Chapter 2

Luke opened his eyes. He lay on the bed for several seconds as his fuzzy memory slowly returned then cautiously sat up and looked around the room. Two candles sat on a old dusty box, providing just enough light that Luke could see nothing but dusty boxes sitting everywhere. He climbed off his bed and saw he'd been laying on a pile of narrow mattresses stacked against the wall. The room looked like a storage building. Where the hell am I?

"Luke."

Luke spun around and caught his breath in his throat. How could this be possible?

Reid stepped out from behind a stack of boxes and walked up to Luke. "I know I look different, but it's me."

Luke could only stare at Reid for several seconds. "Oh my God." He threw his arms around Reid.

Reid held Luke tight, a wave of emotion suddenly flooding over him. He didn't know it would be this difficult. He was startled when Luke suddenly pulled away and shoved him.

"How could you do this?" Luke yelled, his voice shaking. Elation, fury, relief… how the fuck was he suppose to feel? "How could you let me think you were dead? Do you have any idea what I've been through? Do you even care?"

"I had no choice, Luke." Reid said.

"How can you not have a choice?" Luke yelled. "You chose to leave me—"

"No," Reid grabbed Luke's shoulders, "I wouldn't have left you. You've got to believe me."

"Why should I?" Luke choked. "I don't know what to believe. How can you be here? You were cremated. I put your ashes in the pond so you would always be with me, and now you're here and… and..."

"Shhh, it's okay," Reid pulled Luke close, wrapping his arms around him. "I know what you've done. I know everything that's happened."

"Then tell me, because I don't know what's happening."

"Just calm down," Reid gently pushed Luke back to the bed and sat next to him. "I'll explain everything. I just need you to keep it down and not bring any attention to us, understand?"

Luke looked around the room again. "Where are we?"

"One of the hospital's storage sheds. The one by the parking lot."

"Why?"

"Because nobody can see us talking." Reid said. "As far as the world is concerned, I'm dead. Only two people know I'm alive. And now you."

"What is this, some kind of witness protection thing?" Luke asked confused. "Did you fake your death?"

"No, this has nothing to do with witness protection." Reid said. "Lets just say a friend owed me one. He's the reason I'm dead."

"I don't understand."

Reid brought his hand to the back of Luke's neck, caressing his skin. "I'm going to tell you everything. Just listen, okay?"

Luke silently nodded, Reid's touch as soothing and warm as he remembered.

Reid listened for any sounds outside the door and, satisfied that no one was around, began his story. "A little over a year ago, when I was still in Dallas, I was helping out an ER one night. There was a multi-car accident and they needed all the doctors in the area they could get. At one point, two patients were brought in who weren't part of the accident. One was an FBI agent named Tony Michaels. The other was a man named James Thorne. James Thorne was a convicted murderer who'd escaped from prison. He was a fugitive. Thorne's family lives in Dallas and they tried to hide him, but Agent Micheals and his team tracked him down. Thorne wasn't going to go without a fight; he shot Agent Michaels, but Thorne ended up being shot too. So now they're both in this ER, under my care and in critical condition, but there was only one operating room available. James Thorne was in worse shape. I should have operated on him immediately, but I took Agent Michaels instead. By the time I was done, Thorne had died."

"Would he have died, otherwise?" Luke quietly asked.

"I don't know." Reid honestly answered. "A doctor isn't suppose to make a decision, based on how they personally feel about the situation, but I guess that's what I did. Thorne had murdered another man when he escaped—a corrections officer. Agent Michaels had a wife and new-born baby at home. I had a split-second decision to make and I made it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Luke asked.

"There was no reason to." Reid nonchalantly replied. "It's not like I can change it. It is what it is."

Luke thoughtfully regarded Reid. "This was how I was able to blackmail you into coming to Oakdale, isn't it? You thought I knew about this."

Reid nodded. "I don't regret the decision I made. I never will. But obviously it isn't something that I want advertised."

"I'm sure it was a difficult decision under the circumstances," Luke carefully stated. "I don't think you should have regrets. But what does that have to do with now?"

"Some of James Thorne's family were at the hospital." Reid continued. "They knew what I had done. They promised they would get revenge."

