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Length of Time Chapter 17

Rory walked into the diner happily. It was the weekend and she was spending some much needed time with her mom... it was reassuring her that she really was okay. With her first week of classes otherwise going off without a hitch, and a reconciliation of sorts with Jess to go with that, she had so many reasons to be happy.

"How the hell are you, Houston?" Rory called to Luke, who turned and looked at her knowingly.

"Oh god, she's gotten to you," Luke said, grimly.

"Yes, and I have to ask... why is my mom calling you 'Houston'?"

"Why do people like Mariah Carey and Britney Spears star in movies? Or sing, for that matter. The world is full of these mysteries, but to answer your question, in typical Lorelai-fashion, she was bored at the hospital yesterday and decided that the people in her life need better nicknames. She thought mine was 'funny'. I fail to see the humor," he finished, letting out a small grunt.

Rory smiled. She had never heard Luke offer so much all at once. She knew the reason, and it was obvious that he was walking on air. She thought it was so cute.. it was just so un-Luke-like. She couldn't stop smirking at this whole idea. Her mom and Luke.

Luke caught the look on Rory's face.

"I don't know what you're smiling at, Brazilian Nut," he shot at her.

Rory nodded, confused. "Yeah, she won't tell me what inspired that nickname."

"It's a waste of time to really try to figure out what inspires most of what she says," he said, pouring coffee for a customer.

Rory sat down at the counter.

"Need coffee!" she exclaimed, over-dramatically, emphasizing each word slowly.

"To drink here, I hope," Luke said.

"Of course! Luke, I am insulted that you even ask. You think I'm gonna take coffee to the hospital and risk either certain death from my mom for keeping it from her, or watching her risk certain death drinking it after stealing it from me, after of course knocking me senseless?"

Luke half-grinned while he poured Rory's cup of coffee. He couldn't exactly wipe the smile off his face ever since he and Lorelai had.. well, kissed, two days ago. It was just those two kisses, as too many visitors (aka, prying eyes) were around for the past day and a half to share any more. But, while they hadn't kissed again, they'd shared quite a few "looks".

He found himself constantly thinking about her, them.. and THAT. That being the kiss. Kisses, he reminded himself. And there it was.. he was smiling again.

"Oh, Houston, I think we have a problem," Rory's voice chimed into his thoughts, and he looked at her warningly. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist. You just looked like you were.."

"Please don't finish that sentence," he said, more to himself.

"..lost in space," she finished, laughing a little.

"Hey."

Rory turned, noticing Jess walking toward her and Luke.

"Great, Jess, its all yours," Luke said, pleased to see his nephew.

Rory looked confused.

"I'm just helping out so he can take off for awhile," Jess explained, reading Rory's thoughts. "Puppy love is a beautiful thing," he added, to which Rory stifled a laugh and Luke grunted at Jess. "Uncle Luke, do I get time and a half for this?"

"You get the gift of my forgiveness," Luke said, straight-faced.

"For what?" Jess asked, trying his best to act stoic.

"For turning me prematurely gray."

"I don't see gray," Jess said, staring intently at Luke's hair.

"There's a few. And they weren't ready to turn yet. Until you," Luke said, sternly.

"Oh, Luke, I almost forgot," Rory said, grabbing her backpack. She rummaged around and located a key. "Here you are," she said, tossing him the key.

"Great, thanks," Luke said.

"I can't believe they're letting her out of the hospital tomorrow. Wasn't she supposed to be there like a week?" Jess asked.

"They suggested that when she was still unconscious," Rory said, nodding as if she were sympathetic to the poor doctors.

"Now they're claiming that she's made a miraculously quick recovery. I don't think they fully understood what they were dealing with. I don't think they're equipped for her just yet. Give technology another twenty years for that miracle," Luke said, as he put on a coat and headed for the door.

"Hey, Uncle Luke, do you need some binaca?" Jess asked coyly, to which Luke turned, now at the doorway.

