Gilmore Girls

This episode opens with Lorelai helping Babette carry a large potted tree out of her house while the phone inside the house rings. Lorelai decides she can return the call later. Babette is creating a jungle theme in her bedroom, so that it matchs a new nightie she just bought. She comments that she was hoping that Christopher would help her carry the heavy plant but she hasn't seen him around lately. Lorelai deflects any further inquiries by telling her that he has been busy at work. Now Lorelai's cell phone is ringing and she answers it to find out the terrible news about Richard. She runs immediately to the hospital to be with Rory.

At the hospital waiting room, Rory is staring into space clearly very worried about her grandfather. Her phone begins to ring but she is oblivious to it. It rings several times until a woman asks her if it is her phone ringing. When she answers it, it's Lorelai. She is in the hospital but can't seem to find Rory. When she arrives, Rory gives Lorelai the details of her father's treatment as only she can…in great detail. She rants on until Lorelai gives her a hug to comfort her. Lorelai still hasn't heard from Chris so she phones him to give him the bad news. The doctor comes to the waiting room and gives them an update on Richard's condition. He tells them Richard has to go down to the cath lab to get an angiogram, which will give them more information on what sort of blockages are at his heart. He tells them that these tests will give them a better idea of what further treatment he will need. Lorelai finds out that 'further treatment' may mean bypass surgery.

Emily arrives dressed in her gym clothing and gets what information she can from Lorelai and Rory. Naturally Emily is unsatisfied with waiting for further information so she goes to the nurse's station and begins to grill the nurse at the counter. She wants to see Richard immediately. The nurse very kindly tells her that Richard is getting his test done but the doctor will come talk to her after they are done. Emily, true to form responds impatiently and rather rudely…

Emily: Well there's no need to be so cheery about it.
Nurse: (Confused) I didn't mean…
Emily: Honestly! Someone with your chipper personality ought to be a weather girl or a pre-school teacher.
Nurse (Bewildered) I'm sorry you feel that way.
Emily: (Nastily) Oh please, don't mope.

As Emily stomps away, Lorelai mouths a silent apology. The nurse nods gratefully. Emily continues her rant in the waiting room. Lorelai and Rory try to calm her down by tempting her with their rather prodigious supply of snacks. Emily cannot be distracted and she continues her rant about the incompetence of all the people with whom she must deal. As Emily prattles on, Logan walks in. He asks Emily if there is anything he can do and she has him get her a cup of tea. She tells Rory that he is one of the good ones and then looks around to see where Christopher is. Once again, Lorelai makes excuses for him and tells her he is on the way.

The doctor comes in to tell Emily that the blockage is worse that they had hoped and Richard must undergo bypass surgery as soon as possible. The doctor gives them an opportunity to go visit him before the surgery. Emily begins to interrogate the doctor about his credentials. She finds out he did his undergraduate work at Yale and his medical degree at Harvard. While Rory and Emily rush in to see him, Lorelai braces her self before she enters.

Emily is filling Richard in on the details of the doctor's education. Richard is of course comforted to know that at least he received his undergraduate degree at Yale. Lorelai looks frightened and alone. She pulls herself together and asks her dad how he is. He exclaims…"All in all I'd rather be in Philadelphia".

In the diner, Zach is filling in for Lane while she is pregnant. He seems to enjoy the job and jabbers away with Luke. Babette comes in to the diner to tell Luke about Lorelai's father. He is genuinely concerned and stands there contemplating what to do.

Lorelai calls Chris again to update the news about her father. After leaving Chris a message she answers a call from Sookie. She asks Lorelai how she is doing and what she can do to help. Michel also comes in and sends his well wishes. Emily is bustling about doing all kinds of mundane tasks. She begins to lecture Lorelai on the health benefits of fish.

Luke enters the waiting room. Lorelai goes over to greet him. He expresses his concern.

Luke: Hey, I was just in the diner and Babette came in and told me your dad had a heart attack.
Lorelai: Yeah.
Luke: I swear I didn't even know what I was doing. I just walked right out of the diner and drove straight here and now that I'm here I realize I might be in the way but if there's anything I can do I want to do it.
Lorelai: Uh…well…
Rory: (Smiling) Hey, Luke.
Luke: Hey Rory…Logan.
Logan Want some coffee?
Luke: No, I'm okay. Thanks very much. Look I don't want to cause any kind of weirdness here…(He looks around) I mean…I don't want to make him feel…
Lorelai: Christopher isn't actually here yet but he will be any second, so…
Luke: Okay, I'll just get out of here.
Lorelai: Thanks there's just not much for you to do.

Emily approaches Luke and tells him there is indeed a lot for him to do and she begins to give him a list of errands. Lorelai attempts to get her mother to stop imposing on Luke, to no avail. Luke is happy to do anything he can to help. Lorelai apologizes for her mother and thanks Luke. After he leaves, Emily gets Rory and Logan to meet the fish delivery and to get some of Richard's personal items. While Rory and Logan are getting things together at the elder Gilmore's house, Rory finds out about Logan's latest Internet deal. He is about to put up $3 million of his own money to purchase an Internet company. He seems to be moving very quickly on this deal. Rory also picks out a couple of outfits for her grandmother so she can change out of her gym clothes.

