Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, nor have I ever owned them. I also do not own Brad Paisley or Allison Krauss. sniff Ah well.
Thank you to those who have read and reviewed this piece, especially bluedaisy05, orangesherbert7, Amanda, BlueJPlover, CoffeeCalling, and sarahb2007. I feel like I should apologize for this being such a sad fiction… but…. I won't. And if you are looking for some fluff after this, check out my story "You Don't Know Me." :-)
A/N: This story is based on the song "Whisky Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss; and deals with themes of alcoholism and suicide. Thank you all for reading this and I look forward to reading what you think.
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Caesar stared at the lifeless body of his employer, shocked that the man he thought was so audacious, so phlegmatic, and so perdurable could even think about weakening to the point of taking his own life. Then again, that Luke Danes hadn't existed in a while- not since she had broken his heart. Still, thought Caesar, What a waste of a good man. With that, he wiped a lone, errant tear from his cheek and trudged downstairs to break the news that one of the most beloved stars from "the Hollow" had burnt out.
Immediately, the town set the wheels in motion to take care of their dear friend's final wishes. The diner closed for the week while Stars Hollow began the preparations for Luke's funeral. Taylor took care of calling the medical examiner and the police. Kirk took care of the will, seeing as he was the town's public notary and paralegal. Now all that was left to do was to notify Luke's next of kin.
Miss Patty offered to undertake the heartbreaking duty of calling Jess to tell him of his uncle's untimely death and that he had been named the executor of Luke's will. Why Luke had listed Jess as the person to contact in case of an emergency, Patty wasn't completely sure. However, she decided that this time she would listen to the wishes of Luke Danes, for once. Perhaps Liz wasn't the best under pressure or something. Either way, it didn't matter whom she called; it was not going to be the most pleasant of conversations.
With contacting Jess taken care of and the rest of the funeral arrangements already in place, the only thing left to do was to notify the Gilmores. Nobody wanted that job.
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Jess hung up the phone in silence and glanced around his Philadelphia apartment. Miss Patty's words still rang in his ears: "Jess, I am sorry that I have to contact you like this, but I have some bad news. Last night, your uncle passed away… um…unexpectedly. He named you as his emergency contact and executor of his will. We need you to come back to Stars Hollow as soon as possible. I am so sorry for your loss. Your uncle was a good man and loved by us all… I'm so sorry."
His uncle was gone. The most positive male influence in his life was no longer there. What the hell had happened? He knew that his uncle was in perfect health the last time he saw him. Sure, he was nursing a broken heart, but that was to be expected. He never dreamed that Luke would actually fall so far as to take his own life. He'd been brought to his knees by several women: Rachel, Nicole, and Anna, but he was always able to get back up. That is, he could get up until he met Lorelai. Now, Jess was calling his employer and packing his clothes for a trip he didn't think he would be making for a few years.
The day they buried Luke Danes was the saddest day in the memory of Stars Hollow; it seemed that even the angels in Heaven cried that day. The entire service had already been planned out already, so Jess only had a few minor things he had to do when he arrived in from Philadelphia. Luke was a very modest guy who didn't want a big deal made of his death, especially because he had been the catalyst behind his premature journey to the grave. The entire town came out to bid their last farewells to the gruff, scruffy diner owner.
The funeral began the same as so many funerals began in Stars Hollow. Rev. Skinner officiated in the small town chapel with the removable crucifix and Star of David. Then the eulogies began. April, Jess, and Rory all spoke about Luke and what a difference he had made in their lives. They remembered how it was Luke to break the church bells, made mashed potatoes and coffee-flavored birthday cake, try to help with geometry homework by reading Geometry for Dummies, and took in angry teenagers in the hope of setting them back on the right path and succeeding in that endeavor. Finally, it was time to lay the body of Luke Danes to rest.
They all stood there by the willow tree in the cemetery as they laid one of their own in the ground. Just as the casket was lowered into the ground, the sky, which has been overcast, finally opened up. All of the people there that day would swear that the angels in heaven could no longer contain their sadness and the rain was their tears pouring down.
Those surrounding the grave site were so far into mourning they didn't notice the solitary figure hiding behind a tree; her dark brown hair blowing behind her and her sad blue eyes filling with tears for the man she never stopped loving.
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Next up on "A Whisky Lullaby": Luke's death affected the whole town, but how did it affect Lorelai?