Thursday March 30, 2017
Rothschild Home
"What time is Mom getting in tomorrow?" Logan asked as he helped Honor make a bed in one of her guest rooms.
"10am. Are you still able to do the second airport run?"
"I'm having Frank do it. 1pm, right?"
"I believe so. Jimmy and Helen are flying in with their parents."
"Is anyone else coming?"
"Not this time. I didn't want to overwhelm mom or Rory. If all goes well, maybe after the babies are born, we can all take a trip out to Oklahoma to see everyone."
"They aren't staying here, right?"
"No, they are staying at the DoubleTree. I thought about letting them stay here, but they are complete strangers to us. They may be family, but it's a little weird. Mom hasn't seen any of them in over 37 years, and you and I have never met them. I kind of feel bad, but I just don't really feel right about having people we don't know staying in our home. I would have had all of us meet them at the hotel or something, but Rory is on bedrest, and I didn't want Mom uncomfortable with nowhere to escape to if she needs to get away."
"So what is the plan for this weekend?"
"Mom will be here with her therapist at ten. Gayle is staying for a week before going back to California. This weekend, we help Mom reconnect with her parents, brother and sister, and then they fly back on Monday. Did you get Mom's birthday cake ordered?"
"Lorelai is bringing it up on Saturday."
"Sookie?"
"Who else? You told me to order a cake, and that is the only place that I know of to get a cake."
"You can get cakes at the grocery store, but that was definitely the best choice."
"Maybe we should have hired Sookie to come up and cook for everyone this weekend."
"I actually thought about that, but I didn't want to pull her away from her family. I'm having Mirabello's cater tomorrow, and then Saturday I got La Puerta, and Sunday we'll go out somewhere unless you want to order something. I figured with Rory being on bed rest I would leave you Sunday to spend with your wife. I'm happy to entertain Mom's family by myself for a day so you two can have some time together."
"It's fine. Lorelai is coming up to hang out with Rory so I can help you with the family stuff. Rory isn't exactly Mom's favorite person and she doesn't want to interfere with Mom's birthday, or Mom reconnecting with her family. She'll come over with Emily for a little while tomorrow, but then she's going to go back home and hang out with her Mom and Grandparents. They have a lot of stuff going on with finishing the addition."
"When is it supposed to be completed?"
"About 2-3 weeks. Emily needs to finish picking out whatever paint, wallpaper and appliances and stuff she wants, and then it's on to decorating."
"And the only person who is pickier about decor than I am, is Emily."
"Exactly! Emily and Lorelai will probably do some shopping and leave Rory home to rest with Richard taking care of her."
"I think Rory will love that. She is super close with her Grandfather."
"Yes she is."
"Make sure they all know that they are welcome to join us this weekend."
"They know, but they are going to do their own thing. They may stop in to say hi, but Rory is insisting on not interfering with Mom's family. It's Mom's birthday, and Rory doesn't want to take any of her attention away."
"I don't think that Rory will be any kind of distraction, but I understand why she feels that way. Rory and Mom don't have the best history."
"Exactly. Rory is more comfortable staying away. She wants me to get to know the extended family with you, and not worry about her, so she asked her family to come help out."
"So you'll basically be present, but watching Rory's monitors on your phone the entire time."
"But at least I'll be present, right?"
"I love you baby brother, and I love how unbelievably dedicated you are to your wife and daughter, but sometimes I just want to slap you."
"Why would you want to slap me?"
"The monitors will alert you if something is wrong. There is no need for you to be so hyper focused on them."
"I know. It's been a few weeks, and I've gotten better about it. But it's also a learning experience for me."
"How is it a learning experience?"
"I've never dealt with pregnancy before, so watching what is going on with Rory and the baby fascinates me. The only person who cares that your placenta pumps, is Paris. I literally sit here watching Rory's feed our daughter. Every pump gives oxygen, blood, and food to my daughter. It gives my daughter life, and I can't help but want to watch it. If it was safe to sit there with an ultrasound on Rory's stomach 24/7, I would. And trust me, I wish that I could. You have no idea how hard it is for me to not go borrow the machine from my office, and sit here watching my daughter all day and night."
