Title: Secrets 1/?

Author: Amber

Chapter Summary: Reid helps Chris with his disease. My interpretation of upcoming spoilers

Rating: PG-13

Reid let out an exhausted sigh of relief. Thanks to Luke's lessons, he had successfully navigated the hospital board meeting. He'd been both charming and competent.

So why did he feel so fucking frazzled?

Reid left the meeting room as quickly possible. He found a deserted alcove to hide in and leaned his sweating forehead against the wall. He closed his eyes.

God damn you, Doogie. What the hell are you doing?

The memory of Chris' awkward and labored presentation still made him cringe. Reid had sat in his chair, outwardly calm, as he observed Chris fumbling through his presentation. Reid noticed every wince from Chris. No one else in the room seemed to catch onto anything. Chris' hand ghosted to his chest before quickly going to his pocket.

And they're all highly trained medical professionals. Reid thought sarcastically.

After the meeting, the tension had been too much. He'd tried to corral Chris and check him out, but Chris had quickly vanished.

Now it was over. Chris was gone, stricken with a possibly fatal heart condition that, against all medical advice, he wanted to keep secret. Luke was surely roaming the halls, wanting to celebrate.

Reid couldn't believe his life.

He opened his eyes, and readjusted his suit. He left the alcove, and almost immediately lighted on Luke.

Luke flashed him the most beautiful smile, and ran towards him. Luke grabbed Reid's shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Oh my god, you did it!" he exclaimed. "I knew you could."

Reid sagged forward into Luke's embrace, trying to draw strength from him.

"Yeah," he managed. "We pulled it off. I can't believe it myself."

Luke pulled away slightly, and gave Reid a quick congratulatory kiss.

"We have to celebrate, Reid. What do you say, how about a night out?"

Reid blinked slowly, then remembered to grin.

"Sure, Luke. Whatever you want."

Luke stared at Reid, slightly concerned. "Are you okay? You're sweating." He felt Reid's forehead. Reid resisted the urge to bat it away. He wanted nothing more than to go home, cuddle with Luke, and forget the whole hideous day had ever happened.

"I'm fine." he answered gently. "Come on, let's get out of here."

He and Luke walked out the hospital, Luke's arm wrapped around Reid's waist.

"So Metro is having a dance night." Luke said, excited. "We should check it out."

"Just for a little while, okay? I'm beat."

As it turned out, Metro was the worst possible place to go. The throbbing lights gave Reid an headache, and in the corner, he spotted the erstwhile Chris.

Reid groaned inwardly. Chris looked worse than ever. Even from far away, he could tell Chris was about to pass out.

Reid could relate to that.

He extracted himself from Luke, kissing him deeply.

"Hey, will you get us some drinks? I need to talk to Chris about hospital procedure."

Luke furrowed his brow in confusion. "When did you start calling him Chris?"

Reid chuckled nervously. "We've been spending more time together. Whoever becomes Chief, we'll have to work with each other. It was time for an upgrade."

Luke stared at Reid as if he'd grown another head.

"Wow. Guess my lessons really did help you."

"You have no idea," Reid replied softly. He stared into Luke's eyes for a long moment. "I'll see you in a minute."

Luke left, and Reid immediately worked his way through the crowd to Chris.

Chris' face was flushed red, and he was beginning to hyperventilate.

Reid checked his pulse, and cursed.

"Your pulse is racing. We need to get it down now, or you're gonna be a corpse."

Chris nodded fiercely. "I brought a sedative. It's in my back pocket."

"Well, come on then." Reid put an arm around Chris' shoulders, and guided him towards the bathroom. He couldn't help but remember how Luke had held him earlier in the evening, and felt a twinge of longing for his boyfriend.

He closed and locked the door, as Chris stumbled into the room. He collapsed against the wall.

Reid began to massage the carotid artery, while Chris got the syringe out of his pocket.

"Reid, here." he gasped.

He took the syringe, and rolled up Chris' shirt sleeve. He injected the medicine, and finally Chris' breathing began to relax. His eyelids flickered closed.

"Chris, stay with me." Reid said desperately. "I really won't be able explain this." He knew the man was simply deprived of oxygen; his heart rate had gone back to normal.

"Katie," Chris murmured. His head lolled to one side.

Reid slapped Chris lightly on the cheek.

"Think about Katie, Chris." Reid said. "You can't take care of her if you're dead. We gotta get you admitted. Chris!"

No response.

He rolled his eyes in frustration. "Doogie Hughes!" he barked. "Open your fucking eyes!"

Chris yawned, and looked up at Reid. "Oliver," he said. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

"I saved your ass." Reid growled. "It was great." He pulled the weakly protesting Chris up from the floor. "Come on, buddy. Let's get you home."

"Reid, are you crazy?" Chris snapped. "I can't leave. I'm supposed to meet Katie."

"I'll make excuses for you, Chris." Reid assured him.

They made it out of the bathroom, and Reid looked around for a back door exit.

"Is there a back way out of this place?"

"Yeah. It's right behind you."

"Okay, let's go."

Chris shrugged out of Reid's grasp, and led him out of the club.

"I'm feeling much better," he said over his shoulder. "Thank you."

"It's only a stopgap, you know that. You need to be admitted."

Chris turned to stare at Reid, eyes blazing. "Reid, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't tell anyone! I'm not one of those wilting flowers you can bully into submission. I can handle this on my own."

"Oh yeah, you're handling it great." Reid said sarcastically. "You gotta ask yourself one question, Chris. Do you wanna die now, or do you want my help so we can find a way to beat this thing? I perform miracles for a living, Chris. I may be a bastard, but I am an amazing doctor. Let me help you."

Chris clenched his jaw, and retorted, "I can't leave Katie alone. She's already had Brad die."

"Which is exactly why you need to get treated now!" Reid exclaimed. "I can give you a fighting chance, Chris. Without it, you will definitely die. Besides, you really want Katie to find you dead in a month with no explanation? She deserves to know, so she can help you get through this." He stepped closer to Chris, guiding him through the back door.

Chris made a fist, and punched his hand. "All right, Reid. You win." he gritted. "A private room. Completely off the books."

Reid grimaced, clicking his teeth together in frustration. "I can't promise that, and you know it. You want me to lose my license? What am I gonna say to Bob about the mysterious patient? We'll admit you under a pseudonym, but tomorrow you tell your family."

Chris smiled slightly. "You drive a hard bargain, Dr. Oliver. But you've got a deal." He held out his hand. Reid shook it firmly.

"We have to go now," he said. "You need an iv, and a prescription heart medication."

He and Chris walked to the hospital together in silence.