fic: A Beautiful Mess, 13/22
Fic: A Beautiful Mess, 13/22
Summary: Luke is a pediatrician! He is officially Dr. Luke Snyder.
Spoilers: References to Luke's past from canon and that's about it.
Disclaimer: Wish they were mine but they're not.
Note: This was inspired by this entry in lure_prompts by the brill _alicesprings. Feedback, concrit, etc. welcome! ♥
Reid wakes up starving.
He remembers skipping dinner last night and going straight to dessert, so to speak. He rubs his eyes and shifts on the uncomfortable couch, twisting his back to get a knot out. His hand rubs the back of his neck as he moves into a sitting position, planting his feet on the floor.
Looking directly in front of him on his desk, he sees a white bag, and a large cup of coffee from Java.
Smiling, he reaches forward and takes the bag, seeing the note from Luke taped to it.
Morning, Dr. Oliver. Ordered you some breakfast since we didn't have dinner last night as planned (not complaining). I have rounds today so I'll see you.
Love,
Luke
Fighting against his first instinct to throw the note away, he folds it, and puts it in his pocket.
Opening the bag to look at its contents, it's every diner's greasy dream, hash browns, omelet, pancakes, and more. It's all still warm too so this must've been delivered not too long ago.
Reid gets to work on it immediately.
---
After finishing breakfast and still working on his coffee, he goes to check on Faith Snyder. One of the nurses informs him that there has been nothing to report. She doesn't have any symptoms to reveal any hidden brain trauma and she seems alert. That's all that Reid needs to know but he'll do another quick exam and deliver the news to the rest of the family.
As he's about to turn a corner, he spots Luke speaking with his mother. Luke's in his scrubs, lab coat on, and ready for rounds but Reid's not surprised to see that he makes a stop to check on his sister.
He's about to approach them both when he hears Lily say, "You and Dr. Oliver arrived together last night."
Luke stuffs his hands in his pockets and nods, "Yeah, I was with him when dad called."
"Luke," she places her hand gently against his arm as he speaks to him. "Luke, are things serious between you and Dr. Oliver?"
"Mom," Luke sighs.
"No, honey, it's just that you've only known him for a few months."
"Sometimes, that's all it takes."
"And how often do you get to see each other? You both must be so busy."
"We make time for each other no matter what we're doing." Reid thinks about their stolen moments at the coffee machine, making out in Reid's office chair until one of them receives a page, checking in with each other through text messages, phone calls, and e-mails, and he realizes how true that is. They do make time for each other.
"I just don't want to see you hurt."
"There are no guarantees when it comes to that but I'm happy when I'm with him. He makes me happy in a way that ..." Luke smiles to himself and shrugs his shoulders. "I love him and I don't need your approval for that."
Lily seems taken aback by the use of the "L" word but she collects herself quickly. "I didn't say you needed it, Luke," she gives him a small smile, lowering her hand. "If you're happy then you know that that's all that I want. I just want you to make sure that he's who you want."
"He is."
Luke's so confident about their relationship. He speaks without hesitation, without pause. He's so certain and that makes Reid feel just as certain.
Not wanting to interrupt, Reid leaves, and goes to check on several other patients before returning to Faith's room. When he arrives, the only two in there are Lily and the younger boy he saw last night that he now knows as Parker. He examines Faith, checking her reflexes, making sure that she's responsive. He tells Lily, Ms. Walsh, about her daughter's condition and he's on his way.
Matthew returns today for his surgery and Reid wants to check-in on his progress. Knocking on the door, he walks inside, and sees Luke sitting in the chair next to the bed. Matthew's asleep.
"Hey," Luke smiles widely when he sees him but doesn't stand, keeping his voice quiet so he doesn't wake the kid.
"Hey. Didn't expect to see you in here."
"Yeah, I just thought I'd check up on him before he went in with Dr. Huang," the pediatric neurosurgeon that Reid found. "His mom just stepped out for some air."
