Mighty Fine Print (5/9)
Author: AceCee
Title: Mighty Fine Print
Summary: Once upon a time, Luke and Reid were in love and doing what they could to save a piece of the broken world they all lived in. Now they’re apart because of something Reid can’t undo...and probably wouldn’t, even if he could.
Warnings: Angst, Confusion
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
NOTE-
Amber Sweet: Rotti's surgery and Zydrate-addicted daughter and Mag's rival. She obtains Zydrate illegally from GraveRobber, with whom it is suspected she has a relationship. Ironically she is also the face of the Zydrate support network. Her name change is addressed in the song Happiness Is Not a Warm Scalpel, where Rotti states, "I did not complain when you changed your name from Largo to Sweet." and Amber replies, "I need a stage name!" (P.S Stolen from Wikipedia)
~
Amber Sweet is addicted to the knife...
Neither man had a chance to think about what was happening before their instincts took over. Luke’s fingers found themselves tightly wrapped up in Reid’s hair while Reid’s fingers made short work of the buttons of Luke’s shirt.
The kiss broke only long enough to slide the lab coat off the doctors shoulders. Lips latched back together, legs stumbled backwards until hips hit the edge of the desk.
With a sweeping arm behind him, Luke pushed all of the days paper work to the floor haphazardly.
Reid broke away, never moving farther than a hairs breath away. “Luke-”
“Shhh...” Luke reached for Reid once again, bumping himself up onto the desk in a sitting position. Looping his arms around Reid, Luke ran his hands up and down the other mans back before grabbing his ass, pulling Reid up with him until they were laying diagonally.
A sense of urgency passed through the both of them. Reid began to run kisses and lovebites down the younger mans neck and shoulder, brushing the shirt aside. Luke’s hips bucked off the flat surface of the desk, trying to increase friction where ever body touched body.
Luke’s hand barely brushed the top of Reid’s jeans when the door flew open.
“Oh my god!”
Luke shoved Reid off of him. They both scrambled to their feet, trying to look a little more presentable.
In the doorway, covering what Reid could only assume were her eye sockets, stood a skinny blonde with no face...well, no face without visible scaring. He hand dropped and Reid had to wonder if she sent children running down the streets in fear.
“If father knew just what it was you were going to do with his office, I doubt he’d have left GeneCo to you.” The words came out in a scathing tone.
Luke straightened himself up, doing up his shirt and rolled his eyes.
“Amber.”
“Luke.”
There was a pause.
“I assume you came here for a reason.”
“Pfft.” She harrumphed, shooting a look at Reid. “I’m here about this help you offered.”
“Did you hold up your end of the bargain?”
The girl rolled around the balls in her eyes sockets. “You mean that diddily ass job of running my brothers out of the country with large handfuls of cash and the promise of their own companies? Yeah, I think I got that done.”
“Then here you go.” Luke motioned to Reid, who’s eyes widened in confusion. “This is the man I was telling you about.”
She gave him what should have been a scathing look, before turning back to Luke. “Look, I get that you don’t like me. I don’t particularly like you either but-”
“Amber.” Luke’s voice was stern, stopping her in her tracks. “You know that’s not true. Your family and out of everyone else left around,” he gave a shrug. “I’d probably have to call you my favorite.”
“So you just pass me off to the first guy you happen to be fucking when I walk in the door? You’re more like father than even I thought.”
Luke grit his teeth. “This is doctor Reid Oliver.”
“I don’t care what your lover’s-”
“Dr. Reid Oliver happens to be one of the worlds leading neurosurgeons, on top of running the last standing charity hospital along with a handful over very respectable, able bodied plastic surgeons. He’s going to be able to help you Amber, just like I promised.” Luke ran an agitated hand through his hair. “And he’s not my lover, he’s my-”
Luke looked to Reid, who raised an eyebrow expectantly. He was more than a little curious as to what Luke would label him as now. Luke just shook his head and looked back at Amber.
“He’s nothing.” Reid practically winced. That had hurt. “He’ll take you to the hospital, and introduce you to your doctors.”
“Oh, he will, will he?” Reid’s mouth finally began to work again. “And just what makes you so sure-” He was hit in the middle of the forehead with his now wadded up check.
“Consider us even.” Luke was now back at his desk, his head down looking over the papers that had not been swept to the floor. Reid had the distinct feeling of being dismissed.
“This isn’t over.”
Luke followed Reid’s line of vision to the papers skewed all over the floor than back to his face before sighing.
