CHAPTER 33: Surprises

The following Monday morning, Lorelai drowsily staggered down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey, you're ready early. I haven't even gotten Rory up yet," Luke greeted, holding out a hot mug of coffee, ready for her to drink.

"Don't remind me," she groaned, sipping her way to life. "How's your head?"

"Better, thanks… Remind me to move that coffee table a little bit further back later."

"I'll put it on the list." Drinking a little more, Lorelai looked at the mug and frowned. "I would still be asleep if my body would let me. I did not sleep well."

"I noticed that. You were tossing and turning a lot." Flipping the pancake that was cooking on the stove, he turned back to face her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah… Nothing's wrong. My body just wouldn't wind down."

"You know, drinking two cups of coffee after 10pm last night might have had something to do with that."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Lorelai stuck her tongue out teasingly. "You would think that…" As she fiddled with the edge of her mug, she continued. "I don't know… I just couldn't get comfortable. I felt like I needed to sprawl out, but I couldn't."

"Because I was there?"

Looking up quickly after hearing the slight hesitation in his voice, she answered, "No… I mean, yeah, but I didn't want to take up too much room. I want you to be comfortable too."

Smirking, Luke turned to look back at her. "Lorelai, I've slept on a twin bed for over 20 years. I don't need much room."

"I know you don't need it," she stressed, "But I want you to have the option… I'm just used to being able to spread out every once in a while. It's a bad habit I've picked up since we moved out of the shed. I shared a bed with Rory for almost all of her life, so I can do it. I just have to get used to permanently sharing a bed again."

"Well, we've only been at this thing for a few days, so I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually." Placing it on a plate, Luke walked with the pancake over to the table and put it in front of her, planting a kiss to the top of her head while he was at it. "For the record, you are welcome on my side anytime," he added smoothly.

Grinning, she looked up at him. "Why, Mr. Danes, that tone you're using implies that things would happen if I appeared on your side of the bed."

"I'm not implying. It's a pretty safe bet," he grinned back.

"You know what? I think you're right. I think I will get used to sharing a bed quite well." Gulping down the rest of her coffee, she started to cut into her breakfast. "Speaking of safe bets, is it a safe bet to say that you'll be spending Christmas here with me and Rory? Or do you have to have the diner open like you did on Thanksgiving?"

Gesturing to the decorations scatted across the kitchen, Luke questioned, "Do you really think we did all this so that I could spend Christmas at the diner?"

Ducking her head, Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know… We've never celebrated together, so I didn't know what you were planning."

"I'll be here," he nodded. "And don't worry, I've got presents."

A gasp escaping her lips, she smiled brightly. "Presents? For me?"

"No. They're for my other girlfriend named Lorelai."

"Well, the only other Lorelai I know aside from Rory is my grandmother, so unless there's something you want to tell me…"

Rolling his eyes, Luke frowned. "Stop. Don't' even imply that."

"Hey, you're the one that said it… So, you got me presents? Do you want to tell me what they are?" she asked hopefully, her eyes wide.

Shaking his head, he didn't even look back at her. "Nope… Christmas is 9 days away. You can wait that long."

"Not even a little hint," she whined, poking out her bottom lip.

"No, and if you go snooping for them and somehow find them, you won't get any."

Frowning, she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're no fun. I hate surprises."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Luke flipped the pancake he had poured into the pan and then looked back at her knowingly. "Oh, so if I asked you what you got me, you'd tell me?"

Smirking, Lorelai shook her head. "No… they're a surprise."

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. "So only I can have surprises? You have to know about your presents ahead of time?"

"Yep," she nodded, taking the last bite of her pancake and swallowing quickly. "Them's the rules, babe."

"Well I'm breaking those rules." Lifting the pan from the eye of the stove, he walked over and slid the next pancake on to her plate. Putting the pan back, he wiped his hands with a towel. "Alright… I'm gonna go get Rory up."

"Ahh, using my kid to avoid my prodding. Nice move."

Before he opened Rory's door, Luke turned back to her with a grin. "I thought so."

"Morning Sookie," Lorelai called, walking into the kitchen as she headed for the coffee pot.

"Oh, hey!" Sookie answered as she looked up from the cutting board. "You're in early."

Seeing her come too close for comfort to her pointer finger with the knife, Lorelai gasped. "Sook! Fingers!"

"Oh right!" Looking back down, she continued to chop, narrowly missing her finger tip. "Why are you here so soon?"

