All the Signs Were There (1/1)
He looked at his watch as he walked through the apartment door. Just as he was closing the door behind him, Katie came out from the hall, spotted him and rushed over.
"Luke is still locked in the bathroom and there is water flowing under the door into your room."
Katie didn't even finish her sentence before Reid was running for his room. He saw the carpet was soaked as he reached the bathroom door. He knocked and called Luke's name but there was no answer. He heard Katie behind him, dialing on the phone. He took a step back and kicked at the door a few times before it flew open. Katie screamed as soon as they saw inside the bathroom.
The tub was over flowing with bloody water. Luke was in the tub, unmoving. One of his arms were hanging over the tub and blood was dripping from his wrist. Reid ran forward, falling to his knees by the tub and started checking for a pulse.
"Is he..." Katie started
"He still has a pulse but it's weak." Reid moved to pull Luke from the tub before turning the faucet off and grabbing towels to wrap around Luke's wrists to stop the bleeding.
Luke was only in a pair of boxers and looking over his body, Reid found the cuts on his thighs. It wasn't much longer before the paramedics showed up and Luke was being rushed to the hospital. Reid and Katie followed the ambulance to the hospital and Reid went into doctor mode while Katie called Luke's parents and sat in the waiting room with a sleeping Jacob in his stroller.
Reid ordered the other doctors and nurses around, pretending that Luke was just another patient and not his boyfriend. He knew that any minute Bob would enter and tell him it would be a conflict of interest. When the door did open, it was Chis who walked in, just as Luke crashed.
"Get the crash cart!" Reid barked, starting CPR with the help of a nurse, Gretchen he thinks.
Another nurse, Luke's friend Alison, rushes in with the crash cart. She hands him the paddles.
"Charging,"
Everyone moved away from Luke as Reid yells clear. Nothing. He does it again, nothing. Again, and nothing.
"Reid!" Chris places his hand on Reid's shoulder, "Stop. He's gone."
Alison takes the paddles from Reid, who takes a few steps back. Everyone in the room is watching him.
"Doogie, call it." he says and leaves the room.
Chris watches him before looking at the clock, "Time of death, 9:50 p.m."
Minutes later, Chris walks into the waiting room to find Katie sitting with Lily and Holden.
"Lily, Holden." he said, stepping closer.
They stand up, "Where's Reid? Katie said he was in with Luke."
Chris nodded, "I'm sorry."
It was all he had to say for them to know what he was going to say next. Lily broke down and collapsed to the ground, Holden going with her, his arms wrapped around her. Katie stepped closer to Chris.
"Where is he?"
"He just left. I would check his office." Chris replied, "I'll take Jacob."
Katie nodded and handed Jacob over to him. She rushed out of the waiting room and down the hall to Reid's office. There were two nurses standing outside, along with Reid's assistant. As Katie got closer, she could hear inside the room, things were being thrown against the wall.
"He locked the door." Reid's assistant told her, "What's happened?"
"Luke Snyder just died," Katie frowned, tears already running down her face.
All three ladies gasped and looked at the door. Everyone in the hospital knew they were dating and knew all about Luke's attacks. Katie walked up to the door and knocked, calling Reid's name, but the only answer that she received was the sound of a chair hitting the wall.
"How did he die?" one of the nurses asked
"Suicide." Katie replied, not looking at them. She knocked on the door again, "Reid, open up, it's me."
A minute later, she heard the click of the lock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind her. There was only a little light from the desk lamp lighting the room but she would see clearly that the office was a mess. The desk was cleared of everything, including the computer. The chairs were broken on the floor from being thrown at the walls. Pictures that use to be hanging were shattered on the floor. Reid was on his knees on the floor, his arms on the desk and his face leaning against the edge of the desk. She took a step forward.
"I couldn't save him. I was too late." he mumbled, not looking up.
"Reid..."
"How could he.... I didn't.... Why would..." he couldn't complete a sentence anymore, he was having a panic attack and trying not to cry, "I should have stopped him."
"Reid," Katie knelt down next to him, "You couldn't have known he was going to do this."
"All the signs were there, Katie." he lifted his head to look at her, "He was cutting and drinking. He wasn't getting better, not really."
"Reid, this was not your fault, don't blame yourself."
"How can I not. His parents trusted me to help him, to take care of him and look what happened because I couldn't stay and force him to talk to me. Instead I took a fucking walk to clear my head while he was locked away in the damn bathroom, committing fucking suicide." his voice rose with every word, "What kind of fucking boyfriend does that? Why would a boyfriend leave like that when the other is hurting like he was?"
Katie didn't know what to say to that. She just pulled him into a pull. At first he tried to pull away but then he sank into her touch, resting his forehead on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, clutching at the back of her shirt with his fists.
Three days later was Luke's funeral. It seemed like the whole town attended, even if they didn't really know him. After, everyone left for the farm except for Reid and Katie. Katie went off to see Brad's grave, giving Reid some time alone at Luke's. The whole time, Reid had not spoke a word except for ' I'm sorry' to any Snyder or Walsh who approached him. None of them said they blamed him, but he couldn't help but blame himself.
He was sleeping out on the couch, not able to return to his room because of everything. Each night, he thought about how if he had only stopped Luke from entering the bathroom or stayed and tried to get him to talk, or even returned from his stupid walk ten minutes earlier. He knew none of his thinking was going to bring Luke back to them, but he couldn't stop.
Now, he just sat in silent, staring at the headstone, running his fingers down the engraving.
Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi Snyder
May 16, 1988 - October 3, 2010
He didn't know how long he sat there before Katie returned, pulling him to his feet. She looped her arm through his and walked him out of the cemetery and to her car, taking him to the farm where everyone else was. He was still not actually speaking, and Katie was going to respect that. She was going to be there for him, like he had been there for her with Brad, but she was not going to push him to talk until he started.
