A/N: Not as fast as I hoped, but I wrote the whole thing on the train Sunday night. Had nothing better to do anyway. The trip itself was horrible. It's about 30 degrees outside in the shade so figure what it's like in the sun. And the train was chock-full and you couldn't even feel the air-conditioning. Not really the best idea to sit with a laptop that heats up, but yeah, I'm stubborn anyway. So I sat down and started typing and this is what I got! I hope you'll all like it :D Thanks to all who read and reviewed the last chapter. The chapter is mostly about Luke and Lorelai but there is a little part about Emily as well. Let me know what you think ;)
Chapter 22 Check-upLorelai was in the bathroom to dress herself after a shower. After putting on some underwear, she put on her pants. She pulled it over her hips and then reached for the zipper. She tried to pull it up, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't close. She tried the button after that, but her stomach got in the way. It was impossible to close the pants. She let out a frustrated yell.
"What's wrong?" Luke entered the bathroom, thinking something bad happened.
"My pants won't fit."
He raised his shoulders. "Pick another pair."
"But I wanted to wear this one. I bought it only three weeks ago. I can't believe I can't fit in anymore."
"It happens. The babies will only continue to grow the next few months and so will your stomach."
She shot him an angry look. "So you're saying I'm fat?"
He looked at her shocked. "What? Of course not. You're not fat. Your stomach is growing which is normal because there are two babies in there."
She looked in the mirror. "I wouldn't mind if it was only my stomach, but why does every part of my body has to swollen? Look at my face, and my hips and my boobs. I'm fat Luke." Tears filled her eyes.
"No, you're not. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
She shook her head. "That was before I got pregnant with Lucan."
"That's not true Lorelai. You're always beautiful. Look at you. You're carrying my babies."
She looked directly into his eyes as the tears were ready to spill. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." He walked towards her and kissed her hard. "I love you Lorelai." He wiped her tears away.
She smiled. "I love you too."
"Good. Now get dressed or we're going to be late for the appointment."
She nodded and walked out of the bathroom to get a different pair of pants. "This should do."
Luke shook his head as he watched Lorelai disappear in the bathroom again. He walked to Lucan's playpen. "Just prepare yourself. She'll only get worse."
The boy smiled and picked up one of his cars, handing it to his father.
"Thanks buddy." Luke smiled as leaned forward to kiss Lucan on top of his head. Then he handed the car back to the little boy and walked to the changing table where he started filling Lucan's diaper bag. He waited for ten minutes but when Lorelai still hadn't come out, he called her name. "Lorelai are you ready?"
"Just a sec."
"We're already running late."
"I know I know." She pulled her t-shirt over her head and looked in the mirror. She ran her hand through her hair and took one last look in the mirror.
"Lorelai."
"Yeah. I'm already here." She stepped out of the bathroom. "See, all set to go."
"About time." Luke took Lucan out of the playpen and they all went downstairs. "Lane?"
"Yeah boss?"
"I'm taking Lorelai to her doctor's appointment, and to her mother after that. I think I'll be back right before dinner rush."
"Sure, take your time."
They went outside, where Luke put Lucan in his car seat. Then he took the seat next to Lorelai.
"Hey Luke?"
"Yeah?" He replied, when he started the car.
"Do you think they can tell us the sex of the babies today?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Do you want to know?"
He looked at her. "What do you want?"
"I didn't know when Rory was born, and we didn't know with Lucan either, which was kind of nice. But I think it would be nice to know too."
"I don't know."
"It would be easier, because that way we don't have to pick out four names."
"Why would we need four names?"
"Well, because we can get two boys or two girls, or one boy and one girl. So we need 3 different combinations."
"I hadn't thought about that."
"Mmm… I did. But thinking how long it took us to pick a name for him, maybe it's better if we know."
"I think it's a stupid reason to find out the sex of our babies."
"Well, it wouldn't be the only reason. I'm just really curious."
He raised his shoulders. "I wouldn't mind not knowing. But if you really want to know…"
"We can always decide later."
"Yeah. They might not be able to tell anyway."
"Maybe…"
They drove in silence for a few minutes. Luke glanced at Lorelai once in a while, and noticed her mood. "If you want to know that's fine by me. We can ask the doctor if they can tell us. Really."
She looked at him. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." His smile gave her assurance.
"Thanks."
He nodded and focused back on the road.
"Hey Luke?"
"Mmmm…"
"If one of the babies is a girl…."
"Then what? I'd like one of babies to be a girl, or both of them. Or boys would be nice too. I don't mind."
"Good to know. But what I wanted to ask, if one of the babies is a girl, can we name her after my mother?"
"I thought you didn't want that."
