Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is the creation of Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Chapter 6: The Gilmores

Hartford, Connecticut, St. Joseph's Hospital, Thursday, May 18, 2017, 9:15 am EST

Fifteen minutes later Logan was on his way up to the Maternity ward. Exiting the elevator on the sixth floor, he paused for a moment to gain his bearings. As he had not taken one of the main elevators, he found himself in a narrow, mostly empty corridor. Following the noise to the floor's main desk, he shook his head and laughed to himself as he passed a "Lorelai Gilmore Maternity Wing" plaque on the wall. Finally arriving at the central nurses station, Logan positioned himself at the counter. About to ask the nurse about Rory, he stopped upon hearing his name.

"Logan told the woman at the sign-in desk that he was her brother. Her brother, Lorelai! Can you imagine? What is he? Ten? Talk about failing to live up to your responsibilities!"

"Mom, I'm sure he was just caught off-guard. His family is well-known. He's probably worried that if word got out -"

"Did he sign his own name, Emily?" That was an unfamiliar female voice. Logan fought the urge to glance over.

"What?"

"Did he sign in using his own name or did he sign in using an alias?"

"Sookie, I'm not sure how that's relevant." Ah, Sookie. Lorelai's best friend.

"Well, if he signed in using his own name, that means he's not afraid of anyone finding out he visited her. But, if he signed in as John Smith or Jack Smith - "

"What does Jack have to do with this?"

"What?"

"Sookie, mom's new boyfriend is named Jack Smith."

"Really? Emily, I didn't know you have a new boyfriend! That's wonderful!"

"He's not my boyfriend. Lorelai, stop telling people I have a boyfriend. He's my dinner companion. He's just a friend."

"Whatever," replied Lorelai."If I don't have a problem with Daddy Jack, I don't see why anyone else would."

Logan missed hearing the next part of the conversation as a nurse chose that moment to speak to him.

"Excuse me, sir," the man addressed Logan. "Can I help you? Are you here to visit someone?"

Chagrined, Logan realized how obvious it was that he was eavesdropping on the Gilmores' conversation. "Yes," he nodded. "I am here to visit someone. I just need to check my messages first..." Carefully he laid the gift shop flowers and stuffed animal down on the counter, and pulled out his cell phone.

"Well, let me know when you're ready." The young man with red hair and dark-rimmed glasses turned his head to peer over at the Gilmores. "Although you may never be."

Disconcerted by the man's words, an increasingly uncomfortable Logan met the man's eyes. "Thanks." After the nurse walked away, Logan remained standing by the counter. Cell phone in hand, he pretended to check emails as he continued to listen to the Gilmores.

"And then, he goes shopping. Shopping, Lorelai! In a hospital gift shop! What's he going to buy her? A pair of orthopedic socks and a copy of the Wall Street Journal? Honestly, I have no idea what's wrong with that boy."

"It's okay, mom. I'm sure he just wanted to pick up flowers or candy for Rory."

Logan glanced at the daisies and the hideous stuffed alpaca that lay on the counter before him.

"How did he seem? Upset?" asked Lorelai.

"Upset?! Why should he be upset?! He has one woman to marry while another is giving birth to his child! He's building a harem like it's perfectly acceptable. Maybe they can all move in together like on that awful television program-"

"Oh! I know! 'Sister Wives'?"

"Not helping, Sookie." Lorelai turned her attention back to Emily. "Anyway, Mom, he didn't know. Logan didn't know about the baby. Rory -"

"What are you talking about? 'He didn't know'? How could he possibly not know? He certainly knew he was having sex with her, didn't he? I know he wasn't the best student at Yale but certainly somewhere along the way he must've shown up at a class where they explained the birds and the bees! Good grief! They teach children all about sex in songs and in puppet shows nowadays!"

"Ew. Mom, where are these freaky puppet shows you're watching?"

"Well, actually, Emily-"

Logan strained to hear the slightly muffled male voice that he assumed was Luke.

"-it is possible for a man to not know he's going to be a father. Especially if -"

"Yes, yes, Luke. This does seem to be a thing in this family," agreed Emily. "Other families have insider trading or cross-dressing uncles. We seem to be cornering the market on secret baby-daddies. How is April, Luke? I don't think I've seen her since the holidays. You must bring her to Nantucket this summer. And I certainly hope you're taking a lesson from this. Whatever you do, I'd recommend you not renovate a sex house for her."

Sex house?

"What? What sex house? Lorelai? What's your mother talking about? Do I know about the sex house?"

"Yeah, what sex house?" repeated Sookie.

"Oh my God! I can't believe we're going back to the sex house! It's been like a gazillion years since the sex house!"

"Well, not everyone knows the story, Lorelai," Sookie pouted.

Logan nearly laughed. Sookie sounded really disappointed at not knowing the story.

"All right! Fine! It's the pool house, Luke. And we're safe from the sex house because we don't have a pool much less a pool house! And before we can renovate the pool house into a sex house, we'd need to have a pool house! And for that we'd actually need a pool! And - according to Taylor - we don't have enough space in the yard for a pool! So until we move, we're all safe from the sex house!"

"Good to know," Luke paused before continuing. "So, switching gears here. We might as well talk about the elephant in the room. Lorelai, I still think it was wrong of Rory not to tell him-"

Good man.

"Luke -" started Lorelai.

"Rory didn't tell him on purpose?!" Emily interrupted. "I thought you said she reached out to him and he ignored her! How did I get that wrong?"

"Mom, Luke, she did try to let him know. She texted-"

Logan's ears perked at that disclosure.