"Ahhh, well, I didn't get much sleep last night. I was up early anyway, so I came in."

"Didn't get much sleep, huh," Sookie grinned, waggling her eyebrows.

With a laugh, Lorelai plopped down on the stool. "Sorry to bust your bubble, but it was nothing dirty. I just couldn't get comfortable."

"Darn… Your night was just as vanilla as mine was."

Smiling knowingly, Lorelai shook her head. "Oh, I wouldn't day vanilla. Something dirty did happen before bed, but Luke made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone anything."

"Anyone except me," Sookie asked hopefully.

"Of course!"

Turning down the burner next to her and walking over, Sookie leaned over the table. "So, spill…"

Running her finger over the edge of the mug, Lorelai thought back on the night before. "Well, it was around 9:30. Rory was already in bed, and she's usually asleep by that time, so we thought, 'What the hell, why not fool around on the couch.'"

"Because that's what every couple with a kid in the house thinks," Sookie added.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Lorelai agreed. "You don't know how true that is… anyway, so I don't know if I've ever told you, but Luke is an excellent maker outer."

"You may have said that once or twice."

"Well I've got to say it again, because he really is…" Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Lorelai leaned closer. "He was driving me crazy," she stressed, "And I may or may not have been a little loud…"

Her jaw dropping, Sookie stared wide eyed, knowing where the story was going. "Oh, no!"

"Oh yes… Apparently, my precious little girl, who normally can't be woken up by a freight train, heard me and thought something was wrong. So, she came in to the living room and got to see her Daddy Luke all over her mommy."

Covering her mouth, Sookie began to laugh. "Poor Rory!"

"I know! So she called my name, and Luke tried to move off of me so fast that he fell off the couch and whacked his head on the coffee table." Remembering the horrified look on Luke's face, she began to laugh along with her. "Thank God we were still pretty much fully clothed! My shirt was ¾ of the way off and Luke's flannel and hat were gone, but we were completely covered otherwise… Needless to say, it was an eventful night in the Gilmore household."

"I'll say." Sookie agreed, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "That was definitely not vanilla."

Shaking her head, Lorelai agreed. "Definitely not… Now I just have to find a way to convince Luke that it's still okay to make out on the couch. He wouldn't even get near the thing when he got up! He went and sat over in the chair while I took Rory back to bed."

With a careless flick of her wrist, Sookie smiled. "Oh, please. You and I both know that Luke can't resist you. I'm sure you and your feminine wiles will convince him in no time.:

"Let's hope so…" Looking down at her watch, she noted the time. "Well, I guess I better go. I'm gonna check in on the maids and everything before I get to work."

"Alright. Come back and get me before you go to lunch, and we'll go together. I'll tell you all about my wild night with Footloose and a tub of ice cream."

Laughing as she walked out, Lorelai smiled. "Sounds good. See ya later, Sookie."

Despite her intentions to get other work done, as soon as Lorelai stepped up to the desk, the phone rang. "Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking."

The answer she got was not what she expected. "Hello, Lorelai."

"Dad? Uh, I mean, hi dad," she stammered. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. How are you?"

"I'm great… Just working as usual."

"And Rory and Luke? They're doing okay as well?"

"Yep…"

As she finished speaking, a slightly uncomfortable silence developed on the line. After waiting a few seconds, Lorelai spoke up again. "Uh, Dad… Did you call just to ask how everything was, or did you have a reason?"

"Oh, yes, of course…" Clearing his throat, Richard spoke plainly, "I was calling about your attendance at the Christmas party."

Cocking her head in confusion, even though he couldn't see her, Lorelai questioned, "Isn't the Christmas party normally two or three weeks before Christmas? I figured you would have already had it this year."

"Yes, however, this year your mother and I were forced to reschedule because of a non-negotiable business trip I was forced to take last week. Instead, we are having it on the 20th."

Looking down at the calendar in front of her, she saw the date was only four days away. "Ahhh… Gotcha."

"So, all of that being said," he continued, "I was hoping you and Rory and Luke would attend."

Sighing, Lorelai frowned. "Dad, I know we haven't seen you since Rory's party, but are you sure this is the best time to do it? You're great, but mom…"

"Lorelai," he interrupted, "We have left you alone for a little while, and we have not tried to push you into anything. We didn't even try to invite you to Thanksgiving here… As far as your mother goes, if you remember, she was quite cordial at Rory's party, so I believe that the least you could do is come to our Christmas party and do the same."

