#he didn't have an answer for me but assured me that the hospital couldn't refuse treatment due to inability to pay

[curious-dragon-hoarder]

Adding that if you don't have health insurance, it's possible that you can get on Medicaid and backdate it to the beginning of the month. My little sister was very badly hurt while in between jobs and a social worker at the hospital helped us get this process started for her while she was still unconscious. Total between all the surgeries, hospital stay, follow ups, etc would have been over $700,000. Medicaid covered almost everything, we only had small copays for her meds.

I feel like I should make a post about this because it’s not something that’s very well-known, and that Americans in particular may need to know about given the uncertain state of our healthcare system at the moment. I’ve wanted to write this out for a while, It’s kind of a long post, so sorry about that!

If you have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, you’ll owe the hospital a lot of money. (I got into a car wreck and broke my ankle and my arm. My hospital bill was around $20,000)

You’ll also owe the ambulance provider, if you need one. (My ambulance bill was about $800)

You may get separate bills from the anesthesiologist or surgeon. (My anesthesiologist bill was $1,700)

You may need follow-up appointments. (My orthopedic surgeon billed me for the appointments and his surgery together and it was about $1,000)

You’ve also got to pay for medical equipment you need afterward, like crutches or a walking boot. (Mine cost about $75)

Altogether, I ended up with almost $24,000 in medical debt from one car accident. That’s a really scary number for someone like me who makes $10/hr at a 12 hour a week job.

I got my debt down to $1075 by making some phone calls and submitting some paperwork.

The first thing I did was contact the hospital. They don’t make it easy to find, but many hospitals (perhaps most hospitals?) have financial assistance programs for people who can’t afford medical bills. I don’t make a lot of money, and I have bills to pay, so they were able to help me. I called the billing department and asked if they had any assistance programs for low income people who can’t pay their bills. I had to call multiple times, and I got transferred in circles by people who didn’t know what I was talking about. Finally, I got an appointment with someone in “Eligibility Services” (I don’t know what other hospitals call it, if it’s something different). I had to bring my pay stubs and copies of all of my bills. When I got to the hospital for the appointment, nobody knew what I was talking about so I had to wander a little to find where I needed to go. I spoke with the guy in Eligibility Services, and I waited for a decision on how much of the bill they would forgive. A month later, I got a call telling me it was totally forgiven.

I did the same thing for my ambulance bill and my anesthesiologist, but the process was a LOT easier. I just had to mail some paperwork and it was totally forgiven.

I didn’t bother with the medical equipment suppliers, since the bills came from separate companies and I didn’t feel like going through the process twice for $75. I was assured at the hospital that they had similar programs for debt forgiveness, so I could have probably avoided paying that too.

The only thing I couldn’t get taken care of was the surgeon/follow-up appointment cost, but they were able to put me on a no-interest payment plan.

Medical debt is scary because it’s something that can come from stuff that’s already really scary. I didn’t need the burden of $24,000 in debt on top of trying to get around on a crutch with a broken arm (it’s not easy, believe me!).. but I can’t imagine what it would be like with a bigger debt or a more severe medical emergency. I see lots of people in even worse trouble than I was in, both financially and medically. Please know that there are options for you when that GoFundMe doesn’t do enough. Even if your income is higher than mine, it’s worth a shot even for partial debt forgiveness.

[mugunghwc]

@badheart said: Fang hadn't expected to wake up here again, the place she loathed the most. Thinking back, during her first time she had wished to have just died as well once her life changed for the worst. Fang ignored the nurses, refusing to speak, while looking out of the window. Now everyone will either worry about her or be disappointed that she survived, either way she upsets people. Who even rescued her, it made no sense or didn't she cut deep enough but even so. No one could ever visit her. Fang looked around. No phone. This was truly hell.

ji-eun had stood by with the excuse of being her boyfriend, so that he could get updates on her health. there had been protests when he was called out of the room—adamant of being there when she woke up, but unless he wanted to cause a bigger scene, he had to comply to whatever regulations they had for cases such as hers. his phone's battery had died a while ago, but after borrowing a charger from the reception, the screen came to life & with it, came the many messages & missing calls during that period. some from yury, other from his brother, & more curiously, plenty from naomi along with messages asking him to get in contact as soon as possible.

he texted her a question mark, & just moments after that, his phone was ringing once again. "what is it--" his voice was cut short by a different voice that did not belong to naomi, but to that woman fang sought refuge in. just what the hell was going on? ji-eun couldn't think straight, but luckily, he didn't need to ask as it was her who explained what was going on. "you're with her, aren't you? tell me where she is!" her desperation was oozing from her voice. she must've gone to naomi after failing to contact fang, which reminded him about her phone. he had left it at the apartment.

"tch. you think i did something to her, didn't you?" based on her reaction upon first seeing him. ji-eun could tell that she recognised him, or at least, knew who he was. it was the only way he'd explain such a brazen reaction from her. "she's at the hospital." he ended up admitting, prompting rei to become silent. a shiver ran down her spine. "i'm taking care of it." he assured before handing, leaving her speechless, with the words caught up in her throat. the address of the hospital would be then sent through the chatting log, as well as the message ' don't come yet, or i will be forced to take her away '. all he wanted was a moment with her alone. his phone was placed back into his pocket prior to making another round along the hall, waiting for her to wake up.

after a nurse had entered the room, ji-eun rushed towards her with a question that went without being said, as she took it upon herself to answer before even a sound escaped past his lips. she was awake & his excitement was barely contained—stepping into the bedroom with a smile across his lips. the chair by the bed would be pulled closer, so he could sit & stare at her like a hound happily wagging its tail to their owner. "fang... finally... you woke up, baby. i'm glad."

[johnsamericano]

𝔖𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔧.𝔧.𝔥 •3•

I hope this ain't getting shitty. Thank you for reading, sexy people. Send me a message or an ask if you'd like to be added to the tag list.

warnings: hungover jaehyun, age gap, hospitals, nothing too extreme.

sugar rush m.list.

taglist: @thoreeo @trustmahluv @sunny-nyu @nanascupid @silent-potato @painted-hills

~

Yoonoh woke up on a strange bed, the mattress stiffer than the one he had back home. He refused to open his eyes, fearing that the daylight would worsen his headache.

Yoonoh woke up on a strange bed, the mattress stiffer than the one he had back home. He refused to open his eyes, fearing that the daylight would worsen his headache.

“Wake up, sunshine.” He groaned, all the memories from the past night hitting him like a truck. “Come on, I made breakfast.”

His eyelids finally fluttered open, frown softening at the sight of you in a messy bun and your cute pajamas.

“How come you look so fresh?” The dark circles under his eyes had deepened in the span of a few hours. Thank God he didn't have to work that day.

“I always look fresh.” You seemed to be more comfortable around him. Perhaps it was because you had to tuck him in last night. “Up.”

You tugged both of his limp hands, forcing him to sit up.

“What did you cook? It smells nice.” He scrunched up his nose like a little kid.

“Eggs, bacon, and hash browns.” Fast as lightning, he got up from bed. On his way to the kitchen, he noticed the blanket hanging from the edge of your sofa. Disappointment pinched his heart.

