New LuRe Fic: A Match Made in Oakdale, 3/5
A Match Made in Oakdale, Part 3a
by Suz
Feedback would be fab! Also posted on AO3 here.
This part's split in two due to LJ character limits.
*
Reid never got to answer Lily's ridiculous question, because Holden returned with an update - he'd spoken to his mother and she'd offered to share the news with everyone else, sparing him the job.
Over the next few days, Reid saw more Snyder relatives than he ever would've thought possible. Though Lily and Holden kept their word and didn't let too many people in, there was still a near-constant influx of visitors lingering outside Luke's room, constantly trying to peer through the blinds. In the end he snapped at them about Luke needing his rest and the risk of infection, which turned out to be remarkably effective in getting them all to clear out.
Reid stayed by Luke's side the entire time - or, as much as was possible. Luke clearly wanted him there - the way he always stretched his hand out towards Reid whenever he entered the room was a dead giveaway - and Reid was just as happy to be there for Luke.
He didn't explain it. Didn't try to justify it. He just knew that it was what he had to do.
That, and keep avoiding the suspicious looks Lily kept sending his way.
He made sure that Luke knew everything the police did about the kidnapping - mostly, that they knew nothing - and that Damian was expressing his affection by posting terrifyingly aggressive-looking men at every access point.
He also made a point of asking Luke if he wanted to talk about what'd happened, because he figured that coming that close to death had to have an affect on a guy. Luke thanked him, but said that he still needed time and that whenever he was ready, he knew his family were always going to be nearby.
In the end, his daily visits with Luke became almost...pleasant. Luke continued to improve, if slowly, and now that his family were mostly under control the two of them spent a lot of time talking. They couldn't talk for long periods of time - Luke still got tired really easily - and though they still teased each other, it was because it was fun, not out of the cruelness they'd initially regarded each other with.
One day, after Luke's first successful attempt at walking - all of five feet, using a walker, with Lily and Holden hovering either side of him - Reid headed up to the cafeteria while Luke was taking a much-needed nap.
That was where Katie found him.
“Hey,” he said, before gesturing towards his tray of 'food'. “Word to the wise - don't try the Meat Surprise. I can't decide if the surprise is that there's no meat at all, or what the meat is really made out of.” Knowing this town, the contents of his meal didn't bear thinking about.
“We need to talk,” she said seriously. “Now. And in private.”
Blinking, Reid nonetheless took her tone and words legitimately. Dumping the rest of his meal in the trash - it'd been a waste of money anyway - Reid dealt with his dishes then found an empty room for them to talk in.
“What's up?” he asked when they were finally alone.
“I'm worried about you,” she said straight away. “About the way you've...been. Since the kidnapping.”
Frowning, he crossed his arms defensively. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she began, seemingly choosing her words carefully, “that it's been over a week. And you're not back at work yet - even though Bob has said he'll happily clear you for surgery, now. Reid,” she continued, “work used to be the only thing you'd talk about. I've seen you nearly every day since you were taken and you haven't even mentioned it once.”
“Don't know if you noticed,” he pointed out in frustration, “maybe you missed that whole thing where I went missing for a bunch of days? But I've kind of had some stuff going on.”
“And I'm not attacking you for needing to take some time,” she assured him, “but I don't think you're doing anything in that time that'll help.”
“It's not for you to decide how I cope with something,” he ground out.
“You're probably right,” she agreed, “but I'm your friend. Probably your only friend in Oakdale, until recently. And real friends tell you the things you need to hear, even when you don't like it. Thought you of all people would appreciate that,” she added, trying to joke before turning serious again. “You haven't been back to the apartment since you were found. Not even once.”
“Been busy,” he said, voice short.
“Sitting with Luke,” she nodded, “talking with Luke. Talking about Luke. Holding hands with-”
“If you're trying to make a point, just hurry up and make it.” This was interminable.
Katie set her shoulders. “Lily and I have been talking-”
Oh, of course. He knew she'd been up to something. “Luke's mom is in on this?”
“We're both worried about you,” she said, which was something of a surprise, Lily being worried about him. “Lily thought at first that you and Luke were just attracted to each other, and that the kidnapping brought you closer together. But, when I started paying attention,” she moved closer, touching his forearm, “I think even if that is true it's more than that, Reid. Everything you say, everything you do is about Luke.” She held his gaze. “That's not normal.”
Reid felt trapped, because he knew she was right. He'd known it all along, really, but had been doing everything he could to ignore it. “I can't explain it, it's just what I need to do.”
She nodded sympathetically. “But I don't think it's helping you. This can't be healthy, Reid.”
“You think I don't know that?” he asked seriously. “When I can't take a bite from a sandwich without choking on it? That every time I'm away from him, even if it's just for a second, I expect him to be dead when I come back?” He'd seen that image in his mind a disturbing amount of times. “Every time I leave that room, when I walk back in I expect to see his dead body.”
“Look,” she said carefully, holding his other forearm as well now, “whether you want to face it or not, I think it's clear you have some kind of...trauma, about the kidnapping. You said it yourself - you were watching someone slowly die, right in front of you, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Maybe you should speak to someone.”
“Like a shrink?” he snorted.
“Yeah, like a shrink.”
He regarded her sardonically. “You've met me, right?”
“Yes I have,” she said with good humour, “and you may be the most practical man I've ever met. And practical men know that when they need help, they take it.”
Damn her. “You're good,” he was forced to admit.
“I had a lot of practise,” she said sympathetically, like she knew he knew he'd just been outplayed. “I could be quite manipulative, back in the day.”
“Back in the day?” he asked doubtfully, because she'd clearly lost none of her skill. “I'm still not about to see a shrink, though.” He just couldn't imagine blurting out everything in his head to a complete stranger.
Couldn't really imagine doing it to anyone, really.
Luke didn't count. That was a unique situation. And this would be about Luke, in a way.
“How about the next best thing?” she suggested shortly. “Someone you respect, even though you pretend not to. Someone you admire, even though you'd never admit it. Someone you know who always talks sense, even when you hate it.”
Reid knew exactly who she meant. “Katie...”
“He's had a lot of life experience,” she reasoned, “and he's a doctor, so at least you both share that perspective.”
Sighing, he knew he might as well give up because he also knew she never would. “Remind me why I ever moved in with you again?”
“Desperation,” she announced, “exactly the same reason I'm doing this.”
And then she grabbed him, marched him to Bob's office, and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Bob said, and Katie literally shoved Reid into the room.
Geez. “Okay, okay,” Reid said as he stumbled inside, but somehow she'd already disappeared. “How does she do that?”
“Dr Oliver?” Bob asked from his desk, startling Reid as he spun back towards him. “Is everything okay?”
Right. Best just to get this over with. “Well, to be honest, Bob, not really.” Plopping himself down across from Hughes Senior, he sagged back in the chair.
Putting his pen down, Bob focused on Reid intently. “Whatever's the matter?”
Ah, he hated this crap, but Katie was right - it was still better than talking to a shrink, and he couldn't keep hyper-focusing on Luke forever. “It's been brought to my attention that I may have some...trauma...” Ugh, that word. “About the kidnapping.”
