Amnesia is Stupid. Chapter 4. A fanfic.
Title: Amnesia is Stupid. Chapter 4.
Author: nancygrew
Rated: G
Disclaimer: Characters belong to ATWT
Warning: Medical stuff isn't particularly accurate.
Notes: Futurefic. Takes place ~late August 2014. AU after Reid drives off to Bay City. This muli-part fic takes place after my fic Jade Stays at Luke and Reid's place.
Summary: Amnesia fic. Stupid Oakdale.
Lucy and Katie had been showing Reid pictures of the last four years of his life for some time. They showed him pictures of wedding receptions and picnics and holiday gatherings filled with joyful, happy people. One wedding reception was for Mr. Snyder’s sister Abigail and Lowell’s brother Gregory. For some reason, they had held their wedding reception at a bowling alley that he and Mr. Snyder apparently owned. Weirdos. The pizza served there was supposedly amazing due to Mr. Snyder having sent Emma to Naples for a month in order to learn how to make the best pizza and to train the staff of The Pizza Bowl on how to make it. Reid was not surprised to learn that Mr. Snyder had given Emma 15% ownership of The Pizza Bowl. According to Lucy, Mr. Snyder’s cousin Jade was the manager of The Pizza Bowl and owned 15% of it. For some reason, both women preened proudly as they boasted of Jade’s accomplishments as manager. If Lucy and Katie were older, he would have assumed that Jade had two mommies.
Katie and Lucy showed him pictures of the opening ceremonies for the Brad Snyder Pavilion and the Bryant Montgomery Memorial Pediatrics wing. Reid thought that the canapés that he could see in the pictures were absolutely gorgeous.
There was a picture of Mr. Snyder and Reid on camels with pyramids in the background. There was a picture of Mr. Snyder and Reid on the Great Wall of China. There was a picture of Mr. Snyder and Reid at the ruins of the Roman Forum. Reid was suspicious that the last few pictures were Photoshopped but Katie swore that he actually went on vacations with his husband every year. She seemed very sincere about it. He didn’t believe her until she advised him that he always made a point of calling the hotels prior to his stay in order to give them very exacting cleaning instructions.
Katie and Lucy noticed that he had become very quiet.
"You need a break from looking at pictures of your life?" asked Katie sympathetically.
"Not my life," corrected Reid. "2014 Reid Oliver’s life."
Lucy put the iPad on the side table. "Amnesia is a big, scary thing."
"Thank you for dumbing it down for me," snarked Reid. "Do you actually have a medical degree?"
"Whatever you’re feeling is okay," continued Lucy. "Are you worried that you might not recover your memory?"
"You people are complete strangers to me," sighed Reid. "Kind strangers but strangers. I’m not one to normally bare my soul to people even if I do know them."
Mr. Snyder entered the hospital room. He appeared harried. "Hey, Reid. I’m so, so sorry that I had to abandon you. Are you okay?"
"If you hadn’t left me with a babysitter, I probably would have run with scissors and started talking to strangers about politics and religion but Katie kept be safe for your return," Reid responded. "You weren’t gone long. It must not have been that big of a crisis."
"Maybe I’m just that good," grinned Mr. Snyder.
Reid looked Mr. Snyder over. "I’m looking forward to verifying that for myself."
"Katie, please remove yourself from Reid’s bed. I don’t want to challenge you to a duel."
Mr. Snyder sat down in the place Katie had vacated. He kissed Reid’s temple and slid his hand into Reid’s hand. For some unknown reason, Reid didn’t find the intrusion into his personal space to be creepy. "You look a little stressed. Katie and Lucy, it’s time for you guys to hit the road. Reid needs some rest."
"Wait a minute," said Reid. "The muffins and fruit are perishables. I don’t think Mr. Snyder and I are going to be able to eat it all within the next couple of days. Lucy, can you take the fruit baskets down to the pediatrics wing to see if any of the kids want an after supper snack?"
"That’s a great idea, Boss," said Lucy. She and Katie picked up the fruit baskets. They said goodbye to Reid, kissed Luke and left.
"What if I recover the memories but not the feelings that I have in all of those pictures of me being happy?" Reid asked suddenly.
"I know that I’m a stranger to you and you have no reason to trust me," said Mr. Snyder. "But I swear to you that everything’s going to be alright. If you don’t remember that you love me and our family and our friends, you’ll learn to love us again. We’re irresistible. I promise that you love the life you have now."
"How did I become someone who was willing to move to Podunk, get married, take vacations, cut back on my working hours? It’s only been four and a half years. Did I get visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future?"
