A/N: Thanks again LorelaiAkaCoffeeAddict for proofreading my new chapter! I'm glad you like it and I hope the rest of you will like it as much!
Thanks again for all those lovely reviews!

Chapter 21 Premature

Things went back to 'normal' again. Lorelai missed Rory every day, but it was easier than the first time. They e-mailed each other every day, and if they had the time, they talked over the phone.

Even though there weren't many guests at the Dragonfly at the moment, Lorelai started to work more. Michel deserved some time off after covering for Lorelai a lot the last week. His mother was leaving in a few days and they had spent almost no time together.

Lorelai was working long days. She woke up at the same time as Luke. They ate breakfast together before he left and afterwards she went back upstairs to shower and dress and arrived at the Dragonfly around seven. There, she started catching up on her paperwork the first hour and around eight, she helped Sookie serving breakfast. Most of the kitchen staff had gotten some time off as well.

The only time Lorelai stopped working was around lunchtime, when she went to the diner to have lunch with her husband. She staid about half an hour and went back to the Dragonfly 'till six o clock, earliest. Most of the time, it was after seven before she got home.

Luke was already home by the time she came home. She was exhausted and hardly found the energy to eat. Every day, after dinner, they watched some TV, but most of the time, she fell asleep within 10 minutes.

One and a half weeks after the wedding, when Lorelai walked into the diner for lunch, Luke couldn't take it any longer. Lorelai looked exhausted. She had big dark circles under her eyes and looked like she would fall asleep any second. She sat down at the counter and begged for a cup of coffee. Luke of course, wouldn't give it to her.

"Luke, just give me some decaf."

"One cup, no more." He said and poured her a cup. "What do you want for lunch?"

"Just the usual."

He turned around to give the order to Caesar. When he turned back to her he asked, "Why don't you take the afternoon off?"

"Can't. There's too much work to do. Michel will be back next week, I'll take a day off then."

"Lorelai, you're exhausted. I'm sure they can manage without you for one afternoon."

"No, they need me there. I'll promise I'll be home early, but I have to get back there."

"Lorelai." He sighed.

"I promise."

"That's what you've told me every day this week, but you're getting more exhausted by the day, and you're coming home later every day as well. Yesterday you weren't home until eight."

"I'm sorry I have a business to run. You know just as well as me that sometimes it takes a lot."

"Yeah, well, but at least I take of a few hours and let Caesar and Lane take over. Besides, I'm not 8 months pregnant." Luke got angry. She was so irresponsible.

Lorelai got angry as well. Why didn't he understand that she was needed at the inn? "Forget it Luke. I'm going back to work, you'll see me at home tonight." She stood up and turned around to leave.

"Lorelai, don't walk away when we're talking."

She turned around and shot him an angry look. "I think we're done talking." With that, she walked away.

Luke decided that it wasn't a good thing to let her walk away like that, so he screamed to Caesar that he was going out for a little while and ran after Lorelai. It didn't take him long to catch up with her. As soon as he reached her, he stopped her, and turned her around so he could face her.

"We were not done talking. For the past week and a half, you've been working full time. You're exhausted. You're falling asleep on the couch every night and don't even wake up if I carry you up the stairs."

"It's only 3 more days Luke."

"I don't care. You're not going back in."

"You can't stop me."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't." She turned around and started walking again.

"Lorelai."

After a few steps, she stopped as she felt a sharp pain in her back.

Luke noticed something was wrong and he was by her side in a second. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." She looked scared, but the pain faded away soon. "It's gone now."

"Please come back with me to the diner. Even if it's just to finish your lunch." His eyes were begging.

Lorelai nodded in response and walked with him.

When Lorelai was about to sit down, she felt another sting, which one also faded away soon. She decided not to mention it to Luke, because it would only worry him even more. He was right, she was working too hard. Maybe she could take of the rest of the day, or at least after the meeting she had in a half an hour.

Lorelai ate her lunch and promised Luke to come back after the meeting. He wasn't satisfied but it was something, and he took whatever he could get.

Lorelai arrived back at the diner an hour and a half later. Luke watched her when she walked towards the counter and noticed the pained expression on her face.

"Lorelai, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just having these sharp pains in my back, but they come and go." She hadn't noticed what they were until she said it out loud. "Oh my god, Luke, I'm having contractions."

"What?"

"These sharp pains, I think they are contractions. I know they are. I felt them once before when I was in labour with Rory."

He tried to think rational. Inwardly he was freaking out, but he had to stay calm. She showed enough panic already. "Okay, let's get you to the hospital."

