#and they got transferred to icu

[bisexualalienss]

shift from hell the day i come back from the holidays 😀

[eledhrim]

am alive!!

[gardenstateofmind]

patient unexpectedly died :( he'd been with us for two weeks, was a really nice guy :(

[eevylynn]

If life could just take a break and chill for a second, that'd be great.

[theculturedmarxist]

In 2020, Robert Kuciemba, a woodworker in San Francisco was infected with covid by a co-worker after his Nevada-based Victory Woodworks transferred a number of sick workers to the San Francisco site for a few months. 

Through the proceedings of the case it turns out that the employer knew some employees might be sick but they transferred them anyway and ignored a San Francisco ordinance in place at the time to quarantine suspected covid cases.

Kuciemba was subsequently infected and he then infected his wife, who ended up in ICU on a ventilator.

The California Supreme Court just ruled against Kuciemba on the basis that a victory, while, in the court's words, "morally" the right thing to do, would create "dire financial consequences for employers" and cause a "dramatic expansion of liability" to stop the spread of covid.

There’s a few stunning details to note in this case. First, the court agreed that there is no doubt the company had ignored the San Francisco health ordinance. In other words, they accepted the company had broken the law. And then concluded “yeah, but, capitalism.”

Secondly, the case was so obviously important to the struggle between capitalism and mass infection that the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobbying organisation got involved and helped the company with its defence. Remember, this is a tiny company in a niche industry. The involvement of the biggest business lobbyists in the country tells us a lot about the importance of the principle they knew was at stake.

Thirdly, the defence of the company is very telling. They said “There is simply no limit to how wide the net will be cast: the wife who claims her husband caught COVID-19 from the supermarket checker, the husband who claims his wife caught it while visiting an elder care home." 

Well, exactly. Capitalism couldn’t survive if employers were liable for covid infections contracted in the workplace, and the ripple effect of those infections. And they know it. 

This case is something of a covid smoking gun, revealing what we always suspected but had never seen confirmed in so many words: the public health imperative of controlling a pandemic virus by making employers liable for some of that control is, and always must be, secondary to capitalist profit. 

This ruling is also saying out loud what has been obvious to anyone paying attention for the last two years: employers don’t have a responsibility to keep your family safe from covid. You have that responsibility. And if you give a family member covid that you caught at work and they get sick or die – even if it was a result of law-breaking by your employer – that’s on you buddy.

It is the same old capitalist story: the shunting of responsibility for ills that should be shared across society, including employers in that society, onto individuals.

This ruling essentially helps codify workplace mass infection and justifies it as necessary for the smooth functioning of capitalism.

This is not new. This is where the ‘just a cold’ and the ‘mild' narrative came from. It came from doctors and healthcare experts whose first loyalty was to capitalism. Not to public health. To money, not to lives. Abetted by media who uncritically platformed them.

While this ruling tells us little that we couldn’t already see from the public policy approach of the last two years, it is revealing (and to some extent validating) to see it confirmed by the highest law of the land in the United States. 

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Heart-Stopping

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Surgeon!Female!Reader

Word Count: ~900

Warnings: fluff

Summary: After a ten-hour surgery, all you want to do is go home and be with your husband. When he comes into the ER needing surgery, your entire world is turned upside down.

Square Filled: "Oh, don't worry, this blood isn't mine." (2022) for @spencerreidbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

You trudge out of the OR into the scrub room to clean your hands and arms. The surgery you were just in lasted an atrocious ten hours. You’ve gone for more, but this was so tough since the patient’s heart kept arresting and her blood vessels were so friable that it was hard to do any kind of stitches. Still, you managed to get her fixed and stable enough to be transferred to the ICU.

All you want to do is go home to your husband and cuddle until you fall asleep in his arms. He understands your job and how you can’t always be home with him. He’s in the FBI so he has the same demand even if he’s doing work that’s completely different. The reason your marriage works is that you two make it a point to call each other every day, plan an at-home date every week, a date anywhere that’s not your house every month, and have a small vacation every six months.

He’s your rock and you don’t know what you’d do without him in your life. He’s your biggest supporter and the love of your life.

You’re scrubbing away the sweat and grime from your hands when your pager goes off. You grab a microfiber towel and dry your hands before checking the pager. 911 ER. You toss the towel away and run out of the room hoping you can get to the ER in time. There is a patient who needs your attention and might die if you’re not there. It amazes you that you have so much energy after a surgery like that and maybe it’s because of the silent promise of saving as many people as you can.

You push the double doors open that lead into the ER and look around to see if you can spot the patient that needs you.

“Dr. Y/N! I need you to know that everything is okay…”

You can’t hear anything your resident says because all you’re focused on is your husband lying on a stretcher covered in blood. Your entire world comes crashing to a stop. You’re a very skilled heart doctor but it feels like your own heart is going to stop at the thought of your life without Spencer in it. His coworkers, Derek and Emily, are by his side without blood on their clothes.

“Y/N!” Derek grabs your shoulders and snaps you out of the silent panic you’re in. “He’s okay, I promise he’ll be fine.”

“What happened? Spencer!”

You rush over to him, and he grabs your hand gently.

“Oh, don’t worry, this blood isn’t mine,”��he mumbles.

“What happened?” you ask Derek and Emily.

“There was an accident. He tried to save our victim and got caught in the crossfire. She’s right behind him.”

“Y/N, we’ll take care of him.”

You turn to see your chief of surgery and your best friend who has a determined yet empathetic look on his face. You can’t take care of your husband because he’s your husband so the only person you trust to take care of him is the chief.

“Okay,” you whisper. “Don’t let him die, please.”

“We go it. Go to Trauma One!”

Spencer is wheeled to the first trauma room just as the victim comes in right behind him. She, you can help. Spencer is wheeled into surgery to fix an injury on his leg while the general surgeon and neurosurgeon take the victim to surgery. If there is anything to be done on her heart, they’ll call you in. You’re stuck thinking about Spencer instead of being in surgery to take your mind off it. You leave Trauma Two and walk over to Emily and Derek who are talking to each other.

“What happened to him?”

“There was a car accident, the car the victim was in. They skidded on a patch of ice and the car slammed into a tree, ejecting the victim out of the windshield. Spencer was the first to her which is how he got all of her blood on him. Another car came around the corner and didn’t see the crashed vehicle, and they collided with it, sending shrapnel into Spencer’s leg. He lost a lot of blood on the way over here.”

“Shit,” you whisper with tears in your eyes.

“He’s going to be okay. You have a talented team of doctors here.”

“I know,” you nod.

There is no choice but to wait for Spencer to get out of surgery. When he is, they take him to a private room where you can sit with him. It takes twenty minutes for him to come out of the anesthesia, but he’s still pretty loopy from it.

“Hey, baby, how are you doing?”

You take out your stethoscope and check his heart and lungs, relief clouding your head when you don’t hear anything bad about it.

“Doctor… I need… I need some… some flowers.”

“Flowers? For what?”

“My wife. Her birthday is this weekend, and I want to get her flowers.”

Your heart swells happily at his little confession. He knows how much you love getting flowers. They brighten up even the darkest of places.

“It’s very important, please.” He rolls his head to the side and looks at you through hooded eyes. He doesn’t seem to recognize it’s his wife right in front of him. “I need you… Can you write her a card for me?”

“What do you want it to say?”

“I love her. Her eyes are pretty. She makes me so happy. Just say that.”

“Okay,” you grin with tears in your eyes.

