Presenting … Lucas Danes?
By GilmoreGirl1979 (the Reigning Quote Queen)
Provider of Quality FAN FICTION
R/R: yes please I love reviews, I wanna marry them (as previously stated, I have strange passions.)
Friendly disclaimer: I REJECT ASP's/DR's REALITIES AND SUBSTITUTE MY OWN! NO HARM NO SUE!
Luvz & Izy: Love you both!!
Dialogue borrowed from:
2.19 - Teach Me Tonight
written by Amy Sherman-Palladino
directed by Steven Robman
Trying to get these to you faster…hope the quality is up to previous standards.
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Chapter 41:
Where Did I Go Wrong…?
Not a word was spoken on the way into the hospital. Luke and Lorelai sat in silence in Luke's truck as Luke drove on the highway, any heat between them had been extinguished by Rory's phone call.
As Lorelai stared out the truck window, watching the world fly past, Rory's voice echoed in her mind, "Calm about what I have to tell you," Right away bad, Lorelai thought.
". . . I got in an accident," Rory told her mother.
"Accident?" Lorelai didn't understand at first, how could Rory get into an accident when she left her safe at home.
"Jess and I went for ice cream and we were just driving …"
Why was Jess there? Luke said Jess went to hang out with friends, he never said he was going to hang with his friend Rory!!
Rory continued to explain, "…and it was dark and this dog or cat or possum, I don't know – it was small and furry, and it ran out into the middle of the road and Jess swerved and…"
Lorelai tried to process all the information but it was still a jumble, Jess and ice cream? Jess swerved? Jess was driving? Jess was driving Rory's car that her boyfriend Dean built for her? Jess. Luke's nephew was driving my daughter's car, the car her boyfriend built for her and got my daughter into an accident? All Lorelai could do was reabsorb the information while the streets outside became more illuminated with the city lights of Hartford.
"But I'm fine and he's fine and the furry thing is fine. The car's a little messed up, but there's nothing for you to be worried about."
"Where are you?" Lorelai asked her daughter.
"I'm in the hospital."
Lorelai immediately hung up and harshly told Luke to drive her to the hospital. "Lorelai what happened? what's going on?
Side by side, Luke and Lorelai walked up to the nurse's station. "Um, hi, hi, excuse me, uh, my daughter's here, she was in a car accident. Her name is Rory Gilmore."
"Okay, just take a seat," the nurse pointed with her pen.
Lorelai insisted, "I don't want to take a seat."
"It'll be one minute."
Before Luke could step in on Lorelai's behalf, Lorelai jumped on the nurse, "Hey, do you remember in Terms of Endearment, that scene where Shirley MacLaine is in the hospital and freaks out because they won't give her daughter a shot? She got that from me and she toned it down a little. So, once again, I'm looking for my daughter, Rory Gilmore?"
The nurse searched through a few charts and informed, "First door on your left."
"Thank you."
Luke silently followed Lorelai, but like a perfect gentleman opened the door for his girlfriend, who only gave him a hard glance over the gesture. Lorelai melted into concerned mother mode when she saw a doctor wrapping Rory's arm. "Rory, good. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Really," Rory eased, as her mother started stroking and playing with her hair, turning to the doctor to plea, "Please tell her that I'm fine."
"She's fine," the doctor assured.
Lorelai babbled, "Well, then, what's with the wrapping? If she's fine, there'd be no wrapping. There's no wrapping if she's fine."
The doctor explained, "Her arm hit the dashboard. She sustained a minor hairline fracture to her wrist."
"So she broke her wrist?" Lorelai immediately glared at Luke, who shifted uncomfortably against the wall.
"No, it's just a fracture," Rory noticed Luke in the background, keeping quiet and his distance. A few hours ago Lorelai was all excited and giddy about her date, paranoid Luke was up to something. if he had been Lorelai would never know now, Rory knew that she had sufficiently ruined whatever romantic evening Luke had planned.
Lorelai was impatient for the professional opinion, "Honey, let George Clooney talk here, okay?"
"It's a tiny fracture, absolutely nothing serious. I'm going to put a cast on it. She'll wear it for a couple weeks, that's it."
"A cast?"
Rory tried to soothe her mother, "It barely hurts, I swear."
"And that's it – just the wrist, everything else is fine?"
