A/N: Okay, I am oh so appreciative of all the reviews! I mean they come in like an hour after I post the chapters and are all good! It's amazing; it puts huge ass grins on my face!
Disclaimer: Don't own…
On with the story…
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Chapter 6: Promise
Kevin never did go home that night. He and Lo were tangled in the sheets on Lo's bed, fully clothed. After many more kisses, the two slipped under the covers and feel into a restful sleep. The rest of the house sleeping arrangements were as follows: Rory and Jess shared Justin's bed, Lorelai slept in Tabby's bed and Tabby and Justin slept on the couch (it was a very tight fit). Despite her late, tear-filled night, Stephanie Mariano got up at 8 o'clock to the knocking on the door. This early knocker also woke up Tabby as Stevie ran past her to get the door. Tabby pried herself from Justin's arms and jogged to catch up to Stevie who was about to open the door.
"Wait Steves! We have to ask who it is," Tabby said as she pulled Stevie back from the door, "Who is it?"
"Lex," Lexis said through the door.
"Hey!" Tabby said as she opened the door to Lexis and Davie standing by her side.
"Davie!" Stevie exclaimed and went to hug him.
"Hey Stephy," Davie greeted.
"Hey Tabs," Lexis laughed at their enthusiasm and gave Tabby a hug, "Where's Lo?"
"Sleeping," Tabby answered.
"Davie, I gots a daddy!" Stevie suddenly remembered and raced off to her mother's bedroom. Stevie and Davie had talked about where Stevie's dad was before and now that Stevie found hers she thought she should tell him.
"Really?" Davie asked excitedly. He was happy that his best friend had finally found a daddy.
"Yeah! Come on! You can meet him!" Stevie said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him to her mom's bedroom.
"Daddy?" Lexis asked, eyebrow raised, as she followed Tabby into the living room.
"You'll see soon enough," Tabby smiled coyly and pushed Justin so that she could sit down on the couch. Justin groaned and settled for putting his head in Tabby's lap.
"Mom, Dad!" Stevie yelled as she burst into Lo's room.
"Mm, yeah baby?" Lo said tiredly.
"Davie's here!" Stevie said with a smile.
"That's nice Hunnie," Lo replied absentmindedly.
"Daddy! Daddy! Meet Davie!" Stevie exclaimed as she jumped on the bed and crawled up to Kevin. Davie was standing shyly by the door.
"Okay, I'm up baby girl, where is he?" Kevin asked as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Davie, come 'ere!" Stevie said excitedly and motioned for Davie to come over.
Davie slowly walked over, hands clasped together in front of him and eyes cast down at his shoes.
"Hey Davie," Kevin said with a smile.
"Hi," Davie said sheepishly.
"This is my best friend Davie! Mommy and Aunt Tabby and Aunt Lexis and Gran and Great-Gran say that we going to get married!" Stevie said with a huge grin.
"Oh is that so?" Kevin asked with a chuckle.
Stevie nodded her head anxiously.
"Are you going to take care of my girl, Davie?" Kevin asked.
"Yes sir," Davie said quietly.
"Okay," Kevin smiled, "Davie, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm a cool dad."
"Okay," Davie looked up with a small smile, "Are you like my daddy?"
"I don't know. I haven't met your daddy," Kevin replied.
"You should," Davie said wisely with a nod and a smile.
"Okay," Kevin said with a laugh.
"Breakfast!" Stevie said suddenly and ran out of the room.
Davie looked after Stevie as if he couldn't leave to run after her without permission from Kevin.
"Tell Stevie that Aunt Tabby will make you guys some cereal and that we'll be out in a minute okay?" Kevin said to him.
"Okay," Davie responded and ran out after Stevie.
"Mm," Lo moaned as she crawled over to Kevin from behind. She sat on her knees and put her arms around his waist from, laying her cheek against his shoulder blade, "Thank you."
"I didn't do anything," Kevin replied.
"You made my kid happy. Anyone who makes my little girl that happy deserves a thank you," Lo informed him.
"I didn't even get one punch in," Kevin muttered.
Lo sighed and climbed around so that she was sitting in his lap facing him, "That doesn't matter to me. My dad and Justin are just really fed up with their girl being hurt. Tonight, I'll tell you my life story and you'll understand, okay?"
Kevin sighed as well and looked away from Kevin, "Yeah, sure."
Lo took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her, then pulled his face to hers in a kiss, "I'm serious," she told him.
"Okay," Kevin whispered and let Lo climb off of him so that they could join the others in the living room.
--
Later That Night; Crap Shack
"I'm worried," Rory confessed to Lorelai as they sat on the couch eating hordes of junk food and watching Willy Wonka.
"Huh?" Lorelai turned to face Rory with a confused look on her face.
Rory huffed and sat back into the couch, "Lo, I'm really worried that this Kevin guy is going to be like all the others, Mom."