"Hey, speaking of borrowing machines. . . Mom hasn't been able to go to any of my appointments. Do you think that maybe you might be willing to help me out with that? I mean, I could always go to one of those fetal photo places, but I figured it would be more special if you could do it."
"You know that technically I could get into a lot of trouble for doing that."
"Well, technically you could, yes. But who would actually know about it?"
"You want me to risk my career so you can show Mom your baby."
"Well when you put it like that . .."
"I'm kidding, of course I'll do it. I'm just giving you crap. Just tell me when you want me to do it, and we can either go down to the office, or I can bring the machine here."
"Have I ever told you that you are my favorite brother in the whole world?"
"Please, I'm your ONLY brother!"
"Potato, po-tat-o."
"I love you too." Logan chuckled, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"Really Logan?! You are supposed to be helping me!"
"I'm just checking the time. I have an appointment at eleven."
"It's only ten. You don't have to leave for another half hour. Grab the blanket off the chair. And you weren't checking the time. You are wearing a watch."
"My gosh you're bossy!"
"Rory is sitting in her office right where you left her, trying to work. You need to relax."
"That is easy for you to say."
"If it were be on best rest and hooked up to monitors, would you be this obsessed?"
"Yeah, probably."
"No you wouldn't."
"Of course I would! I worry about you all the time, which is exactly why I'm over here in the first place. I came over to help you get your house ready for Mom to come home."
"And because Rory kicked you out because you are making her crazy."
"She did not."
"Do you really want to deny it? Because I can call Rosalinda right now."
"Stop picking on me."
"You need a life." Honor told him.
"I have a life, thank you very much."
"You know, I didn't think that it was possible for you to ever get more pathetic than you were before Rory came back into your life."
"What are you talking about? I am NOT pathetic!"
"Yes, you are! You used to sulk over not having her, and waste your time googling her name, just so you could try to find out what she was up to. Now you spend all of your time stalking her monitors."
"You make it sound like I'm a creeper or something."
"Because you are!"
"Do you want my help? Because I can just leave and go home if you are going to keep picking on me."
"You would like that way too much."
"Is it my fault that I'm still a newlywed and you aren't?! I happen to enjoy spending all of my time with my wife."
"And before you know it, you'll be 11 years in too."
"You make it sound so bad."
"No, it's not bad at all. I'm just saying that I used to be like you and couldn't wait to spend every second with my husband."
"You don't like spending time with Josh?"
"No Logan, that isn't what I am saying at all. What I am saying is that you are still in that cute newlywed stage of wanting to be together 24/7. But one day when you get to where Josh and I are, where we've been married for 11 years, you'll see that you still love each other just as much, but you don't need to be together all the time. You guys are both your own people, apart from each other, and I think that maybe sometimes you tend to forget that. It's great to be so devoted to your wife and to your marriage, but you need to take some time for yourself too. It's ok to be your own person, apart from your marriage."
"I happen to enjoy spending all my time with my wife."
"I know you do. And I also know that you are trying to make up for the 9 years that you were apart. But you need to know that you don't have to do that. Rory isn't asking you to cram 9 years of being apart into the first 6 months of you two being back together."
"I know that. And I'm not trying to do that either. I'm just enjoying being with Rory because I know exactly what it feels like to be alone."
"And somewhere in the back of your head, whether you want to admit to it or not, a tiny little part of you is completely terrified that she'll disappear all over again."
"How the hell do you know that?!" Logan asked, completely shocked by Honor's words.
"Because I'm your sister, and I know you better than you even know yourself.
"Really Honor, how do you know about that?"
"Because I've spent a lot of time with you over the years. A lot of miserable drunken nights watching you wallow in your own misery. I was there with you when no one else was. I've picked up the pieces of your shattered heart, more times than I think either of us can count. But let me tell you this . . .Rory isn't going anywhere. She loves you, and she is so happy with the life that you two have built together. There is absolutely no reason for you to be worrying about her being unhappy and walking away from you. There is nowhere else that Rory would ever dream of being."
"How can you be so sure about that?"
