Left and Right: Chapter Eight
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
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.
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Eight: The Beaming Sunrise Buries the Night
Reid and Luke came home to their quiet, dark abode. Luke flipped on the switch and sighed as Reid plopped onto the couch. “Do you need anything?” Luke asked.
Reid shook his head silently. He looked down at the suffocating device on his arm and wanted to vomit. This was real. He couldn’t operate. Even if there were an emergency, he couldn’t do a damn thing. He had to hand over his operation schedule to another neurosurgeon, along with any new patients that came in. He had to go on hangnail duty and act as though he wasn’t highly overqualified. He had to ignore the countless emergency head trauma patients that would surely come into Memorial over the next couple of months, pretend they didn’t exist. If he acknowledged their existence he’s have to acknowledge that they may cease to exist just as quickly because he could do nothing to save them. He was helpless.
He looked at Luke who was now sitting on the couch beside him, looking tenderly at him. “What?” Reid asked.
“I’m really sorry,” Luke said in almost a whisper.
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong. Luke, I really don’t feel like dealing with the histrionics anymore tonight,” he snapped. He winced as soon as he said it, but knew he didn’t have to backtrack. Luke just smiled gently and it was understood he didn’t mean it.
“I’m sorry that I got mad at you when you really may have saved my life tonight. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
Reid shrugged. “I do know. I’m a psychic,” he said dryly, and Luke laughed.
“You are good with minds, that’s for sure,” Luke said. He quickly gasped, almost in attempt to put the sentence back in his mouth.
Reid looked sadly down at his hand. “Yeah, well, not for a while.” All was quiet for a moment as the two of them looked blankly at his cast. Reid finally let out a sharp laugh. “Okay, I’m not good at this pity-party thing. I’m going to bed.”
“Do you want me to make you something to eat? You haven’t had anything in hours.”
Reid shrugged. “I’m not in the mood for a snack. Thanks, though,” he said, his voice marked with sorrow.
He got up and headed toward the bedroom. When he realized Luke wasn’t following, he turned around to see the blonde still perched on the couch. “Come with?” Reid asked.
“You’re probably sore from the accident. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Reid laughed at the silliness of the notion. “Luke, you’re probably sore too, and sleeping on the couch won’t help. We could at least be uncomfortable together,” Reid cracked.
Luke giggled, “You’re such a box of cornflakes.”
Reid offered up a small smile. “Zip it, Snyder.”
Reid walked into the bedroom, unbuttoning his jeans with his right thumb and index finger. He unzipped it and propped himself against the bed, kicking off the legs. Luke came into the bedroom, already unbuttoning his shirt and looked up to see Reid sitting on the edge of the bed, in boxers, and… a dress shirt. It wouldn’t be a heartbreaking sight had it not been realized that Reid was rather stuck like this without help.
“Do you need me to…?” Luke asked, pointing at Reid’s chest. Reid nodded, blushing slightly. Luke sat down on the bed, mirroring his boyfriend. He first untied the sling, releasing Reid’s arm that nonetheless remained in the same position. He gently unbuttoned each button, brushing against Reid’s chest tenderly with his fingertips with every movement, their foreheads ever so lightly touching. He slid the sleeve off his right arm with ease, and then grimaced.
“Okay, just, umm…” Luke stammered. Reid extended his left arm fully for the first time in hours and drew a sharp breath. Luke yanked the sleeve off as quickly as possible, and Reid relaxed.
“You can take something for the pain if you want. You don’t have to suffer.”
Reid shook his head. “I’m pretty numb from the anesthetic and they gave me Vicodin while we were there, too. I took enough to be comfortable. I don’t like painkillers, I don’t like not being able to know how I actually feel, how to compare it to what I felt before, or what I should be feeling. I hate being kept in the dark by my own body.”
Luke nodded as though he understood, but he couldn’t say he entirely did. As an alcoholic, there were times even now when he just wanted to be numb. No matter how content he was with life, there was always that thought lingering, as with any addict. That need for total abandonment never fully left, and never fully would. Reid’s desire for control and ability to maintain that control, while not always the healthiest of habits, was something Luke deeply admired about him. Reid was one of the most self-aware beings he had ever met.
Luke took off his jeans and stood up as Reid climbed into bed. Luke laid his body down beside him, pulling the covers up only to their waists. The two laid flat on their backs, staring at the ceiling as though they were gazing at the stars. Luke slid his arm into Reid’s, clasping Reid’s right hand with his left. Their fingers grazed each other’s tips for a moment before slipping perfectly between one another.
