Fabrication (5/27)
“Ah, Reid. Good morning.”
Reid half-turned as he walked down the hall to his temporary office. “Bob,” he replied.
“Settling in?”
“Just fine,” Reid said, looking at Bob suspiciously. He knew the older man wanted something. Bob tapped the file folder in his hand against his leg as they continued down the hall. Reid rolled his eyes. “What you got there, Bob?” he asked pointedly.
“Oh, this?” Bob asked. “Just the plans for the neuro wing.”
What a coincidence, Reid thought.
“The board is meeting today,” Bob explained. “We’ve had recommendations from Roberts and a couple other neurologists as to what’s needed. But it’s hard to figure out what the real priorities should be.”
“Huh,” Reid replied, playing along.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to - ”
Reid sighed, holding out his hand. Bob gave him the folder and turned away.
“You think I don’t know what you’re up to?” Reid called after him.
“No idea what you mean,” Bob replied, waving behind him.
“Right,” Reid muttered.
**
This always happened. Reid knew, he knew, when Bob Hughes was playing him. Reid wasn’t an idiot. And yet, he just couldn’t stop himself. Reid was, frankly, disgusted with himself as he reread the notes he had made on the neuro wing project. He had struck out some suggestions that were pointless, added some new things, and made a list of companies they should consider contacting for instruments and other equipment that weren’t quite available to most people yet. But the problem was it now looked pretty tempting. And he knew he was still a good ten years away from getting a department like this at Dallas.
Reid fell back in his seat, rubbing at his eyes. Then he smirked, leaning forward to add some pipe dreams he had restrained himself on earlier. Endowed chair with total autonomy over staff, supply and budgets, as well as annual research and discretional funding in addition to salary and benefits. Fund for uninsured patients and those who need to travel. A team to focus primarily on children with terminal illnesses.
Reid put his pen down with a smile. The Money would balk at all of that, even if the board defied all expectations and approved it. And so he’d be justified in turning down the position when Bob got around to officially offering it to him. He checked his watch. Just in time for the board meeting.
**
Luke walked into the conference room, the last one there as usual (but the only non-hospital employee on the board, so he had an excuse, at least). The last open seat was right across the table from Reid. Luke focused on the floor as he walked to it, trying not to react, trying not to wonder furiously why he was even there in the first place.
“Morning, Luke.”
“Good morning, Dr. Hughes,” he replied, sitting down next to him. “Dr. Oliver,” he added softly.
“Mr. Snyder.”
“Let’s go ahead and get started. For those of you who don’t know, this is Dr. Reid Oliver, one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. Since we have him in town, I’ve asked him to review the proposal and make several suggestions. Take a look, and then we can discuss them.”
Bob handed out the photocopies of Reid’s notes, and the others in the room skimmed through them. It gave Reid an opportunity to look at Luke again, unnoticed. Luke placed an elbow on the table, covering his mouth with his hand as he read. His hair was shorter than it had been when he was younger, and he was dressing much nicer. The hint of muscles beneath his dress shirt suggested he was as athletic as ever. Luke furrowed his brow at something and then continued reading, withholding comment. Reid had a feeling he wouldn’t stay silent for long.
“This is very ambitious, Dr. Oliver,” Dr. Roberts observed.
Reid shrugged. “If you want the number one neuro facility in the Midwest, you have to do it right.”
“We have to be realistic here,” a doctor in the corner said. “I can see wanting the equipment, but the needy-patient funding? The children’s specialists?”
“Part of attracting patients comes from offering a...full service. Things they can’t get elsewhere.”
“You say that,” Luke said, and Reid turned to look at him, “but you want to get rid of the private lounges.”
Luke looked up and they held each other’s gaze. Finally, Reid spoke. “Lounges are a waste of valuable space, and you need every inch.”
“It’s about treating the whole patient, Doctor. That includes their family. And for what - lab space? This hospital already has a pathology lab; why build another one?”
“Because if I’m - if a doctor is in someone’s skull, and they need lab results, every second counts. The shorter the distance to the lab…”
“Fine, but that - ”
Bob lifted a hand to politely interrupt. “Let’s debate the merits of these two ideas later. Reid, I think your suggestions are wonderful. In a perfect world, I think we’d probably sign off on them right away. But they are somewhat cost-prohibitive.”
Reid shrugged, inwardly smirking at the success of his plan.
“Oh, who cares?” Luke asked. “If it’s what the neuro wing needs, then Dr. Oliver’s right. We go for the best.”
Reid turned to look at Luke, startled. Before he could comment again, Bob spoke up.