"Because that goopy look you get on your face when you look at her, or talk about her, Rory gets the exact same one. You two were made for each other. You are both completely and hopelessly in love with each other. But mark my words, one day you will wake up, and realize that you haven't had sex in several days, or even touched your wife except maybe by accident while handing her something, because you've both been so busy lately. You might talk to each other on the phone several times during the day, but you'll be lucky if you even kiss her once."
"Honor, that's insane!" Logan told her, completely baffled by his sister's words.
"I promise you, it happens."
"I understand that the constant sex fizzles out because life happens, because we've been there before. But the rest of it . . ."
"When you and Rory were together back at Yale, you can't tell me that you didn't go days without touching or kissing her."
"No, never! Only when I was living in London, or in New York. But before all of that, never. I've always made sure to kiss her several times a day."
"Well trust me, it happens."
"That's just sad."
"It's life."
"No, I refuse to believe that."
"Ask Mom and Dad."
"Mom and Dad's relationship has sucked from the very beginning."
"Ask Emily and Richard then. They've been together for over 50 years. I promise you, they'll tell you exactly the same thing that I am. It doesn't happen right away, but it definitely does happen. And you won't even realize it until it's too late."
"That makes me really sad for you."
"Don't be sad for me. Josh and I have a great relationship. We are very much still in love. I'm just saying that you are making your relationship a huge priority right now, and you rightfully should be. But I'm saying that one day it won't always be that way. Your relationship will still be apriority, but things change. Life changes you. One day you won't be able to remember the last time you kissed, or even touched your wife."
"No, I won't let that happen."
"You say that now . . ."
"And I'm going to promise you that I won't ever let that happen."
"I'm sure that you will do your best, but like it or not, it's life. It's part of growing up."
"Yeah, and on that note, I'm going to go home and kiss my wife before I have to go see a patient. And then when I get back, I'm going to kiss her again. Because what you are telling me is completely ridiculous, and I refuse to have any part in that."
"Logan, you've been married for less than 6 months. Give it another 8 years, and then tell me about your love life."
"We'll see. I love you, but I have to go."
"Good luck!" Honor said, watching as her brother left the room, and headed home.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * 5 Minutes Later * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Rory!" Logan called as he ran up the stairs to where his wife was working in her office.
"Mr. Logan, she's is on the phone in her office." Rosalinda, the Huntzberger's housekeeper told him as she met him at the top step.
"Thank you Rosalinda. I have to leave for the office in a few minutes, but I'll be back as soon as I am done with the two patients that I have scheduled.
"Your wife will be fine Mr. Logan. I promise you. You go see your patients. Be a good doctor."
"Thank you Rosalinda. I'll bring back some lunch for all of us when I'm finished."
"No no, I took care of it. Your lunch is already cooking. You go see your patients, and we'll eat when you get back."
"What are you making?"
"Chicken tortilla soup and fresh bread."
"Thank you Rosalinda. You are amazing!"
"The groomer picked up Rocky. He'll be home in a few hours."
"Oh, excellent! I forgot all about that."
"Mr. Logan, that is why you have me. You leave everything to Rosalinda. Don't you worry at all. You go see your patients. Be a good doctor."
"Thank you Rosalinda. You take amazing care of us."
"It's no problem. No problem at all. Now go!"
"I will. I just need to kiss my wife."
"Well go kiss her, and get going. You don't need to be late. Move along." Rosalinda told him, then watched as Logan walked down the hall, and headed into Rory's office.
"Hi Baby." Rory smiled as Logan walked in the door, and quickly moved across the room to where Rory was lounging in the widow seat with her feet up, working on her computer. With one hand, Logan grabbed Rory's computer and set it on the floor while pulling her up from her seat and with the other, immediately wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her as passionately as he could. "Wow! What the heck has gotten into you?" Rory asked a moment later, after they finally broke the kiss.
"I love you."
"I love you too. But again, what the heck has gotten into you?"
"Nothing. I don't know . . . Maybe something that Honor said."
"What did Honor say?"
"It's completely stupid."
"Well it's obviously got you completely freaked out."
"Well yeah! You would be freaked out too."
"Logan . . ."
