Disclaimer: I own nothing when it comes to Gilmore Girls. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit will be made from this story.

Author's Note: Thank you so much to all who have taken time to read and review the story so far. It means a lot! Spoiler alert still in effect!

I have come to loathe Friday nights. I used to look forward to them all week. Now I dread them—I just want to spend the evening in bed. I tried that tactic once though—retreating to sleep—it didn't work. I try to keep busy—purposely postponing DAR notes, and symphony board papers so I can have something to do. They need me to choose a meeting place for the Spring Ball. I am looking through brochures when Richard walks in the room. He is dressed in his coat and gloves—I swallow hard to keep the wave of jealousy that comes over me down. He is going to see Rory—he has been meeting with Rory every Friday night since she told us she wasn't coming over to dinner anymore.

"Emily…I'm leaving now." I don't say anything. I'm afraid if I do say something it will be to yell at him for being the "favorite" again.

"Emily, why don't you come with me?" Again nothing—I don't want his pity, I don't want him patronizing me and coaxing Rory to come back.

"It's been over a month…maybe things would be okay. Maybe she wants to see you."

Oh Richard—please, just leave, I want to scream at him. Go to your girl, she's always liked you better anyway!

"I don't think so Richard, if she wanted to see me, she would have come." He places a hand on my shoulder and then reaches down and kisses me on the side of my head.

"It's going to be alright," he says gently and I find myself bringing my hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Have a good time," I say quietly—the same thing I have said every Friday night.

The door shuts behind him and the house is silent. I can't hear a thing except for the ticking of the clock. For a moment, such an awful loneliness sweeps over me, I want to go into the kitchen and strike up a conversation with one of the maids. I sit on my hands for a moment, rocking back and forth, trying to keep my mind on DAR and Symphony board problems.

Almost without thinking about it, I find myself going upstairs—to the third door on the right. Why…WHY? It only serves to make the pain worse! Still, I open the door, and step inside. I haven't touched this room since the day she left it twenty years ago. The elaborate dollhouse, the porcelain dolls, the collection of snow globes, and the posters of rock bands and teenage idols are all untouched. I sit on her bed…and smooth my hand over the satin bedspread.

"Push Emily," Dr. Reynolds commanded. "Push hard!" The pain was too intense…I was too tired, I wanted to stop, begged to be able to stop,

"I can't push anymore Joshua! I can't! Where's Richard! I want Richard!"

"Emily…"Joshua's voice was firm, "The baby is coming, your baby is almost here but I need your help to get him here." Another wave of pain hit

"AAAHHHH!" I screamed, "Joshua, if you don't get this thing out of me…"

"I can see the head…Emily, I can see the head. Keep pushing…you can do this!"

I couldn't…I couldn't keep pushing.

"I can't do it anymore! I just can't!"

"You can!" Joshua yelled. "You can!"

I was ready to quit, I was ready to give up…and then, I realized it was really happening. I was going to become a mother! I was going to give Richard a child! In just a few moments I would have a child… a baby that was my own! Suddenly I knew there was a tiny creature at stake here—someone needed me, someone depended on me and if it was the last thing I did…if it came out of the last breath I would ever take, I would give life to this baby. I grabbed the nurses hand,

"Okay! Here we go!" I yelled, took a deep breath, and bared down.

"Yes Emily! Yes!" Joshua yelled. "We're almost there!"

All of my energy was draining out of me. It seemed as though as I was giving life, my own was draining into the hospital bed.

"One last push!" I heard Joshua's voice that seemed like miles away. I drew a breath that I was almost sure would be my last, and pushed. I fell back on the pillow, sweat pouring from my forehead, certain I was dying…until I heard the sound—the sound I had been waiting all my life to hear…the sound of a baby…my baby, crying.

Joshua stood up and in his arms he held a baby—the tiniest baby I had ever seen—and with such a thick head of hair! I covered my mouth with my hand…Could this be happening? Could this really be happening to me?

"Emily…say hello to your daughter," Joshua said as he lowered her into my arms. I gave a little cry of joy,

"It's a girl?"

"It's a beautiful baby girl," he replied. I started crying as he placed her in my arms.

"She's so beautiful!" I said quietly…almost reverently.

Joshua smiled. "Now, I think we'll leave you alone for a moment. I'll head down to the waiting room…I happen to know there is probably a very anxious daddy ready to meet his new little girl." I smiled at him, hoping he would know how grateful I was for his delivering my little miracle. The door shut and I was alone with her.

"Hi…"I muttered weakly knowing that this was one person I didn't have to worry about making good impressions. This is one person I knew would love me for who I was.

"I'm your mommy. I'm going to take care of you." I said quietly, fingering one of her tiny hands in mine.

"Listen kiddo…it's a strange family that you've been born into. It's not going to be easy. But I want you to know…" my voice caught in my throat, "you are loved and wanted. Your daddy and I have wanted you for so long. Your daddy is such a good man, and he will love you and protect you. I leaned in closer to her as if sharing a secret with her…the first of many we would undoubtedly share. "And I want you to know that you are the most important thing in this world to me, and I will always love you. You are my baby and I am your mommy, and that will never ever change."

Thirty-seven years…thirty-seven years had gone by since that day and what did I have to show for it? An empty room…a shrine built to the daughter I never knew, filled with the beautiful presents—the most expensive excuses money can buy. In my heart of hearts I know I have blamed Lorelai for running away, but it was me who was to blame. Years ago in that hospital room I had made a promise…and I didn't keep it.

I stay in the room for a few more minutes and then head downstairs. I'm tired, and hungry. I hope the staff is somewhere else besides the kitchen, as I just want to eat in piece. But as I near the kitchen, I can hear nervous giggling.

"Serves her right!" one maid said, "Coming from her own daughter…that will show her!"

"Shh!" another warned loudly, "She'll hear you!"

"So what if she does…I don't care. It will be worth it just to see the look on her face when she reads all the stuff that Lorelai said about her and know that all of her friends will be reading it too,"

I step around the corner, and the maid just talking turned three shades of red in ten seconds.

"Mrs. Gilmore…I…" She was holding something behind her back.

"What do you have there?" I asked. She fervently shook her head in protest. I simply extended my hand and straightened up to my full height. With shaking hands she brought out a magazine from behind her back. It was open to a page. I immediately recognized the picture of the Dragonfly Inn and Lorelai. A wave of pride swept over me...this was wonderful, good for her! Then one of the subheadings jumped out at me. Then I saw what the maids were laughing at.

"This Idyllic inn resides in a true Mayberry town, but inn owner, "Lorelai Gilmore wasn't exactly raised by Aunt Bea… 'Are you kidding?' Gilmore says, 'I was raised by Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Endora all rolled into one."

The maids are shaking in their shoes, I take a deep breath and once again, I feel like the life is draining out of me.

"Get out of my kitchen" I say quietly and the three of them shuffle out the door.