Monday, May 14, 1984
It had been three weeks since Lorelai learned she was pregnant. Emily called and made her an appointment with an obstetrician for later that afternoon. Lorelai was both excited and nervous, as she had no idea what would happen at the appointment.
After getting ready for school, Lorelai grabbed her backpack and flung it over her shoulder. She flew downstairs and crossed the foyer to the front door as Emily exited Richard's office.
"Don't forget, Lorelai, I'll be picking you up from school at 2:15pm so we can get to Dr. Gray's office on time."
"I know. I will plan to be in the office waiting for you."
"Yes, that would be good."
Opening the door, then hesitating, Lorelai looked at her mother. "Mom, thank you. I'll see you later."
"Later, yes." Emily was taken aback by her daughter's comment. "Have a good day."
The door closed softly behind her and Lorelai rushed to the bus stop, eager to get this day going.
As she stood waiting, she thought about her child's father. She told Christopher about the appointment several days ago but he said nothing else about it. She had begun to wonder if Christopher was somehow trying to detach from her—at the urging of his father, most likely—because he had spoken to her very little since news of her pregnancy had been come out.
She noticed her thoughts drifting to her baby quite often. She was almost certain she was carrying a girl—just an instinct she had. Names filtered through her mind often but nothing quite fit.
Passing at a decent clip, the day carried on with several classes actually capturing Lorelai's attention. Before she knew it, the time had come for her to head to the office to wait for her mom.
As she walked through the quad, Chris stepped out from behind a column. "Lor," he said simply.
Slowing, Lorelai allowed him to reach her. "Hey."
"So, today's the day, huh?"
"Yep. I'm headed to meet my mom now."
Chris shoved his hands in his pockets but said nothing.
Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Well, if that's it, I'll be going. I don't want to keep my mom waiting."
Nodding, Chris shifted his weight but didn't move. "Can you let me know what happens? What the doctor says?"
Without hesitation, Lorelai assented. "Chris, I'll never shut you out. Anything you want to know or be a part of, you're welcome to."
He started to respond when Emily's voice broke in. "Lorelai, we need to get going. You can talk to Christopher later."
A faint smile formed on Lorelai's lips as she turned and walked toward the doors. Before it closed behind her, she turned and looked at Christopher one last time.
°°°°°°
"Lorelai Gilmore."
She stood and made her way to the nurse holding the door open. As she neared, she realized her mother was behind her. "Mom, you don't have to come with me."
"You're sixteen years old. I'm going with you." Emily's look stopped further debate from Lorelai.
A little ways down the hall, the nurse stopped at a scale. "I need to check your weight." Lorelai climbed on the scale and waited for the nurse to jot the number in the chart. She pointed to an empty room across the hall. "We'll be in that room."
Twenty minutes later, the vitals were all taken and a few questions were answered when Dr. Gray came in. She was a woman in her mid-forties with light blonde hair and kind blue eyes.
"Hello Miss Gilmore, how are you today?"
"Well, I'm sixteen and pregnant. How about you take a guess?"
"Lorelai!" Emily scolded.
Dr. Gray held up her hand. "It's fine. This, I'm sure, is not something that was planned so no need to sugar coat anything." She turned to the patient. "I have a hunch I'm going to like you."
Chuckling, Lorelai raised her eyebrows and placed her hand on her stomach. "Yes, well, the father of my baby told me that too so you may want to be careful."
"Oh, for heaven's sake." Emily wasn't as amused by this as Dr. Gray and Lorelai appeared to be.
Dr. Gray looked over Lorelai's file. "Your last period was the beginning of January?"
Glancing at her mother, Lorelai nodded.
Growing frustrated, Emily sighed. "And you didn't think to mention anything?"
Rolling her eyes, Lorelai responded tensely. "Mom, you wouldn't have listened anyway so I saved my breath."
Emily harrumphed but elected not to comment further.
Dr. Gray set the file on the counter. "Okay, I'd like to do a pelvic exam today. I'll also do blood test to officially confirm your pregnancy."
