Disclaimer
See chapter 1.

White walls, harsh lights, much too bright, grey curtains adding nothing but yet another layer between the black night and white interior...

Lorelai took a deep breath, regretting it when the smell found its way into her nose. Hospitals. How she hated them. She couldn't remember one time she had liked being at a hospital. Lying in a bed that wasn't her own. The starched linen uncomfortable on her skin.

She opened the door to a room and quietly closed it behind her. There was her father, sitting on a chair next to the bed in which his wife lay. The monotone beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room.

She walked over to them, smiling when she saw her father holding her mother's hand in his, letting his thumb brush over her soft skin.

"Hey," she whispered, hoping not to startle him.

He looked up, smiling sadly at her, his reddened eyes telling her that he hadn't slept much even though they had sent him home yesterday.

"How is she today?" Lorelai looked at her mother's pale face. It looked eerily calm, so different from the feisty woman she knew.

Her father's voice was hoarse as he answered, both not taking their eyes off the woman in bed, "She's been sleeping a lot."

She nodded and both fell quiet.

A few moments later Richard took a deep breath and stood up slowly. "Excuse me for a moment." Gently placing his wife's hand on top of the other, he looked at his daughter. "Please call me if she wakes up."

She felt herself nod and sat down in the now empty chair, pulling it closer to her mother's bedside, subconsciously recognizing the sound of the door as it was being closed.

She looked at the once flawless hand, almost as white as the sheets it was lying on, not sure if she should take it. It had black spots from where the doctors had placed the IV.
They had removed it later, when they brought her back to the room.

"Lorelai?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name being whispered tiredly. Seeing her mother's eyes slightly opened, she forced a smile to her lips, "Hey Mom."

Emily's face showed the ghost of a smile as she closed her eyes again for a moment.

"I'll go and get Dad." She placed both hands on the bed to get up, stopping in her tracks when her mother covered her hand with hers.

"Don't." Emily squeezed her daughter's hand lightly, her eyes begging her. "Please."

A fresh batch of tears welled up in Lorelai's eyes at the emotion in her voice. She sounded so desperate. Sitting back down, she covered her mother's hand with her own, "Okay."

Emily had a hard time filling her lungs with air. Trying to concentrate on her breathing, she didn't let go of her daughter's hand.
It was time.
"I need you to do me a favor." Her voice was low; it took a lot of energy to form words. Too much. Emily felt her stomach contract, knowing that she should stop but couldn't, the pain causing her to furrow her brow slightly as she tried to hide it.

Lorelai nodded, seeing her mother's respiration getting wavy. She bit her lip. "Mom, you should relax."

Turning her head, Emily glared at her, "I can't."

It was almost as if her mother was back to normal. For a second she hoped she would stay this strong, but at the same time she knew it was wishful thinking. "Okay." She brushed an errant strand of hair from the woman's forehead. It felt so natural to do, she didn't even think about it.

A grateful smile appeared on her mother's face as she forced herself to calm down enough to go on. "I need you to take care of your father." She looked at the woman in front of her, suddenly seeing the little girl she used to be as something in her eyes changed. She understood.
"There is a hope chest." It got harder to breath. "In the attic."

Lorelai fought the tears she felt burning behind her eyes as she listened to her mother panting for air between the words.

"Your father doesn't know about it."

She nodded again, staying quiet. It was not the time for questions.

"He mustn't see it. But you should." She smiled mildly as a tear ran down her only child's cheek. "It holds my past."

Lorelai watched her mother smiling, tears spilling over, running down her temples to disappear into her once vibrant auburn hair.

"Everything I am, everything I was; it's in there." She closed her fingers around her daughter's hand. "Even your grandmother's letter."

Lorelai understood. Her mother had secrets, things she hid even from her father. Nodding, she stayed quiet, silent tears forcing their way down her cheeks, blurring her view. She didn't bother to brush them away.

"Your father is a good man. Stubborn. But loyal. He has many flaws. God knows he has." She smiled, her strength slowly leaving her. "I know he has." The tears felt hot against her skin. For once in her life she didn't care that she was crying in front of her daughter. She didn't want to hide anymore. Never again.

"I need you to promise me." She looked deep into her child's eyes. "Promise you will stand by him. No matter what."

Lorelai felt a lump in her throat, keeping her from speaking.

Her mother lifted her head slightly, the grip on her hand tightening as she whispered. "Promise."

Lorelai nodded and lowered her eyes, not able to keep looking at her. It was too painful to see her like this.

