, so that it covered her up, but didn't rub the sunburn. She made her way into the laundry and pulled her still wet bikini out of the tub.
"Great," she muttered under her breath. She shoved the bikini in the dryer and turned it on, then leant against the sink. She winced and recoiled quickly when it hurt her sunburn. She sighed and closed her eyes, only to be hit with a sudden spout of nausea. She braced herself against the doorframe with her palm and looked at the ground, taking a few deep breaths, trying to overcome the sickness. After a moment it passed, and she resumed standing straightly.
"Geez, is it just me or is it frickin' boiling in here?" she said to herself as she stepped out of the laundry. The cooler hallway only provided a tiny amount of relief, and she stumbled down the stairs, still clutching her sheet tightly, to get a glass of water. She groaned with every step as her body twisted her tight red skin. Now she remembered why she wasn't an outdoors person. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs to regain her strength and continued on to the kitchen in small steps. When she reached it she groaned as she lifted her arm up to the cabinet and took a glass out. She slowly and groggily moved to the tap and filled her glass up with water. She took a sip and sighed.
"Ahh, refreshment," she said. She finished off the glass and put it next to the sink. She made her way, slowly, back up the stairs and into the laundry. She turned off the dryer and pulled out her now dry, but annoyingly warm bathers.
"Ugh, why do they have to be hot now, what is that?" she mumbled as she dropped the sheet and carefully pulled her bikini bottoms over her sunburnt legs. She winced numerous times before managing to get them up successfully. She then started with the top half, which took a LOT longer than the bottoms. After minutes of constant wincing, she finally managed to get it on in just the right spot, so that it wasn't touching her sunburn. Not two seconds later the doorbell rang.
"Luuuke, is that you?" she called loudly from the top of the stairs.
"Lorelai?" came the muffled reply from behind the door. "Are you okay?"
"Do you have food?!" she yelled.
"Yes, and coffee!" he replied.
"Well then hurry up and get inside!" she yelled back. Luke pulled on the door, but it wouldn't open.
"It's locked!" he called from outside. Lorelai groaned and slowly started making her way down the stairs.
"Lorelai?!" Luke called out as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Hang on, hang on!" she yelled, "This takes a long time!" After a little bit longer she finally reached the door and pulled it open. Luke's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened as he saw her.
"Lorelai!" he gasped.
"What, never seen a human tomato before?" she asked grumpily, stepping away from the door. Luke followed her into the house.
"How did you get like that?!" he asked, still amazed, staring at her beetroot coloured body. Lorelai just grunted in response.
"Geez, Rory told me you were sunburnt, but I didn't think it would be THIS bad!"
"That's right, continue pointing out the obvious," Lorelai said bitterly as she walked into the kitchen and got herself another glass of water.
"How did this happen?" Luke asked, a bit more softness entering his voice as he put the food and coffee down on the kitchen table. Lorelai sighed.
"I went to the lake with Sookie and Jackson yesterday. There was a lot of sunbaking done, with no sunscreen," Lorelai replied sadly.
"You didn't wear sunscreen?!" Luke said, shocked.
"Enough with the third degree people! I get the point, I was stupid. End of discussion," she said going to sit down, but then realising she couldn't because of the pain it would cause her. Luke sat down at the kitchen table and looked at her expectantly.
"You gonna sit down?" he asked. Lorelai gave him a 'duh' look, but he still didn't catch on.
"Hello! Sunburn everywhere!" she said, rotating slowly for him to showcase her completely red body. Despite the sunburn, Luke couldn't help but notice what a greatfigure she had. He inwardly cursed at himself for thinking such thought about Lorelai. He knew nothing would happen between them, he needed to get over it.
"So how are you planning on functioning today?" Luke asked, taking a carrot stick out of the bag he had brought over, and nibbling on it. Lorelai sighed in anguish.
"I don't know. I can't move without pain. I spose I will just have to stand completely still all day. But that hurts anyway," she moaned. Luke looked at her sympathetically.
"You should put some cream on it or something," Luke suggested.
"That would hurt!" she whined, "I'd have to push down on my skin and… owww it hurts in anticipation!"
"Oh hey, I think I have some spray stuff in my apartment that makes it go numb or something. It helps heal it too," Luke remembered. A smile suddenly broke out on Lorelai face but it immediately stopped and she winced with pain, realising that smiling now hurts, too.
"Can you go and get it for me," she said pouting and batting her eyelashes.
"Yeah sure," Luke replied, "Just try and lie, or sit or something, and eat some of the food I brought you."
"Okay. You're a life saver Luke," she said. Luke just smiled an grabbed his keys, heading out to his truck.
A/N: Did I keep you happy chappies? Hehehe! Yes that's right, I am sunburnt! Not all over like Lorelai, but the bits where I am sunburnt have come out in BLISTERS! Yes, that's right, BLISTERS! Ouch! Send me reviews to make me feel better!