Stars Aligned

First Chapter

"Late for your checkup again, I see," Zayne said in his usual blunt manner, not even bothering to look up from his paperwork when Cami burst into his clinic.

If it were anybody else who decided to book an appointment right at the end of his shift, and then end up being late for it, Zayne wouldn't have bothered staying to wait. But since it was Cami... well, it wasn't like he had anything better to do that night anyway. Plus he was too distracted by the other medical work he had to review to really notice the time.

Setting his folder down, Zayne finally glanced at Cami as she walked over to the patient's seat and thought, 'Cami really will be the death of me.'

"You do this on purpose, don't you?" Zayne asked, leaning back in his chair. He crossed his arms, watching her take her seat across from him with a sly smirk on her face. It seemed like she always had a knack for getting under his skin.

He let out a low sigh and continued, "I thought I told you to take your health more seriously. You're never on time for anything, especially when it comes to your appointments with me."

"Sorry doctor....I had some stuff to do"

Zayne raised an eyebrow skeptically. He wasn't buying her excuse. If Cami had "stuff to do," then that stuff would most likely be something reckless again.

"I'm sure you did," he said dryly, not sounding convinced at all. "You sure it wasn't anything stupid that could get you hurt? You're always getting yourself into trouble."

"I had an important mission, there were some wanderers to kill"

Zayne's expression turned from skepticism to irritation. He knew exactly what she was referring to. He'd always hated her being a Deepspace hunter, especially knowing that she regularly got into dangerous situations with Wanderers.

"A mission," he repeated, trying to keep his voice neutral but failing. "And you couldn't even send a message telling me that you were going to be late again?"

He shook his head and let out a sigh of frustration. "You really drive me crazy, you know that?"

"Fine fine....can we skip that?"

Zayne gave her a look that suggested he was not happy with her, but he knew that pushing the issue any further would just lead to an argument. And he didn't have the energy for that right now.

"Fine," he relented, leaning forward and grabbing a pen. "But we're not done talking about this."

He motioned for her to come closer. "But first, hop up on the patient's bed so I can check your vitals."

Cami obediently did as he said, hopping up onto the bed. She swung her legs back and forth while Zayne began to check her vitals - checking her pulse rate, checking her temperature, and all the usual routine.

After a few moments of silent observation, Zayne spoke up again, his voice stern.

"Let me guess, you didn't eat breakfast this morning. Again."

"Well ...I had coffee"

Zayne let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head, his irritation returning. He knew that Cami was always skipping meals and surviving on caffeine. It was like trying to get a child to eat their vegetables sometimes.

"Coffee doesn't count as breakfast," he scolded, moving to check her blood pressure next. "You need actual food. You're going to end up with nutrient deficiencies again if you keep this up."

Cami just rolled her eyes, trying to act nonchalant about it. But Zayne could see the slight wince when he pressed the blood pressure cuff against her arm.