Left and Right: Chapter Six
Title: Left and Right (multi-chapter)
Author: dolce_amore
Summary: Reid injures himself in an accident six months after starting a relationship with Luke. This is the story of how Reid and Luke handle it.
Genre/Type: Romance/Drama/Future-Fic
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own As the World Turns, it’s characters, or it’s settings. Though if you know where I can buy a Reid, please let me know. ☺
Disclaimer #2: Chapter titles are all lyrics taken from songs. I take no credit for them. They are being used for entertainment purposes only. All rights go to the artists that first penned them. ☺
Characters/Pairings in this chapter: Luke/Reid, Katie/Chris, Holden
Author's Notes: This is my Big Bang fic for LROnline. It's 23 chapters, though, so I figured I'd break it up instead of posting all the chapters at once. Enjoy! Comments = love.
--------------
Six: All These Words Lose Their Meaning When There’s Nothing We Can Say
Reid and Luke piled into the back of Katie’s car. Reid gazed out the window as they sped down the street. Luke observed quietly, watching Reid’s eyes dart from side to side as he watched the lines on the side of the road go flying by. The space was still, but held a heavy tension. Katie sat in the passenger seat, nervously checking the rear view mirror every few seconds at Reid. She opened her mouth to speak a few times, but every time seemingly decided against letting words come out as she pursed her lips once again. Luke noticed this and was grateful that she knew Reid as well as she did. One of Reid’s biggest peeves was small talk, and there were no words at the moment that would define what had just taken place.
As soon as they arrived at Memorial, as promised, Reid had x-rays done right away. He went through the motions. On the x-ray table he placed his hand palm down. Then palm up. Then on it’s one side. Then on it’s other side. The x-ray technician placed a soothing hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly at him before he left the room and he didn’t know whether to be thankful or annoyed by it. The last thing he wanted was pity.
He met up with Luke in the waiting room. From there, a nurse led them back to a room in the ER where Chris had gotten a spot for Reid to stay. Reid sat on the exam table and Luke settled down in a chair beside the bed. Luke unbuttoned his shirt a few buttons and Reid’s eyes narrowed into a look of concern.
“You’re bruised,” he said, motioning to the deep purple mark across Luke’s collarbone.
Luke smirked. “Well, you have one, too,” he said. He stood up and moved Reid’s collar off to the side. “See? It’s from the seatbelt.”
“Are you in any pain? How about that gash under your eye?” Reid asked, eyeing Luke from top to bottom. Luke couldn’t help but smile - it wasn’t often that Reid eyed him up from a professional standpoint as he was at the moment.
Luke looked at his boyfriend, his hair ruffled, eyes puffy and lips forming a frown. The sight caused more pain than any bruise could possibly inflict. “No, I’m alright. It’s just a cut, not a gash.” Luke said.
Reid looked down at his beeper. “Oh God,” he murmured. He detached it from his belt and sighed as he observed the mangled device.
“I’m going to have to call the phone company and have them activate my back-up beeper,” he said. “Do you think they’re open now?”
“No. It’s nearly two in the morning. I’ll take care of it for you first thing tomorrow morning, alright?” Luke replied. Reid nodded.
Luke breathed in and let out a nervous breath before speaking once more. “You had the choice to save yourself, to save your hand. Why didn’t you do it?” he asked as he sat himself back down in a chair beside the exam table.
Reid raised an eyebrow “Why would I? I wasn’t about to send you and more than likely me as well wrapped around a tree. “
“But your hand!” Luke cried. “Why didn’t you think of what getting yourself hurt could do to your career?”
“I did think of it. Of course I thought of it.” Reid said through clenched teeth. “In case it wasn’t obvious already, you are more important.”
Luke shook his head, crossing his arms. “You shouldn’t have done that, Reid. I would’ve been fine. You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself like that for me.”
“So you’re angry that I chose you over me?” Reid asked, irritation tingeing his voice.
“No, I’m mad at you for trying to be all heroic when in the end it’s only making me feel bad!” Luke yelped.
“You don’t think I feel bad? Luke, I may never operate again. I don’t know the extent of the damage. Even if it isn’t that serious there are no guarantees that it will heal entirely.”