"I know…" Thinking on it for a second, she knew she had no plans that day, but she wasn't sure of Luke's. "Let me check with Luke to see if there is something on his schedule and I'll let you know."

"That's all I ask."

Resting her chin in her hand as she leaned on the desk, Lorelai's mind turned as she contemplated her next move. "Okay… I'll try to get back to you by the end of the day, but if not, I'll call you back in the morning. How does that sound?"

"It sounds wonderful. Thank you." He sighed relieved.

"You're welcome, Dad. Have a good day."

"Enjoy yours as well. Goodbye, Lorelai."

Putting the phone down and picking it back up again, Lorelai mindlessly dialed the number to the diner, lost in her own thoughts. Shaking her head to clear it, she bit her lip and glanced at the date on the calendar as Luke finally answered. "Hey babe," she spoke hesitantly. "It's me."

As she looked in the mirror to put her earrings in, Lorelai took in her outfit laying out on the bed behind her. "Are you sure my dress isn't too sexy," she asked Luke. "I was trying to save it for a date, but I didn't have time to go Hartford to find a different one for this party. And I've already told you what happens when I repeat a dress or wear something 'too casual'"

Slipping his suit jacket over his arms, Luke looked at the dress and then over at her with a slow smile. "That depends. Are you asking me if I think it's too sexy or if I think you mother will say it's too sexy."

Gazing over her shoulder at him, she rolled her eyes as her cheeks flushed. "My mother… I can tell what you think of it by that look you're giving me."

Walking over behind her, he snagged her with one arm by the waist, hauling her up against him. "I don't know why you ask me. There's nothing you could put on, or not put on, that wouldn't look sexy to me…" he spoke dangerously as he rand his hand up her bare rib cage.

A bright smile appeared on her face at his suddenly playful mood. "Luke," Lorelai laughed, her hands coming to rest on his to stop their movement. "Behave. We have to be on time tonight… Can you hand me my dress?"

Planting a kiss to her shoulder, Luke turned to grab the hanger and held up the simple, black, long sleeved dress next to her. "As long as I get to zip you up."

"You love the craziest things."

"You make me crazy," he retorted.

Shaking her head, Lorelai slipped on the dress, quickly turning her back to him. "Luke, what has gotten into you tonight," she laughed as his hands grazed her, missing her back and her zipper completely.

Finally and slowly zipping her up, he answered lowly, "We're about to go to your parents' house for two hours at the minimum where your mother will be watching me like a hawk. I'll have to keep my hands to myself which means I can't do this…" He turned her around and pulled her against him. "Or this," he whispered, bringing her lips to his in a sizzling kiss. "And this dress really makes me want to do that."

Smiling naughtily up at him, she slipped her hands under his jacket. "That's a shame. I really like it when you do that. We may have to find a closet or two to jump into every once in a while."

"I thought about it," he smiled back, as his hands dipped down below the small of her back. "But what would we do with Rory?"

"Oh, I'm sure my dad will take her to show her off every once in a while."

"Don't tempt me."

Feeling his hands slip under the skirt of her dress, she caught them, pulling them away and backing herself up. "Then don't tempt me…" she answered. Planting a quick kiss to his lips, she walked over to the closet and grabbed her strappy red heels.

Seeing her choice of footwear, he narrowed his eyes. "And you're afraid that the dress is too sexy."

"Oh, I know my mother will hate these, but it's worth it if I can torment you," Lorelai grinned naughtily.

"You're evil."

"Says the man who is wearing the sexiest, most well-fitting suit known to mankind. If we didn't have to leave soon, I'd ravish you here and now." Slipping her shoes on with practiced ease, she sauntered by him, her hips swaying teasingly. Reaching the door, she turned back to him and let her eyes trail his body. "Come on… We've got to get going."

Rolling his eyes, he grumbled, "Talk about torture…" and followed behind her.

"Alright… deep breaths," Lorelai said as they walked up to the door, breathing in a deep breath of her own. "There are apple tarts inside, so this night will at least be a little bit good."

"Are you ever actually going to ring the doorbell?" Luke questioned.

"I don't really know if I want to."

"Fine." Looking down at Rory, Luke smiled. "How about you, kid? You wanna ring the bell since your mom is too much of a chicken?"

"Yeah! It's my turn to push it any way. Mommy got to push it last time," Rory informed them with a grin as she reached up and pushed the button.

