Bulletproof (6/52)
Title: Bulletproof
Author: blasthisass
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Summary: AU- when Luke is shot by Colonel Mayer, his condition quickly deteriorates. In order to save his life, Bob calls in a young, hotshot doctor from Texas, brilliant and already making a name for himself.
Disclaimers: All characters and such property of ATWT, CBS and anyone else who can legally take credit for them. If they were mine, I would take infinitely better care of them.
Title from the song by La Roux. There is dialogue from both the time in which the story takes place as well as the LuRe storyline.
A/N: This is unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine.
Comments much appreciated . . . I love them like Reid loves Luke.
Previous parts: prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
***
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Reid demanded, staring at the woman in the doorway.
She glanced at him with inane curiosity, looking as though he fascinated her, but not enough to make her forget about the mission that had brought her to his doorway. Because that was the light that was blazing from her light blue eyes: the heart of the mission that had sent her.
“Oh, come now, doctor, I feel I’ve given you plenty of information. Do not disappoint me with a lack of deductive skills,” she reprimanded, sweeping past him into the hotel room as though she owned the place.
And, for all Reid knew, she did. Even as an older woman, everything about her screamed elegance and money, from the perfect tailoring of her coat to the way she pronounced certain words.
His gaze followed her, shutting the door definitively behind him. “I can assume, but what I’m really curious about is why the Snyders are sending random family members to my door.”
The woman chuckled, gazing around the room. She paused for a moment, giving the sandwich and beer on the bed a curious amount of time before turning back to him. “Lucinda Walsh,” she offered, eyes twinkling. “I’m here on a request from my daughter regarding the health of my grandson.”
“Perhaps she should take it up with his practitioner,” Reid answered, strolling further into the room after deciding that standing by the door, with Lucinda Walsh further inside than himself unnerved him.
“I was under the impression that was you.”
“Not anymore.”
“Hmm,” Lucinda mused, finishing her survey of the room and turning to face him, facing looking victorious before the battle had even begun. “And you think it perfectly fine to waltz away before the anesthesia has even worn off? You do not think it in your job description to care for a patient until they’ve fully recovered, even as a consulting doctor?”
“No, because that would be considered long term commitment. This was supposed to be a one night stand.”
“Dr. Oliver-”
“Mrs. Walsh, I already have a job. And contrary to what you seem to believe, I am a neurosurgeon, not a physical therapist. And my job is certainly not babysitting this kid in the presence of an actual physical therapist while he stretches his legs back and forth. My time is extremely valuable, just ask any of my patients who are waiting for me back in Dallas.”
“Your reputation does not yet precede you, Dr. Oliver,” Lucinda informed him, the edges of her lips curling unpleasantly.
“Not yet.” His ego felt the need to point out that particular word.
“And it certainly will not with a lawsuit on your hands this early in the game,” she mused, pursing her lips thoughtfully and shaking her head.
Reid turned from the papers in his desk, his face darkening in surprise and confusion. “Excuse me?”
Lucinda smirked, her eyes twinkling evilly. “Are you aware that my grandson is paralyzed from the waist down?”
Reid rolled his eyes and dismissed the statement with a wave of his hand. “The paralysis is temporary. It will recede with the swelling in his brain and physical therapy.”
“Perhaps. There seem to be differing opinions on the matter,” Lucinda pondered, casting her gaze to the ground as though deep in thought as she approached. When she stopped in front of him and her blue eyes met his, they were blazing with a self-acquired power that Reid had never seen before. “You have a very promising career, Dr. Oliver. Even early in the game, this is painfully obvious. You have a natural talent for what you do, one that is very hard to come by and should be valued above all else. One does not even have to see you in your element to recognize its presence. But, you see, I have money, and I have power, and I have resources. And I have a family that I feel naturally obligated to protect-”
“Your point, Mrs. Walsh?” Reid growled, something like nerves stirring in the pit of his abdomen.
