Almost Everything 3/15 [Lure Big Bang]
Almost Everything Master Post
Chapter Three
Two days before the wedding…
Reid was convinced his eyes were going to cross. He tried to appreciate that Luke, his husband-to-be, was desperate to help Reid prepare for his board hearing, but they had discussing Annie Judd’s case for hours.
“What else do you want to know?” the doctor muttered.
He could grudgingly admit that Luke was able to keep track of Reid’s scientific discussion on the case. Of course, Luke would stop the doctor whenever he didn’t understand something, which got old after the first twenty minutes, mostly because Luke would stop Reid after every few words. But the younger man picked things up quickly.
Luke had found it was best to offer some sort of junk food to appease Reid whenever it got to be too much. The doctor kept eyeing Luke’s mini bar, and he finally made the connection. The doctor was a foodie. Luke didn’t understand the appeal, but mostly Reid used food to create some sort of distance between them. Whenever one of Luke’s questions veered more toward the personal, the doctor would reach out for a potato chip or cookie.
“Well,” the blonde sighed and found a candy bar, which he handed to Reid. “I understand all the complexities-well, as much as I can-of Annie’s case. Her tumor and the location in her brain, why it would make it nearly impossible for anyone to remove it.”
“I did,” Reid interjected, tearing open the candy bar wrapper.
“Right, but…” Luke’s hand started to shake; he reached over and grabbed the candy bar away from Reid’s mouth.
The doctor’s eyes narrowed and Luke was afraid he might lose a finger for his efforts.
“What about Annie?”
“I told you-”
“No, I know,” Luke said, tugging again, and he knew he was going to lose part of his hand. “What do you remember about her?”
“What are you talking about?” Reid tugged and got the candy bar away from Luke. “Who have we been discussing for the last four hours?”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest and pulled a chair over to the desk where Reid was sitting. “Reid, I…the case, for the Judds, it not the size of the tumor or the location, the type of scalpel you used. They lost their daughter.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” he muttered, refusing to meet Luke’s gaze. “Don’t you think I miss her too?”
“Tell me about her,” he whispered.
Reid shook his head and pushed the chair back. It fell over but he didn’t care. “I don’t want to talk about that. The medical board…its doctors, they’re going to want to know about the size of the tumor, the location, the size of the cut I made, which scalpel I used.”
The blonde stood up as well. He moved and stood next to Reid, not looking the doctor in the eye. He felt like he was dealing with a skittish colt, and any sudden movements or too much eye contact could make him attack. “And after you tell them everything you did to save that little girl, they’re going to listen to her parents, to the people who loved her and lost their child-no one should have-”
Reid turned suddenly, and the icy glare he gave Luke sent a shiver down the younger man’s spine. “What are you saying? Don’t you think I know the hell they went through?”
“Tell me,” Luke begged as he held his hands up in silent prayer.
“Why?” Reid grimaced. He didn’t think he could go there and besides the Judds, Luke would be the last person Reid would want to discuss Annie-who she was-with.
“Because you’ll have to tell that board about her, I think it’ll help.”
The doctor felt exposed, like Luke of all people was questioning his integrity and his ability. He lived with the loss of all of his patients, and he hated that the man in front of him couldn’t see that. When backed into a corner or in any encounter with Luke, Reid did what he did best. He fought back. “Tell me, Mr. Snyder, when did you get your law degree? Did you even finish college?”
He let out a breath. He knew this was going to be difficult, but he would do anything to make sure Noah got his surgery. He also wanted to help Reid. He would put up with the insults. “No, I didn’t finish college. I was expelled for rigging a student election.”
“Well that's just great,” Reid offered with a sarcastic grin.
Luke took a step closer, his face a couple of inches away from the redhead. “But I know if I wanted you to operate on Noah, I'd have to know that you're ready.”
“You doubt me?” Reid asked and hated the slight hitch in his voice. He could never keep his emotions in check around the young man. Anger, annoyance, those were the feelings always bubbling under the surface, but to think that Luke would doubt him…Reid had actually agreed to this ridiculous idea to get married. And now?
He wasn’t going to do this. He turned and started to walk away.
The blonde instinctively reached out and grabbed Reid. His hand gripped the redhead’s bicep, and he wouldn’t let go. “You're brilliant, but I would want to know that you care.”
Reid tugged and turned so he could face Luke. “Of course I care!”
“Then tell me about Annie Judd.”
Luke was right, but Reid would never admit it. “She was…” He went to sit on the edge of the bed. “She was Annie. She was smart and brave, so brave.” He smiled gently as images of the sweet little girl flooded back to him. Reid had tried so hard to forget her because remembering would mean bringing back the pain of her death. But like Luke, Annie had a persistent way of coming into your life and not letting go.