As the maid opened the door, Lorelai looked back at Luke with a glare.

"Hello, may I take your coats?" The maid spoke softly, holding out her arm.

"Yes, of course."

No sooner than the coats were off was Emily at the door with them.

Forcing a smile, Lorelai greeted, "Hi, mom."

"Hello, Lorelai. Rory." Looking Luke over, she greeted him evenly. "Hello, Luke."

"Good evening, Mrs. Gilmore." He answered back in the same tone.

"Lorelai, your father has not arrived back from the airport yet, but he is supposed to be here soon. In the meantime, I expect you to circulate and not just stand in a corner."

Holding back an eyeroll, she agreed. "Yes, mom."

Looking down at Rory, Emily smiled. "Rory, there are some fresh apple tarts that are about to be served. Would you like to come with me and get one," she questioned as she extended her hand.

Looking at her grandmother's hand warily, Rory turned her gaze up to Lorelai. "Mommy, can I?"

"Uh, if you want to…"

"Okay." Reaching out, she took Emily's hand and they walked towards the kitchen.

As soon as they were far enough way, Lorelai turned to Luke with a frown. "That's probably the last time we'll see her for the next hour." Taking in the crowd, unsurprisingly filled with some familiar faces she'd rather not see, Lorelai sighed, "Well, I guess we should get moving and have some meaningless conversations with people who don't remember anything about me except for my pregnancy."

"Those closets we could sneak into sound really good right about now…"

Taking his hand in hers and squeezing it, she shook her head. "Tell me about it… Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as a I can be." Seeing a server pass by with a tray of champagne, Luke grabbed two, despite his usual hatred for the drink. "Actually," he spoke, handing her hers and taking a quick drink, "Now I'm ready."

With a smile, Lorelai did the same. "Me too… Let's go."

"Lorelai, have you seen your father?"

Finishing chewing the apple tart she had just taken a bite of, Lorelai quickly dabbed at her mouth and handed her plate over to Luke. "Uh, no, mom. Is he not here yet?"

Looking down at the watch she was wearing, Emily shook her head. "He was supposed to be, but haven't seen him yet, and I've looked around everywhere."

"Well, I'll keep an eye out for him and send him your way if I see him." Looking past her, Lorelai saw the maid approaching. "Uh, mom… I think the maid wants you."

Turning around to see her, Emily frowned. "Yes Sandra? Do you need something?"

"You have a phone call, Mrs. Gilmore."

"In the middle of a party? Do you not realize that taking a phone call right now would be rude?"

The young girl cowered slightly. "I tried to take a message, but it's about Mr. Gilmore, so I assumed you'd want to know right away?"

Emily's eyes grew wide as she tensed. "Mr. Gilmore?" Taking the phone away from her, she quickly brought it to her ear. "Hello? This is Emily Gilmore…. Richard!"

Hearing the desperation and fear in her mother's voice, Lorelai froze. "Mom, what is it?"

Not acknowledging Lorelai's question, Emily spoke hysterically into the phone. "Is he okay?... What do you mean you can't tell me anything in detail? He's my husband!... Well can you give me any information at all, or are you too ignorant to say anything?... Fine! I'll be there soon, and you better have information for me when I get there!"

Her heart racing and, Lorelai immediately questioned as her mother hung up the phone, "Mom, what happened?!"

Placing her hand over her heart, Emily began speaking frantically. "Your father was in an accident on the way back from the airport. They have him at the hospital, but the nurse wouldn't tell me anything because she said she was not allowed to over the phone! I have to get down there!" Not even noting their reactions, she continued to speak quickly. "What am I supposed to do about all of this? I have guests and servers and chefs to take care of, but Richard is in the hospital!"

"Mom," Lorelai placed her hands on her mother's shoulders to stop her. "You need to go to the hospital with dad. I'll finish here."

"You would do that?"

"Yes! Of course I will! You need to get to the hospital to see what's going on with dad." Forcing her to, they started walking over to the closet to get her jacket. As Emily grabbed her bag, Lorelai stopped suddenly. "Mom, I don't know if you're in the right state to be driving. Heaven knows I'm freaked out, and he's not my husband."

"Well what else do you suppose I do, Lorelai? It will take too long to call a car."

"Luke can drive you, right?" Lorelai turned to look back at Luke with pleading eyes as he followed along behind them, holding Rory's hand and bringing her along with him.

Still trying to take in all the information he was hearing, Luke nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can do that."

