Forces of Nature - Chapter Twelve
County of Oakdale Soup Kitchen A.K.A. "The COSK"
Thursday, December 31st 10:30am - LUKE
As you walk from your car up the driveway of the COSK you notice how different today is from Christmas Day. It is calm and clear. The sun is beating down, glistening off the snow and giving it a sparkly effect. It is freezing cold, but something about the serenity around you takes the chill out of the air.
You walk up to the door and try to remember that you are here because there are so many people who have so much less than you. That you have no business feeling sorry for yourself about someone who so obviously isn’t worth your time or affection. But before you even get through that front door you have a flashback. A memory of answering that same door and seeing a man who took your breath away.
Suddenly, you feel like you are being flooded with memories. Memories of a rude and arrogant man who offended and berated you and everyone around you. And how he amused you. Memories of a man in a hairnet, apron and surgical scrubs leaning over a little girl and stroking her head, calming her, and of how beautiful he looked. Memories of a man bragging as he built a sandwich big enough to feed a half dozen people. Of a man who was locked away with you. Who took care of you and listened to you and opened up to you. A man who made you laugh and made you feel desired. A man who made you feel like you mattered and who kissed you like he knew your soul.
You shake your head. This has to stop. Reid had proven himself to be a liar. It wasn’t an act. He really is an arrogant prick. You have to make yourself believe that. He’s not interested in you. He has plans with someone else. You don’t really know him. You never really knew Reid and now it’s time to erase all of those memories. Only you aren’t sure you can. You aren’t sure you want to.
You hang your jacket up on the coat rack thinking you’re not dressed properly for the soup kitchen. You are wearing a new designer shirt and pants which feel snug in all the right places. You had wanted to look so good for Reid. You wanted him to remember how much he wanted you. You chuckle to yourself, suddenly wishing you were wearing jeans and an old tee shirt.
You look around and see things are in full swing. The usual volunteers are here and you are starting to feel a little guilty for getting here so late. You are walking over to grab an apron when you see Betty.
"Good morning Betty," you say tying an apron around your waist. "Sorry I’m so late. What can I do to help?"
Betty has a big smile on her face. "Not a problem, Luke. This is a good day for our patrons and their families. A very good day, indeed. We’re pretty good here in the kitchen, but I think they could use a hand in the back of the dining hall." She winks and nods her head.
You are confused. "No one ever uses that back area. Except maybe to look for something in that storage closet. What’s going on?"
"Just go on back. I know they are looking for a volunteer back there, and with what you are wearing, I don’t think the kitchen is the place for you today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lookin’ so hot, Luke. Big date tonight?" She winks at you again.
"I thought maybe...Anyway, what’s going on here?" There seems to be more activity than usual for this time of day.
She gives you a little shove and you walk into the dining area. Then you see it. Over in the back corner of the building, near the storage closet. It looks to be a make-shift health clinic. There is a free standing, accordion room divider. In front of that is a long table. Under the table are three rolling carts, each with three drawers. They appear to be filled with medical supplies. On top of the table you see a lap top and several clip boards next to a cup of pens. In the corner is a pamphlet holder filled with different brochures. There are also some basic examination tools, such as a thermometer and blood pressure cuff. You see four chairs lining the wall and two next to the table.
As you step over to see if you can get a peek behind the room divider two small bodies emerge and come running toward you.
Andy charges at you, hugs your legs and then backs up. "Luke! Look what I got! It’s a Phineas and Ferb sticker!" He holds up the big round sticker to show you. "Nurse Gretchen gave it to me because Dr. Liver...I mean, Dr. Reid...he said I was good and healthy. We had fun," he tells you all in one breath.
You smile at him and wish you could figure out just what the hell is going on. "That’s great Andy. Um, where is Dr. Oli...Dr. Reid?"
"He’s back there. And look Amy got..." Andy starts.
Amy shoves him, "I can tell Luke myself, And-y. Dr. Reid says I’m all better and maybe I should stay off of stools. He’s silly. I got Sponge Bob and Patrick!" She holds up her sticker. "Dr. Reid told us to call him that because he said we’re busy nose partners now, I think that’s a old person’s way of saying he wants to be friends. Oh, and Dr. Reid’s mommy must have told him to get dressed today, because he’s not wearing his important doctor jammies anymore." You smile because Amy is talking so fast you can’t get a word in, and she is the animated little girl you love. Amy holds her arms up. You lift her up and give her a hug.
"Come on, Amy! Let’s show Mommy!" Andy is grabbing at her leg. You put her down, laughing. You ruffle Andy’s hair, your eyes following the children as they run off with their stickers. Then, as you turn your head back, you see him.
