Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Veterinary Visit

"Of course not," Gareth croaks out and Jeff huffs.

"He totally did," he says and I chuckle.

"Don't be late tomorrow," Eddie warns, pushing away from Gareth and shooting him a warning look. Gareth rubs at his neck but smiles indulgently at Eddie as he hands him my backpack.

"See you guys in the morning," Jeff calls with a wave as they turn and head in the opposite direction.

Eddie's hand comes down on my lower back as he leads me to the van. He tosses my bag into the back and then helps me up into the passenger seat, his hand lingering in mine for a moment longer than necessary before he shuts the door and jogs around.

"Alright, let's go get our little fur ball and get him checked out." Eddie smiles, laying his hand on his usual spot on my leg as he pulls out of the lot and drives back to the trailer.

Wayne had been extremely shocked to meet Elvis for the first time. He had never allowed Eddie to have any pets growing up because he didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone with an animal in the house for long periods of time. Eddie could barely keep a goldfish alive. Wayne shuddered to think what he would come home to if he allowed him to have a dog or cat growing up. But Eddie has definitely matured since I have been back in town and we have been together. Wayne has watched him turn into quite the fine young man and I'm not the only one who is insanely proud of him.

Wayne had been a little timid at first of the rambunctious kitten, especially since Elvis felt it was his personal mission to get into as much trouble as possible. Elvis loves to scale the drapes, his claws digging into the thick fabric and then he waits until someone passes by, completely unknowing of his presence before he drops on them. It scared Wayne nearly to death the first few times he did it and made Eddie nearly piss himself from laughing so hard. I was really worried that Wayne would be too uncomfortable until we moved into our place and had even had a conversation with my mom about Elvis coming home with me until then. But one afternoon, I had come home from the laundry mat with Eddie's linens and Wayne was asleep on the couch with Elvis curled up on his chest. Wayne had a protective hand over the kitten and he snored soundly, bringing a smile to my face. Since then, they have been thick as thieves. I'm even worried that Wayne will miss Elvis more than he will Eddie, as silly as that sounds.

When we get to the trailer, Eddie moves around the back of the van and takes the cat carrier I bought from the pet store out and carries it inside. He places it by the door and we both scan the trailer in search of the tiny terror. I hear a rustling from Eddie's room and I motion for him to follow me down the hall. We tiptoe inside and close the door behind us, scanning our surroundings for Elvis.

He's on the bed wrestling with a pillow, bunny kicking the shit out of the cotton and I resist the urge to laugh. Eddie moves towards the bed and Elvis jumps to his feet, suspecting mischief and I sigh internally. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I slowly grab one of Eddie's t-shirts from beside me on the dresser and clutch it in my hands, preparing for a fight. Elvis keeps his eyes trained on Eddie as he continues to edge closer to him.

"Hey, little man," Eddie says softly, his hands slowly reaching out and Elvis uses that exact moment to dash away from him. Eddie flops forward onto the bed, landing on his face as he tries and fails to snatch him. Elvis sprints forward, trotting in his victory, but he forgot about me. I scoop him up expertly in the shirt, swaddling him so he can't get free and he meows loudly in protest.

"Eddie, get the door," I say hastily and Eddie jumps up and swings the door open. He leads the way down the hall and holds the cat carrier open as I toss Elvis with the t-shirt inside and slam the door behind him, a smug look on my face. Eddie and I breathe heavily in silence for a moment before Eddie chuckles softly, shaking his head in disbelief.