"See, Luke will take you." Reaching down, Lorelai picked Rory up, and handed the jeep keys from her pocket to Luke. "Mom, you go take care of dad, and I'll take care of this. Call the maid when you find something out, and I'll come up to the hospital with whatever you need when everything is cleaned up."

The normally uptight Emily disappeared for a moment as Lorelai saw the fear growing in her mother's eyes. "Thank you, Lorelai."

"You're welcome. Now, go."

As Emily rushed Luke out the door, Lorelai looked down at Rory to see her staring at her with wary eyes. "Is grandpa okay?"

In her mind, Lorelai was wanting to panic, but she knew it would only make Rory scared, so she kept her emotions in check. "Grandpa's okay, hon. He just had to go to the hospital. You don't worry about it."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "It's been a while since I've done this, but here goes nothing." "Alright, Rory. Are you ready to watch Mommy act like Grandma?"

Grabbing her mother's stuff and a half-asleep Rory quickly out of the Jeep, Lorelai rushed in the hospital and found Luke in the waiting room as Emily berated the nurse at the station. Going straight over to him, Lorelai sat down the bag in the chair next to Luke. "So, he's okay?"

Taking in her frantic demeanor, despite the reassuring call they had shared a few minutes earlier, Luke reached over and took one of her hands. "He's fine. He has a broken collarbone, a few torn tendons in his hand, and a concussion, but he's alive. They are going to put him in a room soon, and you guys can see him."

With a sigh, she released the breath she had been holding the whole way there and spoke a shaky, "Okay… good. That's good."

As she tried to rein her anxiety, Lorelai finally took a good look at Luke and noticed the grimace on his face. Plopping down on the other side of him, she looked at him uneasily. "Are you okay?"

"Um." He swallowed thickly as another patient wheeled by. "Yeah, I'm just not big on hospitals… You know, the smell, people being wheeled by with tubes sticking out of them, you know drainage, fluids, gaping holes" Looking down at his feet, he spoke quieter. "I was here a lot with dad."

Releasing a sigh filled with sympathy, Lorelai frowned. "Oh, Luke, I didn't even think about that… I'm so sorry. I should have driven mom and you could have taken Rory home."

Shaking his head, Luke answered, "No… It's fine. I want to be here now. I would have come here anyway."

Wearing a small smile, she squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Standing up, he shoved his hands in his pocket. "Um, I think I'm gonna run to the restroom though. I didn't want to leave your mom alone, but now that you're here…"

Nodding, she flicked her hand in the direction of the hall. "It's okay… Go get away from all the madness for a minute."

Just as Luke walked away, Emily came into the room. "Oh, Lorelai," she spoke, surprise evident in her voice. "You're here."

"Yeah, I'm here. What's going on?"

"Well, aside from what I'm sure Luke has already told you, that's what I am trying to find out. But, the woman at the desk keeps pestering me with idiotic questions like 'What's the number of my insurance policy?' and 'How long have he had it?'. Then, she handed me this stack of papers to fill out, as if that answered my question."

"Well, they just need to get the information. Just fill out the paper, and maybe that will help you pass the time until we know more." Sitting across from her, Lorelai watched as her mother's hand shook as she tried to write. Seeing her stress out, she felt the need to do something to help. As she looked around, she realized that she held the answer in her lap. "Hey, mom… I've got to run to the restroom really quick. Do you want to hold Rory for me for a minute?"

Not looking up, Emily spoke plainly. "Lorelai, I'm supposed to be filling out these papers."

"I know, but Rory's almost asleep and I don't want to mess her up by taking her to the bathroom."

As she stopped writing, Emily looked up at Lorelai in slight surprise. "You really want me to watch her?"

"Yes… You're her grandmother after all... but I can take her with me if you want."

"No, no, that's fine." Sitting the clipboard down, Emily held out her arms as Lorelai transferred Rory over to her lap.

Wiping her eyes tiredly, Rory looked up. "Can I put my head on your shoulder, Grandma?"

"Of course you can, Rory."

Much to Lorelai's surprise, Emily began trailing her hand up and down Rory's back in soothing motions. Seeing her mother slightly relaxed, finally, she walked out the same way Luke had gone just a few minutes before. Reaching the restroom, she stopped outside, perching against the wall. The fear that overtook her when her mother got the phone call finally registered with her. As a tear escaped the corner of her eye, she watched anxiously for Luke to come out, knowing he would be the comfort she needed.

