THE TIME TRAP

Chapter 1

Luke watched as Noah held his son close, comforting the tiny boy as he sucked on his pacifier, the troubled looking father trying to encourage little Sammy back to sleep through the screams of colic plaguing the four month old infant in the wee hours of the morning.  Luke understood the difficulties of tending to a child alone because recently his husband had been called to the hospital more often than usual for the umpteenth emergency surgery that arose in any given week.  The one thing Luke didn’t understand was why Noah had showed up on his doorstep with a suitcase and an overstuffed diaper bag.

“Noah, I do understand the stress and strain of taking care of an infant while my husband disappears to take care of complete strangers.  Hell, we have twins and a teen to deal with.”  Luke tried to make eye contact with Noah to confirm he was listening.  “Of course it puts a strain on a relationship, but the good stuff always outweighs the bad.”  Luke hoped he was getting through to his friend, who was pacing the floor, trying to calm the now hiccupping baby in his arms.

“I appreciate everything you’re saying, Luke.  I really do.  That’s how things started for Mark and me, but now...”  Noah’s voice trailed off.  Luke wasn’t sure if Noah was unwilling, or unable, to complete the thought.

“Now what?  Now you’re giving up when the going gets rough?  Get a nanny if caring for Sammy is becoming too much with Mark’s crazy work schedule.”

“If I thought it was only about work I would.”  Noah glared at Luke.

“What is it?  You know Memorial’s neurology department is short-staffed.  Reid is looking for just the right new additions.  He wants to find doctors he can trust when the core team isn’t available or needs a break.”

“I think Mark would rather be at the hospital for more than one reason.”

Luke stared at Noah, confused by his statement. 

“Haven’t you noticed all the nights Mark and Reid both disappear to work on the same cases?  Mark told me how close they used to be when they were best friends in Dallas.  I think Mark is done with marriage and wants to revisit his old glory days of doctoring by day and sleeping with Reid at night.”

Taking a deep breath, Luke took a step back and sat on the sofa.  He knew Reid and Mark had been close in Texas -- in more than one way.  Luke also knew he could trust Reid.  There was never a time he had been given any indication he couldn’t.  How could Noah leap to such a ridiculous conclusion?  He hoped Mark hadn’t given any concrete indication to Noah.  “I’m sure your lack of sleep, coupled with your full schedule at WOAK is getting the better of you.  Your judgment is totally messed up.”

“You think so?  Mark hasn’t touched me in almost a month.  Whenever the phone rings he jumps out of bed, practically salivating at the chance to get to Memorial.  Nine times out of ten he looks toward me saying, ‘Sorry Noah, gotta go help Reid.  I’ll be back when I can.  Kiss Sammy good morning for me.’  Does that sound like someone who’s stressed about leaving his husband and baby behind?”

Luke stood up and poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the bar.  He could certainly understand Noah’s interpretation of Mark’s words, but Luke was not going to make any unfounded assumptions.  “I’m having some water.  Would you like anything stronger?”

Noah shook his head.  “I’m primary caregiver for my son.  I need to keep my mind clear.”

“I’m not sure how clear it is right now.”  Luke handed Noah the filled glass of water and poured a second for himself.  “There’s got to be a reasonable explanation.”  Although they didn’t have sex every night, Luke was confident in the knowledge he and Reid were always close and took every chance to be near one another and hold each other throughout the night, even on nights when the hospital interrupted them, phoning with an emergency.

“I’ll tell you the explanation.  Mark and Reid are both at the top of the call list and are requesting the other assist.  Then when the surgery is complete they give each other a private reward in one of their offices.”

“Noah, I’m sure you’ve got it all wrong.”

“You know something, Luke.  I really thought about this for a long time and hoped for the same conclusion, but everything Mark does, and everything he says, keeps driving me in this direction.  I feel like I’ve been betrayed, left behind, and not even given a heads-up.”  Noah placed the now sleeping little boy in his infant seat, snapping the safety buckle in place and covering him up to his neck with a fleece blanket.

“Your son is beautiful and I can tell how much you love him.  Isn’t your family worth fighting for, Noah?”

“I’m not sure I still have a family beyond Sammy.”  Noah glanced down at the baby, a small smile spreading across his face as he looked at the little boy.  “I just wish I had someone to love me as a man as well.

Without any warning, Noah crossed the short distance between himself and Luke.  He enveloped Luke in his arms and pressed his lips against Luke’s.

Luke’s eyes widened instantly, and without missing a beat he pushed Noah back.  “What the hell are you doing?  While you and Mark may be having some kind of breakdown or significant bump in your marriage, mine is sound.  I don’t believe there’s any way Reid is cheating on me with anyone, even an old fuck buddy he’s fond of as a friend.”  Luke couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.  He couldn’t believe he needed to say them to Noah after they had made such strides in their friendship.  Luke tried to keep his voice down so as not to wake any of the sleeping children in the household.

“Luke, we were always good together.  We were just too young for the relationship that was developing.  Maybe this is all a sign.”

“A sign?  Are you out of your mind?  The only sign I see is that you and Mark need to sit down and talk to each other openly and honestly.  Trying to encourage me to cheat on my husband, who I happen to love more than anyone in the world, is most definitely NOT the answer!”

“You can believe in your happy fantasy, Luke, but I think you need to open your eyes and really see what’s happening with our husbands.  My guess is there’s more than surgery going on between them at Memorial and I don’t want either of us to end up as the saps who are alone and saddled with a carload of kids and no other parent in their lives.”

“I think you and Sammy had better go home, baggage and all.  I care about you deeply, Noah, but I don’t love you in that way and never will.  I am deeply in love with my husband.”

“We’ll see how far that gets you when he’s home less and less, and with my husband more and more.”

Noah placed a heavy jacket around Sammy and then put on his own jacket.  As he picked up the baby and his bags he turned quickly toward Luke.  “Valentine’s Day isn’t far off.  Let’s see who you’re spending it with this year.  My guess is, it’ll either be with your children or with your children and me.  I think our husbands will be together that night, as they have so many others recently.”

Before Luke could answer, Noah had left the house, the door swinging shut and latching itself behind him.

Sitting on the sofa, Luke sipped his water.  He gazed over the glass at the bar cart in the corner of the room.  It had been years since he had been tempted by alcohol, but the thought of Reid wanting someone else, and the memory of Noah’s surprising kiss was overwhelming.

Luke walked to the bar and rested his hand on top of the cap on the Glenlivit bottle.  It was a favorite of Reid’s after a long surgery.  Before Luke could make his own decision he heard a small cry from the baby’s room.  Miri and Bobby were both teething.  He wondered who was in pain tonight, besides himself.

[TBC]

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