FIC: SINS OF THE FATHER 7/15
Title: Sins of the Father
Chapter: 7/15
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 13-ish to R now, it gets a little dark here - violence, abuse and non-con moments (not graphic)
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: Luke and Casey continue the search, the Snyders gather to hear news about Noah.
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 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6
“What do you mean, ‘Noah isn’t here?’” This had to be the cruelest cosmic joke ever played on anyone. Ever. Luke wanted to punch the universe in the face. “Where the hell is he?”
Margo shook her head, eyes a little bright. “We’re looking, Luke. I promise that we’re looking.”
“He said he was in the basement!” Casey exclaimed, staring hard at his mother.
She tried not to sigh and fought against putting her hand on Casey’s shoulder, afraid he would just shrug it off. “I know, but he wasn’t in there. We’ve got the rest of the officers and agents looking for him, okay? We’ll find him.”
We’ll find him. How many times had that been said in the last few days? It was Luke’s least favorite sentence. “He- he told me he’d tried to get away from them before. He almost got free. Do you think maybe he escaped again?” Luke ventured. “Maybe he’s in the woods somewhere…” he trailed off. God, why couldn’t this nightmare just be over?
Margo nodded in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. “We’ve got people looking for tracks and evidence of that. And they’re searching the van and the other cabins for clues. Trust us, Luke.” She wanted to say more, but was called away by another cop.
Luke might have nodded in response as she left, he just wasn’t sure. He approached the back window where they had first gone to eavesdrop on the Colonel. Casey was, as ever, right next to him, saying nothing and constantly glancing around as though he’d find the X marking the spot where Noah was hidden. Luke was looking in the window, at the ugly and rust-stained kitchen again, going over the conversation they had overheard. “Casey.”
“Yeah?” Casey whipped his head around to look at a suddenly calm and focused Luke. Part of him got worried, but the other part started to fill with hope. Did Luke see something?
“Remember when the one guy said he hadn’t signed up for ‘that,’ and he pointed behind him?” Luke’s brown eyes were laser-focused on the kitchen counter where Tim Kelley had been standing.
“Yeah…” Casey had no idea where this was going, but of course he was going along for the ride.
“He pointed behind him. I thought he was pointing to the room leading to the basement, but what if…” Luke repositioned himself a little, as though lining up his sight with something. “What if he was pointing at something else?”
“Like what?” Casey looked at him quizzically before coming to stand right next to him, trying to get in the same eyeline… There it was. Through another window on the opposite side of the room, one of the other abandoned cabins was almost perfectly framed. “The other cabins,” Casey murmured, turning back to look at his friend with wide eyes.
Luke had that determined expression again, the one he had had during most of that insane drug bust fiasco earlier this year. Casey was more than a little comforted to see it now; it meant Crime-Fighter Luke was back in business. “All Noah said on the phone was that he was in a basement in a cabin.”
Hope and adrenaline started pumping through Casey’s bloodstream in equal measure. “He didn’t say which one.” He shoved Luke in the direction of the other cabin, hurriedly following in his wake. He heard his mother calling his name from somewhere nearby, but Casey had to ignore her for now. Something was telling him to search that cabin, and to do it fast. He noted on the way in that the dirt on the porch had been disturbed recently, and he felt the hope in him rise.
Luke came to a screeching halt in the living room, Casey almost crashing into his back. “Where’s the door?” Luke asked himself, asked Casey, asked the evil universe that continued to conspire against him.
Casey was wondering the same thing. There was nothing, nothing to indicate a basement of any kind. They just couldn’t catch a damn break! He pounded a fist onto the large table in the center of the room. And that’s when he saw it. “Luke!”
Luke had been in the middle of a mental freak-out of his own. He couldn’t even summon Fake-Noah anymore, and that scared him. Noah couldn’t really be gone, Luke wouldn’t allow it. He looked over to Casey and followed his gaze down to the floor. A corner of the large rug was flipped up carelessly. There, just barely revealed, was the edge of a panel. A door to a storm cellar. The basement. “He’s here,” Luke breathed out.
Casey let out a breath of his own, just for a second, and then sprang into action. He ran to the still-open front door and yelled for his mother before sprinting back to help Luke shove the table and rug away. Luke tried to ignore the sickening feeling that told him it was like Noah had been buried alive. ‘As long as he’s alive,’ he reminded himself.
He and Casey both fumbled for the handle in their haste and excitement, finally pulling it up and revealing the stairs that traveled down into near-darkness. They held their breath, listening for something to tell them their idea and their search hadn’t been in vain. There was the tiniest, softest of sounds coming from the darkness, and Luke couldn’t give it a second thought. He scrambled down the steps, hearing Casey following just behind.
Luke was pretty sure he stopped breathing for a few minutes once they reached the bottom of the stairs. It took far too long to process the image that greeted him and Casey. There was just no way the shivering, cowering person chained to the floor in front of him was Noah, his Noah. Casey made a pained, choking sound when he spotted his friend. He seemed rooted to the spot, while Luke snapped out of his daze and rushed forward.
“Oh God!” he cried out, terrified. He skidded to a stop in front of his boyfriend, dropping to his knees and reaching for the chains. “Noah?!” There was no answer. Casey was next to him now, helping him unwind the bindings. Luke forced himself not to look at Noah’s arms, the dozens of small cuts and gashes from when he had obviously struggled to get free. The fact that both of his wrists were taped up was something Luke didn’t want to think about. He also didn’t want to think about the fact that Noah had yet to acknowledge them. That he was freezing cold, shaking, his hair slightly damp. That he was shirtless, covered in dirt and bruises and blood and…
“Noah?” he said again, gently. He put his hands on either side of Noah’s face, frowning when he felt Noah flinch at being touched. Casey moved to untie Noah’s feet, leaving Luke room to get closer, so close he could see Noah’s eyes moving under closed lids. He was mumbling under his breath, and Luke had to lean in even further so he could hear.
“Go away go away go away…”
Luke sucked in a breath, halfway hoping he’d never find out what had Noah so scared. He shook himself out of these thoughts, though. He had to snap Noah back into reality. “No, Noah, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s me, Noah, it’s Luke,” he kept talking softly, hands gentle but steady against Noah’s face. His thumb rubbed lightly over Noah’s bruised and grimy cheek. “It’s Luke,” he repeated it over and over again, praying Noah would hear him, come back to him.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, Noah opened his eyes. He was looking right at Luke, but it was pretty obvious he wasn’t seeing him. Luke said his name again, and this time Noah blinked, startled. His eyes, the most beautiful blue eyes Luke had ever seen, glanced wildly around for a second before zeroing in on Luke. He gasped in and out a few times, shaking his head. “L-luke?” He didn’t seem to believe that the other boy was actually there. Luke tried to smile, and Noah shook his head again. “Luke? You’re here?”
Luke’s smile melted into something more genuine then. “Of course. I told you I would find you, didn’t I?” Noah’s head rolled back on his shoulders in absolute relief. “Hey, hey, it’s okay now,” Luke tried to soothe him, but Noah’s slight shaking became more severe. Shock was probably setting in. Luke sighed, dropping a quick kiss onto Noah’s forehead, ignoring the flinch Noah couldn’t hide. “We’re going to get you out of here, but you have to help us. Can you do that?”
Luke felt a little silly, he sounded like he was talking to a little kid, to Ethan or someone. But it was apparent that it was all Noah could handle right now. He was responding more to tone of voice than the actual words, Luke could tell. A few days locked up with those psychos had left Noah with more than physical scars.
“Here,” came another quiet voice. Casey moved closer, shrugging off his sweatshirt and draping it around Noah’s bare shoulders. He eyed the marks crisscrossing Noah’s skin, but he knew now was one of those times when he should definitely keep his mouth shut, as hard as that usually was for him. He helped Luke ease Noah’s arms through the sleeves one at a time, again keeping his mouth shut when Noah tensed at the contact, and then leaned back as Luke carefully zipped up the hoodie. “We should get out of here, dude. He needs a hospital, like, yesterday.”
Luke nodded, his eyes never breaking away from Noah’s. “Help me get him up, Casey.” Casey obliged, moving around so that Noah could see him and would hopefully be less startled. Luke was still focused on Noah. “Noah? Can you walk?”
Noah nodded, but his face was turned towards the stairs and the door, fear quickly replacing the relief he had felt. “Are they… are they gone?”
Luke pulled his face back towards him. “Look at me. They’re gone. They’re not going to hurt you anymore. The cops have them, okay?”
Noah took a moment to process that. “You’re sure?” He was not going up those stairs until he was positive.
Luke reached down to take one of Noah’s hands in both of his. He wanted more than anything to kiss Noah right now, but he was actually afraid of what Noah’s reaction might be. Instead he squeezed Noah’s hand tightly. “I promise. Let’s go home, alright?”
Noah bit at his bruised lower lip, nodded weakly, and reached out both arms so Casey and Luke could help him up. He winced and stumbled as soon as he was standing, but the two guys supporting him kept him upright, pulling his arms over their shoulders and bracing him between them.
The steps seemed endless, and for a second Noah pulled back; he wasn’t sure he’d be able to climb what seemed like a hundred stairs. But Luke and Casey encouraged him forward and bit by bit, step by step, they made their way up and out of the basement.
Just as they were climbing up that last step into the shabby, dusty living room, the front door burst open. Two shadows stood in the doorway, their features blocked by the sunlight behind them. Out of instinct, Luke immediately went on the offensive, taking a step in front just as Casey protectively pulled Noah a step back. “Easy! We’re here to help,” one of the shadows called out.
