BOOK 3 of the ORPHIC Series
CHURLISH
/ˈCHərliSH/
marked by a lack of civility.
~~~~~
Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker finds herself in the 21 century sporting the title of Aunt while lugging along h...
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"Fears are nothing more than a state of mind."
Wakanda, Africa April, 2016
"ARE YOU SURE YOU don't want me to be there?" Steve asked, his voice gentle.
James, Lucy and Steve stood in front of the medical wing. They were waiting for the doctors and nurses to finish preparing for the surgery, while Shuri finished touching up the procedure she had planned. Lucy remained quiet, her eyes flicking across the hall.
James pushed his hands into his pockets to hide the shaking of his fingertips. He was nervous as hell, but he wasn't going to let Steve know that.
"Yeah." He said with a nod. "I'll be fine, Stevie. Stop worrying your ass off."
Steve looked between them, biting the inside of his cheek. Lucy gave him a small look of assurance, and he finally relented, letting his shoulders relax. He leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around James tightly. James brought his arms up, mumbling a small 'punk' as they embraced each other.
Steve rolled his eyes, mumbling a small 'jerk' in response. They pulled away, gazing at each other with a look of determination. There was a knock on the door behind them and Lucy turned as Shuri waved at them through the glass. She smiled at her, giving a nod.
"I'll see you on the other side, alright?" Steve said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
James gave him a smile and a nod.
Steve waved at Alpine, beckoning the cat to follow. James gave her a nod and Alpine meowed as she stood to her feet. He watched Steve and Alpine's figure recede down the hall before turning to glance at Lucy. She grasped his metal hand, giving him a gentle tug.
"You gonna miss it?" He said with a sly look as she pushed the door open.
Lucy rolled her eyes, poking him in the chest pointedly.
"It's just an arm." She shook her head at him.
James slid his metal hand around her waist and brought her close. He gazed down at her and Lucy could see the bravado faltering. Her eyes softened as she leaned upwards and pressed a kiss against his forehead.
"Everything will be alright." She said honestly. "Arm or not, you're still you."
James exhaled as he drew his arm away.
"Yeah." He swallowed hard. "I hope so."
Shuri waved a hand at them, all the way on the other side of the medical bay. She stood in front of a metal table that was cushioned with a blanket. There were a few doctors, though they looked like normal civilians.