"She seems perfectly healthy."
"She seems healthy?" Lorelai scoffed, "Did you check everything out?"
The doctor shrugged, "Well, we checked almost everything that could've been affected, yes."
"Almost everything?" Lorelai parroted.
"I assure you, we were very thorough."
"I'm sure you were; I just would like some extra thorough. Uh, anything that could've possibly, in any scenario, affected this body, I want it checked out."
Wanting to appease the overbearing emotional mother, the doctor offered, "I'll run a few more x-rays if that'll make you feel better."
"It will; thank you."
"And then we'll put the cast on her, so it's going to be a little while before she's out of here."
"I can wait."
The doctor asked his patient, "Okay. Rory, I'll be right back. You sit still for a minute, okay?"
"Okay," Rory kept her arm on the pillow that doctor placed the injured limb on.
The doctor rose from his seat, and nodded to Luke, "Excuse me," as he left.
"The car's not so good," Rory sulked.
"Oh, nobody cares about the car," Lorelai dismissed, she brushed back her daughter's hair on both sides of her face, thankful she was alright and relatively in one piece.
Dean won't see it that way, Rory assured, "Jess made sure that he called the ambulance and that I was okay before he even talked to the police and…"
"Where is Jess?" Luke finally piped in from his exiled corner.
Rory was concerned about the seething glare Lorelai sent toward Luke. Luke her boyfriend, Luke the man she was suppose to have this amazing night with, the man she was supposed to love. Rory admitted what she knew, "I don't know really, they wouldn't let him ride in the ambulance with me, so he stayed to deal with the police and the tow truck."
Lorelai's tone was through gritted teeth while she was barking at Luke, "Let's just hear about the details later, okay?" Lorelai turned soft again when addressing her daughter, "I just want you to relax now, okay? So don't you worry about anything?"
"You're not mad?" Rory winced.
"No, I'm not mad," At you, "So they, they uh, brought you in the ambulance?" Lorelai tried to lighten the mood.
"Yeah."
"Did they use the siren?"
"Yeah."
"I hope Taylor was in bed already."
"It was after nine so there's a good chance he was."
"Nice."
The doctor returned with a nurse, "Okay, Rory, I'm going to have the nurse take you down to x-ray now."
"Okay," Rory carefully scooted off the examination table to be escorted down the hall.
"Oh, can I go with her?"
The doctor apologized, "I'm sorry; you and your husband will have to wait outside."
The word "husband" caught Luke's attention, it stung him as Lorelai quickly dismissed, "Oh, no, we're not married." Reminding him of all that had gone wrong that evening.
"Okay, well, it'll be about an hour if you two want to go grab some coffee or something."
"Okay, thanks," Lorelai only wanted to grab Luke's no good nephew by the throat, she turned sweet again to her daughter, "Smile pretty for the camera."
"Okay."
That left only Luke and Lorelai alone again. Lorelai was scowling, unusually cold to her hot boyfriend. Luke didn't know what to say to her under the scrutinizing glare… so he started walking down the hallway to exit the hospital. Unable to follow her daughter, Lorelai followed Luke close on his heels.
When they got outside the automatic doors, she had followed him to the parking lot, since he wasn't going to slow down, she finally called, "Luke!"
"What?" Luke barked, not even looking at her while he was heading toward his tuck.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I have to find out where Jess is," Luke said dutifully.
"Well, I'll tell you where he's not… he's not in the emergency room having him arm plastered up! Rory has to wear a cast for weeks, she's getting x-rays and tests!"
Luke turned back to his girlfriend, "I know, okay, and I'm sorry about Rory; You know I care more about her than I do myself, but at least you know where Rory is and at least you know that she's okay. Now, I have to find Jess and I have to make sure that he's okay."
Lorelai got in his path again, shoving his shoulder to stop him from leaving, "Jess did the hurting. That little punk nephew of yours almost killed my kid tonight."
"Lorelai! It was an accident! Accidents happen, that is why we have insurance…"
"God, you really do sound like my father," Lorelai shook her head running her hands through her hair, she was nearly in tears again when she accused, "Why did you do this?" she hollered exasperated.
"What are you talking about? Why did I do what?"
"Why did you bring him here? If you hadn't brought him here, none of this would've happened."
"What?"
