FIC: On Second Thought (18/37)
A Luke/Reid fic in which Noah is in trouble. (As the World Turns, PG-13)
Title: On Second Thought (18/37)
Author: sleeper6
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Luke/Reid, Ruth
Summary: Noah is blind again and needs Luke in L.A. What will Luke and Reid do?
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Warning: Will contain angst so read only if you don’t mind that.
Previous: HERE
“Come in,” Luke said as he stepped back to let Ruth in.
Ruth, in a jersey-knit white dress and white sandals, walked slowly into the living room, her blue eyes-which had been wet with tears only seconds before-meticulously observing the interior of the house.
“What is it? What’s wrong with Noah?” Luke asked coldly, his arms folded across his chest.
She faced Luke and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m-I’m very worried about him.”
“Why? Reid’s operating on him next week. Everything looks good.”
Ruth nodded. “I know, I know, but I mean about the other thing. I don’t know why he’s doing it or why he did it but I’m scared that he hasn’t stopped. And I’m worried that even if it doesn’t affect the surgery, it’s destroying his life.” Her forehead wrinkled with worry.
Luke’s confusion was clearly visible on his face. “What is?”
“I just never expected this from Noah,” Ruth said sadly, looking down at the floor. “Good kids like him don’t do drugs.” She played with her hands. “And I know you all think I don’t care but I do. I care now. It was about the money before, I’m not gonna deny that, but now it is about Noah. I have to help him.”
“What?” asked Luke, walking closer to her to better hear what she’d just said.
Ruth looked at him.
“Ruth, what are you talking about?”
“Reid didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” asked Luke, his voice rising.
Ruth sat down on the sofa and covered her mouth with both hands. She shook her blond head. “I thought he would’ve told you.”
“Ruth.”
“Noah didn’t get blind by hitting his head like he said. He-he’s been using drugs, Luke,” Ruth said.
“That’s crazy,” Luke said quickly, shaking his head. “Noah wouldn’t do that. I know him.”
“You haven’t known him for over a year,” Ruth said softly.
Luke, his mouth slightly open in surprise, sat down in the armchair adjacent to the sofa. “Are you sure? How do you know?”
“He told me.”
“But why? Why would he do that?”
“It’s Hollywood, and you know how those people are,” Ruth explained. “I noticed him acting peculiar, and I know I don’t know him, but I know when something doesn’t feel right. He finally confessed to having been using cocaine for months, but he swears he’s stopped and I want to believe him but . . .”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He’s not your responsibility anymore. You’re with Reid now,” Ruth said, staring directly at Luke.
“But we’re still friends,” Luke argued. “I flew all the way to L.A. for him.”
“Yeah, but Noah saw how much it bothered you-and Reid-once you got there. He knows you’ve moved on; he accepts that, but he needed your help, obviously, and that’s the only reason why he called you. And he needs Reid’s help, of course. But with everything else, including this awful problem, he feels like he has to deal with it on his own, just like he’s always done when he didn’t have you.”
Luke listened but said nothing.
“It’s a good thing I’m here, though. No matter how or why I came, the important thing is I’m here and I’m going to take care of my sister’s son. But . . .”
“But what?”
Ruth smiled at him. “I could really use your help, Luke. He talks to me but he trusts you.”
“You think he’s still using?” inquired Luke, worry coating his voice.
“He told me he’s not. And he told Reid the same thing,” Ruth said quietly.
“Are you sure he told Reid about this?”
Ruth firmly nodded. “That’s the only way Reid would agree to the surgery. Honestly, I thought he’d tell you.”
Luke shook his head. “He’s his doctor-there’s confidentiality. Reid wouldn’t break that trust.”
Ruth’s hands flew to her mouth again. “Oh, no, I’m not saying he would. I know Reid wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t.”
Ruth leaned towards Luke. “I only thought that maybe he would’ve, like, mentioned how serious the cause of Noah’s blindness is this time. I mean, this isn’t a freak fireworks accident; this is a potentially life-threatening drug problem. Couldn’t he have encouraged you to talk to him, told you that Noah might be in need of help? He didn’t have to tell you the facts but he could’ve steered you more towards Noah. That wouldn’t be breaking Noah’s trust.”
