Author's notes: My computer access has been severely limited, so updates
make take some time. I am writing though, in a notebook that doesn't leave
my side and I will finish this story. Right now, my problem is finding
time to type and post.
*****************
Lorelai Elizabeth "Trix" Harrison Gilmore was laid to rest four days after her death, with all of Hartford society in attendance. She was one of the last of the Old Guard witch made the event all that more noteworthy. Her obituary ran for three columns and listed every charitable accomplishment she'd achieved for her entire 87 years, as well as background pieces on the surviving family.
After the service, most of the mourners gathered back the Gilmore house. Richard promptly locked himself in his study leaving Emily and Lorelai to play hostess. Rory had come to the service and burial, but afterwards her intermittent morning sickness had returned and forced her to retire to her room at the Hartford house. While making endless small talk Lorelai wished more than once to have the pregnancy excuse to get her away from the crowd. The last of them didn't leave until nearly 6 that evening. Richard had yet to come out of his study despite all of Emily's efforts and Rory had fallen asleep around 4.
"Well this was a day I'm in no hurry to repeat," Emily said as she sank down on the sofa. The caterer's staff was busily clearing away the last of the mess.
"I can't say I am either." Lorelai poured herself some wine and joined Emily. She hadn't allowed herself to drink all day, knowing that she had to keep dozens of names straight and alcohol wasn't going to help. "Do you think Dad will be okay?"
Emily sighed. "In time I think so. She'd been having chest pains more and more often and absolutely refused to see a doctor. The heart attack wasn't a complete surprise. He'll still have a hard time letting go though."
"He and Gran were so close. I didn't even know her that well but I'll miss her as well. She was an interesting lady."
"She certainly was. How many people send over their own mattresses when staying at their son's house?" Emily forced back the inappropriate laugh. "And now I'm changing the subject. How's Rory doing?"
"Sick and tired. On Monday the doctor confirmed a bun in the oven and she's been throwing up ever since. I think the confirmation of her worst fears actually made things worse."
"Lorelai, that's a disgusting term to use. Has she given any indication what she's going to do?"
"She's not having an abortion but she's considering adoption."
"Are you insane? She's thinking of keeping it?" Emily screeched.
"Calm down. And keep your voice down, they can hear you in Boston," Lorelai shot back. "And why are you yelling at me?"
"Because she is your daughter and it's your job to make sure she doesn't throw her life away. Are you encouraging her to keep the child?"
"No. God Mom, way to be supportive. This is Rory's choice to make, not mine. And you don't get to decide either."
"She'll never go to college if she keeps it, she'll end up struggling her whole life to make ends meet, the same way you have. You of all people should know what lie ahead for her."
"Would you please calm down?" Lorelai snapped, barely holding onto her temper. "I didn't say she was keeping it. I said she wasn't having an abortion. And the way I remember it, you rejected abortion pretty quickly 18 years ago when Straub brought it up."
"That was different. You weren't raped by some stranger. You knew who the father was. She has no idea. How on earth will she be able to even look at that child and not resent it?"
"I don't know. I'm worrying about the same thing. But it is not my place or your place to tell Rory what to think or what to feel. It's not. All I can do is support her the best I can. If you can't do that, you need to tell me right now."
"Of course I'll support her. But you can't expect me to keep my opinion to myself. She's self destructing. What if she keeps that baby just because you kept her? Have you thought about that?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. She was not going to lose her temper. This was the day of her grandmother's funeral and she was not going to make it memorable by fighting with her mother. She had more control and tact than that. "I have thought about that. A lot. And I have come to the conclusion that Rory will do what she wants to do, no matter what I say or do. I trust her to think with her head and her heart and not let other people pressure her on her decision. I need you to please understand that. You don't have to agree with me, but you do have to not pressure Rory. I mean it. This is hard enough for her without the two of us at each other's throats."
Emily scowled but backed down. Lorelai was making sense. Rory was going to have to decide this one for herself.
