Almost Everything 8/15 [Lure Big Bang]
Almost Everything Master Post
Chapter Eight
When Luke got up the next morning, he was surprised to find Reid sitting down at their kitchen table. He was reading the paper and sipping a cup of coffee. It was domestic and normal: two things Luke had never associated with Reid. He hesitated for a moment, memorizing the scene.
The redhead looked up when he heard Luke come in. “Morning,” Reid greeted the younger man. His face was expressionless.
“Hi.” Luke smiled shyly in return, hoping to get a smile out of his husband.
“Coffee’s ready, but I’m actually not sure how you take it,” Reid admitted a little sheepishly.
“Oh, lots of sugar,” Luke said. “I got some bagels from a new shop. It’s like two blocks from here. Do you want one?” he called over his shoulder as he went over to the coffee machine. “But…” he hesitated for a moment, looking at Reid. “Do you like bagels?”
Reid smiled. “Yeah, I do. Lightly toasted, lots of cream cheese.”
“Got it.” He went back to fixing their breakfast while Reid got him a cup of coffee.
The redhead handed the cup to Luke. “Try it,” he instructed.
He took a sip. “More sugar,” Luke advised Reid and went back to looking for a knife.
Reid looked at him for a moment. “It’s a wonder you have any teeth left at all-with the soda and the sugar in your coffee.”
The blonde’s gaze looked up and down Reid’s slim frame. “And the way you eat? It’s a wonder you stay so skinny.”
“I am not skinny,” Reid countered.
A brief image of Reid’s torso as he came out of the shower in their hotel room in Dallas flashed before his eyes. He swallowed. “Right,” Luke murmured.
The doctor returned with Luke’s coffee and the blonde finished getting the bagels ready. He handed one to Reid. “Enough cream cheese? I tried to leave little bit in the container.”
Reid shook his head with a smile. He had been avoiding sharing mornings like this with Luke, afraid of getting too close, feeling too married. He’d never been in a relationship like this and-he would never admit it-it scared him. “Thanks,” Reid finally said.
They sat down and ate in relative silence for a few moments. Reid handed Luke the sports section and finished his coffee. “Do you need a ride to the hospital?” he asked.
Luke hesitated for a moment, tapping his fingers against his coffee mug.
“Luke, it’s not a secret that you’ll want to go visit Noah.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s not that. I really need to head to the shipping office. I’ve been neglecting my work, which is how we got into this, um, marriage to begin with. I need to put in a few hours at least. I’ll call Noah and tell him that I’ll see him later.”
Reid didn’t say anything, instead grabbing the empty plates and cleaning up the remnants of their breakfast.
“Reid-”
He kept working, wiping down the counter, and getting a travel mug to take the rest of the pot with him to work. The doctor only stilled when he felt Luke’s hand on his. The blonde had come into the kitchen, He was standing behind Reid with his arm reaching around and his body surrounding Reid’s. The redhead stood perfectly still, hoping not to give away how affected he was by the younger man.
“I know you said we shouldn’t talk about the kiss until I was-”
Reid turned around and dug his lower back into the counter. He was trying to keep as much distance as he could between the two of them, but Luke’s hand was still resting on the counter next to Reid’s hip. Their bodies were inches apart. “Are you ready?” he asked. “Is that why you’re avoiding seeing Noah?”
“I, uh…” Luke took a step back. “He’s still recovering from surgery, am I supposed to just tell him that I kissed my husband?”
Reid shook his head in disgust and walked around Luke. He knew that Luke was right; Noah still had a long road of recovery ahead of him. And yet he felt like Luke was hiding or not willing to admit that there was chemistry between them. Reid felt it every time he was in the room with Luke. Last night’s kiss was just the start, at least it could be. Was his husband willing to go further? And did Reid even know what that meant?
“Reid, I…” Luke didn’t know what he was going to say. “I…”
“What do you want?” Reid asked.
“I don’t know,” Luke admitted.
“Right.” Reid nodded his head. “Well, you have a shipping company to attend to, and I have patients.” Reid grabbed his coffee and headed toward the living room. “If you stop by the hospital…” He shook his head. He was going to say stop by his office and say hello.
“I’ll bring you a caramel latte, whipped cream with an extra shot,” Luke offered, and there was a smile tugging at his lips.
“Whatever.” Reid refused to think about it, to look forward to an afternoon visit from Luke. “Will you be home tonight?”