Luke stared at the floor.
Ruth sighed. “But I guess I understand why he didn’t.”
Luke looked up at her. “What?”
“I don’t mean to talk bad about anyone, but I get the sense that your doctor is very possessive of you. He didn’t want you near Noah, and that’s why he followed you to L.A.”
Luke immediately shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think I do. I remember Charlene calling me and telling about Winston and how jealous he’d get if she even smiled at the guy in the gas station or at the store. Now I’m in no way comparing that monster to Reid, but you have to admit why he does-or in this case, doesn’t do-the things he does. And that’s why he didn’t tell you about Noah. The less time you spend with him, the better for Reid.”
Luke shook his head again.
“No? Just remember why I’m here at all,” Ruth stated.
Luke covered his face with his hands.
“Just tell him you want to help Noah. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you and Noah are friends, as you say you are, then there’s no harm in wanting to be there for him during this time, is there?”
Luke remained silent.
Ruth looked down at the floor as she played with her hair. “And I didn’t want to say this but I’ve been thinking that maybe Noah got involved in all this because he’s lonely out there. He’s lonely because he doesn’t have you.”
Luke stared at her.
“I need you, Luke. I need you to help me help him. Can you do that?”
Luke sat in the same chair later that night when Reid arrived.
Reid placed a kiss on Luke’s head. “Shower time?” he asked, alluding to the postponed shower that had been interrupted by a hospital emergency earlier.
“I already took one,” Luke answered without emotion.
“Darn,” Reid said as he walked out of the living room. He returned a minute later with a beer bottle in his hand. He fell onto the couch and leaned back, shutting his eyes.
“Reid, how did Noah become blind?”
“I can’t tell you that, Luke.”
“No, I know, but was it anything serious? Anything dangerous?”
Reid sat up and looked at Luke. “Why?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Reid furrowed his eyebrows. “Tell you what, exactly?”
“What you should’ve told me, about the drug use,” Luke said.
Reid took a sip of beer. “He told you?”
“No. Ruth did.”
“What?”
“She came by-”
“Oh, Luke, why did you let her in?”
“She’s concerned about Noah, okay?
Reid stood. “No, it’s not okay. Don’t you see what she’s doing? She’s using Noah’s problem to get to you and to me.”
Luke stood too. “This isn’t about me! This isn’t about you, either. Noah might have a drug habit and you didn’t think it was important to tell me.”
“Because he told me in confidence, Luke,” Reid shot back. “I wasn’t going to break that trust. I didn’t have to tell you anything.”
“You didn’t have to tell me the specifics but you, you could’ve-”
“What, Luke, huh? What could I have done?”
“I don’t know-maybe encouraged me to talk to him? Or steered me towards him?”
“I’m here to fix his sight, not his life. Noah assured me that he wasn’t dabbling in drugs; I believed him and that’s that. Anything that happened before is his business, not mine and not yours.”
“Just the way you like it,” Luke said sarcastically. “A Noah-free life.”
Reid did not like Luke’s attitude at that moment. “It’s not that I like it; it’s just the way it should be. Our life is you and me, Luke, not you and me and him and Ruth.”
Luke laughed. “So much for trust, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
Luke bit his lip. “Were you lying to me the other day when you told me you trusted me, when we were . . . open with each other?”
Reid walked toward Luke. “Of course not.”
“You didn’t tell me about Noah’s drug use because you knew that was one more thing to keep me by his side,” Luke stated. “Just admit it.”
Reid shook his head. “No, I didn’t tell you because it’s none of my business.”
Luke pursed his lips. “Guess what? It is my business. He’s in trouble and I have to help him.”
“Because she told you, right?” Reid asked angrily. He did not want to let Ruth Mason infiltrate his and Luke’s relationship again. “Did she come crawling in here on her hands and knees and beg you to go to him?”
“She’s worried.”
