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teamhappyme · 4 years ago

Note

and then 49 from the fluff prompts with carisi!!

finally got the inspo for this one!!! thanks for the requests red, this one came in handy for a nice brain break from school work today.

pairing: sonny carisi x female!reader

prompt: “he’s an idiot. but he’s my idiot.”

warnings: none

word count: 1.3k

****

Leave it to the Carisi’s to make a party out of anything. It was labor day weekend, and before the kids went back to school, Sonny’s parents wanted to have one last summer cookout. All of Sonny’s sisters and their kids were here, along with a few neighbors and random aunts and uncles scattered throughout.

You were never intimidated by the size of the Carisi clan. You came from a large family yourself, so the first time you met the crazy italians, you felt right at home.

You were currently helping Bella plate the cannoli in the kitchen, swatting at sticky little hands until Sonny had suggested a wiffle ball game in the backyard. He recruited Mia, Teresa, two neighbors that you’d yet to meet, and Bella’s young daughter. The toddler was glued to Mia’s hip, not letting her cousin go anywhere without her.

“Looks like she got really attached to Mia this summer, huh?” You nodded to the window, Bella looking at the two girls together.

“She did. It was a blessing having her nanny a few days a week these last few months. Her relationship with Mia is really sweet, reminds me of me and my sisters.”

“When you’re not at each other’s throats.” You added and she laughed.

“Exactly. But, she’s going to be three in the spring, and seeing her with Mia, Tommy and I got to talking. I think we’re gonna start trying for another baby.”

You looked over at her, hands freezing over the tray of cannoli. You couldn’t help the smile growing on your face, always excited to welcome a new baby in the world. “Bella that’s amazing. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thank you. But, don’t say anything to my ma or sisters. They’ll be up my ass until I get a positive test.”

You smiled. “Your secret is safe with me.”

The two of you finished plating the dessert and setting out the utensils when the back door swung open, Mia running to the two of you.

“Uncle Sonny’s hurt.”

You dropped the plates you were holding, following Mia out to the backyard. “What do you mean he’s hurt? You guys were playing wiffle ball,” You started as you walked down the steps, the scene unfolding right in front of you.

Sonny was sitting up in a plastic lawn chair, his hand pressing against his right shoulder that looked like it was popped out of its socket. Teresa was holding her own arm as she bickered with Sonny and their father. Leave it to Teresa to stir up some drama over a wiffle ball game.

Once he saw you coming over to him, you saw him let out a breath he was holding in. You knew he was holding back and wanted to yell at his sister. Honestly, you wouldn’t blame him this time.

You crouched down next to Sonny, pushing some hair off his forehead as you saw just how much his shoulder was sagging. His breathing was a little labored, you could tell he was in a lot of pain.

“What happened, honey?”

“Dominick ran straight through second base, and when I tried to tag him, he dodged, and we slipped on the grass and fell. Jesus, Dominick it’s wiffle ball, you’re not supposed to dodge and tackle things!” Teresa answered, and Sonny rolled his eyes.

“If you weren’t so competitive you wouldn’t have chased me around the yard!” He rebutted, and you tucked your mouth into your shoulder, trying to hold back your laughter at yet another Carisi family fight. They were always over the most trivial things.

As the two siblings continued to go at each other, Bella finally stepped in to end the fighting. “Alright, no one cares about the stupid game anymore. Everyone, go inside and eat the dessert while Sonny figures out what he’s gonna do.”

You watched as the group of them flooded into the house, Sonny’s mother pressing a kiss to his head on her way in. Bella stayed behind, knowing you might need backup to get Sonny to tell the truth.

“Did you pop it out?” You asked once everyone was gone, and he nodded the slightest bit.

“I felt it pop out. I heard it crack too.” You sighed, knowing you’d have to go to the hospital to get it checked out.

“Bella, hand me his sweatshirt so I can make a sling.” She grabbed his sweatshirt from the table, and watched as you wrapped it around his shoulder and chest. It would keep his left arm from getting tired too. “Alright, let's get you in the truck and down to the hospital.”

“We’re going to Mercy. I don’t want to be stuck on Staten Island because of Labor Day traffic tonight.” You smiled as you helped him stand up, staying close to his side as you walked to the street.

You pulled his keys from his short pockets, unlocking the truck and carefully getting him into the passenger side. Once he was settled, you gently shut the door and let out a sigh.

“God, he’s such an idiot.” Bella commented. You would have to agree.

You smiled, rubbing a hand over your face. “He’s an idiot. But he’s my idiot.”

She laughed, and patted your shoulder before rounding the truck to the drivers side. “I’ll keep you updated.” You told her and she nodded before making her way back into the house.

It took you an hour to get to Mercy, but Sonny insisted on getting back to Manhattan before the weekend was over. He jumped with every pothole you hit, squeezing his eyes shut whenever the pain hit again. And after two hours waiting in the emergency room, you found out that Sonny had torn his rotator cuff. It was all in the fall, the doctor said, and it had Sonny shaking his head. He’d need surgery in a few days and would be stuck at the desk for at least a month.

All from a silly wiffle ball game.

Once the doctor excused herself, Sonny deflated and rested his head against the wall.

“Of course this would happen to me. Who else would need shoulder surgery after taking a spill in a wiffle ball game with their nieces?”

“Only you.” He opened his eyes to look at you, still in his sulking posture, and you couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, I know you’re in pain, but it is pretty funny.”

You got him to laugh now too, and reached for you with his good arm. You moved to stand between his legs as he pushed himself off the wall. He held your left hand, linking his fingers with yours.

“I know you know I’m an idiot, but did you have to agree with Bella?” You laughed, knowing how much his sisters loved to pick on him.

“Under any other circumstances, I would’ve defended you. But, you fell in a wiffle ball game, Sonny. And now you need surgery. Sounds idiotic to me.” He bowed his head, trying to hide the smile on his face. “But like I said to Bella, you’re my idiot. And I love you just the way you are.”

You ran your fingers through the hair by his temple, coaxing him to look back up at you.

“You know, you can be pretty stupid too.” You smiled as he wrapped his good arm around your waist.

“Oh, I know I can be. And that’s why we work so well together.”

He smiled, dimples on display, before leaning in for a kiss. You smiled into it, loving the dork you got to spend the rest of your life with. He pulled away, and you lightly kissed his lips one more time.

“I love you, stupid.” You laughed and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“I love you more, idiot.”

****

#sonny carisi x female!reader #sonny carisi x reader #sonny carisi fic #jules writes shit ??

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haltandcatchfiretothemax · 4 years ago

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FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2021 #10: In which Cameron tries to spoil Donna

[CN: food and eating mentions]

In January of 2021, Donna realized and voiced the obvious while watching television one day: “We’re really not gonna be able to have people over for Galentine’s Day, are we?”

Cameron didn’t always entirely enjoy the spectacle or debauchery that sometimes happened at Donna’s Galentine parties, but she was still sorry that it wouldn’t be safe or advisable to celebrate that year. Gently, she replied, “Not considering a Galentine’s video conference, then?”

“I guess I could do that,” Donna sighed heavily. “It won’t be the same though. And we won’t be able to give out gift bags!” she wailed.

Donna looked forward to organizing a party for February 13 every year, but her favorite part of Galentine’s Day had always been making and giving gift bags filled with expensive indulgences to their friends, and Cameron had never really understood it. It was, in fact, one of the very few things that Cameron didn’t love about Donna, and she wasn’t sure why it bothered her. Donna certainly had the money for it, and what better way to spend your money than on giving nice things to your friends? But no matter how hard she tried, Cameron just couldn’t shake her discomfort with the gross materialism of it.

Still, Cameron tried to be encouraging. “You could send care packages, couldn’t you?”

Donna thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Putting all that strain on the postal service just so I can send my friends expensive scented candles and handmade journals?” Her face collapsed into a look of utter despair at the very thought. “That just feels so ‘let them eat cake,’ doesn’t it?”

“You are not a naive and undereducated young queen who was bamboozled into inheriting a bankrupt and rapidly disintegrating monarchy,” Cameron said, patting Donna’s hand comfortingly. “And you’re also not a nameless, possibly non-existent princess in a non-fiction work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, or Maria-Teresa, the Spanish princess who might have actually said that.”