“It’s been over for a while.” Luke looked him hard in the eyes. “You just can’t seem to let go.”
Instead of responding, because, really, Reid was so sick and tired of fighting he just couldn’t do it anymore tonight, he turned towards Amber Sweet. “Let’s get out of here.”
They moved simultaneously towards the door. “Amber.” Luke called her back.
“What now?” She spit.
“Remember what’s waiting for you once you get through this.” As if they had no choice, Luke’s eyes flickered to Reid before settling back on the girl. “Be sure you’re ready before you come back.”
Reid could have swore the girls expression had softened. “No worries, Mr. Grimaldi.”
She followed two steps behind him as he stalked all the way down to his car, neither saying a word. He stopped and turned to her.
“You’re an addict.”
“Um, duh?”
“Don’t sass me. I’m - We’re going to help you Amber. I promise.” Then, almost to himself. “I can fix this.”
~and addicted to the knife, she needs a little help with the agony~
Five Months Earlier
“We can’t just make these decisions without Luke here, you guys.” Katie looked up from the couch towards her boy friend and her best friend. “He’s made his opinion perfectly clear.”
“So you think we should just let him die?!” Chris’s words made the blood in Katie’s face fall.
“I- no, I...I just-”
“Oh leave her alone Chris.” Reid snarled. “None of this is her fault.” He took a deep breath. “We have to be rational about this.”
“Can you seriously be rational when it comes to Luke?” When no response came from Reid, besides the glare that permanently seemed to be pointed in Dr. Hughes Jr’s direction, Chris continued. “Look, right now is the best possible time - before things get any worse. We have a viable, compatible kidney in our bank right now-”
“A kidney purchased and promised to a young boy who may not be able to wait until we can afford a new one!”
They all sat in contemplative silence. Reid moved to sit down next to Katie on the couch, where she began to rub his arm.
“Sweetie...how is Luke doing?”
“As well as can be expected.” Reid shrugged. “His back hurts, he barely eats, getting him to stay awake past seven is becoming a chore...”
“Reid.” Chris lowered his voice, looking over to his kinda/sorta friend with compassion. “If we want to spare Luke pain, now is the time to do this.”
“Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I want that?” He ran an aggravated hand through his hair. “But Luke...Luke refuses to agree to the surgery until we find another kidney.”
“And Rotti won’t help?” Katie asked. “I mean, I know it was a long shot...”
“We don’t have the money, and he’s refusing a sale on credit. Says he doesn’t trust us.”
“That’s...odd. Isn’t like the whole point of GeneCo to sell organ to people who can’t afford them?” Katie spit out, an ugly look on her face. Then she sighed. “I don’t get it. For all the fighting and trying to shut us down, I thought Rotti cared about Luke.”
“Not enough it seems.” Reid laughed, but there was no humor behind it. He stood, determined. “Okay, here is what we are going to do. First, the original surgery is going a head as planned-”
“Dr. Oliver-”
“Then,” Reid raised his voice over Chris’s protests, “we are going to call in any and every possible favor we are or can be owed, you got that? We ask, we beg, we cajole, we threaten. We do anything and everything we can do to get the money, to get the kidney. It’s for Luke. Everybody loves Luke, so this shouldn’t be hard.”
Reid looked over both Katie and Christopher. Katie was beaming at him.
“I’ll get started right away.”
Chris sighed, and shrugged. “It’s a good plan.”
“Well, it was mine.”
“I’m going-”
“Dr. Oliver!!“ A voice rang out, loud and clear. “Dr. Oliver! Where are you?”
A confused Reid poked his head out the door to see a frantic Nurse Stewart running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Tears were streaming down her face.
“Alison!” Chris jumped forward, grabbing the hysterical girl. “What is it, what’s wrong?”
“It’s L..L...Luke.” She stuttered out, pulling away from Chris’s grasp to latch on to Reid. “We were talking, and he was fine, and laughing and smiling and then he wasn’t and he fell-”
Reid grabbed her shoulders an shook the girl violently. “Calm the hell down and tell me what happened to Luke!”
At once, the sobbing stopped. “He collapsed. I couldn’t get him to wake up. He wouldn‘t wake up!” Her voice shook.
Dr. Oliver released her, stalking back the way she had come, voice ringing out behind him. “Get me that operation room! We’re doing this thing now.”
So much for rational.
