Chapter 23
The waiting room of Hartford Women's Health Center hummed with soft conversation and the occasional shuffle of papers. A receptionist called out a name, and a couple seated across the room stood, the man wrapping an arm protectively around his partner as they walked toward the door leading to the exam rooms. Rory shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her ankles, her hands resting over the swell of her belly or nervously checking her phone. Not even for time, but just to do something and look busy, and pretend to be oblivious to the occasional glances in her direction. This was one place she really didn't like to making small-talk in.
The scene wasn't new—she'd been here before, a total of five times by now. While the first few times the excitement of other expectant couples had made her made rather raw and self-conscious, she was feeling a lot better now, still the slight nervousness had never really left.
Rory sighed and let her gaze drift to the glossy posters on the walls, full of smiling families. She thought about her mom, barely sixteen, sitting in a similar waiting room decades ago. No steady partner. No warm, expectant energy. Just another Lorelai, alone with her thoughts and her resolve. Rory had always admired her mother's independence, but now, sitting here with her own unborn child, she felt the depth of what her mom had endured. She must've felt so lonely, unable to even fully confide in her family. And Dad wasn't there either.
She shook her head. Christopher had come in and out of her life over the years, charming and full of promises that always seemed to unravel at the edges. She'd told herself she would never let history repeat itself. Yet here she was, about to raise a child whose father was half a world away and, for all intents and purposes, unavailable. But her and Logan's mistakes were in no-way the baby's.
"Ms. Gilmore?" the nurse called.
Rory stood, smoothing her maternity dress, and followed her into the exam room.
The check-up went smoothly. The baby's heartbeat was strong and steady, and the doctor was pleased with Rory's progress. She asked the usual questions about diet, sleep, and stress, and Rory answered them with what she hoped was enough honesty to avoid further probing.
"Any questions for me?" the doctor asked, smiling warmly.
Rory hesitated. A question flickered in her mind—about how single moms did this without breaking under the weight of it all—but she just smiled back and shook her head. "Nope, I'm good."
She was already good on the theory of most things, and Lane and Paris combined were like a Wikipedia combined on everything baby-related. So what, if most of their examples centered around twin-pregnancies, which were a lot more complicated to begin with.
"Well, everything looks great. Keep doing what you're doing, and I'll see you in four weeks," the doctor said, patting Rory's chart.
At least on this front, Rory could feel at ease - her body seemed to know how to do this despite the lack of prior experience.
Back in the parking lot, Rory unlocked her car and slid into the driver's seat. She placed a hand on the steering wheel but didn't start the engine right away. Instead, she leaned her head back against the seat, letting the early spring sunlight filter through the windshield. She exhaled deeply. It was always a relief to walk out of the doctor's appointment with no worrisome news. Having decided to be more mindful of her little victories, after having perused one of Liz's books casually, she tried to pause at moments like this. She had a feeling that soon, pauses would be scarce.
A rhythmic vibration jolted her from her thoughts. Her phone lit up with a name that made her pulse quicken. Logan.
She stared at it for a moment before swiping to answer. She was worried about the feelings that would come flooding back, at least on some level. She worried whatever he had to say might somehow upset her again, the memory of Logan's drunken call still lingering in her thoughts every now and again. A small part of her even pondered whether at some point she might be getting a call from Odette instead - blaming or threatening her. It was just easier for her to picture her as some evil witch sometimes, especially if all she knew of her were impressions and assumptions. But she knew this was one call, she would always both want to, and responsibly - have to, answer. Just like mom had always answered Christopher's when it had concerned her.
"Hello?" Rory picked up.
"Hey…," Logan's voice came through, smooth but tinged with something heavier than usual. "Do you have a minute?"
Rory swallowed. "Yeah. What's up?"
There was a pause, long enough to make her stomach twist.
"I told her," Logan said finally. "About the baby."
Rory's breath caught. She hadn't expected it, she hadn't really believed it would happen, not now. "You did?"
"I did," he confirmed. His voice softened, but there was a tightness to it. "It wasn't easy, but I couldn't keep it from her any longer. She deserved to know."
Rory's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "How... how did she take it?"
"Not great, but it's not like she didn't know it was a possibility with the way we were back then," Logan admitted with a bitter chuckle. "But there's something else," he hesitated. "Odette's baby... it's mine too," he added, solving one of Logan's personal dramas. "She got the test done, it's for sure now," he added.
Rory blinked, the words not registering at first. Not only was Logan having not one, just their baby, but another baby, too, with just weeks, maybe months apart. Logan was becoming a father to two children, in two different countries, with two different women. She hadn't thought of the possibility like this before - but essentially her daughter was going to get a sibling. Not that she expected there to be a lot of interaction.
"Wow," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's... a lot, a lot of babies," Rory added, trying to sound light about it.
"Yeah," Logan replied. "I know."
Another silence stretched between them. Rory finally broke it. "So, what does that mean?"
"I'm going to try," Logan inhaled deeply, his voice earnest. "I'm going to do my best to be there for you and our baby. But I don't want to make promises I can't keep. I'm going to be pulled in a lot of directions, and I don't know how it'll all work."
Rory felt a pang in her chest. "I get it," she said softly. "I know it's not easy."
"I don't want to get your hopes up," Logan continued. "I don't want to let you two down."
His words stung, but Rory knew he was trying to be honest.
"This isn't the kind of father I wanted to be. Juggling two lives, two families... it's not what I imagined," Logan explained.
Rory's grip on the phone loosened. "Okay," she said after a moment.
"I care about you, Rory," Logan said. "I care about both of you. I'm trying to figure this out, but it's messy. I just hope you know that."
"I do," Rory said, her voice quieter now. Deep down she always felt that. She'd always felt that when they talked. "And for what it's worth, I'm doing okay. The check-up, today, went well. She's healthy, I'm healthy. Work's keeping me busy. The Gazette is... well, the Gazette, and I've been helping with editing a novel," Rory shared, sounding a bit like she was blabbering.
"Good. I'm glad you're busy. I just hope - not too busy," Logan said.
"Me too," Rory said, her smile fading. "It helps."
There was another pause, but this time, it wasn't heavy. Just quiet.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Logan said finally. "I'll be in touch, and if there's anything you need…," he offered, knowing she probably wouldn't ask for anything.
"Okay," Rory said. "You too."
They hung up, and Rory sat there for a moment, staring at her phone. She felt... neutral. Not happy, not angry. Just... okay. This had been the returning theme of their most recent calls. He was there and he wasn't.
A knock on her window startled her. She turned to see Lane grinning at her, holding up two takeout menus. Rory rolled down the window.
"Lunch?" Lane asked brightly.
Rory smiled, her heart lifting just a little. "Yeah. Let's go."
As Lane climbed into the car, Rory was reminded how she had a life here. A messy, imperfect, but real life. She had people, a village, just like her mom had had. And for now, that was enough.