He thought for a moment, and then smiled.

"Hey, Brazilian Nut," Luke started.

"Yes, Houston," Rory replied, while Jess raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Before Luke could even continue, he couldn't suppress a laugh. "Uh, keep an eye on Mr. Perky Man," he said, before leaving.

Rory laughed and turned to face a very-confused Jess. "My mom couldn't think of a better nickname for you," she explained.

"I would think ANY nickname would be better than that."

She nodded sarcastically. After a brief pause, she tilted her head. "So, you carry binaca with you at ALL times?" she asked, as if she were interviewing him. Again, she was having trouble suppressing her building laughter. She realized, uncomfortably, that she was really wondering, in the midst of her humor, who he might be preparing to kiss at all times, that he carried spray with him for such an occasion. But she dismissed romantic thoughts quickly, and smiled, while he got to work, bringing an order to a table, shaking his head at her as he passed.

And at St. Marks's Hospital--- Room 201

"Lorelai, stop calling me that," Emily said, rolling her eyes.

"But Babushka," Lorelai started.

"Lorelai!" Emily repeated, warningly.

"Well, it's not a totally random name, mom, I really thought about it. In Russian, it means 'grandmother'.. or 'handkerchief'... I think.... and well, you're Rory's grandmother, so---"

"Lorelai, you miss the part where I care about any of this. Now please, stop with this nonsense," Emily said, shaking her head.

"What's my name?"

"Lorelai---" she warned.

"My name.."

Emily took a deep breath and looked at Lorelai. Her daughter who seemed to be shining from the inside out, despite being bedridden. She was bouncing around, albeit not as much as usual.. and seeing her there in the hospital bed, in such good spirits, even SHE felt something inside, and part of her wanted to go along with Lorelai's craziness to keep her this happy.

To keep up her oh-so-superior pretense, however, she rolled her eyes, as she muttered, reluctantly, her next words. "Glory Girl."

"What was that?" Lorelai asked.

"Glory Girl!" Emily said, feigning exasperation.

Lorelai's face lit up at the mention of her self-proclaimed nickname. Emily just shook her head at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Hello Miss Gilmore," Nurse Lady said as she entered Room 201.

"What do you have her on?" Emily demanded, before Lorelai could say anything.

"Everyone asks me that," the nurse mused. "She's not on anything. If you can believe it, she's just like that normally I guess."

"I can believe it," Emily said, under her breath. "Okay, Lorelai, I'm---"

Lorelai cleared her throat loudly.

"I mean, Glory Girl.." Emily shook her head before continuing. "I'm going back to Hartford. Your father is having some stuffy, boring couple over tonight, and I have to have everything PERFECT!" she said, mockingly.

"Goodbye, Babushka!" Lorelai cooed.

Emily shook her head yet again. Then she smiled slightly. "I will see you tomorrow..at your house."

"Yup! This girl is going home!" Lorelai announced.

"Thank god," Nurse Lady said to herself.

"Ha," Lorelai said, her mouth falling open in shock.

"Bye," Emily said once more, as she headed out of the room.

"Okay, time for your shots," the nurse said, walking over to Lorelai. Lorelai was still smiling. She really was glowing from the inside out. Ever since those two perfect moments of kissing Luke, and then the wonderful moments of sharing that followed, she could not stop smiling.

"You know, Miss Gilmore, I really feel that I have had a hand in fate here. With you and Mr. Danes, I mean. I mean, I haven't seen either of you stop smiling since---"

"Oh, no, Nurse Lady. Don't you go feeling all chipper and happy that you united two lovebirds or something. I think you definitely should get in the habit of talking less. Try not relaying messages from unconscious people to their friends for starters," Lorelai said. "Ow," she said, looking up at the nurse, who held the needle in her hand. The nurse just smiled down at her, as if she didn't do a thing.

"Hey," Luke said, entering the room.

"Houston!"

"Stop calling me that."

