Well, five chapters and counting!

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Chapter Nine

Noah made side glances at Luke on the drive to the farm. He was nervous; Noah could decipher Luke's body language, he was fluent in 'Luke'. He was biting on his lower lip; he was fidgeting with his fingers; picking slightly at his nails. On reflex Noah reached over and put his hand over Luke's fidgeting ones. Luke tensed slightly on instinct, but relaxed quickly.

"Everything's going to be ok," Noah said in a light voice as he turned down the driveway.

"I know, but I don't want to make everyone uncomfortable," Luke said as he looked at his and Noah's hands as they rested in his lap.

"You could never do that," Noah parked the car and turned to face his husband. "They love you so much that you could never make them uncomfortable. And they are so happy that you're well and getting better. I know for a fact that each one of them is so excited to see you," Noah squeezed Luke's hand to accentuate his point. Luke looked up from their clasped hands and at Noah. Luke was greeted with a shining smile that he couldn't help but return.

"Each one of? How many people are gonna be here?" Luke asked and then looked towards the house.

"Your mom, dad, and the kids. Jack was going bring Sage and Parker. Meg should be there with Eliza. Katie was going to bring Jacob and of course Lucinda and Emma,"

"Who are Jacob and Eliza?"

"Oh, ah. Jacob is Katie and Brad's son. Eliza is Meg's daughter with Paul,"

"Ok," Luke said and then got out of the car. Noah followed suit and stepped to Luke's side of the car. "You're gonna be around right?" Luke's voice was teetering between nervous and scared as he wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans.

"I promise," Noah assured Luke and slipped his hand into Luke's hand. Luke quickly latched on and the two of them walked up to the house. They could hear at least a dozen voices overlapping and interacting with each other. As excited as Luke was, he had a nagging doubt eating away at his stomach. How much had everyone changed from what he knows and how things are now? This was going to be an ordeal he just knew it.


The two men walked into the porch and Luke peeked into the kitchen window. He could see all of his family sitting and standing around the kitchen. They all looked the same. There were a few faces that he didn't quite recognize, but he knew that he needed to do this. He needed to face the fear that was bubbling up in his stomach. He wasn't going to remember anything if he hid away at home.

"Are you ok?" Noah asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, sure,"

"Here, hang on a minute," Noah said as he pulled his hand out of Luke's. "Stay here," Noah stepped inside and Luke observed his family's reaction to Noah's entrance. Emma was first to hug him, Noah smiled at the shorter woman and smiled true affection at her. She kissed his cheek and Noah's face flushed. Luke thought he looked adorable.

Noah walked up to Lily and whispered in her ear. She looked in the direction of porch and saw Luke lingering outside, looking through the window. Lily reached out behind her and touched her husband's arm. As if they could read each other's minds, Holden nodded and they followed Noah out on to the porch. Luke wiped his sweaty hands on his thighs and stepped away from the window. Lily walked through the screen door and right up to her son. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. No matter how old Luke was, Lily always managed to calm her oldest child with a simple caress. Luke melted into her and felt his anxieties break away.

"How are you?" She asked softly in his ear.

"I'm feeling fine, but I'm a little nervous,"

"No one is expecting anything Luke," Holden said trying to reassure his son. "Everyone is just so glad that you are doing better,"

"Yeah," Luke paused, feeling awkward. "Well, I smell Grandma Emma's sweet potatoes and I'm hungry," Luke said in an attempt to pull attention away from himself. Lily took Luke's hand and all four of them entered the house.


The first person to see Luke was his grandmother. The smile on Lucinda's face was the brightest one that Noah had ever seen. Even brighter than on his and Luke's wedding day. She crossed the kitchen in a few steps and captured Luke in a hug. Emma was quick to follow along with Faith and Jack. Natalie and Ethan were hesitant to approach Luke, especially Ethan. Lily and Holden took great pains to explain to their youngest that his big brother had gotten sick and forgot some things. They also insisted that it was no one's fault and that Luke still loved him very much.

Ethan still wasn't sure that he was buying it. He was nine not stupid. If Luke thought he was 18 years old, then that meant that he did not remember Ethan at all, he remembered baby Ethan. He was really upset about that when his parents told him that Luke didn't remember him at all, until he talked to Noah. Noah told Ethan that Luke didn't remember him either. He asked Ethan if he still loved his older brother. Ethan insisted that he did, Noah said that was enough. They just had to give Luke's brain time to heal and he would remember everything again. Noah even promised on it.


