Consult (2/14)
“Make yourself at home here, Dr. Oliver,” Lucinda Walsh said, the tone of her voice making her sound more like a commanding general than a welcoming hostess. “My driver will be at your disposal.”
Reid looked around the guest house. It would do.
“Thank you, Ms. Walsh.”
“Anything to get my daughter the care she deserves.”
He turned to look at the woman, and they held each other’s gaze for a few beats. For the first time in ages, Reid actually felt intimidated. The older woman gave him a small smile then - or bared her teeth, perhaps. Then she turned, leaving Reid alone. He dropped his suitcase on the floor and looked around the room again.
It was minimally but tastefully decorated. Reid walked around the room, familiarizing himself with his home away from home. When Bob Hughes had called him back and said that his patient’s mother had offered him a house to stay in, Reid had been shocked, to say the least. When he returned to Oakdale though, this time on a private jet, and saw the grounds of Lucinda Walsh’s estate, Luke’s offer of payment started to make more sense. Blue bloods with silver spoons in their mouths, for sure. Not used to being turned down or not getting what they want.
Reid ignored the thrill that went through him as he wondered what else Luke Snyder might want from him. Too young, he thought. Too young. He was a grown man, and he’d been with plenty of amazing lovers. What the hell did he want with a no-doubt completely inexperienced boy?
Reid groaned as he thought about how much fun it would be to give Luke Snyder some experience.
Reid shook his head quickly. He was here to operate and nothing more. Just one more success story for his reputation. His professional reputation, that is. Another notch on the - shit.
Reid grabbed the key Lucinda had given him and walked out of the house. Surely this town had someplace to get a drink.
**
“Grandmother?” Luke called out as he knocked on her open office door. No sign of life. Luke scowled. He had just wanted to know if Dr. Oliver had arrived.
Because he was worried about his mother. No other reason.
Luke crossed the few steps to the desk and pulled a notepad closer to him. He’d leave a note, asking her to call him. He guessed that was the only thing he could do. Holden was at the hospital at the moment, so Luke was avoiding it. Things were getting tenser between them by the day.
Luke looked around for a pen, finally spotting one on top of a file folder. He reached out, pausing suddenly when he saw the name on the tab. Reid Oliver, M.D.
Luke glanced around quickly, listening to see if anyone was approaching the office. The coast seemed clear, so Luke flipped the cover open. There was a business card from a private investigator (Discreet and Professional) clipped inside; Luke raised his eyebrows, shaking his head at his grandmother’s usual tactics. Then he focused on the information inside.
There was a cover page, summarizing the findings, and Luke skimmed it quickly. He grinned at the first entry: junior champion, National Chess League, ages 9 through 12. Luke couldn’t help but picture Dr. Oliver as a child, probably somewhat quiet and antisocial and apparently quite nerdy.
Graduated high school with honors at 16 (skipped grades 5 and 8), the summary continued. Honors B.S. from Harvard at 19, biological sciences and pre-med tracks. M.D. from Harvard Medical School at 23, top of the class. Hired at Dallas after he finished his residency at Johns Hopkins. Since the beginning of this year, has been the primary surgeon in over 20 successful operations and published 7 single author and 5 co-author articles in leading journals. Three additional operations this year resulted in death, all cleared as unavoidable by the morbidity and mortality review board. By all accounts, a genius (and knows it).
Luke sat down, exhaling slowly. No way was this guy going to look twice at a 16-year-old high school kid. Not that it mattered. Luke only wanted him to fix his mom, that was it. And from this, it seemed like he was the perfect man for the job. And yet, Luke continued reading.
Personal: Mother Susan, educational specialist, children’s book author, has served as consultant on primary education curriculum to state and federal officials. Father, George, full Professor, MIT Physics department. Sister Carol (9 years older), deceased at age 14. Note: inoperable brain tumor.
Luke lowered the file folder, feeling guilty. He shouldn’t know this. This was private. He felt disgusted with his grandmother for seeking this out and with himself for reading it. Dr. Oliver had a right to his secrets. Even if they helped Luke maybe understand him better. And yet he couldn’t stop. Almost against his will, Luke flipped to the next page and felt all the breath leave his body at once.
Personal, cont’d.: Single, openly gay.
He slammed the folder shut, refusing to read anymore.
And it was just in time. He heard footsteps approaching, and Luke stood up quickly. He returned the file to the desk, reaching out again hurriedly to turn it to the correct angle. He grabbed the pen and pretended he just started writing the note.
“Oh, Luke!”
He looked up. “Grandmother! You’re here. I was just leaving you a note. Did Dr. Oliver get here?”
“Yes, he’s all settled in. Are you feeling well, darling?” Lucinda asked, circling the desk and standing next to Luke. Luke took several steps back. “You’re rather flushed.”
