Disclaimer: ASP and the WB
Author's note: I wanted to thank all my lovely reviewers again! I want to hug all of you! Keep on reviewing ;)
Then I have to announce that it could take me longer to update in the next two weeks, because it's finals time, and you don't want me to fail, do you? The next chapter is almost finished though and I hope I'll be able to put it up soon.
Dedicated to: Lilienprinzessin of course, who doesn't complain about having to write a term paper and correcting my stories at the same time. Also to Lena, who didn't laugh ;)
Bonding
When a nurse came outside, Luke and Richard almost jumped at her. "What is wrong?" both of them exclaimed.
The nurse was startled. "Uhm excuse me Sir, can I help you?"
"My name is Gilmore. My wife and daughter are in there. Is something wrong?" Richard asked – trying to keep his emotions under control.
"No Mr. Gilmore, the alarm had to do with a heart attack patient. I don't know anything about your wife and daughter, but a doctor should be out soon to talk to you," the nurse answered, smiling understandingly.
Richard and Luke breathed a sigh of relieve, before they walked back to the chairs and sank into them again.
It didn't take long before a doctor stepped out of the Emergency ward and walked over to them.
"Mr Gilmore?"
Richard shot out of his chair. "Yes?" The doctor eyed Luke questioningly, but Richard quickly put his hand on Luke's shoulder. "This is my daughter's fiancé."
The doctor nodded and then looked into his notes: "Well Mr. Gilmore it seems that your daughter has only suffered a mild concussion. We took care of the wound on her head, she needed to have stitches, but it's nothing serious. We'll keep her in over night to be sure she's alright and to raise her body temperature some more, but if she's as stable tomorrow as she is today, she'll be able to go home tomorrow."
Richard smiled as he saw Luke's whole body relax.
"With your wife the situation is different though," the doctor continued and Richard felt panic taking hold of him again. "She broke one of her ribs during the impact and the rib plunged into her left lung, which caused the lung to collapse. We call that a pneumothorax." Richard briefly closed his eyes, but opened them again when the doctor continued.
"She was able to breathe with the other lung, but it is necessary to perform surgery as soon as possible now. The situation at hand isn't an optimal one. From what I gathered she was out there for quite some time, and the longer it takes to tend to the injuries the higher the risk that there will be complications. Your wife is also suffering from advanced hypothermia, but we have to take the risk and perform surgery now. Do you agree to have surgery performed on your wife?"
Richard nodded slowly. "Yes, of course. Do everything you can to help her. Can I see her before the surgery?"
The doctor shook his head. "No, we already sedated her to safe her body from further stress. I am sorry Mr. Gilmore, but you can go and see your daughter now. She is in room 214."
Richard nodded sadly. Luke waited till the doctor had left again and then put a hand on Richard's shoulder. "She is going to be fine, Richard, she is a strong woman."
"You should go to Lorelai now, I am sure she is waiting for you." Richard said while he tried to smile at Luke, but from the look on Luke's face he was able to tell that he had failed miserably at the attempt.
"Are you sure… I mean I could stay with you until the others arrive." Luke replied - drawn between wanting to see Lorelai and his concern for her father.
"No, Son, you go. I'd like to be alone for a minute."
Luke nodded quietly and then hurried off to see Lorelai.
When he opened the door to her room, he instantly spotted her lying in bed, a bandage around her head. She started to smile her unique smile at him as soon as she saw him entering her room.
Luke was by her side with a few steps and hugged her tightly: "Don't ever do that again, do you hear! Never!"
Lorelai gently patted the back of her fiancé's head. "I promise, Luke."
Luke secretly wiped some tears away and then turned to look at Lorelai. "Does it hurt?"
"No, I am fine, really. I was very lucky," Lorelai replied, shaking her head.
Luke nodded and couldn't help thinking of Richard, who had the worst hours of his life in front of him.
"Luke?"
He knew what Lorelai was going to ask, before she even had the time to finish her question.
"Luke, do you know something about my mother? How is she?"
He gently took her hands in his and had to watch how Lorelai's face contorted with fear.
"She is in surgery. Apparently one of her ribs broke and plunged into her left lung. But don't worry, the doctor said she is going to be fine."
"Did he really say that or are you saying that to keep me from worrying?" Lorelai asked, studying his face intently.
He smiled at her in return. "You know me too well. She is going to be fine, though. I know she will."
Lorelai nodded, before she put her head on Luke's shoulder and allowed him to comfort her. She couldn't believe how safe she felt in his arms and how much she wished her mother could see them now.
Richard's wish wasn't fulfilled, because soon after Luke had left, the doors to the Emergency ward burst open and in came Rory, Sookie, Jackson, Kirk, Morey, Babette and Michel.
