Looks like I've snagged a few more of you with this one.

Hope you guys like this one!

Chapter Ten

Reid's heart was racing and he had a bitter taste in his mouth. He stood with his head resting against the front door for at least ten minutes. His entire body was shaking. He wanted so badly to be back in his old life. The life that Luke knew. But this was for the better. Luke would see that. Luke would be able to have the kind of life he deserved. A long happy life with a partner that was actually a partner for him. Someone who could truly share his life with him. Reid had warned Luke that his job would pull from their time together. Luke said that he would take Reid anyway he could get him. Reid promised that he would work hard to keep Luke a priority, but try as he might, he broke that promise.

He promised Luke now, that he would make this right. He would have the life he deserved.

Reid pushed off the door and continued getting dressed. There was no way that Reid was going to be able to sleep after Luke's visit. He figured just going to work was better than sitting in his apartment thinking about Luke. Well, he was going to be thinking about Luke no matter what, but at least he would get some work done.

He walked into the hospital and it was well after 8pm. The night shift was just getting started and visiting hours were over. At least Reid knew that Luke wasn't going to be in the hospital anymore today. He could focus on his daily routine; Reid was all about the routine.

He grabbed some charts and started checking on his patients. Everything was going as it should, until he came to his last patient. Noah. He wasn't sure if he had purposely put him off to the end or not. Subconsciously, maybe he did. Put off the one he had been dreading. He grabbed Noah's chart from the nurses' station and dragged himself to Noah's room. Gripping the chart tightly in his right hand, he opened the door and took in a sharp breath.

There sitting next to Noah's bed was Luke. He was asleep; his head was resting next to Noah's on the pillow. His fingers were laced through Noah's and Reid could hear faint snoring. The bitter taste was back in his mouth. He decided to get in and get out. Reid slowly closed the door and let it latch shut. He set the chart down and walked to Noah's bedside; opposite Luke. He looked so peaceful and then Reid had a flash of the last look Luke gave him when he left his apartment. The humiliation and contempt he had for himself in that moment. Reid could see him actually shrink down in front of him.

"You're a lucky man Noah." Reid whispered to the unconscious man. "You have the love of an amazing man. You have no idea how amazing he is." Reid stopped and looked at Luke who was still asleep. Reid continued to check the brunette's vitals. "If Luke does decide to stay with you, don't screw up the way I did. Don't you ever take him for granted." Reid made a few notes on Noah's chart and quietly left the room.

He dropped Noah's chart off at the desk and slipped into the supply storage room a little down the hall; grabbing what he was looking for. Reid glanced up and down the quiet hall to be sure no one was looking and snuck back into Noah's room. Luke was still asleep and had not even moved. Reid carefully unfolded the blanket he had grabbed and draped it over Luke. He made sure to cover him as best as he could. Reid softly brushed Luke's hair and exited the room as quietly as he entered. He let out a breath as he tried to get his composure back.

"Dr. Oliver? Are you all right?" A nurse asked when she found him leaning against the wall. He straightened his shoulders and stood to full height.

"Of course I am." He answered sharply. He started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to the retreating nurse. "Thank you." The woman nodded curtly and continued on her way. Reid walked to his office and collapsed on his couch. Exhaustion was finally kicking in. That was the only way he was going to get any rest tonight anyway. He laid back and stared up at the ceiling. As he eyelids grew heavier and heavier, he tried to reach back to happy memories he had of Luke. Reid fell asleep to the vision of Luke lying on the shore of the pond; the warming his skin with beads of water still visible.

The next two weeks Reid didn't see Luke. Literally, Luke was not around. Their correspondence was down to email and memos as well as phone messages through assistants. Luke was still trying to keep everything as professional as he could. Emailing notes for the plans or adjustments to the budget. Nothing personal was added. Reid felt bad that Luke was feeling the need to edit himself. Whenever Luke emailed anyone, he was polite and cordial to them all; starting messages with 'Hello' and ending with a 'Thank you so much', but none of those endearments were on the notes he got from Luke.

They had three board meetings in that time and Bob always relayed Luke's apologies that he was unable to attend. Luke's presence at those meetings was the only reason Reid managed to fit them in his schedule. Reid knew he was being ignored and it hurt. A lot. He missed Luke. Reid thought seeing him every day and not being with him was tough, but this was much worse. But this was exactly what he had hoped for. That Luke would find someone else and have a normal, functional relationship. To see the reality of it, made a pit in Reid's stomach.