"You've always been there to protect us and now you are the reason she's hurt."
Luke, still in his suit and tie, had to put his hands on his hips, "That's a bit of a leap, don't you think? Somehow this is my fault?" Luke said astonished at the accusation.
"Yes, it is your fault! You told him to come, you let him stay. You knew he was trouble but you took him in anyway…"
"Lorelai, he's my family! He's my nephew. I had an obligation to take him in; I had an obligation to care for him. And he's been doing better anyway… you said so yourself…"
"You had an obligation to me and to Rory."
"He was my nephew before we were… anything."
"Oh so, our years of friendship didn't mean anything to you at all?" Lorelai was ready to jump on anything Luke said.
"Fine, he came before we were …involved."
"But we were closer to you than you are with him … and what because your flake of a sister finally discovered being a parent is hard work she just gives up and passes the buck to you, of all people… someone who can't even stand kids? Why? Why wouldn't you just send him home, then my daughter wouldn't be in the hospital!"
"With a fractured wrist!" Luke argued, "It's not that bad. Remember when she broke her arm and couldn't write? It's a bad example, but this is nothing."
"There weren't motor vehicles involved when she broke her arm!"
"Believe me," Luke assured, "it could have been much, much worse."
"How? The furry thing could have bitten her then she'd have rabies on top of it? That's not the point!" Lorelai shouted.
"What is the point?" She was being irrational, Luke had to give her some perspective, "It could have just as easily been Dean or Lane driving that car."
"But it wasn't. It was Jess," she stated sternly.
"It could have been you or me…"
"But it wasn't, it was Jess!" Lorelai maintained, "You kept pushing them together. I told you it made me nervous, them together all the time."
"Pushing them together?" Luke was appalled at the accusation, "Last time I checked Rory had a free will of her own, Jess is her friend. I didn't not tell him to hang out with Rory tonight; I told him to go out with his friends, Rory happens to be a friend! I never forced them to hang out together. They did that on their own."
"I told you I didn't like it and I should've stopped it right there."
"What was to stop? They were friends, Rory had Dean!""…And look what happened by being Jess' friend!! You thought Rory would be good for Jess; never mind what he'd be for her. That wasn't important at all, was it?"
"Of course it was important."
"Why didn't you put a stop to it at the first sign of trouble?"
"Lorelai, what signs? I was somehow supposed to predict this! He's been better. No pranks, helping out at the diner, his grades are up; Rory's friendship has helped him adjust here. This is his first mistake in months and you're ready to crucify…"
"Well, it's a pretty big mistake! Wrecking a car? It only takes once till someone's hurt! Oh wait, someone was!!"
"What if it had been Jess that was hurt, huh?" Luke matched her holler, "Would I be entitled to your sympathy? Could I yell at you if it was Rory's fault?"
Lorelai's face strewn up, and running out of points, she just yelled, "Go to hell!"
"Right back at ya!" Luke was annoyed with her. How could she blame him when he wasn't even there at the scene of the crime, accident … whatever? Luke had been with Lorelai the entire evening on a date; she was just as much to blame as he was. For pity's sake, he was even trying to propose marriage to her on that date because he was in love with that infuriating woman for whatever reason. He was having trouble remembering those reasons because his anger was boiling over and he knew he had to find Jess. They knew that Rory was okay, now he had to find his nephew.
Lorelai watched Luke head back to his truck and it suddenly struck her that she and Rory didn't have a ride home. Stupid selfish Luke taking his stupid truck!! Lorelai knew Sookie would be willing to pick them up.
It's all Jess' fault! If stupid Jess hadn't been here, this car accident would have never happened, if Jess had never come to Stars Hollow Luke and I could have used Luke's apartment anytime we wanted to be alone. If Luke hadn't taken that punk in, my daughter wouldn't be in a cast.
Lorelai didn't know who to turn to. Her usual rock, her go to guy was stalking way from her, callously concerned for the offending Jess, the one who hurt her daughter. Lorelai pulled out her phone intent on calling Sookie and tell her about what happened, but she found herself dialing a different number …
"Chris?"