"With Lucan, I really didn't. But things are so much different now. And it doesn't even has to be her first name. But it'd be nice as a second name. Or to give her a nickname just like Rory. I just don't know what goes with Emily.."
"Emma or Lily."
She raised her nose. "Nah."
"We can figure it out later. I think your mother will be very proud either way."
"I think so too. She's been through so much the past year and a half. I'm glad she's doing so well after the surgery. The doctor said she might be able to go home tomorrow. But she still has the radiotherapy in front of her you know. From what I heard, that's pretty intense."
"It is."
Lorelai looked at him curiously. "My dad went through it. It exhausted him. But he only went a few times, because he went there to take away his pain and in the end, it only became worse. It's different with your mother. But it will be tough."
Lorelai nodded. 'Your dad went through a lot, didn't he."
"He did. When they diagnosed him with cancer, it was already spread. They gave him chemotherapy at first, but after a few rounds the cancer had only spread further instead of decreased, so they stopped. He went without treatment for a few weeks until he got in so much pain that they wanted to try the radiotherapy. After that he only got morphine. He died about two weeks after that."
Lorelai put her hand on his knee. "It must have been so hard on you."
"It was. And I handled it all wrong. I still regret that. I'm glad you're spending so much time with your mother, trying to make her feel better, talking about your life."
She squeezed his knee. "Your father knew you were there for him Luke. I'm sure he loved you very much. I wish I could have met him."
"Me too. He would have loved you. And he would have been so proud to meet his grandchildren."
"You have to make sure you tell our kids about your parents Luke. I know it's hard for you sometimes, but you have to tell them how you were raised and about your relationship with them."
"I'll try to tell them as much as possible."
"Good." Lorelai smiled lightly. "So, when we get another boy, how do you want to name him?"
"When Lucan was born, you promised your mother you would name him after your father."
"Of course you remember that. Do you think there's any chance she forgot?"
"I don't think so."
"Me neither. But I know one thing, I'm not naming our twins Richard and Emily because that would be just weird."
"Yeah, I agree."
"I'm glad."
"So, something else then."
"Yeah. Mmm.. Do we still have that name book?"
"It should be somewhere in the apartment. I'll try and see if I can find it later."
"Cool."
-xxxxxx-
"Lorelai Danes."
"That's us." Lorelai stood up and pulled Luke, who was carrying Lucan with her.
"Good afternoon Lorelai, Luke. How are you feeling today?"
"I'm feeling fine thank you." Lorelai sat down on the exam table, as Luke settled for standing against the wall. Lucan tried to get out of his arms, but Luke hold him tight.
"He got so big since I last saw him." Dr. Elder looked at Luke and his son.
"He's growing too fast." Lorelai replied. "And so are these two in here. I feel like I'm getting more fat every day." She looked at Luke who gave her a knowing smile.
"First of all, it's not fat. Second, it's a good thing that they are growing, although I highly doubt that they're growing that fast."
"Tell that to my clothes. I can't fit in any of my regular clothes. And I can't even fit in some of my maternity clothes anymore."
"It's only a good sign. I would worry if it was the other way around."
"Easy for you to say." But Lorelai knew she was right. She was glad the babies were growing so well.
"How have you been feeling lately?" Dr. Elder took a chair and sat down in front of Lorelai.
"Considering the circumstances, very well. I've been nauseas a few times, but that had more to do with me worrying about my mother, than anything else."
"What happened to your mother?"
"You remember when I called you and asked you about the lump I felt in my breast?"
"Of course. I received a letter that it was a cyst and that they will monitor it once a year."
"Yeah. But my mother had mammography pictures taken at that same day and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's recovering from her surgery right now."
"How is she doing?"
"She's doing okay. They removed the tumor and so far, they haven't found metastasis in the lymph nodes. But she still has to go through radiotherapy once she's healed from the surgery. She's still in the hospital right now, but she might be able to go home tomorrow."
"That's good to hear. So, besides the nausea, did you feel anything else?"
"No, nothing really. I can feel the babies move, but that's a good thing. No more dizziness or anything like that. There's nothing to complain about really."
"I'm glad to hear that. Let me take your blood pressure first, then I want to draw some blood to do some tests just to be sure. And after that we can do an ultrasound."
Lorelai looked at Luke with slight panic in her eyes, then turned her gaze back to the doctor. "Is it really necessary to draw the blood?"
"You ask me that every time so you already know the answer." She put the blood pressure monitor around Lorelai's arm and started pumping. "145 over 95. Not bad at all."
"Are you sure? It was a little lower the last time."
"It's normal for a blood pressure to get higher during a pregnancy. This is a very nice blood pressure. Nothing to worry about."
"Ok."
