Reconstruction - Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Reid rounded the corner on the sixth floor and saw her standing at the nurses’ station. She was clumsily moving files around the desk; trying to make it appear that she was busy. He rolled his eyes and walked over the desk.
“Nurse Taylor, I need to speak to you.” He said and quickly turned on his heel.
“Oh, ah, sure. Dr. Oliver.” Gretchen stammered and followed him into an empty exam room. She started to ring her hands and her shoulders drooped as they entered the room and quickly shrugged that off as soon as the door shut. She turned her head right then left, cracking her joints as she did. “So, how’s it going doc?”
“How’s it going? Luke and Noah are back together! That’s how it’s going. You never told me that this could happen!” He yelled at her as he started to pace the room a bit.
“That was your choice. Yours! I told you that things were going to be different. You were given the option of doing everything the same way, but you chose not to. Luke didn’t get the confidence boost when you started to pursue him. No one ever convinced him that the accident wasn’t his fault. I’m afraid that it might be too late to fix that.”
As much as he wanted to be angry at Gretchen, he really had no one to blame but himself. He thought that pulling himself out of Luke’s life would make things better for Luke, but it looked like that was wasn’t the case. Noah had hurt Luke a lot at the end of their relationship and he didn’t want to see that happen again. He had to show Luke that relationships weren’t like this. He needed to figure out a way to do that. He didn’t realize that that moment would come so quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Reid walked towards Noah’s room and heard an argument in progress.
“Why is it so hard to imagine us in LA?”
“Because I have so much here. My job, my foundation.”
“But this was our plan. We were going to move there and start a life away from all of this.”
“I know, but…”
“…if there wasn’t the accident we would probably be there now. This is my dream Luke and I thought we shared that one. I have worked my whole life for this. And now you’re just changed your mind because you can’t leave your family.” Noah voice was starting to rise at the end. This was what Reid was telling Gretchen about. Reid decided to end this before people in the nearby rooms could hear it.
“Noah. How are you?” He asked as he entered the room. He could see Luke shrink back in embarrassment. He stepped away from the bed as Reid got closer. Reid could read by his body language that he was hurt and self-conscious.
“I’m fine.”
“Ok. I need to run some tests today. I’ll have Becca come in and take you down for a CAT scan.” He said and both men didn’t look at each other or the doctor. It was a tense few minutes as they waited for Becca; all of them standing in silence. Becca finally entered with a wheelchair and took Noah out of the room. Luke paced a little back and forth trying not to see Reid standing just ten feet away.
The door latched shut and Reid watched Luke for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
“You shouldn’t have to put up with that.” Reid said softly. Luke looked up and caught his gaze. Reid could easily see anger in the blonde’s eyes and Luke scoffed.
“You have no right to comment on my life, do you? It’s none of your business.” Luke said, venom heavy in his voice, and left the room. Reid felt his heart clench. Luke was right, it was none of his business and the realization of that stabbed Reid hard in the gut. He let out a breath and exited the room as well. As he entered the hallway, he saw Chris sneaking into the exam room across the hall. He asked the nurse what patient was in that room. After checking her computer, she told him that it was empty.
“So that’s where we are now?” He asked and the nurse looked at him with confusion all over her face. It wasn’t a new look mind you, but at least this time it was justified. “Ah, nevermind. You’re doing a great job. Thank you.” He said and the nursed smiled at him. He grabbed the phone on the desk and made a quick call to his boss.
Bob was surprised that Reid had called him for a consult. Perhaps all of his attempts to get Reid to open up to being a better doctor were finally rubbing off. Reid had all the knowhow, but not much of the heart to be a great doctor; well at least he didn't know how to show it. Now that the wing was moving ahead, Reid could be that amazing doctor that Bob knew was in there somewhere. He came to the exam room on fourth floor and walked in. Imagine Bob's surprise when he didn’t find Reid, but his son sitting on the exam table. The bigger surprise came when he found him drawing his own blood.
“Chris, mind explaining what you’re doing and why you need to draw your own blood?”
Reid watched from down the hall and saw the door close behind his Chief of Staff. He hated to surprise Bob this way, but it was the best way he could think of to tell Bob what Chris was doing and not get in trouble himself. He knew that he was going to have to explain to Bob how he knew Chris was in there, but Bob would have a few more things to worry about than how he found out the truth. Maybe now Chris will finally get the help he needs. Now Reid needed to help someone else.
~~~~~~~~~
He needed to clear his head. He needed to figure out how he could make things right for Luke. He needed a cheeseburger. He always did work better on a full stomach. He walked into Al’s and sat down at the counter. He ordered his burger and looked around the small diner. He couldn’t believe his luck when he saw Luke sitting across the restaurant in a booth with several kinds of paperwork spread out in front of him. He decided that this was it. He needed to do something. Reid took a breath and walked over to the young blonde.