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Sookie had picked them up from the hospital, told them many of her cast stories and dropped them off at home. Lorelai had seen the tow truck and just how twisted the car was, the classic light blue car was unmistakable. Lorelai had tucked Rory into bed almost like when they first got the house. She was never able to do that at the potting shed, because they shared a mattress and one room. "Okay, you've got your TV, you've got your books, your magazines, your refreshments, you have your CD player, your assorted CDs. Stan Freberg, Ash, you have your Sinead O'Connor – because when life really gets you down, Sinead's really the one to teach you some perspective. You have a pad of paper in case you decide to write the great American novel. And over here you have a tiny but annoying bell in case there's something here that you need but you don't have and you want to summon the common but lovely house wench who will promptly leave her talking mice and come to fetch the Contessa whatever she may require."
"I think what Contessa requires right now is sleep," Rory mumbled from her pillow.
"Is your arm hurting you?"
"Unh uh, but the stuff they gave me at the hospital made me a little dopey."
"My little Marianne Faithful. Scooch down now and go to sleep."
Lorelai kept vigil over Rory in the easy chair she had moved in from the living room. Lorelai kept thinking about Luke's words, "Believe me, it could have been much, much worse." Lorelai tried not to think about the much, much worse; how could it have been worse? Rory was in pain, the car was totaled, and Lorelai wasn't speaking to Luke; Lorelai pushed the images of the totaled car out of her head, purging again the much, much worse.
Rory looked smaller with a big imposing cast on her arm and her sleepy gaze from painkillers as she drifted off to a deep sleep. Lorelai took a deep breath and crept away from her daughter's side and looked around her home. Silently she found a fair sized box as random words floated into her mind and she went around collecting things; Luke things.
Flowers. Tea. Tools. Flannel. Tie. Movie. Basket. Globe.
Lorelai went to the kitchen counter where the flowers Luke had given her earlier that evening were, she took them out of the vase and promptly threw them in the trash.
What are you doing? She asked herself, as Lorelai found the peppermint tea in the cupboard and put it in the box.
What does it look like? She returned, when she huffed at Bert for being so damn big and heavy to move soon realizing he wouldn't fit in the box.
A devil's advocate Lorelai argued with herself, you had a fight, couples fight. it's not like the two of you are broken up?
She didn't want to think about those two words. Lorelai went upstairs, and pulled out a flannel shirt that was hidden in her closet. So why are you making a Luke box if you aren't broken up?
Because I can! The argument seemed to stop when Lorelai found Luke's tie, the one she pulled off his person the night her father announced his new business. Lorelai had to do something, be proactive, her daughter was hurt and there wasn't a way to get HG Wells and his time machine to fix it for her. Lorelai headed back down stairs and grabbed When Harry Met Sally from the TV cabinet. Then Lorelai paused at the mantle; she put the picnic basket in the box and hesitantly stared at the snow globe. Lorelai swallowed hard, to banish the snow globe from the light of day was a serious statement.
Lorelai put the cardboard box resting on her hip down on the floor; pulled out her favorite flannel that she had hid from Luke and Rory. It was the one from that night in November, her first flannel, and their first night together. Lorelai took a steadying breath, and wrapped the snow globe with care in the flannel and put it in the box.
Kneeling by the box, taking inventory of its contents, she told her self, it's only for a few days.
She was angry and had to do something. Putting her feelings and reminders in the box made her feel better, although only temporarily.
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When Chris came into the Gilmore house, he had learned to hang up his coat in the closet for fear he would be attack by the toolbox again. However he saw the aggressive toolbox outside on the porch, put out like an unwanted dog. From the looks of a few scratches on the hardwood floor it looked like it was dragged or pushed out in a hurry by a certain female who was unable to lift the heavy thing. Then in the living room he saw a box with a flannel sleeve sticking out of it. He quickly examined the contents of the box and was surprised that Lorelai's beloved snow globe and flannel shirt were in there, among various other items that Chris didn't know the significance of.
Chris tip toed into Rory's room and found Rory asleep in her bed and Lorelai conked out in an easy chair she had obviously moved in from the living room so she could keep vigil over her daughter. Chris grabbed a chair from the kitchen and placed it close to Lorelai's chair. He pulled up the blanket over her limp arms; he adjusted Lorelai's head hoping she wouldn't strain her neck, and waited for Rory to wake up.