“About where to get more money. Think about it. You’re rich and if you’re with Noah, he’s rich, and if she’s with Noah, then she’s rich too. She’s manipulating you.”
“Reid, I don’t think-”
“Damn it, Luke, you’re so naïve sometimes,” Reid shouted.
Luke stepped back a little.
Reid sighed and lowered his voice. “It’s her plan, Luke, to get you back with Noah. She was the one making me push you to spend time with Noah. She said I had to let you go or she’d tell you about the money I paid her.”
“Reid.”
“It’s true. She said that you and Noah belong together and that she was going to make sure you two reunited. I didn’t tell you that part because I-I don’t know, I guess I see the way you want to believe in people so much and there’s a part of me too that’s scared that maybe Noah’s in on it and I, I didn’t want you to think that way about him or her. Now I don’t care what you think of her-she’s a conniving gold-digger as far as I’m concerned and Noah-I don’t know.”
“So you think Noah’s not really doing drugs?”
Reid shrugged. “I can tell that he did but whether he’s still doing them or not, I can’t-I don’t know.”
“I just don’t know why it’s so hard for you to be honest with me,” Luke said sadly.
“How am I not honest?” demanded Reid.
“Look, I don’t have time for this right now. I have to go see Noah,” Luke said as he started towards the door.
Reid rushed to it and blocked him. “Luke, wait.”
“Reid.”
Reid put his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “Just listen, please.”
Luke motioned for him to continue.
“Don’t let her do this to us. We’re better than that. We’re better than her.” He moved his hands to Luke’s face. “You and me, remember?”
Luke stared at Reid for a few seconds before responding. “You and me,” he whispered back.
Reid sighed in relief.
“I’m just going to see how he is, okay?” Luke asked tentatively.
Reid nodded. “As long as you come back to me.”
“I will,” Luke said before gently removing Reid hands from his face and walking out the door.
Reid ran to his phone to call Ruth, but all he heard was her southern accent lamenting how sorry she was for not answering the phone and requesting that he leave a message after the beep. He plopped down on the sofa in frustration.
Ruth sat in the Lakeview hotel bar, drinking her second vodka martini when she saw Luke Snyder pass by and get on the elevator. Her mouth curved into a smile as she finished the drink and left. Upstairs in her room, which happened to be next door to Noah’s, Ruth removed her shoes and sat on the bed, surrounded by fashion magazines and a thick manila folder.
Ruth Mason did not consider herself a gold-digger. She was an opportunist-had been one lost in a world void of opportunities . . . until the day Dr. Reid Oliver, M.D., called the chiropractor’s office in Memphis where she worked part-time as a medical office assistant.
She’d recognized his voice from the dozens of messages he’d left on her answering machine. He had called about her sister’s son, Noah Mayer, who was apparently blind for the second time in two years (He can become blind twice in a lifetime but can’t fucking win the lottery once? Ruth had grumbled to herself). Ruth had had some contact with Noah after Charlene past away, but upon learning Noah was a lowly student, had no money or inheritance check, she had limited their phone chats and emails considerably. It didn’t help that Noah loved to gush about his boyfriend (My teenage nephew has a boyfriend and I haven’t had a date in five years, Ruth had grumbled to herself. Not fucking fair.). She recalled getting a message from the boyfriend in 2009 asking her to return his call after Noah was injured in the fireworks fiasco. She’d been busy.
This year, she’d researched Reid Oliver first, mightily impressed by his stature. Then, she’d discovered some interesting facts about Luke Snyder. And that’s when Ruth decided she wanted to meet her nephew in person after all. And since Dr. Oliver was eager to accommodate all her needs, she couldn’t resist. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, the opportunity her mother nor father nor sister got in life.
And though she’d already had some obstacles to overcome-Dr. Oliver’s honesty and utter devotion to his boyfriend (Gag me, Ruth had grumbled to herself)-Ruth Mason was not worried about losing her opportunity. This was her moment, the once chance everyone gets in life to make something of himself, or herself. And if Luke didn’t cooperate after tonight’s talk, then she’d figure something else out. She opened the manila folder containing Reid’s professional file-dirty little secrets and all-and smiled.