Nodding gravely, Bob made an understanding face. “I thought as much,” he admitted, “when you didn't dive back into work as soon as possible. That's why I've been giving you a little breathing room,” he confessed.
Reid shifted in his chair. “You knew?”
“I suspected. You weren't your usual, focused self. Well, you were,” he amended, “it just wasn't your work you were focused on.”
He wasn't enjoying this conversation, per se, but he was finding it a little easier to cope with than he'd anticipated. Maybe that helped him to say, “I don't know how to stop.”
“These situations can be delicate,” Bob said knowingly, “and are often not fixed overnight.”
Reid knew he'd have to put the work in. “I know.”
Apparently pleased by that, Bob then rested his forearms on his desk, linking his fingers together. “I'm assuming you don't want to go the therapy route.”
“You assume correctly.”
“I'll honour that wish for now,” he told him, “but if I feel it's truly necessary in the future-”
Much as he hated the idea, if things got that bad he knew he'd have no choice. “We'll re-visit that idea,” he conceded.
Satisfied, Bob nodded, before splaying his hands and sitting back in his chair. “In that case, Reid, right now I would prescribe a change in your lifestyle.”
Change in his what? “What are you talking about?”
“Your life before was all about work,” he explained, “and your life now is all about Luke. What you need, most likely,” he said seriously, “is some balance.”
Balance didn't sound...too bad. Depending on what it entailed. “What kind of balance?”
“You go back to work,” Bob said quickly, “effective immediately. Or from tomorrow,” he added, “so you can get things squared away at home.”
Reid stared at him, wondering. “What if I don't want to go back to work?” Even now, all he really wanted to do was check that Luke was still breathing.
“Then I start disciplinary proceedings right away. And how would that black mark look on your otherwise exemplary career?” Wow, Bob wasn't screwing around. “Speaking of home,” he continued, “you spend every night at your apartment. You no longer have permission to sleep here, other than in extreme circumstances.”
Honestly it all sounded perfectly logical, but Reid didn't even know if he could do it. “What about Luke?”
“You can still spend time with him of course,” he said, “but in your own time. But not all of your own time,” Bob added, making it clear, “you can't run yourself into the ground, Reid. Even you need a break, time to just...be.”
It all sounded like a perfectly normal life. And right now, Reid found it utterly terrifying. “I may have difficulty,” he forced out, “trying to do this.”
“Part of the reason I'm being firmer with this than perhaps I should be,” Bob conceded. “But I'll be here, if you need help. I know Katie certainly will. And I suspect Luke will, in his own way.”
Yeah, Luke. How the hell was he going to tell Luke?
*
Reid decided that blunt honesty had served him for much of his life, so that was exactly what he was going to use now. “I need the room,” he announced when he stepped into Luke's hospital room. Luke was sitting up in bed - something he spent most of the day doing, now - and looked surprised at Reid's demand.
But he was still breathing.
Lily, who'd apparently been in cahoots with Katie for some time at least, immediately leapt into action and started herding Holden out of the room.
“What?” Holden asked, utterly confused. “Lily, what are you-?”
“Just go, Holden,” she ordered, forcing him out the door with her, “I'll explain everything later.”
When they were alone, Luke started to look worried. “Is everything okay?”
“You're fine,” Reid assured him, “unless Dr Phillips said anything else while I was gone?”
“No,” he shook his head.
Good. “Then you're fine,” he repeated, taking his seat. “It's...me,” he managed. “Who's not so fine. Maybe. Possibly.”
“Glad you're certain,” Luke teased, but there was a gentleness to it. “What's going on, Reid?” he asked, holding his hand out.
“That's going on,” he said, standing up, gesturing to Luke's hand. “That is.”
“What is?” he asked, completely confused. “My hand?”
“I don't hold hands, okay,” Reid told him, “I'm not that guy.”
Luke really didn't seem to get it. “Plainly you are that guy, because you've been doing it every day.”
He had a point. “Okay, so I am that guy, but only a little.” Even Reid knew he had a softer side, it just didn't come out very often. “But I've been having some...issues...since the kidnapping.” Luke tipped his head to one side sympathetically. “I haven't been able to...step back. The way I normally would. As far as I was concerned I was watching you die and it's...”
“Affected you,” Luke concluded.
Reid nodded. “And it's not...healthy. I need to try and do something about it.”
Pressing his lips together, Luke lowered his head. “Does this mean you won't be coming to visit anymore?”
He couldn't stand to see it - probably more proof that he needed to take a step back. “Nah, I'll still be around - just not as often. Tomorrow, I go back to work.”
“So you're not abandoning me completely,” Luke said, looking back up with a watery smile.
“Not gonna happen,” Reid replied. “After all, I did tell Casey we were 'buds'. As I'm sure you know, you can't go around lying to a Hughes. I'm pretty sure you end up getting cursed or something.”
Chuckling, Luke glanced down at his hands again, where they were fiddling together. “It's probably a good thing anyway.”
Intrigued, Reid finally sat back down. “Why's that?”
Luke made a wry face. “You're not the only one with some issues that are probably not very healthy.” Pausing, looking at Reid, he eventually explained. “I don't sleep well, when you're not here.”
How they hell had he missed that? “I didn't know that.”
“I didn't want you to know,” Luke said honestly. “You were already here so much anyway, I couldn't ask you to stay every single time I needed to sleep. Sometimes though,” he admitted, “when I'm trying to sleep I can hear your voice in my ear, like you're right next to me. And then it's easy to sleep.” Reid honestly didn't know what to say to that. “I know it's because of,” Luke gestured, “everything that happened.” He closed his eyes, concentrating. “Sometimes I think I can remember you still talking to me, even when I went into the coma,” he opened his eyes again with a shrug, “but I'm never sure if it's real or my own wishful thinking.”
Reid stared at him. “I did keep talking.”
“You did?” Luke asked hopefully. “Is that why your voice...?”
He nodded. Though it was back to normal by now, it'd still been pretty ropey when Luke had first come out of the coma.
Seeming pleased at that, Luke then started looking embarrassed. “Of course, and then there's...”
“What?”
He looked awkward, but then determined to say whatever it was anyway. “Mom talked to me earlier. She thinks we have...a thing for each other. And it's kind of gotten...mixed up with everything else that's been going on.”
Ah, yeah. “Yeah, I've heard that theory too.”
Reassured, Luke nodded. “You think it's true?”
“I've always found you attractive,” Reid said honestly, because it was definitely the case.
“Even what you hated me?” Luke asked, looking unconvinced.
“Maybe especially then,” he joked. “If I'm honest, I can say that the feelings I have for you seem to have developed into more than just friendly concern. But...we were forced to spend time together in an emotionally charged situation.”
“So how do we know it's really real?” Luke said quietly, more a statement than a question. “Time, I guess,” he said, answering it himself. “And even if there is something there, do either of us want to do anything about it?” he asked, which was a pretty mature question. “And what about Noah?” he asked emotionally, bringing his hands up to his face in despair.
