Disclaimer: Idon'townanythingnowleavemealone

A/N: I have been unable to work on this story the way that I wanted to. Busy, busy month. I was supposed to have it out like two and a half/ three weeks ago. I could've just put it out little by little, but that's not really how roll when I know where I'm going with the story. You all know this. But, this is all finished. Blah. Turned out a little longer than I wanted it to, but that's okay.

I'm kind of under the impression that a certain amount of freakiness is expected when I put out a story now. It's very flattering. Really. Either way, this story has none. Sorry. Plenty of sap, though. You can still read if you like :) But, you've been warned.

The story's not hard to follow. I usually try to stay within the show, if that makes sense. But the main thing that's different in here is that Liz, Lorelai, and Rory are already acquainted even though it's set in season 4ish. Any other changes, just go with the flow and bite your tongue. It's fiction, people. Ooh, especially when it comes to real hospital procedures and things. Just bite down really hard and sail along. Enjoy.

Bedside Manner Part I

"Hey." The nurse looked up and returned Lorelai's smile. "We're, uh, here to see Luke Danes," she stated.

The nurse looked from Lorelai to Rory still with a pleasant smile. She turned toward her computer and typed away for a moment before turning back to them. "Okay, um, may I ask your relation to Mr. Danes?" She asked.

Lorelai brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose and held them there as she tried to remain calm. She felt Rory place a hand on her arm soothingly. She spoke up. "We're, uh, friends of his. He was brought in after a car accident last week." The nurse nodded. "We're just getting in town and just heard."

She glanced at the screen. "Well, Mr. Danes isn't--"

"Lorelai! Rory!"

They turned quickly to see Liz rushing toward them. They abandoned the nurses' station and went to meet her. "Hey, Liz," Lorelai greeted quickly. "Is Luke okay?" She asked through Liz's tight hug. Liz pulled away and gave Rory the same affectionate embrace.

She stepped away and folded her hands over her chest with a sigh. "He's..." She paused, wondering how much they had been told. She noticed Lorelai's puffy, red eyes. Looking at Rory, she saw the sadness there, so she figured they had already gotten filled in. "What have you guys been told?" She asked quietly.

Lorelai looked to Rory, as if expecting her to be her voice. Rory expertly picked up on the look. "Nothing," she said shifting on her feet. She tried to think. "We went to the diner as soon as we got back, and when Mom asked where Luke was, Caesar said that he was in an accident a week ago and was at Hartford Memorial," she said gesturing to the surroundings.

"Yeah, you guys were in Europe, right?" Liz remembered. They nodded impatiently. Liz looked at them again. They both looked as if they were on the verge of breaking down, and they hadn't even been given any details. Liz felt relieved to know that Luke had people in his life that cared so much about him. She stepped closer to them, realizing that she would have the difficult task of explaining everything.

"Well, Luke was, uh, hit by a car last Tuesday," she said. They had been told as much, but Liz remained clueless to this as she saw tears welling up in Lorelai's eyes. She blinked the tears back and continued to listen. "He was crossing the street in front of the post office, and the lady that was driving saw him a little late. She hit her brakes, and according to the few bystanders, she didn't hit him as hard as she could have. She was able to slow her car down enough, but when the car hit him, he fell and his head knocked into the pavement."

"So, he wasn't hurt too badly?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

Liz opened her mouth and closed it nervously. "Well, not outwardly."

"What does that mean?" Rory asked in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, I mean, h-h-he's okay, right?" Lorelai followed.

Liz found that there was no way to beat around the bush. "He's in a coma," she said quietly.

Rory dropped her head. "Oh, God," she whispered.

Lorelai went silent as her gaze rested on the floor thoughtfully. Her breathing increased as if she was having trouble finding its normal pattern.

"Lorelai, are you okay?" Liz asked hesitantly.

Lorelai looked up at her suddenly. "I'm fine," she said nodding. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she repeated quickly. "Because it's fine. He's fine, right? I mean, like Stu. Stu Miley. I mean, we're out here, you know, so we don't really know what's going on with Luke. Maybe there's color and fun and talking elephants that are keeping him entertained until he can fight his way back, right? Like a vacation. Luke works hard so he deserves a vacation."

