This Is Me | Gilmore Girls

Part 2: Making A Life

A/N: Before someone comments on Rory taking an AP course her sophomore year for Max Medina, let me just say that I don't think it was actually Rory's class taking the AP. It's required by law or at least it was in 2000 that you take 4 years of English in high school and being in Chilton wouldn't change that (and I would know since I've been in private school my whole life). As such I'm going to assume it was a joint Parent Teacher Conference for anyone in his classes because he would be teaching just one. My high school only hand 2-3 English teachers at a time and they mixed who did what that year and we certainly weren't as large as Chilton looks to be. I'm going to say he was teaching sophomores and AP while another teacher(s) handled the rest and was prepping his sophomore class (sometimes students that test ahead can take AP Lit then AP Lang the next year).

*~Back to the Story~*

"Ugh." A massive headache blooming as memory after memory bombards her. She goes to rub at her temples but feels a stinging pull on her hand that makes her hiss at the twinge of pain. Opening her eyes she's bombarded by a white ceiling and pastel baby blue walls, a hospital. Her leg is in a cast. The sound of shuffling comes from her side and she sees the Gilmores, all four of them. Lorelai and Rory are on separate seats in the corner covered by hospital blankets while Emily and Richard are on the sofa against the windowed wall. It's while she looks at them that she realizes why she is here. At the age of 15 and halfway through her sophomore year after skipping one in middle school, Lilith Riley Gilmore was orphaned in a head-on collision February 14, 2000. She had a memory of waking briefly as emergency responders pulled her from the wreck.

"Ri? Mom, Grandma, Grandpa wake up! Riley's up." Rory says throwing the covers off her and waking the others.

"Rory wha?"

"Get up! Riley's awake!"

"Riley?" Lorelai's eyes snap to her and she quickly moves to her with tears in her eyes. "Oh, sweetie." Lorelai says before she presses a kiss to her head.

"Good heavens. Richard, Richard, wake up."

"What is it, Emily?" He groans.

"Richard, Riley is awake. I'm going to get the doctors." Emily says as she gives my hand a small squeeze before going.

"Ah, Riley. You gave us quite the fright young lady. I'm glad to see you finally awake." Richard's eyes look weary.

"How long was I out?" She asks 

"Two days." Rory tells her.

"How do you feel?  Sorry, stupid question." Lorelai says.

"Would you two mind giving us a moment?"

"Dad."

"What? Why?" 

"He's going to tell me my parents are dead." Lorelai and Rory are stunned by my response.

"You know?" Richard looks at me with a sad look as if he's lost so much and in a way he has after all his son, his firstborn is gone now and this time he's gotten to know him.

"I saw them before they pulled me out."

"Oh sweetie." Lorelai barely manages as a hand covers her mouth to stifle the sobs and Rory's eyes well up with tears just as the door reopens and Emily walks in with the doctor.

~~*~~

"Ok, wasn't expecting that." She totally looks like Alexandra Daddario. Thinking on the memories she has, she realizes that she has a lot of memories spent with this life's mom in the kitchen. Holy crap, I know how to cook! Her parents had met while her father Johnathon was studying abroad at Oxford for a year before returning to Yale with her as his wife. They had quickly fallen for each other and were married before returning stateside, something Emily had not forgiven easily if at all.