The Butterfly Effect 9/?
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The Butterfly Effect 9/?
Author: moonchilddj
Characters/Pairings: Luke, Noah, Reid, Bob, Allison, mentionings of other Oakdalians/past and sorta-Nuke, LuRe
Rating: PG-ish
Summary: AU-ish. When the breaking of one relationship sends him running from Oakdale, can the new face of another man put Luke’s heart back together?
Beta: Unbeta’ed!
Disclaimer: All established characters belong to P&G, etc, etc. Any strange characters, minor though they are =p Belong to me, as does the story! For entertainment purposes only!
Author’s Note: Welcome to my latest chapter! I started this shortly after the last one, but some real life issues have put a delay on it. This will be my last chapter for an undefined amount of time, as my family will shortly be moving in a few days/up to a week or two. The closing date was on the 17th, and we’re working on getting everything set up to move. I wanted to get a chapter out, though, before then, since I don’t know when next I’ll have a computer connection. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Comments are always loved, and I hope to update again, soon!
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Reid wasn’t sure how he was able to put the phone down without dropping it. He set it, very gingerly, back in its cradle, and leaned back in his leather chair with a sigh, his gaze slipping up to the ceiling.
In all the time that he’d spent with Luke, they’d never talked about personal things. Names, family…it had seemed to be a touchy subject for Luke, and Reid hadn’t wanted to pry. If he wanted to tell him, he would tell him in his own time. But then he had disappeared, and that text message…he growled under his breath and dragged a hand over his face with a scowl.
“Focus, bonehead. Just because you found out his last name and everything doesn’t change a damn thing.” he snarled to himself. It didn’t change the fact that Luke had left him. It didn’t change the fact that Luke had gone running back to his precious boyfriend. A boyfriend he was seeing to now, because of what, he couldn’t walk and chew bubblegum at the same time? What in the world was the idiot doing messing with fireworks, anyways?
Reid shook his head firmly, pulling up all his walls as he flicked open Noah Mayer’s folder before him on the desk. If Luke *Snyder* was willing enough to try to resort to blackmail to get him to help his boyfriend, then he didn’t see a need to get all soft just because he‘d heard his voice. He wasn’t going to be weak again. He wouldn’t let himself get snookered in by those brown eyes. Case file before him. Patient blind, a patient he could fix. That was all he needed to know, all he needed to care about. He pushed a button on the phone, in order to speak to his secretary.
“Mary? Cancel my schedule until further notice.”
The connection beeped back as his puzzled secretary buzzed him. “Sir? You have your appointments booked out to the end of the year!”
“I know. But I was given an offer I couldn’t refuse.” Reid replied dryly. “Let the proper people know, and note the doctors that I recommend in my place. I seem to be taking a little trip to Illinois.”
“So this…Mr. Snyder got to you, Doctor?”
“Not voluntarily.”
Mary paused, taking in her boss’ words with a silent curiosity that he could just hear in the connection. Luckily for him, his secretary was just too efficient to ask questions. “Do I need to call DFW for airfare tickets?” she asked instead.
“No. Just let the doctors know I’ll be out of state indefinitely. And…cancel that outing Eric had talked me into.”
“Sir? Wouldn’t you rather tell Dr. McKenzie that yourself?”
“He’ll get the memo soon enough.” Reid told her, before he clicked off the paging and leaned back with a sigh, resting his hands over his stomach with a frown.
It’d been about a year since he’d last seen Luke. Despite his reservations, he was almost eager to see him again. Even if he had been a douche. He shook his head tersely to himself. “Business, Oliver. Keep it to business. This isn’t anywhere near pleasure. Luke…*Mr. Snyder* left on his own volition.” he told himself. He’d have to buckle down his heart, and not let him in again. He’d go in, fix his boyfriend, go back out. No fuss, no muss. Mr. Snyder had chosen his life, and he had his own. He just had to stick to that plan.
His brain, traitorous thing that it was, slipped in with a reminder of one of their more sensual dates, when Luke just couldn’t keep quiet, keening Reid’s name as his fingers slipped deep into Luke’s body. The glitter of those dark eyes, the way he’d sucked on Reid’s bottom lip and bucked his hips upwards--
Reid growled and mentally pushed the thought away. It didn’t matter if he still had it bad for him. It didn’t matter that he was still…in love. He wouldn’t put his heart on the line like that ever again.
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Luke was tempted to go to the airport, once he’d been given notice that Reid had arrived in Oakdale. He’d been tempted to see his face, hear his voice, and it’d taken all his power to restrain himself. He wasn’t a masochist, however, and he wasn’t looking forward to how angry Reid probably was. He’d left Dallas because Noah had put him in a situation he couldn’t get out of. He’d guilt-tripped him, to be plain, and all but dragged him back to Oakdale, nearly kicking and screaming, since he’d balked at the airport with Noah. He could admit that Noah had played dirty, and the relationship between them had changed for it. He certainly didn’t feel affection for a man that would say such things for him, and as usual, Noah had placed all the blame on him. But he also knew that Reid likely wouldn’t see it that way, and that fear alone was what kept him at the hospital, when he’d been told that the doctor had arrived.
“What are you pacing about? I’m the one that should be nervous.” Noah replied dryly, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed after another checkup, and waiting for this new doctor to arrive. He could hear Luke pacing back and forth, back and forth, the heels of his expensive shoes clicking on the floor of the hospital room. He’d come from the Foundation, that much he knew, and given the fact that he’d asked almost every nurse that had come in about Dr. Oliver’s arrival, very nervous. “You’d think you were the one under the proverbial knife.”
Luke glanced at him as he took another turn on the floor, absently chewing on his bottom lip. While Noah had been angry that he had been seeing someone else while in Dallas, he’d never given names. He’d kept that part secret. Given his jealousy, and the fact that he had basically let him have it about leaving Oakdale and dropping off of the radar, he had kept Reid, and how important he’d been to him, to himself. Besides, it hadn’t been his business…Noah had gone to drastic means that he didn’t approve of to track him down, including using Casey’s phone. Why should he have told him who Dr. Oliver was?
“Just want to make sure this goes right.” he replied finally, working down his aggravation to speak calmly. “Dr. Oliver came highly recommended, and he took time out of his busy workload to come look at you, Noah.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he did that out of the kindness of his heart.” Noah heard Luke suck in his breath in between his teeth, but paid it little mind as he rested his hands on the bed he sat on. “Because high-authority doctors just come to little Oakdale at the drop of a hat.”
“Noah, please, don’t start.” Luke ground out, pushing his fingers through his hair as he heard the accusation in Noah’s voice. “I’m trying to make you better, what else do you want me to do?”
“If you had just left things alone, we wouldn’t be in this predicament, would we?” Noah snapped in return, crossing his arms over his chest. “But you can never leave things alone, can you? No, you’ve got to do things your own way.”
“And you don’t?” Luke snapped back in return, starting to lose his patience. “Heaven help someone who just tries to help you, you turn on them like a snake. I’m trying to help you--”
“I don’t want your help, Luke! You’ve done more than enough, don’t you think?!”
It was the same old argument, had been so since the accident had happened in the first place, only this time it was interrupted by the arrival of the doctor in question they were both waiting for.
Reid stood in the doorway of the open door, the echo of Noah’s voice still pinging around the walls in the sudden silence. He arched his brow, coolly meeting the wide-eyed gaze of Luke, and the roundabout glance of his future patient. “Am I interrupting something? Or is this a normal afternoon session of interrupting the attempted quietness of a hospital?”
Luke felt his cheeks flushing, and rubbed at the back of his neck. Not the best of first impressions. Or seconds or thirds, either, as the case may have been.
“I…sorry--” he started to sputter.
“Mr. Mayer, yours was the voice that I heard out in the hall. Is it really so important to shout your lungs out so everyone can hear?” Reid replied smartly, his voice curt and businesslike that even Noah had to squirm uncomfortably on the bed.
“You don’t get the whole picture, doctor. Luke was--”
“I’m a neurosurgeon, Mr. Mayer, not a psychiatrist or a marriage counselor. You’ll have to go to another wing for that.” Reid interrupted, ignoring the glare that Noah threw in his general direction. “Now, I’ve been dragged here to…what was this place called, Oakhell? To see what I can do for your eyes. I’ve read your file, and I believe I can help you.”
“You can?” Noah blinked a little. “But the other doctors…”
“The other doctors were a bunch of quacks.” Reid replied blandly, glancing to Luke when he looked away, biting off a snort behind his hand. “They weren’t me. I’m the best in my profession for a reason.”
“You sure are full of yourself, Dr. Oliver.” Noah replied with a smirk.
“With just cause.” Reid replied, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he looked away from Luke. “So, whose heads do I have to knock together to get this circus in order, get my job done so I can get back to my practice?”
