Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 105

Natalie looked at the time, noting that only five minutes had passed since she last checked. It was five o'clock. When would Shelia arrive with the little girl they were fostering?

Jess cleared his throat. As if reading her mind, he said, "When is she going to get here?"

Chuckling to herself, Natalie agreed that it seemed to be taking forever.

"Sitting around waiting and watching the clock isn't going to make the time pass any quicker."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Natalie twiddled her thumbs to show her utter boredom.

Jess thought for a minute. "What if we played a card game? It would be easy to pick up when they do arrive but it may help get our minds off of waiting for the knock on our door."

Smiling, Natalie nodded her head. She loved that Jess was always knew what she needed.

The two moved to their kitchen table and began playing war before moving onto spoons and a couple other games.

Before they knew it, two hours passed which brought a knock on the door. Jess and Natalie looked at one another and stood from their seats, making the short trek to their front door.

Without a thought, Jess' left arm wrapped around Natalie's back as his right hand reached for the door knob.

The door opened and the couple's gaze fell upon Shelia briefly before shifting to the little person standing to her right.

"Jess, Natalie, I'd like you to meet Makenna."

*****

A few weeks later, Kirk stepped into Luke's Diner, chest puffed out from his recent accomplishment. Making his way to the counter, he picked an empty stool and waved to get the owner's attention. "I'll have your most expensive meal, Luke. Today calls for a celebration."

Luke rolled his eyes before taking the bait. "Why is today worth celebrating, Kirk?" he asked dryly.

Grinning widely, Kirk fist pumped the air around him. "I finally did it, man. I asked Lulu to marry me."

Surprised, Luke reached over the counter and patted Kirk on the shoulder. "Well congratulations are in order! When's the big day?"

Paling, Kirk frowned. "What? We probably won't actually get married. We'll have a forever engagement like you and Lorelai."

"Uh, Kirk, Lorelai and I got married last year. You know this. You went glitter crazy in the square, remember?"

"Oh, that's right." Disappointment filled the eccentric town member's face. "Do you think Lulu will want to actually marry me?"

"I'd have to say yes if she accepted your proposal."

Kirk quickly stood up. "No, you take that back!"

Luke shook his head and walked away without another word.

*****

By working to establish a routine for Lora, Rory was able to have dedicated time each day to sit and write. This meant that she made a lot progress on her book. So much so that she had finished a rough draft and was beginning to go back to begin editing.

Lora had just fallen asleep in the bassinet they kept in the living room. Knowing she had over an hour until the nap would be over, Rory moved to her office and placed a baby monitor on the corner of the desk.

Sitting in her chair, she sat and thought back over the last year. It was now the middle of August. Last September, she conceived Lora. And her entire world shifted.

It was hard to believe that her daughter was now over two months old. Her baby brother and sister were also nearing their one month birthday.

Wow. Once she graduated college, it seemed life had taken on a way of speeding by her without much notice. The last year flew by even quicker, with the last two months passing in the blink of an eye.

And here she was, on to the second phase of her book, whose ending she happened to love. When she took on this project, she had intended to focus on her life with her mother, which is what she did. But the ending— the ending opened the door for a whole new story. It was where she began life as a mother.

Maybe one day Lora would add her own book to this one, telling of the things she harbored in her own mind of Rory as a mother.

Hopefully if she did, Lora's memories would be as wonderful of Rory as Rory's were of Lorelai.

*****

Jess stood in the doorway of Makenna's room, watching as her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm, signifying she had finally fallen into a deep, welcoming sleep. He closed the door and made his way down to the living room, where Natalie was picking up various Barbie dolls and accessories.

"She finally out?"

Jess nodded and bent down to help grab the few remaining toys. "Can you believe she's already been with us for nearly a month? Where did that time go?"

Natalie shrugged. "I have no idea. One minute, we're standing in the doorway as Shelia drops Makenna off with us, the next here we are."

The offhand comment about the day Shelia brought Makenna to them made Jess' mind return to that day.

After introductions had been made and the two arrivals moved deeper into the apartment, Jess was able to take stock of the little girl he had a feeling would melt his heart. Makenna stood tall for four years old, with a smattering of light brown hair and hazel eyes that would likely change depending on the clothing she donned. She was thin and had a frailness about her that instantly broke his heart. She was not shy, however. Makenna instantly began talking to Jess and Natalie as if they'd known each other for a long time.

They had asked Shelia what a typical day in Makenna's world entailed but little information had been provided.

"Truth be told, Makenna's previous routine won't have much bearing on your lives because you'll have to establish all new boundaries and schedules with her. Your own schedules will shift as you work to meet her needs." Shelia offered a little smile. "It will be overwhelming for a while. But you'll get to the point where everything will fall into place where it needs to and you'll move on as a family."

Shelia also let them know more about why Makenna had been placed into foster care.

"Makenna was ostracized in her biological home. She was treated as a leper while her brother, who is two years older, was treated as if the sun rose and set by him. The father was never in the picture but it seems as if the mother has done a fair amount of damage to Makenna's psyche. She is quick to form superficial attachments to those around her but I suspect she will have a hard time attaching to Natalie."

Thirty minutes later, Shelia was gone and the family of three was left alone to navigate this new world on their own.

And nothing had been normal since.