The Important Parts, Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Reid had been so engrossed in Luke that he had no idea how long Alec had even been standing there.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” said Alec. It took all Reid’s will power to refrain from saying, “Of course you do.”
“Who’s your friend?” asked Alec.
Oh Christ, he’s going to try to pretend he doesn’t know who Luke is. Fan-freaking-tastic. “This is Luke, as you well know. Luke, meet Alec.” Alec gave Reid a quick glare.
“Nice to meet you, Alec,” said Luke genially.
“Likewise. I hear you used to date Jude for a few months,” Alec said, somehow making ‘date’ sound like some teenagery and trivial affair. “I’ve been in a relationship with him for the past year.”
Reid glared at Alec to get him to stop, but Alec was totally focused on the younger man. Luke, for his part, only felt a brief moment of dismay but immediately rallied when he realized that Alec was trying to bait him. It occurred to Luke that there was little chance this guy meant much to Reid. If he did, he would not be there trying to claim Reid as his territory. Luke knew one thing: when Reid wanted you, he made you feel secure.
Luke slowly made an obvious examination of Alec, perusing him from his brown leather shoes to the top of his blonde head. Then, smiling mischievously, he turned toward Reid and said, “Nice taste, but I wouldn’t have thought you’d turn me in for an older model.”
Reid almost laughed, feeling charmed that this man was able to stand up for himself. And okay, thought Reid, the physical resemblance between the two is really weird.
Alec was still spluttering when Reid finally said to Luke, “Alec is here to make sure you haven’t declared your undying love to me. Would you please tell him so he can leave?”
Mimicking Reid’s tone of voice perfectly, Luke looked up at Alec and proclaimed, “I haven’t declared my undying love for Reid.” Luke then winked at Alec when he was sure Reid would not see it.
“He-he-“ Alec pointed at Luke but could not think of anything to say that would not make him sound like an idiot. Luke’s smile slightly widened.
Reid rolled his eyes. “Go back to work, Alec. You’ve seen what you wanted. I’ll talk to you later.”
Glaring at Luke, but not knowing what to say without angering Reid, Alec nodded. He knew he was pushing his luck with Reid by having showed up at all. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said pointedly and left.
Luke, seeming completely unperturbed, divulged, “So, a couple of years ago, I tried dating a few jerks. I thought that maybe that was my ‘type.’ No offense. Casey called it my ‘Great Crusade to Get Some Asses.’ It turns out none of them were you so it didn’t work out. One of the dates was so bad that I had Casey show up pretending to be my jealous boyfriend. He really hates it when he has to do that.” Luke grinned at the last thought.
Secretly, however, he was worrying about Alec a lot more than he showed. He had not really considered how much of a life Reid may have carved out for himself here in the past five years. Even if Reid were not very serious about this guy, Alec was evidence that Reid had a history here. He may not want to give it up. Hell, Reid might be happier now here than he would be if agreed to try again with Luke. Was Luke selfless enough to want Reid happy at any personal cost? Let’s hope I don’t have to find out.
Luke breathed in and asked a safe question, but one that was vital. “So how did you end up being called Jude Mitchell?”
“I was wondering when you’d ask that. I woke up in the hospital and the doctors and nurses were calling me that. This was the hospital in Michigan, the one before they transferred me here.”
“I didn’t know you were in Michigan.”
Reid leaned against the table on his elbows. “I was told it was the closest hospital to the accident. I was there a week to get me stable, but in retrospect, I suppose it could have been longer. I was not very lucid.”
“How did they know your name?”
“They said they got it from my driver’s license. I only saw it once I was in New York. It was Indiana-issued.”
“Did they call you that from the very first day?”
“I don’t know. Maybe not. I was under the influence of a lot of painkillers and I don’t have clear memories of the time.”
Luke was focusing intensely upon Reid’s face. He needed the answers to these questions if he was ever going to find out what had happened the day of the accident and all that followed. He continued, “What about the rest of your identity. How did they know to send you here?”
“I had about a box’s worth of personal effects in my car. They did not tell me at first that I was traveling to New York, although there were employment papers in the box to that effect. I have to wonder now if they got that information from the box or from something else. I never saw that box until I arrived here.”
“What else was in it?”
“A Cambridge yearbook with my picture in it. I’ll have to look at that again rather closely. My birth certificate, social security number, a few childhood pictures, diplomas, and a copy of my resume that went with the employment documents.”
“Someone was thorough. What about your clothes and furniture?”
“A moving van brought my furniture and clothes to my apartment, but there was not really anything personal in it.” Reid leaned slightly forward, and said, “You do realize that it is absolutely insane to think that someone could fake so many documents, particularly in such a short time.”
“You clearly don’t remember Oakdale.”
“If that passes as something normal, then I don’t want to.”
Luke saw the opportunity, took in a breath, and pronounced, “Reid, I think you should come there for awhile.”
“Who goes where now?”
