Fic: The Other Side of Us, Part 9
Title: The Other Side of Us
Author: random_nic
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: ATWT characters are the property of Telenext and CBS.
Word Count: 1675
Summary: Lives are changed in the wake of a traumatic event.
"It's good to know the Oakdale grapevine is in perfect working order, anyway," Chris joked, alluding to Noah's knowledge of the break-up with Katie.
"Reid mentioned something," Noah explained.
"Ah." Chris had suspected as much. It was hardly a surprise Reid was trash-talking him to Noah. He'd already done as much with Memorial's board, and - many years ago - Columbia's. "Just watch yourself with him, okay?"
Perhaps because the request was politely made in question form, it didn't annoy Noah like Reid's similar edict about Chris had. "Whatever went down with you guys, Reid can't do anything to me. I don't have anything he wants anymore."
Chris nearly choked on his latte. "You're kidding, right?" At Noah's blank expression, Chris awkwardly elaborated. "Look, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but Reid doesn't bother with people unless he wants something."
"I don't sit on the hospital board or have a multi-million dollar foundation. He already got what he wanted from me - my surgery."
"Noah? Reid's a gay man in a small town who's lost his convenient lover, and you look like... you. What do you think he wants?"
Not once the four weeks since he'd began the bizarre lunch ritual with Reid had that ever crossed Noah's mind. "No. No way. That's disgusting."
Fearing he'd overplayed his hand, Chris did his level best to compensate. "I know you're not thinking that way. I wouldn't even bring it up, but I can't in good conscience stand by and say nothing while you get taken in. He and I go back a long way, and if I told you some of the things... nevermind. I'm not trying to air the guy's dirty laundry, just telling you to be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Noah’s mind was reeling, replaying every moment with Reid he could bring to mind from the past month. Had the doctor ever shown even the slightest interest in Noah like that? On the contrary, Reid hadn’t shown much interest in Noah at all. At least, not until Noah mentioned he was getting together with Chris.
Had Reid objected because he knew Chris had dirt on him? Chris seemed reluctant to share it, but Reid wouldn’t know that. The mere idea the doctor expected to slot Noah into the role once occupied by Luke was revolting.
“Thanks, but you have nothing to worry about. I repeat, there is no way,” Noah insisted.
Still, a sinking feeling in Noah’s gut reminded him he really didn’t know Reid, so how could he possibly determine the man’s motives?
******
October 11th
“So you couldn’t live without my sparkling lunch conversation?” Reid gave Noah a once-over before continuing, noting the distressing absence of any white Al’s bags. “Except you forgot the lunch. Maybe I didn’t do such a great job on that brain.”
The teasing comment inadvertently infuriated an already on-edge Noah. “I don’t bring you lunch. I’m not your lackey - or your boyfriend.”
“Whoa,” Reid said in disbelief. Where the fuck did *that* come from? “I assumed you had some purpose for showing up at my workplace - other than to be irritating. My mistake.”
“Fuck off,” Noah snapped back.
Reid’s first day back at Memorial was shaping up to be a Monday in every sense of the word. “Do you want something,” he began in his signature your-idiocy-is-hurting-my-brain tone. “Or are you just here to show off whatever the hell crawled up your ass this morning?”
Noah contemplated for a moment before taking the seat opposite Reid at the cafeteria table. He hadn’t intended to bite Reid’s head off at first sight, but the other man’s comment set off his already threadbare nerves. Since parting ways with Chris the day before, Noah had thought of little else but the man’s accusations against Reid.
“What happened between you and Chris?”
Suddenly, Noah’s shit attitude made a lot more sense to Reid. “You enjoyed your date, then?”
Reid’s sarcasm wasn’t helping the situation, but Noah knew he’d provoked it with his behavior. Not that Reid ever needed someone else to prompt his snark. “He said some things about you, and I want to get your side of the story.”
“No.”
“No?”
“That’s what I said. I trust your hearing’s in order, Mr. Mayer.”
Noah was struck with equal parts confusion and aggravation by the refusal. Reid was normally only too happy to share his opinion of someone. Noah had expected him to give a scathing assessment of the other doctor, but Reid had surprised him by clamming up.
“Why not? Don’t you want the chance to set the record straight?”