“Why didn't you sleep with me? You would've been more comfortable.”

You set two plates on the small table, pulling the pan out of the stove to serve them.

“You spread yourself all over the bed as soon as I laid you down.” You lied successfully. You didn’t have the heart to tell him you weren’t that comfortable yet.

You let the pan down on the kitchen counter, taking a seat in front of him.

“Do you still want to visit my father?” Sparkling orbs stared at him timidly, fearing his answer would be negative.

“I mean…” You hummed, trying not to give it as much importance. “I do want to go!” He quickly corrected himself, frantically shaking his hands. “It’s just that I don't want to meet your father like this.” He pointed at his bed hair, which had only become messier since he woke up.

“You’re acting like he's gonna see you.” There was a slight bitterness in your tone, along with a fake grin.

“Alright, let's do this instead...” Yoonoh sat up straight, clearing his throat as if he were about to give a speech. “We’ll have breakfast, you'll shower quickly, and then we’ll drive to my house so I can fix myself. How does that sound?”

“So I'm finally gonna see your mansion? How exciting.” You kicked his leg teasingly under the table, his cheeks inevitably dipping as he tried to suppress a smile. “I bet you have some peacocks in your backyard.”

“And there's also a dolphin in my pool.” He let out a hearty laugh, extending his arm over the table to grab your hand.

His house was most definitely not what you expected.

It was about the size of the one you grew up in, the decoration inside minimalistic. There were no expensive paintings framed with pure gold, only pictures of him and his family. There was a small backyard you could access through the French door in the kitchen. Half of it was occupied by a greenhouse.

“I had to donate the peacocks to the zoo.” He whispered as you looked through the glass door, squeezing your shoulders with his slim fingers.

“What a shame.” Hesitantly, he wrapped both of his limbs around your torso, letting his chin rest stop of your head. Your heartbeat was thumping loudly against your chest. Yoonoh surely felt it but decided not to comment on it.

“There’s a Tv in my room in case you want to watch something while I shower.” A hint of mischief adorned his honey-like voice. “Or you can come in and watch me instead.”

“Stop!” Your elbow connected with his ribs out of pure panic, making him bend in pain with his hands covering the injured spot.

“It was a joke...” He whispered, teeth gritting together.

I made him mad, you thought. Should you escape or face the consequences of his anger? All thoughts erased from your mind as he grabbed your calves, lifting you over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” You hit his back with closed fists, unable to see the expression on his face. “Yoonoh!”

He went up the stairs, proceeding to enter his room and throw you on his bed. Thousands of dirty scenarios crossed your mind before he threw himself on top of you, crushing your bones under his muscular body.

“My...ribs...”

“Oh, sorry, what is that?” To make matters worse, his fingers tickled your sides, provoking a fit of desperate giggles to escape your mouth. “I’m not hearing an apology.”

“Sorry! Sorry!” His hands finally stopped, giving you time to breathe. Nonetheless, he remained laid on your chest, using his forearms to lift his weight. “Aren’t you gonna shower?”

“I like you.”

The confession was so sudden, so raw it took you some time to finally react. But you had no words to give him an answer, instead, you combed your fingers through his long hair, massaging his scalp while waiting for him to speak up again.

“I never thought I'd be feeling more than friendly affection for you. Our agreement doesn't include love, after all. But I've started feeling like a teenager all over again. I can't help but get excited whenever you call me. Do you know how sweet your voice sounds through the phone?” He sighed, discouraged at your lack of response. “I guess you're not there yet.”

Instead of verbally answering, you planted a sweet kiss on his head, right where small, grey hairs had started growing.

“I’m not good with words.”

“That’s alright.” He snuck his hands under your back, holding you tightly as a sudden need to nurture you took over him. The mature image he had of you faded in less than a second, leaving behind a young, troubled woman. “I’ll shower quickly so we can go see your pops. I bet we’ll get along just fine, maybe even go golfing when he wakes up.”

“I forgot you're almost the same age. Creepy.” He smiled, though uneasiness started steering in his guts.

“Does that bother you?” He asked without giving it a second thought.

“I don't know yet.”

(...)

The man with high cheekbones and bruised skin laid limp on the hospital bed. Yoonoh had been working on his case for about a month, yet, it only started feeling real the moment he entered the room.

“This is my dad.” All emotions had escaped your eyes as if your soul wasn't there anymore. Only an empty shell.

“You look so much like him.” he was afraid touching you wouldn't be the right thing to do, so instead, he said: “He seems like a suitable golf buddy.”

Tension finally loosened its grip around his body as you snorted, pigment returning to your cheeks. Finally, he wrapped his hand around yours.

“He will wake up, y/n.”

“He’s taking his sweet time.” You glanced back at the laying figure, skinnier with every day he spent asleep. “I want someone to pay for taking away the last person that loved me.”

The last person that loved you. Would Yoonoh be able to fill that spot? Not yet, probably. He couldn't modify the depth of his feelings, but he could surely give you the vengeance you longed.

“Do you trust me?” With your eyes still glued to your father, you nodded. “Then I can assure you we’ll win the case.”

“I know we will.”

He sat silently with you, holding your hand without saying a word. The smell of alcohol and the beeping noise of machines made him nauseous. He hated hospitals. You noticed the change in his demeanor, his hand becoming cold while holding yours with strength.

“Do you wanna go?”

“No!” He smiled through the pain, scooting his chair closer to lay your hand on his lap.

He wouldn't agree to get his ass off the plastic chair. You had to tell him you were hungry for him to finally stand up, still clutching your hand like your father did when you were still a kid. His parental behavior caused several emotions to stir inside your guts, so mixed up you couldn't quite put a finger on any of them.

“What do you want to eat?” The tension finally left his body once out of the building.

“Soup.” You smiled while swiping your thumb on top of his knuckles. “I know a place, but to be honest, it isn't good. So we can go to the store and get the ingredients to- but you can't cook.”

“I’m up for a cooking lesson if you are.” He wanted to see your pretty smile again. Maybe making a fool of himself would help. “Let’s hit the road.”

“Wow, so cool.”

“I know.”

(...)

“Can you grab that can of chicken broth?” You pointed at the high shelf, letting go of Yoonoh’s hand to allow him to move freely

“I have a better idea.” He dragged you by the arm so you were standing in front of him, trapped between his body and the shelf. “I’ll lift you so you can reach it.” Matching his words, his hands grasped your waist, ready to carry you.

“Stop!” You slapped his hands repeatedly between giggles. Ignoring your complaints, he started lifting you. “Yoonoh!”

“Yoonoh?” A feminine voice had him placing you back on your feet in less than a second.

“Seryeong, I didn't expect to see you here.” His hands remained seated on the curve of your waist.

“Neither did I. I was surprised when Sungchan told me you'd left early yesterday.” She seemed a bit older than you but still younger than the man behind you.

“I had some matters to take care of.” She eyed you from head to toes with a smug grin plastered on her lips. Just by the look of her clothes, you could tell she was as wealthy as Yoonoh. You feared the scene would turn into a tv worthy drama.

“I’ll go get the chicken breast.” You tried escaping his grip, only to be pulled closer to his warmth.

