THE KID

“If you feel backed into a corner, I understand.”  Luke paced the length of the tiny kitchenette.

“We just moved into our own place a few months ago.  We haven’t even resolved the do we have a commitment ceremony with rings and things argument yet, and now this.”

“It’s not an argument; it’s a discussion.”

“Clearly you’re more ready for parenthood than I am,” Reid deadpanned.

“No!  I’m not.  But what else can we do?  Faith and Natalie are moving to the farm permanently.  Now that Meg and my grandmother are the only ones living there it’ll be a great environment for two growing girls.”

“Well, why can’t Ethan live there with the recovering psycho and your grandmother?  More mouths for granny to feed.  Emma will love it.  We can be the doting brothers who visit three times a week.  Isn’t that enough?”  Reid hoped he was getting through to Luke, trying to keep the sarcasm in control and to a minimum.

“Not according to my parents’ wills.”  Luke turned toward the refrigerator, opening and closing the door within a few seconds without removing anything.

“Shit!  I’m sorry.”  Reid stepped behind Luke, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend, partner, whatever’s waist and kissing his neck.  “I know this is a rough time for all of you -- especially you.”  Reid rested his cheek against Luke’s soft skin.  “It’s just that I wonder why your older siblings haven’t stepped up to the plate to take the kids.  You’re twenty-four years old and they’re closer to thirty.”

“Age doesn’t make a good parent.  It’s how much you love your kid.  My older brother and sister live too far away.  They barely know any of our younger siblings, especially Ethan.  Hell, I spent more time with him when he was born than my mom.”

“She was in a coma, Luke, and you did what you always do, take on more responsibility than you should.”

“Well, now neither of my parents are around to take care of any of them anymore and Grandma Emma is too old to chase Ethan around.  Besides, why should he be stuck in a household full of women when my mom and dad both assigned me to be his guardian should they both die.”

Reid brushed his hand over Luke’s shower-wet hair, drawing him close, pressing their cheeks together.  He could never get enough of touching Luke’s soft, velvety skin.  Trying to remain soothing, Reid stated the obvious.  “I don’t think they ever expected to die so young... or together.”

“Fucking Damian.  Sometimes I wish I could drain all the blood in my body and exchange it for someone else’s.” 

Feeling Luke begin to shudder, Reid held him close, saying nothing.  There had been less of these moments as the days and weeks passed, but Reid understood they wouldn’t completely cease for a while.

“What, no medical observations about the insanity of my wish?”  Luke stepped back, glaring at Reid, his eyes bloodshot, just as they had been on and off for the entire month since Lily and Holden’s bodies had been found amongst the rubble of an explosion at their hotel in Athens.

At first no one would believe they were dead.  It wasn’t until the bodies were flown home and Luke and Abigail identified them together, each being a blood relative to one of their parents.  This time there were no mistaken identities in death. 

Reid had insisted on entering the hospital morgue with the half-siblings and watched as, holding hands, they saw their newlywed parents together for the last time.  He hoped, if there was some afterlife, Lily and Holden could finally be together in peace.

No one could prove Damian Grimaldi was responsible for the explosion, but everyone knew.  It would only be a matter of time before Lucinda stopped mourning and took revenge.

A shiver ran down Reid’s spine remembering Lucinda Walsh whispering in his ear immediately after the funeral.  “That bastard will never see it coming, but it will.  And I promise you, no one will ever be able to connect me, you, Luke, or any of us with the event.  Mark my words as the most honest I’ve ever said.  I don’t make idle threats.” 

That was one evil, angry woman and Reid was just glad she liked him, probably loved him, if in fact she was even capable of the emotion.

Reid took Luke’s hand and guided him to the new sofa, centerpiece of their new loft apartment just outside the center of Oakdale.  Reid blinked, thinking about Luke’s desire to sever himself from any connection with Damian.  “You’ve probably had so many surgeries over the years, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you no longer have a blood type compatible with the bad seed’s.”

Luke huffed and a crooked smile slightly brightened his face.

“That brings us back to the kid.”  Reid risked looking into Luke’s eyes again.

“Please don’t call my little brother, the kid, when he’s around.”

“For me, that’s an expression of affection.  I used to call Jacob, the kid.”

“Once he started walking and grabbing your medical journals before you got to read them.”

“Okay, maybe it was used as a slightly derogatory term in his case.”

“In any case.”

“Luke, do you think the ki... Ethan, could be happy living with us?  There’s no mother figure here at all.  Don’t little kids need a woman to do all those jobs that come with the maternal instinct?  We’re definitely not equipped.”

Luke seemed to have calmed and held Reid’s hands in his.  Reid wanted to avoid looking directly in his partner’s eyes, but there was no turning away.  “I know you don’t think you can handle this, and maybe I can’t either, but as long as we love Ethan and show him our love in any way we can, isn’t that what nurturing is all about?”

Reid bit his lip.  He pulled one of his hands gently from Luke’s and cupped his lover’s cheek.  “When did you get smarter than a brain surgeon?”

“I’ve always been smarter and wiser than you in matters of the heart.  I’d say we’re about equal all around now.”

“You’ll never be a brain surgeon.”  Reid grinned.

“And you’ll never write for Katie’s show.”  Luke smirked.

“Still reveling in the afterglow of being the youngest head writer for the smallest morning show in the country.”

