Out of the Clear Blue Sky, Part Two
“Wait. You want me to stay where?”
“At Memorial, darling.” Lucinda wore her sunglasses, no matter that it was the middle of the night. She held her hand to Reid’s chest as she peeked around the corner. “Try to keep up.”
Reid rolled his eyes, his head bobbing back from the force. This town was as full of crazy as it had ever been. He walked slowly behind Lucinda and ducked into the waiting limo. “You agreed to keep my whereabouts quiet. How do you plan to do that by placing me in the center of the gossip mill?”
“The neuro wing was hardly the last of the changes to our quaint country hospital, Dr. Oliver.” Lucinda dramaticly tossed her sunglasses into the seat across from her and grabbed a bottle of vodka from the bar. “With the fifth floor empty, the rooms were converted to suites and a recovery center for the surgically-enhanced was born. I would provide names of some of the patients, but I don’t know any other than myself.”
“I thought you were looking a bit tight around the eyes.” Reid smirked.
That had been her complaint, as well. The surgeon was going for fresh, but achieved something more like frightened. “The point, Reid, is that the staff prides itself on their ability to keep a secret. You won’t find that at the Lakeview.”
“So, Memorial it is.” Reid grumbled. He had avoided hospitals since he woke up and discovered that he had called one home for nearly three years of his life. He hadn’t even entertained the idea of getting back in the operating room.
Reid had been offered bundles of cash to lecture. He lived as lavishly as he wanted, traveling by train or boat as often as possible. Sure, he found himself intricately slicing a melon or mutilating the cheese ball at many of the boring receptions he attended, removing tumorous hunks of gouda and frightening on-lookers, but he couldn’t say he regretted his decision. His life was in such a shambles, how could he even attempt to restore order to someone else’s?
The bright lights of the hospital loomed in the distance. Reid had always admired that buzz, the hum that resonated in the hallways at night. Hospitals never sleep. Saving lives was a twenty-four hour business.
Reid scrubbed his hands down his face. He could feel them getting closer, breathing deeper trying to quell the rise of bile in his throat. He could smell the heavy disinfectants and his mouth began to water. The halls of Memorial had once been his prison. What had he been thinking to voluntarily enter them again?
“Luke has an appointment with Dr. Leonard in the afternoon. Once you’re settled into your room, her team will begin tests to confirm that you are a match and that your body is strong enough to handle the procedure.”
“My body is fine.”
“Yes, dear. I’ve noticed.” With a sigh, Lucinda folded her hands in her lap. “You were in the back half of a plane that fell apart mid-air. You crashed into a grove of trees, piercing your abdomen on a broken branch, narrowly missing the very kidney you plan to give to my grandson.”
Reid’s hands tightened into fists at his sides. “You’ve read my files?”
Lucinda confessed everything and apologized for nothing with one look. “Then, you dragged your broken, punctured body over three miles to the nearest road before losing consciousness. I desperately want Luke to have this transplant,” she leaned over and gripped Reid’s face, staring deeply into his piercingly shocked blue eyes. “but not if that means sacrificing you.”
Nodding uncomfortably, Reid settled back on the soft black leather and stared out the window as they pulled into an underground parking garage. He could still feel Lucinda’s hand on his cheek. Reid didn’t allow anyone to touch him that tenderly anymore. Feeling the burning ache in his chest, the remnants of the love he once knew rekindled, he remembered why. Reid dug the heel of his hand over his heart and tried to rub the pain away. He was struck with a deepening fear that Oakdale and all the memories he had made here would be the death of him. “Let’s get this over with so that I can go home.”
“Hmm,” Lucinda chirped. “I didn’t realize you had a home these days.”
Much to Reid’s surprise, they navigated the elevators and halls without bumping into a single nurse, doctor or other blabbermouth. The fifth floor had undergone a miraculous make-over. Gone were the sterile white tile floors and harsh florescent lighting, replaced by plush cream carpeting and soft lamps dimmed for the time of day. The smell of sandalwood filled the air.
“You were not lying about the upgrade.”
Lucinda grinned over her shoulder. “The food should be to your liking, as well. Not an orange tray in sight.”
Reid turned into room five-seventeen. The breath was knocked out of him when he saw the view. His bag fell with a heavy thud from his hand.
“Reid? Darling?” Lucinda eased Reid down into a chair before his legs gave way. Her brow knotted with concern seeing the beads of sweat on his forehead.
“I need another room.” Reid tugged fruitlessly at the collar of his shirt. He dabbed at his upper lip and tried to regain a normal breathing pattern.