Liz turned her confused expression to Rory. "Who's Stu Miley?"

"Monkeybone. Brandon Frazier," she replied quietly as she still worked to digest the new information.

"Oh," Liz mouthed. She silently put together the connection before looking back to Lorelai. "Well, I'm not sure about that, but Lorelai, he seems to be okay," she reassured. She looked at Rory, including her in the conversation as well. "There was a little bit of swelling near one of his lobes. I want to say temporal, but you know how doctors get all technical causing you to lose sight of the little bit of information that you were able to grasp at while they were talking."

Lorelai nodded distractedly. "ER keeps me informed," she responded, her gaze still on the floor.

"But, they fixed it, didn't they? The swelling. Was it fluid build-up?" Rory asked Liz.

"Yeah, it was. It was some type of fluid forming in his head, and they drained it as soon as he got here."

Lorelai appeared depleted. "Where is he now?"

"He's right down the hall here. It's a very good sign that they moved him from Intensive Care so soon."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, that's gotta be a good sign, Mom," she said to Lorelai.

Lorelai formed a tiny smile for Rory. "Yeah, it is." It was very near inaudible. She looked back at Liz. "Are we allowed we see him?"

Liz waved them to follow her. She began walking, talking to them the whole time. "They don't seem to like more than one or two people going in at a time, but he's my brother, and they have yet to be successful in telling me what to do." She pointed ahead. "It hasn't really been a problem since they moved him though. I think at one point, everybody in Stars Hollow was here driving all personnel crazy, so any party under five is a relief probably." She stopped at the door. "This is it," she said as she began to push open the door quietly.

Rory stood biting her nail. Before the door was opened fully, she backed away. "Um, I think I'm going to wait out here, okay?"

Lorelai looked at her questioningly. Upon seeing her frightened eyes staring back into hers, she nodded understandingly. "Okay, Babe. We'll be out in a minute." She pointed to a tiny waiting area. "Just wait there."

Rory nodded quickly, appreciating her mom's ability to pick up on her feelings.

Liz entered the room, followed by Lorelai.

Lorelai looked determinately down to the floor as she prepared herself for anything. She took one final deep breath and looked up.

And it was Luke.

She knew who she going to see, but seeing him lying there confirmed that this was Luke. Friend Luke. Her Luke.

It felt as if a small volt of electricity passed through her chest. She walked slowly toward the bed while staring at him. Even through the painful sting near her heart, she managed a smile. She wiped at her face, thinking the tears in her eyes may have fallen, but they hadn't. Not yet. "He looks like Luke. He looks okay," she said to Liz, not taking her eyes from his face.

Liz smiled as she stood near his feet. "Yeah, he only had a few scratches on his hands and arms, but they've disappeared mostly." Lorelai looked down at the arm nearest to her. She made a move to touch him but pulled back. "It's okay," Liz said, noticing the movement. "That kind of stuff helps. You can touch him."

Lorelai looked back into his face, and she and Liz stood in silence as Lorelai simply looked at him. He looked so peaceful. It seemed as if he was sleeping. She was happy to see that he wasn't using any breathing machines. Another good sign, she thought. His long lashes were as still as she had ever seen them.

She blinked away tears. "Luke, please wake up," she whispered. She felt a light pressure on her back as Liz used her hand to console her. Lorelai smiled embarrassingly as she still looked at him.

"You know what, I have to go talk to the doctor. I'll be right back," Liz said as she made her way to the door. She sensed that Lorelai may want some time to sit with him alone. Lorelai barely heard her. She did, however, take notice as the door clicked shut. She looked back to Luke.

Reaching an apprehensive hand up to his cheek, she rubbed along his hair growth. It was obvious that he hadn't been shaved in the week or so since he arrived. "Hey there, Handsome," she said shakily. She smiled sadly. "This isn't quite the Welcome Home that I was expecting." She pulled her hand away and moved both hands to rest on his arm. She fell silent for a few moments.