“Hey,” Reid said seriously, leaning in to pull his hands away until he could look Luke in the eye. “All I know is, none of this is going to be figured out right now - none of this has to be figured out right now. God knows I'm not going to pressure you, especially when I have my own crap to figure out. Your recovery absolutely comes first. Like you said,” Reid pointed out, “it'll take time. And as long as you keep taking care of that kidney,” he nodded towards Luke's body, “then we'll have plenty of that.”
Sighing, Luke let out a long breath and visibly tried to relax. “Man,” he said, “did you ever imagine that we'd end up having a conversation anything even remotely like this? All those horrible things we said and did to each other...” Luke shook his head. “You used to drive me crazy.”
“Yeah, well the feeling was mutual,” Reid said easily. “It's not like I was the only one being a dick.”
“Ah ha!” Luke declared. “So you admit it.”
“Yeah, because the idea was so shocking before I did,” he quipped, and they smiled at each other, a little.
Luke regarded him for a while. “I thought you'd never be able to see me as a human being, just as this...annoyance who kept getting in your way.”
“That's a...pretty accurate description,” he mused, mostly to see Luke pretend to be annoyed, “but then I thought you'd only ever see me as your boyfriend's ticket to sighthood, so I guess we've both learned something.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Luke corrected automatically, then frowned. “I think. God,” he continued, clearly frustrated. “Life would be so much easier if I could just click my fingers and fix everything. Just once I don't want to have to work for something, you know? It feels like I've spent my whole life doing that.”
“I could give you that trite saying that something's only worth doing, only satisfying if you work hard at it - but it's only rich people who say that anyway. Oh, and look who I'm talking to...”
“Very funny,” Luke said, narrowing his eyes.
Reid barely held back a smile. “You'll figure this out. We both will, eventually.”
“I guess,” he said, still not looking happy. “And if this...whatever it is with us...” he gestured between them, “...is really a thing?”
“Well then we'll both have some choices to make. All I know is,” he announced dramatically, “if I end up having to duel Noah Mayer for your honour because of some ridiculous Oakdale law, he is absolutely not getting an advantage just because he's blind.”
Luke just shook his head, finally smiling. “You are still ridiculous.”
“And willing to lie, cheat and steal to achieve success,” he insisted. “Now,” he continued, reaching for Luke's chart, “when's the last time you had a blood test?”
*
Reid had been about to finally make his way home, when one of Damian's guys literally popped up out of nowhere and 'insisted' on giving him a ride. It was a little freaky, perhaps, especially when the guy accompanied him inside the apartment building and silently stationed himself outside Katie's apartment - but he did actually feel safer.
“Okay then,” he said, and knocked on the door. He didn't have keys anymore - they'd been taken too - and spent the time waiting for Katie to open the door dreading her reaction.
It was about what he expected.
“You did it!” she yelled with a huge grin, pulling him into a hug before pulling him into the apartment, closing the door. “You spoke to Bob, right?”
“I did,” he admitted, heading straight for his room to escape her happiness. “We're trying some stuff, don't ask me about it.”
But then he spied Jacob. The kid was in one corner of the room, currently bashing two cubes against each other in the play pen area that'd already been set up when he'd moved in. Feeling surprisingly guilty about not seeing the little guy, Reid moved over to him instead and picked him up, letting his bag of stuff thud to the floor.
“Hey, drool monster,” he greeted, bouncing Jacob in his arms a little. He didn't cry or scream, which Reid saw as an achievement when a face you hadn't seen for more than a week suddenly picked you up. “I hope you haven't been slacking on the job, been producing lots of poop for mommy to clean up.”
“That he has,” Katie remarked, “and then some.”
“A healthy set of bowels is a good thing,” Reid insisted. “That ear infection hasn't come back?”
“Not so far,” she said, smiling at her son.
Nodding, Reid bounced Jacob a few more times. “Yeah, I'm done,” he announced, passing him over to Katie. For Reid, kids were dealt with in much the same way as most adults - best taken in small doses.
Picking his bag back up, Reid was all set to escape to his room when Katie said something.
“Oh, I have something for you. A couple of things, actually.” Walking over to the kitchen, she retrieved something from a small bowl. When she returned and held it out, he finally saw that it was a single key. “You told me they took everything, so I went ahead and got the locks changed, just in case.”
“Smart,” he nodded, taking the key.
“Aaaand...” she headed back towards the kitchen, this time getting something out of a drawer one-handed. It was a cell phone. “It's just a cheap pre-paid one,” she said as she handed it over. “But I figured you had enough going on at the moment without worrying about setting up a new contract.”
That was true. Calling phone companies was like navigating the seventh circle of hell. “Thanks.”
“I already programmed in all the numbers I thought you might find useful,” Katie told him, “people around Oakdale, the hospital. But unless you have the numbers for anyone you knew back in Dallas memorised or somewhere else...”
They were gone. “Yeah,” Reid said, moving on. “How much do I owe you?”
Katie just shook her head. “Keep working on getting better, and then I'll decide if you need to pay me back or not.”
“See, I knew this came at a price,” he told her, but she just put Jacob back down and headed towards the kitchen again.
“I'm gonna put some laundry on,” she said, as Reid finally made it to his room. “Mail's on your bedside table.”
Flicking on the light, Reid just stood there looking at his room for a while. It looked exactly the same. For some reason he'd expected it to be different, even though that made no sense. Shaking his head at himself, he put the key on the table, then dumped everything else on the bed. Sitting down - already, it was so much softer than he remembered - he reached for the mail, figuring he should go through that first.
There was nothing too annoying. A couple of bills that were paid automatically anyway. Some junk mail. A new credit card.
As he pulled his electric razor out of the bag, Reid's gaze fell to his new phone. He had to fight the urge to call the hospital to get an update on Luke. He knew Luke was fine - the last thing he'd done before coming home was speak to him - and even if he had suddenly taken an unexpected nosedive, Bob had promised he'd inform Reid ASAP. He could accuse Bob of many things, but he definitely wasn't a liar.
Reid tried to distract himself by putting his stuff away, having a shower. Getting back into his own clothes again instead of hospital scrubs. He tried reading for a while, watching some crappy TV. Even eating didn't really take his mind off his desire to call Memorial, which was when he finally cracked.
“Look,” he said to Katie, shoving the phone towards her. “Take it back. Just for tonight.” Practically, it didn't mean much. There were other phones in the apartment - Katie's and a land-line - but right then he couldn't cope with having access to his own phone and having to stop himself from using it.
For once she didn't say anything, seeming to realise he was serious, and quietly put the phone in her bedroom.
Trying to sleep that night was the hardest it'd been since being taken. Sleeping at the hospital had been fine, no issue at all, but for whatever reason, now that he was in his own bed he couldn't settle. He didn't know what the hell was up with his brain, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Luke lying next to him, dying.
“Well,” he told the ceiling, “this is fun.”
He did manage a few hours of sleep in the end, just due to sheer exhaustion and though he certainly wasn't bright when he strolled into work the next day, he was definitely early.
He also didn't miss the way Bob walked by an hour later, just to make sure he was there.
Being back at work was unsurprisingly strange. No one treated him any differently - that part he did actually find surprising - but it still felt wrong, like it wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. After a few hours, as he got back into the rhythm, it got a little easier to deal with. And when he got dragged into an emergency surgery, the adrenalin kicked in and he didn't think about Luke at all for a whole four hours.