The rest of the appointment flew by. Emily inquired how far along the doctor would guess Lorelai was. "I'd say she's nineteen weeks, based on when her last period was. I'd give an estimated due date of October 10, 1984."
"How big do you think the baby is?" Lorelai asked.
Dr. Gray patiently answered. "About the size of a small banana."
°°°°°°
On the way home, Lorelai sat with a smile on her face as she looked out the window. "I think the baby is a girl."
"Oh, and why do you think that?"
Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, just a feeling." Neither spoke again until they were few minutes from home. "Do you think I'll make a good mom?"
Emily responded without hesitation. "At sixteen? Oh, I'm sure you're going to be the best mother ever. After all, you have so much life experience to fall back on." Sarcasm dripped from every word.
"Wow."
"What?" Emily asked innocently.
"Nothing. I guess I didn't expect such a blunt answer."
"Don't ask something you don't really want to know the answer to."
Lorelai nodded absently. "Mom, I do have one more question."
"What's that?"
"Obviously, I'm already starting to show so I won't be able to hide the pregnancy much longer. How and when should I tell anyone?"
Emily sighed deeply. "Well, lying is pointless because the truth will come out." She thought for a few moments. "I suppose I should meet with your headmaster and let him know the situation. That way he can help control things when news begins to spread."
"Yeah, that probably is best."
The two Gilmore's sat in silence while Emily steered the car into their driveway. Lorelai spoke again before exiting the car. "Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you planned for me and, even though I made it clear I didn't want the same life as you, I didn't do this to rebel."
Emily forced a smile but said nothing.
Lorelai looked at her hands on her lap before moving to open the car door. She wasn't sure whether her mother believed her.
°°°°°°
Thursday, May 17, 1984
The day at school passed quickly and before Lorelai knew it, lunch had come. Christopher, though still acting unsure of the situation, brought Lorelai her favorite lunch from a hole-in-the-wall taco joint downtown. Lorelai was pleasantly surprised when he told her as they walked from her locker toward the cafeteria.
"I can't believe you did that, Chris."
"Yeah, well, I figure it's the least I could do since I've been somewhat M.I.A. the last couple weeks."
Lorelai looked around. "Now that you mention it, I have noticed that you're hardly ever around. Something that I should be concerned about?"
Christopher shook his head. "No, it's just my dad. You know how he is."
"Is he trying to get you to leave me?"
Grappling with words, Christopher was hesitant to answer. "Um, no, not exactly."
"Then what is it?"
"Nothing. I took care of it."
Lorelai slowed her pace. "Chris, what's going on? Level with me."
"It's nothing. He just—he isn't sure what to make of all of this. I mean, we are so young and he isn't sure that the baby is...."
"That the baby is what?" Lorelai searched Christopher's face for the answer. Then it hit her. "He isn't sure the baby is yours, is he?"
"Well—"
"Chris, do you have any reason to doubt that you're the father?"
Christopher shook his head. "No, I don't. I think it's mine."
Lorelai looked down. " She is yours."
"It's a girl?"
A timid smile tugging at her lips, Lorelai nodded. "I have a feeling."
Christopher stopped just short of the cafeteria doors. "She. A daughter."
"Yeah. Sorry you don't get your football player."
"First, I wasn't even thinking that and, second, she may be a tomboy."
"You're funny. My daughter won't be a tomboy."
"You don't know that."
Lorelai chuckled. "Trust me, I do. And she won't."
The two moved through the door and toward an empty table at the back of the cafeteria. Christopher opened the bag of tacos and handed one to Lorelai, who happily accepted it. As she opened the wrapper and caught a waft of the smell, nausea overtook her and she felt vomit rise at the back of her throat. Jumping up and running toward the bathrooms, Lorelai did everything she could to hold out until she made it into a stall.
Christopher just sat at the table, looking in the direction she ran.
Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai entered the cafeteria long enough to wave Christopher out to meet her.
Once outside in the hall, he put his hands on her shoulders and ducked down to be eye-level with her. "You okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah but you can mark tacos off my list of acceptable foods for the rest of the pregnancy."