Reid exhaled loudly, visibly annoyed with the entire line of questioning. “For who? I already have the record straight.”
“I’d like to know,” Noah admitted. He hated appearing to give a damn, but there was no help for it. He needed to find out what had gone down between the two men.
“You already have my answer.”
“All you said was ‘no’.” Noah found Reid’s stonewalling maddening.
“Exactly. Whatever Chris Hughes claims, the answer is ‘no.’ Even you should be able to grasp that,” Reid mocked.
Noah ignored the dig. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”
“I have no need to say anything for myself. Believe what you want.” Reid stood to carry the tray with his untouched lunch to the wastebasket. The cafeteria food held little appeal before, and he had no appetite now. “Just try to reserve your histrionics for more appropriate settings in the future. With people who actually give a damn.”
With that parting shot, Reid exited the cafeteria, leaving a frustrated Noah with more questions now than when he’d arrived.
******
Noah hadn’t expected his day to improve, but he was unprepared for how much worse it would get. The first sign of trouble came when Shari handed him a stack of paperwork on his way out of Java. “What’s this?” he asked.
“It turns out Jeff had already deleted your employee file when he was organizing the office for me last month. Since you were headed to L.A., he didn’t think we’d need it anymore. You’ll need to fill out your W-2 and I-9 again; just bring them back tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Noah agreed, before a worrisome thought struck. “But I’ll still get paid next week, right?”
“Unfortunately not. You’ve got to be processed all over again at the home office. You’ll be on the next pay period, in three weeks.”
“But I need it for rent,” Noah told her.
“I’m sorry, hon,” the older woman sympathized. “If I had it to lend you, I would. But with three kids just back in school, I’m already playing catch-up myself. You won’t believe all the crap they make them get these days.”
“It’s okay,” Noah assured her, though it was anything but. He hadn’t worked for weeks after Luke’s accident, and wouldn’t have an income for three-and-a-half more weeks. He’d made no alternate arrangements for Oakdale housing since opting not to renew his lease, having planned to live on campus in L.A. (His original dream was to get a place with Luke, but that sure as hell hadn't panned out.)
His new plan for staying in Oakdale involved using what little savings he had along with his first paycheck to scrape together money for another place. Now he wouldn’t have enough in time. By month’s end, he’d be homeless, and the only places he could go were the exact places he could barely even stand to visit right now.
As he turned to leave, Noah spotted Chris Hughes. The sympathetic look on the physician’s face told Noah he’d heard everything. When Chris started to head in his direction, Noah gave him a quick nod, but headed for the exit.
The only thing Noah needed less than a major delay in his paycheck was a serving of the other man’s pity.
******
He sat on the couch, trying to shut out the what-ifs of his life. If only he’d realized how deeply Mason’s attentions towards him had upset Luke. If only he hadn’t tried to push through with his filming while simultaneously arguing with his boyfriend.
If only he hadn’t gotten so, so angry when he lost his sight. If only he hadn’t stayed that way for far too long. If only he’d taken any of the five hundred chances he’d had to put things right between them before it was too late.
And the mother of all if-onlys: if only Luke were still alive.
This was why he’d spent so much time with Reid. It should’ve been the last thing he’d have wanted to do. A month ago, Noah only ever associated Reid with Luke - and with being the roadblock in their path.
He’d taken it for granted they’d reunite. They always did. As much as he and Luke messed up over the years, and as much as they’d hurt each other, the love remained.
Until it didn’t. Not for Luke, anyway. It was ironic that Luke had worked so hard to teach Noah he deserved to be loved that Noah learned the lesson too well.
After all their ups and downs, Noah had settled into a belief that no matter what they went through, they would always love each other. So they’d always come together again. And they had, until Reid.
Noah never would’ve envisioned himself voluntarily spending time with the bane of his existence. But within those first few run-ins, something became apparent. Contrary to what Noah would’ve expected, his lunches with Reid became the one time of day when Noah barely thought about Luke.
Though their mutual dislike was rooted in their ties to Luke, Reid’s abrasive personality so overwhelmed every other consideration in the moment, it was all Noah could do to keep up in trading barbs with the man. The one hour a day Noah’s mind had been occupied in something other than regrets was a godsend. During that time, Noah felt challenged, annoyed, amused, irritated, incensed, and above all, alive.
