A/N: Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed the last chapter. I promised I would update again this weekend and here it is. The new chapter. For some reason this was not very hard for me to write. It will take this story in a complete new direction and I won't say in what kind of direction or what it is about at this point because you just have to read the chapter and find out yourself. I'm very curious as to what you think of this chapter so please, don't forget to review in the end!
Thanks to J.Stone for beta-reading.

Chapter 17 Shock

"So you're going to take Lucan to work this morning?" Lorelai was sitting on the couch, while Luke was putting his coat on.

He handed her Lucan's coat. "Yes, and you can pick him up at 3 o clock, after his nap. We've been over this 4 times already."

"I know, I know. I just want to get everything clear in my mind. It's supposed to be a busy morning." She talked while she helped Lucan in his coat.

"Just call me if you don't have the time to pick him up at 3 okay? I don't mind taking care of him all day."

"I know. You're the best." Lorelai stood up, with Lucan in her arms. She kissed the boy. "Be a good boy for your daddy today okay?"

The boy smiled as he hugged his mother for a few seconds.

When Lucan pulled away from her, Lorelai handed him to Luke. "Call me if he gives you a hard time."

"He never does, but I'll call you if I have to."

"Thanks."

"Take it easy okay? I don't want you to overdue it today."

"I won't. I'm going to take a nice hot shower and then I'll head to the inn for the meeting. There's a lot we need to discuss."

"Exactly what I'm talking about."

"Don't worry. It's just a meeting, and we'll all be sitting down. It's no hard work, except for having to listen to Michel's complaints for over an hour."

"Ok. So I'll see you at 3?"

"Unless I need an escape from work and you'll see me for lunch."

He smiled and kissed her. "I better go before I'm late."

"You're the boss. Who cares if you're late?"

"I can think of a few people."

"Kirk huh."

Luke's face betrayed him.

She placed another kiss on his lips. "Love you."

"Love you too." He pulled away from her. "And now I really have to go." He walked towards the door, opened it and turned around one last time.

But she gave him a light push before he had the chance to say anything. "Now go."

"Yeah, yeah." He walked towards his truck and put Lucan in the car seat. There was a car seat in both the car and in his truck so they could both take him if they needed to go somewhere.

Lorelai watched how Luke put Lucan in his car seat and then moved to the other side of the truck and got in himself. He started the truck and started backing out of the driveway. He waved one last time and started towards the diner. Lorelai continued watching until she couldn't see him anymore. Then she went back inside and closed the door behind her. With a smile on her face she walked upstairs where she was about to get ready for the day.

She walked into her bedroom and opened the closet. She didn't have a lot of choice since she couldn't fit in her own clothes anymore. She settled for a pair of black maternity pants and a thin light green sweater. She took some underwear from her underwear drawer and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower before she undressed herself, making sure there was a towel in her reach before she stepped under the hot steaming water. She let herself relax under the water for a few minutes before she picked up a shampoo bottle and let some shampoo drip on her hands. She washed her curls and let it rinse off. Then she took another bottle and started to wash her body. When she washed her left breast with her right hand, something got her attention. Something she hadn't felt before.

-xxxxxx-

Lorelai walked into the inn. The unexpected events of that morning made her run late. She had called her OBGYN and asked for advice and she got the number of another physician who was willing to see her the same day. She got an appointment for eleven o clock.

She entered the dining room, where the whole staff was already gathered. Sookie looked up at her friend, a worried expression on her face. "Sorry I'm late. Have you started already?"

"No we were about to, but we were still waiting for you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Let me get a cup of tea from the kitchen, and then I'll be ready to get started, okay?"

"Sure."

Lorelai walked into the kitchen. This meeting was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but she knew she could use the distraction. She filled a cup with tea and walked back into the dining room, where everybody was still waiting for her patiently. She sat down at the only free spot at the table, and sorted through the papers that were laying on the table in front of her. She looked at the notes from the last meeting and tried to decide where to begin the meeting. When she looked up from the papers she saw everybody staring at her expectantly. "Okay, let's start with the notes of the last meeting. Michel, how did……."

The meeting took over an hour. Lorelai had a hard time concentrating, and everybody noticed that something was up. But they all respected her privacy and didn't ask about it. Not even when Lorelai excused herself the second she ended the meeting.

