Chapter 28: Loss
A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews. Here it is the latest installment. Enjoy. Reviews wanted.
Lorelai and Luke stood silently, absorbing the information that Dr. Gregory was giving them.
"Is he in pain?" Lorelai asked. "Is he hurting?"
"No. Mrs. Danes he is not. I can take you step by step of what is going to when he does start to leave us. Would you like me to, so there is less pain on your part when he passes?"
"Yes please. I want to know," Lorelai said, standing strong, not leaning on Luke like she had in the past.
"His heart will slowly stop beating and it will seem like he has fallen asleep," Dr. Gregory explained. "I have a DNR order here. If you sign this, it will not allow us to use any heroic measures to keep your son alive. If he starts to slip, we can, as we have been doing for the past thirty minutes, shock his heart back intonormal rhythm but it won't last. The part of his heart that controls the pace of the heartbeat is too weak to continue on it's own. I have run out of miracles. I'm sorry. I'll leave the order with you and we will follow your wishes, whatever they may be."
Dr. Gregory lays a sheet of paper on the coffee table in the waiting room. Luke picks up the paper and stares at it. He knows that if they continue to let them shock his little heart that it won't do anything more than buy Christian a few more minutes that he wou;dn't have otherwise.
"Lorelai, honey, we need to talk about this. What do you want to do?"
"I want to say goodbye to him while I know he can still hear me. I want Rory here. She needs to be here to say goodbye to her brother also," she said, not looking at him and with much anger in her voice. "Do not sign that order until Rory gets here. I'm going to call her now and then I'm going to call my parents. They deserve to know what's going on with their grandson. I want them here to say goodbye."
"Ok. Ok," he answered softly. He took a step towards her to comfort her in this pain she was in but she turned away. Luke hung his head. "It's my fault, all my fault."
No more than ten minutes later Rory was at the hospital with Lorelai and Luke. Audrey was with Babbette and Morey. Ten minutes after Rory got there, Richard and Emily arrived. Liz and TJ would have been there but they were at a fair in Maine and wouldn't make it there in time. One by one the members of the Danes-Gilmore family said their tearful goodbyes to Christian. Richard and Emily went first.
"Goodbye little master," Richard said. "Be sure to visit Trix and Grandpa Charles."
Emily had no words for her tiny grandson. She could only kiss the tips of her fingers and place them on his forehead. She turns away from him before she starts to cry.
Rory said goodbye next. The girl with the thousand plus vocabulary could barely utter out the words goodbye. She cried and kissed the top of his head and wiggled his nose. "Goodbye my baby brother."
Luke and Lorelai went together. They were going to hold him for the last time. Dr. Gregory unhooked from the machines and let Lorelai hold him. She rocked and began to sing to him again.
This is the night
Such a beautiful night
And we call it Bella Notte
Look at the skies
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely Bella Notte
Side by side with your loved one
You'll find the enchantment here
The night will weave it's magic spell
When the one you love is near
For this is the night
And the heavens are right
On this lovely Bella Notte
"Christian Lucas Danes, you listen to Mama. We are going to miss you so much. We really aren't ready to let you go. But Mama knows that she has to. My precious little prince, I love you. Please don't leave us."
Lorelai could feel his breaths getting shallower and less frequent. She passed him to Luke who also rocked him gently.
"Christian, Daddy loves you very much. I don't want to see you go but when you wake up in heaven I know that my parents are there, waiting to take care of you for us. Goodbye son."
As Luke said goodbye he and Loreali kissed the top of his head. Together they rocked him until his eyes shut and his breathing ceased. The silence of the room was broken by the heart wrenching sobs coming from Lorelai.
Dr. Gregory looked at the clock and said quietly to the nurse, "Time of death, 2334."
"Christian. My boy. Christian. No. Please come back. Come back baby."
Lorelai sobs and holds her son close. Rory is in a deep embrace with Richard and Emily. Luke rubs Lorelai's back and tries to stay strong for his family.
A/N: It's a tear jerker I know. Bella Notte was written by Sonny Berke and Peggy Lee. Also Once Upon a Dream was written by Sammy Fain and Jack Lawerence and A Dream is a Wish was written by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.