FIC: SINS OF THE FATHER 3/15
Title: Sins of the Father
Chapter: 3/15
Author: carolinablu85, also known as CarolinaBlue on vh.net or CarolinaBlu on the wiki (I know, I'm a fountain of creative names)
Pairing: Luke/Noah
Rating: PG-ish for right now, will get darker later
Spoilers: set in spring 2009, after Luke and Noah battle housing discrimination but before Damian/evil twins. Thus, before the Colonel came back from the dead last year
Summary: Margo talks to Luke, the Colonel talks to Noah, Lily gets help from an unlikely source.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: The first major 'epic' story I ever wrote (and finished)!
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2
Alison was near the end of her double shift, counting down the minutes until she’d be allowed to go home and collapse into bed. She was exhausted, but when she turned the corner at the emergency room ward and saw Margo coming out of a room wearing a worried frown, all thoughts of bubble baths and peppermint tea slipped from her mind.
“Hey, is everything okay?” She glanced past Margo’s shoulder into the exam room, shocked to see Luke sitting there with a miserable and numb look on his face. His ribs were being taped up by a resident. “Luke?! What happened?”
Margo took a deep breath, gathering herself. Her face was tight, pale, and Alison got more and more afraid. “Luke has some bruised ribs, but other than that he’s okay physically.”
“Physically? What does that mean?” Alison’s hands were shaking.
For a second Margo actually looked like she might crack. “Do me a favor, Alison, sit with him while I call his parents? I don’t want him to be alone right now.”
“Yeah, sure, absolutely.” It wasn’t until Margo had left and Alison was opening the door that she realized she had forgotten to ask where Noah was.
Luke was back in his shirt and sitting on the exam room bed, staring down at his hands. The resident had finished wrapping his ribs and, with a nod to Alison, left them alone. Alison cautiously took a seat next to the bed. “Luke?” she called softly. He didn’t respond, didn’t so much as twitch a muscle. “Luke, honey, look at me.” She laid her hand on top of his, jostling it slightly. Luke finally looked up at her, and Alison felt all the air leave her lungs at the emotions fighting for control on his face. Something really bad had happened. “Talk to me, okay? Can you tell me what happened?”
Luke swallowed hard, eyes watery. “They took Noah.” Alison gasped. “They took him right in front of me, and I couldn’t stop them.” His voice was drained, nearly emotionless. He had to be in shock.
“God, Luke…” Alison moved to perch on the edge of the bed. Luke tensed slightly, but didn’t move away. “Are you hurt anywhere else? What did they do to you?” Who was ‘they?’
Luke stared at her, the answer obvious. What did they do to him? “They took Noah.” His face crumpled slowly, as if the reality of that was finally sinking in. Alison threw her arms around him and, mindful of his ribs, pulled him close into a hug. He leaned into her embrace, shaking and trying not to cry in full-out panic. Alison rocked him gently, trying not to cry herself. She had no idea what else to do.
A few seconds later a new pair of arms wrapped around her, causing Alison to jump and turn her head. Casey was now sitting next to her, his face pale and drawn. He hugged her tightly, one hand coming around to rest on Luke’s trembling shoulder. “I just saw my mom, she told me what happened,” he murmured. A little louder, “Luke, I am so sorry. But you know my mom, she’ll find Noah. Everything will… will work out fine. He’ll be okay.”
“And anything we can do to help, we will,” Alison added. She and Casey both stood up slowly when the door opened, letting in Holden, Lily, and Margo. Lily was silent, tears already streaming down her face, as she hurriedly took Alison’s place on the bed next to Luke, holding him close to her. Holden moved to the other side, laying his hand on Luke’s hair. Casey and Alison backed up near the door, Casey going to stand next to his mother. He looked over at her, and she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
“Are you okay?” Lily asked after a few minutes. Luke just shook his head, and Lily looked around for help.
Alison pulled his chart out from its holder, scanning quickly. “A few bruised ribs, but none are broken. No concussion, no other bruises or lacerations. He’s on a mild painkiller right now, he might be a little groggy for awhile,” she quietly filled Lily in. “It looks like once the doctor checks him out he’ll probably be free to go home.”
“Thanks Alison,” Lily spoke quietly, arms still around her son.
“No problem. I’ll, uh,” she glanced back and forth between Margo and the Snyders, “I mean, Casey and I will go find the doctor, see if we can’t get him out sooner,” she grabbed Casey’s arm and pulled him out the door before he could protest.
But once he was out in the hall, “Hey, what was that for? I want to stay-”
“We don’t want to overwhelm Luke, Casey. He’s probably going to have to tell your mom what happened, and the less people around-”
“-The better,” Casey finished for her. “Yeah, okay, good point. He does seem freaked out enough already.”
“Wouldn’t you be? He was attacked, Noah was taken,” Alison was starting to feel her own panic build up.
“I can’t believe Noah was-” Casey exhaled with a sigh. “I mean, I know his dad was- is- a bad guy, but…”
“He tried to kill Luke,” Alison pointed out. “And Dusty. And he did kill Noah’s mother.”
Casey winced, ran a hand through his hair. “So what’s he gonna do to Noah?”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Noah resisted and struggled, pushing and pulling against hands and arms that held him in place. He fought when handcuffs were slapped around his wrists, trapping his hands behind his back. He fought when a cloth was forced into his mouth and tied around his head. He was struggling blindly, trying to twist and turn out of their holds, trying to escape, trying to get out.
It wasn’t until a hand slapped him hard across the face, punctuated by a shout of “Noah!” that he finally stilled, breathing harshly through his nose, wincing at the sting on his cheek. Winston was crouched in front of him in the van as it sped away from Java. From Luke. Once they had thrown him in the van he hadn’t been able to see… God, what had they done to Luke?
He tried to yell at his father, turn around to look out a window or something, but Winston grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, knocking him back against the side of the van. Noah winced as his head connected with the metal behind him, took a moment to catch his breath, and then glared up at his father.
“You have to calm down, son,” Winston said, keeping his grip on Noah’s shoulders tight. “Now, I need to talk to you. And it has to be alone. Not with that boy around, or those people who let you think you’re a part of their family.” Noah shook his head, disbelieving. This was how his father defined “talking?” He was handcuffed and gagged in the back of a moving vehicle!
Winston seemed to understand what his son was thinking. “We’re just going somewhere private, Noah. There are things I need to say, things I need you to understand before we can start our lives over. Together.”
At that, Noah’s eyes widened impossibly further. He shook his head frantically. He tried to yell through the gag again; there was no way he was starting life over with the Colonel. No, he had a life that he loved, a boyfriend and a family that he loved, and there was no way his father was going to convince him otherwise.
Winston narrowed his gaze, frowning at Noah. “Son, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. Just give it some time, you’ll see that this is for the best. Trust me.” Noah closed his eyes, feeling despair wash over him. This was a nightmare, just a dream, it had to be. When he opened his eyes, he’d be back in bed at the farm, covered in blankets, Luke’s warmth and comfort lying next to him. This had to be a dream.