It wasn't until 5 minutes later, she heard a knock on her office door. "Yeah?"

The door opened and Sookie walked in. "Hey. Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Lorelai looked at her friend and tried to fake a shocked expression. "Where are you talking about?"

Sookie wasn't impressed by Lorelai's response. "I know something is up. Did you and Luke have a fight?"

"No, we're perfect."

"You sure?"

"Positive. We've been doing really good lately. I promise."

"Then what's up. And don't tell me it's nothing, because I know you and I know that you're not okay."

"I'm just a little tired. I haven't slept very well lately."

Sookie looked at her friend skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'm just tired, that's all. The twins know how to keep me awake at night. I'm already starting to get uncomfortable in the bed and I'm not that fat yet."

Sookie smiled, knowing how hard it can be to find a comfortable position in bed when you're pregnant. And she was never pregnant with twins. "Why don't you go home, get some rest. We can manage without you."

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying here a while longer." It was a lie, as she had a doctors appointment in an hour.

"I'm sure. Michel and Claire are doing a great job even when you're not around."

"I'm glad." Lorelai looked at her friend and tried to decide if she should tell her the truth. It would be nice to get her story off her chest. But she couldn't worry her friend. She didn't want to tell Luke anything until she knew for sure, and she knew Sookie would push her into telling him. "I just have to make a phone call and then I'm out of here."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. But only if you're feeling okay."

"I'll call you."

Lorelai waited until Sookie closed the door behind her, before she picked up the phone. She dialed the familiar number of her parents and waited for someone to pick up.

"Emily Gilmore speaking."

"Hey mom it's me, Lorelai."

"Hey." Emily was happy to hear her daughter's voice.

"Mom, I was thinking about grandma."

"You mean my mother?"

"Yeah. I remember she died when I was about 10 years old. Did she have cancer?"

"Breast cancer. But why these questions?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "When I was in the shower this morning I felt something."

"The babies? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, that's not what I meant. I feel something in my left breast and that made me think about grandma."

"I'm sure it's nothing Lorelai. She was a lot older than you are. It's very uncommon for woman your age to have breast cancer."

"I'm almost 40 years old mom. It's not uncommon at all."

"Don't think like that okay. Did you call a doctor?"

"I have an appointment at 11 o clock."

"Is Luke coming with you?"

"No. I don't want to tell him until I know something. I know it's wrong not to tell him, but he lost both his parents at a young age and I just don't want him to worry over nothing. It's probably nothing, but you know, just to be sure."

"Are you going to Hartford memorial?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Meet me at the main entrance a quarter before 11."

"Mom, that's not necessary."

"I respect that you don't want to tell Luke yet, but you're not going alone."

"But."

"No buts Lorelai. I'll see you in 45 minutes."

Lorelai sighed. "Thanks." Then she hung up the phone. She took a minute to control herself before she dialed another number.

"Luke's."

"Hey Luke, it's me."

"Lorelai? What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to make it for lunch today, so I'll see you at 3."

"It's only 10 o clock. You already know you're not going to make it for lunch? I thought you were going to take it easy today."

"I am taking it easy. I'm going to Hartford."

"Hartford?"

"Sookie sent me away so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go see how my mom's doing." She didn't feel comfortable lying to Luke and this way, but most of what she said was true. She knew there was a possibility he would call in to check on her only to find out she left. And she didn't want him to worry.

"Okay. Thanks for calling. Drive safe okay?"

"I will."

-xxxxxx-

Lorelai had to wait a few minutes before she saw Emily approaching. She managed a small smile. "Hey mom."

"Hey." Emily took her daughter in and noticed how nervous she looked. "Are you ready to go in?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, but I have to know the truth. It's just…"

Emily took Lorelai's hand in hers and squeezed it lightly. "I know."

"I'm scared mom."

"I know Lorelai. I know."

"What if…."

Emily let go of Lorelai's hand and put a finger on her lips. "Don't think like that okay? You're a young, healthy woman and there's nothing wrong with you. I promise."

Lorelai nodded. "Let's get inside."

They walked towards the right floor and checked in with the admit nurse. Then they sat down in the waiting room. "How old was grandma when she…?"

"Lorelai, you have to stop these thoughts."

"I know mom, but I…"

"She was 55."

"Were there other people, in the family?"

