Just a reminder for this chapter: Juliet may have gone to medical school, but I didn't, so suspend your disbelief with any errors I make lol :)

Rory emerged from her bedroom about ten minutes later, clad in her pink fluffy bathrobe and carrying her neatly folded Mr. Peanut pajamas. She'd taken her hair out of its ornate style, and it hung loose and wavy around her shoulders, still crunchy with hairspray. She looked between them nervously, searching her mother's face intently.

Juliet nudged her sister, and Lorelai cleared her throat awkwardly. "You want coffee, hon, or are you gonna sleep for a bit?"

Rory played with a button on the pajamas she held, offering them a small smile. "Coffee sounds good."

"Okay," Lorelai said with a nod, standing up and squeezing Juliet's hand before releasing it. She approached her daughter and placed her hands on her shoulders, brushing a kiss to her hair. She made a face, sticking her tongue out. "Blegh. Hairspray."

Rory huffed a short laugh, her eyes shiny with relieved tears. Lorelai gave her shoulders a quick pat. "Go get cleaned up. Coffee'll be ready when you're out."

Lorelai grabbed the coffee pot, walking to the sink and filling it with water. "You want tea, Jules?"

"Yeah," Juliet said, standing up and grabbing the teakettle from the stove. She walked to the sink, coming up behind Lorelai and placing a hand on her back. "It's gonna be okay."

Lorelai glanced over her shoulder with a grim smile, moving to the side so Juliet could fill the kettle. She exhaled shakily. "How do we wanna do this? Good cop, bad cop? Danny Tanner style?"

"Does that make me Uncle Jesse?" Juliet asked with a laugh.

"No, they were in-laws," Lorelai said, walking to the other counter and pouring water into the coffee maker. She grimaced, looking over her shoulder with a self-deprecating laugh. "I hate that I know that."

Juliet turned off the tap and followed her to the stove. "Let's just let her tell us what happened, and then we'll go from there."

"Thank God I gave birth to Abe Lincoln," Lorelai snorted as the coffee maker bubbled to life, watching the brown liquid drip into the pot. "I don't know what I'd do if she lied to us as much as we did to Mom and Dad."

Juliet nudged her with her hip. "Give yourself some credit. Rory wouldn't be that honest if telling you the truth didn't feel safe."

Lorelai rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "I guess that means I have to keep that going, huh?"

Juliet laughed, and Lorelai sobered, putting a hand on her arm, forcing Juliet to make eye contact with her. "You've gotta help me out, though. If it looks like I'm about to pull a Freaky Friday with Mom or something, you have to let me know. Slap me, or scream, or pull my hair, whatever you have to do."

Juliet nodded, pulling three mugs from the cabinet. She turned to Lorelai with a smirk. "I'll slap you now, if you want."

"Wow. What a good sister," Lorelai deadpanned, tugging on Juliet's braid.

Just as the kettle began to whistle, Rory came out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her hair in a towel turban.

"Hey, just in time!" Lorelai said with a big fake smile, pouring coffee into two mugs. She handed Rory the Olive Oyl mug, taking the Flintstones one for herself. "Here."

The three of them sat at the table in silence for a moment, sipping from their mugs. Lorelai and Juliet's chairs were still pushed together, making Rory look isolated and desolate. Juliet scooted slightly closer to Rory so that she sat halfway between her sister and niece.

Finally, Lorelai sighed, placing her mug on the table with a dull thud but keeping her hands wrapped around it. "Okay, Lucy. You've got some 'splainin' to do."

"We were walking around town, and we saw Miss Patty's was unlocked, so we went inside, and then we started reading a book, and then the next thing I know it's 5:30 and Miss Patty's early morning yoga class is staring down at us!" Rory rambled, her brow creasing. "It was an accident, I promise!"

"Honey. Calm down," Lorelai said, reaching for Rory's hand. "We believe you. Even if I didn't trust you wholeheartedly, your books are boring enough to put anyone to sleep, even in broad daylight."

Rory smiled, rolling her eyes. Lorelai took a breath, hesitated, then nudged Juliet lightly with her foot.

Juliet took the hint, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she turned to Rory. "Um, did anything happen? You know, um, before the falling asleep part?"

Rory's head jerked up, her eyes wide. "No! God! Me and Dean aren't – I don't want to –"

"We're not accusing you of anything, sweets. We just know – and you've known since you could subtract your age from mine," Lorelai said with a dry chuckle. "That kids have sex in high school. And our parents tried the whole 'abstinence, leave room for Jesus' version of sex-ed, which didn't work for either of us."

Rory looked at her aunt, surprised. "You had sex in high school? When?"

"I was fifteen. Sophomore year," Juliet said with an awkward shrug, while Lorelai gave her an apologetic smile for spilling the beans. Anxious to change the subject, she turned back to Rory, spreading her hands. "Look, we just want to make sure you're being safe."

"Well, don't worry," Rory said adamantly, shaking her head. "I'm not interested in sleeping with anyone for a long time."

Lorelai's shoulders dropped in relief. "Okay, well, good. Just let us know when you're starting to, you know, be interested, so that we can make sure you're covered and everything."

"I will," Rory promised, nodding.

