[karana]

Chapter 13 Don't let me die here, there must be something more: Bring me to life

Epilogue:

One year later

“Mom, are you ready? Everyone is here! They are all waiting for you!” Rory was shouting.
“Yes, I am! Come in!” she shouted back and smiled.
When Rory entered the room she looked stunned at her mother. She had seen the perfect dress many times before, but this time it seemed to fit even better. It hugged her in all the right places and she seemed to have a little more than her weight back now. The dress had a cream white skirt and flowerson the camisole. She had decided against the veil again and wore a tiara instead.
And it really was perfect. Not only the dress. Everything.
It was a beautiful day in September, it was warm but not hot. The whole town was outside in the garden of the Dragonfly, waiting for the bride. Emily sat next to Mia in the front row while Richard was waiting in front of the door to walk his only daughter down the aisle. He was chatting with April who was, like Rory, one of the bridesmaids, about books and science. Luke was waiting under the chuppah, Jess trying to calm him, as is the function of the best man. Everything was perfect, it really was.
“Wow, you´re so beautiful! Look at you.” Rory said and hugged her mother.
“Thank you!” Lorelai smiled; actually beamed.
“You´re ready?” Rory asked again, her mother’s hands still in her own. She did not hesitate.
“Yeah, let´s go!” she said smiling even brighter and they walked out of the room she had used to get ready. Leaving her normal clothes, her purse and shoes behind. Her old life and the most horrible nine months of her life.
She loved the sunlight outside and blinked because she was looking directly into the sun, the beams tickled her nose. She could see her father and April waiting for her.“Lorelai,” Richard smiled warmly and took her arm. He squeezed it, she looked up, and then hugged him.
“God, I´m so nervous!” she whispered in his ear. Her father hugged her tighter and then stepped back, giving her a reassuring smile.
The music started and together they walked down the aisle, towards the man she loved and she looked at him, tried to get eye-contact. Then she focused on getting to the altar, careful not to trip. She heard gasps and whispers, even some sniffles, and her own eyes teared up, too.
She stood next to him. Her father kissed her cheek and gave her hand to her fiancé, who laced his fingers through hers. The priest started his speech, but she wasn´t paying attention.
This was the happiest day of her life and she had been waiting forever for it to arrive.
He had brought her back home; he had showed her how to live again.
She wanted nothing more than to marry him, to be his wife until the end of time.
She didn´t have a bachlorette-party this time. She did not want to be away a whole day and night from Luke, when she was still so happy they were together again. They had spent more than enough time apart in the past. And besides, she wasn´t able to sleep without him anymore.
“I do.” she heard him say and suddenly realized that it was her turn now. She saw that the priest opened and closed his mouth,without hearing him, then looked at her expectantly. She looked at him, then turned and looked at Luke .He wore his black tux. He was shaven. He wore a white dress-shirt. No cap. He had a new hair-cut. Very short. He looked so amazing. Perfect. And he was smiling. At her, just for her. Her eyes teared up and she grasped his hand so tight it must have hurt him. But his smile got wider and he whispered “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered back, his smile got even wider. A tear left her eye and she said it. Loud, for everyone to hear.
“I do,” her voice cracked and she started to cry. Happy tears. They exchanged the rings.
She did not heard the priest say “You may kiss the bride,” but she saw Luke´s face come nearer and then felt his lips on her own. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, her right hand caressing his neck.
His arm was around her waist, playing and stroking over the fabric of her dress. He was glad that she had her figure back and wasn´t that skinny anymore. It had reminded him for some time in which state she had been when he had found her.
His other hand tangled in her long curly hair she had again.
The crowd cheered and clapped and at some point they knew they had to break the kiss.
He pulled back first, a little embarrassed, because he still wasn´t a big fan of public displays of affection. Even at his own wedding.
Rory was the first to congratulate them, followed by April, Richard, Emily, Sookie, Logan, and the rest of the guests, meaning the whole town of Stars Hollow, some relatives of Luke and Lorelai´s family, most of them she had never seen. But she wanted them to be there again, like the last time, to see that this time she was going through with it.
Afterwards they cut the cake Sookie had made, and Lorelai nearly needed a ladder to reach the top because it was so huge. They fed each other with the cake and Luke made a face, when he realized that it tasted like coffee. Lorelai just shrugged.
“Don´t make a face. You know you like it! And you must be used to it by now, because you kiss me!” she said and took the opportunity to kiss him again.
“Mmmmh, you should start drinking coffee, I love coffee-kisses!” she laughed afterwards.
“I think you are drinking enough coffee for the two of us. Or for the whole town...” he answered.
He was confused when she pulled on his hands and led him away from the crowd mid- sentence. She stopped when they stood in her office. She locked the door and opened her desk, then took out an envelope.“I didn’t think that it would be possible anymore!” she said and Luke´s eyes opened in shock when he saw that it was an envelope from the hospital.
“I had the last check-up a month ago and they found something,” she said, looking down on the floor.
Luke slowly opened the envelope, prepared for the worst. What he found inside wasn´t a paper with a diagnosis on it, but a picture. An ultra-sound picture. He took it out and stared at it, unable to see something on it.
“What´s that?” he asked and looked at her. That´s when he realized she had tears in her eyes and the biggest smile on her face he had ever seen. She was glowing.
“This Mr. Danes is what they found: Our baby, three months old, growing inside of me,” she laughed and cried at the same time.
Luke was speechless, he could only kiss her.
“Well. Hon´ that´s exactly what put me in this position and now I will get fat!”she pouted after they broke the kiss.
“That´s a nice change!” he smiled and then they both became serious.
“Luke, I know I said it like a thousand times already, but: Thank you! You saved me! I wouldn´t be here today without you.” Her hands rested on his neck, while she looked into his eyes.
“I wouldn´t be here either today without you. So it seems you saved me right back,” he grinned. They shared another kiss and then walked outside to make an announcement.
They had created life.

The End