Luke’s eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and he realized the shadows were paramedics, a man and a woman. Luke heaved a giant sigh of relief. “Oh thank God.” He started to turn back to his boyfriend, calling to them. “He’s right here.” Casey was still holding Noah upright, his own eyes closed in relief. Noah himself was just trying to stay awake, blinking at the harsh lights of the room after spending days in the darkness of that basement.
But the second the male paramedic stepped up close to examine him, Noah flinched violently away, hitting the wall behind him with force. “Noah!” Luke followed him, holding his elbow as Noah slid down the wall to huddle on the floor. He was breathing hard, shaking, hugging himself tightly. “Noah?” He didn’t answer.
Luke looked up uncertainly at the paramedic, not really sure what had just happened, but the man was studying Noah with a look of understanding. “Sarah,” the medic called his female partner over. She stepped up next to him, and he said quietly to her, “We might have a 27-2, maybe you should…”
The female medic’s eyes widened for just a second before her composure and training took over. She nodded and crouched down in front of Luke, Noah, and Casey. She smiled gently. “Hi, Noah. Everything’s okay now, we’re here to help you. Do you understand?” Noah was still shaking, looking at her with wary eyes, but he nodded. “Okay. My name is Sarah. Will you let me check you out, see where you’re hurt?” Noah swallowed hard, looking back and forth between her and the man standing behind her, and then finally nodded again.
Sarah slowly reached forward, pulling Noah’s arms away from where they were clasped around his middle. He seemed okay, if a little out of it, until she reached out to unzip the sweatshirt. She had barely pulled the zipper down an inch when he cried out faintly, shoving her hands away from him.
Luke and Casey both looked panicked, but Sarah kept calm, holding her hands out in front of her where Noah could see them. “It’s still me, honey. I just need to check your ribs, okay? Look at me Noah, look at me.” Noah calmed, focused on her again, nodding. She kept eye contact with him. “No one’s here to hurt you.” Noah stared at her for a moment longer, and Sarah was struck by the barely-there control she saw in the deep blue eyes in front of her. She could actually see him thinking this over, processing it.
When he nodded again she unzipped the front of the sweatshirt halfway, but then stopped when she noticed the makeshift bandages on his wrists. Rather than unwind those bandages now- that could wait until the hospital- she rolled the sleeves up slightly. Sarah frowned at the gashes marring the skin of his forearms before turning her attention again to the rest of him. Luke and Casey eased aside a little, giving her room. The male paramedic pulled out his radio and went back outside the cabin, talking quietly into it.
“Noah?” Sarah brought his focus back to her again. “Does your stomach hurt? Your ribs?” she ran her hands gently but firmly across his bruised torso, checking for injuries. Part of Luke expected Noah to respond with his usual ‘I’m fine,’ so when he simply nodded to her question, Luke couldn’t help but suck in a breath sharply.
Sarah felt along his ribs, making note of where Noah winced. A few bruised, one or two might be cracked or broken. She scanned for any other bone injuries, but only found one shoulder to be swollen at the joint, like it had been dislocated and set again. She wanted to shake her head sadly, but knew that Noah was still watching her.
The bruises and cuts on his chest, shoulders, and back were painful looking but not life-threatening, so Sarah knew it was time to wrap up and get him to the hospital. Noah’s eyelids were starting to waver open and closed, and she figured the poor kid had to be way past exhausted at this point.
“Alright, I think it’s time to get out of here,” she suggested, startling him out of his daze again. He didn’t answer, but Sarah honestly wasn’t expecting him to. She turned to the worried boys on either side of him. “Can you guys help me get him onto the stretcher?”
“Should we touch him?” Casey asked, scared of causing Noah to freak out again. “I mean, he- he…” Casey wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to say.
Sarah shook her head, smiling encouragingly at all three of them. “I think he trusts you two.”
Luke had his hand on Noah’s shoulder again. “But when we get outside…”
Sarah knew what he was going to say. “I promise, no one touches him except for us, until we get to the hospital.”
Luke nodded, relieved. He turned back to Noah, tracing the side of his face with a hand briefly, before carefully zipping the sweatshirt back up. His hand lingered on the shirt for a moment, but he didn’t want to risk much more contact. It was killing him not to be able to grab his boyfriend and pull him into his arms as tightly as possible.
Sarah put a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “I’m going to go get the stretcher, I don’t want him moving around too much with those rib injuries.”
“Okay,” Luke wasn’t looking at her, barely paying attention. Noah was blinking heavily, obviously trying very hard to stay awake and aware. He looked to Luke miserably, his eyes talking even before he opened his mouth. “Don’t, Noah,” Luke knew what he was about to say. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” A tear trailed down Noah’s cheek, and Luke wiped it away tenderly, just as Sarah reappeared with the stretcher. “We’re going to help you get on this thing, okay?” he asked quietly, so only Noah could hear.
Noah looked at it with trepidation and reluctance. “Do I have to-”
“Yes,” Luke and Casey said immediately. Sarah couldn’t help but smile at them, but she nodded as well. She held it steady as Luke and Casey gingerly pulled Noah up and onto the stretcher, steadying on either side of him. She kept the upper half slightly elevated to take pressure off of his ribs, and so he wouldn’t feel completely vulnerable lying stretched out on it.
As soon as Noah was settled, he reached out for Luke, who was already taking his hand. “I’m here, I’m here,” Luke said, leaning close to him. Noah nodded and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to relax. He was confused and in pain and completely freaked out; he didn’t feel safe, he didn’t feel rescued. Unbeknownst to him, Sarah was getting ready to strap him in while both Luke and Casey shook their heads frantically, Casey even going so far as to pull the straps out of her hand. “Please?” Luke tried to beg as casually as possible.
Sarah looked at them, at Noah with his bruises shaped like handprints, and acquiesced. “Luke?” Noah asked, not bothering to open his eyes. His voice shook, worried and weak. Something was wrong. Hell, who was he kidding? Everything was wrong.
Luke squeezed his hand. “I’m here. It’s okay, we’re going to get you out of here now.” With Noah’s eyes closed, Luke was hesitant to really touch him, startle him. So instead, he talked. He kept his mouth close to Noah’s ear, whispering to him the entire time they wheeled him out of the living room, out of the cabin, off the wooden porch and to the back of the waiting ambulance.
“Oh, thank God!” Jack and Margo were waiting there, Jack moving forward to meet them, relieved. He threw an arm around Luke’s shoulders, giving him a one-armed hug, while his other hand helped pull the stretcher along. He studied Noah critically, looked to the paramedic as though he was about to ask something, then changed his mind and kept quiet, for which Luke was grateful.
They all helped load the stretcher into the back of the ambulance, and while Sarah got Noah situated, Luke pulled Jack to the side. “I already called Holden,” Jack told him first, hand on Luke’s arm. “They’re going to meet you at the hospital.” He looked back at the ambulance. “I wish there was someone I could call for Noah…”
“He’s got us,” Luke insisted. Jack had to smile and nod at that.
“Yeah, I have a feeling the hospital will be overrun with Snyders today.”
Luke tried to smile back, but finally had to voice the question that had been in the back of his mind since the paramedics had arrived at the cabin, something he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to. “What’s a 27-2?”
Jack’s smile completely vanished. “What?”
Luke almost wished he hadn’t asked. “The paramedic said something about a 27-2 when they looked at Noah. I know you know what it means. I want you to tell me.”
Jack couldn’t quite meet Luke’s eyes. “Luke, I don’t-”
“Tell me,” he demanded. “I need to know so I can…” he trailed off, hoping Jack would understand.
Jack did. He schooled his features, then met Luke’s gaze. “27-2, it’s a possible sexual assault.” Even though Luke had kind of expected that, he still felt as though the ground was dropping out from under him. God no, please not Noah. It wasn’t fair. How could someone possibly come back from that? How could Noah ever be the same again? It took him a second to realize Jack was speaking again. “Hey, Luke, we don’t know anything for sure. Only thing you should worry about right now is being there for him, starting with the ride to the hospital.”
Luke shook himself back to reality, as Jack smiled comfortingly, giving him a gentle shove towards the ambulance. Sarah was waiting for him inside. “Luke, are you coming?” She had a hand on Noah’s arm, either comforting him or taking his pulse, Luke wasn’t sure. Noah’s eyes were still closed, but a frown was starting to play across his face, pain and exhaustion sinking in.
Luke rushed forward, suddenly wanting- needing- to be near him. He passed by Casey, who was standing at the door of the ambulance. His friend’s face was somber, worried. “Casey,” Luke began, ready to thank him for everything he’d done that day, the past few days.
Casey waved a hand, cutting him off. “Go on, I’ll follow you there in my car.” He nodded to Luke, looking a little more steady and confident. “Nothing to thank me for, Luke. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant he’d be alright.”
Luke had to smile at that before quickly climbing into the back of the ambulance, taking a seat beside Noah. The last thing Casey saw before the ambulance pulled away was Noah opening his eyes and turning his face towards Luke, just as Luke brushed the hair back from Noah’s forehead.
The second they were out of sight, Casey deflated. The entire situation, everything that had just happened, hit him at once and he had to fight not to dissolve into a mess of tears. “Honey, you alright?” Margo was next to him, looking at him worriedly.
“I’m not Noah, so I’m doing pretty good considering,” he mumbled, glancing around at everything except his mother.
She put a hand against his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “He’s going to be okay. Noah’s strong, he’ll get through this.” She smiled lovingly at him. “And he’s got some pretty amazing people around him to help. You did a good job today.”