Spencer’s eyes close and you sit next to his bed. You grab his hand and kiss the back of it, content with staying just like this until he wakes up.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝓣𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓮. [Closed Doors]

Jungkook makes decisions every day- but none has ever felt as hard to make as the decision whether or not to keep or leave you.

Tags/Warnings: Hospital/Medical AU, Doctor!Jungkook, slightly aged up!Jungkook, Hybrid!Reader, Dog Hybrid!Reader, another slightly heavy one but the comfort is strong with this hurt, angst, fluff, romance, strangers to lovers, blood, medical stuff, mentions of domestic (physical and mental) abuse, corruption, mentions of drug abuse, health scare²

Length: 2.3k Words, it's very tiny I'm very sorry

-> Masterlist

There is no taglist for this fic.

A/N: hi sorry I just really like this fic pls eat your vegetables

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

"The little guy is recovering good." Namjoon nods. "But we'll have to inform child protective services, no matter if it was an accident or not.." He sighs, as Jungkook nods.

"I'm pretty sure it'll go well if it really was just that." He says. "I can't believe people just leave this stuff around when they know children eat any candy they see the moment they get the chance to." He shakes his head a bit angrily. "If that boy was a hybrid he'd be dead."

"Luckily he's not. I'll send the boy over to pediatrics, and as soon as that happens, he's out of our hands." Namjoon reminds his friend and coworker, as they both silently agree, walking through the hall. "How's your puppy doing?"

"Awake, and she's been transferred out of the ICU this morning, so I'm gonna check on her now and see how she's doing." Jungkook sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Have you decided if you want to take her in yet?" Namjoon wonders, greeting a fellow doctor who's passing by.

"No." Jungkook shakes his head. "Not.. yet."

It's a touchy subject for now- so Namjoon leaves it alone- letting the doctor enter your new room on his own, to check up on you.

It's quiet inside, no nurse yet present- and Jungkook is actually a little thankful for the short, quiet moment he's got. Standing close to you, he lets his hand run over one of your soft ears- now cleaned and fur soft and vibrant in color. It's something Jimin had informed him about yesterday- how you cried from happiness after he'd helped you properly clean your ears and tail, something that appeared to be very much unfamiliar and new to you.

It angers him, to know that you were nothing but something to show off until now.

So many of your health problems could've been avoided if you just had received any amount of proper care and attention. Yoongi already suspects that you might have developed some behavioral issues from the way you've been living until now- all that, combined with your physical troubles will take weeks if not months to resolve. If they ever resolve fully at all, that is.

Not that Jungkook really cares. He'd take you in even if you were to bite and scratch.

But it's not that easy, and he knows this. "Hello?" He carefully says as his hand shakes your shoulder gently. "Can you wake up for me for a moment?" He requests, and your eyes slowly open, squinting at the bright hospital lights, before you stretch- and hiss at something cramping. "Good morning." He greets you- and suddenly you seem to realize who's there- and your tail begins to wag under the blanket, ears turned towards him as you smile. "How do you feel, hm?" He wonders, but you don't answer.

It's to be expected. All of these traumatic events must've taken a toll on you- not just physically.

"Well you're looking a lot better already, that's for sure." Jungkook tells mostly himself, though he smiles when he spots you taking the praise for yourself as well. It gives him a moment just to quietly look at you; imagine what life could be like if someone like you was to wait for him inside his apartment, every day whenever he'd come home from work.

Surely, you'd turn his apartment into a home in no time. The thought of just a little more chaos inside his living space, a little more of a mess here and there, a bit of disorder in his life, might just be what could color his life a little more vibrantly. Make things more exciting, more emotionally valuable- maybe it could even make his life less about work, and more about..

well, living.

You're yawning, and he laughs, train of thought broken as he pets your head teasingly, before the door opens, and a very chipper Jimin walks in. "Ah, there's my favorite person!" He sings almost, walking in to put the small tray of food down, before he looks at Jungkook. "And you too, Doctor Jeon."

"Well thank you." Jungkook jokes, before he watches as Jimin opens the tray, revealing some light soup and rice for you to eat. It's only a small portion- just to slowly ease you back into eating, and not overwhelm you again. He notices how attached you seem to what he recognizes is an empty pillowcase of all things you seem to cling to, probably for comfort, taken from your first room you occupied. It's another problem- you now have no one to bring you any clothes or comforting items into hospital at all.

You're alone, all by yourself.

And for some reason, the realization of that small fact hits him hard.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

It's been not even a full 24 hours, and you're already causing mischief.

"There you are!" Jungkook sighs, relieved to have finally found you near a vending machine two floors away from where you should be- which is in your room, in your bed. You, meanwhile, are just simply smiling at him, tail wagging at the sight of him crouching down to you to pet your head. "Come on now, you gave the poor nurses a near heart-attack by vanishing like that." He gently scolds, before he stands back up to his full height, reaching for your hand.

But you just let yourself fall to your side, stubborn. Tail still wagging, smacking onto the smooth floor.

"Got yourself a troublemaker, huh doctor Jeon?" An older nurse laughs, watching the interaction between the hybrid specialist and you while she prepares a cart with food trays for the patients. The news of Jungkook's interest in maybe adopting you permanently has made it's round quite quickly by now- mostly thanks to Jimin, who's the unofficial news reporter of every bit of gossip there is.

Jungkook sighs. "Seems like it." He chuckles, unable to really be upset with you, considering how glad he is to see you up and running again instead of pale and fighting in the ER. It's as if you finally realized that in here, no one actually wants to hurt you. No one blames you. No one is mad at you. You're actually being cared for here- you can truly be yourself, and no one's gonna get upset over it.

And slowly, Jungkook starts to see your true personality- which does help in his decision whether or not you'll fit into his life, or not. He's not made one yet- the papers are still at home, on his desk in his office, unsigned.

It's a tough decision to make, after all.

On one hand, sure; he really likes you, you seem absolutely sweet and also independent enough to stay at home by yourself if he goes by all of your documents, which included general assessment of your overall intelligence and social capabilities. You're a bit of an odd case- while your instincts are very strong, your hybrid features very well developed, and your overall behavior shows habits and reactions similar to a hybrid much higher on the scale, you do know how to properly process situations in a more human way.

For example; Loud noises startle you, but they don't make you panic. Food and snacks make you excited, but they're useless as bribery if you don't want to do something. You can read, write, and are educated to a very good degree, and you understand social cues without any issues.

But on the other hand, Jungkook isn't a man with endless patience. He gets frustrated easily, especially with himself- so what if he snaps at you on accident? Will you understand that he doesn't mean it badly, and that it's not even directed at you? And what about when he has to work- will you be lonely in his home, unhappy but too nice to actually tell him? He doesn't want you to just waste away while he's too focused on his career. It's something important for him, after all- he can't just quit and call it a day.

Even if you were to say that you don't need the attention, or the affection, or constant care or anything at all- he'd still feel bad for not providing it anyways. Because you deserve it. You deserve someone who can love you each day properly, someone who doesn't have to push you to the back every time his job has to take priority.

He's not sure what decision to make.

Or if there's even a choice at all.

Suddenly, you're pulling on his shirt to get back his attention- probably because he started to look mad while thinking. He knows he does this- it's why he usually turns away from patients whenever he has to think about something, which makes his face look upset. "I'm not mad." He reassures you, smiling again, petting your ears again while you watch him with suspicion. You're currently in a different headspace, regressing after all the stress and honestly rather traumatic events, which makes communication a little difficult- but everyone manages, since you're quite expressive in other ways, able to tell what you want and think either way.

Jungkook wants to take care of you- he wants to take you home, and make sure you're happy forever, but he can't be selfish, or too fast with his decision.

