Chapter 20 – Baby Steps

-oOo-

As Lorelai walked to the mall with Luke by her side and April by his side, Lorelai decided to hold back. After all, she didn't know how much input she should give on this shopping trip without overstepping her boundaries.

I don't even know what my boundaries are, she reflected. I should have talked to Luke first. I don't even know what I am here – the almost step-mother? The dad's ex? I guess the more accurate description is the dad's friend. Just his friend.

She decided to err at the side of caution and let father and daughter go ahead and look around themselves. She promised both solemnly that if they needed her opinion on anything, they only had to ask. However, April pleaded endearingly for her to take the lead since neither she nor Luke knew which stores to hit or which dresses to try. Lorelai hesitated for a second, but gladly acquiesced when Luke echoed April's sentiment by grumbling, "Yes, what do I know about dresses?"

It took more than an hour, and countless trying on of various dresses that really tried Luke's patience, but finally they found the dress. It was a satin cerulean dress with a delicate silver sash around the waist. Luke sighed in relief when April confirmed that this was The One.

While he was paying for the dress at the counter, he noticed Lorelai and April whispering to each other. "You tell him," whispered Lorelai.

"No, you tell him," April whispered back.

"He'll give in to anything you say."

"No, he'll give in to anything you say," April countered.

"What's going on?" Luke interrupted.

April gave Lorelai a meaningful look, and after a beat, Lorelai cleared her throat. "Hey Luke."

"What?"

"You know what else April needs?"

"Aside from this dress?"

"A silver purse and a pair of heels."

"No." Lorelai nudged April, "See, I told you he'll say no to me. Your turn!"

Luke spoke. "I mean, I don't mind buying a purse and shoes – but I am not buying heels. Little girls do not need to walk around in heels. It ruins your posture, it's dangerous…"

"She's not a little girl, you know," Lorelai interrupted.

"That's right!" April piped in. "Luke, I'm officially a teenager. I can wear heels. I mean, Mom lets me wear heels now, but only up to one inch."

"One inch heels it is then!" Lorelai called out gaily, pulling Luke and April to the nearest shoe store.

-oOo-

After they bought everything they needed (which took another two hours), the three of them headed to the food court for a snack. To Luke's chagrin, April preferred everything Lorelai ordered for herself (pretzels, pizza, tater tots and ice cream) over the ones he got for both himself and April (grilled chicken, salad and two fruit cups).

"April!" he exclaimed in dismay, watching her take another pretzel from Lorelai's Lorelai saw the look in his face, she looked stricken.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Luke!" she said hurriedly, thinking that he wasn't happy that April seemed to like Lorelai's junk food – and by extension Lorelai – better than Luke's healthier choices – and by extension Luke himself. "I didn't… I wasn't…"

Luke immediately realized what she was thinking, and hastened to reassure her. "Nah, that's not it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just upset that another person I love won't eat healthy food, and may I add, healthy food I bought specifically for her," he declared, with a pointed glance at April. "I mean, I know I wasn't really able to convert you or Rory to a healthier lifestyle, despite years of trying. But really it would make me so much happier if both of you would eat some salad every now and then and not just that junk food all the time."

Lorelai's heart swelled that he included herself and Rory in the list of people he loves. April didn't catch anything but looked up. "What junk food?" she asked innocently. "I swear, this is so amazing, Dad. You should try this!" She giggled and gestured to the tater tots that she and Lorelai were dipping in ranch dressing.

Lorelai was surprised. It was the first time she heard April call Luke "Dad," and Luke didn't even seem to notice.

He shook his head. "No thanks, hon. I'm good with my food," he replied. "But you both should try this!" he added, gesturing to the salad.

"No way," April and Lorelai said at the same time. They looked at each other and giggled again. "Jinx!"

-oOo-

The next day, Luke felt gratified to see Lorelai sitting at the counter, and not sitting with another townie at one of the tables. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable by commenting on it so he went to her as usual with his notepad out.

"Morning. What can I get you?"

"What does April call you?"

"Huh?"

"When she calls you. Or when she talks to you. Does she call you Luke?"

"Of course she does. You hear her talk to me. What's this about?"

"She called you Dad yesterday."

"What?"

"Yes she did. We were eating and joking about junk food and salad, and she called you Dad. I looked at you to see if you caught it but you didn't react. So I thought maybe she already calls you Dad and I just didn't know."

"No, no she doesn't," Luke said in shock. "Wow. How could I have missed that?"

"That's fine, Luke. She said it only once. Later she went back to calling you Luke. But it's so great. I mean, it's the first step. Soon she'll be calling you Dad all the time."

"The first step…" Luke echoed with a faraway look.

"I know what you're thinking. If she grew up knowing you as her father, she would have called you Dad from the start. But don't think of that anymore," Lorelai said with a comforting smile. "Goodness knows I'm still upset at Anna for depriving you of all that. But let's just focus on the present. April only knows you for a year, but she feels close enough to call you Dad… And it's because you're a good father, Luke, like I always said."

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat, unable to speak because of the sudden onslaught of emotion. Lorelai reached for his hand and stroked it gently, giving him time to recover. After several minutes of silence, he cleared his throat."Thanks Lorelai. That… that means a lot, coming from you." Lorelai gave him a cheery smile.

"Good, good," she said in a teasing tone, to dispel his discomfort at his show of emotion. "And can I expect coffee on the house this week?"

He smiled. "You never pay anyway."

-oOo-

Lorelai's phone rang. Luke gave her a look and pointed to the door. "Out."

"Luke!" she said in mock surprise. "We just had a moment right there! You can't drive me away just like that!"

"I know, and I'm grateful, but take the call outside."

"Fine, it went to voicemail already," she grumbled. "Now I have to check the message."

Luke watched as she punched the numbers to check the voicemail, and was alarmed when she suddenly dropped the phone and looked up at him, pale and frightened. "Luke. My dad. Heart attack."

Flashbacks of the cold winter night when Lorelai got a similar message and he drove her to the hospital passed through his mind. They were just friends at that time, but there was no way he could not be with her.

Without a second thought, Luke shouted towards the kitchen, "I'm out, Cesar, you're in charge!" He glanced at Lorelai who was still standing at the middle of the diner without moving, frozen in place. He picked up her phone from the floor and touched Lorelai at the small of her back to guide her out the door. "Let's go. Hartford Memorial?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"He's gonna be fine."

"Luke…" she looked at him with eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I know."