With a bemused smile, Donna said, “I love that you just know that.”

“Yeah, well.” Cameron said, putting an arm around Donna. “Just because I have a reputation for being a princess-hater doesn’t mean that I actually hate them. I mean, look at who I married.”

“Cameron Howe, Defender of Princesses,” Donna said. “That has a ring to it? I’ll have to make you head of my queensguard when I inherit the throne.”

Cameron arched an eye brow at Donna. “Are you trying to tell me that you wanna play exiled gay princess and devoted butch lady knight?”

Finally and fully distracted from her galentine’s day disappointment, Donna laughed. And then she kissed Cameron.

***

Cameron got out of bed late that night and went downstairs for two hours. When she returned, Donna woke up briefly, and she said, “Hey? You okay? Where’d you go?”

“Never you mind,” Cameron said, getting under the covers. “I was making you some brioche to throw at the peasants.”

“What?” Donna cried. Then she realized that Cameron was kidding and giggled. “Okay, okay. Keep your secrets.”

Curling up next to Donna, Cameron kissed her shoulder. Resting her head on her pillow, she said, “Good night, sleep tight, your royal highness.”

“Likewise, good Sir Cameron!” Donna said, falling back to sleep.

***

In early February, while Cameron worked on the requested Valentine’s Day decorations, Donna tried to come up with an alternate Galentine plan. She filled out cards and sent them early, and then she sent messages to everyone on her guest list to see if they might have time for individual video chats. She wound up scheduling early morning coffee with Tanya, an afternoon check in with Dr. Katie Herman, and cocktail hour with Risa and her partner, and also Cameron. She spent the next few days trying to come up with ‘something else.’ When she finally resorted to mopily looking through all of their saved and archived photos of past Galentine’s Day parties, she figured it out.

Cameron woke up on the 13th to an email from Donna. While Donna fried eggs and bacon and poured mixed berry waffles, Cameron, sitting at the kitchen island, looked at her phone, and asked, “Did you email me this morning?”

“You, and many of our friends!” Donna chirped.

Flatly, Cameron said, “If it’s a severed head, I’m gonna be very upset.” She clicked on the email with her thumb to read it.

The email said, “To my favorite galentine: while we can’t celebrate with our friends this year, we can give to others, and we also absolutely need to give as much as we can spare during this on-going crisis. So while I do love giving ridiculously priced candles and pens to our friends, this year, my gift is a donation in your name to Girls Who Code.” The closing of the email said, “With any luck we’ll be able to celebrate with our friends next year, but in the meantime: Happy Galentine’s Day! -xo DC.”

And then at the very end of the email, there was an attachment, a photo of Cameron and Donna in the kitchen, preparing snacks, that Haley had taken at their first Galentine’s Day gathering.

Cameron stared at the photo for a minute, and then asked, “Wait, did you make donations for everyone?”

“Yes, yes I did,” Donna said, as she opened the waffle iron. “To different places though, food banks, abortion funds and domestic violence support groups, bail funds, and Black and indigenous justice orgs.”

Overwhelmed by a rush of affection toward her wife, Cameron said, “I think that that was a great way to celebrate. Nice work, Boss.”

Donna’s blushed as she made their plates. “Thank you! I just hope it helps, somehow. Sometimes it all feels futile, you know? It feels less futile when you bring all your friend into it and then email them about it, though!”

They ate breakfast, and then before Donna could say anything else, Cameron said, “Okay, so, I’ve done something. Something that was meant to help cheer you up.”

“Oh?” Donna asked, intrigued.

Cameron got up from her seat, went around the island, and took Donna’s hand. Donna got up, and Cameron escorted her their living room couch, where Cameron had placed two large red gift bags. “You always said that everyone opening their gift bags together was your favorite part of all of this, so. I made two bags for us. It’s not the same as all of our friends opening our git bags together, but, it’s something?”

“Oh, Cam,” Donna frowned. “I love the pseudo but not-quite Gift of the Magi vibes, but, you didn’t have to do this.”

“I know I didn’t, but everything sucks so I figured why not,” Cameron said, picking up her bag and sitting down on the couch. Come on! Sit!” She picked up Donna’s bag, and handed it to her.

Donna accepted the bag from her. She looked at it, and then said, “If this is a severed head, I’m also gonna be very upset.”

“It’s not, it’s a gun rack,” Cameron deadpanned. “For the last time, sit, already!”

Donna sat down next to her, and with the bag in her lap, she started to pull out the pink tissue paper Cameron had crumped and stuffed into the top. “Okay, so what have we got first?” Donna reached into the bag, and pulled out a small plastic bottle. “Scented moisturizing hand sanitizer!”

“The white vetiver scent,” Cameron said, holding hers up. “I didn’t like it at first, but you were right, as always. Now it’s my favorite.”

“A luxurious yet practical item, and a fine choice!” Donna enthused. “What’s next?” She reached into the bag, and pulled out a large tube of aloe-infused hand cream. “Ah, an old standby, and another Emerson-Howe household staple.”

Looking at the tube that been in her bag, Cameron said, “I wanted to go with something fancy, but this stuff just works so well! I feel like we can never have enough of it.”

Reaching into her bag again, Donna felt some plastic wrap, and then pulled out a black and blush pink leopard print 100% silk face mask, packaged with its own silk case.

Cameron looked at her own navy blue and star patterned mask, and admitted, “This is the biggest splurge in here. But as long as we’re double masking….”

With a small sigh, Donna reached into her bag again, and found a set of silk scrunchies, with the same leopard print as her mask. “Oh, I was thinking about trying these! Thank you for remembering me talking about it.”

“What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t buy you the one thing you single thing you put off buying for yourself?” Cameron said. “You can try mine, too, I don’t think I’ll end up using them.”

Donna reached into the bottom of the bag, and found the next to last item, a small cardboard box. When she looked at it, it was a fresh tube of her favorite nude pink lipstick, which she’d been wearing since the late ‘90s, and had been meaning to repurchase.

“I just got a drugstore lip balm for myself, nude rose is your color, not mine,” Cameron said.

Donna snorted. “That was probably the best way to handle it. Thank you for knowing my color.”

“That’s the end of what’s in my bag!” Cameron said. “There’s one more thing in your bag though, because we only need one.”

Donna found the last item. A copy of the Criterion release of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Donna held it up and said, “Oh…as I recall, you liked this movie better than I did!”

“Yes,” Cameron agreed, “but, you said that you liked it, and that you wanted to try watching it again at home. Which I thought we could maybe do sometime this month.”

Donna smiled at her. “Honestly, I would love that. It’s a date.”

Donna was about to lean in and kiss Cameron to properly thank her, when her phone, forgotten in the kitchen, rang.

“Ack, that’s probably Tanya!” Donna jumped up. “We’re supposed to ‘have coffee’ together!”

“Go answer, then!” Cameron said. “I can clean this up and I can take care of the dishes, too.”

“This was perfect and I love you!” Donna hurriedly kissed her, before rushing off. Already half way to the kitchen, she called out, “Happy Galentine’s Day!” behind her.

“Hard same, have fun, tell Tanya I say hi!” Cameron shouted after her.

#sorry but also not sorry for the gratuitous wayne's world reference!#happy galentine's day bbys #please try to enjoy it and celebrate your friends and loved ones as best as you can despite everything!#femslash february #femslash february 2021 #fan fiction #cameron howe #donna clark #donna emerson

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queerchoicesblog · 5 years ago

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Lost Cause (OH, Aurora & F!MC Friendship, Harper & Aurora)

So I finally wrote a fic about the Emery doctors since I strongly doubt we will get a chance to see this in the original book. Yet I feel like a scene like this should have been part of the story, after what we learned about them over the past few chapters. Set before Ch. 16 on the eve of MC (Meredith Valentine)’s hearing and containing references to my Aurora & F!MC friendship fic, this fanfic deals with a (much needed) confrontation between Aurora and Harper.

Pretty angsty and hopefully bittersweet, as I headcanon them as close in the past: that affection isn’t gone, but things are different now when they’re both doctors at Edenbrook hospital. And a few misunderstandings cloud their minds, even though they speak from the heart out of care. It was tough to write, but I hope I stayed in character! I’d like to think that after this talk, there will be a new beginning for their relationship. Hope you like it!