“Yeah. Will you?” Luke asked as his eyebrows rose hopefully.
“Baring an emergency? Yes.” He looked at his husband for a moment. “Do you cook?”
Luke chuckled softly. “No, but I’ll get take out from Al’s.”
“Sounds good. Bye, Luke.” Reid had to get out of there. The morning was nice. It felt comfortable, but he didn’t want to think about dinner, afternoon visits, or sharing meals. He didn’t want to become too attached; that’s why he spent most of his evenings holed up in his office. But Reid was already attached; he just wouldn’t admit it to himself.
“I’ll see you later, Reid,” Luke called after his husband.
*
Reid went to check on Noah first. He wanted to get it over with. As he walked into Noah’s room, he heard his patient finish a phone call.
“All right, Luke. I’ll see you later.”
Reid tried to screw his features into passivity. “Mr. Mayer,” Reid greeted Noah.
Things were becoming clearer for Noah. He thought it was like someone who needed glasses to read. As his doctor made his way closer, Noah could get a clear picture of the man he’d been talking to for so many months. There was a frown on Reid’s face, and Noah suspected that it was always there. But his red hair, appeared thick and curly, and his eyes were an intense blue. Noah felt a burn in his stomach as he remembered hearing a nurse mention that Dr. Oliver was kind of hot, but he hid it. He’d heard his own nurse, Beth, mention that Dr. Oliver always had a smile for his new husband, and that’s when you saw how attractive he was. Luke had married this man. This was the guy Luke went home to every night. A wave of nausea came over Noah, and he leaned back in his bed with a groan.
Reid’s cool fingers were instantly on his forehead, and he was leaning over Noah. “Mr. Mayer? How are you feeling?” he asked. His voice was low and his gaze focused.
“Uh, yeah,” Noah said, trying to shake away the doctor’s hands. He hated how much he was still dependent on this man. “Just felt a little sick.”
Reid’s hands fell away, but his gaze remained locked on Noah. The brunette was uncomfortable. Dr. Oliver’s vision wasn’t distorted, and Noah wasn’t sure what he was giving away.
“Did Beth get you food with your medication last night?” Reid questioned, trying to figure out what was going on with his patient.
“Yes. I just got a little dizzy.”
“Okay. Well, let me look you over. Have you had any headaches? I know you’re probably anxious to get out and about, but you still have a lot to recover from.”
“I know. But I get stir-crazy just laying here.”
Reid had remembered Luke mentioning that his and Noah’s friends, Alison and Casey (the nurse and Bob’s grandson he had clarified for Reid) worked at the hospital. Normally Reid wouldn’t condone any kind of parties, but he did want Noah to get better. If nothing else, it would make Luke feel better. He paused at that thought, wondering when he suddenly started to think of another’s feelings over his own.
“Don’t you have friends who work here?” Reid asked.
“Uh, yeah, Ali and Casey,” Noah responded, not knowing where Reid was going with this.
“I think Nurse Stewart is working today. I could have her come visit you,” he offered.
“Really?” Noah asked. He didn’t want to appear too eager, afraid the doctor would change his mind. “Ali and I are roommates, and I’d love to see her.”
“All right.” Reid crossed his arms over his chest. “But promise me something? Don’t turn this place into party central. If you get tired or are in any pain, she needs to page me immediately. Got it?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Okay.” Reid turned and headed for the door.
“Dr. Oliver?” Noah’s voice called after him.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Thank you for everything. I’ll probably have to call you every day for the next six months and tell you that, but-”
Reid chuckled softly, remembering the line from Luke’s letter. “Yeah, Luke said you would…” his voice trailed off and both men looked at each other for a moment. And Reid was reminded why he didn’t like to get personally involved in the lives of his patients. More than that, he felt like he was in competition with his patient, and Reid didn’t want to lose. “I’ll get Nurse Stewart.”
*
Later that afternoon when Luke got to the hospital, he was carrying Reid’s special caffeine fix and had gotten one for himself too. He’d spent as much time as he could at Grimaldi Shipping before heading over to the foundation offices. When Luke’s eyes started to cross reviewing an application, he thought about a run to Java. It was then that he remembered he’d promised Reid a coffee and he’d promised Noah a visit.
He headed for Reid’s office, but he was gone. Placing the coffee on the desk, Luke headed for the hallway. He ran into the nurse he was always friendly with.
