34 The world is a stage
Word Soap: As The World Keeps Turning
Author: SYLnl
Title: #34 The world is a stage
Rating: PG13
Summary: We each must play our part
Big Thanks To: ltklo, for being my prompter and allowing me to play out this English-writing-adventure
Disclaimer: Title, summary and ending are taking from ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, performed by Mr. E., lyrics by Roy Turk.
Warning: this chapter contains intense conflict. Please keep in mind that it’s not my intention to judge, ridicule or trivialize anyone or any opinion. This just needed to come out and I let it.
It had been a hectic morning, but nevertheless Reid was looking forward to this meeting. He had brushed up on Duke’s research and really really wanted to add this guy to his neuro team. Google had taught him that Duke was a private man, without any scandals or questionable behavior to his name, so Reid was ready to secure this Dr. Kramer to Memorial. It was his ultimate goal of the day.
He made sure he was early and Bob smiled at him.
“Good to see you, Reid. Take a seat.”
Reid decided on the chair in the corner. He would have a clear view of all faces involved. He only sat down for a few minutes before standing up again. John and Duke were early too.
After shaking hands, Bob took the lead by welcoming Duke ‘home’ and Reid gave a glimpse of a smile. The old devil always knew how to set the right mood. Duke saw right through him, though. Reid noticed the amusement in the man’s eyes and he liked how Duke let Bob get away with it.
“Thanks, Dr. Hughes. It’s good to be back.”
“Please, call me Bob,” the older doctor insisted and Duke smiled.
“Well, you know why we’re all here,” Bob continued, giving Reid a smile. “Thanks to Dr. Oliver we can open a brand new neuro wing in a few weeks and it offers all the latest equipment… the ultimate sandbox to play in, according to Reid.”
Reid gave him a nod. “It is. I’m very excited. It will open up a new range of opportunities and to make sure all available facilities will be fully utilized, we want the best team possible.”
Duke gave him a nod. “I’ve heard a lot about this new wing and it’s all very exciting. More importantly, I’ve heard and read a lot about you too and that makes this whole adventure very tempting.”
Reid noticed the genuine respect on Duke’s face and smiled.
“Thank you. I did understand you had some concerns, though?”
Duke looked at his father and smiled. “I had. I didn’t want to share a workplace with my father. By now I know he’s already planning to retire, so that opens the road to Memorial.”
This was going very smoothly and Reid could almost smell victory, when his phone started beeping. Without looking he knew it was a text from Luke, wishing him luck. He would be right on time, too, if they hadn’t started early.
“You don’t want to check that?” Duke signaled he had no trouble with it, but Reid shook his head. “Thanks, but no need. I already know it’s from Luke.”
“I’m surprised Luke isn’t included in the meeting,” John looked at Bob. “We wouldn’t be talking about a neuro wing without him.” He turned to his son and explained: “Luke Snyder is financially backing the wing and he’s also Reid’s partner.”
Something changed. All of a sudden Reid felt a chill and looking at Duke he knew why. There was pure disgust on the man’s face as he spit out his question:
“You’re gay?”
Reid took a deep breath, felt somehow comforted by the dismay on Bob’s and John’s faces, and answered as calmly as humanly possible:
“That’s the label society likes to put on me, yes.”
“What does that mean?”
The disgust had expanded to animosity and there was a hate in Duke’s eyes that Reid didn’t understand. Oh, he had seen it before. More than he cared to remember. But still, after all these years, he couldn’t wrap his brain around it. Where the hate was coming from.
“It means that this label has no personal meaning to me. Yes, I’m a man and yes, I’m in love with another man. That’s it. In my opinion the focus should be on the love, not on the gender. So that label doesn’t define me.”
“You do know you’re going straight to hell for this, right?” Duke sneered.
“It’s a good thing I don’t believe in a hell, then.”
Reid felt very calm. He had conversations like this stacked up in his Been-There-Done-That-file, so he just went through the motions. He didn’t feel any need to change Duke’s mind. Everybody had a right to feel what they felt. It was a pity Duke didn’t return that favor, though.
“Yeah, I guess that’s the easiest way to deal with that,” Duke shook his head. “You probably don’t believe in God too?”
“I’m pretty sure we don’t believe in the same one,” Reid replied. “Mine is very clear on not judging others, for example.”
Duke snorted. “He created Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Adam.”
Reid cringed. No please, not that feeble one…
“God needed to start somewhere,” Reid shrugged. “And after watching your precious Adam and Eve I do understand why He would feel the need to create other options on the love front.”