Luke glanced at him, feeling his heart sink. He was in such a hurry to leave…he knew that things had gone sour, but he was hoping to at least apologize, if not keep him there for more than just Noah’s surgery. He wore his ring around his neck for a reason. “Uh.” he replied, clearing his throat. “That would be Bob, uh, Dr. Hughes. I can get him for you.”
“You might as well be helpful, after bringing me here.” Reid replied gruffly, making a little shooing gesture with his fingers.
Luke sighed, and glanced at Noah. “I’ll be back in a minute, Noah. I have to find Bob.”
“Take your time, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.” Noah muttered, crossing his arms over his chest when he heard Luke make a huffing noise, and fairly stomp his way out of the room, before the door closed behind him.
“You know, this is just my observation, but you could be a little more grateful.” Reid replied as he arched his brow at Noah. “He did bring one of the best doctors right to your door to work on you. That takes some dedication and loyalty.”
“I wouldn’t be in this state if he was a little less loyal.” Noah snapped, glancing in Reid’s direction. “If he hadn’t been so nit-picky about a guy coming onto me…the nerve! After he went off to Dallas and hooked up with some random guy, like he’s got any reason to throw stones!”
Reid lifted his brows, staring at the younger man silently. So Luke hadn’t named names. A good thing, since he had the displeasure of being said random guy, working on Noah. Talk about irony. “Your files said that you were distracted when the accident occurred, and not paying attention to the fireworks you were working with. If you were arguing with Mr. Snyder, circumstances point that you should’ve stepped away from what you were working with first.”
“I don’t need you telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.” Noah growled.
“I’m just saying. It makes no sense to blame Mr. Snyder for your actions.” Reid replied. “He obviously didn’t mean for you to get hurt, so why are you punishing him?”
“Because I’m mad at him, okay?” Noah snarled, hitting a fist against the bed as he scowled. “He was engaged. Engaged to some…guy! Sure, we had broken up, but we always get back together! And I drag him back where he belongs, and he has the nerve to get angry with me if Mason came onto me?”
Reid rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Heaven help him from idiots. Was this guy serious? He’d only known Luke for four months, and he knew enough that when Luke gave his heart, he gave all of it freely, and expected the same in return. “Were you and Mr. Snyder dating at the time?”
“Well. Sort of.” Noah muttered, hunching his shoulders. “We were having issues.”
Reid shook his head. “There you go, then. Seems that Mr. Snyder had his reasons for getting on your case, if you were *dating*, unlike before. So why not give him a break, huh?”
“And why don’t you mind your own business?” Noah huffed. “I thought you weren’t a marriage counselor.”
“I’m not. But I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Take responsibility for your actions, Mr. Mayer, and stop pointing fingers at everyone else.”
Noah glared in the direction of Reid’s voice. “If I could see where you were…”
“Are you threatening me? The doctor that’s going to make you see again?” Reid replied. “Not very professional, Mr. Mayer. I’m doing this as a…favor to Mr. Snyder. I could just as easily walk away, and leave you as you are.”
“You can’t do that! I have a life I want to get back to, a film career I need to work on achieving!”
“Then try a little gratefulness for people that actually give a rat’s ass about you, Mr. Mayer. It’ll go a long way.”
The door opened, then, to Luke and an older doctor with kind eyes. He had a very paternal feel about him, which made Reid instantly awkward, and when he got awkward…well, his lack of a censor got even worse.
“So. Who’s the old geezer?”
Luke gasped, his eyes growing wide as he stared at Reid. “R…Dr. Oliver! Don’t talk like that to Memorial’s Chief of Staff!”
“It’s quite all right, Luke. I’ve heard worse. Some from my own associates in medicine.” Bob replied with a chuckle, before he held his hand out to Reid. “Dr. Bob Hughes. I hear you’re going to fix Mr. Mayer, here?”
“Yup.” Reid replied, rolling on the balls of his feet in an awkward manner as Luke paused, giving a little smile at the familiar actions.
The way he squirmed, the way he popped the p in his answer…it was instantly recognizable. He’d seen Reid in more than enough awkward moments to know when he was feeling out of his element, and it was all that Luke could do to contain himself from going over and wrapping an arm around Reid, just to console him. His heart melted in his chest, and he stuffed his own hands into his pants pockets, a small smile curving generously across his mouth.
Reid caught that smile, and felt himself respond, despite himself. A smile was daring to crawl up the corner of his mouth in return, before he got hold himself, and gave himself a stern mental shake, clearing his throat. He shook Bob’s hand instead, nodding. “I’ve looked over Mr. Mayer’s file, and I’m sure I can repair the damage. I’ll need to look over his x-rays, and make sure I’ve got everything I need to work with.”
“Of course, of course.” Bob replied as he shook Reid’s hand, and then let go with a smile. “I’ll be more than happy to give you whatever you need to help Mr. Mayer on his way.”
‘On his way, and far, far away from Luke.’ a quiet part of Reid’s mind opined, before he swatted that thought away, and nodded. “Great.” he replied, clapping his hands together, and pressing his fingertips to his mouth. “If there’s such a thing as an operating room in this hospital, that’d be great. Along with your top neuro team, a midas, a B1 foot plate, and an IGS system, which, I pray to God, is not considered an antique.”
Bob gave an amused sound under his breath, and glanced to Luke. “You told me he was direct. You didn’t say that he was quite brash about it, too.”
Luke laughed softly, rubbing a finger sheepishly against his ear. “That was my, uh, impression, Bob. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine, Luke.” Bob patted his shoulder, then glanced to Reid again. “I’ll see what I can cook up.” he replied with a twinkle in his eyes that said he kind of liked Reid, for all his lack of discretion and manners. “I’ve already signed a waiver to have your presence here at Memorial, I’ll make sure that I’ve crossed every T and dotted every I, if you can be of help. All you need is a consent form from Mr. Mayer, and we’ll be good to go.”
“Consent form?” Noah spoke up, frowning. “Where is it, I’ll sign it.”
“Easy, Noah.” Luke told him as he picked up the paperwork. “First you’ve got to know all the pros and cons.” He glanced at Reid and blushed faintly. “N-not that I’m saying I don’t trust you…”
Reid shrugged a shoulder, his voice leaving him at those brown eyes that were trying to will him to understand something. Was he saying he was sorry? Was he apologizing for that vague and short text message? No, it didn’t matter, and he needed to remember that, as he crossed his arms over his chest firmly. “There’s a directive attached to the consent, read it to him.”
“He doesn’t need to read it to me.” Noah interrupted, managing to snag Luke’s shirt and pull him back as Luke fumbled and frowned down at him. “I know what I’m getting into, I want to see again.”
“I know you do, but this is a dangerous operation.” Luke replied. “You need to cover all the bases. All the risks. If something goes wrong…”
“That’s my choice, Luke.” Noah replied tersely as Luke chewed his lip and looked away. “It’s my life, or what there is of it. I don’t care about the risks, what else is there to lose? I want to see, I want my life back. It’s my decision, not yours. You can’t tell me what to do.”
Reid narrowed his eyes at the way that Luke looked guilty, pushing his fingers through his hair and shifting from foot to foot. Obviously Noah had been doing a lot to make sure who took the blame. Which was a load of crap, in his opinion. He pressed his lips together tightly in disapproval, noting that Bob sighed softly off to the side, and shook his head. It was certainly a common sight in Memorial, he was sure. Luke trying to help, and Noah being stubborn. He was getting the picture fairly quickly.
“I’m just trying to help.” Luke muttered, but when he received a grunt for his efforts, picked up the paperwork and held the clipboard steady, directing the pen in Noah’s hand to loosely scrawl his signature on the line. Even when he was looking out for him, Noah still didn’t care. It was times like this that he wondered why he had even let Noah talk him into coming back into Oakdale. He glanced to Reid, feeling the ring around his neck shift coolly against his upper chest as he moved. If only…
“Okay, then.” Reid replied into the silence, taking great care not to touch Luke’s fingers when he took the clipboard from him. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s get you settled, then.” Bob replied with a nod as he took the clipboard from Reid, looking over the signature.
“I need an OR, and a full staff of your best people.” Reid told Bob. “It would help if they’d been to medical school sometime within the last thirty years~”
Bob chuckled quietly, and nodded. “I think that can be arranged. My chief of neurology is bringing his team in, he’s aware of you, and would like to observe.”
Reid glanced back to Bob from over his shoulder, from where Luke had been starting to pace nervously once more. “As long as it’s clear that I’m in charge of the OR. No backseat driving.”
“Won’t be a problem.” Bob assured him with a small smile, his gaze thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes crinkled with his smile.
