"Lorelai, would you just sit down?"
"I can't sit, Luke, I'm too uncomfortable to sit. Walking helps," Lorelai said with a bit of weariness in her tone.
She'd been having Braxton-hicks for days, far apart and weak, but early this morning when she was still laying in bed, she started to notice a change. They were starting to fall into a rhythm and getting a little bit stronger. That's when she first started to pace. She wasn't a morning person, everyone knew that, but she just couldn't lay down any more. She paced all over the house, only having to stop walking a couple of times as she adjusted to the newer, stronger contractions.
She walked alone through a dimly lit house for 2 hours before Luke woke up for his normal early morning duties for the diner and was very surprised to find his wife's side of the bed empty and cold.
"Lorelai?" He called quietly through the house.
"I'm in the kitchen," she called back softly. He found her there pacing the floor with both hands rubbing her large belly.
"Honey, what are you doing up so early?"
"I'm having contractions," she said sheepishly, worried he'd be upset that she hadn't woken him up.
"Contractions? Real ones?" He asked, his voice rising a little in pitch.
"Yeah," she said, breaking her normal pacing route and walking over to where he was standing in mild shock.
"It's still really early, but I think it's time," she smiled and kissed his lips.
"It's time," he said a little bit dazedly.
"Really early though. They're still really far apart, I'm just so uncomfortable I couldn't lay down anymore. I need to walk," she said and even as she stood there before him, she was shifting her weight from foot to foot, moving her hips in a fluid motion.
"Are- are you okay? What can I do?"
"I'm fine, sweets, I just need to walk. Do you want to go get everything settled with the diner and find someone to cover for you? I can manage here for a while but I'll need you later."
"Are you sure? I could try to call Caesar or Lane now and get them to handle the morning stuff," he asked.
"No, no, give them a good warning that they'll have to come in today. You go and handle that stuff, I'll be fine here. I'll call you if I need you, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go grab a shower," he said and kissed her forehead before leaving the kitchen.
She set back to her pacing of the house and whiled away her morning that way.
When he came back at around 7:30 am he found her leaning against the back of the couch with the palms of her hands, swaying her hips back and forth to the music that was playing throughout the house. He slowly walked over to her and put his hand on her back.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Contraction?"
"Mhm," she hummed and kept up her swaying. He kept his hand on her back and gently rubbed up and down it. After a few more seconds she took her hands from the couch and turned to face him with a small smile on her face.
"We're gettin' closer. They're like 15 minutes apart now. Still not too bad. Still have to move," she said. She pecked him on the lips and walked past him back toward the kitchen.
She paced for hours. She stopped for most contractions now, but she could still walk through the occasional one. She always had to move. If she sat still she felt like her skin was crawling and her back would become too uncomfortable to manage.
Around 9:30 Luke suggested they take a walk through town and Lorelai thought that was a nice idea. "I don't wanna wear a track in the floor," she said and moved to the front door. They walked through the streets of Stars Hollow hand in hand for another hour. When Lorelai needed to, she would gently stop Luke and lean against him while he would reach around to massage her back.
When they started back towards their house, Lorelai's contractions were about 8 minutes apart. "Moving along pretty well. We should probably get ready when we get home. Since the hospital is 30 minutes away, I'd like to leave a little early rather than too late. We can walk around the hospital halls or something if we're still too early," Lorelai said.
"Whatever you want," Luke said placatingly. She was being calm, he was feeling relatively calm, and he didn't want to do anything to mess that up.
They got home and took a shower together because Lorelai didn't want to be alone anymore when she had contractions. They took turns under the water, but he let her have it most of the time. She leaned against him when she had a contraction in the shower and he rubbed her back like he'd been doing all morning.
The car ride to the hospital was awful. Luke barely held it together as he watched his wife struggle in the front seat of her Jeep. As he drove he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she floundered through each contraction. The contractions were moving into 6 or 7 minutes apart now, and sitting still was torture. She needed desperately to move around, so she tried. She wiggled and fidgeted in her seat until Luke had finally had enough. "Here," he said, pulling over to the side of the road. "Get in the back seat, you'll have more room and you can hold on to the back of the front seat, okay?"
