noelleleithefic

Title: Memorial Day (Part 2)
Author: noelleleithe
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Luke/Noah, half of Oakdale
Word count: ~5,230 for this part, ~10,685 total
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything here except my own words. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's notes: See part 1 and the end.

~~~~

Noah tried not to listen too closely to the noises going on outside, but they were kind of hard to ignore. More than once something crashed loudly enough that he jumped, and one or both of the girls sitting with Reid would yelp or squeak.

Gradually, though, he became aware of a low rumbling sound. His eyes tracked across the room and locked with Reid's, and he knew they both knew exactly what that sound was.

Oh God, Noah thought. Please let Luke be okay.

The building began to shake. Noah glanced over at Craig, who was still standing against the wall as if he didn't have a care in the world. Noah rolled his eyes, done with it. He looked back at Reid, who shifted his gaze to the girls on either side of him.

"Okay, let's do this," Reid said, sounding more gentle than Noah had ever heard him. "Pull your legs up in front of you, put your head on your knees, and wrap your hands over your head. Okay?"

The girls glanced at each other and nodded, following his instructions. Reid kept his arms around them and leaned forward, nodding at Noah.

"You too, Mayer," he said. "Not about to let all my hard work go to waste."

Noah almost grinned as he curled himself up, covering his head with his arms. He heard a sigh come from Craig, but before he could move, the loudest crash yet sounded, and the ceiling dropped suddenly toward the floor.

~~~~

Luke held Ethan close, pressing one side of his head to his chest and covering his other ear with his head, hoping to block out the sounds of the storm, of Natalie crying, of the radio's warnings. His ears felt clogged, and he yawned, trying to pop them. Ethan whimpered, and Luke realized he was probably suffering the same effects of the changing air pressure.

"Hey Eth, watch." He yawned again, then grinned as best he could through his fear. "Try that. It'll help your ears."

Ethan little mouth opened, and then his eyes widened. Luke nodded. "See? Told you!"

Ethan grinned, snuggling closer to Luke's chest, but this time his thumb stayed out of his mouth. Luke kissed the top of Ethan's head, then turned his to look up at his dad. Holden's eyes were turned skyward again, his head cocked as he listened to the storm. Luke was opening his mouth to ask Holden how things sounded when a crash came from upstairs, and suddenly the wind sounded much louder, much closer.

Instinctively, Luke curled himself around Ethan, covering his tiny body with his own. Holden nearly dove down the steps, away from the door that was now creaking and bouncing on its hinges. Luke's body shook like a leaf, like the leaves spinning around outside in crazy circles as they'd run for cover. The cellar felt like a trap as the farmhouse creaked and groaned above them, the roar of the wind sending spikes of fear through his heart.