"Lorelai, this isn't like pulling together a booty buddy call! You don't text. It gives the other person the option to ignore you. We should have done it the old-fashioned way by having my lawyers serve him with papers."

What? Logan wondered again just what Rory had told her family about the nature of their relationship.

"Mom, I really doubt Rory wanted to get lawyers involved. This is a family matter and - "

"Family matter. Family matter she says." Emily huffed. "It was months before anyone told me Logan was the father!"

"Hey, she was trying to get on with her life! She didn't exactly talk much about it with me either. It wasn't like we left you out of the slumber parties."

"I still don't understand what she was planning on doing. I mean was she going to pretend that boyfriend of hers was the father? What was his name?"

"Paul. No, Peter. No, Paul. Definitely Paul. And –"

"Honestly Lorelai, it doesn't matter if the man's name was Jesus or Judas, none of us can remember him. I suppose she could've let us all think Jesus was the father. Since no one remembers what the man looked like, it'd never occur to us that Little Lucas is the spitting image of Logan with Rory's eyes."

Logan sucked in his breath. He hadn't been expecting to hear that.

"Listen, Mom, Luke, I know it seems wrong that he didn't know until now," Lorelai replied. "Rory insists she texted him a bunch of times asking him to call her and he didn't."

Logan, listening, felt his heart lurch. What?

"I don't know if she ever sent him a 'Hey you're gonna be a daddy' text. I think she was more discreet because of live-in fiancée." Lorelai shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He never texted or called her back. She took that as his answer. Then with the complications, I think she just decided to wait before trying again."

Complications?

"Oh. I didn't -" Luke started to say something when he was cut off.

"Wait? Wait for what? The baby? Or his wedding?" Emily snorted. "If that was her intention, it didn't work."

"What do you mean?" asked Lorelai.

"He's still not married, Lorelai."

"What? How do you know?"

"He's not wearing a ring."

At Emily's words, Logan heard the group fall silent. Finally. He took that as his cue. Sliding his phone into an interior jacket pocket, he grabbed the flowers and the stuffed animal from the counter. Taking a fortifying breath, Logan strode the ten or so yards from the corridor side of the nurses' station over to where the Gilmores stood in the floor lounge. Stopping at the outer edge of the carpeted area, he was finally in full view of Rory's family.

"Hi," he nodded in greeting. "Emily, Lorelai, Luke." He peered at Sookie. "Sookie, right? We met years ago. The hay bale thing." At her nod, he turned his attention back to Lorelai and Emily. "Listen, it seems we need to clear the air on a few things. First, I haven't received any texts or calls from Rory. Nothing. Not a word since we saw each other last fall. Second, Emily is right. I'm not married. Still engaged, technically. For the moment. But definitely not married."

Comprehension dawned as the group realized Logan had likely heard much if not all of their discussion. Lorelai was the first to recover.

"Logan, I only know what Rory told me and she wouldn't lie about something like that. She says she texted you. I have to believe her."

"And I agree one hundred percent, Lorelai." Shrugging, Logan gestured with his right hand, while in his left, he held the flowers and the alpaca; he met Lorelai's gaze head on. "There has to be a reasonable explanation. I don't know what it is. Yet. But I intend on finding out. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, you think I can see them? I'd really like to see Rory and my son."

Incredulously, he let those words play back in his head. I'd like to see my son.

Lorelai exchanged looks with Luke and Emily.

"Well, he's here now, Lorelai. You brought him here. You can't keep him from seeing them."

"Thanks, Emily."

"Don't thank me, Logan," replied Emily with something resembling polite scorn in her eyes. "Believe me. If you knew how much time I've devoted over the past few months to imagining you harpooned and gutted, you would not be thanking me."

Logan nodded his head slowly, considering. "You're probably right on that one, Emily."

Emily smiled sweetly.

"Okay, so..." He turned expectantly towards Lorelai.

"Logan, I'm not going to keep you from Rory or from the baby. Rory knows you were coming and she wants to see you. But I am gonna remind you that she's had a rough few days. I don't know what happened between you two, but you really need to remember that."

Falling silent, Lorelai searched Logan's eyes for confirmation.

"I promise I'll remember that, Lorelai." Again that word, complications, resonated in his mind. He didn't think talking in front of Rory's mother would make things any easier, but he also didn't need an angry, protective Lorelai on his case right from the word go. He could make a concession. Especially when he knew with near certainty Rory would veto it anyway. "Listen, if you're worried I'll upset Rory, I'm fine with you staying in the room while we talk. You can pinch my arm -or even punch me - if you think I'm crossing a line."

"Lorelai, I think that's a good idea," offered Emily. "But maybe Luke should be the one to punch him."

Slightly taken aback, Luke glanced at his mother-in-law. "Thank you, Emily. I -"

"Don't mention it, Luke."

Logan's eyes canvassed between Rory's grandmother and stepfather who exchanged slight smiles before turning their attention back to Logan.

Great. They choose now to become close?

Lorelai let out a breath. "Okay, let's do this."

Unbidden Lorelai's words triggered a memory and brought Logan back to his and Rory's New Hampshire goodbye. This was a much better this to be doing. A smile lit up his face.

"Let's do this," he agreed.

AN: Thank you for reading...

Special Thanks: MrsDuvious for her assistance with characterization; IcyAngel00 for NICU technical assistance; GWN8000 for Good Wife episode guidance; Twister88 and soulkissage for feedback on my Live Journal posts; and 112288 for providing a sounding board on the rewrite. Thank you!

04/29/2017