Word Count: 2800+

Perma Tag: @brightpinkpeppercorn @melodyofgraves @abunchofbadchoices @bhavf @bbaba-yagaa @kennaxval @strangerofbraidwood @crazypeanat

OH Tag: @bubblygothzombie @emeryharper

_________________________

Harper was going through the papers of Dr. Valentine's hearing, sipping a coffee on her couch when her doorbell rang. It was a bit late for a friend stopping by and she wasn't expecting anyone, not the night before a hearing. She stood, groaning, hoping that it wasn't Ethan on the other side of the door. Or even worse, Declan. That creep would be perfectly capable to throw a stunt like that.

But it was none of them. When she opened the door, it was...

"Aurora?"

"Hi...Harper" her niece greeted her, shifting uncomfortably.

"Hi but what...what are you doing here? It’s late?"

"Can I come in?"

Harper looked at her for a moment, before resolving to set aside and let her in.

"I made coffee, do you want some?"

"Yes, why not? I can't sleep anyway"

They both walked to the kitchen.

"How come? What's troubling you?" she inquired, handing her a mug of black coffee.

Aurora took it and a displeased expression curled her lips. She diverted her eyes and muttered:

"As if it's hard to guess"

Harper inhaled sharply and grimaced.

"Rory, please tell me you're not here for tomorrow's hearing"

Aurora met her gaze and looked at her right in the eye, determination in her eyes.

"What if I am?"

"You perfectly know that I can't share any detail nor allow any kind of interference-"

"I know that"

"Then why you're here?" Harper sighed.

Aurora didn't divert her gaze but kept quiet for a moment, searching for the right words to articulate her thoughts.

"When I mess up or do something wrong you, Dr. Mirani, Dad or whoever else don't miss the chance to let me know that I made a mistake. Well, that's why I'm here tonight. You made a mistake. More than just one maybe"

Harper crossed her arms and stiffened. She had already had the most unpleasant phone call with Declan earlier that day, another scolding was exactly what she needed, she thought.

"Because I called the hearing?"

"Yeah, for instance"

"Believe it or not, Dr. Valentine herself asked me to call it. She came to my office, confessed to be the one who injected the unapproved serum to Mrs. Martinez and asked me to call an ethical hearing" Harper shuttered her jaw.

"What?" Aurora gaped, genuinely surprised. She was in the dark of that detail.

"She stated that she wants to stand up for what she believes it's right, to pick her battle. And she wanted a chance to defend her choice at an ethics hearing which I allowed her. But I guess it's easier to put the blame on me, right? The only one who broke the rules is Dr. Valentine, I'm just following the protocol. And for the record, since she confessed me her doing, I wasn't even-"

Aurora had stopped listening to her. She repeated the words of her aunt into her head.

"My God, she did it...she did it for real"

Harper gave her a quizzical look. Aurora met her gaze again.

"That's one more reason why Valentine must win the hearing!"

"Wait wait...it's not that easy, girl. We're not in one of those medical dramas on TV. I must admit I was impressed by her courage too but-"

"Name me one intern, an intern not even a senior doctor, who would do the same? Who has ever done the same?" Aurora challenged her.

Harper opened her mouth to say something but nothing came.

"See? Maybe not even you would have done it!"

Harper sighed.

"Rory..."

"Surely not a single one of those one brain cell interns of that stupid competition you put on!"

"That's not stupid! It-" Harper protested but she was cut short by her niece.

"Maybe it was not in your head but it's utterly stupid! None of them took it seriously. Or better too seriously! But in the wrong way! It's just like high school or worse kindergarten all over again" Aurora groaned. "People only want to win and can't care less for their actual patients. Take Olsen, number two of your ranking, for instance: the other day I heard him say to a kid complaining about pain to toughen up and stop whining cause he couldn't possibly be that much in pain. And it's not the only one I heard saying stuff like that! I got lucky that my surname is Emery but someone's heavily sabotaged Valentine since she got to the top!"

Harper immediately reminisced the pager accident and the talk she had with Dr. Valentine in her office.

"Sabotaged?"

"Yes, with the pager, stolen charts and things like that. Because she was on top!"

Harper pinched her nose.

"That's ridiculous and very serious at the same time. That's not just a petty prank, this is crossing a line and putting our patients in a bad position too. Do you have evidence?"

"No, I don't. I just know, everybody knows"

"That's no good news though. With pieces of evidence, I could have started an investigation. I don't tolerate this in my hospital, under my watch"

"Still, it's partly your doing: if you hadn't come up with that brilliant idea of yours!"

"I did what I thought was right, Rory. And I would do it twice because I believe it is the right thing. Even if there are clearly interns that are utterly immature and don't understand the huge opportunity I gave you all. Because that's what it is. But is that a reason not to do the right thing? That fellowship could be the start of a great career, it's an opportunity none of the doctors I know had when we were in your place. But I cannot hand it to any of you just like that: I must know that you have what it takes to earn it. Even if it means pushing you to the limit. I don't regret it, I'm just disappointed to hear some of the interns are so unworthy of even entering medical school as they have no maturity nor ethics"

Aurora exhaled loudly, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Whatever, it doesn't change the fact that Valentine's career is on the line now"

"Actions have consequences and she made her choice" Harper winced.

"And you made yours"

Harper's gaze hardened as she registered the implications.

"And what's this supposed to mean? What Valentine did was reckless and the charges she's gonna face are very serious!"

"And what about Teresa? Didn't you care for her? Or was that just a lie you told to yourself?"

A flash of fury crossed Harper's gaze as she slammed her own mug on the kitchen counter.

"That's enough, Aurora! Enough! What do you think you know about Teresa? About Teresa and me? You have no right to talk to me like that! So do me a favor and stop assuming things about you as most do lately, and on that note stop assuming the worst about me!"

She paused and took a deep breath to cool off. When she spoke again there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Is that what you really think of me?"

Aurora diverted her eyes.

"All I'm saying is...you're so obsessed with rules. I know it's a Chief job but I think that a good doctor knows when to make certain calls if you get what I mean. That's what makes them a good doctor, not just another doctor"

"And I'm clearly not a good doctor while Valentine is, that's what you're saying, right?"

Harper was now looking her right in the eye, waiting for her answer.

"From where I stand, Mrs. Martinez case is so complex and there are so many ethical implications...I don't know if it's right to charge Valentine for her doing. Yes, she broke the rules but Teresa got to live her few days outside the hospital"

"Aurora, I'm glad she got to leave the hospital at last too but that injection could have killed her, for what we know. I was about to read the result of the autopsy but I hope you understand that the scenario you're using to support your admirable defense of your partner is just one of many. The brightest one. The one you're ignoring is way darker and far less pleasant"

Aurora considered her words.

"But what if sometimes there are some risks to take? Like you have to do whatever it-"

"Whatever it takes" Harper repeated mechanically, exhaling loudly in frustration. "Did you talk to Ramsey too?"

"No, but from what I've heard at least Dr. Rams-"

"Ramsey, Ramsey, Ramsey. Always Ramsey! Hundreds of talented professionals at Edenbrook and who's everyone swooning over? Ethan! Because he's so tormented, so compassionate with patients: the knight in shining armor of Edenbrook"

Harper shook her head.

"Do you know what wondrous Ethan did? He quitted! And I've covered for him so far to avoid rumors and chaos! I tried to make him reason and come back to work but no! Drowning your sorrows in a bottle of scotch is way better than fighting back, because yes, Aurora, that's what he's doing right now! And he even stopped answering my calls, anyone's calls! So I'm asking you: is that what you call a good doctor? He is one of the best residents in the diagnostics team and yet he chose alcohol instead. He quitted without giving a damn about the consequences: who's gonna cover his role? Did he say if he's done permanently or not? No, and in the meantime, I have a hole in the diagnostics team with him and Naveen gone and one brilliant doctor less. A doctor who could have helped significantly during the E.R. emergency and every single day, if only he picked up a phone because people don't stop getting sick or hurt when we're down. Everybody hurts, everybody grieves their losses but it's not a good reason to act like that. From where I stand, this is part of the Oath too"

"I didn't know about Dr. Ramsey..." Aurora commented, lowering her gaze.

"Nobody does yet people always assume the best about him" Harper commented sharply.

A tense silence fell into the room. Aurora was the first to speak.

