Sorry for the delay. My Beta has been having problems with her computer, and not had access to word for a week. Pathetic excuse but true! So yeah beta'd by Maz, and I hope it was worth the wait!

Neela emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, hopping along at a slow speed on her crutches. Fearing what would happen if she even tried speaking to Ray she avoided him altogether. It wasn't an easy task when he was your roommate, who was currently in the all-in-one kitchen-lounge-dining room making you a very typical English breakfast.

"You know what would be extremely amusing at the moment?" Ray asked an air of ease about him. Hopefully he was willing to forget what happened.

"No, what?" she answered, her voice questioning and worried.

"Racing you around this apartment on those things, I mean, you're so slow a tortoise could beat you," he replied leaning against the work top, had he been washing up? His arms were slightly wet and covered in some soap studs. Well that's… odd.

"Ooookay, um Ray? Why are you washing up? You never wash up. Oh God, are you ill? Did you break something?" She paused for a second, her eyes widened and she sounded extremely worried, "Is my mother coming?"

"Yes." Neela looked increasing worried before he continued with his string of answers for her string of questions. "Because there was no room on the side for anything else, I know that, no I'm not ill, no I didn't break anything, and no, you're mother isn't coming," he finished with a smile. That's what she got when she didn't let him answer.

"God you had me worried there for a second, Ray," she said leaning on one crutch and putting her hand on her chest. Ray had to try with all his might not to look at her hand for too long. Why did I have to pick that top? He asked himself picking up a tea towel and occupying himself with drying his hands.

Neela made her way to the couch before flicking the television set off of standby; Ray had obviously been the last one to turn it off, too lazy to go to the set itself to turn it off. She went through the TiVO menu and selected the Celebrity Poker from the night before. Ray must have set it to record because she knew she hadn't.

Ray sat himself down on the sofa next to her, nothing was said. They just sat there watching the images on the screen. Before too long Neela had yawned and moaned about being tired and rested her weary head on his shoulder to sleep. She didn't think about the consequences, she had quite forgotten about the awkwardness between them.

Thirty minutes passed before Neela woke up; her head had fallen onto the top of his well toned chest. It took her a while to figure out what her pillow actually was, but when she did she jerked away a little too quickly.

"Nice to see you too, Roomie," he laughed nervously before looking down to where her head was seconds earlier. "Dreaming about me were you?" he said with a cheeky grin seeing the wet patch on his shirt.

Yes... "No," she said the second time that day forgetting she needed crutches and standing up, soon falling down back onto the sofa and toppling sideways, onto Ray.

"Must have been good for you to forget you can't walk," he paused. "Again," he added as an after-thought.

"Well I'm not used to depending on these pieces of crap, okay? So gimme a break!" she snapped before grabbing her crutches off the floor. A hand made its way to her shoulder stopping her from going much further.

"I'm sorry, Roomie," he offered her a small friendly smile before standing at her side and helping her.

"I don't need your help!" she half-shouted half-cried as she put weight on her foot trying to move away from him.

"Sure you don't. Look- I'm only trying to be a friend, if Abby was in my place she'd be doing the exact same thing."

"What- carrying me around, putting me to bed, recording my TV because I was gunna miss it? Honestly, Ray, people would think you're in love with me or something!" after she had said it she knew she shouldn't have, it was immature to say the least but the look of pain that flashed across Ray's face said it all. "I'm sorry, I'm gunna go," she said quickly and nervously before disappearing at her top speed into her room, shutting the door behind her.

"You're only telling the truth," he mumbled at her closed door before slumping down on the sofa and turning the set to standby. He looked up to the ceiling and let out a sign, closing his eyes for a few seconds he sucked in his cheeks and clenching his jaw. Why did he always have to mess things up? He began clicking his tongue in his closed mouth, and it wasn't long before he was trying to make a loud clicking noise to pass the time.

His attention turned to her door as he heard it click open.

"Did you say something about hopping races?"

-x-x-x-

"You are such a cheater!" Ray yelled at the top of his lungs after losing yet another race.

"I am not! You just hop whilst I use my resources, which are my crutches, as it stops me from falling over and hurting my foot even more!" She dignified her answer by flopping down onto the sofa, before reaching out her hand towards the table.

"Oh fat chance of that, Roomie! If you can win hopping races you can reach for your own drink!" He slumped down beside her, whilst she tilted her head at him and pleaded with him. "No!" She pulled her best sad look, wide eyes, upturned mouth, and he still refused. She sniffed comically before he finally gave in, passing her her drink, before relaxing back into the couch. "Next race, no crutches!"

"But what if I fall?" She sounded like a whiney four-year-old, desired effect accomplished.

"Then I'll just have to catch you!" he said with a twinkle in his eye and a wicked grin passing over his facial features.

"Oh no! No way! You didn't catch me yesterday and look where that ended me!" She indicated her foot which she was resting on a pillow on the coffee table before turning back to him. "I don't trust you, you'll break about every bone in my body before you realise you can't catch."

"I was caught unaware! This time I'll be expecting it!" he said in all manliness before jumping up from the couch pulling her with him. He led her, her hopping, to the mock up starting line. "Ready?" he asked and she shook her head. "GO!" They set out at a good speed. The track was between the coffee table and couch, around the coffee table's far side, in front of the TV, over to the cooker, to the front door and then back around behind the couch to the finishing line. Whoever could touch the TV remote first won.

They raced around and were now hopping over the cold floor of the kitchen, Ray edging in front. He took bigger jumps the more confident he got, Neela not far behind him.

-x-x-x-

There were times when he really wished he cleaned up; now was one of them. He was about to turn towards the sofa when he went flying over his own pack. At which point his leg flew out in front of Neela who barely missed it, falling over it and landing flat on top of him.

"Well, I said I'd catch you," he laughed, his own physical pain nothing compared to the emotional position he was in right now.

"Does underneath me count?" So her choice of words weren't the best, she realised this after but for the moment they would do.

"Yes, you didn't technically land on the floor, you landed on me!" he joked attempting to push upwards but the weight of Neela on top of him stopped him from doing so. The rise and fall of his chest was rapid, and was getting quicker by the second. Desperate to get are we? She mused to herself, not all completely one way then is it? She smiled, and he followed suit. That smile that none of the nurses seemed to be able to resist. And if she admitted it, neither could she.

"Well, thank you." She smiled once more, her gaze flicking from his eyes to his lips, and straight back again, but he noticed, oh did he notice. His smile changed from his flirtatious, I need, smile to his Neela, I want, smile. She soon bit down on her lip, "Well ugh, a hand would be nice."

He held his hand up to her as if to take hers in a hand shake and he laughed, "Nice to meet you, I'm Dr Ray Barnett, I live with an English doctor, who is a complete pain in the ass and, right now, my back as well!"

"Okay, okay!" she laughed rolling off of him to the carpeted floor. "Just remember, it was your fault! I'm blaming this on you!"

"Me?!" he retorted completely surprised and offended.

"It was your idea to race around- me not on my crutches- and your idea to fall over!"

"That wasn't in the plan!" he said simply; he looked over at her small form heaped on her side next to him. "It just kinda happened," he paused; he was looking her right in the eye, his stomach flopping around inside of him, Why does she have to do this to me? "Sorry."

"Good!" She smiled once again before sitting up, a second longer and she would have kissed him then and there, never a good plan when he's your colleague and roommate. Ray lay back for a second longer, No, my life's not complicated! He thought before standing and helping Neela onto her one good foot. Hopping her over to the couch to sit, grabbing the TV remote up quickly.

He smirked at her, and she shot him a questioning look. "I win."

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