“Yeah?” he asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” she echoed. “While I would’ve preferred it if you and Luke hadn’t been here at all, it was lucky you were. You did the right thing waiting for us. And you were the ones who found Noah. I’m really proud of you, Casey.” Casey stared at her for a moment, then threw his arms around her. Margo hugged him tightly. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered. “Now go ahead, I’ll meet you at the hospital later.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Noah had given in to his exhaustion on the way to the hospital and was either asleep or unconscious by the time they arrived. Sarah assured Luke that it was a good thing, Noah needed the rest, but Luke hated that he couldn’t get Noah to wake up. Though he guessed he should be comforted by that- of the two of them, Noah was always the slower and more reluctant to wake up. But try as he might, Luke couldn’t convince himself that this was just any afternoon nap. The numbers “27-2” kept springing to mind, punching him in the gut.
“Okay Luke, do you want to give me a hand?” Sarah asked. She had really been amazing since taking over Noah’s ‘rescue’ as it were. Luke made a mental note to have the foundation buy her a new car. Or house. Or private jet with a complimentary tropical island, whatever she wanted. He nodded to her, helping to push Noah’s gurney out of the ambulance.
Sarah and her partner moved the stretcher along through the ambulance bay and into the ER. Luke kept pace along side them, holding Noah’s hand in both of his. He heard someone curse harshly somewhere behind his right shoulder, and he turned to see his dad there walking beside him. Holden was looking at Noah, a mixture of sadness and outrage crossing his face before he turned to look at Luke. Luke had no idea what his own face looked like, but judging by his dad’s reaction, it wasn’t anything good.
Holden just gazed at him sorrowfully, but a gasp from the other side of the gurney caused both of them to look over in that direction. Lily had one hand on the rail of the stretcher and the other on Noah’s arm. Jade, eyes wide, walked behind her speechless. Tears were falling unobstructed from Lily’s eyes as she looked back and forth between Noah’s bruised and unresponsive face and Luke’s miserable, grieving one.
Suddenly, there were doctors and nurses surrounding them, focused on Noah and forcing the Snyders to step back. Luke initially tried to fight to stay where he was, but Holden clasped his shoulders, steered him back a few feet. Luke shook his head at Holden. “No, you don’t understand, they can’t-”
“Luke,” and then Sarah was there next to him. “The doctors know. My partner radioed ahead.” His parents looked at him, confused, but Sarah just nodded at him calmly. Luke found himself trying to get to Noah again, but Sarah stopped him. “You have to let the doctors take care of Noah now,” was all she said, holding his shoulders firmly.
Luke looked past her at the gurney being rolled away from him, recognizing Alison’s mom as one of the doctors. The second Noah was out of his sight, Luke sagged backwards against the wall, his parents on either side of him. It was like Noah was gone all over again, and Luke couldn’t do anything to help him.
Time must have passed, because all of a sudden Luke blinked and he was no longer standing in the hallway of the ER. He was sitting in an annoyingly uncomfortable chair in a waiting room, Holden on one side and Lily on the other. There was a cup of coffee in his hands. Casey and Jade were sitting across from him, Jade opening and closing her cell phone idly, Casey hunched over, his head in his hands. Luke blinked again, cautiously took a sip of the coffee.
At his movement, Lily turned to him with concerned, loving eyes. “Honey?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head. “Where’s Noah?”
She rubbed her hand along his back. “The doctors are still with him, I’m sure they’ll come talk to us as soon as they can.”
“Sarah?” he asked, looking around.
“The paramedic?” Lily guessed. At Luke’s nod, “She had to go on another call. She said she’s stop by later if she could.” Luke fell silent again, taking another small sip of his coffee. Lily felt she had to keep talking. “Noah’s going to be fine, Luke. He-”
“No Mom, he’s not,” Luke interrupted her. “You don’t know what happened to him…”
“Whatever happened to him, he’ll get better,” Holden spoke up from the other side of him. “Noah’s strong, he’s going to be okay.”
Luke could only shake his head, looking over to Casey. The other young man returned his gaze, conflicted for just a moment before his expression cleared. “He’ll get better, Luke,” Casey said quietly, determinedly. He alone- besides Luke- had seen what Noah had been reduced to in that cabin. Casey was admittedly freaked out to see the usually level-headed, grounded Noah so panicked and out of it, but he had to believe- he needed Luke to believe- that he could recover.
“Luke?” a new voice called out across the room. All five heads snapped up as one. Susan was standing in the doorway, a clipboard in her hands and a weary expression on her face.
Luke was up on his feet in an instant, Lily and Holden right next to him, moving to meet her. Casey and Jade stayed a few feet away, just out of earshot. “How is he?” Luke asked desperately, fearfully. He had to know, no matter how bad.
Susan remained calm, her face giving nothing away. “We’ll be keeping him here for awhile,” she began. “He’s got a nasty concussion, two cracked ribs, another couple are bruised. His shoulder was dislocated and will need to be immobilized for a little while. His arms and legs are scraped up pretty badly, and he’s got enough bruises to make him more than a little sore.”
“Is that it?” Lily asked, overwhelmed by the list of injuries.
Susan sighed. Of course it wasn’t. Thank you again, universe. “Noah’s got the beginnings of pneumonia, his lungs are pretty weak right now. And his immune system has been compromised because it looks like he hasn’t really eaten in a few days. We have him on an I.V. to make up for the nutrients he’s lost, and some antibiotics to fight off infections.”
“But he’s going to be okay eventually, right?” Holden asked, an arm going around Luke’s shoulders. Luke barely noticed. He locked eyes with Susan, waiting.
She hesitated ever-so-slightly before nodding. “Physically, yes. A few days of rest and treatment, and he should be just fine.”
“Okay, what are you not saying?” Lily demanded, looking back and forth between Susan and her son.
Luke clenched his jaw. “The paramedics said he might be a 27-2. Is he?”
“What’s a 27-2?” Holden asked, eyes narrowing in apprehension.
She took a deep breath. “27-2 is the EMS code for possible sexual assault.” Luke heard Lily gasp, felt Holden’s arm tense around him.
Luke inwardly steeled himself, pressed on. He didn’t want to know, but he had to. “And?”
Susan’s apologetic expression answered him before she could even open her mouth. “We believe Noah was a victim of some sexual abuse.”
Hearing it officially, out loud, just made it ten times worse. Luke stumbled back, Holden’s arm the only thing keeping him upright. He had wondered, suspected, since finding Noah in that basement- really since Brett had taunted them at the station- but it had never been so blatantly stated. He wasn’t sure if he could ever accept it. God, what had Noah gone through? His hand went to his mouth, trying to hold in a scream. He was only vaguely aware of the people with him, of Holden’s arms going around him for some sort of comfort.
Lily was silently crying again, but she remained calm, standing her ground in front of Susan. “He was raped?” she asked quietly, her voice unable to rise to normal volume.
Susan held up a hand. “I didn’t say that. There are different forms of sexual abuse, and while Noah’s bruising and injuries suggest he was… assaulted at some level, I don’t believe rape is what actually occurred.”
That brought Luke out of his fog. “Really?” he moved back close to Susan, anxious.
“Like I said, we don’t believe so. But, hospital regulation means we have to perform an exam, use a rape kit, with the patient’s consent. That’s why I’m here now.” She held up the clipboard.
“Why are you telling us?” Holden asked.
“Because he won’t give his consent,” Luke guessed.
Susan shook her head. “Actually, he can’t give consent right now. He’s still unconscious and shouldn’t wake up for awhile. It’s up to his next of kin to provide permission.”
“Noah doesn’t have anyone,” Luke pointed out quietly, his heart breaking just a little bit more. Well, his dad was alive again, but Luke didn’t think that counted, and he’d be damned if he let the Colonel make any decisions concerning Noah.
“Actually, his latest medical records and proxy have you listed as his next of kin, Luke,” Susan replied, smiling a little at the shocked look on Luke’s face.
“They do?” Luke felt tears start to collect at the corners of his eyes. Noah had never said anything. Of course. It was always actions, not words, with him. He could kiss and kill that guy in equal measure sometimes. Luke couldn’t help but smile fondly. God, he loved him.
“So if you give your consent, I need you to sign this for me, and we’ll go ahead with the exam,” Susan held the clipboard toward him. Luke reached for the pen and was about to sign his name when he hesitated, wondering how shy, reserved Noah would react to being examined like this. Hadn’t he been through enough?
“Luke,” Holden spoke quietly next to him, sensing his trouble. “Whether Noah would feel comfortable with it or not, you should do what’s best for him. He trusts you to do that, or he wouldn’t have put your name on his records.” Luke took a deep breath, nodded, and signed his name to the consent form. Next of kin. He was Noah’s next of kin in an emergency. He hoped to God he never had to be a next of kin ever again.
Susan gave him a comforting smile, already turning to get back to her patient. “Another hour or so, and you’ll be able to see him, okay?”
“Okay, thanks,” he tried to contemplate having to wait a whole hour more. He wondered if pulling his own teeth out one by one with a pair of pliers would be enough of a distraction in that time. Probably not.
Susan had taken a few steps back to Noah’s room when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see Casey looking at her somewhat timidly. “I tried to call Ali, left a message. Do you know where she is?”
She nodded, taking in Casey’s subdued, pale appearance. “She’s on duty up on the third floor. I’ll let her know about Noah, get someone to cover her shift. You look like you need her down here,” she said quietly so the others wouldn’t here.