The blonde moved slowly and then sat next to Reid on the bed. “What else?”
“She loved purple.”
“Purple?”
“Yeah.” He smiled and turned to look at Luke, the smile never wavered. “She would draw pictures and everything would be purple.”
“My sister Natalie did that with pink. I had dozens of pictures. My room decorated with pink-filled sheets of paper.”
Reid’s smile deepened. “Yeah, one of my consult rooms...I kept all her pictures there, she loved to see them when we would meet.” His gaze continued to hold Luke’s, and he found himself sharing more than ever intended. “I still have them.”
“Me too,” Luke whispered.
They sat for a moment, just looking at each other. In a way, it felt like the first time Reid had ever seen the young man. And he realized, every day for the next several months, he would be living with this man, sharing a life with him, a home. Katie’s words about how this marriage wasn’t going to be a business arrangement came to his mind. But he couldn’t allow her to be right.
Reid suddenly stood up. “Are we done? I’d like to go home before those movers your grandmother hired break all of my stuff.”
Luke jumped up as well. He wasn’t going to ask what was wrong. He’d been in similar situations with the doctor before. He’d compliment him or they would get close to something that wasn’t antagonistic, and Reid would insult him and run away. Luke wasn’t sure how he’d figured it out, but it helped to feel a little less hurt. It didn’t take away all the pain, but it did lessen it a little.
“Reid…”
The redhead looked at him for a moment. “Yes?”
“If the movers break anything, let me know, I’ll replace it.”
He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “You want to fix everything, especially by throwing money at it.”
Luke closed the gap between them. “Didn’t you want me to bribe or blackmail all of these board members so you could get this lawsuit dropped?”
“That was different,” Reid said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Because it was for you?” Luke countered, and as he crossed his arms over his chest, they grazed Reid’s arms.
“Aren’t you the one who’s marrying me in a couple of days to defraud your family?” he questioned and refused to be affected by Luke’s closeness.
“And what am I going to do that with money, Reid? Build your wing and keep Grimaldi Shipping alive, help people.”
“If we hold hands and sing Kumbayah will you let this go?”
Luke chuckled softly. “I think I’m going to like be married to you.”
Reid’s arms smacked against Luke’s before falling to his sides. His left hand nervously bounced against his thigh. “What?”
The blonde smiled. He didn’t really think he could rattle the doctor, but now that he had, he would enjoy this moment. He let his gaze linger on the redhead, and he could hear the nervous bounce as the doctor’s hand beat against his thigh. “I’ll like being married to you,” Luke’s voice was low, and the bouncing continued.
Luke couldn’t believe he had any kind of effect on the brilliant man in front of him. It was kind of a heady feeling, but one he wouldn’t allow himself to get caught up in any more. “Go home, Reid. Rest, terrorize the movers, or whatever it takes to make you feel better.”
His gaze assessed Luke for a moment. “Dinner?”
They’d had this conversation the night before. Luke quickly realized that Reid’s whole life revolved around his work and whenever he could get food. When Luke had asked for some recommended restaurants, the doctor looked at him like he was speaking in tongues.
“Name the take out place of your choice and meet me back here at six. I assume you won’t have any furniture by then, unless you’ve driven them away. In that case, we’ll need to hire more movers. But, since we have your hearing tomorrow, I don’t want to spend all that time worrying about finding new movers. Keep that in mind. Dinner here at six. Deal?”
"Deal,” Reid replied and left.
*
Reid had texted the name of a barbecue joint close to the hotel, and Luke was attempting to get the food all laid out when he heard a knock on his door.
He wasn’t surprised to find his soon-to-be husband standing in front of him, however seeing Reid holding a bag, did shock him though. “What’s going on?” Luke blurted out.
The doctor walked past him but not before giving Luke a withering glance. “The movers came, and packed everything, including my bed. So hubby-to-be, it’s just you and me for the next couple of days.”
“What?”
“Okay, of the words I just said, which one didn’t make sense? I tried to keep them to three syllables or less.”
Luke shook his head. “I understand that you need to leave your place because everything has been packed, but why are you here? Don’t you have any friends?”
Reid’s narrowed slightly. “Of course, I have friends, and like me they are successful and busy people. Besides, I figure we’ll need a witness for the fiasco that will be our wedding, and knowing Mark, if I ask to stay with him instead of you, it’ll draw suspicion. I don’t want to tell him what our marriage is really about.”
“Mark?” It was the first thing Luke could focus on. His gaze was drawn to the king size bed, which no longer looked that large to him.
