Gilmore Girls FanFic: Take Good Care of My Baby

December

"I smell snow," Lorelai says as she quietly crawls into Rory's childhood bed where her pregnant daughter is asleep.

"Mom?" Rory says in a groggy voice.

"Yeah, kid?" Lorelai says as she lays her head next to Rory's.

"I think I'm gonna be si—," Rory leans over the side of the bed and throws up in the trashcan. Lorelai soothes her daughter's hair as she waits for Rory to finish. Rory rolls over and puts her hand on her stomach. "Well, that was disgusting. I don't think I've thrown up since that day I drank too much of Miss Patty's Founder's Day punch."

"Yeah, it's a little weird you're getting sick now," Lorelai tells her. "That's typically a first trimester joy."

"Oh, great," Rory says with a sigh. "I can't even be pregnant like a normal person."

"Hey, don't talk like that!" Lorelai softly scolds her. "You've never been a normal person. You're an exceptional person. Normal is overrated. Weird is way more fun!"

"Oh, yeah," Rory says as she tries to contain her next round of vomit, "I'm having an absolute blast."

"But seriously," Lorelai says with a concerned look at her daughter, "maybe you should call Dr. Cherry and just make sure everything is okay."

"I think I'm okay," Rory tells her. "Maybe I'm just nervous about telling Dad today." She pauses. "Or telling Grandma next week." She cringes, and then leans over to throw up again.

"I can't tell you how many times I have felt physically ill knowing I had to tell my mother big news," Lorelai admits as her daughter is bent over the trashcan. "Although I don't think I ever actually threw up. Well, maybe that one time in middle school when I had to go home and tell her I'd gotten my period in the middle of English class while reading Diary of Anne Frank, and Donny Golzinski pointed it out to everyone so I punched him and got detention for a week. Meanwhile Donny got a 'stern talking to' about the inappropriateness of making fun of girls while they're menstruating because girls on their periods could get hysterical and unpredictable and they hoped he learned his lesson. After I told Emily, I wasn't allowed to sit on the new living room couch for that whole week. And man, now I feel like I'm going to throw up." Lorelai stands up and walks into the kitchen. "But I still smell snow!" She yells back into Rory's room.

* * * * * * * * * *

Christopher Hayden stands in the blistering cold waiting for his daughter outside the main entrance of the Hartford Mall. His tailored Nieman Marcus wool coat is buttoned up to a monogramed scarf around his neck. He looks like something out of an advertisement. Women slow down and smile at him as they pass by. He is oblivious to their stares. He spots Rory walking quickly toward him, and he turns to open the mall door for her.

"Hey, Kid," he says as Rory hustles through the door. "Is there a reason you wanted to meet me at the mall and not my nice, quiet office? You know it's December, right?"

"Hi, Dad. Nice to see you, too," Rory says. "I figured this would be a better place to have your undivided attention," she tells him as they walk toward the food court.

"There are plenty of nice restaurants near my office," her dad reminds her. "But you know I'm happy to meet you wherever you want."

"I appreciate that, Dad. Thanks."