"I didn't mean to say you're a bad doctor. I..I just miss you being you, I guess"

"What do you mean?"

"When you weren't Chief. When you were just my aunt surgeon"

"I'm always the same, Rory"

Harper's voice imperceptibly softened as she tried to reach for her niece's hand but Aurora shook her head, grimacing.

"No, you're not. Stop lying to yourself"

Harper looked taken aback by her last statement so she continued.

"This is not you and you know it, deep inside. You're frozen, stuck...scared maybe? What were you thinking when you signed up for this position? When you were an intern like me, when you were a surgeon, you were happier. Try and tell me I'm wrong! I remember the look on your face, the light in your eyes when you were appointed Head of Neurosurgery. Your dream came true, that's what you said. Then one day you gave it away to do what? Administration. And become this Chief who enforces rules at any given occasion. But that dignified smile you have on at work is not the one I remember from back then. Was it even worth it? Being a Chief?"

Harper did her best to conceal the pang of pain she felt in her chest as her niece spoke.

"Rory, time changes things...years of experience changes your perspective..."

As she stopped, unable to find other arguments, not ready to tell the truth, Aurora sighed.

"You know what's funny? I don't think I've ever told but when I decided to apply to med school, it wasn't only because of an aptitude test. It was a tough decision but I did it because...I wanted to be like you one day"

Harper met her gaze, visibly surprised and touched.

"Maybe not a neurosurgeon but a confident, badass female doctor just like you. You were so passionate about your work. When you talked about it, it was so inspiring, nothing like mom and dad speeches. You made it sound the best thing in the world, even if it was just an ordinary appendicectomy. And when I visited you at work...gosh, you were a force of nature! And your colleagues I talked to as I waited for you to end an operation were enthusiastic about you. So when at my college admission interview they asked me who was my inspiration I said your name"

"You...you never told me"

"No. But you know what? Seeing you now, I think I would change my answer"

This time Harper diverted her eyes under the blow of Aurora's delusion.

"I understand" she whispered.

Aurora grimaced, looking at her aunt who was now giving her her shoulders pretending to wash her mug. Noticing how her last few words hurt her, she spoke again, her tone gentler this time:

"I...I saw the pile of the newest surgery journals on your desk. Aunt, you miss it. You miss practice. You should go back to it: you're a...good doctor. You can still be a good doctor."

"It's not that simple, Rory. I cannot exactly quit like Ramsey did. That's not who I am, since you mentioned it. And even if I quit, I cannot walk into-"

"No, you're right. You're so stubborn when you want. I knew it was a lost cause trying to talk with you"

Aurora placed her mug on the counter too and stood.

"Just for your information, tomorrow I'm not gonna stop by your office at the end of my shift. I'll go straight home and find answers on my own"

Harper turned. Her face looked more exhausted now.

"Okay, as you wish"

"Just like that?" Aurora asked, taken by surprise.

"Yes, you don't need me to find out the solution to your cases. You never did."

"Then why you grilled me for hours?"

"Because you're so insecure, Rory. You keep second-guessing yourself and it backfires"

"Oh and here I thought the reason why you put all that pressure on me was that you were trying to live through me the doctor life you cannot live anymore since you become an administrator"

"What?"

"Yeah, you heard me. And I hate it as much as you hate being the Chief away from the O.R."

"This is what you think?" Harper asked, wincing.

"Honestly I cannot find another logical explanation but it ends now. This is my life and I want to live it on my own terms. I'm not you, aunt. And if you're so frustrated by how you miss practice, go back to it and don't take it over me"

Harper frowned, hugging herself.

"I wasn't trying to take it over you and I'm not...frustrated, as you said. I was just trying to mentor you. Pushing you to excel because I know you can excel, you have it in you. But I didn't mean to hurt you and make you feel like that. I'm sorry I did, truly sorry and I won't do it again" she sighed before recollecting herself. "But you’re right. It's your life and you get to live it on your own terms. Just know that it works for me too. And this is the life I choose now"

"But you're not happy" Aurora noted.

"I appreciate your concern but I'm good with it" Harper said, closing off again.

Aurora gave her a long look then frowned.

"It's a lost cause, right? This conversation is a lost cause, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so" Harper confirmed, pressing her lips together.

The young Emery nodded and without looking back to her aunt, moved towards the door. She stopped right in front of it and sighed.

"I took the subway train with Valentine, after the E.R. emergency. That night she was the only person who treated me kindly. And you know what she said about the competition? That she doesn't care if she wins or not, cause that was never the point. She said that she wanted to believe you would make the right call. That she trusted you to choose the intern who would best benefit the hospital and the patients. If it wasn't her, it's okay, she said. Then she added: I share this with you because I know you think that way too. And she was right"

Aurora sighed.

"I don't want to interfere. I'm talking as Rory, not Dr. Emery junior when I say...I do really hope Dr. Valentine wins the fellowship. She's the best partner and the best intern, both on a personal and professional level. If she loses her license tomorrow, well then this competition is a total farçe and I'm not sure I would keep playing along. It would be such a loss for Edenbrook and medicine in general"

"Rory..."

"See you tomorrow, Harper" Aurora sighed before opening the door and disappearing out of view.

#open heart #aurora emery #harper emery #aurora emery & f!mc friendship #playchoices #choices fanfic

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cards-onthetable · 6 years ago

Text

Hi, is this Jamko Grievances Hotline?

(This is it y’all, Aussie’s letting loose. Straight text is hers; any of my own additions are italicized. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU, AUSSIE!)

My perception of Eddie season 4 - younger than Jamie, sheltered upbringing, bit of a private school princess as we say here. Rookie so she has a steep learning curve ahead of her. All pretty normal I think. Fyi I don't buy the BS that nobody saw their chemistry etc behind the scenes. Her whole "You're my first Reagan, be gentle" was to me the very beginning of this farce. It was obvious she was brought into the show to be his eventual love interest.

Season 5 - 1st episode Jamie loses his shit when Eddie pushed to the ground. Eddie apparently doesn't realise Jamie wants to jump her bones? doubt it but ok writers. His talk with Erin about Teresa Mancini being his first crush because Jamie likes opinionated bossy women etc. So writers/producers clearly want idea in viewers minds that yeah he wants her but noble, never-screw-your-partner Jamie Reagan denies it and Eddie supposedly remains oblivious.

Episode 2 - Jamie sides with Kara Walsh much to Eddie's disgust. It's Eddie that talks about bringing stink back with him etc after he partners with Walsh. It's Eddie talking about nobody trusts a rat etc etc. (geez I hate season 9)

The rest of the season passes with Eddie being kidnapped (Jamie handled that smoothly didn't he)? and Eddie's first kill. He wants to be there for her. Eddie also wants him there. Ok I get slow burn in TV shows but they in my mind have already crossed lines emotionally and MR HARVARD GRAD on some level has to know this. Eddie always showed signs of knowing she had feelings in my opinion.

Eddie undercover and Jamie loses his shit with Danny about getting his partner out etc. Danny and Maria knew about their feelings. Hell seems basically the entire precinct did but ok this slow burn shit continues all the while Jamie believing can't go there because dangerous on job blah blah blah. Sorry but you are already compromised. (AGREED. They’ve been emotionally compromised since early on.)

Season 6 - More interesting for me because Eddie started to be more his equal I felt. She would express opinions and argue more with him. But I did not like her "do you know who my partner's father is" BS (same, I still struggle to categorize that as a momentary lapse in judgment? A scared gut reaction when she got confronted? Not sure, but it was gross). They also had a fight in episode 11 when Eddie got them assigned to a detective detail. Eddie's "I'm not gonna apologise for wanting a career". Opinionated Eddie on display. You know the type Jamie is always attracted to. But still this slow burn BS continues.

Season 7 - Well we all know how that played out. The year they confess feelings (no, the year Eddie confessed feelings in a moving, vulnerable moment and Jamie stammered about bad ideas and roads they’ve been down before. 😒😒), pash, attend out of town weddings together and get into fights. But yeah ok JUST PARTNERS. Honestly fuck off BB it's just a farce. Oh wait we are now going to ignore the kiss etc. Erase it from your memories like it never happened folks. UGH UGH UGH.