But no, another slap to the face brought Noah back to reality, his eyes opening on instinct. Winston was still glaring at him. Noah rubbed his aching cheek against his shoulder, glaring right back. He shook his head decisively. No.
Winston moved a lot quicker than Noah expected. He seized Noah’s chin callously, fingers pressing into Noah’s cheeks and jaw so tight Noah was sure they’d leave bruises. No matter how hard he struggled, his father wouldn’t loosen his grip. “Noah,” he said firmly. “This is the way it has to be. You’ll see that, I know you will.” Finally he let go, and Noah pushed himself back and away until he was huddled at the far end of the van away from his father and Sergeant Kelley. The two men he didn’t recognize sat in the front.
He watched with slightly fearful eyes as his father approached him again, this time with a rag in one hand and a bottle in the other. He tracked the Colonel’s movement with his eyes, no where left to run. “We’re not going far, but you’ll understand my precaution,” Winston continued, trying to sound reasonable. “It’s for the best if you don’t know our location and how to get there.”
Noah was very much of the mind that what his father thought was best for him was probably a bad idea. And he was proven right, as the cloth was doused in whatever was in the bottle- chloroform maybe?- and then pressed against Noah’s face. He tried to turn his head, fight, hold his breath, anything, but as always his father was stronger than him.
It wasn’t long before black spots danced in front of Noah’s face, his vision going gray around the edges. There was a sickeningly sweet smell in the air, accompanied by a bitter taste in the back of his throat. The muscles in his neck, which had been throbbing mercilessly, were now numb. As was the rest of his body. He felt himself sliding downwards, and he was unconscious before his body hit the floor.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Luke,” Margo stepped forward hesitantly. Luke tensed, knowing what was coming. His fear was confirmed a second later. “I need you to tell me what happened tonight.”
“Margo, can’t this wait until-?” Lily began, her arms tightening protectively around her son.
“We don’t know if Noah has that kind of time, Lily,” Margo interrupted gently. That shut Lily up. She glanced fearfully over to Holden, who nodded somberly. Slowly, Lily eased her embrace off of Luke, gently settling him back onto the pillows of the raised bed.
Luke was looking at Margo, gathering himself to talk. “We were at Java,” his voice was quiet, nearly emotionless. “The electricity cut out, and Officer Thompson told us to go out to Noah’s truck and get home. We stepped out back, and they were waiting for us.”
“They?” Margo questioned.
“Yeah, there were three of them. Four,” he shook his head, correcting himself. “Four. A guy was driving the van. There was a guy holding me, a guy on Officer Krane, and Colonel Mayer grabbed Noah.”
“Can you describe the van at all, Luke?” Margo asked.
Luke wasn’t listening. “The driver said the other cop was down…” He looked up suddenly. “How are Officer Krane and Officer Thompson?”
Margo grimaced briefly. “Officer Krane’s going to be fine. A bad concussion, dislocated shoulder, but he’ll be alright. Officer Thompson is… still in surgery. Skull fracture.”
Luke swallowed, suddenly feeling like he was going to throw up. “I didn’t get a good look at the van. It was black, old-looking. A sliding door on one side.” The image of Noah being thrown past that sliding door was seared into his brain. “I think it had Illinois tags, but I didn’t see the numbers or anything. I’m sorry Margo, maybe if I had-”
“Luke, you were attacked, nearly knocked unconscious. There’s nothing you could have done,” Holden spoke up, reassuring.
Luke shook his head. “I knew they were going to leave me behind. Colonel Mayer told the guy holding me…” he trailed off suddenly, frowning, searching for a memory.
“Luke?” Lily prompted, worried.
“He called him Brett.” Luke looked straight at Margo, eyes widening. “The guy holding me was Brett, and the driver’s name was Alan. I didn’t hear the other guy’s name, but it was probably Tim Kelley; Noah said he and his dad have been friends for years. All of them talked like they were military guys.”
Margo smiled encouragingly. “That’s great, Luke. Good. That’ll help us search for the accomplices.”
“What’s the next step after that?” Holden asked anxiously.
Margo sighed. “Well, we have to determine whether or not Colonel Mayer took Noah and left town, or whether they’re holed up nearby. Once we’ve identified the men he’s working with, which we should be able to do now-” Margo smiled at Luke. “-Then we’ll look for any local places they may have ties to, somewhere they may seek out shelter. A couple officers from the Military Police who knew the Colonel in Missouri are going to give us hand. We’ll find them,” she said confidently.
“Wh-what if,” Luke cleared his throat, tried again. “What if they did leave town? What if Colonel Mayer took Noah and is planning on leaving the country, like he tried to do with Ameera?” Lily went pale, the possibilities of what was happening to Noah now running through her mind. She tightened her hold on her son. Luke didn’t even feel it.
Margo reached forward, clasping her hand on Luke’s arm. “We won’t let that happen, Luke. We’ll get Noah back, okay? I’ll do everything in my power to get him back.” She exchanged a few more words with his parents, words that Luke couldn’t get himself to listen to, and then she was gone.
Luke wondered if he was supposed to say something, but he couldn’t get himself to do it. What did it matter what he said now? It wouldn’t bring Noah back. He took an overly deep breath, actually relishing in the pain it caused from his bruised midsection. He needed to feel something. The painkillers- and probably shock- were clouding his mind, making him feel too numb. He didn’t want to feel numb.
He actually didn’t understand why he wasn’t up out of this bed right now, searching the entire town for Noah, going door to door, putting his picture on milk cartons. His boyfriend was missing, taken by four obviously dangerous men. He needed to get Jack involved with the cops. No, he needed to get Lucinda involved with… whoever she could get involved with. They had to find his boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend seemed like such a trivial word. Noah was so much more than that. Next time he saw him, Luke was going to tell him.
Noah was everything.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Winston stood very still, watching his son- his son- awaken slowly. Noah shook his head back and forth a few times, trying to clear it. His bright blue eyes were cloudy with the after-effects of the drug, along with confusion and pain. He immediately zeroed in on Winston, frowning in both anger and fear.
He watched with something akin to pride as Noah visibly pushed away his panic and assessed the situation, glancing at every corner of the dark, dank room, testing the strength of the handcuffs binding him to the chair they had set him on. He coughed mutedly, tossing his head a little to try and dislodge the gag still in his mouth.
“I have some water, if you want it,” Winston finally spoke. Noah stilled, frowning at him again. Winston held up the bottle of water. “I’ll take the gag off, but you have to remain calm, understand?” Noah weighed his options, coughed again, and reluctantly nodded. Winston came forward, reaching out and yanking the cloth out of Noah’s mouth. Noah coughed harshly a few times, licking his lips and grimacing at the chloroform’s aftertaste. He drank greedily from the water bottle the Colonel held up to his mouth.