“That’s what I’m saying! You chose me and now you may lose the career that you’ve dedicated your entire life to. It’s my fault.” Tears of not exactly anger but frustration and pain pooled up in Luke’s eyes.
“Don’t you dare be all self-indulgent and try to make this about you,” Reid replied harshly.
“Why not? It is all about me, isn’t it? And right now whether you want to admit it or not you’re sure as hell regretting that you chose me over your career, no doubt,” Luke replied dramatically.
With words like that, Luke might as well have bent all of Reid’s already mangled fingers backward. “Luke,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, “don’t you know that without hesitation or regret, I would always choose you?” His words were drenched in a mix of pain and disbelief.
Luke was rendered speechless as he saw the look of hurt in Reid’s eyes. Reid continued, “You know what? You’re right. It is all about you. I had that split second that I could’ve turned right, smashed into the tree. It’s not like we were going five miles an hour, Luke. For all I knew I could’ve lost you if I did that. And if I lost you…” his eyes flickered, “what more do you want me to say?”
After all this time, as well as Luke knew Reid inside and out, he still didn’t understand what he equated to in Reid’s mind. Everything. Luke was… everything. Reid almost resented himself for not being able to better put that into words. Did he not show it enough? He was never one to explode in feelings, but he and Luke were never a couple that needed words to express emotion. Luke was the one so in touch with his emotional side. One would think he’d just “get it”.
“I…” Luke started.
“Just stop, Luke,” Reid interrupted. He stared down at the floor. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, letting out a bitter laugh. “And to think that just an hour ago I was thinking about whether or not you…” he let his words trail off.
“Thinking about whether or not I… what?” Luke asked.
Reid shook his head. “Nothing. Can you go see if those damn x-ray scans came back yet?”
Luke nodded and quietly left.
He dashed through the waiting room and backtracked when he realized Katie was still there.
“Hey, what are you still doing here?” Luke asked.
Katie smiled, her eyes bloodshot and drooping. “I wasn’t going to leave you here! You don’t even have your car,” she said in a very matter-of-fact tone, as if pulling an all-nighter in the waiting room was the only sensible thing for her to do.
“Wait - we don’t have a car?” he asked.
“No. It was towed and taken to the mechanic, remember?”
Luke ran harried fingers through his hair. “God, no, I don’t remember that. Everything was so crazy and all I could think about was Reid. I didn’t give the car a thought at all.”
“You were focused on Reid. It’s understandable. How is he?” she asked.
Luke let out a sigh and slumped into the chair beside her. “He could’ve saved his himself, Katie. He had plenty of time to make the choice to steer the car in the other direction, and he didn’t because it would’ve meant putting me in harm’s way.”
“Luke, you mean more to him than anything,” Katie replied.
Luke stared down at his shoes. “I know. I just hate that he chose me. He could lose his career over this. And when I told him how I felt, he got angry with me for thinking that way about him, that I thought he’d even consider choosing his career over me.”
Katie put a loving hand on Luke’s back. “Can I tell you something? Promise you won’t get mad at me,” she said.
“Yeah. I mean no, I won’t get mad,” Luke said, his eyes intent on her.
She hesitated as though she were trying to think of the perfect words before speaking. “I know Reid acts like he doesn’t care what people think about him, but I know for a fact that he cares about what you think about him, Luke. I know you guys have a really honest relationship, and while that’s great - sometimes I think you might be a little, I don’t know… too honest? I know Reid can take it as well as he dishes it, but at the end of the day, he’s only human, and he loves you. I think sometimes people - myself included - say the worst things and act the worst ways with the people we love most because we’re so comfortable with them we just expect them to be able to handle it. Quite frankly I understand why he’s upset with you for questioning his choice, because, even if you don’t mean it, it sounds like you’re questioning how he feels about you and are implying his job is more important to him.”
Luke sat with his mouth gaping slightly. “I don’t doubt for a second how much he loves me.”
