Disclaimer: I am not Amy…I own nothing.
Chapter Nine: Good things happen when it snows
Lorelai rushed around the kitchen shoving papers into the brief case she borrowed from Rory.
"Ok so you have everything?"
"I think so."
"Do you have all your paper work, your train ticket, and your itinerary?"
"Check, check, check…"
"OK well you better get gone you are already late."
"I have my phone and my pager so if anything happens you call and page and I will be here as quick as I can."
"Mom I am fine, the baby isn't due for another ten days."
"You never know with these things Rory."
"I will call you should I go into labor a full eleven days before I am supposed to." Rory said rolling her eyes at her mother.
"I wish I didn't have to go."
"Mom you were asked to come by the New England Tourist Board. You have to go this is a great opportunity to get the word out about the Inn, you go make connections, have fun and I will see you on Monday."
"You have a point. Ok hon, I see you Monday, love you." Lorelai said kissing her forehead.
"Bye bye, Zoe." She said as she kissed her daughters stomach.
"Oh, I changed it again…we are back to Olivia."
"You know once she is actually here you can't change her name every day."
"Go!"
"Gone."
After seeing her mother off Rory walked back into her bedroom and surveyed the changes that she had made. Luke and Lorelai had helped her re-arrange the furniture and set up the crib and changing table. She sat in the rocking chair that sat where her arm chair had sat and rocked as she stroked her stomach. It would be any day now and she would be real.
Lane came over that night to sleep over and watch movies, insistent that the need to have a slumber party was not Lorelei's idea. Rory, knew what her mother was up to though and she appreciated it.
"So, we've got, Terms of Endearment…"
"Are you kidding? I would never stop crying…"
"Ok, Waynes World?"
"Ehh…"
"Gili?"
"You are kidding right?"
"I had to know for myself."
"Willy Wonka?"
"That is mom and I's fall back, for emergencies only."
"Are you trying to be impossible?"
"No."
"Ok, last movie…ironic in it's title and a classic…Bringing up Baby."
"Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner."
The girls watched the movie and laughed and talked. It was nice to have a kind of send off to her care free youth days Rory thought.
"So…I mean it is soon…how do you feel?"
"Excited mostly…a little scared, but yeah excited mostly, I just I can't wait to meet her you know. I want to see her, touch her, you know?"
"Yeah." Lane said with a smile.
"I just, there is this whole other life that will be here soon, and no one knows exactly when, but everyone is waiting to meet her, and can't wait to see her and I dunno, I mean I can't wait for her to be real, and I can't wait for my mom to see her, she is so excited, and I can't wait to see what she is like with a baby, you know? It seems so odd. And Lane, I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes, I will be her father."
"Lane…"
"Sorry serious face."
"You and I have been best friends forever right?"
"As close as you can come to forever yes."
"I just thought that you might, be…the babies guardian I mean if anything happened to me or mom…"
"Me? Really?"
"Yeah you. I don't know who else I would ask, I mean, it really is a title in theory really. Mom would take the baby if anything happened to me but just incase…"
"Of course I will."
Rory hugged her friend and they turned in for the night.
………………………………………
"Mom I am fine, how is the convention." Rory told her mother on the phone the next morning.
"It is fine I guess, lemme tell you the B&B and Inn business is full of crypt keepers though…I am the youngest one here but 20 years."
"You can't be the only one."
"Uh…yeah I can, the next youngest person just finished telling me all about their grandchild's college graduation."
"You are going to be a grandma soon too you know."
"Yeah we need to find me a better title…I hear Kate Hudsons kid calls Goldie Hawn Glamma…I think I am with her on this one…"
"Uh no. Grandma it is for you, maybe Nana, or something…but not Glamma."
"Well I better go hon, the next seminar starts in ten minutes, I will call you tonight."
"Ok, I think I am going to go to Lukes and grab a breakfast."
"Have fun give him my love."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Rory put on her hat and coat and headed out the door, she walked briskly through town, or at least as briskly as one in her state could. She could smell snow in the air, it used to be something she was sure only her mother could do, but one deep breath and she knew that winters first snow was on its way.