Tuesday afternoon, the sisters forewent their usual coffee date in favor of Christmas shopping at the mall. They started at Bloomingdale's, then Macy's, and took a soft pretzel break before heading to Nordstrom.

"Okay, there's absolutely no reason for a scarf to be three hundred dollars," Juliet said, showing the price tag to Lorelai with a look of disgust. "Let's just go to Nordstrom Rack."

Lorelai snorted. "You think Emily Gilmore won't notice if you buy her Christmas present from Nordstrom Rack? It'll be like that Seinfeld episode where George gives Elaine the sweater with the red dot. Except instead of twenty-two minutes, she'll give you crap about it for the rest of your life."

Juliet sighed, putting the scarf back as she searched for something more reasonably priced. "I know."

Lorelai followed her, raising her chin with mock haughtiness. "Really, Juliet, Nordstrom Rack? I mean, if it's truly too much of a burden to buy your own mother a nice gift, you might as well buy flip-flops from Walmart!"

Juliet fought a smile at her sister's spot-on impression of their mother.

"No, no, that's fine. Never mind that I bought you something outrageously expensive that you have no need for and will never use, just buy whatever's convenient for you," Lorelai continued, pursing her lips.

"Oh hey, before I forget, what are you wearing to Christmas dinner?" Juliet asked, sifting through a rack of silk button-ups for Emily's size. "I was thinking of this green velvet dress, but I'm worried it's too boob-y."

"Well, you're welcome to anything in my closet, it's not like I'll be there," Lorelai offered with a bitter chuckle.

Juliet's hand stilled on a hanger. "What? Why?"

Lorelai shrugged, avoiding her sister's eyes. "Mom uninvited me to dinner."

Juliet turned away from the blouses, suddenly disgusted by the idea of buying her mother a present at all. "Are you kidding?"

"She's still mad about last week, I guess," Lorelai said thickly, blinking back tears.

Juliet snorted, rolling her eyes. "That's such bull. She was so awful to you, and all you did was stand up for yourself."

"Well, talking back is a hanging offense in Emily-land, you know that," Lorelai said with a huff. "Even if you're thirty-two years old and in your own house."

Juliet scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest in disbelief. "But, God, I yelled at her too, why am I not uninvited?"

"Well, I'm the only one who had the gall to inform her that I wouldn't be there in time for cocktails, you know, since I work, so she informed me I might as well not come at all," Lorelai said with a sniffle. "And I'm sure she doesn't want to miss out on showing off the daughter who didn't get pregnant and throw her life away."

"Aw, Lor," Juliet said with a sympathetic frown, rubbing her sister's arm gently.

"I'm fine, really," Lorelai assured her with a watery laugh and wave of her hand. "I mean, I wasn't super jazzed about seeing her anyway. I'm just bummed I'll miss out on the apple tarts."

"I'll save you some," Juliet promised, giving Lorelai's arm a squeeze.

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked, her frown lifting slightly.

Juliet shrugged. "Of course. No biggie."

"No biggie? Saving me and my true love from another long year of separation? That's a pretty big deal to me," Lorelai quipped, looping her arm through Juliet's and leading her toward the automatic doors.

Juliet smirked. "Well, good, then you'll let me borrow that sparkly black dress on Friday."

"You drive a hard bargain, but I guess I can spare it for one night," Lorelai said with exaggerated magnanimity. "So, who else are we shopping for?"

"Dad, Rory, Gerry from work," at Lorelai's confused look, Juliet clarified, "Secret Santa. I'll probably just get him a gift card or something. Maybe a pack of his own pens so he stops taking mine."

"Oh, crap, that reminds me," Lorelai said with a grimace. "I got Michel for Secret Santa this year, so now I have to get him two presents. We should go to Barnes and Noble and see what their Celine Dion selection's like."

"Good idea. I was gonna get Rory a book anyway," Juliet nodded. She hesitated, biting her lip. "Um, have you ever gotten a guy a Christmas present?"

"Me? Queen of the two-month dance?" Lorelai chortled, pointing to herself. "No, never."

Juliet shot her sister a quelling look. "You don't do a two-month dance."

"No? Sookie says I cha-cha," Lorelai said, demonstrating with an awkward little shimmy, pulling Juliet to the side by their linked arms. When Juliet opened her mouth to respond, Lorelai held up a hand. "Uh-uh. That wasn't an invitation to psychoanalyze me, Doctor Freud."

Juliet mimed zipping her lips shut with a smirk.

Lorelai pulled her a little closer, a teasing smile on her face. "So, you and the boyfriend are giving each other Christmas presents, huh? Isn't it kind of soon?"

"Yeah, it's weird, because I still don't know him that well, but it's not like we just started dating, you know?" Juliet asked, running her hand over a collectible edition of Wuthering Heights. "But we talked about it, and he suggested that we give each other a book we like, and then the other has to read it. He thinks it'll help us get to know each other better."

"Aw, Jules, that might be the corniest thing I've ever heard," Lorelai gushed, sticking her bottom lip out.

Juliet ducked her head, feeling her cheeks burn. "Shut up. It was his idea."

