Chapter 23 We're Having a Baby!

"We got here about twenty minutes ago," Rory told Sookie. "The doctor is in with her now, so I don't know much yet. Her water broke and on the way to the hospital, the contractions started. They were about seven minutes apart."

"She'll probably be there for a while. I'll be on my way soon. I'm just waiting for Jackson so he can stay with the kids. I'll bring some food. I'm sure you'll be hungry. Who knows how long this will take. Hey, how's Luke doing?"

"He's fine."

"Okay, how's Luke really doing?"

"Oh, Sookie! He's a complete mess. He's totally freaking out. Mom threatened to kill him twice and to file for divorce three times on the way here."

"Well, that was to be expected. Rory, sweetie, that's totally normal. When I had Martha, I tried to strangle Jackson with my IV tube. Listen, I'll call Michel and let him know what's going on and I'll be on my way as soon as Jackson gets home. So, I'll see you soon, kitten."

"Thanks, Sookie." Rory hit end on her cell phone and started dialing again.

"Who are you calling now?" Jess asked.

"Grandma and Grandpa," Rory said.

"Great," Jess said with a sigh. "Just perfect." Richard and Emily Gilmore had yet to come to fully accept Jess as a part of Rory's life, even though things had gotten much better between the four of them in the recent months.

"Hey, do you think you can find us some coffee?" Rory asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sure," Jess said. "Coming right up." As he left, he kissed Rory softly, grazing his lips softly over her forehead. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Thanks," Rory said to Jess before quickly speaking into the phone. "Hi, Grandma. It's Rory."

"Well, good morning, Rory. Now, this is a pleasant way to start a Saturday morning. How are you, dear?"

"I'm doing well, Grandma, and I have some good news. I'm at the hospital with Mom and Luke. Mom's in labor," Rory exclaimed excitedly. "She's going to have the baby!"

"Well, it's about time," Emily said. "Richard," she called. "Lorelai's having the baby. Well, how is she? How is Lorelai doing?"

"Her water broke about an hour ago," Rory explained for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. "Contractions started on the way to the hospital and they were seven minutes apart. She's in a labor room with the doctor now."

"And where is Luke?"

"He's in the labor room with her, too."

"How's he doing?"

"Fine," Rory lied. "They're both fine. And excited."

"Well, call us again when you know something. No sense all of us wait. Children are born in their own time. We'll be by later on once our grandchild's been born. Thanks, Rory, for calling."

"You're welcome, Grandma."

"And Rory, please tell your mother and Luke that we're thinking of them."

"Okay."

Rory ended that call by flipping her phone closed. She sighed deeply and tucked the phone into the pocket of her jeans, knowing she'd want east access to it later. She looked at her watch, noting that it was only ten-thirty. It was hard to believe that only four hours earlier she had been lying naked in bed with Jess in their apartment in New York. Four short hours before, Rory felt like she and Jess were the only two people in the world, and now she was waiting for her mother to give birth to her new baby brother or baby sister.

It was a strange and slightly frightening thought. Rory would be 24 years older than her new sibling, which was a more typical mother-child or aunt-niece or nephew age difference. Her mother was far from old and even further from conventional, but even so, being that much older than this new baby was going to take some getting used to. Just the simple fact that she would now be sharing her mother with another child was a difficult concept to grasp.

Rory had always been the center of her mother's life. They'd been a pair, a duo. She'd never really shared her mother's affection with anyone else before. Sookie was her mom's best friend, the same way Lane had been Rory's best friend growing up, but their respective relationships with Sookie and Lane were not the same as Lorelai and Rory's relationship with each other.

None of either Lorelai's or Rory's relationships with men could compete with their bond. When Lorelai and Max were involved, there was no change. Jason didn't cause a blip. Lorelai's on-again off-again fling and short-lived marriage to Christopher, besides being a bit creepy, did nothing but fulfill one of Rory's childhood fantasies. Even her mother's epic love affair with Luke didn't hold a candle to the mother-daughter bond of the Gilmore girls. The same with Rory: Dean, Logan, and Jess couldn't change their relationship.

