Fic: First Kiss with the Last Boy (4/11)
Title: First Kiss with the Last Boy (4/11)
Author: gradgirl (aka Ali)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Primarily Luke and Reid, mentions of Noah, Katie and the Snyder Clan.
Summary: Sometimes it's not about the first boy you kiss, it's the last. Different scenarios in which Luke and Reid could have shared their first kiss.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not my characters, just borrowing them for fic purposes.
Author’s Notes: Thank you all for stopping by and reading. I hope you take comfort in this fic as I have with your comments. Also, I have to thank my two betas (reilaroo and hopeful 624) for making this what it was. This series is made up of 10 one-shots, individual situations in which Luke and Reid could have shared their first kiss. The last chapter explains how they are tied together. Hugs to everyone. ~Ali
{ Chapter 1} { Chapter 2} { Chapter 3}
Chapter 4: Truth in Pain
Rarely did Reid Oliver ever sleep through his alarm. Actually, it was a monumental occurrence for the doctor to sleep past eight, but this wasn’t any other day. Reid was sick. His throat was on fire, his head pounded, his eyes hurt, and his whole body ached. He swung from feeling like there was ice in his veins (some probably wondered if that was an everyday occurrence) to burning up.
Slowly, the doctor opened one eye. “Katie,” he croaked. He closed his eye and opened the other one. “Katie,” he tried again.
He knew she was still there because he had heard the kid cry a few minutes earlier. The sound had woken him up to this: a new form of hell. Reid didn’t think it was possible for his life to get any worse but it was just part of the dangers of this town.
Reid salvaged whatever strength he had left to push himself up into a sitting position. “Katie!” he called and flopped back down on the bed.
His roommate appeared a few minutes later. Jacob was sitting on her hip, sucking on his bottle. “Reid?” she asked. “What are you still doing in bed?”
“I’m sick,” he mumbled. He managed to raise one of his hands and pressed it to his forehead. “And I have a fever. Probably 101.3.”
Katie's grip tightened automatically and protectively came up higher around her son. “You’re sick?” she checked and started to slowly back out of the room.
“Yes,” Reid moved with care, trying to keep the room from spinning. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t want Jacob to get sick.”
“But I need tissues and vitamin C and soup and-”
“No,” she said firmly.
“But Katie,” his voice was thick and scratchy. “I’m sick.”
She continued to make her way out of the room. “Yes, but I have a son who is not sick, and I want to keep it that way.”
Before Reid could respond, Katie left the room. She put Jacob in his crib and started to quickly throw some things in her bag. Every once in a while, she’d hear Reid call out her name. Finally, she went back into his room.
The doctor was feeling a little better, but he still couldn’t sit up. His attempts at calling Katie into his room were taking an exorbitant amount of energy.
“I don’t want Jacob to get sick,” she said, coming closer to the bed.
“You know, babies are surprisingly resilient,” he commented.
“Then why aren’t you out of bed?”
“Ha, ha.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to localize the pain to one area. “Katie…”
“You’re sick. I know. I’ll stay if you can promise me you’ll stop whining and Jacob won’t get sick, too.”
He rolled onto his side, so he could get a better look at her. Her arms were crossed and she cocked an eyebrow, almost daring him to respond. “I thought our relationship worked so well because we don’t lie to each other,” he commented.
She smiled and a small chuckle worked its way past her lips. She went further into the room and placed a box of tissues next to his bed. She left for a few moments, trying to find bottles of whatever cold medicine she had in her cabinet.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” He made it sound like she was his wife, walking out on their marriage.
“Reid.”
“Fine.” He sighed dramatically. “Leave me,” Reid commanded. He was exhausted and as much as he wanted someone to take care of him-and Katie would be the only person he trusted to see him like this-Reid was hoping sleep would claim him again.
“I’ll be back in a couple of days. You know I have to do this for my son.”
“Yeah, if you were sick, I’d probably leave too,” he admitted.
“So glad you understand,” Katie noted dryly. “What else do you need?”
“Water,” Reid croaked.
“Got it.” She returned a few minutes later with about a half dozen bottles of water. She dropped a kiss to his forehead. “Reid, you’re burning up. Should you go to the hospital?”
“Memorial? With those idiots? Are you insane?”
“Reid-”
“I’m fine, even if you’re leaving me.”
