My Stardust Melody, Chapter 19
When Nathan came out of the bathroom, he was about to comment on the humongous stash of condoms in the medicine cabinet but then he saw Reid standing with his arms folded and looking generally pissed off. As he came closer to the sofa and could see Luke over the edge of the back, he expected to see a mirrored expression to Reid's. Instead, Luke was looking toward the fireplace, his countenance revealing uncertainty and what looked like--Good God, is that loneliness?
His eyes flew back to Reid, but he couldn't get a sense of what had been said. I thought they were calling a truce. Why does it feel like somebody just died here? He stared at Reid, and that's when he noticed that Reid wasn't blinking. His friend only did that when he felt hurt. As poker faces went, Reid had one of the best, but Nathan could usually read him. Not blinking was a very bad sign.
No one spoke, and Nathan realized he was going to have to brazen this out somehow. "So guys, who is up for some macramé?" he asked. If nothing else, he figured this question might cajole the doctor out of brooding.
Luke started and turned his face toward Nathan. He had evidently been unaware that Nathan had even come back in the room. He smiled, which Nathan took as a good sign. Reid just ignored Nathan as if he hadn't spoken a word. Uh oh.
Nathan came around the sofa and sat on one of the chairs. He narrowed his eyes at Reid and motioned his head in the direction of the other chair. To Nathan's relief, Reid took the hint and sat.
Reid's friend couldn't ever remember sitting in a more awkward situation. Given that he had scant information about what actually happened two years ago and no idea what had happened two minutes ago, he felt rather unprepared for the challenge. He nervously bounced his fingers on his knees while trying to think of something to say. This was a new feeling for Nathan--talking was something that came easily to him. Reid would probably crow with delight if he knew how much trouble Nathan was having at the moment coming up with even a single word to say.
Small talk. I don't know Luke, so maybe that's a safe place to start. He glanced over at Reid and saw a smug smile on the doctor's lips. He figured out I'm having trouble; well, suck it, Reid. I can do this. At least he's not over there looking like a thundercloud anymore.
"So, Luke," Nathan began, his voice sounding overly loud to his ears. "What were you doing out in the storm?"
Luke cleared his throat and focused on Nathan. "I was coming home from Kentucky. I was talking to some other horse breeders about a few possible matches this spring."
"So, you breed horses? How long have you been doing that?"
Nathan noticed that Luke looked uncomfortable at this question, but the blond responded, "Two years. Just a little over two years. We train and breed horses. Actually, our arrangement is a little unusual in the racing industry."
"How so?" Nathan was relieved the Luke seemed willing to play along with the small talk idea. Thank God Luke wasn't as bad of a conversationalist as Reid.
"Well, usually a thoroughbred owner sends his or her horse to a trainer, but we've managed to convince our trainer to stay on my farm. We got lucky--Andy is very old-school, needed the job, and didn't have a training facility of his own. We were able to persuade him to come to Illinois when we said that he could train other people's horses at the farm, too. It's the only way he'd make enough money. So, we have a second barn for the horses we board."
"We?" Nathan inquired.
"Henry and me," Luke amended.
"It sounds like you're lucky to have gotten Andy," Nathan said, trying to pass over Henry's name quickly. Truce or no, Nathan didn't think Reid would hold his tongue at the mention of Luke's boyfriend.
"Between Mr. Coleman and Mr. Snyder, I'm sure they can buy whoever they want," Reid said, drumming his fingers on his thigh.
From his seat, Nathan could see both men's faces, but they couldn't see each other's. He knew Reid missed the look of hurt that flashed across Luke's face at Reid's barb. Nathan rolled his eyes at Reid. "Truce, Reid. Remember?"
He had known Reid wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. It's too bad there was no one with whom to wager on it. Since he was now annoyed (even if he'd expected Reid's reaction), he decided to delve a little further into the Snyder-Coleman relationship. Reid and his jealousy would just have to deal with it. "So, Luke, it's your farm; where does Henry come into this?"
