Sorry it's been a while! I was hoping to write over the Easter weekend but the wifi was playing up so I couldn't! Anyway, thanks for all your reviews so far and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! :)
Chapter 19
"Lorelai..." Luke repeated hoarsely. "What...where..?" He started.
"You're in hospital, hon. You were in a car accident. Do you remember?" Lorelai said softly.
Luke frowned and suddenly his eyes widened. "April!" He said, trying to get up but groaning as a surge of pain went through him.
"Luke, no!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Stay where you are. You broke your shoulder, hon. You shouldn't move it."
"April was there!" Luke exclaimed. "She was in the car!" He said trying to get up again.
"Hon, April's fine. She fractured her wrist so she's in a cast but she's fine." Lorelai reassured her.
"She's ok?" Luke said a bit calmer. He looked over at Lorelai. "She's really ok?"
"She's ok." Lorelai smiled softly. "She's downstairs with Rory. She's ok."
Luke let out a big breath. "I couldn't do anything." He said quietly. "The car came out of nowhere, driving in the wrong direction..."
"I'll go let the doctor know he's awake." Anna said wanting to give them some space. "And then I'll go let everyone know downstairs."
"Thanks." Lorelai smiled gratefully at her. She then turned back to Luke. "I know. April told us what happened. It was an accident."
"I could have killed her." Luke said quietly.
"It wasn't your fault. It was the other driver's fault. And you didn't kill her. April's fine and you're going to be fine and that's all that matters." Lorelai smiled, blinking back some tears. "But please, don't ever do that to me again. I haven't slept for the last three days."
"I've been out for three days?" Luke asked surprised.
"Yeah. And it's been the longest three days ever." Lorelai said. She sighed. "I was so worried. The doctors were saying you should make a full recovery but you just weren't waking up. I didn't know what to think."
"I'm sorry." Luke said.
"No. You don't need to be sorry. I'm just glad you're awake. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice." Lorelai smiled.
Luke smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. "I promise never to do this to you again." He said.
Lorelai laughed softly. "Thanks."
Just at that moment, the doctor entered the room. "Well Mr Danes, it is good to see you awake."
"It's good to be awake." Luke said.
The doctor smiled and checked him over. "Well Mr Danes, I'm fairly certain you're going to make a full recovery." He said.
"Fairly certain? Not 100% certain?" Lorelai asked worried.
The doctor smiled kindly at Lorelai. "I'd like to keep him in one more day just to observe and make sure but it definitely looks like he will make a full recovery." He said. He then turned back to Luke. "You've been very lucky, Mr Danes."
Luke gave him a small smile and nodded. He then grimaced as he moved his shoulder.
"That's another issue." The doctor said noticing. "A broken shoulder takes about 6 weeks to heal but you'll be in pain for a couple of weeks. We'll put your shoulder in a sling to help it stay in place and we'll prescribe you painkillers to help with the pain. I would recommend a lot of rest and no strenuous work for the first few weeks at least."
"I own a diner! I can't just shut it down for several weeks!" Luke exclaimed frustrated.
"I'm sorry but this is in your best interest. You could make your shoulder worse and then it would take months to heal." The doctor said sympathetically.
Luke sighed and leaned back on his bed. "I hate hospitals." He grumbled.
Lorelai gave the doctor a grateful smile. "Thank you."
"I'll leave you to it for now but I'll be back a bit later to put the sling on and give you your first lot of painkillers." The doctor said and then left.
Lorelai looked over at Luke. "I know it'll be hard for you to not be at the diner..."
"6 weeks!" Luke said. "I've never not worked for 6 weeks. The diner..."
"Will be fine." Lorelai reassured. "Caesar will look after it and you've got Lane. It's in good hands."
"I know." Luke grudgingly agreed. "But..."
"I could have lost you, Luke. Please, please just do what the doctor recommends. Please? For me?" Lorelai begged.
Luke looked over at her worried face and felt bad. He took hold of her hand. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "I promise. I'll rest." He said.
Lorelai smiled relieved and gave him a kiss. "Thank you." She said softly. "Besides, there are perks to you being at home." She smirked. "I get to play nurse."
Luke chuckled. "Well at least there's that..."
Lorelai grinned. "I love you."
"I love you too." Luke smiled. "The wedding..."
"Let's not worry about that now." Lorelai said. "We can always postpone it for a couple of weeks until your sling's off."
"Stupid sling." Luke grumbled.
"It's going to help." Lorelai said softly.
"I know." Luke sighed. "I just...I want to get married to you."
Lorelai smiled. "I want that too. More than anything in the world. But I want you better first. And you will be and then we're going to have the best wedding ever."
Luke smiled. "Sounds good." He said softly.
"Dad!" A voice suddenly exclaimed coming through the door.
"April.." Luke said softly, grimacing slightly as she hugged a bit too enthusiastically, jerking his shoulder a bit.
"Sorry." April pulled back realising she was hurting him.