“All right.” Katie gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and headed toward the door. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Katie,” Reid tested her request.
“Emergencies only,” she instructed.
*
Luke thanked Nick at the check-in desk at the Lakeview. His mother was wrapped up in her own projects, and Luke volunteered to get some paperwork for her. The blonde turned and found himself facing Katie and Jacob. She looked a little frazzled.
“Katie, what are you doing here?” he asked.
She offered a distracted smile. “Hi, Luke.”
“Is everything okay?” He was used to seeing her at the hotel to visit her friends, but she didn’t look like she was there for a visit.
“I need a room,” she admitted. Jacob was about ready for his nap, and Katie was a little tired herself.
“What? Why?” his voice was colored with concern.
"Oh, it's not a big deal,” she was quick to assure him. “Reid's sick and I don't want Jacob to get sick as well."
"And Dr. Oliver is a nuisance on a good day," Luke commented. "If he's sick he must be a nightmare."
"Well, Reid, he's not all bad," Katie tried to be diplomatic. Despite her roommate's protests, he did have a way of talking a lot about Mr. Snyder, and she knew Reid wouldn't appreciate her bad mouthing him to his crush.
The young man looked at her for a moment. He couldn't help but think of the smile on the brilliant doctor's face after Dusty's surgery. The quirky grin was attractive. That thought brought him up short. He had numerous adjectives to describe Dr. Oliver and attractive wasn’t at the top of his list. "Well being sick could make even the most even-tempered difficult to be around."
"Yeah." Katie moved around him to get to the check-in counter.
"How's he doing?" Luke asked, the words coming automatically.
She smiled and there was a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Well, he was burning up actually. Reid claims it's just a cold."
"Oh," Luke tried to keep his tone light.
But as a former schemer and current matchmaker, Katie recognized the signs in Luke. "He could probably use someone," she noted. "I, of course, couldn't stay."
"Because of Jacob," Luke said.
She appreciated his understanding. "Yes. And I do feel bad for him," she admitted. "Reid is-"
Luke held up his hand. "Say no more. Maybe I could…" the words came so quickly Luke barely registered them as his own. This was the second time he offered or inquired about Dr. Oliver without any thought.
"That would be great," she told him. "There's a spare key above the door.” Katie pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and turned to get a room.
"Uh, Katie," Luke tried when he returned to his senses. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to help Dr. Oliver.
"And don't listen to whatever Reid says. I know he'll appreciate you stopping by," Katie said. She wasn't going to let Luke take back his offer. The blonde briefly wondered how Dr. Oliver put up with it or why.
"Okay," Luke murmured and decided to figure out how he was going to check on Dr. Oliver and not get his head ripped off at the same time.
*
Every part of Reid's body ached. He couldn't breathe. The medication Katie had left him barely had any effect. Finally, sleep claimed him.
Luke sighed. He was standing outside of the door to Katie's place. He really wanted to turn and walk away, but he couldn't. With another sigh, he found the spare key and walked into the condo.
He tried to move quietly. If on the off chance the doctor was sleeping, Luke didn't want to disturb him. He found his way to Reid’s bedroom. Luke hesitated in the doorway.
Reid's body was twisted among the sheets. He was wearing a T-shirt and Luke was surprised. The brilliant doctor seemed to live in his scrubs. The younger man found himself waiting for a moment. Reid was asleep, but he didn't appear to be resting. He groaned softly in his sleep. The blonde jumped and moved closer to the bed. He knelt down and again found himself observing Reid.
When the older man groaned again, Luke got up. He went into the bathroom and got a cool compress. Reid was asleep but appeared to be in pain. Luke found himself kneeling down next to the bed. He gently pressed the compress to Reid's forehead, and with his right hand, he tried to smooth away some of his hair. Luke was surprised to find how soft the curls were, and he unconsciously ran his fingers through Reid's hair. This time the sound that slipped past the doctor's lips was a sigh.
Luke wasn't sure how long he stayed, but he couldn’t leave. He just knelt there by the bed, massaging the older man's scalp, watching him sleep.
Reid was starting to feel better. The aches in his body were less pronounced and he felt… He couldn't describe how he felt; even the pain in his head had lessened. He turned and as he returned to consciousness, Reid felt cool fingers against his skin. Despite his pain, his nerve endings stood at attention, and he never wanted those hands to leave his body.
