Stay - Chapter Forty Two
Reid could feel his elbows aching, the joints in his fingers pulsing and the centre of his forehead bubbling with pressure. It’d been a long day. His hand still formed the shape of a scalpel, which even Reid, a self confessed workaholic, considered too much.
“Doctor Oliver?”
Reid rubbed at his temples with feeble fingertips. He closed his eyes and swivelled in his chair, his feet landing on the floor from the windowsill.
“Yes Doctor Hughes, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Reid asked sarcastically with a breath so deep his chest hurt from even the vibration.
“I’ve had word from the board that on Monday they wish to meet my choice for Chief of Staff. They have specifically requested that I bring my candidate along to the Lakeview where there will be a short introductory session followed by a presentation from yourself. We will then sit for a four course meal and cocktails.”
“Four course meal?”
Bob smiled and scratched his head. “Yes Reid, there will be a complimentary meal.”
“Well then Bob-o, count me in.”
“Good, that’s excellent, I’ll let the board know and pass on more specific details when I hear more.”
“Oh something else, is it more of a hospital dog and pony show with just staff or are we able to bring guests?”
Bob smiled again, unused to so many in the presence of Reid Oliver.
“If you mean Luke then by all means, guests are allowed. Plus, I think it’d be good for you.”
Reid frowned, suddenly defensive. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Reid, you have to admit that he mellows your ‘unique temperament’.”
“Right. That.”
“Yes. That,” Bob replied with a sure nod, turning with his hand resting on the door, “and further to this shindig, I checked your schedule and as your boss I’m insisting that you take the rest of today and the weekend to get some rest, clear your head and prepare for Monday’s presentation. Take a few days Reid, even I can see you’re exhausted.”
“Bob this is my job, I learned to push through exhaustion at med school. It’s second nature.”
“Maybe to some but I prefer my doctors fresh faced and alert.”
Reid scowled. “I am never fresh faced.”
“Well, I’ll settle for alert. Take the weekend Reid. You know by now that if you set foot in the hospital I’ll send you home.”
“If you say so.”
With a pleased grin, Bob retreated. Reid’s head fell to the back of his plush leather computer chair. As he closed his eyes and let his inner monologue strop, his head hurt more with every second.
Buzz.
Reid, eyes still closed, reached automatically for his phone.
“Yes. Who is it?”
“Oh well aren’t you pleasant today?”
Reid’s eyes snapped open. “Luke?”
“No it’s your other boyfriend.”
“Oh hi, I forgot how hot you sound. Don’t tell Luke I said that.”
“Oh no ,don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. He’ll never know.”
Reid smiled feeling his aches and pains waning with every word. “So what can I do for you?”
“Well, I know you just got out of surgery but I was trying to set up that cabinet we bought and I’m having a little trouble.”
Reid pulled a face. “So you called for DIY advice down the phone?”
It took a few seconds for Luke to reply. “Um yea, I guess so.”
“Luke I don’t touch hammers or nails. My hands are my livelihood. Plus, stop right now. The thought of you with tools is terrifying.”
“Hey I can put together furniture, it can’t be that hard.”
“Which is why you called me at work to ask for help.”
“Shut up,” Luke snapped. Reid could hear the frustration in Luke’s voice.
“Why don’t you tell me the real reason you called?”
Luke sighed loudly making the phone fuzzy. “I’ve just never done this before and I tried with the cabinet which had all of these little wooded pieces with no slots for them to go in. Then I tried the table we chose but it had this huge instruction sheet. I mean it’s a table, right? How hard can it be. Turns out... pretty damn hard. Then I tried to-“
“Luke, Luke... have you actually managed to put anything together?”
There was silence causing Reid to smile. Of course he hadn’t.
“Um, well I made up the bed.”
“Ahh well that’s something, ” Reid’s voice was couched in suggestion, “and how does it look?”
Luke’s laugh tinkled down the line. “It’s missing something.”
“And what would that be Mr Snyder?”
“You.”
The sexual tension crackled. “Well we’ll have to do something about that.”
“When are you coming home?”