Katie smiled gently. “Does Reid realize that? Luke, you’ve opened him up and you’ve made him so happy and you’ve made him so… human. He still isn’t very good at reading other people’s emotions, though, and I don’t think you need me to tell you that. He calls it how he sees it. That’s just Reid.”
“You’re right,” Luke whispered. He stared straight at the wall, taking in all of Katie’s words and advice. “I think sometimes I say certain things to him because he doesn’t show when he’s hurt, even though I know that he is. Like you said, we’re always honest, and my God, we do have some pretty awesome bicker fests,” his lips curved into a smile at the thought before pursing together once again, “But you’re right. Thank you.”
Katie smiled. “I hope you don’t take offense. I know how much you love him. It’s just something I’ve observed. I lived with Reid before anyone else even realized he had a heart,” she said with a laugh. “And I know from seeing him at his worst moments, times when he thought no one was watching, that he feels things a lot deeper than he lets on.”
Luke nodded, continuing to process Katie’s analysis of their relationship. Luke knew just how much Reid felt things. He, much like Katie in Reid’s first months in Oakdale, was the one that saw Reid come down on himself after returning home from a failed surgery. He was the one that saw the anguish in his eyes after they had an argument. He was the one that this very evening saw Reid struggling not to cry as the thought of losing him. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, Luke forgot these moments, unfortunately.
Luke saw the radiologist pass by and he jumped to his feet. “I have to go catch up to him and see if the x-rays came back. Thank you again though, so much,” Luke said. He squeezed Katie’s hand, gave her a warm parting smile, and then raced down the hallway.
“Doctor! Excuse me? Doctor!” Luke yelled as he tried catching up to the man. The radiologist spun around.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
“There’s someone in room 27B waiting for the results of his x-ray. It’s Dr. Oliver, he’s a surgeon here.”
The radiologist rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, Dr. Oliver. I’m well acquainted with him… and his inflated ego.”
“I’m afraid he’s not his usual self right now,” Luke replied solemnly.
He nodded. “I’ll review the scans right now and go discuss them with his physician. Who is seeing him tonight in the ER?”
“Um… we kind of came here with Dr. Chris Hughes,” Luke replied. “I guess he’s the one overseeing his care tonight.”
The two confirmed Reid’s exam room number and parted ways. Luke walked with slow, heavy steps back to Reid’s room, thinking about how to apologize for their previous conversation. When he finally reached the door, his hand hesitated on the handle before hearing “Are you coming in or what?” come from the other side of the door.
Luke entered the room, smiling softly in Reid’s direction without making eye contact.
“Did you learn anything about the scans?” Reid asked.
Luke scratched his head, staring past Reid. “Yeah, I talked to the radiologist, Dr. Keller, I think. He’s going to look at your scans right now and talk them over with Chris.”
“Why not just talk them over with me?” Reid asked, looking peeved on top of already being exhausted and in pain.
Luke let out a laugh. “It’s not alternate Wednesday, so you’re not expected to be uber-doc and treat your own injury.”
Reid mumbled grumpily, examining his mangled hand. “As if someone could actually do it better,” he said bluntly.
Luke sighed. “Reid, about earlier,” he started.
At that moment Holden burst through the exam room door. “What the hell is the matter with you?” he roared, glaring at Reid. “You drink and then get behind the wheel of a car when Luke very well could’ve driven sober? You could’ve killed my son and yourself!” he bellowed, characteristically judgmental.
Luke’s eyes widened as they became filled with horror and embarrassment. “Dad!” he scolded before Reid could say anything. “This is not Reid’s fault. He wasn’t drinking. Whenever he does I always drive.”
“I know you feel like you have to stick up for your boyfriend Luke, and that’s respectable, but don’t cover for someone who could’ve killed you tonight.”
Reid scowled. Luke thought he was the evil neurosurgeon who regretted saving his life over his hand, his career could be in jeopardy, his hand hurt like hell, his body ached, he was exhausted, the doctors here were as slow and incompetent as ever and he was considering filing a complaint against his own workplace - now was not the time for this.
“You have known me for how long now, Mr. Snyder? Have you ever known me to do anything to hurt Luke? Do you honestly believe that I would drive drunk and risk both our lives?”
