Fic: Coming Home 55/?
Author: PABWECG (aka Patricia)
Title: Coming Home
Genre/Type: Romance
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Luke/Noah, Lily/Holden, Casey, Katie, Bob, assorted little people, possibly others
Warnings: None really, except some Nuke intimacy
Summary: Luke and Noah moved to L.A. in the Summer of 2009 for Noah to do his last year of school with an internship of sorts (no Mason, no blindness, etc. Everything else in their history has happened). Reid arrived, temporarily, at Memorial in August 2010.
***Thank you to all of you who have hung in there to continue with this story! It’s a bit slow going getting back into writing, but it’s fun! LuRe are still my favorite couple out there! Okay, so here goes...it’s a short one, but it’s a start!
Thank you Slayerkitty for being my beta!!!
Previous Chapters: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15/ 16/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 21/ 22/ 23/ 24/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 29/ 30/ 31/ 32/ 33/ 34/ 35/ 36/ 37/ 38/ 39/ 40/ 41/ 42/ 43/ 44/ 45/ 46/ 47/ 48/ 49/ 50/ 51/ 52/ 53/ 54/
Ch 55 - One Month later, approximately Mid-March
The sound of Luke's soothing, comforting voice drifted into his dreams, gently but insistently pulling him awake. As he rolled over he knew Luke wouldn't be there, but he still felt that moment's disappointment, his hand briefly touching the cooling sheets in place of warm skin. Turning to his other side, he reached over the edge of the bed to reclaim his t-shirt and sleep pants, which Luke had removed from him before bed; smiling briefly at the memory, he put them on and grabbed his sweat shirt before leaving the bedroom, following the sound of Luke's voice.
Sammy hadn't slept well the last few nights. Luke had called him at the hospital the night before, concerned about her temperature and fussiness. It seems that she was simply cutting more teeth, and though there was nothing to worry about, both she and Luke were pretty sleep-deprived at this point.
Where the Hell was Noah? Reid rather roughly pulled on his sweatshirt the rest of the way, exhaled, and decided to stay focused on the people here with him. His anger towards the tall brunette would not help anyone right now.
As he entered the living room, Luke turned around and smiled tiredly at him. "Hey," he said quietly, his right hand continuing its circular path on Sammy's back. The little girl had her head resting on Luke's shoulder, her eyes opening and closing, and a frozen teething ring was grasped in her fist and between her mostly gums; the proof of her latest batch tears was seen on her cheeks.
Reid stepped up to the pair of them and stood close. Luke's eyes smiled at him once more before he turned his head back to peer at Sammy with love and concern. Her own eyes tried to study Reid’s face, fighting their sleepiness. Reid watched them both, his fondness for the little girl having grown over the past month, and his love for Luke continuing to surprise him (that well seemed to go deeper and deeper every time he'd thought he'd reached bottom).
Luke’s hand ran through Reid's curls. "You should go back to sleep," he said. "You've got surgery tomorrow." He returned to rubbing Sammy's back.
"I'm fine," Reid answered. He wasn't concerned about the surgery, which would be very straightforward. Besides, unlike Luke, he had slept fine lately. Reid had always been able to compartmentalize - he was a pro at it - when he needed sleep, he slept. Luke however - when he was worried about someone - his parents or grandmothers, his siblings or friends, his loved ones - he didn't sleep well, and he didn't take care of himself. Seeing how tired he was, giving all this love, time, and energy to little Samantha, Reid felt a mix of emotions.
Now he felt a flash of anger towards Noah, leaving all this responsibility in Luke's lap. This was Noah’s daughter - sure her parents had wanted Luke and Noah to raise her. Hell, even Reid himself had encouraged Luke not to walk away from her, saying that no child should have Noah for a father. For Noah to just drop her and run away like that, leaving her care entirely to Luke - it wasn't fair...and yet maybe it proved his own theory: How good a father would Noah be?
Reid inhaled, pulling himself back to the present moment. Luke needed him right here and right now - even if he didn’t know well enough to know that he needed him. Luke was exhausted, Reid could see that.
"Give her to me," he said, and he reached out and gently removed the girl from Luke's arms.