"Honor was saying that you and I have this great relationship right now, where we spend all this time together. We're always touching and kissing, and we have sex every night and a lot of the time in the morning, and we are always in each other's arms. But she says that it doesn't last. That one day we'll wake up and not even remember the last time that we kissed, or touched each other. That we will be so busy with our lives that this stuff just won't be so important to us anymore. And that completely terrifies me! I feel so sad for her! But then she swears that it happens to everybody, and said to ask your grandparents. Well, first she said to ask our Mom and Dad, but I reminded her that their relationship has sucked from the very beginning. But then she said to ask your grandparents. She says that all of this togetherness stuff is going to change in the next 8-10 years, and I can't even fathom that. Because I love you, and I love spending every single second of my day with you. I know that eventually, we won't have sex all the time. I mean, we've been there, and realistically, we're having a baby in the next two months, and obviously we aren't going to even be able to for several weeks after Ayribella is born, but the rest of it doesn't need to change. And I don't want it to change. I can't even imagine not touching or kissing you every day. We haven't even spent a single night apart since we got back together. And I love that about us. I really love it. There are some couples that are together for decades, and never spend a single night apart. I want that for us. I want to be that disgustingly sweet couple. Because I love you and I absolutely hate the thought of having to ever be away from you. You are the most important person in my life, and I never want that to change."
"Well I hate to break it to you, but your sister is completely right. It does happen. To everyone, whether you want it to, or not."
"That REALLY sucks!"
"It does, but it's life."
"So let's change that. Let's be different. Let's make it a point to never let that happen to us."
"Baby, I'm not sure if we can even promise to never turn out like that. I'm pretty sure that it's something that just naturally happens, without you even realizing it."
"So we make it a point to be different, and to make sure that it doesn't happen to us."
"Logan . . ."
"I went almost 9 years without holding you in my arms, and without kissing you. And they were without a doubt the most horrible, lonely years of my entire life. I know what it's like to be away from you, and I completely hate it. So let's be different. It might be a little bit hard sometimes, but we can do it. We just need to try. I can't imagine not holding you every day, and kissing you as much as I want, and telling you just how much I love you. That has to really suck!"
"I can imagine that it does suck. And we have been there."
"So let's not ever go back. Let's make it a point to never do that again. Let's make a deal that no matter what is going on, we'll still find time for us, every day. Even if it's just for twenty minutes. We'll find time for us to just be together, just like we are right now. We'll find some time to just be us, and be happy being in love with each other. I don't care if it means that we can't go on business trips alone. I don't mind that at all. I just want to make sure that we always have time for us."
"Ok. If you are so freaked out about this, and it means this much to you, we'll try. But I'm telling you, life happens, and you won't even realize it."
"Well life is a cruel cruel joke!"
"You are ridiculous."
"Now you sound like my sister."
"Don't you have patients to go see?"
"Two of them."
"Well then you should get going."
"I'm going to. But I wanted to come tell you that I love you, and I appreciate you so much. Every single thing that you do for me, and for our family. Thank you for carrying our daughter, and taking such amazing care of her. And thank you for being here, and for loving me and always taking care of me, even when I'm a pain in the butt to deal with. I love you, and I appreciate you so much."
"I love you too baby. And I appreciate you so much too. But really, you should get going. We can talk about this later on."
"What time are your grandparents coming?"
"They are on their way. Grandma said some time around noon."
"Rosalinda is making an amazing lunch for us."
"I know, she told me."
"Her chicken tortilla soup is amazing!"
"She told me that you love it."
"I am really excited to get back to eat."
"Well then get going. The sooner you go, the sooner you can get home."
"Fine. Let's get you settled back in your spot." Logan said placing a kiss on Rory's lips then helping her get settled back in the window seat. "Call me if you need anything, ok?"
"I promise."
"I love you."
"I love you too Baby." Rory smiled, kissing her husband one last time before he turned and headed for the door. "Hey Logan?"
"Yeah?" Logan asked, turning to face Rory again before stepping through the doorway.
"Chocolate mini donuts."
"You've got it."
"I love you. Please be safe."