"Now come on, it's lunch soon. You hungry?" He asks, and you nod, tail wagging as you stand up alongside him, hand holding onto his shirt as you walk next to him-

and this time, he decides to cave in a little, as he instead holds your hand in his while walking back to your room with you.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

Jungkook likes to play music in his apartment, even if it's just quiet.

It fills the space with noise, makes him feel less lonely, takes his mind off of things. It helps relax. But tonight, it doesn't really work, as he sits in his office, sighing as he looks at the unsigned paperwork still on his desk in front of him. He's read through all the documents more than twice now, knows what's written down, what information it all gives out to him- and yet, he's unsure what to do with it.

If he signs it, you'll be given to him for a foster time first- three weeks of 'trying it out' so to speak, to see if you're a good fit for him, and if he's a good fit for you. During that time, a careworker will visit randomly to check up once or twice, and at the end of it, it's you both who have to agree to an actual permanent registration. But Jungkook worries, he always does.

The thing he worries most about, is the fact that he feels like he's already in too deep. There's a small, pink and white plush toy in his lap after all, bought yesterday straight after work from a store specializing in hybrid clothing and other items. It's a comfort plush that holds scents very well, so he keeps it close to his body ever since buying it to offer it to you tomorrow morning when he's back in hospital to check up on you.

And yes, he has been browsing what a dog hybrid of your specific breed might need to live a happy life. He might also have looked up options for sports or other activities you might want to do-

he's really in deep, isn't he?

He sighs yet again, scratching his head in frustration after he puts down the pen, staring at the 'signature here' spot at the bottom. It could all be so easy, but he really doesn't want to fuck this all up.

He knows from Taehyung, an anesthesiologist and good friend, that having a hybrid can actually work out perfectly. He's balancing it just fine, his own hybrid at home happy and healthy, his work never suffering, his happiness thriving. The young medical worker always shows off pictures of him and his hybrid, proudly, and he really has every reason to be, considering where she came from.

But Jungkook also knows how tough it can be.

He's reminded of it every time he checks up on Yoongi and his cat hybrid- now awake, but clearly in distress over her lack of control over her own body, and it's going to be a long road to recovery for her and Yoongi just as much. He knows they'll get through it- but the amount of heartbreak and absolute terror that went down just scared Jungkook, straight up.

And he knows, your future together is absolutely going to be both of those scenarios- good, and bad.

"What's the worst that can happen.." He hums to himself, one hand playing with the fuzz of the comfort plush in his lap, little black eyes staring blankly at him, tiny mouth curved into a forever smile.

You deserve a happy future. You deserve to have opportunities, and care, and affection, and a stable environment you can rely on, and thrive in. And he won't ever really gain the knowledge of that happening if he's not the one providing that for you.

And yet, the doubts are still there, clouding his mind.

What's he going to do?

[crystlizabeth]

Coming home for Christmas ༉‧₊˚.

Johnny ‘Soap’ McTavish x BlackWife!reader

Summery: this wasn’t how you planned on spending your Christmas

Warnings: angst, mentions of death, major injuries, mentions of pregnancy, cursing not, proofread.

.˚��‧ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ‧₊˚.

Tiss the season, the season of giving. But instead here you are in your car after another call the words of Johnnys captain saying he’s in the ICU, the shock never settled with you properly before you could get a decent work out.

“Is he gonna live..?” Was all you could choke out. Tears running down your dark features, the line was silent price quiet, “Price in my husband going to come out alive— please, please say something.” You cried your head falling to your steering wheel your hand griping your shirt.

“I don’t know…”

You soon arrived to the hospital, you saw the three men Simon being the first to stand up. His eyes offered you comfort his hand grabbing you before you could walk further his eyes shifting from your bump to your eyes quickly. “Simon is he still alive, please tell me he’s still alive.”

“Don’t just stand there and look at me god danmit! Is Johnny alright.” You cried you breath quickening.

Simon nodded his thumbs rubbing comfortably against your arms his eyes never leaving yours “the have him stable.. they don’t know if he’ll make it through the second surgery though… but the have to do the second surgery..”

You whinced “I need to see him,” you said pulling away from Simon who tried to protest but followed you to the counter.

Your voice shaky yet demanding as you spoke to the nurse. “Please I just need to see him, for fuck sake let me see my husband.” The nurse only protested said that it wasn’t the best time to see him for he was going to be transferred soon.

Enough begging got you to his room, dropping your purse as you talked over to Johnnys bed. He was a sickening white tubes everywhere, his eyes were closed the faint beeping of his heart rate. You almost broke down there your body going over to him, your hand touching his face lightly “oh baby what have the done to you..” you whispered your tears welding up in your dark eyes.

Your lips pressed against his cheek then his forehead, “please, please I still need you.” You spoke your lips hovering over his forehead, he was cold.

“You promised, you fucking promise..” you cried your body shaking slightly as you did.

“Don’t worry I’ll be home for Christmas okay lass..” his thick voice reassured you. You hummed sitting on your couch the light from the tree lighting up the living room the smell of sugar cookies filling your home.

“You promise?” You asked softly your hands tugging on your curls.

“I promise.” He said you could hear the smile in his voice.

“Okay.. if you don’t you wont hear the end of it from my mom.” You chuckled.

He laughed “Ye’ I know, she never let meh’ forget.” His voice was so alive yet you could tell he was putting on a brave face.

“Your gonna be okay right.?”

“I always am.” He spoke softly.

“I’m gonna be home for Christmas, just gotta finish this damned mission, so save a place for me.” You smiled at his words.

“There’s no other place I’d rather be..” he finished.

“I’ll see you when you get home— there’s something I need to show ya aswell.” You spoke a smile still lingering on your face.

“I cant wait to see, because you keep mentioning it but wont tell me.” He groaned

You laughed lightly “I love you Johnny…”

“I love you to, I love you a fuck ton.” He sighed a smile within his tone.

Instead of being home you sat in the waiting room of a hospital. The decor spread all around the hospital, lights, cut out snowflakes, for the most happiest time of the year why did it have to be so sad?

You couldn’t help but flinch the sharp pain that sat in your back finally getting to you. “You alright?” Simon asked.

You nodded “yeah body pain seemed to be worse since I’ve been pregnant.. just been a bit bumpy aswell.” You sighed, whipping your face. You had been waiting, waiting for them to tell you your husband was going to be okay and that he’d be awake. But hours it seemed like passed and you just sat there no sleep just your brain disassociating.

All you wanted was to be in your shared bed Johnny holding you, his warmth comforting you so tenderly. Johnny seeking the reassurance and comfort from you after a long mission. Your lip quivers at the thought of not returning home without him, having to go home knowing you’d never see him again. “I can’t lose him..”

The boys looked at you Johns hand squeezing your leg in reassurance, your head laid on Simon’s arm your hand in between your thighs. “He’ll make it love.” John spoke softly.

But what if he didn’t..

What if you were abandoned once more by a man In your life by death. You would be able to come back from it this time.

This ringing of your phone scared you as you sat up quickly, taking a minute before turning you phone over ‘Mama’..

“Hello..” you answered.

“Hi baby— are you alright you sound like you’ve been crying?” She spoke her voice quickly filled with concern.

You nodded befor breaking down again “Johnnys in surgery… mama I don’t know if he gonna make it.” You sobbed a harsh cry leaving your throat, the feeling of Simon’s hand rubbing circles on you back.

“What? Baby what happen do you know? Oh baby im gonna come to you.” She spoke the sound of her moving around quickly grabbing her things, the sound of your siblings asking what’s wrong in the background.

