Now and Again (8/??)
Title: Now and Again
Author: alissablue
Rating: PG-13/R, will be NC-17 eventually.
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Noah, other Oakdale characters and an OC here or there.
Category: Fix it-fic, AU
Summary: “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”- W.I. Thomas
Warnings: Angsty Angst, some mindfuckery
Disclaimer: Do not own. Wish I did, though. I could make them do all sorts of kinky stuff.
A/N: Keywords for this fic are ‘patience’ and ‘payoff’. I have been working on this since... September(?) and I've finally written enough chapters to start posting. Title credit goes to my epically awesome beta slayerkitty, who deserves a round of applause for sitting through my long rants, freak outs, smut-related giggles and posting hesitation.
A/N: Me + comments is like... Reid + Sandwiches<3.
Prologue / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 /
Chapter 8: It’s a free country, William
During that first week in Dallas, Noah had four appointments with Dr. Channing, at which he went through the motions of test after test and scan after scan. The surgeon wanted to get an accurate perspective on the damage the accident had done all those months ago and whenever new results came in, he would pace through the room, back and forth, left and right, trying to figure out what to do next. Trying to figure out what would get this case the most attention and garner him the most praise and success. Reid Oliver was back and looming around and Channing was getting more and more worried that the cocky surgeon would find a way to outsmart him and whisk away his patient.
In that same week, Luke Snyder and Reid Oliver almost ran into each other four times. The first time, on Friday, they missed each other by a minute, when Reid bought a hamburger and a newspaper from the shop, just five minutes after Luke had picked up a bagel and an apple cinnamon muffin. When Luke went back to the shop, because he had forgotten to get Noah a baloney sandwich, Reid was already on his way to his office.
On Monday, Reid saw a guy with ruffled, dark hair and blue eyes, clutching a cane and squinting into the distance. The guy was sitting in the waiting room and Reid couldn’t stop looking at him, as if he recognized him somehow. But as he was about to walk over to him, take a better look at him, he got paged and decided that it could wait, since he was needed elsewhere. Just as he turned around and moved away, Luke came back from the men’s room and took a seat next to Noah.
The other two near misses, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, consisted of them missing each other by a minute, as they both walked through the corridors of Parkland Memorial Hospital.
********
Reid stood in front of the board, the whiteboard of surgeries and doctors in the main hall of Parkland. He had gone back to work six days earlier, almost skipping through the corridors at the prospect of getting his hands dirty again, after a long, four month absence.
But as the hours, days and now almost a week had passed, so had his initial excitement faded away and been replaced with the growing realization that he still didn’t feel the way he had expected to. He still felt disentangled, lost perhaps. And it still didn’t feel right.
He skimmed through all the names, all the different procedures, growing more and more frustrated by the second. “Bastards”, he muttered under his breath, as he saw that his own name was once again missing from the board he had once referred to as ‘The surgical Hot-or-Not board’, knowing very well that his name was a consistent element of it. The redheaded male nurse, Jeffrey, who was updating the schedule, shot him a strict glare, at which Reid responded with an eye roll and a sigh.
Maybe it was time to start playing dirty. And if there was one thing Reid Oliver knew anything abo-
“Oliver...”
Reid glanced over to his right, past redheaded Jeffrey, who was still taking the time to glare at him whenever he exhaled and he saw his green eyed, brown haired colleague walking over to him, with a smug look on his face Reid knew he had to do something about.
“I see your name still isn’t on that board… What a shame.” The doctor put his hand on Reid’s shoulder and faked a gutted sigh. It was long and exaggerated and mocking and Reid could feel the smugness oozing out of Channing’s pores.
“Deli slicer...” Reid wiggled his shoulder out from underneath Channing’s grip in annoyance. He turned to face him, cleared his throat and put on the smirk he knew his coworker couldn’t stand. “How’s the old chopping block? Still using that prehistoric scalpel of yours?” Reid saw Channing narrowing his eyes and he held back a smile, knowing he had gotten a reaction from him.
“At least I’m using one, Dr. Do Nothing.” He heard the emphasis on the last word, as Channing drew it out with a look of pure delight. Reid feigned a smile, as though they didn’t sting.
“Ouch, I’m almost hurt. This close.”
“Guess I’ll just have to try harder next time.”
“Next time… When you’re standing outside the OR, watching me cut open your patient’s head?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me. It’s the surgical food chain, better watch out. Noah Mayer, was it? Yeah, I did my research…” He hadn’t. Not exactly. He hadn’t even given it much thought. But Channing didn’t need to know that. Getting a rise out of him, wiping the smirk off his face, making William Channing squirm at his dangerous brilliance, was one of his favorite things in the world.