The bell jingled as she walked into the diner and sat down at the counter. Luke smiled and gave a wave to her from across the diner and soon was there to take her order.
"Hey how are you feeling today?"
"A little tired, and my back hurts, but other than that I am fine."
"Well you should go home and lie down for a while after breakfast. What will it be?"
"French Toast a side of hash browns, two eggs and bacon please."
"That is quite the order."
"I am starving."
"Coming right up. Have you heard from your mom?"
"Yeah, she called this morning and told me to give you her love, I am not sure how one does that but that is what she said. She said the convention is kind of boring and that everyone there is really old."
Luke smiled and walked into the kitchen.
Rory spun around on her stool to look out the window and there it was falling softly to the ground, the white wonder that had been the omen of so many good things in both she, and her mothers life.
Luke walked back out of the back room and stopped to see what she was looking at.
"It is the first snow Luke, it's good luck."
"You and your mother…"
"It is good things happen when it snows."
"I will believe it when I see it."
"You will."
Rory finished her breakfast and started out the door for home, she hadn't gotten very far when her stomach began to hurt a bit. She figured that she had simply eaten too much and would be better when she got home to lay down. She walked a few more feet and a pain shot through her abdomen causing her to wince in pain.
"Oh my God." She said out loud to herself. She was closer to Lukes than she was to home so she hurried back towards the diner. Luke met her at the side walk when he saw her walking back towards the Diner with a concerned look on her face.
"Hey Rory are you ok?"
"I think I am in labor."
"Oh, dear God. Okay, well sit down, sit down here and uh, I uh…"
"Keys, hospital…" Rory said as another pain hit her more strongly than the first.
"Right, keys…" Luke said rushing into the back. "Cesar close up, I am leaven'!" Luke said as he rushed back to the front.
"Luke." Rory said with a scared look on her face.
"Come on, come on." He said as he helped her out of the diner.
Once he got her all loaded into the truck, they were off.
"Mom, mom, I want my mom." Rory said through the next pain.
"Right, I am calling her right now." Luke said fumbling with his cell phone.
He listened as her phone rang and rang, but she didn't answer.
"She isn't answering."
"Page her the code 1119."
"What is that?"
"It is supposed to be my due date!" Rory said breathing deeply through another pain.
Luke paged Lorelai as they got onto the Interstate.
It was on a few moments later that his phone was playing the tune to "I want you to want me." Signifying that Lorelai was on the other end, he still didn't know how she made it do that, or how to make it stop, but secretly he kind of liked it.
"Lorelai." Luke said as he picked up the phone.
"Please tell me that was a false alarm." Lorelai said with panic in her voice.
"Mom!" Rory groaned from the passenger seat.
"Oh my God." Lorelai said.
"Listen Lorelai, we are on our way to Hartford now, it is a little slow because of the snow, but we will get there in plenty of time."
"It's snowing?"
"Has been for about an hour or so…listen, be careful getting here, you aren't going to do anyone any good if you show up in a body bag." Luke warned.
"I took the train."
"What?"
"I just realized, I took the train it takes at least two hours sometimes three to get from Boston to Hartford on the train, it makes all those stops."
"Rent a car."
"Right, right I will rent a car which will take more time or…"
"What?"
"I am going to call Chris, she will want him there and he is here and he will drive like a very safe bat out of hell to get me to her. I am calling him."
Luke took a deep breath as much as he didn't like the idea of her driving to the hospital to meet her daughter with her daughters father, he knew she was right, it was her quickest way there and he didn't know what else to do.
"We will see you soon then."Luke said as he hung up the phone.
"You're mother is getting a ride from your father, they will be here as quick as they can okay?"
Rory nodded as she breathed.
"Grandparents." She said as she blew out a breath.
"Right, calling the grandparents."
There were several things that Luke thought about that would be more appealing to him than calling Rory's grandparents at that moment, unfortunately they were no alternative, so he dialed the phone.
