Chapter 6 – Mrs. Huntzberger

Emily went to bed that night without telling him what had her so upset. She didn't sleep at all that night. She spent it crying quietly to herself, thinking of a way to tell Richard what was happening. It was going to break his heart, that much she knew. The disappointment of Lorelai's pregnancy and the scandal had been appalling to live through, but this time around it was different. It was bound to make them both relive things they had felt so many years ago. It was the experience of their lives that they never wanted to relive.

And here they were, twenty two years later. Rory was pregnant.

Richard got up that morning like he did every morning. But this time he observed his wife. She was clearly too upset to even get up and that worried him. He sat on the edge of her side of the bed. She adverted his gaze, new tears spilling from her eyes. He wiped a few of her tears away, but new ones took their place. Richard let out a sigh.

"Emily," he started quietly. "Do you want to tell me what's going on now?"

She didn't answer him.

"I noticed that Lorelai and Rory didn't come down to say goodbye last night, is that it? Did you girls get into a fight?" Still no answer. "Well then, what is it, dear? You're going to need to tell me sooner or later. Come on, sit up."

He helped her sit up and in the process she wrapped her arms tightly around him and cried harder.

"Emily, now you're scaring me. Please tell me what's going on. Is there something wrong with Lorelai? Is it Rory? I know she hasn't been feeling well recently." She could see the worry in his face when he said Rory's name.

"Oh, Richard! If you only knew…"

"So then tell me. You're worrying me more by keeping this to yourself as upset as you are."

"Rory…" she cried.

"What is wrong with Rory?" panic entering his voice.

"Rory's pregnant."

The minute he heard those words come out of her mouth his face fell.

"No… that can't be."

"Oh Richard, if you had seen how she broke down yesterday. That poor child…"

"What does Logan have to say about this?" he asked more sternly.

"He doesn't know! They broke up and now he's left for London for at least a year! He's gone and left her broken hearted."

He held his wife in his arms as she cried. There must be a solution to this, he thought.

After last night's scene in the bathroom, Lorelai decided to approach the situation lightheartedly. Rory was going through enough, and quite honestly, she was sure she was putting herself through enough guilt without her or anyone else needing to add to it. Besides, the situation could have been a lot worse. It could have happened six years ago, but instead it happened in her last year at Yale. She thought positively. Everything else would come to its rightful place sooner rather than later. Everyone just needed to remain calm and level headed, and they would soon be able to come to a solution.

She had spent the night at the Inn with Rory and went home early in the morning to shower and change, and get a change of clothes for Rory. Rory woke up in unfamiliar surroundings after Lorelai knocked on the door and peeked in.

"Good morning sunshine." She smiled and walked in with a large tray of food. Sookie followed her in with a second large tray, then two other waiters brought in two other trays of food. They walked out after placing them down on a sitting table.

"How are you feeling today, Rory?" asked Sookie in a cheery voice.

She jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Well I guess that translates to not so good yet?" asked Sookie. "Maybe all this food isn't such a good idea."

"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine. You can set the tray down and return to hold your port. Tell Michel he better be holding his. I'm going to go make sure she's okay."

She walked into the bathroom and saw Rory bent over the bowl. She was holding her hair back with both hands. Lorelai went to her aide and helped her with her hair. Rory straightened up a little, her eyes were closed and she was breathing in deeply. A few seconds later she was bent forward again. When she was done Lorelai let go of her hair and handed Rory a cold washcloth. Rory held it on her face, welcoming the fresh feeling on her skin. After taking a moment to gather herself, she stood up from the floor and went to the sink. Lorelai handed her her own toothbrush.

"Thanks," she answered meekly.

Lorelai let her brush her teeth before saying anything. "So how do you feel about breakfast, Mommy?"

"Oh no! That wasn't a dream. I really did tell you…" she walked out of the bathroom and Lorelai followed her.

"Here is your choice of buttermilk, blueberry, and oatmeal pancakes drenched in maple syrup, just how you like them. And of course, two glasses of whole milk, a glass of orange juice, apple juice, and grape juice. There are also scrambled eggs and four pieces each of bacon, sausage, and ham. Oh, and a whole plate of hash browns. Take your pick."

"Where's the coffee?"

"Oh, haven't you heard? Pregnant women aren't supposed to drink coffee. They're supposed to drink milk and juice and plenty of water."

"But I see a cup there."

"Aw, well that's your mommy's coffee. The closest to coffee you'll be for the next few months is when you see me drinking it."