Now, Rory was afraid that the great Gilmore bond was going to be brought down by a new little Gilmore. With Rory living in New York with Jess, Lorelai would have plenty of time to spend with the baby. Lorelai and the baby would bond. The baby would be Lorelai's best friend and pal. Lorelai wouldn't need her anymore.

"What is wrong with me? I am such a spoiled, selfish little brat," Rory said with another sigh.

"No, you're not," Jess said from behind her.

"Jess! You scared the crap out of me!"

"But I come bearing coffee," Jess said, holding out the Styrofoam cup as a peace offering.

"Oh, you are a good man, Charlie Brown," Rory said, grabbing the cup. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Any word about your mom?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"No, not yet. Not a word. I'm starting to get antsy."

"I'm sure she's fine, Rory. She's in the early stages of labor. Her contractions are still fairly irregular and far apart. These things take time."

"When did you get so Dr. Oz?" Rory asked.

"I read a lot. Can we take a few steps back and talk about the selfish brat thing?"

"No way," Rory said, shaking her head vehemently. "I'm a terrible, horrible person, Jess. Way worse than a selfish brat."

"Rory, come on! Tell me."

"Why? So you can tell me how terrible and horrible I am?"

"I could never do that, because you could never be terrible or horrible! Come on, spill it."

"I'm 24 years old," Rory said finally.

"Yeah, I know. And I'm 25. Rory, what's wrong with you?"

"I am 24 years old and I am jealous of my unborn baby brother or sister because I'm going to have to share my mommy's love, affection, and attention." As soon as the words left Rory's lips, she leaned her head on Jess' shoulder and started to cry.

"Aw, sweetie," Jess said, biting his lip to keep from laughing at what was, to Rory, a disaster but was, in reality, no big deal. "What you're feeling is normal sibling rivalry. It's not normal for you because you've been an only child your whole life."

"I'm not an only child," Rory reminded him.

"Gigi doesn't count," Jess said. "It's not the same because you and Chris don't have the same relationship as you and Lorelai do. This baby will not have anything close to the relationship you have with your mother. It's not possible. She was so young when she had you," Jess continued. "I know that's not a great epiphany or anything, but it's true. And because she was so young, you're more like peers and you see things the same way rather than the way mothers and daughters see things. And now that you're all grown up, you're more like sisters than mother and daughter. Now your mom's older and she and Luke are married, so she won't be a single mom. She's in a different stage in her life and this baby will have a more traditional mother child relationship with her and the baby's going to have a dad around all the time."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Did it?"

"Sort of," Rory said. "You don't think I'm a brat?"

"No. You are not a brat," Jess said.

"I agree. You're not a brat," Luke said from the hallway.

"Luke! How's my mom?" Rory asked, jumping to her feet. "How's the baby? How are you?"

"Wow, that is a lot of questions. How does you not being a brat fit into this?"

"Never mind me. Come on, tell me how my mom is?"

"She's fine. The doctor says that the labor is progressing normally. She's three and a half centimeters dilated, she's having contractions five minutes apart and her blood pressure's good. They're monitoring the baby's heart rate and it's strong. They have no idea how long the baby will take. Your mom wants to see you, though. Go on in. She's in room 429."

"Okay," Rory said, taking another sip of her coffee. "Hold this," she said, handing the cup to Jess. "I don't want to taunt her with it." She started down the hall before doubling back to grab a breath mint from her purse. "She'll be able to smell the coffee," Rory said, smiling.

"This is true," Luke said with a smirk. "Hey, can I borrow your phone? I want to call April. Let her know she'll be a big sister soon."

"Sure," she said, pulling the phone from her pocket and tossing it to him with a vicious grin on her face. "And if you're feeling up to it, you can call Grandma and give her an update."

"Nah, I think I'll leave that up to you."

"Just what I thought you'd say," Rory laughed. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time, sweetheart," Jess and Luke said in unison, looking at each other with very similar shocked expressions on their faces.

"Okay, creepy," Rory said, a confused expression on her face, before spinning on her heel and heading down the hall.