You suddenly freeze and then gasp for air. He is definitely not in scrubs today. You start walking toward him determined to stay expressionless. He is wearing tight black jeans and a black crew neck sweater under a lab coat that has his name embroidered on it. He looks more gorgeous than you remember.
He walks right up to you. "Hey Nurse Taylor, I see our volunteer is here. So nice of you to grace us with your presence, Mr. Snyder," he says without taking his eyes off you. Then he notices that you are wearing a kitchen apron. He walks behind you and unties it. "Oh, you won’t be using this."
"Betty told me that I should come back here." You feel confused and disoriented.
With that, you hear Betty’s voice behind you. "Ah, one man’s burden is another man’s good fortune, isn’t that right, Dr. Oliver?"
"Right you are, Betty." He is smirking at you.
"Here. You will be needing this." Gretchen walks over and hands Reid a freshly pressed lab coat.
He takes the white coat, walks behind you, slips one of your arms in it and then the other. You can’t believe he’s just dressing you. "What do think..." you start felling a bit unbalanced.
"Oh and this," he says as he takes a Santa Claus stocking cap from Gretchen and places it on your head. "For handing out stickers to the kiddies."
You sense that you’re starting to become unhinged. "I don’t know what game you’re playing here doctor, but I am not amused. Plus," and your voice gets quiet, "I worked a long time on my hair to get it to look like this."
"Personally, I think the cap adds a nice touch. Don’t you agree Betty? Nurse Taylor? Now you’re all set to assist me, Mr. Snyder. All day long."
You glare at him and answer sarcastically, "No good deed goes unpunished, isn’t that right Reid?"
Betty smiles and rubs your back. "You’ll be just fine Luke," she says and turns to go back to the kitchen.
Gretchen hands you a clip board. "Here, you’ll need this, too. It’s for health histories."
"You know, where you get to ask people a lot of questions? You excel in that, if I recall correctly," Reid says flatly.
You are still disoriented. You scratch your neck. "Okay. So here’s a question for you Dr. Oliver, since I’m so good at it. What the hell is going on here? What are you doing?"
"Technically that’s two questions. I assure you I know exactly what I’m doing. I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life." His eyes are running down your body as if he’s taking mental inventory, only in a very sensual way.
You need to stay focused. To get some answers. "Then why are you here? What is all this? Does your photographic memory include remembering you specifically asked me to meet you at your office this morning?"
"Of course. I thought we’d never get to that part." He frowns and the smug look returns. "The agreed upon meeting time was made quite clear to you. I don’t actually care why you didn’t show up to my office, except that my time is valuable and I will not waste it waiting for you or anyone else. Now, if we’re done with all that, I’d like to see you in my office."
"Wait, I can explain. I did show up...there’s a very good reason why..." you start, suddenly not so enraged.
"I’m not upset, Luke. You’re here now. So let’s just get started. This way." He takes you by the hand and leads you toward the storage closet.
As you walk to the other side of the accordion divider you see a hospital examination table and two chairs. There is a hole in the wall where it appears some plumbing has recently been installed. Reid unlocks the closet door and flicks on the light. The last time you had been in this room, it was dark and full of cleaning supplies, mops, brooms and cobwebs. Now it is well lit and sparkling clean. There are shelves lining one wall, mostly empty. There are hooks on the opposite wall and you see lab coats hanging on them. On the floor in the corner is a small refrigerator with a sign "for medical use only".
Someone has been very busy this week, you think. You wonder who is paying for all this.
"Reid..." you have so many questions. You feel like you still need to apologize.
"Luke," he answers. He shuts the door, turns the lock and pushes you up against it. He’s got one hand on either side of you, pressing you against the door while he thrusts his body into yours. His mouth is in you hair and the Santa cap falls to the ground.
You inhale him and his musky, masculine scent is making you feel lightheaded. He whispers into your hair, "Luciano. I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve been waiting for this." He brings his hands to cup your face and you slip yours inside his lab coat and rest them on his hips. His lips are on yours and you feel a warm rush go through you, starting at your mouth and moving right into your groin.
It seems like you’ve been an observer of your own life from the moment you walked into the COSK. Like you’ve been watching all these things happen without having any real control over any of it. And now all you can think of is how it feels to have Reid’s lips on your lips, his tongue probing the inside of your mouth and finding yours. You feel his body pressed against you and you can’t believe you waited almost a week to experience this again.
You want to ravage him right here. This kiss is slow and deliberate, his hands now cradling the back of your head. Something suddenly occurs to you. You break away from the kiss and pull back just a little. His hands are back on your face.