“No need to. It's already inside the cart.”

Why am I so dumb?

“Does your father know about your little girlfriend?” She asked without hesitation.

“I guess.”

“And why didn't he tell me anything?” She cocked an eyebrow, his hands finally loosening around your body and allowing you to move from your position.

“Look, this is something you should talk about with him. Now, if you excuse us...” With a hand on your shoulder, he began pushing the cart to the next aisle, the chicken broth long forgotten.

“Is this some kind of arranged marriage situation?”

“Something like that.” His hands were tense while holding the cart, knuckles turning white from the strength used. “Before you start asking, I'm not really in the mood and I don't want to direct my bad mood toward you. Let's talk about something else, alright?”

Who was that woman that had the power to turn him into a literal raging ball of fire with just a few words?

[enhypia]

SN ; always loving the sun

[4:21 PM]

okay so maybe the universe is not that bad

paring: kim sunoo x pisces gn!reader

genre: fluff, mild angst

word count: roughly 960 words

this is a two-part timestamp and this is the second part

read part 1 here!

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

you didn't go after it. but that didn't stop your feelings from growing.

it's final, the universe really is out to get you. you want to be around sunoo so bad but everything hurts. why were romantic feelings ever a thing.

"you're sure we're okay right?" sunoo asked again his lips pouting.

"yes sunoo, i swear, nothing's wrong, i've just been feeling drained lately, i think it's because of the chaos at home" you assured. 'it's actually because my feelings for you are eating me alive but you don't need to know that.' you thought

"well do you want to hang out after school later then? so you won't have to endure the noise for a while" he invited, his eyes sparkling again.

and that's the sound of your heart cracking, it took so much to not actually clutch your heart.

"sure! where are we going?" you replied brightly. sunoo visibly relaxes after seeing you being you again.

he's noticed changes in your attitude and it's always with him so he couldn't help but feel like he did something wrong. he knew you were lying but he didn't want to push since it was clear you weren't ready to say the truth.

it does sting that you can't tell him, but he understands, there are some things he can't tell you as well. like his big massive crush on you

"the arcade? then the park after?" he suggested.

"i'm good with the that, i have pent up rage about the stars, i'll release them on the shooting games" you joked making finger guns.

sunoo rolled his eyes at your antics, and maybe if you just looked closer, you would've seen the fondness and adoration in his look.

"the stars won't appreciate that" he teased, you shrugged in reply

"yeah well i don't appreciate what they've been doing lately so i think we're even"

"i can't wait for the day the stars give you what you want so i wouldn't have to hear you complaining"

"that's the dream sun, that's the dream"

'i don't think they'll give me you sunoo' you thought

⸻

walking in comfortable silence along the quieter parts of the park with sunoo was one of your favorite things in the world, but right now the dumb loud pounding of your heart is making you re-think.

"wait let me take a picture of the sky" you heard sunoo say. you stopped in your tracks and watch him take pictures, you couldn't help it and took a picture of him taking a picture.

"wow this turned out well" you said after checking the photo, you showed it to him and he smiled widely.

"send it to me, i'll post it on my instagram" he said then he went back to scrolling through the photos he took.

you continued to stare at the photo you took of him, another crack. the sound resonating in your brain.

he was walking ahead of you, i should probably get used to this view if all goes bad. you can't take hearing your heart break any more than it already is.

"hey sun" you call out softly and walking up to him.

"sun, look at my horoscope for the week" you said turning your phone to sunoo so he can read it.

"it's not hard to love. in fact you always are loving the sun. qualities of perspective ask you to consider. but your mind is made up" you read out loud, voice coming out a little shakey.

sunoo stares at you with wide curious eyes and gives you a questioning look.

"nothing sun, it's just scarily accurate." you stated. "it's not hard to love, in fact you always are loving the sun" you confessed, looking straight at him.

1.. 2.. 3.. a blush forms on his cheeks, his wide smile isn't helping. he covers his face with his hands.

he lets out a tiny squeal when he takes a peek at you.

"what?" you asked chuckling at his reaction. you're trying very hard to keep you cool.

"my brain isn't processing anything right now. you can't just drop something like that so suddenly! give a guy a warning. my heart is beating so fast it's like bang! bang! bang! you better take me to the hospital if something happens to me. oh god it's still not calming down. yah~ take responsibility for this" he rambles while clutching his heart.

you burst out laughing, the weight on your shoulder getting lighter.

"i had this whole thing planned out to confess to you but no you had to go and do it first, now what do i do with that idea? this is all your fault" he complained pouting at you. but your mind went blank the moment you heard "confess to you"

"you were going to what?" you asked in disbelief. sunoo's blush got impossibly deeper upon realizing what he said, he turned and speed walked away from you.

"yah! kim sunoo get back here!" you exclaimed chasing after him.

"no! go away!"

"kim sunoo if you like me stop right now!" you cry.

sunoo stopped. kim sunoo stopped.

you couldn't help the tears falling from your eyes. sunoo turned at the sound of your sniffling and he was right in front of you immediately.

"why? why? why?" he panicked trying to wipe your tears. you laughed at him, at yourself, at the universe.

"i'm just so happy, i didn't think it'd end this way" you answered.

sunoo rarely initiates skinship, but here he was engulfing you in a hug. the cracks in your heart were healing itself.

"are the stars on your side now?" he asked after releasing you from his hold.

"i think they always were, i just refused to listen"

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

prev.

masterlist ⸺ enhypen masterlist

a/n: this was longer than i intended it to be but im happy with the result, i got this idea when i saw the tweet for pisces about loving the sun, i instantly thought of sunoo, then the previous horoscope matches that's why i decided to cut it into two parts. i enjoyed writing this and i hope you guys like it as well <33

[plus-size-reader]

Face Punch

Jacob Black x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1551 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Bella calls in reinforcements for movie night when the rest of her friends bail. 

——————————————————————————————————

Going to see the new Face Punch movie hadn't even been Bella's idea. It wasn't something she would have ever chosen to do for herself.

Still, when the entire group of her friends decided to go, she wasn't about to be the one to refuse. It just wasn't something she was comfortable with.

Not that any of that mattered when she actually showed up, knowing that Jessica wasn't coming and Angela was sick, meaning she and Eric weren't going to be coming out.

It couldn't have gotten any more awkward.

Bella knew well enough that both males were in some kind of casual competition over her and she wasn't exactly thrilled about that to begin with.

So the idea of being with the two of them alone couldn't have been worse.

That was the main reason she'd invited you.

The two of you hadn't seen each other in quite some time before she moved back to Forks, though when you got together again, it was like no time had passed at all.

You had been best friends as kids and it seemed that some things never changed.

...thankfully.

"Hey, how's it going?" You greeted, giving the dark haired girl a gentle hug. She didn't bother answered your question, giving you a look you couldn't misconstrue.

She never would have put herself in this position had she known how this would go. "Thank you for coming" she whispered, turning toward the waiting males to explain.

"This is Y/N. I thought I'd invite her since no one else could come" she shrugged, doing her best to be casual about it, though the real reason for your invitation was clear.

Luckily, neither Mike nor Jacob bothered to complain.

