Luke's head shot up every time the sound of the bells on his door signified the entrance of another customer. He was almost embarrassed by how anxious he was to see her. He knew she was never one to rise early, so when she said "first thing in the morning" he didn't expect to see her before 9:00. But it was now 11:00 and all possible scenarios flooded his mind. He assumed that she'd had second thoughts and decided that she didn't want to date him. It made sense. He'd been dropping hints that he was interested in her for 5 years now. She'd never reciprocated any interest before. Maybe she was just feeling lonely. Maybe she was so emotional that she'd have reacted the same way if Taylor had asked her out.
Great. Now I just ruined my chances of a relationship with her AND the friendship between us. Super.
Another ring of the door caused his head to shoot up and Babette was sprinting at him. Grabbing onto his shoulders and trying to catch her breath, she said something in a panicked tone but all he could make out was "accident", "really bad", "beige jeep", and "Lorelai". And when he heard the name, he sat her down and sprinted up the stairs to his apartment. Turning on the TV, he flipped to the local news channel and there it was, a truck, a silver car, and a beige jeep – all three of them smashed and being towed away, debris covering the ground below them. He noticed the plush dice hanging from the rear view mirror and knew right away that it was her car. She'd snatched those out of Sookie's car 2 years back. He knew. He was there when she did it.
He grabbed his keys and waited for some sort of announcement as to where the people involved had been taken. He heard the words "Hartford Hospital" and was in his car in less than 20 seconds.
The hospital was half an hour away from Stars Hollow. He arrived in 18 minutes. He sprinted through the emergency room doors and stopped in his tracks to find Emily sitting isolated in the corner, staring blankly out the window. He caught his breath before carefully approaching her.
"Hi," he said, hoping his greeting wouldn't startle her.
She looked up and met him with red eyes and gave a faint smile.
"Hello, Luke."
"How is she?"
"I wish I knew." She seemed so dejected, so unsure, so not the way Lorelai had ever described her before.
"They're not telling you anything?" he inquired.
"All I know is that there was an accident. The receptionist over there called me as the next of kin. I got here about 20 minutes ago and was told to have a seat and that they're examining her now."
He sat down and placed a careful hand over hers, a gesture she would usually be appalled by but, under the circumstances, found rather comforting.
"She's going to be okay."
"I hope so, Luke. I really do."
"Is the family of Lorelai Gilmore present?" they both looked up to find a man in a white lab coat standing in the doorway across the waiting room.
"Yes, that's me," Emily said. "That's us," she corrected.
Luke was taken aback by the small, yet grand, gesture.
Does she know we're…whatever we are? No. She can't know. Lorelai wouldn't share an address change with her mother, much less a relationship that isn't even a relationship yet.
"Come with me please," the doctor requested.
They followed him through the doors and down the hall, where he guided them into a small conference room. All three took a seat at the table and he began to speak.
"My name is Dr. Hastings. I'm the emergency room attending on call today. And you are?"
"Emily Gilmore. Her mother."
"And you?" he turned his attention to Luke.
"Luke Danes. Her friend."
He nodded and continued.
"Lorelai was involved in a three-vehicle accident toward the end of that short, yet severe thunderstorm that took place about two and a half hours ago. A semi-truck hydroplaned into the lane going the opposite direction and hit a car head on. Lorelai was driving behind the car and hit the fender. There were four people involved. The semi driver-Kevin, a young mother-Lea, her infant daughter-Emma, and Lorelai. Kevin has some minor bruises but he was discharged a few minutes ago. Lea sustained the worst injuries and is in surgery as we speak, undergoing repairs to various organs and bones. I do, however, expect her to make a decent recovery and be fully functioning after some time and physical therapy. Emma has a small bruise on her left cheek but, other than that, she is perfectly fine."
"And Lorelai?" Luke urged.
"She has 4 broken ribs. Three on her right side and one on her left. Nothing can be done to heal those besides waiting for them to heal themselves, so she'll have to take it easy for several weeks. There were no major injuries to her head or her vertebrae, which is good, because that means there is no brain damage and no chance of paralysis. She has a fractured wrist, which is being casted as we speak. Her face also has a few swollen bruises and she was cut by a shard of glass above her left eyebrow, so I stitched that and it should heal within a few weeks. I expect it to leave minimal scarring, if at all. She'll have to set up follow-up appointments to ensure that no other issues develop in the aftermath of the accident. Do you have any questions?"