Lorelai wrapped an arm around her sister, giving her a squeeze. "Seriously, I think I'm getting a cavity."

"Well, floss, because now I have to buy a book for an English lit teacher," Juliet said with a worried frown. "I doubt I've read anything he hasn't already."

"You know what you should do?" Lorelai suggested with a snicker, grabbing a copy of Romeo and Juliet from a nearby shelf. "You should get him Romeo and Juliet, and then every time it says Romeo, cross it out and put Max!"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause that's normal."

Lorelai sobered, putting the book back. "Jules, seriously, just get a book you like. Don't worry about not looking smart enough, because I doubt he could make sense of a medical journal. Get him one of your Dr. Phil books if you want to give him something he's never read."

Juliet wrinkled her nose. "Maybe."

"And, coming from the mother of a lit nerd, those freaks live for reading the same books over and over," Lorelai said, squeezing her shoulder. "Don't put too much pressure on it."

Juliet nodded, looking around the classics section again before her eyes landed on a paperback copy of Little Women. She pulled the book from the shelf and opened the cover, scanning the familiar words that Lorelai had read to her countless times throughout their childhood, the words that had kept her company when the March sisters were the only sisters she'd had in her house. She closed the book, wrapping an arm around it like an old friend.

She looked up at Lorelai, who was watching her with a small smile of remembrance. "Good choice."

"Wow, look at you, Nicole Kidman," Lorelai said with a broad smile as she came into her bedroom, handing her sister a pair of silver dangly earrings.

Juliet ran a hand over the sequined fabric covering her stomach. "Are you sure it's not too tight?"

Lorelai sighed, rolling her eyes. "For the thousandth time, it fits great. You look perfect, Jules."

When Juliet frowned at her reflection again, Lorelai grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to turn away from the mirror. She fastened a bracelet to her sister's wrist, patting her shoulders when she was finished.

"There. All done. Want lip gloss?" Lorelai offered, rummaging in her makeup bag until she found the tube she was looking for. "It's Dr. Pepper flavored! Get it? Cause you're a doctor?"

Juliet rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I get it."

"Auntie Jules, we've gotta go!" Rory called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming!" Juliet called back. She smiled at Lorelai, smoothing her hands over the dress one more time. "Thanks for letting me borrow this."

Lorelai pecked a quick kiss to her cheek. "Thanks for the tarts."

They headed downstairs, Lorelai bounding down the steps two at a time while Juliet followed at a more subdued pace. Rory tapped her foot impatiently as she watched their descent, giving her mother's jeans and t-shirt a look of disapproval. "Are you sure you're not coming?"

"I'm not invited, remember?" Lorelai said as Rory handed her a necklace.

"Come on, Mom," Rory sighed, sweeping her hair away from her neck so her mother could fasten the necklace clasp. "I don't think she meant it."

Lorelai chuckled bitterly. "Oh, she meant it."

"Well, maybe she thinks she meant it at the time, but I bet she won't mean it later when we show up there without you."

Juliet smiled sadly as she shrugged into her coat. "Rory, your grandmother is a grown woman, and if she changed her mind about wanting your mom there tonight, she could've communicated that like an adult. But since she hasn't, we're gonna take her at her word, okay?"

Rory blew out a breath, buttoning her coat. "Okay."

Lorelai patted her daughter's shoulders and handed her two wrapped packages from the coffee table. "Don't wanna forget these."

"Thanks," Rory said, juggling the presents as she passed Juliet's keys off to her aunt.

"We'll be home before eleven," Juliet called over her shoulder, wincing when she opened the door and a jet of cold air hit her exposed face and neck.

"Drive safe," Lorelai called back, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. "And don't forget about the –"

Juliet waved her hand to show she'd heard. "Tarts, I know."

Juliet took a deep breath as she stood in front of her parents' door, for a moment envying that Lorelai wouldn't have to face Emily until the elder Gilmores got back from The Bahamas in a few weeks. Beside her, Rory had gone pale, and was playing with the ribbon on her present nervously.

Juliet nudged her gently. "You okay?"

Rory worried her lip between her teeth. "Is Grandma mad at me too?"

There was no point in lying to her, was there? Juliet wrapped an arm around her niece, squeezing gently. "Probably a little. But don't worry, there's people over, so she won't yell at you or anything."

"I wish she would," Rory mumbled. "The fake passive-aggressive act is so much worse."

Not knowing what to say to that, Juliet gave her one more squeeze, before reaching out and ringing the doorbell. To her surprise, Emily answered instead of one of the extra maids she'd likely hired for the party.

"Hi, Mom," Juliet said with a nervous smile.

"Juliet, hello," Emily gave her youngest a nod and a pinched smile, which warmed considerably when she turned to her granddaughter. "Rory! You look lovely. Both of you, come in, it's cold outside."

"Oh. Here," Juliet remembered, holding out the wrapped package she carried as Emily shut the door behind them.

Emily accepted the present with a small nod. "Thank you."

"And this is from me and Mom," Rory said, handing Emily the other present.

Emily's mouth tightened at the mention of Lorelai, but she gave her granddaughter a too-bright smile. "Well, aren't you thoughtful? I'll just put it under the tree."