In fact, the latter was more concerned with the fact that he'd yet to meet you in all the time that he'd been spending with Bella recently.

You were the best kept secret in Forks, apparently.

"We're gonna see Face Punch right? It's not supposed to be very good" you laughed, sitting down at the end of the row beside the dark haired guy you'd come to understand was Jacob.

Mike had made it very clear that he was only present for one thing and that left Bella, in the middle of the two of them. Though, at least she wasn't alone.

Knowing you were there made her feel much better about the whole thing.

You thought that neither male would pay you much mind, seeing as they didn't know anything about you, but that wasn't exactly the case. As you watched the movie, you looked over to see Jacob looking at you in the dark.

"What's up?" You whispered, confused about what it was he needed. As far as you knew, it could have been anything.

Though, when he spoke, you realized that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"You're really pretty. Did you know that?" He wondered, acting as if he wasn't even aware of how strange that was to say.

You had just met him an hour or so ago, but he'd already decided he was going to hit on you. There was a reason for that, of course, but you didn't know that.

At the moment, Jacob's body was undergoing incredible changes that even he didn't understand. His heart was pumping, his blood was boiling, and he could hardly stand it.

For now, all he could do was sit back and watch the movie and if he happened to bond with you in the process, that was just a bonus.

Not that knowing that seemed to matter when Mike stood from the chair and rushed toward the bathroom.

As much as your image had flooded Jacobs mind, and everything about you was clouding all his senses, the whole thing just made him angry.

The blonde was weak and ridiculous, something that Jacob couldn't hide even if he tried. That was how he ended up blowing up at him, losing all control of his upset.

It wasn't until you asked if he was okay that he found himself even able to focus at all.

"Are you okay? That was kind of intense" you asked, sitting down beside him on the theatre steps. You didn't really know each other that well, but you did want to know he was okay.

You'd heard quite a bit about Jacob in the last few months from Bella and you knew how important he was to her. That was more than enough for you to care about him a little bit.

"I don't know, I feel really weird right now. Do you, uh, mind if I hold your hand?" It didn't make much sense, logically of course, but in his animal mind, that was what he needed.

He needed some kind of grounding, and he just felt like you were the way to get that.

"I guess" you shrugged, letting the younger male reach out to take your hand in his own, feeling his skin on your own.

He was burning up.

Not like a fever either. Jacobs skin was practically on fire and you were getting really concerned. So concerned that by the time Bella came back into the theater after seeing Mike off, you were sure he needed to go home.

If not to the hospital.

"It's just hot in there I think. I'll be okay" Jacob assured, knowing that either of you could argue and when it was time to separate, you convinced yourself that he would be fine. You had no reason to worry for some kid Bella had befriended. He was a little flirty, but he didn't know anything about you.

There was nothing you should have felt for him.

...but you did.

As confusing as it was and as much as it didn't make any sense, you knew that you had to check up on him so that's exactly what you did. You asked Bella for his number and gave his house a call, hoping that he wouldn't think you were a maniac for calling for no reason.

You were just worried that something terrible had happened to him after that night at the theater. There was something wrong, you could just feel it.

It was weird, creepy even but you just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. So, after going back and forth on the decision for hours, you picked up the phone and dialed the number that Bella had passed along.

It rang; once, twice, three times before there was a voice on the other line.

"Hello?"

You thought it was Jacob, as best you could recall, but there was something off about his tone. His voice was deeper than you remembered, raspier than you remembered, you were sure that it was.

You may not have known him super well, but you knew that he didn't sound like that a few nights ago.

"Hey, it's Y/N from the movies. I know this is weird but I just wanted to call and make sure that you're okay? You seemed really messed up after you left" you explained, rolling your eyes at your own rambling, knowing for sure he thought you were out of your mind.

There was no way anyone would ever do what you were doing unless they were entirely crazy.

There was silence on the other line for a moment or two, mostly as Jacob tried to compose a single thought in his head. He'd been thinking about you constantly since you went your separate ways, along with the other changes in his life.

...But he never thought you'd call.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think it was just a little warm in there. I'm okay now" he allowed, hoping it didn't sound too fake. He really wasn't okay but there was no way for him to explain what he was going through to you.

Then it would be your turn to think he was out of his mind.

"Really? Cause Bella told me that you had the stomach flu. She's been really worried so I told her I'd try calling" you decided, it wasn't really your place to question what she'd heard over the phone from his family, but you were already here.

If Jacob didn't already think you were insane, he certainly did now, but that wasn't the main reason you did it. You were like an outsider in this whole thing, he didn't owe you anything in the way he owed her.

The two of them were close and she'd been a wreck these last few days.

"I'm fine, I thought I was sick but I woke up all better" he lied, this time not even bothering to try and make it convincing. He'd had his dad on his back these last few days, along with the rest of the pack and Sam Uley.

He wasn't going to have you on his back too. It crossed his mind that maybe he didn't want you to worry, and that was why he did it, but that couldn't have been the case, right? You hardly knew each other.

There was nothing Jacob should have felt for you, though, crazier things had happened since that night at the movie theater.

[rogue-durin-16]

THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED (Part IV/VII)

"wrong name"

Summary: After Fred's death, George and Y/n lean on each other to carry on. This wasn't the most brilliant idea, though; George was pretty much in love with the girl, and Y/n— well, she had been dating Fred prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Genre: angst-fluff

Tags:

Suggested by: @crispykittywitch

Things never go as planned: @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @beautyschoo1dropout @s1ut4georgeweasley @sunshineandshadowss @missmulti @accioweaslcy

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa

Warnings: language, mentions of Fred x Reader, brief mention of death ig (?) Feels

A/N: here's a Christmas fic that has no right to be this angsty lmao, enjoy nonetheless <3

Prologue: the aftermath

Part I: sleepless nights

Part II: candy floss

Part III: shock therapy

Part V: the perfect excuse

Part VI: the downfall

Part VII: apart

Epilogue: I still love you

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

We apparated in the Weasley front yard together at dusk at the same time as Percy did; we greeted him with a hug and entered their old home, only to be met with more hugs.

I had only stayed at the Burrow once, arriving the night we escorted Harry, and leaving shortly after the tragic and abrupt ending of Bill and Fleur's wedding.

I had attended to the wedding as Fred's date. Even if we agreed that there was nothing serious between us, we cared deeply for one another, and I was important enough for him that he asked me to present ourselves together in front of his family.

How odd it was that the second time I was staying at the Burrow, it was because I had been asked to attend this Christmas gathering by none other than George —as friends, of course—; so odd that it made me anxious, but Arthur and Molly were way too welcoming for that anxiety to carry on longer than a minute after I stepped into their home.

"Y/n, dear!" Molly held me back while George went to greet his siblings, who had arrived earlier than us. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"She didn't want to come." George snitched, coming back to us after hugging his father. "Said she felt like she was trespassing."

"George!" My cheeks burned when he exposed me.

"Oh, darling," Molly pulled me into the house to join the rest. "You're always welcomed here, don't be silly!"

