Chapters 4
When: Friday, December 10, 2027
Where: The Logan Huntzburger Estate in the Hamptons
Rory and the girls spent Thursday shopping. The boys spent the day on the golf course. Thursday night they all went to the local pub, enjoying karaoke. Friday morning, Logan and Rory were slow to get up and go downstairs. They finally made it to the dining room close to lunch.
"Well, Well, Look what the cat dragged in," Rosemary said.
Logan grinned, Rory blushed. "At 46 years old, I am still able to keep…." he looked at Rory. She was shaking her head. "My Ace…." Logan stopped.
"Entertained?" Finn asked, walking out of the kitchen with a glass of orange juice. They all hoped it was orange juice.
"We knew Gilmore would have to come up for food at some point," Colin said. Rory's face was getting redder and redder.
"Leave her alone. She had been married for 20 years, yet she still chooses to stay in bed with her husband," Steph said. This got a laugh out of everyone.
Sandra brought Logan and Rory each a sandwich. The others were just finishing lunch. Honor spoke up, "I have been Rory's sister-in-law long enough to know there is a plan. Care to fill us in?"
Rory smiled. "I thought we would just play it by ear," Rory said. Everyone waited. They knew Rory well enough to know she had a plan.: "Mitchum and Shira will be landing soon, they may actually already be here. Dad and Jeniffer should be here about the same time the kids get here. Grandma told me she was riding with Luke, don't know when they will be here." Logan smiled. His wife was the greatest.
"Any ideas on how the kids are getting here?" Steph asked.
Finn stood up. He was proud of himself. "I know the answer to this," Finn said and sat back down. Everyone was looking at him. "Oh, you want me to tell you." He said. They all nodded. "The girls are riding with Hayden. Andy and Richie are coming together." Finn looked around and smiled. He felt he had done his good deed for the day.
"Finn, I am glad you know what is going on with the kids, but I have a question," Rory asked. Finn smiled at her. He felt important. Rory could see Logan out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at him, then cut her eyes to Collin. "Why would the girls choose to ride with Hayden? His car is only a two-seater?" Rory asked, looking at Finn.
Finn had a confused look on his face. "Love, I really don't know. I just know that MaryLyn texted me this morning saying she would be riding with Katie and Hayden." Finn was confused. Why didn't he think to ask that, he wondered?
Rory turned to Logan. "For some reason, I think my husband knows the answer to that."
"Because he is driving your car," Logan said with his chin on his hand, causing his words to be mumbled. He looked everywhere but his wife.
"Logan, babe, couldn't hear you, I thought you said he is driving my new car. The BMW 5X, the car that has less than 1000 miles on it. But I know that is not what you said." Rory sat back in her chair with her arm crossed.
"Babe, Ace, you know that your car is safer than that little car he drives. It just made more sense for him and the girls to be safe." Logan said, smiling at his wife, hoping she could understand.
"If he is driving Rory's car, why didn't they all just come in one car?" Steph asked.
None of the men said anything. All four girls looked at Finn. He threw his hands up. "I don't know. MaryLyn texted me to tell me she was riding with Hayden and Katie. That is all I know." Finn said and sat back in the chair.
They directed their eyes to Colin. Collin just stared back at them as he pushed his chair away from the table, just out of Steph's reach. Logan did the same. "I told Andy it was okay to bring his girlfriend with him." Collin dodged Steph's slap at his arm.
Rory whirled around to Logan. "Her parents wouldn't let her come without her sister," Logan whispered. Rory put her head on the table and started banging it lightly. "Ace, you are going to give yourself brain damage. Stop."
Finn stood up, again. "Well. it's not like we don't have the room." They all threw their napkins at him.
Later in the afternoon, Rory sat out on the balcony. It was cool, she was wrapped up in a wool blanket with a cup of hot coffee. They had heard from Mitchum, he and Shira are here. Honor and Josh walked down the beach to see them. She wasn't sure where everyone else was.
She was lost in thought, listening to the waves crash on the sea wall. She was thinking back to the time before Richie was born. They had moved back to Harford. Their move had been sudden. Mitchum had a heart attack. Logan was at work. Rory was on assignment in Washington D.C. He called her to tell her Mitchum had a heart attack and he was on his way to the airport. She asked what hospital and told him she would meet him there. At first, they stayed in Logan's old room in the Huntzburger Manor. After they found out that Mitchum was going to live. The doctors set Mitchum up for open-heart surgery. Logan met with the HPG board. They asked him to step in until Mitchum was ready to return or retire. After talking with Rory, he agreed. They never went back to pack. Logan called his partners. He tied up any loose ends by teleconference. Rory called the Chronicle. After explaining the situation, Rory told them that she will submit the series of articles she had been working on. They hired packers and movers.
Emily graciously offered the pool house while they waited for the renovations on their house. When Elias died, he left Logan his house in Hartford, along with his car collection, several homes, and apartments all over the world.
Most of their stuff was put in storage. Rory was 5 months pregnant. She wanted to be in her own house by the time the baby was born. Emily and her maids had spent the day with Rory unpacking the things that didn't go to storage in the pool house, while Logan was at the Hartford office trying to catch up on the work Mitchum had let lag while he was sick.
