Left and Right: Chapter Sixteen
Title: Left and Right (multi-chapter)
Author: dolce_amore
Summary: Reid injures himself in an accident six months after starting a relationship with Luke. This is the story of how Reid and Luke handle it.
Genre/Type: Romance/Drama/Future-Fic
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own As the World Turns, it’s characters, or it’s settings. Though if you know where I can buy a Reid, please let me know. ☺
Disclaimer #2: Chapter titles are all lyrics taken from songs. I take no credit for them. They are being used for entertainment purposes only. All rights go to the artists that first penned them. ☺
Characters/Pairings in this chapter: Reid/Luke
Author's Notes: This is my Big Bang fic for LROnline. It's 23 chapters, though, so I figured I'd break it up instead of posting all the chapters at once. Enjoy! Comments = love.
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Sixteen: This is How It Hurts When I Pretend I Don’t Feel Any Pain
He opened the door to find an empty house. He ran into the bathroom just in time to dry heave into the toilet a few times. He slumped down beside the toilet and buried his head in his forearm, falling over to lean against his knees. He felt desperate, helpless, and he hated it. It was illogical to be even more upset now about his hand than he was the night it happened. He was starting to feel mildly better about it before today. It was illogical to be upset about it at all, honestly. It was what it was. He hated that he couldn’t just stop it from getting to him.
He heard Luke walk through the door just moments later, calling his name frantically. Finally Luke came into the bathroom and sighed as he found his boyfriend sitting on the floor looking like death.
“Bob called and said you seemed sick and you left in a hurry. Are you okay? Do you have a fever? Let me get the thermometer and…”
Reid shook his head. “I’m not sick, just broken,” he said, stopping Luke mid-sentence.
“Oh, Reid,” Luke sighed. He sat down on the toilet seat lid and ran a hand through Reid’s hair. “What happened?”
“I broke my hand,” Reid said bluntly.
“After that, I mean. Today. Obviously something happened.”
Reid shook his head. “It’s not…”
“It is my concern,” Luke corrected before Reid could even finish. “Talk to me.”
Reid got up and walked into the bedroom, planting himself on the mattress. Luke followed and sat down beside him and resumed running his fingers through Reid’s softly curled locks.
Reid leaned into Luke. He couldn’t imagine dealing with the possibility of losing his career without Luke by his side. They had dealt with this once before, when the Judd family decided to sue him for malpractice, and all throughout Luke was just… incredible. Luke went out of his way to help him when Reid knew he had done nothing to deserve such kindness. There they were again, a different situation with the promise of Reid still being able to practice medicine, of course, but the same uncertainty for his future in surgery. Ever the optimist, Luke somehow managed to keep his cool when Reid felt like everything was going to hell in a hand basket (sans sandwiches, too).
Reid relented with a sigh.“ There was this little girl in the hospital cafeteria today. She was annoying,” Reid started. “And she didn’t have anyone with her… and I would’ve left her there, but…”
“But you’re a nice guy in spite of yourself and you had to help her,” Luke said with a proud smile.
Reid shrugged. “I’m not nice. But anyway, yeah, I brought her to the front desk and we found her room. And I found out that she was admitted to the pediatric cancer wing and her physician was Dr. Elkin,” he said solemnly. “Dr. Elkin is the neurosurgeon who is filling in for me. The kid - Katie - must have a brain tumor. She was probably in the hospital just waiting to be prepped for surgery. She had a full head of blonde hair, so Elkin clearly hadn’t cut yet.”
“I’m sure even though her doctor isn’t you, she’ll be just fine. I bet this Dr. Elkin is perfectly capable of…”
“That isn’t the point though, Luke. I left a child sitting in a hospital bed that needs to be fixed. And I can’t fix her. And her surgery could have a completely different outcome because I’m not the one operating on her,” his voice cracked.
“You don’t think Dr. Elkin can save her?” Luke asked, genuinely curious.
Reid shook his head. “Maybe he can. Maybe he can’t. He isn’t the best, though. I am. Katie is not getting the best care possible and I can’t do anything about it. I’ve always been good at fixing things. I can’t fix anyone, though. I can’t even fix myself,” he laughed bitterly.
He wasn’t saying it out of arrogance. Luke knew this. He rubbed Reid’s back gently and leaned into him before kissing the tender spot just between his jaw and neck. “Let me fix you,” Luke whispered tenderly.
Reid shuttered as Luke traced prolonged kisses up his earlobe and continued on to the back of his neck. Luke pushed him back in what could only be described as slow motion, cautious not to force any weight onto Reid in a way that could hurt him. From there it went from zippers against zippers and buttons against buttons to cotton against cotton. Then bruised collarbone against bruised collarbone, flesh against flesh. Then flesh within flesh, accompanied by gasps drawn in drenched in need and released in salvation. Every movement was filled with purpose, with right hands desperately trying to grasp to their counterparts of a foreign body, in one instance finding success and in another only met with stone coldness. Hair tussled and obscenities mixed with gentle coos. Finally, after what could’ve been moments or could’ve been days, the pair of bodies, the broken and the fixer, fell together in a tangled maze of four legs, three arms, and a cast.
After a few moments spent recuperating, Reid turned to Luke and kissed him softly. He wasn’t fixed. Luke couldn’t fix him. Maybe no one could. In that moment he felt a bit less broken, though.