The rest of the time, he felt like this.
Chapter 10
Author: random_nic
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: ATWT characters are the property of Telenext and CBS.
Word Count: 1675
Summary: Lives are changed in the wake of a traumatic event.
"It's good to know the Oakdale grapevine is in perfect working order, anyway," Chris joked, alluding to Noah's knowledge of the break-up with Katie.
"Reid mentioned something," Noah explained.
"Ah." Chris had suspected as much. It was hardly a surprise Reid was trash-talking him to Noah. He'd already done as much with Memorial's board, and - many years ago - Columbia's. "Just watch yourself with him, okay?"
Perhaps because the request was politely made in question form, it didn't annoy Noah like Reid's similar edict about Chris had. "Whatever went down with you guys, Reid can't do anything to me. I don't have anything he wants anymore."
Chris nearly choked on his latte. "You're kidding, right?" At Noah's blank expression, Chris awkwardly elaborated. "Look, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but Reid doesn't bother with people unless he wants something."
"I don't sit on the hospital board or have a multi-million dollar foundation. He already got what he wanted from me - my surgery."
"Noah? Reid's a gay man in a small town who's lost his convenient lover, and you look like... you. What do you think he wants?"
Not once the four weeks since he'd began the bizarre lunch ritual with Reid had that ever crossed Noah's mind. "No. No way. That's disgusting."
Fearing he'd overplayed his hand, Chris did his level best to compensate. "I know you're not thinking that way. I wouldn't even bring it up, but I can't in good conscience stand by and say nothing while you get taken in. He and I go back a long way, and if I told you some of the things... nevermind. I'm not trying to air the guy's dirty laundry, just telling you to be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Noah’s mind was reeling, replaying every moment with Reid he could bring to mind from the past month. Had the doctor ever shown even the slightest interest in Noah like that? On the contrary, Reid hadn’t shown much interest in Noah at all. At least, not until Noah mentioned he was getting together with Chris.
Had Reid objected because he knew Chris had dirt on him? Chris seemed reluctant to share it, but Reid wouldn’t know that. The mere idea the doctor expected to slot Noah into the role once occupied by Luke was revolting.
“Thanks, but you have nothing to worry about. I repeat, there is no way,” Noah insisted.
Still, a sinking feeling in Noah’s gut reminded him he really didn’t know Reid, so how could he possibly determine the man’s motives?
******
October 11th
“So you couldn’t live without my sparkling lunch conversation?” Reid gave Noah a once-over before continuing, noting the distressing absence of any white Al’s bags. “Except you forgot the lunch. Maybe I didn’t do such a great job on that brain.”
The teasing comment inadvertently infuriated an already on-edge Noah. “I don’t bring you lunch. I’m not your lackey - or your boyfriend.”
“Whoa,” Reid said in disbelief. Where the fuck did *that* come from? “I assumed you had some purpose for showing up at my workplace - other than to be irritating. My mistake.”
“Fuck off,” Noah snapped back.
Reid’s first day back at Memorial was shaping up to be a Monday in every sense of the word. “Do you want something,” he began in his signature your-idiocy-is-hurting-my-brain tone. “Or are you just here to show off whatever the hell crawled up your ass this morning?”
Noah contemplated for a moment before taking the seat opposite Reid at the cafeteria table. He hadn’t intended to bite Reid’s head off at first sight, but the other man’s comment set off his already threadbare nerves. Since parting ways with Chris the day before, Noah had thought of little else but the man’s accusations against Reid.
“What happened between you and Chris?”
Suddenly, Noah’s shit attitude made a lot more sense to Reid. “You enjoyed your date, then?”
Reid’s sarcasm wasn’t helping the situation, but Noah knew he’d provoked it with his behavior. Not that Reid ever needed someone else to prompt his snark. “He said some things about you, and I want to get your side of the story.”
“No.”
“No?”
“That’s what I said. I trust your hearing’s in order, Mr. Mayer.”
Noah was struck with equal parts confusion and aggravation by the refusal. Reid was normally only too happy to share his opinion of someone. Noah had expected him to give a scathing assessment of the other doctor, but Reid had surprised him by clamming up.
“Why not? Don’t you want the chance to set the record straight?”
Reid exhaled loudly, visibly annoyed with the entire line of questioning. “For who? I already have the record straight.”
