Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 102

Room 738. Logan and Rory finally arrived at the hospital to meet her brother and sister. Funny, she didn't think of them as "half" siblings. They were her brother and sister. Perhaps it was because she had always viewed Luke as a father.

Christopher meant well. He always attempted to maintain contact with her, planning brief visits every couple months and calling infrequently in between. He told her about his girlfriend, Lana, whom he had been with for several years, though marriage seemed to never be on the table. Gigi was viewing the world and working to achieve higher education, one that had been intended for Christopher himself.

No matter how well he intended, Christopher never could be trusted to be around. Once or twice, he followed through with promises but, more often than not, he just didn't show up. There was rarely a call or text. It simply was implied when a prearranged time came and went with no sign of him.

At thirty-two, Rory expected it. She knew better than to honestly count on Christopher stepping into the father role this late in her life. She always suspected it was because he knew she wasn't lacking for a father.

Luke was the opposite of Christopher in most ways. He was loyal and dependable. When he said he would do something, he did it. He worked hard to provide for his family and did what was needed to get a job done. Rory never had to question how he felt about her, even when he and Lorelai were on the outs. Luke was just as good a man as they came.

Eli and Gabby were very lucky to have Luke as a father. Rory should know.

Smiling, Rory pushed the door open and found her mother sitting up in the bed with a baby in her arms and Luke in a chair with the other baby in his. It seemed right. Those babies were exactly where they were meant to be.

"Okay, one of you needs to cough up a baby because I need to begin the spoiling."

Luke laughed and stood up, planning to let Rory take over cuddling the twin he was holding. "You can have Gabby. She is awake right now." He passed the little girl in a pink knit cap to her.

Lorelai looked at Logan. "Would you like to hold Eli?"

Logan shook his head. "You enjoy it. I'll have plenty of time to hold him."

Rory couldn't help but tear up as she gazed at the bundle of perfection in her arms. "She is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The only babies who rival her are Lora and Eli."

"And you," Lorelai said quietly.

Rory held Gabby for over an hour before trading babies with her mother. Eli seemed to like snuggling just as much, if not more than, Gabby. And that was just fine with Rory.

Logan seemed content to just chat with his future in-law's. It amazed Rory how much he fit into this world she grew up in. During their time apart, she had often spent time wondering whether he would like this quiet, slow paced life. It certainly seemed like he did. It finally felt like everything in her life was falling into place.

"What are you over there thinking about?" Lorelai asked Rory, causing her to jump.

"Oh, nothing," Rory answered, a smile playing on her lips. "Nothing at all."

*****

A week. A whole week passed with no calls or updates about the four year old he had been asked about. Jess ran his fingers through his hair as he sat behind his desk, his mind yet again unable to focus.

He kept telling himself that he would call the caseworker to see what was going on but he shied away every time the hour he mentally selected would pass.

But enough was enough.

Reaching for his cell phone, Jess found the number Shelia had called from. Before he lost his nerve, he touched the button that initiated a new phone call and pushed the phone to his ear.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello, this is Shelia."

"Shelia, hi. This is Jess Mariano. I was wondering if you had an update about the four year old we discussed last week."

"Were your ears burning? I was just talking with my supervisor about you." Shelia laughed lightly but continued once she realized Jess wasn't going to join in. "I apologize; I wanted to wait to see what happened with the emergency hearing that was held this morning. I should have called you to at least let you know that but time got away from me."

Jess found that he couldn't sit down. He pushed to his feet and slowly paced around his office. "What happened in court? Will the child be placed with us?"

"The judge did issue an order of removal so she will be in your home this evening. Another caseworker went back to the mother's home to gather some of the child's belongings to hopefully make the transition a little easier and lessen what you'll need to buy for her."

Jess' heart soared. He and Natalie were getting a child.

"How long do you anticipate this placement lasting?"

Shelia hesitated. "Well, Mr. Mariano, that's the thing. This child has been in foster care more than she has been with her mother in the last eighteen months. After the hearing today, the mother signed papers to voluntarily relinquish her rights, which will be subject to the court's approval."

Jess couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was afraid that he was jumping the gun but something deep inside told him this child was meant to be his and Natalie's.

"Can we adopt her?"

"Potentially, yes. We will have to allow time to see how the three of your adapt to one another but the goal at this time is adoption by you and your wife."

Shelia kept Jess on the phone for a few more minutes, answering some questions before telling him it would easier to go over everything in person when she brought the little girl to their home.

As Jess disconnected the call, he stood in disbelief as he processed what he had just heard.

If everything went according to plan, he and Natalie could be adopting their first child this winter.