“My friend, Mark Cohen, he’s a cardiac surgeon, and like I said-”
“No.” Luke held up his hand. “No, I get it. I didn’t think. Sorry. Dinner?” he offered, the words coming out of his mouth in spurts.
The doctor could tell Luke was still uncomfortable, but he didn’t feel like trying to help either. He was nervous and tense about the hearing. He knew the board wouldn’t actually take his license away, but he didn’t want to face the Judds again. Deciding to focus on something pleasant like the familiar and comforting smell of barbecue, he dropped his bag on the floor and sat down to eat.
The two men managed to get along and ignore the idea of Reid spending the night for quite a while. But when Luke couldn’t stifle his yawns any longer, and Reid calculated the number of hours he would absolutely need to be coherent in the morning, he finally announced, “Time for bed.”
Luke jumped slight. “Are you sure because-”
“Mr. Snyder, it’s almost midnight. I have a-” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, kind of big deal hearing in the morning, and I need to get some rest. So, what side of the bed do you sleep on?”
“Noah preferred the left, so-”
“So do I,” the redhead interjected. They had been doing so well, neither one had mentioned the brunette in almost 24 hours. Reid hadn’t realized how grateful he’d been until Luke mentioned Noah’s name. “Do you want to use the bathroom first?”
“Uh, no go ahead,” Luke offered.
Despite his best efforts, Reid’s heart was pounding a little while he brushed his teeth and splashed cold water on his face. He couldn’t believe he was about to share a bed with Luke.
He was grateful that the blonde had mentioned they’d gotten the house a couple of blocks from Katie’s place, and there were three bedrooms. At the time, Reid had made some comment about Noah coming to live with them, but Luke had retorted that they would each get a room and the third one would be for Reid’s office. It surprised him, wondering why Luke didn’t want the office for himself. As though reading his thoughts, Luke mentioned he didn’t like to bring work home with him, instead choosing to spend time with his family. At first, Reid had thought it was a dig, but Luke actually preferred to spend time with his siblings instead of working long hours. It was a completely foreign concept.
Reid splashed more water on his face. “Get it together, Oliver. It’s just temporary.”
When he got out of the bathroom, he found Luke setting the alarm. Realizing the bathroom was free, Luke rushed past the doctor and slammed the door shut behind him.
He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to get any sleep that night and wondered why Reid didn’t book his own hotel room. He probably expects me to pay for it, Luke answered his own question. He decided if Reid wasn’t going to act like anything was out of the ordinary, then so would he. Besides, he wasn’t sure how far-reaching Damian’s power was, and he knew he would have to make everything look real. Why wouldn’t he share a hotel room with his fiancé?
Twenty minutes later, both men were laying flat on their backs and staring at the ceiling. Reid had always hated hotels-and despite all his attempts at cajoling and bribery-he couldn’t convince the movers to leave the bed. Apparently, Lucinda Walsh is as a formidable as she was rumored to be. In any way, shape, or form those guys got off schedule, there would have been blood. Reid decided to declare defeat.
“Are you nervous?” the blonde’s soft voice filtered its way through Reid’s thoughts.
“I’ve shared a bed with men before,” he replied.
Luke tried to brush away the images that quickly formed in his head. “No, I mean…” the bed dipped slightly as Luke shifted and turned on his side, facing Reid. “Are you nervous about the hearing?”
“They’re not going to take away my license,” he responded, refusing to move or even acknowledge the way he felt being this close to young Mr. Snyder, sharing a bed, and feeling those expressive brown eyes on him. Reid briefly wondered if Luke realized how much he gave away with his gaze.
“That’s not exactly what I meant.”
Reid let out a sigh and turned as well. The room was dark, but he could still make out the outline of Luke’s face and some light from the street peeked through the curtains. The young man’s eyes were quite visible. Reid could see the concern, and he wasn’t stupid enough to think it was for him. If the worst happened and he lost his license, then he couldn’t perform Noah’s surgery. That was what was important to Luke, even more then this arrangement they were about to enter into together. “Noah will get his eyesight back, I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.”
“And what about you? What will you do without-”
“I’ll just have to be a kept man for the next six months until we can figure it out.”
Luke laughed and the bed shook. Reid found himself propelled forward, closer to Luke. Both men jumped slightly, when Reid’s hand had landed on Luke’s chest when he tried to push himself away. He could feel the hammering of Luke’s heart before he pulled his hand back, as though it were burned.
“Sorry,” Luke murmured and rolled onto his back again.
Reid couldn’t respond and simply lay there for a few moments. One thought racing through his head: This is a very bad idea. But he couldn’t be sure if he meant the marriage or sharing the room with Luke.
