Oliver's Army
2.
Luke never knew that neurology could be so fascinating. The unit at VA Trainor was absolutely breathtaking. Every piece of equipment was top-of-the-line and it looked as though no expense had been spared. The hospital specialized in traumatic brain injuries, something that, unfortunately, was a devastating and not uncommon consequence of war.
It was riveting to hear Dr. Oliver describe the miraculous brain, with both its vulnerabilities and its incredible capacity to heal. Luke’s interest in building a neurology wing at Memorial was directly linked to his ex-boyfriend’s inability to get the quality of care he required there when an accident had temporarily stolen his sight. Noah had, thankfully, recovered completely but had needed to fly to Boston in order to do so.
So, Luke’s foundation was partnering with Henry Coleman in building a neurology wing that would be able to better serve the people of Oakdale and the surrounding communities. Henry was donating the money in memory of Luke’s cousin, and Henry’s best friend, Brad Snyder, and so they had decided that the wing would carry his name…The Bradley Snyder Pavilion. But it wasn’t until now that he realized just how intricate and fascinating the brain was and just how much The Bradley Snyder Pavilion was going to alter peoples’ lives.
And he couldn’t help but notice how Dr. Oliver nearly glowed when he was in his element. He’d already acknowledged to himself that he found the doctor physically attractive, but watching the way his eyes lit up when he talked about the brain and all of the ways that it was both a mystery and a challenge had Luke nearly eating out of the palm of his hand.
Luke didn’t hear a distinct “ping” when it came to the doctor, and nothing about him gave Luke any reason to hope that he might be gay, but Luke found himself entertaining fantasies nonetheless. It had been a long time since a man had such a visceral effect on Luke, and the thought of having more than a professional encounter with Dr. Oliver was both tantalizing and terrifying.
A sharp voice snapped him out of his reverie.
“Mr. Snyder, you’ve been tagging along beside me for two days now. When do you imagine that you will have learned enough to move along, hitch up your wagon and head back to Walnut Grove so that you can bestow your new-found knowledge to Dr. Welby and start building your little monument to yourself and your fabulous wealth?”
Luke tried to stifle a laugh, but was unsuccessful. “Um, Dr. Oliver. I think you’re jumbling your classic tv show references. Besides, how do you know that Oakdale is Little House on the Prarie-small? Maybe it’s much more cosmopolitan that you’re imagining.”
Reid harrumphed. “I “googled”, Mr. Snyder. You have one diner, one clothing store, a single bookstore and, if memory serves, a coffee shop. How a town like that requires it’s own airport and television station boggles the mind.”
Luke rocked back on his heels, his hands in his pockets and a smile tugging at his lips. “You seem to have overlooked the fact that Oakdale is also home to some of the largest corporations in the world…it’s not as quaint as you’ve painted it to be.”
Rolling his blue eyes, Reid pointed at Luke. “Oh no, it didn’t escape my notice that your family runs that little town that time forgot. Believe me, I took one look at you and just had to know how a fresh-faced kid like yourself came to have the balls to railroad the best neurosurgeon in the country into acting as his own personal tour guide.
I’m sure you’ve grown very accustomed to throwing your money around to get what you want, Mr. Snyder…to hell with the consequences.”
Luke’s smile faded a bit. “The consequences? And what, pray tell, Dr. Oliver, are the consequences that I should be concerned about in this situation? “
Reid threw his hands up in frustration. “Mr. Snyder, you’re constant presence is detrimental to my patients. I need to have my focus on them at all times.”
Luke’s smile returned in its full glory. “Are you saying I’m a distraction, Dr. Oliver? We both know that I’ve been as quiet as a church mouse when you’ve been checking on patients and reading charts. And I’ve kept my questions to a minimum.”
Reid shrugged and dropped his gaze. “I don’t know. Just being you seems to do it.
Now, I need to check in on a couple of post-op patients that are still in the ICU and then meet with my interns…do you think you can entertain yourself for a bit? I can meet you back at my office in, say, two hours?”
Luke nodded his head and watched as Dr. Oliver turned toward another set of patient rooms. He tried to keep his eyes on the back of the doctor’s head, but found his gaze traveling lower, much to his chagrin. He had sensed something in their conversations that bordered and flirting, and he had to admit it made him feel a certain something. Besides, it wasn’t HIS fault that the doctor had a fabulous ass, was it?
Once the doctor was out of sight, Luke made his way over to the elevators, eager to take a look at the current state of the pediatric wing. He’d always had a heart for children and he knew that this particular hospital had not received much funding in that department. As it was an army hospital, more funding and donations went to the services that directly met the needs of the enlisted men and women and those that had served their country in the past. But, those people had children and they, too, deserved to have a facility that could meet their own unique needs, particularly as this was the hospital used by the families stationed at the army base in the next town over.