“Better not be.” Reid told him, before he stepped out of the room, in order to get prepped. He wasn’t surprised when he heard footsteps follow after him, willing himself not to jerk when fingers curled around his shoulder, pulling him to a stop. “What is it, Mr. Snyder? Haven’t I answered enough of your questions, quelled enough of your worries?” he sighed heavily as he turned around. He supposed it was too much to ask that he be spared from Luke’s presence so he could think clearly.
“Dr. Oliver…” Luke sputtered, then sighed as well, twisting his fingers together before his stomach. “…Reid. Are you going to pretend you don’t know me?” he asked softly as they stood a ways down the hall together. He blushed a little, afraid someone might hear, and glanced around, before he found that the hall had little foot traffic from doctors and nurses. They were safe, for the time being, as he glanced to Reid again. “Is that what we’re going to do? Just go on like…we’ve just met? That we didn’t share anything, including the best four months of my life?”
Reid almost weakened. Almost. The best four months of Luke’s life…who wouldn’t find that flattering, with a man like Luke? But then he remembered the text message, the abrupt departure, and hardened his heart, straightening his shoulders as he gazed at him firmly.
“I aim to keep this as professional as possible, Mr. Snyder. What was the best four months of your life? Just a blip. You made it very clear where your priorities stood, when you left without an explanation, and just a text message.” he replied coolly. “I’m not that stupid to make that same mistake again.”
Luke blinked in shock as Reid turned on his heel, and marched down the hall. He knew that Reid would be upset, but with that reaction…wait. Text message? He frowned and rushed after Reid, chasing him down the hall and grabbing his arm. “Wait, wait!” he cried softly, stopping Reid again, and trying not to flinch when Reid pulled his arm away. “Text message? What text message?”
“The one you sent, saying that you still had feelings for Mr. Mayer, and that you were leaving. Come on. Don’t tell me that you don’t remember.” Reid snorted, eyes snapping with heat.
“I don’t remember.” Luke protested. “I never sent you a text message, Reid. I was going to come back, tell you face to face, and…and Noah guilted me into leaving you without a word.” he replied softly, feeling shame rush hotly across his cheeks under Reid’s stare. “He…said all the right words, to make me feel…like you really didn’t care. Pushed all right buttons. He’s good at that. But I didn’t want to leave you. Not for a second.”
Reid was speechless. The message hadn’t been from Luke. He did feel that it wasn’t written in Luke’s way of speech, but he hadn’t thought about it, then, feeling stunned and hurt that Luke had left. So…that meant that Noah had gotten a hold of Luke’s phone, and used it. It was almost enough to make him want to walk right out of the hospital, surgery or no surgery, but he was more professional than that. He took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled, his shoulders slumping as he let go of his anger.
“Why did you leave, then?”
Luke looked down. “Noah said some…terrible things to make me feel guilty. That my parents would be ashamed of my actions, that I was being stupid and irresponsible. That you really didn’t care for me, that I was just some…easy lay.” he muttered, flushing. “It didn’t matter we hadn’t slept together, Noah was convinced that that was all that you wanted, and when you did, you’d leave me for some other young guy.”
Reid snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed at Luke. “Yeah, because I bust my ass getting a ring for every pretty young man I see.” he replied dryly, smirking a little when Luke blushed deeper. “Okay, first, you are too sheltered and innocent for your own good. Just because someone tells you something, doesn’t make it true. Grow a backbone, I know you have one. You came down to Dallas, after all. Left everything familiar. Second. I don’t give a ring to just anyone. I was…” He shifted awkwardly, having a bit of difficulty in getting the words out. “…i-inlovewithyou.” he finished, getting the words out as fast as possible. “I wanted YOU, Luke. Not any other young guy. Just you. Do you know how hard it was to propose to you that night? I was a nervous wreck, Eric had to practically push me out the door of the hospital.”
Luke chuckled a little, and peeked at him from the corner of his eye, smiling. “I know that. I do, really…I just…I let Noah work on my fears. He knows that part of me too well, and I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
Reid sighed, and shook his head. “I guess I can forgive you.” he muttered, and then held up a hand when Luke shifted towards him, perhaps even to hug him, which wasn’t happening. “But. It’s not like we can just pick up where we left off. Time has passed. You’re with Mr. Mayer.” he replied with an expression that looked like he’d sucked on a sour lemon.
Luke sighed, and rubbed at the back of his head. “Sort of.” he replied softly. “It’s not really a relationship. I’m still mad at him for doing what he did. Besides the fact of him guilt-tripping me, he also stole my friend’s cellphone to track me down.”
“Wow, what a keeper you’ve got.” Reid replied with a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes. “The fact of the matter is, you’re with him. You’re supporting him.”
“Because he doesn’t have anyone else.” Luke told him, his gaze willing him to understand. “His parents are gone, and…and it’s my fault that he got hurt, and--”
“Hold it right there.” Reid replied. “What happened to Mr. Mayer is unfortunate, but it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t tell him to climb up to take care of those fireworks. You didn’t tell him to get distracted, and not pay attention.”
“If I’d just waited to talk to him later…”
“Ifs, buts and what ifs don’t do anything for you, but to drive you crazy.” Reid replied with a frown, gazing at him firmly. “What happened is his fault, and his alone. He shouldn’t try to pin the blame on you. As for the rest. Doesn’t he have friends? With such a winning personality~”
Luke laughed a little, smiling at him and Reid’s own unique personality. “He does have a few friends, but I felt so horrible…”
Call his friends. Have them see to him. If you’re paying for his hospital bills, fine, that’s more than generous in regards to him. But he shouldn’t have to have you hold his hand, too. With all that he did.”
Luke sighed, toeing the floor. “I’ll…see what I can do.” he replied softly. “But what does that mean for us?”
“Good question.” Reid murmured quietly. He watched Luke, and felt his heart try to soften again at the soft, shy expression on Luke’s face, as if afraid to hope for the best. And considering Noah Mayer, he couldn’t blame him. “Are you still in love with him?”
“No!” Luke replied, his tone almost indignant, before he rubbed at the back of his neck. “I just…hate to see him suffering. I did love him very much. We just couldn’t make it work.”
Reid wasn’t quite sure that Noah felt the same way, but had another question to ask. “Do you want to be with him, still?”
“No.” Luke replied, before he pulled at a chain around his neck, tugging a very familiar ring out from behind his shirt and smiling a little at Reid. “I kind of gave my heart to someone else.”
Reid drew in a deep breath to keep from hugging Luke right then and there. It never hurt to know you were wanted. “Well…then I guess we’re going to have to work with it.” he murmured. “I know you want him to get the best of care, and that’s me. No lies there.” he smirked as Luke chuckled at his confidence. “We could…just get to know each other, and…see how things work out?”
Luke nodded, and gazed at him tentatively. “Are you still mad at me?”
“My god, it’s like trying to interact with a little kid. The eyes, and…everything!” Reid groaned, smiling softly when Luke blushed, laughing again. “No, I’m not mad at you. I was for a while, but…I get it. I do. You’re hard to be mad at, anyways.”
“So.” Luke smiled at him, his eyes a little wide, and a lot hopeful as he tucked his necklace down behind his shirt once more. “To be continued?”
Reid gave a short laugh, and grinned, reaching out to brush his thumb against Luke’s cheek, helpless to resist touching him. “To be continued.”
The smile that Luke gave him was brilliant, warm and glowing, before Luke turned his head and kissed his palm softly. He was relieved that Reid wasn’t going to pretend that they were nothing to each other, or worse, ignore him. He had known that it was a very real possibility, and that was one worry down. Noah was still up in the air, but as long as Reid was willing to give him a chance, then he could wait it out. He then leaned back, reluctantly breaking the touch and smiling at Reid when they met gazes.
“I probably should let you get back to work. You have a lot of preparations to do.”
“Yep. Gotta save your sometime-maybe-boyfriend’s eyesight~” Reid drawled, smirking when he was knocked in the side with an elbow. “I’ll keep you posted. It might be a while…you sure you want to stay here?”
“Yeah. I don’t have anywhere else to be.” Luke assured him. “And I want to make sure things start out okay. Indulge me.”
Reid waggled his brows lightly. “Oh, I can do more than that.”
“I’ve nearly forgotten how perverted you can be, Dr. Oliver~” Luke replied dryly, smiling. “I’ve missed it.” he admitted, sliding his hands in his pockets so he didn’t give in to the urge to touch him again. “Go on. Be as awesome as you always are.”
“Naturally~” Reid saluted him, feeling proud of himself when he got Luke to smile again, before he turned on his heel to head down the hall. The day was looking up better than when he had started. He had a surgery to get his hands dirty in, he had a very good chance of saving someone’s eyesight, and the best thing, he’d been reunited with the man he’d fallen in love with. Sure, they had some bugs to work out, but the feeling was still there, and that was the best thing ever.