A few minutes passed and then Reid heard Luke whisper, “No matter what…if you need me, I’ll do whatever I can.”
And those words were what Reid needed to hear. “Thank you,” he whispered in return and rolled over, so his back was facing Luke. He knew if sleep would ever come, he couldn’t look at the man in bed next to him.
*
Sunlight was peeking through the curtains, and Reid blinked awake. There was a warm arm wrapped around his stomach, a palm pressed into his chest, and hot breath against his ear. He felt so comfortable and content-two feelings he rarely had-that it scared him for a moment. Then everything flooded back to his mind and he jumped.
The man who had been holding him let out a startled, “Wh-what?”
The doctor turned to look at Luke. The blonde’s hair was going in a million different directions, and Reid had to chuckle. “Morning, sunshine,” Reid greeted him.
The blonde offered a dark glare in response. “Thought that was my line. What time is it?” he asked, turning to find the alarm.
It was still a little early, but Reid was usually up before dawn. Many surgeries were scheduled for early in the day, and it had become a habit for him. The doctor quickly got out of bed. “Call room service for breakfast,” he tossed over his shoulder as he headed into the bathroom.
Luke fell back into the bed. He had no idea when he’d started to spoon Reid, but it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant way to wake up. For the first time in he couldn’t remember how long, he’d woken up and Noah wasn’t the first thought in his head.
Suddenly the bathroom door opened, and he heard the water running. The doctor’s redhead popped around the corner, and Luke caught a glimpse of a well-defined chest. He swallowed and his gaze met Reid’s. “Call room service for breakfast,” he ordered again.
Luke chuckled to himself, wondering how Reid knew Luke had already forgotten. “Fine!” he called picking up the phone.
*
Reid paced outside the hearing room. He still couldn’t believe in less than five minutes he was going to have to uphold the choices he made. He rarely second-guessed himself and didn’t want to have to defend his actions to a bunch of blowhards. He jumped slightly when he felt someone’s hand grip his shoulders. Looking back, he saw Luke standing there with the ever-present encouraging smile on his face.
“They’re ready for you,” Luke replied. “Remember…”
“Don’t be an ass?” Reid offered, quirking any eyebrow.
“Besides that,” the blonde said, and he reached out, taking Reid’s hands in his. The doctor straightened his back and his gaze locked with Luke’s. “You’re the best and part of what makes you that way is how much you care about your patients, including Annie. And if you get nervous…”
“Picture them all naked?”
Luke made a face. “That’s disgusting.”
Reid chuckled softly. Sometimes Mr. Snyder really was a fun and comforting person-not that he would ever admit it.
“Just…look at me, talk to me about Annie’s case. You’re going to be great.”
“You’ve got the supportive partner thing down pat,” the doctor replied.
Luke wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or honest. “I want to help you.”
“Is that all?”
Before the younger man could respond, Reid’s name was being called, and they went into the room.
*
Neither man wanted to head back to the hotel after the hearing. They were told they would know soon but both felt a little antsy. Luke checked his phone and saw about a dozen missed calls from his mother. He knew she must have heard about his and Reid’s plans, but he couldn’t talk to her. There were also a couple of messages from his grandmother. The decorator and movers were working quickly. Reid’s belongings from Dallas would probably arrive soon after they got back. And most important, the lawyers had the prenups. Lucinda still couldn’t believe Luke wanted to sign one. Apparently Lucinda had looked at Reid’s financial status. A lawyer would be at Luke’s hotel tomorrow, and there was an address of a judge in town who would marry them. All Luke had to do was call him and set up a time.
Everything was happening so fast, but all Luke could think about was the man standing next to him. They were still outside the medical board office building.
“Any new crises at home?” Reid asked.
Luke shook his head. “No, in fact…” He tried to smile, but he wasn’t sure if this was something Reid wanted to talk about or even care to hear. “Grandmother has been getting everything ready for us.”
“Meaning?” he asked, turning so he was standing in front of Luke. His eyes narrowed slightly, the bright sun making it difficult to see.
“We can be married tomorrow.”
The doctor nodded his head. It wasn’t that he forgot but with so much of their focus on the hearing, he couldn’t think about the other part of the deal. “Of course,” he replied.
Almost of their own accord, Luke’s hands reached for Reid’s. “We can wait, we don’t have to-”
“No, we can’t,” he replied and his grip tightened slightly. “You need that money, too many things are dependent upon it-myself included and you know it’s all about me.”