Noah, oh my God, please, please be okay.

~~~~

Noah knew exactly what had hit him. He just didn't have a clue what to do about it.

He still sat bent over his legs, his arms over his head, but a piece of the ceiling sat on top of him. It wasn't heavy, exactly, but it was unwieldy enough that he couldn't quite work his way out from under it. The wind seemed to have died down, and he heard voices, or a voice and some crying, anyway.

He shifted again, lifting one hand palm up to try to push the debris away from his head. To his surprise, it moved, falling off to the side, landing between him and the door.

He lifted his head carefully, and fear immediately spiked through his heart. Craig lay in a crumpled pile a couple of feet away, white as the proverbial sheet, half-covered with pieces of the ceiling. Noah couldn't tell if he was breathing, but he could see a shock of red on his head. Blood.

"Shit!" He scrambled up to a crouch and moved over toward Craig as quickly as he could around the mess all over the floor. "Reid, are you okay?"

"We're good," Reid answered. "Shhh, it's okay, we're okay." He kept trying to soothe the two girls, both of whom were crying.

"I need your help," Noah called back. "Mr. Mo--Craig's hurt."

"Okay." His voice turned soothing again, and again Noah had to push back shock at hearing him like that. "I need to go check on Mr. Montgomery, okay? You're both fine. We're going to be fine. You just sit right here and we'll get you out of here and back home."

Noah moved pieces of debris as carefully as he could, trying not to jar Craig, concerned about possible neck injuries. In a few minutes, Reid joined him.

"Here, let's get this biggest piece moved," Reid said. "Then maybe I can get in there and check things out, see what we're dealing with."

They shifted the slab of ceiling tile, which was heavier than Noah had expected, and Reid wedged his way in closer, pressing fingers against Craig's neck. "Craig? Can you hear me?"

Noah turned back toward the far well, glancing over boxes until he spied the extra napkins. They didn't have any cloths back here, but they'd need something to try to staunch the bleeding.

"He's not good, Noah," Reid said. "He's breathing, but his pulse is weak, and he's got a pretty good gash on his head. I need some--"

Noah thrust a stack of napkins in his direction. "No cloth back here, so this is the best we're going to do for something somewhat sterile," he said. Reid paused, then nodded and took the napkins, bringing them down on the crown of Craig's head.

"Here, come hold this so I can check the rest of him," Reid said, and Noah complied without question, bringing another stack of napkins with him just in case. Sure enough, the blood leaked through the napkins pretty quickly, and Noah peeled the top layers away, replacing them with a clean set.

So much for having a blood-free day.

With his free hand, he dug his phone out of his pocket and checked for service. Nothing. Curious, he tried dialing 911, but nothing happened.

He looked around the small room, double-checking to be sure the two girls were okay. It looked like they might have a few scratches, and they were still clearly scared half to death, but they seemed to be mostly fine.

He turned his attention toward the door, and his heart sank. The ceiling had brought part of the wall with it, and it was hanging a good three feet down, leaving drywall and what looked like a thick electrical cable pressed across the front of the door. The top of the doorframe seemed to sag in the center, as if part of its support system had failed. Noah wouldn't be sure until he tried, but it didn't look like that door was going to open.

They were trapped.

~~~~

It felt like hours that they'd been huddled together in the cellar, wind roaring, hearts thumping, gripped with fear. Luke kept his arms tight around Ethan, soothing his frightened whimpers with little whispers and kisses, trying not to let his own terror show.

Inside his head was a different story. His brain kept feeding him full-color images of the worst possible outcomes. Noah, back in a hospital bed with another head injury. Noah, bones broken and skin marred with bruises. Noah, bloodied and still, white and cold.

Luke blinked rapidly, trying to push the thoughts away. Sometimes he really, really hated being a writer.

Another crash from upstairs, and Ethan whimpered again. "It's okay, buddy, we're okay," Luke murmured. "It's almost over."

He hoped he was right.

~~~~

Reid looked up at Noah. "We need to get him out of here," he said. "I don't want to move him, but I can't do much for him while he's like this. And we have no idea what things are like out there, so I don't know if we'll be getting any help anytime soon"

Noah blew out a breath and looked up at the wall again. "I don't know if we have much choice," he said, nodding. Reid's gaze followed his up. "I don't think the door's going to open."

Reid sighed and dropped his head, shaking it. "Just when I think my life can't possibly get any more screwed up," he said. He pushed to his feet. "Well, let's see if we can manage to get this thing moving and get us out here."

They worked mostly in silence for a few minutes, clearing debris away from the door. They even managed to get a piece of the drywall pulled back, but Noah wasn't convinced it was going to help them get the door more than an inch open.

Sure enough, when they tried moving the door, it barely budged. They took turns pulling at the handle, trying and failing to work their fingers between the door and the frame. Reid was understandably reluctant to do too much; after all, his hands were as important to his life as Noah's eyes were to his.

After about fifteen minutes of fighting and muffled curses, they gave up and sat back on the floor. Noah tried his phone again, and so did Reid, but service was still out.

Noah looked at Craig. "Should we, I mean, is there anything else we can do for him?"

Reid sighed. "Well, the cut has mostly stopped bleeding, but I'm more concerned about an underlying head injury," he said. He glanced at Noah. "Just like yours, the burns weren't the problem."

Noah nodded and looked around the small room again. "I don't think there's anything else in here that'll do us any good," he said. "Napkins, probably some extra bags of coffee and sweetener packets, and--"

He stopped, then grinned. "And a crowbar."

"What?" Reid's confusion was clear, and Noah understood, but he was too busy scrambling to his feet and diving for the closet. There, in the bottom back of the small space, lay an iron crowbar. He emerged with it in his hand, still grinning.

"Don't ask me how it got here," he said. "It was here when I started working here, I mean the first time, and no one seemed to know where it came from. Damn glad no one ever got rid of it."

Reid was on his feet again, and he grabbed for the door handle. "I'll pull, you pry."