She and Emily were laughing at something Rory pulled out of a box when there was a knock on the door. It was Lorelai. She and Rory had only spoken a few times since the wedding rehearsal. Each time, it had been Rory who called her mother. The last time she talked with her mother it was to tell her she was pregnant. Lorelai told Rory 'You have done it now.' and that was the end of the conversation. Rory wasn't sure what to do, she had been very emotional lately, mostly to do with her being pregnant.
When Lorelai entered the room, Rory was sitting on the sofa sorting through a box.
"Hey mom, Rory," Lorelai said. Emily spoke as did Rory, although Rory still had not looked up from the box in front of her. "At least stand up so I can see how big you are," Lorelai said. Rory stood up, smoothing Logan's tee-shirt over the leggings. Rory was pregnant in front. From behind you could not tell she was pregnant.
"Your rich husband can't afford to buy you maternity clothes, you have to wear his tee-shirt?" Lorelai asked.
"Lorelai," Emily said. "You do not have to be so rude."
Logan had just walked in the door Lorelai had left open. "I can afford to buy her maternity clothes. Better yet, she can afford to buy them herself." Everyone turned to see him standing at the door.
"Logan," Emily started, but was stopped by Logan putting his hand up. "In fact, she has a whole wardrobe of maternity clothes that have yet to be unpacked. You see, we have been busy. Ace is finishing up a series of articles. I have been busy trying to fix the problems my stubborn father refused to see as a problem. To top it all off, my dad had a heart attack and is scheduled to have open heart surgery tomorrow."
When he finished, he walked over to Rory, Kissed her on the lips, and said. "I got off early today. I wanted to take you shopping for something comfortable to wear tomorrow. It will be a long day at the hospital." He squeezed her hand. "Check your phone, I texted you about it earlier. I'm going to change," he said, walking into the bedroom and shutting the door.
Rory picked up her phone. There was the text. She turned it around so her grandma could see it.
"Lorelai, I swear you are the rudest person sometimes," Emily said.
Lorelai mumbled, "Just sometimes?"
Rory spoke up, trying to keep an argument from starting between her Mom and Grandma. "Mom, did you come to visit or did you have a reason for being here today?" Rory asked.
"I heard a rumor that you were back in Hartford. Just wanted to see for myself." Lorelai said.
"Well as you can see, we are back. Not that you asked, but we are staying in the pool house." Rory stopped. She was going to say 'until they finished the remodel of their home.' But Rory decided not to give her any more ammunition.
Rory is brought out of her thoughts when she hears Logan walk out onto the balcony. "Your dad and Jennifer are here," Logan told her. She went to get up and Logan helped her. She had been curled up on the oversize chair she pulled out of their bedroom.
"Are the kids here yet?" She asked.
Logan told her "No, but Finn talked with MaryLyn. They are about 20 minutes out." Rory nodded. "Ace, I know this is usually a conflicting time of the year. I know that this brings back memories of our life together. Most of those memories are good. Celebrating major events in our life always brings back memories of Lorelai. Please try not to dwell on it."
She kissed him. "I would not trade the last twenty years for anything, including a relationship with my mother."
By the time they got downstairs, Chris and Jennifer, Mitchum, and Shira were already having cocktails. Rory kissed Chris and Mitchum on the cheek and spoke to Shira and Jennifer.
"Do you know when Gigi and Eddie will arrive?" Rory asked. The adult group basically adopted Gigi. Sometimes Chris wondered who was raising her, Him or Rory's crew. When Gigi started Yale, he jokingly told the group that since they raised her, they could pay her tuition. Finn, Colin, and Logan pulled out their checkbooks. Chris would not take it.
Chris said "She had a client meeting at 1:00. Eddie is picking her up from the office."
"Did she get the last of her stuff moved in Eddie's apartment?" Logan asked.
Chris just glared at Logan. Jennifer answered, "She did. The boys were a great help. Thanks."
Rory was just sitting down when she heard the vehicles pull in the driveway. Then came the noise of the seven kids coming in the front door dragging suitcases and duffle bags.
"Hey, look what we found on I495?" Richie said, pointing to Gigi and Eddie. The boys introduced Kathy and Kelly. They were twins. Rory told them to take their stuff upstairs.
After the kids came back downstairs, Hayden asked "What's the plan?" Everyone laughed. He is just like his mother.
"I thought we would play it by ear. Grandma Emily is coming. I want you to spend time with her this weekend. The party is tomorrow night. I brought appropriate clothes for you. Kathy, Kelly, I am sure we can find you something. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior at the party. It starts at 7:00. We expect you to be here by 6:30. Do not embarrass us this weekend and you will have a full range of stuff to do." Rory said.
"Arcade," The boys yelled. The kids all plied out the door.
The adults settled down for the afternoon, while the kids went to the arcade. "It was so much easier when they were smaller, they would play on the swing set and slide for hours," Rory said.
"Ace, would you like to start over? I mean, Katie is 14. We don't have a baby anymore. We are not too old." Logan asked with a smirk on his face. He loved when his wife was pregnant. It made her more beautiful if that was even possible.. Rory looked at him like he had lost his mind.
