Fic: The Other Side of Us, Part 3
Title: The Other Side of Us
Author: random_nic
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: ATWT characters are the property of Telenext and CBS.
Word Count: 1515
Summary: Lives are changed in the wake of a traumatic event.
Reid managed to catch Noah at the last second, and somehow maneuver the taller man into a nearby chair. Then, he marched back into the ER, this time loudly demanding to see Luke, his charts, and everyone who’d been working on him. They were clearly fucking up, and needed Reid to fix it. To fix Luke.
An hour later, Reid recognized in himself the emotions of patients’ loved ones he’d delivered the bad news to. The denial, anger, and blame. Now he understood only too well what fueled these feelings. The all-encompassing pain was simply too great to bear. It had to be released through some method, and lashing out seemed the easiest choice.
It hadn’t done any good, of course. Luke was gone before Reid’s thunderous tirade flooded the ER, and Luke was still gone afterwards. The only thing Reid had accomplished was upsetting hospital staff and patient families alike.
Reid returned to the waiting room, prepared to answer any questions Luke’s parents had about the injuries that took his life. He stopped short, however, at the picture before him. Most of Luke’s family had arrived, and they were huddled together throughout the room. At the center of the scene were Lily and Holden, firmly embracing both each other and the now-conscious young man who sat between them.
Noah is just as much my son as Luke. Reid remembered Lily’s words from months ago. Now, the Snyders had just lost Luke, yet were doing all they could to console the man they considered another son. Reid realized they didn’t need him intruding upon their family’s grief. They could get their questions answered by another doctor.
As he turned to leave, Lily called out, “Reid!” He stopped. If Lily wanted answers now, she would have them. He returned to his original destination, ready to give whatever information he could to help the Snyders understand (at least medically) what had happened to their son.
He readied himself for the inquiries, but they never came. Instead, Lily rose from the chair and tightly wound her arms around Reid. He didn’t know whether to be more surprised at that, or at the fact his own arms returned the gesture, holding Luke’s mother close to him. Reid felt Lily’s fingers stroke the back of his head in a calming motion, as if by comforting him, she could soothe herself, too.
“He loved you very much,” Lily said tearfully. “Never forget that. He was so happy to have you in his life.”
Once again, Reid didn’t know what to say, so he replied simply, “Me, too.” Lily smiled sadly, and seemed to accept that his answer meant Reid felt the same about Luke. Reid wasn’t so sure now, though. He couldn’t say he was remotely happy to have had Luke in his life, because that had meant having Luke ripped away from him.
Reid’s attention was diverted when he spotted John Dixon entering the room. Lily gently released Reid to join Holden in walking over to cardiologist. Reid watched the scene across the room unfold as Dixon clasped Holden’s shoulder briefly in condolence, then leaned down to kiss his former stepdaughter’s cheek.
“What’s he doing here?” Reid aired the question to no one in particular.
“Sit down.” It was Noah who spoke. He indicated a pair of chairs across the room. Reid realized he must not want Luke’s younger siblings to hear this conversation, so followed Noah to take a seat.
“They’re giving John permission to test Luke’s heart. To see if it’s a match for Chris,” Noah began.
“That’s ridiculous!” Reid immediately noted his own volume, and dialed it down a few decibels. “The odds are astronomical; even considering how inbred this town is, there’s no way they’ll be a match.”
“If they’re not, Lily and Holden are still donating Luke’s organs. He’ll be a match for someone.”
“They haven’t even shut off Luke’s life support, and already the vultures are circling!” Reid sounded absurd, even to his own ears. As a physician, he of all people championed organ donation; he was signed up as a donor himself. Still, he couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that hours ago, Luke was alive, and now, his organs were about to be taken. Harvested. The very word sickened him.
“I know,” Noah said softly. At that, Reid pulled his attention from Luke’s parents and John Dixon to regard Noah. He suddenly realized, Mayer was just delivering the information, but didn’t sound any more on board with this than Reid himself. Yet like Reid, Noah knew it was the right thing, even if he hated it.
“The decision is his parents’ to make,” Reid offered, trying to at least sound logical and sane, even knowing he was none of the above at the moment. He was composed enough, however, to detect Noah’s failure to comment further. “What are you not saying?” Reid didn’t know why he was suddenly so good at reading the other man, but once again, he sensed something was up.
Noah looked like he was searching for an answer, then settled on, “it doesn’t matter.”
Wrong answer. “Do you have a few more screws loose than usual? Of course it matters.” Reid was beyond aggravated. He was Luke’s boyfriend, not Noah. It was about damn time the guy realized that. There was no way in hell Reid was going to let anyone keep him in the dark when decisions were being made about Luke.
To his credit, Noah had the grace to look uncomfortable when he answered, “They asked me. If I was ok with it.”
It took a beat for the words to register. When they did, Reid had to assert a Herculean grip on his temper. Luke’s parents asked Noah whether they should donate Luke’s organs.