Casey looked down, nodding. “Yeah, I think I do.” They shared an understanding smile, and then Susan headed out again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
An hour had come and gone, and Luke was still in the waiting room. Right now, he didn’t care about the results of Noah’s latest tests, he didn’t care about what the cops were doing with Colonel Mayer and his men, he didn’t care that the number of people waiting with him had doubled. He didn’t care what Noah had gone through, what Noah looked like right now, what he himself looked like. He just needed to see him.
“Luke, maybe-” Lily tried to grab his arm as his pacing took him past her again.
“Mom, I swear to God if you say I should sit down and relax one more time I will-”
“Luke,” Holden was next to her. “If you don’t take a breath you’re going to end up a patient here too.”
“Good! At least then I’d be able to leave the waiting room!” he raised his voice at the end, directing it to whatever doctors and nurses were walking around the hallways. Shouldn’t it be part of their Hippocratic Oath to help him? He was suffering, damn it! And if anything else, he was certainly a medical wonder right now- most of his blood had to be made up of caffeine at this point.
“Hey, sugar, you can’t be this worked up when they let you in to see Noah,” Emma spoke up from somewhere behind him. She had arrived not long after Ali, who was now sitting with her arm threaded through Casey’s. The waiting was filling up steadily. Margo had already checked in and gone back to the station to participate in the questioning of Colonel Mayer and the others.
Holden was on the phone talking to Lucinda, who still had the kids. Faith had apparently threatened to hotwire a car if she wasn’t allowed to come to the hospital. Jade and Lily sat side by side, their shoulders resting against each other. Dusty and Jack were leaning against the wall on opposite sides of the room, gripping coffee cups tightly.
“Well if they’d let me see him I wouldn’t be worked up!” he was just this side of yelling, his voice rushed and breathless. No one in the room felt like they could argue with him.
“Luke…” But Lily decided she had to try again. She saw him take a deep breath, ready to battle some more.
“Excuse me,” Susan had miraculously appeared in the doorway.
“Oh, thank the Lord,” Luke made a beeline for her, Lily right next to him. The rest of the group stood, crowding behind them. “Well?” he asked anxiously, peering behind her as though Noah would be standing there ready to go home, asking if they can stop at Java on the way.
“Go around the corner, third room on the left, 220,” she told him.
Luke gave her what he hoped was a thankful smile as he hurried past her, leaving his parents to get Susan’s latest update. The run- and it was definitely a run- to Noah’s room felt like it was ten miles long, and the six hours or so it took for him to reach the door gave Luke’s brain a chance to think through all the things he would say to Noah when he saw him.
He skidded to a halt at the third door on the left and took a deep breath. His grandma was right; he had to calm down, couldn’t overwhelm Noah right away. As quickly and quietly as he could, Luke opened the door and slipped into the room.
And almost ran back out again.
There were no words to describe how Noah looked besides ‘awful.’ Luke had thought that since the medical staff had cleaned him up and dressed his wounds he would look better than he had in the cabin, but in some ways he just looked worse. Luke had never seen his six-foot-one boyfriend look so small, lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines that beeped and whirred and filled the otherwise silent room with noise.
Luke forced himself to take a few steps closer, studying his boyfriend bit by bit from his legs and torso covered by a hospital-issued blanket up to his arms, one connected to an I.V. pole next to the bed and the other wrapped up to his shoulder and bound tightly against his body. His wrists and arms were taped up and littered with small bandages and bruises.
And then his face. Noah’s face- mottled with bruises of every size and color, small cuts and gashes, and dark shadows under his eyes- was so very still.
Luke took a few more steps, finally coming up next to the bed. “Hey, Noah,” he whispered, reaching out to graze his fingers along Noah’s free hand. The only answer was the beeping and whirring around him. “It’s, uh, Luke,” he exhaled with a little laugh. Like he doesn’t know who you are. “Anyway,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “we’re all here, waiting for you to get better. So you have to, okay? No compromises on this. You have to wake up and get better.”
He swallowed hard, searching for the right words. God, he hadn’t been this awkward around Noah since they had first gotten together! “I’m going to be right here, so you don’t have to worry about anything.” As if to illustrate his point, Luke grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up close to the bed, wedging himself next to the I.V. pole. He eyed it nervously for a second before decidedly ignoring it. “I’m right here,” he said again, lifting up Noah’s hand in both of his, holding it, kissing it softly.
The door opened behind him, but Luke didn’t turn to see who it was. He kept his eyes on Noah’s face, not wanting to miss him possibly waking up. But he couldn’t help but look up when a hand touched his shoulder tentatively. “Hi baby,” Lily said quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence in the room.
Luke quickly wiped away the tear that had been threatening to fall since he had sat down. “What did Dr. Stewart say?”
“He’s going to be okay eventually. It may be awhile before he’s awake and aware, but he will get there,” Lily said firmly. “The doctors think he got pushed beyond exhaustion, and he hadn’t eaten in a few days…” she faltered for a second before continuing. “They also gave him a mix of medication that’ll have him knocked out for some time, which is good. He needs the rest, right?” she prompted him to agree.
Luke just nodded, eyes back to studying every inch of Noah’s face. Lily sighed, turning to really study Noah for herself. The bruises and cuts covering him tore at her heart, the ordeal he must have gone through. For her own sanity, Lily had to ignore the welts and marks on his neck and collarbone that had been made by… no, she couldn’t think about that right now.
Instead, she moved around to stand on the other side of Noah’s bed, gently laying her hand on his forehead, brushing the hair away. “Hi sweetie,” she whispered. She heard Luke sniff from the other side of the bed but pretended not to notice. “You’re safe now, Noah. You just concentrate on getting better, okay?” She leaned down and lightly kissed his cheek, then turned back to her son. “The exam came back negative for…” Lily couldn’t finish the sentence, but hoped Luke knew what she meant.
He did. He deflated with a bone-deep sigh, resting his forehead and his and Noah’s clasped hands. “Thank God,” he murmured. He kissed the hand again, staring into his boyfriend’s face. Come on Noah! If this was one of your movies the patient totally would have woken up by now. Why can’t you be like Sleeping Beauty? I’ll kiss you again if I have to, as many times as it takes!
“Luke…” Lily’s voice, very gently, brought him back to her. He readied himself, knowing this wouldn’t be good news. “He may not have been raped,” Lily hesitated a bit on the word. Saying it out loud in front of Luke, in front of Noah, left a bad taste in her mouth. “But he was hurt by that man. Assaulted. Susan said there was bruising-”
Luke cut her off with a quick shake of his head. “Look at him, Mom. I know something happened. You should have heard him on the phone, and when we found him in the basement… he was terrified. I’ve never heard him scared like that before.” He stopped, getting himself back under control. Lily made her way around the bed to her son and wrapped an arm around him. She wanted to pull him up into a hug but knew better than to try and separate his hand from Noah’s.
They were silent for a few minutes, just watching Noah breathe in and out, occasionally wincing when his lungs seemed to crackle on the inhale. Luke had almost forgotten about the pneumonia. It explained how Noah’s hands could be so cold and yet his face so flushed with fever, glistening with sweat. Noah had to be so uncomfortable right now.
He pulled down on the sleeve of his sweatshirt, used it to dab at Noah’s forehead, telling himself not to get upset when there was no reaction to the touch. Noah was on a lot of meds, he needed the rest, he needed to heal. Luke’s brain understood that, but he still couldn’t help but silently beg for Noah to open his eyes and show he was okay.
And maybe finally- finally- the universe decided to be nice to him. Because just as he pulled his arm back and went to hold Noah’s hand again, he heard his mom gasp softly, her own hands tightening on his shoulders. Noah’s eyes were open.
Luke wanted to shout, to cry, to give a very happy victory dance, but he kept his cool. Noah didn’t acknowledge them, didn’t really even move except to scan the room back and forth with scarily-blank eyes, trying to figure out where he was. His breaths quickened, and Luke could feel him shaking again.
“Hey, hey, Noah…” he gently squeezed his hand, speaking softly. Neither he nor Lily made any sudden movements towards the bed. Noah was feverish, probably disoriented, and there was a good possibility that he didn’t remember everything that had happened. Luke slid his chair even closer so he was in Noah’s line of sight. “Hey. You’re okay. It’s okay.” He kept up a steady stream of quiet words, waiting for Noah to focus on him. To realize he was safe.
Very very slowly, Noah’s breathing calmed, and he stared heavy-lidded into Luke’s eyes. Just looking. He made no move to talk, and Luke didn’t try to make him. After a bit, Noah’s eyes started to flutter closed and open again, but he kept his gaze on Luke as though steadying himself. Luke cautiously moved one hand up to Noah’s hair. One of the nurses must have washed it when they were treating him. He let his fingers trail through it tenderly.
He purposefully didn’t allow himself to get upset when Noah flinched at the initial contact. He didn’t care. He didn’t care that Noah wasn’t talking. He didn’t care that for the first time in at least a year, he couldn’t read the emotions- or lack thereof- in Noah’s eyes. He didn’t care that he could see teeth marks at the base of Noah’s neck.
What mattered was that Noah was finally safe and could (would) get better. He kept his eyes locked with Noah’s, running his hand through his hair until Noah’s eyes slowly closed and he slipped away again. And even with his mother right there gripping his shoulder tightly, Luke couldn’t help but feel very, very alone.
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: The doctors and Snyders worry about Noah's fever, the interrogation of Colonel Mayer goes nowhere, a conversation with Noah leaves Luke devastated...
