Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 94

Lorelai lay in her hospital bed, fighting to find a comfortable spot. No matter how she twisted or turned, her body ached. Dr. Lashbrook said she would be sore from the impact so the discomfort was expected. That knowledge didn't make her feel any better though.

Once she had been brought to this room, Lorelai looked around. Something in her realized she would be in the hospital for a while. The accident caused labor to begin. That scared her more than her head injury. What if something happened to one or both of the babies?

Thinking back to immediately after the impact, Lorelai had known she was unconscious but she could still hear what was happening around her. The sirens, the smells, the yelling, it all resounded in her mind. All the while, she felt like she was being pulled away. Trying desperately to move her body, she realized that she was no longer mentally present at the scene of the accident. What happened after that moment would always be with her.

After several tries to come to, Lorelai finally was able to open her eyes. When she did, she found that she was in the foyer of her childhood home. The sight brought comfort, which was a little odd since this home had never brought comfort.

Turning to the right and spying her father's office, a small smile crept Lorelai's lips. Recalling what Rory had told her after her scare months ago, Lorelai suspected that she would find Richard Gilmore parked in his oversized chair behind his desk. She moved briskly toward the open door but disappointment filled her as she found the room to be empty.

Frowning, she turned just as the sound of footfalls behind her registered in her ears.

Standing before her was her father, his presence tall and commanding as she remembered.

"My, my. Look at you, Lorelai. Radiant and beautiful as ever."

Lorelai smiled in spite of the tears that had filled her eyes. "Dad. I've missed you so much."

Without hesitation, Richard closed the distance between himself and his only child. He wrapped her in a hug, somewhat awkward thanks to her enlarged stomach.

"The world is a dimmer place without you, Dad. I never realized how much light you brought until it was too late. My heart broke into a million pieces. I'll never be the same."

Richard tilted his head, a sad smile on his face. "Lorelai, you and I rarely saw eye to eye on anything. But when it came down to it, I knew you loved me just as I hope you knew I loved you. I didn't tell you nearly enough that you made me proud. I know that you miss me but don't let that stop you from living. Take me with you as you move on in your life and raise my new grandchildren. Tell them about me and make sure they know that I love them."

Lorelai couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "I wish I could go back and see things from your point of view instead of assuming that I knew best. I didn't make things easy on you. It isn't your fault that I rebelled at every turn. You provided me with so much that I just threw back in your face, especially after Rory came along. I deprived you and her from getting to know one another until she was a teenager which was wrong. I should have set aside my issues and actually acted like an adult instead of just assuming I was. For all of that, and everything else, I am so sorry."

Richard shook his head. "That's water under the bridge, my dear. You and I, we're good."

The two embraced again. "I love you, Dad, and I always will."

"I love you too, Lorelai. Be sure to keep me alive in your heart."

"Without a doubt," Lorelai answered, as she realized her brief time with Richard was coming to an end. She looked up, noting the joy in her father's gaze before she returned to her earthly body.

Now, as Lorelai sat in her hospital room alone, she recalled the encounter with her father with a smile and immediately felt better that she had been blessed with such a strong and loving protector and guardian angel.

*****

Paris stood at the door of the walk-up, turning to look at the now-empty rooms within her sight. The apartment had been listed just over a month ago with several offers coming in within a week. She knew it wouldn't last long; the location was desirable, even if the multiple flights of stairs weren't.

A small bidding war netted in a lovely selling price, complete with a nice check for her to apply to the mortgage on the new house she had purchased in the suburbs.

As she gazed around the apartment, memories began playing through her mind. Paris recalled many things so sharply, causing an inexplicable sadness to settle in her heart.

That was a new feeling for her. Normally, Paris was in charge of her emotions and made sure she never wallowed in self-pity or anything else she viewed as destructive.

But there it was. Sadness.

Casting one more quick sweep, Paris slowly backed out of the door for the last time.

What was happening to her? Why did she feel that way? Was it because this was the last place she lived with Doyle?