04 “You Don’t Have a Say in This”
Author: SYLnl
Title: #4 “You Don’t Have a Say in This”
Rating: G
Warnings: mild Lily bashing
Summary: Distractions, distractions, distractions
Disclaimers: Just to be absolutely sure, I did check again, but nope…still don’t own ATWT or their characters.
Big Thanks To: ltklo, for checking my grammar, so I feel more secure about this ‘writing in English’ stuff
All was well with his world, strolling along in this store filled with beds and feeling Luke’s hand in his. How a man could change. If someone had invited him to go shopping, he would have filed a complaint for irreparable mental harm. And today he not only took the initiative, but the whole experience wasn’t the hell he imagined it would be. Well, at least it wasn’t before he felt Luke freeze and the energy changed from happy to guarded.
For a minute Reid closed his eyes. Please, don’t let it be Noah. Not here. Not now.
His short prayer was answered. Sort of. It was not Noah. But the woman approaching them was maybe even worse.
“Luke…what are you doing here…?”
It didn’t escaped their notice that Lily didn’t even looked at the man holding hands with her son and Reid squeezed his fingers in silent support. It’s okay.
Luke looked him in the eyes and smiled. No, it’s not.
Oh dear. Drama coming up.
The Universe was being graceful and sent Ethan to the rescue. The boy ran through the aisle to his older brother and Luke raised him up.
“Hello little brother, what are you doing here?”
“He needs a new…”
Luke looked at this mother and she obviously was in trouble when he interrupted her: “I was asking Ethan.”
Excited about this undivided attention, Ethan took Luke’s head between his hands and almost yelled out: “I’m getting a new bed! A real one!”
After Luke put his brother down, the little boy surprised the grown ups around him by spreading his arms to Reid.
“Hello you,” Lily was thrown by the gentle tone of Reid’s voice, when he lifted the boy up and received his hug with a genuine smile. When did Dr. Oliver become so human?
The minute he was back on the ground, Ethan took Reid’s hand and pulled him. “Wanna see my bed?”
Reid couldn’t help but look at Luke, while raising an eyebrow. The humour in Luke’s eyes emphasized he understood this message. This should have been your line…a long time ago…
Ethan pulled again and this time Reid followed the boy into the child section.
When Lily turned to Luke, she was nervous, but Luke didn’t feel any need to comfort her this time. He let her sweat. Would she apologize? She didn’t. She repeated herself.
“What are you doing here?”
“Seems very obvious to me. We’re shopping for a new bed.”
Lily glanced to Reid and Ethan and shook her head.
“I don’t understand.”
“You refuse to understand,” Luke replied.
“But what about…”
“Mother! P-lease! Don’t start about Noah again! I moved on and so should you.”
Lily pouted and for a minute Look recognized himself. This had to stop.
So this time he didn’t lower his voice, he wasn’t forthcoming and he didn’t try to smooth things over. This had to stop. He remembered Reid being in awe of his charm, well…Luke could use some of Reid’s bluntness and he decided to give the ‘Dr. Oliver approach’ a try.
“How old are you? Five?”
His mother looked at him in horror and Luke grinned without remorse.
“You should see yourself pouting, mom. You look like a little girl moping, because it’s not going as you want it to go. But guess what, mom. You don’t have a say in this.”
“But I want you to be happy!”
“That is not what this is about, though,” Luke replied calmly. “Because I am. I am happy. I haven’t felt this happy in a long, long time. So I really need you to let go of that Noah-and-Luke-fairytale-scenario you’ve created in your mind and start accepting what’s really going on.”
Lily set down on a bed, but Luke kept standing.
“The sad part is…Noah really hurt me pretty bad and the fact that you kept defending him and encouraging our relationship…it makes me wonder… is achieving your perfect picture more important to you than my wellbeing?”
Lily paled and at this point Luke did sit next to her on the bed.