"Please," she said in sort of a gasp and he got out and went around to her side to help her. He got her out of the Jeep and she collapsed into him, moving her hips, clinging to his shoulders desperately.
"Oh, god Luke, I can't stand being in the car," she whined into his neck.
"I know, sweetheart but we have to get you to the hospital and we've only got about 15 minutes left to go," he said and he kissed the side of her face. "We're almost there."
"Okay, it's over. Help me in the back?"
"Sure, here," he said as he pulled the passenger seat down to let her into the back. He gave her a boost as she squeezed into the back seat and then put the seat back where it belonged. "You good?" He asked and when she nodded he shut the door and got back behind the wheel. She was trying to be good. She was absolutely miserable. She felt like her skin was crawling and the discomfort in her back, hips, legs, and belly was growing by the contraction. As they were taking the exit that led to the hospital, a contraction hit her that made her forget all other contractions. It was sudden and merciless. She cried out and buried her face into the headrest of the front seat, pulling herself slightly off of her own seat as she held fast to the front seat. Luke carefully reached back and put a hand on her arm to try to comfort her, if only a little. He also pressed the gas peddle just a little harder as the hospital came into view.
The contraction ended as he parked the Jeep and practically flew out and around to her side to help her out. She once again flung herself on him and hung from his shoulders. He kissed her cheek and forehead and the top of her head over and over and rubbed her back. He was so glad he could touch her now instead of just watching and listening to her pain. "Hey, you okay? Wanna go inside?" He asked against her ear. She nodded and he grabbed their stuff out of the back, took her hand, and led her towards the entrance.
While Luke filled out paperwork to get her checked in with his right hand, he held his wife to him with his left. She hung around his neck and swayed while she breathed through another contraction. It was so much easier to deal with when she was standing and moving. She just felt so tired.
They got her checked in and given a room. It was apparently a slow day for the maternity ward in Hartford that day. She walked for hours. She walked in her room, she walked the halls, she just had to walk. She only stopped walking for contractions now. She couldn't walk through those, but she still had to move. At around 3 in the afternoon her doctor came in to check on her. The contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart now so she decided to just pace in her room now. "Alright, Lorelei, it's that time again. Hop up on the bed for me please," she said cheerfully but carefully, knowing how Lorelei felt about laying down. She had just finished a contraction, so it was as good a time as any for a checkup. Luke slowly helped her over to the bed and lifted her on. "Alright, 8 centimeters. You're almost there, honey. I'd say about an hour or so you'll be ready with the way you've been going," Lorelei breathed a sigh of relief and started to get off the bed.
The doctor watched her for a moment. Noticing how worn out she looked and how slowly she was moving. "Lorelei I want you to stop walking until it's time to push," the doctor said. Lorelei looked panicked immediately. "Its Okay, you're going to be okay. I can help you," she said gently, putting a hand on Lorelei's arm. "I want you to kneel over a ball, that way you can still move, but I need you to save some of your strength for pushing. You're getting too tired on me. If you absolutely HAVE to, you can stand and lean on Luke, but no more walking," she said sternly but gently. "I'm going to go get a ball for you, and I'll be back to try to help you manage the pain, okay?" She said and Lorelei nodded tentatively.
The doctor left and Lorelei buried her face in Luke's neck as another contraction took over. She rocked and swayed against him and began to cry. "Sweetheart..." Luke began, feeling a lump form in his throat as he felt his wife sob in pain against his skin. "I'm here, Lorelei. I'm going to get you through this, you're gonna be okay. Everything's going to be okay," he said as he rocked with her, stroking her back and arms and hips, trying to sooth her any way he could.
He hated this. He wished she would get the epidural but she was too afraid the need to move wouldn't go away with the pain and then she wouldn't be able to. He understood that. She could barely sit on the bed for a minute.
