Come back to me (5/?)
Title: Come back to me (5/?)
Author: Hilja 83
Rating: PG
Summary: A few years in the future, there was no train. Reid had a accident, will he come back to Luke?
Disclaimer :I don`t own this characters, they belong to ATWT
Author's notes: Big big thanks to my beta sleeper6
Chapter 5
When Reid woke up, Luke was still sitting in the chair next to him, sleeping. Reid enjoyed the moment he had to himself before yesterday’s events came flooding back to him. He watched Luke sleep, a frown on his face. Reid knew that he was responsible for that frown on Luke’s face, and he felt kind of bad.
He couldn’t deny that he was attracted to Luke, but being married to him was a fact he was still trying to wrap his mind around.
Oh god, I’m married.
Reid tried to catch his breath when he suddenly felt a panic attack rising in him.
At that moment, Luke woke up and saw that Reid was hyperventilating. “Hey Reid, look at me,” Luke said as he grabbed Reid’s chin and forced him to look at him. “You’re going to be okay, do you hear me? It’s going to be all right.”
Reid nodded, still trying to catch his breath. He was amazed how Luke’s big, brown eyes could calm him down. “I’m sorry,” Reid said in a shaky voice. “This must be hard for you too.”
“It’s okay Reid. I know this is a lot to take in,” Luke said while pulling his hand back.
Reid slowly nodded, looking everywhere but at Luke.
“You decide what you want, Reid. You decide how.”
“I want to know how we happened, what the hell happened that ended up with us getting married,” Reid said. He really wanted to know, but at the same time the answer scared him more then anything.
Luke let his gaze fall to the floor, unsure of what to say. How could he explain the crazy start of their relationship? How was he going to explain the whole mess with Noah? And then there was his past: his alcohol problem, his kidney, his college expulsion, and his crazy family. The last time he told Reid all about that, he knew Reid loved him. He had felt secure knowing that Reid wouldn’t judge him. But now Reid hated him again. What if he told Reid everything, and Reid thought he wasn’t worth the effort this time? That would crush him; of that he was sure.
“Reid, I-I think we should focus on your recovery first,” Luke stammered.
“I’ve lost three years of my goddamn life, Mr. Snyder. How can I not want to focus on what happened in all that time?” Reid barked out.
Luke flinched at the way Reid called him ‘Mr. Snyder.’ Sure, Reid still called him that every now and then, but only in a playful way. Since getting together, Reid had never-not even when Reid was mad at Luke-addressed him in the tone that he had just used now. “I’m not sure where to start,” Luke said, his gaze still on the floor.
“Well, just start at the beginning.” Reid tapped his hand nervously against his leg. “The last thing I remember about you is when you shoved me against the wall at the police station.”
“Okay, but you have to promise me to just listen and not interrupt me. This is hard enough as it is,” Luke said, his eyes finally meeting Reid’s.
“And what if I have a question?”
“Please, Reid, just listen first. You can ask questions when I’m done,” Luke instructed.
Reid rolled his eyes, but when he saw the sadness in Luke’s eyes, he nodded. “Spill.”
Luke began to talk about how their hate had slowly turned into a mutual attraction, beginning with the hearing in Dallas and their first kiss there before moving on to how Luke struggled with his feelings toward both Noah and Reid. He talked about how Noah had felt safe but boring at the same time while the thought of being with Reid had felt exciting, but because he’d been scared about his feelings for Reid, he had made some stupid mistakes before coming to his senses and finally choosing Reid. Luke continued talking about the two of them falling in love, from the confessions they made to each other to the day they made love after three months of waiting.
“Three months!” Reid gasped.
Luke held up his hand and glared at Reid. Reid bit back a snarky comment, and Luke went on.
Luke talked about how Reid proposed to Luke while watching a baseball game on TV:
“So I guess we should get married, huh?”
Luke’s eyes grew a few sizes, but then he shrugged, imitating Reid’s cool and casual demeanor. “Yeah, I guess we should,” Luke said while snuggling closer to Reid, a big goofy smile spreading over his face.
Luke told Reid about their wedding at the Snyder pond and about the condo they currently lived in and how much they both loved it there.
Luke sighed deeply. “We were really happy, Reid.”
Reid sat still, just staring at Luke before he could speak. “It sounds like we have a good life,” he whispered.
Luke nodded, tears filling his eyes.
At that moment, Dr. Stevens walked into the room with a nurse. “Dr. Oliver, we’re going to take you down for your CT scan now.”
Reid nodded. He looked at Luke. “Will you be here when I come back?”
“If you want me here. I told you, Reid, you just tell me what you need.” Luke’s voice was hoarse from the big lump in his throat.
Reid couldn’t figure out why, but the idea of Luke not being there terrified him more than the idea of him being there. “I would like it if you stay here.” He gave Luke his famous half smile, the smile Luke loved so much.
Luke gave Reid a big smile of his own, his dimples on full display as he nodded. “I’ll be here.”
After a while, Luke decided that he could use some coffee, so he walked down to the coffee corner when he saw his parents. Lily quickly walked toward Luke when she saw him.
“Oh baby, Katie called us and told us everything. How are you holding up?” Lily asked while she pulled Luke into a hug. “Why didn’t you call us?”