Luke let her go, but Reid could see the guilt on his face. "Reid, I can do this." Luke reached over and began rubbing Sammy's back once more. "You need your rest."
Sammy began to fuss, so Reid began pacing about the room. "You need your rest," He said in a firm, but quiet voice.
"I'm fine," Luke insisted. "I have no plans for tomorrow. I can rest then."
"While you’re taking care of a child who's not feeling well." Reid continued pacing, his decision final, and simply waited for Luke to accept it. "Go to bed." He kept his voice quiet.
"I won't be able to sleep," Luke said, covering a yawn. "I'll be worried about her...and you."
Reid stared him down. "Oh well." He shrugged. "Try to sleep anyway."
"Okay," Luke relented. "But if she's really upset, or you're getting tired, promise me that you'll wake me."
Reid again just looked back at him, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Please, Reid?"
"Nope." Reid kept pacing, seeming to ignore him.
Luke crossed his arms across his chest with a tired huff.
"If she's sick," Reid said. "Not just fussy. I'll wake you."
Luke's brow furrowed, knowing Reid wasn’t going to be moved.
"Now...go...to...bed."
Luke yawned. "Okay." He waited. "If you’re sure."
Reid tilted his head down and scowled across at Luke.
"Okay, okay!" Luke threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm going."
"Good."
Reid watched him walk back towards his bedroom - with yet another yawn, stretching his arms over his head as he went - and he smiled slightly. What an amazing, unending amount of love and generosity was contained in that oh-so-beautiful body.
Sammy stirred a bit, and Reid was pulled back to her. He walked slowly across the living room, to gaze out the window towards where the lake was. He could barely see the night's reflection on the snow, the one small lamp in the room bringing near darkness to the view outside. He switched it off and stood rocking in place, adjusting to the seeming darkness. Soon he was able to see again and then he could see the frozen lake, the snow covering it in spots.
"Well, little girl," he barely whispered. “Is this your new home?"
She breathed in and out, falling more deeply into sleep.
"Is this the place where you'll learn to walk?"
He sighed. He'd be okay with that, he realized. He would be content to spend his life with just Luke - more than content, actually. And he'd never given much though to children of his own. But now that she was here...well, who knows what would happen, but yes he'd be okay with Sammy in his life as well.
She seemed very relaxed - sound asleep. He carried her into her little bedroom and stood beside the crib - they'd finally gotten one from the farm, after two weeks had gone by and Noah still hadn’t returned. They’d barely even gotten a cryptic phone call from him every few days, each time saying he'd be home soon, and could they watch Sammy for just a couple more days. Her body was quite limp as he lowered her into the crib, hoping she wouldn’t wake. After he laid her down she turned her head a couple of times, her thumb eventually connecting with her mouth, and her legs curling up under her belly...and thankfully she settled.
Who knew how long she'd sleep - for an hour...or maybe three or four - but he would go rest while he could. He covered her up and looked down at her again, with a slight smile. Who knows where your future lays, Kiddo? Then his brow furrowed. But we need to get that settled, don't we?
Turning the corner, he was back in Luke's bedroom. He stood beside the bed and looked down at him in the dim light. Luke was tucked in, lying on his back, with one arm flung over his head on the pillow. Reid was really glad he'd decided to stay here tonight - Luke needed him. Luke always tried to take care of everyone else - and always felt guilty when he couldn't do it all, as if it really was his job to take care of everyone he loved, whenever they needed him. But who cared for Luke? I do. Reid vowed. If there's one thing I'm sure I will do, I must do...I need and want to do...it’s care for him.
"God, he's turned me into a real sap," he whispered, rolling his eyes in the dark.
He crawled under the covers - under that quilt that Emma had made, during her own many years of caring for Luke - and scooted closer to him, brushing back his hair gently and laying a kiss on his forehead. Luke hummed in his sleep, turning onto his side, and curled up close to him. Luke settled in as Reid's arm wrapped around him. And as Luke relaxed in that way that told Reid he had let go of his worries, Reid smiled once more. If Reid could do just this one thing with his life - be that place where Luke Snyder, caretaker of all, could let go of his cares and be cared for - if he'd could do that one thing, he'd feel justified in taking up precious space on this planet.
next part/
Title: Coming Home
Genre/Type: Romance
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Luke/Noah, Lily/Holden, Casey, Katie, Bob, assorted little people, possibly others
Warnings: None really, except some Nuke intimacy
Summary: Luke and Noah moved to L.A. in the Summer of 2009 for Noah to do his last year of school with an internship of sorts (no Mason, no blindness, etc. Everything else in their history has happened). Reid arrived, temporarily, at Memorial in August 2010.