Rory got back in bed and pulled one of the trays to her. Lorelai jumped on the other side of the bed and did the same.

"So what does the wittle bug want to eat today?" Lorelai teased using a baby voice.

"Oh no, not you too…"

"Me too? Who else knows you've been calling your kid a bug?"

"Now that I heard you mention it, I'm pretty sure Paris does." She took a large bite of the buttermilk pancakes.

"I am offended. You told Paris before you considered telling me?"

"I didn't tell Paris anything. I don't even know what she know or doesn't know or is just pretending to know, but she is Paris Geller, and just like she shanghaied me into going to the doctor, she probably shanghaied the doctor into telling her my diagnosis."

"Mmmm…" Lorelai chewed on her blueberry pancakes. "I love Sookie's blueberry pancakes! Here, drink your milk."

"Can't we call for some coffee?"

"No more coffee for you, Missy."

"So… you don't have anything else to say to me? No screaming, no guilt trips, nothing?"

"Nothing…"

"No 'you're throwing your life away' speeches? Nothing?"

"Nope, no speeches of the kind. I do, however, have a few questions who's answers might elicit a speech or two."

"I figured it was coming. Hit me with them."

"So how far along are you?"

"Thirteen weeks."

"And when did you find out?"

"At nine weeks…" She knew she was going to hear it with that one. Maybe not the first one, but this last one…

"Can I ask you a question I'm sure you don't want to answer?"

"If I say no, is that going to stop you?"

"Nope."

"Ask away."

"Why did it take you a month to tell anyone?"

She put her fork down and tried to find her answer.

"I don't know. I was ashamed."

"Why wait that long to reach out to anyone? I mean, I saw you last night, kid. I can't believe you kept that to yourself for that long."

Rory brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She returned Lorelai's gaze after a moment.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"Oh, kid… come here." She wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed the top of her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. You know… shit happens sometimes, and now you have a bug that you're going to have to take care of, but I honestly believe that everything is going to turn out okay."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yes, I do."

"Did Grandma say anything?"

"She was… remarkably supportive. But you know, she is Emily Gilmore, so who knows how she's going to be reacting to the news today. But whatever happens and whatever they might say, don't let that influence your decisions."

"Grandpa is going to be really disappointed," noted Rory.

"I think you should wait and see what his reaction is before coming to any conclusions," Lorelai said simply.

"I think he's going to be very upset with me."

"Hey, was telling me as bad as you thought it would be?"

"Well, no…"

"There you go then. Your grandfather might surprise you. That, and I have it on good authority that the Gilmore's and the Huntzberger's were looking forward to a baby with his blond hair and your blue eyes."

"What do you think Logan's going to say?"

"I wish I could tell you, hon. I think you two need to sort out your feelings for each other before you make any decisions. But you need to tell him soon."

"I know." She looked down at her hands. "Honor is going to be getting me his phone number in London. I guess as soon as I have any info on him, I'll figure out what to do."

They started eating again, moving trays from the table to the bed, switching plates and sharing the ham. They lied back on the bed as soon as they were done.

"I don't think I can move," said Lorelai.

"I didn't know I was that hungry. It's probably because I didn't have any dinner last night."

"Hey, Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"You excited yet?"

The corners of her lips curled up. In everything, she hadn't had the time to think about it in that way. Hadn't let herself experience that feeling.

"I don't know… I haven't given it much thought. I've been freaking out all this time. I mean, I guess if I don't think about how my relationship with Logan is right now, or how I'm going to manage to support myself and a baby until after graduation, or just dealing with school and finals on my due date… yeah, I guess I am."

Lorelai smiled back at her.

"You and I, we need to celebrate." She got up from the bed and pulled out the duffle bag with Rory's things. "Hurry up and hit the shower and get dressed."

"What are we doing?"

"We are going to go shopping."

"But that's a waste. I'm not going to be fitting into regular clothes soon. I'm going to look like a stuffed burrito."

"But that's the idea. Your clothes don't fit you anymore. Your jeans are giving you a muffin top."

"I do not have muffin top!"

"You are going to need maternity clothes. Lots and lots of nice dresses and shirts so you can feel pretty all the time and not like a stuffed burrito, because let's face it, you will look like a stuffed burrito soon. You already look like you've eaten one too many stuffed burritos."

"I do not appreciate the fat jokes!"

"If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck. Hurry up and get ready, I'll be right back. Ha! You're also going to be walking like a duck soon!"