"My mother had an aunt who had breast cancer."

"So it runs in the family." Lorelai sighed.

"It runs in every family Lorelai. I once heard that 10 percent of all women get breast cancer. That's 1 on every 10 women."

Lorelai closed her eyes as she tried to relax, but was failing miserably. But she didn't had the time to think much longer, when they called her name.

"Lorelai Danes in exam 4."

"Let's go." Both women stood up and walked into the right room.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Robert Wilson."

"Lorelai Danes, and this is my mother Emily Gilmore."

The doctor shook the hands of both women. "Please sit down."

They sat down across from the doctor.

"What can I do for you?"

Lorelai closed her eyes for a few seconds before she was able to talk. "This morning in the shower I felt a small lump in my left breast."

"Have you ever felt it before?"

"No. This is the first time."

"Okay. Let me ask you a few questions first, then we'll do a physical exam, okay?"

Lorelai nodded.

"I see that you're pregnant. How far along are you?"

"4 and a half months."

The doctor looked confused.

"They're twins."

"Okay, I see. Do you have more kids?"

"I have a daughter and a son."

"How old are they?"

"My daughter is 22, and my son is almost 14 months."

The doctor wrote something down. "Did you notice any changes in your breast the last few months?"

"They've grown, but I think that's a symptom of the pregnancy. They hurt a little sometimes, but that's the same story."

"Okay." He wrote this down as well. "Have you had any operations on your breasts?"

"No, never."

"No infections?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Do you have any family members diagnosed with breast cancer?"

"My mother's mother died of breast cancer. And my grandmother's aunt had breast cancer as well."

"And you?" He looked at Emily.

"I'm fine."

"Have you ever had a mammography?"

"No."

"How old was your mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer?"

"54. She died a year later."

"And how old are you?"

"I beg you pardon." Emily looked slightly hurt. "We're here to talk about my daughter, not about me."

"I understand. But now that you're here, I'd like to examine you as well."

"I don't need an exam. I need you to tell me that my daughter is okay. Do that examination, take some x-rays. Do whatever you have to do."

"I will do everything to find out if there is something wrong with your daughter. But I would really like to examine you as well. All I need for now are a few mammography pictures."

Emily wanted to protest again, when Lorelai decided to speak. "Mom, I'd feel a lot better if you were examined too. Do it for me okay?"

Emily looked at her daughter, then back to the doctor. "Okay, but only because my daughter wants me to."

"Good. Mrs. Danes, I don't want to take x-rays of you, because you're pregnant. We'll do an ultrasound instead which is just as accurate but safer for your babies. Mrs. Gilmore. Let me call the x-ray department and see if they can squeeze you in right now."

He picked up his phone and talked to someone. Then he took a piece of paper out of one of the boxes on his desk and wrote down a few things. He handed the form to Emily. "They are expecting you right now. The radiology department is one floor down on the left hand side."

"I want to stay with my daughter."

"I understand, but they have a very busy schedule and the sooner I have the pictures the better. I promise you I won't do anything to hurt your daughter and you can come back inside as soon as you're finished downstairs."

Lorelai looked at her mother. "Go on mom. I'm fine."

Emily nodded, then picked up her purse and took the paper from the doctor. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

When Emily left the exam room, the doctor focused his attention on Lorelai again. "If you take off all your upper clothes, you can lie down on that table."

She nodded and walked towards the table. She took off her clothes and laid down. The doctor covered her with a towel.

"Can you point out where you felt the lump this morning?"

Lorelai nodded and tried to feel the lump. "Right here."

"My hands can be a little cold." The doctor moved his hands over the tissue of her breast.

"Do you feel it?"

"I feel something. Let's do an ultrasound to find out what it is. It could be a swollen gland or a cyst."

"But it could be something else."

"Let's not jump into conclusions okay? I want you to put your left arm above your head and turn on your right side a little. I'll put a pillow underneath your back." He put a pillow under Lorelai's left side so she was a little more comfortable. Then he squeezed some gel on his transducer. "I'm going to move this little machine over your breast. It's kind of the same as when they look at your baby, only now I'm examining the breast tissue."

"So, cold gel?"

He gave her an apologetic look.

"Why can't you warm that stuff up?" She shivered when her skin came in contact with the gel. She tried to look at the screen from the ultrasound machine, but couldn't make out anything.