“My point, Dr. Oliver, is that I could bring any promise of a spectacular career and reputation to an end by simply getting in contact with the right people and telling them of your medical ethics. I could sue the pants right off of you for paralyzing my grandson.”
“Now wait just a damn minute-”
“I know enough people in high enough places to be sure that no one even considers your word against mine. A damn shame too, so young and talented.”
Lucinda’s smirk infused itself with light pleasure at the doctor’s reaction. His mouth flattened into a thin line, as though he could think of thousands of indignant responses and yet none at all. His thin fingers curled forward his palm to form a fist so tight that not only his knuckles flashed white, but his veins grew dark against the back of his hand.
“Glad to see we’ve reached something of an agreement,” Lucinda continued when all that Reid offered in response was furious silence. She pulled a pair of light leather gloves out of her coat pocket and put them on as she walked to the doorway. She opened it and turned around before leaving the room. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Oliver. I expect I shall see you again soon. After all, we both have reason to visit my grandson, do we not?”
“You act as though you employ me, Mrs. Walsh,” Reid said finally, his voice stiff with anger. “But no matter how much money your family has, you are not the person I report to at the end of the day.”
“Of course,” Lucinda simpered, stepping out into the hallway. “And I agree. It would be a fantastic idea for you to inform your chief of staff of your plans. Good day, Dr. Oliver.” The door closed before Reid could reply.
Reid let out an aggravated, meaningless noise and paced the full length of his room several times, partially to vent meaningless energy and partially to scan his brain for any way out of the situation. He knew whatever Lucinda Walsh tried to infuse into a lawsuit would be complete bullshit, especially given that Reid was not in the wrong in any way when it came to this case. But he also knew people like Lucinda Walsh and she certainly wasn’t kidding. If she did have all the money and resources she claimed she did and she put them to work in the right manner, he didn’t stand a chance, even if all of medical ethics was on his side.
He repeated that noise as he neared his desk. He rapped his knuckles on the hard wood briefly before grabbing his room key and phone and heading toward the door.
***
Luke floated in a space somewhere between sleep and consciousness. He couldn’t figure out how long it had been since Dr. Bob had chased his parents out of the room and told him to get some sleep. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d fallen asleep or whether he’d even done so to begin with. Sleep was a funny thing in that manner.
He could feel the softness of the sheets as they brushed against the blonde hair that dotted his arm. He could vaguely hear muffled voices, those of a man and a woman. He recognized the man’s voice, but the recognition lay somewhere in the back of his mind and he couldn’t figure out whether he should run from it or stand and fight it or welcome it like a returning prodigal son.
He forced his eyes to open the tiniest slit as the door to his room slammed open and shut for the umpteenth time. His eyelids felt heavy, as though covered by the sandman’s blanket, but through the crack he could see the familiar figure of a man standing over him. He couldn’t place him, but that feeling at the back of his mind was back, prodding him gently not to simply lay there.
“What . . . What’re you . . .”
“It’s okay, son. Just go back to sleep.”
The instructions seemed wrong, coming from the man. He struggled with his words, to protest, to say. . . something . . .
The silence of the room was cut off by a loud scream from the doorway.
“What are you doing to my son?” Lily gasped, frozen stock still before her motherly instincts kicked in and she ran into the room in a full-on attack. “Get away from him! I won’t let you hurt him!”
She leapt at him, grabbing his arms and pulling him and the syringe in his hands away from her son. But Colonel Mayer was stronger than she was and the struggle soon turned to the chaos of life and death. He overpowered her, twisting an arm around her neck like a cobra, not quite squeezing the life out of her but too strong to ever release her. He twisted the syringe so that the needle faced her instead of him.
She let out a scream and her arms stiffened as she struggled to keep the cold of the needle from penetrating her skin and it’s contents freezing the essence of her blood.
“I didn’t want to do this! You’re making me do this,” he snarled through his struggles and, even as the hairs on his arms stood up in nerves, Luke couldn’t do anything but watch the needle inched closer and closer to Lily’s terrified face.
