Part 24 – Starting a New Chapter.
"Lorelai?" Luke called out from the front door, as he put down a blue travel cot before turning back out the front door to grab more items.
"Up here," Lorelai smiled, putting down the magazine she was reading and getting up from the sofa. She stopped at the top of the stairs for a second as Luke came back inside and she noticed his hands full, before moving to help him.
"What's this?" She asked shocked and confused, as she motioned to the baby bags on his shoulders. Luke nodded to the floor on his right, before he stepped out the door to grab the last of what he had. A wide-awake Doula sat in her car seat happily chewing the ear on her blue bunny. Her bright pink sundress stood out against the grey of her seat.
"Well hello darling," Lorelai said sweetly. She bent down to pick up the seat while Luke carried the bags and travel cot up the stairs.
"Are you coming for a sleepover Doula?" Lorelai asked, in her baby voice.
"No, she is not," Luke replied, sounding more then slightly annoyed.
"My stupid…. I mean loving, sister," Luke commented as Lorelai lifted Doula out of the car seat and flattened down her soft brown hair. "She comes into the diner, all upset because of some thing TJ wants to take her too, but she can't get a babysitter. Now I know she wants us to babysit, but she won't actually come out and ask me, no she'll just complain till I break and say we'll do it."
"Ah, she knows how to play you well."
"Of course she does, she grew up with me. She knows every damn trick in the book. Sorry Doula," Luke apologised, realising he should probably not sound so annoyed around her.
"So when are they coming to pick her up?" Lorelai asked while giving Doula her attention.
"I don't know, sometime before sunrise tomorrow," Luke shrugged.
"Why don't they just leave her with us over night?"
"Because if we do that once she'll expect it again."
"Well that's better then not being able to go to sleep until they get here to pick her up." Lorelai finally looked away from Doula and turned to look at Luke.
"Not with Liz. Where are the girls?" Luke asked, suddenly realising the house was lacking the sound of music or giggles from downstairs.
"Book store," Lorelai said, as if it was obvious. If there was one thing April and Rory had in common, it was a love of books. The two of them spent hours arranging the books in their living room into a perfect system.
"Then they are going to pick up Chinese. However, it might be a while, last time Andrew had to throw them out of the store so he could close up."
"Well I might as well set up the travel cot," Luke sighed.
"Do you know how?"
"Do I know how?" Luke said, sounding insulted at the question. "How hard can it be?"
Lorelai tried to hide her laugh as she watched Luke unzip the bag and pull out the contraption. Luke unfolded it out and straightened out the four corners. He pulled at the sides trying to get them to click into place, only to have them go limp. He moved around to try and different side, only to have the same problem.
Lorelai was almost in fits as she watched Luke repeatedly have the same problem no matter what side he pulled at. He glared at Lorelai before giving up.
"You think you're any better, be my guest."
Lorelai shrugged and held Doula out for Luke to take.
"Your willingness to try is commendable." With a few flicks of her wrists, she had the two sides of the cot up and clicked into place. "But you really should leave some things to an expert, namely me since we have these at the Inn." She clicked the last two sides in and stepped back, as if proving how easy it really was.
"You couldn't have said that earlier."
"More fun watching you struggle."
"I'm getting a beer," Luke said, turning to the kitchen.
"I'll have one, and call Liz while you're at it."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not staying up waiting for them. She's left us with enough formula."
"Of course she has!" Luke grumbled, knowing Liz had counted on Lorelai to talk him into letting Doula stay.
Lorelai smiled as Luke disappeared with a splash of pink in his arms. As much as he grumbled, she knew he secretly loved having Doula around. His eyes just lit up every time Liz brought her into the diner to see him. He just knew admitting this to Liz meant she would leave Doula with him every chance she could.
As Luke phoned Liz, Lorelai moved Doula's bags and cot into their room. She went through the bag pulling out her bed covers and sleep suit, then checking they had enough bottles. Unsurprisingly to Lorelai, Liz had packed enough of everything for Doula to say overnight.
She walked out into the hallway to find Doula lying on her play mat in the living room with Luke lying on the floor next to her. At six months old, she had learnt to move her arms and legs, she just didn't have the strength to move herself, though it wouldn't be long before she learnt to roll over. She could sit up so long as she was propped up by something, but give her a few more weeks and she'd be sitting up unaided. Time seemed to be going by so fast. So much had happened in the last six months. In the last two years if she was honest.
Standing in the shadows Lorelai watched as Luke entertained Doula by wiggling his fingers in the air above her eyes, and waving his hand from side to side then closer and further away from her. Doula's giggle showed evidence of her love of the game, as she kicked out at Luke's arm. Mesmerised, Lorelai realised she could watch them for hours.