“It’s okay, Mom. I mean, yeah, it’s hard that he doesn’t remember us at all-he just remembers me from when he hated me-but we’ve been talking and he’s taking it a lot better than I expected.”
“Is he in his room?” Holden asked.
“No, Dr. Stevens just took him down for a CT scan to see if there is anything that can explain this mess. I just came to get some coffee. Do you want to join me? We can talk some more.”
Lily and Holden nodded and the three of them walked off together.
Luke returned to Reid’s room after saying goodbye to his parents. He felt a little better after talking with them. Their presence had been very comforting, and before they left, they had made him promise that he would take care of himself too.
After twenty minutes, Reid was rolled into the room. He looked exhausted.
“Hi,” Luke said shyly. “You look exhausted; you should rest.”
“Yeah, I feel pretty worn out.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“I think that’s a good idea. Looks like you could use some sleep too.”
Luke nodded, but he couldn’t help feeling a sadness creep over him.
Reid noticed the look. He was amazed at how good he could read the young man sitting next to him. “Hey, you can come back tomorrow so we can talk some more.”
Luke looked at him with a big smile, feeling relieved that Reid wanted him to come back. “Yeah, you’re right, I could use some sleep.”
Luke stood up and reached out to cup Reid’s cheek, but at the last moment he changed his mind; he didn’t want to pressure Reid into anything he wasn’t ready for. So he pulled back, his hand falling at his side.
“Sleep well, Reid.”
“You too, Luke.”
Luke turned around and left the room. In the hall, he saw Dr. Stevens walking toward Reid’s room. Luke quickly intercepted and stopped the doctor. “Do you have the results of the scan?”
“Yes, I just wanted to go in and tell Dr. Oliver about it.”
“He’s sleeping. He was pretty exhausted when he came back in. Was there something on the scans that could explain his amnesia?”
Dr. Stevens sighed. “No, everything looks and seems fine.”
“So there’s nothing you can do about his situation?”
“I’m afraid not, Luke. We just have to wait and see. It can be that his memory will come back completely or it can be that only parts of his memory will come back or it can be-”
“That he will never remember,” Luke filled in.
“Yes, that is an option, too.”
“Can I do anything to trigger his memory, like show him pictures or tell him stories, anything? Anything at all?”
“I don’t think it is a good idea to pressure him. Just give him some time. Tell him things and show him pictures only if he asks,” Dr. Stevens said.
Luke’s shoulders slumped. He wished that there was something he could do. He felt so helpless. Luke didn’t like feeling helpless.
Dr. Stevens seemed to read his mind. “You’re helping him by being here for him, Luke.”
Luke went home for the first time since the accident. When he arrived at his and Reid’s condo, he went straight to the bedroom and shrugged of his clothes. He put on sweatpants and a shirt of Reid’s and fell down on the bed. He buried his face in Reid’s pillow and inhaled Reid’s scent. He couldn’t fight back the tears anymore, and he cried for almost thirty minutes straight before falling into a sleep due to exhaustion. “Please come back to me, Reid,” he whispered before his eyes shut.
The next morning when Luke walked into Reid’s room, Katie was sitting in the chair next to Reid’s bed. They where laughing. Luke couldn’t help the pang of jealousy coursing through his body. Why can’t it be this easy for us? he thought.
Katie looked up. “Hey, Luke,” she greeted him as she stood. “Come sit down. I have to go.”
“No, Katie, you don’t have to go because I’m here. You stay and I’ll come back later,” Luke said, already feeling guilty about his feelings from before.
“That’s okay, sweetie. I really should pick up Jacob. He’s with Chris in his office, but Chris has rounds to make in a few minutes.”
“I still can’t believe you’re also married. Was there some kind of virus going round?” Reid asked.
Katie glared at Reid. “Reid Oliver, behave! The next time I come I’ll bring Jacob with me; he really misses you.”
“Yeah, say hello to the kid for me.”
Katie bent down and gave Reid a kiss on the cheek. “Be nice,” she whispered.
Reid rolled his eyes. “Shoo, get out of here.”
When Katie left, Luke sat down in her chair. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Did you get some rest after I left?” Luke asked.
“I fell asleep right after you left. I only woke up when Dr. Stevens came in with the results of the scans. Then I fell a sleep again until this morning.”
“That’s good.”
“I guess. Did you speak with Dr. Stevens?”
Luke nodded.
“So you know that there is nothing they can do about this situation?”
Luke nodded again, not trusting his voice to say anything.
“Are you going to speak again or are you just going to sit there and nod? Because I have to tell you, it’s getting on my nerves,” Reid snapped.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I guess I wished there was something I could do,” Luke stuttered.
Reid immediately regretted his tone. “I can understand that, I guess, but I really wish you could wipe that sad look off your face.”
“Sorry, I should leave,” Luke quickly said as he stood up.
Reid grabbed Luke’s wrist to stop him. “Stop saying you’re sorry. This isn’t your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for not being more careful. Now sit down, get rid of that sad face, and tell me about the neuro wing. Katie told me we worked pretty close on that project.”
Luke sat down, relieved that Reid wanted him to stay in spite of everything. Luke wanted to stay. He wanted to stay for Reid, to help Reid. He began talking once more about their past, slightly smiling as he recalled the details of how together they designed the neuro wing and the struggles they endured while doing that.
He talked and Reid listened.