Jess stayed quiet while he listened to Luke's conversation with April and continued to stare at his shoes as Luke spoke to his sister, Jess' mother, Liz to let her know.

"So how's she doing?" Jess asked when Luke got off the phone.

"Lorelai, April, or your mother?"

"Lorelai."

"She's having a baby," Luke said. "My baby. Our baby. She's swearing up a red streak and keeps threatening to divorce, disembowel, and drown me in amniotic fluid."

"Eew."

"She's amazing. She is having her body poked and prodded and dilated for our child's birth."

"Again, I say eew."

"But I can't believe she's going through all of this pain for me, for us. All I had to do with this entire baby process was the fun part."

"Luke, for the love of God, you need to stop talking!"

"Sorry," Luke said.

"You're freaking out," Jess said.

"I am not freaking out."

"You're freaking out."

"Do you think she'll be able to tell?"

"No. No, I think that she'll be dealing with the pain and the entire childbirth process."

"And Rory?"

"She'll be able to tell that you're freaking out."

"No, I mean how is she doing with this?"

"She's having her own little freak out."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. She's fine. Don't worry about her."

"I have to worry about her. It's part of my job."

"Well, take a break from worrying about her," Jess suggested. "I'll take your Rory worrying duty until after the baby's born. I'm always on Rory worrying duty, so it's no trouble."

"So, things are really serious between the two of you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Jess asked defensively.

"It's a fair question."

"It's an odd question to ask while your wife is in labor with your child!"

"The timing of the question might be a little off, but that does not change the question."

"Well, don't you think it's a personal question?"

"No, not really," Luke said after a beat of thought.

"Come on, Luke. You know how I feel about Rory."

"No, I think I know how you feel about Rory."

"You have been hanging with Lorelai too long. Your logic's twisted and you're way too pushy."

"When I look at you, sometimes it's like looking in the mirror," Luke said. "We're so alike, and not in the good ways. And I think about all of the time I wasted, all those years, by not telling Lorelai how I felt about her. We could have gotten married and started our family sooner if I hadn't been a stubborn, pigheaded jerk!"

"And that reminds you of me?" Jess asked, slightly insulted. "That's just great." Jess was quiet for a moment. "Yes," he said.

"Yes? Yes what?"

"I figure the only way to get you to stop asking me all these crazy questions is to submit myself to them. Yes, things are serious between me and Rory. I love her. I've loved her forever and I will love her for the rest of my life."

"Now that sounds familiar."

"Why are you so interested in me and Rory?"

"Because you and Rory are my family," Luke said. "And I want my family to be happy."

"Well, we're happy," Jess said. "Just like clams. And, for the record, this whole baby thing is making you act like a woman."

Down the hall, Lorelai was wearing a hospital gown and was propped up in bed and covered with a sheet and a thin blanket with her feet up in stirrups. Rory was brushing her mother's hair to pull it up into a ponytail to get it off her face.

"How are you doing?" Lorelai asked as she popped an ice chip into her mouth, crunching it loudly between her teeth.

"Me? I'm fine. I'm not the one having a baby today! How are you?"

"I'm having a baby, Rory. I'm not going to lie to you, kid. It hurts like hell."

"I hear it's like doing the splits on a case of dynamite."

"Plus, I think this kid's got a good grip on my uterus. It might be coming out in the heat of the moment, which, when all is said and done, might not be a bad thing. Then maybe I won't get myself into this mess again!"

"So besides the baby and the uterus, things are okay?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, but, I must say, things are a lot different then they were when I was having you!"

"How so?" Rory asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Much better drugs," Lorelai said with a smile. "There have been a lot of pharmacological improvements over the past 24 years. Now, will you tell me how you're doing?"

"I told you, Mom, I'm fine."

"You've never been good at that."

"What?"

"The lying. Come on, spill. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just had a slight case of sibling rivalry. Nothing fatal, definitely nothing contagious, so don't worry."

"Oh, honey. I was wondering how you felt about this. It's a really big change for all of us, but we'll make it through together!"

"But it's not a big change," Rory said, talking faster than normal. "Siblings are born all the time. Many of them were probably born in this hospital! Besides, I already have one. I've got Gigi."