"You know, Mom actually picked it out," Rory said as she and Juliet followed her to a tree whose decorations wouldn't be out of place at the Plaza Hotel.

Emily acted as though she hadn't spoken. "Oh, Juliet, Lynnie Bates is here with her parents," Emily informed her daughter with a glance over her shoulder. "Rory, have you met Lynnie? Her mother and I were roommates in college."

"Weren't you guys roommates too?" Rory asked her aunt with a frown. "I remember meeting her when you were at Yale."

"Yep," Juliet confirmed with a nod. Turning to her mother, she asked, "Did I know she was coming?"

"She was a last-minute addition," Emily said evasively, ushering them both into the living room. "Lynnie, look who's here."

Lynnie turned away from her parents, her face breaking into a grin when Juliet waved at her. "Juliet, hey! I was thinking you'd turned into a disembodied voice on the phone!"

The two women hugged tightly, then pulled away after a moment, their hands still on each others' arms. Juliet grabbed Rory's sleeve, pulling her forward slightly. "Um, you remember my niece, right?"

Rory waved shyly. "Hi. It's been a while."

Lynnie nodded, blowing out a breath at the visible passage of time. "Yeah, God, you were what, seven, eight, last time I saw you?"

"Eight, I think," Juliet remembered, glancing over at Rory with a fond smile. "At graduation."

"Yeah, that sounds right," Rory said, smiling awkwardly. "So, what do you do now? Are you a psychiatrist, too?"

Lynnie shook her head, taking a sip from her drink. "Psychotherapist. It's what you think of when you hear the word 'shrink', except none of my clients lay down on couches when they talk to me."

"Cool," Rory nodded again, her eyes darting repeatedly to where Emily stood talking with Richard and one of his colleagues. "Um, I need to ask my grandma something, excuse me."

Juliet squeezed her niece's elbow as she brushed by them, offering an encouraging smile, which Rory returned weakly as she approached Emily.

Lynnie's astute gaze flicked between the three of them, turning to Juliet with a frown. "Everything okay?"

"My mom's mad at my sister and me, and Rory thinks it's her fault."

Lynnie hummed in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

Juliet shrugged with a sad smile. "It is what it is."

"Is that why Lorelai's not here?" At Juliet's nod, Lynnie squeezed her arm gently. "I'm sorry."

Juliet smiled gratefully, then blew out a breath. "What about you, how are you? I feel like the only time I talk to you is when I send patients to your office."

"I'm good! Work's good, I like all my clients," Lynnie said with a bright smile. "I feel like I'm actually getting to know them now, you know?"

"That's great, I'm really happy for you," Juliet said, feeling her shoulders relax. "Hey, did you see the apple tarts? I want to wrap up a couple for Lorelai."

"Let's find them, I want one too," Lynnie said, looping her arm through Juliet's. "Oh, hey, did you read that Psychology Today article about dreams?"

Juliet always marveled at how differently her mother behaved when she had company over. She was teasing, her smile was easy. Lorelai had always joked when they were that if Hostess Emily could be their mother, they would never fight. Hostess Emily's one flaw, however, was that she didn't seem to notice the faint sheen of sweat on her husband's face.

Juliet leaned closer to her father. "Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Juliet," Richard whispered, loosening his bow tie. "It's just unbearably hot in here."

"Richard, don't loosen your tie at the table," Emily called from the other end of the table.

Juliet shot her mother a glare, before going back to picking at her food, her eyes continuously flitting over to her father's pale face.

"Juliet?" Juliet turned at the sound of her mother's voice, the exasperated look on her face suggesting she'd repeated her name more than once.

Juliet forced a smile. "Sorry, what?"

"I was just telling everyone how excited we all are for your residency to be finished," Emily said, her voice syrupy. "I know it's in May, but I couldn't remember when."

Juliet nodded, chewing on her lip as she tried to remember. "May tenth, I think."

"Is there going to be a graduation ceremony?" Lynnie's mother asked, putting her wine glass down with a smile.

Juliet shook her head with an awkward smile, feeling her cheeks heat up at all the attention on her. "I don't think so."

"Must be convenient," Richard's colleague Alan commented with a smile at Emily. "Having a doctor in the family."

"Oh yes, we're all very proud of our Juliet," Emily boasted with a winning smile. "She's our very own Elizabeth Blackwell!"

Juliet resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the exaggerated pride in Emily's voice as she turned back to her father, who was still pulling at his tie. "Do you want some water, Dad?"

"I am fine," Richard insisted, standing up. "But I'm going to lower the thermostat."

Juliet stood up too, her brow creased in concern. "I can do that."

"I am fine, Juliet," Richard said again, putting an indignant hand out to stop her. "Sit back down."

Juliet obeyed, reluctantly listening to the conversation, which had shifted over to Lorelai's absence.

"She has a touch of the flu," Emily lied. "Richard, forget the thermostat!"

Lynnie caught Juliet's eye with a smirk. "I thought you said she was working?"

Emily hesitated, caught. "Well, she was supposed to work, but then she caught the flu, so one way or another she couldn't have made it."

"Tell her we missed her," Lynnie's mother told Rory.

Rory smiled at her. "I will."