"Then maybe I should get out of here before she comes back. She doesn't like me very much."
Luke laughs, "You say that with such surprise. Besides, she doesn't hate you. She's just --"
"-- used to your fuzzy, hand-holding bedside manner? Then you're to blame. You're the one who set the precedent."
"Oh yeah," Luke rolls his eyes. "All my fault." Luke's smile wavers as he looks at Matthew, clearly worrying about him. Reid walks forward and brings his hand up, hovering it above Luke's shoulder before it slowly comes down. Luke reaches up and holds on to his hand, keeping his eyes on the bed.
Reid cares about his patients. He cares a lot about the success rate of his surgeries. Failure is never an option for him. It happens but he does everything in his power to keep it from happening. He's lost a number of patients throughout the years because of aggressive tumors, cranial bleeds, and everything in between. The toughest are the kids. Adults have that taste of life but kids don't even have a shot and that just doesn't feel very fair.
He knows exactly how Luke's feeling right now but one look at Luke and anyone can tell that he somehow cares more than the average person. Reid remembers the conversation they had about Matthew, how it's the first patient he's treated with an illness like this. It's getting to him.
"I started treating him a year ago," Luke speaks. Reid remembers hearing that from him and at the time he hadn't thought of it as strange but Luke hasn't been back in Oakdale that long. "I wasn't even back in town but I stopped by the hospital to check out the peds department. I ran into Matt and his mother in the waiting room. I came from playing a game of basketball with my dad and I didn't change out of my shoes yet. They were these really old, blue sneakers but Matt asked about them. He wanted a pair," he chuckles in the middle of his story, lost in that memory.
"He wanted a pair of your ratty old sneakers?"
"Probably a newer pair, Reid."
Reid's already adjusting to all the ways that Luke says his name. This time it means, "He wanted a newer pair of shoes. Duh, Reid. I thought you were a brilliant neurosurgeon?" Reid adds the last part but he's sure that Luke means the rest of it.
"It was charming and he made me laugh and I offered to take a look at him. He was really sick. He had bronchitis. Coughing all over the place in between laughing and telling me stories. He's a really good kid, fun kid," Luke's voice trails as he looks at Matt with a somber expression on his face.
"You want me to wake him up to make you laugh? Looks like you need one."
Luke brings Reid's hand to his lips and kisses his palm before he stands up, still holding Reid's hand in his. "I love you but you drive me nuts."
"You must say that to all the guys," Reid smirks.
"Just you," Luke leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek.
"Dr. Oliver?" Matthew's mother comes back into the room as Luke pulls away from Reid's cheek. "And Dr. Snyder," she smiles as he looks between the both of them. "Am I interrupting?"
"No, no," Luke shakes his head, returning her smile. "We just wanted to check up on him."
"I know this is none of my business but are you two together?"
"You're right that's --" Reid begins to speak and Luke quickly interrupts him.
"We are." That previous comment earns him a look from Dr. Snyder and when did he start recognizing looks from him anyway?
"That's great," she smiles at them both. Reid's uncomfortable just looking at her. There's no doubt that her happiness is genuine for them but she's just so ... smiley, way too happy for his liking. Besides, and again, doesn't she hate him? "Well, thank you for staying with him."
"I wanted to see him before anyway. He's pretty out of it though," Luke looks toward the bed. Matthew hasn't even flinched since they came in here.
"Yeah, he's just been sleeping a lot," she shares with him.
Reid knows that it's the tumor that's doing it to him. It's pressing on all kinds of things in the brain that control even the basic functions in life. Nothing should have that much control over someone.
Well, one look at Luke and he can think of something else that manages to take complete control over someone. When it happens, it happens quickly, and takes them over in an all consuming kind of way. Reid can't remember the last time (if ever) that he's felt so out of control. His position here in Oakdale was simple. He'd be the brilliant neurosurgeon running a state-of-the-art neuro wing, eat at every restaurant in this town at least a million times, and he'd be content to cut into people's brains for the rest of his life, knowing that he's the smartest, most brilliant man here.
