Disclaimer - see chapter 1)
I am so blessed to have you, guys.
You can't imagine how nice it is to hear that there are people who still want to read more of my little story.
I have gotten some very sweet messages and no less than four people volunteered to beta for me. I was so amazed!
This chapter I sent to Monarules and Loridhhp, and I want to thank both of you for your input and your great beta skills! I actually feel sorry that I made so many mistakes, guys *lol*.
Anyway! Here's the new chapter and there are more to come. Thanks for keeping up with me and I promise I will finish this story ... sometime. There are going to be a LOT of chapters to come though. Be afraid. ... or delighted. Whatever suits you better. ;o)
On the bottom I will follow the tradition and keep re-reviewing. Special thanks to those who decided to drop me a line.
Okay, I'm rambling. ... Done now. Go, read, enjoy!
Sitting at her usual table, a bunch of papers spread around her, Lorelai was gulping down her second cup of coffee. Pen in hand, she tried to make a list of things she would have to bring up at the meeting she had scheduled for 11 o'clock.
She cursed Michel for his messy handwriting as she tried to figure out what he had written on the order form when she heard her cell phone ring. Not noticing the side glance from Luke as he passed her, she fished around her bag for the mobile for a minute and then answered it without bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Okay, what's wrong?" Her daughter's voice held a tad of desperation.
"What?" Lorelai furrowed her brow, slightly confused about the lack of greetings.
Walking over to the desk in her hotel room, Rory looked at the lap top screen as she spoke. "You haven't called in two days. Something's wrong."
"Woah, nothing's wrong. I'm just busy," her mother defended herself, shrugging.
"Is it Grandma?" Slumping down on the chair, the younger Gilmore scrolled through her inbox.
On the other end, Lorelai walked over to the counter to get a refill. "No?" She drew out the word, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"It is Grandma." Rory's shoulders sagged while she gazed out of the window.
"Honey, what are you talking about?" Smiling at Luke, she made a mental note to tease him about letting her use the cell phone without so much as a grumble.
"You haven't called." Her daughter argued.
Trying to think of something clever to answer, Lorelai said the first thing that came to her mind. "Well, you haven't either. Everything okay over there?"
"Don't try to change the topic!" She rolled her eyes, her voice scolding.
Slumping down on her seat again, the older woman shrugged. "I'm not!"
"Is it that serious?" Rory got suspicious. Her mother's voice had sounded too fierce.
Shaking her head to get rid of the confusion, Lorelai furrowed her brow. "What?"
"Grandma's illness." Her daughter explained further.
"Listen honey, you're really getting me dizzy here." Lorelai answered, closing her eyes, her hand pressed against her forehead.
Giggling, Rory decided to tease her a little. "Why? Did I catch you before your third cup of coffee?"
"Well, yeah, but that's not the point." Her daughter really knew her too well. She just hoped the cover up she had chosen would work. It was only a few more days.
"Okay, I'm coming home." The journalist made up her mind. Something definitely was wrong.
Her eyes widening, Lorelai shrieked. "What? No!"
"Of course I will." Now she knew her suspicions were correct. "You're hiding something, Grandma's hiding something, Grandpa is no help either; I'm coming home."
"Nothing is wrong." Lorelai hoped she sounded convincing. "You're imagining things, Rory."
"You promise?" Her daughter wasn't sure whether or not to buy it, listening closely for any evidences in her mother's voice to confirm her presumptions.
"I don't know what kind of drugs they're giving you, or if it's just the lack of good coffee there, but you're really getting a bit paranoid." Lorelai rolled her eyes.
Sitting up straight, Rory tried again. "Again; do you promise?"
"Hey!" Raising her hand in defence, she paused for dramatic effect before she went on, "All I can say is that any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental at this time." Lorelai grinned, proud at herself.
"I'm still not convinced." Rory squinted her eyes.
Slumping her shoulders, the older Gilmore rolled her eyes. "It's only, what... ten days 'till you fly back? Then you come over here and see for yourself."
"Okay, I guess that's fair." Pouting, she leaned back in the seat, slightly pacified.
"Not really, but I'm glad you think so," her mother teased.
Looking at the contents of her inbox again, the young journalist tried once more. "So, why did Grandma stop drinking alcohol?"
"As you said; weird kind of diet." Lorelai tried to brush it of, adding, "At least she is not serving mocktails this time. I still get my Martini to help me through the night."
"Don't drink and drive." Her daughter scolded playfully.
"I don't." Thinking about it for a second, she admitted, "well, I don't drink much, so I can still drive."
"Maybe you should stay over night when you drink more than one glass." Rory grinned.