"Houston---"

"Lorelai----"

"Bah! He calls me 'Lorelai'! Nurse Lady, tell him what my name is."

The nurse pulled the needle out and got her things, preparing to leave. Her expression unchanging, her voice monotone, she answered, "Glory Girl," as if she had been asked to recite to all Lorelai's visitors this new name. She sounded bored and uninterested. She shook her head as she walked out of the room.

The door closed, leaving them alone. Luke looked down at the floor momentarily, and after a brief moment, he looked up at Lorelai.

Her happiness from earlier quickly turned to anxiety and she realized she had nothing to say. Her smile had also now turned into a serious pout. She had been dying to talk to him alone for the past day and a half and now that it was just them... she was nervous.

Luke knew exactly how she felt. He felt that he couldn't get to the hospital fast enough to see her... and now that he was seeing her, his heart rate sped up completely, and he felt himself starting to sweat. He couldn't think of anything to say either.

"So...." Lorelai started.

"So," Luke said, encouragingly.

Lorelai threw her hands up. "Great. We're in two places that I hate being. I just didn't think we'd get there this fast."

"What two places are we talking about?" Luke asked, warily.

"We're in that weird, awkward phase for one thing. I hate that. And we've run out of things to talk about. That's the kiss of death," she said, growing upset now.

"Now hold on, Glory Girl," he said, to which she looked up, surprised and excited. "We're really in only one bad place. We haven't run out of things to say. We're having trouble talking to each other BECAUSE of the awkwardness. But look at us now. I think we're over it," Luke said.

"That's true. I mean, we are talking now," Lorelai mused.

"It would seem so," Luke said, as he slowly walked to the side of her bed. He sat down.

After a small, but sweet, pause, Lorelai said, "actually we are still in one bad place."

"And that would be.."

"The hospital," Lorelai said.

"Well that will all be over tomorrow," Luke said, smiling a little at her.

"I know! Is it me, or is this hospital in a rush to get rid of me?" Lorelai asked, cluelessly.

Luke just smiled and shrugged.

"So, Luke, are you excited for babysitting?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it babysitting," he said wryly.

"Oh, you naïve man. That's sweet," she said.

He shook his head at her.

"No funny business, Lorelai. You be good," he said, strictly.

"Luke, I'm shocked you would even suggest that I wouldn't be."

"I must be insane," he said, not cracking a smile.

"I'm starting to think you might be. But I have to tell you, Houston, that you wear insanity well. I, personally, love this new.. craziness that has come over you."

Luke couldn't help smiling at her now. Really smiling. He shook his head, deciding that she could never cease to amaze him.

"I just wanted to say hi. I actually have a lot to do today," he said.

"What are you doing today?"

"Nothing you need to know about," he answered, giving her a look that told her not to pry.

"This is very interesting," she said. "Houston has a secret."

"Lorelai, no more Houston. Houston is dead!" he said, growing more agitated.

She gasped at the idea that Houston was dead.

Before she could go off on a tangent about his untimely death, Luke stood up and walked closer to the bed.

"Listen, I'm..." he stopped, momentarily at a loss for words as their eyes met. ".. uh, going now," he finally managed. He bent down to give her a kiss.

As his head got closer, she closed her eyes and relaxed her mouth. He smiled, noticing what she was doing, before closing his lips over hers. It was a sweet, but quick, kiss.

They both smiled as their lips parted and she opened her eyes to see his staring intently into hers.

"You know, I think I'm on to something here," he said softly.

"What's that?" she asked.

"A surefire way to get you to stop all that Lorelai-babble."

She furrowed her eyebrows together. "It's Glory-Girl-babble now," she corrected him, pouting.

He kissed her forehead softly and stood back up. "Bye," he said. "I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up."

"And then starts the babysitting!" Lorelai said, smiling.

"Lorelai," he said, looking back at her from the door.

"Shoo!" she said, still smiling.

He shook his head and left.