"When can we see her?" Luke and Emily asked simultaneously.
"As soon as her wrist is done being casted, I'll have a nurse come get you and take you back to her room. We're going to keep her for a few days so we can monitor her vitals and keep an eye on her brain, since she did hit her head against the steering wheel. You can visit her any time between 7:00am and 9:00pm while she's here. I was informed by the police that her car has already been towed to a body shop per the semi-truck company's insurance and should be available for pickup within a week or two. Is there anything else I can help you two with?"
"No, Dr. Hastings. You've been a tremendous help. Thank you." Emily replied.
The three of them got up and exited the conference room. Emily and Luke returned to the waiting area and took reclaimed their seats in the corner. They sat in silence for a few moments before Emily turned to him.
"You're quite the friend for coming here so quickly to check up on her."
"I didn't know if anyone would be here and I most certainly didn't want her to be alone," he said nonchalantly.
"Luke. My daughter and I may not have the greatest relationship. But I am her mother. And, although she'll never admit it, I know her very well. She clearly isn't going to be the one to tell me so I'm asking you. What is going on between the two of you?"
Man, this woman gets straight to the point.
"Nothing Lorelai has told you is a lie. We are just friends…well we were just friends. I don't really know what we are now."
"What do you mean? What changed?"
"I uhm…well…asked her out…that sound's so adolescent but there really isn't another way to phrase it."
"Oh. I see. And did she accept?"
"Yea. We were supposed to hash out the details this morning but then I got word of the accident and now here we are. I just need to make sure she's okay. I'll wait 50 years for that first date if I have to. Her health and safety is much more important to me than the status of our relationship."
"You must be extraordinarily patient if you're willing to wait that long to be with her."
"She's worth it."
"She is at that," Emily concurred.
The nurse appeared through the doorways, beckoning them. Luke and Emily followed her to room 914, where Lorelai had taken up temporary residence.
"You go in," Luke said to Emily. "I'll wait out here."
Emily nodded appreciatively and entered the room.
Lorelai was peacefully asleep. She looked so innocent, so small. Emily was reminded of the day she was born, laying asleep in the crib beside her hospital bed. Her pure little face, the sweet presence that she had about her. Even though her face was now cut and bruised, she was still the most beautiful human Emily had ever laid her eyes on.
She walked over to the bed and pulled a chair up next to it, reaching her hand to move a loose curl out of her daughter's face. Lorelai began to stir and opened her eyes to see her mother looking back at her.
"Hi, mom." she whispered.
"Hi. How are you feeling?"
"Sore. That was the shortest nap ever."
"I'm sorry I woke you up."
"It's okay. I really appreciate you being here. Thank you."
"It's my job to be around at times like this."
Lorelai gave her a slight smile before a pained look came over her face.
"I think my pain meds are wearing off," she said, following her statement with a helpless whimper.
"I'll go get a nurse," Emily volunteered.
"Thank you, mom."
Luke heard her cries and entered the room, hoping his presence could take her mind off the pain until the nurse could administer some more medication.
"Hey, you." he said, and she turned her head toward the familiar voice.
"I didn't know you were here."
"Where else would I be?"
He brought another chair to the other side of her bed and took a seat next to her.
"I'm sorry I stood you up," she said.
"Don't be ridiculous. You didn't stand me up."
"Once I'm out of here, I promise we'll go on our date."
"You're not going anywhere besides your bed. And if that means that our first date has to take place with you in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, eating pizza on your couch, then okay. Your recovery is my first priority."
"You are incredibly sweet. Do you know that?"
"That's what they tell me." He got up and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. The second his lips came in contact with her skin, Emily re-entered the room. He pulled away quickly, but not quick enough for her to miss it. Luke and Lorelai looked at one another, silently laughing at her mother's impeccable timing and Emily just gave them a knowing look.
After the nurse gave Lorelai a second dose of medication, the three of them spent the next hour watching television. Around 2:30, Luke offered to pick Rory up from school and chauffer her back to the hospital.
After he left, Emily picked up the remote and turned off the TV, turning her attention to Lorelai, who knew exactly what was coming.
"So…are the two of you still 'just friends'?" she asked, using her fingers for air quotes.
"It's pretty recent, mom." Lorelai's face turned red as she avoided eye contact with her mother.
"He really cares about you, doesn't he?"
"Yea, mom. He does."
"And how do you feel about him?" she asked, not at all expecting the answer she was about to get.
"I think I'm falling in love with him."