~~~~

Finally, finally, the wind seemed to be dying down. Luke lifted his head, almost afraid to hope, but Holden was a step ahead of him, carefully climbing halfway back up the stairs, cocking his head to listen.

"Holden--" Lily started, but Holden waved a hand.

"Shh, just a second," he said. He listened again, and Luke held his breath, trying to listen, too. He heard nothing, just a soft whistling sound.

"I'm going to check things out," Holden said. "Everyone stay right where you are."

Jack stood up from where he'd been sitting with one arm around Liberty and the other around Sage. "I'll go with you," he said, and Holden only hesitated for a second before nodding.

The two men climbed the rest of the way up the stairs, and Luke watched them all the way. Holden lifted the bar across the door and released the lock, pulling the door open carefully. He stepped over the threshold and into the pantry off the kitchen, and Luke heard him suck in a breath.

"Damn." Jack's voice filtered back down the stairs. "What a mess."

Holden leaned back in the doorway. "Things really don't look that bad," he said. "But there's a lot of broken glass, so keep the kids down there. Luke, Parker, could you come up?"

Luke shifted, peeling a reluctant Ethan away from his chest and passing him off to Emma. He climbed the stairs with Parker a few steps behind him, and when he caught sight of the kitchen, he whistled softly.

Holden wasn't kidding. The floor of the kitchen seemed to be completely covered with shards of glass. Some of it came from jars of preserves that had fallen off shelves in the pantry, leaving large, sticky splotches all over the place. Some were from the windows that had shattered, and Luke shook his head in shock. This was going to take forever to clean up.

"Luke," Holden called. "Could you go out to the barn to check on the horses?"

Luke stiffened. "Dad, I really need to see if I can get hold of Noah--"

"The phones are dead," Holden interrupted, holding up a hand. "Look, I know you're worried about him. I am, too. But Noah is a smart, resourceful young man. I'm sure he's fine, and as soon as he can get in touch with you, he will. We've got people and animals to take care of here."

"Hey, I can help." Luke turned to see Faith standing in the doorway leading to the cellar. "Parker and I will start sweeping up in here." She stared at Holden, as if daring him to object. Luke bit his lip to keep from grinning.

Holden nodded. "Okay," he said. "Just ... be careful, okay?"

Luke was gratified to see Faith managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. "We will," she promised, crossing to the broom closet.

Luke looked around. "Where's Jack?"

"He's checking the outside of the house, making sure everything looks okay out there," Holden replied. "Then he needs to hit the streets and see if anyone else out there needs help. I'm going to check the upstairs and then go over to our house, make sure things aren't too bad over there."

"Okay," Luke said, heading toward the door. "I'll check out the barn and be back as fast as I can."

~~~~

Noah didn't know how long they fought with the door, but gradually, they managed to peel it open enough for Noah to slip outside. He glanced around, eyes running quickly over the mess in the café. Reid carefully led the two girls to the door, handing them off to Noah, who sat them down in two chairs just around the corner.

"I know you want to go home," he said gently. "But we need to check things out first and make sure it's safe. Okay? Just wait here and we'll be right back."

He headed back to the back room, where he found Reid bent over Craig.

"How do you want to do this?" Noah asked. "We don't have much room to work with."

Reid sighed. "If you'll get the top, I'll get the bottom," he said. "Not much I can do to brace his neck, so we'll just have to cross our fingers there."

Noah maneuvered around the pieces of ceiling still on the floor and squatted behind Craig. Reid helped him lift Craig's upper body so Noah could wrap his arms under Craig's, crossing them over his chest, grabbing his forearms in his hands. Reid moved to the opposite end of Craig's body and lifted his legs.

"Okay, one, two, up!" Reid counted off, and they stood carefully, Noah shifting to secure his grip. Reid backed around the edge of the door and through the narrow opening, pausing to move to help Noah lift Craig on one side so he'd fit through the doorway.

Back in the seating area, Noah nodded toward the padded seating near the door. "Let's put him over there," he said, grunting a little from the strain of holding Craig's dead weight. He shook off that thought, and together, they managed to get him over to the seat and laid down.

"Okay." Noah lifted his arms, stretching out his strained arm and shoulder muscles. "I'm not optimistic, but let me see if the phone's working."

He crossed over and picked up the receiver to no dial tone. The phone had a battery backup for power outages, so apparently the lines were down.

He hung up. "No dice," he said. "Look, if you'll stay here with them, I'll go out and see if I can get any help."

Reid nodded. "Is there a first aid kit somewhere?"

"Oh yeah." Noah bent down and grabbed the white box from under the counter. "It's mostly for burns and cuts, so don't know how much good it'll do."

"Thanks." Reid took the box and nodded toward the girls. "I'll put them to work. Keep their mind off everything.

Noah nodded. "Back as soon as I can," he said. Steeling himself for what he might find, he pulled the door open, stepped over the tree branch lying just outside, and headed into Old Town.