The doctor carefully scanned all the tissue, looking at the screen. "Here we are." He pointed at the screen.

Lorelai saw a small black spot where the doctor pointed. "What is it?"

"A small cyst." He did some more things Lorelai couldn't understand.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm doing one last test to make sure it is actually a cyst, which it is. There's no blood flow inside the lesion. And now I'm measuring the diameter. "8 mm."

"A cyst… is that bad?"

"No. A cyst a cavity filled with fluid. It's not malign. I can drain it for you if you want, but there's a big chance it will come back."

"But if you leave it there, will it grow?"

"There's a possibility. But almost every woman has a cyst somewhere. I want to scan both of your breasts to make sure there are no other cysts if that's okay with you."

"Of course. Please."

The doctor took a long time for his examination. Lorelai waited patiently, feeling a lot better already, but still a little nervous, afraid he would find something else.

"We're done. You can dress yourself, unless you want me to drain the cyst for you. But I would advise you not to do that."

"It can't do any damage if it stays there?" She felt a little uncomfortable knowing she had something in her body that did not belong there.

"No. We can monitor you once a year to see if there is any difference. If it grows or starts to give you any discomfort we can always decide to drain it."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

"You can take your time to clean yourself and to put your clothes back on. I'll go and see if your mother's x-rays are ready."

She nodded. "Thank you so much doctor."

He nodded. "You're welcome." And with that he left the room.

Lorelai was already dressed and sitting at one of the chairs again, when Emily walked in. "And?"

"I'm fine mom. It was just a small cyst. It can do no harm."

"Did they remove it?"

"No. He says it's not necessary and that if he removes or drains it there's a big chance that it comes back again. I just have to come back once a year so he can keep an eye on it."

Emily nodded.

"And you? Did they tell you something about the pictures?"

"No. The doctor has to see them first. All they told me that everything was on them. I will never have pictures like that taken again. They squeeze your breast into this machine, pressing far too hard. They were not listening to me when I said it hurt. They say it's necessary. Can you believe that?"

"I don't know mom. I never had mammography done before, but I'm sure they know what they're doing."

"I highly doubt that."

There was a knock on the door. "Yes?"

The doctor walked in.

"This is your office. You don't have to knock."

"I wanted to give you some privacy." He sat down in his chair. "Mrs. Gilmore, I'm sure your daughter informed you that she's okay?"

"Yes she did. How about me?"

The doctor took a deep breath, which made both Lorelai and Emily alert for what was coming next. "I've looked at the pictures together with one of the radiologists We found something abnormal on the pictures of your right breast. I want to do an ultrasound and maybe a biopsy if the ultrasound doesn't give us enough information."

Lorelai gashed and Emily looked at the doctor in shock. She couldn't believe that what the doctor just told her was true. "That's impossible. I don't believe you."

The doctor looked Emily in the eye. "I'm sorry but it's true."

Emily shook her head. "No."

"Let me show you." He opened a program on his computer and entered some numbers. After a few mouse clicks he turned his monitor around so Emily and Lorelai could look at it. "These are the pictures of your right breast. This one here is a side picture and the other one is a front picture. You see those little white spots over here? They are called calcifications."

Emily tried to take in the information. "What does it mean?"

"It can be an indication of a tumor."

"You mean cancer?"

The doctor nodded. "But we have to do an ultrasound and a biopsy to be sure. It's best if we do it right now so we know if there's something wrong, and if it comes to that, start treatment as soon as possible. But we're not there yet. We need to find out what it is exactly we're seeing here on these pictures."

Emily nodded. "Do it."

"Do you want me to call your husband?"

"No. I need some time telling him. I have my daughter. She can stay here right?"

"Of course. I'll give you a few minutes. When you're ready you can take your top clothes off and lie down on the table. There's a blanket next to it so you can cover yourself."

"Thank you."

Doctor Wilson walked away, leaving Lorelai and Emily alone for a few minutes.

Lorelai turned to face her mother, while her eyes were filled with tears. "Mom…"

"It's okay Lorelai. Don't worry okay? I'll be fine. I promise."

"But this is big mom. It might be cancer. I…"

"Shh…. Don't say it okay. I know that you're afraid but you have to be brave."