"Sweets, you can't protect her from everything. She's going to get hurt and there is nothing you can do about it," Lorelai told her truthfully.
"But she just gets hurt so bad, there has got to be something we can do," Rory protested.
"Yeah, sometimes it's gunna hurt like hell, but she can handle it," Lorelai insisted.
"How do you know?" Rory cried, tears pricking her eyes.
"Because you did," Lorelai said quietly.
"What?" Rory asked.
"You made it through life without a father for years. You've had your heart broken, you got pregnant at 19 and dealt with having your little baby girl taken from you. You're still standing, you're still here and you're happy now," Lorelai explained.
"I don't want her to have to go through all that pain," Rory said, tears silently finding their way down her cheeks.
"She has to," Lorelai said wisely.
"Why?" Rory asked, wiping her tears. She decided that this wasn't something to cry about, just something that had to happen.
"Because at the end of all the bad comes the good," Lorelai smiled.
Rory smiled also, "Oh yeah."
"Mom, Gran!" Lo shrieked as she ran into the house.
"What is it Hun?" Lorelai asked as Lo came barreling into the living room.
"I-It's Kevin," Lo sputtered as tears heavily poured from her eyes.
"What happened?" Rory asked.
"He-He's in the hospital," Lo managed to say through terrible sobs wracking her body.
"Why? Sweets, what's going on?" Lorelai asked again.
"I-It was Br-Brent. H-He hurt him," Lo sobbed.
"Oh Hunnie," Rory jumped up from her seat and gathered her daughter in her arms.
"W-We have to go to the hospital," Lo said wiping her tears and starting for the door.
"Lo, you can cry," Lorelai told her, grabbing her purse and keys as she followed Lo.
"No, I'm acting like he's the love of my life. I had one date with him last night, it's not like we're married or anything," Lo tried to play off the importance of Kevin in her life. Even if it was just one date.
"Your daughter calls him 'daddy'," Lorelai tried to reason.
"Yeah, so," Lo replied, furiously wiping at her tears.
"Lora," Lorelai said sharply, grabbing Lo's shoulder and spinning Lo to face her.
She only says Lora when she's angry or serious, Lo thought.
"What?" Lo asked meekly.
"You know that he's more important to you than that," she said softly.
"I know," Lo broke down and fell into Lorelai's arms.
"Oh Sweets," Lorelai cooed and swayed them both from foot to foot.
"Hunnie," Rory said weakly. She hated seeing her baby like this.
"Mommy," Lo cried as she leapt into her mother's waiting arms.
"Let's go," Lorelai suggested. She ran to her jeep and hopped in the driver's seat. Rory and Lo climbed in the back so that Rory could still comfort her.
"Where's Stevie?" Rory asked.
"With Lex and Mike," Lo explained.
"Oh, okay. You want us to call your dad?" Rory asked gently.
"Not yet, I know he'll get mad and try to find Brent. If he does then he'll kill him for sure. I don't want my dad in jail. Tabby's putting Justin on lockdown," Lo said seriously.
"Okay, you're right," Rory agreed.
"Luke?" Lorelai questioned.
"I don't know. He's your husband, how do you think he would react?" Lo asked, trying to calm down.
"Uh, probably not to good, but better than Jess and Justin. On-the-other-hand, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be able to keep it from Jess so let's just go," Lorelai rambled slightly.
"Okay," Rory and Lo said.
The rest of the ride to the hospital was made in silence as 3 generations of Gilmore girls thought about how this was going to turn out.
Upon arrival at the hospital, Lo jumped out of the car and sprinted to the nurses' station.
"Kevin Greeley!" she said urgently.
"Are you family?" the nurse asked, not at all fazed by Lo's urgency.
"Yes," Lo answered without hesitation.
"Room 245," the nurse answered knowing full well that the woman in front of her was not related to Kevin Greeley.
"Thank you," Rory said to the nurse politely seeing as her mother and daughter had already taken off for the elevator.
"No problem," the nurse replied and winked at her then turned back to her computer.
Rory jogged to catch up with Lo and Lorelai as they entered the elevator and pressed the number '2' that would take them to the floor they needed.
As soon as the elevator doors open Lo jumped out and ran full speed in the direction of Kevin's room. What they saw when they got there broke Lo's heart. Kevin was lying in the hospital bed with machines attached to him from every direction. There were bruises all over his face and his arm and nose were in a cast, his arm also in a sling. Lo fell to her knees and sobbed. Rory joined her on the floor and held her, rocking them both on the floor of this filthy hospital room. One thinking that the guy that she may love could die and the other wishing away her baby's pain.
Lorelai was standing shocked at the foot of Kevin's bed. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth as a single tear slipped down her cheek. She couldn't believe that Brent had done this; that this was happening to her grandbaby.