“I’m not saying this to hurt you, but it has to stop. Reid is making me very happy and I want you to celebrate that. Celebrate us. Ignoring him as you did…” he took the Dr Oliver approach again, “It will not do.”
Lily nodded, still in shock. Not because of this outburst. She knew Luke could blow up like this. She witnessed it when he verbally attacked the same doctor he was defending now. But his words… it was hard to admit, but she knew he was right. And she realized something else that troubled her. Somehow she became her mother.
Controlling. Manipulative. Dominant. Conceited.
But still…Dr. Reid Oliver?
“I’ll work on the Noah thing,” Lily said and looked at her son, “but would you please reconsider this relationship with Dr. Oliver? He is so…”
Luke jumped up, his eyes on fire.
“I don’t believe you! What kind of mother are you? What part of ‘Reid makes me very happy’ didn’t you understand? And I wanted to tell the whole family together with Reid, but after this little conversation you might as well know now: we found ourselves a house and we’re moving in together. Today.”
Lily’s high pitched moan reached the bed Reid and Ethan sat on and the doctor saw the young boy lower his head. Now what?
“They are angry,” a small voice whispered and Reid nodded.
“Yep, they are.”
The calm reply surprised the boy and he looked at Reid with new curiosity.
“You don’t think it’s scary?”
“Nope.” Reid smiled at him. “It’s what happens sometimes. You get angry too, right?”
Ethan gave a quick nod. “At Natalie, when she steals my book.”
“There you go. And do you stay angry?”
Ethan shook his head emphatically.
“That’s good,” Reid replied. “And Luke and your mom won’t stay angry either.”
“Promise?”
That was easy enough.
“I promise. You know Luke, right?”
Ethan grinned. “Luke is sweet.”
“Exactly. He won’t stay angry.”
The boy stood on his bed and gave Reid a second hug. And for somebody who didn’t do hugs, Reid did pretty well.
When he saw Luke walking towards him, while his mother was still sitting on the bed, he picked Ethan up from the furniture, put him on the floor and watched how the boy flew into the arms of this brother again.
“I know you’re angry and it’s not scary,” Ethan stated and although Luke didn’t really understand, he smiled at Reid. Thanks.
“Ethan, go to mom now. She’s gonna buy you this great bed.”
“What about you? Will I see you at home?”
Luke remembered his previous bomb shell on his mother, and this time he was more careful. He sat on this heels and looked his brother in the eyes.
“Reid and I have this beautiful new house and we’re gonna live there.”
Ethan was deep in thought and then said: “Okay. I like Reid.”
Luke smiled.
“So do I,” he nodded.
“Is he my uncle now?”
Luke forced himself not to look at Reid when he explained: “Technically he’s like a brother-in-law.”
“A brother!” Ethan’s face lit up as he looked at the man next to Luke. “You are my brother?”
“And proud of it,” Reid ensured him, much to Luke’s surprise and appreciation.
With a loud “Bye brothers!” Ethan ran to his mother and after making sure he arrived there, Luke took Reid’s hand.
“I need some fresh air. Can we go outside for a minute?”
Without a word, Reid guided Luke to the exit.
They found a small bench near the store entrance and with his arm around Luke, Reid waited. Ethan had been rattling all the time, so he didn’t know what the argument had been about, but he did have an idea.
“Argh!” Luke shook his head, “my mother is so…”
Reid kept silent. He had plenty of words to fill in the blanks, but this was not the place, nor the time.
After a few deep sighs, Luke cooled down enough to fill him in. In detail. Including the ‘Dr. Oliver approach’ that made Reid laugh out loud.
“You didn’t.”
“I did. And it gave me the courage to tell her what I needed to tell her and…” Luke stopped when he saw this mother and Ethan leave the building. After the car left the parking lot, Luke turned to Reid.
“Enough drama. Let’s buy a bed.” He reached out to Reid, smiled when their hands met and took a deep breath. This was a special day and he would not let anybody, not even his own mother, rain on his parade.
