Luke experienced a powerful sense of deja vu as he waited in the front passenger seat of the rental van. He was on the verge of falling asleep, and it only added to the sensation that he was already inside a dream. Asheville wasn't quite home, but it was the closest civilization to it. Their first course of action after getting off the air-strip had been to find a grocery store that was open 24 hours. The women were only supposed to be getting enough food to last them for a few days; they would have to focus more on provisions the next time someone came to town, with room to spare in a vehicle.
He looked at his watch. It was pushing 6am, and they'd been on the ground for almost an hour and a half. Luke was grateful that they could kill some time inside the store, because he hadn't wanted to bust down Caleb Well's door that early.
This will still be pushing it, but he's expecting us after all. I told him we'd be here at the crack of dawn.
A light knock on the window startled him, and Luke realized how close he'd been to nodding off again. He unlocked the doors for Katherine and Greg, giving the woman a sheepish smile as she slipped in the side door behind him.
"The girls are right behind me," she said. "Are you okay, Luke?"
He nodded. "I'm fine. They didn't buy too much, right? All this stuff has to fit in the vans."
"I kept a lid on it, hon. How'd Reina do?"
Luke glanced back at the car seat where the baby hadn't so much as stirred. "Not a peep out of her."
Leonardo raised his head from the middle seat. "Not out of Mike either," he mentioned. "Are we going to head to your friend's house?"
"That's the next stop, Leo. I hate to go knocking at this hour, but I did warn him."
Luke waited while the groceries were being loaded and felt anxiety growing in his chest.
It's going to be okay, Barrows - it is. You're just going to walk up to that door real casually as if there's nothing out of the ordinary, and get those keys. No sweat.
It was hard to be certain of everything in the dark, but it was clear that the face of the town had changed in the years that he'd been gone. Certain landmarks were unmoved of course, and he felt a stirring of familiarity as Greg pulled the van through the center of Asheville.
"He's a couple of miles off this main drag," Luke told him. "Our timing is spot on."
Luke felt for the bandage on the back of his head, and carefully worked the binding loose.
No reason to give Caleb more reason for concern than he already has.
He felt the stitches tear, regardless of how gentle he'd been.
Oh well. I'll get Marc or Donny to fix it later.
Luke studied the address on the hand-written directions to get to Caleb's new home, then started watching street numbers. He pointed out the right one for Greg, and took a deep breath as the van stopped a couple of feet short of the driveway.
"I think this is close enough," Greg said. "Are you all right to walk?"
Luke nodded and looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming, Kat? This will feel more normal if I introduce you."
The woman reached for Reina. "She's waking up a little, Luke. Why don't we complete the picture?"
"Good idea." Luke climbed out of the van stiffly, and waited while Katherine unstrapped the baby.
The sleepy neighborhood was almost completely dark, with hardly a visible light to evidence that anyone was awake. Luke knocked on the front door, and took a step back to stand with Katherine. He shuffled nervously from one foot to the other as he waited for the door to open, and Katherine laid a hand on his shoulder.
"It's going to be all right, Luke."
"I know, I know it is," he said distractedly. But a little assurance wouldn't hurt, would it? he thought ruefully.
There was a click from inside, and the door opened to reveal the familiar frame of a man with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. Caleb's signature glasses were missing, but on closer inspection they were still hanging around his neck.
I swear, he's barely changed. Early sixties, and hardly a grey hair in sight. Must have been all that mountain air.
"Luke, good morning," the man greeted warmly, and turned to include Katherine. "Won't you come in? It's so good to see you."
Luke went inside the house, hoping his reluctance wasn't visible. As Katherine slipped in behind him, two black and white blurs raced toward them from the hall. Kat immediately side-stepped the animals, keeping Reina protectively out of reach, and the dogs ran out the open door before anyone else could react.
Caleb ducked back outside. "Molly! Noah! Come here, now!"
The two dogs appeared to be having entirely too much fun to listen to him. Luke's heart caught in his chest as the animals playfully chased each other around the closest van, before pausing to bark at the vehicle.
