EQUALS 13/?
EQUALS…
Author: Scotianova
Beta-fairy: Carol38
Disclaimer: I don't own them and writing about them is just for fun.
Genre: A story about different shades of love
Pairing: Reid and Luke - as always
Characters: Reid Oliver, Luke Snyder, Ravi Oliver, Ruby Oliver II, Kathryn Peretti, Liath Orbanns, Damien Grimaldi, Henry Coleman,Dustin Donovan, Paul Ryan, Holly McLean…
Warning: none so far
Rating: sexual contents
Summary: On the surface they couldn’t be more different from every point of view, but if someone just looks closely at them…
AN: This is an attempt to invert some facts and whereabouts but I hope the character drawing is plausible- somehow at least ;)
13.
Luke hadn’t time to wonder why his father was here.
“You’re awake, Luciano - I’ll call the doctor.”
“No, wait a second! I …”
“You’ve scared me to death, Luciano. You’ve scared me to death…”
But there was no anger shadowing his father’s husky, smooth voice.
“How do you feel?”
“Tired.”
“That’s to be expected after having lost a part of an organ.”
“How is Ravi?”
“As far as I know he is still in surgery.”
”He’s amazing, Papa.”
“I am sure he is; it’s genetic, right?”
Luke was happy that the familiar smug grin was back, but it was shaded with a very soft tone.
“And we Grimaldis are fighters, right? So he will be fine!”
Chuckling hurt but Luke couldn’t help it.
“Would you ever have believed you’d become a Granddad because of me?”
But Damian only squeezed his hand softly and called the doctor who rushed in just a few seconds later. It was Christian Weis, the doctor who had operated on Luke.
“Mr. Snyder, you’re awake - fine. Let me have a look at you. Noticing the doctor raising his brow and glancing questioningly at Damian Luke assured quickly:
“He is my father, I want him to stay.”
The doctor asked Luke how he felt, took his pulse, asked if there was any nausea or if he needed more painkillers. - He checked Luke’s infusions and examined his urine bag, it was just the usual post surgical examination.
“Everything looks fine so far - I’ll check on you again in two hours.”
“ How long…?”
“If everything goes right you will be out of here in no time.”
Luke noticed Damian flinching and squeezed his father’s hand tightly to prevent him from
threatening the doctor. Damian didn’t like “if-clauses” when it came to Luke’s wellbeing.
“Do you already know something about Ravi?” Luke asked Dr. Weis.
“He just came out of surgery, that went well, too.” Luke never had loved a smile more coming from a stranger. But the doctor’s smile gave him the reassurance he needed to let go and rest a bit and if he was reading the interested glances Dr. Weis directed towards Damian Luke had to prevent himself from chuckling again. It wasn’t the first time that gay people might think Damian was part of the community. Well it was a shame, right? Dr. Weis was a handsome man in his early fifties and all the affairs Damian had had with women didn’t make him happy in the end. But he was too exhausted to tease his father about wanting to convert him.
“Look, Papa, if I ever had tried to deprogram you from being straight - how would you have felt about that?”
Luke knew that was the moment when something had changed in their relationship and since then Damian had been nothing but supportive when it came to Luke’s love life. And reaching out for him and not Holden or even Lily when he was on the rocks had changed Damian, had made him a better man. He still was far from being a saint, but he wasn’t the devious bad guy either.
Recalling their reconnecting Luke smiled:
“How long have you been here?”
“A few hours.”
“How?”
“Luciano, don’t talk too much - after surgery even your mouth is supposed to rest a bit!”
Actually not feeling like he was on top of the world, Luke nodded his agreement - later was time enough to find out how it was possible for Damian to be here. Now he was just happy and relieved that his father was sitting next to him. Even 32 year old grown men needed their dad sometimes to feel safer when the world around them turned faster than usual.
And Damian stayed with him, held his hand, lost in thoughts and the sight of his son. He startled each and every time Luke aspirated a sound. Damian smiled at him but inwardly he wasn’t half as calm as he pretended to be. In his attempt to be a better man, an even better father he’d promised Luciano to not have him observed to be sure he was safe. He hadn’t kept this promise though, he still instructed his men to keep an eye on Luciano. So when Luke had told him he’d be staying with a friend it took Damian only a few hours to know some important things about “P&P” and the Oliver-clan. They had a well-trained security - team, the kind that wasn’t seen but operated efficiently in the background. So if Luciano was befriended by an Oliver - at least he would be safe in their house. He had been getting careless, what a stupid mistake! - But he didn’t intend repeating it!
