ATWT: Skeletons (1/1)

[noelleleithe.livejournal.com]

Title: Skeletons
Author: noelleleithe
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Luke/Noah, Holden, Reid Oliver, Bob Hughes
Word count: ~4,450
Disclaimer: I don't own anything here except my own words. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: If Luke couldn't be there for Noah through his treatment, then Holden would take his place.

Author's notes: Spun off from a chat with freakykat (who also did beta duties). Based very loosely off vague spoilers but really just pure speculation. This is one of those things that grabs you by the throat and won't let go until it's written. Even when you're at work and have actual, y'know, work to do. ;)

~~~~

Holden waited in the hallway outside Noah's room while Dr. Oliver conducted yet another evaluation. After two surgeries and several rounds of medication, Oliver seemed certain they were making progress, but he estimated another two surgeries and another month of treatment before Noah could hope to see again.

That meant Holden had another month of sitting in uncomfortable hospital chairs and smelling antiseptic to look forward to. He'd grown sick of this hospital over the years, and the last thing he wanted to do was spend even more time there.

He dropped his head back against the wall and sighed. None of that mattered now.

When Oliver had thrown out his ultimatum that Luke stay away from Oliver--and, by extension, from Noah--during Noah's treatment, it upset Noah and crushed Luke, but they felt backed into a corner and gave in. A week later, a near-despondent Luke finally told Holden what had happened, and Holden made a quick decision. If Luke couldn't be there for Noah through his treatment, then Holden would take his place.

So here he sat, waiting for a report from the doctor so he could report back to Luke. Truthfully, though, Holden was there as much for himself as for his son. Noah had become a part of Holden's family over the years, even before Lily adopted him. (Holden preferred not to think about the other half of that adoption.) If Noah needed help, then Holden would have been happy to give it even if Luke hadn't been involved.

A loud clatter and a muffled shout from inside the room snapped Holden out of his thoughts. He jumped up and across the hall, pausing only for a cursory knock before pushing the door open.

He was stunned. Dr. Oliver was kissing Noah.

Noah, who looked terrified and was fighting with everything he had, but who was at a serious disadvantage: blind, of course, but also wearing a hospital gown, and with an IV plugged into his arm.

In two steps, Holden reached Noah's bedside and grabbed Oliver by both arms, manhandling him away from Noah. Oliver struggled, but Holden didn't spare him a glance. "Noah, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Noah managed, pushing himself up straighter in the bed. "Yeah."

"What the hell happened?" Oliver was still struggling, and finally Holden looked at him. He was shocked to see that Oliver's face looked blank, his eyes as unfocused as Noah's.

"I ... I don't know," Noah said. His voice shook. "He was examining my eyes, and he stopped and didn't say anything for a minute, and I thought he was going to say something had gone wrong. And then he said 'Jared,' and the next thing I knew he was kissing me."

Holden glanced around the room again. A metal-covered clipboard lay on the floor, probably Noah's chart; Holden guessed that explained the clatter he heard. Nothing gave him any clue what was really going on here, though.

He turned back to Oliver. "Dr. Oliver," he said, in a louder voice than normal. "Can you hear me?"

Oliver's expression didn't change. He kept fighting Holden's grip.

"REID." Holden almost yelled the name. "REID. Can you hear me?"

Oliver still didn't respond, but he stopped struggling. The next thing Holden knew, the other man went limp, and Holden had to scramble to keep him from hitting the floor.

"Noah," Holden said, panting. "Can you reach a nurse call button?"

"Yeah." Holden heard Noah shifting. "Yeah, I got it."

A few seconds passed, and a disembodied female voice filled the room. "May I help you, Mr. Mayer?"

"This is Holden Snyder," Holden said loudly. "We need some help in here. Something's wrong with Dr. Oliver."

It felt like it took an hour for anyone to respond, but it was probably only seconds before a nurse and orderly came in. Both rushed to help Holden, getting Dr. Oliver lowered into a chair.

"I'll call Dr. Hughes." The nurse reached for the phone on the bedside table, and Holden stepped back over to Noah's bedside. Reaching for the young man's hand, which shook with fine tremors, he squeezed lightly.

"Seriously, Noah, are you all right?" He studied Noah's face, unable to read his eyes but looking for clues in his expression and body language.

"I'm, well, honestly I'm kind of freaked," Noah said, with a wry half-smile. "I seriously have no idea where that came from. Everything seemed normal up until then. Just like every other exam."

Dr. Hughes came into the room then. "What's going on here?"

Holden nodded toward Dr. Oliver, still seemingly unconscious in the corner, the orderly standing watch. "He freaked out and kissed Noah is what's going on," he said. "Care to fill us in?"

Bob frowned. "I have no idea," he said. He moved toward the corner, pulling out a penlight. He peeled open Oliver's eyelids one at a time to check reactions. "Pupils normal and reactive," he said. Reaching for Oliver's wrist, he checked his pulse. "Pulse rapid and weak." He glanced over at the nurse. "Let's get a gurney and move him into the room across the hall," he said. "We need to do a full examination to try to figure out what's going on."

Noah squeezed Holden's hand, and Holden turned back toward him. "Could you ... would you call Luke for me?" Noah's voice was small, and it made Holden's heart hurt to hear it.

"Sure." Holden reached for the bedside phone. "I'll do it right now."

He dialed the house first, hoping he wouldn't get Lily. He couldn't really deal with that right now. The phone was answered after two rings, and Holden was relieved to hear Luke's voice saying hello.

"Luke, hi, it's Dad," he said. Luke interrupted before he could say anything else.