“I’d like to know,” Noah admitted. He hated appearing to give a damn, but there was no help for it. He needed to find out what had gone down between the two men.
“You already have my answer.”
“All you said was ‘no’.” Noah found Reid’s stonewalling maddening.
“Exactly. Whatever Chris Hughes claims, the answer is ‘no.’ Even you should be able to grasp that,” Reid mocked.
Noah ignored the dig. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”
“I have no need to say anything for myself. Believe what you want.” Reid stood to carry the tray with his untouched lunch to the wastebasket. The cafeteria food held little appeal before, and he had no appetite now. “Just try to reserve your histrionics for more appropriate settings in the future. With people who actually give a damn.”
With that parting shot, Reid exited the cafeteria, leaving a frustrated Noah with more questions now than when he’d arrived.
******
Noah hadn’t expected his day to improve, but he was unprepared for how much worse it would get. The first sign of trouble came when Shari handed him a stack of paperwork on his way out of Java. “What’s this?” he asked.
“It turns out Jeff had already deleted your employee file when he was organizing the office for me last month. Since you were headed to L.A., he didn’t think we’d need it anymore. You’ll need to fill out your W-2 and I-9 again; just bring them back tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Noah agreed, before a worrisome thought struck. “But I’ll still get paid next week, right?”
“Unfortunately not. You’ve got to be processed all over again at the home office. You’ll be on the next pay period, in three weeks.”
“But I need it for rent,” Noah told her.
“I’m sorry, hon,” the older woman sympathized. “If I had it to lend you, I would. But with three kids just back in school, I’m already playing catch-up myself. You won’t believe all the crap they make them get these days.”
“It’s okay,” Noah assured her, though it was anything but. He hadn’t worked for weeks after Luke’s accident, and wouldn’t have an income for three-and-a-half more weeks. He’d made no alternate arrangements for Oakdale housing since opting not to renew his lease, having planned to live on campus in L.A. (His original dream was to get a place with Luke, but that sure as hell hadn't panned out.)
His new plan for staying in Oakdale involved using what little savings he had along with his first paycheck to scrape together money for another place. Now he wouldn’t have enough in time. By month’s end, he’d be homeless, and the only places he could go were the exact places he could barely even stand to visit right now.
As he turned to leave, Noah spotted Chris Hughes. The sympathetic look on the physician’s face told Noah he’d heard everything. When Chris started to head in his direction, Noah gave him a quick nod, but headed for the exit.
The only thing Noah needed less than a major delay in his paycheck was a serving of the other man’s pity.
******
He sat on the couch, trying to shut out the what-ifs of his life. If only he’d realized how deeply Mason’s attentions towards him had upset Luke. If only he hadn’t tried to push through with his filming while simultaneously arguing with his boyfriend.
If only he hadn’t gotten so, so angry when he lost his sight. If only he hadn’t stayed that way for far too long. If only he’d taken any of the five hundred chances he’d had to put things right between them before it was too late.
And the mother of all if-onlys: if only Luke were still alive.
This was why he’d spent so much time with Reid. It should’ve been the last thing he’d have wanted to do. A month ago, Noah only ever associated Reid with Luke - and with being the roadblock in their path.
He’d taken it for granted they’d reunite. They always did. As much as he and Luke messed up over the years, and as much as they’d hurt each other, the love remained.
Until it didn’t. Not for Luke, anyway. It was ironic that Luke had worked so hard to teach Noah he deserved to be loved that Noah learned the lesson too well.
After all their ups and downs, Noah had settled into a belief that no matter what they went through, they would always love each other. So they’d always come together again. And they had, until Reid.
Noah never would’ve envisioned himself voluntarily spending time with the bane of his existence. But within those first few run-ins, something became apparent. Contrary to what Noah would’ve expected, his lunches with Reid became the one time of day when Noah barely thought about Luke.
Though their mutual dislike was rooted in their ties to Luke, Reid’s abrasive personality so overwhelmed every other consideration in the moment, it was all Noah could do to keep up in trading barbs with the man. The one hour a day Noah’s mind had been occupied in something other than regrets was a godsend. During that time, Noah felt challenged, annoyed, amused, irritated, incensed, and above all, alive.
The rest of the time, he felt like this.
Chapter 10