“Quite a wonderful case you’ve got there…”
“Oliver, if you even come near my patient…” Channing took a step towards him and Reid shook his head, putting up his finger and narrowing his eyes. He looked away from Channing and Channing followed his gaze to their chief, Dr. Nelson, who had just come around the corner and was standing a few feet away from them, arms crossed over his chest. Reid put his hands on Channing’s shoulders and leaned closer, close enough to feel Channing’s breath in the crook of his neck.
“You’ll do what exactly? It’s a free country, William.” With that, Reid gave him a light slap on his cheek, smirked and walked away, leaving William Channing without a word on his lips and Reid Oliver’s lingering whispers.
********
Three days later, Luke Snyder paced through the hospital room, running his hands through his hair and stopping every once in a while, to see the worried look on his ex boyfriend’s face.
They were waiting for the results of Noah’s final tests, which would tell them if he was ready for the surgery and if he was going to get one at all. Dr. Channing had told them that he was cautiously optimistic and that he was sure the results would tell them that the surgery could be scheduled.
And Luke wanted this so much, more than he’d realized. He wanted Noah to get his sight back, his life and everything he’d ever wanted. He wanted nothing more than for Noah to get better, so that he could heal as well. Every time he looked at Noah and saw what the accident had caused, had done to their relationship, their bond, he felt it. He felt the guilt that clawed at him, clung to him and wouldn’t let go. The guilt was slowly tearing him up and he needed it to be fixed, so he could breathe again, feel something else than the chokehold of Noah’s lost sight. Feel a new relief and find another escape, than the dreams of the auburn haired man that still haunted him frequently.
The door softly opened with a click and Luke stopped dead in his tracks. He walked over to Noah and covered his hand with his own, curled his fingers around it and squeezed it a little, as the doctor came in.
********
“Dr. Channing!”
His patient sat on the edge of his hospital bed, lightly swinging his feet back and forth, as his ex boyfriend sat next to him, holding his hand and looking right into Channing’s eyes.
The look in Mr. Snyder’s eyes vaguely reminded him of the look on his youngest daughter Juliet’s face, when she had brought home a sick golden retriever puppy she had found on the street. It had been the day of her eight birthday and instead of eating cake, playing with her friends or unwrapping her presents, she had spent the entire day taking care of it and trying to nurse it back to health.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Mayer. I have some good news for you.” He looked over at Luke, who had closed his eyes and was exhaling a sigh of relief.
“We can - The surgery? We can schedule the surgery?” Noah’s face lit up and Channing couldn’t help but smile. He saw Luke open his eyes and the watery look in them, as he bit his quivering bottom lip, seemingly trying to hold back his tears.
“We can. The months Dr. Shepherd spent with you were good for something, apparently… And the results look very promising.”
“Oh, wow, when? When do we - How? When can we do it?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about as well. I was thinking about that first phone call Mr. Snyder and I had and the suggestion to fly me in from Dallas…”
“Yeah, my grandmother has a private jet. It wouldn’t have been that much trouble. I just- I figured that- that Noah might feel more comfortable getting the surgery in Oakdale, at Memorial. And our- my family would have been able to see him, too. Help him through it.” His voice sounded small and shaky and nothing like Channing had heard on previous occasions.
“Well, Mr. Snyder, what do you say if we do the surgery in Oakdale?”
You are not getting my case, Oliver.
No way, no how.
I’m keeping it the hell away from you.
Bastard.
********
On the 11th of July, one day after Noah Mayer’s appointment, the surgeon sat in his chief’s office, in Dr. Nelson’s comfortable leather chair, as he waited for the doctor to come back from fucking his secretary in the on call room on the seventh floor. Dr. Nelson’s phone rang and the neurosurgeon answered.
“What? Talk fast, get to the point and don’t waste my time with small talk.”
“Who is this?”
“You called me. Why?”
“This is Dr. Bob Hughes, from Oakdale Memorial Hospital.”
NEXT
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A/N: 1) Bob Hughes? Wait, what? That's right, Bob Hughes. I think it's time to give the surgeon a little push in the right direction. 2) As promised, there will be three updates this week. Next update is on Wednesday and chapter 10 will be posted on Friday or Saturday. Chapter 9 will be the start of getting Luke on that rooftop. Chapter 10 will have Noah wanting a shirt, instead of a medal and Luke and that drawing of dogs and guinea pigs. And yes, they will all lead to good things. 3) Thanks for reading! =)