"What's wrong? Is Noah okay? Did something go wrong?" Holden could hear the barely concealed terror in his son's voice.

"Noah's okay," Holden assured Luke. "But we need you to come down here, okay? Don't freak out, it'll be fine. But Noah needs you right now."

"I'm on my way." The line went dead, and Holden hung up, hoping Luke wouldn't do anything stupid in his rush to get there but knowing nothing he could have said would have lessened Luke's worry.

The door opened again, and two more orderlies pushed in a gurney. The three orderlies got Dr. Oliver settled on the stretcher and rolled him out, Dr. Hughes following. He paused at the doorway.

"We'll need both of you to fill out incident reports about this," he said.

Holden nodded. "Let us know what you find out," he said. His hand landed on Noah's forearm. "There has to be some kind of explanation for this."

"Dr. Hughes," Noah interrupted. Holden glanced back at him. "This might be important. Right before ... um, he called me 'Jared.' I think maybe he didn't know it was me he was ... kissing."

Bob nodded. "Thank you, Noah. Nonetheless, I'm very sorry about this. We'll get to the bottom of it."

As the door closed behind him, Holden turned back to Noah again. "Never a dull moment around here, is there?"

Noah chuckled, but it was shaky. "Yeah," he said. "I don't know about you, but I could use a good dose of boring right about now."

Holden laughed softly. "Wouldn't count on it," he said. "If nothing else, your boyfriend will keep you on your toes."

Noah smiled then, his face glowing, and Holden was reminded again of just how much the two young men loved each other.

The door flew open. "Speak of the devil," Holden said, unsurprised to see Luke appear so soon. He wondered just how many traffic laws had been broken in the process.

"Noah!" Luke was at Noah's side across from Holden in two long steps, reaching for his hand. "Oh my God, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Luke, really." Noah's voice was still uneven, but his smile widened and softened as he turned his head toward Luke. "Just a little shaken up."

Luke wrapped both of his hands around Noah's, pulling it up to his mouth to kiss his fingers. He caught Holden's gaze from across the bed. "Dad, what happened?"

Holden blew out a breath. "We don't really know," he said. "I was out in the hall and heard noises, and when I came in, well ..." He paused. "Look, don't freak out and do anything stupid, because we don't know the story here. But Dr. Oliver ... he was kissing Noah."

Luke's face transformed in a split second from worry and love to pure rage. He looked so much like Damian in that moment that Holden nearly staggered.

"What the ... FUCK." Luke dropped Noah's hand like a hot potato. "Where is he? I'm going to kill the bastard."

"LUKE!" Holden used the same tone of voice he'd used to get Oliver's attention, and he reached across the bed to grab hold of Luke's arm. "I know you're angry. I'm angry, too. But we don't know what's going on. From what Noah said, it sounds like Oliver wasn't really here. He didn't know who he was kissing."

"I don't give a fuck." Luke struggled against Holden's grip. "I'm going to rip off his balls and--"

"Luke."

Noah's voice, soft and pleading, cut through Luke's near-homicidal rage like it was never there. Holden watched in awe as Luke visibly deflated, his attention returning to his boyfriend. He sat down on the edge of the bed and recaptured Noah's hand in his. "Noah," he said softly, bringing up his other hand to brush against the edges of Noah's close-cropped hair. "What did he do to you?"

"It's okay, Luke," Noah said, his voice still soft but firmer. "It's like Holden said. I don't think he knew it was me. He called me 'Jared.' I think he was hallucinating, maybe. Reliving a memory. I don't know."

Luke frowned. "You're making excuses for him?"

"No!" Noah leaned forward, wrapped his other hand over Luke's. "I just think we should find out what's going on before we jump to any conclusions. I seriously don't think he had any idea what he was doing."

Luke snorted. "Yeah, that makes me feel better," he said. "The guy who's cutting my boyfriend's head open on a regular basis loses his shit all over the place, and I'm supposed to be okay with that?"

The door opened, and Dr. Hughes stuck his head in. "Holden," he said. "Can I see you outside for a minute?"

Holden glanced back at the boys. "I'll be back soon," he said. "Noah, don't let Luke do anything crazy, will you?"

Noah chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

Holden stepped into the hall, pulling the door shut behind him. "What's going on, Bob?"

Bob sighed. "We still don't know," he said. "He's still unconscious. We've put in a call to Dr. Oliver's office, but with him in Oakdale for now, it's mostly shut down. I don't know how long we may have to wait for an answer. We've never gotten a real medical history from him, so we're flying blind here."

Holden chewed on his lip. "Did you check his wallet, see if there's anything to give you a clue?"

Bob shook his head. "Unfortunately, we can't," he said. "He's not in immediate danger as far as we can tell, so going through his pockets or wallet would be an ethical and probably legal violation."

Holden grimaced. "For you maybe," he said pointedly, taking a step toward the room across the hall

Bob frowned, putting out a hand to stop him. "Holden--"

"Bob, Luke is my son, and Noah might as well be," he said. "The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better for all of us."

Bob hesitated, then nodded and let go, following Holden into Dr. Oliver's room. He'd been moved from the gurney to the bed, and a heart monitor beeped softly. Holden didn't pause, stepping over and digging a hand into the right back pocket of Oliver's pants. He emerged with a bifold wallet.

"Let's see what we have," he said. He flipped through, finding the driver's license (newly renewed), a couple of credit cards, some cash, and in a nearly hidden back pocket, three paper cards: an AA sponsor card, a card that appeared to contain a short list of medications, and a business card for a Dr. Stan Fawcett in Dallas. A psychiatrist.

Holden closed the wallet, leaving the AA card inside, and held out the other two cards to Bob. "Here," he said. "I'd say we should probably give this guy a call."

