One More Chance (fiction)
All he can hear is silence. The last thing he remembered hearing was long drawn out beep. The sign that he was dead.
He slowly opened his eyes. He saw white. Nothing but white. Everything was fluffy too.
Immediately he thought he was in the wrong place. People were cheerful and smiling and everyone was glowing.
He knew he was definitely in the wrong place.
He stood up and started walking through the white mist.
Finally he came to a desk.
A small white haired man stood behind it looking at his clipboard.
“Can you tell me why I’m here?”
“I can. You sacrificed your life for that of another human being. You automatically get sent here.”
“So, you’re saying because I gave my heart to Doogie, I have to suffer with this for eternity? I thought heaven was supposed to be good.”
“It is good. This is just the holding area. Heaven is behind those doors over there.”
Reid looked over the mans’ shoulder to see two giant white doors.
“So, my heaven is behind there?”
“Yes, heaven is behind there?”
“What’s it like?”
“It’s different for every person. My idea of heaven is being around people that love me and don’t end up crucifying me on a cross upside down.”
“Oh, so you’re St. Peter.”
“You know your Bible stories, I’m impressed.”
“So, what do I have to do to get there?”
“Well, the big man was really impressed with your sacrifice. He was so moved by your act that he decided to give you an offer.”
“An offer?”
“Yes, an offer.”
“What kind of offer is this?”
“Returning to earth.”
“He would let me return?”
“Yes. He would.”
“But I’m dead. What good would that do me?”
“You only just passed away, Reid. Less than five seconds.”
“I’ve been up here for a good ten minutes now.”
“Time doesn’t work the same way up here.”
“So, you’re saying I could go back and be myself?”
“Yes.”
“But someone else has my heart!”
“No, your heart hasn’t been removed yet.”
“I would be an idiot not to return. And I am not an idiot.”
“There is one catch, however.”
“And the catch is?”
“You have twenty four hours.”
“Of course. I can go back for twenty four hours to get everything in order?”
“No, you have twenty four hours to have sex with Luke. If you succeed in that time, you will be granted a full and long life on earth. But be warned, you will face blocks and interruptions like you have never experienced before. But if you are able to persist and manage around them, you will be granted a reprieve.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you will be brought back here.”
“How in the world will that be explained? I miraculously come back from brain death, only to die the following day?”
“They’ll say it was a brain hemorrhage.
“So I come back and what? I’m sent to hell?”
“No, you’ll spend eternity in heaven, but your heaven won’t be complete.”
“Because Luke’s not here to share it with me.”
“And like I said, time doesn’t work like it does down there. So you’re life up here will be good, but who knows how long you’ll be incomplete.”
“I’ll take the bet. I don’t care.”
“Very well. You’ll be sent back on the next bus.”
“There’s a bus?”
“Yes, where do you think Rowling got the idea for it in Harry Potter: The Prisoner from Azkaban?”
“You’re saying Rowling got the same offer?”
“Not the exact same offer, but clearly she passed her test.”
“I’ve never been one for public transportation, but this will be the most important ride of my life.”
“I hope we don’t see each other for a very long time, Mr. Oliver.”
“For once, I agree.”
Then he heard a horn beep and turned around.
The bus pulled up next to him and the driver waved him on.
It was Brad Snyder.
“I know you!”
“I know you too!”
“You’re Katie’s husband! The dead one!”
“And you’re the obnoxious jackass that moved in with my wife and son!”
Reid just laughed and shook Brad’s hand.
“So, you’re the bus driver?”
“I am for the Oakdale route. I get to keep any eye out on my friends and family and shuttle souls back and forth. I took you from the hospital to heaven, but you were pretty out of it.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Most people don’t, it’s a pretty traumatic experience.”
“So, I take it you didn’t get an offer?”
“I did actually, but time ran out for me and Katie on Christmas Eve, and I was sent back.”
“So that’s why you took the job of driving?”
“Yes, I like to look in on my daughter and brother every now and then.”
“And this is your version of heaven?”
“It is, until Katie and I are reunited.”
Reid just looked out the window.
“Hold on, this is going to be a fast and bumpy ride.” Reid braced his hands on the arm rests and closed his eyes.
He suddenly felt an enormous jerking motion, and then he was flung back.
When he opened his eyes he was laying on the hospital gurney and his monitor started beeping again.
He swore he saw Brad standing at the foot of the bed. He winked at him and turned and disappeared through the doors.
Luke was standing off to the side, hysterical. When he heard the monitors beeping again and turned to see Reid staring at him with his eyes open, he rushed back to his side.
“Reid, baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Dr. Hughes and Dr. Dixon were instantly there checking his vitals,
“How in the hell?”
John was staring at him in shock.
“What?”
“How in the world are you still alive? Your vitals are fantastic for someone who just got hit by a train!”