******
Circumstances didn’t always work out the way one wanted to. Allison knew that too well, in her personal life with her sister, and her mother, in her romantic relationships, in her job at Memorial. One could plan for a lot of things to happen, and work towards that goal, but something always got in the way. Case in point, her intended marriage to Casey that had crashed and burned spectacularly.
In the matter of Noah’s operation, she had the misfortune to find out that her friend had to wait a little longer for his operation, and the out-of-town doctor, Reid Oliver, to perform it. Dr. Oliver had found out that Noah had needed to do a little more healing before he could even operate. Noah had been, understandably, upset that instead of an operation to see again, he was restrained to physical therapy and waiting until his x-rays showed that he was healed enough to risk the operation. Anyone would be frustrated, she was sure, though she couldn’t see why Luke had gotten so upset when Noah had told him he couldn’t come to the physicals, that Dr. Oliver had told him that he didn‘t need distractions. Surely he couldn’t still be upset about Noah’s actions to bring him back home? His heart had been in the right place.
It wasn’t until several weeks after that, that Allison had found out just why Luke had been so upset to be barred from the hospital. She saw them in a corner of the stairwell, from the back entrance of the hospital, arms wrapped around each other. Luke and Dr. Oliver were kissing each other, and it was all Allison could do to not drop her jaw as she stared at them.
How could Luke do that? How could he kiss another man when Noah loved him so much? How could he have an affair on the side, and with a man that was so arrogant and callous? She bristled with indignant fury for her friend, and wheeled around, stalking away from the stairwell and back for the hospital proper, forgetting the reason she’d even come there in her anger. She’d encouraged Luke, Noah, too, to fight for their relationship, to not give up on it so easily. Well, this time, she wouldn’t waste her time telling Luke what he should do, if he was going to be locking lips with Dr. Oliver. She was going right to the source.
Noah looked up when Allison stomped into the physical therapy room, hearing the squeak of nurses’ shoes and squinting in thought. “Allison?” he called as he sat at one of the chairs.
“It’s me.” Allison told him, sitting down in one of the chairs across from him. “Noah, I have to tell you something. Something important.”
“What is it?” Noah asked, lifting his brows from the tone of her voice, edged with anger. “If it’s about this physical therapy stuff--”
“It’s about Luke.”
“Oh.” Noah muttered, frowning. Not one of his best subjects. Things had been tense as of late between Luke and himself. He knew that Luke wasn’t very happy about him barring him from the hospital, but all they did was get into fights, and he couldn’t deal with that if he wanted to heal.
“I think you should know something.” Allison replied firmly. “He’s not being faithful. I saw him kissing Dr. Oliver in the stairwell.”
Noah sat back in his chair in surprise, choking at her succinct words. “Wait. Luke? My Luke?” he sputtered. “But Dr. Oliver…they don’t get along. There’s this certain tension when they’re in the same room.”
“Yeah, sexual tension.” Allison replied with a soft snort.
“That can’t be right. Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?”
“It’s hard to mistake Luke with his arms around a man in a lab coat, and his lips mashed to Dr. Oliver’s.” Allison replied, reaching out to touch Noah’s arm when he glared ahead of him. “Noah. You need to talk to him. Fight for him! You still love him, right?”
“Course I do.” Noah uttered when he felt Allison’s hand squeeze his arm.
“Then you need to let him know it. He probably thinks you don’t love him anymore. I know you had that blowup before the accident. But you can make it right. Let him know you still love him. This thing with Dr. Oliver…it’s probably just a fling. He’ll come right back to you when he knows that you still care.”
Noah nodded and thanked Allison, but when he heard Allison leave him to his thoughts, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. So Luke and Dr. Oliver. He knew Luke, better than anyone else. He wouldn’t randomly hook up with anyone, he just wasn’t that type. Which meant that he had known Dr. Oliver before. And if that was the case…Dr. Reid Oliver was the man that Luke had been involved with in Texas. He wasn’t a fling…he had been engaged to him.
The thought made his blood boil, that his doctor was the very man that he’d had to drag his boyfriend from, make Luke come back home. He was here. In Oakdale! With Luke, and they were still carrying on! That couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. He was going to stop this, one way or another.
******
While he was in Texas, the time he’d spent with Luke had seemed to fly. Four months together had come and gone like the passing of a few days. In Oakdale, the days had seemed to crawl, which Reid didn’t mind, one little bit. While the time passed slow and sweet, he could enjoy things more. The hospital, while he’d grumbled about how slow and outdated it was, was strangely enjoyable. The patients seemed to enjoy his work, even when he wasn’t digging into a brain to save lives. Bob seemed to like him around, and there were a few nurses here and there that he liked. The leaky one--Luke had told him repeatedly that her name was Gretchen--had been an interesting addition to the nurses. While she cried at the drop of a hat, she also seemed quite efficient in her work, and didn’t have to be reminded or told twice, which was good for him while he did his job.
He had a roommate, a small, flighty, emotion-filled bumblebee by the name of Katie. Cousin by marriage to Luke, but just as big with the smiles. He had never thought that he would enjoy living with someone, but when the young widow with the cute little germ-breeder of a kid had offered her place out of the kindness of her heart when he‘d expressed the disdain of staying in a hotel, he had decided to give it a shot. It seemed that Snyders were just that sort of giving. She was emotional, but strong, funny and sweet. Luke adored her, and his little second cousin, and he was over a lot, which tickled Katie, since she teased him constantly about doing things she wouldn’t do, or when she didn’t have a camera.
And of course, there was time spent with Luke, a marked difference when they were living in the same town, Luke‘s hometown. Luke often came by the hospital to share lunches with him, and if Reid was too busy, Luke brought food for him, which Reid could’ve loved him forever for. He’d developed a second, but smaller love for Al’s Diner, and the heavenly food Luke brought from there, when they couldn’t eat together. And Emma Snyder…he finally had the pleasure of meeting Luke’s family. Emma, the matriarch of the Snyder family, was so welcoming to him, that Reid had felt a lump in his throat, the first time in meeting her when the woman had welcomed him with a hug. And her cooking; he’d teased that if he wasn’t sort of crazy about Luke, he would’ve married the woman. He was still a little iffy about Lily, Luke’s mother, and sort of awkward around Luke’s little siblings, but he did like Holden. For being raised up in the city life, he liked hanging out on the farm with Luke, especially the Snyder pond. Where else could he enjoy the sight of Luke in swim trunks so freely?
While he waited for Noah to heal enough so he could operate, he could enjoy life in the little town that Time forgot. He could make friends. Or frenemies, considering Henry Coleman. He could eat good food, and make a little niche for himself in a place so different from Dallas, it was like coming home. But for the unpleasantness of Mr. Mayer, and the glares of a nurse named Allison, it was almost idyllic, really.
Which was why he shouldn’t have been surprised when it all blew up in his face. Just when things were looking perfect, something had to happen. It was Murphy’s Law.
“This can’t be right.” he protested as Noah huffed softly, crossing his arms over his chest. The younger man’s head was bandaged, from the operation that he had finally gotten to give to Mr. Mayer, he came through with flying colors. “All the signs were pointing to a successful recovery. No problems, no complications, nothing. I stitched you back up, everything is in order.”
“But it isn’t, is it?” Noah sneered bitterly, glaring down somewhere around the vicinity of the bedcovers as he held Luke’s hand in his, who looked horrified. “It didn’t turn out like you thought it did. I still can’t see. You did something wrong, didn’t you, Dr. Oliver? You failed. Your reputation doesn’t precede you after all.”
Luke drew a breath, prompting Reid to gaze at him, stunned. “Maybe there was…something you forgot?” he asked carefully, his eyes wide and his expression worried. “Some…procedure, or…something?”
“There was nothing…I’m sure I got all of it.” Reid replied, sputtering as he gazed at the worry, and a darkening of doubt in Luke’s eyes. “Believe me, L--Mr. Snyder. I know my work. There must be something…”
“Yeah, something called you’re not as big as you boast.” Noah retorted, glancing in his general area. “I can’t see. You did something! I’m going to sue you.”
Bob, standing worriedly at the corner of the hospital room that Noah had been recovering in for the past few days, stepped forward. “Now, Noah, there is no need for that. Perhaps just with a few days of bed rest--”
“I know what I know, Dr. Hughes!” Noah snapped, gritting his teeth. “The fact of the matter is, he didn’t do his job. I can sue his pants off for malpractice. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time for you, would it, Dr. Oliver?”
The truth was, that it wasn’t. He’d nearly dodged a bullet several times in getting sued. For such a simple operation, he didn’t know how it could go so wrong, so fast. “Mr. Mayer, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Noah growled, the wires hooked up to his vitals beeping frenetically. “I want to see Tom Hughes, Dr. Hughes. I want to sue Dr. Oliver. Now!”