Bob and John chuckled, while Duke hissed. “You can’t sit there and honestly tell me you think God approves of your lifestyle.”
“You want me to stand up, then?”
“How can you act so superior, when you know what you’re doing is wrong?” Duke gave him a pitying look.
“How can you be so hateful when the same Bible you like to hit me over the head with, states that all that you do, should be done in love?” Reid questioned in return.
“I don’t care how well-versed in the Bible you think you are, I know I have every right to judge condemnable behavior like yours. This has nothing to do with love and everything to do with lust.”
“I see. I’m so glad you’re not making any generalizations.” His sarcasm didn’t stay unnoticed. In the corner of his eye he could see Bob smile and felt empowered by it.
“And I agree…relationships between men and women work so much better. Those are all about real love and lust doesn’t even enter the equation.”
“It’s obvious you refuse to accept any responsibly for your sins,” Duke was back to the pitying looks again. “And that’s too bad, it really is. I don’t understand how a gifted doctor like yourself could be so lost.”
“At last, we agree on something,” Reid managed to smile, mainly because he noticed John looking at his son with a how-could-this-be-created-with-my-sperm-look.
“I was thinking the same thing about you.”
Reid rose to his feet, gave John a nod and turned to Bob.
“I think we all agree this is not gonna work.”
Bob smiled. “That goes without saying.”
“So I’m excluded because I condemn your way of life?” Duke stood up too and gave Reid a sardonic smile.
“Not really. You’re excluded because of your preference for a power struggle, where I need cooperation. Because of your display of rigid behavior, where I need flexibility. Because of your ongoing need to be as hurtful as possible, where I need mutual respect. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“You’re acting all high and mighty, but we both know that’s just your way of trying to compensate for the fact you’re not straight.”
Duke looked thrown when all men in the room started laughing.
“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m very proud of who I am. Of every part of who I am, I might add. Can you honestly say the same about yourself? I don’t need to compensate for anything, Dr. Kramer.”
Reid stepped forward and noticed Duke stepping back with a glimpse of panic is his eyes. What was that about? Did he really think Reid would hit him? He wasn’t even angry! Frustrated, yes. On paper this Dr. Kramer had fitted his neuro team like a glove, so it was annoying to let that picture go.
“And the whole straight thing,” Reid shrugged. “It is just another label I really don’t care about. It’s the same judgment in another shape. By calling the love between a woman and a man ‘straight’, everything else is crooked.”
Reid walked to the door, but Duke wanted the last word.
“And it is.”
Reid shrugged. “To you it is, obviously. And that’s okay. I really don’t care. If you want to spend your life indulging in hate and judgment, more power to you.”
He placed his hand on the door handle, reconsidered and turned back to Duke.
“Let me assure you… your disapproval is yours. It doesn't concern me, it doesn’t take away from me and it doesn’t affect me. It affects you, maybe even more than you realize. By pointing an accusatory finger at me, three fingers point back at you. Maybe something to think about…”
Without a greeting, Reid left Bob’s office and walked straight to his own space, closed the door, sank into his chair and pulled out his phone. He needed to hear Luke’s voice.
He was right in the middle of his recap, when he noticed some running nurses in the corridor. With a quick “I need to call you back, Luke. I think we have an emergency on our hands” he disconnected and within seconds Reid was outside his office.
While he was trying to make sense of the situation, a gurney passed him at high speed and he felt a hand on his back.
“It’s Barbara,” Dr. Stewart filled Reid in, “She fell and hit her head. I need you in here.”
Reid gave her a nod. Seeing Dr. Morgan following the gurney into the operating room gave him some extra minutes to turn to the pale man next to him, looking in shock and ready to cave.
“Hank,” Reid grabbed his upper arm, “Hank, I need you to hear me.”
It took a few seconds before their eyes met and Reid saw some recognition entering Henry’s eyes.
“Reid…Reid…you need to help her!”
“We’re gonna fight for her, Hank. I need you to sit down somewhere,” Reid shook Henry’s arm a little, but he didn’t really respond, so Reid looked around, saw a nurse and signalled he needed help.
“Please bring Mr. Coleman to a chair and call Katie Snyder. He needs a friend.”
When he walked towards the operating room, he saw Alison holding the door open. She smiled when he entered.
“Let’s save a life.”
Reid nodded. “Let’s do that.”
Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then they can bring the curtain down.