He still wanted to check on him, of course, had to force himself not to go and see Luke during his break. Had to tell himself, again, that if Luke had suddenly died someone would've told him about it by now.
Nonetheless, he was more relieved than he should have been when he walked into Luke's hospital room at the end of his shift, to see that Luke was alive, and well-ish, and definitely not dead.
Lily and Holden, apparently, had learned nothing from their reaction the previous day. Only this time, Holden was in on it too.
“Lily,” Holden said loudly, “you feel like some coffee?”
“That's a great idea, Holden,” she over-enunciated, and then they were both scurrying out of there.
Reid thought about what he knew of Luke, and what he'd just witnessed. “Being subtle is really not a Snyder trait, is it?”
“You figured that out, huh?” Luke asked, looking very pleased to see him. His hand stayed firmly next to his body and Reid's fingers twitched. “How was your day?”
“Could've been better,” Reid said honestly as he sat down, “could've been worse. Yours?”
“The same,” he shrugged. “Sleeping didn't go...great,” he admitted, something they had in common, “but I managed it in the end. I walked a whole ten feet today,” he announced proudly, “unassisted.”
“That is progress,” Reid said, sounding appropriately impressed. “How's the kidney doing?”
They continued talking easily, for a while. Luke confessed that his current difficulty with walking was bringing back some unpleasant memories of his paralysis a few years ago (again: how had Reid never heard about this stuff?) but that talking to Damian and his parents about it was helping. Reid reassured him that having some kind of motor skill problem was common after almost any coma, and that his progress already was proof that it wasn't going to be a permanent issue.
“Also,” Luke said, fingers starting to pick at his blanket, “I've started talking out a lot of stuff with my dad.”
“What stuff?”
“Noah stuff,” he shrugged awkwardly. “I've had a lot of time to think lately,” he said, stating the obvious. “I realised that I got so used to keeping stuff about out relationship inside that I never really dealt with it. And because I never dealt with anything, I played a big part in our problems, too.”
Reid thought it over. “Is it helping?”
“Well, we only really just started,” he offered, holding Reid's gaze, “but I think it will.”
A soft knock on the door made them both turn towards the entrance, where Noah was pushing the door open. Speak of the devil...
“Luke?” he called out.
“Hi, Noah,” Luke greeted, clearly uncomfortable.
“It's so good to hear your voice again,” Noah smiled, stepping into the room. The smile faltered, after a moment. “Is, uh, Damian here?”
“No, he left a few hours ago.”
“Oh, good, good,” he replied, smile returning.
“Reid's here, though,” Luke pointed out, which made Noah's smile falter again.
“Right,” he said, “Reid. Anyway,” he carefully made his way further into the room, until his cane found the end of Luke's bed. “I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner, but Damian made it...clear...that the family needed some time. And that I probably shouldn't be around for a while.”
Luke immediately started apologising. “I'm so sorry, Noah, you know what he can be like. I'll talk to him.”
“Don't worry about it,” Noah shook his head, “the important thing is how you're doing.”
Yeah, Reid really had no interest in being a witness to this little reunion - and he had things that he was meant to be doing anyway, or Bob would have his hide. “I'll leave you two to it,” he said as he stood up.
Luke's head swivelled towards him. “You really have to go?”
“Staying healthy, remember?” Reid reminded but, knowing that Noah couldn't see, this time he slid his hand towards Luke who latched his fingers on eagerly. He could give himself - and Luke - this much. “Besides, you two need to catch up,” he encouraged, giving Luke's hand a squeeze before letting go.
“I'll see you tomorrow,” Luke said softly.
“And so will I, Doctor Oliver,” Noah added, “in a manner of speaking.”
Reid didn't get it, turning towards him. “Sorry?”
“We have an appointment tomorrow,” Noah told him. “It's back on, right?”
Oh. That. “Right,” Reid forced himself to say, “wouldn't miss it.”
He made straight for the door, then, though he could hear them talking behind him.
“So, Noah,” Luke began, “it's good to see you.”
“I'd say the same,” Noah joked, “but, well, you know...”
*
Reid's evening was about as much fun as the evening before. Work the next day, however, had also had pretty much the same effect as the previous day, so he wasn't in a completely horrible mood when Noah's appointment rolled around.
Noah was there perfectly on time - he was always there perfectly on time - and Reid soon saw him into the room and had him sit down.
“Any change?” he asked, shining a light into each of Noah's eyes in turn, checking for any reaction.
“Still can't see a thing,” Noah said sadly, shaking his head.
Flicking the light off, Reid placed it inside the pocket of his lab coat. “Well, we knew there'd be no change yet,” he reminded him. “And even if the drug therapy does help improve things, there's still not going to be any real change until after the surgery.”
“I know,” Noah sighed. “It just makes everything about my life so much harder.”
Reid wasn't without sympathy. “I don't envy your situation, that's true. But,” he declared, “if you stick with the therapy and go through with the surgery, it'll be the best chance you have at being able to see again. I can't guarantee anything,” he emphasised, “but it's still your best shot.”
This was nothing Noah hadn't heard before. “I know,” he replied, shoulders slumped. Reid was in the process of making a few notes on his chart when Noah spoke again. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Reid said absently, still scribbling.
“You and Luke are...friends now, right? Man, that still sounds so strange - I know how he used to get on your nerves.”
Reid stopped writing, lowering the clipboard. “Let me clarify, Mr Mayer - you can ask me anything that's to do with your treatment.”
“I was just wondering if he'd said anything,” Noah pleaded, “about me. About us.”
Reid sure as hell wasn't about to do this. “Even if he has, Mr Mayer, I'm not about to start discussing your personal relationship. You're my patient, the only advice I can give is about your medical care.”
None of that seemed to register with the guy, who just kept talking. “He said that he wasn't so sure about us getting back together anymore, That he'd always be there for me but that he needed some time to work things out. He's never asked for that before,” Noah frowned, looking seriously confused. “You know, we've had our problems before,” Noah told him, as if Reid had encouraged this topic of conversation in any way, “but I was always the one who asked for time, for space. It was never Luke,” he finished, repeating it to himself, “it was never him.”
He was absolutely not getting involved with this - frankly, it would've been unprofessional if he had. “Look, like I told you, Noah, I can't discuss this with you-”
“Come on, you must have an opinion.”
“Even if I do, I'm not about to share it-”
“And why not?” Noah demanded. “Why not now? Before the kidnapping you took every opportunity you could to give your opinion about Luke. You couldn't wait to tell everyone who would listen how he'd ruined your life, how everything he did made you miserable - you even told me to keep him away from you. And what - now, just because of a kidnapping, suddenly you don't have an opinion?”
Just because of a kidnapping? Did he even remember that Luke nearly died? “Oh, I have plenty of opinions, Mr Mayer,” Reid snapped at him, voice tight, “and trust me when I say that you really don't want to hear my strongest one right now. So,” he said clearly, “I strongly suggest that you leave, and that at your next appointment you consider not ticking off the guy who's going to be digging around in your brain in a couple of months.”
Unable to stand the sight of Noah's face for even a moment longer, Reid followed his own advice and stormed out of the room.
