"How can you be so calm?" Emily asked frantically.
"Emily, darling, there is no point in becoming upset. This is a joyful occasion and I do not wish to ruin it with anxiety."
"They should have been here twenty minutes ago. Something's went wrong…" Emily began to pace the room. "The birthmother… what if she decided she didn't want to go through with the adoption? Or what if something worse happened?"
Richard stood from his chair. "Emily… you're getting yourself worked up over nothing. Collier said everything was 100 ready and correct."
"Then why aren't they here?" Emily asked. Suddenly the doorbell rang and relief flooded Emily's body. "Oh, thank God." Emily praised as she rushed to the door.
"Hello, Mrs. Gilmore. Sorry we're a little late." Collier smiled as he stood holding the baby in his arms. "This little lady here just can't wait to meet you folks."
Emily's eyes began to tear up as she reached for the baby. "Oh, Richard…" She said breathlessly as she held the baby in her arms. "Look at her… she's so beautiful." Richard peeked over Emily's shoulder at the infant.
"Do you have a name picked out?" Collier asked.
Richard smiled down at the tiny child. "We're going to name her after my mother." Richard replied. "Lorelai."
"And after mine." Emily added. "Victoria."
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore." Collier spoke. "That's a lovely name. Well, the birth certificate will be in the mail soon." Collier took one final look at the young couple with the baby. "You three have a great day. Call me if you ever need anything."
"Lorelai..." Joan's voice called softly through the dimly lighted room. "What's all this?"
"Joan, I have to." Lorelai replied as she closed her suitcase and turned around. "I told dad I would runaway if he brought Cecelia and Karl here and well… he is … so…" Lorelai's voice started to break off.
Joan walked over and took the suitcase from Lorelai's hand. She sat down on the bed and patted the bed signifying for Lorelai to sit as well.
"Have you planned out anything?" Joan asked. "Where will you go? How will you eat, sleep, and live? Do you have money? Shelter? Transportation?"
"I'll go wherever the wind takes me." Lorelai replied. "I'll volunteer to do dishes at restaurants for leftovers. I'll sleep wherever there is peacefulness. I'll find odd jobs to make money. I don't need shelter unless it rains, and if it does then I'll find a porch somewhere. And as far as transportation goes, I have my feet, that's good enough."
Joan giggled. Lorelai clearly had been watching too many movies. "My goodness, you do have this planned out. I should've known you would."
"Don't tell dad I'm gone. I figure it will take him at least till 9 or 10 tomorrow morning to realize I'm missing. I need those hours." Lorelai said seriously.
Joan sighed. "Alright."
"I'm sorry Joan. I'll write and phone every chance I get."
"I know you will." Joan smiled.
Lorelai was wondering why Joan was so easily going along with this. Lorelai honestly expected her to object to her running away scheme.
"I wish you could come with me." Lorelai said brightly.
"Oh, I can't do that. My place is here. I have no reason to runaway."
"Well, I do." Lorelai assertively replied. "If I don't then my life will be ruined."
"You're wasting valuable traveling time." Joan stated as she stood from the bed. "You'd better get going."
Lorelai looked out her window, which she had previously planned to escape from. "It looks a little chilly out there. I'd better get a jacket."
"I'll get it. You go ahead and sneak down to the ground. I'll toss you your jacket." Joan quickly hurried over to the closet. She turned around to see Lorelai standing in the same position. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Joan asked holding the jacket.
Lorelai paused. "I … I don't know." Lorelai finally said. "I had every intention of leaving a few minutes ago. But it's harder with you here in the room."
"I suppose it is." Joan replied. "I'll be on my way then." Joan laid the jacket on the bed beside Lorelai. "Good bye, Lorelai." Joan began to walk out of Lorelai's bedroom.
"Joan…" Lorelai called as she began to walk towards her. Joan turned and Lorelai's arms fell perfectly around her waist. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, sweetheart."
Lorelai ended the embrace and picked up her suitcase. She turned her back and waited for Joan to leave the room. About half an hour later, Joan pulled the covers up over a sleeping Lorelai who obviously lost all of her courage to runaway. Joan unpacked the suitcase and hung the jacket back in the closet.