Noah could see the fury race across Reid’s face, and hurried to add, “They were worried. After the header I took, they wanted to make sure I wasn’t gonna meltdown or anything.”
Reid wasn’t especially placated by this addendum. The fact remained that Luke’s parents asked his ex-boyfriend - not his current one - for permission to donate his organs. Once again, he felt like an intruder cast to the periphery of his own boyfriend’s life… and now, his death.
******
Luke’s body was kept on life support while a team of specialists worked to coordinate with the national transplant registry. This afforded the time for Luke’s family and friends to say heartwrenching goodbyes. Reid knew multiple hospital policies were ignored as numerous people filled the room at once. He went numb watching the stream of loved ones spending their last moments with Luke.
Emma and Lucinda showed exactly why Luke called them the backbone of their family. They shed tears, but with restraint, focused on making the last words they spoke to their grandson filled with love and praise. Luke’s siblings cried, too; Ethan wailed when asking their parents why Luke had to go away. He didn’t grasp why they couldn’t just let Luke sleep at home in his own bed, where they could see him every day.
Besides Ethan, Casey Hughes cried the most audibly. Having his uncle dying upstairs only to be hit with the sudden death of his friend proved too much. Allison stood behind him as he sat at Luke’s side, her arms wrapped around Casey’s shoulders as if she thought holding him tightly enough could block out some of the pain.
Eventually, the room cleared. Casey and Allison returned to the vigil for Chris. Jack and Carly took their weeping kids home, while Lucinda and Emma did the same with Luke’s distraught siblings. Only Holden, Lily, Noah, and Reid remained.
Lily and Holden sat on one side of Luke’s hospital bed, their hands clinging to their son’s arm. Reid expected to be asked to leave as Noah took the chair that Casey had vacated on the opposite side of Luke. He understood he had no legal standing in the situation. When Luke’s parents said it was time for him to go, Reid would have no option but to comply.
For the moment, he continued to watch the scene unfold from where he sat against the window sill. Noah took Luke’s hand in his own, but said nothing. Instead, he entwined his fingers with Luke’s, his thumb softly brushing back and forth against Luke’s pinky.
It surprised Reid that unlike everyone else, Noah seemed to have no last message to give Luke. Perhaps like Reid, he understood that “brain dead” meant Luke couldn’t hear it, anyway. As Noah’s thumb continued to ghost against Luke’s fingers, however, Reid realized he was wrong.
Noah was communicating with Luke in a way only the two of them could understand.
Chapter 4
Author: random_nic
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: ATWT characters are the property of Telenext and CBS.
Word Count: 1515
Summary: Lives are changed in the wake of a traumatic event.
Reid managed to catch Noah at the last second, and somehow maneuver the taller man into a nearby chair. Then, he marched back into the ER, this time loudly demanding to see Luke, his charts, and everyone who’d been working on him. They were clearly fucking up, and needed Reid to fix it. To fix Luke.
An hour later, Reid recognized in himself the emotions of patients’ loved ones he’d delivered the bad news to. The denial, anger, and blame. Now he understood only too well what fueled these feelings. The all-encompassing pain was simply too great to bear. It had to be released through some method, and lashing out seemed the easiest choice.
It hadn’t done any good, of course. Luke was gone before Reid’s thunderous tirade flooded the ER, and Luke was still gone afterwards. The only thing Reid had accomplished was upsetting hospital staff and patient families alike.
Reid returned to the waiting room, prepared to answer any questions Luke’s parents had about the injuries that took his life. He stopped short, however, at the picture before him. Most of Luke’s family had arrived, and they were huddled together throughout the room. At the center of the scene were Lily and Holden, firmly embracing both each other and the now-conscious young man who sat between them.
Noah is just as much my son as Luke. Reid remembered Lily’s words from months ago. Now, the Snyders had just lost Luke, yet were doing all they could to console the man they considered another son. Reid realized they didn’t need him intruding upon their family’s grief. They could get their questions answered by another doctor.
As he turned to leave, Lily called out, “Reid!” He stopped. If Lily wanted answers now, she would have them. He returned to his original destination, ready to give whatever information he could to help the Snyders understand (at least medically) what had happened to their son.
He readied himself for the inquiries, but they never came. Instead, Lily rose from the chair and tightly wound her arms around Reid. He didn’t know whether to be more surprised at that, or at the fact his own arms returned the gesture, holding Luke’s mother close to him. Reid felt Lily’s fingers stroke the back of his head in a calming motion, as if by comforting him, she could soothe herself, too.
“He loved you very much,” Lily said tearfully. “Never forget that. He was so happy to have you in his life.”
Once again, Reid didn’t know what to say, so he replied simply, “Me, too.” Lily smiled sadly, and seemed to accept that his answer meant Reid felt the same about Luke. Reid wasn’t so sure now, though. He couldn’t say he was remotely happy to have had Luke in his life, because that had meant having Luke ripped away from him.