*******************
The will was read two days later. Trix's lawyer had been traveling in Europe and hadn't heard of her passing until the day of the funeral. Much sooner than either person liked, Rory and Lorelai found themselves sitting in the plush offices of a Boston law firm, waiting for Emily and Richard to show up.
"Sorry to be so late. Traffic was simply terrible on the interstate." Emily hustled into the office with Richard right behind her.
"Hello Rory, Lorelai." Richard was very subdued, as was to be expected. "I'm surprised you beat us here."
"I forced Mom out the door on time for once," Rory responded as she rose to hug her grandparents. "How are you?"
"I should be asking you that question. Are you feeling up to being here today?"
"I feel fine Grandpa." Before any further inquiries could take place, the probate attorney had arrived to read Trix's will.
The document was short and to the point. Save for a few special bequests and her London house, all her property, stocks and bonds were to be sold. The proceeds from those sales were to go back into her already considerable estate. The estate itself was evenly divided. $10 million went to various charities, $10 million went to Richard and Emily, along with the London property, and $5 million each was given to Lorelai and Rory.
**************
For the first time in Gilmore history, Lorelai was shocked into silence. The ride back to Stars Hollow had been complete silent as each of the car's occupants contemplated the amount of money they'd been left.
"It doesn't seem real, does it?" Rory broke the silence, unable to bear it any longer. "$5 million?"
"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. That's 10,000 pairs of Jimmy Choo's."
"You're thinking in terms of shoes? I was thinking along the lines of property investment and long-term savings." Rory knew that this money could last for her lifetime if she was careful with it. "You can pay off the mortgage and now that Inn you and Sookie have been talking about can become reality."
"Or, I can hit eBay and Amazon.com, and then head for 5th Avenue next weekend."
"Only you could spend that much money in a weekend." Rory felt the bile rise in her throat and started frantically rolling down the window. "Stop the car!"
Lorelai pulled over immediately and held Rory's hair back while she retched helplessly. The nausea didn't pass until Rory's stomach was completely empty and she'd spent several minutes dry heaving. "Maybe I should donate that money to finding a cure for morning sickness."
Rory wiped her mouth and sat up. "There already is one. It's called 'don't get pregnant'," she said bitterly. Then started retching again.
*****************
Lorelai Elizabeth "Trix" Harrison Gilmore was laid to rest four days after her death, with all of Hartford society in attendance. She was one of the last of the Old Guard witch made the event all that more noteworthy. Her obituary ran for three columns and listed every charitable accomplishment she'd achieved for her entire 87 years, as well as background pieces on the surviving family.
After the service, most of the mourners gathered back the Gilmore house. Richard promptly locked himself in his study leaving Emily and Lorelai to play hostess. Rory had come to the service and burial, but afterwards her intermittent morning sickness had returned and forced her to retire to her room at the Hartford house. While making endless small talk Lorelai wished more than once to have the pregnancy excuse to get her away from the crowd. The last of them didn't leave until nearly 6 that evening. Richard had yet to come out of his study despite all of Emily's efforts and Rory had fallen asleep around 4.
"Well this was a day I'm in no hurry to repeat," Emily said as she sank down on the sofa. The caterer's staff was busily clearing away the last of the mess.
"I can't say I am either." Lorelai poured herself some wine and joined Emily. She hadn't allowed herself to drink all day, knowing that she had to keep dozens of names straight and alcohol wasn't going to help. "Do you think Dad will be okay?"
Emily sighed. "In time I think so. She'd been having chest pains more and more often and absolutely refused to see a doctor. The heart attack wasn't a complete surprise. He'll still have a hard time letting go though."
"He and Gran were so close. I didn't even know her that well but I'll miss her as well. She was an interesting lady."
"She certainly was. How many people send over their own mattresses when staying at their son's house?" Emily forced back the inappropriate laugh. "And now I'm changing the subject. How's Rory doing?"
"Sick and tired. On Monday the doctor confirmed a bun in the oven and she's been throwing up ever since. I think the confirmation of her worst fears actually made things worse."
"Lorelai, that's a disgusting term to use. Has she given any indication what she's going to do?"
"She's not having an abortion but she's considering adoption."
