THANKSGIVING

Chapter 11

“Yes, Grandma, I’m doing fine.” Ethan was supposed to be resting on the sofa but the phone hadn’t stopped ringing with welcome home greetings since his return the previous day.

....

“No, I didn’t know they didn’t call you. If I had known, I would have made them call you right away.”

....

“Yeah, I got all the new skateboarding equipment. It was waiting for me when I got home. Thank you. I love it.”

....

“I’ll wear the helmet all the time. I promise.”

....

“I can’t wait to see you too. Thanksgiving’s in less than two weeks. It’s real soon. Then you can see that I’m really okay.”

....

“Grandma, I intend to be your grandson for a really, really long time. No more accidents like this one.”

....

Ethan laughed out loud. “I’ll tell him. I love you too, Grandma Miriam. See you next week.”

Putting the phone back on its cradle, Ethan looked at Reid. “You’re lucky she’s not here.”

Placing the magazine he was pretending to read on the coffee table, Reid looked at his son and grinned. “And why am I so fortunate?”

“Because she said she wants to give you a piece of her mind for keeping her in the dark when I was in the hospital.”

“She can sue me for wanting to keep her from worrying unnecessarily.”

Ethan tilted his head.

“When you first were injured, you wouldn’t have known she was here anyway. By the time you woke up and we knew you’d be fine, there was no reason for her to fly out here just to turn around and fly home and then come back again for Thanksgiving.”

“And you didn’t want to deal with a stressed out Grandma Miriam.” Ethan grinned.

“She’s your grandmother. I didn’t want to deal with a stressed out mother who was missing her university obligations, couldn’t help her grandson, and would have found some way to blame me for the accident.”

“Why would she blame you?”

“Just a hunch.”

Luke came up behind Reid and wrapped his arms around him. “Stop it already. This has gone on long enough.”

“What’s going on, Luke? Why’s Reid acting all weird?”

“He keeps kicking himself for giving you permission to go skateboarding with Jacob in the first place.”

“Oh my God. You really are a drama queen. Get over it. I screwed up.”

And so did Chris.

“Reid!” Luke glared at him.

“Did I say that out loud?” Reid still hadn’t completely forgiven Chris for his role in Ethan’s near disaster. He knew he would eventually, but it was going to take time.

“Can I go watch TV in my room?” Ethan yawned. He’d only been home for one day, but the familiar surroundings and freedom to move was clearly tiring the twelve year old. Reid looked forward to the day Ethan drove him crazy with his unbridled energy again.

Luke sat down next to his brother while Reid remained in one of the armchairs near the sofa. “Before you go upstairs, there’s something I’d like to tell you.”

Trying not to grin and give away anything, Reid sat still with his hands on his knees.

“Sure, Luke. Is this that thing we were supposed to talk about before I knocked myself out?”

“Yes, Eth, it is. I hope you’re as happy about it as I was to find out.”

Ethan wrinkled his nose. “What are you talking about? Did you win a prize or something?” He smiled. “Better yet, did I win something?”

Nodding, Luke smiled. “In a way I think we both won.”

“So what’s the deal?” Ethan sat up straighter than he had in two weeks.

“Do you remember when I was in the hospital last summer?”

“For your transplant? How could I forget? You totally freaked us out.”

“The Snyders have a habit of doing that.”

Luke glared at Reid.

“I guess I said that out loud too.”

“You did. Now be quiet.”

A self-satisfied smile spread across Reid’s face. He loved watching Luke get all riled up. It would certainly help heat up their bed when Ethan went off to take his nap.

Directing his attention back on Ethan, Luke squeezed his brother’s knee. “I assume you also remember the blood test you had to take.”

“The one that ended with me getting some cool music and a couple of great movies? Yeah, I remember. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I had a billion more needles this time.”

“You did, and we’re going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen twice.”

“So what’s the news? Do I have some sort of special chemicals in my blood or something?”

Reid huffed. He loved Ethan’s imagination, despite the fact that it was getting clearer and clearer he’d never be a scientist of any sort. He was much more of a creative thinker, like his brother.

Taking a deep breath, Luke looked directly at his youngest sibling. “You and I are brothers.”

