Richard: You don't need to be protected, Lorelai. You've made it very clear that you can look after yourself and that you need nothing from anyone.
Lorelai: That's not-
Richard: A member of my family was being attacked. The very Gilmore name was being attacked. I will not stand for that, not under any circumstances.
Lorelai: Okay, it doesn't really matter why you did it.
Richard: Yes, it does matter why I did it. It matters greatly! Lorelai, what are you going to take away from this? That everything that happened in the past is suddenly fine because I defended you?
Lorelai: No.
Richard: That the hell you put your mother and me through for the past 16 years is suddenly washed away? Well, it's not!
Lorelai: We've all been through hell.
Richard: I had to tell my friends, my colleagues that my only daughter, the brightest in her class was pregnant and was leaving school.
Lorelai: That must have been devastating.
Richard: And then you run away and treat us as lepers. Your mother couldn't get out of bed for a month. Did you know that? Did you?
Lorelai: No.
Richard: We did nothing to deserve that. Nothing to earn that.