Holden went to speak, but Reid continued. “I am under no circumstance going to explain myself to you when it’s so ridiculously uncalled for, but let me say this. I have been nothing but respectful to you and your family. I would hope that being I am the man your son is in love with you’d be able to muster up even half that much respect for me.”
Holden stood speechless. “I… Jack told me you were involved in a drunk driving accident. I just assumed…”
“Dad, just - we’ll talk later,” Luke said in a short voice. He stood up and opened the door. “I can’t even look at you right now, though. Assuming the worst of Reid, thinking that we’re both that careless, just…” he shook his head disapprovingly.
Holden frowned. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted that way. I’m sorry to both of you,” he said.
“I’m glad you’re sorry. I’ll talk to you later. I’ll let you and mom know how much damage the drunk driver who was driving on the wrong side of the median did in the morning.” Luke’s words were sharp and cold. Holden simply nodded and exited, and Luke shut the door behind him.
“Reid, I am so sorry about that. I can’t believe…” Luke started.
Reid interrupted. “You can’t believe he’d think something so horrible of me? I guess we know where you learnt from now, eh?”
“Reid,” Luke said gently. He sat beside the exam table in a wooden chair and placed a hand on Reid’s knee. “I don’t think the worst of you.”
“So trying to play mind-reader and saying that I surely was regretting picking you over my hand, that wasn’t thinking the worst of me? This isn’t the first time you’ve accused me of caring about my career more than I care about you.”
“We’re past that!” Luke pleaded. “I don’t doubt how much you love me.”
Reid shrugged. Luke leaned over in the chair until Reid couldn’t avoid his stare.
“Look at me, Reid,” Luke said.
Reid reluctantly looked into Luke’s chocolate eyes. “I’m not good with the heart-on-my-sleeve shit, Luke. You know me. I thought it was understood that you are just… my first priority.”
Luke smiled, placing a hand on Reid’s thigh. “I know that. I guess I still have trouble believing that someone who is a world-class neurosurgeon would put their boyfriend before their career.”
“Well, when you say it like that,” Reid cracked. Luke let out a laugh, and Reid smiled.
Author: dolce_amore
Summary: Reid injures himself in an accident six months after starting a relationship with Luke. This is the story of how Reid and Luke handle it.
Genre/Type: Romance/Drama/Future-Fic
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own As the World Turns, it’s characters, or it’s settings. Though if you know where I can buy a Reid, please let me know. ☺
Disclaimer #2: Chapter titles are all lyrics taken from songs. I take no credit for them. They are being used for entertainment purposes only. All rights go to the artists that first penned them. ☺
Characters/Pairings in this chapter: Luke/Reid, Katie/Chris, Holden
Author's Notes: This is my Big Bang fic for LROnline. It's 23 chapters, though, so I figured I'd break it up instead of posting all the chapters at once. Enjoy! Comments = love.
--------------
Six: All These Words Lose Their Meaning When There’s Nothing We Can Say
Reid and Luke piled into the back of Katie’s car. Reid gazed out the window as they sped down the street. Luke observed quietly, watching Reid’s eyes dart from side to side as he watched the lines on the side of the road go flying by. The space was still, but held a heavy tension. Katie sat in the passenger seat, nervously checking the rear view mirror every few seconds at Reid. She opened her mouth to speak a few times, but every time seemingly decided against letting words come out as she pursed her lips once again. Luke noticed this and was grateful that she knew Reid as well as she did. One of Reid’s biggest peeves was small talk, and there were no words at the moment that would define what had just taken place.
As soon as they arrived at Memorial, as promised, Reid had x-rays done right away. He went through the motions. On the x-ray table he placed his hand palm down. Then palm up. Then on it’s one side. Then on it’s other side. The x-ray technician placed a soothing hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly at him before he left the room and he didn’t know whether to be thankful or annoyed by it. The last thing he wanted was pity.
He met up with Luke in the waiting room. From there, a nurse led them back to a room in the ER where Chris had gotten a spot for Reid to stay. Reid sat on the exam table and Luke settled down in a chair beside the bed. Luke unbuttoned his shirt a few buttons and Reid’s eyes narrowed into a look of concern.