Now? Now he isn't sure what his position here is, what kind of future he has for himself with Luke in it. But, he knows one thing. He knows that he wants Luke in it. Whatever he's doing, he wants Luke to be there with him. And that thwarts his future plans but he figures that he'll eventually be okay with it.
Tumors, on the other hand, are controlling in different, awful ways. He hopes that Huang knows what he's doing and he's able to hack every little piece away from there.
"I'll be supervising his surgery," he informs Mrs. Hilts. It should come as no surprise. Reid's been keeping close tabs on him, consulting with the doctors he's contacted about the best way to remove the tumor, and all without needing any kind of acknowledgment from the kid or his mother. Okay, so it probably will come as a surprise to the mother.
Her eyes briefly widen and she wipes her face of that emotion, replacing it with the expression of sadness that's usually there. "Thank you, Dr. Oliver for helping my son."
"It's what I do, Mrs. Hilts," he shrugs his shoulders.
He's attentive to all of his patients and if he had his own surgery to do then he'd be in that operating room or if he had another patient in critical condition then he'd be with that patient. He likes to make himself available to healing the ill and shoving them back out into the world. But, all of those routines are a comfort to him. It feeds his compulsiveness and he admits that it temporarily makes him feel good to make those people feel good.
"We'll keep an eye on him," Luke promises her.
"Thank you, Dr. Snyder," she reaches for him and Luke bends down to hug her, holding her close to comfort her. It amazes Reid how easily Luke does that. There's something about him that is warm and inviting and not just to Reid but to anyone else that Luke knows or encounters. Reid thinks that that amount of care and attention helps to make Luke a great doctor despite him getting maybe too emotionally involved.
"Mom?" Matthew begins to wake up, calling out for his mother.
She gives Luke one more squeeze and Luke pulls away so that she can go to him. "We'll give you some time," Luke says to her and she smiles at the both of them.
Reid leads the way, leaving the room with Luke behind him.
"Even I didn't know that you were going to supervise the operation," Luke tells him, glancing into the room one more time before looking at Reid. "Did you sleep at all?"
"A little. On the couch in my office."
Luke places his hand on Reid's arm and rubs up and down slowly, "Why don't you go home and try to sleep some more? You have another ..." He looks down at his watch. "At least another couple of hours. You have some time."
"If I go to sleep now, I'd probably sleep for more than a couple of hours. I should just stay awake and try to barrel through it."
"As long as you're okay ..." he trails, obviously worried.
"Fit as a fiddle," Reid quotes.
"And ready for love," Luke finishes the quote for him. They both smile at one another and Luke sighs. "I really do have other rounds. I have to get going. Did you go by and see my sister yet?"
"Yeah, talked to your mom and met Parker. She's fine."
"I thought she would be. But, thanks for going by to talk to my mom and everything." Luke tells him that he has rounds but he's still lingering around Reid, not even taking a step to leave. "We haven't had an interrupted night since we've known each other," Luke states the facts. "And I would like try to have one of those sometime."
"I wouldn't mind having one of those either."
"How about giving it a try tonight?"
"Tonight it is, Dr. Snyder."
"Thanks, Dr. Oliver." That's when Luke does take a step. He takes a step forward to plant a chaste kiss to Reid's lips. Luke walks away and Reid watches him until he's disappeared around the corner.
Reid catches a nurse watching the both of them, one of those giddy, idiotic expressions on her face. It's not the first time that he's seen that look around here from one of these peons. "Don't you have actual work to do instead of standing around here and wasting time? Go on. Shoo," he waves his hand forward, wanting her to scatter and run away.
She picks up her chart but she's still smiling and leaves the scene.
Reid rolls his eyes and heads to the doctor's lounge for one last consult with Dr. Huang.
