Charlie's about 5
Charlie was a daredevil, she always had been. Lorelai had caught her and a toboggan at the top of the stairs when she was three and the snow was slow in coming.
Luke had caught her walking on the railing around the gazebo at 4 and had nearly killed himself in his attempt to get to her before she stumbled and fell the 5 or so feet to the ground below.
"Kid, you are giving me gray hair," Lorelai had announced to Charlie after the gazebo incident.
"I don't see any," Charlie had answered innocently as she searched her mother's dark hair.
"You, you were never like this," Lorelai told Rory over the phone, again after the gazebo incident. "You were odd, the whole wet grass things for instance, but you definitely weren't out to put me in an early grave."
"Blame dad," Rory has said casually. "He's the one with the motorcycle and fast cars and what not."
"Excellent plan," Lorelai said as she blocked Charlie from leaving the house. "Hold on," she told Rory. "Where are you going?"
"Out side."
"What do you need a helmet and all those pads for?" Charlie hesitated for a moment.
"Just a game," she finally answered.
"Absolutely not. Go watch TV or something," she said as she plucked the helmet off of Charlie's head.
"Most parents want their kids to play outside!" Charlie grumbled.
"Yeah well, we all know I'm not most parents!" she called after the disgruntled 4 year old.
Today, however, there was no one to talk her down. In fact, they were all talking her into it.
"Betcha can't do it," one of the boys said. He was a few years older than her and a notorious trouble maker around the school.
"Can too!" Charlie countered, hands on her hips as she stood toe to toe with the boy who had half a foot of height and 20 pounds on her.
"Prove it," he said with a smirk on his face. The other kids in the circle let out a low whistle and whispered among themselves as to whether or not 5 year old Charlie Gilmore would follow through and walk the edge of the jungle gym, some 3 or 4 feet off the ground.
"Fine!" the little girl said as she sat down to take her shoes and socks off. "I will!" she finished as she marched over to the jungle gym in question and after checking for teachers, quickly climbed up.
"This is a bad idea Mike," one of the boys whispered to the instigator
"She'll chicken out," he said confidently, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood back to watch. Charlie sat on the edge of the jungle gym for a moment, willing her palms and the soles of her feet to stop sweating. She quickly wiped them off with her t-shirt, brushed the hair that had come loose from her pony tail out of the way and slowly stood up, using another bar for support.
"No hands!" Mike called out.
"Keep your shorts on!" Charlie called back as she clung to the bar, steadying herself before she tentatively left go and took her first step. The group of kids grew quiet as she slowly shuffled her way across the length of the pole. She smiled confidently as she neared the end but at the last minute, her foot slipped on something and she lost her balance. Charlie toppled forward, cracking her head on the pole she had been walking on before she tumbled to the left and to the ground. She lay on the ground, dazed as the other kids crowded around her.
"Hey, kid," Mike said, trying to get her attention Charlie's eyes suddenly came back into focus and she let out a cry as her mind finally caught up to what had happened to her. The older kids scattered as some of the younger ones ran off to find a teacher.
"You're bleeding!" Megan cried, pointing to the sizable cut on Charlie's forehead. This just caused the 5 year old to cry harder. Her head hurt and so did her chest from landing on the pole and her side from hitting the ground.
"Charlie Gilmore, what have you done now?" Mrs Albert asked as she wandered over, not realizing that something serious had happened.
"She fell!" Megan supplied. "From all the way up there!" she pointed to the pole Charlie had been walking and
Mrs. Albert realised that it wasn't just another minor slip up. Megan was sent to get Mr. Cuthbert and Mrs. Albert, a young teacher who was relatively new to the job, knelt behind Charlie and held her head steady, using a Kleenex she had in her pocket to keep the blood away from her eyes.
"It'll be ok," she whispered to the little girl, stroking her face with her thumb. "Everything will be okay."
The next few minutes were a blur of colour and sound. Paramedics were called because she had fallen and hit her head and she was soon whisked off to Woodbridge, Luke by her side since Lorelai was unreachable at the moment.
"She probably won't need anything more than some stitches, Mr. Danes," the Doctor said a few moments after we got there. "But, given her size and the height from which she fell, we just want to make sure."
"Do what ever you need to do," he said, fumbling in his wallet for the piece of paper Lorelai had given him, saying that he had her permission to sign for any medical procedures Charlie may need. The Doctor glanced over it and handed it back to Luke.