"At my parents'?" Her eyes widened in something in between disbelief and shock.
Grinning, Rory went on. "Yeah, some kids like to sleep close to Mommy and Daddy."
"Hey! I'm not a kid," her mother pointed out.
"They are your parents, right?"
"Yeah?" She got suspicious at the innocence in her daughter's voice.
"So you're their child, right?"
"Duh... yeah?" Lorelai furrowed her brow, unsure about where this was leading.
Rory shrugged, a triumphant grin on her lips. "See? The word "child" equals the word "kid", so I'm right."
"You're evil." Her mother pouted.
"You taught me well." She quipped, still grinning proudly.
"Okay, okay. I'll just pretend that's a compliment and go to work now." Lorelai shrugged, glad that her daughter's mind seemed to be taken off the grandma problem.
"Good. I'll talk to you again soon." Rory nodded.
Grinning, her mother nodded as well. "You sure will."
After saying their goodbyes, Lorelai closed her cell and sighed. How she hated lying to her daughter.
~*~*~*~
"Lilani?" Emily walked through the dining room in search of the maid. "Lilani?" She repeated louder, getting annoyed.
"Emily?" Her husband poked his head out of his study. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, that woman," she growled, walking towards him. "I wonder if she has ever made a bed in her entire life." Pointing the other way, she went on, her eyes sparkling with anger. "There are even more wrinkles in the sheets now than there were just after I stood up."
"Well, as far as I remember there was good reason for those sheets to get that wrinkled." He winked at her, grinning.
Glaring at him, she added another point to the list. "Which makes it even worse, since I'm sure she did not even change them at all."
"Now, Emmy." His voice was soft as he stepped closer to her, sliding one arm around her shoulders. "It's her first day." Gently kissing her temple, he squeezed her lightly.
"No excuse." She mumbled, pouting.
Richard kissed her forehead, trying to hold back a chuckle. "Give her a second chance."
"More like the fourth."
"Already?" He met her angry glare with a boyish grin, easing her temper visibly. Taking her hand, he led her into his study and closed the door behind them.
Emily turned around, a questioning look in her eyes when he bent down to kiss her gently. Smiling against his lips, she rested her hands against his chest. "Mmm, could you do that again, please?"
He granted her wish, his arms wrapped around her. Deepening their kiss, he felt her trying to push away, giggling, but did not let go immediately. When she turned her head, he went on, kissing his way down her cheek to her neck, nuzzling it.
"Richard, stop that." She giggled, half-heartedly trying to push away. "Evil man." Another giggle as he playfully bit her neck. "Stop it." Looking up at him when he finally stopped, she smiled broadly. "That was unfair."
"Well, but it served its purpose." His smile matched hers as he bent forward to press his lips to hers once again.
Bending backwards, she returned his pecks. "And what purpose was that?" She finally escaped him.
"It made you smile." He shrugged his broad shoulders, grinning down on her.
Looking away, she couldn't stop the corners of her lips from curling up. Emily walked past him, turning when she opened the door. "I'll make sure to tell Lilani to thank you."
"For what?" He asked, slightly confused.
"For helping her to keep her job." Hearing glass shatter, she furrowed her brow, adding, "for another five minutes."
~*~*~*~*~
"Hello? Yes. This is Lorelai Gilmore. Uh, I'd like to talk to Doctor Reynolds?" She nervously played with the pen she was holding while she stared blankly ahead. Turning to the side, she tapped the pen against the wooden desk and rolled her eyes as she waited for the nurse to track down Joshua.
When the tapping noise suddenly changed, she looked down at where the pen was supposed to hit wood, confused when she saw the Post-It pad it was now hitting. Spinning around, she gasped in surprise when she came face to face with Michel.
"You are hurting the wood," he stated, annoyed.
Glaring at him, she pointed the pen in his direction. "Michel, if you don't stop that right now I'm going to hurt you!"
"Hello?" A deep, somewhat confused sounding voice was heard at the other end of the line.
Spinning around, she tried to sound kind. "Oh, hey, Doctor Reynolds. It's Lorelai Gilmore."
"Oh, well, hello Lorelai. ... I hope I won't need a bodyguard in the near future?" He joked.
She furrowed her brow. "What?"
"You were talking about hurting somebody when I picked up." Joshua clarified his last question.
"Oh, no! That wasn't about you." She glared in Michel's direction before she walked off to her office. "That is, maybe it was, if you're going to tell me that the test results are not there yet." Closing the door behind her, she rolled her eyes at herself. "Sorry, I'm just..."
"Nervous?"
"Nervous doesn't even begin to cover it." She sighed as she slumped down in her chair.