Lorelai nodded.

"Lane?" Luke called.

"Yes?" Lane walked out of the storeroom.

Luke approached her. "I'm taking Lorelai to the hospital. You and Caesar have to take care of the diner. I don't know when I'll be back, but I call you if I know anything okay?" His voice was soft so only she could hear what he was saying.

"What's wrong?"

"She's having contractions."

"But it's to early, right?"

"I know." He whispered. "Just take care of the diner okay?"

"Of course."

"Come on", He took Lorelai by her arm. "Let's go."

Luke stopped by the house to get her some overnight clothes and some toiletries. Lorelai waited in the car. She took out her cell phone to call Rory who after a few rings picked up.

"Hello?"

"Rory?"

"Hey mom, what's wrong?"

"I'm having contractions."

"What?"

"Contractions."

"Oh… where are you now?"

"At the house, Luke is picking up some clothes and then he's taking me to the hospital. It's just… I'm scared. I'm not ready for this. It's supposed to be six more weeks. It's too early and what if the baby won't be okay because of that. It's all my fault. Luke was right, I was working too hard, and now I'm in labour. What if something happens with the baby, he will never forgive me. What am I supposed to do? I.."

"Mom." Rory interrupted her rambling mother. "You have to stay calm."

"But, I can't."

"Yes you can. Just take a deep breath."

"Au.."

"What?"

"Just another contraction. Luke come on, hurry up…"

"Mom, you have to stay calm. Everything will be okay."

At the same time, Luke walked outside, locking the door behind him.

"But what if…."

"Mom…"

Luke opened the door and sat down next to Lorelai. "Everything's ready. Let's go." He noticed the phone "Who are you talking to?"

"Rory."

"What?" Rory asked.

"It's Luke, he's back. Hey hon, I've got to go. I call you as soon as I know anything okay."

"Sure… mom, don't worry too much okay? Everything will be allright, you'll see."

"Okay, I love you babe."

"I love you too, mom. And remember, it doesn't matter what time it is when you call me, I'll have my phone with me, even in class, so if you need me I'm there."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Luke drove faster than he usually does. It took them about 20 minutes before they arrived at the hospital. He parked the car and helped her out of it. They walk towards the ER where the desk clerk gave them some forms to fill in.

A nurse let Lorelai and Luke into an exam room and gave her a hospital gown to change into. After Lorelai had changed, it didn't take long before Dr. Elder walked in.

"Hello Lorelai, how are you feeling?"

"I'm having contractions. But it's only 34 weeks."

"Don't worry, okay? I'm going to put you onto a monitor to see how strong the contractions are, and I want to do a pelvic to see if and how much you are dilated."

Lorelai nodded.

Luke stood next to Lorelai, holding her hand, while doctor Elder examined her. He saw a single tear falling down, which he brushed away with his thumb. He kissed her cheek and whispered "I love you."

Dr. Elder took of her gloves and threw them into the basket. She stood up and looked at the prints from the contraction monitor. She picked up Lorelai's chart and made some notes.

Lorelai followed every move she made. She walked closer to Lorelai, at the other side of the bed, opposite to where Luke was standing.

"The good news is that there is no dilation. The contractions seem pretty strong though. When you are 34 weeks pregnant a baby is big enough to survive, but it will need to stay into a incubator for a few weeks to get bigger. We're going to give you some medicine to stop the contractions, because it's better if the baby stays safe inside you for a few more weeks. Every extra day the baby stays inside you, it will get a change to get bigger and stronger.

A nurse will come in within a few minutes to give you an IV. I'm going to admit you to the OBGYN floor. We'll keep you on the monitor to see if the medicine is working."

"How long do I have to stay?"

"That's hard to tell. If we can stop the contractions I want to keep you one or two days for observation, but if we won't be able to stop them, we have to try something else."

"What will happen if the contractions won't stop?"

"If they won't stop immediately we can try some other medicine. If we won't be able to stop them at all, you will have to deliver your baby. The baby will be small and has to stay in the hospital for a few weeks, before it is strong enough to go home with you. The first few weeks the baby will have to stay into an incubator. But we have to think positive. You're not dilated yet, which is a very good sign. We just have to wait and see what the medicine will do."

"And if the medicine works, and I can go home, what happens next?"

"If you're released from the hospital you'll have to take it very slow. The first few days will be complete bed rest. It's important that you will take things slow 'till the baby is born."

"It's my fault that this happened. I worked too hard, I never took time to rest, even though you told me to Luke, I am so sorry."