"Luke is still locked in the bathroom and there is water flowing under the door into your room."
Katie didn't even finish her sentence before Reid was running for his room. He saw the carpet was soaked as he reached the bathroom door. He knocked and called Luke's name but there was no answer. He heard Katie behind him, dialing on the phone. He took a step back and kicked at the door a few times before it flew open. Katie screamed as soon as they saw inside the bathroom.
The tub was over flowing with bloody water. Luke was in the tub, unmoving. One of his arms were hanging over the tub and blood was dripping from his wrist. Reid ran forward, falling to his knees by the tub and started checking for a pulse.
"Is he..." Katie started
"He still has a pulse but it's weak." Reid moved to pull Luke from the tub before turning the faucet off and grabbing towels to wrap around Luke's wrists to stop the bleeding.
Luke was only in a pair of boxers and looking over his body, Reid found the cuts on his thighs. It wasn't much longer before the paramedics showed up and Luke was being rushed to the hospital. Reid and Katie followed the ambulance to the hospital and Reid went into doctor mode while Katie called Luke's parents and sat in the waiting room with a sleeping Jacob in his stroller.
Reid ordered the other doctors and nurses around, pretending that Luke was just another patient and not his boyfriend. He knew that any minute Bob would enter and tell him it would be a conflict of interest. When the door did open, it was Chis who walked in, just as Luke crashed.
"Get the crash cart!" Reid barked, starting CPR with the help of a nurse, Gretchen he thinks.
Another nurse, Luke's friend Alison, rushes in with the crash cart. She hands him the paddles.
"Charging,"
Everyone moved away from Luke as Reid yells clear. Nothing. He does it again, nothing. Again, and nothing.
"Reid!" Chris places his hand on Reid's shoulder, "Stop. He's gone."
Alison takes the paddles from Reid, who takes a few steps back. Everyone in the room is watching him.
"Doogie, call it." he says and leaves the room.
Chris watches him before looking at the clock, "Time of death, 9:50 p.m."
Minutes later, Chris walks into the waiting room to find Katie sitting with Lily and Holden.
"Lily, Holden." he said, stepping closer.
They stand up, "Where's Reid? Katie said he was in with Luke."
Chris nodded, "I'm sorry."
It was all he had to say for them to know what he was going to say next. Lily broke down and collapsed to the ground, Holden going with her, his arms wrapped around her. Katie stepped closer to Chris.
"Where is he?"
"He just left. I would check his office." Chris replied, "I'll take Jacob."
Katie nodded and handed Jacob over to him. She rushed out of the waiting room and down the hall to Reid's office. There were two nurses standing outside, along with Reid's assistant. As Katie got closer, she could hear inside the room, things were being thrown against the wall.
"He locked the door." Reid's assistant told her, "What's happened?"
"Luke Snyder just died," Katie frowned, tears already running down her face.
All three ladies gasped and looked at the door. Everyone in the hospital knew they were dating and knew all about Luke's attacks. Katie walked up to the door and knocked, calling Reid's name, but the only answer that she received was the sound of a chair hitting the wall.
"How did he die?" one of the nurses asked
"Suicide." Katie replied, not looking at them. She knocked on the door again, "Reid, open up, it's me."
A minute later, she heard the click of the lock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind her. There was only a little light from the desk lamp lighting the room but she would see clearly that the office was a mess. The desk was cleared of everything, including the computer. The chairs were broken on the floor from being thrown at the walls. Pictures that use to be hanging were shattered on the floor. Reid was on his knees on the floor, his arms on the desk and his face leaning against the edge of the desk. She took a step forward.
"I couldn't save him. I was too late." he mumbled, not looking up.
"Reid..."
"How could he.... I didn't.... Why would..." he couldn't complete a sentence anymore, he was having a panic attack and trying not to cry, "I should have stopped him."
"Reid," Katie knelt down next to him, "You couldn't have known he was going to do this."
"All the signs were there, Katie." he lifted his head to look at her, "He was cutting and drinking. He wasn't getting better, not really."
"Reid, this was not your fault, don't blame yourself."
"How can I not. His parents trusted me to help him, to take care of him and look what happened because I couldn't stay and force him to talk to me. Instead I took a fucking walk to clear my head while he was locked away in the damn bathroom, committing fucking suicide." his voice rose with every word, "What kind of fucking boyfriend does that? Why would a boyfriend leave like that when the other is hurting like he was?"
Katie didn't know what to say to that. She just pulled him into a pull. At first he tried to pull away but then he sank into her touch, resting his forehead on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, clutching at the back of her shirt with his fists.
Three days later was Luke's funeral. It seemed like the whole town attended, even if they didn't really know him. After, everyone left for the farm except for Reid and Katie. Katie went off to see Brad's grave, giving Reid some time alone at Luke's. The whole time, Reid had not spoke a word except for ' I'm sorry' to any Snyder or Walsh who approached him. None of them said they blamed him, but he couldn't help but blame himself.
He was sleeping out on the couch, not able to return to his room because of everything. Each night, he thought about how if he had only stopped Luke from entering the bathroom or stayed and tried to get him to talk, or even returned from his stupid walk ten minutes earlier. He knew none of his thinking was going to bring Luke back to them, but he couldn't stop.
Now, he just sat in silent, staring at the headstone, running his fingers down the engraving.
Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi Snyder
May 16, 1988 - October 3, 2010
He didn't know how long he sat there before Katie returned, pulling him to his feet. She looped her arm through his and walked him out of the cemetery and to her car, taking him to the farm where everyone else was. He was still not actually speaking, and Katie was going to respect that. She was going to be there for him, like he had been there for her with Brad, but she was not going to push him to talk until he started.