"Did they ever try anything?" Luke asked.

"Not at first. They threatened me plenty of times, but Agent Michaels had always 'unofficially' watched my back—he feels indebted to me. Michaels has always suspected they had a hit out on me, but could never prove anything. This family is very rich and powerful. They're the kind of people who've got dirty lawyers, politicians and cops in their back pockets. Agent Michaels has never been able to investigate them, because they know how to keep themselves looking clean.

Anyway, when you kidnapped me and brought me to Oakdale, I obviously didn't plan to stay. Even after Katie got Henry to donate the money for the wing, I was still going to leave, but Michaels insisted I stay. He felt my life depended on it."

"So that's the real reason you stayed in Oakdale." Luke said.

Reid looked Luke over. "Maybe that was my reason at first. Besides, I really wasn't worried about the Thorne family. I mean, seriously, do you know how many people have threatened me in my life?"

Luke faintly smiled. "Yeah, I've met a few. So you stayed in Oakdale and didn't think it was important to ever tell me any of this."

"You would have been worried all the time," Reid simply explained. "And there was no reason for you to be."

"Obviously, there was a reason to be worried," Luke said, a little exasperated, "because something must have happened, right?"

Reid sighed. "Yeah. Agent Michaels said I'd dropped off the Thorne family's radar, but I popped back up when I went to Dallas for the medical hearing. From there, they traced me back to Oakdale."

"Wait a minute! I put your life in danger when I took you to Dallas?" Luke was taken aback. "Reid if I had known—"

"You didn't put my life in danger, you saved my career." Reid firmly interrupted. "If I'd lost my medical license, I would have been more than happy to let them shoot me."

Luke knew there was no use arguing that point. "So then what? The family knew you were in Oakdale so… you faked your death? How? I saw you at the hospital."

"I didn't fake my death." Reid corrected. "At least not intentionally. What you saw was real. Too damn real! When my car died on the railroad tracks, Agent Michaels said it was no accident. My car was low-jacked and I was being followed. The guys following me were hired hit-men. They had planted some kind of device inside my car that could make the engine shut off at the push of a button. I gave them the perfect opportunity when I was crossing the tracks—"

"And do you know how unbelievably stupid that was?" Luke couldn't help but point out. "I'm mean, honestly, Reid."

Reid rolled his eyes. "Yes I know, can we please not go there. Even a genius can have an off day. But seriously, if they hadn't shut off my engine, I could have made it."

"Whatever," Luke shook his head, "what happened after that?"

"Agent Michaels had come up with a plan and recruited John Dixon's help. Members of Michaels team had brought a body to the hospital and switched it with mine. Michaels and Dixon did the switch while everyone else was scrubbing in."

Luke frowned, "But Allison told me she saw you."

"She only thought it was me." Reid said. "The body was covered from the neck up. Nobody actually saw the face. Only John knew it wasn't me under there."

"Then who was it?"

"I don't know." Reid answered. "Micheal's wouldn't give me any details. All he would tell me was this person was an organ donor himself. And he was brain-dead."

Luke thought to himself. "Dixon told me you were brain dead and that you were gone. But I knew you weren't. I was right."

"Whatever Dixon told you, he was just going with Agent Michaels plan."

Luke was flabbergasted. "What about Bob? Was he in on this plan too? Tom? Margo?"

"No," Reid answered, "Bob didn't know. Nobody knew. Only John Dixon. Michaels choice him, because he was the one performing the surgery."

"You didn't even know?"

Reid shook his head. "I thought I was going to die, Luke. The odds of surviving a train wreck are next to impossible. If I'd known what was happening, I would have found a way to tell you. I would have never put you through what you must have went through."

Luke just nodded. Reid couldn't imagine what he'd gone through.

Reid cupped Luke's cheek. "I remember everything you said to me. I remember you kissed me and I remember thinking, I couldn't ask for a better way to die. Where the last thing I'll ever know and the last thing I'll ever feel is you kissing me."

Luke swallowed, unable to speak. He'd never heard Reid say something so beautiful. It made his own heart hurt.