“Hi, Beth,” Luke greeted her.
“Hi, Mr. Snyder.”
“Oh, please Luke, or else I think you have to call me Mr. Oliver,” he added with a wink.
Beth laughed softly. She wasn’t sure what the young man saw in Dr. Oliver, but she knew for sure why the doctor had married Luke. “Of course. Dr. Oliver’s on rounds. He should be done soon though.”
“Thanks. But I should probably check on Noah. How’s he doing?”
“Very good. He’s had a few visitors, but I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”
“Great,” Luke replied. “If you see my husband before I do, could you tell Reid I didn’t forget my promise-his coffee is on his desk, and I’ll see him tonight at home for dinner.”
She nodded her head, and he felt like there was more he needed to say. So far, he and Reid had been doing well, but Luke was afraid Damian would have spies anywhere. He’d dropped the husband comment for that very reason. There was something about Beth. Maybe it was because Luke felt she saw more then she let on, but he had to keep up appearances.
“But I’m hoping to see Reid before I leave,” he added.
Beth smiled. “I know it must be difficult.”
“Oh, I know Reid can be-”
“Oh, no!” She cut him off. She didn’t want Luke to think that. “I mean, being newlyweds-Dr. Oliver works so hard, you two didn’t even get a honeymoon.”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “He’s amazing, and we’ll get one someday. We’re just…we’re figuring it all out…” he paused, thinking about the kiss and Reid’s request that he explain what he meant to Luke. “I should go see Noah.” He quickly made his way to Noah’s room.
The brunette smiled the moment Luke came into the room. “Luke!”
He offered a shy smile in return. “Hey, Noah. How are you feeling?”
“I’m good. My sight is getting better; I can see some now. And I keep thinking about…” his voice trailed off.
Luke came further into the room. He sat down on the bed and automatically his hands reached for Noah’s. “What do you keep thinking about?” he murmured.
“I’ve missed you, Luke, and I know I’m the reason you married Dr. Oliver.”
“Well, Noah, I had to get married,” the blonde reminded him.
Noah reached up and cupped Luke’s face for a moment. “Luke-”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, not wanting to hurt Noah with a discussion about Luke’s marriage to Reid.
“I know it can’t be like it was before the accident and all the times I pushed you away. But I don’t want to give up on us either.”
“Didn’t you already do that?” Luke asked. “I asked you for a future, and you couldn’t offer that.”
“Luke, I didn’t know what would happen with this surgery, and I didn’t want to be dependent on you.” Noah sighed. It seemed that they were having the same argument and it was the last thing he wanted. “Luke, I want a future with you, I always did, but I wanted you to be my equal, I didn’t want to be someone you felt like you had to take care of.”
“I never felt that way, Noah. And what do you expect?” Luke questioned. He didn’t want to hurt Noah, but they had to be realistic as well. “Noah, I’m married.”
“Yeah, but you and Dr. Oliver hate each other,” Noah pointed out. “I may have been blind, but I could always hear you two sniping at each other. I mean, today was the first time I ever heard him refer to you as Luke.” Noah chuckled. “I figured he still called you ‘Mr. Snyder.’”
“Its Oliver now,” Luke answered quietly.
Noah’s hand fell and he leaned back into the bed. “What?” he asked, shocked that Luke would do such a thing.
“Well…” Luke shook his head. “It’s not official or anything.”
Noah shook his head. “Luke, I don’t want to talk about my boyfriend and my doctor; I want to talk about us and the future.”
“Noah, I’m not your boyfriend anymore,” he gently reminded him. “And as far as the future…” his voice trailed off, Luke didn’t want to tell Noah that for now he had to focus on a future with Reid.
“But, Luke, we could be together again. I know why you had to get married, and I think I understand why you didn’t ask me. It’s more than the fact that we broke up, and I know that you have every reason to not want to see me. But do you still love me?”
“Yeah,” Luke admitted. However, he knew that wasn’t enough. If it had been, then they wouldn’t have broken up in the first place. Also, his thoughts wouldn’t stray to Reid as often as they had in the last couple of days. “But, I don’t think it’s enough anymore.”
“It used to be,” Noah reminded Luke. “It’ll take some work, but we could try.”
“No, we can’t.”