Instead of the traditional sit down dinner that Emma preferred, she agreed to have an outside buffet. With the traffic coming and going from the farm, she thought that it would be easier. She also thought that it might be less overwhelming for Luke.

Emma had gone out all out for the family barbeque. There was ham, turkey, hot dogs (grilled to perfection by Holden), burgers (grilled equally perfect by Jack), four different kinds of pasta salad, three different varieties of fruit salad, sweet potatoes, potato salad, and assorted chips, dips and veggies. There was enough food to feed half of the town. Luke just prayed that half of town didn't come. Emma Snyder's barbeques were about as famous as her cooking. No one ever left hungry or unhappy from a Snyder party. Just the hint of a party would bring the people coming.

He looked across the yard at the assembled party and couldn't help but feel a bit lost. There were children that he didn't know or knew them as infants. All of the relatives he did know had aged and he realized just how much he had lost. Time. The only thing that everyone in the world has in a limited supply of and he's lost seven years of memories of all of the wonderful people here. It was one thing to be with Noah in their house and not remember everything, but it was something completely different to look around and see it written on the faces of his family and friends. Luke watched while Noah chatted with Holden and Jack. He had gone to get something to drink; he asked Luke twice if he needed anything, but he insisted that he was fine. Noah looked so at ease with his family. It was nice to see that Noah had been welcomed with open arms. It was so easy for Luke to take comfort in that. He was glad that his family had approved of his husband.

Luke sat alone on one of the family picnic tables and watched everyone. He had a sense of peace in that not everything had changed. That even after all of these years later, the family still assembled at the Snyder farm to celebrate and that grandma Emma's cooking was still the best in the state of Illinois. Luke still wondered how he fit into the lives of his family now. There was so much he didn't know, he didn't know them. They had all grown up and moved on with their lives while Luke had taken seven huge steps back. It was all starting to get a bit overwhelming; he was afraid of this.

He quietly got up and wondered down to Snyder Pond. The kids would eventually make their way down here after the watermelon and pies ran low, but for now it was just him and the water. He could remember all the times he sat down here when he needed to think. He could remember the hours upon hundreds of hours he spend down here drinking and trying to come to terms with him being gay. Luke made his way down to the bench at the end of the dock. He was still having trouble walking but his dexterity was improving all the time. He eased his body down on to the bench and let out a sigh.

It was true that he had had moments of calmness in the past month but sitting in this spot, listening to the water lap at the bottom of the dock, he felt his body turn to jelly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He could hear the kids laughing up at the house and barn. He could smell the remnants of the grilling. He could feel the weathered wood bench under his hands. All of these things he remembered. All of these things were from his childhood, things that he could hang on to. With both hands if he had to.

"You're not hiding from your own party are you?" Luke heard a man ask behind him. He opened his eyes and craned his head back. There stood Dr. Reid Oliver. He was carrying a plate and kept walking down the dock to Luke. Luke sat up quickly and straightened his shirt.

"I'm not hiding. It's just getting to be a little too much up there. I needed a bit of air, that's all,"

"I didn't say anything. Care if I sit?"

"No, of course not," Luke said and slid over to give the doctor more room. Reid sat down and Luke saw what he was carrying. Two pieces of strawberry rhubarb pie and two forks. Luke smiled to himself and took the fork that Reid offered. They ate in relative silence, but it was Reid who spoke first.

"So, what are you doing here, really?" Reid asked with a mouthful of Emma's legendary pie.

"I told you. What are doing here?"

"Katie asked me to come. I am not really big on…people," Reid confessed and got a genuine laugh out of Luke. Reid had heard his laugh during the first two weeks he was in the hospital, but since then those laughs have been few and far between. Luke struck Reid as the kind of guy who could change anyone's mood with a laugh or smile.

"That's not a revelation, trust me," Luke said cheekily. Reid couldn't help but smile at the young blonde. Luke liked to see Reid smile. It felt like he had accomplished something when he did it. He was always trying to get him to smile or laugh. He didn't do either one much, so it was an event when he did.

"Anyway, she told me that there would be food and what can I say, there was never a food I didn't like,"

Luke smiled as he finished his pie and enjoyed the relative silence from his companion. He was so glad to not have someone trying to get him to talk about what he was feeling. God knows he didn't know what he was feeling half the time. He knew that he should talk about everything, but sometimes he just didn't want to talk about anything.