Reid made sure to visit Noah when Luke was not around. It wasn't that Reid did not want to see Luke; it didn't want Luke to feel any worse than he already did. Luke was notorious for internalizing his feelings, which probably stemmed from his crazy, bipolar upbringing; being dragged from one parent to the other and back again. He was always trying to be sure that everything and everyone was all right. Reid knew that if Luke actually came face to face with the doctor he would relive it all again and feel even worse.

It was during one of those visits when Noah started to wake up. It was subtle at first. He just moved his head a little and moaned in his sleep. Reid had started weaning Noah off the sedative, so this was bound to happen. He made a note of it and told the day nurse to keep monitoring him. He told her that Noah was beginning to rouse out of his drug-induced coma. He went back to his office and checked email. Just because he was not seeing Luke, did not mean that he wasn't talking to him.

Reid was checking on Noah when Luke entered his room. He looked tired and his hair was not its usual polished self. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping lately; another thought that made Reid regret the way they left things the day of Noah's surgery.

"Hello, Mr. Snyder."

"Dr. Oliver. How is he?" Luke walked to the opposite side of the bed, facing Reid, but looking down at Noah.

"He's just starting to wake up."

"Really?" Luke asked with excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, he should be waking up soon. But he still needs to take it easy." He made a few notes and started to walk away.

"Would it be all right if I stayed here?" Luke asked the doctor as he slipped his hand into Noah's.

"That should be fine. I'll be back later to check on him.

Noah had been starting to wake for a few hours now. His surgery had gone the way it was supposed to as Reid knew it would and he could be discharged in a week or so. A fact that Reid was glad of. He didn't hate Noah; he never really did. He hated how he treated Luke. Noah was not good enough for him. Well, in Reid's mind no one would be good enough; not even himself.

Reid was just about to finish rounds. Noah was his last stop. He made sure to grab his chart and opened the door without looking up. When he did look up, Luke was sitting on the edge of Noah's bed and they were kissing. Reid felt his heart and jaw clench at the same time. Luke was holding Noah's face in his hands and Noah's hands were tangled in Luke's blonde locks and tugging on his hip. He almost walked back out, but stopped when he heard a moan escape through their kiss.

Reid knew that moan. That was the sound Luke made when he was losing himself in the other person. It was Luke's moan of pure rapture. Visions of Luke in various states from their relationship flashed through Reid's mind in that instant. Jealousy was an ugly emotion, but that was all Reid could feel in that moment. Reid missed that moan.

He couldn't witness this any longer. Reid coughed loudly; louder than necessary. And then watched Luke pull away from an equally startled Noah. Luke looked over his shoulder and saw Dr. Oliver standing there with his arms crossed over Noah's chart. He jumped to his feet and stepped back from Noah's bed.

"Dr. Oliver, is that you?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?"

"Better after Luke got here." He said as he squeezed Luke's hands. Luke looked down at their joined hands and then Reid. Reid had to forced his face to remain as blank as possible.

"He can see." Luke said with a gleaming smile. One that Reid had not seen in a long time.

"Of course he can."

"I'll go wait outside." Luke said and Noah quickly grabbed Luke's wrist to stop him. Luke looked down at Noah, a small smile played across his face. "I want him to stay. Please, Dr. Oliver,"

"Right, whatever. Just stay back. How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty good. Things are still really blurry."

"Understandable. If things look the way I think they will, I'm going to progress you into a new medication."

"Will that clear it up?" Noah asked anxiously.

"We'll see. I'm optimistic," he said with a smile.

"That's good enough for me."

Reid started Noah's exam, first checking his pupil response and then sent him down a few floors for a CAT scan and a few x-rays. After a couple hours of testing, Reid came back to Noah's room after looking over all the data collected. He was about to give him some good news, but got bad news in return. When Reid opened the door, he found Luke sitting on Noah's bed. Their hands were linked and they were locked in another kiss. He felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest. He coughed to make his presence known. The two men broke apart and Luke stood up to face the doctor. Feeling a blush rising up into his cheeks. Why did he always feel this way when Dr. Oliver and him were in the same room?

"Dr. Oliver?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Noah, I have your results." Reid said and could almost feel them take in deep breaths. "Everything is going exactly as I had hoped. If you just keep to the protocols were established, you will be getting out of here real soon."

"Ha! Did you hear that?" Luke exclaimed

"Yeah, thank you Dr. Oliver. I don't know I'll ever be able to repay you."

"The new neuro wing your boyfriend is building is enough for me. I'll be back to check on you later on." He slipped out before either one of them could stop them. He needed to speak to someone and he needed to do it right now.

Well, it looks like it's getting harder for Reid to leave Luke alone too.

Hope you guys keep coming back.

Next time on Reconstruction - Reid opens up to Luke about a past relationship.

Stay Tuned!