“Home?” Reid asked with a smile. He’d never called a place that for a long time. Katie’s place was almost there but it had never felt easy calling it home. Dallas was, technically, a home but Reid let his mind wash over the memories he’d collected from that period in his life- it was all empty. A vaccum. They hadn’t even moved into the new place and had only visited it once but Reid already had a small collection of memories to store.
Luke hugged the phone a little. “Yea, it will be home, I mean it is home, right?” He felt nervous, worried that Reid didn’t feel the same way about the situation. Luke had spent hours on the phone to Lucinda trying to convince her to back off and let them do things alone. He had a feeling Reid wouldn’t appreciate the situation being controlled from outside sources, especially his family, and was trying so hard to do the right thing. So far Luke was finding it all a little daunting but sitting in amongst a sea of flat packs, screws, giant sheets of tiny instructions alongside mind-boggling diagrams and half constructed furniture, Luke felt the fizz of excitement that it was actually happening. It was real.
“Yes it will be home. Even if I put my coffee on our new table and it collapses in on itself.”
“I can’t wait for you to come and see it,” Luke chimed, his lips pursing and shoulders curling happily.
“You are such a girl. It’s like Bob could feel the opportunity for me to do schmaltzy stuff. He’s forcing me to endure the hell of time off this weekend.”
“Really? You’re not working?” Luke rushed out excitedly. It was verging on a squeak. “I get you all to myself for three whole days?”
Reid’s eyes rolled on their own accord. So typical. “Yes. You can lock me away and have your way with me for three days solid if you wish.”
“I do wish. Just as long as we get the furniture put together too,” Luke cooed, whispering in the mouthpiece as he slumped back onto the pristine sofa covered in crackling plastic.
Reid laughed despite himself. Trust Luke Snyder to mix sex with DIY, he thought with a scoff. “Good. I’ll be home in an hour.”
“Wow, so quick,” Luke sighed happily then let his mind wander a little, “I’ll be the naked one with the hammer.”
“Be home in ten.”
....
“Well, so much for DIY,” Reid mumbled into Luke’s messy hair.
“Yea,” was the reply, slow and contented and muffled by the folds of duvet rolled by Luke’s cheek.
“So you want to make coffee and fix the table?” Reid’s voice was filled with teasing causing Luke to smile instantly. He pulled himself up, his modesty risked, to look into Reid’s eyes.
“You are so sexy it’s insane,” he purred sarcastically, his fingers mindlessly playing with Reid’s curls.
“Always been my problem.”
Luke gave a short laugh and rested his head back down on Reid’s chest with a contented sigh. “You know I think that was a record, even for us,” Luke stated, his lips brushing Reid’s skin as he talked. Reid could feel the warmth all around and for the life of him tried to remember a time before feeling this good.
“What do you mean?”
“You were in the door for around three seconds before the clothes tearing started.”
“I just have that effect on people.” Reid pulled himself up in bed with a smirk. Luke shuffled up with him, his eyelashes tickling Reid’s neck as his sleepiness took control. Reid surveyed the room. He had to admit that it was a nice place. Lucinda Walsh clearly had an inherent sense of taste that oozed from every pore. The walls were neutral paint with some rooms carpet laid and some hard wood- all traditional with a hint of modern. The porch was small but framed the doorway nicely, as Luke put it ‘quaint’, but the door entered immediately into a small lounge. It was lit with wall lamps making it feel homely and lived-in, the dining table they’d picked out was chunky and solid but everything felt simple and understated. Reid wasn’t one to admit perfection but it felt close to it. It had elements of Luke. The arty prints on the walls, the vase for flowers by the window and the mountain of covers for the bad sent from mattress heaven. It also had injections of Reid. The kitchen was practical but full of gadgets designed to speed things up, the study was large with plenty of storage and a bookcase designed for piles of medical textbooks and sofa cushions stuffed so full of feathers that Reid was sure he’d never leave for work if he let himself sink amongst them. It was a small place that felt personal, it felt comfortable and hardly anything was put together yet... a sign that things were going to work out.
“You asleep?”
Reid whispered quietly, snapping himself out of his daydream and craning his neck. When no answer came, he let his left arm lie alongside Luke in the crisp white cotton and his head sink into the plush brown scatter cushions. It was with a sigh so full of ease that instigated his mind to ponder how in hell he got to this moment, this new... life.