Watching his son finally drifting off to sleep he shook his head in disbelief. He’d failed again and hadn’t protected the only person that actually meant the world to him.
“Don Damiano, there is a persistent American insisting he talk to you. He says it’s about Luke.”
It had only taken a second for ‘Don Damiano’ to get on the phone.
“What?” Instantly alert he’d snapped into the phone
“Listen, Mr. Grimaldi, this isn’t about kidnapping, blackmailing or worse - I am Dr. Reid Oliver, from P&P company - maybe you’ve heard about us - long, complicated story short: Your son will have a surgery tomorrow morning- freely, I might add - I guess you do remember his time when he was living in Southern France - he happened to get a girl pregnant and this girl was my sister and she gave birth to a son, Ravi, and Ravi is very sick but fortunately Luke is a match and will donate a part of his liver to Ravi. Your son didn’t want you to know anything about the surgery to prevent you from interfering but I think as his father you should know and be there for him - do you think you could do that?”
Reid - not sure if he did the right thing therefore a bit nervous - didn’t notice that Damian had cupped the mouthpiece and hissed:” Massimo, hurry up, I need a flight to Boston, now and pack my bag, I’ll leave!”
It took Damian a few hours to finally talk to the person face to face who’d called him last night.
Even Damian Grimaldi couldn’t cross the ocean in less than 8 hours - especially since the Grimaldi-jet-times were long gone. Damian was still a rich man, but he wasn’t “The Damian Grimaldi, multimillionaire” anymore. Reconciling with his son had had its price. But he hadn’t regretted the choice he’d made 10 years ago. Knowing that Luke would ask Lucida for help with his Grimaldi-inheritance he was sure Luke would administer the money very well. And the whole transfer had been Damian’s entry to becoming almost an honorable man.
In hindsight the last 10 years had been good. Cultivating olive trees and vines turned out to be satisfying in a way Damian would never have believed. There was a calmness and comfort emanating from his new occupation. And it also helped with the ladies. His wine and slow food seminars were in great demand and fully booked for a long time ahead.
Yes, life was very good until that phone call last night.
Damian sighed but waited patiently in the uncomfortable chair next to Luke. Watching his son, another other patient crossed his mind. The boy who was Luke’s son.
God! There wasn’t much that could throw Damian Grimaldi. But that news did.
‘Ravi’ - what a weird name, he couldn’t care less about the boy’s name though. The only thing that mattered was that Luke was safe and the boy would survive, Ravi, his nipotino.
He smiled at the thought finally becoming a grandfather but suddenly he was so tired that he drifted off himself. Not even letting go off Luke’s hand he put his head on the edge of Luke’s bed and indulged in a short nap, until he felt a soft but firm grip touching his shoulder.
“Mr. Grimaldi…”
Damian opened his eyes and looked straight into tired but curious blue eyes belonging to a skinny man with red curls dressed in scrubs.
“Dr. Oliver…”
Reid smiled - of course Damian Grimaldi had done his homework, just the way men like he and Liath always did. If Reid was in Luke’s shoes Liath would have known what was going on. Liath always knew and terrorized his pack with it. Reid was well aware that Liath’s knowledge was the basis of his influence - that’s why Reid called him Eddy Hoover sometimes when he was in a good mood. In times he wasn’t, Liath‘s omnipresence’ freaked him out. Yet he needed Liath who ran the company, who managed everything Reid wasn’t keen on, Liath who’d saved Reid’s ass more than once.
What Reid didn’t know anything about however was something Damian Grimaldi was positive about.
Taking in Reid’s reddish curls, his stunning blue eyes, his strong jaw and prominent cheekbones, and especially those precisely cut lips of him - this guy was absolutely Luciano’s type.
In earlier times his son had had a thing for tall, dark haired men, but recalling the snapshots of men Luke had been with for the last years there had been not only one or two somehow Irish looking beaus.
Knowing his son, Damian assumed it hadn’t been easy to leave that painter behind, Fionn Someone or other. So Reid Oliver’s look must have hit his brown-eyed, enthusiastic ‘boy’.
His boy and he hadn’t had an easy way with each other. But they were on good terms now and he had to care for them staying that way.