The Butterfly Effect 9/?
Author: moonchilddj
Characters/Pairings: Luke, Noah, Reid, Bob, Allison, mentionings of other Oakdalians/past and sorta-Nuke, LuRe
Rating: PG-ish
Summary: AU-ish. When the breaking of one relationship sends him running from Oakdale, can the new face of another man put Luke’s heart back together?
Beta: Unbeta’ed!
Disclaimer: All established characters belong to P&G, etc, etc. Any strange characters, minor though they are =p Belong to me, as does the story! For entertainment purposes only!
Author’s Note: Welcome to my latest chapter! I started this shortly after the last one, but some real life issues have put a delay on it. This will be my last chapter for an undefined amount of time, as my family will shortly be moving in a few days/up to a week or two. The closing date was on the 17th, and we’re working on getting everything set up to move. I wanted to get a chapter out, though, before then, since I don’t know when next I’ll have a computer connection. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Comments are always loved, and I hope to update again, soon!
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Reid wasn’t sure how he was able to put the phone down without dropping it. He set it, very gingerly, back in its cradle, and leaned back in his leather chair with a sigh, his gaze slipping up to the ceiling.
In all the time that he’d spent with Luke, they’d never talked about personal things. Names, family…it had seemed to be a touchy subject for Luke, and Reid hadn’t wanted to pry. If he wanted to tell him, he would tell him in his own time. But then he had disappeared, and that text message…he growled under his breath and dragged a hand over his face with a scowl.
“Focus, bonehead. Just because you found out his last name and everything doesn’t change a damn thing.” he snarled to himself. It didn’t change the fact that Luke had left him. It didn’t change the fact that Luke had gone running back to his precious boyfriend. A boyfriend he was seeing to now, because of what, he couldn’t walk and chew bubblegum at the same time? What in the world was the idiot doing messing with fireworks, anyways?
Reid shook his head firmly, pulling up all his walls as he flicked open Noah Mayer’s folder before him on the desk. If Luke *Snyder* was willing enough to try to resort to blackmail to get him to help his boyfriend, then he didn’t see a need to get all soft just because he‘d heard his voice. He wasn’t going to be weak again. He wouldn’t let himself get snookered in by those brown eyes. Case file before him. Patient blind, a patient he could fix. That was all he needed to know, all he needed to care about. He pushed a button on the phone, in order to speak to his secretary.
“Mary? Cancel my schedule until further notice.”
The connection beeped back as his puzzled secretary buzzed him. “Sir? You have your appointments booked out to the end of the year!”
“I know. But I was given an offer I couldn’t refuse.” Reid replied dryly. “Let the proper people know, and note the doctors that I recommend in my place. I seem to be taking a little trip to Illinois.”
“So this…Mr. Snyder got to you, Doctor?”
“Not voluntarily.”
Mary paused, taking in her boss’ words with a silent curiosity that he could just hear in the connection. Luckily for him, his secretary was just too efficient to ask questions. “Do I need to call DFW for airfare tickets?” she asked instead.
“No. Just let the doctors know I’ll be out of state indefinitely. And…cancel that outing Eric had talked me into.”
“Sir? Wouldn’t you rather tell Dr. McKenzie that yourself?”
“He’ll get the memo soon enough.” Reid told her, before he clicked off the paging and leaned back with a sigh, resting his hands over his stomach with a frown.
It’d been about a year since he’d last seen Luke. Despite his reservations, he was almost eager to see him again. Even if he had been a douche. He shook his head tersely to himself. “Business, Oliver. Keep it to business. This isn’t anywhere near pleasure. Luke…*Mr. Snyder* left on his own volition.” he told himself. He’d have to buckle down his heart, and not let him in again. He’d go in, fix his boyfriend, go back out. No fuss, no muss. Mr. Snyder had chosen his life, and he had his own. He just had to stick to that plan.
His brain, traitorous thing that it was, slipped in with a reminder of one of their more sensual dates, when Luke just couldn’t keep quiet, keening Reid’s name as his fingers slipped deep into Luke’s body. The glitter of those dark eyes, the way he’d sucked on Reid’s bottom lip and bucked his hips upwards--
Reid growled and mentally pushed the thought away. It didn’t matter if he still had it bad for him. It didn’t matter that he was still…in love. He wouldn’t put his heart on the line like that ever again.
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Luke was tempted to go to the airport, once he’d been given notice that Reid had arrived in Oakdale. He’d been tempted to see his face, hear his voice, and it’d taken all his power to restrain himself. He wasn’t a masochist, however, and he wasn’t looking forward to how angry Reid probably was. He’d left Dallas because Noah had put him in a situation he couldn’t get out of. He’d guilt-tripped him, to be plain, and all but dragged him back to Oakdale, nearly kicking and screaming, since he’d balked at the airport with Noah. He could admit that Noah had played dirty, and the relationship between them had changed for it. He certainly didn’t feel affection for a man that would say such things for him, and as usual, Noah had placed all the blame on him. But he also knew that Reid likely wouldn’t see it that way, and that fear alone was what kept him at the hospital, when he’d been told that the doctor had arrived.
“What are you pacing about? I’m the one that should be nervous.” Noah replied dryly, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed after another checkup, and waiting for this new doctor to arrive. He could hear Luke pacing back and forth, back and forth, the heels of his expensive shoes clicking on the floor of the hospital room. He’d come from the Foundation, that much he knew, and given the fact that he’d asked almost every nurse that had come in about Dr. Oliver’s arrival, very nervous. “You’d think you were the one under the proverbial knife.”
Luke glanced at him as he took another turn on the floor, absently chewing on his bottom lip. While Noah had been angry that he had been seeing someone else while in Dallas, he’d never given names. He’d kept that part secret. Given his jealousy, and the fact that he had basically let him have it about leaving Oakdale and dropping off of the radar, he had kept Reid, and how important he’d been to him, to himself. Besides, it hadn’t been his business…Noah had gone to drastic means that he didn’t approve of to track him down, including using Casey’s phone. Why should he have told him who Dr. Oliver was?
“Just want to make sure this goes right.” he replied finally, working down his aggravation to speak calmly. “Dr. Oliver came highly recommended, and he took time out of his busy workload to come look at you, Noah.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he did that out of the kindness of his heart.” Noah heard Luke suck in his breath in between his teeth, but paid it little mind as he rested his hands on the bed he sat on. “Because high-authority doctors just come to little Oakdale at the drop of a hat.”
“Noah, please, don’t start.” Luke ground out, pushing his fingers through his hair as he heard the accusation in Noah’s voice. “I’m trying to make you better, what else do you want me to do?”
“If you had just left things alone, we wouldn’t be in this predicament, would we?” Noah snapped in return, crossing his arms over his chest. “But you can never leave things alone, can you? No, you’ve got to do things your own way.”
“And you don’t?” Luke snapped back in return, starting to lose his patience. “Heaven help someone who just tries to help you, you turn on them like a snake. I’m trying to help you--”
“I don’t want your help, Luke! You’ve done more than enough, don’t you think?!”
It was the same old argument, had been so since the accident had happened in the first place, only this time it was interrupted by the arrival of the doctor in question they were both waiting for.
Reid stood in the doorway of the open door, the echo of Noah’s voice still pinging around the walls in the sudden silence. He arched his brow, coolly meeting the wide-eyed gaze of Luke, and the roundabout glance of his future patient. “Am I interrupting something? Or is this a normal afternoon session of interrupting the attempted quietness of a hospital?”
Luke felt his cheeks flushing, and rubbed at the back of his neck. Not the best of first impressions. Or seconds or thirds, either, as the case may have been.
“I…sorry--” he started to sputter.
“Mr. Mayer, yours was the voice that I heard out in the hall. Is it really so important to shout your lungs out so everyone can hear?” Reid replied smartly, his voice curt and businesslike that even Noah had to squirm uncomfortably on the bed.
“You don’t get the whole picture, doctor. Luke was--”
“I’m a neurosurgeon, Mr. Mayer, not a psychiatrist or a marriage counselor. You’ll have to go to another wing for that.” Reid interrupted, ignoring the glare that Noah threw in his general direction. “Now, I’ve been dragged here to…what was this place called, Oakhell? To see what I can do for your eyes. I’ve read your file, and I believe I can help you.”
“You can?” Noah blinked a little. “But the other doctors…”
“The other doctors were a bunch of quacks.” Reid replied blandly, glancing to Luke when he looked away, biting off a snort behind his hand. “They weren’t me. I’m the best in my profession for a reason.”
“You sure are full of yourself, Dr. Oliver.” Noah replied with a smirk.
“With just cause.” Reid replied, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he looked away from Luke. “So, whose heads do I have to knock together to get this circus in order, get my job done so I can get back to my practice?”