Ms. Patty and Lulu had stayed in Stars Hollow to inform the others and to await further news.
Rory instantly spotted her grandfather in one of the chairs. "Grandpa!"
She ran over to him and hugged him tightly: "How is Mum? How is Grandma? Where is Luke?"
Sookie gently put a hand on Rory's back. "Rory, let the poor man answer."
"Your mother is fine, she has a mild concussion, it's nothing serious. Luke is with her right now."
He smiled at his granddaughter and watched as the group of people in front of him breathed a collective sigh of relieve.
"And how's Grandma?" Richard heard the concern in his granddaughter's voice. He knew that she felt especially guilty since her relationship with her grandmother hadn't been the best one in the last couple of weeks.
"She is in surgery right now, she has a broken rib and some lung trouble, but she's going to be fine. Your mother is in room 214. I think she'd be happy to see you."
Rory nodded gravely, and before she went to see her mother, she hugged her grandfather again tightly. He returned her hug and then quietly watched as Rory and Lorelai's friends made their way to Lorelai's room.
He waited until they were out of sight, before he turned around and walked outside. He took a deep breath of fresh air and then began to wander aimlessly through the snow.
He thought about his wife and their marriage. He remembered their good times and the bad times, too. He agonized over the fact that he had hurt her in the last weeks by saying that the life she led was useless. He hadn't meant it that way and now he wished he had never said something. It didn't take long before silent tears were running down his cheeks. He didn't try to wipe them away. There was no one on the street, no one who could see him.
For the first time in what seemed like an eternity he prayed to god and pleaded for some more years with his wife.
Lorelai felt so comfortable with Luke sitting in bed next to her that she was just about to fall asleep, when the doors to her room burst open and what seemed to be half of Stars Hollow's population came hurrying through them.
"Mum!" Rory exclaimed.
Lorelai was awake right away and opened her arms to hug her daughter.
"Hey sweetheart," she said as she patted Rory's head while her daughter clung on to her.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Rory asked, looking at the bandage around her mother's head.
"No, I am fine. Looks pretty cool, though, doesn't it?" Lorelai was grinning at her daughter, who rolled her eyes in response. Lorelai then turned to her friends.
"So, what are you all doing here?"
Sookie stared at her best friend incredulously. "We helped to search for you! We were worried, Lorelai… and you are joking again," Sookie said and started to smile.
Lorelai grinned broadly at her friends and then allowed all of them to hug her, or in Michel's case wave at her. Kirk then went on to tell how he and Jackson had almost died, because a giant raccoon had jumped onto the street. When everyone had stopped laughing again, Lorelai yawned demonstratively.
"Oh doll, you must be so tired. We are leaving now," Babette said and pulled at Morey's jacket.
"Yes she is right. I left Martha and Davey with Ms. Patty, and you know how she is around little boys," Sookie said, still smiling at Lorelai.
"When I am home tomorrow, we'll have a little party, okay? Celebrating my second birthday." She turned to Luke with excited eyes. "Do I get presents?"
Luke rolled his eyes, but then nodded and smiled at her.
"Okay, hun, tomorrow at your house. I'll bring the food." With a last hug Sookie and the others left the room again. Rory was still sitting on her mother's bed.
"Mum, do you know anything else about grandma?" she asked worried
Lorelai smiled at her daughter and put a hand on her arm. "She is going to be fine, I promise." Lorelai tried to sound as reassuring as she could, even though it wasn't easy for her.
Luke sighed heavily. "Maybe we should have called an ambulance."
Lorelai put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke, don't worry about that. It would have taken at least half an hour till an ambulance would have found us. It was right that you drove us here directly," she said smiling at him and was glad when he smiled back at her.
"Maybe I should go out and check on grandpa. He looked so sad," Rory offered.
"Honey, I think that's a good idea. Get him something to read, and a coffee." At that Lorelai's head shot around to Luke. "Uh Luke, that reminds me…. Coffeeeeee!" Lorelai whined, but Luke stared at her hard.
"No Lorelai, not today. You may get some when you return home tomorrow." Not even Lorelai's best puppy-eyed-look changed his opinion.
Richard didn't know how long he had been wandering around, but when he was coming closer to the hospital again, he suddenly heard a voice calling out for him.
"Grandpa!"
Richard quickened his step and hurried back to the hospital, where he was met by Rory.
"Rory, what's wrong? Is something with your grandmother?" He was frantic, so Rory quickly put a hand on her grandfather's arm.
"No, Grandpa, there's nothing wrong. I was looking for you but I couldn't find you, so I was getting worried," she answered and she was glad to see her grandfather relaxing again.