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They were lying on their sides, face to face, contently absorbing what just happened. Luke traced a lazy finger up and down the bare skin of Lorelai's spine. Lorelai caressed his chest and the sides of his ribcage. She gazed at the 'warm body' next to her, with a dopey grin on her face. She giggled, "Well, You know that whole James Bond thing definitely works for you." Lorelai was thinking of his tux, now strewn about her bedroom floor.
"You know, the whole Bond Girl thing really works for you." Luke was thinking of how easy her strapless dress was to remove.
"Ooooooh Luke." she teased, as any Bond girl would.
"Aw jeez," but Lorelai pressed her body against his, and rolled Luke onto his back, so she was on top of him as their lips met eagerly again.
Suddenly at the foot of the bed a TV screen popped up and turned on all by it self. "Oh, so sorry 007," a snooty British agent, who looked like Michael York from the Austin Powers movies apologized to Lorelai, "So sorry to interrupt." Lorelai frantically got off Luke and covered herself with the sheet, bewildered as to what was going on.
"What is it Q?" Luke sighed dully, rolling his eyes at the TV screen then kindly smiling at Lorelai by way of apology, while she tried to figure out where the heck the TV came from.
"Well, 007, it seems that two teenagers have gotten into a spot of trouble, one of them is your nephew. The other is the daughter of your lovely companion," Q respectfully acknowledging Lorelai with a nod, "Now usually we don't like to use MI6 resources for personal business, however upon considering the great danger your nephew is to himself and all those around him… we thought we would make an exception in this instance."
"Thank you Q?" Luke said dully, "Tell Miss Moneypenny not to wait up."
"Very well," Q gave another polite nod to the half naked Lorelai, "Miss, a pleasure…" the screen faded out and sunk down into to the floor by the foot of the bed as Luke left the bed to put on his tuxedo back on.
Lorelai's brow had furrowed, as she tried to keep the sheet around her, "Wait? What the heck is going on? What's happened to Rory? And what's with the British guy in my floor?"
"Now don't worry Lorelai," Luke chided, who was instantly dressed and finishing off his bow tie, "I've got everything under control, trust me."
"I do trust you; but Luke, if Rory is hurt, I need to come with you…"
"Thanks, but I work alone."
"Luke! I really think we should talk about this… handle it together…"
"The name's Danes," Luke corrected, "Luke Danes," Luke exited Lorelai's bedroom window with firing up a rocket pack that he was miraculously strapped to.
Lorelai woke up with a start. She knew she had been blissfully reliving her and Luke's first time together and all of the pleasure and pain of their first fight, then somehow things got weird and twisted and Luke turned in to some secret agent who didn't need her anymore. Lorelai knew that Luke was out to protect his nephew, and of course he would make excuses, claim that Jess was going to be doing better. They had that fight when Jess first came to town. Lorelai massaged her neck discovering she had developed a kink in her neck from the way she had been leaning, and finding her head had been resting on a manly shoulder, only not the shoulder she had been hoping for. She was surprised to find Christopher asleep in an uncomfortable chair beside her.
Lorelai was still a little sad it wasn't her shoulder of choice, but she was happy to have someone there who would be on her side. Lorelai nudged him, "Chris?"
Chris snapped awake, "What? Lor. . . is everything. . ."
"Shh," she soothed, "Come on." they tip toed into the kitchen. She turned to face him, "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I have a really crappy mattress at home."
"Chris."
"I drove here as fast as I could and I went to the hospital but you guys had already left so I tried your cell phone but all I got was the voice mail so I came here but the place looked dark so I got the key out of the turtle and came in but you guys were already asleep so I just grabbed a chair and. . . and apparently my evil plan worked exactly as I anticipated."
"I'm so glad you're here," Lorelai couldn't help it and she hugged him. When she and Luke went to the hospital, they didn't even look at each other. They never once touched while the doctor gave Rory's prognosis. Admit ably it was a little strange to hug Chris after being mad at him for so long, but he was her friend and she needed human contact.
"Me too," he enjoyed the embrace.
Lorelai mirthlessly joked, "Nothing like a crisis to bring a family together."
"How's she doing?"
"She's in a cast," Lorelai whimpered wondering how her magical date with Luke could have gone so terribly wrong.
"I know."
"The doctor said she'll be fine, he'll take it off in a couple of weeks. The car is totally gone and I have to call the insurance guy tomorrow and …Oh, I don't know what else."
"Did you find that kid?"