“You’re bruised,” he said, motioning to the deep purple mark across Luke’s collarbone.
Luke smirked. “Well, you have one, too,” he said. He stood up and moved Reid’s collar off to the side. “See? It’s from the seatbelt.”
“Are you in any pain? How about that gash under your eye?” Reid asked, eyeing Luke from top to bottom. Luke couldn’t help but smile - it wasn’t often that Reid eyed him up from a professional standpoint as he was at the moment.
Luke looked at his boyfriend, his hair ruffled, eyes puffy and lips forming a frown. The sight caused more pain than any bruise could possibly inflict. “No, I’m alright. It’s just a cut, not a gash.” Luke said.
Reid looked down at his beeper. “Oh God,” he murmured. He detached it from his belt and sighed as he observed the mangled device.
“I’m going to have to call the phone company and have them activate my back-up beeper,” he said. “Do you think they’re open now?”
“No. It’s nearly two in the morning. I’ll take care of it for you first thing tomorrow morning, alright?” Luke replied. Reid nodded.
Luke breathed in and let out a nervous breath before speaking once more. “You had the choice to save yourself, to save your hand. Why didn’t you do it?” he asked as he sat himself back down in a chair beside the exam table.
Reid raised an eyebrow “Why would I? I wasn’t about to send you and more than likely me as well wrapped around a tree. “
“But your hand!” Luke cried. “Why didn’t you think of what getting yourself hurt could do to your career?”
“I did think of it. Of course I thought of it.” Reid said through clenched teeth. “In case it wasn’t obvious already, you are more important.”
Luke shook his head, crossing his arms. “You shouldn’t have done that, Reid. I would’ve been fine. You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself like that for me.”
“So you’re angry that I chose you over me?” Reid asked, irritation tingeing his voice.
“No, I’m mad at you for trying to be all heroic when in the end it’s only making me feel bad!” Luke yelped.
“You don’t think I feel bad? Luke, I may never operate again. I don’t know the extent of the damage. Even if it isn’t that serious there are no guarantees that it will heal entirely.”
“That’s what I’m saying! You chose me and now you may lose the career that you’ve dedicated your entire life to. It’s my fault.” Tears of not exactly anger but frustration and pain pooled up in Luke’s eyes.
“Don’t you dare be all self-indulgent and try to make this about you,” Reid replied harshly.
“Why not? It is all about me, isn’t it? And right now whether you want to admit it or not you’re sure as hell regretting that you chose me over your career, no doubt,” Luke replied dramatically.
With words like that, Luke might as well have bent all of Reid’s already mangled fingers backward. “Luke,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, “don’t you know that without hesitation or regret, I would always choose you?” His words were drenched in a mix of pain and disbelief.
Luke was rendered speechless as he saw the look of hurt in Reid’s eyes. Reid continued, “You know what? You’re right. It is all about you. I had that split second that I could’ve turned right, smashed into the tree. It’s not like we were going five miles an hour, Luke. For all I knew I could’ve lost you if I did that. And if I lost you…” his eyes flickered, “what more do you want me to say?”
After all this time, as well as Luke knew Reid inside and out, he still didn’t understand what he equated to in Reid’s mind. Everything. Luke was… everything. Reid almost resented himself for not being able to better put that into words. Did he not show it enough? He was never one to explode in feelings, but he and Luke were never a couple that needed words to express emotion. Luke was the one so in touch with his emotional side. One would think he’d just “get it”.
“I…” Luke started.
“Just stop, Luke,” Reid interrupted. He stared down at the floor. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, letting out a bitter laugh. “And to think that just an hour ago I was thinking about whether or not you…” he let his words trail off.
“Thinking about whether or not I… what?” Luke asked.
Reid shook his head. “Nothing. Can you go see if those damn x-ray scans came back yet?”
Luke nodded and quietly left.
He dashed through the waiting room and backtracked when he realized Katie was still there.
“Hey, what are you still doing here?” Luke asked.
Katie smiled, her eyes bloodshot and drooping. “I wasn’t going to leave you here! You don’t even have your car,” she said in a very matter-of-fact tone, as if pulling an all-nighter in the waiting room was the only sensible thing for her to do.