Season 8 - Mostly about Danny and losing Linda at first. OK I can deal with that. Jamko dinner date at the Chinese restaurant and we're reviving the sexual tension again. JUST FUCK ALREADY. But nope surprise Eddie has a boyfriend called Barry. Well she is entitled to her life considering the WE ARE JUST PARTNERS BS!! But apparently this boyfriend is enough to make Jamie stop and think as opposed to the other men that have come and gone. Yeah she got shot, Jamie could've lost her etc etc. Barry mentioned again so Eddie was still with him or had very recently split oh hey surprise WE'RE ENGAGED - (Adam Sandler starts in my head BUT IT ALL WAS BULLSHIT IT WAS A GODDAMN JOKE).

As an aside I absolutely hated the episode where Eddie recognised the absolute pig from her past and used her job to get even. Showing Eddie to be that unprofessional and needing to be brought to heel by Jamie and Erin really pissed me off. That right there is why Eddie is considered beneath Jamie by the I hate Eddie brigade. I understand being shocked running into the guy but showing Eddie to have such poor judgement just didn't sit well. And hey T.O. you failed cos you probably should've taught her that you can't use your authority for personal gain but clearly you didn't but you know it's wrong so the all powerful Reagans can get you out of the trouble silly little Eddie tried to get herself in.

Season 9 - ARE THEY FUCKING JOKING?

1 - Still working together because their judgement won't be affected in a negative way. oops Eddie trapped in fire and Jamie loses his shit. But ok engaged and working together CHANGES NOTHING

2 - Jamie promoted and getting transferred and immediately Eddie brings up putting in for a transfer. He says no. He then requests her. She says no. Good maybe they really will let them be separated at work which given it meant Eddie basically relegated to family dinners surprised me.

3 - Oh my guy's being talked about meanly. This won't do. FYI I actually was ok with Jamie appearing a bit irritated when she arrived at work as his girlfriend. I like to keep home and personal separate so I could understand his less than thrilled reaction but that's not everyone's cup of tea and I understand that. But hey spoiler BB his colleagues have seen his girlfriend you morons, so transferring her into work there by end of episode and pretending people don't know IS BULLSHIT

4 - Think I already discussed this with @ontherockswithsalt but I was irritated. Jamie made it clear he did not trust that detective and Eddie seemed to see it solely as an attack on her capabilities. Old Eddie I think would've at least listened. But SHIT goes wrong and it is Jamie coming to rescue Eddie. I understood why the majority felt Jamie over stepped and Eddie is trained etc. But she had found herself in an out of control situation because she was pinned with breath knocked out of her and help was not coming until it had gone further. Jamie is aware of what this arse would be rapist is doing. He is aware of Eddie's history with sexual assault. He does not trust this detective. THE MAN IN JAMIE WILL ALWAYS PROTECT HIS WOMAN WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY WORKING TOGETHER IS TOTAL BULLSHIT KEVIN WADE AND YOU KNOW IT. That was not Sergeant Reagan that was ANGRY JAMIE out to play. But Eddie is upset which i get because she feels it's an attack on her capabilities and no chick is gonna be happy with that and she talks about "we agreed we'd separate work and home Jamie you gotta choose".

5 - It was Eddie telling Sean about what it means to be a Reagan, higher standards etc etc. Oh look a little bit of affection seeing Jack off. Works for me because they are at home, not working.

6 - He puts both Maya and Eddie on foot patrol AND SHE DEFENDS HIM? Oh come on Old Eddie is not that stupid. Sorry it's Eddie 2.0 this season, I forgot. So again it's Jamie Reagan the HARVARD GRAD telling her that was a mistake well NO SHIT and old Eddie wouldn't have done it.

7 - I kinda enjoyed that low growl as he went to kiss her in the kitchen. Her mum's a delight but to me supportive Jamie was on display this episode because they were at home. He can be Jamie there. At work he's supposedly Sergeant Reagan not Jamie.

8 - Jamie upset with his decision and Eddie is supportive. Only really saw them at home so nothing really annoyed me here.

9 - Eddie and Maya and 2 others supposedly bullied and Jamie has to explain why it's a bad look. Not convinced old Eddie would be so keen to just let the loud mouths go but maybe the point was to suggest Eddie really not that capable without Jamie by her side? Oh no it's not that because Eddie caught the wanted killer. You girl. Then their boss tells Frank he's not blowing smoke when praising them. So what their CO does know?

10 - NO NO NO. EDDIE FLAT OUT LIES WHEN ASKED BY MAYA HOW LONG THEY BEEN SLEEPING TOGETHER. BUT OH NO JAMIE IN A SHOOT OUT AND HERE COMES EDDIE RUNNING SERGEANT REAGAN ARE YOU OK WITH THE PUPPY EYES. But ok sure Maya and co believe you aren't screwing. BULLSHIT

11 - Jamie stuffs up. Did that actually happen? He makes a mistake someone gets shot and nothing is said? SAY WHAT? Also Eddie has to pull Jamie off the shooter and is calling him Jamie which apparently is wrong so again THEY ALL KNOW YOU ARE SCREWING FOLKS.

12 - I'm annoyed that anyone can mention 100k and wedding in same breath but hey maybe that's really what a wedding in NYC costs. Wedding talk bores me so I found that episode blah. He certainly needs to learn to express himself better. The venue seemed ok I guess.

13 - Wedding dress description to the guy you gonna marry? I'm bored. Oh wait personal and professional lives must be separated so yeah it seems really logical to therefore be discussing their issues at work. What's this did Jamie just tell her he loves her in busy precinct? Ok maybe it's me who has a head injury because I thought we were still playing secret squirrel.

14 - Not that much Jamko really but hey Henry while I understand Danny's point I am firmly team Jamie because how on Earth can he maintain any discipline/control when his own brother totally disregards him? Henry and Frank care more about Frank's precious job and the family name. OH Fuck Me Frank Reagan's bullshit is a separate rant. Did love the dinner table spat though. Give me more of that. Also kinda impresses by that saga at the end.

15 - we've discussed this

16 - Nice to see them working together I guess

17 - Maya corrupt. I'm ho hum in a way. I kinda think making the first black recurring police officer corrupt plays into the ‘blue bloods is racist’ crowd but I really don't know enough about the culture there. I did like Jamie having her arrested at roll call because I'm all for sending a message. Again this woking together and screwing is BS but hey that's the theme of the season.

18 - Who knows I haven't seen much but I'm over it. IT DOES NOT WORK. END OF STORY.

But in closing Eddie does look like can't be trusted in my opinion because she came to the new precinct that was known to be trouble. And for a year her and her boss have been lying. Jamie has the Sergeant has power. Eddie does not. Given how rats are seen how does Eddie's position not come with major blow back when all is revealed? Jamie can't shield her cos that'd be playing favourites and hey we keep work and home separate (except for when we don't) BECAUSE IT'S ALL BULLSHIT.

If the go ahead with season 10 and I'm silly enough to watch I am hoping for serious fallout. I want Eddie ostracised at work because I think that is realistic and they supposedly pride themselves on being real. I think it would be interesting character development for Eddie and also for Jamie because HEY HARVARD HOW'S BEING A BULLSHIT ARTIST WORKING FOR YA? I'd like to see HARVARD have to grapple with how his stupidity has truly affected the woman he loves. And hey maybe Eddie can return to her old self.

This dummy spit written and authorised by Aussie.

Sorry if I've broken your eyes due to eye rolling.

#submission #aussie

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benzo-ashv · 7 years ago

Conversation

Text || Beckles (9/4)

Ash: is it always this hot in Vancouver?

Jay: Except when it's cold

Ash: It's like a sauna in the house.

Jay: Reminds me of that black out in LA

Ash: It wasn't this hot that night.

Ash: Is it wrong to be naked in front of Brady?

Jay: Yeah it was. Weren't we in my old LA house? There was no power no a.c. or anything. I remember being hot and extra sweaty. Set the mood nicely for the first time we slept together though.

Ash: It was a good night.

Jay: I think about it all the time.

Ash: Do you?

Jay: I do

Ash: I have a hard time believing that.

Jay: Why

Ash: It doesn't matter, I'm trying to let it go.

Jay: Let me know when that happens

Ash: I said I'm trying. I didn't say it was for sure gonna happen.

Jay: If I could take it back I would

Ash: What? The night of the blackout of screwing Katie?

