"Lorelai, please don't get upset." Luke begged.
"Luke, it's been two hours! Why isn't my mother here?"
"Maybe she got caught up at work or in traffic…"
Lorelai groaned. "I can't believe she missed this…"
"Well, in all fairness, you did go into labor 2 and a half weeks early." Luke replied. "I'm sure she's doing everything she can to get here."
Dr. Herbert stuck his head through the door. "Lorelai, would you like to hold your daughter for a while? She's been all taken care of with the nurses."
"I'd love to, Dr. Herbert." Lorelai replied, forgetting for the moment that Joan was absent.
A few seconds later, Dr. Herbert brought the sleeping baby girl into Lorelai. "I have to check on another patient, but I'll be back shortly."
"She's so tiny." Lorelai said as she lifted her daughter's small hand. "She didn't seem that small when she was coming out of me." Lorelai laughed.
"You did a great job." Luke added.
"Would you like to hold her?" Lorelai asked.
A look of fear came across Luke's face. "Oh, I don't know… I'm not good with babies."
"But this is my baby. She's different. Here…" Lorelai reached the baby over to Luke. "See, it's easy."
Luke's nerves calmed after a few seconds. "Hi, there, Lorelai Junior." Luke smiled.
"Oh, well that sounds horrible." Lorelai giggled. "I was thinking… how about Rory?"
Luke gazed down at the infant. "Rory… Rory Gilmore." He smiled. "Suits her just fine."
Lorelai watched Luke for several moments. It looked and felt so right for him to hold her daughter. She couldn't imagine Christopher ever being in the picture. She thought about her birthfather and how she had never even met him. Richard had done so well up until Emily passed away, but Lorelai owed all the credit to Joan.
"Luke…" Lorelai whispered. "She'll need a male in her life and obviously it can't be Chris."
Luke took his eyes away from Rory and looked at Lorelai. "I'll always be here for her." He replied. "I'll always be here for both of you."
"I know that." Lorelai smiled. "Thank you, so much."
Lately, Lorelai was beginning to realize that her feelings for Luke were becoming much more than just feelings of friendship. Sure, they had gotten close over the passed few months, but now they had shared something that would tie them together for life. Luke was more than just a friend. They both knew it. They both wanted it that way. But they both kept it hidden. It was almost like a game to see who could hold out the longest.
Suddenly, the door opened to the hospital room. Lorelai's hopes of Joan arriving sky rocketed, but then came to a crash as Dr. Herbert appeared from behind the door. He had a sad look on his face, as if he had just lost his dearest friend.
"Something wrong doc?" Luke asked, as he gently handled Rory back to Lorelai and stood from his chair.
Dr. Herbert pulled Luke outside the room and into the hallway. "Luke…" Dr. Herbert's voice cracked. "There's been an accident."
Luke's face turned pale and his heart began to sting with fear. "Who?" he asked slowly, honestly afraid to know the answer.
Dr. Herbert hung his head. "Joan…" there was a long pause of silence. "She wrecked her car on her way to the hospital."
"How bad is it?"
Dr. Herbert glanced down at the floor. "She died on impact."
Luke shut his eyes tightly, praying that he had heard the wrong words. "No." he said softly. "Oh… no."
"Poor Lorelai…" Herbert replied. "I just don't know how I'm going to tell her."
"She can't take this." Luke said, his voice becoming heavier with emotion. "She's already lost one mother… she can't take losing another."
"She has to know." Herbert said regretfully.
"It'll kill her!" Luke replied angrily. "Don't you see that?"
"Of course I see that!" Hebert defended, feeling as if Luke was blaming him for the accident. "I cared very much for Joan! She was a dear friend of mine. I delivered Lorelai sixteen years ago. You think I don't realize the pain? Well, I do!"
"I'm sorry." Luke quickly apologized. "I'm sorry… I just… I just don't want to believe this is happening right now." Luke glanced back towards the hospital room. "She just gave birth." He said sorrowfully. "All she wanted was for Joan to be here."
"She's a strong young woman. She'll be able to move on." Herbert slowly walked passed Luke and back into the hospital room.
Luke watched from the doorway as Dr. Herbert broke the news to Lorelai. Tears slowly formed in his eyes as he saw the expression on Lorelai's face. It was the first time Luke had ever felt pain for some one else, and at that moment he wished he could take all of Lorelai's pain if it were possible.
Herbert walked back out into the hallway. He stared at Luke for a moment. "You should go to her."
Luke nodded and walked back into the hospital room, closing the door behind him.