Luke scratched his ear nervously. "Henry has funded the venture. In fact, going into racing was his idea, not mine. He knows a lot about racing, and I know about the horses."
"How did you learn about them?" Nathan asked.
"My father," Luke replied.
"And which dad would that be?" Reid asked bitingly, folding his arms over his chest.
Nathan glared at Reid, not that he was optimistic that it would do any good. Couldn't Reid tell that he was trying to make their entrapment in this cabin tolerable? A little help, Dr. Oliver, might be nice.
Luke, however, seemed determined to ignore Reid's hostility. He lightly cleared his throat and said, "Holden, my adoptive father, was a horse trainer. He taught me everything I know. So, I decide which horses to buy and help train them with Andy."
"I'm guessing that keeps you busy." Nathan noted the pride in Luke's voice when he spoke of Holden, and he wondered if Reid noticed it. The affection was clear to Nathan, and it didn't speak of a man who was only consumed by greed. Luke just couldn't be that good of an actor, either. The more Nathan listened, the more he felt like Reid had given him a connect-the-dots portrait of Luke. But as Nathan started drawing the lines, he got a completely different picture than the one Reid described. Reid had warned him not to be taken in, but so far Nathan hadn’t detected even one chink in Luke's armor. He appeared to be the all-American-gay-boy-next-door.
Luke nodded but added, "It is hard work, but I love it. There's so much reward in working with horses. And in a way, it keeps me feeling close to my father."
Reid responded to Nathan almost as if Luke hadn't even spoken. "Why's that, Nathan? It sounds like he can come and go as he pleases and leave the real work to this Andy. And at the end of the day, he can get rich betting Henry's money. No wonder he loves it."
Nathan closed his eyes at this point. Obviously, Reid had neither noticed the pride in Luke's voice nor thought that the blond was being particularly candid. Never had Nathan felt more frustrated with his friend. If only Reid had given Nathan more information then he might feel like he understood the doctor's reactions. Nathan desperately wanted to support Reid, but was the best way to agree with him in this instance? He doubted it.
Luke shook hi s head. His voice was slightly cold as he responded, "Actually, that's not the way it works. There are other neurosurgeons at the hospital; can you just dump all your work on them?"
Reid smirked. "I somehow think being a doctor and riding around on the pony your sugar daddy bought you are two pretty different things."
Luke leaned up and turned his head so he could see Reid behind him. "Christ, what is wrong with you? I thought we were calling a truce," he declared heatedly.
Nathan mentally agreed with Luke. He did not relish the idea of being trapped in this cabin with these two if they were fighting all the time. "How about a different topic? One more neutral," he suggested.
"Okay," Luke replied with composure after a pause, leaning his head back against the arm of the sofa.
Nathan was astounded, however, when Reid announced, "You know what? I can't do this." With that, his longtime friend hopped up from his chair, walked across the room, and went into the bedroom.
I can't believe he just left me, Nathan thought. He thinks this kid is the devil, and he just left me with him? And what the hell was with the running away?
"What is wrong with him?" Luke asked, looking at Nathan with a confused and angry expression.
"I don't know. And I don't know how I should feel about that." Maybe Luke was getting to Reid, and that's why Reid left. Perhaps despite his protests, somewhere in that thick skull, Reid felt himself softening to Luke. Why is he so against that? What exactly did Luke do?
"What do you mean?" the blond inquired, gazing directly at Nathan.
Nathan inhaled, trying to put his feelings into words. "The way Reid reacts to you; I haven't been able to figure it out. Something isn't right." God, I hope I'm not betraying Reid somehow by saying that much.
Luke rolled his brown eyes. "You're telling me. The man is a lunatic."
