He could feel Lorelai's head still on his shoulder, where she had fallen asleep last night. Her arms wrapped lightly around his chest. He loved having her here, but he didn't want to wake her up so early, especially when she finally seemed calm and relaxed. Then he remembered where they were. The hospital. After.. the accident. He slowly drifted off to sleep once again, but only barely, subconsciously still awake, and aware of his surroundings.
About 30 minutes later, I started to wake up. Still in Luke's arms. Which felt so good. Anyways. Only now his chin was resting on my forehead, and I could both feel and hear his breathing. Also, his left hand was covering mine that was laying on his chest, even though there was a cast on his wrist, and not on his whole arm this time. I did'nt exactly know why he had that one, but it obviously wasn't something little if it needed that.
Trying not to wake him up, I slowly slide out from under his grasp. All he really did in response was turn his head the other way and shift himself so that he wasn't in the same position the whole night. Which would be awfully hard in that small bed. And Luke ain't that small. Heh.. dirty.
Once off of him (hmm.. dirty?) I quietly opened the door to go find some coffee. One cannot be up this early with no coffee. Tsk. Should be a law or something.
After wondering around the hospital trying to find a coffee machine and finding some on what seemed like the other side of the building, I was walking back towards his room, and was almost there when I saw someone who I really wish I hadn't. There, in the hallway walking quickly towards me, was the fabulous Emily Gilmore.. (along with Richard too, of course.)
I could tell she was not happy with me, and for what reason? I dont exactly know at the moment but here, let me tell you the story.
Before I could get anything out, or even move, she walked up to me, and blew up at me. Why, damnit! I wanted to know so bad.
"Lorelai! How could not tell us!" she just started screaming at me, in the middle of a busy hospital hallway, directly in front of Luke's room and probably in view of Luke. Poor Luke. My baby, I really need to get back to him. But.. remember who's here? Right. Poor dad. He's just standing right behind her watching her, feeling guilty, while saying that he's sorry to the staff and people who are walking past.
"Not tell you what!" I was seriously starting to get mad now, I didn't need any more of this right now.
"Luke! About Luke, Lorelai! How could you not tell us what happened? It's very rude, very. Now where is he?"
"What about Luke, mom? And why should I tell you? Why would you care? And don't dare go in there, he doesn't need to see you right now. Or at all. Plus, another thing, why are you here anyways?" Ok, really mad now. Like I should really tell her everything that goes on in my life. Plus, they don't even like Luke. They definitely made that clear. God, they really need to leave right now. And if Luke here's her..
"Why? Because we have a right to know, don't we? He apparently matters a great deal to you, and that's why we should know about things like this. Especially since we didn't hear about it from you, we had to read it in the paper!" she screamed, which made me sure that Luke could hear her. Wait.. paper?
"..paper? What paper." I asked still confused. Very confused. I mean, I should've realized that the accident would probably be in the Hartford paper. Duh. It's obvious ain't it? This bad an accident ought to be in the paper. Even though I still don't really know what happened, or how it happened. Damnit. It's killing me. The next thing I knew, my mother was waving a piece of paper in front of my face, clearly trying to get my attention.
"This, Lorelai! This!" Ok, see, she's got to stop waving that, or someone's going to get very hurt.
"Mom! Seriously, Luke can hear you! He's supposed to be trying to get some sleep, but it's probably kind of hard with you screaming like maniac out here! Get a grip! I will call you later! Ok? Ok. Goodbye." With that, I grabbed the paper out of her hand, and quickly walked into his room, locking the door behind me.
"Lorelai! Lorelai, open the door! This is ridiculous!" I could hear her muffled voice through the door. Which does show how loud she talks. I heard her walking away in a fuss, clearly yelling at people to get out of the way the whole time. Jesus. And I'm the rude one?
"Hello? Who.. is it.." he said still half asleep, because apparently, he had been slightly awakened by that lovely mother of mine.
"Hey, hey.. it's just me.." I said letting him know it was just me and that I hadn't left.
"Hey," he said smirking, his eyes still closed.
"How are you doin, babe.. need anything?" I really wanted to give him anything he wanted right now, it's the most I could do, really.
"I'm good.. you being here, is all that I need right now.." he said his eyes now opened sleepily, and grinned up at me. He gestured me to come over, and I did as he wished. Almighty coffee god that he is. And the god of.. other things (heh, enough with the dirtiness already.) Once by his side, he pulled me down for a tender kiss, which I wish could go further, but I knew it couldn't for quite a long time. After we broke apart, he was the first one to speak.
"I am happy that you're here, though. Just so you know.."
"I know, I'm happy to be here, kind sir." I want my Luke back.
"Mmhm." he said quietly, looking up at me with those gorgeous eyes. What they do to me.
"Mmhm.." I said while leaning to give him another quick kiss.
"Hey." he said against my lips as he pulled back.
"Yah?" Wondering what he was gonna ask.
"What's in your hands. Except the coffee. I don't need to know what that is, it's obvious knowing you." he said looking at the paper in my hand that wasn't occupied with the coffee cup that was now empty. I realized that it was the paper that my darling mother had brought and waved in my face. Great. Now I have to tell him what it is. I haven't even gotten a chance to read it yet.
