Reid was stalking around the kitchen muttering under his breath.

"What was that, Reid?"

Reid stopped pacing and looked up to see Katie staring at him with an amused look on her face.

"Nothing, Katie."

"I believe the words, I'm not in love, was the phrase do jour."

"Well, I'm not in love."

"If you have to say it that many times and wear a hole in my kitchen floor, you might be in love."

"Oh, this coming from the woman who refuses to acknowledge her feelings for a certain doctor."

"I acknowledge that there is a certain attraction there, but I am not in love."

"Well then we can be not in love together."

Katie just grinned and grabbed the ice cream and two spoons.

As they settled on the couch, Reid grabbed his favorite pillow.

"So how long have you not been in love with Luke?"

"Don't speak his name in here. This is a Luke free zone. How long have you not been in love with Doogie Hughes? I don't see how ice cream is supposed to help anyways."

"There is something about ice cream that has the power to comfort."

"I'd rather have a sandwich."

"You and your damn sandwiches. Oral fixation, much?"

"There is nothing wrong with my love of sandwiches. And even if it is wrong, I don't want to be right."

Reid stood up and walked back into the kitchen. He started making his sandwich methodically.

It felt good like he was performing surgery and he was in the moment, with nothing other than this moment and what he was doing on his brain.

"You should just tell him how you feel."

"You think I should call Luke up and tell him, how much I'm not in love with him?"

"I think you should just sit down and talk to him. Clear the air; communicate for once, instead of jumping to conclusions. Lord knows you two just need some alone time with no interruptions or interferences."

"It doesn't matter, Katie. Even if we do sit down and talk, nothing is going to change. I can't have a relationship with him and keep my job at Memorial. I'm a doctor that is all I've ever been or known. I can't risk all of that on a relationship with someone who still may or may not love his ex. I think instead, I am just going to go back to Dallas. That sounds like a better plan to me."

Katie slammed down the carton of ice cream on the coffee table.

"You are such a coward, Reid Oliver."

"You know, that's the second time today I've been called that. What makes me such a coward?"

"You are in love with, Luke. We both know it. I know that you have never really experienced this before, but being in love is a good thing. Being in love makes you do some weird things. Like eating ginormous sandwiches bigger than your head, it makes you willing to let that person be happy, even if it causes you heartbreak in the process, it makes you feel complete, and like the piece that was missing for so long is finally there. And you are willing to throw that all away, because you're scared. So you go back to Dallas and jump back into work. How long until you're numb enough to not remember the feeling of being with him? Or the way he smiled at you or made you laugh when no one else could? If you run away from this Reid, I'm afraid you will never find love like that again. You'll spend the rest of your life, wondering what if, and instead of having a shot at a real relationship with the only man you've ever loved, you'll have pillows to keep your warm at night. You'll have surgeries and brains, but you won't have love. That is why you are a coward."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you going to spend the rest of your life pining for Brad, or are you going to risk your heart again?"

"This isn't about me, Reid."

"Yes it is, Katie. I will admit that yes, maybe I am a coward. I've never been in love before. I've never known anything like this feeling before. But you, you have felt this before. You know what you are getting into. You know the risks, and you took that chance many times before. What is different about this time? Was it because Brad died? Death doesn't diminish the love you shared. And finding love again doesn't mean you loved him any less. In fact, I think Brad would want you to move on. If he loved you half as much as you loved him, there is no way he'd want you to sit around for the rest of your life and pine after him. He wouldn't want you lonely and afraid to trust your heart again."

Katie was weeping,

"I know, Reid. But, I can't just turn off my feelings for Brad. I will love him until I die. And how is that fair to Chris?"

"I'm sure Chris would understand. And from what I know from firsthand experience, it's possible to love more than two people. I don't understand the heart, but its capacity to love is amazing."

"When did you get so good at advice?"

"I learned from the best."

Reid and Katie grinned at each other.

Just then Katie's phone rang.

Katie went into her bedroom.

Reid stared at his phone wondering if he should call Luke.

Katie came back into the kitchen beaming,

"What's with the Cheshire cat grin?"

"That was Chris. I finally accepted a date with him."

"Good for you, Katie."

She picked up Reid's phone then,

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Dear Luke, I need to see you right away. Please meet me at Katie's house.

"Don't you dare send that, Katie! I mean it!"

"Oops, I accidentally hit send."

"You're a bitch."

"You know you love me."

"No, I just like everyone else less."

Katie laughed and handed the phone back to Reid.

They didn't even have to wait a full minute,

I'll be there in ten.

Katie grabbed her coat and purse then,

"I'll be back later."

"He's not even going to pick you up?"

"He's at Tom and Margo's. They have Jacob for the day. I'm meeting them for dinner, and then we're going to a movie."

"Good luck, Katie."

"You too, Reid."

With that Katie was out the door.

Reid went to work on making a second sandwich.

If Katie promised Luke a sandwich that is what he was going to get.
Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door.

Reid rubbed his hands on his jeans, suddenly nervous with butterflies in his stomach.

"Here goes nothing."

Reid opened the door to Luke and his future.