“Wait - we don’t have a car?” he asked.
“No. It was towed and taken to the mechanic, remember?”
Luke ran harried fingers through his hair. “God, no, I don’t remember that. Everything was so crazy and all I could think about was Reid. I didn’t give the car a thought at all.”
“You were focused on Reid. It’s understandable. How is he?” she asked.
Luke let out a sigh and slumped into the chair beside her. “He could’ve saved his himself, Katie. He had plenty of time to make the choice to steer the car in the other direction, and he didn’t because it would’ve meant putting me in harm’s way.”
“Luke, you mean more to him than anything,” Katie replied.
Luke stared down at his shoes. “I know. I just hate that he chose me. He could lose his career over this. And when I told him how I felt, he got angry with me for thinking that way about him, that I thought he’d even consider choosing his career over me.”
Katie put a loving hand on Luke’s back. “Can I tell you something? Promise you won’t get mad at me,” she said.
“Yeah. I mean no, I won’t get mad,” Luke said, his eyes intent on her.
She hesitated as though she were trying to think of the perfect words before speaking. “I know Reid acts like he doesn’t care what people think about him, but I know for a fact that he cares about what you think about him, Luke. I know you guys have a really honest relationship, and while that’s great - sometimes I think you might be a little, I don’t know… too honest? I know Reid can take it as well as he dishes it, but at the end of the day, he’s only human, and he loves you. I think sometimes people - myself included - say the worst things and act the worst ways with the people we love most because we’re so comfortable with them we just expect them to be able to handle it. Quite frankly I understand why he’s upset with you for questioning his choice, because, even if you don’t mean it, it sounds like you’re questioning how he feels about you and are implying his job is more important to him.”
Luke sat with his mouth gaping slightly. “I don’t doubt for a second how much he loves me.”
Katie smiled gently. “Does Reid realize that? Luke, you’ve opened him up and you’ve made him so happy and you’ve made him so… human. He still isn’t very good at reading other people’s emotions, though, and I don’t think you need me to tell you that. He calls it how he sees it. That’s just Reid.”
“You’re right,” Luke whispered. He stared straight at the wall, taking in all of Katie’s words and advice. “I think sometimes I say certain things to him because he doesn’t show when he’s hurt, even though I know that he is. Like you said, we’re always honest, and my God, we do have some pretty awesome bicker fests,” his lips curved into a smile at the thought before pursing together once again, “But you’re right. Thank you.”
Katie smiled. “I hope you don’t take offense. I know how much you love him. It’s just something I’ve observed. I lived with Reid before anyone else even realized he had a heart,” she said with a laugh. “And I know from seeing him at his worst moments, times when he thought no one was watching, that he feels things a lot deeper than he lets on.”
Luke nodded, continuing to process Katie’s analysis of their relationship. Luke knew just how much Reid felt things. He, much like Katie in Reid’s first months in Oakdale, was the one that saw Reid come down on himself after returning home from a failed surgery. He was the one that saw the anguish in his eyes after they had an argument. He was the one that this very evening saw Reid struggling not to cry as the thought of losing him. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, Luke forgot these moments, unfortunately.
Luke saw the radiologist pass by and he jumped to his feet. “I have to go catch up to him and see if the x-rays came back. Thank you again though, so much,” Luke said. He squeezed Katie’s hand, gave her a warm parting smile, and then raced down the hallway.
“Doctor! Excuse me? Doctor!” Luke yelled as he tried catching up to the man. The radiologist spun around.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
“There’s someone in room 27B waiting for the results of his x-ray. It’s Dr. Oliver, he’s a surgeon here.”
The radiologist rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, Dr. Oliver. I’m well acquainted with him… and his inflated ego.”
“I’m afraid he’s not his usual self right now,” Luke replied solemnly.
He nodded. “I’ll review the scans right now and go discuss them with his physician. Who is seeing him tonight in the ER?”
“Um… we kind of came here with Dr. Chris Hughes,” Luke replied. “I guess he’s the one overseeing his care tonight.”