"No it's ok." Luke reassured. "It's worth it. Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." April said. "Look, everyone's signed my cast already! Rory said that's what happened when she got a cast."
Luke smiled and spotted Rory coming into the room with Tristan behind her, and then surprisingly Jess and who he assumed was his girlfriend. "That looks great." He chuckled.
"I'm so glad you're ok, dad." April said quietly.
"I'm sorry I worried you." He said.
"I was worried I was going to lose you. It was too soon after I'd gotten to know you." She said quietly.
"Hey.." Luke said softly taking one of her hands. "You're never going to lose me ok? I'm always going to be here for you. Always."
April gave him a tremulous smile. "I love you dad."
Luke blinked back some tears. That was the first time April had said that. "I love you too, sweetheart." He said gruffly. "Come here." He said gesturing for her to hug him again.
"Won't it hurt?" April asked.
"It's worth it." Luke said.
April smiled and hugged him again, but this time a bit gentler.
Luke smiled and then looked over at the others. "Rory, Tristan..."
"It's good to hear your voice." Rory smiled at him. "It's not been the same without you nagging us not to drink coffee." She joked.
Luke chuckled. "Good to know I have my uses." He said.
"That's not your only use." Rory said. "You...well...you just have a lot of uses." She said quietly. "Especially for me."
"It's good to see you too." Luke said softly knowing what Rory was trying to say. Rory reciprocated his smile. He then turned to Jess. "So I'm assuming this is the plus one you're bringing to our wedding?" He smirked.
Jess chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Luke, Hayley. Hayley..." He started the introductions but then caught Luke's eye and smiled. "Hayley, this is my uncle Luke. He's the reason I wrote a book and work at Truncheon. I owe him a lot." He said sincerley, glancing down at his feet and then up at Luke again.
Hayley smiled. "It's nice to meet you. And I'm glad you're going to be ok."
"It's good to meet you too." Luke smiled warmly at her. He then looked at Jess. "You get soft in your old age or something?" He smirked.
Jess smirked. "Well I guess I had to take after you in some way."
Luke chuckled. "You ok?" He asked.
"Now I am. Yeah." Jess nodded.
Lorelai noticed Anna standing by the door awkwardly not knowing what to do. "Hey, why don't we all head down to the canteen and see if we can get any food? I don't know about you but I'm starving!" She exclaimed dramatically.
Everyone agreed and followed her out leaving Luke alone with Anna.
"Hi.." Anna said nervously.
"Hi." Luke said gruffly.
"I wanted to..." Anna started.
"It's ok. I heard your apology." Luke interrupted her.
"What?" Anna asked surprised.
"When I was coming to, I heard you and Lorelai talking." Luke said. "I heard you apologising."
Anna glanced down at the floor and then up at him again. "I'm so sorry Luke. I'm sorry I thought I had the right to not tell you about April when I had her and to keep trying to keep her from you when you did find out."
"Why did you do it then?" Luke asked.
"I was being selfish. I know it's not really reason but I was. I was scared I would lose April." Anna admitted.
"Did you really think I was that much of a horrible person that I would not only not want to be a dad but also turn her against you?" Luke asked.
Anna was surprised not to hear any anger in his voice but to just see hurt in his expression. "No." She admitted. "I thought you were the opposite."
Luke frowned. "What?" He said confused.
"You're a good guy, Luke. A really good guy. Maybe when I first had April, I thought you wouldn't be interested in kids and I used that as an excuse but I've never thought you were a bad guy. I know you're not. That's why I was scared April would like you more and then get attached to Lorelai. It was wrong of me and I'm sorry." She said ashamed.
Luke sighed. "Well it's all water under the bridge now anyway." He said.
Anna looked up at him. "I'm really happy you found someone like Lorelai. You belong together."
Luke gave her a small smile. "Thanks." He said.
"And I promise we'll sort out dates with April. You'll get to see her." She said.
Luke just nodded.
Anna gave him a small smile. "Anyway, I guess I should be going. I'm glad you're going to be ok. And..uh..thank you." She said.
"For what?" Luke asked.
"For risking your own life for our little girl's life." Anna said softly. "I'll see you around Luke." She said heading for the door.
"Hey Anna?" Luke said.
"Yeah?" Anna said turning round.
"You should come." He said.
"What?" Anna asked confused.
"To our wedding. Lorelai was right. April would want you there and...well Lorelai and I would like it too." Luke said, giving her a small smile.
Anna reciprocated the action, knowing this was Luke's way of an olive branch. "Thanks Luke." She said softly. "I'll see you around."
"Bye." Luke said watching her leave. He lay back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He knew how lucky he had been. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to be the one that was going to marry Lorelai. Lucky to be the dad to April. He had so many things he was thankful for and he vowed he wasn't going to waste another day of it. He felt his eyelids start to droop and quickly he found himself dozing off.
I know it's a bit shorter but this was a bit of a filler episode! Please do let me know what you think though! Thanks! :)
