Take a Breath

by Tam Ames

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Editions:ePub

Pages: 56

Eli is an ER doctor with no time for relationships after his last one went belly up two years ago. Working insane hours and seeing some of the worst that comes through an ER tends to drive men away. After a marathon shift he takes one last patient, a young boy needing stitches brought it by his uncle. A good looking uncle, but the chances of them ever seeing each other again are slim to none. However fate steps in and James shows up with field trip student with a twisted ankle and the perpetually perky man manages to break through Eli's veneer. When weeks later James once again turns up in the ER, this time with a broken wrist, Eli finds out something interesting about James and his entire family. A family obsessed with Star Trek captures Eli's inner Trekkie interest and before long he's headed to James' family's Halloween party with a tribble stuck on his shoulder, but he knows ER doctors make terrible boyfriends, and that James deserves better. But maybe that's not his decision to make.

This is a free story that was written as part of the Love is Always Write Groodreads M/M Group.

This book is on:

11 To Be Read lists
3 Read lists
1 Currently Reading list

Published: July 14, 2014
Genres:

Contemporary

Tags:

author - canadian, format - free, format - short stories, potential trigger - abuse, where - country - usa, where - region - san francisco bay area, who - occupation - doctor, who - occupation - teacher

Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 5
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Setting: San Francisco, California
Languages Available: English

Excerpt:

Eli spent the rest of his shift frowning. Well, he usually did - he had permanent lines on his forehead that shouldn't have been on a thirty four year old man. But he wasn't frowning for the usual reasons. James McCray confused the hell out of him. He'd actually told the guy his name. What was up with that? He heard the guy laugh and practically spilled his guts. Well, in Eli's books telling the guy he'd had a shitty day was spilling his guts. Eli was the king of "Fine". How was your day? Fine. How are you? Fine. Any bad stuff happen at work? No, it was fine.

The guy was cute, in that bouncy puppy way that people who didn't deal with the crud he saw every day were. They thought the world was wonderful and amazing and full of possibilities. Eli knew those possibilities were death, disease and desolation. Crap, he needed another cigarette already. He pushed thoughts of James aside and focused on the football player's dislocated shoulder in front of him. He wasn't going to see the guy again anyway. Except for the regulars - the homeless, drug addicts and chronically abused and ill - you didn't see people twice in an ER, and with his hours, he sure as hell didn't have the time to go out socially. He chalked it up to a weird coincidence and put it out of his mind. Mostly. He only thought about James periodically, like when someone had brown eyes, or similar hair, or the same build.

COLLAPSE

About the Author

I'm a single mom to a great 24 year old daughter. I have no idea how that happened, I'm surely not old enough. I have a full-time job as well. I started reading m/m romance in 2008, then went to reviewing and then writing which I do for fun.

Some dares and prompting of friends led me to the role of author and they've always been my biggest cheerleaders.

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