Next
Title: On Second Thought (18/37)
Author: sleeper6
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Luke/Reid, Ruth
Summary: Noah is blind again and needs Luke in L.A. What will Luke and Reid do?
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Warning: Will contain angst so read only if you don’t mind that.
Previous: HERE
“Come in,” Luke said as he stepped back to let Ruth in.
Ruth, in a jersey-knit white dress and white sandals, walked slowly into the living room, her blue eyes-which had been wet with tears only seconds before-meticulously observing the interior of the house.
“What is it? What’s wrong with Noah?” Luke asked coldly, his arms folded across his chest.
She faced Luke and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m-I’m very worried about him.”
“Why? Reid’s operating on him next week. Everything looks good.”
Ruth nodded. “I know, I know, but I mean about the other thing. I don’t know why he’s doing it or why he did it but I’m scared that he hasn’t stopped. And I’m worried that even if it doesn’t affect the surgery, it’s destroying his life.” Her forehead wrinkled with worry.
Luke’s confusion was clearly visible on his face. “What is?”
“I just never expected this from Noah,” Ruth said sadly, looking down at the floor. “Good kids like him don’t do drugs.” She played with her hands. “And I know you all think I don’t care but I do. I care now. It was about the money before, I’m not gonna deny that, but now it is about Noah. I have to help him.”
“What?” asked Luke, walking closer to her to better hear what she’d just said.
Ruth looked at him.
“Ruth, what are you talking about?”
“Reid didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” asked Luke, his voice rising.
Ruth sat down on the sofa and covered her mouth with both hands. She shook her blond head. “I thought he would’ve told you.”
“Ruth.”
“Noah didn’t get blind by hitting his head like he said. He-he’s been using drugs, Luke,” Ruth said.
“That’s crazy,” Luke said quickly, shaking his head. “Noah wouldn’t do that. I know him.”
“You haven’t known him for over a year,” Ruth said softly.
Luke, his mouth slightly open in surprise, sat down in the armchair adjacent to the sofa. “Are you sure? How do you know?”
“He told me.”
“But why? Why would he do that?”
“It’s Hollywood, and you know how those people are,” Ruth explained. “I noticed him acting peculiar, and I know I don’t know him, but I know when something doesn’t feel right. He finally confessed to having been using cocaine for months, but he swears he’s stopped and I want to believe him but . . .”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He’s not your responsibility anymore. You’re with Reid now,” Ruth said, staring directly at Luke.
“But we’re still friends,” Luke argued. “I flew all the way to L.A. for him.”
“Yeah, but Noah saw how much it bothered you-and Reid-once you got there. He knows you’ve moved on; he accepts that, but he needed your help, obviously, and that’s the only reason why he called you. And he needs Reid’s help, of course. But with everything else, including this awful problem, he feels like he has to deal with it on his own, just like he’s always done when he didn’t have you.”
Luke listened but said nothing.
“It’s a good thing I’m here, though. No matter how or why I came, the important thing is I’m here and I’m going to take care of my sister’s son. But . . .”
“But what?”
Ruth smiled at him. “I could really use your help, Luke. He talks to me but he trusts you.”
“You think he’s still using?” inquired Luke, worry coating his voice.
“He told me he’s not. And he told Reid the same thing,” Ruth said quietly.
“Are you sure he told Reid about this?”
Ruth firmly nodded. “That’s the only way Reid would agree to the surgery. Honestly, I thought he’d tell you.”
Luke shook his head. “He’s his doctor-there’s confidentiality. Reid wouldn’t break that trust.”
Ruth’s hands flew to her mouth again. “Oh, no, I’m not saying he would. I know Reid wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t.”
Ruth leaned towards Luke. “I only thought that maybe he would’ve, like, mentioned how serious the cause of Noah’s blindness is this time. I mean, this isn’t a freak fireworks accident; this is a potentially life-threatening drug problem. Couldn’t he have encouraged you to talk to him, told you that Noah might be in need of help? He didn’t have to tell you the facts but he could’ve steered you more towards Noah. That wouldn’t be breaking Noah’s trust.”