The doctor came back in with the ball a few minutes later and put it in the corner of the room, beckoning Luke to bring Lorelei over. He waited for the current contraction to pass, then slowly moved her over to the ball and helped her kneel in front of it. She draped herself over the ball and immediately started to move her hips around. "Good. Now, Lorelei, do you want Luke to massage your back or would you like me to do that so he can be closer to you're head and hold your hands?" "I want Luke with me," she said. It was the first time she'd spoken in over an hour and her voice was rough and tired.
He immediately obliged and moved to be in front of her. He sat with his legs crisscross and put his head close to hers, hands on her arms that were spread over the ball's surface.
"Alright. I'm here with you now, Lorelei. I don't have any other patients, and I want to make you as comfortable as possible. Luke and I are here for you. Just for you. Focus on your breathing and moving your hips. Tell me if I can massage a certain spot or anything that would help you more," the doctor spoke calmly and soothingly and Luke was grateful for her. He felt like a total fish out of water and it had only gotten worse since Lorelei stopped talking. It was like she was becoming less of herself because of the pain. Now he felt like the doctor could help Lorelei so he could just be her support. He could just hold her and tell her it was all going to be okay.
Suddenly Lorelei cried out for the first time since being in the car earlier that day. It was a short, sharp sound that made the hair on Luke's arms stand up. He took her hands and put his mouth next to her ear. "Hey hey hey, baby, it's gonna be okay, just breathe. Breathe with me, sweetheart," he took deep slow breaths and she started to follow his lead, clinging to his hands and pulling him closer.
She, too, felt like a fish out of water. She felt like she could do nothing but move her hips and squeeze his hands and try so hard to breathe. She just wanted him closer. She wanted to just curl into his chest and disappear. She tried to focus on that. On him. He smelled so good and his flannel was soft from being worn for so many years. His face was stubbly which she'd gotten so used to. It was so familiar. His hands were warm and big in hers. They held her almost as tightly as hers held him. He had so much tension in his frame. She could feel it in his jaw against her face, in his shoulder, resting slightly against hers. She could hear it in his voice. He was hurting too.
She looked at him then. Her eyes watering and pleading. Her mouth open as she breathed heavily. Their eyes met and they each saw the deep exhaustion in each other's faces. Saw the pain in each other's features. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, keeping their eye contact as they breathed together. "Luke," she sobbed out and tried to pull him closer to her by his hands. The contraction was ending and she put her head down on her arms. The contractions were so long now.
"What do you need, Lorelai?" He asked getting as close to her as he could with the ball between them. "You," she said and looked back up at him. "Okay, okay, hang on," he pulled her arms up a little to guide her off the ball so he could move it, then he moved closer to her and pulled her to him. She sighed gratefully and nestled into the crook of his neck. He sat on his knees and she on hers, leaning her whole upper body into his.
She continued to sway her hips, more violently so when she would have a contraction. She would also hold Luke so tightly it was hard to breathe, but he just held her back. He couldn't care less, he just needed to take care of this woman in front of him, giving her entire body to have their baby.
Soon Lorelei got louder. She panted harder and held him tighter. "Lorelei, this is transition. You're almost there, okay? This is the worst part but you're almost there," the doctor said from her place at Lorelei's back. She'd not said a word since giving Lorelei the ball, because she hadn't needed to. Luke was making sure she was breathing well, and they had managed to find a good position for Lorelei. She was just sitting and putting counter pressure on Lorelei's hips or massaging the muscles at the base of her spine, occasionally checking Lorelai's progress.
"You're amazing, Lorelai Victoria Danes. The most amazing person I've ever known, and you're doing so incredibly well. I'm so proud of you, baby. You can do this, you can do it," he kissed the side of her face and brushed her hair back. He'd put it up for her a few hours back, but she always had flyaways.
Only a few minutes, but what felt like hours later, the doctor checked again and said "Okay, Lorelai, you can start with some gentle pushing if you want to, and then tell me when you really feel the urge, Okay?" Lorelai nodded. "Are you good with this position for pushing?" She nodded again.
The contractions were stacked on top of each other. There was no break at all. She felt like if she didn't have Luke breathing with her she wouldn't be able to breathe at all. She felt like she had no strength of her own left, she was just using his. His strong arms held her up as she sagged under the weight of the pain. His voice softened to speak strong words into her ears. His amazing hands touched her so gently, reminding her how much he loved her. He was her rock and she was one hundred percent sure she wouldn't have made it this far without him. She'd probably have asked for a c section if she'd been by herself this time like she had been with Rory.