She smiled as she stared at the proud fatherly look on Luke's face as Doula laughed at him. He was such a natural with her, so much so, that sometimes he didn't even realise how much of a natural he was. The more time he spent with Doula the more confident he was with her.
Unfortunately, for Lorelai, the second Luke noticed her presence he stopped what he was doing and sat up. The look on his face was gone, as he looked at Lorelai giving her his full attention.
"You should keep doing that, she was enjoying it," Lorelai told him, as she walked towards them.
"I wasn't really doing anything." Luke shrugged, as he downplayed his involvement in Doula's excitement. Lorelai sat down opposite and Luke held out Doula to her. Smiling at Doula, Lorelai took her and bounced her up and down. Doula was egger to be on her feet, as she tried to stand up, but didn't have the strength in her legs to hold herself.
"It's amazing how rewarding a smile from them is," Lorelai told Luke, noticing the smile on his own face returning as Doula laughed at them.
"She does it more often now. Before you really had to work to get a smile," Luke responded.
"Still has the same affect though."
Luke nodded in agreement, one smile from Doula and he was good.
"You think we're ready for this?" Lorelai asked without taking her eyes off Doula.
"It's just for one night, I'm sure we'll be fine." Luke reassured, missing her point completely.
"I mean you and me."
Her conversation with Rory a few day's ago was still running though her mind. While she and Luke had agree to try once they were married, they never said when afterwards that would be. She knew she was ready, she only hoped that Luke was to, and it was only the matter of a short conversation to say let's try.
Slowly Lorelai raised her eyes and met Luke's. She could see the confusion clear as he worked out what she was really asking. He thought for a few seconds before answering her question.
"I think Rory's living proof that you'd be fine. Me on the other hand…"
"You're great with April." Lorelai interjected.
"She's a thirteen year old girl. With a baby, I don't know…"
"You're wonderful with Doula," Lorelai tried to reassure, noticing Luke's subtle nervousness.
"I don't get sleepless nights with Doula," Luke confirmed. He knew he could be grumpy, and even more so if he was tired. How would he cope with a baby waking him up wanting something ever hour?
"Well it's been twenty years since I've had sleepless nights with Rory. Not to mention diaper changes, teething, first cold, crying at two in the morning when you have no idea how to make them better… "
"I'm sorry, are you trying to put me off?" Luke asked, confused as to why Lorelai would be reminding him of all the bad things.
"I'm just trying to say that for all of it, you might think you don't know what to do, but it's been a long time since I've had to work out why my child was crying. And, before you say it, it's not like riding a bike. Each kid is different."
Doula made an appropriate scream demanding their attention. Smiling they both gave into her demand. Luke tickled her while Lorelai made funny voices trying to rescue her from the tickle monster. Happily they played, ignoring the elephant in the room that they both wanted to discuss.
"Don't get me wrong," Luke finally said, "I'm not exactly looking forward to the idea of sleepless nights, but its worth it right. I mean, for a few years of interrupted sleep, the good out weighs it. Right?"
"Oh yeah, you got the first time you hold your own kid. They're scared, in the world for the first time, they just know that your there to protect them and you watch as they relax into you. The first time it reaches out for you, and of course, there is that fresh baby smell, that you just can't bottle and sell. It's that new feeling, where you can just lay there for hours just watching them, holding them. You're savouring it because you know that soon they'll be moving and won't stay still for you to hold them." Lorelai kept her attention on Doula as she spoke dreamily, half remembering, half excited about having it again.
"Sounds nice." Luke told her, unable to take his eyes off her dreamy expression.
"It's the best feeling in the world. I'm sorry you missed it was April," Lorelai told him honestly, as she looked him in the eyes.
"It's not your fault." Luke shrugged, trying not to focus on what he missed, but the time he did have.
"I know. I just want you to have that. I think you'd be a great dad to a girl or a boy. Plus, if we had a boy, you'd have a head start on me. I know next to nothing about boy's."
"I wouldn't say nothing." Luke smiled suggestively.
Luke took a few moments to picture what their son and daughter might look like, imagine playing with them in the backyard, and picking them up from school. He could see Lorelai walking into the dinner with a follower or two. Without realising it, he'd just decided he wanted them to have one of each. He could see them learning to play baseball, sharing his love for the Red Sox with someone who was interested.
"So, you think you're ready for us to…" Luke finally asked as he pointed to Doula. Lorelai quietly nodded, unable to actually say the words out loud.
"I mean, we don't have to plan for it right now … we could just, you know, not be so careful and see what happens."
As much as she wanted another child, Lorelai still had the voice in the back of her head telling her that she'd left it too long. That maybe Rory was the only child she would have. At this point she refused to get her hopes up about it happening straight away, instead deciding to leave it up to fate and believe if it was meant to be, it would be.