~And a little help comes in a little glass vial, and a gun pressed against her anatomy~
Chapter 6
Title: Mighty Fine Print
Summary: Once upon a time, Luke and Reid were in love and doing what they could to save a piece of the broken world they all lived in. Now they’re apart because of something Reid can’t undo...and probably wouldn’t, even if he could.
Warnings: Angst, Confusion
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
NOTE-
Amber Sweet: Rotti's surgery and Zydrate-addicted daughter and Mag's rival. She obtains Zydrate illegally from GraveRobber, with whom it is suspected she has a relationship. Ironically she is also the face of the Zydrate support network. Her name change is addressed in the song Happiness Is Not a Warm Scalpel, where Rotti states, "I did not complain when you changed your name from Largo to Sweet." and Amber replies, "I need a stage name!" (P.S Stolen from Wikipedia)
~
Amber Sweet is addicted to the knife...
Neither man had a chance to think about what was happening before their instincts took over. Luke’s fingers found themselves tightly wrapped up in Reid’s hair while Reid’s fingers made short work of the buttons of Luke’s shirt.
The kiss broke only long enough to slide the lab coat off the doctors shoulders. Lips latched back together, legs stumbled backwards until hips hit the edge of the desk.
With a sweeping arm behind him, Luke pushed all of the days paper work to the floor haphazardly.
Reid broke away, never moving farther than a hairs breath away. “Luke-”
“Shhh...” Luke reached for Reid once again, bumping himself up onto the desk in a sitting position. Looping his arms around Reid, Luke ran his hands up and down the other mans back before grabbing his ass, pulling Reid up with him until they were laying diagonally.
A sense of urgency passed through the both of them. Reid began to run kisses and lovebites down the younger mans neck and shoulder, brushing the shirt aside. Luke’s hips bucked off the flat surface of the desk, trying to increase friction where ever body touched body.
Luke’s hand barely brushed the top of Reid’s jeans when the door flew open.
“Oh my god!”
Luke shoved Reid off of him. They both scrambled to their feet, trying to look a little more presentable.
In the doorway, covering what Reid could only assume were her eye sockets, stood a skinny blonde with no face...well, no face without visible scaring. He hand dropped and Reid had to wonder if she sent children running down the streets in fear.
“If father knew just what it was you were going to do with his office, I doubt he’d have left GeneCo to you.” The words came out in a scathing tone.
Luke straightened himself up, doing up his shirt and rolled his eyes.
“Amber.”
“Luke.”
There was a pause.
“I assume you came here for a reason.”
“Pfft.” She harrumphed, shooting a look at Reid. “I’m here about this help you offered.”
“Did you hold up your end of the bargain?”
The girl rolled around the balls in her eyes sockets. “You mean that diddily ass job of running my brothers out of the country with large handfuls of cash and the promise of their own companies? Yeah, I think I got that done.”
“Then here you go.” Luke motioned to Reid, who’s eyes widened in confusion. “This is the man I was telling you about.”
She gave him what should have been a scathing look, before turning back to Luke. “Look, I get that you don’t like me. I don’t particularly like you either but-”
“Amber.” Luke’s voice was stern, stopping her in her tracks. “You know that’s not true. Your family and out of everyone else left around,” he gave a shrug. “I’d probably have to call you my favorite.”
“So you just pass me off to the first guy you happen to be fucking when I walk in the door? You’re more like father than even I thought.”
Luke grit his teeth. “This is doctor Reid Oliver.”
“I don’t care what your lover’s-”
“Dr. Reid Oliver happens to be one of the worlds leading neurosurgeons, on top of running the last standing charity hospital along with a handful over very respectable, able bodied plastic surgeons. He’s going to be able to help you Amber, just like I promised.” Luke ran an agitated hand through his hair. “And he’s not my lover, he’s my-”
Luke looked to Reid, who raised an eyebrow expectantly. He was more than a little curious as to what Luke would label him as now. Luke just shook his head and looked back at Amber.
“He’s nothing.” Reid practically winced. That had hurt. “He’ll take you to the hospital, and introduce you to your doctors.”
“Oh, he will, will he?” Reid’s mouth finally began to work again. “And just what makes you so sure-” He was hit in the middle of the forehead with his now wadded up check.
“Consider us even.” Luke was now back at his desk, his head down looking over the papers that had not been swept to the floor. Reid had the distinct feeling of being dismissed.
“This isn’t over.”
Luke followed Reid’s line of vision to the papers skewed all over the floor than back to his face before sighing.