Next Part
by Suz
Feedback would be fab! Also posted on AO3 here.
This part's split in two due to LJ character limits.
*
Reid never got to answer Lily's ridiculous question, because Holden returned with an update - he'd spoken to his mother and she'd offered to share the news with everyone else, sparing him the job.
Over the next few days, Reid saw more Snyder relatives than he ever would've thought possible. Though Lily and Holden kept their word and didn't let too many people in, there was still a near-constant influx of visitors lingering outside Luke's room, constantly trying to peer through the blinds. In the end he snapped at them about Luke needing his rest and the risk of infection, which turned out to be remarkably effective in getting them all to clear out.
Reid stayed by Luke's side the entire time - or, as much as was possible. Luke clearly wanted him there - the way he always stretched his hand out towards Reid whenever he entered the room was a dead giveaway - and Reid was just as happy to be there for Luke.
He didn't explain it. Didn't try to justify it. He just knew that it was what he had to do.
That, and keep avoiding the suspicious looks Lily kept sending his way.
He made sure that Luke knew everything the police did about the kidnapping - mostly, that they knew nothing - and that Damian was expressing his affection by posting terrifyingly aggressive-looking men at every access point.
He also made a point of asking Luke if he wanted to talk about what'd happened, because he figured that coming that close to death had to have an affect on a guy. Luke thanked him, but said that he still needed time and that whenever he was ready, he knew his family were always going to be nearby.
In the end, his daily visits with Luke became almost...pleasant. Luke continued to improve, if slowly, and now that his family were mostly under control the two of them spent a lot of time talking. They couldn't talk for long periods of time - Luke still got tired really easily - and though they still teased each other, it was because it was fun, not out of the cruelness they'd initially regarded each other with.
One day, after Luke's first successful attempt at walking - all of five feet, using a walker, with Lily and Holden hovering either side of him - Reid headed up to the cafeteria while Luke was taking a much-needed nap.
That was where Katie found him.
“Hey,” he said, before gesturing towards his tray of 'food'. “Word to the wise - don't try the Meat Surprise. I can't decide if the surprise is that there's no meat at all, or what the meat is really made out of.” Knowing this town, the contents of his meal didn't bear thinking about.
“We need to talk,” she said seriously. “Now. And in private.”
Blinking, Reid nonetheless took her tone and words legitimately. Dumping the rest of his meal in the trash - it'd been a waste of money anyway - Reid dealt with his dishes then found an empty room for them to talk in.
“What's up?” he asked when they were finally alone.
“I'm worried about you,” she said straight away. “About the way you've...been. Since the kidnapping.”
Frowning, he crossed his arms defensively. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she began, seemingly choosing her words carefully, “that it's been over a week. And you're not back at work yet - even though Bob has said he'll happily clear you for surgery, now. Reid,” she continued, “work used to be the only thing you'd talk about. I've seen you nearly every day since you were taken and you haven't even mentioned it once.”
“Don't know if you noticed,” he pointed out in frustration, “maybe you missed that whole thing where I went missing for a bunch of days? But I've kind of had some stuff going on.”
“And I'm not attacking you for needing to take some time,” she assured him, “but I don't think you're doing anything in that time that'll help.”
“It's not for you to decide how I cope with something,” he ground out.
“You're probably right,” she agreed, “but I'm your friend. Probably your only friend in Oakdale, until recently. And real friends tell you the things you need to hear, even when you don't like it. Thought you of all people would appreciate that,” she added, trying to joke before turning serious again. “You haven't been back to the apartment since you were found. Not even once.”
“Been busy,” he said, voice short.
“Sitting with Luke,” she nodded, “talking with Luke. Talking about Luke. Holding hands with-”
“If you're trying to make a point, just hurry up and make it.” This was interminable.
Katie set her shoulders. “Lily and I have been talking-”
Oh, of course. He knew she'd been up to something. “Luke's mom is in on this?”
“We're both worried about you,” she said, which was something of a surprise, Lily being worried about him. “Lily thought at first that you and Luke were just attracted to each other, and that the kidnapping brought you closer together. But, when I started paying attention,” she moved closer, touching his forearm, “I think even if that is true it's more than that, Reid. Everything you say, everything you do is about Luke.” She held his gaze. “That's not normal.”
Reid felt trapped, because he knew she was right. He'd known it all along, really, but had been doing everything he could to ignore it. “I can't explain it, it's just what I need to do.”
She nodded sympathetically. “But I don't think it's helping you. This can't be healthy, Reid.”
“You think I don't know that?” he asked seriously. “When I can't take a bite from a sandwich without choking on it? That every time I'm away from him, even if it's just for a second, I expect him to be dead when I come back?” He'd seen that image in his mind a disturbing amount of times. “Every time I leave that room, when I walk back in I expect to see his dead body.”
“Look,” she said carefully, holding his other forearm as well now, “whether you want to face it or not, I think it's clear you have some kind of...trauma, about the kidnapping. You said it yourself - you were watching someone slowly die, right in front of you, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Maybe you should speak to someone.”
“Like a shrink?” he snorted.
“Yeah, like a shrink.”
He regarded her sardonically. “You've met me, right?”
“Yes I have,” she said with good humour, “and you may be the most practical man I've ever met. And practical men know that when they need help, they take it.”
Damn her. “You're good,” he was forced to admit.
“I had a lot of practise,” she said sympathetically, like she knew he knew he'd just been outplayed. “I could be quite manipulative, back in the day.”
“Back in the day?” he asked doubtfully, because she'd clearly lost none of her skill. “I'm still not about to see a shrink, though.” He just couldn't imagine blurting out everything in his head to a complete stranger.
Couldn't really imagine doing it to anyone, really.
Luke didn't count. That was a unique situation. And this would be about Luke, in a way.
“How about the next best thing?” she suggested shortly. “Someone you respect, even though you pretend not to. Someone you admire, even though you'd never admit it. Someone you know who always talks sense, even when you hate it.”
Reid knew exactly who she meant. “Katie...”
“He's had a lot of life experience,” she reasoned, “and he's a doctor, so at least you both share that perspective.”
Sighing, he knew he might as well give up because he also knew she never would. “Remind me why I ever moved in with you again?”
“Desperation,” she announced, “exactly the same reason I'm doing this.”
And then she grabbed him, marched him to Bob's office, and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Bob said, and Katie literally shoved Reid into the room.
Geez. “Okay, okay,” Reid said as he stumbled inside, but somehow she'd already disappeared. “How does she do that?”
“Dr Oliver?” Bob asked from his desk, startling Reid as he spun back towards him. “Is everything okay?”
Right. Best just to get this over with. “Well, to be honest, Bob, not really.” Plopping himself down across from Hughes Senior, he sagged back in the chair.
Putting his pen down, Bob focused on Reid intently. “Whatever's the matter?”
Ah, he hated this crap, but Katie was right - it was still better than talking to a shrink, and he couldn't keep hyper-focusing on Luke forever. “It's been brought to my attention that I may have some...trauma...” Ugh, that word. “About the kidnapping.”