When the door finally opened and Luke stepped out, Lorelai grabbed him by the arm, pulling him further down the hall and into a more secluded corner.

"Uh, okay." He muttered as she pulled him.

"Rory's with mom. I figured she would help her calm down… I just need a second." She frowned, immediately wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against him.

Feeling her grip grow tighter, he could tell that the reality of the situation was finally hitting. "You've been so calm so far… You've been great, and I know your mom appreciates it." He spoke softly. "He's going to be fine."

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai agreed as she nuzzled into his neck. "They're probably going to keep him over night, but- but he's going to be fine," she answered, crying softly.

"Hey," Luke frowned, wrapping his arms around her. "It's alright."

Sniffling, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Luke, I feel like this is one of those moments when I should be remembering all the great times I had with my dad, you know. The time he took me shopping or to the circus or fishing, and my mind is completely blank."

"Well, I'm sure it happened."

"No it didn't," she countered, shaking her head adamantly. "I've told you that. We never did any of that. He went to work, he came home, he read the paper, he went to bed. I snuck out the window. Simple… He worked hard. He bought a nice house. He provided for my mom. All he asked in return was for his daughter to wear white dresses and go to cotillion and want the same life that he had. What a disappointment it must have been for him to get me."

"Hey, no. Don't do that," Luke spoke sternly. "You can be sad, but I will not let you start talking like you are the most horrible daughter to walk the planet."

"Well, what do you expect me to say? I wasn't a good one. I'm not a good one…I should have called them after Rory's birthday. I should have tried to call them for Thanksgiving. I should have invited them to the diner or something."

Shaking his head, Luke planted his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. "You're not bad. You're perfect the way you are." Planting his lips softly to hers, he pulled back and ran his thumb across her cheek, drying the remaining tears. "You guys just don't understand each other sometimes. You've got to remember that they didn't call you either. Phones work both ways, so you can't take all the blame."

"Are you seriously getting on to me for being mad at myself?" Lorelai questioned, her brows knitting together.

"You bet… Because if anyone else was saying stuff like this to you, I would beat their ass."

Laughing shortly, she smiled and leaned her forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you too… Everything is going to be okay." After she brought her lips to his and pulled back, Luke smiled. "Is there anything else I can do?"

Thinking for a moment, Lorelai loosened her grip on him and took a step back. "I know you want to be here, and I want you here, but do you think you could take Rory home? She's pretty tired, and I don't really want her to be around this stuff too much anyway."

"Yeah, sure… What about you?"

Taking a hold of his tie, she looked down shyly as she straightened it out. "I think I'm gonna stick around here for a while and make sure everything's settled, you know? Dad might need something…"

"And your mom might too," Luke added with a knowing look.

"Yeah…"

"Okay then, let's go." Taking a hold of her waist, he pulled her along with him. "I'll come back with Rory in the morning. Caesar was scheduled to open anyway."

Leaning up, Lorelai kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."

As Luke, carrying Rory, walked out. Lorelai sat down in the chair next to her mother.

Taking her eyes from Luke's retreating form to Lorelai, Emily questioned, "Where's he going with her?"

"I'm sending them home. They'll be back in the morning."

Opening her mouth to respond, Emily was cut off by Lorelai's outward facing palm. "If you're going to make a comment about my parenting or Rory's safety, I don't want to hear it. I trust him, and you should too."

Closing her mouth, Emily thought for a moment before speaking. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you going to do?"

Shrugging carelessly as she dug through her purse, Lorelai answered, "I thought I'd stick around in case anybody needed anything."

Looking at her with slight disbelief, Emily tilted her head. "Really?"

"I-I mean, not you," Lorelai recovered with a stammer. "You obviously don't need anything, but somebody somewhere in this hospital might at some point need something, and I'm gonna be the person that gets it for them." She answered.

"Alright," her mother agreed, though she saw right through her façade.

Pulling out a pack of cookies from her bag, Lorelai questioned, "Do you want one?"

"No thank you," Emily answered, pursing her lips.

As Lorelai munched along, a silence developed between them. The mindless beeping of machines and talking nurses filling the void.

"That was a nice party you threw tonight, mom," Lorelai spoke up awkwardly.

"Lorelai, you don't have to make small talk with me."

"It's either that or sit in silence."

Shaking her head, Emily answered plainly. "Sometimes silence is good for the mind. It gives you time to think…"

With an eye roll, Lorelai sighed. "Fine. I get it… We won't talk."

