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Chapter Six
Rory got up that night to use the bathroom, she yawned and left her room to head to the bathroom and screamed as she saw a shadow of a human at the kitchen table. She grabbed the first thing she saw of the counter, which was a frying pan, thinking it was a burglar but when she turned the light on she saw it was her mum who also screamed at the shock.
"Mum!" Rory shouted clutching her heart "Please don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Rory whispered knowing people were sleeping, somehow still sleeping.
"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you" Lorelai replied looking solemn as she sat there, leaning her cheek on her hand as she had her elbow on the table.
"What you doing up? It's four in the morning" Rory questioned taking a seat next to her at the table.
"I couldn't sleep...there's a man in my bed" Lorelai replied the way she once did when Max was there.
"That is dad...your husband remember..." Rory replied
"It feels like I am alone..he's there but I feel alone" Lorelai replied. Rory stood able to tell her mum wanted to talk, she went to get some coffee that was still in the pot assuming her mum had made it.
"Er Rory..." Lorelai started to say. Too late. Rory had drank it and looked confused and disgusted.
"Why does this coffee taste like flat cola?" she asked her mum
"...Maybe because it is flat cola" Lorelai replied knowing she was caught
"And why did you put flat cola in the coffee pot?" Rory asked
"...So you wouldn't notice I have stopped drinking coffee" Lorelai replied, not even caring anymore if she knew.
"Wait what?" But coffee is like the one relationship you never fight with" Rory replied staring at her.
"Luke and I...we fell in love because of coffee...I met Luke because I wanted coffee...we bantered and flirted over my coffee intake...I can't drink it...it makes me think of Luke" Lorelai replied sniffing sadly.
"Oh, mum..." Rory said sitting back down as Lorelai looked away crying softly, unable to keep her smile on.
"I can't sleep...I know it's Christopher and not Luke and ...he doesn't hug me the same way and I miss Luke and I know I shouldn't as I am married" Lorelai admitted to her daughter.
"You love Luke, you two were deeply in love, of course, you miss him, it's only been a few months" Rory replied "Regardless of whether you are married or not you haven't healed yet, it's still raw," Rory told her.
"I am an awful person" Lorelai replied sobbing, Rory rubbed her back.
"No you have feelings because you are human...how much sleep are you getting a week?" Rory asked wondering if this was the first night she sat in the kitchen.
"Only a couple of hours, I come down here when your dad is asleep and go back up before he wakes, by that point I am so tired I sleep for about an hour" Lorelai replied.
"Mum you can't function on a few hours sleep a week, why didn't you say? You can get some medication to help you sleep for a bit" Rory asked knowing sleeping pills would help her if she needed them.
"It's not just that, I can't sleep, I can't drink coffee, I eat but don't enjoy it and I can't think straight! What is wrong with me?" Lorelai asked crying more.
"You are wallowing...are you happy?" Rory asked knowing everyone thought she was for moving on so quickly.
"No...I say I am but...I'm not" Lorelai cried more, reaching her breaking point. Rory could do nothing more but sit with her, knowing as much as she tried to hide it, she was not over the relationship.
Luke wasn't flaring much better. April was kept up because she could hear him shouting in his sleep. She got up and went to see if he was okay, but he was having some sort of nightmare.
"Lorelai no please...come back...I love you...elope...Christopher...blue hat...Lorelai..." he said making no sense he fidgeted turning over in frustration. April reached out to wake him but he started hitting the side of the bed aggressively with his hand, looking for something or someone who wasn't there. If anything it was worst for Luke as the side was empty, at least Lorelai had someone to take up the space now. He sweated and shifted in the grip of his bad nightmares. April wasn't sure it was wise to wake him but she didn't like to see him stressed so she shook him until he shot awake, his forehead wet with sweat.
"Lorelai," he said hopefully as his eyes came into focus
"It's me dad...are you okay?" April asked sitting on the side of the bed next to him.
"Oh hey sweetie...I am fine bad dream...sorry did I wake you?" he questioned feeling guilty.
"You were been pretty loud I didn't know what was going on" April replied, glad it was Saturday tomorrow so she could sleep in.
"Sorry...I am not fully over the break up yet" Luke replied "You go back to sleep" he told her getting up to get a glass of water.
"I can stay up, I have no school tomorrow" April replied kindly
"You're tired...I can tell...parents evening wore you out, how you are still doing so well after everything..." Luke asked thinking his kid was great at keeping everything going.
"Studying is the one thing in my life that never changes" April replied "I know you miss her dad but maybe you can be friends again, after all, you live in Stars Hollow, you have no choice but to see each other" April replied logically. Luke sighed and kissed her head.
"You are a light in the darkness you know," he told her knowing if it wasn't for April he would have no reason to not fall into a state of depression where he did nothing, she kept him going and made him get up in the morning.
"I love you too dad, even if you are a softie" she replied hugging him tightly, hoping his sleeping got better soon.