At that moment, Destiny Lawson rounded the corner. She stopped and swung to face Christopher and Lorelai. "You're pregnant?"
Lorelai's eyes were downcast. "Of course you'd be the first one who find out," she muttered.
Christopher shifted his weight and put his arm around Lorelai. "Yes, she is. We are expecting a baby."
Destiny's smirked. "Congratulations," she said sarcastically. "Are you going to keep it?"
Lorelai felt anger well deep within. "What kind of question is that? Of course I'm going to keep my baby."
Destiny laughed sadistically, having recovered quickly from the shock. "I can't wait to tell my mom that I was right all along."
Christopher rolled his eyes. "Yes, because that's the take away from this." He pulled Lorelai back into the cafeteria. "News will certainly spread now."
Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "My mom was supposed to come meet with Headmaster Hall to let them know about the pregnancy and figure out the best way to address it. She obviously waited too long because I'm sure the whole school will know before the end of the day."
Looking around, Christopher located an empty seat at a table in the middle of the room. He rushed over and jumped up onto it. "Attention everyone!" He waited briefly while everyone quieted down. "Lorelai Gilmore is pregnant with my baby." He turned toward her and laughed. "There. It's out."
The volume in the room rose abundantly as teachers and lunch aides rushed to pull Christopher down from the chair. Lorelai hung her head when she noticed how many people were looking and pointing at her, clearly discussing the fact that she was pregnant.
Oh, Emily was going to love this.
°°°°°°
"Mrs. Gilmore, Lorelai's school is on the phone. Apparently, there is an issue and they'd like for you to come in immediately."
Emily lowered the book she had been reading for her monthly book club, her eyes falling on the maid, Denise. "Well, I love how they just assume I can drop whatever it is I'm doing to rush over to deal with an 'issue,' as you called it. Did they elaborate on what the 'issue' was?"
"No, they did not. Would you like for me to call the school and let them know you're unavailable?"
"No, no. I'll go. Anything with Lorelai could mean trouble." She set her bookmark in place and stood, irritated that she'd been interrupted.
Thirty minutes later, Emily arrived at the school and went straight to the office. The secretary looked up and greeted her. "Good afternoon. What can I help you with?"
"I'm Emily Gilmore. I received a call that there was an issue with my daughter and that I needed to come in immediately."
The secretary, whose name was Ruth according to her nameplate, cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you for coming down so quickly. Unfortunately, the mother of the other student who was involved was at a hair appointment and won't be in for about fifteen more minutes. Would you mind taking a seat until she arrives?"
Rolling her eyes, Emily placed her handbag on the counter. "Ruth, can you please explain to me why I have to wait for another mother to arrive before the headmaster is able to discuss with me the issues with my daughter?" Her voice sounded sweet but it was not lost on those within earshot that each word dripped sarcasm.
Firing right back, Ruth stood so that she was at the same eye level as Emily. "Yes, Mrs. Gilmore, I certainly can. The headmaster wishes to speak with both mothers at one time. He has made it clear to me that he will not be available until you are both present."
"Who is this other student?"
"I am not at liberty to say." Ruth busied herself with other tasks, clearly indicating to Emily that the conversation was over.
Realizing there was nothing left to do but sit and wait, Emily turned and walked the short distance to the waiting area. Wrinkling her nose, she looked between several chairs before selected the one that contained the fewest stains. She held her handbag close to her chest, not wanting anything to transfer onto its fine Italian leather.
Fifteen minutes came and went with no sign of the other mother. Emily was growing more and more impatient as the hands on the clock ticked by. After another ten minutes yielded no other arrivals, she finally stood and walked back to the counter.
Ruth looked up, expectantly. "Yes?"
Emily dug her heels into the floor. "I've been waiting for nearly thirty minutes. I demand to see the principal now."
Ruth exhaled slowly. "I'll call back to Headmaster Hall and see if he will meet with you separately due to the delay. Please have a seat." She reached for her phone.
"No thanks, I'm fine right here."