"I am fine, Rory. There's no need to worry about me," he said while he smiled at his granddaughter and hoped that she would believe him.
"Let's go back inside. It's freezing out here," Rory replied shivering, so Richard put his arm around her shoulder and walked back inside with her.
As soon as they had entered the hospital again, a nurse came up to them, holding a small bag in her hands.
"Are you Mr. Gilmore?"
"Yes, that's me."
Richard was looking at the bag and knew what was inside even before the nurse went on to tell him about it.
"We collected you wife's belongings. We brought her clothes to one of the rooms, but we thought you might like to take her jewellery." The nurse explained, looking at him kindly.
Richard had to take a calming breath before he took the bag with shaking hands.
"Thank you," he managed to say.
The nurse simply smiled at him and then turned around to walk away.
"Wait, is there any news on my grandmother?" Rory asked quickly.
"No, I am sorry. She is still in surgery. A doctor will come and talk to you as soon as the surgery is finished."
Rory nodded and then remained standing next to her grandfather as they watched the nurse walk away.
"Do you need something, Grandpa? A coffee maybe?" Rory asked and studied her grandfather.
He was still staring at the bag with an indescribable look on his face. When she put a hand on his arm, his head jerked up.
"What? Uh, oh no Rory. Thank you, but I am fine," Richard answered trying to sound convincing.
"Well then let's sit down and talk a little," she suggested and smiled encouragingly at her grandfather. The sadness in his eyes tore at her.
"Rory, you don't have to do that. You should go and see your mother." Richard looked down on the small bag in his hands again.
"Luke is still with her, and I think she's going to sleep soon. She was pretty tired."
Rory linked her arm through her grandfathers' and led him over to the waiting area. It was a quiet night, even though the roads were icy, they were the only ones in the small room.
For a few moments they just sat there. Rory wanted to give her grandfather a little time, but after a few minutes she reached over and took the bag out of his hands.
"May I?" she asked and was relieved when her grandfather nodded.
She opened the bag and looked at its contents. She took out a pair of simple, but elegant earrings and looked at them for a moment. The two immaculate white pearls captured the light of the lamp hanging over her.
"I bought her those in South Africa," Richard explained quietly.
"I didn't know you two have been to South Africa." Rory said, looking at her grandfather with interest.
"Your grandmother wasn't, I was. I had to go there on a business trip shortly after your mother had been born. I think she was six weeks old. I tried to convince Emily to come with me, but she refused. In the first months after your mother's birth there was no way you could have torn Emily away from the baby."
"Really?" Rory wasn't really convinced by that. That didn't sound like the horrible not-caring mother her mum had told her about.
"She loved your mother very much. She still does, you know." Richard had this far away and sad look on his face again, so Rory tried to change the topic.
She took one of the rings out of the bag and admired it. It was an elegant, platinum ring with a large diamond in the middle. The large one was surrounded by three smaller ones on each side.
"This is so beautiful," Rory breathed.
Richard turned to look at her and then smiled gently. "Do want to hear another story?"
"Of course." Rory answered, being glad that her grandfather was talking.
"That is the first ring I bought her after we got married… the first time," he added and chuckled softly, "It's from Chopin and it cost me a fortune back then. I thought your grandmother would kill me when she found out about the price."
"How did she find out? I thought you didn't tell people about the price of gifts."
Richard's face became serious again. "Well, my mother was kind enough to tell Emily. She accused her of having turned me into a mindless fool, because I spent so much money, even though we couldn't afford it at that time." Richard fell silent again and Rory didn't know what to say. She put a hand on her grandfather's arm, and patted it softly.
"I should have told my mother to stop… I…," Richard couldn't finish the sentence. He looked at Rory and started smiling again.
"Well, what else have we got? I am sure I know a story about all of her jewellery."
Rory smiled at her grandfather and then put her hand into the bag again. When she realized what she had taken out of the bag, she wanted to drop it again, but Richard stopped her from doing so. He took the simple golden ring out of Rory's hands and studied it intensly. There was a single word engraved inside: "Always". Two dates were engraved on the left and the right side. The dates of their first and their second wedding day.
He carefully turned the ring around, and remembered how excited he had been on his wedding day. Even though he had been nervous, there had never been any doubt for him that Emily was the only woman he wanted to marry. Even after all those years he would have been able to paint a picture of her as she slowly walked down the aisle towards him. She had been smiling her unique dazzling smile at him, and he had wanted to kiss her right there, but he had had to wait till the ceremony was over.
He snapped out of his trip to the past, when he felt Rory patting his arm again.
"Can you imagine that her ring size hasn't changed in all those years? She still has the same slender fingers she had when we married."