"I guess not," Finn said.
While everyone was talking, Rory was lost in her thoughts. She was remembering the day. Richie was born. They had not finished the house as they hoped. She and Logan sit up a bassinet and changing table in their room in the pool house. Emily insisted they set up a bassinet in the main house. She also insisted they receive visitors at the main house. On the way to the hospital, Logan called Emily, then Honor. Honor was going to call everyone. After he was born, Rory and Logan had kangaroo time before they let everyone in.
Logan went to the waiting room to let everyone know to come to the room to visit Rory and the baby. Lorelai was the first one in. She grabbed Richie and started talking to him. Logan was standing by Rory. He was going to hold the baby and let everyone see him as he announced his name.
"Can you please wash your hands first, I know you think I am being ridiculous, but I'm a new mother," Rory said.
"No, dear, You are his mom," Richard said.
"Do you have a name picked out yet?" Chris asked.
Logan went to take the baby from Lorelai so he could be holding him when they announced his name, but Lorelai moved away from him. "Lorelai, I would like to hold him while I introduce him to everyone," Logan said.
"No, I'm good," She said.
Before anyone could say or do anything else, Luke said in a loud voice, "Lorelai, give him his baby." This scared Richie, so he started crying.
"See, he doesn't want his dad, he wants his Nana. That's right, yes, you can stay with Nana, yes you can." Lorelai was saying to Richie.
"Logan," Rory said, moving her head from side to side ever so slightly. She didn't want to start something in the hospital. Logan stepped back. He didn't want to stress Rory, her blood pressure was a little high after Richie was born. The nurses had her hooked up, checking it every 10 minutes.
Emily walked over to where Lorelai was holding Richie and took the baby from her. She gave the baby to Logan. Lorelai was staring and pouting. Logan stood next to Rory who was sitting up on the bed. "Everyone,...This is Richard Christopher Huntzburger. Richie, this is everyone." Everyone ewed and aahhed over him. Lorelai stood there with her arm crossed. She was not happy.
After about 30 minutes the nurse came in and shooed everyone out. Tell them that they could visit tomorrow. Everyone said their goodbye greetings and well wishes. Rory's room looked like a flower truck ran into a balloon shop.
"Lorelai, we can come back tomorrow or you heard the nurse, if everything is okay, they will get to go home. Let's go so the nurse can help Rory, you know," Luke said, waving his hands in front of his body. That is one thing he did not want to see, Rory breastfeeding.
"You go ahead, I'll stay with Rory so Blondie can go home. Wouldn't want him to ruin that $1500 suit he is wearing." Lorelai said, looking at Logan.
"Lorelai, Luke, thank you so much for coming. I know it is exciting to have a new baby. I know I am excited, but it needs to be just the three of us tonight." Logan said as nicely as he could. He was trying not to say what was on his mind. Luke had to physically pick her up out of the chair she had sat down in.
After they left, the nurse, who had witnessed this, showed Rory how to get baby Richie to latch on. After Richie ate, Logan burped him and put him in the bassinet.
At the change of shifts, the nurse brought her replacement in to introduce her to them. "I thought maybe you wanted to give instructions to the nurse on this shift. I know you had a problem with visitors earlier." Rory grabbed her phone and pulled up a picture of her mother. They explained that she was not allowed back in until visiting hours, and she was not to hold the baby without a parent present.
Rory and Steph were coming out of the kitchen with several Charcuterie Boards with Cheese, fruit, crackers, and chocolate on them when they heard a car pull in the drive. "Kids are back early," Steph said.
"Probably to change clothes to change venues," Rory said.
"I know, Andy changes clothes more than I do," Steph said. Steph grabbed the wine bottle and followed Rory to the patio. Logan had several heaters out there.
Logan met Rory at the door and helped her with the boards. "I got notification that someone just pulled up," Logan held up his phone.
"Babe, it's just the kids," Rory said.
"Not the kids GHuntz, it's Lorelai's jeep," Colin said. Logan thought he was going to catch the kids on the monitor. He was showing it to Colin when they saw it wasn't the kids. Logan opened the door, was going to help Luke with Emily's luggage when he got a surprise. Lorelai was standing at the door about to knock.
"Close your mouth blondie," she said as she pushed past him.
Emily was using a walker. She has a problem with her knee. Rory and Logan made sure she had a room downstairs. Logan was torn. He needed to help Luke and Emily, but he wanted to warn his wife that her mother was here.
"She told me she would behave," Emily told Logan.
"Don't worry about it, Emily. Luke, let me help you. Emily, everyone is on the patio. I have some heaters. Rory has some lap blankets too. Do you need me to help you?"
"No, I will be careful. Help Luke with the luggage." Emily said.
After Luke and Logan got the luggage settled, they joined the crowd on the patio. Everyone was talking and laughing just like they were when Logan left.
"Emily, We set your luggage in the first room past the stairs," Logan said.
"Thank you. I don't want to be any trouble," she said.
"Nonsense grandma, the kids will be back soon. Richie and Andy brought girlfriends." Rory said, rolling her eyes with a smile.
"Oh my," Emily said.