"I'm so sorry," Caleb said. "They just get excited, and they don't obey me very well. I'll get them."
"No!" Luke said more insistently than he probably should have.
Caleb's brow creased in confusion, but before he could speak, Marcus and Greg were getting out of the car to go after the dogs. The older man cocked his head as they caught the barking border-collies by their collars and pulled them back to the yard.
"Did you bring an entourage with you, Luke?"
"They're friends of mine," he explained.
Caleb motioned to Greg and Marcus, inviting the men into the house."Thanks for catching those rascals; they never heed me the way they did my wife. They were her dogs honestly, and I never had a real reason to discipline them. Give me just a moment to put them up, and I'll be right back."
As Caleb herded the dogs back through the hall, Luke exchanged a look with Kat.
"Its okay, Luke. Let's just make all the introductions brief, and get out of here."
Greg and Marcus nodded their agreement.
Caleb dusted off his hands as he joined them. "Okay. Now, where were we?"
"We can start over here," Luke volunteered. "This is my wife, Katherine, and our little girl, Reina."
"Pleased to meet you, Katherine. You two have a beautiful baby."
"Thank you," Kat replied. "It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Wells. I've heard good things about you from Luke."
"I can only hope it was all good." Caleb grinned.
"This is our friend and pilot, Greg Heffernan," Luke continued.
"Nice to meet you." Caleb shook his hand firmly. "A pilot, huh? That sounds convenient."
"Thanks for your help getting us started down here, Dr. Wells," Greg replied.
"I'm happy to help. All of you can call me Caleb, by the way."
The older man's eyes fell on Marcus, and Luke spoke up once more. "This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Marcus Sloan."
Caleb nodded appreciatively as he shook Marc's hand. "What field are you in, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I specialize in orthopedics," Marc answered. "Luke tells us that you're a geneticist, and that you're working out of an Institute here in Asheville."
"The McKusick Genetic Institute - it's just outside town actually. Your name is familiar. You're not by any chance the same Dr. Sloan from that article in Scientific American last year, are you?"
"Well, I..." Marcus faltered, clearly embarrassed.
"The man who created the new technique for re-threading damaged ligaments?" Caleb pressed.
"Yes, he's one in the same," Luke replied for him. "We're all very proud of Marcus."
"The method sounds ingenious; I still have the article," Caleb remarked. "How many people will be saved from getting a graft now that your technique for repairing the ligament itself is out there?"
"I had a special case." Marcus shrugged. "We were fortunate that the method worked for him, and I've been integrating the technique slowly into other surgical procedures."
"You did a stint with Doctors without Borders too. Congo, wasn't it?"
Marc winced. "Yes. It didn't go exactly as planned."
"Still makes you a hero in my book. Wow, it's amazing to meet you. I'd love to have you and Luke come by the Institute."
"We'd be happy to take you up on that," Luke replied. "Unfortunately, we're running short on time right now."
"Oh, do you have to go so soon?"
"It's been a long few days, Caleb," Luke said wearily.
The man's expression instantly changed. "Oh, gosh...I'm sorry, Luke. I'm standing here chatting on like everything's normal, and it's anything but. I'm so sorry to hear about your home in New York. I've been watching some of this coverage on the earthquake, but it's hard to see. I can't picture what it would be like to experience it the way all of you have. I have the keys for you, but isn't there anything else I can do to help?"
Luke shook his head. "No, thank you. We just need to get back on the road. We have a couple of others with us that need some attention, and I'd like to get them settled in."
Caleb nodded. "Absolutely. I hope to see you again soon, Luke. It's wonderful to have you here, even if the circumstances are nothing I would have wished for. I think Lotus Salvus is exactly where you need to be."
"I hope it will do us all some good. Thanks again for everything." He unconsciously brushed the back of his head, which was stinging like fury.
"It's my pleasure. Please drive safely, and if there's any...Hold it, Luke, you're bleeding!"