As he entered the pediatrics floor, the first thing he noticed is that there was much to be done just in making the facility more child and family friendly. It was entirely too stark and uncomfortable. Luke pulled out his phone and started taking notes. He’d been assured that the medical devices and equipment were all state-of-the-art, but that the hospital just didn’t have the extra cash to redesign the waiting rooms and the patient areas…that was where the Snyder Foundation would come in.
After spending a good hour and a quarter looking over the unit and talking to families and patients, as well as a few of the nurses, Luke felt that he had a good handle on what would be required and decided to head back up to Dr. Oliver’s office a bit early. He figured that he’d relax on the doctor’s couch and return some phone calls from his various family members while he waited for Dr. Oliver to finish with his responsibilities. That would give him a little over a half an hour to himself.
As Luke approached Dr. Oliver’s office, he noticed that the area was completely deserted. In the past couple of days, he’d met the doctor here in the mornings and then again in the afternoons, and there had always seemed to be at least a few other people around.
He briefly wondered if the door would be locked, but found that the handle turned easily. He also quickly thought about the fact that there was no one to relay the fact that he would be waiting in the doctor’s office and he hoped that his presence didn’t startle Dr. Oliver when he entered.
Unfortunately, Dr. Oliver was not the one who was startled upon entering the office. As the door swung open in front of him, Luke got an eyeful of a sight so surprising and unexpected that a gasp that rivaled that of an uptight spinster schoolmarm flew from his lips.
Dr. Oliver stood with his back to the door, his arms wrapped around a dark haired man in army fatigues. The other man had one hand down the back of the doctor’s scrubs, caressing his ass, while the other was tangled in the curls at the back of the doctor’s head. Their mouths were pressed together and, just as Luke stepped into the room, he heard one of the men, he couldn’t tell which one, moan softly into the kiss.
At the sound of Luke’s gasp, the other man’s green eyes flew open. He quickly removed his hand from the doctor’s pants and pushed back from him. Dr. Oliver, clearly confused, spun around and blanched at the sight before him.
“Mr. Snyder, are you really so incredibly self-important that you don’t find it necessary to so much as knock on someone else’s office door? How DARE you barge in here unannounced as if it is your right?
And for the love of God, would you stop looking at us like that? You‘re not some damned puppy who just got caught tinkling on the carpet. You‘re a grown man who has no sense of boundaries.”
Luke was taken aback by the anger in the doctor’s voice, but he was even more shocked by the fear that he saw in the eyes of both men. “Dr. Oliver, I cannot apologize enough. I knew I was early, so I just thought that I’d wait in your office for you. I had no idea that you…”
The dark-haired man cut Luke off by stalking over to him and grabbing his upper arms. “You cannot tell anyone what you just saw in here, do you understand me? This is not what you think it is.”
Luke shook his arms free of the other man’s hands and took a step back. “Oh, I’m pretty sure of what was going on in here, but I can assure you that I have absolutely no reason to share what I saw with anyone. It’s truly no one’s business.
Although, if you‘re going to engage in a tryst behind closed doors, you may want to lock the door next time.”
The man looked back at Reid accusingly and then brushed past Luke and quickly headed out the door.
When the door closed behind him, Luke reluctantly looked at Dr. Oliver, hoping that some of the tension that he’d seen in the man’s face would have eased. What he saw instead had his heart plummeting to his stomach.
“Dr. Oliver, you don’t have to look so terrified. I meant what I said. I won’t tell anyone about you and…see? I don’t even know his name.”
The doctor’s jaw clenched and he set his steely gaze on Luke. “Mr. Snyder, you have no idea what you’ve just done. You can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve probably just cost me.
I need to go do some damage control, so if you’ll excuse me, we’ll have to postpone any further discussions about the neurology unit…and the neurology unit ONLY…to tomorrow. I will see you then.”
Luke shook his head. “You’ve forgotten that we’re both invited to Dr. Santos’ dinner party tonight, so we’ll see each other there as well.”
Dr. Oliver rubbed his face with his left hand and sighed. “Damn it. As if I don’t hate that shit enough as it is…”
June 22, 2011
Well, today was interesting, to say the least. As it turns out, Hot Doc is, in fact, gay, gay, gay! This would be pretty good news, if he weren’t also on the down low with some hot soldier.
Seriously, I don’t know why I care. Dr. Oliver is possibly the most obnoxious person I’ve ever met, but there’s just something about that man…
There’s a dinner party tonight and I’m looking forward to seeing the doctor outside of the hospital. What will he do when he’s out of element, I wonder?
To be continued
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