January 2028:
Rory was sitting at her desk, trying to finish what she was doing before she had to go pick up Grace and Sammy from school. All 3 kids were in different schools. Nicky's school was not only really close to the house but his best friend Allie-who happened to live next door- also went there, so if the weather was decent, they liked to walk together. Otherwise Nicky (and sometimes Allie-if she needed) would get a ride to school with Logan who drove Grace and Sammy to school every morning and Rory who picked them up.
She was just about ready to leave the office for the day to go pick up the kids when her phone rang. "Huntzberger" she said as she put the phone to her ear. A few minutes into what she thought might've been the most unexpected phone call of her life, Logan walked in, so she put the call on speaker. "Mrs Meyers, I'm sorry but my husband just walked into the room, would you mind repeating that?"
"The adoption lady?" Logan signed. Rory nodded. Back before Nicky was diagnosed with epilepsy, Rory and Logan had decided to adopt a baby. They went through all the steps to get their names on a list to adopt, but when Nicky was diagnosed with cancer, they decided that they had their hands full and another baby probably wasn't a good idea. So they had their names taken off the list of potential adoptive parents. Bethany Meyers was a social worker at the adoption agency.
"There was a mistake in our system" Bethany said. "Your file was supposed to be deactivated, and I'm not sure how it happened, but somebody picked you guys"
"Picked us to get a baby?" Logan asked.
"Yes" Bethany said. "There's no pressure on you here. If you don't want the baby, we'll understand, but if you do...she'll be here in March"
"Girl" Rory signed. Bethany said 'she', the baby was a girl. "How long do we have to decide?" She asked.
"The baby's due on March 3rd" Bethany said. "So technically you have 6 weeks, and you should take your time, it's a big decision, but the sooner you can give an answer, the better"
"Ok" Rory said and looked at Logan. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. Once the call ended, Rory and Logan both started quiet for a few moments until Rory broke the silence. "What do you wanna do here?"
"I don't know" Logan said. That was when Rory was able to tell that he wanted the baby.
"You want to say yes" Rory said.
"It's not just about what I want" Logan said.
"Logan, you always wanted another, and I think you still do" Rory said. It was true that she did too, but Logan was the one who first brought up having another baby, and the desire for another child didn't just go away because back then it wasn't a good time to have another.
"I did, and I think I still do, but what about the kids? What about the fact that when this baby goes to college, we'll be 60? What about-"
"Logan" Rory interrupted him. She had all the same concerns as him, but it didn't matter. Someone picked them to give their child to and that meant a lot to her. To Rory that meant that even if it didn't happen when they originally planned, something that they'd wanted so badly was happening. "Do you want this baby?"
Logan was quiet for a moment. He could tell that Rory wanted the baby. "Honestly, yes. I know that our kids are older already, and that we're getting older, but someone picked us. That baby's ours. I don't know how I could say no"
Rory smiled softly. "Are we having another baby?"
"I think so"
Later that evening, Rory and Logan were sitting in the kitchen, talking.
"I don't even know how we're gonna start preparing for this" Rory said. "We haven't had a baby in the house in so long"
"Ace, it's not like we've never done this before" Logan said. "We've had three babies before this, we know what we need. Clothes, diapers, pacifiers, bottles..." He trailed off when he noticed something behind Rory.
"Logan?"
"Cat's out of the bag, Ace" Logan said quietly. Rory shot him a confused look before he chuckled a little and spoke again. "Can we help you?"
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop" Nicky said as he walked into the kitchen. "But I did hear what you were talking about..."
"And what exactly do you think you heard?" Rory asked.
"That you're pregnant" Nicky said. It sounded more like a question.
"Im not pregnant" Rory said.
Nicky gave his parents a look that told them he didn't believe them.
"Alright" Logan said. "Go get your siblings"
"So you can tell us that you're pregnant?" Nicky asked
"Nobody's pregnant" Logan said. "Go"
"That's not technically true" Rory said once she was sure that Nicky was upstairs. "Somebody is pregnant, it's just not me"
Nicky went upstairs and knocked on Grace's closed bedroom door. She didn't answer so he figured he might not have her processors on. He opened the door just enough to reach his hand in and flick the light on and off a few times.