Molly had liked me since day one, even before Fred and I became a thing. I was the one to receive her when the Weasley matriarch first visited the shop, and we immediately got along. Fred had explained to me that it was because I reminded his mother of her younger self.

"You're a snitch." I whispered into George's ear as we both walked behind Molly in the kitchen direction, his only response was to stick out his tongue, which made us both chuckle.

Molly looked over her shoulder and I caught in her eyes the same emotion I saw in Ginny's the first time she came to visit the shop after the reopening.

A profound emotion rooted in hope; a bittersweet feeling coming from the thought that, even though Fred was gone, George seemed to be coming back to us.

I felt it too, whenever he smiled. It was lovely to see him actually happy; I wished I could keep him like that forever, even in the nights, when everything would come down on his shoulders, tearing apart every spark of joy might have had in the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We weren't finished with food yet when Arthur wiped his mouth with the napkin and, clapping his hands once, exclaimed, "Alright, time for presents!" Teddy, who rested on Bill's lap, squealed, his hair turning pink; that baby was smart. "I'll get them, dear." He stopped his wife from standing up and went to get them himself.

He distributed the gifts, and I was surprised when he handed me one. "Oh! You didn't have to—"

"Nonsense!" Arthur stopped me, resuming his task with a warm smile. Everyone was happy in that moment, and I knew George's mood had a big part on that.

He unwrapped his, which turned out to be a purple and orange scarf and matching mittens. He was putting on the mittens when I tossed the wrap of my present, uncovering a cardigan formed by several tones of my favorite color.

"Put it on!" George requested excited. unbeknownst to me, it had been him who told Molly my favorite color. "Aw you look fantastic." He observed, poorly wrapping his scarf around his neck.

"Of course I do." I agreed, shifting on my chair to face him, my hands traveling to his scarf to relocate it properly.

Though we didn't notice, it wasn't the first time that more than one pair of eyes observed us that night, and it wouldn't be the last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill and Fleur had offered to take care of Teddy since they were leaving to Shell Cottage, so Harry and Ginny could spend the night at the Burrow without the worry of the baby.

Percy was terribly tired, so he withdrew from the living room to go to sleep.

Thank goodness he did; Percy was probably the second most affected by Fred death, and after that nice evening, he wouldn't have wanted to witness what was about to happen.

Ron, Hermione and I had colonized the settee, while Ginny and George were on their feet near the table, chatting about some nonsense; Molly was cleaning the dishes. Harry had offered to help her, but she refused, so the boy decided to talk with Arthur instead.

Molly pointed with her index finger at the remaining glasses laid on the table and called for George.

The thing is, she didn't really call for George.

"Fred, darling, hand me those."

The room fell silent.

It took a moment for her to realise, but an instant later, Molly was covering her mouth with her hand, her glassy stare fixed on the wrong named twin.

My eyes frantically travelled to every single person in the room, who had gone livid. We all seemed to be holding our breaths, waiting for some kind of explosive reaction.

Then my attention was drawn to George, whose, until that instant amused gaze, had turned blank and expressionless.

"Darling—" Molly's voice shattered with a single word. As Arthur went to console his wife, Ginny led her older brother aside and whispered things only he could hear, attempting to sooth him. "It slipped..." Molly cried.

I stayed sat on the couch with Hermione and Ron, the three of us frozen; I felt like I was an intruder witnessing a very intimate family moment.

"George don't—" we heard Ginny raising her voice before her brother disapparated. "Bloody hell!" She spun around and walked to me. "Y/n, speak to him, he'll listen to you." She practically begged, nodding her head at the window, prompting me to look at George standing alone at the edge of the cornfield, already making his way in.

"I-I..." I didn't need to look around in order to acknowledge all the eyes laid on me. "O-okay." I blinked away my own tears and rushed to the door, only to be stopped by Molly's shaky hand.

"Please- tell him I'm sorry."

"I don't think he'll blame you." I reassured the wrecked mother, offering her a comforting smile before making my way out and jogging into the cornfield myself.

"George?" When I didn't obtain an answer, it dawned on me how dumb it had been to dive into that area without knowing where to go. "George?"

I yelped when something tugged on my sleeve, making my body pivot on my heel. "You know how easy is to get lost in here?" The ginger questioned in a raspy tone, the hand that had been on my sleeve going down to mine, which invited him into my hold.

"She didn't mean— I reckon she just... Saw him in you for a second."

"I know." Though his eyes did look a bit red, he was calm.

"You alright?" I inquired, taking my hand to his cheek, on which he leaned.

"I just..." Sigh. His right hand travelled up to his face to hold mine in it before pulling away. "I need a moment alone."

I nodded. "Don't take too long or you'll catch a cold." He hummed affirmatively, and I half-heartedly left the cornfield and headed to the Burrow.

I excused George, assuring them he would be okay and, though the previous light-hearted environment didn't return, the tension in the air dissipated a bit.

A few minutes later, George came in; his mother welcomed with open arms and he returned the hug, having a small conversation against Molly's shoulder before making a beeline to me, sitting by my side.

I felt my cheeks flushing as he leaned on me, putting his head on my shoulder; suddenly self-conscious at the closeness between us. Somehow it was different being that close the privacy of our flat, than outside of it. Though it felt somehow inappropriate, when his long fingers intertwined with mines, I indulged him, trying hard not to meet neither Hermione's nor Ginny's eyes —they had been staring so much that I had noticed them an hour ago.

I was completely unaware of Molly's gaze laid on us too.

George, whose eyes had been closed, sit up straighter to whisper in my ear, "Can we go back to the flat?" My eyes met his and I realised we were even closer than I had thought in first place.

"I thought we were staying the night?" I murmured, trying in vain to keep his family out of the conversation they were pretending not to hear.

He leaned a bit closer only for me to hear his words. "I don't think I can sleep in my room."

"Do it for your mum." I squeezed his hand and he sighed. "I'm gonna stay in that room with you." Another sigh, but this one was of defeat, letting me know that I had talked some sense into him.

HERMIONE'S P. O. V.

At the beginning of the evening, when George and Y/n had first stepped into the Burrow, Ginny had come to me, urging me to observe them closely.

At first I didn't know why she would say that, but after the wrong name slipped out of Molly's lips, I started to get a hold of the matter, but it seemed so surreal— it just couldn't be.

Though the way Y/n's cheeks lighted up when George took a seat between us did remind me of the way I used to react when Ron got a tad too close to me in our sixth year.

After a while Y/n seemed to forget about our presence and eased besides George, making their bodies get closer.

When we decided to call it a day and the ones left in the living room started to retreat to their rooms for the night, Y/n got up without letting go of George's hold at any moment and, thanking Molly for her hospitality, they made their way upstairs.

Had my eyes not been trained on them, I would have missed the way George's hands went to Y/n's waist as his chin fell on her shoulder.

I left the sofa and walked to Ginny before she and Harry could slither to their dorm. "Are they...?"

"Not sure." Ginny replied with knitted brows. "What'd you think?"

"I... Don't know." I confessed.

GEORGE'S P. O. V.

We entered the dark room, illuminated only by the light provided by the night sky and started to discard our clothes in silence without looking at each other.

I was the first one to finish, making my way to my old bed and catching a glimpse of Y/n's silouhette while she threw a tee on.