Luke was busy looking over his foundation paperwork and didn’t see Reid come in. He didn’t see him until he felt someone watching him. Luke looked up and locked on to Reid’s beautiful blue eyes.
“Hi.” Reid said; leaning against the edge of the booth.
“Hi.” Luke answered, hesitantly.
“Can I sit?” Reid asked and Luke nodded in response. “Look, I want to apologize.” Reid quickly said and he watched Luke relax and push his work aside.
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Wait.” He stopped Luke before he continued. “You’re actually getting an apology out of me…you may want to hear it all the way through. I don’t give these out too often.” Reid teased and Luke had to laugh. He could see Luke give him a shy smile and gestured for him to finish; clasping his hands together and resting them on the table. “I’m sorry that I butted in. You’re right. It is none of my business.”
“I overreacted. You’re right too. You were just trying to be nice and I was just embarrassed. I’m sorry that I snapped at you. He was just angry and I just have to hang on until its better.”
“And if it doesn’t get better?”
Luke had never thought of that and didn’t know how to respond.
“It has to, right? How could it get worse?” Luke said, looking down at his hands. Reid wondered who he was trying to convince; Reid or himself.
“You don’t have to stick up for him all time.”
“I’m not.”
“Yeah, Luke. You still are. You have done everything he has ever needed and for him to treat you as if your needs and wants don’t matter is not far.”
“Why are we talking about this again?” Luke asked trying to defuse the situation.
“I just want you to see that not all relationships are like that.”
“How would you know? Have you ever been in love?” Luke asked in disbelief.
“Believe it or not, I have.”
“Really?” Luke asked; not even trying to hide his surprise.
“Yes, really. Don’t act so surprised. It’s mildly insulting.” Reid teased and leaned forward onto the booth’s table. Luke laughed at Reid’s joke and the doctor could see him relaxing into the vinyl bench.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Was it your first love?” Luke asked. Dr. Oliver was being surprisingly candid, Luke was going to milk it.
“You could say that.”
“When did it end?”
“Just before I came here,” that wasn’t 100 percent truth, but technically it was.
“What happened?” Luke asked and Reid decided to let him know. Finally tell Luke how he viewed their relationship, even if Luke didn’t know it was about him.
“My last relationship ended because I took him for granted. Don’t let that happen to you. You deserve someone who appreciates and loves you and who isn’t afraid to show it.” Reid could see Luke swallow as the doctor’s words sunk in.
“Why did you take him for granted?”
“I’m not sure. I wish I hadn’t. It’s my biggest regret.”
“Did you love him? God, I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.” Luke said quickly, clearly frazzled by his utterance.
“With everything that I am. He was the be all and end all for me.”
“Wow.” Luke said breathlessly and then his cheeks reddened when he realized that he said it out loud. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and continued. “Do you think you’ll ever get back together with him?”
“I doubt it. He deserves better than me anyway. I just hope he realizes that. And has an amazing life. That, that he deserves.”
Luke got real quiet after hearing Dr. Oliver confess something so personal. He had never seen him so open before. He liked this Dr. Oliver much more than the man he met a few months ago. Living in Oakdale was agreeing with him. Henry came over then to see if Luke needed anything. He was still cagey around the doc and wanted to be sure he wasn’t up to something.
“Luke, can I get you anything?”
“No thank you Henry, I’m fine.”
“You need anything?” He asked Reid. “Water? Or maybe some coffee with a little bit of arsenic?”
“Ah, no. I’m good, but thanks Hank.” Reid answered still looking at Luke. Henry stood there, jaw agape. When he didn’t leave, Reid finally looked up and saw the look on the man’s face.
“What can I do ya’ for, Hank?” Reid inquired.
“Huh? Nothing. You’ve just never been nice to me before. What’s your endgame?”
“Excuse me?” Reid almost laughed. Henry and Reid always teased back and forth, but he really wasn’t trying to start anything. Luke what was on his mind at the moment.
“You would never be nice to me without a motive? What is it?”
“Well, don’t worry Hank. It’ll never happen again,” and at that moment Reid’s pager went off. He glanced down at it and then back up at Luke. “I have to go, but think about what I said.” Luke nodded in response and Reid slid out of the booth. He grabbed his waiting take-out and made his way back to work.
Luke tried to go back to his much-neglected foundation paperwork, but found his mind returning to the older doctor. Why would he tell Luke those things? Confess something so private. Luke thought he had the man figured out. He had him pegged as doctor-machine whose head only turned at the sight of food, but he was realizing he was wrong.
He wondered what else he was wrong about when it came to Dr. Oliver.
Chapter Twelve