Lorelai shook her head. "It's not like I'm five years old when I fell down and I couldn't cry because it would make me seem like a baby. I'm a woman and…"

"I know you are. I just… I don't want to think about it right now okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

"Let's get this over with." Emily started undressing and lay down on the table, covering herself with a blanket. "Why don't you go see if the doctor's ready."

Lorelai nodded. "I'll be right back." She walked outside and saw the doctor standing at the desk, talking with one of the nurses. She walked towards them and they both looked up when they saw her. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my mom's ready."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Lorelai walked back into the exam room and not much later the doctor followed. He did an ultrasound that was about the same as Lorelai had earlier, only this time he didn't find a cyst. "I see something right here. It's about 2 centimeters each way. We have to do a biopsy before we can tell what it is."

Lorelai looked at her mother and saw the fear in her eyes. Fear for not knowing what was going to happen. Fear for the results of the test. "A biopsy, how does that work?"

"I have to call a pathologist who will come and assist me. He was right next door earlier so it won't be long. When he's here, I will look with the ultrasound machine to find a good angle towards the lesion. Then I'll insert a needle and take some tissue. The pathologist will put it under the microscope and tell us if he has enough cells to see to make a diagnosis, otherwise we might have to do it again."

"Will it hurt?" It wasn't as if Emily was afraid of needles. She had seen a lot of them in her life, but this scared her a little.

"I'll try to do it as fast as possible, but you will feel a little sting."

Emily nodded and respected the man's honesty.

They had to wait for the pathologist for a few minutes. While they were waiting for him, Doctor Wilson asked one of the nurses to set up for the biopsy so they could start as soon as the pathologist arrived. When everything was set, Dr. Wilson put the probe from the ultrasound machine back on Emily's skin. He looked at the screen while he was looking for the perfect angle. "Mrs. Danes, why don't you hold your mother's hand for a while." When he found it, the pathologist handed him the needle. "Here it comes."

Emily squeezed Lorelai's hand tight as the needled entered her breast tissue. "Aw…"

The pathologist put a little machine on top of the needle so he could drain some tissue inside the needle. When he thought he had enough he told Dr. Wilson to pull back. While the pathologist went to take a look at the sample, Dr. Wilson checked the area where they had just taken a biopsy from with ultrasound.

Lorelai was still holding her mother's hand tight, not wanting to let go. She looked her in the eye the entire time, not wanting to see what they were doing with her, and even though she hated to see the pain on her mother's face, it was better than the other option. She suddenly realized why Luke hated hospitals so much. All she wanted to do was run, and when she saw the single tear that was tracing her mother's cheek, she wanted nothing more than to take her mother with her.

They didn't know how long it took, before the pathologist came back. "The biopsy is accurate."

"Thank you." Dr. Wilson nodded.

"Doctor?" Lorelai turned around to look at the pathologist. "Can you tell anything yet?"

"I'm sorry. I have to take a very close look before I can tell you anything. Doctor Wilson will explain the procedure to you."

She nodded. "Thanks anyway."

Emily got a small bandage on the place of the injection and a few paper towels to dry her skin. The doctor told her to come back the next day for the result and to talk about a possible treatment.

-xxxxxx-

Lorelai and Emily were standing in front of the hospital. "Mom, do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Really, I wouldn't mind. I don't want you to get into an accident or something."

"I promise I'll be careful. I want to drive around for a while, just by myself. I have to figure out how I'm going to tell this to your father."

"I can come with you. I can be there for you when…"

Emily raised her hand. "I have to tell him this myself. I appreciate that you're trying to help me, but that's not necessary. You have to go home before Luke gets worried, okay?"

"He'll understand."

"I know he would. But I really want to be alone for a while."

"Can I at least come here tomorrow and be there with you when…"

"I'd appreciate that."

Lorelai smiled slightly.

"Don't tell Rory yet, okay? I don't want to worry her. It may be nothing."

"Mom.."

"I know that there's a big chance that it's something, but let me have this. Just today, okay?"

"If that's what you want. Of course."

"Good. Now go home and don't worry too much about me okay?"

"I'll try."

"Good. I love you Lorelai."

"I love you too mom." Lorelai pulled her mother in a hug, never wanting to let go. But eventually she had to and she watched how her mother walked away, trying to build up her courage to break the news to Richard.

T.B.C.