I was utterly, hopelessly in love with her.

I had known I loved her for quite a while, but the feeling that had made my heart swell and my stomach flutter when she got into the cornfield without giving it a second thought in order to find me, that was something else.

I had also felt it when she had found me lifeless in Fred's room a couple of months ago; that feeling had been the reason why I found the strength in me to come back to life.

I was young, but I just knew what I felt went further from only love.

"What's on your mind?" She was already slipping under the covers by my side, her arms wrapping around me and bringing my back closer to her chest.

You, I wanted to say. "Not much."

"Liar." She tugged on my shirt and I turned on my other side so we would be facing each other. "C'mon, it's just me."

Words blurted out of my mouth, escaping my control. "Do you see him when you look at me?"

And I wasn't making anything up; It was, in fact, on my mind. It had appeared during the walk through the cornfield and it hadn't left, but Y/n's scent, touch and words had backed that thought to a corner of my mind.

She wondered, tucking one of my locks away from my forehead. "Sometimes, but not like you think." She must have sensed my inquiry because she explained further. "There are small gestures, jokes— things like that in you, that remind me of him." Her eyes were roaming all over my face, her hands bringing mines to her heart. "When you're happy, like tonight— I can't quite explain it but... it sorta seems like he's still here. So yeah, you could say I see a little bit of Fred when I look at you." Her eyes finally met mines. "It's not a bad thing— you love him so much that we can still see him through you."

"Loved." I corrected her, my thumb drawing circles on the back of her palm. "He's dead." A tear rolled down my cheek, but Y/n caught it with her fingertips before it could reach the pillow.

"Love never dies, Georgie." Her replied seem to carry more significance that someone would see at first sight, but I was too tired to discern it.

I couldn't tell if she had scooted closer, or if I had unconsciously leaned on, but the tips of our noses were nearly touching.

Initially, she didn't attempt to put more distance between us, and I couldn't help but let my hopes get high. I waited for a sign, something that would let me know I could close the gap between our lips —oh, how I craved to feel her lips—, but the sign didn't come and we stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity before she casted down her eyes, immediately breaking the spell.

"Goodnight, Y/n." I whispered, turning my back to her.

"Goodnight, George." She mumbled back, coming closer to cuddle me.

[ally-writes-many-things]

Carmen Ann (J. Halstead)

Summary: Your water breaks while on a babymoon.

Words: 1096

Requested: yes

Prompts:

Warnings or A/N:

"Do you really think you're okay with this?" Your husband asked you, offering a smile.

While you appreciated his protectiveness, it was starting to become a bit tiresome. "She's not due for a few more weeks. I'll be fine, and so will she."

At eight months pregnant, you and your husband had decided to go on a baby moon for a week before your daughter's arrival. "Plus, we're not even going anywhere exotic. We're just going to my cabin," you reassured him.

This cabin actually belonged to your grandparents. They left it to you when they passed away, and it's fully paid off.

"It's only thirty minutes from town and forty-five away from the hospital."

"Jay, please stop worrying. She won't come while we're away. Now let me finish packing," You said, attempting to walk away.

Jay grabbed your hand and pulled you into his arms.

"I just don't want you to go into early labor," he said, his concern evident in his eyes.

You wrapped your arms around his neck reassuringly. "Even if I do go into labor early, she'll be fine. I promise. The doctors have assured us that she won't be premature,”

—

Will and Jay were outside grilling while you relaxed in the sun. You had invited Will to join you on the trip because he had recently ended things with Natalie and needed some time away. Walking up to them, you kissed Jay and asked, "How much longer until it's ready?"

Jay replied, "About ten minutes."

You nodded, then headed into the cabin to prepare the paper plates and other items for the meal.

You hummed happily, imagining all the future barbecues with Jay and your daughter, Will, and her friends when she got older. You were determined to give her everything you missed out on growing up. Your parents weren't awful, but they weren't exactly the greatest either. They provided for you, but never made you feel truly special or celebrated you in any meaningful way. But that was going to change for your daughter.

You didn't understand the meaning of love until you met Jay four years ago. After three years of dating, he proposed and you were married only a month before discovering you were pregnant. While you were apprehensive about Jay's reaction, he was ecstatic. Despite your parents disapproving of your marriage to a cop, you hoped that the news of a grandchild would finally bring them joy. Unfortunately, you were mistaken.

Your phone buzzed in your purse on the kitchen counter, and you grabbed it to see your mom calling. With a sigh and an eye roll, you answered, "Hello, Mother?"

Her response was to check in on you and humorously question if you were still alive. She always worried about your safety due to Jay's profession.

Your mom's lack of understanding about Jay being part of the top unit in Chicago didn't concern you. "I'm fine. Jay wouldn't let anything happen," You assured her.

She still couldn't believe you married him.

You remained silent as she persisted, "It's not too late to get a divorce.”

“We are married and I'm pregnant with his child. I refuse to consider a divorce just because you don't approve. Deal with it. And if you can't, then don't bother coming to the hospital when our daughter is born and don't speak to me again.

You hung up the phone and switched it off. Jay and Will had just entered the kitchen and Jay noticed the distressed look on your face. "Is everything alright? You seem flustered.”

"Just my mother," You muttered.

Before Jay could respond, Will interjected. "I don't care for that woman.

He quickly added, "No offense," as he glanced at me.

Jay glanced at his brother and remarked, "None taken. She's not a fan of her mother either, just like me."

—

Leaving the bathroom, you nestled into bed beside Jay as he chatted on the phone with his partner. "Just email me the details and I'll check it out," Jay said casually. "Alright, I'll keep you posted if I find anything,"

You lightly hit Jay on the arm once he hung up. "I thought we were supposed to be on a work-free vacation, Halstead.”

"They just needed a new viewpoint. They hit a dead end and have no more leads. Once I go over this case, I'll turn off my phone and concentrate on you and Will, I promise," Jay explained, looking at you before chuckling as you playfully hit him once more.

"Okay," He grinned, rubbing the area where you had tapped him.

—-

Hours after falling asleep, you were abruptly jolted awake by excruciating pain. Pulling the covers off, you realized you were lying in a large, wet puddle. Despite the intense contractions, you briefly believed you had wet yourself.

"Jay," you called out, but he didn't stir.

Desperate, you shoved him off the bed, causing him to wake up. As he looked at you, he noticed the wet spot and asked, "Water break?”

You nodded, "I think so," as another intense contraction hit. "Yeah, there's no doubt about it. I'm in labor," you confirmed.

Jay quickly called out for Will, who rushed to your side. "Will!"

Jay instructed him to grab the truck keys and open the backseat door. You and Jay settled into the backseat as Will drove. Despite being just fifteen minutes away from the hospital, you felt the baby crowning.”

"Jay, the baby is crowning. You're going to have to deliver it," Will urges Jay to pull over.

Within minutes of Jay directing you to push, you hear your daughter's first cry.

—

"Halstead, now you're one of those cops who can say they delivered a baby - and your baby at that," Natalie exclaims with a smile as she looks over at Jay holding your little girl in his arms at Chicago Med.