Reid quickly cleared his throat. "Anyway, imagine my surprise when I woke up three weeks later. I was in a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Agent Michael's had created a new identity for me, a whole new life. I was furious at at first. I was never given a choice. But Michael's said the hit-man were hired to stay on the job and take me out by any means necessary. Plus they knew you and knew you and I were together. They would have used you to get to me then they would have killed you, leaving no witness. Agent Michaels said, after the wreck he had a split-second decision to make and he made it. Just like I did with him."

"So are you safe now?" Luke asked quietly.

"I think so." Reid said. "More importantly, you're safe. As long as these guys think I'm dead, they'll have no reason to go after you."

Luke sat quietly trying to let it all sink in. "God, this is unbelievable. Who are you suppose to be now?"

"My name is Ryan Strickland." Reid answered. "I live in St. Louis, Missouri and I'm a neurosurgeon. Go figure."

"You're still a neurosurgeon?"

"Skills like this can't go to waste." Reid proudly pointed out. "Dr. Strickland has an impressive resume. He's not world renowned like Dr. Oliver, but trust me, he'll get there. I actually start work at the Shiner's Hospital this Monday."

Luke studied Reid's darker appearance. His hair was dyed almost black, even his beard. Luke brought his hands up to Reid's beard, lightly stroking the soft hair. "So this is your disguise?"

"You like it?"

Luke bit his lip. "It's… different."

"I take that as a no."

Luke lowered his hands. "So now what? Am I just suppose to go on, acting like you're dead? Because I can't."

"You've got to," Reid said. "I'm not suppose to return to Oakdale or Dallas. I'm not suppose to contact anyone I've ever known, especially you. You're the last person I'm suppose to be in contact with."

"Then why are you here?"

"I… I'm not really sure," Reid said after a moment. "I wanted to see you. I wanted you to know the truth."

Luke gave him another faint smile. "And in order to see me, you had to kidnap me? Was this you're weird way of paying me back?"

Reid snorted, amused. "It's not like I could call or send you a letter, I couldn't think of any other way to get you alone. I was going to have you drive to this truck stop outside of town where my rental car is parked. I figured it was the best place to blend in without being noticed. By the way, you've got to stop hiding your spare key under the car. Every criminal in the world knows to look for those little magnetic key boxes."

"Point taken," Luke agreed. "But why didn't you just say something when I got inside?"

"I figured you'd freak out and I was right," Reid nonchalantly explained, "security would have shown up any minute when you started blasting the horn. So I stuck you."

Luke regarded Reid incredibly. "You honestly couldn't think of anything else?"

Reid shrugged. "Nope."

Luke shook his head. "What did you give me?"

"Melatonin. It's a tranquilizer."

"A Tranquilizer?"

"General anaesthetic if it makes you feel better." Reid dryly replied. "What do you think a general anaesthetic is?"

Luke absently rubbed his neck. "So it's not going to hurt me?"

"The general anaesthetic a dentist would give you is stronger." Reid assured. "You should know better than to think, I would hurt you."

Luke regarded Reid quietly for several moments. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I mean it."

"Then don't leave me again."

Reid sighed. "Luke, I can't stay."

"Yes you can," Luke insisted. "You don't start work until Monday, right? It's Thursday. You can stay for a couple of days."

"Did you hear a single word I just said?" Reid spat. "I can't stay. This isn't the witness protection program, there's nothing out there that's going to keep either of us protected. Agent Michaels doesn't even know I'm here, and I could be putting his career in jeopardy if anyone found out what he did for me. "

"And nobody's going to find out." Luke grasped Reid's shoulders. "I have a place where you can stay. I'll take you there tonight. Trust me, Reid, I would never do anything to put you in jeopardy."

Reid hesitated, but shook his head. "No, it's too risky."

"Reid," Luke cupped Reid's face, "you're already here. When will we ever have this opportunity again. Please. It's only a couple of days."

Reid briefly closed his eyes, debating with himself. How could he even consider this? This was insane. But when it came to Luke, it was like all his reasoning went out the window. "Are you absolutely sure no one will find out I'm here?"

"I promise," Luke smiled, "Nobody else will ever know."

TBC…