Jay: Katie

Ash: I will never understand why you did it.

Jay: Its complicated

Ash: like I said, I'll never understand

Jay: I could try to explain it but idk if it would make you feel better or worse.

Ash: I don't want to hear you trying to defend your actions.

Jay: It's not a defense...its and explanation...an answer to the question why

Ash: Saying because you love her and missed having sex with her, isn't an explanation

Jay: That's not the reason

Ash: Then what's the reason? Why'd you do it?

Jay: Can I talk to you as my friend and not my wife for this?

Ash: I guess

Jay: Do you remember why I broke up with Katie?

Ash: Because she was distant and cared more about being on a beach somewhere than being with you.

Jay: Yeah and I've been pretty fucking pissed at her since then too. We were friends and then the friendship was gone with the relationship and I didn't get why she agreed to be my girlfriend if she didn't want to be around me. When she came back around recently she told me that she wasn't ready for what I was trying to offer her and she pushed me away. Knowing that started fucking me up a little bit. I took things slow with you to make sure that she wasn't coming back adn that I was over her. I knew I had always had feelings for you so if we were gonna be together I wanted it to be right. I think about that night in LA because that's the night I realized breaking up with Katie was a blessing. When she told me what she did it got me thinking that had she said something or asked to take things slower maybe I wouldn't have broken up with her and who knows what wouldn't happened so when we started hanging out all that what if's popped into my head: what if Katie and I had stayed together, what if we weren't finished, what if the feelings are too strong to throw away, what if Ashly and Katie were both in my bed...I fucked up Ashly I'm not trying to get outta that and its not an excuse just a reason. She fucked me up and for longer than I should've I took advantage of the attention because suddenly she was coming back to me. I handled things the wrong way and I know that.

Ash: Do you wish you had ended up with her? That it was her wearing your ring and being Brady's mom?

Jay: For about ten seconds it was one of the what ifs but no. Katie wasn't mature enough to be in the kind of relationship I want. U are my dream girl and i was stupid for letting lust lead my thinking

Ash: Are you still in love with her?

Jay: Yes

Ash: Then how the hell am I supposed to trust that this won't happen again?

Jay: I can live without her, I can't live without U

Ash: I don't trust you anymore Jensen. You promised you'd never hurt me and you've hurt me more than anyone ever has. The thing that sucks the most is that I feel like I've lost my best friend! Whenever anything bad happens in my life, you're the one I run to and I can't do that right now because you're the one who made it bad this time. I feel lost and alone.

Jay: I know and I'm sorry for ruining what we had. It's not fair to u.

Ash: What am I supposed to do now? Where do we go from here?

Jay: idk

Ash: I don't know either :(

Jay: Do u want to end things? I wouldn't blame u

Ash: Is that what YOU want?

Jay: No

Ash: Me neither. I love you Jensen. If I didn't, this would be a lot easier.

Jay: I feel like a piece of shit. My selfishness hurt 2 people I care about. Idk how to fix anything

Ash: 2 people? I s2g Jensen if you start talking about how that bitch got hurt too, I'm gonna deck you. I don't give a fuck about her feelings right now!

Jay: Yeah, well, I do

Ash: Then go be with her. Clearly you care more about her feelings than mine.

Jay: I care about u both very similar but I don't care about her feelings more

Ash: You're gonna have to make a choice Jensen. Katie or me?

Jay: In what sense? I haven't seen Katie

Ash: But you've talked to her. I'm not stupid. I know you've been texting her.

Ash: So you can either completely cut her out of your life and don't ever mention her or her feelings to me again and fight for US, or you can go be with her in which case we are done and I'll move back to LA and we'll figure out a schedule with Brady.

Jay: I don't do ultimatums

Ash: It's not an ultimatum. It's a choice. Your family or your mistress.

Jay: She's not my mistress

Ash: You're in love with a woman who isn't your wife. You fucked said woman. She's a mistress. Would you rather I call her your home wrecking whore of a girlfriend instead?

Jay: I never realized how nasty u could be

Ash: Getting your heart ripped out by the one person you trusted to never hurt you will turn even mother teresa into a bitch.

Jay: I don't like u like this

Ash: Yeah well...neither do I. But you did this. You turned me into this angry shell of a person. I'm alone on a fucking island and I'm angry. I'm so fucking angry!

Jay: I can put up my punching bag if u wanna get ur frustration out.

Ash: do you really want to trust me with boxing gloves right now?

Jay: If u wanna punch me then just fucking do it

Ash: If I though it would make all this better then I would.

Ash: Look, I know you love me. But the fact that you're in love with her too, is killing me. I feel like I'm all in and you waded in to your knees because you'd really rather be with her. Like I'm an obligation to you because of Brady. You're supposed to be groveling, begging me to forgive you, promising me it will never happen again, and doing everything you can think of to try to fix this, but you aren't doing that! Dinner the other night was wonder, and I appreciate all the thought that went into that, but it's been 3 weeks Jensen, and that's the only thing you've tried to do. You run and hide on set, like you'd rather be there than at home. You're supposed to act like you want this marriage to survive instead of chastising me for being angry. You're supposed to let me project my anger without trying to defend Katie!

Jay: I'm doing the best I can. Sorry it ain't good enough.

Ash: If acting like you're the victim in all this is the best you can do, then maybe I should just go back to LA.

Jay: U keep talking about it so if that's what u want to do then go.

Ash: Fine!

Ash: Brady and I will be on the next flight out. Let me know when you have a few days off and I'll make sure you get Brady for that time.

Jay: [text read]

#done on kik #jacklesrpg

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hottytoddynews · 7 years ago

Link

John Croyle refers to the ranch kids as his sons and daughters.

He was a college football star in the SEC and played for one of the greatest coaches in sports. An NFL career beckoned, but God, as John Croyle likes to tell it, had a different plan for him.

A plan to minister children at risk. Orphaned kids with no place to turn. Some who’d suffered traumas no child should ever have to endure.

Croyle grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, and suffered his own traumas. When he was five years old, his four-year-old sister Lisa was killed in a tragic accident. “That loss has made me love more deeply,” he said.

Croyle’s father worked for Sears, and his mother was a secretary. They provided a strong foundation for him to accomplish anything he wanted with his life. And young John had plans. He decided at the age of 7 that he was going to play football at the University of Alabama and for Coach Bear Bryant.

It’s a dream many Alabama boys have. Few live it.

By the 9th grade, Croyle was 6’3″ and a natural athlete. Excelling on the gridiron came easy to him in high school, where he was a standout. It wasn’t until his freshman year at Alabama that he faced real adversity: His knee was badly mangled, and the injury appeared to be of the career-ending variety.

Croyle, who up until that day had been a typical cocky jock, was humbled. And terrified. “I remember Coach Bryant saying, ‘What a waste, son, your career’s over,’” Croyle said.

That injury changed the course of Croyle’s life and shaped his character. “I had never had to work for anything in my life. Many, many nights I cried myself to sleep. But I worked to rehabilitate my knee.”

It took eight operations and nearly 18 months — but Croyle returned to the field. During his years at Alabama, he learned how to win. Coach Bryant made sure of that. “We lost one regular season game my last year, and we should have won that one,” said Croyle. “Winning was understood.” He played in three big bowl games, won a national championship in 1973 and was an all-SEC player.

But the desire to help young orphaned boys kept tugging at him. Croyle was 19 and working as a camp counselor in Mississippi when he met a boy in circumstances most people can’t imagine. “His mom was a prostitute, and he was her banker and timekeeper,” Croyle said. “I met him later, and he’d remembered what I’d told him and had become a Christian.”

That’s when the big idea was born: establishing a home for children like this boy. He knew what God wanted him to do with his life but wasn’t sure what road to take to get there. He figured he’d play in the NFL for a while, save up money, then open the ranch.

He bounced the idea off the man who’d been a father figure to him at Alabama, Coach Bryant. The advice he got wasn’t what most people would expect from the man who ran what many believe was the NFL’s best farm team.

“When I told him that I wanted to pay for the home with the money I made in the NFL, Coach told me, ‘Don’t play professional ball unless you’re willing to marry it,’ ” Croyle said. “I walked out the door and never looked back.”

Bryant became an early supporter of Croyle’s dream. So, too, did friend and former teammate, John Hanna. The All-American kicked in his $30,000 signing bonus from the New England Patriots to help buy the boys’ ranch property in 1973, back when $30,000 was real money.