In the hospital cafeteria, Emily and Lorelai are getting something to eat. Lorelai looks very alone and very worried. Emily continues to blather on about the minutiae of her surroundings. Lorelai explains to Emily that bad hospital food is cliché. They begin discussing what a cliché is and the difference between a cliché and an overused saying. While she is listing the clichés she knows, Emily takes a call from the family lawyer and casually discusses the Richard's will and his living will with his DNR specifications. She has him fax the will to the hospital. Talk of the will is more than Lorelai can bear and she leaves the cafeteria.

A little later Emily finds Lorelai in the hospital gift shop looking for a little gift for her father. Emily needs Lorelai's SSN number. Lorelai refuses to give it to her and is frustrated with her mother's sudden interest in the will and death and all the seemingly mundane tasks on which she is so focused. Emily responds that six years ago when Richard fell ill they were completely unprepared. They promised themselves they would not ever let it happen again. She tells Lorelai she is simply following their plan.

Lorelai (Angrily) So your plan was to chat up Persephone's to make sure you don't lose your special table and to order tons of sword fish and salmon to keep you skin glowing and to happily discuss with Quentin whether on not dad should be resuscitated.
Emily: These are things that need to be dealt with.
Lorelai No!...What has to be dealt with is that dad could be dying. What you're dealing with is phone calls and a checklist. You're not his secretary mom, you're his wife.
Emily: Yes and what do you know about being a wife. You've been married for what?... 40 days. (Lorelai nods and exhales angrily) That's nothing…Your father and I have been married for over 40 years. For two-thirds of my life I have been the wife of Richard Gilmore. I run his household. I plan his meals. I buy his clothes. I entertain his business associates. When he loses his reading glasses, I find them. When he wants a nightcap, I make it for him. If he can't remember the name of a colleague's wife, I whisper it in his ear. That's what I do. I take care of him. That's my job. That's who I am…and if I could be performing his surgery right now I would be but I can't. It's out of my hands. It's out of my hands and there's nothing I can do but wait. (Emily breaks into tears) I could lose him Lorelai. He's my whole life and there's nothing I can do. (She continues to cry)

Lorelai looks at her mother with new understanding and compassion. She grabs some tissue from the stand and hands it to her mother.

Later in the waiting room, Emily has changed into a suit and is rather uncharacteristically eating some Milk Duds. The doctor comes to tell them that Richard has done extremely well in surgery and that he will need a little time for his recovery. Emily is allowed to go see him for a minute. In the recovery room, Emily fills Richard in on all the details she has taken care of since he took ill. They look at each other with great love and appreciation.

Lorelai is standing in the snow, outside in the receiving area of the emergency room. She looks very lost and alone. She is calling Christopher again. Of course, he is not answering but she leaves him a message…

Lorelai: (Sighs) Hi, it's me again. Um…dad's out of surgery and it went well and he's doing fine. So…It's good news I just… I wanted you to know…because…I don't know why cuz you haven't returned any of my calls but… I just thought I would…uh… tell you what's going on because…I'm your wife and …I think that's what I'm suppose to do…no idea how to be your wife but I'm trying. You're my husband, you know, and…it seems like you should be here or call me back. I mean I'm pretty sure that's what married people do…is be there for each other but…I know your upset and I know we had a fight but this just bigger than that you know…it's my dad and he's had a heart attack and everybody's been here. I mean I talked to Sookie and even Michel and Patty and Babette and they've all been here for me but…(she sighs) my husband's…not here…that's not okay Chris, you know. It's not okay.

While Rory and Lorelai are visiting with a dozing Richard, Rory asks her mother where Christopher is. Lorelai is no longer covering for him. She just says for all she knows he is in Philadelphia.

While talking to the doctor about Richard's recovery, Lorelai sees Luke walk in to the nurse's station. He has several bags of food and is giving them instructions. Lorelai goes over to talk to him. She tells him that Richard is doing fine and he is very happy for her. They share a smile over the fact that Richard is a big tall man. Luke is telling her what is in the bags of food just as Christopher walks in. Of course, he does not take Luke's presence at the hospital graciously. When Luke sees Chris he tells Lorelai that he is going to go. Christopher agrees rudely and tells him that he should leave. Luke gives him a rather hostile look and leaves. Lorelai and Chris begin to argue but are interrupted by Rory, Emily and Logan coming to greet him. He goes with Rory to visit Richard. Emily stays behind. She realizes that something is very wrong between Lorelai and Chris. She tells Lorelai that it will be all right but it is clear that both women are doubtful. Lorelai looks down the hall that Chris has just taken and then looks over at the bags of food. It is becoming more and more apparent a mistake has been made.