Chapter: 7/15
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 13-ish to R now, it gets a little dark here - violence, abuse and non-con moments (not graphic)
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: Luke and Casey continue the search, the Snyders gather to hear news about Noah.
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 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6
“What do you mean, ‘Noah isn’t here?’” This had to be the cruelest cosmic joke ever played on anyone. Ever. Luke wanted to punch the universe in the face. “Where the hell is he?”
Margo shook her head, eyes a little bright. “We’re looking, Luke. I promise that we’re looking.”
“He said he was in the basement!” Casey exclaimed, staring hard at his mother.
She tried not to sigh and fought against putting her hand on Casey’s shoulder, afraid he would just shrug it off. “I know, but he wasn’t in there. We’ve got the rest of the officers and agents looking for him, okay? We’ll find him.”
We’ll find him. How many times had that been said in the last few days? It was Luke’s least favorite sentence. “He- he told me he’d tried to get away from them before. He almost got free. Do you think maybe he escaped again?” Luke ventured. “Maybe he’s in the woods somewhere…” he trailed off. God, why couldn’t this nightmare just be over?
Margo nodded in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. “We’ve got people looking for tracks and evidence of that. And they’re searching the van and the other cabins for clues. Trust us, Luke.” She wanted to say more, but was called away by another cop.
Luke might have nodded in response as she left, he just wasn’t sure. He approached the back window where they had first gone to eavesdrop on the Colonel. Casey was, as ever, right next to him, saying nothing and constantly glancing around as though he’d find the X marking the spot where Noah was hidden. Luke was looking in the window, at the ugly and rust-stained kitchen again, going over the conversation they had overheard. “Casey.”
“Yeah?” Casey whipped his head around to look at a suddenly calm and focused Luke. Part of him got worried, but the other part started to fill with hope. Did Luke see something?
“Remember when the one guy said he hadn’t signed up for ‘that,’ and he pointed behind him?” Luke’s brown eyes were laser-focused on the kitchen counter where Tim Kelley had been standing.
“Yeah…” Casey had no idea where this was going, but of course he was going along for the ride.
“He pointed behind him. I thought he was pointing to the room leading to the basement, but what if…” Luke repositioned himself a little, as though lining up his sight with something. “What if he was pointing at something else?”
“Like what?” Casey looked at him quizzically before coming to stand right next to him, trying to get in the same eyeline… There it was. Through another window on the opposite side of the room, one of the other abandoned cabins was almost perfectly framed. “The other cabins,” Casey murmured, turning back to look at his friend with wide eyes.
Luke had that determined expression again, the one he had had during most of that insane drug bust fiasco earlier this year. Casey was more than a little comforted to see it now; it meant Crime-Fighter Luke was back in business. “All Noah said on the phone was that he was in a basement in a cabin.”
Hope and adrenaline started pumping through Casey’s bloodstream in equal measure. “He didn’t say which one.” He shoved Luke in the direction of the other cabin, hurriedly following in his wake. He heard his mother calling his name from somewhere nearby, but Casey had to ignore her for now. Something was telling him to search that cabin, and to do it fast. He noted on the way in that the dirt on the porch had been disturbed recently, and he felt the hope in him rise.
Luke came to a screeching halt in the living room, Casey almost crashing into his back. “Where’s the door?” Luke asked himself, asked Casey, asked the evil universe that continued to conspire against him.
Casey was wondering the same thing. There was nothing, nothing to indicate a basement of any kind. They just couldn’t catch a damn break! He pounded a fist onto the large table in the center of the room. And that’s when he saw it. “Luke!”
Luke had been in the middle of a mental freak-out of his own. He couldn’t even summon Fake-Noah anymore, and that scared him. Noah couldn’t really be gone, Luke wouldn’t allow it. He looked over to Casey and followed his gaze down to the floor. A corner of the large rug was flipped up carelessly. There, just barely revealed, was the edge of a panel. A door to a storm cellar. The basement. “He’s here,” Luke breathed out.
Casey let out a breath of his own, just for a second, and then sprang into action. He ran to the still-open front door and yelled for his mother before sprinting back to help Luke shove the table and rug away. Luke tried to ignore the sickening feeling that told him it was like Noah had been buried alive. ‘As long as he’s alive,’ he reminded himself.
He and Casey both fumbled for the handle in their haste and excitement, finally pulling it up and revealing the stairs that traveled down into near-darkness. They held their breath, listening for something to tell them their idea and their search hadn’t been in vain. There was the tiniest, softest of sounds coming from the darkness, and Luke couldn’t give it a second thought. He scrambled down the steps, hearing Casey following just behind.
Luke was pretty sure he stopped breathing for a few minutes once they reached the bottom of the stairs. It took far too long to process the image that greeted him and Casey. There was just no way the shivering, cowering person chained to the floor in front of him was Noah, his Noah. Casey made a pained, choking sound when he spotted his friend. He seemed rooted to the spot, while Luke snapped out of his daze and rushed forward.
“Oh God!” he cried out, terrified. He skidded to a stop in front of his boyfriend, dropping to his knees and reaching for the chains. “Noah?!” There was no answer. Casey was next to him now, helping him unwind the bindings. Luke forced himself not to look at Noah’s arms, the dozens of small cuts and gashes from when he had obviously struggled to get free. The fact that both of his wrists were taped up was something Luke didn’t want to think about. He also didn’t want to think about the fact that Noah had yet to acknowledge them. That he was freezing cold, shaking, his hair slightly damp. That he was shirtless, covered in dirt and bruises and blood and…
“Noah?” he said again, gently. He put his hands on either side of Noah’s face, frowning when he felt Noah flinch at being touched. Casey moved to untie Noah’s feet, leaving Luke room to get closer, so close he could see Noah’s eyes moving under closed lids. He was mumbling under his breath, and Luke had to lean in even further so he could hear.
“Go away go away go away…”
Luke sucked in a breath, halfway hoping he’d never find out what had Noah so scared. He shook himself out of these thoughts, though. He had to snap Noah back into reality. “No, Noah, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s me, Noah, it’s Luke,” he kept talking softly, hands gentle but steady against Noah’s face. His thumb rubbed lightly over Noah’s bruised and grimy cheek. “It’s Luke,” he repeated it over and over again, praying Noah would hear him, come back to him.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, Noah opened his eyes. He was looking right at Luke, but it was pretty obvious he wasn’t seeing him. Luke said his name again, and this time Noah blinked, startled. His eyes, the most beautiful blue eyes Luke had ever seen, glanced wildly around for a second before zeroing in on Luke. He gasped in and out a few times, shaking his head. “L-luke?” He didn’t seem to believe that the other boy was actually there. Luke tried to smile, and Noah shook his head again. “Luke? You’re here?”
Luke’s smile melted into something more genuine then. “Of course. I told you I would find you, didn’t I?” Noah’s head rolled back on his shoulders in absolute relief. “Hey, hey, it’s okay now,” Luke tried to soothe him, but Noah’s slight shaking became more severe. Shock was probably setting in. Luke sighed, dropping a quick kiss onto Noah’s forehead, ignoring the flinch Noah couldn’t hide. “We’re going to get you out of here, but you have to help us. Can you do that?”
Luke felt a little silly, he sounded like he was talking to a little kid, to Ethan or someone. But it was apparent that it was all Noah could handle right now. He was responding more to tone of voice than the actual words, Luke could tell. A few days locked up with those psychos had left Noah with more than physical scars.
“Here,” came another quiet voice. Casey moved closer, shrugging off his sweatshirt and draping it around Noah’s bare shoulders. He eyed the marks crisscrossing Noah’s skin, but he knew now was one of those times when he should definitely keep his mouth shut, as hard as that usually was for him. He helped Luke ease Noah’s arms through the sleeves one at a time, again keeping his mouth shut when Noah tensed at the contact, and then leaned back as Luke carefully zipped up the hoodie. “We should get out of here, dude. He needs a hospital, like, yesterday.”
Luke nodded, his eyes never breaking away from Noah’s. “Help me get him up, Casey.” Casey obliged, moving around so that Noah could see him and would hopefully be less startled. Luke was still focused on Noah. “Noah? Can you walk?”
Noah nodded, but his face was turned towards the stairs and the door, fear quickly replacing the relief he had felt. “Are they… are they gone?”
Luke pulled his face back towards him. “Look at me. They’re gone. They’re not going to hurt you anymore. The cops have them, okay?”
Noah took a moment to process that. “You’re sure?” He was not going up those stairs until he was positive.
Luke reached down to take one of Noah’s hands in both of his. He wanted more than anything to kiss Noah right now, but he was actually afraid of what Noah’s reaction might be. Instead he squeezed Noah’s hand tightly. “I promise. Let’s go home, alright?”
Noah bit at his bruised lower lip, nodded weakly, and reached out both arms so Casey and Luke could help him up. He winced and stumbled as soon as he was standing, but the two guys supporting him kept him upright, pulling his arms over their shoulders and bracing him between them.
The steps seemed endless, and for a second Noah pulled back; he wasn’t sure he’d be able to climb what seemed like a hundred stairs. But Luke and Casey encouraged him forward and bit by bit, step by step, they made their way up and out of the basement.
Just as they were climbing up that last step into the shabby, dusty living room, the front door burst open. Two shadows stood in the doorway, their features blocked by the sunlight behind them. Out of instinct, Luke immediately went on the offensive, taking a step in front just as Casey protectively pulled Noah a step back. “Easy! We’re here to help,” one of the shadows called out.