"It'll just be a few moments until the CT is cleared," he said. "You can go and sit with her until they're ready." Luke nodded his thanks and ducked behind the curtain. He paused for a moment before Charlie realised it was him. She looked tiny in the ugly hospital gown, a stiff brace around her neck and bright white Velcro straps holding her to the back board. Just in case.
"Luke?" she finally asked with a sniffle.
"Hey kiddo," he said softly as he stood above her. "Quite the adventure we're having today, isn't it?"
"I want mom," she said, starting to cry.
"As soon as you go for your ride, I'm gonna call her again," he assured her, brushing the hair off of her forehead, careful to avoid the large bandage covering the gash on her forehead.
"Okay," she said, her voice shaky from the tears.
"Okay," he said as he pulled a chair close and sat by her, telling her nothing stories about when he was a kid until the porters showed up to wheel her away. "Lorelai, it's Luke. You really, really need to call me. Charlie had an accident at school. She's okay but she's in the hospital. Some school policy. We're at Woodbridge United, in the ER," he said to her voice mail. He hit the end button and just as he was sitting down the phone rang.
"Don't panic," he said in the phone after seeing the caller ID.
"My baby is in the hospital and you tell me not to panic?" she demanded.
"She hit her head. Fell off the jungle gym and hit her head. They're just being overly cautious," he told her.
"I'll be right there," she said.
"Be careful!" he reminded her as she hung up. He sighed and sunk back into his chair to wait for Lorelai to show up and Charlie to be brought back.
"Where is she?" Lorelai asked as she rushed over to Luke. He gathered her into his arms.
"She's not back yet," he said into her hair as he kissed the top of her head. "She's okay. She's scared and is worried you're going to be mad at her but she's okay," he assured her as he held on to her.
"Mr. Danes?" the Doctor asked. "Miss Gilmore?"
"Yes," they both said as Luke let her go. Her hand snaked out to grab a hold of his.
"Your daughter will be just fine. The cut on her forehead is clean enough that after we clean it out, we can use surgical glue to bond the edges."
"No stitches?" Lorelai asked.
"None," he said. "We will keep her here for the next few hours, for observation. We have some reason to believe she may have lost consciousness for a moment or two, but we're not sure so just to be on the safe side. . . "
"I understand," she said, nodding her head and squeezing Luke's had a little more firmly.
"Wonderful. Nancy here will take you to her." They thanked the Doctor and followed the nurse to Charlie.
"Oh baby!" Lorelai said as she rushed over to Charlie, now freed from the back board and neck collar. Charlie started to cry again as Lorelai gathered her into her arms. Luke hung back, feeling as if he was intruding on the moment slightly. He watched quietly as Lorelai rocked the little girl in her arms and dried her tears, comforting her even though all she wanted to do was burst into tears herself.
He chuckled a little as she argued with the Doctors about why she should have to relinquish Charlie while they glued her head back together and eventually he relented and Charlie stayed put in Lorelai's arms. As the activity of the last few hours died down, Charlie drifted off in Lorelai's arms and she turned her attention to him.
"Thank you," she said, allowing herself to cry a little.
"For what?" he asked as he came over, sitting on the edge of the bed as he wiped her tears away.
"For being with her. I know how you feel about hospitals and. . ."
"There's no where else I'd rather be right now," he told her. "You, Charlie, Rory and April, you're my everything," he told her, searching her eyes. She nodded, understanding exactly what he was saying. She moved the little girl from her lap to the bed as Luke stood up and after she was tucked in, Luke took Lorelai's hand and he led her back to the chair he had been sitting in. He sat down and pulled her into his lap like she had done for Charlie and he let her cry herself out. She had been so scared when she had heard Luke's message and when she had seen Charlie that first time. . . The tears were pure relief now. She didn't know what else to do but sit in his lap and cry like her 5 year old had done when she had walked behind the curtain. He held her close and stroked her hair as she cried and when she was done, he expected some quip about handkerchiefs and snot but none came. She kissed him long and tenderly before she curled up against his chest again and Luke held her close again, keeping vigil over his little thrown together family.
Charlie's 10th Birthday
Once again, Emily Gilmore had gotten lucky and Charlie's birthday had fallen on a Friday.
"Please mom," Lorelai said as she had already ushered Charlie out to the car to sit with Liam and Maddy. "Please don't turn this into a repeat of Rory's 16th birthday."
"Goodnight Lorelai," she said, ushering her out the door without answering her plea.
"Oh yeah," Lorelai muttered as she headed towards the car. "This is going to be great." She put on a smile as she climbed into the car so the kids didn't question what had happened. "What do you guys think about heading to the diner before home?" when she got an affirmative answer from all three kids, she turned on the radio and headed towards home.