He put the ring into the pocket of his shirt and then allowed Rory to lay her head on his shoulder. Together they looked at the big clock that hung on the opposite wall and watched as the seconds seemed to crawl by.
Lorelai hadn't even realized that she had dozed off, but when someone gently shook her shoulder, it took her some time to get awake again.
"Hu? What? Mum, I told you not to wake me," she murmured and turned around again.
"Miss Gilmore, this is Dr. Reynolds, I need you to wake up," he demanded.
Lorelai opened her eyes and stared at the doctor.
"I am sorry, I thought you were my mother," she yawned widely.
"How do you feel?"
He took his small flashlight and made her follow the light with her eyes.
"My head hurts a little," she replied and only then did she notice that Luke was standing next to the door and watched her.
"That's normal Miss Gilmore. I will have a nurse bring you another aspirin," the doctor said smiling at her. "We have to make sure that your condition doesn't change. We will wake you up every few hours to check whether you are disorientated or start having trouble with your memory. I think you are fine, though."
"Yeah, me and my large head, a story continued," Lorelai replied, smiling at the doctor, who didn't quite know what she was referring to.
"Alright, try to sleep a little again, and I will come back in three or four hours."
He turned around to leave, but Lorelai held him back.
"Any news from my mother?"
"No, Miss Gilmore. I am sorry. I'll make sure that someone will come and inform you about the surgery as soon as it is finished."
Lorelai nodded and with that the doctor left the room.
Luke moved to sit besides her again. He put an arm around her shoulder.
"How long has it been now, Luke?" Lorelai asked quietly.
"Five hours. I am sure the surgery will be over soon," he tried to assure her while he gently massaged Lorelai's back.
"Where are Rory and my dad?" Lorelai asked as she relaxed into Luke's massage.
"I am afraid I don't know, but I can go and find out," he offered and stopped the massage to get up.
Lorelai protested softly, but then there was a knock on the door and a nurse entered. Luke smiled at Lorelai again before he left the room.
It didn't take Luke long to find them. They were still sitting in the waiting area. Rory had fallen asleep and Richard was worried that he'd wake her if he moved.
They had gotten company about half an hour ago. A woman around his age was sitting in the chair opposite to him. She had her family with her. A young woman was holding her hand, and Richard guessed it was her daughter. A young man was rocking a sleeping baby in his arms and talked softly with what appeared to be his wife.
Richard had watched them for the last thirty minutes and had tried to imagine what they were doing here, whom they were waiting for. They all looked rather pale and worried.
When he looked up he saw Luke entering the waiting room.
"Hey Richard, how are you holding up?"
"I am fine. Rory fell asleep a while ago. How is Lorelai?" Even though Richard couldn't remember the last time he had felt that exhausted, he knew he wouldn't sleep until he was sure that Emily was out of surgery and well. Gut
"The doctor just checked on her, and said that she is fine."
Richard nodded his head in relief. He felt guilty that he hadn't found the time to see his daughter yet.
Neither Luke, nor Richard had noticed a doctor entering the waiting room, but the sound of the elder woman breaking into sobs startled them both. Richard watched with a horrified look as the family moved closer together to comfort each other as they unmistakably mourned the death of a loved one.
Rory had woken up due to the tumult around her and looked at Luke and her grandfather with a confused look.
"What is wrong?" she asked still a little sleepily.
Luke caught the look on Richard's face and reacted quickly. He put an arm under Richard's elbow and pulled him up. "Come on. Richard, let's go."
He stirred Richard out of the waiting room and away from the heartbreaking scene. Rory followed behind, but when she looked back she saw the elder woman holding her daughter to her. Sobs were racking her body and watching that Rory couldn't stop her own tears from falling.
"Richard, why don't you go and see Lorelai now? I am sure she would be happy to see you," Luke suggested.
He was worried about Lorelai's father, because Richard was white as a sheet.
Rory stood behind him and desperately tried to stop crying. She wanted to be strong for her grandfather.
"Richard?" Luke asked again. He put a hand on Richard's shoulder and shook him carefully. Finally Richard seemed to react and looked at Luke.
"Yes, yes maybe you're right," he managed to say and took a deep shattered breath.
"She is going to be fine, don't stop believing it." Luke tried to assure him. He still had his hand on Richard's shoulder and only removed it, when Richard nodded again.
"I am going to see Lorelai now," he said and slowly walked to his daughter's room.
Luke watched till he was sure that Richard had made it to Lorelai's room, and then turned around to Rory. Without a word he opened his arms and hugged her. He allowed her to sob against his shoulder. It didn't feel weird anymore to hug and comfort her, it felt natural.