"I don't really know a lot about comas." She paused as she tried not to let her emotions crash through the weak levee that held them in place. "So, I don't know if you can hear me." She smiled. "If not, then this probably is a vacation for you, hunh?" A solemn expression replaced the smile within seconds. Lorelai took in his state. He was still. Not moving or pouring or ranting or…building chuppahs. But still. She sighed and looked around briefly before leaning close to him.

"Luke, I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when this happened," she said quietly. "Rory said that stalking Bono and extending the trip wasn't smart, but I didn't listen. I should have. If I did, I would've been back, and I would've been here for you, probably bugging you in the diner at the time that this happ—" She stopped suddenly. She'd been rambling on, and she almost felt as if she'd been punched in the gut as her words finally caught up to her ears. She couldn't allow herself to believe that that was true. She couldn't. If she wanted to continue to function normally, she could not let herself consider such a thing. The situation was hard enough without ridiculous beliefs that suggested she could have prevented it.

She was successful at pushing those thoughts away as she continued on. "I know you're going to be okay." Please God let him be okay. "So, I'll let you sleep for a little while longer, Luke. Just a little while. Then, I'm going to need you back, okay?" She smiled. "Flannel and all." Her eyes moved up to the bundles of flowers and gifts that sat on chairs, tables, and pretty much all open spaces. She erected herself slowly as she looked back into his face.

"Rory is out in the waiting area," she said. "She's not really a hospital person," she said as she shook her head. She paused. "I'm going to go ahead and get her home, but I'll be back tomorrow to see you." She paused again as if waiting on affirmation from him. Looking down at his hand, she placed one of hers inside his and ran her thumb over his skin softly.

"Only a little while longer," she whispered before turning to leave.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"So, you're going to see him again tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go sit with him for a while," Lorelai said as she licked ice cream off the back of her spoon. She and Rory sat comfortably on their living room sofa talking after arriving home from the hospital.

"Okay. I should go too," Rory said suggestively.

"You ready to see him?" Asked Lorelai.

Rory paused. "Not really. But I should, shouldn't I?"

Lorelai stuck her spoon back in the ice cream carton. "Rory it's okay," she assured. "You don't have to see him if you're not ready. I can understand that it may be a little weird to see him like that."

Rory looked down sadly. "That shouldn't matter, Mom. Why am I acting like such a baby?"

Lorelai reached over and rubbed her leg. "You're not acting like a baby, Honey. It's Luke." She shrugged. "He's Luke," she said again meaningfully. "He means a lot to the girls in this house. I know what he is to you. Don't beat yourself up for not wanting to see him so vulnerable. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Rory sighed. "I want to see him and be there for him. I really do, but..."

"Babe, you don't have to be there to show you care. Nobody will doubt that."

"You sure? Because I really don't want to give off that impression."

"Rory, please. No one would ever think that. Most of all, Luke."

"Well, I hope not." She shoved a small amount of popcorn into her mouth and settled back onto the couch. "I missed him while we were gone," she said quietly.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, he kind of grows on you, doesn't he?"

"Definitely." Rory looked down to her fingers. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"

Lorelai looked at her fully. "He's going to be fine, Rory. Don't worry."

"You know, the longer a person stays in a coma, the worse their chan--"

"Don't," Lorelai said shutting her eyes briefly. She opened them. "Don't think that way. I said he's going to be fine," she said firmly. The room grew quiet. "I have to believe that, Rory," Lorelai added. Rory nodded quickly.

"Yeah, of course he will."

Releasing a deep sigh, Lorelai looked at Rory with a smile. "Okay, let's change the subject."

"Uh, sure." Rory thought for a moment. She looked around nervously before looking back at her mom. "How about that game?!" She asked with exaggeration.

Lorelai nodded hugely. "I know. You'd think interest in Wheel of Fortune will dwindle away, but it never does."

Rory laughed.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Okay, Sook, I'm going to call it a day." Lorelai gathered up her things quickly.

Sookie glanced at her watch. "At one o'clock in the afternoon?" She asked.

"Yeeeah," she drawled out apologetically. "I'm going to see Luke."