"Reid." You’re panting and trying to catch your breath. "We’re in a closet. You locked us in a closet."
"I prefer to think of it as my office, but I guess I can see how you’d mistake this place for a closet." He gives you a quick smile.
"I mean it. Not only are we in a confined space, but you locked the door? Aren’t you in the least bit concerned about getting stuck in here?"
"You talk too much." He is running his thumb down your chin and across your jaw. He leans in and kisses you again. You slip your hands behind his back, inside the lab coat and under his sweater. His back is soft and warm. "Uhmm...." He’s almost purring.
"At least tell me this," you say as you bring your mouth up to his ear. "Why didn’t you wait for me at the hospital this morning?"
He sighs and puts his hands on your shoulders, his face in front of yours. "So many questions. Okay. Here goes. I can handle this confined space because the inclination to kiss you greatly outweighs any space issues I may have. As far as the lock is concerned, we have nothing to worry about. I had it installed myself. If I’m going to store medical supplies in here, I need a good sturdy lock." He rolls his eyes and puts his hand in his pant pocket only to pull out a small ring with a key dangling off it. He holds it up saying, "Things like that don’t happen to me twice, unless I want them to, Luke. Of course, the set up here is temporary, but we’ll talk about all that later."
"Oh we will? Because I was prepared to never talk to you again. You still didn’t tell me why you gave up on me." You won’t let up.
"I didn’t give up on anything. The truth is we needed to get this place ready to open. I wanted the clinic to be up and running today. I knew you told Betty you would be here this morning, so I decided when you never showed up at my office, that I would take my chances on you being here. And now you are. So, I guess you could consider this a belated Christmas present, Luke. I opened up a free health clinic. For you. Rather, for the people who are getting screwed out of health care, of course. I want this to be yours...well, ours."
With a mischievous twinkle in his eye he looks up at you and you decide cute really works for him. "I’m really sorry about earlier. I wish you’d just let me explain. Why I was late, I mean. Wait. Did you say that you opened up this clinic for me?" you ask.
"No, I’m saying I did this because of you. Because you put the idea in my head and because I have the expertise and you can provide the resources," he states, in a matter of fact manner.
"Ah, so you’re using me for my money?"
"No. Yeah. You haven’t heard my proposal yet. We’ll talk later. We’ve got to go out and get this party started. You will stay and help, right? Because you look pretty fucking hot in that lab coat. Although, I have every intention of seeing you out of it very soon."
And with that he puts his arms around your neck and brushes his lips against yours. You shiver and open your mouth just slightly. He sneaks his tongue in and the kiss becomes intoxicating and intense. You can’t compare the feeling you get kissing Reid with anything you’ve ever experienced. And you are overwhelmed by the thought that he can’t seem to get enough of you. You decide it’s time to take control.
"Reid." You are trying to catch your breath. "We need to see each other outside of this building. I want to spend time with you. I want to make plans, and this time I won’t take no for an answer."
"You’re sexy when you get bossy, which is all of the time, by the way. Well, you still owe me dinner. A deal is a deal Mr. Snyder."
You want to see him tonight, but then you remember Bob telling you that Reid had requested time off. You wonder what he has planned. "Well, maybe one day when your not too busy..."
"Ha! If I’m not at work, I’m eating. What do you say we go out there and help some people. Then we’ll see about what you’re going to feed me. Unless you have plans tonight? It is New Years Eve, right?"
"Yes Doctor. It is New Years Eve. And no I don’t have plans. I’d love to buy you dinner...tonight."
"I like the way you think, Luciano. Okay, we need to get out of here. These walls are starting to close in on me." He grabs the Santa cap off the floor and flops it on your head. "Besides," he finishes. "I don't know how much longer we can be alone in here without me having my way with you."
You laugh and Reid pulls you away from the door. You exit the closet and find Gretchen busily tending to people who are waiting anxiously to see the doctor. You don’t know what you’d call the way you were feeling right now, but you do know you never want it to end.
County of Oakdale Soup Kitchen A.K.A. "The COSK" 5:00pm
There are still a room full of people waiting their turn to see Reid. You have officially closed the clinic for the day and are helping clean up and secure all supplies and equipment until Monday, when the clinic will re-open. You feel tired, yet exhilarated.
Even though you’ve hardly seen Reid all afternoon, just being in the same room with him excites you. Every now and then you would steal glances at him and are amazed with the way he is relating to these people. Yes, he is rude and gruff, but he is also honest and concerned. You think this entire community will benefit from having the expertise of Dr. Reid Oliver available to them. You are in awe of him.