"You wanting a life outside of work didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t just one thing," answered Mr. Snyder. "Katie bullied you into a friendship and you realized that it was okay to trust someone and to rely on them. You learned how to offer comfort and companionship. Dr Hughes freely offered you his respect and his friendship and you allowed yourself to let him mentor you. You learned how to appreciate his opinions even when they differed from yours."
"What did I learn from you?" asked Reid curiously.
"Forgiveness," smiled Mr. Snyder. "I’m sometimes a spoiled, entitled brat. Forgiveness is a trait that’s come in handy for you." Reid smiled.
"Honestly, I don’t think it was a matter of you learning things from me," said Mr. Snyder. "You were always pretty amazing. Handsome, brilliant, funny, dedicated, honest. Rudeness just isn’t that big a deal compared to the important stuff. It’s just that we found something that we needed in each other. And we’re good about remembering to be grateful for it and for each other."
"Did you eat supper?"
"No," answered Mr. Snyder. "But fortunately you kept the muffin and gummy bear baskets."
"If I share my food with you, are you going to put out?"
"I am shocked, shocked I daresay, that you would make such an illicit suggestion," said Mr. Snyder while he released Reid’s hand and grabbed a muffin. "I’m starting to suspect that you weren’t celibate as a monk while you were awaiting true love with me."
"I take it that means no," sighed Reid. "It would have been quicker for you to just say no."
"Celibacy will build character for both of us," encouraged Mr. Snyder.
"So, what happened with your customs crisis?"
"Some officious little tinpot dictator in the customs office of Montega evidently decided that Grimaldi Shipping would willingly pay a bribe if he threatened to tie up our ship in red tape," said a peeved Mr. Snyder.
"Did you have him killed?" Reid asked.
"That’s not how Grimaldi does business. Not anymore. The aggravating thing is that the customs officer was holding up mostly medical supplies and equipment. If we were transporting luxury goods or ill-gotten pirate treasure or something, I could at least understand his willingness to risk his job and reputation for a little money on the side."
"Did he release your ship when it was explained that you were shipping humanitarian supplies as opposed to Blackbeard’s booty?" asked Reid.
‘Nope. And when the captain of our ship went over the guy’s head to his supervisor, the supervisor wanted in on the bribe. You’d think I’d stop being surprised that people aren’t always honorable and noble."
"Bet you that killing off your enemies thing is starting to look pretty good, huh?" asked Reid while he attempted a sage expression. The attempt wasn’t particularly successful.
"No. But I wouldn’t mind giving them atomic wedgies. They’d rue the day that they crossed me. Anyway, normally I would have tried to solve the matter on my own because that is what we high-powered business types do. But I needed to get back to you quickly so when they started giving me a hard time, I just called my Aunt Sierra, Lucy’s mom, and asked her to handle it."
"Does your Aunt Sierra work at Grimaldi with you?" questioned Reid.
"No, My aunt is Sierra Estaban Drake. She’s the president of Montega. She’s gonna be ticked off that her customs house is rife with corruption. Heads are gonna roll. Metaphorically-speaking. Aunt Sierra isn’t going to have anyone guillotined or anything. I suspect that her father might have when he was president of Montega."
Reid sighed. "I don’t even know where to start. Isn’t Montega one of those countries that is always in the middle of a coup?"
"Not always," said Mr. Snyder. "It’s really stable now. Last year, Stricklyn Oil discovered oil in Montega and Montega’s share of the profits are being used to update the infrastructure, build new schools and hospitals. Aunt Sierra says that tourism is on the upswing."
"You look tired. Strangers would think you were at least 27," said Reid. "You spent the night sleeping in a chair. Go home and get some rest. In the morning, do you think you can give me a ride back to where ever we live before you start your day of corporate malfeasance and taking over little Mom and Pop stores in pursuit of the almighty dollar?"
"I won’t be able to sleep if I go home," said Mr. Snyder. "I’d be too busy worrying about you. And you’re going to be stuck with me tomorrow. I’ll try not to do the clingy thing and annoy you but I should probably let you know that I’m just going to fail at being non-clingy while you’re recovering."
"I’ll try not to be annoyed by you being insanely in love with me," said Reid. "Who could blame you for that? So, is there a big secret about why I came to Oakdale? Katie got all weird about it."
"Crap," said Mr. Snyder. He moved from the bed to the chair. "I don’t suppose you want to hear about my embarrassing childhood secrets instead? I got a marble stuck in my nose once. I used to streak naked around the house when we had company."
"You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to," shrugged Reid. "It’s not like I’m never going to remember."
"You have the right to know," advised Mr. Snyder. "Katie was probably trying to protect me by not breaking the news to you that I willfully and purposefully dragged you to what you so despising-ly call Oakhell."