Big Oak Ranch began in 1974 in an old farmhouse near Gadsden. Since then, Croyle has been a father to over 2,000 orphaned, neglected and unwanted children. Through the years, children who’ve suffered from every abuse imaginable have found shelter at his ranch.

By his side from the beginning was his wife, Teresa. They raised daughter Reagan and son Brodie at the ranch: Reagan played basketball at the University of Alabama, was crowned Homecoming Queen, and modeled internationally in places like Milan, while brother Brodie starred as quarterback at Alabama and played with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. Both have since returned to the ranch, and are now essentially running the place.

John and Tee had a simple goal when they started the ranch: Build the finest children’s home in America. And they have. There are now three separate facilities in Northeast Alabama: Big Oak Boys’ Ranch in Gadsden, Big Oak Girls’ Ranch in Springville, and Westbrook Christian School, Inc., in Rainbow City.

Big Oak Girls’ Ranch exists today because of a girl named Shelley, Croyle explained. “I’m in the hallway of the courthouse,” said Croyle. “A girl with honey-blonde hair and green eyes is there, beaten up. Her dad had raped her while her mom held her down.” Croyle asked for custody; the judge refused because the ranch didn’t have accommodations for girls.

“I told the judge, ‘She’ll be dead in six months.’”

Croyle was wrong. “It took Shelley’s dad three months to kill her,” he said.

Today, a white plaster cast of a girl with a horse commemorates Shelley in the ranch’s Hall of Honor.

Both the boys’ and girls’ ranches are sprawling campuses with pools, tennis courts, ball fields, horses and gyms. Children live in homes that would fit into any ordinary suburban neighborhood. They live with kids of varying ages and with house parents chosen carefully by the Croyles.

“We’re like a real family,” said one girl who lives at the ranch. “There’s always something to do here.”

But the Big Oak Ranch founder also expects a lot from his kids and demands that they shoulder their share of family responsibilities. Even the youngest residents help with chores. When they get older, they work at jobs on and off the ranch. Cars, donated by generous donors, are available to those old enough to drive, but the kids have to earn the money to buy them and pay for insurance.

Croyle refers to the ranch kids as his sons and daughters. The ranch helps pay college tuition, too, when needed.

“And we pay for our daughters’ weddings,” said Croyle. “That’s what fathers do.”

Though they’re a half hour drive apart, the nearly 150 acres that make up the boys’ ranch and the 325 acres of the girls’ ranch share similar characteristics. Both have pristine rural landscapes, lots of rolling hills, clear lakes and meadows. Deer roam in the woods, horses graze in the pasture, geese glide about everywhere, and fish even occasionally jump out of the carefully stocked lakes.

Indeed, the ranch has the feel of a rural retreat, and that’s as Croyle intended it.

“These kids deserve the best we can provide,” he loves to tell anyone who’ll listen. It’s hard to disagree.

When children come to the ranch, they move into a 6-bedroom, 4-bath brick home with siblings and a set of house parents who’ve made a long-term commitment to provide love, structure, discipline, and faith to the children entrusted to them. The kids soon learn that someone cares about them and loves them. They also soon learn a work ethic, and financial lessons, too. They learn to be part of a family and what that means. And they learn that God is an ever-present part of their lives.

John gives every child who comes to the ranch this assurance: “I love you. I’ll never lie to you. I’ll stick with you until you’re grown. There are boundaries — don’t cross them.” He believes these four promises cover the bedrocks to parenting a child. “My job is to give them the emotional support, security and discipline they need because their parents didn’t want the job,” John Croyle explained.

He also talks a lot about setting goals and having plans, and most important, setting the right example for his kids. “You’ve got to do what’s right, and example outlives advice,” Croyle explains. “Children listen with their eyes. They don’t listen with their ears.”

Croyle also teaches his kids to stand up for themselves. He recalled a story about his daughter coming home from school when she was in the 7th grade, and telling him she punched a boy in the chest. He was 6’7” tall, and his nickname was Big’un.

“She said he was making fun of the ranch girls,” Croyle said. “I’m not condoning hitting or fighting. But I told my kids you will never get in trouble for defending someone. That’s missing today. When someone is being bullied, someone has to step in and say, ‘Stop.'”

Croyle learned a lot of his life lessons from Coach Bryant. And a lot about teaching young people.

“Coach was demanding of his players in the same way parents should be demanding of their children,” Croyle explained.

Practices were always harder than games, he said. “Coach would say, ‘If you’ll quit on Tuesday, you’re definitely going to quit on Saturday.’ We practiced so hard all week, that game day was the easiest day of the week. It’s not whether you were going to win, it’s how much you’re going to win by. In three years, we lost one regular season game a year. We were 34-4.”

“We feared Coach Bryant,” Croyle continued. “Not physical fear, and not from abuse or anything else. We were afraid to disappoint him.”

And Bryant rarely complimented his players. “I’ve copied him in this,” Croyle said. “He wasn’t one to throw out compliments. But when he did, you knew he meant it.”

And Bryant often motivated players by challenging them to do better. “One time we played LSU,” Croyle recalled. “I hit the quarterback three times just as after he threw the ball. Coach Bryant walked over to me and said, ‘When are you gonna get him?’ That’s all I had to hear. He was good at taking already motivated people and steering them the way he wanted them to go.”

Parents are not demanding enough of their children, Croyle said. “We’re raising people who give up,” he said. “It’s too easy to quit. Don’t ever, ever, ever give up.”

One of the young girls Croyle didn’t quit on, and who didn’t quit on herself, wrote a note explaining why the ranch should adopt her. Here are excerpts from what she wrote to the Big Oak Ranch:

“Please except [sic] me to the Girls Ranch … Please give me a chance. Everywhere I’ve been they din’t want me, or they were mean to me, so I understand if you don’t want me because nobody else does … My dad did bad stuff to me and my brother that I’m not proud about — drugs … through us up against the wall … I need a permanent home because I’ve been bounced back and forth 10X from house to house … you gave my brother a chance … I think I would love the BIG Oak Ranch…”

John Croyle loves to pull out that original sheet of paper from his pocket and share it with people. But the note serves another purpose: It’s a reminder of why he does what he does. That there is always another child out there who needs help.

John Croyle also loves to carry one other piece of paper around with him, with these three questions that keep him on track:

What has God called you to do?

Are you doing it?

What is the fruit of questions 1 and 2?

That fruit is evident everywhere you turn at the Big Oak Ranch, in the pictures that adorn the hallways and homes. Passing through the school with Croyle late in the spring, it was a joy for this author to watch kids in the hall attempt to high-five Croyle, who towers over them — and me — at 6’7.

The love in the room is apparent, as is the joy. These children, all of them, owe their lives to John, Tee, Reagan and Brodie. But don’t ever say that to any of the Croyle clan, because they’ll tell you quickly you have things backwards: They owe their lives and their happiness to these children.

One thing is certain: Stories like John Croyle’s need to be told and imitated. Because the hope and change that so many social engineers and social justice warriors talk about is present at every turn at the Big Oak Ranch. And without a single penny from the government or the taxpayers. God’s love is everywhere. Cycles of despair, violence and lovelessness have been altered forever in this part of the world in Northeastern Alabama.

As for how he stays spiritually connected to God, Croyle says he tries to keep things simple, and live by 2 Corinthians 5:9: “Let this be our one ambition, whether at home or absent — to be pleasing unto him.”

Croyle is hoping he’ll inspire more men to be pleasing to God. Worldly success, he likes to remind men in particular, is fleeting.

Croyle success is anything but fleeting. He loves to tell the story of a man he bumped into in a store who was once a child of his at his ranch. “I’m in Blockbuster to get a video,” said Croyle. “A big guy comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, Mr. John, remember me?’ He introduces his wife. Then he says, ‘This is my baby girl.’ He said, ‘I’m a manager and my house is paid for.’ “He said, ‘Mr. John, I made it.’ ”

Croyle has learned a lot about raising kids in the 40-plus years he’s been doing it. And a whole lot about orphans. He’s got his own way of thinking about the word.

