Fabrication (11/27)
It was two days before they saw each other again, and Reid still hadn’t quite figured out why Luke had lied to him. Katie had finally taken pity on him and told him it was to make him jealous. But that just didn’t make sense to Reid, not really. It didn’t seem like Luke. For a while, Reid thought it was Luke's way to keep Reid from trying anything, but then he remembered how Luke had kissed him back. That wasn’t the kiss of someone who didn’t want it. Basically, Reid was just very confused. And he didn’t like feeling that way at all.
And so he had a hard time concentrating at work since he had been back. To make matters worse, it seemed like the entire town was in the hospital for some reason or the other. He was discussing a patient with Bob Hughes when he saw Luke over Bob’s shoulder. Luke and Noah’s boyfriend whose name Reid could never remember were standing by the coffee station, talking. Reid sighed as he remembered he had an appointment with Noah in a few minutes. He really didn’t know if he hoped Luke would be there in support of his friend or not.
Then Kim and Katie turned the corner, adding to the joy of Reid’s day.
“Hello, darling,” Kim said, stopping next to Bob.
Katie stood next to Reid and grinned at him. As Bob and Kim talked, Reid turned to Katie.
“What are you doing here?”
“You always know how to make a girl feel special,” she teased.
Reid simply hummed, his attention focused back on Luke. Noah had joined them, and Luke had moved slightly to the side to let Noah stand next to his boyfriend. This put Luke’s profile in Reid’s direct line of vision.
“What are you looking at?” Katie asked, twisting around slightly. “Oh.”
Reid focused back on Katie, sighing. “What are you doing here?” he repeated.
“Kim and I had lunch, and she said she needed to stop here to talk to Bob about something before we went back to the studio. I came inside with her so I could say hello to my favorite grumpy neurosurgeon. “
“Hello,” Reid replied sarcastically.
“So…have you talked to him?”
Reid sighed, shaking his head.
“Katie,” Bob interrupted. “Why don’t you and Reid join us for dinner tonight?”
“Oh, that sounds fun!” Katie said, even as Reid asked suspiciously, “Why?”
“Why not?” Kim asked, her cheer somewhat forced.
“Excellent,” Bob said. “Well, I have to go meet with the contractor about the wing. Reid, don’t suppose you’d care to join me?”
Reid fake-smiled. “Sorry, Bob. I have an appointment with Mr. Mayer.”
Reid nodded at the others and walked to the coffee station, steeling himself for the encounter with Luke he was about to have. Bob sighed and said his own goodbyes before walking away. And once both men were out of earshot, Katie turned to Kim.
“OK, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Kim!”
Kim sighed. “OK, fine. For some reason known only to him and God, Bob wants Dr. Oliver to agree to run the new neurology wing.”
“Really?! Reid never mentioned.”
“Well, Bob hasn’t made an official offer yet. But he’s trying to make Oakdale seem like a town worth staying in - for professional and personal reasons. That’s where you come in, my dear.”
“Why? Because we’re friends? I’d love for him to stay; I’ll do whatever I can.”
Kim tilted her head. “Is that all you are? Friends?” she asked significantly.
Katie narrowed her eyes, confused. “Yes, of course.”
Kim took a deep breath. “Katie, I know it hasn’t been that long since Brad - but you seem so much happier these days. And I think we both know why.”
Katie shook her head. “Kim, I’m not following you.”
“Your newfound cheer,” Kim explained as if she were talking to a child. “Katie, I hate to break it to you, but it started the exact same time Dr. Oliver came back to town. Bob and I always wondered why things never got serious between you two. You get along so well. We thought that if we threw you together in more social settings - dinner, perhaps - you might start to see each other as more than just - ”
“That’s why you invited us out?” Katie asked, barely fighting laughter. “Oh, Kim. That’s so sweet. I think. But leave the matchmaking to me!”
Now it was Kim’s turn to be confused. She shook her head, just as Katie finally managed to calm down. She stepped a few inches closer to Kim.
“Look, Kim. I’d be thrilled if Reid decided to move to Oakdale. He’s one of my best friends, and I think he’d be a great choice for the neuro wing. But if Bob’s plan is for someone to seduce him here, then you two are pimping out the wrong pretty young blonde.”
“Katie! We’re not trying to pimp you - wait, what?”
Katie put her hands on Kim’s shoulders, turning her slightly until she was facing the coffee station. Then Katie pointed. Noah and Richard had already started walking towards the exam room. Reid had lingered and was now talking only with Luke, the two of them completely unaware of anything going on around them. Kim gasped loudly.
**
“Hiya, Dr. Oliver,” Noah's boyfriend said.
Luke turned quickly, watching as Reid took the last few steps to join their little group. Reid nodded at the greeting and slid Luke a glance.
“Noah, ready for our appointment?” was all he said.
“Absolutely, Dr. Oliver,” Noah confirmed.
“We’ll take the first room on the left. I’ll be right with you.”
Reid didn’t say anything as he watched the other two walk off. And then he faced Luke. Luke grinned at him, and it took everything inside Reid not to stupidly, dopily smile back. But he needed to know the truth; he couldn’t be sidetracked.
“So, I’ve been trying to figure this out for a couple days now,” he said, carefully watching as Luke’s face reacted to his cold tone.
“What?” Luke asked curiously.
“I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’m just going to ask - he’s not your boyfriend, is he? Casey.”
Luke swallowed, his eyes opening wide. But, to his credit, all he said was “No.”