"Dr. Oliver?"
He should have known, he realized. No one could make him feel the way young Mr. Snyder did. Reid opened his eyes. The compress was blocking part of his vision, but he saw a concerned Luke Snyder hovering over him. The fingers had stopped moving, but they were still resting against Reid's scalp.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Reid demanded.
Luke shook his head, disentangled his fingers, and stood up. "Katie said you were sick," he commented and started to pick up some of the empty water bottles.
"So what? You decided to break in here?"
"She told me where the key was," Luke countered calmly. He was determined not to let Dr. Oliver get to him, but he knew it was a fruitless plan.
Reid gingerly sat up. "And?"
"Nothing. I wanted to…" He shrugged. "I don't know. Help."
"You can't stop yourself, can you?"
"What?" Luke asked. He was still standing next to the bed. He wasn’t going to leave, he resolved.
"Helping people. Noah dumps you, and yet you still hang around like a puppy. You can't even stand me and yet-"
"That's not true!" Luke countered and sat down on the bed. His thigh brushed against Reid's. The compress had fallen off and the younger man reached across the doctor's body to pick it up.
Reid felt his breath catch. He tried to tell himself that any heat he felt was from his cold. Luke came back to himself, but he didn't get up. He moved the compress from one hand to the other.
"It's not true," Luke whispered this time.
"What?" Reid asked. His own voice was thick and still scratchy. His head was fuzzy from the medication and the usual confusion Mr. Snyder brought to his life.
"I care," he admitted. "I care about you."
Refusing to be affected-or refusing to acknowledge that he was affected-the doctor said, "Don't worry, a simple cold isn't going to prevent me from doing Noah's surgery. Your friend will-"
Luke dropped the compress onto the floor and took Reid's face in his hands. He was tired of arguing with the doctor and the last thing he wanted was to talk about Noah. Without thought and without doubt, the blonde pressed his lips to Reid's. The doctor's hands came up and held Luke's, but he didn't pull them away.
"I-" Luke started to say when he finally pulled away. "Um."
"If you kiss me like that again, you could get sick," Reid commented.
"Would you take care of me if I did?" Luke questioned. He wasn't sure why he'd kissed the doctor, but it felt… He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever felt that way.
Reid's lips parted and his tongue darted out to wet them. "My skills would be wasted on playing nurse maid to you."
A bitter laugh escaped from Luke's mouth. "Right." He stood up. "I don't know what I was thinking." He turned and headed for the door. "Hope you feel better," he tossed over his shoulder.
"Luke!" Reid called after him. He automatically used the younger man's first name, and it surprised both of them.
The blonde stopped. His back was to the doctor. He couldn't look at Reid, but he couldn't leave either.
"Luke," he said again. His voice was softer this time. "I thought you wouldn't want me around when you were sick," Reid admitted.
"I'm not sure I want to be around you now," Luke muttered.
Despite himself, Reid chuckled. The laugh quickly turned into a cough. His body was wretched with pain.
Luke turned quickly and rushed toward the doctor. He grabbed the older man's head in his hands. "Reid. Reid."
Slowly he started to catch his breath. His heartbeat didn't slow at all though. He found himself staring into Luke's brown eyes.
The younger man finally let go. He got one of the bottles of water and handed it to Reid. The redhead took a couple of sips. Luke took the bottle and set it aside. Almost of its own accord, his hand came up and cupped Reid's face.
"You can't leave, can you?" the doctor murmured.
"No."
Reid leaned closer and Luke's fingers threaded into his hair. The doctor's nose nuzzled against Luke's. "What if you get sick?" Reid asked.
"I promise not to ask you to take care of me," Luke said simply.
The doctor smiled and whatever response he was going to give was cut off by Luke's mouth. This time Reid kissed him back. Their lips slid across each other, Luke's fingers gripping and tugging at his hair. A brief separation, noses bumped and Reid dove back in. He couldn't get enough of Luke.
Suddenly, the younger man pulled away.
"What?" Reid asked breathlessly.
"Are you okay? I don't want-"
Reid grabbed Luke's shirt and pulled him down, so that he was resting on top of the redhead. "I'm feeling much better. But, for scientific purposes, we should continue to test your care techniques."
And who was Luke to argue?
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Onto Chapter Five...