Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 9

rolled her eyes, James stuck his chin out. "It was. He would've gotten down on his own, but no, you made me climb up to get the damn thing off the top of the cupboards and look what happened. How am I going to do the surfing lesson next week with a broken wrist? And the stupid thing jumped down on its own, as I told you it would. It's a menace." He squinted at Abby. "It's already sent two members of our family to the ER. You're next Abs, you're next. Beware."
    She just rolled her eyes again and drawled, "Right." She stood up and shifted Dedrick to her hip. Eli was surprised how quiet the kid was. "Now that the good doctor is here..." She gave Eli a once over and waggled her eyebrows, "Dedrick and I will be in the waiting room or we may go and get some juice." She swept out of the room giggling as James muttered "Doom, doom, beware." behind her.
    Eli tried not to smile. As a rule, he did not find things to smile about at work. James was completely throwing him. Every time he saw the guy, he made Eli feel off kilter. Eli's days were always the same, until James came swanning in with his adorable, weirdly named nephew and his overly dramatic cat-hating rhetoric, and left Eli floundering. He stiffened his shoulders and put himself back in his doctor mind-set.
    "So, the evil cat?" Shit. That was not his doctor-mode question.
    "Eh. I don't mind the stupid thing, but they dragged me out of bed to come over and get the damn thing off the top of the cupboard, where it had apparently been whining and chirping all night. I lost my balance on the ladder, put out my arm to catch myself and... ouch."
    Eli gently took James' arm and pulled it away from his chest. It was already swollen and bruised, and as he carefully probed it, James winced. "Can you move your fingers?"
    "Some." James wiggled his fingers slightly.
    "Well, you definitely need an x-ray." He popped his head out the curtain and told a passing nurse to send someone to take James for an x-ray. As they waited, he fiddled with the chart. "Could you, uh, could you check this insurance form? Just make sure all the information is correct."
    James frowned, but took the chart and looked it over. "Yeah, it's all good. I told them that at the front."
    "Seriously? There's nothing unusual?"
    "No." James was looking at him like he was losing it. Maybe he was.
    "Your name is really..."
    James looked at him for a minute, confused, and then, when it seemed to dawn on him what Eli was asking, he blushed scarlet. "Yeah, it really is."
    "Why?"
    The look James gave him said it all. "Obviously, because my parents named me that. It's not like I'd legally change my name to that."
    "But why not? It's totally cool."
    He got another look. "A Trekkie?"
    "Um."
    James rolled his eyes. "God, my parents would love you. You go to conventions don't you?"
    Eli felt his own face flush red. "No." He bit out, perhaps a bit too quickly.
    The laughter rang out. "Not anymore, you mean."
    "Shut up." Eli mumbled and looked for the orderly or whoever was supposed to be taking James down for x-rays.
    "Guess what my brothers' names are - Len and Monte."
    Tipping his head to the side, Eli thought. Len, Leonard. "Not Leonard McCoy McCray?" He was aghast. How could you name your kid McCoy McCray?
    James just laughed and nodded, wincing when he jogged his arm. "Now Monte."
    "Montgomery Scott."
    "Yep."
    "But... Abby?"
    "Abigail Uhura. They didn't know Uhura's first name and my Mom refused to let my dad just call her Uhura McCray, so they compromised on her name."
    "Wow."
    "Yeah."
    "Have you ever met him?"
    James sighed as if indulging him, which Eli supposed he was. "Yes, a few times - my parents used to drag us to conventions when we were kids."
    Eli gazed off into space and breathed, "Wow." again. He heard James snort in response.
    The curtain was pulled back and Eli seemed to snap back to his usual abrupt, cold self. He gave terse instructions to the woman with the wheel chair, scribbled something on a piece of paper and ripped it off for the woman to take with her. He glanced up at the clock, bit his lip, and then looked back at James. "I'll wait for your results."
    James shrugged. "Okay." He was wheeled off down the hall.
    With a shake of his head, Eli told the nurse that he'd be in the lounge with his charts. As Eli turned in that direction, he heard his name called and spun to come face to face with James' sister, the little guy's hand clutched in hers.
    "Dr. Zimmerman?"
    "Yes?"
    "I just wanted to say thanks,