“I don’t know it happend while he was working, Mama I don’t know what to do..” you continued to cry.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do if he doesn’t make it.”

“I’m coming baby, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he voice trying to reassure you. “Have faith baby he’s gonna make it the man isn’t gonna leave you.. he’s fighting.” She spoke.

“I know— I know,” you sniffed.

You needed her more than ever right now, yes you knew the boys but they weren’t your mom. When she got there her silk press short and tiled behind her ears, her arms reaching out to you taking you in them. Her soft words trying to calm you down but still let you cry in her arms.

She and the boys convinced you to go home after much protest, Simon promising that he would call you when he was out and awake.

It felt like forever, three day had passed. December 24th Simon called you his words quick, “he’s awake, he’s looking for you.” You didn’t hesitate to get in the car with your mom, her speeding yall over to the hospital.

You walked in quickly up to the front desk, “McTavish, John- im his wife.” You stuttered.

“(Name).” Simons voice caught your attention, him waving you over so you went. Following him up the elevator to the room, it felt as if everything was in slow motion.

Turning to his room there he was sitting up, his eyes quickly meeting yours. You threw yourself at him “oh god..” you cried your arms holding him tightly as he did you. Your lips touching the crown of his head first then your lips met with his, the kiss filled with so much security and comfort he was actually there. He wasn’t cold anymore he was so warm his lips soft te taste of salt resting on them from his and your tears. You could feel prices presents just incase Johnny fell back but he didn’t he held you so securely.

“I’m sorry, fuck I’m so sorry.” He cried his hand holding the back of your head.

You shook your head “I’m sorry I almost let ya lassie, I’m sorry your spending Christmas in the hospital.” He cried kissing your face.

“There’s no place I rather be than with you.” You spoke your lips meeting his again, pulling away you finally got a look at his face his big glossy eyes looking down at you. His blue eyes looking all over you face your melanin features stained form your tears his hand still connected to a tube and wire as he ran his thumb under your puffy eyes.

“Weeping becous of me? I’ve caused you all this grief..” he spoke tenderly.

“Just scared is was gonna lose ya.” You spoke leaning into his touch.

It took his to realize, when he looked down he had to double check. His eyes meeting your once more bright than they already were a fat smile displayed on his face as he wrapped his arms around you again. “So this is what your we’re gonna tell me eh?” He smiled him sitting down on the bed one time get more at level with your stomach and two because his body couldn’t take the standing anymore.

His large hands feeling your bump. He let his forehead touch your stomach, your hands holding the sides of his face as he just laid there.

“I promise I ain’t gonna leave ya..” he spoke.

“I know baby…”you whispered.

“We’ll get through this, and we’ll have to have our own little Christmas just you and me.” He said looking up at her.

Tis the season of giving, for Johnny got all he needed. He was gonna live to see another day he was going to be a dad. And he’d get to wake up next to you till he got gray and wrinkly that’s all Johnny could want for Christmas, you.

Here’s a little Christmas one shot! Hope you like it!!

[cityzenshark]

Family | Chapter 24 - Hearts and Sparks

Homepage | Book One: Family | Book Two: Unity | Book Three: Belonging

Synopsis: The townspeople of Witwicky help the Maltos in return for saving their town.

.

Robby is transferred to the ICU as his conditions worsens. The doctor finds his symptoms to be a combination of sepsis and something that seems to be energon poisoning but isn’t. After he leaves, Robby tearfully confesses to Dot how terrible he had been since moving to their new home and apologizes for putting the Terrans in danger and for lashing out at her. Dorothy hugs her son, crying herself, and forgives him. Robby wishes the cybersleeve to come off. Later, his old friends come to visit him, including Stevie. What Robby said to Stevie still hurts but Stevie hates to see him deathly ill even more. Robby apologizes to him, and the two old friends made up.

       At the town’s capitol building, Alex and Mo is invited by the town Elders to discuss if the town’s old legends are related to the Core, the Emberstone, and the cybersleeves so they might be able to help solve the family’s issues. Mo hesitates to tell, then the shaman reassures her by telling her about Witwicky’s Mountain Spirit and Her stonemen offspring. If the ‘stonemen’ had been previous Terrans, they are records of something similar to cybersleeves on their ancestors who had lived with them. Later, Alex and Mo exit the capitol building to find Mo’s friends and their families waiting for them with charity they had collected for the Malto’s.

“It’s the least we can do after you saved us from Grimlock. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t seen the Terrans before that evening.”

“...You’ve seen them before?”

“Yep! Since your first day of school here, actually.”

“What... Why didn’t any of you say anything?”

“You seem scared for them, Mo. We didn’t want to stress you out, so we decided to wait for you, Robby or Mr and Mrs Malto to say something.”

“The revelation could’ve been better...”

“Hey, Mo, it’s over and done. You and your family saved this town and now it’s time for us to help you.”

       Back home, the Terrans have separated counselling sessions with therapists.

Hashtag has hers by the waterfall. She talks about her trauma and worries how humanity would welcome after what she did in Philly city because – mind controlled or not — she’s still responsible for the damages. Nightshade has theirs at the edge of the cow paddock. They express how ashamed they feel from their lack of understanding to their siblings’ feelings even when the cyberlink was still intact yet hates it so much. Jawbreaker has his at Mrs Belle’s silo. He feels embarrassed to be afraid of his older Terran siblings and shares his guilt for triggering Grimlock’s PTSD. Thrash has his in the bunker. He expresses the burden he feels for not just being the big brother but also being the first of his kind in a world hurt by the senior Transformers-kind; how he wishes the Terrans to never be involved in fixing the Cybertronians’ mistakes.

Meanwhile Twitch has hers in the woods where she and Robby went Wak-Wak hunting. Twitch refuses to admit her wrongs as she tries to convince her therapist how her actions were right, while the latter is wrong and bad for disagreeing her. Her therapist shares his personal story where he let his anger get the better of him. His actions got an innocent bystander killed. While he was in the right that time, the bystander is a victim, and he will forever be responsible for their death. Twitch’s decision to help Bumblebee and Brawl herself was indeed right, but the price was not worth the city’s destruction or it being the world’s first impression on the Terrans. Worst, Hashtag’s innocence is now unbelievable for an unforeseeable future.

Realisation finally dawned on Twitch, followed by immense regret. She wails loudly. Alarmed by her cries, her Terran siblings rush to her. Twitch hugs Hashtag by her neck and sob “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry, little sister!!” Though confused, Hashtag hugs her back and their brothers join in. The therapists give them some privacy, feeling relieved and glad for them.

.

.

.

[northernattude]

@wishingonstcrs

The days were getting shorter and colder, and as that began to happen, Andrew could feel the seasonal sadness seeping into his skin. It wasn't like he burst into tears or was anything serious, just a small layer of ice over the warmth he was usually able to let shine. Today had not been easy, two longer surgeries and one ICU transfer later, but no one had died on his watch today and for that he felt proud. He sat at the computer, typing up his notes and dictating when he saw her. There had been two women walking through his mind lately and to see one of them made his heart warm and brought a smile to his face. "Hey Shepherd!" he called out. Sure, they'd had spent a night or two together, but he still got nervous butterflies around her.

[lookatmysillies]

AREPH Main Facility - Eddy POV

Tallis was brought to the facility shortly after Round 7.