Smiling, Doctor Reynolds' voice held amusement. "That's quite all right. You have never been the most patient person."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Doctor R., you're positively wicked," she grinned.
"And you are your mother's daughter, young lady," he countered.
Giggling at his comment, she shook her head. "Now don't you dare to tell that to anybody, including me, ever again."
"Well, if you promise to not hurt me, I will consider that."
"Deal." She nodded. After a moment of silence passed between them, her impatience got the better of her. "So?"
"Actually, what I have to tell you next makes me glad I got you to agree with me." Joshua stood up, walking around his desk. "I'm sorry, Lorelai, but the test results are not back yet. I expect them any minute though, and I will call you the second they arrive."
"You promise?"
He nodded. "I'm going to have dialled your number, even before I open the envelope."
"I suddenly remember why I like you so much," Lorelai smiled.
Shrugging, he grinned. "I have a family bonus."
"You know me; being on good terms with my parents is usually not considered a bonus." She leaned back in her chair, relaxing a little.
"Well, then I'm just glad I gave you all that candy when you were little." Joshua jammed the phone between his ear and shoulder, collected a patient record from the cabinet next to the desk and began flipping through it.
"I expect a lollypop when I come visit next time."
"I'll see what I can do." He switched the phone to the other ear.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." Walking back around his desk, he put the file down. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have another patient waiting."
"Well, I hope that patient is more patient than I am." Lorelai grinned.
Chuckling, Joshua shook his head. "Not really."
"Okay, then I'd better let you go. Thanks for talking to me, even if it just was to say hello this time."
"My pleasure. I promise I'll call you as soon as the results get here."
"Okay, thanks again. Bye, Doc."
"Goodbye." He smiled, putting the receiver down and pulled out the file of his next patient. Still smiling, he stood up, walking over to the door that connected his office with the examination room. "Good morning, Emily." Joshua greeted her, slightly amused as she stopped pacing, spinning in his direction.
"How could you let me wait like this?" She glared at him.
"It's good to see you too." He grinned at her.
Rolling her eyes, she huffed. "That's not the answer I wanted to hear."
"But it is an answer that lowers your blood pressure, I presume." Joshua's grin widened a tad at her low growl.
Sitting down on the examination table, she first crossed her ankles, and then crossed her arms over her chest. How she hated the fact that her feet weren't touching the ground. "Can we please get this over with?"
"All right… Well," Joshua flipped through her medical chart, "What brings you here on this sunny day?"
Glaring at him, she growled. "You know very well what brings me here."
"Sorry, Emily." His apologetic look matched his voice. "I didn't mean to sound so chipper."
She rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I know. It's just so..."
"...Frustrating?" He offered, nodding as she sighed; he knew very well how she felt by now.
Standing in front of her, he tried to word his next suggestion the right way, at the same time knowing he would not succeed. "You know, I really think you should see a counselor."
"No."
"Emily, this is a very stressful situation."
"No, Joshua."
"You need help."
"I need a kidney," she countered.
Sighing, Joshua shook his head. "Emily." He looked her straight in the eye. "I am your friend." Watching her looking away, he went on. "And as your friend, I understand the way you feel about all this. But as your doctor, your health has to come before my sympathy." He met her angry eyes again. "And as your doctor, I tell you to go into counseling because all this stress is an additional risk."
"I do not need a counselor."
"Emily, I am sorry. I know you don't want a counselor, but you need one. And as your doctor, I am supposed to make you see one no matter what your feelings about this are." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"And what if I refuse?" She mirrored his position.
"Then I will find ways to change your mind," he shrugged. "I think your husband would be on my side, if I'd-"
She cut him off, "You wouldn't dare!" Glaring at him, she slid down the examination table, feeling the urge to stand on her own two feet for this conversation.
"I am sorry, Emily, but if it's the only way, I sure will." Joshua had a hard time not looking away; the fire in her eyes could have melted tungsten. He knew he was pushing his luck; of course the physician confidentiality would have kept him from actually telling Richard, but at this point he knew bringing up her husband was the only thread that might work.
She clenched her jaw muscles, trying to tame her temper. Reasoning with herself, she felt her anger slowly subsiding. 'He is right. You know he is right. You need to stay healthy. You need to calm down. You need to think of Richard.' Her husband's sad eyes appeared in front of her, and she suddenly felt a pang of guilt sending cold shivers down her back. Sighing deeply, she rolled her eyes.
Joshua smiled at her gesture of defeat, at the same time knowing he had nothing to do with her change of mind, or at least not enough to feel proud of his accomplishment.
"You keep this to yourself." It was not a question, but a statement.
Nodding, he answered, "of course." He watched her lean back against the examination table. "Now, back to the original reason of your visit."