At about 12:00 pm you had ordered food from a local deli and when it showed up at 1:00 pm you insisted that all the volunteers take a break and have some lunch. You sat down with Reid, Betty and Gretchen and they explained how this all had developed.
Reid told you that on Christmas day when you had described the circumstances of the people who live in this area, he decided that something needed to be done. He had called Betty and together they had set up a meeting which included Gretchen, two other nurses from the hospital, and Bob Hughes. Bob had suggested inviting Lucinda Walsh as she might be helpful in securing the funding this project would need.
Reid had said he didn’t want to call you because he was more interested in getting you involved in the neuro wing which he was still determined to make happen. He said he didn’t know at the time that Lucinda was your grandmother, although once he met her he saw exactly where you got your feistiness from. He thought that she was almost as bossy and annoying as you. Now, he told you, it appeared that you were going to be active in funding both projects. You rolled your eyes and asked him, "Who’s being feisty and bossy now?"
The group of them had put together a plan and began procuring the items they would need. Currently their were six nurses and four doctors who had all agreed to volunteer their time a few hours a week to come and work at the COSK health clinic. Lucinda had made a personal donation as had Reid, in order to get things up and running. You were impressed with the amount of money they both were willing to contribute. You knew there would be plenty more now that you were on board.
The goal was to keep this make-shift clinic open for at least six months to a year, until the funding could be secured to actually rent or purchase space in the neighborhood. There was also talk of applying for grants that would help employ a full time medical staff and maybe even include dental and pre-natal care as well as ensuring that people get proper diagnostic and preventative care. When people have no health insurance diseases such as cancer often go undetected until it is too late.
Betty had explained how opening up neighborhood clinics allows those who have no transportation to hospitals and large health care facilities a place to get their medical needs met. You were all for turning a small idea into a giant size project and let Reid know that. Betty said she knew they would be able to count on you. She stood up and walked over to hug you. She gave you a kiss on the cheek and excused herself to get back to work in the kitchen.
Throughout the day you had already begun to see the impact that this make shift clinic was having on the people of this community. Betty was excited to discover that Andy, who you know has been struggling in school of late, was having difficulty reading the eye chart. Gretchen had made arrangements to get him over to the optical lab so he could get fitted for glasses.
Reid had examined a woman who, after finding a breast lump had admitted that she’d felt it awhile ago, but because of her circumstances, was hoping it would just go away. Reid referred her to an oncologist who had agreed to take on her case pro bono.
You watched as the lives of the poverty stricken residents of Oakdale were being changed. It was a lot to absorb but you plan on calling Grandmother soon and seeing what it will take to keep this project alive. You’ve asked to have all the files emailed to you so you can familiarize yourself with the details. You haven’t even begun to digest what all this says about Reid. About who he really is. You think you are completely infatuated with him.
The clinic area of the COSK is finally clearing out and you watch as Reid and Gretchen go over some paperwork. Everything appears to be secured and safely locked away when Reid approaches you.
"That went well, don’t you think?" he asks with a quick smile. "And now it’s time to feed me."
You feel your jaw drop as he removes his lab coat. His sweater is clinging to his lean torso and his firm arms. The jeans are hugging his thighs and you can see how fit and toned he is. You can’t believe how gorgeous he looks. "Oh, right. That," is all that you manage to get out.
He lets out a little laugh as Gretchen walks over, says goodbye, thanks you for all your help and comments that you can take off your lab coat now. You feel yourself blushing as you turn to hang the coat up. You start to get nervous. Reid wants to have dinner with you. It’s New Years Eve. You know he has big plans for the next few days. Bob said that Reid had told him if things went the way he’d hoped, that he wouldn’t be back for a few days. You decide you are going to enjoy dinner and not expect anything more than that.
"So what sounds good, Mr. Snyder? I’m hungry." He rubs his hands together and starts to walk toward the exit.
"Well, it is New Years Eve and I didn’t...we don’t...have a reservation, I’m afraid. I mean, it wasn’t..." You don’t know why you are so nervous suddenly, but you don’t seem to be able to put together a coherent thought. Get a grip, Snyder. You can do this.
He frowns. "How does this sound? We’ll stop for Chinese take-out and head back to my place. We can ring in the New Year at home?"
"Alright. That sounds like a plan." You can’t believe he wants you to come home with him. This all seems like a dream.
"Oh, and you’re driving. I came in with Gretchen this morning. I wanted to be sure that this time when we left, it was together." He winks at you and leads you out without stopping to say goodbye to anyone.
You grab your coats off the rack and as you walk down the driveway, you both look at the spot where less than a week ago you met for the first time. Where you fell on top of him. Little did you know at that moment your life was about to change...forever.
Chapter Thirteen