Reid was always rather fascinated with hands. Not just because his livelihood depended on them, either. No one ever really thought about it, but hands were the brain’s most valued accomplices. They were the henchmen of the criminal mind that allowed one to fire a gun. They were the creative mind’s partners in Pictionary that placed images onto a canvas. They were the couch buddies of the lethargic mind that knew the buttons of the remote up and down. They could accomplish the smallest of activities such as holding a cup to the most vital of actions such as, well, performing brain surgery. And yet sometimes, they needed no purpose but to grasp someone else’s hand, and were perfectly content in that simple task. Reid thought this to seem rather unmotivated, considering all the better uses they could be putting themselves to, but at the moment he took comfort in the fact that Luke didn’t share his sentiments.
The left hand that lie still on the mattress squeezed the right, and for a moment Reid breathed a sigh of relief to see it moving as it would normally. Then a heavy breath came from his chest, realizing that the left hand on the mattress was not his own, but belonged to Luke.
He looked down on his chest to see that hideous off-white cast weighing down on his abdomen. Luke snuggled up, his head fitting into the crook of Reid’s neck. He nuzzled for a moment before kissing his neck. Reid turned his attention away from the cast to find Luke staring up at him, eyes sparkling. “Goodnight,” Luke whispered. He gave Reid’s nose a peck of a kiss before shutting his eyes.
“I love you,” Reid said with that tone innocence he every so often acquired.
Luke opened his eyes back up and kissed Reid, their warm lips melting perfectly onto one another. It wasn’t a particularly steamy kiss, but from of the most passionate of feelings. “I love you,” he replied.
Neither slept much, if they even slept at all. By the time they had gotten home it was five in the morning with crisp daylight streaming in through the blinds, making it difficult to really rest. It was almost the exact same scene that they had together in the very same bed the night previous to this one; only it was a mirror image tonight. Reid, who normally laid on the right side of the bed, subconsciously opted for the left this time as a means to lie in the same position with Luke as always. Luke snuggled up to Reid all the same, and Reid pretended to be asleep as he wrapped a loving arm around Luke’s shoulder all the same.
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
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.
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Eight: The Beaming Sunrise Buries the Night
Reid and Luke came home to their quiet, dark abode. Luke flipped on the switch and sighed as Reid plopped onto the couch. “Do you need anything?” Luke asked.
Reid shook his head silently. He looked down at the suffocating device on his arm and wanted to vomit. This was real. He couldn’t operate. Even if there were an emergency, he couldn’t do a damn thing. He had to hand over his operation schedule to another neurosurgeon, along with any new patients that came in. He had to go on hangnail duty and act as though he wasn’t highly overqualified. He had to ignore the countless emergency head trauma patients that would surely come into Memorial over the next couple of months, pretend they didn’t exist. If he acknowledged their existence he’s have to acknowledge that they may cease to exist just as quickly because he could do nothing to save them. He was helpless.
He looked at Luke who was now sitting on the couch beside him, looking tenderly at him. “What?” Reid asked.
“I’m really sorry,” Luke said in almost a whisper.
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong. Luke, I really don’t feel like dealing with the histrionics anymore tonight,” he snapped. He winced as soon as he said it, but knew he didn’t have to backtrack. Luke just smiled gently and it was understood he didn’t mean it.
“I’m sorry that I got mad at you when you really may have saved my life tonight. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
Reid shrugged. “I do know. I’m a psychic,” he said dryly, and Luke laughed.
“You are good with minds, that’s for sure,” Luke said. He quickly gasped, almost in attempt to put the sentence back in his mouth.
Reid looked sadly down at his hand. “Yeah, well, not for a while.” All was quiet for a moment as the two of them looked blankly at his cast. Reid finally let out a sharp laugh. “Okay, I’m not good at this pity-party thing. I’m going to bed.”
“Do you want me to make you something to eat? You haven’t had anything in hours.”
Reid shrugged. “I’m not in the mood for a snack. Thanks, though,” he said, his voice marked with sorrow.
He got up and headed toward the bedroom. When he realized Luke wasn’t following, he turned around to see the blonde still perched on the couch. “Come with?” Reid asked.
“You’re probably sore from the accident. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Reid laughed at the silliness of the notion. “Luke, you’re probably sore too, and sleeping on the couch won’t help. We could at least be uncomfortable together,” Reid cracked.