Nodding gravely, Bob made an understanding face. “I thought as much,” he admitted, “when you didn't dive back into work as soon as possible. That's why I've been giving you a little breathing room,” he confessed.
Reid shifted in his chair. “You knew?”
“I suspected. You weren't your usual, focused self. Well, you were,” he amended, “it just wasn't your work you were focused on.”
He wasn't enjoying this conversation, per se, but he was finding it a little easier to cope with than he'd anticipated. Maybe that helped him to say, “I don't know how to stop.”
“These situations can be delicate,” Bob said knowingly, “and are often not fixed overnight.”
Reid knew he'd have to put the work in. “I know.”
Apparently pleased by that, Bob then rested his forearms on his desk, linking his fingers together. “I'm assuming you don't want to go the therapy route.”
“You assume correctly.”
“I'll honour that wish for now,” he told him, “but if I feel it's truly necessary in the future-”
Much as he hated the idea, if things got that bad he knew he'd have no choice. “We'll re-visit that idea,” he conceded.
Satisfied, Bob nodded, before splaying his hands and sitting back in his chair. “In that case, Reid, right now I would prescribe a change in your lifestyle.”
Change in his what? “What are you talking about?”
“Your life before was all about work,” he explained, “and your life now is all about Luke. What you need, most likely,” he said seriously, “is some balance.”
Balance didn't sound...too bad. Depending on what it entailed. “What kind of balance?”
“You go back to work,” Bob said quickly, “effective immediately. Or from tomorrow,” he added, “so you can get things squared away at home.”
Reid stared at him, wondering. “What if I don't want to go back to work?” Even now, all he really wanted to do was check that Luke was still breathing.
“Then I start disciplinary proceedings right away. And how would that black mark look on your otherwise exemplary career?” Wow, Bob wasn't screwing around. “Speaking of home,” he continued, “you spend every night at your apartment. You no longer have permission to sleep here, other than in extreme circumstances.”
Honestly it all sounded perfectly logical, but Reid didn't even know if he could do it. “What about Luke?”
“You can still spend time with him of course,” he said, “but in your own time. But not all of your own time,” Bob added, making it clear, “you can't run yourself into the ground, Reid. Even you need a break, time to just...be.”
It all sounded like a perfectly normal life. And right now, Reid found it utterly terrifying. “I may have difficulty,” he forced out, “trying to do this.”
“Part of the reason I'm being firmer with this than perhaps I should be,” Bob conceded. “But I'll be here, if you need help. I know Katie certainly will. And I suspect Luke will, in his own way.”
Yeah, Luke. How the hell was he going to tell Luke?
*
Reid decided that blunt honesty had served him for much of his life, so that was exactly what he was going to use now. “I need the room,” he announced when he stepped into Luke's hospital room. Luke was sitting up in bed - something he spent most of the day doing, now - and looked surprised at Reid's demand.
But he was still breathing.
Lily, who'd apparently been in cahoots with Katie for some time at least, immediately leapt into action and started herding Holden out of the room.
“What?” Holden asked, utterly confused. “Lily, what are you-?”
“Just go, Holden,” she ordered, forcing him out the door with her, “I'll explain everything later.”
When they were alone, Luke started to look worried. “Is everything okay?”
“You're fine,” Reid assured him, “unless Dr Phillips said anything else while I was gone?”
“No,” he shook his head.
Good. “Then you're fine,” he repeated, taking his seat. “It's...me,” he managed. “Who's not so fine. Maybe. Possibly.”
“Glad you're certain,” Luke teased, but there was a gentleness to it. “What's going on, Reid?” he asked, holding his hand out.
“That's going on,” he said, standing up, gesturing to Luke's hand. “That is.”
“What is?” he asked, completely confused. “My hand?”
“I don't hold hands, okay,” Reid told him, “I'm not that guy.”
Luke really didn't seem to get it. “Plainly you are that guy, because you've been doing it every day.”
He had a point. “Okay, so I am that guy, but only a little.” Even Reid knew he had a softer side, it just didn't come out very often. “But I've been having some...issues...since the kidnapping.” Luke tipped his head to one side sympathetically. “I haven't been able to...step back. The way I normally would. As far as I was concerned I was watching you die and it's...”
“Affected you,” Luke concluded.
Reid nodded. “And it's not...healthy. I need to try and do something about it.”
Pressing his lips together, Luke lowered his head. “Does this mean you won't be coming to visit anymore?”
He couldn't stand to see it - probably more proof that he needed to take a step back. “Nah, I'll still be around - just not as often. Tomorrow, I go back to work.”
“So you're not abandoning me completely,” Luke said, looking back up with a watery smile.
“Not gonna happen,” Reid replied. “After all, I did tell Casey we were 'buds'. As I'm sure you know, you can't go around lying to a Hughes. I'm pretty sure you end up getting cursed or something.”
Chuckling, Luke glanced down at his hands again, where they were fiddling together. “It's probably a good thing anyway.”
Intrigued, Reid finally sat back down. “Why's that?”
Luke made a wry face. “You're not the only one with some issues that are probably not very healthy.” Pausing, looking at Reid, he eventually explained. “I don't sleep well, when you're not here.”
How they hell had he missed that? “I didn't know that.”
“I didn't want you to know,” Luke said honestly. “You were already here so much anyway, I couldn't ask you to stay every single time I needed to sleep. Sometimes though,” he admitted, “when I'm trying to sleep I can hear your voice in my ear, like you're right next to me. And then it's easy to sleep.” Reid honestly didn't know what to say to that. “I know it's because of,” Luke gestured, “everything that happened.” He closed his eyes, concentrating. “Sometimes I think I can remember you still talking to me, even when I went into the coma,” he opened his eyes again with a shrug, “but I'm never sure if it's real or my own wishful thinking.”
Reid stared at him. “I did keep talking.”
“You did?” Luke asked hopefully. “Is that why your voice...?”
He nodded. Though it was back to normal by now, it'd still been pretty ropey when Luke had first come out of the coma.
Seeming pleased at that, Luke then started looking embarrassed. “Of course, and then there's...”
“What?”
He looked awkward, but then determined to say whatever it was anyway. “Mom talked to me earlier. She thinks we have...a thing for each other. And it's kind of gotten...mixed up with everything else that's been going on.”
Ah, yeah. “Yeah, I've heard that theory too.”
Reassured, Luke nodded. “You think it's true?”
“I've always found you attractive,” Reid said honestly, because it was definitely the case.
“Even what you hated me?” Luke asked, looking unconvinced.
“Maybe especially then,” he joked. “If I'm honest, I can say that the feelings I have for you seem to have developed into more than just friendly concern. But...we were forced to spend time together in an emotionally charged situation.”
“So how do we know it's really real?” Luke said quietly, more a statement than a question. “Time, I guess,” he said, answering it himself. “And even if there is something there, do either of us want to do anything about it?” he asked, which was a pretty mature question. “And what about Noah?” he asked emotionally, bringing his hands up to his face in despair.
“Hey,” Reid said seriously, leaning in to pull his hands away until he could look Luke in the eye. “All I know is, none of this is going to be figured out right now - none of this has to be figured out right now. God knows I'm not going to pressure you, especially when I have my own crap to figure out. Your recovery absolutely comes first. Like you said,” Reid pointed out, “it'll take time. And as long as you keep taking care of that kidney,” he nodded towards Luke's body, “then we'll have plenty of that.”