Previously on As The World Keeps Turning:
#1 #2 #3
Title: #4 “You Don’t Have a Say in This”
Rating: G
Warnings: mild Lily bashing
Summary: Distractions, distractions, distractions
Disclaimers: Just to be absolutely sure, I did check again, but nope…still don’t own ATWT or their characters.
Big Thanks To: ltklo, for checking my grammar, so I feel more secure about this ‘writing in English’ stuff
All was well with his world, strolling along in this store filled with beds and feeling Luke’s hand in his. How a man could change. If someone had invited him to go shopping, he would have filed a complaint for irreparable mental harm. And today he not only took the initiative, but the whole experience wasn’t the hell he imagined it would be. Well, at least it wasn’t before he felt Luke freeze and the energy changed from happy to guarded.
For a minute Reid closed his eyes. Please, don’t let it be Noah. Not here. Not now.
His short prayer was answered. Sort of. It was not Noah. But the woman approaching them was maybe even worse.
“Luke…what are you doing here…?”
It didn’t escaped their notice that Lily didn’t even looked at the man holding hands with her son and Reid squeezed his fingers in silent support. It’s okay.
Luke looked him in the eyes and smiled. No, it’s not.
Oh dear. Drama coming up.
The Universe was being graceful and sent Ethan to the rescue. The boy ran through the aisle to his older brother and Luke raised him up.
“Hello little brother, what are you doing here?”
“He needs a new…”
Luke looked at this mother and she obviously was in trouble when he interrupted her: “I was asking Ethan.”
Excited about this undivided attention, Ethan took Luke’s head between his hands and almost yelled out: “I’m getting a new bed! A real one!”
After Luke put his brother down, the little boy surprised the grown ups around him by spreading his arms to Reid.
“Hello you,” Lily was thrown by the gentle tone of Reid’s voice, when he lifted the boy up and received his hug with a genuine smile. When did Dr. Oliver become so human?
The minute he was back on the ground, Ethan took Reid’s hand and pulled him. “Wanna see my bed?”
Reid couldn’t help but look at Luke, while raising an eyebrow. The humour in Luke’s eyes emphasized he understood this message. This should have been your line…a long time ago…
Ethan pulled again and this time Reid followed the boy into the child section.
When Lily turned to Luke, she was nervous, but Luke didn’t feel any need to comfort her this time. He let her sweat. Would she apologize? She didn’t. She repeated herself.
“What are you doing here?”
“Seems very obvious to me. We’re shopping for a new bed.”
Lily glanced to Reid and Ethan and shook her head.
“I don’t understand.”
“You refuse to understand,” Luke replied.
“But what about…”
“Mother! P-lease! Don’t start about Noah again! I moved on and so should you.”
Lily pouted and for a minute Look recognized himself. This had to stop.
So this time he didn’t lower his voice, he wasn’t forthcoming and he didn’t try to smooth things over. This had to stop. He remembered Reid being in awe of his charm, well…Luke could use some of Reid’s bluntness and he decided to give the ‘Dr. Oliver approach’ a try.
“How old are you? Five?”
His mother looked at him in horror and Luke grinned without remorse.
“You should see yourself pouting, mom. You look like a little girl moping, because it’s not going as you want it to go. But guess what, mom. You don’t have a say in this.”
“But I want you to be happy!”
“That is not what this is about, though,” Luke replied calmly. “Because I am. I am happy. I haven’t felt this happy in a long, long time. So I really need you to let go of that Noah-and-Luke-fairytale-scenario you’ve created in your mind and start accepting what’s really going on.”
Lily set down on a bed, but Luke kept standing.
“The sad part is…Noah really hurt me pretty bad and the fact that you kept defending him and encouraging our relationship…it makes me wonder… is achieving your perfect picture more important to you than my wellbeing?”
Lily paled and at this point Luke did sit next to her on the bed.
“I’m not saying this to hurt you, but it has to stop. Reid is making me very happy and I want you to celebrate that. Celebrate us. Ignoring him as you did…” he took the Dr Oliver approach again, “It will not do.”