Luke poked Reid.  “It’s far from the smallest.  We have a viewing audience of--”

“Stop, stop!”  Reid held up his hands in surrender.  “Don’t start quoting me your ratings.  I’ve heard enough.  You’re a brilliant writer and I’m a mere medical journal contributor, with a few surgeries under my belt.”

It was great to hear a genuine laugh from Luke.  That didn’t happen often enough lately.  “As long as you remember that, we’ll be just fine.”

“So the kid is going to be our third roommate.” 

Luke moved closer to Reid and kissed him.  “Since he’s not even seven yet, I think in reality he’s going to be more like our son.”

Reid swallowed hard.  “Won’t that feel strange for you?”

“For a while.  I don’t expect Ethan to ever call me dad or anything like that, but for all intents and purposes we’ll be his parents, not his brother and whatever you think you are to him right now.”

“I could deny any connection to him at all, but I guess for the moment, I’m probably the closest thing the kid has to a brother-in-law.”

“A brother-in-law who doesn’t want to marry his brother.”  Luke started twirling with the hairs resting against Reid’s neck.

He needed a haircut, although the feeling was nice and might cause him to postpone his next visit to Luke’s over-the-top stylist. 

Leaning in Reid gently brushed his lips against Luke’s.  Luke had the softest lips he’d ever kissed.  They were irresistible.  “Marriage isn’t legal for us yet in this state,” he whispered.

Luke returned the kiss, opening his mouth to welcome Reid inside -- an invitation that never went unanswered.  The connection deepened.  Reid wrapped his arms around Luke, bringing him closer than seemed possible. 

Breaking the kiss for a moment, Luke threaded his fingers through Reid’s curls.  “Semantics, Dr. Oliver.”  Crashing their lips together again, Luke moaned.  “Reid, we can’t.  Not now.”

Panting, Reid furrowed his brow.  “Why?  I want you, Luke.  Damn,” he whispered in Luke’s ear then nipped at the lobe, “I always want you.”

“But, we--”

Luke’s words were interrupted when the doorbell rang, followed by incessant knocking.

Reid reluctantly let go of his young lover.  “It wasn’t my pager this time.”

“No, it’s...”

“Hey, Luke, open the door!”

“... my little brother.”

Reid lowered his head as Luke stood up to let the little rugrat in.  Why did schools dismiss so early?  No wonder kids in the United States were getting stupider as the years progressed. 

At least thinking about Ethan and elementary school helped to ease the bulge in Reid’s pants.  Fucking education system.

“Hi, Reid.”

Ethan sat on the sofa, dumping his backpack on the new glass coffee table with a huge thud.  “Oops.  Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Kid, it’s not meant to break too easily, although I’m sure you’ll test its limits over the years.”

Luke’s eyes widened.  “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“He might as well get some masculine influence in his life as a growing boy, even if it is from us.” 

Luke tilted his head, the beautiful broad Snyder smile returning to his face.  “I think we’re plenty masculine.”

Reid snorted.  “So says a card-carrying member of the fashion police.”

“I’m multi-talented.”

Reid raised an eyebrow.  “Now that I can attest to.”

Luke swatted him gently on the shoulder.

“Hey, guys, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m supposed to get a snack after school.”  Ethan looked from his brother to Reid.

“Oh yeah, Kid.  Let’s go see what’s in the fridge.”

“How about a piece of Grandma’s pie, unless you finished it all?”  Ethan looked pointedly at Reid.

“I don’t finish everything around here.”

Ethan tilted his head the same way Luke did.  Shit! 

“I didn’t finish the pie.  There’s a piece left for you.”

Ethan vaulted off the sofa, running to the kitchen table.  Reid watched, knowing this would be a daily routine for years to come.

“Luke, are you sure this is what you want?  You’re so young.”

“I’m in line for my third kidney within twenty-five years -- I’m not as young as I appear.”

“I know.”  Reid kissed Luke’s cheek as he handed Ethan his plate of apple pie and Luke poured the kid a glass of milk.  “Maybe you are old enough.”

Luke’s eye’s narrowed.  “For what?”

“To get married, committed, whatever we want to call it.”

Reid grabbed the glass before it fell to the floor and put it on the table within Ethan’s reach as the little guy shoveled bite after bite into his mouth.  Maybe he would have something in common with Reid after all.

Finding his voice, Luke choked out, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Well, it’s a small town.  We wouldn’t want anyone thinking the kid was being raised in a broken home.  Besides, it’ll make it easier for me to adopt him... when the time is right.”

Luke stood frozen, gazing at Reid, but saying nothing.

Reid started nervously humming the Jeopardy theme.  “You can give me an answer any time now.”

“You asshole.”  Luke spoke softly.

“So I’ve been told over and over.”

“I love you -- yes.”  Luke pressed his lips to Reid’s as the two clung to one another, Luke’s hands gripping Reid’s shirt as the kiss deepened. 

“Ewww.  You two are just like Mom and Dad.  But I know they’re not coming back, right?”

Having the kid around wasn’t going to be easy, but he was part of Luke’s life and nothing else mattered.

Resting their foreheads against one another, Reid sighed as he brushed a stray tear off Luke’s cheek.  He was going to make a permanent commitment to Luke, eventually adopt Ethan, and help both boys find happiness if he possibly could.  He wished he had the power to make this all happen with the wave of a scalpel in his talented hands, but Reid understood this would take something much more dramatic -- complete love and devotion. 

He could do it.  He could do anything he was determined to achieve, especially for Luke.

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