"I don't feel like any of this is my choice," Luke blurted out. As much as he was trying to tell himself that he just wanted quiet, he realized he couldn't sit and not talk. "All of this was that other guy's choices and I am just expected to just go along with all of it. Look at me, I'm 26 years old and I feel completely lost. I just wish…,"

"What do you wish Luke?" Reid asked and turned to face his bench companion. He knew that if he was still long enough, Luke would open up on his own.

"I wish I could remember. More than anything,"

"Maybe you're thinking about this the wrong way,"

"How do you mean?" Luke said as a smile crept across his face.

"Well, think of it as a do-over. You can do whatever you want. Be anything you want. Make any decision you want. There are a lot of people who would give anything to be able to say that,"

"Yeah, I guess. Wait," Luke's brow furrowed and looked over Reid. "Are you actually looking on the bright side of my condition? I dare say, Dr. Oliver, you are looking for the silver lining," Luke said in teasing shock. Reid laughed out right. The two men laughed at Luke's joke and felt their connection tighten a bit more.

"CANNONBALL!" They heard screamed just before Parker jumped off the dock and into the water. Both men jumped to their feet as the cool pond water splashed all over them.

"Damn it Parker!" Luke explained as he shook off the water. Both men looked up the dock and the surrounding beach to see the kids tearing down the grass into the water.

"Looks like we've been invaded. Shall we?" Reid asked, gesturing towards the house. Luke agreed and they started to walk towards the house, making their way up the dock. As Luke stepped off the dock and onto the grass, the still evident weakness on his left side made his egress difficult. He faltered and lost his balance. On instinct, Reid reached out and caught Luke around the waist to keep him upright. Reid felt his pulse and temperature spike as his hand slipped under Luke's shirt. His fingers touching the warm skin on Luke's side.

"Thanks, I guess I'm getting tired," Luke said as he turned to face Reid. Both men stared at each other for another moment before Luke straightened up. They stepped apart slightly and turned to walk up the hill. But Luke stopped when he saw Noah standing there wearing a rather hurt look on his face. Luke was about to say something when he saw a charging Casey grab Noah and continue charging straight towards the water. Both men hit the water and sunk under the surface.

Luke laughed hard at the sight of Noah and Casey coming out of the water. He would soon become Dr. Casey Hughes and he was still the crazy friend that he remembered. Reid watched Luke laugh and got lost in the vision of him. When he was utterly happy, like now, it was like a light had been turned on inside him. He had a glow.

"Casey! I'm gonna kill you!" Noah yelled and dove at his friend.

"You gotta catch me first dude!" Casey said as he swam out further. Noah shook his head and started to trudge towards dry land. He stepped onto the beach and pulled his soaked through shirt off. Luke looked at Noah's wet hair, stuck to his forehead, and water cascading down his body. His head swirled slightly.

"That was awesome! Who needs AC when you have your own pond?"

"Yeah, but it makes me really hungry. But luckily my grandmother keeps this fridge stocked. Look, look, secret recipe chicken wings, very good. Three Bean salad, corn, fresh tomatoes, honeydew melon, what looks good?"

"All of it. Hey dude, you're making a flood in here," Noah joked and threw a beach towel at Luke.

"Ah come one that doesn't matter," Luke answered and threw the towel back at the tall brunette.

"Oh yeah," Noah joked and then whipped Luke with the towel. Shocked by the jolt to his hip, Luke spun around quickly before Noah could do it again. Grabbing hold of the towel mid-whip, they fought for its possession. Luke gave one large pull and Noah came with it. Knocking both of them into the kitchen's island, Luke even felt the large butcher block move against the wooden floor.

This was exactly what Luke had been dreaming about. Noah against him like this; not friendly, very much more than friendly. Luke could feel Noah warm skin against his, Noah's breaths on his face. The confusion and lust in Noah's eyes had Luke feeling the exact same way. He wanted to kiss Noah so much, but the sound of the screen door slamming pulled Noah away from him.

Much like the slam of the same door brought Luke back from his flash. Reid saw Luke shake his head and stagger on his feet. Noah also saw and quickly ran to be next to him.

"Luke? Are you all right?" Reid asked as Noah joined them.

"Yeah, just a bit dizzy. I think I'm just really tired,"

"Why don't I take you home then?" Noah asked. He ran his hand through Luke's hair and rested his palm at the nape of his neck. Luke nodded and both men walked toward the house.

Reid watched Luke's retreating form and realized that he was in big trouble. He let out a long breath as the realization settled in his chest.


Well, still liking it?

Four chapters and counting!

Next time on A Life Adrift - Noah finally open up and Luke watches a home movie.

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