A few days later, Lorelai received a call from her doctor. She made an appointment for the following day. Luke had stayed over almost every night, even on the night before he had early deliveries. He had called his delivery guy and explained that Caesar would now be handling deliveries. He knew that he needed to be there for Lorelai, both physically and emotionally. She needed to be physically comforted with hugs and kisses and other simple affectionate gestures. She also needed to be supported emotionally. Luke did this by telling her that she would be okay, that she would beat this, that everything would be okay and that he would never leave her.

Rory also showed her support by just spending time with Lorelai and talking with her. They talked a little bit about both of their fears, but Lorelai still didn't want to really talk about it until she knew how serious it was. She and Rory also shared a lot of hugs and Rory also tried to reassure her that everything would be fine.

Lorelai had a couple of phone conversations with Emily and Richard. She kept them updated, informed them of the date of her doctor's appointment and promised to tell them what the results of her biopsy were. They also offered her words of encouragement and support.

At work, Lorelai would have long conversations with Sookie. They mostly discussed work topics, but they talked a little about Lorelai's diagnosis. Sookie, of course also offered her support and love. She had offered to go to the doctor's appointment with her, but Lorelai told her that Luke and Rory would already be going and that she didn't want everyone dropping everything for her. Sookie was a little hesitant, but she realized that it might be best for her to show her support by staying at the Inn and taking of things for Lorelai.

Rory turned to Logan for comfort. She visited him every other day. He would comfort her by holding her and telling her that everything would be alright. Rory knew that there was no way he could know that, but she was grateful that he was there for her. She still didn't tell him what had happened with his dad, but she wasn't thinking about that and Logan never asked about it.

On the day on the appointment, Lorelai walked in, hand in hand with Luke, Rory on her other side. Luke didn't let go of her hand as they waited for Lorelai to be called. When she was called, Lorelai made sure that it was ok for Luke and Rory to come with her, it was. They walked in and when the doctor noticed that Luke and Rory were with Lorelai, she walked out to grab another chair.

When the doctor retuned, Luke introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Luke, I'm Doctor Fields, but you can call me Stephanie." She turned to Rory. "And you must be Lorelai's daughter?" She held out her hand to Rory.

Rory shook her hand. "Yep, I'm Rory nice to meet you."

They all sat down.

"Well, I'm happy to see that you've brought Luke and Rory with you today. It's always nice to see patients have support from loved ones." Stephanie said.

Lorelai just smiled and nodded.

"Okay. Well, I suppose we'll get to it then?" Stephanie offered a polite smile.

All three of them nodded. Luke held out his hand to Lorelai and she laced her fingers through his.

Stephanie took a breath. "Unfortunately, the cancer is at a later stage than we initially thought. The biopsy confirmed that you have Stage III breast cancer. The tumor is large and the cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes."

Lorelai stared at her. She was speechless. Luke glanced at her, saw the look on her face and decided to ask for her.

"And what will the treatment be?" He asked as his thumb gently brushed the back of Lorelai's hand.

Rory just looked between Luke, Lorelai and Stephanie. She didn't know what to say either.

"We think it would be best to start with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. This will make it easier to remove. After chemo, we'll preform a lumpectomy and remove the tumor and the surrounding tissue. Then, more chemo and maybe radiation,"

Luke nodded slowly. Lorelai finally spoke:

"What is the survival rate?" She asked.

Luke almost scolded her, but he thought twice and just squeezed her hand.

Stephanie didn't take her eyes off Lorelai. "Well, it varies but the five year survival rate is actually pretty good."

"That's good, right?" Rory spoke for the first time.

Stephanie smiled at her. "Yes, it also helps that your mother is younger than the average age of women who are diagnosed."

Rory managed to give her a small smile in return.

"And when would I start treatment?" Lorelai asked in a low voice.

"As soon as possible, we'll start scheduling your treatment today. You're going to have to take some time off of work."

Lorelai nodded. She had figured that treatment would take a long time. She knew that Sookie, Michel and the other employees should be able to manage without her.

"Any more questions or concerns?" Stephanie asked.

No one said anything.

"All right, I'll phone you when we arrange your treatment." Stephanie took something out of her desk drawer. "Here's a pamphlet that will give you a lot of information. If you have any questions that aren't answered in there, feel free to call anytime."

Lorelai took the pamphlet. "Thank you." She smiled softly.

Stephanie smiled back. Luke, Rory and Lorelai all stood up slowly. Luke and Rory also thanked Stephanie. They all walked out together.

The walked down the halls, through the waiting room and out the door.

"Well that wasn't so bad." Luke says quietly.