***Thank you to all of you who have hung in there to continue with this story! It’s a bit slow going getting back into writing, but it’s fun! LuRe are still my favorite couple out there! Okay, so here goes...it’s a short one, but it’s a start!
Thank you Slayerkitty for being my beta!!!
Previous Chapters: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15/ 16/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 21/ 22/ 23/ 24/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 29/ 30/ 31/ 32/ 33/ 34/ 35/ 36/ 37/ 38/ 39/ 40/ 41/ 42/ 43/ 44/ 45/ 46/ 47/ 48/ 49/ 50/ 51/ 52/ 53/ 54/
Ch 55 - One Month later, approximately Mid-March
The sound of Luke's soothing, comforting voice drifted into his dreams, gently but insistently pulling him awake. As he rolled over he knew Luke wouldn't be there, but he still felt that moment's disappointment, his hand briefly touching the cooling sheets in place of warm skin. Turning to his other side, he reached over the edge of the bed to reclaim his t-shirt and sleep pants, which Luke had removed from him before bed; smiling briefly at the memory, he put them on and grabbed his sweat shirt before leaving the bedroom, following the sound of Luke's voice.
Sammy hadn't slept well the last few nights. Luke had called him at the hospital the night before, concerned about her temperature and fussiness. It seems that she was simply cutting more teeth, and though there was nothing to worry about, both she and Luke were pretty sleep-deprived at this point.
Where the Hell was Noah? Reid rather roughly pulled on his sweatshirt the rest of the way, exhaled, and decided to stay focused on the people here with him. His anger towards the tall brunette would not help anyone right now.
As he entered the living room, Luke turned around and smiled tiredly at him. "Hey," he said quietly, his right hand continuing its circular path on Sammy's back. The little girl had her head resting on Luke's shoulder, her eyes opening and closing, and a frozen teething ring was grasped in her fist and between her mostly gums; the proof of her latest batch tears was seen on her cheeks.
Reid stepped up to the pair of them and stood close. Luke's eyes smiled at him once more before he turned his head back to peer at Sammy with love and concern. Her own eyes tried to study Reid’s face, fighting their sleepiness. Reid watched them both, his fondness for the little girl having grown over the past month, and his love for Luke continuing to surprise him (that well seemed to go deeper and deeper every time he'd thought he'd reached bottom).
Luke’s hand ran through Reid's curls. "You should go back to sleep," he said. "You've got surgery tomorrow." He returned to rubbing Sammy's back.
"I'm fine," Reid answered. He wasn't concerned about the surgery, which would be very straightforward. Besides, unlike Luke, he had slept fine lately. Reid had always been able to compartmentalize - he was a pro at it - when he needed sleep, he slept. Luke however - when he was worried about someone - his parents or grandmothers, his siblings or friends, his loved ones - he didn't sleep well, and he didn't take care of himself. Seeing how tired he was, giving all this love, time, and energy to little Samantha, Reid felt a mix of emotions.
Now he felt a flash of anger towards Noah, leaving all this responsibility in Luke's lap. This was Noah’s daughter - sure her parents had wanted Luke and Noah to raise her. Hell, even Reid himself had encouraged Luke not to walk away from her, saying that no child should have Noah for a father. For Noah to just drop her and run away like that, leaving her care entirely to Luke - it wasn't fair...and yet maybe it proved his own theory: How good a father would Noah be?
Reid inhaled, pulling himself back to the present moment. Luke needed him right here and right now - even if he didn’t know well enough to know that he needed him. Luke was exhausted, Reid could see that.
"Give her to me," he said, and he reached out and gently removed the girl from Luke's arms.