“I’m fine,” Luke said quickly. “I…should go check on Mom and then get home.”
He nearly ran out of the office, heading straight for the elevator. Once inside, he pressed the button to the lobby and collapsed against the back wall. He closed his eyes, exhaling shakily. In front of his mind’s eye floated the words: Single, openly gay.
**
Reid walked around, learning more about the town he would be living in for the next few weeks. There wasn’t much to learn. He had two glasses of soda at Yo’s and reviewed their beer selection in case he wanted to return later in the evening. There was a coffee shop and a couple other small stores in what Reid assumed must be the “downtown” section of Oakdale. He spotted an Al’s Diner ahead and quickly stifled a grin. Exactly what he was looking for.
It was well past the lunch hour, so the restaurant was fairly dead. Two women - one older with gray hair and a younger blonde - sat in the corner, but there were no other customers. A waitress behind the counter nodded at Reid in greeting. Reid turned and slid into the booth next to the door, pulling a menu from the clip next to the condiments.
“I wonder who that is.”
Reid tilted his head slightly at the voice that softly carried over to him. He then heard someone shift in her seat, apparently turning around.
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Cute.”
“Katie.”
“What? I’m single. At the moment.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I’m eternally optimistic, Kim. There’s a difference.”
Reid rolled his eyes, tuning out the conversation and focusing back on the menu in front of him.
**
Luke walked cautiously down the hospital corridor. It was about 5:00 so he was fairly certain his dad was eating dinner at home to spend some time with the girls. He peeked in Lily’s room just to be sure, then he took a deep breath and opened the door. He hoped his presence wouldn’t cause any problems this time.
Luke made his way slowly to the bed and sat down. He reached out, placing his palm over the back of Lily’s hand.
“Hi Mom,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Sorry I haven’t been here the last couple days. Things have been kind of weird between Dad and me. Not that you should worry about that, OK, so forget I said anything. We’re just all…really upset about you and want you to wake up.”
Luke swallowed, blinking rapidly as he looked away. He exhaled slowly. “There’s a doctor in town who’s going to operate on you. He thinks it might help, and he’s probably right. He’s really good, Mom. The best. He’s kind of - mean. Although I guess it’s more that he’s direct. Up-front, you know? He doesn’t hold back any punches, which maybe is a good thing. Someone that confident probably has a reason to be, so I hope he’s right about you.”
He’s cute, Luke continued in his head. Not that I’m going to tell anyone I think so. Especially not you, because I don’t want to cause you any more stress or pain. But God, he’s cute. I shouldn’t even be thinking about it, not with you in here because of me, because of…this. I can’t stop myself though. It almost - this feels like a good secret. Something to keep to myself while I just…enjoy and explore these feelings, for a change. And after keeping so many bad secrets and feeling so ashamed and scared all the time, it’s - it’s nice.
Luke shook his head, focusing on his mom again. “Mom, please. I’m not mad at you anymore. I was just really scared. I know you love me, even if you can’t - can’t accept - ” Luke ducked his head, lifting his free hand to quickly wipe at his eyes. “God, I hope he’s right. You need to wake up.”
**
After his late lunch, Reid headed back to the house. He had managed to clear his head for a while and was starting to feel less like a pedophile. Now he just needed to maintain his focus and his priorities. He was here for a surgery. He was here to be a doctor.
He turned the corner and immediately ran into someone shopping at the outside rack of a small fashion shop. It was the blonde woman from the diner, and Reid couldn’t help but wonder if the encounter was entirely an accident.
“Excuse me,” he said, feigning sincerity.
“That’s quite all right,” the woman said, smiling widely.
Reid attempted to step around her. She reached out and grabbed his arm.
“As long as I have you here, could I ask your opinion?”
Reid sighed. “What?”
She held up two similar tops. “Blue or red?”
“Work or play?” Reid replied succinctly.
She grinned in a way Reid imagined would work wonders on a straight man. “Play.”
“Red. It’s sluttier.”
She laughed coyly. “Not sure that’s the message I want to send.”
“Isn’t it? Could have fooled me.”
The woman narrowed her eyes slightly. “You’re rather rude, aren’t you?”
“You’re the one wasting my time.”
The smile was completely gone now. The woman fell back, crossing her arms. “Don’t let me keep you,” she said tersely.
Reid nodded once, then kept walking. Halfway down the block, he glanced over his shoulder. The woman had forced both tops back on the rack and was now walking quickly in the other direction. Reid smirked. Maybe this town had its moments of entertainment.
Continued
A/N: Heh, OK. The only thing I've really heard about Katie pre-Brad/Jacob was that she could be rather...tenacious when she was after a guy, so hopefully I'm not going too overboard with that. I know this is before Brad, but I'm not sure if she was single at this time period. We're going to pretend she is, because I just love the idea of her setting her sights on Reid.