"Jess?"
"Jess, dead meat, whatever his name is."
"No, the little ferret's hiding out somewhere, I'm sure," protected by his uncle.
"Okay, well, I'm going to deal with the car tomorrow and I still want to talk to the doctor, if that's okay, and I'm going to need a picture of this Jess so I don't accidentally rip the head off the wrong kid 'cause that would be bad."
"Look at you all springing' into action."
"About time, don't ya think?"
"I like the superhero you," however Lorelai was still missing her own James Bond.
"Just trying to keep up."
Well, it's har,d you don't have a rocket pack, "So, are you staying here tonight or do you have to rush back?"
"No, I want to spend some time with Rory tomorrow, if that's okay?"
"And Sherry's cool with you staying here?"
"Rory comes first. She knows that."
"Okay. Do you want some coffee?" Lorelai offered, desperate for something normal and mundane, but coffee only made her think of Luke again.
"I'll get it."
"Do you know how to make coffee?"
"Yes, I do."
"My coffee?" Lorelai narrowed he eyes.
"One bag of coffee per cup of water, right?"
"Perfect." Lorelai sat at the table, "Oh my God. When Rory called me tonight and said the word hospital, I just legitimately thought I was having a heart attack, and let me tell you, it was not fun. I'm joining a gym tomorrow, that's how not fun it was."
"See if you can get a two for one membership."
"Anything could've happened. It could've been so much worse," thinking of Luke's words again.
"But it wasn't," Chris soothed.
That's just what Luke said, Lorelai frowned; she smiled at Chris, he was merely an understudy to Luke, but he was trying at least, "No, it wasn't," she lamely smiled, "but it could've been," it could have been Luke comforting her, but it was Chris. Lorelai thought back to November. Luke was the one making her coffee, comforting the sting of her mother's insults from the ball at that same kitchen table. This was where Lorelai first kissed Luke, seduced Luke into going upstairs and… but Luke wasn't here. Luke was off doing his annoying super spy thing, with Jess, and Lorelai shook the dream out of her head again.
Chris took her hand, "It wasn't. It's okay; everything's going to be okay."
Lorelai looked at his hand on hers, again thinking that it wasn't Luke's, hoping things would be okay between her and Luke when their notorious tempers cooled off. "I'm just going to get the couch set up for you while that brews…"
Lorelai had to keep moving, had to keep doing, if she sat still she thought of Luke, the brewing coffee made her think of Luke, and that would make her cry or want to call him, but he was busy with the little ferret trying to get him out of his hole no doubt, and she couldn't break down in front of Christopher.
Chris saw her move the flannel box out of the way, hide it behind the chez in the corner, "So," Chris casually broached, "What about this boyfriend of yours?"
Lorelai froze in her tracks, "Stop right there," Lorelai warned. They were amiable and getting along, why did Chris have to start asking unnecessary questions and pick a fight.
"What?" Christ asked innocently, as he joined her in the living room.
"Chris, I don't want to talk about it," she got some sheets from the closet.
"Well, am I to understand that it was his nephew that did this?"
"Chris, I don't want to talk about it! He's taking care of his teen and I'm taking care of mine…"
"Well, I don't want this kid within 100 feet of Rory ever again."
"Chris…stop… okay… everything is just really fresh right now. Once things settle down, it will be alright."
"I really have to insist."
"You don't get to insist, Okay! You aren't here every day."
"What happened to the superhero talk? I came down here in the middle of the night to be here, and your guy isn't. So what does that tell you?"
"Chris that does earn you some points but it doesn't even things out entirely, okay! Now please just drop it! Luke is taking care of Jess and I'm taking care of Rory."
"We are taking care of Rory."
"Fine," Lorelai quickly got the sheets from the closet and started throwing them over the couch to set up the bed.
Chris finally said to break the silence, "I'm sorry."
Lorelai slumped where she stood, "Me too. It's just emotions are so high right now."
Chris moved closer to her, and he hugged her again.
Over his shoulder Lorelai saw ghost images of her and Luke heading upstairs, an eager Luke in a tux willing to help Lorelai out of her purple gown.
Lorelai pulled away from Chris' shoulder, "…Hey, did I mention I'm really glad you're here?"
"I believe you did."