"Gilmore residence."
"Mrs. Gilmore this is Luke Danes, your daughters boyfriend."
"Please hold while I fetch Mrs. Gilmore." The voice said.
Luke then realized that he was talking to a maid.
"This is Emily." She said as she came on the line.
"This is Luke Danes, Mrs. Gilmore and I am with Rory and we are on our way to the hospital, apparently the baby is coming now, and Lorelai is on her way from Boston, but I think Rory would really like it if…"
"I will meet you there." Emily said as the phone went silent, he didn't even get a chance to finish the speech he had prepared in his head.
"How are you doing kiddo?" Luke said offering his hand to Rory. She took his hand and squeezed it tight.
"I don't want mom to miss it."
"She won't, she is on her way wild horses couldn't keep her." Luke said reassuring her.
They pulled into the hospital what seemed like an eternity later and Luke helped Rory out of the truck and into the hospital. He walked her up to the counter and said.
"Uh she is having a baby, where do we go?"
The nurse jumped to her feet and walked around the desk to get a wheelchair for Rory and they were off to their room. They were checked in, and shown to a birthing suit that looked more like a bedroom than a delivery room Luke thought.
"Are you the father?" The nurse asked Luke.
"What?"
"The fathers are you the babies' father?"
"No, I am not the father! Do I look sick to you. I am her, uh,…"
Luke was busy trying to decide what he was to Rory when she piped up.
"He is my step father."
"Oh so sorry…" The nurse said looking embarrassed and walking out of the room.
"Sorry, I didn't know what to tell her."
"It's okay."
"I just want you to know that…I love your mom and maybe…"
"Luke, it's okay, you don't have to marry my mom now, you're just, I've always, you are an important man in my life okay." Rory said sucking in another deep breath preparing for the next contraction.
Just then Emily stormed into the room like hell on roller-skates. She rushed up to Rorys side and grabbed her hand.
"How are you doing, do you need anything? Are they being helpful…can I get you anything."
"No grandma, they are great, I am fine, I am just glad you are here."
"Me too, me too…"
"Lorelai is on her way, she should be here soon, I think I will just duck out into the waiting room now, that your grandma is here." Luke said squeezing Rorys hand and starting for the door.
"No, Luke stay please." Rory said squeezing his hand as she breathed through another contraction. Luke studied Emily's face looking for a sign of protest and finding non he agreed to stay.
"Is grandpa coming?" Rory asked.
"He is in Chicago on business, I called him and told him and he is trying to get on a plane right now." Emily said.
"Good." Rory said breathing.
"Today was your great-grandmothers birthday you know." Emily said to Rory.
"I know."
"Wouldn't that be a coincidence having two birthdays on the same day."
"Yeah, it would be." Rory said concentrating again on her breathing.
The phone rang in the room about an hour later. Rorys contractions had gotten more intense and closer together they started the epidural so she wasn't in as much pain, the expected her to start to push within the hour.
"Hello." Luke said picking up the phone in Rorys room.
"Hey Luke, it's me…" Lorelai's voice came on the other end.
"Hey where are you?"
"The roads are pretty bad here, we are going as fast as we can but we are still about 20 miles out and going at snail speed."
"They are saying she will be pushing within the hour." Luke said.
"Is that my mom?" Rory said.
"Yeah."
"I wanna talk to her."
"Hey Lore, Rory wants to talk to you." Luke said.
"Okay, thank you so much for being there with her, you don't know what it means to me."
"Where else would I be?" Luke said as he handed the reciver to Rory.
"Mom." She whimpered into the phone. "Are you going to get here."
"I am trying, your dad is driving as fast as he can, lets just all take a moment to thank him for trading in the bike for the Volvo."
"Hurry mom, I don't want her to get here with out you."
"Well you cross those legs and you think good thoughts ok? I am on my way."
"Okay mommy." Rory said almost to tears, she wanted her mother there more than anything.
"I love you hon, be strong until I get there ok?"
"OK."