“I’ve learned there are four kinds of orphans,” John explained. “If you were raised by someone other than your biological mother or father, you are a physical orphan. If your dad has told you your whole life, ‘You’re not going to amount to anything. Can’t you do anything right?’ That’s a mental orphan. If you never had your dad hug you and say, ‘I am so proud of you,’ that’s an emotional orphan. And spiritually, we’re all orphans. And Jesus says, ‘Come and join my family.’”

John Croyle has been a father to over 2,000 orphans. He’s watched them grow into confident young people, living their lives with a hope and a purpose founded in faith. That’s some pretty remarkable fruit, and a remarkable answer to those big life questions John carries in his pocket.

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of house we lived in, the kind of car we drove or how much money we had in the bank, but the world may be different because you and I were important in the life of a child.”

What a great message this Father’s Day from a man who knows more than most men about being one.

Lee Habeeb is VP of content for Salem Radio Network and host of “Our American Stories.” He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, Valerie, and his daughter, Reagan.

This story was originally published on LifeZette.com.

The post John Croyle: Celebrating a Father of 2,000-Plus Orphans appeared first on HottyToddy.com.

#hottytoddy #olemiss #oxfordms #oxford ms #mississippi #university of mississippi #the grove

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nerdpiggy · 8 years ago

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I GOT TAGGED!!!! IN A THING!!!!!

thank you so much @muffinmalika for tagging me,,, i have never been more grateful,, god bless

RULES:

Write a note with 92 truths and then tag some friends!! (you’re supposed to tag 25 people but…i have like 5 mutuals)

LASTS:

Last drink: Hot chocolate! completely unsurprising Last phone call: I think it was with my dad? I don’t remember what it was about Last text: my mom texted me 16 minutes ago about how we’re checking out of our hotel in an hour or so. As of right now I’m vacationing in Miami but by the time I post this I’ll probably be back in Boston Last song I listened to: Haunt by Echos Last time I cried: I was watching anime a day before yesterday…..I watched the new episode of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and the genuine lesbian representation they showed (between kids! so pure) had me tearing up :,)

HAVE YOU EVERS:

Been cheated on: Nope! I’ve never dated anyone before Kissed someone and regretted it: Nope! I’ve never kissed anyone before Been depressed: I have depression Been drunk and thrown up: Never been drunk before and (hopefully) never plan to Kissed a stranger: Nope! Drank hard liquor: Nope! Lost glasses/contacts: I’ve never needed glasses or contacts. If this question is asking whether I’ve lost somebody else’s glasses or contacts, the answer is no Been arrested: Nope! Turned someone down: Romantically? no, because I’ve never been asked… I’ve turned down invitations to hang out and stuff like that, if that’s what this is asking? Cried when someone died: yeah,, do anime characters count?? Fallen for a friend: mmm yeah

IN THE PAST YEAR, HAVE YOU…? I’ll just talk about last school year as a whole, so end of 2015 to mid-2016

Made a new friend: Many! :D Laughed until you’ve cried: Absolutely!! Met someone who changed you: definitely yes. Found out who your true friends were: I think so? Most of my friends are true friends. :D Found out someone was talking about you: …No…? Nobody really talks about me

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

How many people on tumblr do you know in real life?: Three, I think? Sam, Teresa, and Tajea Do you have any pets?: I have a dog at my dad’s house and 2 birds at my mom’s. My dog Oscar is a 9-year-old corgi/beagle mix and my birds are Parakeets From Hell™ Do you want to change your name?: As of now I’m pretty chill with my name. What time did you wake up this morning?: Well my brother woke me up at around 6:38 but I had been half asleep for hours prior to that because I woke up at 2am when i almost suffocated myself in my sleep with a pillow

~*~time skip to 6 days later when all of my previous answers have changed but I’m too lazy to do this all over again~*~

What were you doing last night?: Flying back to Boston from Miami Name something you cannot wait for: NINTENDO SWITCH Have you ever talked to a person named Tom?: Yeah! I used to have a cat named Tom and there have been a few Toms at old schools. What’s getting on your nerves rn?: The heat. Man I just came back from a super hot vacation only for today to break a Boston record for how hot it’s ever been on this date and i want my cold weather back :( Blood type: I think I’m O+. Nicknames: Brina (used by my mom), Sabs, Sab, Sabby (used by my brother), smol, child (used by my friends) Relationship status: Single Zodiac sign: Virgo Pronouns: she/her Favorite TV show: As of current, Voltron: Legendary Defender! I also watch a lot of anime but never on TV. Hair color: Boring brown :/ Long or short: Long! Crushes: I literally do not comprehend what feelings are considered a “crush” so I just guess. Idk, pretty girls in my classes? Tattoos: Well I mean I have a temporary henna tattoo on my forearm right now but I don’t have any actual tattoos. I’m thinking of getting 1 or 2 in the future though! Righty or lefty?: I’m a righty in everything except for archery!

FIRSTS:

First surgery: Never had one First piercing: I pierced my ears when I was 10 First best friend: I had a neighborhood friend who I always hung out with when I was really litter. She was a real bitch lol I haven’t seen her in years First sport you joined: I think it was tee ball when I was like 6 First vacation: the first one I remember is Aruba but maybe I’ve gone to another before that

RIGHT NOW:

Eating: nothing but i ate a lot of sour cream and onion chips earlier Drinking: nothing but I had a caprisun earlier because caprisuns are the bomb I’m about to: go to sleep Listening: nothing right now but previously I was listening to my huge Savant playlist

WHICH IS BETTER?:

Lips or eyes?: Hmmm I’m gonna go with eyes Hugs or kisses: Hugs!!! Shorter or taller: Ohhh are these like romantic partner questions? Well i don’t really care :D maybe I prefer shorter? Older or younger?: I’d try to go for someone my age but i dont mind someone a little older or younger Sensitive or loud?: I am both of these things. I dont really care lol Hook up or relationship?: relationship Troublemaker or hesitant?: probably hesitant because troublemakers give me heart attacks :O

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…?

Miracles: I have no reason not to lol Love at first sight: Absolutely not!! That’s just called infatuation Heaven: Nope! Santa Claus: Nope!

Ok wow this was really long,, also sorry for this being posted and taken down and reposted a few times because mobile tumblr is a bitch that posts things prematurely and decides to make all html code visible

I’m tagging: @blackreapershome, @cuddlebuttcheeks , @musesmatter , @oh-so-typical , @oikabwah , @toxic-youtube , and @blazietiger ! You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to :D

#holy fuck this took forever #but still thank you so much Allu for tagging me #it makes me feel so special

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hottytoddynews · 7 years ago

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John Croyle refers to the ranch kids as his sons and daughters.

He was a college football star in the SEC, and played for one of the greatest coaches in sports. An NFL career beckoned, but God, as John Croyle likes to tell it, had a different plan for him.

A plan to minister children at risk. Orphaned kids with no place to turn. Some who’d suffered traumas no child should ever have to endure.

Croyle grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, and suffered his own traumas. When he was five years old, his 4-year-old sister Lisa was killed in a tragic accident. “That loss has made me love more deeply,” he said.

Croyle’s father worked for Sears, and his mother was a secretary. They provided a strong foundation for him to accomplish anything we wanted with his life. And young John had plans. He decided at the age of 7 that he was going to play football at the University of Alabama, and for Coach Bear Bryant.

It’s a dream many Alabama boys have. Few live it.

Croyle, who up until that day had been a typical cocky jock, was humbled. And terrified. “I remember Coach Bryant saying, ‘What a waste, son, your career’s over,’” Croyle said.

That’s when the big idea was born: establishing a home for children like this boy. He knew what God wanted him to do with his life, but wasn’t sure what road to take to get there. He figured he’d play in the NFL for a while, save up money, then open the ranch.

“I told the judge, ‘She’ll be dead in six months.’”

Croyle was wrong. “It took Shelley’s dad three months to kill her,” he said.

Today, a white plaster cast of a girl with a horse commemorates Shelley in the ranch’s Hall of Honor.

“We’re like a real family,” said one girl who lives at the ranch. “There’s always something to do here.”

But the Big Oak Ranch founder also expects a lot from his kids, and demands that they shoulder their share of family responsibilities. Even the youngest residents help with chores. When they get older, they work at jobs on and off the ranch. Cars, donated by generous donors, are available to those old enough to drive, but the kids have to earn the money to buy them and pay for insurance.