"I kind of feel bad too." Rory replied after hearing the hospital story. "And that stuff about her boyfriend, that had to have been so hurtful."
"Yeah, I can imagine it was." Lorelai answered.
"How could he just tell her he was still in love with another woman?" Rory asked.
"I don't know." Lorelai replied as her voice trailed off. "Some guys are just jerks."
"Maybe I'll go with you to see her tomorrow." Rory added.
Lorelai didn't respond she was in deep thought about Luke and how she had so carelessly discarded him.
"Mom... Mom!"
Lorelai jerked "What?"
"Did you hear me?" Rory asked.
"Yeah..." Lorelai replied as she stood up from the sofa and headed up stairs.
Rory watched her mother's awkward actions and knew something was definitely on her mind. The next morning the girls headed to the hospital to visit with Colleen. Neither one of them knew the day that laid ahead.
"Okay so we have extra coffee, and donuts... you brought her a copy of time magazine... and I have a copy of the new Missy Elliot Cd for her. What more could she possibly need?" Lorelai asked.
"Well considering she's in a hospital, medical attention." Rory replied.
"Haha." Lorelai replied as the elevator door opened and they walked towards Colleen's room.
Lorelai knocked on the door just as the day before.
"Come in." the familiar voice replied.
"Hey, Colleen." Lorelai smiled.
"Hey, Lorelai." Colleen replied with a new cheerfulness in her voice.
"I brought my daughter Rory." Lorelai pulled Rory up in front her. Rory's heat dropped and hit the floor as her eyes met the woman laying in the bed. Rory immediately recognized her from the gas station a couple weeks ago.
"Come on kid." Lorelai gouged. "Say hi."
Rory quickly turned and left the room hoping Colleen didn't get as good of a look at her. Luckily, where the room was dark, and Colleen was still a little woozy from some medication she didn't remember Rory from the gas station.
"Oh... my." Colleen giggled. "I must have frightened her."
"Wow... she's usually not like that." Lorelai said in astoundment. "It was her idea to come along with me today."
"Oh, she's a child. They do strange things." Colleen replied. "I'm sure she just got nervous."
"Perhaps I should go check on her." Lorelai said walking towards the door. "I'll be back in a minute."
Lorelai walked a few feet down the hall and found Rory sitting in a waiting room breathing heavy and looking like she had just seen a ghost.
"Rory, honey... what's wrong?" Lorelai asked as she sat down beside her daughter.
Rory couldn't answer. How was she supposed to tell her mother she had seen that woman with Luke that it was Luke's new girlfriend?
"Sweetie?" Lorelai continued, more concerned now.
"Lorelai?" a voice asked from a few feet away.
Lorelai looked up and complete shock filled her body.
"What are you doing here?" Luke asked.
Lorelai didn't know what to say, her body froze. "I ... I..."
"Are you or Rory one hurt?" Luke asked concerned.
"No..." she finally replied. "What are you doing here?" She spat out.
"I came to see someone."
"So did I." Lorelai replied.
Rory sat there waiting for it all to explode, she braced herself for what would be the biggest blow up known to man. Oh god, why did the drama always follow them?
"Are you?... Do you, live around here?" Lorelai asked trying to piece together what was going on.
"Uh... yeah I live in Laidley." Luke replied glancing over at Rory. She hasn't told Lorelai about me. Luke thought to himself.
"Holy shit." Lorelai said under her breath. "What are the chances?"
"So... who are you here to see?" Luke asked trying to change the conversation topic.
"Some lady that ran me off the road a couple nights ago." Lorelai replied.
Rory squinted her eyes. Oh, no... here it comes.
Luke paused. "What's her name?"
"Colleen..." Lorelai replied. "I don't know remember her last name."
Luke felt a cold chill go directly through his body. He swallowed heavy and rubbed the back of his neck.
Lorelai who was still in a complete daze of what was going on noticed the nervousness in Luke.
"Who are you here to see?" Lorelai asked suspiciously.
"Uh..." Luke stammered. "A buddy of mine. He got hurt in a mining accident."
Rory sighed a deep sigh of relief, Luke was covering. Lorelai however wasn't buying the act. She knew Luke too well, he hated hospitals... hated them with a passion. He wouldn't have came to one unless it was someone he cared about.
"Oh my god." Lorelai replied. "You're hear to see Colleen."
Luke's mouth dropped. How the hell did she figure that out?
"Oh my god!" Lorelai repeated her voice raising. "You're the jerk boyfriend!"
"What?" Luke asked.
Lorelai turned around and looked at Rory who was wishing she was anywhere else but here. Lorelia noticed she was being far to quite and didn't seem surprised at all to suddenly see Luke.
"Rory..." Lorelai began. "Why did you leave the room earlier?" Lorelai looked directly into Rory's eyes, making it impossible for Rory to not spill the beans.
"I knew she was Luke's girlfriend." Rory replied, her head hanging low.
"How did you know something like that?" Lorelai quickly asked.
"I saw her at the gas station with Luke a couple weeks ago. When we came back from the funeral." Rory felt awful.
"You saw Luke?" Lorelai replied. "And you didn't tell me?" she sounded hurt and upset.
"I figured you wouldn't want to know." Rory replied feeling tears starting to whelm in her eyes.
"Rory..." Lorelai replied softly. She felt so betrayed.
Luke had stood there the whole time not knowing what to say or what to do. He wished he could have said something, anything to take some of the focus away from Rory. Lorelai stood up ...
"Lorelai, I ..."
"Don't..." Lorelai replied.
"Please, don't be mad at her." Luke added.
"Come on Rory." Lorelai said trying to keep everything together. "We should go."
Rory stood up and walked towards her mom. She looked at Luke who was feeling just as miserable and upset as she was. Please Luke, do something. Rory wished.
"Lorelai... can we just go somewhere and talk?" Luke asked stepping up beside her.
"There's nothing to say."Lorelia said stepping around him. "You should go see your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend." Luke shot back. He surprised himself on that one.
"She needs you Luke." Lorelai said letting a tear fall. "You should go be with her."
Luke protested. "Lorelai, I still love you."
Lorelai stopped. She still loved Luke as well but she was far to stubborn to admit that.
"I don't know why you dumped me." He began. "But please... let's just go talk."
"What about Colleen?" Lorelai asked.
"She doesn't even know I'm here and she doesn't have to." Luke replied.
"I think I'll head down to the gift shop." Rory replied, finding her a whole to escape through.
Lorelai and Luke walked outside to a rest area full of tables and benches. Luke took a deep breath, this time, she wasn't going to get away.