Luke stared at the floor.
Ruth sighed. “But I guess I understand why he didn’t.”
Luke looked up at her. “What?”
“I don’t mean to talk bad about anyone, but I get the sense that your doctor is very possessive of you. He didn’t want you near Noah, and that’s why he followed you to L.A.”
Luke immediately shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think I do. I remember Charlene calling me and telling about Winston and how jealous he’d get if she even smiled at the guy in the gas station or at the store. Now I’m in no way comparing that monster to Reid, but you have to admit why he does-or in this case, doesn’t do-the things he does. And that’s why he didn’t tell you about Noah. The less time you spend with him, the better for Reid.”
Luke shook his head again.
“No? Just remember why I’m here at all,” Ruth stated.
Luke covered his face with his hands.
“Just tell him you want to help Noah. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you and Noah are friends, as you say you are, then there’s no harm in wanting to be there for him during this time, is there?”
Luke remained silent.
Ruth looked down at the floor as she played with her hair. “And I didn’t want to say this but I’ve been thinking that maybe Noah got involved in all this because he’s lonely out there. He’s lonely because he doesn’t have you.”
Luke stared at her.
“I need you, Luke. I need you to help me help him. Can you do that?”
Luke sat in the same chair later that night when Reid arrived.
Reid placed a kiss on Luke’s head. “Shower time?” he asked, alluding to the postponed shower that had been interrupted by a hospital emergency earlier.
“I already took one,” Luke answered without emotion.
“Darn,” Reid said as he walked out of the living room. He returned a minute later with a beer bottle in his hand. He fell onto the couch and leaned back, shutting his eyes.
“Reid, how did Noah become blind?”
“I can’t tell you that, Luke.”
“No, I know, but was it anything serious? Anything dangerous?”
Reid sat up and looked at Luke. “Why?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Reid furrowed his eyebrows. “Tell you what, exactly?”
“What you should’ve told me, about the drug use,” Luke said.
Reid took a sip of beer. “He told you?”
“No. Ruth did.”
“What?”
“She came by-”
“Oh, Luke, why did you let her in?”
“She’s concerned about Noah, okay?
Reid stood. “No, it’s not okay. Don’t you see what she’s doing? She’s using Noah’s problem to get to you and to me.”
Luke stood too. “This isn’t about me! This isn’t about you, either. Noah might have a drug habit and you didn’t think it was important to tell me.”
“Because he told me in confidence, Luke,” Reid shot back. “I wasn’t going to break that trust. I didn’t have to tell you anything.”
“You didn’t have to tell me the specifics but you, you could’ve-”
“What, Luke, huh? What could I have done?”
“I don’t know-maybe encouraged me to talk to him? Or steered me towards him?”
“I’m here to fix his sight, not his life. Noah assured me that he wasn’t dabbling in drugs; I believed him and that’s that. Anything that happened before is his business, not mine and not yours.”
“Just the way you like it,” Luke said sarcastically. “A Noah-free life.”
Reid did not like Luke’s attitude at that moment. “It’s not that I like it; it’s just the way it should be. Our life is you and me, Luke, not you and me and him and Ruth.”
Luke laughed. “So much for trust, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
Luke bit his lip. “Were you lying to me the other day when you told me you trusted me, when we were . . . open with each other?”
Reid walked toward Luke. “Of course not.”
“You didn’t tell me about Noah’s drug use because you knew that was one more thing to keep me by his side,” Luke stated. “Just admit it.”
Reid shook his head. “No, I didn’t tell you because it’s none of my business.”
Luke pursed his lips. “Guess what? It is my business. He’s in trouble and I have to help him.”
“Because she told you, right?” Reid asked angrily. He did not want to let Ruth Mason infiltrate his and Luke’s relationship again. “Did she come crawling in here on her hands and knees and beg you to go to him?”
“She’s worried.”
“About where to get more money. Think about it. You’re rich and if you’re with Noah, he’s rich, and if she’s with Noah, then she’s rich too. She’s manipulating you.”