Nathan stood up, took a few steps, and sat down at the other end of the sofa by Luke's feet. He made sure he had Luke's attention when he said, "Look, Reid is my best friend, and that's an understatement. I don't totally get what went on between the two of you, and since Reid hasn't shared, I'm not going to go there. But," he paused for emphasis before continuing, "I won't tolerate him being insulted in any way. While I haven't found a specific reason to dislike you, you're not my friend. He is."
Luke seemed to think for a moment before giving Nathan a small nod. "I can respect that."
"Good. So, you can respect that I won't betray his trust."
Luke tilted his head to the side as he considered Nathan. "I suppose so."
Hmmm, maybe Luke will play ball with me. I'm so used to Dr. Uncooperative that I almost don't know what to do. "Well, so long as we have that established, that doesn't prohibit me from getting to know you a bit better. Just keep in mind that saying anything against Reid isn't going to win you points."
"Look, that's not my style anyway. Well, for the most part," he added with a shrug before explaining, "I've spent two years just trying to go about my business and not worry about extraneous stuff."
"Like Reid?" Nathan asked. He wondered if it was coincidence that Luke brought up "two years" or if it had something to do with Reid.
Luke nodded his head vigorously. "Most definitely like Reid."
Nathan clapped his hands together and quickly looked over his shoulder to make sure Reid hadn't somehow slipped back in the room. "Okay, so while we seem to have been abandoned by Reidy-boy, why don't you and I try to come to some sort of understanding. Reid doesn't seem to want me to know what exactly went on between you two guys a couple of years ago. So, I'm going to respect that. However, that doesn't mean you and I can't get to know each other beyond the bounds of that one rule. And if you happen to have questions that involve Reid, so be it."
"You don't think that's betraying Reid?" Luke asked.
Nathan gave a little shrug "Not really," he replied, thinking that Luke might be a bit over-scrupulous. When had Reid ever been interested in a goody goody? Shaking off the thought, he explained, "What the hell did the asshole think we would do if he left, anyway? Stare at the ceiling? I wouldn't tell you anything that could hurt him, anyway."
"Okay," Luke said a little hesitantly.
"Great!" Maybe I'll finally get somewhere. "So, what are your priorities? Your horse farm, obviously."
Luke held up a hand and counted off with his fingers. "That, my family, and school. And not in that order."
"You go to school?" Nathan asked, surprised. Does Reid know this?
Luke inclined his head. "Part time," Luke clarified. "I left college my sophomore year and am just trying to finish my degree now."
"You sound busy," the grey-eyed man observed.
Luke let out a little breath as if he were exhausted. "I am, to be honest."
"And Henry?" There's no Reid here now to get mad at that name, Nathan thought.
"Henry and Maddie are family as far as I'm concerned." Luke raised his chin as if he expected some sort of disagreement.
"You seem pretty vehement about that," Nathan remarked. And he seems pretty honest about it, too.
"I owe them a great deal. After my siblings, I care more about them than anything."
"When did you meet them?" the tall brunet asked.
Luke smiled as he thought about his friends. "Oh, Maddie and I met in high school. She probably introduced Henry to me back then, but I'm not sure. Henry's pretty notorious in Oakdale."
"I bet," Nathan commented. Any guy who slimed Reid Oliver and sent nude pictures of him to Kim Hughes would have to be pretty infamous. "Maddie seems pretty…loyal to you, too." Nathan reflected on the golden-skinned girl with the large brown eyes. There was something immediately likable about her. She was so passionate in her defense of her friend that Nathan had to admire for it.
"She and I have always been there for each other," Luke responded.
"Does she have a boyfriend?" Did I mean to ask that?
Luke's eyes bulged slightly, and he let out a small laugh. "Seriously? No offense, but as much as I appreciate you being nice at the moment, you being Reid's friend doesn't really endear you to me. I'm not sure I should answer that question."
Well, damn. "Oh, come on!" he cajoled. "I'm harmless."