“Doctor Oliver?”
Reid rubbed at his temples with feeble fingertips. He closed his eyes and swivelled in his chair, his feet landing on the floor from the windowsill.
“Yes Doctor Hughes, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Reid asked sarcastically with a breath so deep his chest hurt from even the vibration.
“I’ve had word from the board that on Monday they wish to meet my choice for Chief of Staff. They have specifically requested that I bring my candidate along to the Lakeview where there will be a short introductory session followed by a presentation from yourself. We will then sit for a four course meal and cocktails.”
“Four course meal?”
Bob smiled and scratched his head. “Yes Reid, there will be a complimentary meal.”
“Well then Bob-o, count me in.”
“Good, that’s excellent, I’ll let the board know and pass on more specific details when I hear more.”
“Oh something else, is it more of a hospital dog and pony show with just staff or are we able to bring guests?”
Bob smiled again, unused to so many in the presence of Reid Oliver.
“If you mean Luke then by all means, guests are allowed. Plus, I think it’d be good for you.”
Reid frowned, suddenly defensive. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Reid, you have to admit that he mellows your ‘unique temperament’.”
“Right. That.”
“Yes. That,” Bob replied with a sure nod, turning with his hand resting on the door, “and further to this shindig, I checked your schedule and as your boss I’m insisting that you take the rest of today and the weekend to get some rest, clear your head and prepare for Monday’s presentation. Take a few days Reid, even I can see you’re exhausted.”
“Bob this is my job, I learned to push through exhaustion at med school. It’s second nature.”
“Maybe to some but I prefer my doctors fresh faced and alert.”
Reid scowled. “I am never fresh faced.”
“Well, I’ll settle for alert. Take the weekend Reid. You know by now that if you set foot in the hospital I’ll send you home.”
“If you say so.”
With a pleased grin, Bob retreated. Reid’s head fell to the back of his plush leather computer chair. As he closed his eyes and let his inner monologue strop, his head hurt more with every second.
Buzz.
Reid, eyes still closed, reached automatically for his phone.
“Yes. Who is it?”
“Oh well aren’t you pleasant today?”
Reid’s eyes snapped open. “Luke?”
“No it’s your other boyfriend.”
“Oh hi, I forgot how hot you sound. Don’t tell Luke I said that.”
“Oh no ,don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. He’ll never know.”
Reid smiled feeling his aches and pains waning with every word. “So what can I do for you?”
“Well, I know you just got out of surgery but I was trying to set up that cabinet we bought and I’m having a little trouble.”
Reid pulled a face. “So you called for DIY advice down the phone?”
It took a few seconds for Luke to reply. “Um yea, I guess so.”
“Luke I don’t touch hammers or nails. My hands are my livelihood. Plus, stop right now. The thought of you with tools is terrifying.”
“Hey I can put together furniture, it can’t be that hard.”
“Which is why you called me at work to ask for help.”
“Shut up,” Luke snapped. Reid could hear the frustration in Luke’s voice.
“Why don’t you tell me the real reason you called?”
Luke sighed loudly making the phone fuzzy. “I’ve just never done this before and I tried with the cabinet which had all of these little wooded pieces with no slots for them to go in. Then I tried the table we chose but it had this huge instruction sheet. I mean it’s a table, right? How hard can it be. Turns out... pretty damn hard. Then I tried to-“
“Luke, Luke... have you actually managed to put anything together?”
There was silence causing Reid to smile. Of course he hadn’t.
“Um, well I made up the bed.”
“Ahh well that’s something, ” Reid’s voice was couched in suggestion, “and how does it look?”
Luke’s laugh tinkled down the line. “It’s missing something.”
“And what would that be Mr Snyder?”
“You.”
The sexual tension crackled. “Well we’ll have to do something about that.”
“When are you coming home?”
“Home?” Reid asked with a smile. He’d never called a place that for a long time. Katie’s place was almost there but it had never felt easy calling it home. Dallas was, technically, a home but Reid let his mind wash over the memories he’d collected from that period in his life- it was all empty. A vaccum. They hadn’t even moved into the new place and had only visited it once but Reid already had a small collection of memories to store.