Sighing, Luke let out a long breath and visibly tried to relax. “Man,” he said, “did you ever imagine that we'd end up having a conversation anything even remotely like this? All those horrible things we said and did to each other...” Luke shook his head. “You used to drive me crazy.”
“Yeah, well the feeling was mutual,” Reid said easily. “It's not like I was the only one being a dick.”
“Ah ha!” Luke declared. “So you admit it.”
“Yeah, because the idea was so shocking before I did,” he quipped, and they smiled at each other, a little.
Luke regarded him for a while. “I thought you'd never be able to see me as a human being, just as this...annoyance who kept getting in your way.”
“That's a...pretty accurate description,” he mused, mostly to see Luke pretend to be annoyed, “but then I thought you'd only ever see me as your boyfriend's ticket to sighthood, so I guess we've both learned something.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Luke corrected automatically, then frowned. “I think. God,” he continued, clearly frustrated. “Life would be so much easier if I could just click my fingers and fix everything. Just once I don't want to have to work for something, you know? It feels like I've spent my whole life doing that.”
“I could give you that trite saying that something's only worth doing, only satisfying if you work hard at it - but it's only rich people who say that anyway. Oh, and look who I'm talking to...”
“Very funny,” Luke said, narrowing his eyes.
Reid barely held back a smile. “You'll figure this out. We both will, eventually.”
“I guess,” he said, still not looking happy. “And if this...whatever it is with us...” he gestured between them, “...is really a thing?”
“Well then we'll both have some choices to make. All I know is,” he announced dramatically, “if I end up having to duel Noah Mayer for your honour because of some ridiculous Oakdale law, he is absolutely not getting an advantage just because he's blind.”
Luke just shook his head, finally smiling. “You are still ridiculous.”
“And willing to lie, cheat and steal to achieve success,” he insisted. “Now,” he continued, reaching for Luke's chart, “when's the last time you had a blood test?”
*
Reid had been about to finally make his way home, when one of Damian's guys literally popped up out of nowhere and 'insisted' on giving him a ride. It was a little freaky, perhaps, especially when the guy accompanied him inside the apartment building and silently stationed himself outside Katie's apartment - but he did actually feel safer.
“Okay then,” he said, and knocked on the door. He didn't have keys anymore - they'd been taken too - and spent the time waiting for Katie to open the door dreading her reaction.
It was about what he expected.
“You did it!” she yelled with a huge grin, pulling him into a hug before pulling him into the apartment, closing the door. “You spoke to Bob, right?”
“I did,” he admitted, heading straight for his room to escape her happiness. “We're trying some stuff, don't ask me about it.”
But then he spied Jacob. The kid was in one corner of the room, currently bashing two cubes against each other in the play pen area that'd already been set up when he'd moved in. Feeling surprisingly guilty about not seeing the little guy, Reid moved over to him instead and picked him up, letting his bag of stuff thud to the floor.
“Hey, drool monster,” he greeted, bouncing Jacob in his arms a little. He didn't cry or scream, which Reid saw as an achievement when a face you hadn't seen for more than a week suddenly picked you up. “I hope you haven't been slacking on the job, been producing lots of poop for mommy to clean up.”
“That he has,” Katie remarked, “and then some.”
“A healthy set of bowels is a good thing,” Reid insisted. “That ear infection hasn't come back?”
“Not so far,” she said, smiling at her son.
Nodding, Reid bounced Jacob a few more times. “Yeah, I'm done,” he announced, passing him over to Katie. For Reid, kids were dealt with in much the same way as most adults - best taken in small doses.
Picking his bag back up, Reid was all set to escape to his room when Katie said something.
“Oh, I have something for you. A couple of things, actually.” Walking over to the kitchen, she retrieved something from a small bowl. When she returned and held it out, he finally saw that it was a single key. “You told me they took everything, so I went ahead and got the locks changed, just in case.”
“Smart,” he nodded, taking the key.
“Aaaand...” she headed back towards the kitchen, this time getting something out of a drawer one-handed. It was a cell phone. “It's just a cheap pre-paid one,” she said as she handed it over. “But I figured you had enough going on at the moment without worrying about setting up a new contract.”
That was true. Calling phone companies was like navigating the seventh circle of hell. “Thanks.”
“I already programmed in all the numbers I thought you might find useful,” Katie told him, “people around Oakdale, the hospital. But unless you have the numbers for anyone you knew back in Dallas memorised or somewhere else...”
They were gone. “Yeah,” Reid said, moving on. “How much do I owe you?”
Katie just shook her head. “Keep working on getting better, and then I'll decide if you need to pay me back or not.”
“See, I knew this came at a price,” he told her, but she just put Jacob back down and headed towards the kitchen again.
“I'm gonna put some laundry on,” she said, as Reid finally made it to his room. “Mail's on your bedside table.”
Flicking on the light, Reid just stood there looking at his room for a while. It looked exactly the same. For some reason he'd expected it to be different, even though that made no sense. Shaking his head at himself, he put the key on the table, then dumped everything else on the bed. Sitting down - already, it was so much softer than he remembered - he reached for the mail, figuring he should go through that first.
There was nothing too annoying. A couple of bills that were paid automatically anyway. Some junk mail. A new credit card.
As he pulled his electric razor out of the bag, Reid's gaze fell to his new phone. He had to fight the urge to call the hospital to get an update on Luke. He knew Luke was fine - the last thing he'd done before coming home was speak to him - and even if he had suddenly taken an unexpected nosedive, Bob had promised he'd inform Reid ASAP. He could accuse Bob of many things, but he definitely wasn't a liar.
Reid tried to distract himself by putting his stuff away, having a shower. Getting back into his own clothes again instead of hospital scrubs. He tried reading for a while, watching some crappy TV. Even eating didn't really take his mind off his desire to call Memorial, which was when he finally cracked.
“Look,” he said to Katie, shoving the phone towards her. “Take it back. Just for tonight.” Practically, it didn't mean much. There were other phones in the apartment - Katie's and a land-line - but right then he couldn't cope with having access to his own phone and having to stop himself from using it.
For once she didn't say anything, seeming to realise he was serious, and quietly put the phone in her bedroom.
Trying to sleep that night was the hardest it'd been since being taken. Sleeping at the hospital had been fine, no issue at all, but for whatever reason, now that he was in his own bed he couldn't settle. He didn't know what the hell was up with his brain, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Luke lying next to him, dying.
“Well,” he told the ceiling, “this is fun.”
He did manage a few hours of sleep in the end, just due to sheer exhaustion and though he certainly wasn't bright when he strolled into work the next day, he was definitely early.
He also didn't miss the way Bob walked by an hour later, just to make sure he was there.
Being back at work was unsurprisingly strange. No one treated him any differently - that part he did actually find surprising - but it still felt wrong, like it wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. After a few hours, as he got back into the rhythm, it got a little easier to deal with. And when he got dragged into an emergency surgery, the adrenalin kicked in and he didn't think about Luke at all for a whole four hours.