"Oh, right, that's.. uh.. today's paper." I said, not really wanting to say out the last part.
"Oh." You could see the realization on his face. He also turned a little pale, like he was afraid of what I was gonna read, and/or see. And so was I.
"Yah.. do you want to tell me what really happened, or should I read about it first? I'd really rather hear your version.."
"Uh, sure.. just.. can I have a minute? Could you get me some water from the sink?" It was almost like he was afraid to tell me what had really happened. It won't be all that easy for him, either, I bet. So I did as he asked, I got up and went over to the sink and filled his glass, all the time watching him trying to lean over to the other side of the table to get the pills the doctor had given him if any part of him, especially since so many things had gone wrong in the.. accident.
I walked over a few minutes later with the water and newspaper still in hand. I put it on the floor next to my chair and sat down, handing him the water. It was clear that even leaning over had been hard for him, and caused him more pain that he had been feeling before. Which made his breathing heavier and deeper, and you could hear that it was hard for him to breathe since he had slammed into the steering wheel, which had also given him the concussion and the cut on the right side of his face that was about 2 and a half inches long, and looked fairly deep.
I waited until he was ready to talk about it, I didn't want to pressure him into it.
After about 5 minutes or so, he slowly turned to face me. I could see hesitation in his face, and I could see that he was drained from energy and life.
"Well.. I was on my way back from.. Hartford," he was already running out of energy, just talking. I sat patiently for him. That's what he needed. "After picking up some stuff for the diner there, I was on the highway, only about 20 minutes away, and I was gonna go to your house and.. surprise you, which obviously didn't.. work out." I had to smile at that, I could always count on him to do that, to make my day.
"So, anyways.. I was driving on the highway, and of course it was rush hour, which I had to say was horrible, and.." I knew he didn't really want to go on, but I did urge him on by rubbing his shoulder lightly and slowly. He continued. "There was this.. semi." The first thought in my mind after he said that? Big. Semi's are big. And Luke's truck is tiny compared to one. Oh, god. Somewhere in my mind, I didn't really want him to continue, but I knew I had to know the whole story. "Everyone could tell he was definitely not the best driver, and didn't really care about any of the other cars in his way. So, I was in the lane next to him, and I could hear his radio all the way through my windows, and through his. He turned on his turn signal.." I too started to turn alittle pale at this moment. Did I really want to know what had happened next? He kept going. "It was only a three lane highway, and he was in the middle, I was on the left of him. To the left of me. Was just a.. hill." He was starting to get tense, the scene replaying over and over in his mind. "And, I started honking lightly to know that I right there, but he didn't listen, or didn't hear me over his music. So then I really started laying on it, and I couldn't put on my brakes, since there was a line of people behind me. He started moving over.. and I.. I couldn't move.. The shoulder wasn't big enough on the side of the rode.. and.. he just kept going. So I didn't do anything other then keep honking, since I couldn't go anywhere anyways. Then.. he just.. kept going and.. smashed into the side.. which through me off even more, and when he just wouldn't go back and I tried making him by trying to make him see me, by flashing my lights and.. just.. didn't want to move back, or couldn't, I don't know. He looked at the truck, I know he saw me, I saw him turn his head. He just.. kept going and I started to panic so I tryed to go into the shoulder and stopping, which I couldn't because he was still pushing me over, and.. then.."
I swear I stopped breathing sometime in his rant about it. I didn't want to know how all of.. this.. the bandages and broken bones.. and.. everything. Because, I knew it couldn't of been the semi hitting his side.. and I was right. It wasn't just that. Tears were burning in the corners of my eyes, and they were already running down his face from just thinking about it. I knew this wasn't easy for him.
"Then.. it.. the truck. Rolled." Then the tears finally did come, slowly streaming down my face.
"Not only once, once off the shoulder, it.. just kept.. going down, first sliding and the top, and rolling, like.. 4.. more times." By this part, his eyes were closed shut, like he was trying to get the image of it out of his mind. "And it just kept sliding only now on the wheels, and then it just flipped once more.. onto the top again.. and it just sat there.. I could feel it creaking below me.. I was just hanging.. there.. and I was.. scared.. Lorelai.. I was so scared.. I still am.. I don't want to talk about it anymore.. please, don't make me. Please." Now he was just pleading, begging me to drop it for now. The tears on his face made it so much more real for me, so I simply.. nodded to him. I figured that's what he needed right now.
So I left him there, him sitting there staring at the ceiling, still crying a bit, wiping them off with the wrist that was broken.
"Hey, can I leave for a minute? Need some more coffee. You.. need anything?" I said carefully, not sure if I should bother him right now.
"No.. I'm fine.. go ahead.. I'll.. be here." he said looking away. Defeated.
"I love you.."
He smiled at that, looking back at me and in his eyes, I could see that he knew that what I said was the truth.
"I know. I love you too. Don't take to long.."
"I won't. Fifteen minutes. That ok?" He nodded, and I opened the door and left the room. Glad I had my phone in my back pocket, I took it out and went out the front building, and went to the Jeep, forgetting about the coffee. I sat there crying softly at first and called a very familiar number.