Time After Time - A Gilmore Girls Fanfic #1

Chapter 11

Rory stacked a third box on the hand truck and took a deep breath, lamenting the fact that she wasn't as fit as she used to be, back when she used to run. Or, more accurately, jog at a pace only slightly faster than walking. Exercising had gone against her upbringing, but she'd needed a way to relieve the stress when she was on the campaign trail with Obama, and running was the only thing that had been able to relax her. She had even entertained the idea of running a half marathon, but she'd been too exhausted just thinking about it to actually sign up.

Now she tap-danced during times of high stress but it no longer seemed enough. Not when she couldn't even lift a few dozen boxes without getting winded.

But as exhausted as she was that morning, she knew she had no other choice. She needed to get the boxes out of the house and return her mother and Luke's house to normal. With a sigh that sounded more like a groan, she grabbed the dolly, tilted it back, and carefully dragged it out front door.

"Here let me do that."

She turned to find Luke hurrying around the corner with an anxious look on his face.

"Oh, I got it, thanks," she said, dragging the dolly down the porch one step at a time, holding her breath with each bump.

"No, really, let me do this," Luke said, gently nudging her aside. "All this lifting is probably not good for the baby."

Rory sucked in a breath. "You know?"

Luke took the boxes over to his truck and began loading them up onto the back, not saying a thing.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, I know," he finally said with a sigh. She opened her mouth to speak when he quickly added, "She didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own."

"Oh." Rory averted her gaze, feeling awkward and slightly guilty.

"Hey," Luke said, looking at her with soft eyes. "It'll be fine. You have me and your mom. And you have this entire town to help you raise that kid."

She blinked back tears as Luke's words unexpectedly hit her right in the chest. This quaint little town and its quirky cast of characters had had a hand in raising her over the years. How fitting that it would also help her raise her child.

Afterward, they unloaded the truck at the storage facility in Woodbridge then Luke dropped Rory off at The Gazette.

"Luke?" Rory said as the truck idled at the curb.

"Yeah?"

"Nobody else knows about the pregnancy," she said.

"So you haven't...?"

"No, I haven't."

"Are you going to?"

"Eventually. When I figure out how." She slipped her purse over her shoulder. "Please don't tell anyone. Not yet."

He looked at her across the way, understanding crinkling the corners of his eyes. "You got it."

The office of The Stars Hollow Gazette normally moved at a sleepy pace, at least, compared to the controlled chaos that was the Yale Daily News. But due to a problem with the printers, Rory was swamped all morning, fixing files and making calls to the press.

She groaned when the phone rang for the third time in five minutes. "Randy, give it a minute. They're already uploading to the server—" She stopped when her mother's voice came through the line.

"Stand down! Stand down!" Lorelai said.

Rory released a long breath. "Sorry. I'm having quite the day."