While his companion, the guard, Hayate, was dragged unconscious to the lower high-security floors that Eddy had yet to attain access to, Tallis was immediately transferred to the ICU. Usually, this space was reserved for injured workers, but Tallis was an exception. He was placed in the same bed that Eddy had been vacated from after a long rest and recovery following its near-death encounter with the target Solei. Or... whatever they were now. Eddy wasn't certain. It was still set on the idea that it could save them and bring them home after such a long absence.

While Eddy was slowly integrated back into the field, they lingered in Tallis's room during the long days. At first, they merely observed him; a real Alien Stage contestant, up close! It was a marvel. He was marked for death by his loss against the contestant Daiki with her edgy wit and charm, but AREPH must've had bigger plans.

Maybe they brought Eddy a friend after all this time. They hadn't had a friend for a very long time. Not since... not since him.

Eddy tried not to think too much about Sebastian most days. Some days they allowed themselves to look at his baby pictures and smile and tear up.

Tallis was a lot - well, bigger than Sebastian was, but he worked well as a friend all the same. Eddy clumsily re-braided his hair whenever his braids loosened in his unresponsive state. It checked Tallis's IVs and the bandages on his midsection, one for the first bullet (it definitely got him good, but only pierced the fatty tissue of his side) and another for the second, which had pierced his abdomen. The aliens who tended to Tallis's health joked that Eddy might as well be their boss, seeing as it was there even more than they were.

It read case files to Tallis to stimulate his mind, ate meals in his presence and told him that he would love the pudding from the caf once he woke up, studied his calloused fingers (how did they get so rough?) and gently wiped his face and neck with a wet cloth every now and then to keep him clean. When one day, Tallis was transported to the lower levels where Eddy couldn't go, it was sad to see its new best friend go. Waiting for him to wake up felt like it was taking forever.

When he re-emerged a few weeks later, he was still asleep - kept in a medically induced coma, the doctors told Eddy, for his health. They told him he should wake soon and put him in one of their medical observation rooms. Eddy couldn't braid Tallis's hair anymore, as it had been buzzed sometime when he was gone, but they could resume their usual routine.

Until Tallis did finally wake a few nights after Eddy monitored Round 16 to watch for Aurien and Solei.

And Tallis was not happy.

They got past the initial awkwardness after Tallis threw things at them the night he woke up and spit in their face. Tallis must've realized relatively quickly that he was surrounded by aliens and his best bet was to let the only other human stick around.

He rejected Eddy's friendly gestures for a solid week. He pushed away the warm washcloths and refused to eat much of the food Eddy offered him despite his gaunt, sunken appearance. The only times he addressed Eddy directly (or anyone, really) was to ask questions.

Where am I? The AREPH facility. Where's the facility? I'm so sorry, I can't tell you that! How am I alive? The guard saved you - I'm glad he did, too! Where is he, then? Undergoing treatment in the lower levels, then he'll probably be questioned. Are you going to question me? Soon, yes, we think you might have information pertinent to our investigations.

Tallis's jaw ticked at those words, and Eddy knew he knew what that meant.

Tallis had ties to high-profile figures.

(And that was the only reason he still lived, not because his life had any worth to anyone, but because he had information on the people who really mattered in the eyes of others.)

Which brought them to their first compromise.

Eddy wasn't technically allowed to show Tallis any information regarding Season 39 of Alien Stage. He was supposed to be in the dark.

But it broke Eddy's heart to reject him any information on his friends, Tov and Himei. He cared about them. He had a human connection with them, like Eddy had a human connection with Sebastian once upon a time.

"I'll be your friend if you tell me if they're okay," Tallis said ever so quietly one night from his bed, eyes wide and teary. "Just tell me if they're alive. Tell me how many of my friends are still alive."

And Eddy broke.

"Tov," Eddy whispered in his ear so no sound systems would pick up on it. "Himei, and all the others who won their rounds before you, all but Vera. Khoi." Tallis's eyes fluttered shut. "Lark, Akane, Jae, Lang, and Onyx."

Tallis's throat caught on a harsh swallow. "No Castor?"

Eddy hesitated, wishing not to have to be the one to confirm it.

"No Castor," it murmured, shrinking away when Tallis's face briefly crumpled, a single tear released from his eye. Then he wiped his face with his blanket like a small child might and forced a stoic look upon his face, though his lips still trembled.

"Tell me," Tallis said shakily, "who wins the next row. If you can."

Eddy couldn't turn him down again after that.

"I can."

AREPH had different plans.

Eddy didn't have to tell him one thing, because for Rounds 17 and 21, Tallis was placed on a chair in the observation room with wires and electrodes attached to his head. Eddy and a few others had already taken a few cracks each at getting Tallis to talk about his classmates and he had thus refused.

"Is this necessary?" Eddy whispered to the small alien named Yakun, chewing on the inside of their cheek behind their facemask. Tallis's face was nearly green with sick as the countdown to Tov's round whittled down, his friend about to meet the fate she was destined for either way.

Eddy hoped she won, for Tallis's sake and their own preferences. She was Eddy's favorite contestant. She was radiant.

"It is," Yakun told it. "If he won't tell us about his connections, we'll learn ourselves."

Tallis had already been irritable and jittery since he woke up from his coma. Now, he was downright mercurial as the round progressed live on a projector before him. He shook violently in his seat from the beginning till the end. When Lark hit the floor, he covered his eyes, his mouth moving in what could be some silent prayer. He only removed his hands when the announcer bellowed Tov's name.

Round 21 was worse. Like Round 17, Tallis's friend took the early lead and held it throughout, but also like Round 17, there was a wrench thrown into it. Instead of Lark falling to the ground, it was Himei, forced down by Noora. When Noora started raining punches down on Himei, Tallis, who had already been anxious the whole performance mouthing "something is wrong" promptly burst into silent tears, biting down on his fingers as Himei was hurt. The gunshot piercing Noora's neck almost seemed like a relief to him, making his teeth unclench from his flesh, dark bite marks left in their wake.

Eddy hated it.

That night, Tallis was utterly defeated, pale and shivering. He let Eddy clean his face, or maybe more accurately, he had no energy to resist it. He let them steal an extra blanket from an unoccupied room and put it on Tallis's bed.

Eddy watched over him that night, eyes fixated on his sleeping form, pierced by the familiar ache that came with connection.

Sebastian's pictures felt like they were burning against Eddy's leg where they rested in its pocket.

Not much more than a week later, Himei's long black curls were falling to the floor with each rhythmic snip of the scissors.

Daiki was dead. Himei had outlasted her. She won the stupid fucking game she was playing against herself.

But with every photoshoot and interview that came afterwards deeming Himei a member of the Elite Eight, declaring her better than Daiki, pitting her against Tov whose points count loomed ahead of her, Himei knew the truth.

Every time she glimpsed herself in the mirror and saw her bruised, sore face, she knew the truth.

Every time she laid eyes on Cirrus, whether in a magazine, on a billboard, or at mealtimes, she knew.

She didn't win.

She'd already lost, regardless of the outcome.

The morning of Round 24, she woke with a heavy heart.

She needed to see Tov.

Tagging time! Tov belongs to @ivanttakethis; Daiki belongs to @daiki1k; Sebastian belongs to @sotogalmo; Lark and Noora belong to @kamersona; Cirrus belongs to @cirrusoftheclouds. Everyone else is pretty much mentioned in passing, so I won't tag those people and spam their notifs, lol.

[anglophiletraveler]

In My Life

Chapter 41

And I Love Her

Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

I could hear this song in my head when I was writing about Grace and Joshua in this chapter.  Thye’ve had this long, loving relationship for so many years.  They’re one of those couples who still hold hands while taking a walk, and still very much enjoy making love.  Must be where Ross gets it from!  Thanks for being loyal readers.  