Previously on As The World Keeps Turning:
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20
#21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33
Author: SYLnl
Title: #34 The world is a stage
Rating: PG13
Summary: We each must play our part
Big Thanks To: ltklo, for being my prompter and allowing me to play out this English-writing-adventure
Disclaimer: Title, summary and ending are taking from ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, performed by Mr. E., lyrics by Roy Turk.
Warning: this chapter contains intense conflict. Please keep in mind that it’s not my intention to judge, ridicule or trivialize anyone or any opinion. This just needed to come out and I let it.
It had been a hectic morning, but nevertheless Reid was looking forward to this meeting. He had brushed up on Duke’s research and really really wanted to add this guy to his neuro team. Google had taught him that Duke was a private man, without any scandals or questionable behavior to his name, so Reid was ready to secure this Dr. Kramer to Memorial. It was his ultimate goal of the day.
He made sure he was early and Bob smiled at him.
“Good to see you, Reid. Take a seat.”
Reid decided on the chair in the corner. He would have a clear view of all faces involved. He only sat down for a few minutes before standing up again. John and Duke were early too.
After shaking hands, Bob took the lead by welcoming Duke ‘home’ and Reid gave a glimpse of a smile. The old devil always knew how to set the right mood. Duke saw right through him, though. Reid noticed the amusement in the man’s eyes and he liked how Duke let Bob get away with it.
“Thanks, Dr. Hughes. It’s good to be back.”
“Please, call me Bob,” the older doctor insisted and Duke smiled.
“Well, you know why we’re all here,” Bob continued, giving Reid a smile. “Thanks to Dr. Oliver we can open a brand new neuro wing in a few weeks and it offers all the latest equipment… the ultimate sandbox to play in, according to Reid.”
Reid gave him a nod. “It is. I’m very excited. It will open up a new range of opportunities and to make sure all available facilities will be fully utilized, we want the best team possible.”
Duke gave him a nod. “I’ve heard a lot about this new wing and it’s all very exciting. More importantly, I’ve heard and read a lot about you too and that makes this whole adventure very tempting.”
Reid noticed the genuine respect on Duke’s face and smiled.
“Thank you. I did understand you had some concerns, though?”
Duke looked at his father and smiled. “I had. I didn’t want to share a workplace with my father. By now I know he’s already planning to retire, so that opens the road to Memorial.”
This was going very smoothly and Reid could almost smell victory, when his phone started beeping. Without looking he knew it was a text from Luke, wishing him luck. He would be right on time, too, if they hadn’t started early.
“You don’t want to check that?” Duke signaled he had no trouble with it, but Reid shook his head. “Thanks, but no need. I already know it’s from Luke.”
“I’m surprised Luke isn’t included in the meeting,” John looked at Bob. “We wouldn’t be talking about a neuro wing without him.” He turned to his son and explained: “Luke Snyder is financially backing the wing and he’s also Reid’s partner.”
Something changed. All of a sudden Reid felt a chill and looking at Duke he knew why. There was pure disgust on the man’s face as he spit out his question:
“You’re gay?”
Reid took a deep breath, felt somehow comforted by the dismay on Bob’s and John’s faces, and answered as calmly as humanly possible:
“That’s the label society likes to put on me, yes.”
“What does that mean?”
The disgust had expanded to animosity and there was a hate in Duke’s eyes that Reid didn’t understand. Oh, he had seen it before. More than he cared to remember. But still, after all these years, he couldn’t wrap his brain around it. Where the hate was coming from.
“It means that this label has no personal meaning to me. Yes, I’m a man and yes, I’m in love with another man. That’s it. In my opinion the focus should be on the love, not on the gender. So that label doesn’t define me.”
“You do know you’re going straight to hell for this, right?” Duke sneered.
“It’s a good thing I don’t believe in a hell, then.”
Reid felt very calm. He had conversations like this stacked up in his Been-There-Done-That-file, so he just went through the motions. He didn’t feel any need to change Duke’s mind. Everybody had a right to feel what they felt. It was a pity Duke didn’t return that favor, though.
“Yeah, I guess that’s the easiest way to deal with that,” Duke shook his head. “You probably don’t believe in God too?”
“I’m pretty sure we don’t believe in the same one,” Reid replied. “Mine is very clear on not judging others, for example.”
Duke snorted. “He created Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Adam.”
Reid cringed. No please, not that feeble one…
“God needed to start somewhere,” Reid shrugged. “And after watching your precious Adam and Eve I do understand why He would feel the need to create other options on the love front.”