“I don’t know, maybe I had unfinished business here on earth.”
Bob was poking and prodding him.
“Does anything hurt? “
“Nope. I’m fit as a fiddle, Bob. I’m fine.”
Bob and John just shook their heads in disbelief.
“This should just not be happening.”
“Oh, for the record, that heart you wanted is on its way here. When the surgeon found out about my accident he felt so bad he immediately had it sent on a helicopter.”
“How in the world did you know that?”
“I am a very connected man, Dr. Dixon.”
With that he swung his legs over the side of the gurney, took off all the wires and stood up.
“Where in the hell do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going back to my place and I’m going to eat a sandwich, then I’m going to spend the rest of the day making love to my boyfriend.
He held his hand out to Luke who staring at him in shock.
“Come on, Luke.”
Luke just stood there. Reid finally grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the door.
“Reid, you are not going anywhere.”
Reid got exasperated.
“Luke, we really need to go now. I’ll explain when we get back to my place, but we can’t stay here.”
“No. You were dead for almost a full minute. You are staying here and getting tests done.”
“You don’t understand…”
Reid was so annoyed he was nearly crawling out of his skin.
“Reid, I’m not going anywhere with you, until you let Dr. Dixon and Dr. Hughes check you out.”
“Fine, but make it quick.”
Quick for Memorial hospital ended up taking four hours.
Every time Reid tried to pull Luke aside to talk to him, there was another test that needed to be run or results coming back.
Then there was the stream of visitors that came to see him. He had never had much of a social life before, but being the boyfriend of Luke Snyder meant everyone in the damn town and their offspring showed up when you nearly died.
By this time it was 8 p.m.
He had wasted four hours on this, only to be told by the doctors he appeared to be in perfect health and could go home as long as he promised to take it easy.
Reid had never been happier to get out of a hospital in his entire life.
He jumped up, changed into the clothes Luke had brought from his place, and headed off to find Luke who had gone in search of food.
He found Luke sitting in the waiting room.
“Good news. We can finally go home.”
“The heart just arrived. Dr. Dixon is preparing for surgery right now.”
“That’s good news, right?”
“Of course it is!”
“So, why the somber looks?”
“Well, we are just worried about him being strong enough to come through this.”
“I’m sure he will be fine.”
“So, you’re well enough to be released? That’s great news!”
“Yeah, and Dr. Hughes said I should head home and get some rest. So, I was hoping maybe you’d come with me.”
“Don’t you think we should stay and make sure Chris pulls through?”
“That’s an eight hour surgery, Luke.”
“But still, you have done so much for this case, I’d think you’d want to see it through, on top of which, Katie could really use your support right now.”
“But I need rest.”
“We’re in a hospital, Reid. Take your pick of beds.”
Reid wanted to scream. He knew there would be cockblocks, but Luke of all people?
“I really need to talk to you, Luke.”
“Sure thing. Katie, will you be okay for a few minutes?”
Katie nodded and went to sit with her sister.
Reid led him to an empty hallway and was just about to tell him, when Lily and Holden rounded the corner.
“Reid! We’re so glad to hear that you are alright! Should you be up out of bed?”
“Mr. Snyder, Miss Walsh.”
Reid thought he was going to explode from frustration at that point.
Luke noticed his expression.
“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, maybe you should go lay down. I’ll get Dr. Hughes to look at you.”
“I am FINE! What I NEED is for my boyfriend to listen to me for about five minutes before I go insane and throw him over my shoulder and drag him home!”
Luke stared at him in shock.
“Reid!”
Reid sighed and his shoulders slumped.
“I’m sorry if that was rude, but really, Luke. I do need to talk to you, and alone.”
“Will you excuse us for a bit?”
Lily and Holden just nodded and watched with concern as Reid led Luke into an empty exam room.
“What the hell is your problem, Reid?”
“What? I needed to talk to you about something very important!”
“So you had to throw a temper tantrum?”
“Excuse me?”
“God, Reid. For once the attention is on someone else, and you just can’t have that can you?”
“I nearly died today, Luke. Or have you forgotten?”
“Of course not, that’s why I think it’s so important that we are there for Katie, who may lose someone like I almost lost you.”
“Well, there is a reason I didn’t die.”
“And that is?”
As Reid opened his mouth to answer, the door flung open.
“There you are, Dr. Oliver.”
Reid looked at Dr. Hughes who barreled into the room.
“Yep. Here I am.”
“I need your help.”
“On what?”
“We just had a motorcyclist come in with severe head trauma. Do you feel up to scrubbing in on a surgery? We need to relieve pressure in the brain.”
“Am I the only neurosurgeon here?”
“You’re the only I trust to do this procedure.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s on my Noah Mayer.”
Luke’s face turned white.
“Noah was on a motorcycle?”