“You to Oakdale, just for awhile. Let’s see if it jogs your memory.” Let’s see if history can repeat itself, he thought to himself.
Reid shook his head and said bluntly, “Luke, that’s not going to happen. I haven’t gotten these memories back after five years, I doubt seeing this town of yours is going to change that.”
“First, I haven’t given up on your memories. Second, it’s not all about that. It’s about seeing the people that love you. Katie, Bob, and even Chris will want to see you, hug you, and talk to you. They love you for you, not for your memories. Plus, I’d think you’d be curious about the neurology wing.”
“Trying to tempt me with neuro-technology isn’t going to work,” said Reid, knowing Luke’s game. “Frankly, I don’t know these people. I get that you say that they care for me, but I don’t know them. I lived there for what, nine months? Even with memories, that would be a small blip on my radar.”
Luke reached out and placed his hand on Reid’s forearm. “Reid, you’re wrong. I understand why you’d feel that way. But, you’re wrong, so wrong. They’re your family. I’m your family. You may not remember us, but I do and I have every single day for the past five years.” He felt his emotions starting to get the better of him and he futilely tried to regain control. This issue was too important to have Reid summarily dismiss it.
“Look, you’ve made your argument and I get it. I’m just not interested. I decided after speaking to you yesterday that we should part ways after today. I’m perfectly satisfied with my life here. You can go back to your life and I’ll go back to mine. If you ever find out who created my identity, you can shoot me an email.”
“So that’s it then? You’re not interested even if it hurts the people who love you?” Luke asked with a raised voice.
“What part of ‘I don’t know these people’ do you not understand? I don’t know you. And truthfully, none of you really know me. I’m not turning my life upside down so that a bunch of small town busybodies can take a very short trip down memory lane.”
“You’re judging them without even knowing them. And what about your life here? Are there people in it who love you?” Luke’s question was answered with silence. “No? Why am I not surprised, doctor? Is it your job keeping you here? We have the best facility in Oakdale, so that can’t be the reason. I’m sure Memorial would give you privileges for as long as you would like.” Luke felt the pool of restraint he had been relying upon quickly dripping away.
Reid interrupted angrily at this point, “Look, I don’t have to answer to you. You show up after five years saying ‘I’m Luke Snyder. I’m here to rescue you,’ and suggest I should just shut down my life so you and a bunch of townies can feel better about yourselves. You act like nine months spent in your tiny town was some monumental moment in my life. But guess what? I don’t remember it or you and I’m not going to. I have no interest whatsoever in rediscovering that part of my past. So leave me the hell alone.”
“You have no interest in trying to rediscover it or rediscovering it, Reid? Those are two different things and I’m wondering which one it is that you really don’t want to do. Are you afraid of something, Reid?“
“It’s Jude,” the doctor said through his teeth.
“Whatever. Are you scared? Is that it? Are you afraid of finding out that what I say might be true? Does it make you so uncomfortable to think of yourself as having a real life and a family that you’d rather run from it?” Luke emotions were bordering on riotous. He knew his response was out of proportion to Reid’s and that he would have later chances to convince him. But, the doctor’s attitude was so cold that it infuriated Luke, enraged him to the point where he knew he would say something regrettable. Even though Luke was not really surprised by Reid’s feelings, he was still angry.
“How can I be running from anything,” Reid asked, “if I’m just standing my ground right here?”
“Semantics won’t distract me, and I’m not letting you get away without going to Oakdale.”
“I don’t see how you can make me do anything. Let me be clear, I’m not going to see you after today, Mr. Snyder. If need be, I can have you banned from the hospital.”
The threat of Reid banning Luke from his presence was all that was necessary to make what was left of Luke’s rationality evaporate into the air. Gone was Marcus and Luke’s plan. Gone was Luke’s desire to keep Reid calm. All that was left was Luke’s burning desire to keep Reid with him at all costs. No one, not Reid nor anyone else, would keep Luke from Reid again. The doctor was coming to Oakdale whether he liked it or not. Luke was not going to be selfless when it came to Reid, not after all that had happened.
Forgetting all pretense of not having deep feelings for Reid, Luke said, “You can’t just dismiss me. You were ripped from me once and I have no intention of letting you go now.” He stood up and walked around the table. Placing one hand on the doctor’s shoulder, he bent low, making his breath harsh against Reid’s ear. “You may have given up, but I haven’t. One thing that you don’t remember about me Reid is that I’m very good at getting my own way.”
Reid whipped his head to the side, catching Luke’s heated stare. “What does that mean?” he asked, starting to feel alarmed and clinging to Luke’s last statement. He did not even begin to want to think about the rest of what was said.
“It means you’re coming to Oakdale. Here’s my number when you change your mind,” he said, pulling a business card from his wallet and standing up straight to leave.
“I’m not changing my mind.”
“We’ll see about that, Reid.”
“It’s Jude, and we won’t be seeing anything of each other,” Reid called after Luke’s retreating form. As he watched Luke leave, he wondered apprehensively what the younger man intended to do.