“Because of Dr. Oliver?” Noah wondered. He couldn’t quite make out the expression on the doctor’s face when he mentioned Luke earlier, but he’d heard a slight change in Reid’s voice. “I asked you if you still loved me, but I should I have asked if you love him.”
“Noah, don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been married a month.”
“And?” he pushed, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you hate him so much, why did you pick Dr. Oliver for this marriage of convenience? You live together, right? You see each other all the time. So is it because of him? Is he the reason you won’t-”
“I’m not in love with my husband.”
“That’s good to know,” Reid’s ice-cold voice greeted both men.
Luke winced and immediately jumped off of Noah’s bed. He turned and took a couple of steps closer to Reid. His mouth opened but no words came out.
“I’m just here to examine my patient. Could you wait in the hall?” Reid’s question was more of a demand.
Noah looked off to the side; he still couldn’t be sure what was happening. With his fuzzy vision, he decided to close his eyes to rely more on his hearing. There was the usual coldness in Reid’s voice, but Noah had to wonder now if maybe it was jealousy. Noah heard the squeak of Luke’s shoes against the floor and the brush of two jackets meeting. Luke was standing close to the doctor, his jacket brushing against Reid’s lab coat.
“Reid, I-” Luke’s voice was soft and had a desperate tinge to it.
The doctor didn’t respond, and Noah didn’t open his eyes until he heard the hospital room door open and close.
“Is your sight any better?” Reid questioned. He was standing close to Noah’s bed, and his face gave nothing away.
It frustrated Noah to no end, and he wondered how Luke could spend any time with this guy. He also began to question if Dr. Oliver had feelings for Luke as well.
“Nothing has changed since this morning,” Noah responded. “I had a headache earlier, but it went away quickly.”
“Good. Any other concerns?” Reid asked. He went to the foot of the bed and picked up Noah’s chart to starting to make a few notes.
“Why did you agree to marry Luke?”
Reid’s hand stilled for a moment. “I don’t believe that was the question I asked you, Mr. Mayer,” the doctor replied.
“You didn’t want Luke around me while I was doing physical therapy. Was it because you didn’t like him or because you thought it would be detrimental to me? I figured a strong support system is something you would advocate for your patients.”
“Now you sound like Luke,” Reid muttered.
It was still difficult for Noah to hear Reid call Luke by his first name. He was just grateful he didn’t refer to him as Mr. Oliver.
“Look, Noah, I’m going to do everything I can to help you. The surgery was a success. I know that you want to have your vision back 100%, and I want that for you too. My relationship with Luke…” his voice trailed off. How was he supposed to define it? “We got married so the neurology wing could be built, and the shipping company and foundation wouldn’t go under. He needed money and I wanted that wing. As soon as we can get this marriage annulled without drawing suspicion, we will. Then you and Luke can go back to whatever you want.” He set Noah’s chart back into its place and headed for the door.
“I’m not sure if Luke wants that,” Noah told Reid’s back as he headed out the door.
*
Luke wasn’t waiting in the hall as Reid expected. Reid had a few more patients to check on, and then he headed for his office. He tried to forget the sound of Luke’s voice as he told Noah he didn’t love Reid, but it echoed gently in the back of his head. When he walked in, Reid was surprised to find Luke in his office.
“What are you still doing here?” the redhead greeted Luke.
“You never can just say hello, can you?” he asked Reid.
“Hello. What are you still doing here?”
Luke chuckled softly. Of course that is how Reid would respond. “I know we were planning take-out at home.”
“You want to spend time with Noah,” Reid deduced. He tried to ignore the feeling his stomach; it was a nervous drop of disappointment and jealousy.
The blonde frowned for a moment. “No, I wanted to see if you felt like going over to Katie’s tonight. I ran into her a little awhile ago. She was looking for you.”
“Everything all right?” Reid asked. He was concerned for her and Jacob. He didn’t like to admit it, but he did miss his former roommate and the kid.
“Yeah.” He held out his hand reassuringly. “Katie just seemed upset about something. I told her I was hoping you’d be ready soon, and we’d head home for dinner. I asked her to join us, but she knows neither one of us can cook. So she invited us over to her place instead.”
“That sounds nice actually,” Reid admitted.
“Good,” Luke said. “Are you done soon? Should I meet you over there?”
“Well, I could leave now,” Reid said and eyed Luke for a moment. The redhead felt nervous as though he was waiting for Luke to argue with him. Normally arguing with Luke left Reid feeling exhilarated, but now the argument could lead to them breaking off whatever it was they shared.