Ruth's gaze turned stony. "Certainly, Mrs. Gilmore." She stood up and walked to a vacant desk across the room and picked up the receiver. Emily could hear bits and pieces of the conversation but not enough to know how she was being portrayed to the principal.
After a few moments, Ruth hung up the phone and walked back to Emily. "Headmaster Hall said he will see you now. Please follow me." She turned and led Emily down the hall and stopped at the closed door at the end. Knocking briefly, she opened the door and gestured for Emily to enter.
Nodding to Ruth as she passed, Emily maneuvered her way into the headmaster's office. She took a seat before allowing her eyes to meet Headmaster Hall's. "Good afternoon, can you please tell me what brings me in to see you today?"
"Hello Mrs. Gilmore. We don't see much of you around here."
"I'm a busy woman. Can you please tell me what brings me in to see you today?" Emily repeated, her annoyance becoming more and more evident.
"Well, there was an incident in the cafeteria with Lorelai and—" The phone on the corner of the headmaster's desk rang. "Hold on one moment, please."
"Oh, for the love of God." Emily no longer cared who she angered. Her time was clearly not valuable to the administration of Lorelai's school.
"Yes?" Headmaster Hall said into the receiver. He nodded, more to himself than anything. "Okay, please send her back." He hung the phone up and looked at Emily. "The other mother is here."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Well, it's about time."
The door opened a moment later, admitting another woman. Emily's eyes grew as she saw Francine Hayden enter.
"Francine! What one earth are you doing here?"
"Well, Emily, I'm not entirely sure. Suzette, my maid, got a call that there was an issue with Christopher that required my immediate attention. I was in the middle of my weekly hair appointment when Suzette got a message to me. I came as quickly as I could."
"Yes, of course! You can't miss your standing appointment or they'll schedule right over you. Everybody knows that." Emily turned back to the headmaster, who coughed as if trying to stifle a laugh.
Headmaster Hall looked between the ladies. "Now that you're both here, we can discuss what transpired in the cafeteria this afternoon." He detailed the announcement Christopher made, followed by the chaos that ensued. "As you likely know, we are concerned. Christopher's voice carried no remorse for his actions, which I fear may prompt promiscuity among other students. While we cannot change the past, I believe the school should assist in dictating how future discussions on this topic are handled."
Francine looked at Emily. "You didn't come in to inform the school of Lorelai's pregnancy? You said you were going to."
Emily eyes narrowed. "No, Francine, I hadn't gotten around to it yet. But nothing stopped you from making an appointment either."
The headmaster held up his hands. "Ladies, there is no need to place the blame on why the school wasn't told or why your children were not monitored more closely at home—"
"Excuse me?" Emily's eyebrows arched as her gaze locked in on the headmaster. "I do not believe that our monitoring or not monitoring our children outside of these halls is any of your concern. Yes, they made a mistake and now there will be a constant reminder for the rest of their lives about the stupidity of their actions. However, I kindly order you to refrain from making such callous comments in my presence again."
"Yes, of course. It was a poor choice of words and I apologize."
Francine laughed. "'A poor choice of words'? I highly doubt that a man in your position does not choose his words before speaking. I have a hunch you said exactly what you intended to. Regardless, I echo Emily's request—how my husband and I choose to monitor our son is none of your concern. All that you need to do is help shutter the talk of the pregnancy in this school. While my son's announcement may not have been his wisest move, Lorelai would hardly have been able to hide the evidence longer. Rumors would have gone around quickly, as you well know." She sat silent for a moment before adding, "Maybe Christopher's announcement was best, as it addressed the problem head on and didn't become fuel for the gossip mill."
Banning together with Francine, Emily added her own thoughts. "Another thing, Headmaster, if you're so concerned about the fact that my daughter's pregnancy was handled as it was, why wasn't a teacher or aide paying attention when Christopher jumped up on the seat and began shouting? Seems to me if your staff had been doing their jobs, they may have prevented the announcement."
The headmaster's facial expression grew to one of ire. "I find it difficult to understand how you are both trying to spin this situation around in order to blame the school. We had nothing to do with Lorelai getting pregnant, nor with how your children chose to conduct themselves today." The phone on his desk rang again. "Excuse me, please." He took the call, his eyes growing large as he heard the contents of the message.