---
Matthew's surgery goes really, really well. Dr. Huang is successful in removing the entire mass with Reid's close supervision. It takes a few hours to be thorough but it's worth the extra time. Matthew's going straight to recovery, he'll be monitored closely afterward. The surgery's really just the beginning. They're going to have to wait and see how he responds but he should be okay. He's optimistic about the outcome.
Dr. Huang and Reid go to deliver the good news to his mother and she's relieved and eager to see her son.
Reid's eager to finally get some rest after two very, very long days. But, he's happy. Successful surgeries always fill him with some kind of glee and a strong sense of accomplishment. He really does love being in the brain. Any brain. Most of all, Matthew's going to recover and heal and that kid will be able to run, jump, skip, and play basketball all he wants with a pair of Luke's ratty old shoes.
He turns his phone on and he sees a text from Luke.
Done with rounds today. I'm in your office.
It's been an hour and a half since he's sent the text so he wonders if he's still in Reid's office or if he's left.
Reid heads to his office and the lights are off. His secretary's long gone and he opens the door. The light from the hallway comes into the room and he sees a sleeping Luke sprawled on his couch. His hands are tucked underneath his head and he seems to be resting way more comfortably than Reid did the night before. Reid almost doesn't want to wake him. He does him a favor and doesn't turn on the light but he takes a seat at the edge of the couch.
His fingers are itching to touch him and so he does. He brings his hand up to move his fingers slowly through Luke's soft hair. Luke takes in a breath and begins to slowly open his eyes. "Reid?"
"I'd be concerned if you thought that someone else was touching you like this."
Luke laughs and opens his eyes a little more, taking a look at his surroundings. "Guess I must've fallen asleep."
"That you did."
"You're right about this couch though. Ow," he eases himself up and leans into Reid's gentle touch. "How'd the surgery go?"
"Went just fine. He's in recovery right now and will probably be knocked out for a few hours. Kid deserves the rest. We did just hack into his brain."
"You did. I'm really glad that you were there." Luke's hand rests comfortably against Reid's thigh and Reid has trouble concentrating on anything when Luke touches him but especially right there when it's close to other parts of Reid's body. "I'm sorry that I wasn't. I should've been observing or something but I don't know. I feel too close to it all."
Reid wants to say something about that, wants to know if it's really healthy to be that close to any patient. But, then he realizes that this is Luke. Luke being close to anyone and everyone is just Luke's way so he lets it go.
"Plus, you had other rugrats to attend to," Reid contributes to Luke's train of thought.
"Right. They were pretty great today," Luke smiles to himself and rubs his eyes. Goddamn Luke for inflicting those warm, fuzzy feelings in him. He even thinks that that move is c ... c ... adorab ... yeah. Some cutesy word that he can't even utter to himself.
"Come on, to bed with us."
"That sounds promising," Luke smiles and Reid reaches for his hand, helping him up.
They both change out of their scrubs back into their own clothes, grab their briefcases, and then it's off to Reid's place.
This mirrors previous evening, both of them tired, hungry, and after their mutual revelation, they forgot about dinner. Tonight, they're tired and hungry but they both head straight for Reid's bedroom. Reid doesn't even question it. They take off their clothes and share a kiss before climbing into bed.
Reid wraps his arm around Luke and Luke curls up against Reid's body, his head resting next to Reid's, arm over Reid's torso. "Night, Reid," Luke says quietly, the tone in his voice telling Reid that already on his way to sleep.
"Night," Reid whispers, dropping a kiss to Luke's hair as he closes his eyes.
What's happening now is the exact opposite of what he thought they'd be doing tonight. But, he doesn't mind the way that things have happened. In fact, this is an entirely new way to appreciate the man asleep in his arms. As far as he knows (and he hopes he doesn't jinx it by thinking about it) there'll be no nightly interruptions. It'll be a night of peaceful sleep for the first time in their relationship. It's practically landmark.
As he relishes the thought of their first uninterrupted night together, he holds Luke a little tighter, and falls into a deep sleep.
Next.