“Reid, I don’t think-”
“Damn it, Luke, you’re so naïve sometimes,” Reid shouted.
Luke stepped back a little.
Reid sighed and lowered his voice. “It’s her plan, Luke, to get you back with Noah. She was the one making me push you to spend time with Noah. She said I had to let you go or she’d tell you about the money I paid her.”
“Reid.”
“It’s true. She said that you and Noah belong together and that she was going to make sure you two reunited. I didn’t tell you that part because I-I don’t know, I guess I see the way you want to believe in people so much and there’s a part of me too that’s scared that maybe Noah’s in on it and I, I didn’t want you to think that way about him or her. Now I don’t care what you think of her-she’s a conniving gold-digger as far as I’m concerned and Noah-I don’t know.”
“So you think Noah’s not really doing drugs?”
Reid shrugged. “I can tell that he did but whether he’s still doing them or not, I can’t-I don’t know.”
“I just don’t know why it’s so hard for you to be honest with me,” Luke said sadly.
“How am I not honest?” demanded Reid.
“Look, I don’t have time for this right now. I have to go see Noah,” Luke said as he started towards the door.
Reid rushed to it and blocked him. “Luke, wait.”
“Reid.”
Reid put his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “Just listen, please.”
Luke motioned for him to continue.
“Don’t let her do this to us. We’re better than that. We’re better than her.” He moved his hands to Luke’s face. “You and me, remember?”
Luke stared at Reid for a few seconds before responding. “You and me,” he whispered back.
Reid sighed in relief.
“I’m just going to see how he is, okay?” Luke asked tentatively.
Reid nodded. “As long as you come back to me.”
“I will,” Luke said before gently removing Reid hands from his face and walking out the door.
Reid ran to his phone to call Ruth, but all he heard was her southern accent lamenting how sorry she was for not answering the phone and requesting that he leave a message after the beep. He plopped down on the sofa in frustration.
Ruth sat in the Lakeview hotel bar, drinking her second vodka martini when she saw Luke Snyder pass by and get on the elevator. Her mouth curved into a smile as she finished the drink and left. Upstairs in her room, which happened to be next door to Noah’s, Ruth removed her shoes and sat on the bed, surrounded by fashion magazines and a thick manila folder.
Ruth Mason did not consider herself a gold-digger. She was an opportunist-had been one lost in a world void of opportunities . . . until the day Dr. Reid Oliver, M.D., called the chiropractor’s office in Memphis where she worked part-time as a medical office assistant.
She’d recognized his voice from the dozens of messages he’d left on her answering machine. He had called about her sister’s son, Noah Mayer, who was apparently blind for the second time in two years (He can become blind twice in a lifetime but can’t fucking win the lottery once? Ruth had grumbled to herself). Ruth had had some contact with Noah after Charlene past away, but upon learning Noah was a lowly student, had no money or inheritance check, she had limited their phone chats and emails considerably. It didn’t help that Noah loved to gush about his boyfriend (My teenage nephew has a boyfriend and I haven’t had a date in five years, Ruth had grumbled to herself. Not fucking fair.). She recalled getting a message from the boyfriend in 2009 asking her to return his call after Noah was injured in the fireworks fiasco. She’d been busy.
This year, she’d researched Reid Oliver first, mightily impressed by his stature. Then, she’d discovered some interesting facts about Luke Snyder. And that’s when Ruth decided she wanted to meet her nephew in person after all. And since Dr. Oliver was eager to accommodate all her needs, she couldn’t resist. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, the opportunity her mother nor father nor sister got in life.
And though she’d already had some obstacles to overcome-Dr. Oliver’s honesty and utter devotion to his boyfriend (Gag me, Ruth had grumbled to herself)-Ruth Mason was not worried about losing her opportunity. This was her moment, the once chance everyone gets in life to make something of himself, or herself. And if Luke didn’t cooperate after tonight’s talk, then she’d figure something else out. She opened the manila folder containing Reid’s professional file-dirty little secrets and all-and smiled.
Next