Luke’s eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and he realized the shadows were paramedics, a man and a woman. Luke heaved a giant sigh of relief. “Oh thank God.” He started to turn back to his boyfriend, calling to them. “He’s right here.” Casey was still holding Noah upright, his own eyes closed in relief. Noah himself was just trying to stay awake, blinking at the harsh lights of the room after spending days in the darkness of that basement.
But the second the male paramedic stepped up close to examine him, Noah flinched violently away, hitting the wall behind him with force. “Noah!” Luke followed him, holding his elbow as Noah slid down the wall to huddle on the floor. He was breathing hard, shaking, hugging himself tightly. “Noah?” He didn’t answer.
Luke looked up uncertainly at the paramedic, not really sure what had just happened, but the man was studying Noah with a look of understanding. “Sarah,” the medic called his female partner over. She stepped up next to him, and he said quietly to her, “We might have a 27-2, maybe you should…”
The female medic’s eyes widened for just a second before her composure and training took over. She nodded and crouched down in front of Luke, Noah, and Casey. She smiled gently. “Hi, Noah. Everything’s okay now, we’re here to help you. Do you understand?” Noah was still shaking, looking at her with wary eyes, but he nodded. “Okay. My name is Sarah. Will you let me check you out, see where you’re hurt?” Noah swallowed hard, looking back and forth between her and the man standing behind her, and then finally nodded again.
Sarah slowly reached forward, pulling Noah’s arms away from where they were clasped around his middle. He seemed okay, if a little out of it, until she reached out to unzip the sweatshirt. She had barely pulled the zipper down an inch when he cried out faintly, shoving her hands away from him.
Luke and Casey both looked panicked, but Sarah kept calm, holding her hands out in front of her where Noah could see them. “It’s still me, honey. I just need to check your ribs, okay? Look at me Noah, look at me.” Noah calmed, focused on her again, nodding. She kept eye contact with him. “No one’s here to hurt you.” Noah stared at her for a moment longer, and Sarah was struck by the barely-there control she saw in the deep blue eyes in front of her. She could actually see him thinking this over, processing it.
When he nodded again she unzipped the front of the sweatshirt halfway, but then stopped when she noticed the makeshift bandages on his wrists. Rather than unwind those bandages now- that could wait until the hospital- she rolled the sleeves up slightly. Sarah frowned at the gashes marring the skin of his forearms before turning her attention again to the rest of him. Luke and Casey eased aside a little, giving her room. The male paramedic pulled out his radio and went back outside the cabin, talking quietly into it.
“Noah?” Sarah brought his focus back to her again. “Does your stomach hurt? Your ribs?” she ran her hands gently but firmly across his bruised torso, checking for injuries. Part of Luke expected Noah to respond with his usual ‘I’m fine,’ so when he simply nodded to her question, Luke couldn’t help but suck in a breath sharply.
Sarah felt along his ribs, making note of where Noah winced. A few bruised, one or two might be cracked or broken. She scanned for any other bone injuries, but only found one shoulder to be swollen at the joint, like it had been dislocated and set again. She wanted to shake her head sadly, but knew that Noah was still watching her.
The bruises and cuts on his chest, shoulders, and back were painful looking but not life-threatening, so Sarah knew it was time to wrap up and get him to the hospital. Noah’s eyelids were starting to waver open and closed, and she figured the poor kid had to be way past exhausted at this point.
“Alright, I think it’s time to get out of here,” she suggested, startling him out of his daze again. He didn’t answer, but Sarah honestly wasn’t expecting him to. She turned to the worried boys on either side of him. “Can you guys help me get him onto the stretcher?”
“Should we touch him?” Casey asked, scared of causing Noah to freak out again. “I mean, he- he…” Casey wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to say.
Sarah shook her head, smiling encouragingly at all three of them. “I think he trusts you two.”
Luke had his hand on Noah’s shoulder again. “But when we get outside…”
Sarah knew what he was going to say. “I promise, no one touches him except for us, until we get to the hospital.”
Luke nodded, relieved. He turned back to Noah, tracing the side of his face with a hand briefly, before carefully zipping the sweatshirt back up. His hand lingered on the shirt for a moment, but he didn’t want to risk much more contact. It was killing him not to be able to grab his boyfriend and pull him into his arms as tightly as possible.
Sarah put a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “I’m going to go get the stretcher, I don’t want him moving around too much with those rib injuries.”
“Okay,” Luke wasn’t looking at her, barely paying attention. Noah was blinking heavily, obviously trying very hard to stay awake and aware. He looked to Luke miserably, his eyes talking even before he opened his mouth. “Don’t, Noah,” Luke knew what he was about to say. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” A tear trailed down Noah’s cheek, and Luke wiped it away tenderly, just as Sarah reappeared with the stretcher. “We’re going to help you get on this thing, okay?” he asked quietly, so only Noah could hear.
Noah looked at it with trepidation and reluctance. “Do I have to-”
“Yes,” Luke and Casey said immediately. Sarah couldn’t help but smile at them, but she nodded as well. She held it steady as Luke and Casey gingerly pulled Noah up and onto the stretcher, steadying on either side of him. She kept the upper half slightly elevated to take pressure off of his ribs, and so he wouldn’t feel completely vulnerable lying stretched out on it.
As soon as Noah was settled, he reached out for Luke, who was already taking his hand. “I’m here, I’m here,” Luke said, leaning close to him. Noah nodded and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to relax. He was confused and in pain and completely freaked out; he didn’t feel safe, he didn’t feel rescued. Unbeknownst to him, Sarah was getting ready to strap him in while both Luke and Casey shook their heads frantically, Casey even going so far as to pull the straps out of her hand. “Please?” Luke tried to beg as casually as possible.
Sarah looked at them, at Noah with his bruises shaped like handprints, and acquiesced. “Luke?” Noah asked, not bothering to open his eyes. His voice shook, worried and weak. Something was wrong. Hell, who was he kidding? Everything was wrong.
Luke squeezed his hand. “I’m here. It’s okay, we’re going to get you out of here now.” With Noah’s eyes closed, Luke was hesitant to really touch him, startle him. So instead, he talked. He kept his mouth close to Noah’s ear, whispering to him the entire time they wheeled him out of the living room, out of the cabin, off the wooden porch and to the back of the waiting ambulance.
“Oh, thank God!” Jack and Margo were waiting there, Jack moving forward to meet them, relieved. He threw an arm around Luke’s shoulders, giving him a one-armed hug, while his other hand helped pull the stretcher along. He studied Noah critically, looked to the paramedic as though he was about to ask something, then changed his mind and kept quiet, for which Luke was grateful.
They all helped load the stretcher into the back of the ambulance, and while Sarah got Noah situated, Luke pulled Jack to the side. “I already called Holden,” Jack told him first, hand on Luke’s arm. “They’re going to meet you at the hospital.” He looked back at the ambulance. “I wish there was someone I could call for Noah…”
“He’s got us,” Luke insisted. Jack had to smile and nod at that.
“Yeah, I have a feeling the hospital will be overrun with Snyders today.”
Luke tried to smile back, but finally had to voice the question that had been in the back of his mind since the paramedics had arrived at the cabin, something he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to. “What’s a 27-2?”
Jack’s smile completely vanished. “What?”
Luke almost wished he hadn’t asked. “The paramedic said something about a 27-2 when they looked at Noah. I know you know what it means. I want you to tell me.”
Jack couldn’t quite meet Luke’s eyes. “Luke, I don’t-”
“Tell me,” he demanded. “I need to know so I can…” he trailed off, hoping Jack would understand.
Jack did. He schooled his features, then met Luke’s gaze. “27-2, it’s a possible sexual assault.” Even though Luke had kind of expected that, he still felt as though the ground was dropping out from under him. God no, please not Noah. It wasn’t fair. How could someone possibly come back from that? How could Noah ever be the same again? It took him a second to realize Jack was speaking again. “Hey, Luke, we don’t know anything for sure. Only thing you should worry about right now is being there for him, starting with the ride to the hospital.”
Luke shook himself back to reality, as Jack smiled comfortingly, giving him a gentle shove towards the ambulance. Sarah was waiting for him inside. “Luke, are you coming?” She had a hand on Noah’s arm, either comforting him or taking his pulse, Luke wasn’t sure. Noah’s eyes were still closed, but a frown was starting to play across his face, pain and exhaustion sinking in.
Luke rushed forward, suddenly wanting- needing- to be near him. He passed by Casey, who was standing at the door of the ambulance. His friend’s face was somber, worried. “Casey,” Luke began, ready to thank him for everything he’d done that day, the past few days.
Casey waved a hand, cutting him off. “Go on, I’ll follow you there in my car.” He nodded to Luke, looking a little more steady and confident. “Nothing to thank me for, Luke. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant he’d be alright.”
Luke had to smile at that before quickly climbing into the back of the ambulance, taking a seat beside Noah. The last thing Casey saw before the ambulance pulled away was Noah opening his eyes and turning his face towards Luke, just as Luke brushed the hair back from Noah’s forehead.
The second they were out of sight, Casey deflated. The entire situation, everything that had just happened, hit him at once and he had to fight not to dissolve into a mess of tears. “Honey, you alright?” Margo was next to him, looking at him worriedly.
“I’m not Noah, so I’m doing pretty good considering,” he mumbled, glancing around at everything except his mother.
She put a hand against his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “He’s going to be okay. Noah’s strong, he’ll get through this.” She smiled lovingly at him. “And he’s got some pretty amazing people around him to help. You did a good job today.”