Chapter 7-->
Author: blasthisass
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Summary: AU- when Luke is shot by Colonel Mayer, his condition quickly deteriorates. In order to save his life, Bob calls in a young, hotshot doctor from Texas, brilliant and already making a name for himself.
Disclaimers: All characters and such property of ATWT, CBS and anyone else who can legally take credit for them. If they were mine, I would take infinitely better care of them.
Title from the song by La Roux. There is dialogue from both the time in which the story takes place as well as the LuRe storyline.
A/N: This is unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine.
Comments much appreciated . . . I love them like Reid loves Luke.
Previous parts: prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
***
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Reid demanded, staring at the woman in the doorway.
She glanced at him with inane curiosity, looking as though he fascinated her, but not enough to make her forget about the mission that had brought her to his doorway. Because that was the light that was blazing from her light blue eyes: the heart of the mission that had sent her.
“Oh, come now, doctor, I feel I’ve given you plenty of information. Do not disappoint me with a lack of deductive skills,” she reprimanded, sweeping past him into the hotel room as though she owned the place.
And, for all Reid knew, she did. Even as an older woman, everything about her screamed elegance and money, from the perfect tailoring of her coat to the way she pronounced certain words.
His gaze followed her, shutting the door definitively behind him. “I can assume, but what I’m really curious about is why the Snyders are sending random family members to my door.”
The woman chuckled, gazing around the room. She paused for a moment, giving the sandwich and beer on the bed a curious amount of time before turning back to him. “Lucinda Walsh,” she offered, eyes twinkling. “I’m here on a request from my daughter regarding the health of my grandson.”
“Perhaps she should take it up with his practitioner,” Reid answered, strolling further into the room after deciding that standing by the door, with Lucinda Walsh further inside than himself unnerved him.
“I was under the impression that was you.”
“Not anymore.”
“Hmm,” Lucinda mused, finishing her survey of the room and turning to face him, facing looking victorious before the battle had even begun. “And you think it perfectly fine to waltz away before the anesthesia has even worn off? You do not think it in your job description to care for a patient until they’ve fully recovered, even as a consulting doctor?”
“No, because that would be considered long term commitment. This was supposed to be a one night stand.”
“Dr. Oliver-”
“Mrs. Walsh, I already have a job. And contrary to what you seem to believe, I am a neurosurgeon, not a physical therapist. And my job is certainly not babysitting this kid in the presence of an actual physical therapist while he stretches his legs back and forth. My time is extremely valuable, just ask any of my patients who are waiting for me back in Dallas.”
“Your reputation does not yet precede you, Dr. Oliver,” Lucinda informed him, the edges of her lips curling unpleasantly.
“Not yet.” His ego felt the need to point out that particular word.
“And it certainly will not with a lawsuit on your hands this early in the game,” she mused, pursing her lips thoughtfully and shaking her head.
Reid turned from the papers in his desk, his face darkening in surprise and confusion. “Excuse me?”
Lucinda smirked, her eyes twinkling evilly. “Are you aware that my grandson is paralyzed from the waist down?”
Reid rolled his eyes and dismissed the statement with a wave of his hand. “The paralysis is temporary. It will recede with the swelling in his brain and physical therapy.”
“Perhaps. There seem to be differing opinions on the matter,” Lucinda pondered, casting her gaze to the ground as though deep in thought as she approached. When she stopped in front of him and her blue eyes met his, they were blazing with a self-acquired power that Reid had never seen before. “You have a very promising career, Dr. Oliver. Even early in the game, this is painfully obvious. You have a natural talent for what you do, one that is very hard to come by and should be valued above all else. One does not even have to see you in your element to recognize its presence. But, you see, I have money, and I have power, and I have resources. And I have a family that I feel naturally obligated to protect-”
“Your point, Mrs. Walsh?” Reid growled, something like nerves stirring in the pit of his abdomen.