Bob and John chuckled, while Duke hissed. “You can’t sit there and honestly tell me you think God approves of your lifestyle.”
“You want me to stand up, then?”
“How can you act so superior, when you know what you’re doing is wrong?” Duke gave him a pitying look.
“How can you be so hateful when the same Bible you like to hit me over the head with, states that all that you do, should be done in love?” Reid questioned in return.
“I don’t care how well-versed in the Bible you think you are, I know I have every right to judge condemnable behavior like yours. This has nothing to do with love and everything to do with lust.”
“I see. I’m so glad you’re not making any generalizations.” His sarcasm didn’t stay unnoticed. In the corner of his eye he could see Bob smile and felt empowered by it.
“And I agree…relationships between men and women work so much better. Those are all about real love and lust doesn’t even enter the equation.”
“It’s obvious you refuse to accept any responsibly for your sins,” Duke was back to the pitying looks again. “And that’s too bad, it really is. I don’t understand how a gifted doctor like yourself could be so lost.”
“At last, we agree on something,” Reid managed to smile, mainly because he noticed John looking at his son with a how-could-this-be-created-with-my-sperm-look.
“I was thinking the same thing about you.”
Reid rose to his feet, gave John a nod and turned to Bob.
“I think we all agree this is not gonna work.”
Bob smiled. “That goes without saying.”
“So I’m excluded because I condemn your way of life?” Duke stood up too and gave Reid a sardonic smile.
“Not really. You’re excluded because of your preference for a power struggle, where I need cooperation. Because of your display of rigid behavior, where I need flexibility. Because of your ongoing need to be as hurtful as possible, where I need mutual respect. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“You’re acting all high and mighty, but we both know that’s just your way of trying to compensate for the fact you’re not straight.”
Duke looked thrown when all men in the room started laughing.
“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m very proud of who I am. Of every part of who I am, I might add. Can you honestly say the same about yourself? I don’t need to compensate for anything, Dr. Kramer.”
Reid stepped forward and noticed Duke stepping back with a glimpse of panic is his eyes. What was that about? Did he really think Reid would hit him? He wasn’t even angry! Frustrated, yes. On paper this Dr. Kramer had fitted his neuro team like a glove, so it was annoying to let that picture go.
“And the whole straight thing,” Reid shrugged. “It is just another label I really don’t care about. It’s the same judgment in another shape. By calling the love between a woman and a man ‘straight’, everything else is crooked.”
Reid walked to the door, but Duke wanted the last word.
“And it is.”
Reid shrugged. “To you it is, obviously. And that’s okay. I really don’t care. If you want to spend your life indulging in hate and judgment, more power to you.”
He placed his hand on the door handle, reconsidered and turned back to Duke.
“Let me assure you… your disapproval is yours. It doesn't concern me, it doesn’t take away from me and it doesn’t affect me. It affects you, maybe even more than you realize. By pointing an accusatory finger at me, three fingers point back at you. Maybe something to think about…”
Without a greeting, Reid left Bob’s office and walked straight to his own space, closed the door, sank into his chair and pulled out his phone. He needed to hear Luke’s voice.
He was right in the middle of his recap, when he noticed some running nurses in the corridor. With a quick “I need to call you back, Luke. I think we have an emergency on our hands” he disconnected and within seconds Reid was outside his office.
While he was trying to make sense of the situation, a gurney passed him at high speed and he felt a hand on his back.
“It’s Barbara,” Dr. Stewart filled Reid in, “She fell and hit her head. I need you in here.”
Reid gave her a nod. Seeing Dr. Morgan following the gurney into the operating room gave him some extra minutes to turn to the pale man next to him, looking in shock and ready to cave.
“Hank,” Reid grabbed his upper arm, “Hank, I need you to hear me.”
It took a few seconds before their eyes met and Reid saw some recognition entering Henry’s eyes.
“Reid…Reid…you need to help her!”
“We’re gonna fight for her, Hank. I need you to sit down somewhere,” Reid shook Henry’s arm a little, but he didn’t really respond, so Reid looked around, saw a nurse and signalled he needed help.
“Please bring Mr. Coleman to a chair and call Katie Snyder. He needs a friend.”
When he walked towards the operating room, he saw Alison holding the door open. She smiled when he entered.
“Let’s save a life.”
Reid nodded. “Let’s do that.”
Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then they can bring the curtain down.
Previously on As The World Keeps Turning:
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20
#21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33