"Richard! For heaven's sake," Emily grumbled, standing up to find what was taking her husband so long. "Richard!"

Juliet continued to move the peas around on her plate, squeezing Rory's hand under the table briefly, before her mother called shrilly from the kitchen, "Juliet! Come here right now!"

As soon as she heard the panicked hysteria in her mother's voice, Juliet knew. She pushed her chair back without pause, her napkin falling unceremoniously to the carpet as she half-ran to the kitchen.

"Mom? What – oh my God," her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she saw her father, the formidable bear of a man he was, lying prone on the floor. After a moment of frozen panic, she kneeled on the floor, nudging Emily aside as she felt for a pulse.

Emily moved behind her youngest, gripping her arm tightly, her nails digging into her bare skin. "Do something, Juliet! Isn't this why we paid a fortune for you to go to medical school?"

Juliet ignored the insult, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt a fluttering beneath her fingers. "He's still got a pulse. Did he eat anything unusual today?"

"No – I don't think – no," Emily shook her head, close to tears.

Sensing her mother was too distressed to be of any real help, she pointed at one of the horrified members of the event staff Emily hired. "You. Call 911."

Emily hovered over her daughter's shoulder as she took Richard's pulse, occasionally leaning forward to pat his cheeks. Juliet looked up at her, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Mom. Go grab me the first aid kit."

"What good will that do?" Emily cried, her voice breaking. "It's not as though he needs a band-aid!"

"I need to take his blood pressure," Juliet said as she scrawled Richard's bpm on her arm. And it'll get you out of my way even if there's no cuff in there.

"What's going on? Is Grandpa okay?" Rory asked in a small voice as she came into the kitchen, paling at the sight of her grandfather unconscious on the floor.

Juliet ached to go comfort her niece, but as the only person there with any medical expertise, she needed to stay on the floor with her father. Oh, God, she wished Lorelai was there, at the very least to get Emily and Rory out of the room.

She turned to Rory with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "The ambulance is on its way. Go call your mom, okay?"

Rory nodded silently, scurrying out of the kitchen as she avoided looking at her grandfather. Emily rushed back over with a large first-aid kit, handing it to Juliet already opened. For the first time, Juliet was glad for her mother's tendency to buy the most expensive version of everything as she pulled a blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter from the plastic box.

Just as she finished writing the last number on her forearm, a team of paramedics pushed open the kitchen door, wheeling a stretcher. Juliet offered them a small wave, recognizing them from work. She stood up, quickly giving them the information she'd gathered, and answering the medical history questions they asked to the best of her ability. She glanced over at Emily, who was watching anxiously as the paramedics lifted her husband onto the gurney.

"Mom? Mom," Juliet tapped her mother's shoulder insistently. When Emily's head whipped around, her mouth open and ready to insult whoever was diverting her attention away from her husband, Juliet fought to keep her voice even and firm. "They're taking Dad to St. Joe's. Only one person can ride in the ambulance with him, do you want to go, or do you want me to?"

"No. I'll go. He's my husband," Emily said without hesitation, hurrying after the paramedics before the words were fully out of her mouth.

Suddenly bereft of a task, Juliet ran her fingers through her hair, messing up the bobby pins Lorelai had so meticulously arranged just a few hours earlier. She blew out a breath, trying to get her muddled brain to focus on what else needed to be done.

Rory, she remembered, pushing the kitchen door open and walking briskly through the house, hunting for her niece.

Rory stood in the foyer, her coat dangling from her hand, her head bowed as Lynnie spoke softly to her. Juliet sped her pace slightly, forcing a smile as she approached the two of them.

"Hey," she said, placing a hand on Rory's shoulder. "Are you okay? Did you talk to your mom?"

Rory shook her head, her eyes big and shiny with unshed tears. Wordlessly, Juliet pulled her into a hug, rubbing her arms up and down as she pulled away. "We'll call her again when we get there."

Lynnie gently grabbed her elbow, forcing Juliet to face her. "Do you want me to come?"

Juliet shook her head, reaching for her other hand and squeezing her fingers. "That's okay. Thanks, though."

"Of course," Lynnie nodded, releasing her. "Call me when you get home, okay?"

"I will," Juliet promised, pulling her coat on as she walked backward to the front door.

"And if you change your mind. . ."

"I know. Thanks, Lynnie," Juliet said with a small smile as she turned around, wrapping an arm around Rory and leading her through the front door. "Ready to see where Auntie Jules works?"

Juliet and Rory burst through the doors of the Emergency Room, following the sounds of Emily's yelling to the front desk, where a nurse stood, listening with rapidly dwindling patience.

"Mom? Did you hear anything yet?" Juliet asked, slowing her stride as she reached her mother. She offered a smile that was more like a grimace to the nurse who she only knew vaguely from occasional interactions in the cafeteria. "Hi, Pam."

Pam returned her smile tiredly. "Juliet, can you please tell your mother that I need her to fill out these forms?"

Juliet held out her hands for the clipboard and pen shaped like a flower. "I can do that. Thanks."

Emily glared after Pam as she left, whirling on Juliet. "Why won't they tell us anything? It's a hospital, not the CIA!"

