Chapter 4

Save me from the nothing I ´ve become

Nine months ago his life had changed so completely, he could hardly remember how it had been before. He couldn´t remember having fun. He couldn´t remember laughing. So much had changed when she had disappeared and taken most of him with her. He felt like she had just left an empty wrapper back in Stars Hollow and the rest was with her, wherever that was.

He stood in the diner behind the counter and watched how April did her homework. She was in the diner a lot more since the day in September. Sometimes she would even spend the night in Rory´s room and he would make breakfast for the two of them in the morning. Or Rory would join them and the two girls would take the double bed and he would sleep on the couch.

Lorelai and he had talked about adding another one or two rooms to the house. One for April and one for their future-kid. The one they had talked about and wanted. Had wanted. Before she was gone.

"Dad, can I have a burger?" April asked and made him leave his thoughts. She always did that when she realized he was thinking about Lorelai. Little did she know that he was thinking about her all the time, because everything he did or saw reminded him of her.

"Sure. Normal or with cheese?"

"Make it with cheese. But without onions..."

"And normal fries and extra ketchup, I got it!"he said and walked into the kitchen.

"You have reached Luke´s diner. Please leave a message after the beep, I might call you back" the voice on the machine said, but she hung up quickly. She wasn´t sure if she had the right number and had been prepared for a wrong person, but not a wrong answering-machine.

She had gone through all of Lorelai's things and had found a wedding invitation with two phone numbers in Connecticut on it.

She knew she wasn´t allowed to go through the patient's things, but she needed to do something, she couldn´t watch this woman die anymore. Die when there was no more need to. The therapies had been a success, the problem was that she was still very weak and refused to cooperate. She wouldn´t eat, wouldn´t get up, and wouldn´t talk. They had tried everything, but nothing was working. These two numbers were her last chance. Her last chance to live.

She tried the other number.

"Ah, Luke, come on! Now that you are living here we need a new text on Frida or she will get angry!"
"Who the hell is Frida?"
"The answering-machine, duh!"
"An answering machine can´t get angry!"
"You don´t know Frida, so it's better not to risk anything! Come on tell me what to say!"
"Why can´t you just say: This is Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Dane's house. We are not at home so please leave a message after the beep?"
"See, was that so hard? People you heard what the master said!" she laughed
"You recorded that?"
"I still am!" she giggled
"Give me that! Lorelai! Give me that damn tape!" Luke shouted
Beep

"Hello this is nurse Sally from the Memorial Hospital in San Francisco. I assume I have the right number, because I´m looking for friends or relatives of Lorelai Gilmore. She has been here for some time now and she could really need someone to support her. The therapy was a success, but she is in a very bad physical state. If you can help us or know someone who can help us, please give us a call, it´s very urgent! The number is 1415/3046724"

All the groceries Luke held in his hands dropped on the floor when he had heard Lorelai´s name. He pressed pause and then re-played the message several times. He couldn´t believe it. He knew where she was. They had found her. After nine months. Nine months of hoping and waiting, of fear, anger, and sadness they had finally found her. He couldn´t believe it and played the message again.

He picked up the phone and wanted to dial the number he had scribbled on a paper, but then decided against it.

He wouldn´t call. Not after all this time. Not to find out why she was in hospital. Not after nine months of missing her.

He had a city and he had the name of a hospital and the nurse. He would fly over, now.

He ran upstairs and threw clothes in a bag. Some for him and some for her. Maybe she would want her own clothes.

Then he took a second and thought about what else he could need. He grabbed some photos, her pajamas and her Hello Kitty slippers and also threw them in the bag.

While he drove to the airport he was debating if he should call Rory or not. Or Emily and Richard. But he knew that they would want to come with him and he had no idea what was wrong with Lorelai yet, so he decided against it. They were worried enough and he would call them when he had seen her and talked to her.

He parked the truck and got out, mentally going through a list if he had the diner and everything else covered, without being too cryptic about his whereabouts and decided that he had done well.

"Did you get any response to your message yet?" the doctor asked her the next day.

"No, I´m sorry, but there was no answer yet."

"Could it have to do something with different time zones? Maybe they are still asleep over there?"

"No, I checked that. They must not have gotten it yet. If this Mister Danes is still living there."

"Is he a relative?"

"Her husband so it seems" she said and handed him the invitation she still had in her pocket.

We proudly announce that we finally set a date

We

Lorelai Victoria Gilmore

and

Lucas William Danes

are getting married the 3rd September 2006

(exactly 3 months later than originally planned)

We would be happy if you would celebrate this day with us.

Please tell us if you are coming

Telephone: 1549876 or
1546483

"She arrived here at the end of September, didn´t she?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, I think so.''

"She must have been so happy. I can´t imagine her being happy. She is always so sad."

"Yeah. I listened to the message on the answering machine several times before I left a message because I couldn´t believe that it was really her voice I heard. She sounded really happy and chipper."

"Maybe there will be some response to it. Hopefully."

"Uhm, sorry Miss! Are you nurse Sally?" a man interrupted them.

"Yes, I am" she said and tried to remember where she knew him from, because he somehow looked familiar.

"My name is Luke, Luke Danes. You called me concerning Lorelai."

TBC