Too soon, the water was pulled away, and Noah silently groaned at its absence. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself for whatever was about to happen. When he opened them, he was startled to see his father sitting directly in front of him. Noah couldn’t even figure out where the extra chair had come from. “Well, Noah, are you ready to talk?” Winston asked, sounding very serious.
Noah kept calm, maintaining eye contact. “What did you do to Luke?” he asked quietly.
A sharp hit to his jaw rocked his whole body to the side, nearly causing the chair he was in to fall over. He gasped a few times before turning back to the Colonel, staring incredulously. Was his father really going to do this to him? Tie him to a chair and beat him like some prisoner of war?
“First thing you need to learn, son. You will not speak of that boy ever again,” Win ordered firmly. Oh. So, not a prisoner of war. Noah was apparently learning to be a Mayer-In-Training. He didn’t want to be a Mayer anymore. He swore to himself, the second he and Luke got married he was changing his name to Snyder so fast…
Luke…
“Just tell me if he’s okay?” Noah pleaded. Another punch, directly over his eye, blurred his vision for a few seconds. “Please,” he tried again. A hit to his chest. He sat there, trying to remember how to breathe. Luke was okay, he had to be okay.
“You will not speak of that boy again,” a voice above him spoke, stressing every word.
The surreality of this hit Noah like one of his father’s fists. “What do you want, Dad? Why are you doing this?” Noah found his voice again.
“We need to start our lives over, Noah. Together. The only way we can be a family- you can have a family again- is if we agree to leave together and never come back.”
“I already have a family,” Noah whispered. He was expecting to be hit for that, and wasn’t disappointed. He felt the skin of his cheek split, blood slowly beginning to drip down his face. Well, I may be tied to a chair and terrified, but at least I’ll look like a badass.
“I am your only family,” Winston hissed. “I’m your father. You owe everything in your life to me!”
No way. He really was delusional. “I. Owe you. Nothing,” Noah gritted out behind clench teeth. “You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to me.”
“You want to talk about disappointment?” Winston shouted in his face. Noah had to turn his face, not able to look his father in the eye. “What have you done with yourself, Noah? What have you done with your life? You’re nothing now, nothing. You need constant validation for everything you do, you have to have people around you to make you feel good about yourself… when all you are is nothing.”
Noah refused to look up until he had himself under control. His father was always able to do this, always able to bring Noah’s biggest fears and biggest faults to the surface. But now he couldn’t let the Colonel use it to control him. “If I’m such a horrible son, then let me go. Just go away and never come back.” He wasn’t begging, he wouldn’t let himself beg.
“Son, you don’t understand.” (He apparently never did, Noah wanted to retort.) “We can’t let go of the past, I can’t change what has happened. The only way I can see us putting that all behind us is to accept that it happened… and move on, together. You have to see what I did was for the best, the right thing to do. Then… then everything will be better. For both of us. I promise.” Winston’s voice and expression were so sincere, which Noah had to admit freaked him out more than a little.
“No,” he said sadly. “No, Dad. What you’ve done- what you’re doing- is wrong. I’ve got my own life now, and it’s good. I’m doing well, and for the first time in pretty much ever… I’m happy. You want to start over, fine. Go. You want me to say I forgive you? They’ll just be words, I can’t mean them.”
Winston gripped Noah’s jaw, forcing him to look up. They stared at each other for a few moments, Noah glaring as defiantly as a person in his position could. Winston blinked, somewhat surprised. “Gotta say, I’m a little impressed, Noah. Didn’t see it going this way.” He let go, patting Noah’s cheek. Noah pulled away angrily. Winston chuckled, “You just don’t understand, boy. No one else cares about you, your future, like I do. You think that family you’re freeloading off of really cares about what happens to you?”
Noah couldn’t help but flinch. Freeloading. How could his dad know he still felt like he was imposing on the Snyders, despite everything they’ve said to the contrary? No matter how nicely they treated him, Noah was sure they saw him as Luke’s boyfriend, not a member of the family. He didn’t expect them to, of course, but hearing Winston say it hurt more than he thought it would.
“Why shouldn’t you just come with me?” Winston was talking again, towering over his son. “Wouldn’t they all be better off? One less mouth to feed?” He smirked, sitting back down in the chair across from Noah. “They might miss you at first, but they’ll get over it. You know they will. What do you have to offer them, why should they care?”
“Why do you care?” Noah burst out, frustrated, feeling his blood pressure rising. If his heart was beating any harder it would knock him out of the chair. He once again couldn’t believe the Colonel was doing this. How could he claim to want what’s best for his son, and try to get it by hurting him? Noah’s head was spinning, he was just so confused.
“Because you’re my son, Noah. Not theirs. They can’t possibly be there for you like I could. Like I have been.” He leaned in close. “Given the opportunity, would anyone in that town choose you?”
Noah glared again, finding a bit of strength left in him, centered around the thought of one person. “Luke would.”
The punch landed solidly against his ribs, and Noah felt a bone give way a little bit. He had to bite his lip to keep from crying out at that. But it was worth it. If only to remind himself that Luke was out there, that Luke would try to help him, it was worth it.
“I told you not to mention that boy again!” the Colonel screamed at him. Noah ducked his head without thinking, falling back on old habits. The past two years had seen him grow a lot as a person, but it was hard to break eighteen years of instinct- his father yelling at him, intimidating him again, just like old times. “That was your last warning, do you understand me?!” Noah remained silent and stared at the ground, trying to lock himself away inside like he used to, hide as much of himself as he could from his dad. He nodded finally.
But Winston kicked at him, sending the chair skidding back a few inches. Noah’s head and back collided roughly with the hard surface behind him. “I said, do you understand?”
Noah fought to control his breathing. “Yes sir,” he said dejectedly. Looks like Colonel Mayer was going to win this round. At this point, just a little bit, Noah started to hate himself.
“Good. Now,” the Colonel settled down calmly in his chair again. “Let’s move on to the next lesson, shall we?”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lily held onto Luke’s arm as she and Holden walked him into the living room and straight to the couch. He hadn’t spoken much since giving his statement to Margo, which Lily had to admit terrified her. Usually when something went wrong Luke was firing on all cylinders and they’d have a hard time holding on to him. But now… now he was listless, quiet. He settled down on the cushions and let Lily fuss over him without a complaint, something else he would normally never do.
Holden eyed him sadly before turning to Lily. “I’m going to make a few calls, let Mama know what’s happened, maybe see what Jack can do,” he said quietly. Lily nodded, taking her eyes off Luke briefly to look at her husband. He nodded back knowingly, hugging her tightly before going off to the kitchen.
Lily went back to Luke, sitting down next to him. “Honey?” She spoke softly. “Do you want anything? Do you want to talk about…?”
“I promised him, Mom,” Luke’s voice sounded so impossibly young.