Luke glanced at him, feeling his heart sink. He was in such a hurry to leave…he knew that things had gone sour, but he was hoping to at least apologize, if not keep him there for more than just Noah’s surgery. He wore his ring around his neck for a reason. “Uh.” he replied, clearing his throat. “That would be Bob, uh, Dr. Hughes. I can get him for you.”
“You might as well be helpful, after bringing me here.” Reid replied gruffly, making a little shooing gesture with his fingers.
Luke sighed, and glanced at Noah. “I’ll be back in a minute, Noah. I have to find Bob.”
“Take your time, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.” Noah muttered, crossing his arms over his chest when he heard Luke make a huffing noise, and fairly stomp his way out of the room, before the door closed behind him.
“You know, this is just my observation, but you could be a little more grateful.” Reid replied as he arched his brow at Noah. “He did bring one of the best doctors right to your door to work on you. That takes some dedication and loyalty.”
“I wouldn’t be in this state if he was a little less loyal.” Noah snapped, glancing in Reid’s direction. “If he hadn’t been so nit-picky about a guy coming onto me…the nerve! After he went off to Dallas and hooked up with some random guy, like he’s got any reason to throw stones!”
Reid lifted his brows, staring at the younger man silently. So Luke hadn’t named names. A good thing, since he had the displeasure of being said random guy, working on Noah. Talk about irony. “Your files said that you were distracted when the accident occurred, and not paying attention to the fireworks you were working with. If you were arguing with Mr. Snyder, circumstances point that you should’ve stepped away from what you were working with first.”
“I don’t need you telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.” Noah growled.
“I’m just saying. It makes no sense to blame Mr. Snyder for your actions.” Reid replied. “He obviously didn’t mean for you to get hurt, so why are you punishing him?”
“Because I’m mad at him, okay?” Noah snarled, hitting a fist against the bed as he scowled. “He was engaged. Engaged to some…guy! Sure, we had broken up, but we always get back together! And I drag him back where he belongs, and he has the nerve to get angry with me if Mason came onto me?”
Reid rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Heaven help him from idiots. Was this guy serious? He’d only known Luke for four months, and he knew enough that when Luke gave his heart, he gave all of it freely, and expected the same in return. “Were you and Mr. Snyder dating at the time?”
“Well. Sort of.” Noah muttered, hunching his shoulders. “We were having issues.”
Reid shook his head. “There you go, then. Seems that Mr. Snyder had his reasons for getting on your case, if you were *dating*, unlike before. So why not give him a break, huh?”
“And why don’t you mind your own business?” Noah huffed. “I thought you weren’t a marriage counselor.”
“I’m not. But I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Take responsibility for your actions, Mr. Mayer, and stop pointing fingers at everyone else.”
Noah glared in the direction of Reid’s voice. “If I could see where you were…”
“Are you threatening me? The doctor that’s going to make you see again?” Reid replied. “Not very professional, Mr. Mayer. I’m doing this as a…favor to Mr. Snyder. I could just as easily walk away, and leave you as you are.”
“You can’t do that! I have a life I want to get back to, a film career I need to work on achieving!”
“Then try a little gratefulness for people that actually give a rat’s ass about you, Mr. Mayer. It’ll go a long way.”
The door opened, then, to Luke and an older doctor with kind eyes. He had a very paternal feel about him, which made Reid instantly awkward, and when he got awkward…well, his lack of a censor got even worse.
“So. Who’s the old geezer?”
Luke gasped, his eyes growing wide as he stared at Reid. “R…Dr. Oliver! Don’t talk like that to Memorial’s Chief of Staff!”
“It’s quite all right, Luke. I’ve heard worse. Some from my own associates in medicine.” Bob replied with a chuckle, before he held his hand out to Reid. “Dr. Bob Hughes. I hear you’re going to fix Mr. Mayer, here?”
“Yup.” Reid replied, rolling on the balls of his feet in an awkward manner as Luke paused, giving a little smile at the familiar actions.
The way he squirmed, the way he popped the p in his answer…it was instantly recognizable. He’d seen Reid in more than enough awkward moments to know when he was feeling out of his element, and it was all that Luke could do to contain himself from going over and wrapping an arm around Reid, just to console him. His heart melted in his chest, and he stuffed his own hands into his pants pockets, a small smile curving generously across his mouth.
Reid caught that smile, and felt himself respond, despite himself. A smile was daring to crawl up the corner of his mouth in return, before he got hold himself, and gave himself a stern mental shake, clearing his throat. He shook Bob’s hand instead, nodding. “I’ve looked over Mr. Mayer’s file, and I’m sure I can repair the damage. I’ll need to look over his x-rays, and make sure I’ve got everything I need to work with.”
“Of course, of course.” Bob replied as he shook Reid’s hand, and then let go with a smile. “I’ll be more than happy to give you whatever you need to help Mr. Mayer on his way.”
‘On his way, and far, far away from Luke.’ a quiet part of Reid’s mind opined, before he swatted that thought away, and nodded. “Great.” he replied, clapping his hands together, and pressing his fingertips to his mouth. “If there’s such a thing as an operating room in this hospital, that’d be great. Along with your top neuro team, a midas, a B1 foot plate, and an IGS system, which, I pray to God, is not considered an antique.”
Bob gave an amused sound under his breath, and glanced to Luke. “You told me he was direct. You didn’t say that he was quite brash about it, too.”
Luke laughed softly, rubbing a finger sheepishly against his ear. “That was my, uh, impression, Bob. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine, Luke.” Bob patted his shoulder, then glanced to Reid again. “I’ll see what I can cook up.” he replied with a twinkle in his eyes that said he kind of liked Reid, for all his lack of discretion and manners. “I’ve already signed a waiver to have your presence here at Memorial, I’ll make sure that I’ve crossed every T and dotted every I, if you can be of help. All you need is a consent form from Mr. Mayer, and we’ll be good to go.”
“Consent form?” Noah spoke up, frowning. “Where is it, I’ll sign it.”
“Easy, Noah.” Luke told him as he picked up the paperwork. “First you’ve got to know all the pros and cons.” He glanced at Reid and blushed faintly. “N-not that I’m saying I don’t trust you…”
Reid shrugged a shoulder, his voice leaving him at those brown eyes that were trying to will him to understand something. Was he saying he was sorry? Was he apologizing for that vague and short text message? No, it didn’t matter, and he needed to remember that, as he crossed his arms over his chest firmly. “There’s a directive attached to the consent, read it to him.”
“He doesn’t need to read it to me.” Noah interrupted, managing to snag Luke’s shirt and pull him back as Luke fumbled and frowned down at him. “I know what I’m getting into, I want to see again.”
“I know you do, but this is a dangerous operation.” Luke replied. “You need to cover all the bases. All the risks. If something goes wrong…”
“That’s my choice, Luke.” Noah replied tersely as Luke chewed his lip and looked away. “It’s my life, or what there is of it. I don’t care about the risks, what else is there to lose? I want to see, I want my life back. It’s my decision, not yours. You can’t tell me what to do.”
Reid narrowed his eyes at the way that Luke looked guilty, pushing his fingers through his hair and shifting from foot to foot. Obviously Noah had been doing a lot to make sure who took the blame. Which was a load of crap, in his opinion. He pressed his lips together tightly in disapproval, noting that Bob sighed softly off to the side, and shook his head. It was certainly a common sight in Memorial, he was sure. Luke trying to help, and Noah being stubborn. He was getting the picture fairly quickly.
“I’m just trying to help.” Luke muttered, but when he received a grunt for his efforts, picked up the paperwork and held the clipboard steady, directing the pen in Noah’s hand to loosely scrawl his signature on the line. Even when he was looking out for him, Noah still didn’t care. It was times like this that he wondered why he had even let Noah talk him into coming back into Oakdale. He glanced to Reid, feeling the ring around his neck shift coolly against his upper chest as he moved. If only…
“Okay, then.” Reid replied into the silence, taking great care not to touch Luke’s fingers when he took the clipboard from him. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s get you settled, then.” Bob replied with a nod as he took the clipboard from Reid, looking over the signature.
“I need an OR, and a full staff of your best people.” Reid told Bob. “It would help if they’d been to medical school sometime within the last thirty years~”
Bob chuckled quietly, and nodded. “I think that can be arranged. My chief of neurology is bringing his team in, he’s aware of you, and would like to observe.”
Reid glanced back to Bob from over his shoulder, from where Luke had been starting to pace nervously once more. “As long as it’s clear that I’m in charge of the OR. No backseat driving.”
“Won’t be a problem.” Bob assured him with a small smile, his gaze thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes crinkled with his smile.