Richard paced his study, still in his silk robe. Emily was lying on the lounge dramatically, also in her night gown.

"There has to be something we can do to help Rory. Think, Emily, think…"

"I'm thinking, Richard, it's just that nothing is coming to mind right now."

"I think we should discuss this with Mitchum and Shira. I'm sure Mitchum will understand the situation and send for Logan immediately."

"But what if they still aren't happy with the match? That might make that keep him away longer."

"I don't think that will be a problem. Mitchum never thought Rory wasn't good enough for his family, and apparently Shira has also changed her mind about Rory since she joined the DAR and noticed all of her work there. Besides, it's the boy's obligation. His family has to understand that."

"But Richard, they're no longer together! Rory hasn't even had the chance to tell him. She wants to be the one to tell him, that's the reason she broke down yesterday."

"He will come back immediately and marry her…"

"I think we should talk to Lorelai about this."

"Do you, really? Need I remind you how Lorelai acted when she was pregnant?"

"Rory is different than Lorelai."

"Precisely. And I don't want to know about the humiliation of that dear child when people start gossiping on how her boyfriend left her pregnant. If the boy needs to be in London for a year, let him be in London for a year. But let it be next year! Rory needs him now!"

"I just… Richard I don't want us to make the same mistakes we made with Lorelai."

His face changed when she said that. He sat next to his wife without saying anything for a moment.

"Do you think we acted badly towards Lorelai?"

"No… but it wasn't what she needed or what she wanted. In the end we pushed her so far away from us that she stayed away for fifteen years. Maybe our plan is perfect for Rory and just what she needs, but we can't just decide that ourselves. We need to talk to Lorelai and find out what is the best course of action."

Richard thought again for a second. "How far along is she?"

"I don't know."

"I just don't want a scandal on our hands. Lorelai might have been able to handle it, but I don't think Rory could, she's not used to those things. We also have to think of her career after she graduates."

"She's afraid that we'll hate her, you know… it just broke my heart yesterday…"

"Don't think about that anymore. We'll find a solution to it all. Call Lorelai and Rory. Tell them to come to dinner tonight. We will talk about it then and come up with something. We need to act quickly, before she starts showing. Come, let's go get dressed."

They were in the dressing room for A Pea In The Pod in New York City. "I think this dress makes me look fat. Does the dress make me look fat?"

"Pregnancy makes you look fat. Don't blame it on the dress. Here, try these on too." She handed Rory a bunch of dresses and tops. She waited for Rory to come out again. "Now that, that dress makes you look fat. Go back in and try the polka dot dress."

"The polka dot dress is going to make me look fat."

"We've been here before," chimed Lorelai.

She walked out in the polka dot dress.

"Aw, see, it makes you look cute. We're taking that one. Try some of the tops now."

"Some of these look too big on me still. You don't think it's too early to start buying all these maternity clothes?"

"So you can have a clothing crisis like the one on 1997, where all of a sudden you wake up one day and none of your clothes fits and you have nothing to wear, not even to go out and buy any? No, it's not too soon. Besides you're underestimating what a good wardrobe does to your mood."

"I still can't believe we traveled sixty miles for this."

"Again, you're underestimating a new wardrobe. We needed to travel those sixty miles for you to buy all the pretty clothes."

Rory walks out of the dressing room again. "Now this shirt just makes me look pregnant."

"The baby growing inside you makes you look pregnant. The shirt makes you look pretty pregnant." Her cell phone rang. Oh, jolly, it was her mother. "Hi mom."

"Hello Lorelai. How is Rory feeling today?"

"She's doing really good, actually."

"What's that noise? Where are you?"

"We're out shopping."

"She's feeling that well?"

"Well her clothes are already kind of tight, and this way, she can start embracing everything that's going on sooner. I thought that it would make her feel a little better, and it is."

"Well, I'm glad she's feeling a lot better than yesterday. Listen, you father and I want you girls to come over for dinner tonight."

"Mom, it's Saturday…"

"So what? You can only see your mother on a Friday? We'll see you and Rory at 6:30, Lorelai."

"Wait! Mom! Rory and I are in New York right now, I'm not sure we'll be able to make it."

"Well I'm glad Rory's feeling that much better to go shopping in New York. I'm sure she'll still be well enough to come and have dinner at her grandparents tonight. Give Rory a hug and a kiss for me. We'll see you two tonight."

"Agh!"

"What happened?"

"Your grandparents just shanghaied us into dinner tonight."

Rory's face fell.