Author: dolce_amore
Summary: Reid injures himself in an accident six months after starting a relationship with Luke. This is the story of how Reid and Luke handle it.
Genre/Type: Romance/Drama/Future-Fic
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own As the World Turns, it’s characters, or it’s settings. Though if you know where I can buy a Reid, please let me know. ☺
Disclaimer #2: Chapter titles are all lyrics taken from songs. I take no credit for them. They are being used for entertainment purposes only. All rights go to the artists that first penned them. ☺
Characters/Pairings in this chapter: Reid/Luke
Author's Notes: This is my Big Bang fic for LROnline. It's 23 chapters, though, so I figured I'd break it up instead of posting all the chapters at once. Enjoy! Comments = love.
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Sixteen: This is How It Hurts When I Pretend I Don’t Feel Any Pain
He opened the door to find an empty house. He ran into the bathroom just in time to dry heave into the toilet a few times. He slumped down beside the toilet and buried his head in his forearm, falling over to lean against his knees. He felt desperate, helpless, and he hated it. It was illogical to be even more upset now about his hand than he was the night it happened. He was starting to feel mildly better about it before today. It was illogical to be upset about it at all, honestly. It was what it was. He hated that he couldn’t just stop it from getting to him.
He heard Luke walk through the door just moments later, calling his name frantically. Finally Luke came into the bathroom and sighed as he found his boyfriend sitting on the floor looking like death.
“Bob called and said you seemed sick and you left in a hurry. Are you okay? Do you have a fever? Let me get the thermometer and…”
Reid shook his head. “I’m not sick, just broken,” he said, stopping Luke mid-sentence.
“Oh, Reid,” Luke sighed. He sat down on the toilet seat lid and ran a hand through Reid’s hair. “What happened?”
“I broke my hand,” Reid said bluntly.
“After that, I mean. Today. Obviously something happened.”
Reid shook his head. “It’s not…”
“It is my concern,” Luke corrected before Reid could even finish. “Talk to me.”
Reid got up and walked into the bedroom, planting himself on the mattress. Luke followed and sat down beside him and resumed running his fingers through Reid’s softly curled locks.
Reid leaned into Luke. He couldn’t imagine dealing with the possibility of losing his career without Luke by his side. They had dealt with this once before, when the Judd family decided to sue him for malpractice, and all throughout Luke was just… incredible. Luke went out of his way to help him when Reid knew he had done nothing to deserve such kindness. There they were again, a different situation with the promise of Reid still being able to practice medicine, of course, but the same uncertainty for his future in surgery. Ever the optimist, Luke somehow managed to keep his cool when Reid felt like everything was going to hell in a hand basket (sans sandwiches, too).
Reid relented with a sigh.“ There was this little girl in the hospital cafeteria today. She was annoying,” Reid started. “And she didn’t have anyone with her… and I would’ve left her there, but…”
“But you’re a nice guy in spite of yourself and you had to help her,” Luke said with a proud smile.
Reid shrugged. “I’m not nice. But anyway, yeah, I brought her to the front desk and we found her room. And I found out that she was admitted to the pediatric cancer wing and her physician was Dr. Elkin,” he said solemnly. “Dr. Elkin is the neurosurgeon who is filling in for me. The kid - Katie - must have a brain tumor. She was probably in the hospital just waiting to be prepped for surgery. She had a full head of blonde hair, so Elkin clearly hadn’t cut yet.”
“I’m sure even though her doctor isn’t you, she’ll be just fine. I bet this Dr. Elkin is perfectly capable of…”
“That isn’t the point though, Luke. I left a child sitting in a hospital bed that needs to be fixed. And I can’t fix her. And her surgery could have a completely different outcome because I’m not the one operating on her,” his voice cracked.
“You don’t think Dr. Elkin can save her?” Luke asked, genuinely curious.
Reid shook his head. “Maybe he can. Maybe he can’t. He isn’t the best, though. I am. Katie is not getting the best care possible and I can’t do anything about it. I’ve always been good at fixing things. I can’t fix anyone, though. I can’t even fix myself,” he laughed bitterly.
He wasn’t saying it out of arrogance. Luke knew this. He rubbed Reid’s back gently and leaned into him before kissing the tender spot just between his jaw and neck. “Let me fix you,” Luke whispered tenderly.
Reid shuttered as Luke traced prolonged kisses up his earlobe and continued on to the back of his neck. Luke pushed him back in what could only be described as slow motion, cautious not to force any weight onto Reid in a way that could hurt him. From there it went from zippers against zippers and buttons against buttons to cotton against cotton. Then bruised collarbone against bruised collarbone, flesh against flesh. Then flesh within flesh, accompanied by gasps drawn in drenched in need and released in salvation. Every movement was filled with purpose, with right hands desperately trying to grasp to their counterparts of a foreign body, in one instance finding success and in another only met with stone coldness. Hair tussled and obscenities mixed with gentle coos. Finally, after what could’ve been moments or could’ve been days, the pair of bodies, the broken and the fixer, fell together in a tangled maze of four legs, three arms, and a cast.
After a few moments spent recuperating, Reid turned to Luke and kissed him softly. He wasn’t fixed. Luke couldn’t fix him. Maybe no one could. In that moment he felt a bit less broken, though.