Just Sandwiches
Story Summary: Starts out 17 months after The Final 3 Scenes.
Chapter Summary: Who was watching ESPN????
CHAPTER 2
17 MONTHS LATER - OCTOBER 2012
“Holy shit... no way… oh my god, oh my god, oh my god… it can’t be. Allie, come here” Casey shouted toward the other room. “Hurry up… you have to come see this” he said in a panicked voice when she didn’t appear right away. “Allie, come on… I’m freaking out here.”
“Geez Casey, what is it?” Alison replied as she rounded the corner from the hall in their apartment to the small living room with the ridiculously huge 48 inch flat screen that was currently on some sort of sports channel. “I’m exhausted. I need to get some sleep before I have to go back to the hospital at 8 in the morning.”
“You have to see this” excitedly grabbing the remote for the DVR machine he decided was the single best purchase he had ever convinced Alison they needed. He started to use the rewind function for live TV on the remote.
“Casey, I could care less about some random basketball team from who knows where. You know sports are not my thing.”
“No, no, no that’s not what this is about. But I am seriously freaking out. I could swear I saw… I can’t even say it out loud.” Still rolling the video back on the remote, his eyes transfixed on the screen “crap, where are they? Why can’t I find it? Crap… crap. You just, you just have to see it ok” he stopped rewinding for a second to look over at his wife. “Come here and sit down. I don’t want you to like pass out or something if I’m right. I mean I can’t be… I hope like hell I am but there is just no way. I just”
Alison cut him off “Casey calm down. Just show me whatever it is so I can go to bed ok.”
“Ok, ok, yeah you’re right” he turned back around and focused once again on finding what he was looking for on the screen. Alison sat down looking at her watch. She sincerely hoped this didn’t take too much longer. She was exhausted from the 12 hour shift she had just pulled. Letting out a huge yawn she turned to look at the TV. In a matter of seconds, sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. There in full living color on the screen in front of her were Luke and Reid smiling at each other. Casey looked over to her, excitedly pointing at the image in front of them.
“Am I out of my mind or do you see it too? Does that or does that not look like one Luke Snyder and Dr. Neuro next to him?”
Alison put a hand over her mouth “oh… wow… Luke” she whispered out.
“Yeah, but not just him, I mean no one knew why or how he just fell off the face of the earth but look who is next to him. That looks just like Dr. Oliver. But he’s dead right, and what, now he’s haunting Luke or something?” Casey chuckled then looked at Alison with a weird grin on his face. “That was supposed to be a joke. You know because you can’t actually see ghosts and all that.”
Alison tried to proportion her reaction appropriately. “Wow, I think you might be right. That does kind of look like him anyway” she finished as she looked away sheepishly.
“You didn’t sound very surprised” Casey gave Alison a frown ripe with suspiciously. Taking a couple of steps toward her “wait a minute, what aren’t you telling me? You were there that day, the day Reid died. You were in the operating room to do the transplant for Chris. Alison, you better start talking.”
“Casey, I can’t”
“What the hell does that mean, you can’t. Who’s stopping you?”
“Just leave it alone will you. Turn that off” she said, pointing at the TV. “I don’t want to look at it anymore.”
“I will not turn it off” he replied raising his voice a bit. Grabbing Alison’s hands roughly Casey looked at her straight in the eyes “you have to tell me what is going on. I’m dying here.”
“Ok, ok, but I could get in serious trouble, like with the law, and it could put people in danger.” Casey’s expression softened marginally, confusion becoming the emotion written on his face. Alison continued after a few seconds “Reid did not die from the train accident or whatever you want to call it. He was placed in witness protection by the FBI because someone had tried to kill him. I was the nurse primarily responsible for his care the week after he was hurt.” She let out a huge sigh, it feeling good to actually say this out loud to someone. She and Margo had only talked about it once in the over 2 years since it had happened.
“Holy shit! I C A N N O T believe you didn’t tell me this. You let Luke grieve and suffer and never said a word. I… I… wait, why DIDN’T Luke know about all this?”
“Reid didn’t want him to know. We didn’t talk much but he made it very clear that a life away from his family wasn’t something he wanted Luke to have to go through.”
“Wow, that’s a hell of a sacrifice for someone you love. Who knew he had it in him?” Alison nodded in agreement. “But then how did they end up at Allen Fieldhouse together?” he asked pointing back at the TV.
“I honestly have no idea Casey.” He looked at her suspiciously. “Really. I don’t have a clue. I have been as worried about what happened to Luke as everyone else has been the last year and a half.”
“Well” Casey replied with resolve in his voice “we have to find them. I mean this is crazy good news. I have to call his parents, and Noah, Will and Gwen, my folks….”
“No Casey, you can’t do that” Alison said grabbing onto his arm as he started to head for the phone.