***************** 

Demelza got a phone call from the hospital later that night.  It had actually woke her from a deep sleep that she had finally managed to obtain.  At first she was confused as to why her phone was ringing and then she quickly answered the phone.  It was a nurse from the hospital. The nursing staff had to move Ross back into ICU because his sats wouldn’t stabilise after the disastrous visit from Elizabeth.  She quickly called Caroline and Dwight and they picked her up on the way to the hospital.  She decided to wait until she saw Ross before she woke up his parents.  On the way to the hospital Demelza told the couple about Elizabeth showing up and getting Ross upset, refusing to leave, and how Ross’s nurse had to throw Elizabeth out and threaten to call security.  It was after this that his breathing became laboured again.  Demelza had packed a small bag with her this time.

The three friends walked swiftly into the waiting room for the ICU unit. Dwight stopped Demelza and had her get her composure before they approached the window that separated the nurses station from the waiting room.  Demelza took a couple deep breaths and rang the buzzer to let the nurses know that they were there.  The window slid back to reveal a nurse, “Hello, I was called earlier and told that my fiance’ Ross Poldark was transferred here because of his breathing.”

The nurse looked at her and at Dwight and Caroline behind her.  “Hold on, I’ll go get his nurse,” and she closed the window again.  

Demelza rolled her eyes and started biting her lip.  Caroline stepped forward and put her arms around her friend, “It’s going to be okay.  He’s right where he needs to be.  And don’t you worry, the next time I see Elizabeth, I will personally slap her.”

Dwight stepped in the conversation, “Caroline, that’s not going to help anything.”

Demelza swung her head around so quickly at Dwight she looked like she was from the Exorcism, “Like hell it won’t Dwight.”  Dwight’s eyes widened at Demelza’s response.

The window opened again, and the nurse smiled at Demelza, “Hello, I think I remember you from when Mr Poldark was in our unit the last time.”

Demelza smiled at the recognition, “Yes, hello, so how is Ross?  Can I see him?”

“Hello Dr. Enys.  Well, he’s finally resting comfortably now and we’d like to keep him that way.  His breathing became very laboured a few hours ago like I told you over the phone.  But I told him that you’re here, and he’s asked to see you.  So you can see him but only for a few minutes.”

“Did you have to intubate him?” Dwight asked.

“No, but it was close.  We’re doing what we can to avoid that.  Radiology will be coming in for a portable chest x-ray soon.  We’ve been keeping a really close eye on him.  He’s on 4 litres of 02 right now, so hopefully by morning we can titrate that down.”

“Thank you.  May we see him now?” Dwight asked.

The nurse gave him a pensive look, “I really should only let his fiance in, but if you promise not to excite him, I’ll let all of you go in, but just for a few minutes.”  The nurse opened the door and let the three friends go into Ross’s room.  Demelza hated how quiet it was in this unit.  The quiet was accented by the beeping of the machines, the blue lights glowing from the monitors, the swooshing sound from the respirators.

The nurse pulled back the curtain to Ross’s room.  Demelza was making every effort to keep herself together, but the minute she saw Ross laying in that bed looking pale again, she couldn’t hide her tears.

Ross smiled, “Hey, hey baby don’t cry.. … I’m fine. And I’ll be ….even better tomorrow.  You just ….wait and see.  Shhhh.”

Demelza sat next to him on his bed and held his hand, “I’m sorry, I can’t help it.  You need to stop scaring the shit out of me like this!”

Ross smiled at his fiance, “I’m sorry,” Ross turned his head and noticed Caroline standing behind Dwight. “Oh fuck… I must be dying if… Caroline is here,” he was only half kidding when he saw her standing there.  He hadn’t seen her since he had been in the hospital.

Caroline smiled and stepped forward, “No, I’ve just been lifting weights so that when I punch Elizabeth it will really leave a shiner on her eye!”  All four friends laughed at her statement.  

Demelza raised an eyebrow at Caroline, “Get in line girlfriend, I get my hands on her first.”

Ross was looking at his fierce redhead, “Hang on…now, wait until I’m better… so I can watch!”

Dwight shook his head, “How are you feeling Ross?  What’s your chest feeling like?”

Ross tilted his head a little, “Um, it’s… a little tight.  I imagine…after a couple… more breathing treatments…it will feel…better.”  

Dwight could tell that he was struggling and looked tired.  He cleared his throat, “Ladies, I think we need to get going so Ross can get some rest.”  He gave Caroline a knowing look.

“Yes, I need to get my beauty sleep,” Caroline said.  “Demelza, why don’t you spend the night with us?  And then I can drive you back first thing in the morning.”

Demelza shook her head, “No, I’m going to spend the night in the waiting room.  I packed a bag.”

Ross grabbed Demelza’s hand again, “Babe, I promise I’ll …be alright.  Go home, or …spend the night with them...  Besides, the morning isn’t… that far off.  Get… some rest.  ‘Kay?  Please?”

A tear rolled down Demelza’s cheek, “Oh, alright.  But I’m just going to be right back here in the morning.”  She leaned down and kissed him again. “I love you Ross.”

“I love you too baby.”

Caroline wiped a tear from her eye watching her friends.  They left the room and they all let out a heavy sigh.  Demelza looked Dwight in the eye, “Okay Dwight, be honest. How is he really?”

“Well, he’s struggling to breathe again, like he did when he first came out of surgery, and I’m not happy about that.  From what the nurse said, he’s right on the edge of needing to go back on the vent, and that’s not good.  I think the next couple of hours are critical in keeping him off the vent.  If he can make it through the next few hours without having to go on the vent, that will be huge.  He needs to stay calm and rest.  I’m not going to stop you from spending the night here in the waiting room, but I would tell the nurses to not tell him that you’re here, because the last thing he needs is to worry about you sleeping out here.  But, I understand that you want to be close by.  Have you thought about getting a hotel room across the street where Joshua and Grace are?”

“No, I haven’t.  Do you think I should call them?”

“Yes, I do. Just because I think they should know what happened with Elizabeth and how it caused him to have a setback.  Would you like me to call them?” Dwight asked.

“No, I should do it.  Thank you both for coming with me.  I’m sorry to get you out of bed in the middle of the night,” Demelza’s voice was low.

Caroline hugged her friend, “Don’t be ridiculous.  We’re here for you 24/7.  Just take care of yourself and don’t be afraid to call us, alright?”

Demelza shook her head in reply.  She was glad to see Caroline and Dwight together and they didn’t seem to be as tense together as they had been previously.  After they left, Demelza walked back up to the window for the nurse station.  When the window opened she explained that she was going to stay in the waiting room, but they weren't to let Ross know.  She sat down and stretched her neck out a little and then called Joshua.  He was able to talk with Demelza without waking up his wife.

“So, I’m going to get you a room here at the hotel so you’ll be closer.  I’ll come over in a few hours and relieve you, so that you can come get your room and rest.  And I’ll not take no for an answer, Demelza.  Do you hear?  You don’t have to do this all on your own.”

“Yes, I hear.  I’ll call if there are any changes.”  She hung up and decided to get as comfortable as she could on the green couch that smelled like hospital antiseptic.

**********************

When Joshua arrived, he found Demelza asleep in an uncomfortable position on the green couch.  He went over to the window for the nurse’s station and gave them a list of Trenwith occupants who weren’t allowed to visit Ross with the exception of Verity.  They weren’t going to risk another setback in Ross’s condition.

Joshua gave Demelza’s shoulder a nudge to wake her up, “Come on, luv, wake up so you can go get some real rest at the hotel.  Here’s your room key, you’re in room 318.”