Rory. This was so much worse than it had been with Rory. She was so young then. Her body wasn't dealing with it as well this time.
Another contraction came and she started to push just a little. She didn't really have to yet, but she really wanted to be done. She just wanted to hold her son in her arms. Watch Luke hold their baby boy.
An unknown amount of time went by and Lorelai started vaguely recognizing that there were more people in the room now. Nurses. There was a slight buzz in the air. Now she had to push. She groaned into Luke's shoulder and said "gotta push." Her voice felt raw from panting and disuse. She hadn't spoken more than a few words in hours. She felt Luke tense more. She hadn't thought that was possible. "Relax," she whispered and then lifted her head to look into his face. "You're so tense. It's almost over," she said and gave him a little smile. "I'll relax when you can relax," he said and kissed her on the lips.
She groaned again and put her head back down. "I really gotta push," she said a little louder. "Wait for the contraction, Lorelai. You're doing really really well. It should only take a few good pushes." She waited. She waited for the contraction so she could finally push.
They'd spread back out more. She knew this was her body's way of giving her a break between pushes, which was great for later, but for now she felt an overwhelming urge to push but she couldn't. Not yet. She groaned louder and then cried out a little bit. She knew she sounded pathetic but she didn't really care. She just felt the way Luke tightened his hold on her, and breathed him in.
Finally, a contraction. She took a deep breath and pushed. No more sound. She wasn't going to cry. She was just going to push. She pushed hard. She put her head all the way down so the top of it was against Luke's chest. She pushed until she had to breathe and then she pushed again. Then the contraction ended and she could finally appreciate the longer breaks.
She panted and put her head back up by Luke's, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. His breath was heaving. She looked up at him. He was crying. Tears were silently falling down his face as he looked at her and smiled. "We're almost there, baby. I love you so much," he said and she could feel his excitement. It made her excited too. She was in so much pain, but she was about to meet her baby. It had been 24 years since she'd done this last but she remembered the exact moment, the exact feeling of having Rory handed to her in the seconds after she'd been born. She couldn't wait.
Another contraction, another push. Halfway through the doctor told her to stop. She did. It was awful. It made her cry out again. "I have to push, please," she said desperately. "Just hang on, Lorelai, the baby is crowning and I don't want you to tear. Just hang in there and let the contraction do the work, relax as much as you can."
Lorelai sobbed into Luke. She couldn't help it. It was literally taking every ounce of her concentration and will power to not push, she couldn't spare any to stop herself from sobbing. He just held her, stroked her hair, told her how well she was doing and how much he loved her. The pain got worse. She could feel the baby's head coming out so slowly. She gave just the tiniest push she could manage and it felt so much better.
The contraction ended again, but the urge to push did not. She didn't push though. She knew she shouldn't while there wasn't a contraction. She just breathed and sobbed and focused. Finally, another contraction and another tiny tiny push and she felt the head come out all the way. A yelp tore unbidden from her throat as it did, and she heard Luke say something. She didn't know what, but he was kissing every part of her face he could reach. "I see him, Lorelei, his head is out, he's perfect." She reached down and felt him. She felt his tiny little features and his ears and his hair. She sobbed harder and waited for the next contraction so she could finish the job.
"Alright, Lorelei, next one push with all you got. I'll be surprised if it takes more than one to get him out." She breathed deeply. She could do this. She wanted her baby so badly. The contraction came, and she felt Luke's entire body tighten even more along with hers. She screamed into his neck as one shoulder came loose, and then the other, and then it was over.
She sagged completely against her husband and breathed more deeply than she had in months. She turned herself and sat down in front of Luke in one motion and leaned her back against his chest. The doctor instantly put the baby on her chest and she and Luke stared at him and cried. She craned her neck back to look at her husband and they smiled and kissed and looked back at their son. He was perfect. He looked so much like Luke already. She hadn't been so happy in 24 years.