“Yes, he apparently was taking a ride with his boyfriend, Richard, and they were hit by a semi.”
“Oh my God.”
Luke started swaying then and would’ve fallen had it not been for Reid to hold him up.
Reid knew that if he said no, he would never sleep with Luke and he would be sent back.
“Of course, I’ll do it. How is the other rider?”
“Richard was thrown into a field and suffered only a mild concussion and some scrapes and bruises.”
“Luke, we still need to talk, but you go sit with Katie, and I’ll be back as soon as I can with any news about Noah, okay?”
Luke barely nodded and had to be helped to the waiting room by an orderly.
When Reid got in the operating room, he shivered to see the sight that Noah was in.
He worked on Noah’s brain for what felt like hours.
About halfway through, Noah’s blood pressure dropped and he went into cardiac arrest.
Thankfully, they were able to bring him back.
When he was stabilized he was taken to the intensive care unit, where he was slowly brought out of his coma.
Reid was the first one in to check on him, and Noah slowly started to wake.
Luke looked in on them as he checked Noah’s vitals.
“Peter says hi.”
Reid’s head snapped up and he nearly choked.
“I take it you got an offer too?”
“No, more of a ‘it’s not your time, yet’, see you in about fifty years speech, but he did want me to tell you that you’re doing a good job, whatever the hell that means.”
Reid grinned and continued to check Noah out.
“You will be fine. The pressure is relieved, no signs of any permanent damage, and this time we had to shave your head. You’re going to have a nice big scar on your skull from now on.”
“I guess I should thank you for saving my life twice now.”
“Maybe.”
Noah just squinted at him and finally said,
“He really loves you, you know.”
‘I do.”
“Do you love him?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. He’s the reason I wouldn’t die.”
“Well, that’s something. Don’t hurt him.”
“I have no plans too.”
Reid finished then and told Noah to take it easy.
He told him he would send Richard in.
“Can you send Luke in first? I need to talk to him.”
Reid bit his lip to keep from uttering a snarky response and just nodded.
When he got in the hall, everyone stood up.
“He is doing great. He came out of the coma just fine, he’s alert and talking, and already threatened me with physical violence if I hurt Luke.”
Lily and Holden hugged in relief, Richard sighed and dropped in his chair, and Luke grinned the biggest grin he had seen from him in sometime.
Reid wasn’t sure if she should be offended, as he had nearly died that same day as well, and Luke’s reaction was not nearly as happy.
“He’s asking for you, Luke.”
Reid turned and stalked down the hallway.
It was now sixteen hours later. He had eight hours to get Luke in his bed, fucking him into oblivion, or he’d be back on the bus to heaven.
He signed paperwork at the nurses’ station, for what seemed like hours, getting more and more frustrated. With every brush of the pen he was digging and gouging into the paper, until finally he ripped one of the sheets.
Just then he felt two arms around his waist,
“Thank you for saving him.”
“Well, it’s my job.”
Luke let go and turned to face him.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. I’m mad at this entire situation. I’m frustrated. All I want to do is go home and talk to you.”
“Well, let’s see how Chris is doing, and then we’ll go.”
Reid just sighed and felt a migraine coming on.
He let Luke drag him to the waiting room.
He walked in to see Katie pacing.
“How’s he doing?”
“Last time we heard he was doing fine. How’s Noah?”
“He came through just fine.”
“I wish you were in there right now, Reid. I know you’re not a cardiologist, but I trust you more than any other doctor here.”
Reid just groaned to himself.
“Do you want me to go in and see how things are going?”
“Would you? I’d be eternally grateful!”
“I’m sure you would.”
Reid headed down to the operating room. He scrubbed in, and took a place beside John.
“Dr. Oliver, what are you doing in my OR?”
“I was sent in by the family to get an update.”
“Well, as you see we are arm deep in heart tissue.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
“Well, if you are going to be in my OR , you may as well make yourself useful. Clamp that artery.”
Reid immediately went to work following orders.
He had never done this kind of surgery before, but found himself enjoying it.
Another three hours passed, and Chris was finally closed up.
He took of his surgical garb and headed to the waiting room.
Everyone looked at him with fear and consternation.
“Chris came through the surgery just fine. The heart transplant seems to be fine. Chris has shown no signs of rejection and the color has returned nicely to the organ. We expect him to make a full recovery.”
Almost immediately Kim flung herself into Reid’s arms.
“Thank you so much, for everything you’ve done for my son. You are truly a great man. I can’t believe I ever doubted you.”
Reid awkwardly patted her on the back and silently begged for help from Luke with his eyes.
Luke just grinned.
Katie was next in line and kissed him on the cheek.
“You are one of the greatest friends I could ask for. Thank you. I’ll never forget this, Reid.”
Reid just shrugged,
“It’s not a big deal.”