Crossing her arms in front of her, Emily turned towards her daughter. "I don't see why you'd want to. If all goes as usual, we'll take part in a useless conversation about the party, then you'll have nothing else to say and start talking about the weather. Once we get through the weather, there's nothing left to say, and we're left back in silence. Whether we talk now or we don't, we're still going to end up in silence."

Dropping her hands heavily on her lap in frustration, Lorelai decided to reach down and pull a magazine out of her purse as well. "Well, then if you think a conversation about the weather is useless, then why don't you ever come up with a better topic? Conversations are a two-way street." She retorted as she recalled Luke's words from earlier.

With her mother not responding, Lorelai took that as a dismissal and began to read her magazine. Just before she got deep into the horoscope section, Emily spoke up. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

Out of all the topics she expected her mother to choose, this was not one of them. "Uh…" she stuttered, "It was good. Rory and I spent it at the diner with Luke and some people of the town."

Her brows bumping together in a frown, Emily spoke disapprovingly, "You spent Thanksgiving in a diner? Where are you going to spend Christmas, a truck stop?"

Shaking her head with an eye roll, Lorelai took her eyes back to her magazine page. "See, this is why we don't talk. You ask a question about my life, I give you a genuine answer, and you just have to criticize."

"And you don't? What if I mentioned that I just finished organizing an event for the DAR? What would you say to that?"

Sighing, Lorelai merely turned the page.

"See, that's what I thought. You would have some sort of smart-aleck remark."

Before Lorelai could answer, they were approached by another nurse from the station. "Excuse me, Mrs. Gilmore? I just wanted to let you know that your husband has been moved into room 2140, and you may go in and see him now."

Standing up immediately, Emily questioned, "Which direction do I need to go from here?"

"Take the second right off of this hall, and it will be three rooms down on your left."

"Thank you."

As she began to walk and follow the nurse's direction, a few steps in, she noticed Lorelai wasn't following. Turning to her with a frown, Emily questioned, "Are you coming with me, Lorelai? Or are you just going to sit there and admire the floor?"

Looking up slowly, she nodded. "Yeah… I'll be there in a minute."

With a curious look, Emily shook her head, leaving Lorelai behind.

As Lorelai tried to gather the courage to stand, Luke's words rang through her mind. "He's fine. He has a broken collarbone, a few torn tendons in his hand, and a concussion, but he's alive." Standing up slowly, she walked down the hall, soon arriving outside of her father's door. Before she could reach the handle, the door was opened, and Emily tried to walk out.

"Ah, Lorelai! You almost ran into me."

"Well, it's a good thing we're in a hospital," she joked lamely in response.

"Are you going in?"

Lorelai didn't answer, and simply nodded.

"Alright, well, the pillows are completely unacceptable. I'm gonna see if I can find him some down ones and some slippers. I'll be right back."

As her mother walked away, Lorelai peeked into the room hesitantly to see her father laying with his eyes closed. Coming in slowly, she leaned back against the wall, observing his battered form. His face was slightly bruised, a sling was draped over his shoulder, and his hand was bandaged up to the elbow, completely immobilized.

She continued to stare at Richard, who after a few minutes, opened his eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before Lorelai gave him a shaky smile, to which he responded with one of his own. "You went to the party?" He questioned her groggily.

Nodding, she held back the tears that threatened again. "Yeah, I did."

"How did it go?"

"I have to say, I've definitely been to better parties… Most of them don't include getting calls from the ER."

Chuckling weakly, Richard answered. "Well, I can honestly say it wasn't in my plans to have that happen."

Once again taking in his weakened form, Lorelai bit her lip and hung her head. Looking up hesitantly, she spoke quietly, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

Even though he was on heavy medication, her tone even registered with Richard, and it was clear that she wasn't only expressing her sorrow over his accident. Shaking his head, he held out his hand.

Walking over, Lorelai took it hesitantly.

Squeezing it gently, Richard whispered, "It's okay, Lorelai… It will all be okay."

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day!

Two weeks! It's been two weeks since I last updated, and I hate it... Sorry, guys. Writers block sucks, and I'm having a trouble getting around it. I'm not sure if I am completely satisfied with this chapter, but I hope you guys are! Once again, I am SUPER sorry about the delay, and if y'all have any tips or tricks for writers block or story ideas, let me know! I know where I want this story to go, but I am currently having a hard time getting there...