“Better not be.” Reid told him, before he stepped out of the room, in order to get prepped. He wasn’t surprised when he heard footsteps follow after him, willing himself not to jerk when fingers curled around his shoulder, pulling him to a stop. “What is it, Mr. Snyder? Haven’t I answered enough of your questions, quelled enough of your worries?” he sighed heavily as he turned around. He supposed it was too much to ask that he be spared from Luke’s presence so he could think clearly.
“Dr. Oliver…” Luke sputtered, then sighed as well, twisting his fingers together before his stomach. “…Reid. Are you going to pretend you don’t know me?” he asked softly as they stood a ways down the hall together. He blushed a little, afraid someone might hear, and glanced around, before he found that the hall had little foot traffic from doctors and nurses. They were safe, for the time being, as he glanced to Reid again. “Is that what we’re going to do? Just go on like…we’ve just met? That we didn’t share anything, including the best four months of my life?”
Reid almost weakened. Almost. The best four months of Luke’s life…who wouldn’t find that flattering, with a man like Luke? But then he remembered the text message, the abrupt departure, and hardened his heart, straightening his shoulders as he gazed at him firmly.
“I aim to keep this as professional as possible, Mr. Snyder. What was the best four months of your life? Just a blip. You made it very clear where your priorities stood, when you left without an explanation, and just a text message.” he replied coolly. “I’m not that stupid to make that same mistake again.”
Luke blinked in shock as Reid turned on his heel, and marched down the hall. He knew that Reid would be upset, but with that reaction…wait. Text message? He frowned and rushed after Reid, chasing him down the hall and grabbing his arm. “Wait, wait!” he cried softly, stopping Reid again, and trying not to flinch when Reid pulled his arm away. “Text message? What text message?”
“The one you sent, saying that you still had feelings for Mr. Mayer, and that you were leaving. Come on. Don’t tell me that you don’t remember.” Reid snorted, eyes snapping with heat.
“I don’t remember.” Luke protested. “I never sent you a text message, Reid. I was going to come back, tell you face to face, and…and Noah guilted me into leaving you without a word.” he replied softly, feeling shame rush hotly across his cheeks under Reid’s stare. “He…said all the right words, to make me feel…like you really didn’t care. Pushed all right buttons. He’s good at that. But I didn’t want to leave you. Not for a second.”
Reid was speechless. The message hadn’t been from Luke. He did feel that it wasn’t written in Luke’s way of speech, but he hadn’t thought about it, then, feeling stunned and hurt that Luke had left. So…that meant that Noah had gotten a hold of Luke’s phone, and used it. It was almost enough to make him want to walk right out of the hospital, surgery or no surgery, but he was more professional than that. He took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled, his shoulders slumping as he let go of his anger.
“Why did you leave, then?”
Luke looked down. “Noah said some…terrible things to make me feel guilty. That my parents would be ashamed of my actions, that I was being stupid and irresponsible. That you really didn’t care for me, that I was just some…easy lay.” he muttered, flushing. “It didn’t matter we hadn’t slept together, Noah was convinced that that was all that you wanted, and when you did, you’d leave me for some other young guy.”
Reid snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed at Luke. “Yeah, because I bust my ass getting a ring for every pretty young man I see.” he replied dryly, smirking a little when Luke blushed deeper. “Okay, first, you are too sheltered and innocent for your own good. Just because someone tells you something, doesn’t make it true. Grow a backbone, I know you have one. You came down to Dallas, after all. Left everything familiar. Second. I don’t give a ring to just anyone. I was…” He shifted awkwardly, having a bit of difficulty in getting the words out. “…i-inlovewithyou.” he finished, getting the words out as fast as possible. “I wanted YOU, Luke. Not any other young guy. Just you. Do you know how hard it was to propose to you that night? I was a nervous wreck, Eric had to practically push me out the door of the hospital.”
Luke chuckled a little, and peeked at him from the corner of his eye, smiling. “I know that. I do, really…I just…I let Noah work on my fears. He knows that part of me too well, and I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
Reid sighed, and shook his head. “I guess I can forgive you.” he muttered, and then held up a hand when Luke shifted towards him, perhaps even to hug him, which wasn’t happening. “But. It’s not like we can just pick up where we left off. Time has passed. You’re with Mr. Mayer.” he replied with an expression that looked like he’d sucked on a sour lemon.
Luke sighed, and rubbed at the back of his head. “Sort of.” he replied softly. “It’s not really a relationship. I’m still mad at him for doing what he did. Besides the fact of him guilt-tripping me, he also stole my friend’s cellphone to track me down.”
“Wow, what a keeper you’ve got.” Reid replied with a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes. “The fact of the matter is, you’re with him. You’re supporting him.”
“Because he doesn’t have anyone else.” Luke told him, his gaze willing him to understand. “His parents are gone, and…and it’s my fault that he got hurt, and--”
“Hold it right there.” Reid replied. “What happened to Mr. Mayer is unfortunate, but it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t tell him to climb up to take care of those fireworks. You didn’t tell him to get distracted, and not pay attention.”
“If I’d just waited to talk to him later…”
“Ifs, buts and what ifs don’t do anything for you, but to drive you crazy.” Reid replied with a frown, gazing at him firmly. “What happened is his fault, and his alone. He shouldn’t try to pin the blame on you. As for the rest. Doesn’t he have friends? With such a winning personality~”
Luke laughed a little, smiling at him and Reid’s own unique personality. “He does have a few friends, but I felt so horrible…”
Call his friends. Have them see to him. If you’re paying for his hospital bills, fine, that’s more than generous in regards to him. But he shouldn’t have to have you hold his hand, too. With all that he did.”
Luke sighed, toeing the floor. “I’ll…see what I can do.” he replied softly. “But what does that mean for us?”
“Good question.” Reid murmured quietly. He watched Luke, and felt his heart try to soften again at the soft, shy expression on Luke’s face, as if afraid to hope for the best. And considering Noah Mayer, he couldn’t blame him. “Are you still in love with him?”
“No!” Luke replied, his tone almost indignant, before he rubbed at the back of his neck. “I just…hate to see him suffering. I did love him very much. We just couldn’t make it work.”
Reid wasn’t quite sure that Noah felt the same way, but had another question to ask. “Do you want to be with him, still?”
“No.” Luke replied, before he pulled at a chain around his neck, tugging a very familiar ring out from behind his shirt and smiling a little at Reid. “I kind of gave my heart to someone else.”
Reid drew in a deep breath to keep from hugging Luke right then and there. It never hurt to know you were wanted. “Well…then I guess we’re going to have to work with it.” he murmured. “I know you want him to get the best of care, and that’s me. No lies there.” he smirked as Luke chuckled at his confidence. “We could…just get to know each other, and…see how things work out?”
Luke nodded, and gazed at him tentatively. “Are you still mad at me?”
“My god, it’s like trying to interact with a little kid. The eyes, and…everything!” Reid groaned, smiling softly when Luke blushed, laughing again. “No, I’m not mad at you. I was for a while, but…I get it. I do. You’re hard to be mad at, anyways.”
“So.” Luke smiled at him, his eyes a little wide, and a lot hopeful as he tucked his necklace down behind his shirt once more. “To be continued?”
Reid gave a short laugh, and grinned, reaching out to brush his thumb against Luke’s cheek, helpless to resist touching him. “To be continued.”
The smile that Luke gave him was brilliant, warm and glowing, before Luke turned his head and kissed his palm softly. He was relieved that Reid wasn’t going to pretend that they were nothing to each other, or worse, ignore him. He had known that it was a very real possibility, and that was one worry down. Noah was still up in the air, but as long as Reid was willing to give him a chance, then he could wait it out. He then leaned back, reluctantly breaking the touch and smiling at Reid when they met gazes.
“I probably should let you get back to work. You have a lot of preparations to do.”
“Yep. Gotta save your sometime-maybe-boyfriend’s eyesight~” Reid drawled, smirking when he was knocked in the side with an elbow. “I’ll keep you posted. It might be a while…you sure you want to stay here?”
“Yeah. I don’t have anywhere else to be.” Luke assured him. “And I want to make sure things start out okay. Indulge me.”
Reid waggled his brows lightly. “Oh, I can do more than that.”
“I’ve nearly forgotten how perverted you can be, Dr. Oliver~” Luke replied dryly, smiling. “I’ve missed it.” he admitted, sliding his hands in his pockets so he didn’t give in to the urge to touch him again. “Go on. Be as awesome as you always are.”
“Naturally~” Reid saluted him, feeling proud of himself when he got Luke to smile again, before he turned on his heel to head down the hall. The day was looking up better than when he had started. He had a surgery to get his hands dirty in, he had a very good chance of saving someone’s eyesight, and the best thing, he’d been reunited with the man he’d fallen in love with. Sure, they had some bugs to work out, but the feeling was still there, and that was the best thing ever.