Luke snorted, "I doubt that, but she's a big girl and can take care of herself. So, no, she doesn't have a boyfriend. Hanging around with her gay best friend and her brother hasn't really gained her a big social life." He wagged a finger toward Nathan and said, "But, I’m not saying more. You talk to Maddie if you're interested in her. I'll warn you, though. She probably has a worse view of you being friends with Reid than I do."
Trying to restrain his inner dance--it was probably bad form to celebrate someone being single-- he just said, "Noted." He paused, deciding to change the topic. He was here for Reid after all. "So what's your family like?" The most he'd ever heard about them from Reid was that they were rich or that they were all over town and inbred.
"Well, there's not too many of us around anymore. As you probably heard, Lucinda died five years ago. My parents and my other grandmother died a couple years after that in a car wreck. Damian, my biological father, has been missing for about two years. So that leaves my two sisters and my brother. Other than that, I have some cousins that I'm close to." Luke stopped for a moment to think and shot Nathan a sad smile. "It's not like it was when I was growing up. My grandma always tried to make the holidays special, and we'd all get together. Now, Cousin Jack and I try to take turns, but neither of us has mastered her pumpkin pie and we'll never figure out her eggnog recipe."
"Would one of those cousins be the guy that arrested Reid?" Nathan asked.
Luke sheepishly replied, "Yeah, that's Jack. I guess you heard about that."
Nathan snorted. "That whole incident is all I've heard about for a solid week. I had to put rubbing alcohol all over his back where the goo had stained his skin. It took forever to get that green out."
Luke smiled and picked some lint off of his grey sweater. "Henry is thorough. And in case you're wondering, I really didn't know about it or I would have stopped him."
Nathan felt his eyes narrow. "Yeah, but I'm guessing you thought it was funny."
Luke gave him a conspiratorial smile that was infectious. "Didn't you?"
"Yeah, but don't tell Reid," Nathan said in a stage whisper.
The pair fell into silence, and Nathan watched Luke as closely as he could while trying not to be conspicuous. Luke Snyder was not what he expected, and he certainly wasn't what Reid believed. Nathan tried to imagine the blond and the red-head together two years ago, but it was difficult. Reid had a type, and it was usually cosmopolitan, disinterested, and good-looking. The only thing Luke had in common with those guys was the latter. Hell, Reid even usually preferred brunets and Luke's hair was golden.
But it was Luke's whole open and honest character that really perplexed Nathan. For years, this was the sort of person that he always thought Reid should have been with. Other than Reid's college boyfriend, Nathan had never outright approved (not that Reid needed his approval) of the guys that Reid dated. None of them had long-term potential. And then, two years ago, even those guys had all but dried up. What could a guy like Luke have done to Reid that caused so much harm?
Maybe Reid knew he was too good for the guys he had dated when he met Luke. Maybe the things that had struck Nathan about Luke--his innate charm and sincerity--had somehow melted Reid's icy reserves quickly. But then what? Why did Reid insist it was all a spell?
Maybe part of it could be a spell, but Nathan couldn't believe everything about Luke was a lie. The one concrete accusation Reid had leveled at Luke was that he was dating Henry for money. And even if that was one-hundred percent true, did that justify Reid's reaction to the blond? Luke seemed to have so many other good attributes. Why did Reid completely discount them? Jealousy?
Nathan supposed jealousy could cover some of it. When Luke was in the room, Reid nearly vibrated like a tuning fork. He was definitely interested in the blond despite what he might say. And from watching Luke, Nathan knew Luke wasn't immune to Reid either.
Unless Reid had the underlying nature of a stalker, he didn't think jealousy alone could make Reid so angry with Luke. That left Nathan with the only other bit of info he had: that Luke had somehow cost Reid his job. Nathan still didn't know the particulars, much to his chagrin. But if Reid were mad only about the job, he would probably bring up the lost employment more. Instead, he ranted about how morally bankrupt Luke was. The only other person Reid had spoken of that way in his life was his mother--and she'd spent Reid's entire childhood earning her reputation. What did Luke do in two days?