Reid’s attention was diverted when he spotted John Dixon entering the room. Lily gently released Reid to join Holden in walking over to cardiologist. Reid watched the scene across the room unfold as Dixon clasped Holden’s shoulder briefly in condolence, then leaned down to kiss his former stepdaughter’s cheek.
“What’s he doing here?” Reid aired the question to no one in particular.
“Sit down.” It was Noah who spoke. He indicated a pair of chairs across the room. Reid realized he must not want Luke’s younger siblings to hear this conversation, so followed Noah to take a seat.
“They’re giving John permission to test Luke’s heart. To see if it’s a match for Chris,” Noah began.
“That’s ridiculous!” Reid immediately noted his own volume, and dialed it down a few decibels. “The odds are astronomical; even considering how inbred this town is, there’s no way they’ll be a match.”
“If they’re not, Lily and Holden are still donating Luke’s organs. He’ll be a match for someone.”
“They haven’t even shut off Luke’s life support, and already the vultures are circling!” Reid sounded absurd, even to his own ears. As a physician, he of all people championed organ donation; he was signed up as a donor himself. Still, he couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that hours ago, Luke was alive, and now, his organs were about to be taken. Harvested. The very word sickened him.
“I know,” Noah said softly. At that, Reid pulled his attention from Luke’s parents and John Dixon to regard Noah. He suddenly realized, Mayer was just delivering the information, but didn’t sound any more on board with this than Reid himself. Yet like Reid, Noah knew it was the right thing, even if he hated it.
“The decision is his parents’ to make,” Reid offered, trying to at least sound logical and sane, even knowing he was none of the above at the moment. He was composed enough, however, to detect Noah’s failure to comment further. “What are you not saying?” Reid didn’t know why he was suddenly so good at reading the other man, but once again, he sensed something was up.
Noah looked like he was searching for an answer, then settled on, “it doesn’t matter.”
Wrong answer. “Do you have a few more screws loose than usual? Of course it matters.” Reid was beyond aggravated. He was Luke’s boyfriend, not Noah. It was about damn time the guy realized that. There was no way in hell Reid was going to let anyone keep him in the dark when decisions were being made about Luke.
To his credit, Noah had the grace to look uncomfortable when he answered, “They asked me. If I was ok with it.”
It took a beat for the words to register. When they did, Reid had to assert a Herculean grip on his temper. Luke’s parents asked Noah whether they should donate Luke’s organs.
Noah could see the fury race across Reid’s face, and hurried to add, “They were worried. After the header I took, they wanted to make sure I wasn’t gonna meltdown or anything.”
Reid wasn’t especially placated by this addendum. The fact remained that Luke’s parents asked his ex-boyfriend - not his current one - for permission to donate his organs. Once again, he felt like an intruder cast to the periphery of his own boyfriend’s life… and now, his death.
******
Luke’s body was kept on life support while a team of specialists worked to coordinate with the national transplant registry. This afforded the time for Luke’s family and friends to say heartwrenching goodbyes. Reid knew multiple hospital policies were ignored as numerous people filled the room at once. He went numb watching the stream of loved ones spending their last moments with Luke.
Emma and Lucinda showed exactly why Luke called them the backbone of their family. They shed tears, but with restraint, focused on making the last words they spoke to their grandson filled with love and praise. Luke’s siblings cried, too; Ethan wailed when asking their parents why Luke had to go away. He didn’t grasp why they couldn’t just let Luke sleep at home in his own bed, where they could see him every day.
Besides Ethan, Casey Hughes cried the most audibly. Having his uncle dying upstairs only to be hit with the sudden death of his friend proved too much. Allison stood behind him as he sat at Luke’s side, her arms wrapped around Casey’s shoulders as if she thought holding him tightly enough could block out some of the pain.
Eventually, the room cleared. Casey and Allison returned to the vigil for Chris. Jack and Carly took their weeping kids home, while Lucinda and Emma did the same with Luke’s distraught siblings. Only Holden, Lily, Noah, and Reid remained.
Lily and Holden sat on one side of Luke’s hospital bed, their hands clinging to their son’s arm. Reid expected to be asked to leave as Noah took the chair that Casey had vacated on the opposite side of Luke. He understood he had no legal standing in the situation. When Luke’s parents said it was time for him to go, Reid would have no option but to comply.
For the moment, he continued to watch the scene unfold from where he sat against the window sill. Noah took Luke’s hand in his own, but said nothing. Instead, he entwined his fingers with Luke’s, his thumb softly brushing back and forth against Luke’s pinky.
It surprised Reid that unlike everyone else, Noah seemed to have no last message to give Luke. Perhaps like Reid, he understood that “brain dead” meant Luke couldn’t hear it, anyway. As Noah’s thumb continued to ghost against Luke’s fingers, however, Reid realized he was wrong.
Noah was communicating with Luke in a way only the two of them could understand.
Chapter 4