"I will. I love you more."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *12:30pm * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Grandma, I see no difference between those three paint colors. They look exactly the same to me." Rory said, sitting at the dining room table, looking over her grandmother's design choices for their new apartment.
"Don't be so silly, they are completely different! This one right here is Chantilly lace, this one is alabaster, and this one is snowbound."
"Grandma, they are all white. They look exactly the same."
"Richard, what do you think? Which do you like better." Emily asked.
"Oh no, I am staying out of this one. Whichever you think is best will be perfect for the kitchen cabinets." Richard chuckled.
"Rosalinda, will you come give me your opinion of these paint samples?"
"Oh Mrs. Emily, you have exquisite taste! I can't possibly make that decision for you."
"Grandma, what color appliances did you pick out?"
"We went with stainless steel. That way no matter what colors we pick for the rest of the kitchen, the appliances will still blend in nicely."
"What about going with a different color? Maybe try something completely different. Your kitchen at home has white cabinets. What about going with something bright and cheerful? I once saw a kitchen with whiteish gray marble counters, Tiffany blue cabinets and white walls. Or maybe you can paint everything gray with white trim. It's subtle but elegant. Or you can go with stark white and use bright towels and furniture to offset it. What color are you painting the walls?" Rory asked, as she turned on her computer, and pulled up pictures of different kitchen styles. "Grandma, check this out. This accent wall over the stove is blue and white floral mosaic tiles, and it's really pretty. It looks like the cabinets are white, and they even have stainless steel appliances. Or this kitchen has bright red cabinets and white stool sat the bar. Or here is one that is white, blue and brown. It's very pretty. Very elegant.
"I do like that one. Although the brown trim around the cabinets I would want to match the floor. They should be the same shade of brown." Emily agreed, looking over Rory's shoulder.
"So let's do this then. I'll e-mail it over to the contractor and tell him to make sure that the wood trim around the island cabinets matches the floor."
"Ok, that is perfect!"
"Do you want the same thing with the lighter blue for the wall cabinets or do you want the wall cabinets to be a baby blue and the island cabinets to be the darker blue?"
"I want them all to be the darker blue. I really like that color. It's more regal."
"I agree. I am sending the picture over right now. So we can accessorize the kitchen with either white furniture to match the walls, or we could go with the same wood color. I think that would look nice as well."
"Mrs. Rory, would you like me to serve your lunch right now?" Rosalinda asked.
"Yes Rosalinda, now would be great." Logan answered as he walked into the dining room. "I'm starving!"
"Logan, it's so nice that you could come home for lunch today." Emily smiled as Logan kissed his wife, before joining the group at the table.
"I only had a couple of appointments today, so I went in just for those. I am all yours for the rest of the day. What are we doing?"
"We just picked the paint colors for Grandma's kitchen." Rory told him.
"You might want to run." Richard advised.
"Oh, I've heard stories about Gilmore women and paint chips." Logan told him.
"Mom is the worst! Grandma was just trying to decide between 3 shades of white. Chantilly lace, snowbound and alabaster." Rory explained.
"I would go with Chantilly lace just because the name is pretty."
"You are such a man!"
"Which one did you choose?"
"They all look exactly the same tome."
"So then choose the one with the pretty name."
"You sound like Lorelai." Emily told him.
"This coming from the man who dresses better than all of us, and is picky as hell about his hair." Rory commented.
"Hey, there is nothing wrong with a man who knows how to dress himself. Logan has always been a very handsome man, with impeccable style. I have never had any reason to worry about his fashion choices. Your mother on the other hand . . ."
"I remember the rhinestone penis shirt, Grandma."
"Emily, did you really have Lorelai's car towed? Over that?"
"She had on phallic clothing!" Emily defended herself.
"So you had her car towed rather than sending her to change. Doesn't that make it so that she can't go home to change, and leave her stuck with you looking at the horrible shirt choice?"
"There was another day that she wore pants with the word juicy on the rear."
"Hey, Rory has some of those, and I have zero complaints!"
"Lorelai made the comment that they were better than a brazier with the word tasty on it."
"I'm not sure that I would really have a problem with that either. Thank you Rosalinda. This smells amazing!"