Lorelai gave him a small smile. She looped her arm through his and reached out with her other arm to touch Rory's shoulder.

"You okay, hon?"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me come." Rory replied.

"Of course, again I'm sorry I that I chose to go through all the testing alone…" Lorelai mumbled.

Rory looked at her. "We're here now and we're not going anywhere, right Luke?"

Luke flashed a smile. "Right,"

They walked to the Jeep together. Rory got in the back and Luke sat in passenger seat.

Later that night, while Luke was at the diner, Lorelai and Rory watched T.V. together.

"Hey Mom?" Rory tried to get Lorelai's attention.

Lorelai turned her head away from the T.V. "Yes sweets?"

"I hope you're not mad or anything… but I told Logan about your diagnosis. He's been helping me cope with it." Rory glanced at Lorelai, a concerned look on her face.

"No. That's okay. I'm glad that Logan is here for you. The whole town is going to find out soon enough, so it doesn't matter if he knows now. Everyone is going to know eventually." Lorelai conceded.

"Yeah… maybe you should just tell everyone at a town meeting or something." Rory frowned. "Oh wait, that might not be a good idea, sorry."

"No, that's actually not a bad idea. It's better than Miss Patty or Babette finding out and then having it being gossiped about all over town. If I announced it at a town meeting, everyone would find out at once." Lorelai replied.

Lorelai had already called Emily and Richard and told them the news. They still voiced their support, told Lorelai that they would be there if she needed them. Lorelai told Richard that she would ask Stephanie about the specifics of her treatment. Richard still wanted her Lorelai to have the best treatment and he told her that money was no object, as if she didn't know that already.

"What about Dad?" Rory asked.

"I'll call him tomorrow and see if he can come over. I can't tell him over the phone." Lorelai responded.

"Okay."

They silently watched the T.V. for a few minutes.

"Hey Mom, I love you." Rory said quietly.

"I know. I love you too, Rory." Lorelai shifted closer to Rory and Rory cuddled up to her.

Lorelai kissed Rory's forehead. They sat and watched T.V. for another half hour.

Luke walked in without knocking.

"Hey." He called out.

"Shh." Lorelai hissed. She pointed at Rory who was asleep, her head on a pillow that was on Lorelai's lap.

Luke took off his boots and quietly walked over to the couch. He looked down and Rory and smiled. She looked so young and innocent. He could still remember her pet caterpillar's funeral that he had attended. She had grown up into a beautiful young before both of their eyes. Luke had always thought of Rory as a sort of daughter. He had always felt like he needed to protect her. He cared deeply for her and couldn't imagine how she must be feeling right now.

Lorelai moved carefully and stood up.

"Kiss." She said as she stepped close to Luke.

Luke gave her a short, sweet kiss. Lorelai pressed her face into his neck.

"You okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Mmm-hmm. I just missed you." She whispered.

Luke started rubbing circles on her back. "Maybe I should just move in, I'm here practically every night." He said in a low voice.

Lorelai pulled away. "That's a good point. Do you want to move in?"

Luke shrugged. "If you want me to,"

Lorelai cocked her head to the side. "Would you cook me dinner every night?" She teased.

Luke smirked. "I don't know if I could every night, but maybe."

"Okay. I'd have to ask Rory if she's okay with it, but I have no objections to you moving in." Lorelai answered. She tugged on his hand and led him upstairs.

"Speaking of Rory, how is she handling all of this? She didn't say much today." Luke pointed out.

"She's handling it normally, I guess. Logan is there for her and my dad said he would be too." Lorelai told him. She started to strip her clothes.

"And you two talked?"

"Yep. She knows she can talk to me about her feelings." Lorelai put on her pajamas.

"Okay." Luke accepted that. He wasn't sure if he should tell Rory that she could talk to him too. Before he could ask Lorelai if she had told Christopher yet, she spoke.

"Oh, and I'm going to call Christopher tomorrow and see if he can come over. I need to tell him too…" She looked away from Luke. She knew that Christopher was a sort of sore spot for him.

"I know." Luke understood. Christopher was Rory's father after all.

They brushed their teeth and got ready for bed together.

After Luke turned off the light and kissed Lorelai goodnight, he opened his mouth to say something.

Lorelai stopped him. "I know, I love you too babe."

Luke frowned. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

"I just knew." Lorelai grinned. She kissed him again then settled in the bed close to him, but facing the other way. She reached behind her and Luke gave her his arm. She placed his arm around her waist.

Luke smiled. "'Night." He said softly.

"Goodnight." Lorelai replied.

Author's note: Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites. Please feel free to leave a review for this chapter.