Lucinda patted Reid’s shoulder, unsure if she should leave him. “I’ll try, dear. Give me a moment.”
Reid hadn’t been alone for more than thirty seconds before he fell head-long into a memory as fresh as if it happened yesterday. He looked up, unable to stop the images of the last time he had gazed out that window.
“And there…” Reid removed one of the arms wrapped around Luke’s waist and pointed to the far right corner of the top floor. “That is my office.”
Luke swayed contentedly, leaning his head back against Reid’s shoulder. “Let me guess. We’ll be having sex there.”
Reid gasped playfully. “How did you know?”
“I’m a quick study, Dr. Oliver. After the third supply closet and second landing in the stairwell, I detected a pattern.”
Placing his lips lightly on Luke’s neck, Reid looked out at his creation. “The wing really is something, isn’t it?”
“It’s beautiful, Reid.” Luke turned, cupped Reid’s face in his palms and stared adoringly into his eyes. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Proud of us.” Reid corrected.
“Are you sure you have to go to Baltimore? It’s almost Christmas, our first one together, and there’s so much I want to do. You know, as a couple.”
“The patient can’t survive the travel.” His forehead rested against Luke’s as he sighed. “You've ruined me, Luke. How am I supposed to go four days without you?”
Luke shrugged. “What did you do before me?”
After a moment of reflection, Reid replied. “You know, I don’t remember.”
It was the truth. Life without Luke was a distant, dreadful past that Reid didn’t linger on. These days, his work had never been better and he came home most every night to someone whom he loved and respected. Someone who felt the exact same way about him. There was no turning back now.
“Didn’t you say that all the patients have been moved from this floor?” Luke waggled his eyebrows and bit his lip coyly.
Reid shut the door, checking twice that the lock was engaged. “Mr. Snyder, I’m Dr. Oliver. I’ll be preforming your prostate exam today. Drop your pants and bend over the edge of the bed.”
Luke excitedly undid his belt. “God, I love it when we play Doctor.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Snyder. You must have me confused.” Reid opened a drawer and fished out a tube of lube. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
“My mistake. You remind me of someone.” Luke shoved his pants and boxers past his hips letting them fall to the floor, his hard cock bouncing proudly against his stomach. “A lover I once had.”
Reid rubbed the jelly between his fingers and ran his free hand up Luke’s back until he was flush on the bed. The stiff mattress barely dented under the weight of Luke’s torso “A lover?” Reid gently parted Luke’s pert cheeks and traced his finger over the pucker. “Lucky guy. Now, this may be a little cold.”
Luke rocked forward as Reid slid knuckle-deep inside him, a lustful moan passing his lips. “Don’t doctors usually wear gloves?”
“A latex fetish?” Reid smiled smugly. “I knew it.”
Reid pumped his finger in and out of Luke’s ass. Sometimes slow, others so hard and fast that Luke gripped the railing on the opposite side of the bed. He watched Luke’s eye close, his decadent mouth open and panting. “Condom?”
“Huh-uh.” Luke shook his head. “We used mine yesterday in the hayloft. You?”
“Two days ago at Metro.”
Luke pushed himself up on his elbows. “We don’t have to have one, do we?”
The fingers in Luke’s hole stilled. They hadn’t talked about this. Reid wasn’t quite sure that this moment. Luke open in every way and he hard as a rock, was the best time to bring the topic up for discussion. “It seems pretty permanent, doesn’t it?”
With loving eyes, Luke’s smile beamed radiantly. “We’re permanent.”
Reid knew in his core that he could never love another like he loved Luke Snyder. “Are you sure?”
Luke picked up the lube from where Reid dropped it on the bed. He untied Reid’s scrubs, leaving them draped around his thighs and ran a slick palm up and down Reid’s shaft. Luke kissed Reid’s lips tenderly before whispering. “I want to feel you come inside me.”
Wiping his fingers on the sheet, Reid closed his eyes to memorize the feel of Luke as he pressed in slowly. He rocked his hips in a long and lazy rhythm. The sensation of Luke clenching around his naked cock was like nothing Reid had ever experienced and he was determined to make it last.
The pace was much too slow for Luke. He wriggled and pleaded. “Harder, Reid. Please.”
Reid prided himself on giving Luke everything he desired. He grabbed Luke’s shoulders for leverage and slammed into him over and over again, the hot, messy sounds of their sex loud in the otherwise quiet room. Reaching around, Reid fisted Luke’s leaking erection.