Dr. Elder took out all the stuff she needed to draw Lorelai's blood. Luke went to stand next to Lorelai, and took her right hand in his, while he was still fighting to keep Lucan in his arms.
Before Lorelai realized it, the blood was tapped and dr. Elder asked her to lay down. "Let's see how the babies are doing."
Lorelai lifted her t-shirt and flinched when dr. Elder put some cold gel on her stomach. "Do you think you can tell the sex of the babies?"
"Do you want to know?"
Lorelai glanced at Luke who nodded. "Yeah. I would love to know."
"Let's see if the babies are in a good position to tell." She did some measurements first, then turned the screen towards Luke and Lorelai. "Here's the first baby. This is the head," she moved the probe downwards "the arms, and this are the legs. And this baby is…." She looked at the monitor. "This is a little boy. Here" She pointed at the screen.
"Wow." Lorelai smiled towards Luke. Then she looked at her son. "Do you see that honey, that's your little brother."
Luke smiled and kissed Lorelai. "How's he doing?"
"He looks fine. He's growing the way he should. He's a little small, but that's common for twins. Now let's see if his little brother or sister is willing to reveal some more information about him or herself." She looked at the screen as she moved the probe on Lorelai's stomach. "This is baby number two. This baby is lying upside down. The head is down here, and there's the stomach. Here, you can see the heart. And there are the arms, and the legs. Mmm…."
"What?"
"This is a difficult angle. If the baby won't move, I won't be able to tell whether it's a boy or a girl."
"Come on baby." Lorelai put her hand on her stomach, and on the screen they saw how the baby moved.
"The baby's moving towards the warmth of your hands." Dr. Elder smiled. "Here, I got a good angle."
"And?" For a second Lorelai hoped that it was a girl, but then she pushed the thought out of her mind, knowing she would love two boys as well.
"It's a girl."
"Really? A boy and a girl?" Lorelai's smile widened.
"Yeah, one of each." Dr. Elder made a few pictures of both babies before she turned off the ultrasound machine and dried off her stomach.
Lorelai sat back up and took Lucan out of Luke's arms, because he was beginning to lose his grip on the boy. She turned to face Luke. "I still can't believe there are two little babies in there. A boy and a girl. It's amazing."
"It is." He placed a fast kiss on her lips.
"So, that's it for today. You seem to be doing fine and so are the babies. Keep eating healthy, vitamins are always good. You can make a new appointment for three weeks from now. And you know, if there's anything you can always call me."
"I know. Thank you so much."
Dr. Elder handed Lorelai the pictures. "This are the first pictures of your babies. The ones from the boy are on top."
"Thank you. I can't wait to show them to my mom, and to my daughter."
Dr. Elder smiled. "Take care, and see you in three weeks."
"See you in three weeks."
The little family left the doctor's office. When Lorelai closed the door behind her, she grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him towards her. She kissed him long and deep and tried to get as close as possible with her stomach in the way and with Lucan in her arms. She didn't let go until the little boy started fussing.
"Wow." Luke smiled when she pulled away from him.
"Yeah. So, now we know we get a boy and a girl it's easier to pick names. Are you sure we can name the girl after my mom?"
"I already told you I'm fine with that. Speaking of which, do you want to go by yourself and have me pick you up in an hour or so, or do you want me to come with you?"
"There's no use driving back to Stars Hallow so why don't you come. She loves to see Lucan and we can tell her about the babies together."
"Okay."
-xxxxxx-
Lorelai peeked around Emily's door and saw her mother sitting up in bed. Her father was sitting next to her. "Hey mom." Lorelai went inside, with Luke following close behind her.
"Lorelai." Emily smiled, and her smile got even bigger when she saw Lucan. "Hello there my beautiful grandson." She reached her arms out towards him.
"Are you sure you want to do that mom? He's pretty wild. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"I just want to hold my grandson for a few minutes."
"Fine." Lorelai took Lucan from Luke and handed him to her mother. "Be careful."
Lucan looked at his grandmother curiously. "Mama."
"No, I'm grandma."
"Mama." He smiled.
"No, I'm grandma. That's mama." She pointed towards Lorelai who took a seat next to her father. Luke did the same. "And that's dada. And that's grandpa."
"Dada."
"Yeah. Dada."
"Mama." He looked up at Emily again.
"No, grandma."
"Gama."
Emily smiled and kissed the boy on top of his head. "Close enough."
Lucan smiled proudly as he kept repeating. "Gama."
Emily smiled and turned to look at Lorelai. "How did your appointment go?"
"Very well. The babies are growing okay. My blood pressure is good and they drew some blood but I won't hear anything about that unless something is wrong so… They also did an ultrasound." Lorelai grabbed her purse and took out the pictures dr. Elder had given to her earlier. "This is your grandson." She handed Emily the picture.