"Come in" Grace said.
"Mom and dad want to talk to us" Nicky signed
"Why?" Grace signed.
"They didn't say, but I bet you ten bucks that mom's pregnant"
Grace chuckled. She knew enough to know that while Rory wasn't technically too old to be pregnant, she was past the age where it would be likely. "You're losing your money"
"We'll see" Nicky signed. "Bring your ears"
Nicky and Grace got Sammy before going downstairs to where Rory and Logan were still in the kitchen.
"Sit" Logan said and all three kids sat down across from him and Rory at the kitchen island.
"A really long time ago, when you guys were still little, we wanted to adopt a baby. When Nicky got sick, we decided that it wasn't a good idea because there was a lot going on, so we had our name taken off the list of people who wanted to adopt" Rory said. "This afternoon we got a call. Somehow, somebody saw our file and picked us to give a baby girl to"
"I get a sister?" Grace signed excitedly.
"We haven't decided yet" Logan said. "We wanted to talk to you guys about it first"
After answering a lot of questions from the kids, and a little more discussion between the two of them, Rory and Logan had made a decision. Later that night, Logan walked into the living room to see Nicky sitting on the couch, looking at his phone. Shadow was curled up next to him. "I thought you went to bed"
"I'm texting Allie" Nicky said. "We have a history test tomorrow"
Logan nodded. "Put the phone down for a minute, I wanna talk to you" he said. Nicky put his phone in his pocket and Logan sat down on the coffee table in front of him. "Are you sure you're ok with the new baby?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Nicky asked.
"I just wanted to make sure. You've been pretty quiet"
"It's nothing. I just owe Grace ten dollars"
"Why?" Logan asked
"Because I thought that mom was pregnant" Nicky said.
Logan chuckled. "And you put your money where your mouth is?"
Nicky nodded. "I think it's better this way though. Birth is gross"
"You do realize that someone still has to give birth to this baby, right?" Logan asked. "She's not just gonna materialize out of thin air"
"I know, I just meant that it's not mom who's pregnant. I don't have to think about...that?"
Logan chuckled softly. "You are such a teenager"
"It's gross and you know know it"
Logan wasn't sure if Nicky was talking about pregnancy and birth, or sex. "Whatever you say" he said. "I'm going to bed. Turn the lights off when you go up?"
Nicky nodded.
"Good night" Logan said.
Rory was sitting in bed, reading something on her laptop when Logan walked into the room, laughing quietly.
"What's so funny?" She asked
"Remember when you were a kid and you realized that you were born because your parents had sex, and got really grossed out?" Logan asked.
"Yeah"
"Well, Nicky's at that age and it's hilarious" Logan said. "He told me that he's glad he was wrong about you being pregnant because it's gross"
"Pregnancy, or the fact that we would have to have sex for that to be the case?" Rory asked.
"I don't know" Logan said. "Probably both"
——
"I didn't even know that was something you were thinking about" Lorelai said as she sat in Luke's diner with Rory
"It wasn't really. We wanted to a really long time ago, but then everything got really crazy and we decided that it wasn't the right time for another baby. Our file was supposed to be deactivated, but there was some kind of mistake and someone picked us" Rory explained.
"And you decided that you're gonna take the baby anyway?"
"Something about that sentence sounds really off" Rory said. "But yes"
"Well, then congratulations"
"Thank you"
"So, I need details. When will this baby be born? Who's the woman who's giving it up? Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"
"Baby's due March 3rd. It's a closed adoption so we don't have any information about the biological mother, nor will we get to meet her. And the baby's a girl"
"Wait, so you don't get to be there for the birth?"
"They'll call us when she goes into labor and we'll go to the hospital. We'll be in a room right next door and as soon as the baby's born, they'll bring her to us" Rory said. While she would've liked to be there for her daughter's birth, she understood that the biological mother wanted privacy, and at the end of the day it wouldn't matter as long as she left the hospital with a baby. "And honestly, right now, I'm more concerned with the fact that we have -at most- a month to prepare"
"I'm sure it'll be fine" Lorelai said. "And if you need my help, just ask"
"Thank you"