Luke opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the chatter April and Rory as they came home.
"We're home and we brought food." Rory shouted up the stairs as she and April kicked off their shoes.
"Hey, we have company." Lorelai called down, smiling at Luke, she shrugged her shoulders, silently telling him he didn't have to give her an answer straight away.
"Doula!" April smiled as she reached the top of the stairs. She dropped her bag of books on the floor and quickly made her way to where Doula was. Rory smiled as rounded the top of the stairs, far less excited, but none the less happy to see the baby.
"Yep, we're having a sleep over tonight," Lorelai told the girls. Luke got up and took the food from Rory, who followed him into the kitchen and helped him dish up while Lorelai and April played with Doula.
Dinner was it's usual affair of chatter and noise, which Doula thoroughly enjoyed. Since they didn't have a seat for her she was passed around as they each took turns in eating one handed and avoiding getting baby hands in their foods.
After they each attempted to feed her baby rice, which resulted in her spitting it back out more often then not. Luke and April gave Doula a bath to clean her up, while Lorelai and Rory settled down in front of the TV, only disturbed by the occasion scream or laugh that came from the bathroom. Both Luke and April came out looking as if they'd had a bath, after Doula had taken to splashing them.
"Can I feed her the bottle?" April asked, when they returned to Lorelai and Rory with Doula dressed in a yellow all in one and a sleep suit ready for bed.
"Sure," Luke said, despite not having a clue how to make up a bottle. He motioned for Lorelai to follow him to the kitchen, leaving Doula with April and Rory.
"How much formula do you use?" Luke asked when he and Lorelai were safely in the kitchen.
"How do I know," Lorelai returned. After all it had been over two decades since she made formula bottles for Rory. Sookie had always left her with ready-made bottles when she'd babysat Davy and Martha so she hadn't had to worry about making one.
"Check the instructions."
Luke picked up the tin from the counter and searched the instructions.
"What does four heaped spoonfuls look like?"
"I'd guess one heaped spoonful four times." Lorelai joked, unhelpfully. She boiled the kettle while Luke took a guess as to what was enough formula to use.
Once they had filled bottle and shaken it well, as per the instructions, they left it to cool while they quickly washed up the plates from dinner and cleared away the rubbish.
Lorelai checked the temperature on her wrist like an expert, before handing it to Luke to check as well. Luke had no idea what the right temperate was, but took a guess that it was okay. Returning to the living room where Rory and April both sat on the floor playing with Doula as she kicked out on her play mat.
April settled herself on the sofa read to feed Doula and Rory placed Doula in her arms before sitting down next to her. April happily sat with Doula in her arms slowly drifting off as she drank her bottle. Rory had half her attention on the TV and the other quietly letting Doula hold her finger, while she rubbed her small hand with her thumb.
Luke and Lorelai sat down on the other sofa, both lost in their own thoughts of their earlier conversation as they watched their daughters so naturally look after Doula. At least they knew both girls would be eager to help if they did have another child.
Once they were certain Doula was asleep Lorelai and Luke took her from April to put her to bed in her cot. April and Rory shared a knowing smile, as Lorelai and Luke headed towards their bedroom.
Lorelai gave Doula a kiss while Luke picked up the pink blanket from the cot. Lorelai leaned over and laid her down. They both stood frozen for a second, wondering if Doula would wake up, as she rolled over getting comfortable in her unfamiliar bed. After a moment she settled down and her breathing turned heavy and they knew she was asleep.
Luke placed the blanket he was holding over her and tucked it round her. He ran his hand over her cheek and smoothed her hair. She looked so angelic and innocent sleeping.
Luke stood up and took a step back toward Lorelai, she wrapped her arm around him and rested her head against his shoulder. They stood for a few more moments just watching Doula, both knowing they wanted the same thing at that moment. Neither one knew how to voice it, but they both knew what the other was thinking without needing to say anything.
"It better be a boy, I'm far too out numbered already," Luke said softly.
Lorelai smiled, knowing that this was as close as Luke was going to get to saying he was ready to have a child.
"Well I'm reliably informed that the guy provides that chromosome, so if we had a girl you can only blame yourself," Lorelai joked quietly, breaking the tension in the room.
"Great, not exactly working in my favour is it." Luke rolled his eyes, knowing that a girl would instantly have him wrapped around her finger, and he'd love every second of it.
They left the bedroom dimming the lights so they could keep checking on Doula without having to keep turning it on and fear waking her. They had an unspoken agreement, one they both understood. As they returned to the living room, they were both mentally re-decorating the small bedroom opposite their room.
A/N: So that ends the story that has been with me for the last 18 months. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review, and support this story. I don't have any plans for a sequel, however I am working on something new, so look out for that in the near future. Lynny B.