“What?”
“I sat next to him at the farm, two days ago, and I promised him that nothing was going to happen, that his father wouldn’t hurt him again.” He turned desolate eyes on to his mother. “I promised him.”
“Oh, Luke,” Lily drew him to her again, holding him close against her. This time he leaned into the embrace, his own arms coming up to wrap around her. She rocked back and forth a little, whispering soothing words into his hair, rubbing his back. “You couldn’t have known this would happen, none of us did.”
“But Noah-” Luke pulled back, shaking his head.
Lily captured his face in her hands, stilling him. “Noah is going to come back to us, safe and sound. We have to believe that. We have to hold on to hope. And you have to remember that none of this is your fault, and beating yourself up about it won’t help anyone.” She kissed the top of his head then pulled him close to her. “It’s going to be hard, and you may not want to, but you have to keep it together and stay strong. When this is all over, Noah’s going to need you, understand?”
She felt him nod against her chest. She squeezed him tighter for a second before letting go, helping him settle back against the couch again. He let out a heavy, bone-deep sigh and closed his eyes, though Lily knew he was no where near close to falling asleep. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat, or…?”
Luke shook his head, eyes kept firmly shut. “I- I can’t right now. Thanks, Mom, but… maybe later?”
She tried to smile. “Sure. Just say the word.” She got up from the couch, resolving to take tomorrow and the next few days off from the hotel to stay with him. She headed to the kitchen after Holden, pausing one last time in the doorway to study her son. Luke was sitting up now, eyes open and staring down at his watch, fiddling with the clasp, reading the inscription etched on the inside.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lily heaved an exhausted sigh as she crossed the threshold into the Lakeview early the next morning, going directly to the front desk. The clerk on duty jumped at her arrival, looking surprised. “Mrs. Snyder! I didn’t know you would be in today,” he greeted her.
She attempted a smile. “Technically, David, I’m not. I’m actually taking the next few days off- family emergency- and I was hoping to take home all those tax forms and busy work we need to catch up on. Let everyone know they can reach me at home if they need me, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll do that,” he looked at her, puzzled, before going back to her office to grab the papers for her. Lily’s smile dropped immediately from her face, and she leaned tiredly against the counter, head in her hands.
“Lily?” a voice behind her, a hand on her shoulder.
She turned reluctantly, not in the mood for socializing, only to see Dusty looking at her with concern. “Dusty, hi,” her voice sounded as bad as she felt.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, brow furrowed.
Lily wasn’t sure what to say. “What? Oh, it’s nothing, I-”
“I heard you say something about a family emergency? Is everything okay?”
She went back and forth on what exactly she could say to answer that question. But then she remembered that Dusty had been involved in the trouble with Colonel Mayer when he had first come to town, and he had also looked after Noah during a lot of that. Maybe he had a right to know… “No, things aren’t okay. Noah’s been kidnapped.” She almost choked on the word.
“What?” Dusty took her arm, leading her to the couch nearby. They both sat, Dusty shaking his head in disbelief. “When? Who… Do you know who? Or why?”
Lily swallowed, just barely maintaining eye contact. “Colonel Mayer came back to Oakdale.”
“He faked his death,” Dusty said, more a confirmation than a question. He didn’t look all that shocked, but then Lily remembered that Dusty had some experience in that area. Lily nodded, and Dusty leaned forward. “And he took Noah? When?”
“Last night,” Lily could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes.
“How’s Luke?”
And now the tears started to fall. “Not good. He was there when Noah was taken, ended up with a few bruised ribs. And of course now he blames himself. He’s not eating, hasn’t really slept…”
“He cares about Noah a lot,” Dusty replied gently. “He loves him. Of course he’s going to have trouble.” They sat in silence for a moment. “Have you eaten? Or slept?”
Lily smiled ruefully. “Like mother, like son. Every time I close my eyes, I just see Noah- alone, hurt, scared somewhere. And there’s nothing I can do.” She wiped the tears away angrily. “I think of Noah as one of my own, Dusty. And I hate this feeling of not being able to save him.”
“Have the police been able to do anything?”
“They’re trying, but they haven’t found much yet. Jack has been keeping Holden updated all night, but…” she shook her head. “We have no idea where Noah might be.”
Dusty closed his eyes for a moment, taking it all in. When he opened them again, Lily could see that familiar Dusty-determination in them. “I’ll swing by the station, see if there’s anything I can do.”
“Dusty, I can’t ask you to do that,” she sighed.
He held up a hand, cutting her off. “You’re not. Noah’s a good kid, and he’s always been a friend to me. I’m doing this for him.”
Lily smiled then, a genuine smile. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Dusty smiled, moving with her as she stood up and went back to the front desk. She took the folders and files from David, and headed out of the Lakeview with a tired wave to Dusty. He waited until she was out of sight before pulling out his cell phone. It was time to make some calls, see what information he could dig up. There was no way the Colonel was going to get away with this.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
He didn’t know what time it was. He didn’t know what day it was. He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there in that dark, cold room. The cuts and bruises on his face ached. His shoulders and arms were throbbing, while his hands were slowly going numb. He was pretty sure that a rib was cracked. Noah was tired, hungry, thirsty. And scared.
His father had left him some time ago, and Noah assumed he was going to get some sleep. He wished he could do the same, but there was absolutely no position he could get to that eased the pain he was in enough to rest. Leaning his head back just pulled on the already bruised muscles at his throat. Hanging his head down caused the ache in his shoulders to reach screaming levels. It was a lose-lose situation for Noah Mayer.
God, he just wanted to be with Luke right now. Luke could always make him feel better, about anything, even when he wasn’t trying to. Did Luke even know how much he had done for Noah since they had met? He had to tell him. Noah probably wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him. Maybe he’d still be breathing, but he wouldn’t be living. If he had grown at all as a person in the last two years, it was because of Luke. One of the things he was scared about now was that spending too much time with his father would turn him back into the shell of a person that he used to be. He couldn’t survive going back to that… No. Noah could survive this, he couldn’t let his father win.
His head started to drop to his chest again, and this time Noah let it happen. He pictured himself away from here. In Luke’s bed at the farm, surrounded by crazy amounts of striped shirts, with Ethan and the girls making way too much noise down the hall, Emma cooking down in the kitchen. Maybe Lily was down there with her, Holden out in the barn with the horses. Luke was in bed next to him, wrapped around him, holding on to him. Noah felt a tear drop from one eye, tracing a stinging path down his cheek as it hit the cut there, mixing in with the blood on his face.
He realized then that even if his father was right- even if the Snyders didn’t consider him to be a part of their family… they were his. He missed them so much right now that it almost physically hurt. He hated being alone, and right now he was more alone than he’d ever been before. He let out a pained and shaky breath, and then Noah, for the first time in a long time, started to cry.
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: Noah tries to stand up to his father, Dusty does some investigating, a trip to the police station doesn't go well...