“Why the hell not?”
“Um, you know what, I’m going to let someone else explain that to you” and she herself picked up the phone and started to dial Margo’s cell phone.
“This better be an emergency Casey” was Margo’s greeting when she answered the phone.
“Actually Margo, its Alison, but it is in fact an emergency.”
“What’s wrong Alison? Is it Casey? Has he been hurt?”
“No, nothing like that, Casey is fine” she slapped his hand away as he tried to grab the phone from her. “He just saw something on the television and well, he knows… about Reid. I’m going to let him explain it all to you” and with that she handed him the phone.
Casey had not really been listening to what Alison had been saying he was too excited. “Mom, you will not believe what I am about to tell you.”
Margo interrupted him “Casey be quiet for a minute and let me talk.” She couldn’t see it but knew Casey was giving her a scowl on the other end of the phone. “I already know about Reid. And before you get too bent out of shape about that, the how and why are not important right now. What is important is that you listen carefully to what I am about to say to you” she paused, waiting for some sort of response on the other end of the phone.
Casey walked over, sat down on his couch, looked back up at the TV screen in front of him at the two men smiling so contently at each other and finally replied “ok mom, go ahead.”
“I don’t know where they are. We can’t contact them. They will be in danger if Damian or any of his men find out that Reid is alive and worse that Luke is now with him. Yes I have known all along that Reid didn’t die and I have known for the last eighteen months that Luke and he have been together. If and when the time comes that it is safe then and only then will the FBI give the ok for some contact to be made with them.”
“Ok, I get it mom. Listen I have to go.”
“Casey…”
“No mom I won’t do anything stupid. You have my word. I just don’t want to talk to you right now” and with that he hung up the phone and looked back at Alison.
“Casey, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
“You know what Allie, I don’t want to talk to you right now either.” He grabbed his coat off the hook next to the door, grabbed his keys and walked out without a backwards glance.
-----
Walking around Carbondale at midnight wasn’t quite as safe as doing it in Oakdale and at that moment Casey didn’t really care. He was almost looking for a fight and wouldn’t back down if trouble came looking for him. Coming upon a city park he took a seat on a bench trying to collect his thoughts. He had meant what he said to him mom he wouldn’t do anything stupid that would jeopardize the safety of one of his best friends. He was however going to figure out a way to… he wasn’t sure what… just let Luke know that he was glad to know he was ok and clearly from what he had seen happy with his new life.
Chapter Summary: Who was watching ESPN????
CHAPTER 2
17 MONTHS LATER - OCTOBER 2012
“Holy shit... no way… oh my god, oh my god, oh my god… it can’t be. Allie, come here” Casey shouted toward the other room. “Hurry up… you have to come see this” he said in a panicked voice when she didn’t appear right away. “Allie, come on… I’m freaking out here.”
“Geez Casey, what is it?” Alison replied as she rounded the corner from the hall in their apartment to the small living room with the ridiculously huge 48 inch flat screen that was currently on some sort of sports channel. “I’m exhausted. I need to get some sleep before I have to go back to the hospital at 8 in the morning.”
“You have to see this” excitedly grabbing the remote for the DVR machine he decided was the single best purchase he had ever convinced Alison they needed. He started to use the rewind function for live TV on the remote.
“Casey, I could care less about some random basketball team from who knows where. You know sports are not my thing.”
“No, no, no that’s not what this is about. But I am seriously freaking out. I could swear I saw… I can’t even say it out loud.” Still rolling the video back on the remote, his eyes transfixed on the screen “crap, where are they? Why can’t I find it? Crap… crap. You just, you just have to see it ok” he stopped rewinding for a second to look over at his wife. “Come here and sit down. I don’t want you to like pass out or something if I’m right. I mean I can’t be… I hope like hell I am but there is just no way. I just”
Alison cut him off “Casey calm down. Just show me whatever it is so I can go to bed ok.”
“Ok, ok, yeah you’re right” he turned back around and focused once again on finding what he was looking for on the screen. Alison sat down looking at her watch. She sincerely hoped this didn’t take too much longer. She was exhausted from the 12 hour shift she had just pulled. Letting out a huge yawn she turned to look at the TV. In a matter of seconds, sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. There in full living color on the screen in front of her were Luke and Reid smiling at each other. Casey looked over to her, excitedly pointing at the image in front of them.
“Am I out of my mind or do you see it too? Does that or does that not look like one Luke Snyder and Dr. Neuro next to him?”
Alison put a hand over her mouth “oh… wow… Luke” she whispered out.
“Yeah, but not just him, I mean no one knew why or how he just fell off the face of the earth but look who is next to him. That looks just like Dr. Oliver. But he’s dead right, and what, now he’s haunting Luke or something?” Casey chuckled then looked at Alison with a weird grin on his face. “That was supposed to be a joke. You know because you can’t actually see ghosts and all that.”