Ethan’s brow furrowed. “Are you nuts? What’s the big news?”

Biting his tongue so he wouldn’t laugh out loud, Reid smirked. “A little more detail, Mr. Snyder.”

“Okay, Ethan. You know I was always led to believe our father wasn’t my biological dad, right?”

“Yeah. Damian was your dad. You told me he died a few months ago.”

“He did. But it turns out he lied to everyone and had the vials of blood taken from him and Holden switched when they were checking to see who my father really was.”

“Are you telling me our dad was your father from the start and Damian screwed around with you all that time for nothing?”

“Something like that. I’m sure he did it out of desperation to have a son, but it really didn’t work out that way. Our dad was always the man I considered my father.”

“Is that it?”

“Ethan! Do you realize this means we’re full brothers? Holden was my dad all along, just like he was yours and the rest of our sisters and Aaron.”

Glancing at Reid, Ethan shrugged his shoulders. “Uhm, Luke?”

“Yes, Eth?”

“You do realize that while it’s cool about the blood stuff -- I guess this means we match more than we did before -- it’s not that big a deal.”

“What are you talking about? You know how important the Snyder family is to me... to all of us?”

“Because you are a Snyder. You’ve never been a Grimaldi, anyone who knows you knows that. Just like when I heard stories about Uncle Noah’s psycho dad, I never thought he had anything in common with him.”

Blinking, Luke sat back and stared into the room.

Moving to the sofa, Reid sat in the space on Luke’s other side. “Told you so,” he whispered in his partner’s ear. “Holden always thought of you as his son, maybe more so than the rest because he chose you. Hell, I know the crap it takes to adopt a kid.” Reid smiled at Ethan who wore a big grin on his face. “If Holden went through all that trouble, despite already having two bio kids, and then having three more, he must have, more than anything else, wanted you to be his.”

“But I was his all along.”

“Yeah, you were -- in every way that counted. Now you know he didn’t have to go through the paperwork of adoption, but he wouldn’t have loved you any more than he already did.”

Without warning, Luke embraced Reid, burying his head in the crook of his neck. When he began to shudder, Reid made eye contact with Ethan and nodded. That was all the kid needed to see and he stood up to go to his room.

“How could I be so stupid?”

“Not stupid. I bet all adopted kids have issues of doubt about being wanted. In your case, Holden proved, over and over, just how much he wanted you.”

“I was his from the start.”

“Yeah, you were.”

Eyes moist, Luke looked directly at Reid. “My mom loved my dad so much. They screwed up their love and trust for one another over and over, but they could never stay away from each other for long.”

“And thus, you were conceived.”

“Sometimes having a doctor in the house makes everything sound so simple.”

“We science geeks try to separate emotion from clinical accuracy.”

Pressing his lips to Reid’s, Luke pushed his tongue inside. Reid welcomed the contact and unexpectedly moaned into the kiss. “Luke.”

“You like to think you don’t show emotions, but everything you say and do demonstrates how much you love me... and Ethan. I love you so much, Reid.” The two tenderly kissed.

Wrapping his arms around Luke, Reid deepened their kisses. He could never get enough of Luke, even when he exposed Reid’s vulnerable side. In some ways, Luke knowing him like no one else made him love his young spouse even more than he would have thought he was capable of loving someone. No one had bothered to uncover this side of Reid ever before -- but Luke had broken through.

Pulling back, Reid cupped Luke’s chin. “If we’re going to take this any farther we’d better get behind a locked door.”

“Bedroom?”

“Bedroom.”

“Reid?”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad you got to know my parents, especially my dad, before they died.”

“Knowing Holden, it was clear who you inherited your loving personality from. It must be part of your DNA.”

“You know just the right thing to say.”

“Sometimes.”

“This time.”

“I love you, Luke. Now let me show you how much.”

No more words were spoken. Taking Luke’s hand, Reid led him to their bedroom; to their bed. While Ethan’s reaction was clearly not what Luke expected, in some ways it reminded Reid just how close his family truly was and is. While he may not be a blood relation to anyone in Oakdale, Reid was sure a number of the people in his life were proud to call him their relative. Although he wouldn’t run around making declarations, Reid felt the same about them.

[TBC with the epilogue]

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