“He’s your roommate. Your straight roommate.”
“Yes.”
Reid looked to the side as he took a breath. His hand fidgeted against his thigh. Finally, he asked, “Why did you lie about it?”
Luke didn’t say anything for a beat. Reid looked back at him, and for what may have been the first time ever, he couldn’t figure out exactly what Luke was thinking just from the expression in his eyes.
“I - don’t really know,” he said softly.
Reid nodded once. “Well, I have an appointment with Mr. Mayer,” he said, turning towards the exam room.
“Reid - ”
He looked up into Luke’s eyes again, and the panic was now clearly detectable.
“I’m not really sure what you were trying to accomplish, Luke, but…I don’t play games. I’m not that guy. I didn’t think you were either.”
Reid walked away.
**
Reid was completely miserable that night at dinner - and not just because he was being forced to be social. He kept thinking back to his conversation with Luke, trying to make sense of what was going on with them. It seemed one minute they were merely colleagues with a complex history, and the next they were nearly having sex in a hotel room, and the next they were back to the same dynamics of six years ago - both of them behaving like idiots as they tried to deal with their undeniable attraction toward each other. Reid didn’t want to reprimand Luke or treat him like a child, but he didn’t want to be jerked around either. He had finally gotten past the small voice inside him still objecting to Luke’s age, only to have his conscience remind him that Luke was taken. So to find out that he wasn’t, that he had merely lied to Reid for some reason unknown even to him…
And to add insult to injury, he had to go to dinner and be civil.
He had nearly cancelled when Katie told him about Bob and Kim’s misunderstanding regarding their relationship. Katie made him come, though. She was hesitant when he asked her how she had responded, ultimately telling him that she had simply informed Kim they weren’t each other’s type and would never enter a romantic relationship.
Reid had a feeling she was leaving some details out.
Katie brought him back to the present when she twisted around in her chair, looking for the waiter.
“What do you need?” Reid asked.
“A refill,” Katie replied, lifting her empty glass and shaking it.
Reid offered to go to the bar and get her a new drink. Anything to get away from the table for a moment. But his plan backfired when Bob stepped up to the bar next to him.
“Reid, could I talk to you for a second?”
Reid sighed. “What is it, Bob?”
Bob tapped his fingers against the bar. “I generally don’t like to get involved in my doctors’ personal lives,” he started.
Reid groaned, tilting his head back. “I can already tell I’m not going to like this conversation.”
“It’s come to my attention that you have a…relationship with Luke Snyder.”
Reid turned his head sharply, staring at Bob in surprise. Bob continued, somewhat awkwardly. “You might want to…reconsider before getting into anything too serious.”
Reid pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth and dug his nails into his palms. “You know, it’s funny, Bob. This little dinner was apparently designed to get me to recognize my secret love for Katie - even though you don’t get involved in your doctors’ personal lives. Let’s ignore the fact that I’m not your doctor to begin with and instead focus on the fact that now you’re warning me off forming a relationship instead. I’m going to assume it has to do with the person in question. Who I date is none of your - ”
“This has absolutely nothing to do with your sexual orientation, Reid,” Bob interrupted forcefully. “But yes, I think your choice is questionable. I don’t care what you do with your life, but I do care about the reputation of this hospital. Your work here will contribute to a major research study that will not only improve countless lives but also earn you - and by extension, this hospital - a great deal of prestige and most likely money. To engage in a relationship with a donor, who also happens to be funding the operation, could be seen as a conflict of interest. At this stage, it may not be a good idea to raise eyebrows, particularly those belonging to members of the board who might be in a position to - ”
Reid stared straight ahead at the bottles of liquor behind the bar, then he turned on Bob. “Let’s get this straight, Dr. Hughes. I have no intention of coming here and running your neuro wing. And don’t forget, you were the one who blackmailed me to come here for the surgery. I agreed to it long before I even knew that Luke Snyder was in any way involved. And not that it’s any of your business, but no, we aren’t in a relationship.”
“Reid - ”
“If you’re really concerned about a conflict of interest, although I see absolutely none, I can simply remind you that I have plenty of grant money to cover surgical expenses. I can be on a plane to Dallas with Noah Mayer tomorrow, and Memorial won’t earn a lick of prestige from the procedure.”
Reid turned quickly away, storming up to the table and putting the drink down in front of Katie. Some liquid sloshed over the rim, and she stared up at him in surprise.
“I’ve lost my appetite,” he said brusquely. Then he turned and walked away.
Katie met Kim’s eyes for a moment. Then she gestured after him; once Kim nodded, Katie grabbed her purse and ran out of the restaurant.
**
Kim watched her husband as he sat back at the table with a sigh.
“What just happened?” she asked, when Bob didn’t volunteer the information.
Bob shook his head. “I suggested that Reid be…circumspect in his personal life when it came to relationships with hospital donors, and he threatened to go back to Texas and do Noah Mayer’s operation there.”
“Oh, Bob.”
“What? You don’t even like the guy.”
“No, but you do. I thought you were trying to convince him to stay.”
“I am more positive than ever that Dr. Oliver will agree to run the neurology wing.”
“Oh, really? After he just told you he would go back to Texas? I bet the chief of staff there doesn’t make ridiculous accusations and demands over his personal life.”
“I just wanted to know if Katie was right,” Bob said, smiling mischievously.
“And is she? Does Dr. Oliver have feelings for Luke Snyder?”
Bob shook his head. “No.”
“No?”
“He’s in love with him."
Continued