“Do you want a brief update - out there?”
Damian simply nodded and slowly got up from his uncomfortable position but it was Reid Oliver then who hesitated, approached Luciano’s bed, checked the monitors, infusion and gently touched the sleeping man’s forehead. It might have been a typical doctor’s mode, but Damian felt strangely moved. There was something in Reid Oliver’s gesture exceeding usual medical care. Yes, it was almost a tender caress.
Damian waited for the doctor to finally join him and mentally called his man for special cases. He would find out everything about Dr. Reid Oliver. Everything! He would even map the pimples on the redhead’s behind. But since the redhead had a hold on both of them - being Ravi’s legal father - Damian knew he had to play nice.
“I am very grateful that you called me Dr. Oliver!”
“You’re welcome.” Reid Oliver had an agreeable voice, a bit husky as if there was room for interpretation, hard to explain, but Damian liked it.
“I haven’t much time but I guess you have quite a few questions.”
“Actually the only thing I want to know right now is if Luciano is going to have a full recovery.”
“Dr. Weis told me everything looks fine. And regarding his liver - if there aren’t post-op complications and it doesn’t look like it - there won’t be any after effects.”
“And what about the boy?”
What Damian witnessed then was a kind of smile that almost competed with Luciano’s - almost!
“I am cautiously optimistic. Ravi was awake for a short time - and responsive, every day he gets through is a good day.”
Damian just nodded - he knew what it meant to be scared to death to lose a child. So both men just smiled at each other - the younger man showed a shy crooked smile and the older one a knowing one.
“Listen - if I can do something - where do you plan to spend the night? We do have a guest-wing here, for family members.”
“No, thank you, I have a room in a nearby hotel. For now I prefer to stay with Luciano anyway.”
“Sure - please let me know if he needs anything.”
Reid watched the tall lean man disappear into Luke’s room again. Damian Grimaldi was supposed to be of Liath’s age but he looked younger, his fair hair showed only a few strands of gray. Luke didn’t resemble is father much, yet there was definitely a slight resemblance. Wondering what it would be like when Liath and Damian Grimaldi met Reid rushed back to Ravi and Katie. They would both watch over their son’s sleep.
“He sleeps like a baby.” Katie welcomed Reid with a teary smile.
Earlier they had talked to their daughter to reassure her that her brother was as okay as possible.
“But we have to wait some days to be sure.” Ruby stated - bedsides her being forced to grow up faster than other kids because of Ravi’s illness Ruby was a smart cookie anyway. Listening to her little girl’s and Reid’s conversations Katie often wondered how she dealt with those two creatures who seemed to be in another universe sometimes.
“How is he?”
“Luke?”
“Yeah and his father.”
“Weis says Luke is in a good state and his father - well, he is a head-turner.”
“Weird, that Luke didn’t want him to know about the surgery.”
“He was afraid of him interfering, stopping the whole thing. Imagine what Liath would do if you or me were in Luke’s shoes.”
Katie chuckled then - yes she knew - such as she knew about Reid’s issues with Liath lately and she was in a predicament here because she saw both men’s points of view. Liath definitely crossed the lines sometimes and if there was anything Reid hated it was being patronized, but on the other hand Liath could never forgive himself for letting anything happen to Reid or for standing aside watching the past being repeated. To be in the middle of two extreme die-hards wasn’t always easy.
She smiled at Reid whose beautiful eyes rested on Ravi. Reid and his kids - that was something else.
And she tried to shrug off an uncomfortable feeling.
“Do you want him to go through that again? Do you, Kathryn?” Liath had stormed into her room and didn’t stop pacing for an hour.
“He is a grown man, Li. You can’t prevent him from making his own decisions. Trying to do that you will lose him.”
“How can you live with that? How can you sit here and watch him plunge into another disaster?”
“First, who told you that it will be a disaster? And secondly - I can live with all that because I love him, Li.”
“That’s not love, girl, that’s sticking your head in the sand.”
“Says who?”
Sometimes Katie loved to evoke that glare. For just a second Liath stared at her as if he wanted to strangle her and then he looked so vulnerable and desperate that she softened.
“Come here!”
And with that the tall man had let himself be hugged and held by the small woman for long moments.
“What are you thinking about Kit?”
“Nothing.”
“Kit…”
“… it’s Liath. Would you do me the favor of being a bit more patient with him?”
“I am patient! He just doesn’t know when to stop!”