Juliet reached out a hand to comfort her mother, but hesitated, letting it hover awkwardly in the air around her shoulder. "They're probably still running tests. I bet we'll find out more when they do."

"I want to see my husband!" Emily insisted petulantly.

"We will," Juliet said distractedly, filling out the forms as best as she could. "But the best thing we can do is stay out of their way so they can do their jobs."

Emily didn't answer, crossing her arms over her chest with a roll of her eyes. Juliet looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, hoping it was Lorelai with her boots and Lasso of Truth. But it was just Dr. Reynolds.

"Joshua!" Emily greeted, her voice dripping with relief as she reached her hands out to him. "Thank God! This place is infuriating!"

"It's alright. I'm here, I'm going to check on him right now," Dr. Reynolds assured her. He glanced past Emily to Juliet. "Oh, good, you're filling out the forms. If you're almost done with those, Juliet, I'd like you to come back with me so we can see what's going on."

"Okay," Juliet nodded as she put the flower pen down. She offered Rory a quick smile, squeezing her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

There was something surreal about seeing your place of work from the other side. Despite knowing exactly how long the lab took with bloodwork, the minutes seemed to stretch out and blur when it was her father's blood being tested. Juliet found herself getting increasingly frustrated with the wishy-washy answers she was getting from various medical professionals, even though she'd given many of the same answers to the families of her patients.

It was strange to know that she'd exchanged pleasantries in the hallway with every person assigned to treat her father, half of whom were jotting down answers to the questions they asked her using pens they had borrowed from her and never returned.

Anywhere between five minutes and an hour after the first time she'd pushed open the double doors, Juliet pushed through them again, plastering on a smile.

"Oh, hey," Luke said, standing up. When Juliet gave him a little wave, he lifted his chin slightly, calling, "Lorelai."

Lorelai turned around, her face breaking into a relieved smile as she crossed to her sister in two steps, wrapping her arms around her. For half a second, Juliet allowed herself to sag into Lorelai's embrace.

Lorelai hooked her chin on Juliet's shoulder. "So what did you find out? How's Dad?"

Juliet straightened her spine, pulling back so she could address their whole group, still keeping her arm around Lorelai. "He's stable. They're still doing some tests, but they don't think it was a heart attack."

Emily's shoulders visibly relaxed, but her eyes remained trained on her youngest's. "When will they bring him to his room?"

"Soon. They're gonna do an angiogram – like, an X-ray for your heart's blood vessels," Juliet explained, gesturing awkwardly at her chest, "and then they'll bring him out."

Emily nodded shakily, standing and smoothing her hands over her skirt. "I'm going to the gift shop to see if they have any slippers."

"I'll come with you," Rory offered, trailing behind her grandmother with a small smile over her shoulder at the three adults.

After they watched Rory and Emily leave, Lorelai led Juliet over to the uncomfortable hallway chairs, plopping down between her little sister and Luke. She nudged Juliet's knee gently. "How are you?"

Juliet blew out a long breath, leaning her head back against the wall. "I wore the wrong shoes for this."

"On the bright side, your calves look great in those heels," Lorelai said, gesturing to the black pumps she'd let her sister borrow for the party.

There was a derisive snort from Lorelai's other side. "Well, that's all that matters, isn't it?"

Juliet leaned forward, giving Luke a bemused smile. "Not that I'm not delighted to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Luke and Lorelai spoke at the same time. "Luke gave me a ride –"

"We weren't on a date."

Juliet's eyes flicked between them with a look of 'you sure?', earning her matching scowls. She just gave them both the kind of smug smile that drives older siblings to fratricide.

Suddenly remembering something, she picked up her purse and began to rummage through it, producing two slightly squashed apple tarts wrapped in a napkin and handing them to Lorelai. "Here."

Lorelai's face melted into a smile. "You got me apple tarts?"

Juliet shrugged. "I said I would."

"I know, but with Dad and everything. . ." Lorelai trailed off, smiling as she broke off a piece. "Thank you. This is even better than a Santa burger."

Juliet frowned in confusion. "What's a Santa burger?"

Lorelai and Luke shared a smile, both ducking their heads and blushing like teenagers when their eye contact lingered a little too long. Juliet forced a smile of her own, feeling a knot form in her stomach at the inside joke that didn't include her.

She stood up, pulling her cell phone from her bag. "I'm gonna call Max real quick. I told him I'd call after the party, and . . ."

"Now he's sitting by the phone eating Ben & Jerry's and wondering why you haven't called yet?" Lorelai teased, smiling up at her as she offered Luke a piece of apple tart, which he waved off with a look of disgust.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Something like that."

She waved to them both, finding a corner where she wouldn't disturb anyone, and dialed, playing with the seam of her dress nervously as she waited.

Max picked up on the second ring. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."

Juliet smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Hey."

"She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel!"

Juliet rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Sorry I didn't call earlier, um –"

"That's fine," Max said, cutting her off. "How was the party?"

"Not that great," Juliet chuckled, biting her lip anxiously. "We had to take my dad to the hospital."

"Well, that certainly explains why you didn't call sooner," Max said with a dry laugh. Faintly, she could hear the sounds of rustling paper over the phone. "Are you alright? Do – uh – do you want me to come over there?"