“It’s been over for a while.” Luke looked him hard in the eyes. “You just can’t seem to let go.”
Instead of responding, because, really, Reid was so sick and tired of fighting he just couldn’t do it anymore tonight, he turned towards Amber Sweet. “Let’s get out of here.”
They moved simultaneously towards the door. “Amber.” Luke called her back.
“What now?” She spit.
“Remember what’s waiting for you once you get through this.” As if they had no choice, Luke’s eyes flickered to Reid before settling back on the girl. “Be sure you’re ready before you come back.”
Reid could have swore the girls expression had softened. “No worries, Mr. Grimaldi.”
She followed two steps behind him as he stalked all the way down to his car, neither saying a word. He stopped and turned to her.
“You’re an addict.”
“Um, duh?”
“Don’t sass me. I’m - We’re going to help you Amber. I promise.” Then, almost to himself. “I can fix this.”
~and addicted to the knife, she needs a little help with the agony~
Five Months Earlier
“We can’t just make these decisions without Luke here, you guys.” Katie looked up from the couch towards her boy friend and her best friend. “He’s made his opinion perfectly clear.”
“So you think we should just let him die?!” Chris’s words made the blood in Katie’s face fall.
“I- no, I...I just-”
“Oh leave her alone Chris.” Reid snarled. “None of this is her fault.” He took a deep breath. “We have to be rational about this.”
“Can you seriously be rational when it comes to Luke?” When no response came from Reid, besides the glare that permanently seemed to be pointed in Dr. Hughes Jr’s direction, Chris continued. “Look, right now is the best possible time - before things get any worse. We have a viable, compatible kidney in our bank right now-”
“A kidney purchased and promised to a young boy who may not be able to wait until we can afford a new one!”
They all sat in contemplative silence. Reid moved to sit down next to Katie on the couch, where she began to rub his arm.
“Sweetie...how is Luke doing?”
“As well as can be expected.” Reid shrugged. “His back hurts, he barely eats, getting him to stay awake past seven is becoming a chore...”
“Reid.” Chris lowered his voice, looking over to his kinda/sorta friend with compassion. “If we want to spare Luke pain, now is the time to do this.”
“Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I want that?” He ran an aggravated hand through his hair. “But Luke...Luke refuses to agree to the surgery until we find another kidney.”
“And Rotti won’t help?” Katie asked. “I mean, I know it was a long shot...”
“We don’t have the money, and he’s refusing a sale on credit. Says he doesn’t trust us.”
“That’s...odd. Isn’t like the whole point of GeneCo to sell organ to people who can’t afford them?” Katie spit out, an ugly look on her face. Then she sighed. “I don’t get it. For all the fighting and trying to shut us down, I thought Rotti cared about Luke.”
“Not enough it seems.” Reid laughed, but there was no humor behind it. He stood, determined. “Okay, here is what we are going to do. First, the original surgery is going a head as planned-”
“Dr. Oliver-”
“Then,” Reid raised his voice over Chris’s protests, “we are going to call in any and every possible favor we are or can be owed, you got that? We ask, we beg, we cajole, we threaten. We do anything and everything we can do to get the money, to get the kidney. It’s for Luke. Everybody loves Luke, so this shouldn’t be hard.”
Reid looked over both Katie and Christopher. Katie was beaming at him.
“I’ll get started right away.”
Chris sighed, and shrugged. “It’s a good plan.”
“Well, it was mine.”
“I’m going-”
“Dr. Oliver!!“ A voice rang out, loud and clear. “Dr. Oliver! Where are you?”
A confused Reid poked his head out the door to see a frantic Nurse Stewart running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Tears were streaming down her face.
“Alison!” Chris jumped forward, grabbing the hysterical girl. “What is it, what’s wrong?”
“It’s L..L...Luke.” She stuttered out, pulling away from Chris’s grasp to latch on to Reid. “We were talking, and he was fine, and laughing and smiling and then he wasn’t and he fell-”
Reid grabbed her shoulders an shook the girl violently. “Calm the hell down and tell me what happened to Luke!”
At once, the sobbing stopped. “He collapsed. I couldn’t get him to wake up. He wouldn‘t wake up!” Her voice shook.
Dr. Oliver released her, stalking back the way she had come, voice ringing out behind him. “Get me that operation room! We’re doing this thing now.”
So much for rational.
~And a little help comes in a little glass vial, and a gun pressed against her anatomy~
Chapter 6