Chapter: 3/15
Author: carolinablu85, also known as CarolinaBlue on vh.net or CarolinaBlu on the wiki (I know, I'm a fountain of creative names)
Pairing: Luke/Noah
Rating: PG-ish for right now, will get darker later
Spoilers: set in spring 2009, after Luke and Noah battle housing discrimination but before Damian/evil twins. Thus, before the Colonel came back from the dead last year
Summary: Margo talks to Luke, the Colonel talks to Noah, Lily gets help from an unlikely source.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: The first major 'epic' story I ever wrote (and finished)!
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2
Alison was near the end of her double shift, counting down the minutes until she’d be allowed to go home and collapse into bed. She was exhausted, but when she turned the corner at the emergency room ward and saw Margo coming out of a room wearing a worried frown, all thoughts of bubble baths and peppermint tea slipped from her mind.
“Hey, is everything okay?” She glanced past Margo’s shoulder into the exam room, shocked to see Luke sitting there with a miserable and numb look on his face. His ribs were being taped up by a resident. “Luke?! What happened?”
Margo took a deep breath, gathering herself. Her face was tight, pale, and Alison got more and more afraid. “Luke has some bruised ribs, but other than that he’s okay physically.”
“Physically? What does that mean?” Alison’s hands were shaking.
For a second Margo actually looked like she might crack. “Do me a favor, Alison, sit with him while I call his parents? I don’t want him to be alone right now.”
“Yeah, sure, absolutely.” It wasn’t until Margo had left and Alison was opening the door that she realized she had forgotten to ask where Noah was.
Luke was back in his shirt and sitting on the exam room bed, staring down at his hands. The resident had finished wrapping his ribs and, with a nod to Alison, left them alone. Alison cautiously took a seat next to the bed. “Luke?” she called softly. He didn’t respond, didn’t so much as twitch a muscle. “Luke, honey, look at me.” She laid her hand on top of his, jostling it slightly. Luke finally looked up at her, and Alison felt all the air leave her lungs at the emotions fighting for control on his face. Something really bad had happened. “Talk to me, okay? Can you tell me what happened?”
Luke swallowed hard, eyes watery. “They took Noah.” Alison gasped. “They took him right in front of me, and I couldn’t stop them.” His voice was drained, nearly emotionless. He had to be in shock.
“God, Luke…” Alison moved to perch on the edge of the bed. Luke tensed slightly, but didn’t move away. “Are you hurt anywhere else? What did they do to you?” Who was ‘they?’
Luke stared at her, the answer obvious. What did they do to him? “They took Noah.” His face crumpled slowly, as if the reality of that was finally sinking in. Alison threw her arms around him and, mindful of his ribs, pulled him close into a hug. He leaned into her embrace, shaking and trying not to cry in full-out panic. Alison rocked him gently, trying not to cry herself. She had no idea what else to do.
A few seconds later a new pair of arms wrapped around her, causing Alison to jump and turn her head. Casey was now sitting next to her, his face pale and drawn. He hugged her tightly, one hand coming around to rest on Luke’s trembling shoulder. “I just saw my mom, she told me what happened,” he murmured. A little louder, “Luke, I am so sorry. But you know my mom, she’ll find Noah. Everything will… will work out fine. He’ll be okay.”
“And anything we can do to help, we will,” Alison added. She and Casey both stood up slowly when the door opened, letting in Holden, Lily, and Margo. Lily was silent, tears already streaming down her face, as she hurriedly took Alison’s place on the bed next to Luke, holding him close to her. Holden moved to the other side, laying his hand on Luke’s hair. Casey and Alison backed up near the door, Casey going to stand next to his mother. He looked over at her, and she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
“Are you okay?” Lily asked after a few minutes. Luke just shook his head, and Lily looked around for help.
Alison pulled his chart out from its holder, scanning quickly. “A few bruised ribs, but none are broken. No concussion, no other bruises or lacerations. He’s on a mild painkiller right now, he might be a little groggy for awhile,” she quietly filled Lily in. “It looks like once the doctor checks him out he’ll probably be free to go home.”
“Thanks Alison,” Lily spoke quietly, arms still around her son.
“No problem. I’ll, uh,” she glanced back and forth between Margo and the Snyders, “I mean, Casey and I will go find the doctor, see if we can’t get him out sooner,” she grabbed Casey’s arm and pulled him out the door before he could protest.
But once he was out in the hall, “Hey, what was that for? I want to stay-”
“We don’t want to overwhelm Luke, Casey. He’s probably going to have to tell your mom what happened, and the less people around-”
“-The better,” Casey finished for her. “Yeah, okay, good point. He does seem freaked out enough already.”
“Wouldn’t you be? He was attacked, Noah was taken,” Alison was starting to feel her own panic build up.
“I can’t believe Noah was-” Casey exhaled with a sigh. “I mean, I know his dad was- is- a bad guy, but…”
“He tried to kill Luke,” Alison pointed out. “And Dusty. And he did kill Noah’s mother.”
Casey winced, ran a hand through his hair. “So what’s he gonna do to Noah?”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Noah resisted and struggled, pushing and pulling against hands and arms that held him in place. He fought when handcuffs were slapped around his wrists, trapping his hands behind his back. He fought when a cloth was forced into his mouth and tied around his head. He was struggling blindly, trying to twist and turn out of their holds, trying to escape, trying to get out.
It wasn’t until a hand slapped him hard across the face, punctuated by a shout of “Noah!” that he finally stilled, breathing harshly through his nose, wincing at the sting on his cheek. Winston was crouched in front of him in the van as it sped away from Java. From Luke. Once they had thrown him in the van he hadn’t been able to see… God, what had they done to Luke?
He tried to yell at his father, turn around to look out a window or something, but Winston grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, knocking him back against the side of the van. Noah winced as his head connected with the metal behind him, took a moment to catch his breath, and then glared up at his father.
“You have to calm down, son,” Winston said, keeping his grip on Noah’s shoulders tight. “Now, I need to talk to you. And it has to be alone. Not with that boy around, or those people who let you think you’re a part of their family.” Noah shook his head, disbelieving. This was how his father defined “talking?” He was handcuffed and gagged in the back of a moving vehicle!
Winston seemed to understand what his son was thinking. “We’re just going somewhere private, Noah. There are things I need to say, things I need you to understand before we can start our lives over. Together.”
At that, Noah’s eyes widened impossibly further. He shook his head frantically. He tried to yell through the gag again; there was no way he was starting life over with the Colonel. No, he had a life that he loved, a boyfriend and a family that he loved, and there was no way his father was going to convince him otherwise.
Winston narrowed his gaze, frowning at Noah. “Son, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. Just give it some time, you’ll see that this is for the best. Trust me.” Noah closed his eyes, feeling despair wash over him. This was a nightmare, just a dream, it had to be. When he opened his eyes, he’d be back in bed at the farm, covered in blankets, Luke’s warmth and comfort lying next to him. This had to be a dream.
