The next day, Luke and Noah left Oakdale and landed in DFW, the Dallas airport. The got their luggage off the conveyor belt and headed out to their hotel. On their way, the taxi passed Parkland Hospital and Luke's whole body tensed. He had no idea if Dr. Oliver was on duty today, but the thought that he was the nearest to him he had been in three years made Luke's heart constrict and gave him knots in his stomach.
The last time he and Dr. Oliver had spoken to each other had not been a fun experience.
Luke knocked on the door to Katie and Reid's apartment. It was a fervent knock, but it was also a reluctant one.
The door opened and Luke was faced with Reid who smiled when he saw Luke.
"Hi, Luke," Reid said. "Come in." Luke walked into the apartment.
"Hi," Luke said, fists clenched.
"To what do I owe this amazing pleasure?" Reid said, sauntering over and kissing him.
"Mmm," Luke moaned, melting into the kiss and pulling Reid closer. But after a minute, he pulled away. "Reid," Luke mumbled, his eyes closed.
"What?"
"We need to talk," Luke said, his hands enclosing Reid's.
Reid looked at Luke, a sadness in his eyes that told Luke he knew what the conversation was about.
Luke led Reid to the couch and both men sat down.
"You're going back to Noah," Reid said, releasing Luke's hands.
"Yes," Luke said. "He's the love of my life."
"Good for him," Reid said, standing up, walking to the fridge, and trying not to portray his shattered heart.
"Please don't think that I don't love you, Reid," Luke said, standing up as well. "Because I do."
"Well, that's just grand. Glad to know I at least broke into the barrier in your heart that the Great Noah Mayer had built in it," Reid said, getting sarcastic to mask his hurt.
"I'm sorry, Reid. When we started this, Noah was gone and I didn't know if he was coming back. But he did and he wants me back. I can't just give that up. I never meant to hurt you."
"Well, you didn't," Reid lied. "I knew this was a rebound for you. I had no expectations." Reid finished making himself a sandwich and started to eat.
Luke looked at him sadly; he knew Reid was lying.
"If that's all you have to say, you can leave now," Reid said, taking a huge bite of his sandwich.
Luke gave Reid one last sad look and left the apartment.
Despite his assurances that he had had no expectations and was not hurt, Reid had left Oakdale and gone back to Dallas a week later.
And now, three years later, Luke was in Dallas, miles away from Dr. Oliver and it was unbearable.
Luke and Noah's taxi pulled into the driveway of the hotel and the two men checked in. They went on up to room 510 and unpacked.
Once they had put all their clothes, Luke plopped down on one of the chairs and turned on the TV.
"I have to go to the arena to register and sign-in," Noah said. "I should be back in a couple hours and then we can get something to eat? Will you be alright?"
"Yep. I promise I won't burn down the hotel," Luke said, smiling slightly, flipping through the channels.
Noah chuckled and left the room. As soon as Noah was gone, Luke turned off the TV and grabbed his jacket. Once outside, Luke hailed a taxi and made his way to Parkland Hospital. When the car stopped, Luke paid the driver and entered the building.
When he was in the lobby, Luke looked at the board for the neurology wing. Making a mental note that it was floor 12, Luke went to the elevator and pushed the number 12 when the doors had closed behind him. A few minutes later, the doors opened onto floor 12 and Luke took a deep breath and exited the elevator.