******
Circumstances didn’t always work out the way one wanted to. Allison knew that too well, in her personal life with her sister, and her mother, in her romantic relationships, in her job at Memorial. One could plan for a lot of things to happen, and work towards that goal, but something always got in the way. Case in point, her intended marriage to Casey that had crashed and burned spectacularly.
In the matter of Noah’s operation, she had the misfortune to find out that her friend had to wait a little longer for his operation, and the out-of-town doctor, Reid Oliver, to perform it. Dr. Oliver had found out that Noah had needed to do a little more healing before he could even operate. Noah had been, understandably, upset that instead of an operation to see again, he was restrained to physical therapy and waiting until his x-rays showed that he was healed enough to risk the operation. Anyone would be frustrated, she was sure, though she couldn’t see why Luke had gotten so upset when Noah had told him he couldn’t come to the physicals, that Dr. Oliver had told him that he didn‘t need distractions. Surely he couldn’t still be upset about Noah’s actions to bring him back home? His heart had been in the right place.
It wasn’t until several weeks after that, that Allison had found out just why Luke had been so upset to be barred from the hospital. She saw them in a corner of the stairwell, from the back entrance of the hospital, arms wrapped around each other. Luke and Dr. Oliver were kissing each other, and it was all Allison could do to not drop her jaw as she stared at them.
How could Luke do that? How could he kiss another man when Noah loved him so much? How could he have an affair on the side, and with a man that was so arrogant and callous? She bristled with indignant fury for her friend, and wheeled around, stalking away from the stairwell and back for the hospital proper, forgetting the reason she’d even come there in her anger. She’d encouraged Luke, Noah, too, to fight for their relationship, to not give up on it so easily. Well, this time, she wouldn’t waste her time telling Luke what he should do, if he was going to be locking lips with Dr. Oliver. She was going right to the source.
Noah looked up when Allison stomped into the physical therapy room, hearing the squeak of nurses’ shoes and squinting in thought. “Allison?” he called as he sat at one of the chairs.
“It’s me.” Allison told him, sitting down in one of the chairs across from him. “Noah, I have to tell you something. Something important.”
“What is it?” Noah asked, lifting his brows from the tone of her voice, edged with anger. “If it’s about this physical therapy stuff--”
“It’s about Luke.”
“Oh.” Noah muttered, frowning. Not one of his best subjects. Things had been tense as of late between Luke and himself. He knew that Luke wasn’t very happy about him barring him from the hospital, but all they did was get into fights, and he couldn’t deal with that if he wanted to heal.
“I think you should know something.” Allison replied firmly. “He’s not being faithful. I saw him kissing Dr. Oliver in the stairwell.”
Noah sat back in his chair in surprise, choking at her succinct words. “Wait. Luke? My Luke?” he sputtered. “But Dr. Oliver…they don’t get along. There’s this certain tension when they’re in the same room.”
“Yeah, sexual tension.” Allison replied with a soft snort.
“That can’t be right. Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?”
“It’s hard to mistake Luke with his arms around a man in a lab coat, and his lips mashed to Dr. Oliver’s.” Allison replied, reaching out to touch Noah’s arm when he glared ahead of him. “Noah. You need to talk to him. Fight for him! You still love him, right?”
“Course I do.” Noah uttered when he felt Allison’s hand squeeze his arm.
“Then you need to let him know it. He probably thinks you don’t love him anymore. I know you had that blowup before the accident. But you can make it right. Let him know you still love him. This thing with Dr. Oliver…it’s probably just a fling. He’ll come right back to you when he knows that you still care.”
Noah nodded and thanked Allison, but when he heard Allison leave him to his thoughts, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. So Luke and Dr. Oliver. He knew Luke, better than anyone else. He wouldn’t randomly hook up with anyone, he just wasn’t that type. Which meant that he had known Dr. Oliver before. And if that was the case…Dr. Reid Oliver was the man that Luke had been involved with in Texas. He wasn’t a fling…he had been engaged to him.
The thought made his blood boil, that his doctor was the very man that he’d had to drag his boyfriend from, make Luke come back home. He was here. In Oakdale! With Luke, and they were still carrying on! That couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. He was going to stop this, one way or another.
******
While he was in Texas, the time he’d spent with Luke had seemed to fly. Four months together had come and gone like the passing of a few days. In Oakdale, the days had seemed to crawl, which Reid didn’t mind, one little bit. While the time passed slow and sweet, he could enjoy things more. The hospital, while he’d grumbled about how slow and outdated it was, was strangely enjoyable. The patients seemed to enjoy his work, even when he wasn’t digging into a brain to save lives. Bob seemed to like him around, and there were a few nurses here and there that he liked. The leaky one--Luke had told him repeatedly that her name was Gretchen--had been an interesting addition to the nurses. While she cried at the drop of a hat, she also seemed quite efficient in her work, and didn’t have to be reminded or told twice, which was good for him while he did his job.
He had a roommate, a small, flighty, emotion-filled bumblebee by the name of Katie. Cousin by marriage to Luke, but just as big with the smiles. He had never thought that he would enjoy living with someone, but when the young widow with the cute little germ-breeder of a kid had offered her place out of the kindness of her heart when he‘d expressed the disdain of staying in a hotel, he had decided to give it a shot. It seemed that Snyders were just that sort of giving. She was emotional, but strong, funny and sweet. Luke adored her, and his little second cousin, and he was over a lot, which tickled Katie, since she teased him constantly about doing things she wouldn’t do, or when she didn’t have a camera.
And of course, there was time spent with Luke, a marked difference when they were living in the same town, Luke‘s hometown. Luke often came by the hospital to share lunches with him, and if Reid was too busy, Luke brought food for him, which Reid could’ve loved him forever for. He’d developed a second, but smaller love for Al’s Diner, and the heavenly food Luke brought from there, when they couldn’t eat together. And Emma Snyder…he finally had the pleasure of meeting Luke’s family. Emma, the matriarch of the Snyder family, was so welcoming to him, that Reid had felt a lump in his throat, the first time in meeting her when the woman had welcomed him with a hug. And her cooking; he’d teased that if he wasn’t sort of crazy about Luke, he would’ve married the woman. He was still a little iffy about Lily, Luke’s mother, and sort of awkward around Luke’s little siblings, but he did like Holden. For being raised up in the city life, he liked hanging out on the farm with Luke, especially the Snyder pond. Where else could he enjoy the sight of Luke in swim trunks so freely?
While he waited for Noah to heal enough so he could operate, he could enjoy life in the little town that Time forgot. He could make friends. Or frenemies, considering Henry Coleman. He could eat good food, and make a little niche for himself in a place so different from Dallas, it was like coming home. But for the unpleasantness of Mr. Mayer, and the glares of a nurse named Allison, it was almost idyllic, really.
Which was why he shouldn’t have been surprised when it all blew up in his face. Just when things were looking perfect, something had to happen. It was Murphy’s Law.
“This can’t be right.” he protested as Noah huffed softly, crossing his arms over his chest. The younger man’s head was bandaged, from the operation that he had finally gotten to give to Mr. Mayer, he came through with flying colors. “All the signs were pointing to a successful recovery. No problems, no complications, nothing. I stitched you back up, everything is in order.”
“But it isn’t, is it?” Noah sneered bitterly, glaring down somewhere around the vicinity of the bedcovers as he held Luke’s hand in his, who looked horrified. “It didn’t turn out like you thought it did. I still can’t see. You did something wrong, didn’t you, Dr. Oliver? You failed. Your reputation doesn’t precede you after all.”
Luke drew a breath, prompting Reid to gaze at him, stunned. “Maybe there was…something you forgot?” he asked carefully, his eyes wide and his expression worried. “Some…procedure, or…something?”
“There was nothing…I’m sure I got all of it.” Reid replied, sputtering as he gazed at the worry, and a darkening of doubt in Luke’s eyes. “Believe me, L--Mr. Snyder. I know my work. There must be something…”
“Yeah, something called you’re not as big as you boast.” Noah retorted, glancing in his general area. “I can’t see. You did something! I’m going to sue you.”
Bob, standing worriedly at the corner of the hospital room that Noah had been recovering in for the past few days, stepped forward. “Now, Noah, there is no need for that. Perhaps just with a few days of bed rest--”
“I know what I know, Dr. Hughes!” Noah snapped, gritting his teeth. “The fact of the matter is, he didn’t do his job. I can sue his pants off for malpractice. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time for you, would it, Dr. Oliver?”
The truth was, that it wasn’t. He’d nearly dodged a bullet several times in getting sued. For such a simple operation, he didn’t know how it could go so wrong, so fast. “Mr. Mayer, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Noah growled, the wires hooked up to his vitals beeping frenetically. “I want to see Tom Hughes, Dr. Hughes. I want to sue Dr. Oliver. Now!”