Watching him clenching his jaw Katie knew there was nothing she could do right now. And Reid calling Damian Grimaldi had caused Liath to freak out.
“Can you believe it? He invited a Mafia don into our house!”
“As far as I know he’s quit his former business and he is Luke’s father for God’s sake!”
“So what? Some fathers are a curse. You should know that, Kathryn.”
“Maybe we should concentrate on Ravi and just Ravi right now!”
It was the only thing that could stop Liath from spiraling down his irrational lane. When it came to his family Liath didn’t resemble the cool, smart, always professional attitude he was known for. Her boys were driving her crazy sometimes, all of them.
It was hours later that Reid stared down at something besides Ravi’s bed and finally lifted up the boy’s urine bag. It was filled with yellow fluid.
“It’s working, Kit! It’s working! Look - his urine gets clearer! It’s working! Oh my God!”
With that both of them leapt to their feet and Katie was enwrapped in Reid’s arms and he peppered her face with countless kisses.
They didn’t notice the man standing outside the unit with his blue eyes watching the lovely scene, trying to smile because he instantly knew what was going on, but he couldn’t hide the hurt clouding his eyes. After all those years it still hurt like hell. Would it ever stop? Damn, he was a grown man and this was just pathetic! Shaking his head in disbelief at his craziness he did what he always did, clenched his teeth, took a moment collecting himself and finally entered Ravi’s room.
“Hey guys - I guess there is good news!” Liath said softly looking into their beaming faces. Wet with both their tears his smile reached his eyes.
“The transplant is working, Li.” Reid told him and let go of Katie to turn to his son who was still sleeping peacefully, unaware of what just happened. It was then that Liath noticed that Katie was trembling, all the time she had been so strong, the strongest of all of them, always repeating her mantra - “Ravi will live” - but now she just collapsed, fortunately Liath saw it coming and stepped in, just in time to catch her.
“Hey girl! Everything will go well!” But her only answer was a choked sob.
Well, when all this was over the little family would need some time off - he would care for them, providing a nice stay somewhere where nobody would distract them. Liath nodded to himself, yes, he would do that, care for their well-being like he always did - ever since the day he’d held tiny newborn Reid in his arms.
Author: Scotianova
Beta-fairy: Carol38
Disclaimer: I don't own them and writing about them is just for fun.
Genre: A story about different shades of love
Pairing: Reid and Luke - as always
Characters: Reid Oliver, Luke Snyder, Ravi Oliver, Ruby Oliver II, Kathryn Peretti, Liath Orbanns, Damien Grimaldi, Henry Coleman,Dustin Donovan, Paul Ryan, Holly McLean…
Warning: none so far
Rating: sexual contents
Summary: On the surface they couldn’t be more different from every point of view, but if someone just looks closely at them…
AN: This is an attempt to invert some facts and whereabouts but I hope the character drawing is plausible- somehow at least ;)
13.
Luke hadn’t time to wonder why his father was here.
“You’re awake, Luciano - I’ll call the doctor.”
“No, wait a second! I …”
“You’ve scared me to death, Luciano. You’ve scared me to death…”
But there was no anger shadowing his father’s husky, smooth voice.
“How do you feel?”
“Tired.”
“That’s to be expected after having lost a part of an organ.”
“How is Ravi?”
“As far as I know he is still in surgery.”
”He’s amazing, Papa.”
“I am sure he is; it’s genetic, right?”
Luke was happy that the familiar smug grin was back, but it was shaded with a very soft tone.
“And we Grimaldis are fighters, right? So he will be fine!”
Chuckling hurt but Luke couldn’t help it.
“Would you ever have believed you’d become a Granddad because of me?”
But Damian only squeezed his hand softly and called the doctor who rushed in just a few seconds later. It was Christian Weis, the doctor who had operated on Luke.
“Mr. Snyder, you’re awake - fine. Let me have a look at you. Noticing the doctor raising his brow and glancing questioningly at Damian Luke assured quickly:
“He is my father, I want him to stay.”
The doctor asked Luke how he felt, took his pulse, asked if there was any nausea or if he needed more painkillers. - He checked Luke’s infusions and examined his urine bag, it was just the usual post surgical examination.
“Everything looks fine so far - I’ll check on you again in two hours.”
“ How long…?”
“If everything goes right you will be out of here in no time.”