It wasn't about the job. At least, that's not from where Reid's hurt stemmed. And it wasn't jealousy alone. This was about Luke himself. Reid believed that Luke deep-down was a liar and something about Luke struck Reid in a vulnerable spot. But what lie did Luke tell? What could this kid have even been capable of that could have caused so much grief? What was it that Reid believed in that Luke destroyed? And if it was still such a bitter disappointment to Reid now--after two years had passed-- what did that signify?
Is this even fixable? I wish Reid would get his ass out of here and explain some things to me.
God, I need a beer. Too many damn questions.
---
Luke shifted on the sofa trying to stay comfortable. The sofa was a little firm, though, and the armrest that he was using to support his head put his neck at an awkward angle. He was keenly aware that Nathan seemed to be watching him. To what purpose, Luke didn't know.
For all that he was Reid's friend, Nathan seemed nice. In different circumstances, maybe Luke could be friends with him. As things stood, Luke couldn't imagine a scenario in which that would be possible. Reid made it impossible.
Luke had no idea why Reid couldn't stand to be in the same room with him. It was like they were both revolving magnets being drawn together and then repelled as they turned. One minute Reid acted like he wanted to kiss him, and the next he acted so angry. Why? Maybe the good-looking brunet sitting at his feet could shed some insight on the doctor. Even if Nathan didn't know everything about two years ago, surely he might know something about Reid's personality that could explain his behavior.
Luke directed his focus to his new acquaintance who appeared to be brooding about something. "So, I don't know much about you. What do you do for a living, Nathan?"
"I'm a lawyer," Nathan replied firmly.
"What kind?"
"Employment law. I work for a big firm in Boston."
Luke gave this a little thought. It seemed like Nathan had been in Oakdale for quite a long time for an attorney. "They let you take two weeks off?"
Nathan shrugged. "They're letting me take three, actually. I've already billed 2400 hours this year and I have my own clients, so they aren't going to say a word to me. If they do, they know I can take my income to another firm."
Luke didn't know a lot about practicing at a law firm, but it sounded impressive, particularly for someone still in their thirties. "Wow, and you decided to spend your break here with Reid? That seems awfully generous."
"I'd do anything for Reid," Nathan replied seriously.
Luke raised his eyebrows at that statement. Reid must have some redeeming qualities. That or he was an expert in brainwashing. Maybe Reid was the evil genius behind all of James Stenbeck's work. "How did you guys meet? Or is that off-limits?" Luke wasn't quite sure what topics Nathan would consider safe. It was certainly his right not to tell Luke a thing about Reid, although Luke hoped he would.
Nathan angled his head to the side and regarded Luke carefully. "I think that's fair game. If Reid wants to pout and stay in that room, then he's bound to expect I might talk a little about him, right?"
The blond nodded, sensing that Nathan's annoyance with Reid's disappearing act might benefit Luke. Nathan might dish a little more than he would have otherwise.
Nathan began, "We met when we were eight years old. I was small for my age."
Luke stopped Nathan with his hand. "Wait, you were small?" Nathan had to be at least three inches over six feet now.
Laughing, the attorney replied, "I know--it wasn't until high school that I shot up." He paused and his countenance grew serious as he continued with the story. "Anyway, an older kid was picking on me. He had been for weeks. A big ugly kid with a tiny nose and beady eyes named Judson. It was after school and I was walking home. The kid had thrown me up against a wall, and that's when Reid came along. He got right in between Judson and me."
"What happened?" Luke asked.
"Well, Reid happened. He called the kid all sorts of names and told him to leave me alone. The next thing I know, Judson started to take a swing at Reid and somehow Reid punched him right in the nose. It was the best punch I ever saw Reid land, as it turned out."
"How big was Reid?"
"Only a few inches taller than me and not nearly as big as that bully."
