Chapter 6

Whoever said silence was bliss never had to sit and watch someone they cared about drift away. Whoever thought it could be peaceful, never had to listen to the machines beeping in the distance. They never had to know that those beeps; the constant beep. Beep. were the only indication that someone was still alive. Whoever said silence was golden never wished and prayed to some higher power for that person to come back to them. Silence was not Noah's best friend. In fact…he hated it and he wished more than anything that he could hear something…anything but especially the sound of Luke's voice. That was all he wanted to hear. He didn't want silence.

"Noah?"

His name floated by his ear like a cloud, and at first he wasn't even sure he had heard it. He didn't dare look up, fearing that he was dreaming yet again. This wasn't the first time he had thought he heard his name.

"N…Noah," his name again, this time more uncertain and he knew…just knew it had to be real. The voice was soft, almost hoarse and a hand was reaching out to grasp him. There was something frantic about the grip and Noah raised his head and found himself staring into eyes that were a sweet mixture of green and brown. Those eyes were scared and a bit disoriented, but they were open and that alone put joy into Noah's heart.

Luke opened and closed his mouth, and frowned and Noah wondered what was going through the blond's head at the moment. He stood from his spot and walked over to the table to retrieve a swab and a cup of water.

"Noah?" Luke said. He tried to lick his lips, but his tongue was too dry to do any good.

"Don't try to talk," Noah said dipping the swab in the water as he had seen the nurse aides do multiple times. "You can't have anything to drink right now, but try this." He dabbed the sponge over Luke's lips. He had paid particular attention to this maneuver, knowing it was the only way at the moment to make sure Luke's mouth wasn't completely dry.

"Just stay still," he said softly when Luke opened his mouth to speak. "You can trust me Luke." Noah couldn't resist allowing his fingers to touch those soft lips just once. That simple contact sent a shiver up his spine that he tried to mask as he set the water on the table. He placed the swab inside Luke's mouth, but removed it quickly when Luke started to suck on it.

"Yuck," Luke said wrinkling his nose at the taste.

"The nurses said you probably wouldn't like the taste," Noah grinned.

At that moment Luke looked so vulnerable and Noah just wanted to hug him…but he didn't. Instead he took a seat beside him on the bed and waited to see if his friend would speak again.

"Thank you," Luke croaked, looking down at his hands for a moment. He seemed to be looking for something, though Noah wasn't sure what. Noah watched curiously as the Luke examined his fingers and his arms, fingering the IV for a moment before placing his hands on the sheet to lift it up. When the blond head bent to peer under the blanket Noah frowned. He couldn't even begin to guess what his friend was doing. His behavior was peculiar, but at the same time, Noah was too glad he was awake to care. He just filed the information away for later.

"I don't like hospitals," Luke said breaking the silence that had fallen in the room. After Luke's self-examination, Noah had pushed the call button to alert the doctor. He let Holden and Lily know Luke was awake as well…though he had to promise Luke he was coming back before he was allowed to leave his side. They ran new tests now that Luke was awake, and they hoped they would be able to get some answers soon. Luke was moved into his own private room and had already been seen by a handful of family members.

Noah was just about to respond to Luke's statement when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said, even as he looked at Luke to make sure he wanted visitors."

"Is it safe to come in," a dark head peeked into the room. "Is he awake?"

"Hi Maddie," Luke greeted wearily. Noah figured this would have to be a short visit. The drugs Luke was given would be kicking in soon.

"Welcome back to the waking world," Maddie said coming further into the room. She gave Luke a hug, and Noah noticed his hesitation before wrapping his arms around her. The whole scene seemed awkward to Noah and he couldn't quite put his finger on why. He just had the sense that Luke was closing down again…but maybe that was because he was tired.

"I'm sorry I missed so much work," Luke frowned.

"That's the last thing you need to worry about," Maddie said pulling away to look at him. "You look tired, but I am so glad you're here so I can talk to you again."

"How is everything at work," Noah piped up. He could tell by the look in Luke's eyes that he was a little out of sorts. "Is Tiphani still being a pain?"

"When isn't she a pain?" Maddie exclaimed, turning to talk to Noah. "All she does is gripe. She's wondering when you're coming back."