~~~~

Stepping outside the farmhouse was like walking into a disaster zone. Tree branches, leaves, pieces of siding from the house and barn, and tufts of what must have been insulation littered the yard. Luke picked his way carefully from the back door over to the side entrance to the barn. Lifting away the plank barring the door, he flicked the lock and pulled the door open, stepping inside and giving his eyes a minute to adjust to the dark. The horses were making soft sounds, which made him feel better about this. After the fury of the storm, he'd feared what he might find here almost as much as he feared for Noah.

He checked on the animals quickly, finding them whole and hardy, if a little shaken. He soothed each one briefly, offering them carrots and checking on their feed and water. In less than fifteen minutes, he'd satisfied himself that they were all fine, and he took a deep breath as he exited the barn, resealing the door behind him as a precaution.

He walked back inside, finding Faith dumping a dustpan full of glass into the kitchen trash can. Parker had a pair of thick work gloves on and was carefully cleaning off the counters. "Hey," Luke said, looking around. "Wow, you've gotten a lot done in here."

She shrugged. "The pantry's still a mess," she said. "But the kitchen's mostly clear. How are the horses?"

"They're good," he said. "Is Jack still here?"

"He's in the cellar," she said. "He's checking on everyone and then he's going out."

"Is he going to town?" Luke's legs shook with the strain of holding back. He wanted, no, needed to find Noah. Right now.

"Luke." He looked up to see Jack walking across the kitchen toward him. "You need to stay here. I don't know how much damage there might be out there. The last thing we need is more people on the streets."

"Jack, I need to--"

"Find Noah, I know," Jack said, holding up a hand. "Look, I'm going to the station, and I'll be going right by Old Town anyway. I'll stop and check on him, okay? Can't promise I'll be able to call back here, but I'll try to get a message to you."

Luke opened his mouth to protest again, but Jack wouldn't allow it. "Luke, your family needs you here. There are kids to take care of. Noah can take care of himself."

Luke's mouth snapped shut. He still ached with every part of his being to see Noah that very second, to know for himself that Noah was okay. But he also knew Jack was right. He had responsibilities here, and Noah could handle himself. Heck, he was probably calmer than Luke right now.

~~~~

Noah was stunned. Old Town looked like a bomb had gone off. Benches were tossed around, trees were uprooted, glass and shingles and random pieces of signage lay scattered all over the ground. Noah hoped no one had been stuck outside in that, and considering he didn't see anyone, that seemed to be the case.

He glanced inside Fashions as he walked by, but it seemed deserted, the doors locked, although there was a big crack in the glass of one of them. Closed for the holiday, he guessed. He kept walking, sidestepping debris, until he reached Al's, which is where he saw the first signs of life. Henry stood just inside, looking around a little wildly at the mess of glass and menus scattered around him.

"Hey, Henry," Noah called. He didn't have to open the door; there was no glass left in it. Henry's head snapped up, but it took him a couple of seconds to focus on Noah.

"Oh, Noah!" he said. "Are you okay? Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine," he said. "Are you the only one here? Is your phone working?"

Henry nodded, then shook his head. "Yes, and no," he said. He looked around again and laughed shortly. "I guess I should be thankful that the worst I got was a humongous mess to clean up."

"If you see anyone, we need some help over at Java," Noah said. "Craig Montgomery's injured. Dr. Oliver's with him, but he can't do much without supplies."

Henry blinked, then nodded again. "Okay," he said. "If I hear from anyone, I'll send them your way."

"Thanks." Noah lifted a hand in a small wave and headed back around the corner, toward the parking lot. With any luck, some kind of law enforcement or emergency personnel would be making rounds, and he could get some help for Craig. And maybe get word from the farm and Luke.