"Oh! Oh, then, go. Please," she said waving her away.

Lorelai smiled. "I'll have my cell on, so give it a ring if you need to," she said as she put on her jacket.

Sookie headed back into the kitchen. "I will. I'll see you later, Honey."

Lorelai shouldered her things and exited.

She reached the hospital sooner than she anticipated, and she stopped at the nurses' station briefly before heading into Luke's room. No one was there at the hospital visiting with him. Liz said that she usually stopped by in the evenings, so she wasn't expecting to see her. But, no other Stars Hollowians were there either.

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She smiled as she looked him up and down before settling on his face. "Hey, Luke." She moved close to him and ran a hand softly back through his hair. "I hope you don't mind, but you have to deal with me a little while longer."

She saw the chair located across the room and went to get it. She pulled it up right next to his bed and took a seat as she looked around the room. "How'd you swing a private suite? You've got it made, Mister." She looked back at him for a while. "Oh, before I forget, I got you a little something." She reached down into a bag and pulled out a small balloon that read, It's a boy, along with a tiny stuffed animal dressed in a t-shirt that looked like flannel.

Lorelai stood up to carry them to the side with all of his other things. "I got you a little teddy bear. Can you believe that you inspired Hallmark? Or whoever it is that made this thing," she said. She turned it in her hand as she inspected it. "Either way, I couldn't resist." She set the bear on the table. She looked at the balloon in her hand. "I know you're wondering about this," she began. "I just thought that since everyone else was getting you Get Well Soon stuff, I'd be a little different. Congratulations, Luke...it's a boy!" She said with a smile as she held it toward him. She shook her head and set it down too. "You would so be rolling your eyes at me right now if you weren't..."

She looked down to the floor. She put on another smile and moved back around to her chair. Taking her seat once again, she exhaled softly. She looked down to the few cords connected to his body. "You know, when Rory was young, I used to sit beside her bed just like this and just watch her sleep." She smiled as she looked at him. "She was so beautiful. Still is." She chuckled lightly. "She'd wake up sometimes and look at me like I was some crazy lady." She shrugged. "Then, after a while, she just got used to it. It went on until she was a teenager." She nodded thoughtfully. "I just love her so much, you know. I didn't want her to leave my sight. I couldn't help but want to sit with her in case she got lonely or scared...because of a nightmare, maybe. Or if she woke up suddenly. It was something about having my face be the first face that she'd see."

Silence fell across the room. Lorelai looked at Luke.

After a rather lengthy silence, she leaned up in her chair. "So, I never got a chance to tell you about our trip," she said casually. "Let me start by saying, you have not experienced France until you visit Paris. And, believe me, the concierge they have representing them here should be deported and replaced. They're getting a very undeserved rep..."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Lorelai. Hey," Liz said as she came into the room.

Lorelai turned around in her chair and smiled at Liz. "Hey." She turned back toward the bed as she picked up the controller and turned the television off. "You're here early," she commented.

Liz looked at her watch. "It's seven," she said.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Really? I must have lost track of time."

Liz came over to the bed and observed Luke for a moment. "How long have you been here?" She asked Lorelai.

"Since a little after one," she answered.

Liz smiled. "Wow. The whole time?" She asked with quiet shock.

"Well, I had to leave a couple of times when the nurse came in," she said with a modest shrug.

She smiled wider. "I'm so glad you're back from your trip," she said.

Lorelai smiled and stood up from her seat. "Glad to be back," she said quietly. She took her jacket from the back of the chair. "Well, I'm going to take off."

"You sure? You can stay as long as you like. Don't let me run you off."

Lorelai waved her hand. "No, it's okay. I have some things to do. I'll see you later on." Liz nodded in concordance. Lorelai looked at her briefly once more before she leaned close to Luke. She spoke quietly in his ear and stood back up seconds later. She smiled at Liz as she stood looking at her with a questioning, but contented expression. "Bye, Hon," she said as she turned to leave.