"My grandson? A boy?" She looked at the picture, careful to keep Lucan's hands away from the picture. "Look Richard. This is our grandson." She handed the picture to him.
Richard wasn't sure what to do with the picture so he looked at it and then handed it back to Lorelai. "That's wonderful Lorelai."
"And the other baby?" Emily looked curiously.
"This is your granddaughter." Lorelai handed Emily the picture of her daughter.
"A girl? A boy and a girl. That's wonderful Lorelai."
"I know. Now I'll have two of each. It really didn't matter. I would have liked two boys or two girls, but this is perfect."
"It is." She looked at the picture proudly before handing it to Richard.
"Congratulations Lorelai."
"Thanks dad." She had to smile at his discomfort. He really didn't know what to do with the pictures. "So mom, did they tell you when you're able to go home?"
"I can go home tomorrow."
"That's great." She looked at her mother and saw they had already taken out the drain. "Why weren't you allowed to go home today?"
"Because they wanted to monitor me for an extra day. Just to see how I'm doing without the drain and without the IV."
"Oh, that's good I guess."
"It is, but I'm really happy I can leave this place tomorrow."
"I can imagine." She turned to look at Luke, who looked uncomfortable. "I think Luke will be happy if he doesn't have to come here again any time soon."
"Before you know it you will be here for the birth of the twins."
"That won't be for a few months. They better stay inside there for a while longer."
"Just wait until you're lying in a hospital bed. You won't know where the time went."
"I have that feeling every day Lucan learns something new. It's like yesterday when I was lying in one of those hospital beds, holding him for the very first time. And look at him now. He's walking, he can say mama and dada, and now grandma."
"Gama."
They all laughed.
"I've been trying to teach him that for weeks now. I've also been trying to get him to say Rory, but that's hopeless."
"He'll learn it fast enough."
"Yeah I know."
-xxxxxx-
That night Luke and Lorelai were lying in bed together. Lorelai was using Luke's shoulder as a pillow and silently played with his chest hair.
Luke watched her. "What are you thinking?"
"Mmm.. nothing."
"Liar." He kissed her forehead.
"I'm just thinking how it's going to be."
"What?"
"The babies. Us all living together at our house."
"And, what do you think?"
"I think we're going to be happy. We'll have to figure out a lot of things, like how to take care of three little kids, but we're going to do alright. I know it."
"Me too." He kissed her again. "I guess Michel won't be too happy if you brought all of them to work."
"Probably not. But he has to learn to deal. Besides, I don't think I'll be working a lot at first."
"Probably not. But he and Claire are doing a good job together right? You think you'll be able to keep her next year?"
"I gave her a full year. The inn is doing great. We're fully booked most of the time so…"
"It'll all work out I guess. I'll take them a few days, you take them a few days. And if it's too busy to take them to work, maybe we can stay home with them a few days a week. And we can always get someone to baby-sit if we can't manage together."
"True. Although I still don't like the idea of having someone else raise our kids."
"Me neither."
She smiled again. "I'm glad."
"Tom just came to the diner. He says the house will be ready in two weeks. All we have to do is pick out wallpaper and we still have to shop for furniture."
"Sounds good. I want to go to my mom when she comes home tomorrow, but maybe we can go the day after or so?"
"We'll see. I have to ask Jake if he can work."
"Mmm.. ok." She started playing with her chest hair again. Then she looked up at him. "So, which color are you thinking?"
"For what?"
"The nursery."
He raised his shoulder. "Whatever you want."
"I'm sure you have an opinion."
"I really don't care. As long as we don't paint the whole thing pink, it's fine by me."
"I don't want blue either. And yellow is stupid because almost every nursery is yellow."
"How about white?"
She raised her nose. "Nah, too boring."
"So, what do you have in mind?"
"I definitely don't want green." Thinking of what Sherry said all those years ago. "No orange, no gray or brown or something like that…"
"Which leaves us to what?"
"I'm thinking…."
He shook his head. "There's nothing left."
"There must be something… purple." She smiled.
"Absolutely not."
"No fun." She pouted.
"How about we paint have of the room light blue and the other half a light pink?"
She thought about it for a moment. "With a wooden floor and wooden furniture…" She tried to picture it in her mind. "Or maybe we just have to go to the store and see what kind of wallpaper they have. Maybe they have something in a nice undefined color with a nice cartoon or something."
"Sounds good."
"And our bedroom?"
"Don't care. As long as it's not pink."
"What is it with you and pink" She smiled.
"I could ask you the same thing." He turned on his side and kissed her deeply. She put her arms around him and soon the paint colors were forgotten.
T.B.C.