~~~~

Holden sat in the corner of Noah's hospital room, watching the two men lying on the bed. Noah had been asleep for an hour, and Luke hadn't let go of his hand since Holden got back to the room. Actually, he probably hadn't let go since before Holden left. About fifteen minutes after Noah dozed off, Luke had sighed, kicked off his shoes, and curled up next to him.

Holden had watched silently, feeling like a voyeur as Noah shifted to make room for Luke, without ever waking up. They fitted together like yin and yang, which Holden supposed was appropriate. Light against dark, calm against the storm. Balanced and whole.

Holden was never much for flights of fancy, but something about those two seemed to bring it out in him, for good or bad.

He laid his head back against the cushioned seat and closed his eyes. Bob had put a call in to the psychiatrist whose card Holden had found but hadn't gotten a response yet. Dr. Oliver was still out of it, and they still had no clue what was going on.

A soft knock at the door roused Holden, and he moved quickly to open it so the noise wouldn't wake Luke and Noah. Bob stood just outside, and Holden put a finger to his lips quickly before joining him in the hallway.

"Sorry," he said. "They're resting. Didn't want to disturb them."

"Understandable," Bob said. "I don't know that what I have to say, or rather, what I can say, will clear things up much. But apparently Dr. Oliver has a medical history we weren't aware of. As far as his doctor knows, he hasn't had any type of episode like this in at least five years." He paused, as if considering how much to share. "He ... apparently a close friend of his died when he was younger, and he had a bad reaction to it."

"Friend?" Holden lifted an eyebrow skeptically.

Bob acknowledged with a nod. "I assume more than just a friend, based on what happened here. But that's how Dr. Fawcett referred to it. He also didn't specify gender, but--"

"Not many women named Jared out there," Holden finished.

Bob nodded again. "At any rate, we are now aware of his history, and Dr. Fawcett is faxing us more complete records so we can review them. The medications on the card you found are apparently those Dr. Oliver currently takes."

"I only remember two of the names," Holden said. "Seroquel and ... Lamictal?"

"Both have multiple uses," Bob replied. "But both are primarily used as psychiatric medications."

Holden nodded. After what he'd seen, he wasn't surprised. "What's next?"

"Well, we've gotten Dr. Oliver stabilized, but he's still unconscious," Dr. Hughes said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I've called in our psychiatrist to examine him and review his records before we decide what to do next." He frowned. "We're also going to send over a patient advocate with the incident report forms for you and Noah to fill out."