Luke hugged the phone a little. “Yea, it will be home, I mean it is home, right?” He felt nervous, worried that Reid didn’t feel the same way about the situation. Luke had spent hours on the phone to Lucinda trying to convince her to back off and let them do things alone. He had a feeling Reid wouldn’t appreciate the situation being controlled from outside sources, especially his family, and was trying so hard to do the right thing. So far Luke was finding it all a little daunting but sitting in amongst a sea of flat packs, screws, giant sheets of tiny instructions alongside mind-boggling diagrams and half constructed furniture, Luke felt the fizz of excitement that it was actually happening. It was real.
“Yes it will be home. Even if I put my coffee on our new table and it collapses in on itself.”
“I can’t wait for you to come and see it,” Luke chimed, his lips pursing and shoulders curling happily.
“You are such a girl. It’s like Bob could feel the opportunity for me to do schmaltzy stuff. He’s forcing me to endure the hell of time off this weekend.”
“Really? You’re not working?” Luke rushed out excitedly. It was verging on a squeak. “I get you all to myself for three whole days?”
Reid’s eyes rolled on their own accord. So typical. “Yes. You can lock me away and have your way with me for three days solid if you wish.”
“I do wish. Just as long as we get the furniture put together too,” Luke cooed, whispering in the mouthpiece as he slumped back onto the pristine sofa covered in crackling plastic.
Reid laughed despite himself. Trust Luke Snyder to mix sex with DIY, he thought with a scoff. “Good. I’ll be home in an hour.”
“Wow, so quick,” Luke sighed happily then let his mind wander a little, “I’ll be the naked one with the hammer.”
“Be home in ten.”
....
“Well, so much for DIY,” Reid mumbled into Luke’s messy hair.
“Yea,” was the reply, slow and contented and muffled by the folds of duvet rolled by Luke’s cheek.
“So you want to make coffee and fix the table?” Reid’s voice was filled with teasing causing Luke to smile instantly. He pulled himself up, his modesty risked, to look into Reid’s eyes.
“You are so sexy it’s insane,” he purred sarcastically, his fingers mindlessly playing with Reid’s curls.
“Always been my problem.”
Luke gave a short laugh and rested his head back down on Reid’s chest with a contented sigh. “You know I think that was a record, even for us,” Luke stated, his lips brushing Reid’s skin as he talked. Reid could feel the warmth all around and for the life of him tried to remember a time before feeling this good.
“What do you mean?”
“You were in the door for around three seconds before the clothes tearing started.”
“I just have that effect on people.” Reid pulled himself up in bed with a smirk. Luke shuffled up with him, his eyelashes tickling Reid’s neck as his sleepiness took control. Reid surveyed the room. He had to admit that it was a nice place. Lucinda Walsh clearly had an inherent sense of taste that oozed from every pore. The walls were neutral paint with some rooms carpet laid and some hard wood- all traditional with a hint of modern. The porch was small but framed the doorway nicely, as Luke put it ‘quaint’, but the door entered immediately into a small lounge. It was lit with wall lamps making it feel homely and lived-in, the dining table they’d picked out was chunky and solid but everything felt simple and understated. Reid wasn’t one to admit perfection but it felt close to it. It had elements of Luke. The arty prints on the walls, the vase for flowers by the window and the mountain of covers for the bad sent from mattress heaven. It also had injections of Reid. The kitchen was practical but full of gadgets designed to speed things up, the study was large with plenty of storage and a bookcase designed for piles of medical textbooks and sofa cushions stuffed so full of feathers that Reid was sure he’d never leave for work if he let himself sink amongst them. It was a small place that felt personal, it felt comfortable and hardly anything was put together yet... a sign that things were going to work out.
“You asleep?”
Reid whispered quietly, snapping himself out of his daydream and craning his neck. When no answer came, he let his left arm lie alongside Luke in the crisp white cotton and his head sink into the plush brown scatter cushions. It was with a sigh so full of ease that instigated his mind to ponder how in hell he got to this moment, this new... life.