“Luke, Henry’s and your donations are already stretched to the limit in terms of construction and staffing. This is…quite a lot more. And an endowment? To establish this kind of position, at the salary level required, would mean - ”
“Bob, the foundation will cover your expenses. And if not, Grimaldi Shipping will make up the difference. We need to, ah, improve our image within the community.”
Reid stared at Luke in surprise, his stomach dropping as his strategy backfired. He wished he’d known Luke was a financial backer. Because of course he would find Reid’s dream features more than feasible. They were the exact kind of do-gooding that would match Luke’s ideal vision of a small-town hospital, and Luke never was the type of person to take no for an answer. For most things.
**
Reid lingered as he walked out of the conference room. This had nothing to do with the fact that Bob and Luke were still chatting. Nothing. Reid put his hands in his pockets, strolling down the hall aimlessly.
“What’s so bad about family lounges?”
Reid fought a smile as he turned back around.
“Why is it so important to you?”
Luke caught up to him, and they both continued walking. Luke didn’t speak for a moment, then he informed Reid, “They were my idea.”
Reid inhaled through his nose, nodding his head. “Of course they were.”
Luke stopped abruptly, turning to face Reid. “What’s that mean?”
“Nothing,” Reid said, shrugging. “I just forgot how cloyingly, obnoxiously naïve you can be.”
Luke scoffed, trying not to read too much into the way Reid’s eyes flicked towards his lips at the sound. “I forgot how rude and condescending you can be.”
“Admit it,” Reid said, bending forward slightly and winking at Luke. “You missed it.”
Luke closed his eyes for a moment, his hands on his hips as he fought his initial response - which was somewhere between punching and kissing Reid. “This is stupid,” he finally said.
“What is?” Reid asked, shaking his head.
“You and me! We act all weird around each other, and then the first time we actually talk, we’re fighting in less than five minutes.”
“That doesn’t seem that unusual to me.”
“Yeah, because you don’t have people skills, but it’s not how the rest of the world interacts.”
Reid stared at him until Luke sighed and shook his head.
“Let’s just agree to…put whatever happened in the past behind us - ”
“Nothing happened between us.”
“No, I know - I know,” Luke replied awkwardly. “I just meant…let’s just try to get along. For Noah’s sake, if nothing else.”
“Right,” Reid intoned. Then he took a deep breath and looked at his hands. “So let’s go get a cup of coffee. You can sell me on these family rooms.”
Luke started walking again, forcing himself to sound neither giddy nor bitter as he replied. (Luke abhorred the confusing emotions that Reid caused in him.)
“I don’t need to sell you on anything. The wing has nothing to do with you. I’m sure you’ll be long gone before it even becomes an issue.”
**
“So,” Reid said in an overly cheerful voice. “It’s been six years. What have you been up to?”
Luke glanced up from the coffee he was preparing. “Really? That’s your conversation starter?”
“Like you said, no people skills.”
Luke smirked, focusing on his coffee again. “You first,” he said.
Reid tapped his fingers against the table. “Working.”
After several beats, Luke looked up again. “And?”
Reid shrugged.
“Wow,” Luke mouthed, then added, “Not that I’m surprised.”
“So - your turn.”
Luke took a sip of his coffee, swallowing it before he continued. “Well, there was high school which was, I don’t know, I imagine it was just your typical gay kid’s high school experience. Typical for Oakdale, anyway. When I graduated, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, so I made a deal with my grandmother to try college for a year. I ended up going to Oakdale U for two years, but it wasn’t for me, in the end. So Grandmother lent me her plane for six months. I traveled a lot, had some adventures, met people. And then I got back to Oakdale just in time to watch Damian get handcuffed and led off to prison. He left me in charge of his shipping company, which I couldn’t turn down - too many people would lose their jobs. And he also signed over my trust, but I turned that around into the Snyder Foundation. And here we are.”
“Something tells me you left a lot out of that little story.”
“This is Oakdale!” Luke responded, laughing. “It’s the abridged version or else we’d still be here when this place closed.”
“Fair enough,” Reid said with a smile.
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Reid looked away. “So when did you meet Noah?”
Luke flashed him a confused expression. “Noah? High school.”
“And you’ve been together ever since?”
“I…guess. What - “
“He waited for you during your trip and everything?”
Luke laughed. “Noah’s not my boyfriend,” he said emphatically.
Reid lifted his head, looking at him again, his expression unreadable. Luke suddenly realized how that denial could be interpreted, and his heart started pounding. Fortunately (or unfortunately), they were interrupted before he could try to talk his way back from it.
“There you are! We’re supposed to meet that landlord, remember?”
Both men turned to look at the new arrival.
“Casey’s my boyfriend,” Luke blurted.
Continued