"Mom"

"Yeah"

"I'm pregnant"

As soon as the words had come tumbling out of her mouth, Rory wanted so badly to snatch them right back but it was too late, they were out there and now an uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them as they sat perched on the edge of the town gazebo the morning after Lorelai's magical evening where she and Luke had spontaneously decided to get married ahead of the main ceremony.

"Mom, did you hear me?"

"Yes Rory, yes I heard you! I need a minute here!" Lorelai's head was spinning. Rory? Pregnant? This was not what she was expecting to be dealing with – today of all days. There were so many questions filling her head – where, when, who, how. Lorelai didn't know where to start.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai turned to look at her daughter and searched her face for something, anything to prove that this was true and not just some crazy practical joke. Rory had silent tears running down her face. She may now be a grown woman but in her eyes, she was still Lorelai's baby girl and in this moment in time, she looked so young and vulnerable. It was all she could to do to stop herself scooping her up in her arms.

Rory turned to her mom "Uh-huh, absolutely sure. I've been to see the doctor and it's been confirmed" she said, looking down at her feet. Rory could sense her mom's disappointment and couldn't help but wonder how her life had come to this. 2016 had started with so much promise but had pretty much turned out to be a complete bust. No job, well not one that paid her anyhow. No home of her own, no boyfriend and now a future as a single mother, which given the lack of the other three aspects, certainly made life look less than rosy right now. Surely by 32, my shit should well and truly be together by now she thought to herself.

"Wow" was all that Lorelai could manage to say. "Just, wow".

"Yeah, wow," Rory said with a laugh and a hint of sarcasm.

"You know I am going to ask the inevitable don't you?"

Rory looked away from her mom. Of course, she knew that she was going to have to tackle all these questions at some point - not only from Lorelai but from everyone else. Oh and just wait until grandma hears about this! She knew all this but she wasn't quite ready to fully face up to her situation herself yet and saying it out loud was only making everything all the more real. "I know mom, and I want to talk to you about this all I do, but I'm not really ready to go there quite yet.'

"RORY! You cannot just drop a bombshell on me like this and then not expect me to ask questions – I deserve to know what is going on. Sheesh. I mean, how far along are you? Have you told the father? Is he going to support you? Where are you going to live? What are you going to do about a job? Are you even going ahead with it?"

"MOM!" Rory interrupted Lorelai before it turned into twenty questions and held her head in her hands. "I can't answer all of your questions right now but to answer the ones I can – I am about six weeks pregnant. Yes, I am going ahead with the pregnancy, how could I not? And no, right now, the father doesn't know and I'm not sure what I am going to do about that."

"Six weeks huh, so that puts the Wookie out of the running" Lorelai joked and Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom, we don't talk about the Wookie, the Wookie never happened, I am drawing a veil over the Wookie".

"You're going to tell him, though, right?"

"Yes. I mean I don't know. Maybe. Uh, I just don't know. I need a taco".

"Rory, Mexican food is not going to help you right now," Lorelai said with a smile.

"No you're right, but we do have a wedding to get ready for mom so we really ought to get going," Rory said standing up. "Nice diversion missy. Ugh, really, didn't I just get married? I don't wanna do it again" Lorelai joked rolling her eyes. Rory pulled Lorelai begrudgingly up off the steps and they linked arms as they walk away "Come on mom, this is your day and you deserve it – can we just say no more about this now until after the wedding, please?" Rory begged.

Lorelai kissed her daughter on the forehead and sighed. "Mom's the word," she said with a giggle, making Rory groan.