[Charming_Holly]

:freu: Danke für das liebe FB! Tja, eure Fragen werden sich wohl nach und nach beantworten, aber hier kommt erst einmal ein jeuer Teil!!!

Flashback

Luke remembered that day as clearly as it had been yesterday. It was late, maybe 10 o’clock, and he was wiping the tables when someone stormed into his diner. “Hey, easy, dude! Can’t you read a simple word?! It’s CLOSED.” That someone winced but didn’t go away. Ready to yell at that person, Luke turned around and …. “Rory!” There she stood, crying, looking like a five-year-old child who is totally panicked. “Luke….”, she began to cry again and wiped her nose. “Rory, what happened?”, he asked and placed her on a chair. A strange feeling began spreading itself in his stomach. Rory tried toll pull herself together but failed. “Mom …… the police ….. hospital”, she just brought out and stared at the floor. He started to get nervous. “Where?”, he asked, his voice full of concern. “Hartford.”

This strange feeling became unbearable as soon as he arrived at the hospital. He had brought Rory to Lane’s house, so she could calm down there and talk to someone about it. A nurse passed him. “Excuse me, Ma’am, could you tell me where I can find Lorelai ..”, he hesitated, “Hadyden?” “They just brought her to the intensive care unit. But the doctor and the police are waiting for you, sir. It’s on the 2nd floor, you can’t miss it.” Luke thanked her. Questions shot thorugh his head. Intensive care? Police? What had happened?
As he walked into the 2nd floor, a doctor greeted him. “Are you here for Lorelai Hayden?” “Yes, doc. What the hell is happening here? Her daughter came to me, totally in shock and I still don’t know what’s going on.” “I can’t tell you that, unfortunately. But Offcier O’Grady would like to talk to you later, if you agree.” Automatically, Luke nodded but his thoughts were with Lorelai. The doctor looked into his eyes and said: “You may see her if you want to. But I warn you she’s not a pretty sight right now.” He swallowed hard. “Where is she?” “Down the floor, the last door on the right.”

Beep. Beep. The first thing he noticed were all the machines that were standing in the room. Some monitors showed her heart rate, pulse and other stuff he couldn’t interpret. He stepped beside her bed and shrank from her sight. “Oh my God, who did that to you?”, he whispered, almost soundless. Bandages were covering her arms but her neck and face were all black and dark purple. She had several cuts and bleeding wounds which hadn’t stopped bleeding yet. Her once so pretty face looked distorted and disfigured, he wouldn’t have recognized it if he hadn’t seen those long darkbrown curls. The doctor had come in. “It’s horrible, isn’t?” Luke felt anger coming up inside …. Who? Who dared to touch her, to beat her like this? “But that’s not all, you know. She was pregnant. Fifth month, I guess. Lost the child. Gawsh, it’s a miracle that she’s still alive. Lost a lot of blood. If the police hadn’t found her, God knows.” He saw how Luke’s hands were trembling, his knuckles white and suddenly he looked at him with those desperate blue eyes. “Will she survive?” “Like I said, she’s lost a lot of blood. She’s in a coma right now. Her wounds are really bad not only those you can see but the internal ones, too. If she wakes up, she’s got a fair chance to live a normal life again. If not ….”, he went still.

He had gone outside to take a deep breathe. His brain was still processing what he’d just seen. Leaning against a wall, he tried to calm down and think. “You should sit down or you’ll faint”, a friendly voice besides him said. He looked up. “Officier O’Grady?”, he asked. “Lucas Danes?” “Yes” Relief went thorugh his body. Answers, finally. “Why don’t you sit down, Mr. Danes? I have a few questions to ask”, the policeman proposed and sat down himself. Pulling out a note pad and a pencil, he watched Luke closely. “Are you related to Mrs. Hayden?” “We used to be engaged.” Officier O’Grady raised an eyebrow. “When did you break up?” Luke thought about it. “4 months ago, I’d say.” “Did your afterward relation go well?” Now, he became angry. “Excuse me, sir, but I just saw my ex-fiancé totally beaten up, half-dead if you want and I want to know what the hell is going on here. What happened?”, he almost screamed now.
“Calm down, Mr. Danes, I can understand you but please relax, I’ll tell you”, O’Grady soothed him. “The neighbors said they heard a fight and saw Mr. and Mrs. Hayden storming out and immediately called us. We don’t know what they argued about yet. Unfortunately, there are no witnesses who can tell us what happened than but it looks like HE did it to her ….” The voice trailed off. This pig, this dirty asshole, how could he do this to her, Luke thought, clenching his fists. “We arrested him and have him in pending trial right now. But we can’t do anything against him until Mrs. Hayden has stated that he’s guilty.”