~~~~

Luke helped Faith and Parker clean up the remaining glass in the kitchen and pantry, but every minute felt like a nail into his heart. He needed Noah, needed to know he was okay.

Finally, the room was as clear as it was going to get. Luke leaned down into the doorway to the cellar. "Okay, coast is clear, just be sure to keep your shoes on," he called down.

Everyone trooped back upstairs, nearly two hours after they'd descended. Ethan flung himself at Luke again, and Luke laughed as he lifted him up into his arms.

"Hey, buddy," he said. "Had a little adventure today, did we?"

"A-ven-ta!" Ethan flung his arms up in the air, and Luke laughed again.

"Yep," he said, shifting Ethan to one hip and carrying him toward the table. "Now, I'm going to set you down over here, and you have to promise me you'll stay there, okay? There's still some glass and stuff around, and I don't want you getting hurt. 'Cause you're my buddy. All right?"

Ethan nodded. "Aw right."

Luke slipped Ethan into a chair and looked toward Emma, who was already opening up the refrigerator. "I'll get him a snack," she said. "Poor thing's had quite a shock today." None of them had managed to eat anything in the cellar, too worried about what was going on outside.

Meg sat back down at the table again, Eliza in her arms. "Mama, could you get Eliza some juice, too?"

"Certainly, dear." She emerged with a bottle of apple juice and a pack of string cheese. "Does anyone else want anything?"

Within a minute, everyone was talking over each other, back to the usual chaos of the farm, albeit with missing windowpanes and lots of work yet to be done to get things back normal. Luke crossed over to where his mom stood next to the sink, putting together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Natalie.

"Mom," he said in a low voice. "I know Dad wanted me to stay here, but--"

She looked at him and smiled. "It's okay," she said. "We'll be fine. You go find Noah."

He flashed her a quick smile. "Thanks, Mom," he said, and he was out the door in a heartbeat.

~~~~

Noah couldn't quite believe some of the destruction he saw from the tornado (or tornadoes; he couldn't really know). Cars in the parking lot next to Old Town were tossed around like toys, one of them lying on its side with the roof against one of the old oak trees, which had been halfway uprooted along with two more of its companions. Random pieces of metal, wood, and plastic littered the ground, and a whole line of pine trees had been twisted off about ten feet off the ground, the top sections hanging down at various angles.

Noah was beyond relieved to see that his truck seemed to be undamaged, other than a few scrapes and maybe a new dent or two. He couldn't move it out of the lot, considering every possible exit was blocked by debris, but at least he wouldn't have to deal with insurance adjusters.

A flashing light caught his eye, and he saw another truck coming up the road slowly, its headlights and hazard lights on. He waved a hand, then both arms, and the truck slowed, pulling to the side of the road. Noah almost staggered with relief when Jack jumped out of the cab and strode toward him.

"Noah!" Jack called. "Thank God you're okay. Luke's been worried sick. We all have."

"I'm fine," Noah said. "Just a little bumped up. But Craig, I mean, Mr. Montgomery, he has a head injury. Dr. Oliver's with him at Java. Can you call for help?"

"Yeah, got a radio in the truck, hang on." Jack loped back over and leaned into the cab for a few seconds, and Noah walked in that direction. "Got it, thanks," Jack was saying as Noah approached. He turned and nodded back toward the grouping of shops. "Ambulance is on its way," he said. "They're stretched pretty thin, of course, but the words 'head injury' tend to get their attention." He stopped short, his mouth twisting a little. "But I guess you knew that already."

Noah shrugged. "I don't remember any of it," he said. "Which I guess is good, since it's not exactly something you want to remember."

Jack chuckled, his gaze turning to look off down the road. "Listen, if you're going to be okay, I need to get back on the road," he said. "We're going to have quite a mess to deal with. I just hope we didn't lose anyone in this."

"Oh, hey, is everyone at the farm okay? Is the farm okay?" Noah had been so relieved to hear Jack mention Luke that he hadn't thought to verify his condition and those of his family.

"Everyone's fine," Jack assured him. "The farmhouse took some damage, but nothing major. Mostly broken windows. Holden's getting things checked out, with Luke's help."

Noah nodded. "Are the phones down there, too?"

"Yeah, everything's down," Jack confirmed. "I don't know when we'll be able to get word back there, but as soon as I can let him know you're okay, I will. You just stay put for now."

Noah nodded again. Off in the distance, he could hear a siren. "I guess that's the ambulance," he said. "I should get back."

"You do that," Jack said. "Glad you're okay, but keep being careful. A lot of injuries in disasters come during the cleanup afterward."

"I'll be careful," Noah agreed. "See you later, and thanks."

"No problem." Jack waved and climbed back into the truck, heading further into town. Noah turned and started walking back toward Java, hearing the ambulance coming closer.

Luke was okay. He was okay. Everything else would work itself out.