"I made your favorites Mr. Logan. How were your patients?"
"They were nice and easy. They both just needed referrals to specialists. We talked, I referred them to someone who would better help them, and they left happy."
"That reminds me, Logan. I was going to ask you. Richard's cardiologist is retiring, and we need to find him a new one. Is there someone that you would recommend?"
"The only one that I've worked with, is my Dad's and he's here at Columbia. Does that work for you, or would you like one closer to Hartford?"
"I don't mine either one. We will take whoever you think is best."
"I like Doctor Levine. He's been great for my Dad. And if you guys want me to, I am happy to consult on Richard's care. It's entirely up to you. You are free to say no and tell me to mind my own business."
"No, not at all, having you consult would be great. Thank you Logan." Richard told him as he took a bite of Rosalinda's soup. "Rosalinda, this soup is amazing!"
"Thank you Mr. Gilmore! That is very kind of you to say."
"Rosalinda, I hope you made a ton of this bread because I'm going to need it to get through the rest of this pregnancy." Rory told her. "I forgot how completely amazing homemade bread tastes."
"There is plenty Mrs. Rory. I can always make you more."
"Rosalinda, I love you! You are my favorite!"
"Why thank you Mrs. Rory. You are my favorite as well." Rosalinda smiled, as she headed back to the kitchen.
"So Logan, we hear your Mother transitions home tomorrow?" Richard asked.
"She does. She'll be staying with Honor until mom and Dad find their own place in the area, however long that takes. They want to get a place in the city, and then split time between there and the house in Hartford."
"Don't they already have a place in the city?" Rory asked. "I believe the property over looks central park. HPG has about 5 properties in the city, and I was told that one of them was your parents city residence."
"That would be where they used to stay, but it is sounding like they want to get a new one."
"Then I'll sell their current one. There is no reason why I need to be paying for a home that they don't even live in, that isn't being used. I don't see why there are so many properties that your Dad purchased but sit unused. It's ridiculous how much money he's wasted over the years. I understand buying properties to either live in or use as rental income, but letting the properties sit completely unused is a complete waste!"
"I agree with you. There is no reason for it. You can sell whatever you want to."
"I mean I guess I can understand him wanting to have somewhere to stay during long trips, but hotels are much less expensive, and you get all the same amenities if you get a suite. There is no need to have 30 different unused properties."
"Is that how many he has?" Richard asked.
"I think it's only 15, but that's still way too many." Rory told him.
"You might want to make sure that they are all vacant before you sell them." Logan told her.
"Why wouldn't they be vacant?"
"Because it's my Dad, and he was never exactly faithful in his marriage. For all I know, he could have some woman living in one of the properties."
"Are you serious?!"
"I don't know. I'm just saying."
"EEEEWWWWW!!!!!!"
"We'll have someone check the properties for us. I would ask my Dad, but I'm not sure that now is such a good time to have that sort of discussion."
"Yes, definitely not." Richard agreed.
"You know about the property in London, right?" Rory asked.
"The two properties in London. Yes, one of those was mine."
"Do we need two London properties?"
"Probably not. But you liked my place in London."
"Logan, how often are we actually there?"
"We can't be right now because of the pregnancy. But my Dad used to spend several months a year in London. We may want to keep at least one of them. The London office is the main headquarters, over seas."
"You and I need to look into liquidating some of this real estate."
"I agree. We'll do that next week."
"Oh, Paris called while you were gone. I have an appointment at 4."
"She texted me."
"Grandma, Grandpa you are welcome to come with us, if you'd like." Rory told them.
"That's ok Sweetie, we have some shopping to do for the apartment. I promised Emily we would go checkout an estate sale this afternoon." Richard told her.
"Do you guys want to take Rory's SUV? That way you can bring back anything that you find." Logan suggested. We can take my car to Rory's appointment."
"That may not be such a bad idea." Richard agreed.
"Great! After we're done eating, I'll get the seats folded down for you, that way you have plenty of room. Just have whatever you buy loaded into the car, and Josh, Blake and I will unload it when you get back."
"Thank you Logan. That is very kind of you." Emily told him. "I am very excited!"