Picturing a skinny Reid as a child standing up to a mean kid hit home with Luke. When Ethan was younger, a kid had tried to bully him. Little Ethan hadn't been as lucky as Nathan to have someone intervene. Luke had been devastated when his brother came home with bruises under his eyes and on his rib cage. It had been a lengthy process to deal with it through the school, too, which made matters worse for a while. Looking at Nathan, he felt glad that he'd had Reid. Luke remarked, "That was brave of him to interfere. What did Judson do?"
"When he saw his own blood, he freaked out and ran home," Nathan responded with satisfaction. "It was a short-lived triumph for Reid and me since the little jerk came back with reinforcements the next day. But still, I was friends with Reid for life from that moment."
"Wow, did you all get in a lot of fights?"
Nathan shook his head. "Not really, not like that anyway. We lived in a pretty poor neighborhood, and to be honest, two nerds like us never fit in perfectly. Add the fact that one of us was gay, and we really didn't fit in that well. So, sometimes some jerk might say something to us, but it usually didn't get physical. I got pretty good at talking people out of it. When it did end in a fight, it was usually because Reid opened his big mouth and insulted someone."
A snorting sound escaped Luke's mouth. "Now that I can believe. What was he like as a kid?"
Nathan's eyes twinkled as he thought back to Reid's childhood. "Smart, evil sense of humor, loyal. Maybe a bit shy. Pretty much a shrunken version of himself now."
Nathan's description brought a smile to Luke's face. Reid sounded endearing as a child. He could imagine all the trouble he probably gave to his teachers growing up. "Did you all have a lot of friends?"
"Me? Eventually. Reid? He always stuck to having just a good one or two. I'd drag him out whenever he was being antisocial."
"Wasn't that always?" Luke couldn't picture Reid being Mr. Social.
Nathan snorted. "Probably. I guess I dragged him out a lot, now that I think about it."
"Did your parents like him?" Luke couldn't quite picture Reid interacting too well with his own parents. Lily always put a high premium on manners, and Luke doubted that Reid would have been able to hold his tongue around her even if he liked Luke. And at the party two years ago when Reid feigned interest in Luke, he had been pretty blunt in his opinions. No, Lily wouldn't have liked him, but then again Lily's priorities were pretty screwed up.
Nathan replied with a fond smile, "Mom and Dad loved Reid. He was always pretty polite to them, and they loved his quick-thinking. My parents were both philosophy professors at B.U. Dad taught utilitarianism and Mom taught deontology." He waved his hand at Luke and said with a shake of his head, "If you don't know what those are, don't ask. But let's just say that the points of view are so different that there were endless rounds of arguments in my house. I basically grew up with John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant-- if Kant was a middle-aged woman with a Maryland accent."
"Okay," Luke said, following along but not having much to say. It was hard to imagine impatient Reid spending time with a couple of philosophers. But at the back of his mind, he remembered a time when Reid was patient enough to argue about F. Scott Fitzgerald, so maybe it was possible. Wow, I'd almost forgotten about that.
Nathan resumed, "Reid jumped right into the arguments. He always said he was an 'ends justify the means' kind of guy, which made my dad happy, but Mom always pointed out that Reid's means were always ethical. She saw that the 'ends' are illusory and understood that unpredictable things made Reid uncomfortable. In fact, she's still always getting after him for avoiding things just because he can't control them. She probably could write an entire journal article on why she thinks Reid avoids relationships." Nathan shrugged a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm getting carried away. This is a pretty frequent topic of conversation in my house."
"Does Reid like getting into philosophical debates?" Luke inquired absently. His mind was focused on the idea that Reid thought the ends justified the means. Was I a means to his perfect neuro facility? Is that how he justified it? Who cares if the rich kid gets hurt so long as I get funding?
Oblivious or choosing to ignore Luke's distress, Nathan replied, "Not really. But, I think he likes the feeling of being appreciated, which is something his family never gave him."
Nathan's last statement seized Luke's attention. "What does that mean?"