"Stop worrying about it. You're going to have to get it over with the Gilmore's at some point. Might as well get it over with now before they've had time to concoct a plan. You ready now?"

"Yes." She had a big stack of clothes in her arms.

"Is that it?"

"No, this is the no pile. The yes pile is in the dressing room still."

Lorelai peeked into the dressing room, where three times the amount of clothes was sitting their waiting.

"Good grief, we're buying every item in the store. Let me look at the no pile and see what you should throw in to the yes pile." She searched through it and pulled out two dresses and a top to go into the yes pile. They handed the rest to one of the associates there and walked into the dressing room to check what she was taking. "You're not forgetting to buy pajamas and underwear and that kind of stuff, are you?"

"No, the lady in the counter already has them."

"And you have different styles and colors, and a few sets to last you, right?"

"I got enough to replace my current wardrobe, yes."

They went to the counter for the saleslady to ring them up. She was given her total and was left with her mouth open.

"Oh my God! It's expensive to have a baby!" She decided to pull the black card from her wallet and handed it over to the saleslady. The one that read Lorelai L Gilmore-Huntzberger.

"Nice card. Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, Logan signed me up for it."

"Okay Mrs. Huntzberger, I'm going to need you sign at the bottom. Can you give me the address where you'd like to be receiving information on our sales and magazines?"

Rory gave them the address to her and Logan's apartment in New Haven. They walked out of the store with their arms full of bags and decided to drop them off in the car before they continued shopping for another while.

"So, Mrs. Huntzberger, is it? You're back at your previous New Haven address?"

"Oh, that. I forgot to tell you. When I talked to Logan the other day he told me that he extended the lease and paid for the year. He wanted me stay there, said he wouldn't bother me. He arranged for everything in the apartment to be taken care of. Even the driver."

"Wow… he's still in love with you."

"Yeah…"

"You're one lucky lady Mrs. Huntzberger."

"Stop that!"

"What's wrong Mrs. Huntzberger? Don't you like being called Mrs. Huntzberger?"

"That was a mistake on the credit card company's part. Logan opened the account for me and they assumed…"

"Well you know what they say about people that assume, Mrs. Huntzberger."

"Mom, stop it!"

"Oh, a Gap! Come on, I need some jeans."

They walked into the store and while Lorelai went straight to her section, Rory kind of just looked around. None of these clothes would fit her, so it was pointless for her to even browse. Something caught her eye and she went to the other end of the store. She had to smile when she was the tiny little T-shirts and socks. She started browsing, picking up a few things here and there, some blue, some pink, and some yellow. She didn't know what she was having yet, but she felt the need to buy these little outfits that were only appropriate for either a baby boy or a baby girl.

When Lorelai was ready to pay, she looked around for Rory. She saw her in the baby section and walked over to her.

"You know, they also have a few cute maternity things here if you want to check them out."

"Nah, I found what I wanted. Besides, I bought enough clothes for myself."

"So is the excitement finally creeping up on you?"

"Yeah, I think so." She smiled and looked at the items she was carrying. "Yeah, it's starting to look exciting for me. Hey mom, maybe after this we can hit a baby store and start checking out the baby gear."

"Yeah, we can do that." After seeing her daughter so broken up about everything the night before, she was happy to see her being excited. She must have gone through hell keeping it all in to herself for as long as she did. The guilt that she was sure Rory subjected herself to, not to mention that things with Logan weren't doing well. She wanted to maintain Rory positive.

"Hey, you know what? How about I just go to dinner with my parents. You can stay home and rest."

"Really?" She looked relieved when she asked.

"Yeah. Besides, I want to have a little chat with them before Luke and I leave for our honeymoon."

She knew what she wanted to tell her parents. Her mother's reaction the night before had surprised her, but she also didn't want Rory to be unpleasantly surprised while she was away. If it meant that she had to have dinner with her parents alone, then she was doing it.

Emily opened the door. Only Lorelai was standing on the other side.

"Where's Rory?"

"Hello to you too, mom." They walked to the living room. "Rory's home resting with her feet up."

"But your father and I wanted to speak to both of you."

"I'm sure you did. But I wanted to talk to you two before you spoke to Rory."

Richard walked into the room. "Hello Lorelai. Where's Rory?"

"She's home resting. I wanted to talk to you two before you talked to Rory."

"Good. I actually wanted to speak with you too. Let's get right on to business. What are Rory's plans as of right now? I understand she and Logan have broken up, but I think it's in both their best interest and the baby that they try to work out their differences."