"Such a strong headed girl." Joan replied as she switched off the lamp and left the room.
The next morning, Lorelai awoke and found that she was still in her bed and that her suitcase had neatly been unpacked and placed back under her bed. She sighed, remembering the events from the night before and then rose from her pillows. As she made her way down the stairs, she once again caught wind of a conversation between Joan and Richard.
"She was merely blowing off steam." Richard replied. "Every child threatens to runaway at least once."
"I know that." Joan replied. "I never thought she would actually go through with it, but it's just the fact her feelings are hurt so badly. The fact she would think of running away…"
Richard let out a deep breath. "You're taking too much concern in Lorelai." He said with a cold voice.
Joan took a seat at the table beside Richard. "I know." She said softly. "I keep telling myself to stop… but part of me can't help but think that if she just knew the truth that perhaps it would ease so much of her pain."
"That's a silly thought, Joan." Richard countered. "It would only cause more pain and more confusion."
"Excuse me if I sound too forward, Mr. Gilmore, but you're getting married."
"Yes. I am."
"You're going to bring not only another woman but another child into Lorelai's life… and you don't think that is going to cause more pain and more confusion?"
Richard was beginning to become upset. "Now, see here… I make the rules in this house."
Joan stood from the table quickly. "I know." She interrupted before Richard could continue on with his speech. "But Lorelai is a smart girl. One day she'll start to figure things out. Ask yourself how you want her to discover the truth."
Lorelai's eyes were big as quarters. "What truth were they talking about?" Lorelai wished they would use more details in these conversations they kept having.
The doorbell rang and Lorelai knew without wonder that it must be Cecelia. Lorelai hid herself so that Joan couldn't see her when she walked into the foyer to open the door.
"Hello Mrs. Harbor." Joan replied.
Cecelia stepped into the foyer. "Ugh, I can't wait till I get my key for this door. I feel like such a blue collar when I ring the doorbell." Karl stepped in behind her.
Lorelai's mind raced back to the previous night. Now she was wondering why she hadn't followed through with running away.
Richard came prancing into the foyer. "There's my two favorite people." Richard smiled.
Lorelai's heart felt as if someone had stabbed it with a knife when she heard these words come from her father's mouth.
"Richard…" Cecelia smiled. "Karl has done nothing but talk about this golf trip all morning."
"Well that's good to know." Richard replied. "I'm glad that he is looking forward to it."
"Oh, more than you know Richard." Karl retorted. "I've often wanted to learn the game of golf but never had a father or a mentor to teach me."
"You're going to learn from the best now." Cecelia added.
Richard blushed. "Well, I don't know if I would say the best."
"One of them, I am sure." Karl countered.
"Where is Lorelai?" Cecelia asked.
"I assume she is still in her room." Richard answered. "She won't be joining us today. She is grounded."
"Oh?" Cecelia replied with not only satisfaction but happiness. "Well, it's a shame she has to miss our outing."
"Well, she should learn to behave more like a young lady. Come along, we're missing valuable golfing time."
Never had Lorelai been so thankful to be grounded. A day at home away from Richard, Cecelia and Karl would be like heaven. As soon as she was certain they had all left, Lorelai went in search of Joan. A couple of minutes later, she found her sitting in her room looking at pictures.
"Joan… may I come in?" Lorelai asked as she stood in the doorway.
Joan looked up. She put away the pictures. "Of course."
"I need to ask you something." Lorelai said as she swallowed heavily. "I know that it's wrong to listen in on other people's conversations… but I heard you and dad talking the other morning and this morning and… I just want to know… what's the truth about me?"
Joan quickly searched her brain for an answer. "Lorelai… it's very wrong to eavesdrop; you should never do it. If you have questions, you should ask your father, not me."
"But he wont tell me." Lorelai replied. "I've heard how he talks to you… he doesn't want me to know. Please, tell me Joan… Please."
Joan stood from her bed and left her room without answering Lorelai.
Lorelai opened the drawer beside Joan's bed and pulled out the pictures she had been looking at when Lorelai walked in. Why did Joan have baby pictures in her nightstand drawer?