"Reid's family wasn't the greatest," Nathan replied.
"Didn't his parents die when he was young?" Luke asked, remembering what Reid had said to him long ago.
"He told you that?" Nathan's eyebrows shot up in surprise over his cool grey eyes.
"He did," Luke confirmed.
Nathan flopped back against his cushion. "Wow. Reid almost never shares information about his family." He looked at Luke speculatively, as if he thought Luke would have some sort of explanation.
Luke didn't know how to respond. At the time, he thought he and Reid were exchanging confidences because they were instantly comfortable with each other. Now, he wasn't sure. Luke steered the conversation back to Reid's family. "What were they like?"
Nathan leaned forward on his elbows and regarded Luke carefully. "Luke," he said. "If I share this with you, you must promise you'll never use it against him. Some of this you could find out on your own with a little research, but since I'm telling it to you, you have to promise it doesn't go beyond this room. I'm making a leap of faith here, and I don't want it to ever cost Reid. For some reason, I think something has gone terribly wrong between the two of you, and I want you to understand him. That's the only reason I'm telling you."
Swallowing hard, Luke was almost afraid of what Nathan was about to tell him. Did he want to trespass so far into Reid's personal business? Or would he regret it if he didn't? Nathan obviously wanted to tell him, so for the moment, he let Reid's friend make the decision. "Okay," he said hesitantly. "I will never tell a soul. And whatever it is, I certainly wouldn't use it to hurt Reid." And that was true. Whatever Nathan said, Luke couldn't imagine using it against Reid.
Nathan nodded curtly, accepting Luke's word. He looked toward the fireplace briefly before returning his gaze to Luke and saying, "His parents cheated on each other constantly. And I mean constantly. Reid loved his mother, Andrea, fiercely, but she was too caught up in her own affairs to pay enough attention to him. His dad was pretty much absent his whole childhood."
"That's awful," Luke said. He could easily imagine what that must have been like for Reid because he had first-hand experience with it himself. How often had his parents been caught up in their affairs or battles with each other and not noticed what was going on under their noses. Luke had loved his parents, but it didn't make their sins less true.
Nathan ran his hand through his brown hair, his fingers lingering at the back of his neck. "The only thing I can say for them is that they couldn't have cared less that Reid was gay. Personally, I always thought that might be because they couldn't have cared less about anyone other than themselves. Anyway, Andrea got sick several years after his dad ran out on them for good. She died, and weeks later, he died in a car wreck."
"What did she die of?" Luke asked.
"She had Stage IV breast cancer. They didn't catch it early because she never went to see a doctor. Reid, who wasn't much more than a kid, had to force her to go when she started to look frail. By then, it was too late. If it were possible to will someone better, Reid would have succeeded. He stayed by her side and nursed her for the last two months of her life."
Luke sat up, leaned forward, and put his hand on Nathan's arm. "Thank you for telling me that," he said feelingly. He was starting to understand Nathan's loyal feelings to Reid. To have seen his friend go through so much must have difficult. Luke wanted to know more, sensing that the story wasn't finished. "So, what happened to Reid? Didn't he live with an uncle after that?"
Nathan basically spat the name, "Angus." His jaw tensed as he elucidated, "He was Reid's mom's brother. Angus was an asshole who never accepted that Reid was gay, thought of Reid as some sort of cash cow, and that was only the half of it. Anything else, you'd have to ask Reid about."
The way Nathan had said that last sentence led Luke to believe that Angus had done some pretty awful things. Had the abuse gone beyond emotional? God, how heartbreaking. "How old was Reid when he moved in with Angus?"
"Fourteen. Right at the end of middle school." Nathan's voice betrayed the anger he obviously still felt toward Angus.
That was Natalie's age. Luke's heart clenched at the idea of someone so young be subjected to such a person. Reid must have been a strong person to have survived it and end up so successful. I probably would have drunk myself to death in his shoes.
