Luke called Reid on his bluff about taking his own car and ending up driving them both across town to the infamous Snyder Farm. Reid had never been here and he had to admit, he was a little nervous. After finishing some paperwork, begrudgingly leaving Luke alone in Noah's room, Reid had gone to the doctor's lounge and hung up his lab coat, pulling on his actual jacket and returning looking more like an every day person than a doctor. When he walked in he found Luke sitting across the room, watching Noah with a sad expression that Reid couldn't quite describe. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, and Luke looked up, smiled, and led the way to his car.

As they pulled up Reid had to admit he wasn't sure what to expect. Would there literally be a giant red barn? Cows everywhere? Instead he found a cottage styled house, set back in the trees. It was large and homey, and even though Reid had always teased Luke for being a rich boy and had only ever seen his mother's 'pristine' house, he could still imagine Luke growing up and spending time here. Before they even got out of the car he could smell the food, mixed with the natural scents of the forest that surrounded them, and for a moment he wondered if perhaps he'd found a patch of heaven in hell.

"You did warn them that I'm coming, right?" Reid asked, stopping suddenly as they approached the porch and grabbing Luke's arm. Luke turned to him and laughed a little.

"I told them I was inviting you. I wasn't sure if you would come, though," he answered. Reid nodded and Luke noticed that he looked particularly nervous, which only made him laugh again. "You'll be fine. Just think of all the great food you'll walk out of here with," he joked. Reid still didn't look comfortable, but he took a deep breath and followed Luke into the house.

The inside exceeding Reid' expectations. The kitchen wasn't all that big he noticed, and yet somehow it managed to host the slew of Snyders, almost-Snyders and honorary-Snyders that had been invited over. He remembered listening to Katie talk about Thanksgiving at the Snyder Farm with Brad, how there would be an upwards of twenty adults, along with all the kids who had to eat in a different room. Today there were only maybe a dozen people and Reid already felt claustrophobic. He wasn't sure how Katie handled all of this.

"Luke, dear, there you are!" said a kind-faced woman, pushing past a few familiar faces from behind the kitchen island to hug Luke tightly, kissing his cheek in a way that led Reid to immediately assume it had to be his grandmother.

"It smells amazing, Grandma," said Luke, affirming Reid's conclusion. "Thank you." Luke was smiling, and Reid felt his muscles relax just a bit.

"And who is this?" she asked, turning with a friendly smile to Reid. Reid looked to Luke, who stepped up instantly.

"Grandma, this is Dr. Reid Oliver, he's the one who operated on Noah."

Reid wished Luke would have warned him that he wasn't the only Snyder prone to tears. Emma's eyes watered and she held both hands to her heart, looking at Reid as though he were the most wonderful thing in the world. It was endearing, but also quite strange. He made a face at Luke, though it vanished with a small "umpf!" as Emma stepped forward and hugged him.

"It is so nice to finally meet you, Dr. Oliver," she said, stepping back and letting her hands linger on his forearms. "We just cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for our Noah." Just then someone called for Emma, who politely excused herself and made her way through the sea of people to the other end of the kitchen, leaving Reid with a knot in his stomach. As much as he genuinely appreciated Emma's warmth and kindness, for there was no doubt that she was already growing on him, he couldn't help but cling to the words "our Noah" like some foolish teenager, suddenly overcome with jealousy. He shifted uneasily as Luke came to stand beside him, seeming to not notice a thing.

The introductions continued. It was mostly immediate family, though not strictly so. Jack was there with Janet and her daughter, Liberty, as well as his son, Parker. While Reid liked Jack just fine, he decided to keep his opinions on the rest of his bunch to himself. Next was Luke's aunt Meg and her daughter, Eliza. Last but certainly not least came the infamous Lucinda who Reid felt he already knew from countless stories. She greeted him much the same was as Emma, minus the hug, thanking him for Noah and giving him a once-over that made him a little self conscious. There was something about Lucinda Walsh that made Reid uneasy, and he liked it.

Katie arrived a few minutes later with Jacob, who Emma scooped away instantly, bouncing the small child on her hip. Katie seemed genuinely surprised to see Reid, and made sure to not-so-subtly point out how happy she was to see him at a Snyder event. Luke didn't seem to catch on, but Reid was glaring at her for most of the night.

Emma announced that it was time to eat and so everyone began to scramble around the table for a seat. The children were all in the living room at card tables Holden and Jack had set up with Faith, Parker and Liberty keeping an eye on them, living the dining room to be an adults-only eating area. There were ten of them total and so the table wasn't too crowded, much to Reid's relief. He sat between Katie and Luke, also a relief, though he was directly across from Lily. He wasn't sure why, but something about her made him on edge. She didn't have a problem with him, but Reid had a suspicion that if she found out about he and Luke, that would very quickly change.

As promised the food was amazing. Reid piled more onto his plate than just about anyone, which made Luke smile and blush with embarrassment, but no one seemed to mind. In fact, Luke was sure he saw Emma beaming at Reid from across the table. He was far from surprised.

"Dr. Oliver," came Emma's kind voice. Luke and Reid both looked up to see her leaning on the table a bit so she could see him from a few seats down. "How is our Noah doing?"

The other conversations around them seemed to stop and Reid felt his face tighten at the sudden attention. He awkwardly held a fork with green beans stuck to the spires just above his plate. He glanced at Luke, who looked just as uncomfortable, and then sat the fork down.

"Well, he's showing quite a bit of improvement. His vision seems to be clearing up every time we examine him," he said, trying to talk as plainly as possible. "He still has a long way to go though." With that, he reached for his fork, but another voice stopped him, and he did his best not to sigh.

"Luke says that you were afraid there would be brain damage," came Lily's concerned voice. Reid looked up, wishing he had an excuse to dislike her.

"Yes, there were complications, but he seems to be alright. We won't know anything for sure for a few more days." Again he glanced at Luke, who suddenly looked pale. He cleared his throat. "We're… optimistic."

Both Luke and Katie looked at him then. Luke was glowing, color returning and a tired smile spread over his face. Katie smiled, too, though hers was more of a smirk. She knew how hard that had to be for Reid to say out loud.

Lily smiled, content, and everyone returned to their previous chatter.