"Lorelai!" Emily screeched from the end of the hall.
Lorelai turned quickly to see her mother and father rushing down to her. She slowly walked towards them.
"Lorelai, what's going ?" Richard asked frantically.
"Rory..." Lorelai whimpered through tears. "She was in a-an acci-accident"
"Oh, God." Emily covered her face with her hands.
"Is she okay?" Richard inquired, trying to keep a calm about him.
Lorelai shook her head, as the tears streamed down her face. "She's in a coma." Lorelai leaned over and buried her head in her father's chest. Richard held her close, as she broke down in his arms.
"If she doesn't make it through..." Lorelai began.
"Sh..." Richard soothed. "It'll be alright."
Hours upon hours passed, the doctors had no new information to give Lorelai. The whole world around the Gilmore family seemed to fade in and out of reality. Richard sat beside Lorelai and tried to keep her from becoming too upset. Lorelai never thought it would be such a comfort to have her parents around.
"Lore?" Lorelai looked up to see Christopher standing by the front desk. She rushed to him. "Lore, honey, what's going on?"
Lorelai tried to explain everything, but her words were muffled by sobbing. Chris hugged her and kissed her on the head. "She'll be okay." he repeated over and over, trying to convince himself as well.
"Emily, why don't you take Lorelai down for a bite to eat?" Richard suggested. "I'll fill Christopher in on everything."
"I'm not hungry." Lorelai replied, drying away a few of her tears.
"You haven't eaten anything, Lorelai." Richard answered softly. "We can't have you getting sick too. Now, go on. We'll let you know if anything changes."
Emily guided Lorelai down to the cafeteria. Chris had heartache written all over his face. He felt guilty, and Richard could tell.
"How bad is it?" Chris finally got the nerve to ask.
"Bad." Richard replied shortly. "She took a lot of damage to her head."
Chris fought back the tears "Is she going to live?"
Richard sighed. "No one knows, yet. She's in a coma. The doctor said it was just a waiting game."
"A game!" Chris yelled. "This isn't a game!"
"Christopher, please." Richard replied. "You must remain calm."
"Richard, that's my little girl!"
"And it's my granddaughter. I love that child with every fiber of my being, it pains me immensely to know she is laying in a room with cords and gadgets hooked to her body, and there is nothing I can do to help her." Richard's voice was full of pain, and sorrow.
Christopher swallowed heavy. "I should have been here."
"You had no idea anything like this would happen."
"Lore, needed me."
"You're here now." Richard said. "That's all that matters at the moment. You have to be strong Christopher, for Lorelai and Rory."
(That next morning)
Lorelai hadn't slept at all during the night, but she was beginning to doze on and off as the early am hours approached. Emily and Richard had been napping for a couple of hours, and Christopher sat beside Lorelai, not closing his eyes for more than a second.
"Ms. Gilmore?" A nurse called. Lorelai's eyes immediately opened. "The doctor is in your daughter's room. You may see her, now."
"Is she awake?" Lorelai asked optimistically.
"You'll need to speak with the doctor, he is waiting for you."
"Can I go with her?" Chris stood up and asked.
"Who are you?" the nurse replied.
"Rory's father."
The nurse paused. "Alright..."
Chris took Lore by the hand as they walked down the long cold hallway and into their daughter's room. The doctor was standing over Rory checking her vitals when they walked in. Rory wasn't awake. Lorelai's heart was crushed all over again.
"Ms. Gilmore." The doctor began, but stopped when he saw Christopher.
"I'm Christopher Hayden, Rory's father." Chris introduced.
"I see." The doctor replied.
"How is she?" Lorelai asked as she walked over and took her daughter's limp hand.
"She's sustained many concussion and fractures to her head. There aren't any signs of brain damage, but there is a strong chance that if she awakes from the coma she'll have no memory of what happened to her."
"Well that could possibly be a good thing." Chris remarked.
The doctor sighed. "Mr. Hayden, I can't guarantee that your daughter will awake from the coma. I've seen it happen before, so it is possible. It may take days, weeks, or even months."
"We'll wait." Lorelai replied gently stroking her daughter's face. "We're not giving up on Rory."
"If she awakes..." the doctor began
"She will." Chris forcefully interrupted.
The doctor gave Chris a stern look."There'll be a possibility she may not even remember who she is or who you are." he paused. "Your daughter is very lucky to even be alive."
Chris and Lorelai sat beside Rory's bed and talked to her continuously as if she was awake. They both believed if they kept talking, Rory would hear them. Meanwhile, in a nearby hospital Mr. Forester and Mrs. Forester were weeping the loss of their sixteen year old son.