Luke noticed Damian flinching and squeezed his father’s hand tightly to prevent him from
threatening the doctor. Damian didn’t like “if-clauses” when it came to Luke’s wellbeing.
“Do you already know something about Ravi?” Luke asked Dr. Weis.
“He just came out of surgery, that went well, too.” Luke never had loved a smile more coming from a stranger. But the doctor’s smile gave him the reassurance he needed to let go and rest a bit and if he was reading the interested glances Dr. Weis directed towards Damian Luke had to prevent himself from chuckling again. It wasn’t the first time that gay people might think Damian was part of the community. Well it was a shame, right? Dr. Weis was a handsome man in his early fifties and all the affairs Damian had had with women didn’t make him happy in the end. But he was too exhausted to tease his father about wanting to convert him.
“Look, Papa, if I ever had tried to deprogram you from being straight - how would you have felt about that?”
Luke knew that was the moment when something had changed in their relationship and since then Damian had been nothing but supportive when it came to Luke’s love life. And reaching out for him and not Holden or even Lily when he was on the rocks had changed Damian, had made him a better man. He still was far from being a saint, but he wasn’t the devious bad guy either.
Recalling their reconnecting Luke smiled:
“How long have you been here?”
“A few hours.”
“How?”
“Luciano, don’t talk too much - after surgery even your mouth is supposed to rest a bit!”
Actually not feeling like he was on top of the world, Luke nodded his agreement - later was time enough to find out how it was possible for Damian to be here. Now he was just happy and relieved that his father was sitting next to him. Even 32 year old grown men needed their dad sometimes to feel safer when the world around them turned faster than usual.
And Damian stayed with him, held his hand, lost in thoughts and the sight of his son. He startled each and every time Luke aspirated a sound. Damian smiled at him but inwardly he wasn’t half as calm as he pretended to be. In his attempt to be a better man, an even better father he’d promised Luciano to not have him observed to be sure he was safe. He hadn’t kept this promise though, he still instructed his men to keep an eye on Luciano. So when Luke had told him he’d be staying with a friend it took Damian only a few hours to know some important things about “P&P” and the Oliver-clan. They had a well-trained security - team, the kind that wasn’t seen but operated efficiently in the background. So if Luciano was befriended by an Oliver - at least he would be safe in their house. He had been getting careless, what a stupid mistake! - But he didn’t intend repeating it!
Watching his son finally drifting off to sleep he shook his head in disbelief. He’d failed again and hadn’t protected the only person that actually meant the world to him.
“Don Damiano, there is a persistent American insisting he talk to you. He says it’s about Luke.”
It had only taken a second for ‘Don Damiano’ to get on the phone.
“What?” Instantly alert he’d snapped into the phone
“Listen, Mr. Grimaldi, this isn’t about kidnapping, blackmailing or worse - I am Dr. Reid Oliver, from P&P company - maybe you’ve heard about us - long, complicated story short: Your son will have a surgery tomorrow morning- freely, I might add - I guess you do remember his time when he was living in Southern France - he happened to get a girl pregnant and this girl was my sister and she gave birth to a son, Ravi, and Ravi is very sick but fortunately Luke is a match and will donate a part of his liver to Ravi. Your son didn’t want you to know anything about the surgery to prevent you from interfering but I think as his father you should know and be there for him - do you think you could do that?”
Reid - not sure if he did the right thing therefore a bit nervous - didn’t notice that Damian had cupped the mouthpiece and hissed:” Massimo, hurry up, I need a flight to Boston, now and pack my bag, I’ll leave!”
It took Damian a few hours to finally talk to the person face to face who’d called him last night.
Even Damian Grimaldi couldn’t cross the ocean in less than 8 hours - especially since the Grimaldi-jet-times were long gone. Damian was still a rich man, but he wasn’t “The Damian Grimaldi, multimillionaire” anymore. Reconciling with his son had had its price. But he hadn’t regretted the choice he’d made 10 years ago. Knowing that Luke would ask Lucida for help with his Grimaldi-inheritance he was sure Luke would administer the money very well. And the whole transfer had been Damian’s entry to becoming almost an honorable man.
In hindsight the last 10 years had been good. Cultivating olive trees and vines turned out to be satisfying in a way Damian would never have believed. There was a calmness and comfort emanating from his new occupation. And it also helped with the ladies. His wine and slow food seminars were in great demand and fully booked for a long time ahead.