But no, another slap to the face brought Noah back to reality, his eyes opening on instinct. Winston was still glaring at him. Noah rubbed his aching cheek against his shoulder, glaring right back. He shook his head decisively. No.
Winston moved a lot quicker than Noah expected. He seized Noah’s chin callously, fingers pressing into Noah’s cheeks and jaw so tight Noah was sure they’d leave bruises. No matter how hard he struggled, his father wouldn’t loosen his grip. “Noah,” he said firmly. “This is the way it has to be. You’ll see that, I know you will.” Finally he let go, and Noah pushed himself back and away until he was huddled at the far end of the van away from his father and Sergeant Kelley. The two men he didn’t recognize sat in the front.
He watched with slightly fearful eyes as his father approached him again, this time with a rag in one hand and a bottle in the other. He tracked the Colonel’s movement with his eyes, no where left to run. “We’re not going far, but you’ll understand my precaution,” Winston continued, trying to sound reasonable. “It’s for the best if you don’t know our location and how to get there.”
Noah was very much of the mind that what his father thought was best for him was probably a bad idea. And he was proven right, as the cloth was doused in whatever was in the bottle- chloroform maybe?- and then pressed against Noah’s face. He tried to turn his head, fight, hold his breath, anything, but as always his father was stronger than him.
It wasn’t long before black spots danced in front of Noah’s face, his vision going gray around the edges. There was a sickeningly sweet smell in the air, accompanied by a bitter taste in the back of his throat. The muscles in his neck, which had been throbbing mercilessly, were now numb. As was the rest of his body. He felt himself sliding downwards, and he was unconscious before his body hit the floor.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Luke,” Margo stepped forward hesitantly. Luke tensed, knowing what was coming. His fear was confirmed a second later. “I need you to tell me what happened tonight.”
“Margo, can’t this wait until-?” Lily began, her arms tightening protectively around her son.
“We don’t know if Noah has that kind of time, Lily,” Margo interrupted gently. That shut Lily up. She glanced fearfully over to Holden, who nodded somberly. Slowly, Lily eased her embrace off of Luke, gently settling him back onto the pillows of the raised bed.
Luke was looking at Margo, gathering himself to talk. “We were at Java,” his voice was quiet, nearly emotionless. “The electricity cut out, and Officer Thompson told us to go out to Noah’s truck and get home. We stepped out back, and they were waiting for us.”
“They?” Margo questioned.
“Yeah, there were three of them. Four,” he shook his head, correcting himself. “Four. A guy was driving the van. There was a guy holding me, a guy on Officer Krane, and Colonel Mayer grabbed Noah.”
“Can you describe the van at all, Luke?” Margo asked.
Luke wasn’t listening. “The driver said the other cop was down…” He looked up suddenly. “How are Officer Krane and Officer Thompson?”
Margo grimaced briefly. “Officer Krane’s going to be fine. A bad concussion, dislocated shoulder, but he’ll be alright. Officer Thompson is… still in surgery. Skull fracture.”
Luke swallowed, suddenly feeling like he was going to throw up. “I didn’t get a good look at the van. It was black, old-looking. A sliding door on one side.” The image of Noah being thrown past that sliding door was seared into his brain. “I think it had Illinois tags, but I didn’t see the numbers or anything. I’m sorry Margo, maybe if I had-”
“Luke, you were attacked, nearly knocked unconscious. There’s nothing you could have done,” Holden spoke up, reassuring.
Luke shook his head. “I knew they were going to leave me behind. Colonel Mayer told the guy holding me…” he trailed off suddenly, frowning, searching for a memory.
“Luke?” Lily prompted, worried.
“He called him Brett.” Luke looked straight at Margo, eyes widening. “The guy holding me was Brett, and the driver’s name was Alan. I didn’t hear the other guy’s name, but it was probably Tim Kelley; Noah said he and his dad have been friends for years. All of them talked like they were military guys.”
Margo smiled encouragingly. “That’s great, Luke. Good. That’ll help us search for the accomplices.”
“What’s the next step after that?” Holden asked anxiously.
Margo sighed. “Well, we have to determine whether or not Colonel Mayer took Noah and left town, or whether they’re holed up nearby. Once we’ve identified the men he’s working with, which we should be able to do now-” Margo smiled at Luke. “-Then we’ll look for any local places they may have ties to, somewhere they may seek out shelter. A couple officers from the Military Police who knew the Colonel in Missouri are going to give us hand. We’ll find them,” she said confidently.
“Wh-what if,” Luke cleared his throat, tried again. “What if they did leave town? What if Colonel Mayer took Noah and is planning on leaving the country, like he tried to do with Ameera?” Lily went pale, the possibilities of what was happening to Noah now running through her mind. She tightened her hold on her son. Luke didn’t even feel it.
Margo reached forward, clasping her hand on Luke’s arm. “We won’t let that happen, Luke. We’ll get Noah back, okay? I’ll do everything in my power to get him back.” She exchanged a few more words with his parents, words that Luke couldn’t get himself to listen to, and then she was gone.
Luke wondered if he was supposed to say something, but he couldn’t get himself to do it. What did it matter what he said now? It wouldn’t bring Noah back. He took an overly deep breath, actually relishing in the pain it caused from his bruised midsection. He needed to feel something. The painkillers- and probably shock- were clouding his mind, making him feel too numb. He didn’t want to feel numb.
He actually didn’t understand why he wasn’t up out of this bed right now, searching the entire town for Noah, going door to door, putting his picture on milk cartons. His boyfriend was missing, taken by four obviously dangerous men. He needed to get Jack involved with the cops. No, he needed to get Lucinda involved with… whoever she could get involved with. They had to find his boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend seemed like such a trivial word. Noah was so much more than that. Next time he saw him, Luke was going to tell him.
Noah was everything.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Winston stood very still, watching his son- his son- awaken slowly. Noah shook his head back and forth a few times, trying to clear it. His bright blue eyes were cloudy with the after-effects of the drug, along with confusion and pain. He immediately zeroed in on Winston, frowning in both anger and fear.
He watched with something akin to pride as Noah visibly pushed away his panic and assessed the situation, glancing at every corner of the dark, dank room, testing the strength of the handcuffs binding him to the chair they had set him on. He coughed mutedly, tossing his head a little to try and dislodge the gag still in his mouth.
“I have some water, if you want it,” Winston finally spoke. Noah stilled, frowning at him again. Winston held up the bottle of water. “I’ll take the gag off, but you have to remain calm, understand?” Noah weighed his options, coughed again, and reluctantly nodded. Winston came forward, reaching out and yanking the cloth out of Noah’s mouth. Noah coughed harshly a few times, licking his lips and grimacing at the chloroform’s aftertaste. He drank greedily from the water bottle the Colonel held up to his mouth.