"Are you insane? She's thinking of keeping it?" Emily screeched.
"Calm down. And keep your voice down, they can hear you in Boston," Lorelai shot back. "And why are you yelling at me?"
"Because she is your daughter and it's your job to make sure she doesn't throw her life away. Are you encouraging her to keep the child?"
"No. God Mom, way to be supportive. This is Rory's choice to make, not mine. And you don't get to decide either."
"She'll never go to college if she keeps it, she'll end up struggling her whole life to make ends meet, the same way you have. You of all people should know what lie ahead for her."
"Would you please calm down?" Lorelai snapped, barely holding onto her temper. "I didn't say she was keeping it. I said she wasn't having an abortion. And the way I remember it, you rejected abortion pretty quickly 18 years ago when Straub brought it up."
"That was different. You weren't raped by some stranger. You knew who the father was. She has no idea. How on earth will she be able to even look at that child and not resent it?"
"I don't know. I'm worrying about the same thing. But it is not my place or your place to tell Rory what to think or what to feel. It's not. All I can do is support her the best I can. If you can't do that, you need to tell me right now."
"Of course I'll support her. But you can't expect me to keep my opinion to myself. She's self destructing. What if she keeps that baby just because you kept her? Have you thought about that?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. She was not going to lose her temper. This was the day of her grandmother's funeral and she was not going to make it memorable by fighting with her mother. She had more control and tact than that. "I have thought about that. A lot. And I have come to the conclusion that Rory will do what she wants to do, no matter what I say or do. I trust her to think with her head and her heart and not let other people pressure her on her decision. I need you to please understand that. You don't have to agree with me, but you do have to not pressure Rory. I mean it. This is hard enough for her without the two of us at each other's throats."
Emily scowled but backed down. Lorelai was making sense. Rory was going to have to decide this one for herself.
*******************
The will was read two days later. Trix's lawyer had been traveling in Europe and hadn't heard of her passing until the day of the funeral. Much sooner than either person liked, Rory and Lorelai found themselves sitting in the plush offices of a Boston law firm, waiting for Emily and Richard to show up.
"Sorry to be so late. Traffic was simply terrible on the interstate." Emily hustled into the office with Richard right behind her.
"Hello Rory, Lorelai." Richard was very subdued, as was to be expected. "I'm surprised you beat us here."
"I forced Mom out the door on time for once," Rory responded as she rose to hug her grandparents. "How are you?"
"I should be asking you that question. Are you feeling up to being here today?"
"I feel fine Grandpa." Before any further inquiries could take place, the probate attorney had arrived to read Trix's will.
The document was short and to the point. Save for a few special bequests and her London house, all her property, stocks and bonds were to be sold. The proceeds from those sales were to go back into her already considerable estate. The estate itself was evenly divided. $10 million went to various charities, $10 million went to Richard and Emily, along with the London property, and $5 million each was given to Lorelai and Rory.
**************
For the first time in Gilmore history, Lorelai was shocked into silence. The ride back to Stars Hollow had been complete silent as each of the car's occupants contemplated the amount of money they'd been left.
"It doesn't seem real, does it?" Rory broke the silence, unable to bear it any longer. "$5 million?"
"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. That's 10,000 pairs of Jimmy Choo's."
"You're thinking in terms of shoes? I was thinking along the lines of property investment and long-term savings." Rory knew that this money could last for her lifetime if she was careful with it. "You can pay off the mortgage and now that Inn you and Sookie have been talking about can become reality."
"Or, I can hit eBay and Amazon.com, and then head for 5th Avenue next weekend."
"Only you could spend that much money in a weekend." Rory felt the bile rise in her throat and started frantically rolling down the window. "Stop the car!"
Lorelai pulled over immediately and held Rory's hair back while she retched helplessly. The nausea didn't pass until Rory's stomach was completely empty and she'd spent several minutes dry heaving. "Maybe I should donate that money to finding a cure for morning sickness."
Rory wiped her mouth and sat up. "There already is one. It's called 'don't get pregnant'," she said bitterly. Then started retching again.