"Well, that is the plan…"

"I think that maybe a meeting with the Huntzbergers would be the next course of action."

"Well Dad, I think we should just let Rory and Logan handle this."

"But Logan isn't even in the country."

"And?"

"And Logan isn't in the country because his father sent him to work in another country. He needs to come back and take care of his responsibilities. They should marry before the baby comes. I'm going to call my lawyer and ask him to help us with the pre-nuptial agreement."

"Dad, I think you're getting a little too ahead of yourself."

"My granddaughter is pregnant. And while it is not the ideal situation, it has a remedy that I am sure both families can be pleased with. I will not allow for Rory to have to go through the humiliation of being abandoned while pregnant when neither family wants that for them."

"I'm not sure I can follow what you want to impose."

"Impose? Well if they didn't want their families imposing…"

"Rory is now twenty one years old dad. Not sixteen, or even eighteen. She's a woman in her last year of college. Logan is an Ivy League educated, twenty three year old, who is independently wealthy, regardless of what hold his family has on him. They are both consenting adults that got themselves into something that a lot of couples that are in love like them get into. It's not the end of the world, much less of their futures. I guess what I am trying to say dad, is that they shouldn't feel cornered into doing something that they might choose to do on their own."

"Speak again."

"Those kids love each other. They should sort out their problems on their own, not because they have to, but because they want to. And as far as what I know, they both want to, it's just that the timing has been bad and now Logan is in London. That baby of theirs is just a product of that love, not a mistake."

"But the biggest problem remains the same. Logan is still in London. If I speak to Mitchum about it, he will allow Logan to come back, at least until his child is born."

"Rory wants to be the one to tell Logan. In fact, she didn't want this to get out. She wanted him to be the first to know. Honor is going to get Logan's information for Rory. She will get in touch with him, and they can go from there."

"Are you sure they can work things out by themselves?" asked Emily.

"Mom, you've seen those two. They love each other. They've just let certain things get in the way."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because he's thought of her despite not being here." She thought for a second before disclosing information. "Logan has done certain things to take care of Rory."

"Like what?" asked Emily.

"Apparently, he's left her their apartment all paid for the year, with maid, maintenance and a driver."

"What?" Emily and Richard were both left surprised.

"Yeah, he said that he understood she didn't want to talk to him, so he wouldn't be bothering her, but that he felt better knowing she was taken care of."

"But Rory doesn't need to be 'taken care of' financially," said Richard. "Between us and her father, Rory doesn't need for anything."

"Exactly dad, that's the point. He knows she doesn't need it, but he wants to do it anyway, at least until she's done with school. I think that he's still holding out hope."

"What exactly happened between those two?" asked Richard.

"It doesn't matter at this point because Rory is willing to put it all behind them. She just needs to talk to him, and everything will be alright between those two."

"So I'll ask again," said Richard. "What is Rory's plan?"

"She's waiting for Honor to get back to her, and she will get in contact with Logan, and they will go from there. There's not much more to the plan."

The maid walked in. "Mrs. Gilmore, dinner is served." They walked to the dinner table and sat down.

"What about school? Is Rory going to be able to continue, or is she going to have to take more time off?"

"She doesn't want to take any more time off. She's due mid December, she'll probably be on break then."

"Oh Richard, did you hear that? We'll be having a Christmas baby!" said Emily excited.

"I don't think she's planned as far ahead into the second semester and child care, but that will come at it's time. Right now I just want her to relax. She's got enough on her plate right now. She's made herself sick with worry about Logan and what you two would think."

"She has?" asked Richard worriedly.

"She said we would hate her," answered Emily in a low voice, her thoughts going to the night before.

Richard put his fork down and thought seriously. "Now that is nonsense," he answered sincerely.

"She thought you would be disappointed," said Lorelai.

Richard thought for a second. "Well I only have an answer to that. You girls should come over on Monday afternoon. We'll have a barbeque and you and your mother can finish going through those long lists of last minute wedding preparations."

Lorelai smiled. She knew why he was doing this, and she loved that they loved her daughter so much. Normally, she would be asking for a lobotomy if she ever willingly agreed to have dinner with her parents alone, but dinner twice in less than a week, when she'd end up seeing them a total of five times in that short time period. She would be asking to be institutionalized. But her parents had lately been taking a turn for the better. They were still Emily and Richard Gilmore, but a change was a change. And this was her daughter they were trying to put at ease.

"We'll be here."