The blonde smiled shyly, his heart thudded a little in his chest. This was a side of Reid he hadn’t gotten to see too much. He liked to think it would be nice, since they were going to be living together and pretending to be a loving couple, that he didn’t completely hate him. But the truth was, this side of Reid was very attractive, even the snarky insults kept Luke on his toes, and he liked to be just as snarky back. He got a thrill from riling up the good doctor.
Realizing they were standing on a crowded street, holding hands, both men quickly pulled apart.
“So what do you want to do now?” Luke asked. “I’m going to attempt to get your mind off of waiting…” He gently bumped Reid’s shoulder with his own. “I know it’s not going to work, but…”
The doctor chuckled softly. “But you’ve got to try, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Want to go for a walk?” Luke asked, noticing there was a park about a couple of blocks ahead of them.
“I’m not the outdoorsy type,” Reid replied.
Luke let out a bark of laugher.
“What?” the redhead asked.
“Not sure how I’m going to explain you to my grandma.”
“What’s there to explain?” Reid asked. “She’s setting up all of this marriage stuff for us. She already knows-”
“No.” Luke shook his head. “My grandma Emma. She lives on a farm. With you being well you, when I go to visit my dad or we have dinners, I’m not sure…I help with the horses sometimes, and-”
“Wait…” Reid gripped Luke’s arm. The younger man had started to walk towards the park anyway. “Are you saying you have shucked corn, moved bales of hay, milked a cow, that sort of thing?”
Luke looked at the doctor for a moment. “I’m not exactly a corn shucker but yes.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and Reid’s hand fell to his side. “But now that I know how much you love food, I could probably convince you to come with me, if nothing else for her homemade pie.”
Reid’s mouth started to water. “Homemade pie?”
The blonde leaned closer, his nose bumped against Reid’s for a moment as he said, “Yes.” Luke could hear a slight hitch in Reid’s breathing, and he wasn’t sure if it was his proximity or the idea of food. He pulled away with a satisfied smirk. “But grandma is…just be nice. Fake it if you have to when you meet her.”
“For homemade pie?” Reid smirked. “I’ll be a choir boy.”
Luke shook his head with a laugh. “Right.” And he started to walk again.
Reid followed, asking questions about Luke’s family and trying to work out the complicated family tree. He was grateful that he was an only child. Despite birthday cards and the occasional Christmas visit, Reid had cut himself off from his parents long ago. Listening to all the cousins, aunts, uncles and siblings in Luke’s family, he wondered if his fiancé would be upset if Reid asked them all to wear nametags for a while until he could get them all clear in his mind.
Luke had asked questions about Reid’s family as well, and his life in Dallas, but Reid didn’t like to talk about himself, unless it related to his work. He deflected the questions a few times before Luke got the hint and offered to find a place for dinner.
“You know I prefer take-out,” Reid responded.
The blonde opened his mouth to counter-offer when Reid’s cell phone buzzed. Quickly pulling it out of his pocket, he checked the caller ID. “It’s the board,” he said.
Automatically, Luke reached out for Reid’s free hand. “It’ll be all right,” the blonde said.
“What if it’s not?” Reid asked, uncharacteristically hesitant and concerned. Despite his bravado, this was his greatest fear. “What if I can’t be a doctor any more?”
“Then we appeal,” Luke insisted. “We fight this. You didn’t do anything wrong, Reid. And if they said you did-I’ll call grandmother, and we’ll find another way to fix this. I promise, Reid, I won’t give up.”
Despite everything, a smile formed on his lips. He’d never had anyone willing to fight for him. “Thank you.” He quickly pulled the phone to his ear. “This is Dr. Oliver.”
The conversation was short and the whole time, Luke’s hand never left Reid’s. In fact, his other hand had come up and started to rub across Reid’s shoulders. It was a little distracting, but Reid distinctly heard the news.
“Thank you,” Reid finished the call.
“Well?” Luke asked, and it was as if he realized he was still touching Reid, because he jumped slightly and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“They dropped the charges; everything’s been cleared. I can practice medicine again.”
“Reid that’s…” For once, words seemed to fail Luke, and he pulled Reid close for a hug. “I knew it, I knew it.” His chin rested on the redhead’s shoulder, his arms holding on tightly.
Refusing to be affected by the young man’s body pressed against his, the doctor acted on his first instinct: insult. “Weren’t you the one who was just planning to call the lawyer cavalry?”
It worked because Luke pulled away just as quickly as he had grabbed onto Reid. “Fine. Congratulations, Dr. Oliver.”
“Thank you. So can we eat now or what?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Of course. But then I need to call the lawyers and Judge Lawrence. We’re getting married tomorrow.”
========
Thank you for reading. I wish I could have included the bull riding in this chapter.
Now onto Chapter 4...