Luke let her go, but Reid could see the guilt on his face. "Reid, I can do this." Luke reached over and began rubbing Sammy's back once more. "You need your rest."
Sammy began to fuss, so Reid began pacing about the room. "You need your rest," He said in a firm, but quiet voice.
"I'm fine," Luke insisted. "I have no plans for tomorrow. I can rest then."
"While you’re taking care of a child who's not feeling well." Reid continued pacing, his decision final, and simply waited for Luke to accept it. "Go to bed." He kept his voice quiet.
"I won't be able to sleep," Luke said, covering a yawn. "I'll be worried about her...and you."
Reid stared him down. "Oh well." He shrugged. "Try to sleep anyway."
"Okay," Luke relented. "But if she's really upset, or you're getting tired, promise me that you'll wake me."
Reid again just looked back at him, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Please, Reid?"
"Nope." Reid kept pacing, seeming to ignore him.
Luke crossed his arms across his chest with a tired huff.
"If she's sick," Reid said. "Not just fussy. I'll wake you."
Luke's brow furrowed, knowing Reid wasn’t going to be moved.
"Now...go...to...bed."
Luke yawned. "Okay." He waited. "If you’re sure."
Reid tilted his head down and scowled across at Luke.
"Okay, okay!" Luke threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm going."
"Good."
Reid watched him walk back towards his bedroom - with yet another yawn, stretching his arms over his head as he went - and he smiled slightly. What an amazing, unending amount of love and generosity was contained in that oh-so-beautiful body.
Sammy stirred a bit, and Reid was pulled back to her. He walked slowly across the living room, to gaze out the window towards where the lake was. He could barely see the night's reflection on the snow, the one small lamp in the room bringing near darkness to the view outside. He switched it off and stood rocking in place, adjusting to the seeming darkness. Soon he was able to see again and then he could see the frozen lake, the snow covering it in spots.
"Well, little girl," he barely whispered. “Is this your new home?"
She breathed in and out, falling more deeply into sleep.
"Is this the place where you'll learn to walk?"
He sighed. He'd be okay with that, he realized. He would be content to spend his life with just Luke - more than content, actually. And he'd never given much though to children of his own. But now that she was here...well, who knows what would happen, but yes he'd be okay with Sammy in his life as well.
She seemed very relaxed - sound asleep. He carried her into her little bedroom and stood beside the crib - they'd finally gotten one from the farm, after two weeks had gone by and Noah still hadn’t returned. They’d barely even gotten a cryptic phone call from him every few days, each time saying he'd be home soon, and could they watch Sammy for just a couple more days. Her body was quite limp as he lowered her into the crib, hoping she wouldn’t wake. After he laid her down she turned her head a couple of times, her thumb eventually connecting with her mouth, and her legs curling up under her belly...and thankfully she settled.
Who knew how long she'd sleep - for an hour...or maybe three or four - but he would go rest while he could. He covered her up and looked down at her again, with a slight smile. Who knows where your future lays, Kiddo? Then his brow furrowed. But we need to get that settled, don't we?
Turning the corner, he was back in Luke's bedroom. He stood beside the bed and looked down at him in the dim light. Luke was tucked in, lying on his back, with one arm flung over his head on the pillow. Reid was really glad he'd decided to stay here tonight - Luke needed him. Luke always tried to take care of everyone else - and always felt guilty when he couldn't do it all, as if it really was his job to take care of everyone he loved, whenever they needed him. But who cared for Luke? I do. Reid vowed. If there's one thing I'm sure I will do, I must do...I need and want to do...it’s care for him.
"God, he's turned me into a real sap," he whispered, rolling his eyes in the dark.
He crawled under the covers - under that quilt that Emma had made, during her own many years of caring for Luke - and scooted closer to him, brushing back his hair gently and laying a kiss on his forehead. Luke hummed in his sleep, turning onto his side, and curled up close to him. Luke settled in as Reid's arm wrapped around him. And as Luke relaxed in that way that told Reid he had let go of his worries, Reid smiled once more. If Reid could do just this one thing with his life - be that place where Luke Snyder, caretaker of all, could let go of his cares and be cared for - if he'd could do that one thing, he'd feel justified in taking up precious space on this planet.
next part/