"What are you doing?" Luke asked later that night after the kids were asleep.
"Sewing. Do we need to get your eyes checked again?" she asked him as she looked up from her project for a moment.
"Why are you sewing?" he asked her, ignoring her quip as he took a seat near by.
"Charlie wants an Anne of Green Gables party, so she's going to get one," she said as she trimmed a few threads on the pinafore she was sowing. There was one for all of the girls and they were to go home with the girls. She never wanted to see these 14 pinafores ever again. "The guests are under orders to wear dresses and suits. Bonus points if they're period specific."
"You're not going to dye her hair, are you?" he asked. He didn't like the look or the smile she sent in his direction.
She gathered the pinafore she had just finished and brought it over to the mannequin that already held the dress she had made Charlie and quickly slipped it on, trying the ties in the back.
"What do you think?"
"Very 1890's," he commented as he slumped in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Good. Yours is upstairs."
"I don't do dresses," he commented. "Don't have the legs for them.
"No, but I do think you're going to look absolutely FANTASTIC in that pressed shirt and celluloid collar I found for you." He looked at her for a moment, more than a little shocked. "You convinced her to base it on the clam bake scene," Lorelai said with a shrug as she stepped back from the mannequin and picked up a large blue ribbon. "You said you'd supervise the cooking which means you have to dress up too," she pointed a small needle at him as she curled up on the couch to begin hemming the ribbon for Charlie's hair to keep it from fraying.
"I hate you," he muttered as he pushed himself up from the chair. "You staying up much longer?"
"Just gonna finish this," she assured him. He kissed her good night and headed up the stairs to their bedroom. Lorelai paused in her hemming for a moment to breath in the cool night air that was filtering in through the window. She and Luke had accepted the house that Emily and Richard wanted to buy them as a wedding gift and they were glad they had. Rory had gotten the room in the attic all to herself and though she rarely stayed over any more since marrying Marty it still remained hers. Charlie had taken the room on the main floor and, eventually, the other bedrooms had been filled with first Maddy who was now 4 and Liam who was 2.
She looked out over the yard, mentally dressing them for the party as she went back to her sewing. She finished quickly and draped the ribbon over the shoulders of the mannequin before peaking in at Charlie. Satisfied she was sleeping soundly, she crept up the stairs to check on Maddy and Liam in the same way before heading to bed herself.
Lorelai crawled out of bed at 2:05am and slowly made her way downstairs to Charlie's room. She cracked the door open slowly and tiptoed in, leaving the lights off.
"Happy birthday little girl," she said as she kissed her on the forehead and snuggled down on the bed with her exactly 2:07.
"Hi," she said with a sleepy smile, rolling over and throwing an arm over her mother.
"I can't believe how fast you're growing up," she said softly.
"It feels really slow," Charlie countered, her eyes drifting shut.
"Trust me, it's fast. What do you think of your life so far?"
"I think it's great."
"Any complaints," she asked as she glanced down at Charlie.
"I'd like crinoline not to be so itchy," she said sincerely as she made a face.
"Alright, I'll work on that," Lorelai said with a smile of her own.
"Do I look older? Bigger?"
"Of course! Denny's before 5? Big discount."
"Good deal," she said with a smile.
"So, you know what?"
"What?"
"I think you're a great, cool kid and the best friend a girl could have."
"You too," she said as she snuggled into her mother's side and looked up at her.
"And it's hard to believe that at exactly this time, many moons ago. . . "
"Oh no."
"Only I was in a weird smelling hospital room, cursing like a sailor . . ."
"On leave," she muttered.
"On leave, right! at your father for not being able to get to Connecticut. So there I was. . . "
"In labour."
"And let me tell you, it doesn't really get any better the second time around."
"I wonder if Donna Reed ever did this with her kids."
"And I was screaming and cursing and Sookie was trying to keep me calm and then they handed me that stupid cup of ice chips again."
"With no purpose."
"And these nurses didn't appreciate the pelting."
"I love you, mom," Charlie said, squeezing Lorelai tighter.
"Shh. . . I'm getting to the good part. . . So, there we all were. . . "
The party at Emily and Richards went better than she had expected. Charlie, like Rory, was eager to please her grandparents and while Richard was thrilled with her interest in books and, oddly enough, stamps, Emily was never happier than when she could dress Charlie, the perpetual tomboy, up in crinoline lined dresses and parade her around at Cotillions. As a result of these cotillions, Charlie had forged friendships with some of the richer families in Hartford and while Emily had been sure to invite them, she hadn't forgotten about her friends in Stars Hollow either. 5 of her best friends had been invited and while they had been hesitant at first to go and interact with the Hartford girls, Charlie had quickly bridged the gap and everyone was running wild through the large Gilmore mansion and out into the yard.