As they hung up the phone the doctor came in to check on Rory again.
"How are we doing?"
"I hurt, I want it out." Rory said.
"I know hon, lets just see about doing that for you ok?" The doctor said sitting at Rorys feet and examining her.
"You are making excellent progress, I would say we will be ready to push in the next half hour or so…"
"Thank you doctor." Emily said.
"I don't want to push." Rory said.
"Well dear you are going to have to." Emily said.
"I want mom here, and it will hurt, I don't want to hurt."
"It isn't that bad." Emily said.
"You had mom, 36 years ago, I think you might have forgotten what it is like." Rory said frustrated.
"Fair enough, but you are going to have to push, your daughter wishes to meet us all today and you have to help her do that."
"Mom said it is like doing the splits on a crate of dynamite, it is going to hurt."
"Why on earth would she tell a pregnant girl that?"
"She didn't she tells me that every year since I was little, I never thought I was going to have a baby, I didn't want to know what she was talking about, and now here I am having a baby and I think I know what she is talking about." Rory shouted as another contraction came.
"Impressive shouting." Paris said as she walked into the room.
"You're here!"
"Of course I am here, you picked one hell of a day to do this Gilmore, the roads are awful."
"I know my mom is on her way from Boston, I don't think she will be here in time." Rory said whimpering.
"Buck up Gilmore, she will be here, I have seen your mom, when she needs to get something done, you don't want to stand in her way that is for sure."
Rory smiled through the pain.
Rory put it off as long as she could but one hour later, still with no Lorelai she started to push. Luke ducked out of the room to 'wait for Lorelai', but truth be told he was a little squeamish. Emily and Paris stood by Rorys sides and held her hands as she pushed.
"One, two, three push…" The doctor said as Rory pushed with all her might.
"One, two, three relax…"
"You are doing great." Paris said as she whipped the sweat from Rorys forehead.
"I want my mom." Rory cried again before the next push.
Rory felt like she had been pushing forever when a nurse alerted the doctor to one of the many monitors. The doctor stood up and started getting her bed ready to move.
"Okay Rory, it looks like your daughter is encountering some distress in there and she doesn't want to come out this way so, what we are going to do is wheel you over to the OR and deliver her caesarian ok…" The doctor said calmly.
"What…"Rory said painiced.
"Her heart rate is dropping a little lower than we would like so we are going to go ahead and help her out of there so we can fix that for her ok."
"O…ok." Rory said with fear in her voice.
"Can we come with her?" Emily asked.
"One of you can, the nurse will get you ready." The doctor said as he wheeled Rory out of the room and into the hall way almost running over Lorelai.
"What, wait, where are you taking her." Lorelai said. "Hi honey."
"Mom the baby is in trouble."
"What.." Lorelai said looking at the doctor.
"The baby is experinceing some irregular heart beats, we just want to help her out of there before it gets any worse." The doctor said.
"Can I come with her."
"One of you can. The nurse will get you ready." He said as he wheeled Rory into the next room.
"I will be right there Rory."
Emily walked out of the room dressed in scrubs, to find Lorelai.
"Lorelai you are here where is Chris?"
"Parking the car…give me you outfit there…"
"What?"
"Come on mom, hurry, I need to get in there I am going to be the one in there, give me the damn outfit." Lorelai said panicked.
Emily took off the hair net and gown and handed it to Lorelai and she quickly threw it on. Lorelai turned in a frenzy to join her daughter in the OR, and Luke stopped her.
"Hey, calm down a little, she needs you calm." He said.
Lorelai took a breath, squeezed his hand and proceeded into the room.
Chris joined the rest of the group to wait in Rorys room for what seemed like an eternity.
Lorelai sat by Rorys head and stroked her hair while the doctors worked on the other side of the curtain.
"Mom…is she going to be all right?"
"Shh…of course she is she is a Gilmore." Lorelai said reassuring her daughter.
"I am glad you are here."
"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." No sooner had Lorelai said those words than the doctor said the three they had been waiting for.
"It's a girl." He said from the other side of the curtain.