Slowing replacing the receiver, the headmaster looked at Emily and Francine again. "It seems that Christopher has just gotten into a physical altercation with a couple of his classmates. When disparaging comments were made to him about his choice in girlfriends, he elected to punch another student in the face. When he was through, he turned and did the same to another student who voiced similar sentiments about Lorelai."
Both women gasped, though for different reasons.
"Is Christopher okay?"
"Why would someone make disparaging comments about Lorelai? She is a Gilmore, after all."
The headmaster held up his hands. "Mrs. Hayden, I believe that finding alternative education for your son may be best. It would allow the remainder of the students to return to their usual calm and nurturing classrooms without fear that Christopher will use his fists to settle differences."
Incredulously, Emily stood slowly. "You're kicking him out?"
Standing as well, Headmaster Hall moved toward the door. "Yes, I feel that it is what is best for the school."
Francine's eyes narrowed sharply as she moved to stand beside Emily. "You mean what's best for you. The school board probably won't look too kindly on you, given that you now have two students pregnant. Your decision will likely help smooth things over since you're giving up on part of the problem. Am I right?"
The headmaster gestured to the open door. "Good day, ladies."
Emily and Francine left the headmaster's office, only to find Christopher and Lorelai were sitting in front of Ruth's desk.
Christopher stood up. "What did he say?"
Francine looked at her son with disdain. "He said you punched two kids who made comments about Lorelai."
"I did."
"Really, Christopher? You already got the girl pregnant. Don't you think you did enough damage?"
Lorelai's head cocked back. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, you know what I meant."
"No, I don't. I'd like you to explain it to me."
Emily reached for Lorelai's arm. "This is hardly the place to have this conversation." She shot Ruth a withering look. "Especially in the presence of the help." Without another word, she led Lorelai outside, Francine and Christopher right behind them.
Once they were safely away from the ears of others, Lorelai swung herself to face Christopher's mother. "Now, what did you mean when you said Christopher 'did enough damage'?"
Francine rolled her eyes. "Lorelai, I only meant that the pregnancy itself is a mistake so his going around, punching other students in your honor isn't going to help matters."
Rage flared in Lorelai's eyes as she moved close to Francine. "I highly recommend you never call my baby a mistake again. This pregnancy certainly wasn't planned but I refuse to let you belittle my child's existence like that."
Not backing down, Francine squared her shoulders. "Perhaps you should have thought about that before you seduced my impressionable son."
Moving between Lorelai and Francine, Emily's face was inches from the other mother. Her quiet tone did not belie the anger that threaded in its depths. "Your son and my daughter were both willing participants in the actions that occurred. I suggest you not forget that."
Christopher pulled on his mother's arm. "Mom, come on. Don't do this."
Francine reluctantly moved backwards. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Let's get going. We have to find you a new school."
Lorelai held up her hand. "Wait—why do you have to find him a new school?"
Francine narrowed her eyes as she looked at the young Gilmore. "I was asked to find him 'alternative education' which is just a fancy way of saying Christopher has been expelled."
"Mom, no! I can't go to another school. I can't leave Lorelai to deal with this herself."
"We don't have a choice, Christopher. You made your bed—with Lorelai in it, apparently—and now you have to lie in it. I'll talk to your father tonight and we'll decide where you'll go now."
Christopher looked at Lorelai, whose gaze held heartbreak. He closed the short distance between them, reaching for her hands. "I'm sorry, Lor. I had no idea this would happen."
Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose this will just prepare me for my future, huh?"
"What?" Confusion played at Christopher's features.
"Face it, Chris. Your parents don't want you having anything to do with me. I've tarnished their plans with this pregnancy. They'll gladly move you to another school to get you away from my seductive powers."
"This isn't their choice, Lor. It's the school's."
Lorelai turned away. "You know as well as I do that your parents could change things."
Without a backwards glance, the Gilmore women walked to their car and drove away.