"Hey, look at me." He turned her face towards him. "None of this is your fault. The baby is going to be just fine, I promise."

"But I just went on and on and I didn't stopped. First our wedding and than the Dragonfly, I never took things slow. And the doctor says I have to take things slow and I didn't do it, so this is my fault Luke. It is."

"Lorelai, the reason of the contractions isn't important." Lorelai looked at Dr. Elder while she spoke. "We have to focus on stopping the contractions, and blaming yourself isn't going to help. You have to calm down."

"I don't know if I can."

"I know you can, and Luke will be there to help you."

Lorelai nodded again.

"I'm going to check on another patient now, the nurse will be her with the IV soon. After that, they will take you upstairs. Luke, you can stay with her as long as you want to."

"Thanks doctor."

The nurse came in a few minutes after Dr. Elder had left. She gave Lorelai an IV and gave her the medicine. After a half an hour or so, someone from transport came to bring her upstairs. Luke staid by her side the whole time, not even thinking about leaving.

When she was settled in her in room, he was the first one to think about Rory.

"Lorelai do you think we have to call back Rory?"

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot about that. She's probably waiting for my call."

"Hey, why don't you call her. I need a bathroom break anyway."

She appreciated that he wanted to give her some space. "Thanks." He kissed her before he left.

She picked up the phone, but realised it wasn't a local call. She had her cell phone with her, but they aren't allowed in hospitals. And as she was hooked up on a monitor, she thought it wasn't so smart to violate the rule.

After a few minutes doctor Elder came in to check on her.

"Hello Lorelai, how are you doing?" She looked at the print from the monitor.

"I'm feeling a little better, I think the contractions are reducing."

"They are. There are still a few, but they are not as strong as they were before so it looks like the medicine is doing its job." She noticed Luke was gone. "Where's Luke?"

"He gave me some space to call my daughter. But I realised it isn't a local call, so I'm not sure if I can make it with that phone."

"You're daughter is in London right?"

"Yeah, she was here for Christmas, but she left again after the wedding."

"That's right. You mentioned a wedding when we were in the ER. The last time I saw you, you didn't even mention an engagement." The doctor took a chair and sat down for a while, she found it very important to have some sort of relationship with her patients.

"Luke proposed on Christmas eve. After that, Rory showed up at the door. He had managed for her to come home so I could celebrate the engagement with her, as well as Christmas. We decided to wait with the wedding till July, after Rory came home again from London. But after having dinner at my parents house the next day, and a dream, I realised that we have waited too long already, so we started planning the wedding and got married on New Years Eve, midnight exact."

"That's a very romantic story."

"Yeah." Lorelai smiled for the first time since she arrived at the hospital. "It was one of the best days in my life."

"I can imagine." She thought for a while before she added. "I'll ask someone at the nurse station if it's possible to make an overseas call from this phone."

"Thank you."

Dr. Elder came back in a few minutes later. She picked up the phone and dialled a few numbers before handing the phone to Lorelai. "You can dial the number now, start with the number of the country, followed by the normal number."

"Thanks again."

"No problem. I'll come back to check on you in an hour or so."

"Okay." She started dialling and it didn't take long before Rory picked up.

"Mom?"

"Hey babe."

"Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"We're both fine. They gave me some medicine to stop the contractions because it's a little early for the baby to get born. It looks like the medicine is doing its job. I have to stay for a day or two and when they release me I have to take it very slow."

"I'm glad things are okay mom."

"Me too. I just wanted to let you know that. But I believe it's pretty late there, so you better get some sleep now."

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea. But if there are any changes you call me right?"

"I promise."

"Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, Rory."

That night Luke staid with Lorelai in the hospital. She told him he could go home, but he insisted on staying. He told her that they hadn't spent a night apart since they moved in together, and he wasn't planning on spending a night away from her now. "Besides", he added, "I can't sleep without you next to me anyway"

He looked very uncomfortable in the chair, so she told him to lie down next to her in the bed. He refused at first, but she soon convinced him to.

When the night nurse checked on Lorelai around midnight, she smiled. Lorelai was sleeping on her side, Luke lay down behind her, also on his side, his arm protectively around her. And the nurse could see the smile on Lorelai's face.
She checked the monitor and saw that the contractions had stopped completely. She made a note to the chart and silently left the room, closing the door behind her, carefully not to wake the couple. Knowing that within a few weeks, when it was time for the baby to be born, they wouldn't get much sleep anymore at night.