Yes, life was very good until that phone call last night.
Damian sighed but waited patiently in the uncomfortable chair next to Luke. Watching his son, another other patient crossed his mind. The boy who was Luke’s son.
God! There wasn’t much that could throw Damian Grimaldi. But that news did.
‘Ravi’ - what a weird name, he couldn’t care less about the boy’s name though. The only thing that mattered was that Luke was safe and the boy would survive, Ravi, his nipotino.
He smiled at the thought finally becoming a grandfather but suddenly he was so tired that he drifted off himself. Not even letting go off Luke’s hand he put his head on the edge of Luke’s bed and indulged in a short nap, until he felt a soft but firm grip touching his shoulder.
“Mr. Grimaldi…”
Damian opened his eyes and looked straight into tired but curious blue eyes belonging to a skinny man with red curls dressed in scrubs.
“Dr. Oliver…”
Reid smiled - of course Damian Grimaldi had done his homework, just the way men like he and Liath always did. If Reid was in Luke’s shoes Liath would have known what was going on. Liath always knew and terrorized his pack with it. Reid was well aware that Liath’s knowledge was the basis of his influence - that’s why Reid called him Eddy Hoover sometimes when he was in a good mood. In times he wasn’t, Liath‘s omnipresence’ freaked him out. Yet he needed Liath who ran the company, who managed everything Reid wasn’t keen on, Liath who’d saved Reid’s ass more than once.
What Reid didn’t know anything about however was something Damian Grimaldi was positive about.
Taking in Reid’s reddish curls, his stunning blue eyes, his strong jaw and prominent cheekbones, and especially those precisely cut lips of him - this guy was absolutely Luciano’s type.
In earlier times his son had had a thing for tall, dark haired men, but recalling the snapshots of men Luke had been with for the last years there had been not only one or two somehow Irish looking beaus.
Knowing his son, Damian assumed it hadn’t been easy to leave that painter behind, Fionn Someone or other. So Reid Oliver’s look must have hit his brown-eyed, enthusiastic ‘boy’.
His boy and he hadn’t had an easy way with each other. But they were on good terms now and he had to care for them staying that way.
“Do you want a brief update - out there?”
Damian simply nodded and slowly got up from his uncomfortable position but it was Reid Oliver then who hesitated, approached Luciano’s bed, checked the monitors, infusion and gently touched the sleeping man’s forehead. It might have been a typical doctor’s mode, but Damian felt strangely moved. There was something in Reid Oliver’s gesture exceeding usual medical care. Yes, it was almost a tender caress.
Damian waited for the doctor to finally join him and mentally called his man for special cases. He would find out everything about Dr. Reid Oliver. Everything! He would even map the pimples on the redhead’s behind. But since the redhead had a hold on both of them - being Ravi’s legal father - Damian knew he had to play nice.
“I am very grateful that you called me Dr. Oliver!”
“You’re welcome.” Reid Oliver had an agreeable voice, a bit husky as if there was room for interpretation, hard to explain, but Damian liked it.
“I haven’t much time but I guess you have quite a few questions.”
“Actually the only thing I want to know right now is if Luciano is going to have a full recovery.”
“Dr. Weis told me everything looks fine. And regarding his liver - if there aren’t post-op complications and it doesn’t look like it - there won’t be any after effects.”
“And what about the boy?”
What Damian witnessed then was a kind of smile that almost competed with Luciano’s - almost!
“I am cautiously optimistic. Ravi was awake for a short time - and responsive, every day he gets through is a good day.”
Damian just nodded - he knew what it meant to be scared to death to lose a child. So both men just smiled at each other - the younger man showed a shy crooked smile and the older one a knowing one.
“Listen - if I can do something - where do you plan to spend the night? We do have a guest-wing here, for family members.”
“No, thank you, I have a room in a nearby hotel. For now I prefer to stay with Luciano anyway.”
“Sure - please let me know if he needs anything.”
Reid watched the tall lean man disappear into Luke’s room again. Damian Grimaldi was supposed to be of Liath’s age but he looked younger, his fair hair showed only a few strands of gray. Luke didn’t resemble is father much, yet there was definitely a slight resemblance. Wondering what it would be like when Liath and Damian Grimaldi met Reid rushed back to Ravi and Katie. They would both watch over their son’s sleep.
“He sleeps like a baby.” Katie welcomed Reid with a teary smile.