Feeling too emotional to ask more--and god knows he'd intruded enough, too--Luke decided to steer the conversation to something safer. "So did you go to high school together?" His voice was soft from his throat constricting, but Nathan was kind enough not to remark upon it. Luke lay back down on the sofa, closing his eyes against the tears that still threatened to escape.
"We did," Nathan replied. "We did a one-year stint in Catholic school in 8th grade, which was one of the most hilarious years of my life. Those nuns hated us, but we were there on academic scholarship so we stayed the year. When it was clear that the Catholic school system probably wasn't a good fit for us, we went back to public school for high school. Then we went to college together and were roommates, which I consider my penance for any sins I've ever committed. He's impossible to live with."
Luke smiled at Nathan's joke. The image of Nathan and Reid bickering over mundane things like underwear on the floor flashed through his mind and soothed him. "What happened when he went to medical school?"
"I went to Harvard for law school, so we were still roommates. I moved out when I graduated but still lived in Boston. He and I both lived there until a couple years ago when Reid moved to New York."
"I know Reid's pretty focused on his career. How did he decide upon medicine?" Luke asked.
"Honestly, I think he started thinking about it after his mom died. That her death was preventable never sat well with him, but I think he always respected the doctors who tried to help her and made her end a little easier. Reid's good like that--he didn't blame them for not curing her but was able to thank them for what they could do. I suppose it helps that he has such a good mind for science that he could understand the impossibility."
Nathan stopped to look at Luke who nodded for Nathan to keep going. "When we were in college, he spent his summers working as an orderly at one of the hospitals and doing research for a couple of the biology professors. I think he became interested in neurology then. He started coming home with epic stories of research he was doing on the brains of rats." Nathan shivered and added, "It was disgusting really.
"He became convinced neurosurgery was the most challenging and prestigious field, so of course that's what he set his cap for. In medical school, his professors either hated or loved him depending on how Reid felt about the subject. If he wasn't interested in a topic, he'd just about sleep through class and still get an A. If he was interested in it or respected the doctor, he'd get an A+."
Luke smiled wryly, "I'm guessing he'd didn't respect too many of the professors."
Nathan laughed and replied, "That's a pretty good guess. But to the chagrin of many, he graduated first in his class with one of the highest GPAs in decades at that school."
"So, Reid really is one of the brightest minds around. Did his career ambitions ever get in the way of your friendship?"
Nathan looked puzzled and replied, "No, and that's a funny question to ask."
Luke shrugged. "I've always gotten the impression Reid would do just about anything for his career." Like pursue a naïve guy because he thought the guy might be a potential patron to his career.
Narrowing his grey eyes, Nathan said slowly, "I think that's an overstatement. Reid is ambitious, but a lot of that is because he's cares so deeply. He wants to save people, and when he doesn't, he feels it. I think he feels his mother dying all over again and can't deal with that. So yeah, he wants the best equipment and people around him, and he prefers to call the shots, but I don't think he ever crosses any lines if that's what you mean."
"That you know of," Luke pointed out. Obviously, there was a side to Reid with which Nathan was unfamiliar. Knowing more of Reid's past, Luke could almost comprehend Reid's drive. A dying mother that Reid couldn't save, an uncle who pushed and abused, and an obvious and unique genius that needed to be exercised--of course, Reid would strive for the best. And if he really believed that the ends justify the means (and it sounded like Reid's family were poor examples of how to behave decently anyway), then maybe Luke could see how Reid might not even be aware how wrong his actions two years ago were. Maybe Reid was worth a little compassion, at least in everything but how he informed everyone that Grimaldi was bankrupt. That still seemed petty and could not have been aimed at any particular worthy end. His burst of petulance or whatever it was cost Luke too much, and Luke was no closer to understanding why Reid did it.
Nathan interrupted Luke's thoughts. "Are we treading on 'two year ago' territory? Because I'm a little lost. What are you saying about Reid?"