Lorelai and Rorys joy suddenly turned to fear when they both realized the lack of crying coming from the other side. Lorelai watched as a band of nurses and the doctor whisked her new granddaughter to a separate area in the same room and began to rub her vigorously and use suction to clear her airways.
"Mom…"
"It's okay hon they are just cleaning her up, she is fine…"
Lorelai watched as the doctor massaged her little chest and then the most beautiful cry escaped from the tiny blue creature they were working on. Lorelai watched as her granddaughters appearance changed from blue to pink before her eyes and then they wrapped her up tight in a blanket and brought her over to Rory.
"Meet your momma and grandma." The nurse said laying the baby in Lorelais arms at Rorys head. Lorelai couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
"Hey there little girl, we have been waiting for you." She whispered.
"She is perfect." Rory said kissing her daughters cheek softly and touching her little face.
"She needs to have a few more tests done, just to make sure she is going to be okay, she had a rough patch there we will bring her back to your room when she is done." The nurse said taking the baby from Lorelais arms.
"Okay." Rory said letting go of the blanket.
"She will be back in a flash, she looks just like you."
"Go tell everyone that she is okay." Rory said.
"We will bring her over once she is all cleaned up." The nurse said to Lorelai.
"Ok, hon, I will be in the room then."
"Okay." Rory said drifting out of it a little.
Lorelai walked across the hallway and into Rorys room. Everyone stood as she entered the room anxious to hear the news.
"It's a girl." Lorelai said walking into the room. Everyone cheered and hugged. "She had the cord wrapped around her neck and she was a little blue at first but they are fixing her up now, doing some tests, she should be back to see us soon."
"What is her name?" Emily asked.
"Rory hasn't said yet, give her a minute she just had a baby." Lorelai said to her mother.
Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai and she looked over her shoulder at him.
"Thank you for bringing her, and being her for her." Lorelai said.
"Of course." Luke said.
"You do realize that you are dating a grandma now."
"You are the hottest grandma I have ever seen." Luke said with a smile.
A few minutes later Rory was wheeled back into the room in a clean gown and looking very tired. Everyone was gathered around giving their congratulations and hugs when they brought that little pink bundle back in.
"Now she is hooked up to this heart monitor, we just want to make sure that everything is working all right, she is doing fine but we want to be safe. Her heart rate has been a little on the low side but she is strong." The nurse said handing the baby to Rory for the first time. Lorelai sat next to her on the bed and marveled at her grandchild. Emily sat on Rorys other side and watched the three of them with tears in her eyes.
"So mama…" Lorelai whispered. "What is her name today, and remember, this one has to stick."
Rory looked down at the little dark haired bundle she was holding and as her daughter opened her eyes she knew.
"Mom, look." Rory said.
Lorelai looked down at her granddaughter who was looking at them.
"She has our eyes kid." Lorelai said.
"She is strong, I can tell…" Emily said.
"Yes, very strong." Lorelai agreed. "She shares grans birthday you know."
"I know."
"So what will it be?" Emily asked.
"I think I will name her after the three strongest women I know….Lorelai Emily Gilmore."
Lorelai smiled.
"In that case…make it the four strongest women you know, after all you are pretty strong yourself."
Emily smiled.
"So what are we going to call her then?" Emily asked.
"Ellie." Rory said with a smile.
Everyone stood back for a second, not understanding the nick name.
"Her initials, L and E…say them together, fast, Ellie."
"Welcome to the family Ellie Gilmore." Emily said.
"We are crazy, but we love you." Lorelai said.
The nurse had just left with the birth certificate when Lorelai started laughing like a mad woman.
"What on earth are you laughing like that for Lorelai you are going to wake the baby." Emily said.
"I just realized something."
"What?"
"Her initials…they spell out LEG…" Lorelai said laughing some more. Emily snickered a bit.
"Let Rory figure that out on her own." Emily said nodding towards the bed where Rory lay sleeping with Ellie.
"Now isn't that a picture." Emily said.