Luke cursed himself inwardly as he covered his hand over the injury.
"Are you hurt?" Caleb asked.
Luke nodded guiltily.
"Luke, move your hand. Why on earth did you take the bandage off?" Marcus demanded.
"I was trying to avoid making a scene."
"Out of what, Luke?" Caleb asked. "Why don't you come into the bathroom, and we can get it cleaned up properly."
"He tore some stitches," Marc said flatly.
"I didn't mean to," Luke protested. "Those people in Triage barely knew what they were doing, or they wouldn't have come out that easily."
"That's no excuse, and you know it. If you'd left them alone, they probably wouldn't have come out." Marcus looked at Caleb. "Where's the bathroom, please?"
Caleb walked them back through the hall, and retrieved a couple of supplies from the medicine cabinet.
"You were in Triage?" Caleb was confused. "You failed to mention that. What happened to you?"
I failed to mention a lot of things. That doesn't mean I'm about to open up my life story.
"I don't really remember it," Luke told him. "I was out with Reina when the earthquake occurred, and we got caught in some kind of miniature explosion. I woke up in a makeshift Triage center that had been set up in some intersection."
"Are you hurt in any other way?"
Luke couldn't see Caleb the way Marcus had his head bent over, but he answered him just the same. "There's the concussion, and I pulled some tendons in my lower back."
"Luke, you're not driving, are you?"
"No," he said swiftly. "But we really do need to get going."
"Why don't you take things a little more slowly?" Caleb encouraged. "If you or anyone else needs medical attention, let's do this the right way and go to the hospital."
"I appreciate your concern, and if our roles were reversed, I'd probably say the same thing to you. But there are extenuating circumstances that I can't begin to explain to you," Luke said helplessly.
"You don't have to worry, Dr. Wells," Marcus said. "I'm here for a reason. I won't let Luke overdo it."
Caleb nodded. "Well...please don't hesitate to call if you need something. You have my cell and my work number; those are the only places I hang out regularly. To be honest, work has become a bigger obsession than it was before."
Luke was momentarily overcome by the scent of hydrogen peroxide, but Marc let him raise his head. "Are you working on something in particular?"
"I've been playing with a couple of new methods for manipulating stem cells this year, with some modest success in my attempts to transfer cells from one type of organ to another. It's been pretty exciting, but the research is ongoing. I'm also experimenting with the process of transforming adult stem cells, but that's another matter altogether. I'd love to get some trials started with human subjects sometime in the next two years, but there's a lot of work to do before that can be a reality."
"I'd love to see your research, Dr. Wells-"
"You don't need to be so formal with me, Luke. You may not remember it, but I have vivid memories of being a part of your childhood. It's strange to see you all grown up this way. I don't know why I would expect you to leave as a boy, and return a man. It's probably just because these last few years have flown by so quickly.
"Many of the ideas I've been implementing in my stem cell research over this past year are based off notes and inspiration I had up on that mountain of yours. Susan used to say that house was good for the soul, and I thought she was being sentimental. I never understood the effect it had on me until I lost her."
Luke swallowed painfully. "I'm sorry for your loss, Caleb. I know that can't have been easy."
The man shook his head. "Some people don't know what they have until it's gone, and you could say that I'm one of them. Susan was the light and spark of my life. Losing her made everything else feel dull. I've thrown myself into work, partially because it's all I have now. I know it's only a temporary distraction, and the grief does have a way of sneaking back up on me. Not that I have to teach you anything about grieving, Luke."
Luke sighed. "It feels weird to be back, and I know that going home is going to be strange too. I'm glad I didn't put the house on the market though, because we need it now more than ever. Thank you for taking care of Lotus Salvus."
"I feel like I ought to thank you, for all the joy and contentment that Susan got out of it. Please don't be a stranger, Luke. Come and see me, or I'd be willing to travel back up there too."
Luke flinched, trying not to display his discomfort at the idea. "I'll be in touch, Caleb."
*I know what you're thinking. Another OC, really? This guy is important, so give him a chance. ;)