Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 71

Rory's follow up appointment was routine. Like the doctor in the hospital said, there were no indications that could have alerted anyone to the sudden spike in her blood pressure. Likewise, there were no indications that it would happen again. That being said, Logan decided to solely work from home to be sure they didn't encounter the issue again. He designated a low seniority employee to play gopher when such was needed. It gave Rory peace of mind to know he would always be close by if she needed him.

Dr. Cameron, though concerned, said she saw no reason for Rory to be on strict bed rest. It was advised, however, to exercise caution and not overdo it. As he did the day Rory was released from the hospital, Logan was adamant that he would do all he could to make sure she took all precautions she could.

Once home— and back in bed, per Logan's request— Rory called Lorelai to fill her in on the appointment. She could tell her mother breathed a sigh of relief with the news that everything was okay. Rory was, too, but she couldn't shake her boredom. She'd been stuck in bed all day, every day, for a week. She'd worked on her book, which she made great progress on, but she was ready to be up and about.

Lying in bed, Rory's eyes fell upon her stomach. She supposed there were worst things than bed rest.

*****

Lorelai stopped by Rory's later that afternoon to check in. She was surprised to find her mother lying beside Rory, watching an old movie on television. A bag of tootsie rolls sat between them, with many discarded empty wrappers scattered around the bed. They looked very content to quietly chat for several moments then resort back to silence for a while. Lorelai stood and observed the two, thankful that their relationship was as strong as it was.

Moving further into the room, Lorelai smiled. "Hello ladies, I see you're both enjoying the company."

Emily smiled in return. "I sure am. I love getting to spend time with Rory."

"Aww, Grandma. I love spending time with you."

Gesturing to the tootsie rolls, Lorelai remarked. "I also see you're well on your way to quite a stomachache, judging by the number of empty wrappers."

Emily chuckled. "Who knew these were so good?"

Lorelai and Rory replied in unison. "Me!"

"That reminds me— Lorelai, when you were a teenager, I found your bottom dresser drawer chocked full of tootsie rolls. Did you love them that much or were you hiding something?"

An impish grin filled Lorelai's face. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Emily's gaze stayed on her daughter. "Yes, that's why I asked."

"Well, a little of both. I loved tootsie rolls but I also kept my diary underneath them. And notes that friends and I had passed back and forth. And notes from boys I liked. It was my little, secret hiding place."

Emily smiled. "I recall telling Richard about that drawer when Rory was living in the pool house and it was he who suggested there may be something beneath them."

"Dad was right. If only you'd looked all those years ago. You would have known that I had a crush on Bobby Trezeti because he had greener eyes than I'd ever seen and that my friend Molly was afraid of Dad because he was so tall. You would have found out that I sneaked out every day for two weeks and went down the street to Nicole Heilman's house and we smoked her mom's cigarettes. You'd know that once, in ninth grade, I stole a shirt from the mall and that I felt so guilty, I sneaked it back in after wearing it to a sock hop dance."

Emily held up her hand. "So you're saying if I would have snooped, I'd know much more about you than I did."

"Yeah but that's true with most parents."

"Maybe we could have connected more and things would have been better between us all those years."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, you would have been mad about the sneaking out, cigarettes, and stealing. It wouldn't have brought us together at all."

Emily shrugged. "I suppose you're right. Perhaps it's better I didn't know any of this while you were young." She turned to Rory. "Did you ever keep anything from your mother growing up?"

A reminiscent smile pulled on Rory's lips. "When I got my first kiss, I kept it from Mom. I was a little embarrassed that it happened at Doose's Market and that I inadvertently shoplifted corn starch immediately afterward."

"You stole corn starch?"

Laughing, Rory filled Emily in on the surprise kiss from Dean when asking her to pick a hand for a pop.

Emily smiled, nodding her head. "First kisses are always awkward. I remember mine. John Lansdown just walked up to me after school one day and kissed me. There was no talk of it, no hand holding. Just up and kissed me. Then he walked away and never talked to me again."

"Think you were that bad of a kisser?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I was eleven years old, Lorelai. I certainly hadn't had any practice to improve anything. Plus it was unexpected so I had no prep time."

"Grandma, do you remember your first kiss with Grandpa?"

Emily smiled broadly, her voice soft. "I'll never forget it. We were walking around the Yale campus hand in hand. He suddenly came to a stop, pulling me to a stop as well. When I turned to face him, he pulled me close and told me he had been wanting to do something all evening and had finally worked up the nerve. When I asked what it was, he said that he wanted to kiss me. I remember my heart began thumping hard in my chest and I nodded my head. He leaned down and brushed his lips on mine. I was a goner. I knew in that moment I'd marry him."

"That's so sweet, Grandma!"

"Your grandfather was always a romantic at heart."

Lorelai smiled, nodding along as the other girls continued to talk. She was a million miles away, though, thinking of how she felt that same way when she first kissed Luke.