Juliet shook her head, forgetting he couldn't see her. "No, that's okay. Lorelai's here, and I think they're almost done running tests. I just wanted to let you know what's going on, since um, we're in a . . . relationship."

"Ah, she admits it," he teased, and Juliet huffed out a laugh, blushing. "I'm glad you called. Call me when you get home?"

Juliet rubbed her collarbone, the prominence of the bones comforting beneath her fingers. "It'll probably be late."

"Tomorrow, then. I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."

"Bye," Juliet hung up with an embarrassed laugh. She tucked the stubborn strand of hair behind her ear again as she walked back to where Lorelai and Luke sat.

"Hey, look! It's Juliet," Luke said, pointing to her with exaggerated surprise as she came up to them.

"Hey, look! It's Luke," Juliet returned with a wave, her brow quirking in amusement.

Lorelai touched her shoulder gently, a strained smile on her face. "I was coming to find you. They just brought Dad out. He's in room 202."

"Oh, great, let's go," Juliet said, her heels clicking on the tile as she walked toward the room. When she didn't hear Lorelai's footsteps behind her, she turned around. "You coming?"

Lorelai walked backward, pulling her shirt down nervously. "Go ahead, I'm gonna go get coffee. You guys want tea?"

"I can get that," Luke offered, raising his eyebrows in silent challenge.

Lorelai shook her head rapidly. "No, no, that's okay. I know how I like it."

Luke snorted. "I serve you coffee every day, I think I do too."

"No, no, hospital coffee's different. You have to add a million creams and sugars for it to be anywhere near drinkable," she waved Juliet forward. "Go, Jules, I'll meet you in there."

"Hey, tell your sister she can't avoid going in that room forever," Luke said, leaning forward in his seat to talk to Juliet.

Lorelai tucked her hair behind her ears with an annoyed laugh. "Oh yeah, talk about me like I'm not here, I love it when people do that!"

"You know he's right," Juliet tugged on Lorelai's hand gently, leading her to the room. "Come on, I'll be there the whole time."

Lorelai opened her mouth, her protest dying on her lips as she sent a glare in Luke's direction, slinging an arm around her sister's shoulder as they walked. "So, how's your boy?"

"Only with me for the Shakespeare references," Juliet said with a laugh.

"Well, sure, how's a literature geek gonna resist?" Lorelai quipped, bumping Juliet with her hip. But when they reached the door to room 202, Lorelai's demeanor flipped, and she stopped short, her eyes widening fearfully. Juliet took her hand, squeezing. "Hey. It's gonna be okay."

Lorelai ducked her head, beginning to blink rapidly. "He could've died."

"But he didn't," Juliet reminded her softly.

"But he could've," Lorelai said, looking up with a sniffle, raising her eyebrows with a tiny shrug. "And that would've been it. We wouldn't see him anymore, we wouldn't fix our relationship, it'd be over. We'd be out of time."

"But we're not," Juliet said, wiping a stray tear from her sister's face with her thumb. They wrapped their arms around one another, swaying side to side for a long moment before pulling back. Juliet took a deep breath, pushing the door open with one hand as Lorelai took the other.

". . . just a touch of angina," Dr. Reynolds was saying as they walked in.

"Oh, good," Juliet said, breathing out a sigh of relief as she squeezed Lorelai's hand, who gave their father a shaky smile. "So, everything's okay?"

"Everything's okay, we're just going to keep him overnight for observation," Dr. Reynolds confirmed, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them. "No more red meat, heavy desserts, and you're going to have to exercise regularly."

"Golf doesn't count," Emily added, pointing a finger at her husband.

"Juliet, I'm going to leave these with you so you can answer any questions your parents have while I go order Richard's prescription, " Dr. Reynolds said, handing Juliet a stack of pamphlets and brochures.

Juliet dropped Lorelai's hand to juggle them, giving Dr. Reynolds a smile. "Thanks."

"I'll be in pharmacy if you need anything else," he said, giving them all one last nod. Lorelai stepped aside from the doorway with a tight smile so he could leave.

Hesitantly, Juliet stepped closer to her father's bedside as she skimmed the papers quickly, then addressed both of her parents. "Your best bet for exercise is probably going to be walking, like fifteen, twenty minutes every day, since it won't strain your heart too much."

Rory frowned at her aunt. "I thought you said it wasn't a heart attack?"

"It wasn't. Angina's not as bad as a heart attack, but it's kind of a 'check engine' light for one," Juliet clarified with an uneasy chuckle. "So, try to eat more fish, maybe have the maid use olive oil for cooking instead of butter."

Lorelai caught her eye and mouthed 'bathroom', jerking her thumb out the door as she left the room. Juliet lifted her eyebrows in acknowledgment with a small smile.

"Um, those are kind of the basics," Juliet said, scanning the papers one more time. She looked up at her mother. "Anything specific you need to know?"

Richard cleared his throat, jerking his chin at Rory. "I heard from this young lady that you were quite the white knight earlier. Thank you."

"Oh, it was no big deal," Juliet said, ducking her head with an embarrassed wave of her hand. "I just did what anyone would've done."