"Not a problem," Holden said. "Just ask him or her to knock quietly. I think the boys can use all the extra sleep they can get right now."

Bob nodded. "I'm sure they're both glad you were here, Holden," he said. "I know this has been very difficult for them both."

Holden nodded. He hesitated, knowing the medical records would probably reveal the other item he'd seen in Dr. Oliver's wallet, but decided it was safer to be sure. "I didn't say this earlier and probably should have," he said, slowly. "But I saw another card in Oliver's wallet. An AA sponsor card."

"Yes, Dr. Fawcett mentioned as much," Bob replied. "We've taken that into consideration already. But thank you."

"Better safe," Holden said. "I'm going to check on Luke and Noah. Let us know if anything changes."

~~~~

Luke was still sleeping when Holden stepped into the room, but Noah's eyes were open. He lifted his head at the soft click when the door closed. "Hello?" he whispered, and not for the first time, Holden wondered how unnerving it must be never to know who was in the room with you.

"Just me," Holden said back, just as softly. He looked down at Luke. "Guess Luke must've been pretty worn out."

"Yeah." Noah tightened his arm slightly where it rested around Luke's shoulders. "Probably the adrenaline rush wearing off."

Holden chuckled, sitting down on the small stool next to the bed. Not as comfortable as the chair in the corner, but that wasn't what he was going for.

"How are you feeling, Noah?" he asked gently.

Noah shrugged the shoulder opposite Luke. "Weird," he said. "I mean, I knew even when it was happening that Dr. Oliver wasn't ... didn't know who I was, or whatever. But it was still a pretty big shock. I had no clue what was going on and wasn't exactly in the best position to react quickly."

Holden braced his hands on his thighs. "No, not really," he said. He sighed and shook his head. "Dr. Hughes is still trying to figure out what's going on, but it looks like Oliver has some, well. Some kind of psychiatric history. He's on a couple of medications, and Dr. Hughes is in contact with his psychiatrist in Dallas."

Luke stirred, and Holden held his breath for a moment. Noah seemed to do the same, running his hand up and down Luke's arm. Luke blinked awake slowly, eyes glazed over, expression so hilariously befuddled that it was all Holden could do not to burst out laughing.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he managed. "Have a nice nap?"

Luke sat up so suddenly that he tilted to one side, throwing out an arm to brace himself on the mattress. "Whoa." He closed his eyes. "Head rush."

Noah let out a chuckle at that. "I keep telling you not to do that," he admonished, teasingly. "Or do you just like vertigo?"

Luke grinned down at him, rubbing one eye with a knuckle. "Who needs illicit substances when you have body chemistry working in your favor?"

A soft knock at the door interrupted their banter, and Dr. Hughes stuck his head in. "Ah, everyone's awake?" he said.

Holden bit back another laugh as Luke scrambled off the bed, running his hands through his tousled hair. "Yeah," Holden said. "Maybe barely awake, but awake."

"I know this is kind of sudden," Bob said. "But Dr. Oliver is awake, too, and he's asked to speak to Noah for a moment."

"No." Luke's response was immediate and fierce as he reached back to grip Noah's hand. "No freaking way."

"Luke." Holden leaned forward to catch his eye. "Maybe Noah should be the one making that decision?"

He thought for a second that Luke was going to go after him next, but the fire in his son's eyes died down a little, and he turned slightly to look at Noah. "Noah?"

Noah was biting his bottom lip, a nervous habit Holden had seen maybe twice in the past couple of years but dozens of times in the first few months he was in their lives. It made him look like a little lost boy, and Holden felt a surge of paternal protectiveness. He tried to tamp it down. Noah was a grown man. Holden would simply keep being there to support him.

"Yeah. Okay." Noah nodded resolutely as if he wasn't happy about his choice but felt it was necessary. He turned his head toward the door, speaking to Dr. Hughes. "Can Luke come with me?"

Bob shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned," he said. "And somehow I doubt Dr. Oliver is in any position to object."

Noah nodded again and sat up, sliding his legs over the side of the bed, then paused. "Um, can someone disconnect the IV so I don't have to bring it with me? I don't think there's anything going into it right now anyway."

"Oh, of course." Dr. Hughes stepped over to detach it, and Holden backed out of his way. He caught sight of the robe hanging on a hook by the door and the slippers sitting below it, so he grabbed both and moved back to the bed once Dr. Hughes finished and headed back for the door.

"Luke," Noah was saying, "could you get my--"

"Robe and slippers?" Holden finished, smiling. "Got 'em right here."

Noah smiled. "Thanks," he said, reaching out. "I can get it."