“Ungh!” Luke arched, his head thrown back as he cried in a hoarse, breathless voice. “Do it, Reid. Come inside me.”
The power of his orgasm pitched Reid forward. His eyes squeezed shut as he spilled his seed into Luke’s ass. He found Luke’s mouth, seeking sloppy, off-center kisses and shuddering through an aftershock when Luke’s jizz slipped over his hand.
They stayed like that, tangled and sated, until Luke chuckled. His smile was evident even though Reid could only see half of his face. “That was incredible.”
“Amazing.” Reid kissed Luke’s jaw and pulled out gently. “Just one last thing. Does your insurance have a co-pay, Mr. Snyder?”
Luke’s back shook in silent laughter, his face rubbing into the bed. He rolled over and kissed Reid sweetly. “Hurry back to me, Dr. Oliver.”
“I won’t be gone a minute more than absolutely necessary.”
“Dr. Oliver?” Lucinda asked tentatively as Reid ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m afraid all the other rooms are booked. It’s graduation season, the time of year when Daddy’s Little Princess is rewarded with a new nose or plastic breasts.”
Reid snorted. “Well, they’ve earned it, I suppose.”
“Do you still want me to make other arrangements?”
“No.” At the end of the day, this room was like any other, four walls and a few windows. Reid chastised himself. He should have been prepared for the onslaught of memories. “Just par for the course in Oakhell.”
**********
Luke stumbled numbly out the door of Dr. Leonard’s office. He had just come for more routine tests and walked away with a completely different outlook on life. A new kidney had dropped into his lap. A few days ago, he was certain he would spend years on dialysis waiting. Luke searched his pocket for his phone, his fingers hovering over the buttons not knowing who to call first.
The answer should have been easy. Knox would be ecstatic to know about the transplant scheduled for tomorrow morning and, because he would likely have to postpone his next case, Luke’s first call would logically be to his husband.
He sighed as he erased the numbers one by one. There was a deeper conversation that would need to follow once he told Knox about the new kidney. One they had been avoiding because of Luke’s illness. Luke getting sick hadn’t been the cause, just a convenient excuse. A chasm had grown between them and it couldn’t be ignored any longer.
It made Luke sick to know that he would be breaking Knox’s heart, but if he looked back on the last year, he knew he had been breaking it slowly all along. The moment Luke discovered that Reid was alive, Knox was crushed to learn that any purchase he thought he had on Luke’s heart had only been on loan. Reid owned the real estate. Luke’s finger trembled as he punched in the numbers he had committed to memory.
Reid had shut off all the lights and shoved his face into the pillow. The room was still too damn bright. All he wanted to do was sleep. His surroundings still made him a little nauseous and he was more irritable than usual. That was saying something. If he could sleep, at least he wouldn’t be pissing off the people responsible for bringing him his food.
The vibration of Reid’s phone on the bedside table made his heart jump. No one ever called him but Katie for their monthly check-in. Thankfully, he had gotten that painfully awkward conversation out of the way last week. Reid reached for his phone with a large amount of hesitancy, like it would bite him if he moved too quickly. He saw the name on the screen and pulled his hand back. He had been right to be cautious.
He couldn’t explain it if he tried, but he knew Luke was close. Reid tiptoed to the window and peeked out of the blinds. He watched as the sun glinted off of Luke’s hair as he paced on the sidewalk next to the parking lot. Luke was gesturing broadly. He was obviously leaving Reid a message.
Reid watched as Luke put his phone in his pocket and climbed behind the wheel of a blue Dodge Ram. Without thinking, Reid slapped his hand to the window. He wanted to pound on it, break it if he had to. Whatever it took to make Luke notice.
A tinny ding alerted Reid to a voicemail. He inhaled sharply as Luke’s voice filled his ear, his chest threatening to collapse from the weight of feelings he had tried to move past.
“Reid? It’s Luke. Luke Snyder.” Did he really think he needed to clarify? “Listen, I don’t know if this is even a number you use anymore. Grandmother said you don’t keep them very long. Anyway, I’ve been sick. You know, the whole kidney thing.”
There was a long silence and Reid clutched the phone tighter when he heard Luke sniffle. “I tried to take care of it, Reid. Just like you told me, but…” Luke cleared his throat. Reid couldn’t explain why that made him smile. “I’m getting a new one and you were the first person I wanted to tell. If you don’t…I mean I understand if…what I’m trying to say is- Oh god, what am I trying to say?”
Reid held his breath, waiting for Luke to spit it out. “I wanted to know if you still care.”
Shoulders slumping, Reid let the phone fall to the floor. “You’ll never know how much.”