"But what only you had the skills to do," Richard countered, his voice hoarse.

Juliet laughed uncomfortably, playing with the charm on her necklace. "I guess."

"It is lucky," Richard said, meeting his younger daughter's eyes. "That we have a doctor in the family."

Juliet pressed her lips together, feeling her eyes well up as she smiled at her father. She nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

"Yes, well," Richard cleared his throat again, his eyes skittering away from Juliet's. "Hand me those. I want to see if any of the foods they recommend are actually worth eating."

"Sure," Juliet nodded with a tight smile, blinking back tears as she handed the papers to her father. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna check on your prescription."

She pulled open the door, pausing mid-stride when she saw Luke and Lorelai with their arms tightly around each other, his hand stroking her hair. Juliet closed the door, wincing at the sound that made them jump apart. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Lorelai gave her a wobbly smile, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. "You're good, Jules. I just needed to get out of there for a second."

"Of course, I get it," Juliet nodded, lingering near the wall, unsure if she should approach her sister while she still had someone else's arm around her.

For a moment, she regretted not taking Max up on his offer to come to the hospital, despite knowing it was too much to ask of someone she'd been seeing less than a month, and that having him there would cause more problems than it would solve.

"You holding up okay?" Lorelai asked, her brow creased in concern. "You've been running around like a chicken with your head cut off all night."

Juliet pointed back at their father's room, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I think Dad just told me he was proud of me."

"Aw, Jules," Lorelai said with a watery smile. She snorted, shaking her head. "Man, his life must've flashed before his eyes if he's saying stuff like that!"

"Yeah, and I think Rory made it sound like I gave him CPR or something," Juliet said with a laugh.

Lorelai smiled fondly. "If I know that kid, she hightailed it out of there as soon as anything remotely medicinal started happening, so she probably thinks you did."

"Go back," Luke said, holding up a hand. "This is the first time your dad's told you he's proud of you? Either of you?"

The sisters exchanged a look. "I mean, he didn't really say it tonight, but the sentiment was there."

Lorelai chuckled bitterly. "The Gilmores are directly descended from the Puritans, Luke. We don't get sappy."

"You deserve better," Luke said in a low voice. He turned to Juliet, remembering she existed. "You both do."

Lorelai gave him a small smile, shrugging. "Eh. Could've been worse."

Juliet nodded with a short laugh. "Yeah, one of us could've been an only child."

"Still," Luke grumbled, shaking his head. After a moment, he looked over at Lorelai. "Anything else I can do?"

"Could you take Rory home?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. What about you?"

"I'll hitch a ride with Jules," Lorelai said, jerking her chin toward Juliet. "You're staying, right?"

Juliet nodded. "Yeah. I need to find Dr. Reynolds at some point and ask about Dad's prescription."

"Okay," Luke said, dropping his arm just as Rory came out.

Lorelai wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Hey, hon. Luke's gonna take you home, okay? Auntie Jules and I are gonna stick around for a while."

"Are you sure?" Rory asked, looking between her mother and aunt. "I can stay too."

"No, you're good, get out of here," Lorelai said, gesturing toward the exit with her head.

"Okay. Bye, Mom," Rory briefly leaned her head on her mother's shoulder, then walked over to her aunt and pecked a quick kiss on her cheek. "Bye, Auntie Jules."

"Bye, sweetie."

Luke reached out, as though to touch Juliet's shoulder, but ended up giving her arm an awkward punch. "See ya later."

"See ya later," Juliet repeated with a fond smile and an awkward arm punch of her own.

Luke looked over at Lorelai, touching her elbow in farewell with a significant look as Rory and Juliet lowered their eyes to give them some semblance of privacy, their eyes meeting to exchange a smirk.

As they walked away, Lorelai threw an arm around her sister's shoulders, and Juliet slipped an arm around her waist, letting her head fall on Lorelai's shoulder. "You picked a good one, Lor."

Lorelai sighed. "We're just friends."

Juliet craned her neck slightly to look up at her. "You know how you were worried about how you'd almost run out of time with Dad?"

"Yeah. . ."

"Just . . . that logic still applies before you turn fifty," Juliet shrugged, leaning her head back down. "Just something to think about."

Lorelai paused for a moment, swallowing thickly. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking."

Lorelai straightened up with a jaunty smile. "Now, should we go make sure Mom hasn't killed that nurse yet?"

"Good idea," Juliet smiled, allowing Lorelai to turn her in the direction of Richard's room.

For the next chapter, I'm gonna be honest and say that I'm nervous about throwing Juliet into the mix since the plot of Paris is Burning revolves around Max and Lorelai's relationship, and obviously, they're not together here. I really don't want to just hand Lorelai's exact love interest plotlines over to Juliet, since they're very different people, and it really doesn't make sense for Juliet to even be at Chilton Parents' Day lol. But I have a storyline mapped out, the episode is just going to be a much rougher guide than usual.

Also, btw, here's what I decided for longer chapters. Since this fic is also posted on ao3, what I'm going to do is break longer chapters in 2 on ao3, and then post one big chapter on , and you can choose whatever works for you! (But leave comments/reviews on whichever site you read from :) )

But let me know what you think of this chapter!