“Yeah?” he asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” she echoed. “While I would’ve preferred it if you and Luke hadn’t been here at all, it was lucky you were. You did the right thing waiting for us. And you were the ones who found Noah. I’m really proud of you, Casey.” Casey stared at her for a moment, then threw his arms around her. Margo hugged him tightly. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered. “Now go ahead, I’ll meet you at the hospital later.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Noah had given in to his exhaustion on the way to the hospital and was either asleep or unconscious by the time they arrived. Sarah assured Luke that it was a good thing, Noah needed the rest, but Luke hated that he couldn’t get Noah to wake up. Though he guessed he should be comforted by that- of the two of them, Noah was always the slower and more reluctant to wake up. But try as he might, Luke couldn’t convince himself that this was just any afternoon nap. The numbers “27-2” kept springing to mind, punching him in the gut.
“Okay Luke, do you want to give me a hand?” Sarah asked. She had really been amazing since taking over Noah’s ‘rescue’ as it were. Luke made a mental note to have the foundation buy her a new car. Or house. Or private jet with a complimentary tropical island, whatever she wanted. He nodded to her, helping to push Noah’s gurney out of the ambulance.
Sarah and her partner moved the stretcher along through the ambulance bay and into the ER. Luke kept pace along side them, holding Noah’s hand in both of his. He heard someone curse harshly somewhere behind his right shoulder, and he turned to see his dad there walking beside him. Holden was looking at Noah, a mixture of sadness and outrage crossing his face before he turned to look at Luke. Luke had no idea what his own face looked like, but judging by his dad’s reaction, it wasn’t anything good.
Holden just gazed at him sorrowfully, but a gasp from the other side of the gurney caused both of them to look over in that direction. Lily had one hand on the rail of the stretcher and the other on Noah’s arm. Jade, eyes wide, walked behind her speechless. Tears were falling unobstructed from Lily’s eyes as she looked back and forth between Noah’s bruised and unresponsive face and Luke’s miserable, grieving one.
Suddenly, there were doctors and nurses surrounding them, focused on Noah and forcing the Snyders to step back. Luke initially tried to fight to stay where he was, but Holden clasped his shoulders, steered him back a few feet. Luke shook his head at Holden. “No, you don’t understand, they can’t-”
“Luke,” and then Sarah was there next to him. “The doctors know. My partner radioed ahead.” His parents looked at him, confused, but Sarah just nodded at him calmly. Luke found himself trying to get to Noah again, but Sarah stopped him. “You have to let the doctors take care of Noah now,” was all she said, holding his shoulders firmly.
Luke looked past her at the gurney being rolled away from him, recognizing Alison’s mom as one of the doctors. The second Noah was out of his sight, Luke sagged backwards against the wall, his parents on either side of him. It was like Noah was gone all over again, and Luke couldn’t do anything to help him.
Time must have passed, because all of a sudden Luke blinked and he was no longer standing in the hallway of the ER. He was sitting in an annoyingly uncomfortable chair in a waiting room, Holden on one side and Lily on the other. There was a cup of coffee in his hands. Casey and Jade were sitting across from him, Jade opening and closing her cell phone idly, Casey hunched over, his head in his hands. Luke blinked again, cautiously took a sip of the coffee.
At his movement, Lily turned to him with concerned, loving eyes. “Honey?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head. “Where’s Noah?”
She rubbed her hand along his back. “The doctors are still with him, I’m sure they’ll come talk to us as soon as they can.”
“Sarah?” he asked, looking around.
“The paramedic?” Lily guessed. At Luke’s nod, “She had to go on another call. She said she’s stop by later if she could.” Luke fell silent again, taking another small sip of his coffee. Lily felt she had to keep talking. “Noah’s going to be fine, Luke. He-”
“No Mom, he’s not,” Luke interrupted her. “You don’t know what happened to him…”
“Whatever happened to him, he’ll get better,” Holden spoke up from the other side of him. “Noah’s strong, he’s going to be okay.”
Luke could only shake his head, looking over to Casey. The other young man returned his gaze, conflicted for just a moment before his expression cleared. “He’ll get better, Luke,” Casey said quietly, determinedly. He alone- besides Luke- had seen what Noah had been reduced to in that cabin. Casey was admittedly freaked out to see the usually level-headed, grounded Noah so panicked and out of it, but he had to believe- he needed Luke to believe- that he could recover.
“Luke?” a new voice called out across the room. All five heads snapped up as one. Susan was standing in the doorway, a clipboard in her hands and a weary expression on her face.
Luke was up on his feet in an instant, Lily and Holden right next to him, moving to meet her. Casey and Jade stayed a few feet away, just out of earshot. “How is he?” Luke asked desperately, fearfully. He had to know, no matter how bad.
Susan remained calm, her face giving nothing away. “We’ll be keeping him here for awhile,” she began. “He’s got a nasty concussion, two cracked ribs, another couple are bruised. His shoulder was dislocated and will need to be immobilized for a little while. His arms and legs are scraped up pretty badly, and he’s got enough bruises to make him more than a little sore.”
“Is that it?” Lily asked, overwhelmed by the list of injuries.
Susan sighed. Of course it wasn’t. Thank you again, universe. “Noah’s got the beginnings of pneumonia, his lungs are pretty weak right now. And his immune system has been compromised because it looks like he hasn’t really eaten in a few days. We have him on an I.V. to make up for the nutrients he’s lost, and some antibiotics to fight off infections.”
“But he’s going to be okay eventually, right?” Holden asked, an arm going around Luke’s shoulders. Luke barely noticed. He locked eyes with Susan, waiting.
She hesitated ever-so-slightly before nodding. “Physically, yes. A few days of rest and treatment, and he should be just fine.”
“Okay, what are you not saying?” Lily demanded, looking back and forth between Susan and her son.
Luke clenched his jaw. “The paramedics said he might be a 27-2. Is he?”
“What’s a 27-2?” Holden asked, eyes narrowing in apprehension.
She took a deep breath. “27-2 is the EMS code for possible sexual assault.” Luke heard Lily gasp, felt Holden’s arm tense around him.
Luke inwardly steeled himself, pressed on. He didn’t want to know, but he had to. “And?”
Susan’s apologetic expression answered him before she could even open her mouth. “We believe Noah was a victim of some sexual abuse.”
Hearing it officially, out loud, just made it ten times worse. Luke stumbled back, Holden’s arm the only thing keeping him upright. He had wondered, suspected, since finding Noah in that basement- really since Brett had taunted them at the station- but it had never been so blatantly stated. He wasn’t sure if he could ever accept it. God, what had Noah gone through? His hand went to his mouth, trying to hold in a scream. He was only vaguely aware of the people with him, of Holden’s arms going around him for some sort of comfort.
Lily was silently crying again, but she remained calm, standing her ground in front of Susan. “He was raped?” she asked quietly, her voice unable to rise to normal volume.
Susan held up a hand. “I didn’t say that. There are different forms of sexual abuse, and while Noah’s bruising and injuries suggest he was… assaulted at some level, I don’t believe rape is what actually occurred.”
That brought Luke out of his fog. “Really?” he moved back close to Susan, anxious.
“Like I said, we don’t believe so. But, hospital regulation means we have to perform an exam, use a rape kit, with the patient’s consent. That’s why I’m here now.” She held up the clipboard.
“Why are you telling us?” Holden asked.
“Because he won’t give his consent,” Luke guessed.
Susan shook her head. “Actually, he can’t give consent right now. He’s still unconscious and shouldn’t wake up for awhile. It’s up to his next of kin to provide permission.”
“Noah doesn’t have anyone,” Luke pointed out quietly, his heart breaking just a little bit more. Well, his dad was alive again, but Luke didn’t think that counted, and he’d be damned if he let the Colonel make any decisions concerning Noah.
“Actually, his latest medical records and proxy have you listed as his next of kin, Luke,” Susan replied, smiling a little at the shocked look on Luke’s face.
“They do?” Luke felt tears start to collect at the corners of his eyes. Noah had never said anything. Of course. It was always actions, not words, with him. He could kiss and kill that guy in equal measure sometimes. Luke couldn’t help but smile fondly. God, he loved him.
“So if you give your consent, I need you to sign this for me, and we’ll go ahead with the exam,” Susan held the clipboard toward him. Luke reached for the pen and was about to sign his name when he hesitated, wondering how shy, reserved Noah would react to being examined like this. Hadn’t he been through enough?
“Luke,” Holden spoke quietly next to him, sensing his trouble. “Whether Noah would feel comfortable with it or not, you should do what’s best for him. He trusts you to do that, or he wouldn’t have put your name on his records.” Luke took a deep breath, nodded, and signed his name to the consent form. Next of kin. He was Noah’s next of kin in an emergency. He hoped to God he never had to be a next of kin ever again.
Susan gave him a comforting smile, already turning to get back to her patient. “Another hour or so, and you’ll be able to see him, okay?”
“Okay, thanks,” he tried to contemplate having to wait a whole hour more. He wondered if pulling his own teeth out one by one with a pair of pliers would be enough of a distraction in that time. Probably not.
Susan had taken a few steps back to Noah’s room when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see Casey looking at her somewhat timidly. “I tried to call Ali, left a message. Do you know where she is?”
She nodded, taking in Casey’s subdued, pale appearance. “She’s on duty up on the third floor. I’ll let her know about Noah, get someone to cover her shift. You look like you need her down here,” she said quietly so the others wouldn’t here.