**********
“Now, I will be with Luke before the surgery. I know that you said you didn’t need me to coddle you, but I’m going to ask again. Wouldn’t you like someone here with you? Katie, perhaps?”
Reid glared at Lucinda, finally taking his attention off his wiggling toes and their surprisingly agile flexing. “Katie? She can’t keep her own secrets. I’m not trusting her with mine.”
Lucinda pursed her lips. Reid was stubborn, but Lucinda was accustomed to getting her way. She didn’t like the idea of leaving a man who had two panic attacks just the day before with only strangers to calm him. “Bob Hughes.”
Closing his eyes, Reid’s head rolled back. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“I’ll give him a call.”
“Fine.” Reid rolled his head away and sighed deeply.
Lucinda didn’t know Reid particularly well, but she had always been able to read him. They were cut from the same cloth. “What’s bothering you?”
Reid tried to swallow his curiosity, but he had to know. “Has Luke called to tell you?”
“I haven’t spoken to him. He sent the family a text to meet for dinner at Emma’s.” A small grin curled the corner of her lip. Lucinda always did enjoy being in the know. “I assume he’ll tell everyone then.”
After a long pause, Reid spoke. “He called me.”
Lucinda perked up, her spine a bit straighter than the moment before. “He did? Well, dear, go on. What did he say?”
Reid had listened to the message at least ten times. He could recite word for word, pause for shuddering pause, the whole damn thing, but he wouldn’t. That was just for Reid. “He’s strong, you know. He’ll be just fine.”
Looking at her watch, Lucinda realized she had to be going. She was feeling better now that she had Reid’s blessing to call Bob. She leaned over and pinched Reid’s chin between her thumb and forefinger. He didn’t put up any resistance when she brought his eyes to her. “So will you, kid.”
Despite himself, Reid smiled, a soft chuckle emerging from his throat. He schooled his features quickly. “Get outta here, Lucy. I need my beauty rest.”
**********
Luke clapped his hands together and breathed deeply. “So, I’m sure you’re all wondering why I invited you here tonight. I’m get-“
“Sorry we’re late.”
“You made it.” Luke’s enthusiasm dimmed just a notch when Knox entered the kitchen. He turned his cheek to Knox’s kiss and bent to lift Kenna on his hip. “I thought you were going to dance class.”
Knox pecked Luke’s cheek once more. “Kenna’s teacher broke her ankle and they couldn’t find a replacement. Conflict resolved.”
Luke didn’t have the energy to hold Kenna for long. It was one of the many things he was looking forward to after the transplant. He sat her gently on the floor and whispered in her ear “Go sit with Grammy Emma. And you,” Luke pulled out a chair for Knox. “you’ll want to be seated for this. I have big news.”
Gasps were heard around the room. Lily slumped in her chair with relief and covered her quivering lips as her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, thank God. I knew it.”
“Sweetheart,” Holden pulled Lily to his chest and kissed her temple. “Let Luke tell us his news.”
“Okay,” Luke laughed as a blush rose to his cheeks. “you might not be surprised, but I was shocked. They found a match. The surgery is tomorrow.”
Luke was smothered in hugs and kisses, washed with a few tears, too. They had all battened down for the long haul. A heavy weight of tension lifted from the room, Knox feeling its affects the greatest.
This was the day Knox had been praying for. Gone would be the darkened circles under Luke’s eyes. They would sparkle again. Knox would make sure of it. Their lives could be great again and he was willing to put in the work the rebuilding would require.
Selfishly, he couldn’t quiet the voice in his head reminding him of another reason to be grateful. Knox slipped out the screen door onto the porch to make a phone call. It was looking like his latest case would just have to wait. He was flabbergasted when Anna not only didn’t scream her head off about their production schedule, but told Knox to take all the time he needed. He assured her that he would check in later in the week.
Knox returned to the kitchen with a new confident stride. He parted the sea of Snyder’s and took Luke’s face in his hands. Eyes widened in shock, Luke squeaked when he felt Knox’s tongue slide over his bottom lip. He knew his family was watching expectantly, so, he relaxed into the kiss. As much as he wanted to deny it, he even enjoyed the affection.
When Knox finally pulled away, the family took their seats and focused on the food. Luke rocked slightly on his heels, his eyes turning down to the floor. “What was all that about?”
“Things are going to change for us.” Knox thumbed at the cleft in Luke’s chin. “I can feel it.”
Luke’s stomach knotted. He concentrated on not letting his sadness show. If only Knox knew how right he was.
***********