A doctor came in unexpectedly and started checking the machines and writing things down. He hadn't noticed the sobbing girl on the floor or the stunned woman at the foot of the bed. Either that or none of the above fazed him whatsoever.
"How is he doctor?" Lo composed herself enough to stand up and go over to the doctor.
"Mr. Greeley has been beaten over 75 percent of his body. He has broken his left arm and nose and sustained a head trauma and a bullet wound in his left shoulder. We did surgery on his internal bleeding, nose, and his shoulder. Right now, he is stable, but in a comatose state. We have high hopes that he will wake up, but due to his injuries we're not 100 percent sure if he will," the doctor explained in a monotone voice with no emotion.
Lorelai and Rory stood shocked, mouths gaped open and hands trembling.
"Did the police find out who did this?" Lo asked.
This confused Lorelai and Rory seeing as Lo had told them it was Brent.
"No, but if you have any information, they are just down the hall," the doctor said and left.
"I'll be back," Lo said and left also.
"This is horrific. I want to kill Brent myself!" Rory exclaimed.
"I agree with you there," Lorelai agreed.
Hallway
"Excuse me, officers?" Lo called down the hall to the police officers all in a little group.
She jogged down to them with her arms wrapped around her stomach.
"Yes Miss?" an officer asked.
"Are you working on the Greeley case?" she asked breathily since Gilmores didn't run and she just had.
"Yes ma'am we are," the police officer answered.
"I think I might know who did it," Lo said.
"Who and why would they do this?" another one asked.
"Brent Granger and because Mr. Greeley is my boyfriend. You see, Mr. Granger is the father of my child, but left before she was born. Last night Brent stopped by and heard my daughter calling Mr. Greeley 'daddy' and must have flipped out," Lo was now in tears, "I brought this to him. I brought him all this pain and drama," she said more to herself then the officers.
"Ma'am, you don't worry your pretty little head. We'll find out who did this to Mr. Greeley, okay?" another officer consoled her.
"Sure, please, let me know if you hear anything," Lo took his pad and write down her cell number.
As she was walking back to Kevin's room her cell phone rang: it was Cori.
"Hello?"
"Where the hell have you been Mariano!" her editor and manager screamed into the phone.
"Brent came back last night and then today he beat up Kevin and shot him because Stevie called Kevin 'daddy'," Lo explained with no emotion.
"Oh, wow," Cori said surprised, "well do you think you can have your next chapter in a month?"
"Yeah, of course," Lo said.
"Okay, call me if you need anything dahling. Talk to ya' lata' doll," Cori said and hung up.
Lo sighed and finished the walk to Kevin's room. After calling everyone that needed to be called, including checking on Stevie, and telling Lorelai and Rory that they could leave, she pulled a chair up close to Kevin's bed and sat in it. She curled her legs up to her chest, put her arms around them, and laid her head on her knees, cell phone in one hand, just…waiting.
1 Week Later…
Lo had stayed at the hospital all week. She had gone home twice: once to get a shower and change of clothes and another to get her laptop and some decent coffee. Her family as well as his visited often. Kevin hadn't woken up yet, but the police had caught Brent trying to escape to Canada. He was being charged for assault, battering, and attempted murder. Lo had to testify against him and she was glad to do it.
She was sitting with her legs propped up on another chair and her laptop in her lap typing furiously when a nurse came in.
"Hey Lora, Hunnie, how ya' doin'?" the nurse asked.
"Getting a lot of writing done, actually. I was wondering if you new any tricks that tend to help wake comatose patients up" Lo inquired.
"Well, I heard that if you talk to them, make them believe that they need to be here, then their bodies realize it's time to get up," she answered with a shrug.
Lo smiled appreciatively, "Thanks Bonnie."
"Anytime doll," she said and scurried out of the room.
Lo closed her laptop and put it down on the bed side table next to Kevin's bed. She curled her knees up, grabbed his hand and interlaced it with her own.
She kissed it and started to speak, "Well, they say I should talk to you. I have been talking to you, every night before I go to sleep, but you still haven't woken up. Stevie misses you. I miss you. I know it sounds totally ridiculous and silly, but I think I may love you. I know you can't say it back right now," she started to cry, "and that it's really soon to even think about saying it, but I feel this connection with you that I haven't had with anyone, not even Justin. I don't want to lose that, Kevin, I need you here with me, and Stevie needs you. You have to wake up," Lo was now crying freely and heavily.
"God, I am just like my mom and grandma: we always ramble. So, I guess I should tell you my life story. Maybe then you'll understand why I need you so damn much," Lo started, still holding his hand.