“Great,” Luke said. He headed for the door and checked to see if Reid was following him.
Reid felt a little odd walking down the halls of the hospital with Luke. Every once in a while, their hands would brush against each other, and they would widen the distance, only for it to happen again. Finally, Luke reached for Reid’s hand and led him down to his car.
*
Most of dinner passed in simple conversation. Luke and Reid found it was easier to interact with Katie. She could referee some of their arguments, and she always had a way of teasing Reid. Luke liked to watch and sometimes take notes of how to do so in the future.
“So, Luke said you were upset. What’s going on?” Reid finally asked.
“Reid!” Luke hissed and almost smacked his husband. He turned back to Katie. “I’m sorry.”
She waved off his concern. “You forget, Luke, I’ve lived with him a lot longer then you have. I’m used to it.”
“Doesn’t mean its right either,” Luke countered with a pointed glance at Reid.
Reid shrugged in response as though to say, What are you going to do?
“Did you guys see the special we did for Lisa?” Katie asked, drawing their attention back to the conversation.
Reid hadn’t, but of course, Luke had. “Yeah, Casey and Ali were great, and you looked so beautiful,” Luke told her. “It was interesting, they had people reenact key moments in Lisa’s life. She was Bob’s first wife,” Luke explained to Reid.
Katie smiled first at Luke’s compliment and then at the way he had explained the event and history to Reid. She often wondered if the doctor would ever warm up to someone or let another person take care of him. It wasn’t much, but it was more of the way Luke had done so without a thought.
“And if I recall, you and Chris shared quite a kiss,” Luke said as the pieces of why Katie had been upset started to fall into place.
“Wait you stuck your tongue down Doogie Hughes’ throat?” Reid asked, disgust written all over his face.
This time Luke did smack Reid on the arm. “Don’t judge her,” he insisted. His eyes narrowed briefly, daring Reid to comment further.
“Yeah, listen to your husband,” Katie instructed Reid.
Both men sat for a moment, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Reid had referred to Luke that way but usually in fits of annoyance or jealousy. Some of the nurses would call Luke Reid’s husband, and every time it was a reminder of the agreement and contracts that were signed. But with Katie last night and just now, the word held so much more meaning. Reid refused to look at Luke, afraid that the effect of Katie’s words was written all over Reid’s face. He didn’t realize that they had the same effect on Luke too.
“I did not stick-” Katie couldn’t finish that sentence. “It was a kiss and…I still love Brad,” she continued, and both men could see the tears shimmering at the edge of her eyes. “I shouldn’t have…”
“But it was just for the special, you were pretending, right?” Luke softly questioned and his hand reached out for Katie’s.
She smiled gently. “Yeah, but I liked it; I just feel so guilty. I feel like I cheated on Brad. I can’t even begin to think about anything like that happening. I can’t imagine...” She hastily wiped at her eyes.
Reid felt so helpless. Besides the fact that he thought Katie could do better than Chris, whenever she cried, it made him uncomfortable. The few times he’d “hugged” her, it went against his nature. He was grateful Luke was there. He was so free with his emotions, and he could help her. And he watched as Luke’s face softened, and he gently pulled his chair closer to hers, taking both of her hands in his. He was a natural, and Reid was feeling a mixture of pride and jealousy-jealous that Luke could so easily comfort someone that Reid was admittedly close to.
“Katie, when you love someone, when you plan to spend your whole life with him, and he’s gone…” Luke’s voice trailed off. “There are no words for how painful that is.”
Reid felt his stomach twist in knots, wondering if Luke was thinking about Noah.
“And when you find yourself thinking of another man,” Luke continued, “of course you feel guilty and scared, because-”
“Because you can’t allow yourself to feel that way again,” Katie finished.
“Yeah,” Luke agreed.
The redhead watched his husband and friend for a few moments. They’d both loved someone so deeply and lost them; Reid had never experienced that. And the way Luke talked, Reid knew it was about Noah. Because of Noah, Luke wasn’t ready for anything and he may never be. Last night Reid had told Luke unless he was ready to tell him what that kiss meant, then they would leave it at that. But hearing Luke talk with Katie, Reid already had his answer.
======
Thank you for still reading! What do you think is Reid right about Luke's feelings for Noah?
Onto Chapter Nine…