Emily raised one eyebrow. "I presume you will give me a list of counselors you think suitable, will you?"
It had been too easy. Bowing his head, he looked at her. "I will tell Benjamin about it and he will provide you with one, yes."
"Why tell Benjamin? Why can't you just give me the list?"
Sighing, Joshua tried to keep calm. This woman was so suspicious when it came to telling anybody anything about her health. "Because he is the specialist. Emily, we are a team of doctors. We are a group of specialists who need to keep each other abreast of your condition, so we can make sure you stay healthy."
"Yes, well…." She trailed off, looking to the side, somewhat ashamed of herself.
Studying her chart again, he brushed it off, knowing her well enough to repress his smile. "Now, you said you were suffering from dizziness?"
"Yes, I do." Emily nodded, grateful for the smooth change of topic. "And it's not only that."
He looked up, his eyes questioning.
"Since the last change in my medication … I have not been able to eat as much as I should."
"Emily."
She raised her hand in defense at the scolding tone in his voice. "I have tried." Shrugging, she went on. "But I feel nauseous even thinking of food."
Checking the chart, he shook his head. "The last recorded change was almost a week ago."
"I thought I would just need some time to adjust to it." She shrugged her slim shoulders again.
"When did you want to tell me about it?"
"Well, I told you now." Raising both eyebrows, she was a bit confused by his biting tone.
Joshua took a deep breath to calm himself. He had known Emily for decades and thus knew that she would not listen to him if he came across as scolding. He had always admired her strength, but also knew that this strength was linked to a stubbornness that was second to none. "Emily, not eating for a week is not only unhealthy, but in your current condition it can lead to severe complications."
"I didn't not eat. I still ate regularly. You can ask Richard if you don't believe me!" She defended herself, her voice rising with her anger. "I felt like throwing up every time I swallowed, but I ate none-the-less."
Her sudden outburst caught him off guard. His mouth slightly ajar, he tried to think of a come-back, but found himself at a loss for words.
"Now, if you would please check whatever this chart says and tell me what we can do about it." She pointed at the file in his hands and sat down on the examination table. "And why can't we talk about this in your office anyway? I feel silly sitting on this thing."
Snapping out of the semi-trance her behavior had put him in, Joshua chuckled quietly. "Well, now that I have you here, I can at least check you thoroughly. "
"Don't you dare! I have been poked and prodded by these doctors in more places than I want to mention in the course of the last months. Everything anybody could ever want to know about my health is on file, so if you get close to me, I swear to God, you will regret it!"
Joshua laughed, raising his hands in defence. "All right, all right. I'll see what I can do."
Yes, I am doing it again. Well, I never really stopped, have I? I am tempted to answer to the 'reviews' of my author's note, but I guess that would be too crazy, even for me.
Just this one:
'Me' - I would have liked to drop you a line, but you didn't leave -or ffDOTnet deleted- your eMail address.
But now to those of you who reviewed chapter 7:
Brillows4ever
I think you ripped my eardrum. ... No, not really. But after all the yelling, it could have happened. This time I wouldn't even have minded. Strange.
Is it mean of me to smile at the knowledge of having you in tears after every chapter? *wicked grin* I hope not, because I do.
Loridhhp
My fabulous Beta. I bow to your awesome grammar skills!
I'm so glad that you think the tension between them typical. Shows me that I kept them in character. :oD
I really hope I will get to the point where I can make both realize that they are similar. But I guess that would take a LOT of chapters. Oh well, we'll see.
Well, sometimes I have the feeling that I let Fan Fiction Richard be too good. We know he has flaws and I try to keep that in mind, but I want him to be less 'blind' than GG Richard. When 'my' Emily needs her husband, he's going to be there. Period.
B. Alex Milligan
So there, I gave you more. Okay, so it took one hell of a long time, but I did. Right?
I just hope I haven't lost you yet. *lol*
In the meantime, I am going to happily munch those cookies you gave me.
It might be rare, but I totally understand you. But then again... 'probably because' I 'wrote it'. *giggles*
So you think I got Lorelai's rambling right? Good, because I need to let her ramble again in the future and if I got her right this time there's hope that those rambles are going to be believable as well.
LorLukealways
Real conversation is on it's way... but you're going to have to hang in there. If I'd let them have this conversation now already, it would be awfully out of character, I think. So try to be patient. I know I am.
...Which is very out of character for me. ;o)
Valerie
Copied or not, I always cherish your reviews and you know it ;o).
Poppinswannabe
It's actually written already ... or at least part of it. And I hope you're going to like it. We will get to that point within the next ... hmm ... 5 chapters? Oh well, you'll see.