Too soon, the water was pulled away, and Noah silently groaned at its absence. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself for whatever was about to happen. When he opened them, he was startled to see his father sitting directly in front of him. Noah couldn’t even figure out where the extra chair had come from. “Well, Noah, are you ready to talk?” Winston asked, sounding very serious.
Noah kept calm, maintaining eye contact. “What did you do to Luke?” he asked quietly.
A sharp hit to his jaw rocked his whole body to the side, nearly causing the chair he was in to fall over. He gasped a few times before turning back to the Colonel, staring incredulously. Was his father really going to do this to him? Tie him to a chair and beat him like some prisoner of war?
“First thing you need to learn, son. You will not speak of that boy ever again,” Win ordered firmly. Oh. So, not a prisoner of war. Noah was apparently learning to be a Mayer-In-Training. He didn’t want to be a Mayer anymore. He swore to himself, the second he and Luke got married he was changing his name to Snyder so fast…
Luke…
“Just tell me if he’s okay?” Noah pleaded. Another punch, directly over his eye, blurred his vision for a few seconds. “Please,” he tried again. A hit to his chest. He sat there, trying to remember how to breathe. Luke was okay, he had to be okay.
“You will not speak of that boy again,” a voice above him spoke, stressing every word.
The surreality of this hit Noah like one of his father’s fists. “What do you want, Dad? Why are you doing this?” Noah found his voice again.
“We need to start our lives over, Noah. Together. The only way we can be a family- you can have a family again- is if we agree to leave together and never come back.”
“I already have a family,” Noah whispered. He was expecting to be hit for that, and wasn’t disappointed. He felt the skin of his cheek split, blood slowly beginning to drip down his face. Well, I may be tied to a chair and terrified, but at least I’ll look like a badass.
“I am your only family,” Winston hissed. “I’m your father. You owe everything in your life to me!”
No way. He really was delusional. “I. Owe you. Nothing,” Noah gritted out behind clench teeth. “You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to me.”
“You want to talk about disappointment?” Winston shouted in his face. Noah had to turn his face, not able to look his father in the eye. “What have you done with yourself, Noah? What have you done with your life? You’re nothing now, nothing. You need constant validation for everything you do, you have to have people around you to make you feel good about yourself… when all you are is nothing.”
Noah refused to look up until he had himself under control. His father was always able to do this, always able to bring Noah’s biggest fears and biggest faults to the surface. But now he couldn’t let the Colonel use it to control him. “If I’m such a horrible son, then let me go. Just go away and never come back.” He wasn’t begging, he wouldn’t let himself beg.
“Son, you don’t understand.” (He apparently never did, Noah wanted to retort.) “We can’t let go of the past, I can’t change what has happened. The only way I can see us putting that all behind us is to accept that it happened… and move on, together. You have to see what I did was for the best, the right thing to do. Then… then everything will be better. For both of us. I promise.” Winston’s voice and expression were so sincere, which Noah had to admit freaked him out more than a little.
“No,” he said sadly. “No, Dad. What you’ve done- what you’re doing- is wrong. I’ve got my own life now, and it’s good. I’m doing well, and for the first time in pretty much ever… I’m happy. You want to start over, fine. Go. You want me to say I forgive you? They’ll just be words, I can’t mean them.”
Winston gripped Noah’s jaw, forcing him to look up. They stared at each other for a few moments, Noah glaring as defiantly as a person in his position could. Winston blinked, somewhat surprised. “Gotta say, I’m a little impressed, Noah. Didn’t see it going this way.” He let go, patting Noah’s cheek. Noah pulled away angrily. Winston chuckled, “You just don’t understand, boy. No one else cares about you, your future, like I do. You think that family you’re freeloading off of really cares about what happens to you?”
Noah couldn’t help but flinch. Freeloading. How could his dad know he still felt like he was imposing on the Snyders, despite everything they’ve said to the contrary? No matter how nicely they treated him, Noah was sure they saw him as Luke’s boyfriend, not a member of the family. He didn’t expect them to, of course, but hearing Winston say it hurt more than he thought it would.
“Why shouldn’t you just come with me?” Winston was talking again, towering over his son. “Wouldn’t they all be better off? One less mouth to feed?” He smirked, sitting back down in the chair across from Noah. “They might miss you at first, but they’ll get over it. You know they will. What do you have to offer them, why should they care?”
“Why do you care?” Noah burst out, frustrated, feeling his blood pressure rising. If his heart was beating any harder it would knock him out of the chair. He once again couldn’t believe the Colonel was doing this. How could he claim to want what’s best for his son, and try to get it by hurting him? Noah’s head was spinning, he was just so confused.
“Because you’re my son, Noah. Not theirs. They can’t possibly be there for you like I could. Like I have been.” He leaned in close. “Given the opportunity, would anyone in that town choose you?”
Noah glared again, finding a bit of strength left in him, centered around the thought of one person. “Luke would.”
The punch landed solidly against his ribs, and Noah felt a bone give way a little bit. He had to bite his lip to keep from crying out at that. But it was worth it. If only to remind himself that Luke was out there, that Luke would try to help him, it was worth it.
“I told you not to mention that boy again!” the Colonel screamed at him. Noah ducked his head without thinking, falling back on old habits. The past two years had seen him grow a lot as a person, but it was hard to break eighteen years of instinct- his father yelling at him, intimidating him again, just like old times. “That was your last warning, do you understand me?!” Noah remained silent and stared at the ground, trying to lock himself away inside like he used to, hide as much of himself as he could from his dad. He nodded finally.
But Winston kicked at him, sending the chair skidding back a few inches. Noah’s head and back collided roughly with the hard surface behind him. “I said, do you understand?”
Noah fought to control his breathing. “Yes sir,” he said dejectedly. Looks like Colonel Mayer was going to win this round. At this point, just a little bit, Noah started to hate himself.
“Good. Now,” the Colonel settled down calmly in his chair again. “Let’s move on to the next lesson, shall we?”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lily held onto Luke’s arm as she and Holden walked him into the living room and straight to the couch. He hadn’t spoken much since giving his statement to Margo, which Lily had to admit terrified her. Usually when something went wrong Luke was firing on all cylinders and they’d have a hard time holding on to him. But now… now he was listless, quiet. He settled down on the cushions and let Lily fuss over him without a complaint, something else he would normally never do.
Holden eyed him sadly before turning to Lily. “I’m going to make a few calls, let Mama know what’s happened, maybe see what Jack can do,” he said quietly. Lily nodded, taking her eyes off Luke briefly to look at her husband. He nodded back knowingly, hugging her tightly before going off to the kitchen.
Lily went back to Luke, sitting down next to him. “Honey?” She spoke softly. “Do you want anything? Do you want to talk about…?”
“I promised him, Mom,” Luke’s voice sounded so impossibly young.
“What?”