"Well, it's a big change for me, and I need your help. No offense to your dad, but your relationship with this kid is going to be very different from your relationship with Gigi. There is no way I can do this without you."

"How much of this is the epidural talking?"

"Epidurals can't talk. Kid, I can't do this without you!"

"Yes, you can, Mom. You did this all by yourself," Rory said, referring to herself. "I'm all grown up, and you did it by yourself. And now, you've got Luke. You don't need me."

"No, Rory, I need you. I have had you in my life longer than anyone else. You're my daughter, but more importantly, you're my friend, the best friend ever and nothing is going to change that. I'm going to need you and, more importantly, your baby brother or sister is going to need you."

"Aw, Mom!" Rory said, tears glistening in her eyes as she hugged her tightly. "I love you."

"Aaaahhh! For the love of everything good and pure," Lorelai screamed in pain.

"Come on, Mom. You're fine. Just breathe, in through the nose, out through the mouth. You'll be okay. I'm right here. Here, Mom, hold my hand," Rory said. "I should have reread that chapter in What to Expect When You're Expecting on labor." Lorelai took her hand and squeezed, hard. Rory bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming in the pain from her hand.

"Oh," Lorelai sighed. "Hmmm. There, another one down."

"Are they all that bad?"

"Yeah, but it's all worth it," Lorelai said, smiling but obviously tired.

"I'll go get Luke. I'll be back," Rory said, slipping out of the room, silently screaming in pain.

"Rory? What's wrong?" Luke asked as he and Jess rounded the corner.

"Mom needs you." Luke ran into the room to be with Lorelai and Jess pulled Rory into his arms.

"What happened?" Jess asked, noticing Rory gingerly cradling her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I let her hold my hand," Rory said, letting tears of relief and pain fall from her eyes.

"Okay, come on," Jess took Rory and walked her to the nurse's station. "Excuse me," Jess said to the nurse behind the desk. "My girlfriend was helping her mother through labor and she let her hold her hand."

"Ooh, big mistake. Here, let me take a look," the nurse said, gently taking Rory's hand. "Well, you need an x-ray, but I think it's broken. I'm going to page a doctor to come take a look."

"Thanks," Rory said, smiling and trying to ignore the pain.

"Come on, sit down," Jess said, leading Rory back to the waiting room. "Just put your head down," he said and Rory leaned her head against his shoulder. "I am so sorry you're hurt."

"It'll be a funny story I can share with the baby," Rory said with a snorting laugh.

"That it is," Jess said, smiling. "I can't believe your mom broke your hand!"

"I know. Poor Luke!"

At 3:19 pm on September 24th, Luke and Lorelai Danes became parents. While they had each been parents before, separately, they were now parents together of one perfect, healthy baby. There were a few minor complications during labor and delivery, none having anything to do with either Lorelai or the baby.

Rory's hand was broken in two places and, thankfully, did not require surgery. The doctor cast her hand, put her arm in a sling and gave her a prescription for the pain. The medication made her a bit loopy, which was amusing for Jess, but made it impossible for Rory to go back in and spend time with Lorelai. Before long, Rory fell fast asleep in the waiting room.

While trying to keep Lorelai in the dark about Rory and her hand, Sookie ended up sitting with Lorelai to give Luke a break because Jess refused to possibly catch a glimpse of anything south of Lorelai's border. Sookie, snacking on ice chips with Lorelai, got a cold freeze headache.

And, in the grand finale, as the baby's head was crowning, Luke caught a peek, freaked out at the sight of Lorelai in all her glory and he fainted flat out onto the floor, taking a delivery nurse down with him. After the doctor delivered the baby, she helped pull Luke into a chair while the nurses cleaned and checked the baby.

When Luke woke up, aided by smelling salts, he saw her. Lorelai was holding their newborn baby in her arms and was staring at the baby adoringly. She looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her, even with her hair wet and matted and her eyes dark and tired. Because the baby was wrapped in blue blanket, Luke assumed that he had a son.

"It's a boy?" Luke asked. "We have a boy?"

"Yeah, hon, we have a baby boy."