~~~~

Luke drove as carefully as he could stand, which he knew was much faster than either his dad or Jack would approve of. But he had to get to Old Town and see for himself that Noah was okay. He'd come too close to losing him too many times already.

He saw an ambulance turning into the parking lot next to Old Town as he approached, and his heart pounded. Please, please, please, not Noah, he prayed. The ambulance stopped, blocking the entrance to the lot, and as Luke got closer he could see that it couldn't get any further into the lot because of an overturned car.

He pulled over onto the grass at the side of the road and jumped out of the car, running toward Java, dodging the debris scattered all over the ground. He passed right by the paramedics, who were pulling their gear from the ambulance, and rounded the corner ,and ducking into the short alley leading to the coffee shop.

He stopped short, eyes glued to the long, lean body bent over in front of him, intent on moving a large tree branch off the sidewalk. Luke's knees nearly gave out.

"Noah!" Noah turned, his eyes lighting up in the second before Luke attacked him, wrapping both arms around his neck and burying his head into his shoulder.

"Oh my God, oh my God, I was so worried," Luke babbled, not caring if he sounded like a crazy person or a girl or whatever. "Oh please, baby, tell me you're okay."

Noah was laughing a little by then, but he'd wrapped his arms just as tightly around Luke. "I'm fine, Luke, I'm fine," he said. "A little shaken up, but I'm fine. And so are you."

"Excuse us!" Luke turned to see the paramedics standing behind him, but before he could move, Noah shifted them both to the side, against the wall.

"He's inside," he said, nodding toward the damaged door. "Dr. Oliver is with him."

He immediately turned his attention back to Luke, as if the interruption had never happened. "God, Luke, I was so scared," he whispered, running a hand up Luke's back and into his hair, still holding him close. "I didn't know if you were okay, and I didn't know what was going to happen."

Luke had started planting little kisses on any part of Noah he could reach, which was mostly his neck and the underside of his chin. "I freaked out so bad, Noah," Luke murmured. "All I could think of was how close I came to losing you in the accident and then again because of everything that happened after that, and I just wanted to get here and grab you and hold you and never let you go."

Noah moved back just far enough to bring his other hand up, cupping Luke's face between his palms and bringing their lips together in a searing kiss. Luke moaned into Noah's mouth as their tongues stroked against each other, and he felt that surge of lust and love and all-consuming passion that always hit him when they were together like this. Today, though, it nearly bowled him over. After hours of fear and worry, he had Noah back in his arms, right where he belonged, and he never, ever wanted to let him go.

Luke tore himself away, panting. "God, Noah," he said. "Take me home right now or I won't be responsible for what I do in this alley."

Noah kissed him again, short and hard, and grabbed his hand. "I hope your car can get out of the parking lot, because I'm blocked in," he said. "And I hope like hell the apartment's not damaged."

Luke laughed as Noah pulled him toward the car. "If it's not," he said, "it will be by the time we're done with it."

~~~~
~~~~

The rest of the notes: So, a lot of things at work here: talk on the anonatwt site about storylines we'd like to see; Jake's comments in an interview a while back about wanting to see the cast thrown together with something like an impending disaster, and in particular about Noah and Craig having scenes together; my personal adoration for cute Luke and Ethan moments and really, really good kisses; and, of course, my total weather geekiness. :)