The two confirmed Reid’s exam room number and parted ways. Luke walked with slow, heavy steps back to Reid’s room, thinking about how to apologize for their previous conversation. When he finally reached the door, his hand hesitated on the handle before hearing “Are you coming in or what?” come from the other side of the door.
Luke entered the room, smiling softly in Reid’s direction without making eye contact.
“Did you learn anything about the scans?” Reid asked.
Luke scratched his head, staring past Reid. “Yeah, I talked to the radiologist, Dr. Keller, I think. He’s going to look at your scans right now and talk them over with Chris.”
“Why not just talk them over with me?” Reid asked, looking peeved on top of already being exhausted and in pain.
Luke let out a laugh. “It’s not alternate Wednesday, so you’re not expected to be uber-doc and treat your own injury.”
Reid mumbled grumpily, examining his mangled hand. “As if someone could actually do it better,” he said bluntly.
Luke sighed. “Reid, about earlier,” he started.
At that moment Holden burst through the exam room door. “What the hell is the matter with you?” he roared, glaring at Reid. “You drink and then get behind the wheel of a car when Luke very well could’ve driven sober? You could’ve killed my son and yourself!” he bellowed, characteristically judgmental.
Luke’s eyes widened as they became filled with horror and embarrassment. “Dad!” he scolded before Reid could say anything. “This is not Reid’s fault. He wasn’t drinking. Whenever he does I always drive.”
“I know you feel like you have to stick up for your boyfriend Luke, and that’s respectable, but don’t cover for someone who could’ve killed you tonight.”
Reid scowled. Luke thought he was the evil neurosurgeon who regretted saving his life over his hand, his career could be in jeopardy, his hand hurt like hell, his body ached, he was exhausted, the doctors here were as slow and incompetent as ever and he was considering filing a complaint against his own workplace - now was not the time for this.
“You have known me for how long now, Mr. Snyder? Have you ever known me to do anything to hurt Luke? Do you honestly believe that I would drive drunk and risk both our lives?”
Holden went to speak, but Reid continued. “I am under no circumstance going to explain myself to you when it’s so ridiculously uncalled for, but let me say this. I have been nothing but respectful to you and your family. I would hope that being I am the man your son is in love with you’d be able to muster up even half that much respect for me.”
Holden stood speechless. “I… Jack told me you were involved in a drunk driving accident. I just assumed…”
“Dad, just - we’ll talk later,” Luke said in a short voice. He stood up and opened the door. “I can’t even look at you right now, though. Assuming the worst of Reid, thinking that we’re both that careless, just…” he shook his head disapprovingly.
Holden frowned. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted that way. I’m sorry to both of you,” he said.
“I’m glad you’re sorry. I’ll talk to you later. I’ll let you and mom know how much damage the drunk driver who was driving on the wrong side of the median did in the morning.” Luke’s words were sharp and cold. Holden simply nodded and exited, and Luke shut the door behind him.
“Reid, I am so sorry about that. I can’t believe…” Luke started.
Reid interrupted. “You can’t believe he’d think something so horrible of me? I guess we know where you learnt from now, eh?”
“Reid,” Luke said gently. He sat beside the exam table in a wooden chair and placed a hand on Reid’s knee. “I don’t think the worst of you.”
“So trying to play mind-reader and saying that I surely was regretting picking you over my hand, that wasn’t thinking the worst of me? This isn’t the first time you’ve accused me of caring about my career more than I care about you.”
“We’re past that!” Luke pleaded. “I don’t doubt how much you love me.”
Reid shrugged. Luke leaned over in the chair until Reid couldn’t avoid his stare.
“Look at me, Reid,” Luke said.
Reid reluctantly looked into Luke’s chocolate eyes. “I’m not good with the heart-on-my-sleeve shit, Luke. You know me. I thought it was understood that you are just… my first priority.”
Luke smiled, placing a hand on Reid’s thigh. “I know that. I guess I still have trouble believing that someone who is a world-class neurosurgeon would put their boyfriend before their career.”
“Well, when you say it like that,” Reid cracked. Luke let out a laugh, and Reid smiled.