“My point, Dr. Oliver, is that I could bring any promise of a spectacular career and reputation to an end by simply getting in contact with the right people and telling them of your medical ethics. I could sue the pants right off of you for paralyzing my grandson.”
“Now wait just a damn minute-”
“I know enough people in high enough places to be sure that no one even considers your word against mine. A damn shame too, so young and talented.”
Lucinda’s smirk infused itself with light pleasure at the doctor’s reaction. His mouth flattened into a thin line, as though he could think of thousands of indignant responses and yet none at all. His thin fingers curled forward his palm to form a fist so tight that not only his knuckles flashed white, but his veins grew dark against the back of his hand.
“Glad to see we’ve reached something of an agreement,” Lucinda continued when all that Reid offered in response was furious silence. She pulled a pair of light leather gloves out of her coat pocket and put them on as she walked to the doorway. She opened it and turned around before leaving the room. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Oliver. I expect I shall see you again soon. After all, we both have reason to visit my grandson, do we not?”
“You act as though you employ me, Mrs. Walsh,” Reid said finally, his voice stiff with anger. “But no matter how much money your family has, you are not the person I report to at the end of the day.”
“Of course,” Lucinda simpered, stepping out into the hallway. “And I agree. It would be a fantastic idea for you to inform your chief of staff of your plans. Good day, Dr. Oliver.” The door closed before Reid could reply.
Reid let out an aggravated, meaningless noise and paced the full length of his room several times, partially to vent meaningless energy and partially to scan his brain for any way out of the situation. He knew whatever Lucinda Walsh tried to infuse into a lawsuit would be complete bullshit, especially given that Reid was not in the wrong in any way when it came to this case. But he also knew people like Lucinda Walsh and she certainly wasn’t kidding. If she did have all the money and resources she claimed she did and she put them to work in the right manner, he didn’t stand a chance, even if all of medical ethics was on his side.
He repeated that noise as he neared his desk. He rapped his knuckles on the hard wood briefly before grabbing his room key and phone and heading toward the door.
***
Luke floated in a space somewhere between sleep and consciousness. He couldn’t figure out how long it had been since Dr. Bob had chased his parents out of the room and told him to get some sleep. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d fallen asleep or whether he’d even done so to begin with. Sleep was a funny thing in that manner.
He could feel the softness of the sheets as they brushed against the blonde hair that dotted his arm. He could vaguely hear muffled voices, those of a man and a woman. He recognized the man’s voice, but the recognition lay somewhere in the back of his mind and he couldn’t figure out whether he should run from it or stand and fight it or welcome it like a returning prodigal son.
He forced his eyes to open the tiniest slit as the door to his room slammed open and shut for the umpteenth time. His eyelids felt heavy, as though covered by the sandman’s blanket, but through the crack he could see the familiar figure of a man standing over him. He couldn’t place him, but that feeling at the back of his mind was back, prodding him gently not to simply lay there.
“What . . . What’re you . . .”
“It’s okay, son. Just go back to sleep.”
The instructions seemed wrong, coming from the man. He struggled with his words, to protest, to say. . . something . . .
The silence of the room was cut off by a loud scream from the doorway.
“What are you doing to my son?” Lily gasped, frozen stock still before her motherly instincts kicked in and she ran into the room in a full-on attack. “Get away from him! I won’t let you hurt him!”
She leapt at him, grabbing his arms and pulling him and the syringe in his hands away from her son. But Colonel Mayer was stronger than she was and the struggle soon turned to the chaos of life and death. He overpowered her, twisting an arm around her neck like a cobra, not quite squeezing the life out of her but too strong to ever release her. He twisted the syringe so that the needle faced her instead of him.
She let out a scream and her arms stiffened as she struggled to keep the cold of the needle from penetrating her skin and it’s contents freezing the essence of her blood.
“I didn’t want to do this! You’re making me do this,” he snarled through his struggles and, even as the hairs on his arms stood up in nerves, Luke couldn’t do anything but watch the needle inched closer and closer to Lily’s terrified face.
Chapter 7-->