"Don't tell me I've kept you out of work too, Noah," Luke's words were a bit slurred, it was definitely time to cut this short.

"Its okay, Luke. I wanted to be here in case you woke up. I was worried about you."

"But…why," Luke asked, those brown eyes with the flecks of green facing him head on.

"Because you're my best friend. And that's what friend's do."

"You did Noah a favor, Luke," Maddie smiled softly. "He's a workaholic."

"I am not," Noah laughed as he turned on her. "I just never had a reason to take off."

"Until now," Maddie teased."

"Okay it's time for Luke to get some sleep," Noah said hoping that his friend hadn't caught Maddie's insinuation. "Now that he is in a regular room you can see him until he gets out of here."

"And when will that be?" Maddie asked as she gave Luke another hug. He heard Luke mumble some intelligible reply to the embrace before Maddie pulled away.

"We don't know yet, but when I know something I will let you know."

Noah gave Maddie a hug and she kissed his cheek before turning to leave.

"I'm counting on you to take care of him," she said turning to face him once more. "He seems to respond to you more than anyone else."

Noah nodded and waited until Maddie was gone before turning his attention to Luke. "Why am I so sleepy Noah? I just woke up didn't I?"

"They gave you some medicine for the pain," Noah explained even as he began the process of positioning Luke just right so he could sleep. "Just lie down and get some rest."

"Medicine?" Luke murmured. "I don't like medicine." His eyelids were heavy and Noah knew any moment now those hazel eyes would be sealed.

"You'll have to tell me about that another time," Noah whispered, rubbing his back. "Go to sleep okay?" Luke's even breathing was his only response and Noah settled down in the chair by his side. There was something very nice about watching Luke sleep...and knowing that in the morning he would wake up.

"I really don't like hospitals," Luke sighed, breaking the silence that seemed to swallow the hospital room. A few days had passed since Luke woke up, and just that morning Dr. Hamilton had ordered a final battery of tests, and it was no wonder that Luke was repeating the statement he had made when he first awakened.

"I don't think anyone likes hospitals, Luke," Noah commented softly. "It's no fun being sick."

"I was just in the hospital," Luke commented, a sad frown on his face. Noah recognized this as his "Lost in a moment" expression and he decided to see if he could persuade his friend to talk to him.

"You're in the hospital now," he said slowly. Luke turned to face him and Noah fought hard to stay focused on what he was talking about. It wasn't easy with those vulnerable eyes staring at him. "Is that what you mean? You've been here for two weeks."

"No," Luke said shaking his head. "I mean before this. I was just here…but not this hospital. Were you always here?" he asked changing the subject abruptly.

"When I could be," Noah answered, trying to pick his words and questions lightly. He wanted to know about this last time Luke was in the hospital. He wanted to ask why Luke had looked under the sheet, there were so many questions…but he had to be careful. Luke trusted him, he wanted to keep it that way.

"So you saw who came in and out of here right?" Luke continued his line of questioning. There was something about those eyes looking at him, that Noah found unsettling. Was that fear he saw in that gaze? It was hidden beneath a thin layer of some emotion Noah couldn't name but he knew it was there. What was Luke afraid of?

"Your parents were in here," Noah told him. "And your grandma. Dr. Hamilton was in and out, but that's pretty much it besides me and a few nurses."

"Are you sure," Luke asked his voice nearly inaudible.

"Well, your…Damian was in here once, but you didn't react well to him and he shouldn't have been in here anyway. He didn't come back though he tried."

"And that's it?" Luke asked, chewing on his lip nervously.

"What's wrong, Luke?" Noah asked, his own eyes looking around, as if he could find the source of what seemed to be frightening his friend.

"You…you're sure that there were no other people in here?" Luke asked again. Noah shook his head, even as he began to wonder if maybe he should get Dr. Hamilton…or Luke's parents.

"Luke, do you want me to get the doctor…"

"No," Luke said adamantly and the fear was no longer hidden. "Please Noah don't do that I…I just need you to listen to me. Please don't tell the doctor."

Noah was gravely concerned, but somehow he managed not to convey that on his face. He didn't want to make Luke think he couldn't trust him. He placed his hands on Luke's shoulders and impulsively pressed his forehead against the younger boy's. "You can trust me, Luke. Always remember that. I won't tell, but I need you to talk to me, okay."