He still wanted to check on him, of course, had to force himself not to go and see Luke during his break. Had to tell himself, again, that if Luke had suddenly died someone would've told him about it by now.
Nonetheless, he was more relieved than he should have been when he walked into Luke's hospital room at the end of his shift, to see that Luke was alive, and well-ish, and definitely not dead.
Lily and Holden, apparently, had learned nothing from their reaction the previous day. Only this time, Holden was in on it too.
“Lily,” Holden said loudly, “you feel like some coffee?”
“That's a great idea, Holden,” she over-enunciated, and then they were both scurrying out of there.
Reid thought about what he knew of Luke, and what he'd just witnessed. “Being subtle is really not a Snyder trait, is it?”
“You figured that out, huh?” Luke asked, looking very pleased to see him. His hand stayed firmly next to his body and Reid's fingers twitched. “How was your day?”
“Could've been better,” Reid said honestly as he sat down, “could've been worse. Yours?”
“The same,” he shrugged. “Sleeping didn't go...great,” he admitted, something they had in common, “but I managed it in the end. I walked a whole ten feet today,” he announced proudly, “unassisted.”
“That is progress,” Reid said, sounding appropriately impressed. “How's the kidney doing?”
They continued talking easily, for a while. Luke confessed that his current difficulty with walking was bringing back some unpleasant memories of his paralysis a few years ago (again: how had Reid never heard about this stuff?) but that talking to Damian and his parents about it was helping. Reid reassured him that having some kind of motor skill problem was common after almost any coma, and that his progress already was proof that it wasn't going to be a permanent issue.
“Also,” Luke said, fingers starting to pick at his blanket, “I've started talking out a lot of stuff with my dad.”
“What stuff?”
“Noah stuff,” he shrugged awkwardly. “I've had a lot of time to think lately,” he said, stating the obvious. “I realised that I got so used to keeping stuff about out relationship inside that I never really dealt with it. And because I never dealt with anything, I played a big part in our problems, too.”
Reid thought it over. “Is it helping?”
“Well, we only really just started,” he offered, holding Reid's gaze, “but I think it will.”
A soft knock on the door made them both turn towards the entrance, where Noah was pushing the door open. Speak of the devil...
“Luke?” he called out.
“Hi, Noah,” Luke greeted, clearly uncomfortable.
“It's so good to hear your voice again,” Noah smiled, stepping into the room. The smile faltered, after a moment. “Is, uh, Damian here?”
“No, he left a few hours ago.”
“Oh, good, good,” he replied, smile returning.
“Reid's here, though,” Luke pointed out, which made Noah's smile falter again.
“Right,” he said, “Reid. Anyway,” he carefully made his way further into the room, until his cane found the end of Luke's bed. “I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner, but Damian made it...clear...that the family needed some time. And that I probably shouldn't be around for a while.”
Luke immediately started apologising. “I'm so sorry, Noah, you know what he can be like. I'll talk to him.”
“Don't worry about it,” Noah shook his head, “the important thing is how you're doing.”
Yeah, Reid really had no interest in being a witness to this little reunion - and he had things that he was meant to be doing anyway, or Bob would have his hide. “I'll leave you two to it,” he said as he stood up.
Luke's head swivelled towards him. “You really have to go?”
“Staying healthy, remember?” Reid reminded but, knowing that Noah couldn't see, this time he slid his hand towards Luke who latched his fingers on eagerly. He could give himself - and Luke - this much. “Besides, you two need to catch up,” he encouraged, giving Luke's hand a squeeze before letting go.
“I'll see you tomorrow,” Luke said softly.
“And so will I, Doctor Oliver,” Noah added, “in a manner of speaking.”
Reid didn't get it, turning towards him. “Sorry?”
“We have an appointment tomorrow,” Noah told him. “It's back on, right?”
Oh. That. “Right,” Reid forced himself to say, “wouldn't miss it.”
He made straight for the door, then, though he could hear them talking behind him.
“So, Noah,” Luke began, “it's good to see you.”
“I'd say the same,” Noah joked, “but, well, you know...”
*
Reid's evening was about as much fun as the evening before. Work the next day, however, had also had pretty much the same effect as the previous day, so he wasn't in a completely horrible mood when Noah's appointment rolled around.
Noah was there perfectly on time - he was always there perfectly on time - and Reid soon saw him into the room and had him sit down.
“Any change?” he asked, shining a light into each of Noah's eyes in turn, checking for any reaction.
“Still can't see a thing,” Noah said sadly, shaking his head.
Flicking the light off, Reid placed it inside the pocket of his lab coat. “Well, we knew there'd be no change yet,” he reminded him. “And even if the drug therapy does help improve things, there's still not going to be any real change until after the surgery.”
“I know,” Noah sighed. “It just makes everything about my life so much harder.”
Reid wasn't without sympathy. “I don't envy your situation, that's true. But,” he declared, “if you stick with the therapy and go through with the surgery, it'll be the best chance you have at being able to see again. I can't guarantee anything,” he emphasised, “but it's still your best shot.”
This was nothing Noah hadn't heard before. “I know,” he replied, shoulders slumped. Reid was in the process of making a few notes on his chart when Noah spoke again. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Reid said absently, still scribbling.
“You and Luke are...friends now, right? Man, that still sounds so strange - I know how he used to get on your nerves.”
Reid stopped writing, lowering the clipboard. “Let me clarify, Mr Mayer - you can ask me anything that's to do with your treatment.”
“I was just wondering if he'd said anything,” Noah pleaded, “about me. About us.”
Reid sure as hell wasn't about to do this. “Even if he has, Mr Mayer, I'm not about to start discussing your personal relationship. You're my patient, the only advice I can give is about your medical care.”
None of that seemed to register with the guy, who just kept talking. “He said that he wasn't so sure about us getting back together anymore, That he'd always be there for me but that he needed some time to work things out. He's never asked for that before,” Noah frowned, looking seriously confused. “You know, we've had our problems before,” Noah told him, as if Reid had encouraged this topic of conversation in any way, “but I was always the one who asked for time, for space. It was never Luke,” he finished, repeating it to himself, “it was never him.”
He was absolutely not getting involved with this - frankly, it would've been unprofessional if he had. “Look, like I told you, Noah, I can't discuss this with you-”
“Come on, you must have an opinion.”
“Even if I do, I'm not about to share it-”
“And why not?” Noah demanded. “Why not now? Before the kidnapping you took every opportunity you could to give your opinion about Luke. You couldn't wait to tell everyone who would listen how he'd ruined your life, how everything he did made you miserable - you even told me to keep him away from you. And what - now, just because of a kidnapping, suddenly you don't have an opinion?”
Just because of a kidnapping? Did he even remember that Luke nearly died? “Oh, I have plenty of opinions, Mr Mayer,” Reid snapped at him, voice tight, “and trust me when I say that you really don't want to hear my strongest one right now. So,” he said clearly, “I strongly suggest that you leave, and that at your next appointment you consider not ticking off the guy who's going to be digging around in your brain in a couple of months.”
Unable to stand the sight of Noah's face for even a moment longer, Reid followed his own advice and stormed out of the room.
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