Reid went off to shower and change then.
He was just getting ready to leave the hospital, when Dr. Hughes and Dr. Dixon rounded the corner.
“Dr. Oliver. We were just contacted by CNN. They’d like to do a press conference with you. They found out about what happened, and it would be really great publicity for the hospital. And I’m sure the board would look very kindly on this.”
Reid knew it to be true, but he was down now to four hours. He had four hours to have sex with Luke, and the man upstairs really was making it impossible for him to get any.
“Fine. Lead the way.”
He headed to the conference, where he answered the mindless and trivial questions over and over until he felt like he was going to ask God to just let him hemorrhage right there and then.
Finally the conference ended and he walked out of the room.
He saw Luke standing at the end of the hallway.
“Are you finally ready to get out of here, Dr. Oliver?”
“I have never been more ready in my entire life, Mr. Snyder.”
“So…how long was I in there for?”
“About two hours.”
“Of course.”
“So I was thinking we could celebrate.”
Reid immediately perked up. He thought Luke was going to suggest sex, so he wouldn’t have to tell him.
“Celebrate, how?”
“We should go to Al’s and get chili and cornbread and then go back to my mom’s and play chess.”
“I disagree.”
Luke looked absolutely crestfallen.
“I agree about the food, but I think you should come back to Katie’s, so we can be alone.”
“We can be alone at my mom’s, Reid!”
“Dammit, Luke! Why do you never listen to me?”
Luke’s bottom lip started quivering and Reid could see tears form in his eyes.
FUCK.
“Listen to me, Luke. There is something I have needed to say to you the entire day, and things keep happening to stop me, but I need you to hear me, it’s the most important thing I’m ever going to say to you in this life.”
“What is it?”
“I need to have sex with you, within in the next three hours, or I’m going to die.”
“Fuck you, Reid. You’re such an ass. I thought you said you were willing to wait.”
With that Luke stomped out of the hospital.
Reid seriously felt the urge to punch someone or something.
He finally picked up his phone after calming down and dialed Luke’s number.
He knew Luke was screening his call, so he left a voicemail.
“Listen, Luke. I was not being funny or being a smartass, when I said that. When I told you there was a reason I was sent back, was for you and I to have sex. God saw my sacrifice for Chris and allowed me an opportunity to come back and be with you forever, but he also said there were would be cockblocks and hindrances, and believe me this entire day has been nothing but one giant cosmic cockblock. If we don’t have sex, I will die tomorrow, and I’ll be sent back. You may not believe me, but I really hope you do, because I want a chance at a life with you, with all the fights we’ve never had, all the swims in Snyder pond we never got, I want them all. So please, come to Katie’s.”
Reid hung up and left the hospital.
He went to Katie’s and flung himself on the couch.
He watched the clock as the minutes dragged by. They turned into hours, and finally with just over an hour before his time was up, he heard a knock on the door.
He opened the door to see Luke standing there with a huge brown paper bag.
Luke barreled in, nearly knocking Reid over.
He headed for Reid’s bedroom.
Reid just stared in shock as Luke yelled from inside the bedroom,
“Well are you coming or not?”
“You got my message.”
“Yes, I did. And I don’t plan on leaving this bedroom for the rest of the weekend. So get your ass in here.”
Reid walked in to see Luke sitting on the bed. He had pulled out food from Al’s, the largest box of condoms Reid had ever seen, and an enormous bulk sized bottle of lube.
Reid’s mouth dropped open at the site.
His only thought was that this would be his idea of heaven. This is what he would want for eternity. His boyfriend sitting on his bed with food, condoms, and lube.
After being shocked back from his thoughts by Luke undressing him, he sprang into action.
As he and Luke finally made love, he was certain he heard an “attaboy” from Brad, and a laugh from St. Peter.
When he finally pulled out of Luke and fell on the bed, he looked at the clock. He had two minutes to spare.
His breathing slowly returned to normal and his heartbeat slowed.
Luke moved to cuddle with Reid, who nearly shirked away, but then he thought of what he had done to be with Luke in the first place and vowed to do all the things he had never wanted to before. He had a second lease on life, and he planned to make the most of every opportunity.
He slid into unconsciousness then.
The next morning he awoke with a start.
He was laying in his bed fully clothed, and with no Luke in sight.
He called out for him but the only answer he got was Katie.
She stumbled into his room with bleary eyes.
“What the hell is your problem?”
“What do you mean?”
“Uhh, why are you calling out for Luke?”
“What do you mean?”
“You and Luke hate each other!”
“We do?”
“Yeah, you constantly antagonize him and treat him like crap.”
Reid looked at the calendar.
It was six months earlier.
It had all been a dream, but somehow he knew it wasn’t.
He picked up his phone.
“Mr. Snyder, I need to see you.”