"How much longer?" Luke grumbled, pulling at his collar and tie.
"Here," she said, handing Luke a beer. "Drink up and feel better."
"I'd feel better if I didn't have to wear this damn tie," he grumbled a little more before drinking the beer.
"Charlie!" Emily called to her as she and the group of girls barrelled past her again
"A lady doesn't run around like an animal," she reminded them. While the Hartford girls started to mumble apologies and the Stars Hollow girls looked ready to go and find their parents Charlie simply looked up at Emily and smiled.
"Good thing we're not ladies yet, huh Grandma?" she asked with a cheeky little smile as they ran off again
Lorelai laughed at this performance before turning back to Luke and their conversation.
"Lorelai," Richard said as he came over, Liam trailing behind him.
"Yes dad?" she asked as Liam toddled over to her and asked to be picked up.
"Have you ever considered music lessons for Liam?"
"He's 2 dad. He gets bored half way through the ABC song."
"I'd still keep them in mind. You may have finally gotten a child with some musical ability."
"Thanks dad," she said with a small smile and a shake of her head. Rory was all but tone deaf and while Charlie could carry a tune, she wouldn't sit still long enough to learn anything. Maddy had followed in her footsteps, able to sing along to a tape but after that, nothing.
"Here ya go kiddo," Lorelai said, handing Charlie the dress she had made.
"Wow," was all the new 10 year old could say.
"You bet wow. Look underneath."
"Seriously?" she asked with a smile when she saw the period underwear.
"Hey, if rock and roll has taught us anything it's go big or go home. Go put it on, I still have time to make any minor adjustments that maybe needed." Charlie smiled as she dashed off to her room and Luke came back into the house.
"There all black and shiny," he said handing Lorelai the boots he hand been working on.
"You're so useful," she said with a smile as she kissed him and left the boots outside of Charlie's door.
"Maddy is dressed and as soon as Liam wakes up, he will be too," she said with a sigh of relief as she flopped down on the couch. Forcing the 2 1/2 year old down for a nap had not been easy but she knew he'd be a terror at the party if she didn't. "And April said she'd be ready by the time she got here."
"I guess that means I'm next up?" he said with a large sigh.
"Yes, but we won't do up the collar until later," she assured him with a pat on the arm. "Off ya go."
"Hey, how big did you go?"
"What do you mean?" she asked as she headed for the kitchen.
"I mean are you going ALL the way, or only half way?"
"Are you asking about a corset Luke?" she asked him with an amused smirk, hands on her hips.
"Maybe," he said, not giving anything away.
"Is that thought workin' for you?" she whispered as she came closer to him.
"Maybe," he responded again.
"Then I doubt you'll be disappointed," she said with a wink as she headed off to check on the food situation. Sookie had brought some of the dishes over last night and was planning to bring the rest, mainly the seafood, over today before the party.
Luke's grin got broader as he considered this possibility before heading upstairs to change. He and Jackson had dug the pit for the clam bake over the last couple of days so they didn't have to worry about that, but he would still have to deal with bringing some supplies.
"You look great!" he heard Lorelai squeal at Charlie as she finally came out of her room.
"So," Lorelai asked as the family lounged on a blanket. "How was it?"
"Fantastic," Charlie said with a smile. Rory and Marty had even shown up, a complete surprise for everyone and it had definitely made Charlie's day. "Good dress, good food, good family. Good day," she concluded as she reached down to undo the laces on her boots. She quickly shimmied out of the tights and headed down to the water of the lake they had thrown the party by. Lorelai turned and glanced up at Luke.
"So?"
"It was good," he admitted. He had taken the collar off after dinner, given that the steam from the pit had warped it enough so that it was digging into his neck. "You, however, are beautiful," he said as she kissed the side of her neck while they watched Rory, April and Charlie help Maddy and Liam play in at the waters edge. "There is just something about this dress and your hair. . . "
"And what's under the dress?" she quizzed him.
"Possibly," he muttered against her neck. She could feel the smile.
"We should head home soon," she said with a sigh that he returned.
"Just a little longer," he said as he watched his kids play in the lake, Marty standing near by, helping with Liam. "Let them live in the 1890's a little longer," he said as he pulled her a little closer.