“I sat next to him at the farm, two days ago, and I promised him that nothing was going to happen, that his father wouldn’t hurt him again.” He turned desolate eyes on to his mother. “I promised him.”
“Oh, Luke,” Lily drew him to her again, holding him close against her. This time he leaned into the embrace, his own arms coming up to wrap around her. She rocked back and forth a little, whispering soothing words into his hair, rubbing his back. “You couldn’t have known this would happen, none of us did.”
“But Noah-” Luke pulled back, shaking his head.
Lily captured his face in her hands, stilling him. “Noah is going to come back to us, safe and sound. We have to believe that. We have to hold on to hope. And you have to remember that none of this is your fault, and beating yourself up about it won’t help anyone.” She kissed the top of his head then pulled him close to her. “It’s going to be hard, and you may not want to, but you have to keep it together and stay strong. When this is all over, Noah’s going to need you, understand?”
She felt him nod against her chest. She squeezed him tighter for a second before letting go, helping him settle back against the couch again. He let out a heavy, bone-deep sigh and closed his eyes, though Lily knew he was no where near close to falling asleep. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat, or…?”
Luke shook his head, eyes kept firmly shut. “I- I can’t right now. Thanks, Mom, but… maybe later?”
She tried to smile. “Sure. Just say the word.” She got up from the couch, resolving to take tomorrow and the next few days off from the hotel to stay with him. She headed to the kitchen after Holden, pausing one last time in the doorway to study her son. Luke was sitting up now, eyes open and staring down at his watch, fiddling with the clasp, reading the inscription etched on the inside.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lily heaved an exhausted sigh as she crossed the threshold into the Lakeview early the next morning, going directly to the front desk. The clerk on duty jumped at her arrival, looking surprised. “Mrs. Snyder! I didn’t know you would be in today,” he greeted her.
She attempted a smile. “Technically, David, I’m not. I’m actually taking the next few days off- family emergency- and I was hoping to take home all those tax forms and busy work we need to catch up on. Let everyone know they can reach me at home if they need me, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll do that,” he looked at her, puzzled, before going back to her office to grab the papers for her. Lily’s smile dropped immediately from her face, and she leaned tiredly against the counter, head in her hands.
“Lily?” a voice behind her, a hand on her shoulder.
She turned reluctantly, not in the mood for socializing, only to see Dusty looking at her with concern. “Dusty, hi,” her voice sounded as bad as she felt.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, brow furrowed.
Lily wasn’t sure what to say. “What? Oh, it’s nothing, I-”
“I heard you say something about a family emergency? Is everything okay?”
She went back and forth on what exactly she could say to answer that question. But then she remembered that Dusty had been involved in the trouble with Colonel Mayer when he had first come to town, and he had also looked after Noah during a lot of that. Maybe he had a right to know… “No, things aren’t okay. Noah’s been kidnapped.” She almost choked on the word.
“What?” Dusty took her arm, leading her to the couch nearby. They both sat, Dusty shaking his head in disbelief. “When? Who… Do you know who? Or why?”
Lily swallowed, just barely maintaining eye contact. “Colonel Mayer came back to Oakdale.”
“He faked his death,” Dusty said, more a confirmation than a question. He didn’t look all that shocked, but then Lily remembered that Dusty had some experience in that area. Lily nodded, and Dusty leaned forward. “And he took Noah? When?”
“Last night,” Lily could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes.
“How’s Luke?”
And now the tears started to fall. “Not good. He was there when Noah was taken, ended up with a few bruised ribs. And of course now he blames himself. He’s not eating, hasn’t really slept…”
“He cares about Noah a lot,” Dusty replied gently. “He loves him. Of course he’s going to have trouble.” They sat in silence for a moment. “Have you eaten? Or slept?”
Lily smiled ruefully. “Like mother, like son. Every time I close my eyes, I just see Noah- alone, hurt, scared somewhere. And there’s nothing I can do.” She wiped the tears away angrily. “I think of Noah as one of my own, Dusty. And I hate this feeling of not being able to save him.”
“Have the police been able to do anything?”
“They’re trying, but they haven’t found much yet. Jack has been keeping Holden updated all night, but…” she shook her head. “We have no idea where Noah might be.”
Dusty closed his eyes for a moment, taking it all in. When he opened them again, Lily could see that familiar Dusty-determination in them. “I’ll swing by the station, see if there’s anything I can do.”
“Dusty, I can’t ask you to do that,” she sighed.
He held up a hand, cutting her off. “You’re not. Noah’s a good kid, and he’s always been a friend to me. I’m doing this for him.”
Lily smiled then, a genuine smile. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Dusty smiled, moving with her as she stood up and went back to the front desk. She took the folders and files from David, and headed out of the Lakeview with a tired wave to Dusty. He waited until she was out of sight before pulling out his cell phone. It was time to make some calls, see what information he could dig up. There was no way the Colonel was going to get away with this.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
He didn’t know what time it was. He didn’t know what day it was. He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there in that dark, cold room. The cuts and bruises on his face ached. His shoulders and arms were throbbing, while his hands were slowly going numb. He was pretty sure that a rib was cracked. Noah was tired, hungry, thirsty. And scared.
His father had left him some time ago, and Noah assumed he was going to get some sleep. He wished he could do the same, but there was absolutely no position he could get to that eased the pain he was in enough to rest. Leaning his head back just pulled on the already bruised muscles at his throat. Hanging his head down caused the ache in his shoulders to reach screaming levels. It was a lose-lose situation for Noah Mayer.
God, he just wanted to be with Luke right now. Luke could always make him feel better, about anything, even when he wasn’t trying to. Did Luke even know how much he had done for Noah since they had met? He had to tell him. Noah probably wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him. Maybe he’d still be breathing, but he wouldn’t be living. If he had grown at all as a person in the last two years, it was because of Luke. One of the things he was scared about now was that spending too much time with his father would turn him back into the shell of a person that he used to be. He couldn’t survive going back to that… No. Noah could survive this, he couldn’t let his father win.
His head started to drop to his chest again, and this time Noah let it happen. He pictured himself away from here. In Luke’s bed at the farm, surrounded by crazy amounts of striped shirts, with Ethan and the girls making way too much noise down the hall, Emma cooking down in the kitchen. Maybe Lily was down there with her, Holden out in the barn with the horses. Luke was in bed next to him, wrapped around him, holding on to him. Noah felt a tear drop from one eye, tracing a stinging path down his cheek as it hit the cut there, mixing in with the blood on his face.
He realized then that even if his father was right- even if the Snyders didn’t consider him to be a part of their family… they were his. He missed them so much right now that it almost physically hurt. He hated being alone, and right now he was more alone than he’d ever been before. He let out a pained and shaky breath, and then Noah, for the first time in a long time, started to cry.
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: Noah tries to stand up to his father, Dusty does some investigating, a trip to the police station doesn't go well...