“Wha..oh hello.  What time is it?”

“It’s time for you to go get some rest.  Don’t worry about Ross, I’ll keep an eye on him.  Come on, up you go.  And Ross is still asleep so don’t even think of going in to say good-bye.  You can see him later.”

Demelza frowned at her future father-in-law.  He had a different tone in his voice that she didn’t appreciate.  She hasn’t allowed anyone to speak to her that way since she walked out of her father’s house all those years ago and never looked back.  So she’s hoping that he’s just in a grumpy mood for not getting enough sleep.  She didn’t really know her future in-laws that well, so she needs to tread cautiously.  “Well, I am going to see him before I leave.” She got up and went to check on Ross.  Joshua furrowed his brows like Ross when he watched her walk back to Ross’s room.

**********************

Demelza quietly walked back to Ross’s room.  She didn’t want to wake him, she just wanted to see his sleeping face before she checked into the hotel room, but she was greeted by a brilliant smile.  “Well hey there!  I wasn’t expecting you to be awake!”

“Well I wasn’t expecting youuu… to be here at all!  So either …you got up extra early to get here, or… you spent the night… on the couch after…I told you to go…home!  I’m guessin….that you spent the night.  Come here…and kiss me.”

Demelza didn’t waste any time and gave Ross a long, slow kiss, “Mmmm, I love you, but I shouldn’t be doing this in case your father walks in.”

“My father?  Who cares …..what he walks in on.”

“Well, he told me not to come in and see you before I left.  I think he was afraid that I was going to wake you up and disturb you,” Demelza added.

“Well, I’m glad that you didn’t listen to him,” Ross’s eyes were starting to have their sparkle back

“Well you look like you feel better.  That’s good.  Maybe you can get moved out of this room into a regular room today?”  Demelza was hoping for the best.

“That’s a definite possibility!” Demelza turned to the voice of the same nurse that ran Elizabeth out of town yesterday.  “Good morning Red, I trust you had a good night’s sleep on that lovely green couch.”

Demelza chuckled, “As a matter of fact I did, thank you very much.  I’m actually becoming quite attached to it!  So you think you might be setting this one loose today?”

“Mmmaybe.  But your father brought us a list of visitors that are not allowed to visit, so that should help.  So I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes before you go find a real bed, and so this gorgeous hunk of man can get another breathing treatment.”

Ross smiled at the nurse, “Gorgeous huh?  …You better watch out …Demelza, you might have some competition!”  The nurse laughed on her way out the door.

Demelza gently ran her hand over Ross’s cheek, using her thumb to caress his lips. “I can’t wait to get you home, Ross.  I miss you so much,” she was doing her best to hold back that lump in  her throat.

“I know baby, I want to be ….home with…. you too.  I promise you…. I’m doing everything… I can to get better.  Now why don’t …….you go home and get some ……..really good sleep, and I’m going to let them………. do that wonderful breathing treatment on me.”

Demelza sighed, “Ok.  Your dad got a hotel room for me across the street with them so I can just go over there.  Drake is taking care of Seamus so we don’t have to worry about him.  I brought a change of clothes with me, so after I wake up and shower, and I’ll smell better, I’ll come back to be with you, alright?”

Ross smiled, “Sounds good.”

*************************

“Here’s your medicine, love, and a cup of water,” Joshua handed Grace her mid-day meds

“Where’s my spoonful of sugar?” Grace’s eyes had their usual morning twinkle in them.  Joshua smiled at his wife, trying not to let the worry show through.  This latest trip to London had been hard on his wife and her routine.  Plus, she was definitely getting weaker from the treatments.  He was beginning to wonder if putting the surgery off until after the wedding was a wise decision, and now Ross’s accident on top it didn't help things at all.   

“I’m going to order some room service for lunch, and after we eat, I’ll head back to the hospital,” Joshua looked at his watch, “It’s 12:00 so hopefully Demelza is fast asleep by now.  What would you like to eat for lunch?  Some pasta?  A burger and chips?  Fish and chips?”

“Mmm I think maybe a cup of soup.  Maybe a bite of fruit.” Grace was looking at the collection of scarfs on her lap, smoothing them out with her hand, trying to decide which one she felt like wearing today.  Her hair was beginning to fall out, so she was trying to get used to the idea of scarfs.  She had already ordered a wig for the wedding.  She always loved her long dark brown hair.  She kept it styled in soft waves most of the time.  Every once in a while she had thought about cutting it shorter like most women her age had done, but she would always resist the urge.  It was part of who she was.  Joshua still wrapped his fingers in the locks when they would be sitting next to each other, or during times of intimacy.  

Joshua frowned at her, “That doesn’t sound like a lot to eat darling.  You have to keep up your strength.”

Grace shook her head slightly, “Alright, I’ll have a toasted cheese sandwich as well if you insist.  I really would like to go visit with Ross today.”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea for either of you.  You need to stay away from hospital germs, and Ross needs to rest and stay calm so that his lungs can heal properly.  Christ, I had a hard enough time getting Demelza to leave this morning when I was over there.  She insisted on seeing him before she left.”

“Joshua, of course she wanted to see him before she left.  She loves him and wants to be there for him.  I hope you weren’t harsh with her.  Don’t forget that very soon she’s going to be your daughter-in-law,” Grace didn’t back down from scolding her husband when he needed it.  He just grumbled back to her in return.

“Alright, so room service is ordered.  Hopefully they don’t take an hour and a day to get up here,” Joshua was grumbling again while he looked out the window.

“Joshua, what the hell is wrong?  Why are you in such a grumpy mood?”

Joshua let out a sigh and crossed arms in front of him.  His forehead was filled with worry lines.  “I’m just…  I’m just tired.  I want us to be in our own home, our own bed, eating our own food.  I want you home safe and away from all of these germs.”

Grace stood up and walked over to Joshua with her hands on her hips, “We need to be here for Ross.”  She might have looked frail, but her voice showed how firm her intentions were.

Joshua turned and looked his wife in the face, “Do we really Grace?”

“Joshua Poldark of course we do!!  What the hell’s wrong with you!  Our son is laying over in the ICU in that hospital!  He’s not out of the woods yet.  We can’t leave now, what if he takes a turn for the worst, God forbid!  I’m ashamed of you!”  There was no doubt now that Grace Poldark was pissed.

Joshua turned and walked away from his wife, hands up in the air shaking his head, “For Christ’s sake Grace, I’m worried about you!  I need to take care of you!  I can’t lose you!  You are my life, the reason I get up every morning, you are the air that I breathe! My God!  Having you here is not good for you.  You catch a cold from someone in the hall of the hotel or the hospital and you could end up in the hospital, and I can’t have that my love!  Of course I care about Ross and I know that he’s not out of the woods yet, but he has Demelza to watch over him, and Dwight and Verity.”

Grace put her hand on Joshua’s arm, “Joshua, our son is in the ICU.  As long as I am breathing, I am going to be there for him.  I understand about the germs which is why I’m not pushing to go sit in his hospital room.  But I need to be close to him in case something… goes wrong,” the mother had tears in her eyes now.

Joshua pulled her in for a hug.  He got it.  He didn’t want to lose another son either, “Shhh don’t cry.  You’ll use up your energy.  Shhhh I don’t want to lose him either.  I’m just so worried about you, my sweet love.”

Grace looked up in Joshua’s eyes, “Please don’t make me go home.  Not yet.”

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, “Alright not yet.  But as soon as he’s out of ICU and is stable I’m taking you home.  Deal?”