"Okay, so I was conceived when my mom first moved into her doom at Yale. My mom and dad had just gotten back from Stars Hollow after a visit and decided they needed to christen my mom's dorm. The christening resulted in me. My great-grandmother didn't approve at all of my parents, especially my mom, raising a kid at 19, so she tried to pay her maid to take me. The maid didn't accept the money, but she did take me because she thought it best for my parents and me. Her name was Lisa McCoy and she raised me until I was 16. She told me when I was 11 what happened with my parents and ever since then I hated Emily Gilmore, my great-grandmother."
"I decided when I was 11 that I wanted to follow in my mom's footsteps and go to Chilton, a private high school, and Yale. I applied to Chilton at the beginning of my junior year and got in. My second period class was English and my teacher's name was Mr. Mariano. Both of us realized who the other was and instantly reunited. I don't know if you know this or not, but my full name is Lorelai Lorinn Gilmore Mariano. My dad called my mom and she rushed over to her old high school to reunite with her daughter that was taken from her 16 years before."
"After meeting with Lisa, we decided that I would move in with my parents. Shortly after that, Lisa moved to Georgia and the last time I saw her was my high school graduation. We talk occasionally, but that's it. Right before I moved, I broke up with my boyfriend Tony of 6 months and started dating Justin. Two weeks after that, Tony died and I had to say something at his funeral. A few weeks after that, at a party that I brought some Chilton friends to, Justin and I broke up, deciding that we were better friends and we've been best friends ever since. That's why I'm his girl. I'm Mike's girl, too. Tabby Lex are their girls, too and they're our boys. It's just how it is."
"I lost my virginity on a hookup with one of my friends from Chilton. It was right for my first time though, that was who I was back then. I was crazy and wild and I liked to have fun. Back then, my best friends were Tabby, Justin, Lexis, Lou, Kat, Tara, Stacie, and Mike. Lou and Kat turned into bitches so we stopped being friends with them and all of my other friends just weren't close enough with me to stay in touch after high school."
"By the time I graduated I was valedictorian and had a steady boyfriend named Nick. Things simply didn't work out with him and after that I was single for awhile. I'm not going to lie; I had a lot of meaningless sex during that time. I even hooked up with Justin a few times out of boredom. Then I met Brent. I fell in love in a short amount of time and we made love many times which resulted in Stevie. Once again, I'm not going to lie, I loved Brent very much, until he turned into the biggest ass hole alive. I didn't tell anyone, but when I was around 2 months pregnant he came home drunk and started saying shit to me so I said shit back and he pushed me. I fell to the ground and told him to get the fuck out of my site. A month later he split."
"During all this shit I was writing my ass off and managed to publish 2 books and one with my mom. My last one, Unloved and Pain Free, was released just a year after Stevie was born. When Stevie was born my whole turned upside down; in that good kind of way. The instant I saw her I fell in love with her, she was my baby girl. Tabby, Justin, and I moved in together so that they could help me take care of Stevie and my family visited all the time. Speaking of family, my dad is my best friend, hands down. I don't know what I would do without him. My mom and grandma are right up there with him. We Gilmore girls stick together. My grandfather Luke, you haven't met him yet, is great. He's like a rock, he's always been there for me and he always will be. I really couldn't live without my family."
"Well, that pretty much sums up my life. The only people I didn't really talk about were Lexis, Mike, Tara, and Stacie, but we can talk about them when you wake up."
"I really need you to wake up Kevin. I can't do this anymore without you here. I know I sound totally corny and ridiculous, but I really do love you and need you, so much. Stevie needs you too, you're her dad now and you can't leave her. If you leave her you're just another Brent. Okay, so not a 'Brent', but she needs you. You just, you have to wake up."
Lo started to cry, put her head down on top of their hands that were interlaced, and cried herself to sleep.
She woke up 3 hours later and it was exactly 3:04 AM. She delicately, slowly put Kevin's hand back in place and then hastily grabbed her laptop and opened it. As soon as she had opened Word, she started to type furiously having a sudden burst of inspiration. After an hour and a half of typing, her fingers were numb, her head hurt, and her mind was tired. She grabbed Kevin's hand again and settled her head into her knees to fall asleep again.
"I love you," Lo whispered, kissed his hand, and was about to drift off to sleep when she felt pressure on her hand. Kevin was squeezing her hand.
Lo snapped her head up and looked on as Kevin slowly opened his eyes.
"I love you, too, Lorelai Lorinn Gilmore Mariano," he replied in a raspy voice due to not having used it for over a week.
"Oh my God," tears stung her eyes, "you're awake, you're really talking to me."
"I'm here," he ran his thumb over her knuckles; "I'm not leaving you ever again."
"Promise?" Lo asked quietly, biting her thumb nail.
"Promise," Kevin said with a small smile. Lo smiled back.
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A/N: Okay, so that was a long ass chapter and I really hope you liked it. I wasn't even expecting to write the Kevin thing in there, it just mysteriously came out of my fingers and onto the keyboard! Anyway, my notifications aren't working and it's making me sad so review and make me happy again! Press the pretty little button!