Holden let him, setting the slippers on the floor under Noah's feet. "Slippers are right below you," he said, watching as Noah felt around with his toes, finding the shoes and sliding them on. He stood up and fumbled with the robe for a second, but Holden resisted the urge to help, catching Luke's eye and giving him a short shake of the head to keep him from stepping in either.

Noah was successful in a few more seconds, getting the robe on and pulled shut. Tying the belt around his waist, he held out a hand. "Don't have my cane, so can I have an arm?"

This time, Holden nodded at Luke, who grinned as he moved to tuck Noah's hand into the crook of his elbow. "Right this way, handsome," he said teasingly, drawing another smile from Noah.

Holden followed quietly behind, eyes skimming over the two long, lean bodies in front of him. They both looked on the thin side, he thought, but then, the past few months had been really rough on both of them. He'd have to start keeping a closer eye on them. They needed to keep their strength up, for themselves and for each other.

Dr. Hughes stopped outside Oliver's door. "He's still a little woozy," he cautioned. "But he was pretty clear about what he wanted to say. I would've have allowed this otherwise."

He pushed the door open, and Luke led Noah inside. Holden hesitated, but Bob nodded him in, so he followed.

Luke stopped a few feet away from the bed, Holden just inside the door, but Oliver seemed to have eyes only for Noah. "Noah," he said, his voice raspy. "I don't know what I can say except I'm sorry. I know it's not enough, but I swear to God, I never intended to do anything to upset you or hurt you in any way."

Holden saw Noah's hand clamp down on Luke's forearm and knew--as Noah obviously did--that that was probably the only thing keeping Luke from strangling Oliver on the spot.

"Who's Jared?" Noah's voice was clear and strong, and Oliver visibly flinched.

"I--" Oliver swallowed and shook his head. "It's a long story," he said. He closed his eyes. "I can't tell it, not now."

"You loved him?" Holden had to admit to himself that he was surprised at Noah's firm, unwavering questions. He wasn't accusative, just direct and matter-of-fact, and Oliver seemed to respond to it. His eyes opened, and he refocused on Noah.

"Yes," he said. "He looked ... you ... you just remind me of him."

Noah nodded once. "Okay," he said. "That'll do for now. Apology accepted, but we'll have to talk about this more after you recover."

"Noah." Luke's voice cut in, as Holden knew it would eventually, but Noah didn't pause.

"It's fine, Luke," he said. "Let it go for now. Can we just go back to my room?"

Luke rolled his lips between his teeth, a sure sign he was fighting hard to control his emotions. "Okay," he finally said. He nodded quickly. "Okay."

Without another word, Noah turned toward the door, and Luke led him outside, back toward his room. Holden started to follow, but paused and tilted his head toward the door. "Can you give us a second?" he asked Bob.

"Just a second," he answered. He looked at Oliver. "I'll be back shortly, Dr. Oliver," he said before leaving them alone.

Holden stepped over to the bed, looking down at Oliver, who looked like a shell of the arrogant bastard he'd been until that morning. "I don't know the story here," Holden said. "I don't know what demons you're fighting, what kind of skeletons you've been hiding. Whatever they are, I'm sorry you're having to deal with them. No one should."

He leaned forward just slightly. "I just want you to remember that those boys are my family. I might not be biologically related to either of them, but I couldn't possible love them any more if I were. And I don't care if you're God's gift to brain surgery, I swear, if you do anything to harm them again, you will have me to answer to. And trust me." He smiled, not pleasantly in the least. "You do not want to have to do that."

Oliver's eyes were wide, and for the first time since he'd met the man, Holden thought he saw fear in them. Good, he thought. It's about time something got through to him.

"Glad we understand each other," Holden said, stepping back toward the door. He thought again, and turned back. "Oh, and that ultimatum about Luke staying away from Noah? It ends right now. You'll just have learn to live with having him around."

Oliver continued staring at him, then nodded once in understanding. Holden nodded back. "Rest up," he said. "You've got more surgeries to do."

He stepped back into the hall, pulling the door shut behind him, and blew out a long, cleansing breath. Movement across the hall caught his eye, and he turned his head. Through the small window next to the door of Noah's room, he saw Noah settling back into the bed in his hospital gown and pajama pants. Luke fluffed his pillows, tugged at his blankets, and generally fiddled and fussed until Noah grabbed for his arm and pulled him close.

Holden averted his gaze, giving them some privacy. God knows they needed it. Almost as much as they needed each other.

Holden smiled and moved back to sit in the uncomfortable chair next to Noah's room. He'd give them all the time together they wanted. But if they needed him again, he'd be right here waiting.