Alison tried to proportion her reaction appropriately. “Wow, I think you might be right. That does kind of look like him anyway” she finished as she looked away sheepishly.
“You didn’t sound very surprised” Casey gave Alison a frown ripe with suspiciously. Taking a couple of steps toward her “wait a minute, what aren’t you telling me? You were there that day, the day Reid died. You were in the operating room to do the transplant for Chris. Alison, you better start talking.”
“Casey, I can’t”
“What the hell does that mean, you can’t. Who’s stopping you?”
“Just leave it alone will you. Turn that off” she said, pointing at the TV. “I don’t want to look at it anymore.”
“I will not turn it off” he replied raising his voice a bit. Grabbing Alison’s hands roughly Casey looked at her straight in the eyes “you have to tell me what is going on. I’m dying here.”
“Ok, ok, but I could get in serious trouble, like with the law, and it could put people in danger.” Casey’s expression softened marginally, confusion becoming the emotion written on his face. Alison continued after a few seconds “Reid did not die from the train accident or whatever you want to call it. He was placed in witness protection by the FBI because someone had tried to kill him. I was the nurse primarily responsible for his care the week after he was hurt.” She let out a huge sigh, it feeling good to actually say this out loud to someone. She and Margo had only talked about it once in the over 2 years since it had happened.
“Holy shit! I C A N N O T believe you didn’t tell me this. You let Luke grieve and suffer and never said a word. I… I… wait, why DIDN’T Luke know about all this?”
“Reid didn’t want him to know. We didn’t talk much but he made it very clear that a life away from his family wasn’t something he wanted Luke to have to go through.”
“Wow, that’s a hell of a sacrifice for someone you love. Who knew he had it in him?” Alison nodded in agreement. “But then how did they end up at Allen Fieldhouse together?” he asked pointing back at the TV.
“I honestly have no idea Casey.” He looked at her suspiciously. “Really. I don’t have a clue. I have been as worried about what happened to Luke as everyone else has been the last year and a half.”
“Well” Casey replied with resolve in his voice “we have to find them. I mean this is crazy good news. I have to call his parents, and Noah, Will and Gwen, my folks….”
“No Casey, you can’t do that” Alison said grabbing onto his arm as he started to head for the phone.
“Why the hell not?”
“Um, you know what, I’m going to let someone else explain that to you” and she herself picked up the phone and started to dial Margo’s cell phone.
“This better be an emergency Casey” was Margo’s greeting when she answered the phone.
“Actually Margo, its Alison, but it is in fact an emergency.”
“What’s wrong Alison? Is it Casey? Has he been hurt?”
“No, nothing like that, Casey is fine” she slapped his hand away as he tried to grab the phone from her. “He just saw something on the television and well, he knows… about Reid. I’m going to let him explain it all to you” and with that she handed him the phone.
Casey had not really been listening to what Alison had been saying he was too excited. “Mom, you will not believe what I am about to tell you.”
Margo interrupted him “Casey be quiet for a minute and let me talk.” She couldn’t see it but knew Casey was giving her a scowl on the other end of the phone. “I already know about Reid. And before you get too bent out of shape about that, the how and why are not important right now. What is important is that you listen carefully to what I am about to say to you” she paused, waiting for some sort of response on the other end of the phone.
Casey walked over, sat down on his couch, looked back up at the TV screen in front of him at the two men smiling so contently at each other and finally replied “ok mom, go ahead.”
“I don’t know where they are. We can’t contact them. They will be in danger if Damian or any of his men find out that Reid is alive and worse that Luke is now with him. Yes I have known all along that Reid didn’t die and I have known for the last eighteen months that Luke and he have been together. If and when the time comes that it is safe then and only then will the FBI give the ok for some contact to be made with them.”
“Ok, I get it mom. Listen I have to go.”
“Casey…”
“No mom I won’t do anything stupid. You have my word. I just don’t want to talk to you right now” and with that he hung up the phone and looked back at Alison.
“Casey, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
“You know what Allie, I don’t want to talk to you right now either.” He grabbed his coat off the hook next to the door, grabbed his keys and walked out without a backwards glance.
-----
Walking around Carbondale at midnight wasn’t quite as safe as doing it in Oakdale and at that moment Casey didn’t really care. He was almost looking for a fight and wouldn’t back down if trouble came looking for him. Coming upon a city park he took a seat on a bench trying to collect his thoughts. He had meant what he said to him mom he wouldn’t do anything stupid that would jeopardize the safety of one of his best friends. He was however going to figure out a way to… he wasn’t sure what… just let Luke know that he was glad to know he was ok and clearly from what he had seen happy with his new life.