"She's beautiful and healthy. What did you name her?" Natalie asks.

"We named her Carmen Ann Halstead," Jay responds proudly.

[blueeyedheizer]

All Over Again - Matt (part 4 - the end)

WARNINGS: amnesia, implied sex, super soft overall <3

A/N: it's finally here, the last part to this short story!! I really like this part although I had a bit of a hard time finishing it. It's a bit cliché but i'm happy with it. Also, thank you so much to everyone who still reads my Matt fics, I appreciate you guys so much <3 (PS: I know the transition from part 3 to part 4 is really sudden...I hope the timejump isn't too disappointing) Anyway, enough talking. Enjoy xx

•••

After two months, you are finally released from the hospital.

You weren't surprised to find out that you shared an apartment with Matt, and at this point you didn't mind at all. You felt comfortable around him and despite not remembering your old life with him, you were starting to feel strongly for him. He had been there for you since day one, he never gave up on you even though you still couldn't remember anything about him. You never thought it was possible for someone to ever love you this way but there he was, doing absolutely everything in his power to help you get through this, even when he knew things might never be the same again.

Matt opened the door and you walked in closely behind him, taking a look at your surroundings. The house was quite messy, but you couldn't blame him. His mind had been all over the place these past weeks and he had spent most of his time with you. Tidying around was really not his prioritiy.

Everything around you looked familiar. Somehow, you still remembered where most things were situated, and you had no trouble in finding each room, including yours and Matt's shared bedroom. And yet you had no real memory attached to it. You couldn't associate anything with it. You knew it was there, but the room itself was just like the rest; a blur.

---

Your first week home was mostly focused on resting. You were dying to go out and do something other than sit on a couch and watch TV but the doctor had said it would be better if you spent a few days home to let your bruises heal properly before envisaging going back to your normal everyday life. Matt was just as supporting as he was before, cancelling his plans to stay with you, hoping that you would remember something, just a fragment of your old life with him. But that was a long process, and even though you two were basically back to being a couple it was different. You loved him, but it was different. You loved the boy who visited you everyday at the hospital, not the boy that you had met at a gig almost a year ago now.

In order to train your brain, the doctor had recommended to regularly go through familiar things such as photos, videos and possessions. Considering the fact that you and Matt had a common passion for music and cinema, you decided to focus on this.

You were cuddled up against him, a blanket covering the both of you as the end credits of your favorite movie rolled on the screen.

"Why didn't you tell me he was going to die?" you sniffled, wiping a tear from your cheek while chuckling.

"Didn't want to ruin the experience"

"Well that would've spared me a heartbreak." you pouted. Matt chuckled, pressed a kiss to your forehead then stood to turn off the TV before settling back next to you, allowing you to cuddle up against him. A comfortable silence fell upon you both as he intertwined his fingers with yours, squeezing your hand every so often and running his thumb over your skin.

A few more minutes passed by and you glanced at the clock, sighing softly.

"I should probably get some sleep." you announced. Matt kissed the top of your head and you reluctantly pulled away from the warmth of his body.

"I still need to work on some things, I'll join you later."

"Alright."

"Good night, love"

"Good night." you smiled and pecked his cheek before making your way to your shared bedroom. You quickly changed into your night clothes and brushed your teeth before slipping under the covers.

You tried to close your eyes but your mind was racing with thoughts about everything and nothing. You just kept moving around on the bed, changing your position every two minutes, unable to find your usual comfort. You sighed heavily and rolled onto your back, hands crossed over your chest. However a small smile tugged on your lips when you heard the quiet sound of Matt's guitar as he worked on his song. It probably would have lulled you to sleep if your brain cooperated with your desire to sleep.

You spent another fifteen minutes or so just laying wide awake on your bed, waiting for sleep to eventually come. A few more minutes go by and you hear footsteps approaching before seeing the door open, Matt walking in seconds later.

"You're still awake?" he asked and you hummed in response.

"I can't sleep."

"I'm sorry, was it the guitar? I tried to be as quiet as I could—"

"No, it wasn't the guitar. I actually enjoyed it." you chuckled. "It's just me. I have a lot on my mind."

Matt stripped down to his underwear, put on a random shirt then slipped under the sheets, taking his spot next to you. He propped himself up on his arm so he could look at you.

"What's on your mind, love?" he wondered. You shrugged, looking down at your hand as your fingers drew small patterns on the sheets. Your face dropped a little bit.

"Everything." Matt brushed a strand of hair off your face as you spoke, tucking it behind your ear.

"Tell me everything then."

You stayed silent for a moment, knowing that the conversation you were about to start wasn't something easy to talk about on both sides. A few more seconds go by and you finally ask the question you were dying to know the answer of.

"Matt...— what were we arguing about?"

You didn’t miss the way his entire body froze at your words. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, detaching his gaze from yours. Then he shifted and sat back against the headboard of the bed, causing you to sit up as well.

With a heavy heart, he began to explain what happened. How it all started, how he snapped at you when you were just being rightfully worried about not having any news of him over two hours after he was supposed to be home. He was hardly holding back tears by the end of his explanation, and so were you. You couldn't help but feel a sting in your heart at the thought of him raising his voice at you.

"I'm not mad at you." you assured him in a small voice, seeing guilt written all over his face.

"You would be if you remembered. I almost got you killed."

"Don't say that."

"But it's the truth Y/N! If I had just kept my mouth shut and dealt with my anger alone then nothing of this would've happened. You wouldn't have had this accident and you wouldn't have lost your memory. I did this to you."

"And I could've just locked myself in our room instead of going for a drive in the middle of the night." you argued. "You're not responsible for any of this, Matt."

He didn't say anything after that, he just kept his head lowered and shook his head. You could see tears begin to fall down his cheeks. Pulling yourself closer to him, you placed your hand on his face, wanting him to look at you.

"Matt." when he still refused to look at you, you climbed over him so you could straddle his lap. "Matt, look at me." your hand came underneath his chin and brought his face up to meet your eyes. You moved your hand to cup his cheek, gently wiping away some tears while one escaped the corner of your eye. "This is not your fault." you whispered, leaning in to press your forehead against his, your hands moving to the back of his neck and gently scratching. "Okay? This is not your fault."

You stayed like this for a moment then you kissed him, pouring all your emotions into the kiss. Your hands found their way to his head, threading your fingers through his hair as your whimpered softly, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, both your breathing gradually growing heavier.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he murmured against your lips after pulling away, understanding your intentions. Your thumb brushed softly over his bottom lip as you nodded, still slightly panting for air.

"Have we ever...?" you said and he nodded. You answered with a barely audible 'okay' before pressing your lips back against his. But this time he didn't kiss back.

"Y/N..."

"Do you not want to do it?" you asked as you pulled away, sounding disappointed.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I- I don't know, shouldn't we wait until you get your memory back? Are you actually ready for this?" he spoke hesitantly, and your face softened at his words.

"I don't want to wait for something that might not happen anytime soon." you said softly, brushing a strand of hair off his forehead. "And yes, I am ready."

He looked down sadly, his thumbs stroking your hips gently. Your forehead was resting against his as another tear rolled down your cheek.