"My baby has a baby." Lorelai said.
"I know, so does mine, and her baby has a baby." Emily said.
"It is funny, I never thought that I could love anything or anyone else as much as I love Rory…"
"I know what you mean." Emily said putting her arm around her daughter.
"Mom, I know this wasn't the way that we planned it for her, but…"
"I think it was meant to be." Emily said.
"I am going to go find Luke and some coffee…you want anything?" Lorelai asked as she turned to leave the room.
"No, I have everything I need." Emily said with a smile.
Lorelai walked out of the room and found Luke sitting on a chair just outside of it.
"Hey stranger." Lorelai said as she walked up to him.
"Hey."
"I wondered where you disappeared to, want to come find some coffee with me."
"Sure."
"You ran off pretty quickly there."
"Yeah, well I mean, you guys were having family time, and I, I didn't want to intrude."
"You can't intrude on a place where you are welcome." Lorelai said.
"I dunno, I just felt weird with Chris there and all, I didn't want to step on any toes or anything."
"You wouldn't be. I want you to feel comfortable in this family, you are a big part of it now, and Chris will get used to it. I told him the situation on the way here, he knows we are together…he knows…that…"
"He knows what?"
"He knows that I am in love with you and…" Lorelai stammered.
"You are in love with me?" Luke said with a smile on his face.
"Well…"Lorelai said squirming.
"You're in love with me." Luke said louder.
"Luke…"Lorelai started.
"She is in love with me." Luke said to a person in the hall.
"Luke stop it."
"She is in love with me…" He said looking at her. "This works out great for me, considering I am in love with her too." He said kissing her.
"See." She said gesturing out the window of the waiting room.
"What?"
"It is snowing, good things happen when it snows." She said with a smile.
"I guess, they do." Luke said with a laugh.
Lorelai and Luke walked back into Rorys room to find Emily asleep in a chair and Richard beside her snoring.
"I guess he made it." Lorelai whispered as she picked up the baby from the basinet by Rorys bed. She brought her over to sit with Luke.
"Do you want to hold her?" Lorelai asked.
"I…uh…I better not, my hands probably aren't clean and…" Luke was stopped by Lorelai laying Ellie in his arms.
"Just make sure to support her head." Lorelai said letting go.
Luke smiled.
"I think the last baby I held was Jess." Luke said.
"Well you look like a natural to me." Lorelai said.
Ellie yawned in her sleep.
"She already thinks you are boring." Lorelai joked.
"She looks just like you." Luke said.
"She looks like her mother." Lorelai corrected him.
"Who looks like you." Luke added.
"Have you ever thought about…I mean, you must have at some point thought that…"
"I might want one of these?" Luke finished for her.
"Yeah."
"Of course I have thought about it, I mean, kids are cool, but, I guess I never met the right person you know?"
"Yeah."
"I mean did you think about having more than just Rory?"
"I always thought I would but then she just kept getting older and older and so did I and soon I realized that the window was getting smaller and the years between Rory and any new baby were getting bigger."
"So Rory is it for you?" Luke asked.
"I dunno, I mean, I might consider it again…if it were important to the person I was with…" Lorelai said hinting.
"Yeah….me too." Luke said following her hint. "Lorelai, there is something I have been meaning to ask you…"
Just then Rory woke up and called for her mother.
"Mommy." Rory said.
"Hey hon." Lorelai said gently taking back Ellie from Luke. She slowly walked her over to Rory and sat down on the bed with her.
"She is amazing." Rory said.
"Not bad at all." Lorelai said.
"Let's tell her the story." Rory said.
"What story?" Lorelai asked.
"The one about her birth…" Rory said.
"Oh that story…all right." Lorelai said with a smile as Rory cozied up to her mother.
"It was exactly one day ago…the snow was falling hard that day and everything was white…" Lorelai started.
Luke watched them and listened and imagined, waiting for the time when he could finish asking Lorelai what he had been dying to all day.
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That is all for now. I will write more soon, but I want to know what you think first! So REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW !!!!