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Rory's head felt like a balloon floating about three feet above her body as she lay in bed. Rory heard some sort of muffled sounds to her right, it sounded like the Charlie Brown teacher was talking in her kitchen. Rory opened her heavy slits and saw a disturbing image.
Suddenly Rory's ears opened and she clearly heard her mother's voice, "I'm so glad you're here." Lorelai was hugging Christopher. Rory may have been in a drug induced state, but she knew that wasn't right. Lorelai was supposed to be with Luke.
Rory recalled the coldness between Luke and Lorelai at the hospital. What happened between Luke and Lorelai while she got her x-rays and pain killers? What was Christopher doing in Stars Hollow? How did Chris find out about the accident? What was he doing with Lorelai? If Luke and Lorelai were on the outs, was he swooping in to claim Lorelai? What about Sherry and Scampers?
They left her line of sight. Rory had witnessed the power of that kitchen back in November, Luke and Lorelai had their first kiss in that kitchen and slept together to boot. Rory became scared Chris and Lorelai were going upstairs together, to sleep together. Rory tried to fight the drug haze her mind was in, but nothing made sense. She fell asleep again hoping for a clearer picture in the morning and that Christopher pawing her mother was just part of a drug induced hallucination. That she would wake up and Luke would be in the kitchen to make her breakfast in bed; pancakes, and bacon, and French toast, and sausage….hash browns.
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At the bus stop, Jess had everything he could carry with him in his old green army nap sack.
Jess assured his uncle, "I made sure she was okay."
"I know you did."
On his way to finding Jess, Luke actually saw the damage done to Rory's car…and he knew things weren't going to be the same.
The last thing Luke said to Jess was "pack." That was about 45 minutes ago. Luke escorted Jess back to his newly finished room of his uncle's apartment, Luke stood in the doorway with his arms crossed while he watched Jess gather some of his belongings. Jess obeyed, for the first time he did as he was told the first time he was told to do it. Jess could tell Luke was angry when he found Jess at the bridge, Jess knew Luke and Lorelai had probably just had it out about wrecking Rory's car, a major blow out fight over their clashing and crashing teens.
Even though Luke remained silent, he still seemed to resonate anger. If Grandpa Danes looked the way Luke did now when he got angry, no wonder Luke was such a straight arrow. Jess knew Luke had a right to be angry. It was all Jess' fault.
All his uncle wanted was Jess out of the way for one night so he could ask Lorelai the most important question a man could ask a woman. Luke said go see a movie, go to the library, go hang out with friends. Where did Jess go to stay out of his uncle's way? Jess went to Rory's house, Jess convinced her to go out for ice cream and test drive her car, and then… Jess ruined his uncle's happy relationship with Lorelai, the one thing in this world Jess knew his uncle couldn't stand to loose. Jess wondered if Luke even got a chance to propose? Or If she had said yes, but now all bets were off because of the wreck?
Now at the bus station, Luke, still in his suit, was silently marching Jess to the bus's door, to make sure the teen got on and left town. Jess turned to face his uncle for a final time, to try to apologize for driving away the love of his uncle's life, "Luke… I…"
Luke was trying not to shake, but the anger and wounds were just too fresh shaking, "Don't! Just please, get on the bus," Luke managed evenly.
"Luke, really I didn't mean…" to mess everything up for you and Lorelai…
Luke's voice was so gravid and the expression on his face so severe, "Jess. You are my nephew, you are family… and believe it or not… I still… love you…" he choked out, "but right now … I can't be around you… or I'm going to say or do something terrible that know I will regret…Please, Jess. Go home. Get on the bus."
Luke watched as the bus pulled away, taking his nephew home. Luke put his hands in his pockets sighed heavily and hung his head while he frowned at his dress shoes. He felt the engagement ring box still in his pocket.
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 77 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
TBC….
A/N:
Debbie's thought for the month of May:
The show comes full circle… which is just a stupid way of saying we haven't gone anywhere.
R/R: PLEASE, I like to better myself. To quote The Princess Bride,
"...Remember this is for posterity ... so be honest."
Please be specific with R/R; name one (or as many as you can think of or want to mention…) At least one specific thing you liked
Please! It makes me feel good...inside (Dirty!)
Hence the Rant option below.
Insert Rant here V
A/N: if not completely satisfied with this chapter, please return unused portion for a full refund...