THE DRIVE SEEMS TO TAKE YEARS, her hands set firmly on the steering wheel, music playing as loud as she dares in an attempt at distraction. she can’t think about what she’ll find when she arrives. she’ll worry about that once she gets there. for now she just has to drive. the temptation to allow her gaze to shift once she pulls onto the street is almost too much, but she manages to park and exit the jeep before she takes a look. so —— clearly not a small fire. everything’s dark, and charred. people are crowded at a far enough distance that it’s clear they’re trying to make it feel like they aren’t prying, though they obviously are. but lorelai pays no attention to them, her eyes move directly from the remains of the diner, to the nosy neighbors ( as if it’s all that hard to tell what’s happened ), and finally drift to her husband. she begins to walk, slowly as to hopefully maintain some composure ( she has to be strong, as scary as this is —— as RATTLING as this is —— she has to be strong for LUKE ). finally, she sits beside him on the curb, immediately wrapping both arms around him. “i’m here,” she mutters under her breath, unsure what else to say. “i’m here, i love you,” all the comforting words she’d tried to prepare on the drive over are gone. what is there to say? what can she say that’ll help at all? it’s not the time for jokes, or silliness. no, this is SERIOUS, and it’s clearly painful for him ( why wouldn’t it be? ), and in a rare turn of events, lorelai is left nearly speechless.
HE FEELS HER ARMS AROUND HIM AND HE FALLS INTO HER, his head coming to rest against her chest. she’s the only thing that feels real and stable. he’s aware of the town staring, a few of them were inside when the fire started. luke wishes he had enough energy to yell, to scream, to be the grumpy diner owner they’re all expecting, but he CAN’T. “i’ve disappointed him.” it’s the first words he’s spoken since rushing everyone out. he hasn’t had the chance to talk to the police or fire chief yet. everyone is distancing themselves from him and luke is grateful to not have to answer questions. “and you. our baby isn’t born yet and i’ve already disappointed it.”