"Why did you drag me to the ever-so-wittily nicknamed Oakhell?" asked Reid. "I’ve my fingers crossed for sex slave, by the way," said Reid.
"My boyfriend at the time had an accident and became blind. You were the only doctor who would consider doing surgery on him. I forced you to come to Oakdale to treat him. I blackmailed you with non-existent evidence of wrongdoing. You had a waiting list of patients. You had a career and a life in Dallas and I didn’t care. I didn’t hesitate to ruin your life."
Reid stared at Mr. Snyder with narrowed eyes. "And we fell in love with each other? Does future me have Stockholm Syndrome?"
"We didn’t fall in love right away or anything like that," responded Mr. Snyder. He sat with his arms crossed across his chest in a self-protective pose. "It’s okay for you to be angry with me. I deserve it and you’re entitled to your feelings."
Reid laughed. "I’ve just spent hours with two women, who oddly enough seem to like me, looking through a billion pictures of me being happy. I also apparently have the neurology wing that I’ve been fantasizing about since I chose neurology for my specialty. It would be rather churlish of me to be angry with you for forcing me into a situation where I ended up with everything a man could want."
"Huh," said Mr. Snyder.
‘What, does future me carry on about it and make it into a big dramatic deal?" asked Reid.
"Well, you despised me when we first met but once we got over that, you’ve never held it over my head," responded Mr. Snyder. "You’ve always been really good about not judging me when I screw everything up. You support me in everything I do even when I get all ‘Luciano Grimaldi’. Can we just forget the fact that I told you that my given name is Luciano?"
"Luciano?!?" Reid laughed hard. "That’s really your name?"
Mr. Snyder sighed. "Well, some things never change. I bet that if I whacked you over the head with a brick, which I probably won’t, and you reverted to childhood, you’d still think my name was funny. Anyway, whenever I do stuff that’s not all lollipops and rainbows, you call me Luciano, in that amused tone you sometimes use, as a reference to my bio dad’s side of the family."
"Lucy said that your biological father’s side of the family are the Grimaldis," said Reid.
"Yes. My biological father and I didn’t have a relationship while I was growing up but we have a pretty good one now," Mr. Snyder informed Reid. "Damian comes here to visit us a few times a year and I go to Malta a couple of times a year in order to learn about Kingsley Malta which is the family business."
"What are the Grimaldis like?"
"Evil. Well, that’s simplifying it a little. But my uncle once kidnapped me and tried to kill me for my inheritance. My distant, illegitimate cousin kidnapped me and tried to get me to have sex with her so that she could have the child of a recognized Grimaldi. My grandmother drugged my mother and tried to gaslight her so that she could get my inheritance. She wasn’t actually my biological grandmother; she just took the place of my biological grandmother after she drugged her into insanity. She also murdered my cousin once removed.."
"How is using the word ‘evil’ simplifying it?" asked a stupefied Reid. "It seems pretty applicable."
"Well, it’s not like they’re all evil," responded Mr. Snyder. "Damian spent years cleaning up any illegal activities that were going on at Kingsley Malta. When I inherit his shares, I’ll be one of the largest shareholders of the company and he wanted it to be a completely legitimate business for when that happens."
"That’s very Michael Corleone of him," said Reid. "So, your biological dad’s family are the Grimaldis, a wealthy, ethically-challenged and insanity-riddled family. Your maternal aunt’s family, the Estabans, run a South American country between various coups. Is Lucinda your maternal grandmother?"
"Yes. Grandmother Lucinda has three daughters," said Mr. Snyder. "Her eldest is Sierra. Grandmother didn’t have the chance to raise her because Sierra’s father, Grandmother’s first husband, wouldn’t let her be part of her life. Grandmother was later married to a man named Martin Guest. She and Martin adopted my mom, Lily. Grandmother also has a daughter she adopted named Bianca Marquez Walsh who works at the UN."
"Lucinda seems very . . . patrician."
"You actually adore Grandmother," said Mr. Snyder. "You still hate the wealthy, idle rich because that’s how you roll. But you admire the fact that she came from poverty and clawed her way out. She ended up owning and building up Walsh Enterprises and Worldwide Industries as well as several other businesses. If I’m out of town for a week, you and Grandmother will spend a night out at The Juke Joint eating barbecue and listening to blues. Her husband, Dr. John Dixon, gets all annoyed about you two ‘dating’ and not inviting him. You and she share a snarky sense of humor and a certain cynical view of mankind."
"Other than you, is she my favorite?" asked Reid.