Luke nodded and Noah moved away from him so he could watch him once more. Luke sat silently for a moment, and Noah knew he was trying to get his thoughts together. Noah had learned a lot about how to deal with Luke over the past few weeks. Now he was watching the mannerisms closely wanting to see if there were clues to what happened to him the previous year.

"When can I get out of here?" Luke asked, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. "I don't like hospitals."

"Will you rest for me?" Noah asked even as he fluffed Luke's pillows and straightened out Luke's blankets. "I'm sure you're exhausted."

"You can't leave me alone with them, Noah," Luke said his voice serious.

It was on the tip of Noah's tongue to inquire about "them," but he swallowed the question and instead offered a sad smile. "No one can get to you while I'm here."

"Thank you." Noah watched those eyes until they clouded over with sleep and the eyelids drifted closed. He heard a noise behind him and turned to see Luke's dad enter the room. Noah lifted his finger to his lips to signal that Luke was asleep. Holden nodded and gestured for Noah to come sit with him.

"I need to talk to you about something," Noah whispered, "but I don't want to go too far in case Luke wakes up."

"How is he doing?" Holden asked glancing at his son.

"He wants to get out of here?" Noah explained. "He doesn't like hospitals.

"Dr Hamilton and Dor. Hughes say he should be able to go home in a few days," Holden informed him. "They want him to take it easy while they figure out how to help him."

"Where's Lily. She should be here; I think Luke would like to see her."

Holden frowned. "She's talking to Damian."

"Oh," Noah sighed. He didn't want to think about Luke's other father right now.

"You don't like him do you."

It wasn't lost on Noah that Holden wasn't asking him a question. He looked at Luke's dad and decided it was time to be honest. "Forgive me if I overstep any boundaries sir, but I just don't trust him. He just rubs me the wrong way."

"I don't trust him either," Holden admitted. "But he is Luke's father. As long as Luke wants him here, I have to put up with him.

Noah shook his head. "With all due respect sir, you are Luke's father. You are the one he wants on his side, and the one he misses so much. You are the one he needs to please. You are the one he needs, Holden. Biology is just a science it takes more than that to make someone a dad."

"Thank you, Noah. I really appreciate that. Damian is the one who convinced Luke to get help for his drinking, though. So I suppose I have to give him points for that."

"It was Damian's idea to send him to rehab?" Noah asked surprised. That wasn't the way he had heard it from Luke.

"Actually, according to Damian, Luke decided to go on his own," Holden said shaking his head. Damian just helped steer him in the right direction. I didn't believe him, but he showed us the papers with Luke's signature."

The wheels were turning in Noah's head. He wanted to say something but could he without any information to back it up? Would Holden even believe him, considering Luke's state of mind right now? ""Someone's not telling the truth here," he said meeting Holden's' gaze head on.

"Can you tell me why you don't trust Damian, Noah?"

"Luke has a lot of anger towards him," Noah explained. This isn't the first time Luke has reacted badly to Damian's presence. There was always this brush of pure anger…I think his headaches may be connected to his emotions. I was reading up on that while you and Lily visited with him. The stronger the emotion, the more intense the headache."

"That's an interesting theory," Holden agreed. Noah could tell that Luke's father was starting to think about things too. "But why are Luke's feelings causing him headaches."

"I think he's repressing them," Noah said thoughtfully. "I can get Luke to open up sometimes…but then he reaches a certain point and he closes himself off again. It's almost like he doesn't want to feel anything, and so when he does it hurts him."

"I'm not very fond of that idea, Noah." Holden said seriously.

"Neither am I and I'm sorry sir. It's just that a lot of things aren't adding up, and I just feel like I need to get to the bottom of this."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"What?" Noah asked the question catching him off guard.

"Luke," Holden said nodding in his son's direction. "You really care about him?"

Yes, more then you'll ever know. "Yes, sir, he's very important to me."

He was relieved when Holden just smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder giving it a squeeze. "Thank you for being so good to him."

"You don't have to thank me for that, sir" he turned towards Luke and smiled. "It's my pleasure."

6