Lily nodded, still in shock. Not because of this outburst. She knew Luke could blow up like this. She witnessed it when he verbally attacked the same doctor he was defending now. But his words… it was hard to admit, but she knew he was right. And she realized something else that troubled her. Somehow she became her mother.
Controlling. Manipulative. Dominant. Conceited.
But still…Dr. Reid Oliver?
“I’ll work on the Noah thing,” Lily said and looked at her son, “but would you please reconsider this relationship with Dr. Oliver? He is so…”
Luke jumped up, his eyes on fire.
“I don’t believe you! What kind of mother are you? What part of ‘Reid makes me very happy’ didn’t you understand? And I wanted to tell the whole family together with Reid, but after this little conversation you might as well know now: we found ourselves a house and we’re moving in together. Today.”
Lily’s high pitched moan reached the bed Reid and Ethan sat on and the doctor saw the young boy lower his head. Now what?
“They are angry,” a small voice whispered and Reid nodded.
“Yep, they are.”
The calm reply surprised the boy and he looked at Reid with new curiosity.
“You don’t think it’s scary?”
“Nope.” Reid smiled at him. “It’s what happens sometimes. You get angry too, right?”
Ethan gave a quick nod. “At Natalie, when she steals my book.”
“There you go. And do you stay angry?”
Ethan shook his head emphatically.
“That’s good,” Reid replied. “And Luke and your mom won’t stay angry either.”
“Promise?”
That was easy enough.
“I promise. You know Luke, right?”
Ethan grinned. “Luke is sweet.”
“Exactly. He won’t stay angry.”
The boy stood on his bed and gave Reid a second hug. And for somebody who didn’t do hugs, Reid did pretty well.
When he saw Luke walking towards him, while his mother was still sitting on the bed, he picked Ethan up from the furniture, put him on the floor and watched how the boy flew into the arms of this brother again.
“I know you’re angry and it’s not scary,” Ethan stated and although Luke didn’t really understand, he smiled at Reid. Thanks.
“Ethan, go to mom now. She’s gonna buy you this great bed.”
“What about you? Will I see you at home?”
Luke remembered his previous bomb shell on his mother, and this time he was more careful. He sat on this heels and looked his brother in the eyes.
“Reid and I have this beautiful new house and we’re gonna live there.”
Ethan was deep in thought and then said: “Okay. I like Reid.”
Luke smiled.
“So do I,” he nodded.
“Is he my uncle now?”
Luke forced himself not to look at Reid when he explained: “Technically he’s like a brother-in-law.”
“A brother!” Ethan’s face lit up as he looked at the man next to Luke. “You are my brother?”
“And proud of it,” Reid ensured him, much to Luke’s surprise and appreciation.
With a loud “Bye brothers!” Ethan ran to his mother and after making sure he arrived there, Luke took Reid’s hand.
“I need some fresh air. Can we go outside for a minute?”
Without a word, Reid guided Luke to the exit.
They found a small bench near the store entrance and with his arm around Luke, Reid waited. Ethan had been rattling all the time, so he didn’t know what the argument had been about, but he did have an idea.
“Argh!” Luke shook his head, “my mother is so…”
Reid kept silent. He had plenty of words to fill in the blanks, but this was not the place, nor the time.
After a few deep sighs, Luke cooled down enough to fill him in. In detail. Including the ‘Dr. Oliver approach’ that made Reid laugh out loud.
“You didn’t.”
“I did. And it gave me the courage to tell her what I needed to tell her and…” Luke stopped when he saw this mother and Ethan leave the building. After the car left the parking lot, Luke turned to Reid.
“Enough drama. Let’s buy a bed.” He reached out to Reid, smiled when their hands met and took a deep breath. This was a special day and he would not let anybody, not even his own mother, rain on his parade.
Previously on As The World Keeps Turning:
#1 #2 #3