"You have very distinct relationships with all of my family," replied Mr. Snyder. "You like almost all of them and you love a handful of them. Of the ones you love, I don’t know if you have a favorite. You like Grandma Emma because she’s so capable and no-nonsense. She’s a cook and always has big family gatherings. You like to pay her back by taking her out to lunch at fancy restaurants every so often. You and my sister Natalie are science buddies who geek out together. My brother Ethan has taught you how to play video games; you like the games where you can shoot zombies. Faith likes to make you dance with her. She taught you how to waltz."
Mr. Snyder yawned.
"If you don’t want to go home, you should lie down with me here in the bed," said Reid.
"Said the spider to the sexy fly he wanted to bone," smirked Mr. Snyder. Reid leered.
There was a light knock upon the door. Lowell came into the room pushing a rollaway bed.
"Luke, I assumed that you would want to spend the night here with Reid," said Lowell.
Mr. Snyder smiled. "My love for you is higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans."
"Of course, it is," said Lowell. He rapidly made up the bed. "Is there anything I can get either of you?"
After glancing over at Reid who shook his head, Mr. Snyder said, "No, thank you Lowell. This is absolutely perfect. We appreciate it."
Lowell said goodnight to both men and left.
"We’ve decided that Lowell probably isn’t a cyborg," Mr. Snyder informed Reid.
"Good to know," said Reid. "Although that would be awesome."
Mr. Snyder pulled the bed alongside Reid’s hospital bed. He lay down upon it and turned on his side to face Reid. Reid shut off the light. He lay down on the bed and turned on his side to face Mr. Snyder.
"You don’t have to turn off the light, if you’re not sleepy," said Mr. Snyder. "It won’t bother me if you read or watch a movie."
"I’m good," said Reid. "It’s sort of cozy lying in the dark with my husband. Even if we’re in separate beds."
"Just think of us as Lucy and Ricky," answered Mr. Snyder.
Reid snickered. "So how did we get from despising each other to falling in love?"
"Well, we bickered from the beginning," Mr. Snyder tried to explain. "But, I always admired you as a doctor. Then you proved that my Snyder dad was innocent of murdering my Grimaldi dad. Long story. You had every reason to refuse to help me but you helped anyway and I was grateful."
"Grateful enough to-"
"No," said Mr. Snyder cutting off Reid’s sentence. "Then after my ex and I broke up, my foundation became involved with building the wing. I bullied my way in on the decision making process and we worked together a lot. I think that I helped to convince you to treat the whole patient in regards to making it easier for the patient’s support group. You even gave me a couple of backward compliments about me not being as big an idiot as you had feared."
"I’ve always been a smooth-talking devil," said Reid.
"Indeed. Then one of your patient’s fathers sued you for malpractice. It was unfounded but the man’s grief was overwhelming and he needed to blame someone. Bob had to suspend you from the hospital until the legal aspects were settled so I had Grandmother set up an emergency hearing for you and the two of us flew to Texas together."
"Mr. Judd?"
"Yes. Annie’s death was horrible for him. For you, too."
"Sometimes patients die. Doctors can’t take each death personally."
Mr. Snyder reached for Reid’s hands and entwined their fingers. "Sometimes patients die. Sometimes doctors grieve for them. You told me that Annie had a nice smile and that the world didn’t know that it had lost something when she died."
Reid was silent for awhile. Finally he said, "Thank you for helping me with the hearing."
"It wasn’t a problem. Even though we weren’t together then, I knew that you were a great doctor and that you had done everything that was possible for Annie. Just like you do for all of your patients."
"We got together sometime after the hearing?" Reid asked curiously.
"Well, the shoving had started long before that, but we shared our first kiss after you learned the result of the hearing," answered Mr. Snyder. "Before that, we were antsy waiting for the news so I managed to get you to leave the hotel with me. I dragged you to a bar with mechanical bulls. I rode first because you were way too chicken."
"I think your pants are on fire," smirked Reid. "And they’re hanging from a telephone wire."
"About you being chicken or about you riding a mechanical bull?"
"Both."
Mr. Snyder smiled at him. "You weren’t a chicken but you didn’t particularly have an interest in risking your hands on such an undignified activity. I basically annoyed you into riding the bull. It’s a technique I have that seems to work well with you. You insist on considering that our first date even though we hadn’t gone out with the intention of it being a date."
"Mr. Snyder, if we didn’t have sex, it wasn’t a date," said Reid definitively.
"You can call me Luke, if you want," said Mr. Snyder.
"It took you long enough to invite me to use your first name," said Reid. "Luke, I think that 2014 Reid Oliver has a pretty great life."
Luke beamed. "He does. So does 2014 Luke Snyder."
Reid lay in the dark holding Luke’s hand while they both fell asleep. Reid’s last thought before falling asleep was that everything was going to be okay.