Earlier they had talked to their daughter to reassure her that her brother was as okay as possible.
“But we have to wait some days to be sure.” Ruby stated - bedsides her being forced to grow up faster than other kids because of Ravi’s illness Ruby was a smart cookie anyway. Listening to her little girl’s and Reid’s conversations Katie often wondered how she dealt with those two creatures who seemed to be in another universe sometimes.
“How is he?”
“Luke?”
“Yeah and his father.”
“Weis says Luke is in a good state and his father - well, he is a head-turner.”
“Weird, that Luke didn’t want him to know about the surgery.”
“He was afraid of him interfering, stopping the whole thing. Imagine what Liath would do if you or me were in Luke’s shoes.”
Katie chuckled then - yes she knew - such as she knew about Reid’s issues with Liath lately and she was in a predicament here because she saw both men’s points of view. Liath definitely crossed the lines sometimes and if there was anything Reid hated it was being patronized, but on the other hand Liath could never forgive himself for letting anything happen to Reid or for standing aside watching the past being repeated. To be in the middle of two extreme die-hards wasn’t always easy.
She smiled at Reid whose beautiful eyes rested on Ravi. Reid and his kids - that was something else.
And she tried to shrug off an uncomfortable feeling.
“Do you want him to go through that again? Do you, Kathryn?” Liath had stormed into her room and didn’t stop pacing for an hour.
“He is a grown man, Li. You can’t prevent him from making his own decisions. Trying to do that you will lose him.”
“How can you live with that? How can you sit here and watch him plunge into another disaster?”
“First, who told you that it will be a disaster? And secondly - I can live with all that because I love him, Li.”
“That’s not love, girl, that’s sticking your head in the sand.”
“Says who?”
Sometimes Katie loved to evoke that glare. For just a second Liath stared at her as if he wanted to strangle her and then he looked so vulnerable and desperate that she softened.
“Come here!”
And with that the tall man had let himself be hugged and held by the small woman for long moments.
“What are you thinking about Kit?”
“Nothing.”
“Kit…”
“… it’s Liath. Would you do me the favor of being a bit more patient with him?”
“I am patient! He just doesn’t know when to stop!”
Watching him clenching his jaw Katie knew there was nothing she could do right now. And Reid calling Damian Grimaldi had caused Liath to freak out.
“Can you believe it? He invited a Mafia don into our house!”
“As far as I know he’s quit his former business and he is Luke’s father for God’s sake!”
“So what? Some fathers are a curse. You should know that, Kathryn.”
“Maybe we should concentrate on Ravi and just Ravi right now!”
It was the only thing that could stop Liath from spiraling down his irrational lane. When it came to his family Liath didn’t resemble the cool, smart, always professional attitude he was known for. Her boys were driving her crazy sometimes, all of them.
It was hours later that Reid stared down at something besides Ravi’s bed and finally lifted up the boy’s urine bag. It was filled with yellow fluid.
“It’s working, Kit! It’s working! Look - his urine gets clearer! It’s working! Oh my God!”
With that both of them leapt to their feet and Katie was enwrapped in Reid’s arms and he peppered her face with countless kisses.
They didn’t notice the man standing outside the unit with his blue eyes watching the lovely scene, trying to smile because he instantly knew what was going on, but he couldn’t hide the hurt clouding his eyes. After all those years it still hurt like hell. Would it ever stop? Damn, he was a grown man and this was just pathetic! Shaking his head in disbelief at his craziness he did what he always did, clenched his teeth, took a moment collecting himself and finally entered Ravi’s room.
“Hey guys - I guess there is good news!” Liath said softly looking into their beaming faces. Wet with both their tears his smile reached his eyes.
“The transplant is working, Li.” Reid told him and let go of Katie to turn to his son who was still sleeping peacefully, unaware of what just happened. It was then that Liath noticed that Katie was trembling, all the time she had been so strong, the strongest of all of them, always repeating her mantra - “Ravi will live” - but now she just collapsed, fortunately Liath saw it coming and stepped in, just in time to catch her.
“Hey girl! Everything will go well!” But her only answer was a choked sob.
Well, when all this was over the little family would need some time off - he would care for them, providing a nice stay somewhere where nobody would distract them. Liath nodded to himself, yes, he would do that, care for their well-being like he always did - ever since the day he’d held tiny newborn Reid in his arms.