Christmas in Stars Hollow. Usually a festive time of year, with the town Nativity scene and outlandish decorations, but for the Gilmore's, it was still frosty at home. Lorelai and Rory were still mad at each other, and Frankie was trying to keep the peace as best she could.
Rory and Frankie were heading to Hartford for Christmas dinner without their mother. Emily and Lorelai were still upset with each other because of their argument over Rory and the winter formal, so Emily had uninvited her daughter.
"I can't believe she's not coming," Frankie said as she drove.
"I know, it's ridiculous."
Once the twins had arrived at the house, they were escorted into the living room where Emily and Richard's friends were already sitting. Richard was talking about work with a colleague, much to Emily's distaste.
Rory tried to talk to her grandmother, who had no interest in hearing her apology at a party. Frankie didn't know what to do, so she sat down on a chair with a glass of water in hand, trying not to fall asleep before dinner.
Dinner was served promptly at eight, as usual. Frankie tuned out the conversations being had. She only came back to reality when she heard her grandmother scream for help. Richard had collapsed and needed an ambulance.
Frankie called her mother, leaving a message when she didn't pick up. She gave Lorelai all the information she had, and then drove to the hospital with Rory. They met Emily there, and tried to keep her as calm as possible, but with Emily Gilmore, there isn't really a calm setting. The woman eventually sent the girls off on a mission for a newspaper to give to Richard when he was able to have visitors. The girls rounded up every newspaper they thought he might like before returning to the nurse's station.
"Luke," Frankie said, shocked to see him sitting in a chair at the hospital.
"I gave your mom a ride," Luke explained. "We weren't on a date."
"Oh. Okay," Rory replied, unsure where his explanation was coming.
"She and your grandmother just went back to see if they could find a doctor."
"Did they find out anything else about Grandpa?" Frankie asked as she sat down next to the man.
"I don't think so, but give your mom a couple of minutes back there. I bet she finds something out."
"Thanks for bringing her," Rory said quietly.
"You're welcome." Luke paused for a moment, studying the twins. "Hey, you guys okay?"
Rory shrugged as Frankie took a deep breath. "We don't want him to die."
"Well, you tell him that when you see him, okay? People like to hear that."
"Mom!" Rory leapt from her seat as soon as she saw Lorelai. Frankie took an extra beat, turning to Luke.
"I guess you are good at talking to people," she said with a soft smile, pulling the man into a hug before getting up to join her mother and sister.
"I'd like to do something," Rory stated as Frankie walked up.
"Like rollerblade?" Lorelai asked sarcastically.
"Like, get some coffee or make phone calls or do something that isn't standing here waiting."
"Okay, got it. Well, as partial as I am to the phone, I'm voting for the 'get coffee' idea," said Lorelai, a small smile emerging on her face.
"Me too," Frankie chimed in, wrapping an arm around her mother and giving her a tight squeeze.
"Okay, good," Rory perked up and turned to Luke. "Luke, tea?"
"Peppermint, preferably."
"We'll be right back," Frankie called as she and Rory walked away.
"Hey." Lorelai walked up to her daughters before they could get too far away. "He's gonna be fine," she whispered reassuringly.
"We were just getting to know him," Frankie murmured.
Rory took a deep breath. "I don't want him to –"
"He's not," Lorelai said, cutting off her daughter. "Go get your coffee."
The twins walked away, leaving Lorelai and Luke by the nurse's station. When they returned, the two adults were standing in the hallway outside a room. Lorelai looked very flustered.
"Hey look, it's your daughters," Luke called, pointing to the girls.
"The coffee machine was jammed, so we got some chicken soup and some Pez," Rory said with a smile.
"I was just coming to look for you," the girls' mother stated.
"Why? Is everything okay?" Frankie asked, concerned.
"They just brought Grandpa back up. He's in room 202."
"Well, come on!" the girls exclaimed, heading to the room.
"You go ahead. Um, I just – I have to make a call."
"Well, hurry up," Frankie said over her shoulder, following her sister into the room.
Frankie sat next to the hospital bed while Rory read Richard the paper. When Emily came back into the room, the girls left, going to look for their mother.
"Where's mom?" Rory asked upon seeing Luke sitting on a chair outside the room.
"Looking for coffee."
"What are you doing?" Frankie questioned.
"Staring at my shoes."
Frankie laughed as Rory furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay, carry on."
Rory walked away, looking for Lorelai, but Frankie decided to sit next to Luke. After a few minutes of silence, the teenager spoke up.
"Thank you for being here."
Luke lifted his head slightly, still not looking up from his shoes. "Yeah, no worries."
"I mean it. Thank you. Mom doesn't like to admit that she needs people, but you're one of the people she needs. So, thank you." Frankie patted Luke's shoulder, standing up and walking off to find a restroom. When she returned to the room, Lorelai and Rory were hugging, smiles on their faces.
"He's gonna be okay?" Frankie asked.
"Yeah, kid, he's gonna be fine," Lorelai replied, hugging her daughter. "So, Luke's gonna take you home, okay? I'm gonna hang out here for a while."
"I'll stay, too," Rory piped up.
"Same," agreed Frankie.
"No, go, call Dean. Talk mushy to each other and then spend an hour arguing over who's gonna hang up first. Call Tristin, too, if you can get the phone."
"You are gross," Rory chuckled.
"I'll call you later."
"Okay. Tell him goodbye for us. And tell him we'll come back tomorrow," Frankie said, handing her mother the keys to the Jeep and kissing her cheek to say goodbye.
Lukedrove the girls back home, saying goodbye and driving off. Frankie went straightto her room, shutting the door and turning on her speaker. She just wanted todrown out the world for a little while. When she finally emerged from hershell, it was the following day, and the dream she was hoping was a nightmarewas actually reality. Knowing that her grandfather was going to be fine wasn'tenough for Frankie. She had a feeling that this sense of dread and emptinesswas just the beginning.