Emily let her head sink back down on the pillow, closing her eyes for a moment. Glancing back at her daughter, she smiled weakly. "Lorelai?"
She needed her to look into her eyes. Her daughter seemed to sense it, their eyes finally meeting again. "I love you."

"Mom, I..." She didn't want to hear it. She knew her mother would not say it without a good reason and she didn't want her to have one just yet.

"Shhh." Emily shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry." Her voice became quieter.

Lorelai moved her face closer to her mother's, in order not to miss a word.

"If only we both had been less stubborn," she whispered, closing her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards for a second.
Even smiling was taking too much strength. "I want you to know …," Emily swallowed hard. "… that I am proud of you." Sliding her hand out from between her daughter's she tried to reach up to cup her cheek.

Sensing what her mother wanted, Lorelai took her hand and pressed her palm against her cheek, closing her eyes. It felt so good to be touched by her like this.
She suddenly remembered the last time her mother had touched her face. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I always have been."

When the heart monitor started making a different beeping sound, Lorelai's eyes snapped towards it before she gave her mother a questioning look. "Mom?"

Smiling up at her daughter, she shook her head slightly. "Don't."

She bit her lip hard, tasting blood. She wouldn't leave. Her mother didn't want her to go.

"Tell your father..."

When she didn't say more Lorelai looked back at her. Emily's face looked strangely relaxed.
"Mom?" Panic grabbed her, "MOM!"

"NO!!" Sitting up in bed, Lorelai panted heavily, looking around. It had been a dream, but the fear and pain she had felt were still there. She tried to calm her breathing, her hair sticking to her sweaty face.

It took a while to calm down enough to get back to reality. It had been a nightmare, she told herself over and over again. Lying back down, she stared up at the ceiling.

Tomorrow she would go and see a doctor to find out if it was possible to donate her kidney to her mother.

YAY! Reviews!! Thank you SO MUCH everybody!!

gilmore fan
I'm glad you like it :o)

Mary
HEY!! Great to have you back!!You're right, she is a very proud woman and I am not sure how understanding Lorelai will be. I mean, I have to keep her in character and you know how she is when it comes to her mother.You're right about Emily ending up being madder at herself than anyone else - okay, except at her maids #lol#.
Keep your fingers crossed. ;o)

Valerie
Being late is okay. I'm glad you found the time to review, you know I live on them. ;o)
I think you're right about the maid being lucky. We know Emily. #giggles#Yes, Lorelai should not have grabbed her so hard. But hey, their relationship is rather difficult and it was the only way I could think of to make Emily finally tell her what's going on.

B. Alex Milligan
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such language, young lady! ;o)
#lol# You're so much fun to read ... and the coffee influence was obvious. #giggles#

Tears4Chris
Thank you. :o)

ejl
I'm really relieved that you weren't disappointed. :o)You're SO right about the defense mechanism. I don't know whether or not 'my' Lorelai is going to realize it at any point, but I sure wish it would be possible without getting her OOC. I know this was short, but I'll try to get the next chapter up asap. I won't let Rory find out that soon, but she has to at some point.
Stay tuned. ;o)

swimmerluver
#Pfew#! It sometimes is really hard to keep them in character.
And hey, it wouldn't be Emily if she wouldn't have regretted her words immediately. ;o)

Eva Gabor is Awesome
I'm proud of you! :oD

morzsa
Muahahaha! Yes, a kidney transplant. Well, you're going to find out more soon. I have been busy studying websites about kidney failure and donation to make sure to get this down as accurate as possible. But it will take a little time.

mrs lucas mcdreamyRory is going to find out at some point. But I can't have her mom or grandma call her and tell her 'by the way...' so I to wait until she's home.

Monarules
Thanks for the compliment! Well, I am sorry this was so short but I will be back with more soon.

mudgielovesgilmoregirls
Thank you!

LorLukealwaysI think the way she ended up telling her was the only way I could make her without getting either of them OOC. Yes, Lorelai only wanted to find out what was wrong, but just like she would have in the show, she blamed her mother for not trusting her. I actually had a little 'Max' flashback when writing that part. ;o)
I'm glad you liked it though.

Loridhhp
Thank you! It's good to hear I got them in character. I just hope I'll keep them that way. #lol#
Yes, Lorelai does care about her mother. You could see that in later seasons. I think they really came a long way in the show, even though I wish there would have been more. Oh well, who doesn't. ;o)
Wow, I got you on the edge of your seat? I'm proud of myself!!
Glad to got you so hooked. I just hope I'll live up to it in the next chapters. Oh well, I'm sure you'll tell me. ;o)