Liz watched her walk out of the door before moving her eyes down to Luke. "You know, I try to stay out of your love life, but Bro, if I don't see you two together after all of this, I will hurt you myself," she said as she went about rearranging all of his flowers and gifts.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai sighed exhaustedly at the clock as she lay in her bed. She turned over a few times before she kicked the cover off of her body and sat up straight. Looking around her bedroom briefly, she climbed out of bed and put on some jeans and a T-shirt. Next were her tennis shoes. She moved down the stairs of her home and went to Rory's door. After peaking inside and finding her still asleep, she went to the desk drawer and pulled out a notepad and a pen.

Hey, Love.

Went to the hospital. Call me if you need to.

Mom---- kiss, kiss:)

She ripped the note off of the pad quickly and went to place it on the kitchen table.

It was midnight, a little past. The roads were clear as everyone else rested comfortably in their beds in order to prepare themselves for the day ahead. Lorelai had a clear path, the sounds of midnight variety hour coming from the radio and filling up her jeep. She sung peacefully as she drove along, making her drive even shorter.

Lorelai stepped into the hospital. While the roads were clear, giving full respect to the hour, the hospital seemed oblivious to it. Too bad the sick couldn't wait until business hours.

Her visit with Luke earlier in the day helped her to realize the leniency that was given when staff thought that you were somebody important. Somebody with a firm relation.

"Hi," Lorelai greeted cordially. "I'm here for Luke Danes. Lorelai Gilmore."

The nurse looked down at some sheets. "You're his fiancé, correct."

Lorelai smiled. "That would be me."

The nurse nodded her in the direction of his room, and she headed that way still with a smile. It wasn't really all that necessary for her to create a fake engagement in order to see him flexibly. She wasn't entirely sure, but she didn't think it was. Not wanting to take any chances, she had corrected Rory's earlier introduction of her. If it wasn't necessary, it would still make for a hilarious telling once Luke had regained consciousness. It was already proving to be quite amusing. She could almost see his face as he learned of the details. That, alone, would make it all worthwhile.

She pushed open the door to his room. Flipping on the lights, she went to his bedside. "Surprise," she whispered. She looked at his eyelids. "I was kinda hoping the bright light would wake you up. In this case, it'd be a pretty good thing." She smiled. "I know I told you I'd be back in the morning, but I couldn't sleep, so I went for a midnight drive. Ended up here," she said with a shrug. "Technically though, it is morning."

She moved her hand over his rapidly growing facial hair. It was very near a beard. "You're getting a little bushy, Luke." She looked around. Looking back at him, she said a quick, "I'll be right back."

Lorelai moved outside of his room. After making sure that no one was watching her, she moved down the hallway, looking into open rooms. When she spotted the supply room, she slipped inside and grabbed a couple of supplies and made her way back to Luke's room.

She set up the things on the table near his bed and went into the bathroom to get a pan of water. She came back out and set it, too, on the table. "Okay," she breathed out. "Let's get you pretty." She laughed, imagining the look he would have made at that comment.

She took the can of shaving cream and lathered him up after wetting his face. Taking the cheap plastic razor in her hand, she carefully began to work it across his cheek. It took almost half an hour to finish because she was going so slowly, trying her best not to cut him or hurt him.

Once finished, she dropped the razor into the water. She picked up the damp washcloth and patted his face gently. Satisfied that she had done a thorough job, she stepped back with a sigh. She reached a hand to his face and smiled at the feel of his soft skin under her fingertips.

"I, um, know I've never told you this, and there are many reasons that could fall under the category of why." She paused. "But...you have no idea how gorgeous you are." She smiled again. "According to my luck, now is, uh, really the time when you should wake up. Right after I've said something that has absolutely no way of being glossed over." She paused. "I could deal with that, though. Feel free to put me in that position."

Lorelai's words weighted heavily in the room as she looked at Luke waiting for a response from him. Her hope was high, causing this position to be held for several minutes. Finally, though, her eyes fell slowly to the floor. She moved over and began cleaning up the small mess that she had made. When she was finished, she turned out the light. She sat back down in her chair and moved it closer to his bed before making herself as comfortable as she could. She spread her jacket over her upper body and settled into the chair, looking at him as she drifted off.

...TBC...