Luke giggled, “You’re such a box of cornflakes.”
Reid offered up a small smile. “Zip it, Snyder.”
Reid walked into the bedroom, unbuttoning his jeans with his right thumb and index finger. He unzipped it and propped himself against the bed, kicking off the legs. Luke came into the bedroom, already unbuttoning his shirt and looked up to see Reid sitting on the edge of the bed, in boxers, and… a dress shirt. It wouldn’t be a heartbreaking sight had it not been realized that Reid was rather stuck like this without help.
“Do you need me to…?” Luke asked, pointing at Reid’s chest. Reid nodded, blushing slightly. Luke sat down on the bed, mirroring his boyfriend. He first untied the sling, releasing Reid’s arm that nonetheless remained in the same position. He gently unbuttoned each button, brushing against Reid’s chest tenderly with his fingertips with every movement, their foreheads ever so lightly touching. He slid the sleeve off his right arm with ease, and then grimaced.
“Okay, just, umm…” Luke stammered. Reid extended his left arm fully for the first time in hours and drew a sharp breath. Luke yanked the sleeve off as quickly as possible, and Reid relaxed.
“You can take something for the pain if you want. You don’t have to suffer.”
Reid shook his head. “I’m pretty numb from the anesthetic and they gave me Vicodin while we were there, too. I took enough to be comfortable. I don’t like painkillers, I don’t like not being able to know how I actually feel, how to compare it to what I felt before, or what I should be feeling. I hate being kept in the dark by my own body.”
Luke nodded as though he understood, but he couldn’t say he entirely did. As an alcoholic, there were times even now when he just wanted to be numb. No matter how content he was with life, there was always that thought lingering, as with any addict. That need for total abandonment never fully left, and never fully would. Reid’s desire for control and ability to maintain that control, while not always the healthiest of habits, was something Luke deeply admired about him. Reid was one of the most self-aware beings he had ever met.
Luke took off his jeans and stood up as Reid climbed into bed. Luke laid his body down beside him, pulling the covers up only to their waists. The two laid flat on their backs, staring at the ceiling as though they were gazing at the stars. Luke slid his arm into Reid’s, clasping Reid’s right hand with his left. Their fingers grazed each other’s tips for a moment before slipping perfectly between one another.
Reid was always rather fascinated with hands. Not just because his livelihood depended on them, either. No one ever really thought about it, but hands were the brain’s most valued accomplices. They were the henchmen of the criminal mind that allowed one to fire a gun. They were the creative mind’s partners in Pictionary that placed images onto a canvas. They were the couch buddies of the lethargic mind that knew the buttons of the remote up and down. They could accomplish the smallest of activities such as holding a cup to the most vital of actions such as, well, performing brain surgery. And yet sometimes, they needed no purpose but to grasp someone else’s hand, and were perfectly content in that simple task. Reid thought this to seem rather unmotivated, considering all the better uses they could be putting themselves to, but at the moment he took comfort in the fact that Luke didn’t share his sentiments.
The left hand that lie still on the mattress squeezed the right, and for a moment Reid breathed a sigh of relief to see it moving as it would normally. Then a heavy breath came from his chest, realizing that the left hand on the mattress was not his own, but belonged to Luke.
He looked down on his chest to see that hideous off-white cast weighing down on his abdomen. Luke snuggled up, his head fitting into the crook of Reid’s neck. He nuzzled for a moment before kissing his neck. Reid turned his attention away from the cast to find Luke staring up at him, eyes sparkling. “Goodnight,” Luke whispered. He gave Reid’s nose a peck of a kiss before shutting his eyes.
“I love you,” Reid said with that tone innocence he every so often acquired.
Luke opened his eyes back up and kissed Reid, their warm lips melting perfectly onto one another. It wasn’t a particularly steamy kiss, but from of the most passionate of feelings. “I love you,” he replied.
Neither slept much, if they even slept at all. By the time they had gotten home it was five in the morning with crisp daylight streaming in through the blinds, making it difficult to really rest. It was almost the exact same scene that they had together in the very same bed the night previous to this one; only it was a mirror image tonight. Reid, who normally laid on the right side of the bed, subconsciously opted for the left this time as a means to lie in the same position with Luke as always. Luke snuggled up to Reid all the same, and Reid pretended to be asleep as he wrapped a loving arm around Luke’s shoulder all the same.