Diffused

He could hear Reid's voice before he even rounded the corner, getting louder and higher pitched.  As he entered the entrance to the neuro unit, he saw Chris with a red face and his hands balled into fists at his side.  "I told you to stay out of it," he yelled, his face close to Reid's.

"You shouldn't be here, Chris," Reid countered.  "I'm going to keep saying it until you hear it, you selfish bastard!"

Luke quickly scanned the room, nurses and patient family members looking on in stunned silence.  Reid's eyes met his for a brief moment before he returned his attention to Chris.  "As your chief of staff, I'm ordering you to go home."

"You're not the Chief of Staff," Chris argued.  "My father is still in charge, at least for the next few months."

"And he's not here right now.  Someone has got to have some fucking sense around here.  You need to leave the hospital!"

A nurse gasped from a few feet way.

Luke walked toward Reid, and gently tugged him by the crook of his elbow.  "C'mon...you need to stop."  He turned to Chris.  "Both of you."

Reid pulled his arm out of Luke's hold, but Luke didn't give up, tugging his arm again.

"Cut it out," Reid complained, pulling his arm away.

"Reid!" Luke said forcefully but in a low voice, and Reid finally stepped back from Chris.  He looked around at the people in the room and nodded.  "Yeah, ok...yeah."  He let Luke lead him away, towards the hallway to his office, looking back over his shoulder briefly and loudly saying, "Please, Dr. Hughes, go home."

They didn't speak as they walked to Reid's office.  Luke tried to put his arm around Reid's shoulders, but Reid pushed him away gently, shaking his head.

Reid unlocked the door and held it open for Luke, his breath coming out in bull-like pants.  He followed Luke into the interior of his office, locked the door, and slammed his own back against it, growling.  "Fucking Doogie!"  He took off his labcoat, frustrated when his arm got caught briefly, and then threw it at the wall.

Luke approached him and put his arms on Reid's biceps, squeezing gently.  Reid wouldn't look at him, and Luke could see the muscles in his jaw twitching.

Luke didn't say anything and instead moved his right hand to the side of Reid's neck, while is right hand continued to massage his arm and shoulder.  Reid's breathing contined to be erratic.

Finally, Luke moved his hands to gently hold Reid's head and waited patiently for his lover to look at him.  When he finally did, his eyes were watery.  Luke nodded his head to let Reid know that he understood his frustration and his concern. Then he leaned forward and kissed him softly.  Reid didn't kiss back, but when Luke pulled back, Reid held his eyes, his breath slowing.  Luke kissed him again before pulling back, feeling the tension in Reid's body subsiding.  He leaned forward again, and this time Reid met him halfway, kissing Luke deeply before breaking the kiss and pressing his forehead against Luke's.

"Better?"

Reid nodded, and if it had been anyone except Luke, they would have missed it.  Reid moved his hands to his boyfriend's hips, sighed, and slumped back against the door, pulling Luke with him.  He rested his forehead on Luke's shoulder, his breathing now normal, as Luke played with the curl behind his right ear.

"I don't know what he's thinking," Reid said softly.  "It hasn't even been five months, and he has the immune system of a newborn.  Hospitals are crawling with germs.  We don't advertise that, but shit...he's a doctor.  He knows this is no place for him right now.  He needs to take care of himself."

Luke smiled at Reid's concern, though he knew that his worries were rooted in his love of Katie, rather than his weird friendship/enemy relationship with his colleague.

"Somebody died to give him that heart.  I don't want him to squander it by being an idiot."

Luke chuckled.  "It's probably very hard for him to be away from it.  I can't imagine you not being able to perform surgery and help people.   You love it, and it drives you.  I'm not making excuses for him, but it might help you to understand it more if you consider that maybe he's struggling to find some normalcy in this new life of his.  I think you can relate to that."

"He's not much good to his patients if he's dead," Reid sighed.

"No..."

"And he's not much good to Katie if he's dead either. He's being selfish.  I love being a doctor Luke, but...I don't know...........I don't think I'd do anything that would risk me being apart from you. Maybe that's selfish too."

Luke kissed the side of Reid's head.  "Not selfish.....in fact, it's incredibly sweet."  Reid rolled his eyes and smiled.  "Consider also...and I know this from experience...transplants are  a huge physical burden, but there is a lot that goes on that's not physical.  There's guilt.  There's anxiety.  Depression too.  It's a new existence.  Even if it feels like it sometimes, Chris is not living to annoy you.  He's dealing with a lot."

Reid nodded.  "You're right."  He kissed Luke softly.  "I'll try talking him to again...believe it or not that conversation started out civially in the break room."  He kissed Luke again.  "Thanks.  I don't know how you do it, but you always find a way to diffuse me."

"It's one of my many talents."  Luke smiled cheekily.

Reid stood up straight and cleared his throat.  "And since you brought it up..."  He reached down and took Luke's hand.  "I do love being a doctor.  That's why before Bob went on vacation, I told him that I don't want to be chief of staff."  Luke smiled.  "Why are you smiling?  I thought you'd be disappointed."

"I never thought it was a good idea," Luke admitted sheepishly.

Reid chuckled.  "But what about all that coaching and refining of my freaking people skills?" Reid asked with a smile.

"I thought it was what you wanted, so I was being a supportive boyfriend."  Luke pushed at Reid's shoulder playfully.

"I thought I wanted it too, but in the past few months, watching this wing coming alive, THIS is what I want.  It's my kingdom, and I'm going to rule it."

"It's good to be the king." Luke laughed.

"Yes it is," Reid agreed in a deep voice, as he ran a finger along Luke's jaw.

"Are you done ruling here today?  How about we go home..."

Reid tweaked Luke's chin.  "I love how you call my place home."  He walked over to his lab coat, picked it up, and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

"Reid, I haven't slept in my own bed in 19 nights."

"That many?"

"Yes, my mother reminded me of it on the phone just this morning..."

"Maybe we need to talk about..."  Reid trailed off and smiled, his eyes shiny.

"What?"  Luke asked.

Reid shook his head.  "I just never thought..."  He shook his head again, still smiling.  "Just...let's think about it and make some plans...  Luke smiled and squeezed Reid's hip.  "But in the meantime," Reid said, putting his arm around Luke's shoulder before opening the office door and turning off the lights.  He kissed the side of Luke's head.  "Let's make it 20..."