Casey looked down, nodding. “Yeah, I think I do.” They shared an understanding smile, and then Susan headed out again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
An hour had come and gone, and Luke was still in the waiting room. Right now, he didn’t care about the results of Noah’s latest tests, he didn’t care about what the cops were doing with Colonel Mayer and his men, he didn’t care that the number of people waiting with him had doubled. He didn’t care what Noah had gone through, what Noah looked like right now, what he himself looked like. He just needed to see him.
“Luke, maybe-” Lily tried to grab his arm as his pacing took him past her again.
“Mom, I swear to God if you say I should sit down and relax one more time I will-”
“Luke,” Holden was next to her. “If you don’t take a breath you’re going to end up a patient here too.”
“Good! At least then I’d be able to leave the waiting room!” he raised his voice at the end, directing it to whatever doctors and nurses were walking around the hallways. Shouldn’t it be part of their Hippocratic Oath to help him? He was suffering, damn it! And if anything else, he was certainly a medical wonder right now- most of his blood had to be made up of caffeine at this point.
“Hey, sugar, you can’t be this worked up when they let you in to see Noah,” Emma spoke up from somewhere behind him. She had arrived not long after Ali, who was now sitting with her arm threaded through Casey’s. The waiting was filling up steadily. Margo had already checked in and gone back to the station to participate in the questioning of Colonel Mayer and the others.
Holden was on the phone talking to Lucinda, who still had the kids. Faith had apparently threatened to hotwire a car if she wasn’t allowed to come to the hospital. Jade and Lily sat side by side, their shoulders resting against each other. Dusty and Jack were leaning against the wall on opposite sides of the room, gripping coffee cups tightly.
“Well if they’d let me see him I wouldn’t be worked up!” he was just this side of yelling, his voice rushed and breathless. No one in the room felt like they could argue with him.
“Luke…” But Lily decided she had to try again. She saw him take a deep breath, ready to battle some more.
“Excuse me,” Susan had miraculously appeared in the doorway.
“Oh, thank the Lord,” Luke made a beeline for her, Lily right next to him. The rest of the group stood, crowding behind them. “Well?” he asked anxiously, peering behind her as though Noah would be standing there ready to go home, asking if they can stop at Java on the way.
“Go around the corner, third room on the left, 220,” she told him.
Luke gave her what he hoped was a thankful smile as he hurried past her, leaving his parents to get Susan’s latest update. The run- and it was definitely a run- to Noah’s room felt like it was ten miles long, and the six hours or so it took for him to reach the door gave Luke’s brain a chance to think through all the things he would say to Noah when he saw him.
He skidded to a halt at the third door on the left and took a deep breath. His grandma was right; he had to calm down, couldn’t overwhelm Noah right away. As quickly and quietly as he could, Luke opened the door and slipped into the room.
And almost ran back out again.
There were no words to describe how Noah looked besides ‘awful.’ Luke had thought that since the medical staff had cleaned him up and dressed his wounds he would look better than he had in the cabin, but in some ways he just looked worse. Luke had never seen his six-foot-one boyfriend look so small, lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines that beeped and whirred and filled the otherwise silent room with noise.
Luke forced himself to take a few steps closer, studying his boyfriend bit by bit from his legs and torso covered by a hospital-issued blanket up to his arms, one connected to an I.V. pole next to the bed and the other wrapped up to his shoulder and bound tightly against his body. His wrists and arms were taped up and littered with small bandages and bruises.
And then his face. Noah’s face- mottled with bruises of every size and color, small cuts and gashes, and dark shadows under his eyes- was so very still.
Luke took a few more steps, finally coming up next to the bed. “Hey, Noah,” he whispered, reaching out to graze his fingers along Noah’s free hand. The only answer was the beeping and whirring around him. “It’s, uh, Luke,” he exhaled with a little laugh. Like he doesn’t know who you are. “Anyway,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “we’re all here, waiting for you to get better. So you have to, okay? No compromises on this. You have to wake up and get better.”
He swallowed hard, searching for the right words. God, he hadn’t been this awkward around Noah since they had first gotten together! “I’m going to be right here, so you don’t have to worry about anything.” As if to illustrate his point, Luke grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up close to the bed, wedging himself next to the I.V. pole. He eyed it nervously for a second before decidedly ignoring it. “I’m right here,” he said again, lifting up Noah’s hand in both of his, holding it, kissing it softly.
The door opened behind him, but Luke didn’t turn to see who it was. He kept his eyes on Noah’s face, not wanting to miss him possibly waking up. But he couldn’t help but look up when a hand touched his shoulder tentatively. “Hi baby,” Lily said quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence in the room.
Luke quickly wiped away the tear that had been threatening to fall since he had sat down. “What did Dr. Stewart say?”
“He’s going to be okay eventually. It may be awhile before he’s awake and aware, but he will get there,” Lily said firmly. “The doctors think he got pushed beyond exhaustion, and he hadn’t eaten in a few days…” she faltered for a second before continuing. “They also gave him a mix of medication that’ll have him knocked out for some time, which is good. He needs the rest, right?” she prompted him to agree.
Luke just nodded, eyes back to studying every inch of Noah’s face. Lily sighed, turning to really study Noah for herself. The bruises and cuts covering him tore at her heart, the ordeal he must have gone through. For her own sanity, Lily had to ignore the welts and marks on his neck and collarbone that had been made by… no, she couldn’t think about that right now.
Instead, she moved around to stand on the other side of Noah’s bed, gently laying her hand on his forehead, brushing the hair away. “Hi sweetie,” she whispered. She heard Luke sniff from the other side of the bed but pretended not to notice. “You’re safe now, Noah. You just concentrate on getting better, okay?” She leaned down and lightly kissed his cheek, then turned back to her son. “The exam came back negative for…” Lily couldn’t finish the sentence, but hoped Luke knew what she meant.
He did. He deflated with a bone-deep sigh, resting his forehead and his and Noah’s clasped hands. “Thank God,” he murmured. He kissed the hand again, staring into his boyfriend’s face. Come on Noah! If this was one of your movies the patient totally would have woken up by now. Why can’t you be like Sleeping Beauty? I’ll kiss you again if I have to, as many times as it takes!
“Luke…” Lily’s voice, very gently, brought him back to her. He readied himself, knowing this wouldn’t be good news. “He may not have been raped,” Lily hesitated a bit on the word. Saying it out loud in front of Luke, in front of Noah, left a bad taste in her mouth. “But he was hurt by that man. Assaulted. Susan said there was bruising-”
Luke cut her off with a quick shake of his head. “Look at him, Mom. I know something happened. You should have heard him on the phone, and when we found him in the basement… he was terrified. I’ve never heard him scared like that before.” He stopped, getting himself back under control. Lily made her way around the bed to her son and wrapped an arm around him. She wanted to pull him up into a hug but knew better than to try and separate his hand from Noah’s.
They were silent for a few minutes, just watching Noah breathe in and out, occasionally wincing when his lungs seemed to crackle on the inhale. Luke had almost forgotten about the pneumonia. It explained how Noah’s hands could be so cold and yet his face so flushed with fever, glistening with sweat. Noah had to be so uncomfortable right now.
He pulled down on the sleeve of his sweatshirt, used it to dab at Noah’s forehead, telling himself not to get upset when there was no reaction to the touch. Noah was on a lot of meds, he needed the rest, he needed to heal. Luke’s brain understood that, but he still couldn’t help but silently beg for Noah to open his eyes and show he was okay.
And maybe finally- finally- the universe decided to be nice to him. Because just as he pulled his arm back and went to hold Noah’s hand again, he heard his mom gasp softly, her own hands tightening on his shoulders. Noah’s eyes were open.
Luke wanted to shout, to cry, to give a very happy victory dance, but he kept his cool. Noah didn’t acknowledge them, didn’t really even move except to scan the room back and forth with scarily-blank eyes, trying to figure out where he was. His breaths quickened, and Luke could feel him shaking again.
“Hey, hey, Noah…” he gently squeezed his hand, speaking softly. Neither he nor Lily made any sudden movements towards the bed. Noah was feverish, probably disoriented, and there was a good possibility that he didn’t remember everything that had happened. Luke slid his chair even closer so he was in Noah’s line of sight. “Hey. You’re okay. It’s okay.” He kept up a steady stream of quiet words, waiting for Noah to focus on him. To realize he was safe.
Very very slowly, Noah’s breathing calmed, and he stared heavy-lidded into Luke’s eyes. Just looking. He made no move to talk, and Luke didn’t try to make him. After a bit, Noah’s eyes started to flutter closed and open again, but he kept his gaze on Luke as though steadying himself. Luke cautiously moved one hand up to Noah’s hair. One of the nurses must have washed it when they were treating him. He let his fingers trail through it tenderly.
He purposefully didn’t allow himself to get upset when Noah flinched at the initial contact. He didn’t care. He didn’t care that Noah wasn’t talking. He didn’t care that for the first time in at least a year, he couldn’t read the emotions- or lack thereof- in Noah’s eyes. He didn’t care that he could see teeth marks at the base of Noah’s neck.
What mattered was that Noah was finally safe and could (would) get better. He kept his eyes locked with Noah’s, running his hand through his hair until Noah’s eyes slowly closed and he slipped away again. And even with his mother right there gripping his shoulder tightly, Luke couldn’t help but feel very, very alone.
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: The doctors and Snyders worry about Noah's fever, the interrogation of Colonel Mayer goes nowhere, a conversation with Noah leaves Luke devastated...