“Deal.”

********************

And I Love Her

Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

I give her all my love.  That’s all I do.

And if you saw my love, you’d love her too.

I love her.

She gives me everything.

And tenderly.

The kiss my lover brings

She brings to me.

And I love her.

A love like ours

Could never die

As long as I

Have you near me

Bright are the stars that shine

Dark is the sky.

I know this of mine

Will never die

And I love her.

[alanshemper]

In 2020, Robert Kuciemba, a woodworker in San Francisco was infected by a co-worker after his Nevada-based Victory Woodworks transferred a number of sick workers to the San Francisco site for a few months

Victory Woodworks knew some employees might be sick but they transferred them anyway and ignored a San Francisco ordinance in place at the time to quarantine suspected covid cases

Kuciemba was subsequently infected and he then infected his wife, who ended up in ICU on a ventilator. There's a few stunning details to this case:

First, the court agreed that there is no doubt the company ignored the San Francisco health ordinance. In other words, they accepted the company had broken the law but still...

Second, the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobbying organisation got involved and helped the company with its defence. This is a tiny company in a niche industry. Their involvement tells us a lot about the importance of the principle they knew was at stake.

Third, the defence of the company is very telling. “There is simply no limit to how wide the net will be cast: the wife who claims her husband caught COVID-19 from the supermarket checker, the husband who claims his wife caught it while visiting an elder care home." Well, exactly

The California Supreme Court ruled against Kuciemba on the basis that a victory, while, in the court's words, "morally" the right thing to do, would create "dire financial consequences for employers" and cause a "dramatic expansion of liability" to stop the spread of covid.

This case reveals what many of us suspected but haven't seen confirmed in so many words: the public health imperative of controlling a pandemic by making employers liable for some of that control is, and always must be, secondary to capitalist profit

[author's ko-fi link]

[bullet-prooflove]

Hello! May I please have something for Matthew Keller x Reader with the song prompt: "I love the way you could see the good in everything."

Companion piece to Five Times

When you die, Matt’s humanity dies with you because you, you're the good in him.

You’re gone for almost three minutes, it’s the longest fucking three minutes of his life.

In those three minutes he stands up and walks away because the agony in his chest it’s too much, he can’t fathom a world without you in it. When they bring you back there’s just this rage vibrating through his body, this violence that he can’t contain.

It doesn’t shift when the doctor’s tell him that you’re going to pull through, in fact it grows when they tell him that you’re looking at a long recovery, that there may be deficits.

Deficits…

The word is bitter on his tongue.

He’s told he can’t see you when you come out of surgery, not until they transfer you to the ICU, he rallies against it but they rally right back. It’s for your safety, not his peace of mind.

He spends that time plotting Woodford’s demise, all the horrible, evil shit he’s going to do to that man. He imagines, strangling him, beating him to death, putting a bullet in every single one of his joints. They’re all too quick.

Poison is what he decides on, he knows just the one. It’s slow, agonising, it’ll make Woodford feel like his insides are burning from the inside out and he wants that, he wants that man to suffer for what he did to you.

It isn’t hard to obtain, it isn’t hard to spike his drink either. A couple of drops injected through the cork of the expensive bottle of champagne he has waiting for him in hotel room.

That son of a bitch, he stayed in New York after what he did to you. He thought you’d pass quietly into the night but Matt’s girl, she’s always been a fighter, you’d managed to hold on long enough for him to get home.

When Woodford first starts to feel the effects of the poison  he’s  surprised when Matt steps out of the shadows. He stands over Woodford, watching as the other man asphyxiates, as he claws at his skin, as he begs for help.

“You deserve this.” He tells the other man. “For everything you did to her.”

Its in that moment that Woodford makes the connection. The reason he tried to kill you is because you refused to sleep with him, because you were in love with another man, in love with him.

When you wake up, he’s right there at your bedside, hand holding yours.

“Hey there beautiful.” He says softly as he raises to his feet. His thumb chases over the apple of your cheek as the edges of his mouth tip up into a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got shot in the chest.” You croak and his lips purse into a grim line because that image of you, lying on that bed, blood seeping into the sheets, it haunts him.

“I know.” He murmurs as he leans in close, his lips brushing lightly over your forehead. “He can’t hurt you anymore, I’ve taken care of that.”

Love Keller? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

@rosielou94 d @kmc1989 @toheavenwmydrms @noxytopy

[klaudia2646]

Hospital in Waterloo said that David possibly has an aneurysm and had to be transferred to Iowa City by ambulance. So I went home, got a change of clothes and toiletries for him and at around 4:30 left to go to the hospital. I found emergency ok and I found David. They took him to get another CT scan. They didn’t find any aneurysm but they want to double check so they’ll do yet another test. So fingers crossed. However, he will have to stay at the hospital for 7 days. They say he needs to be checked closely. I’ll have to juggle home, pets, one and a half hour going and coming back. I have to change the oil in my car so I guess I’ll do that first thing tomorrow morning. I went to move my car from the emergency parking lot to one of the ramps and that was an ordeal. I hope I find my car again. I hate these huge hospitals, I always get lost. David is in ICU now, that’s why I had to move it. Wait and see, they’ll move him again and I’ll have to find my way once again in the hospital. Michael and Andrew will come to get me at the hospital since I haven’t slept since yesterday morning. Haven’t eaten anything all day but I saw a cafeteria on the way here. I’m not hungry but may get a coffee.

I didn’t expect to end 2023 like this but it is what it is. I’m just hoping David will come out of this one fine.

[drgaellon]

I know I have been largely missing from tumblr for several months. I also know I don't have a large following of people. Nevertheless, this is the story of why I've been AWOL.

Last fall, I started having back pain. I suspected it was related to disc problems, so, being a stupid doctor, I wrote myself a prescription for steroids. It worked for a while, then it stopped working, so I upped the dose. I did this several times until I achieved a dose which kept me functioning. In the meantime, I got an MRI and confirmed that I had four herniated discs in my lumbar spine. I went for an epidural, which helped with the residual pain.

However, I never stopped to consider just how much steroid I was giving myself. I started falling, repeatedly. At the beginning of February, I fell forward and landed on my outstretched hands - I would come to find out later that I dislocated my left shoulder and tore my rotator cuff. At the beginning of March, I fell and could not get up off the floor. I was alone in my apartment, so I had to call 911 and they had to force the lock. I decided I was unsafe to continue to stay alone, so I packed myself up and went to Florida to stay with my sister. I saw a doctor from the group she uses and started looking for outpatient physical therapy. I had given myself a steroid myopathy (muscle weakness from steroid overuse) - I had been taking the equivalent of 80mg a day of prednisone for months.

About 10 days after I got there, I woke up in the middle of the night with chest pain and shortness of breath. We called 911 and I went to the ER. A CT showed that I had bilateral submassive PE (large blood clots in both lungs). I was whisked off to the cath lab, where they successfully removed most of the clot. You can see the extracted clot in the picture.

About six hours later, unfortunately, I started bleeding from the catheter site and went into hemorrhagic shock, with my blood pressure at 70/40. I spent five days in ICU, where I got three units of transfusion, then five days in step down, then ten days in an acute rehab hospital. I returned to my sister's, where I spent another 3 months doing home PT/OT.

I got back to New York about 2 weeks ago, and I'm expecting to go back to work next week. I'm still using a cane and a walker, and my rehab doctor wants me to use a scooter in the hospital to protect the injured shoulder (using a cane or walker just transfers the weight from the legs to the arms).

It's been a rough year, but I seem to be getting through it.