"I love you..." you murmured, trying to fight back more of them. "Please don't give up on me now." that seemed to have startled him as he looked up at you almost immediately before cradling your head between his hands.

"I won't. I promise."

You nodded and closed the space between you, your lips meeting in a soft, passionate kiss. Your heartbeat was accelerating in your chest since this was new for you. It wasn't for the old version of yourself, but the new one had never been in such an intimate situation with him. You broke the kiss to pull his shirt over his head, discarding it to the side. You did the the same with yours before cupping his cheeks and kissing him again.

His lips eventually started moving down to your neck, pressing a trail of kisses there as you leaned your head back, giving him more access. His hands started roaming over your lower back and you shyly began to grind your hips, moaning softly.

---

"I love you too, you know." Matt said as you both laid on the bed, your head resting against his chest as his hand moved up and down your back soothingly. The silence of the room only highlighted how loud you had been moments before.

"I know." you smiled. Your hand travelled across his torso, absentmindedly caressing and drawing small patterns on his skin.

Tilting your head up a bit, you laid your eyes on a small framed picture of the two of you that was on his bedside table, one you hadn't seen yet. It looked quite recent. You propped yourself on your arm and reached for the picture, looking at it closely.

"That was the day I came back from London."

You turned to Matt, a genuine smile curving your lips.

"You've been to London?"

"Yeah." he smiled, his thumb caressing your shoulder. "One of our biggest gigs. 450 people, more or less. I'm not sure if they appreciated the music, but they were here." you both shared a quiet laugh and you shook your head, looking down at him before leaning in to kiss him softly.

"I'm sure they did."

You placed the picture back on the table and cuddled back against his chest, sighing in content. You quickly felt your body relax fully against his own, your breathing becoming even, steady, slow. With his fingers running through your hair soothingly you finally allowed sleep to take over, staying snuggled tightly against him.

---

The next morning you woke up to an empty bed and the smell of coffee. Rolling onto your back, you stretched your arms and smiled at the thought of last night's events, remembering how caring Matt had been the entire time.

You eventually rolled out of bed and got dressed, pulling on a shirt of his along with your jeans.

Then you decided to rummage a bit through your stuff to train your brain like you had been told to do. You started with the books that were on the shelves; you let your fingers run along their spines, reading their names. Then you looked through Matt's records before picking one and placing it on to play. The Sun Always Shines On T.V. began playing and you smiled when the chorus came on, the lyrics easily coming back to your mind.

You continued your exploration around the room and opened up a jewelry box, taking out a small star shaped earring. Your lips pressed into a thin line and you frowned as you searched your mind, feeling a déjà vu.

And that's when it happened.

***

"Is that...is that an earring ?"

"Huh?"

You smiled and cupped his cheek, tilting his head to the side to take a proper look at the small moon shaped jewel. Then you tilted his head to the other side, noticing another one with a different shape; a small golden star.

"I like the moon one better." you smirked, leaning in to peck his lips.

***

"Matt..." you breathed out. Your eyes widened and you called him louder this time, breathing and heartbeat accelerating as you started crying.

After two more almost desperate, sobbed out calls of his name, Matt came running into the room, a terrified look on his face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he rushed to your side and cupped your face, forcing you to look at him. Your eyes were already puffy and red and your breathing was ragged as you cried, hot tears soaking your cheeks, heavy hiccups leaving the back of your throat. You didn't answer, instead you grabbed his face and crashed your lips against his, kissing him as deeply as you could.

Matt immediately understood what was going on and kissed back, his own eyes watering up quickly. You eventually had to pull away for air, your current state making it hard for you to breathe. You rested your forehead against his and played with his earring, unable to say anything.

You eventually let out a small laugh through your tears, smiling softly as you looked into his teary eyes. Then you kissed him again, pouring out all your love and gratitude into it as you held onto him, wanting this moment to last forever.

"I remember."

[curiousconch]

Escape

Chapter 8 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU)

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: Heather attempts to escape her captors. But will she succeed?

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x MC (Dr. Heather Song) | Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 1.5k+ | Genre: Crime, Suspense/Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / violence, language

Author's Notes: This chapter took me too long to complete, since I hit a creative block. Grateful for @eleanorbloom for giving me tips to overcome it (thank you! 🥰🥰🥰)

Thank you so much for taking time to read/comment/reblog this series. Please let me know if you want me to include/remove you in the tags list. Also, disclaimer: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song and an OC Jordan Anderson.

Heather held her tears at bay. Frankly, all she wanted was to let herself go.

But she can't. She didn't want to give her captors the satisfaction of seeing her break. When Declan Nash removed her blindfold, he thought it was enough to pulverize her will. Heather was determined to prove him wrong.

"I'll pick up the second dose. Start on getting rid of the pretty doctor first," she heard Nash say to the other man, right before he left.

She watched closely as another man approached her, his features slowly revealed by the dim light surrounding them. The hair at the back of her neck stood up when she recognized the face of her kidnapper.

Jordan Peter Anderson, the Edenbrook janitor. Pete, as he was mainly known.

Suddenly, it all made sense. That's how he had access to her things, how he can easily know her home address, her schedule, all details of her life without suspicion. He was just another face in the sea of people that came in and out of the hospital. A fairly common and trusted face, at that.

She just wondered how Declan was connected to him. She wanted so much to find out. But now, she had to focus on preventing herself from whimpering as Pete violently dragged her to sit on a chair. He tugged her wrists free before slamming them on a metal table. She instantly winced with the impact.

That was when she saw the back of her hand, where an IV cannula was attached to an exposed vein.

What the hell was he planning?

She found the answer sooner than she thought.

She followed his movement with her eyes as he picked up a syringe from a nearby table. It was filled with a clear liquid.

"I take it you're familiar with potassium chloride, Dr. Song?" The janitor sneered as she gazed in terror at what he was holding.

She knew. Potassium chloride overdose can cause cardiac arrest when administered via IV, and in overdose, was fatal. Her mind raced with comprehension.

He's out to kill. He's not going to spare me. This isn't just a game. Her mouth went dry, refusing to accept the possibility that she may not live another day.

Her hazel eyes can only stare at the man who was about to murder her. For a moment, she was filled with helplessness, the tiny semblance of hope in her quickly dwindling out.

No! I'll overcome this. This won't be the end of me. She willed herself to think. Heather Song is one hell of a woman and she won't come down without a fight.

When he was just a single step away from her, inspiration struck.

As he reached for her, she leaned her head back, waiting for the perfect timing. Once he was near enough, she braced for impact and gave him a headbutt. He fell down to the ground, howling in pain. Heather took the opportunity to flee, liberating herself from the chair.

As she tried to take off, a struggle ensued. She was instantly dragged backwards, the force nearly knocking her out. She felt a sharp prick on her neck before she turned and kicked the man on the groin.

He wailed. Heather didn't wait for him to recover and ran for her life, fear and desperation egging her on. Her bare feet heavily hit upon the concrete floor, as she removed the gag from her mouth.

"HELP! Someone, please help me!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, sprinting. Her bruised arms pushed back against the plastic tarps and navigated the narrow corridor blindly.

Soon, she saw an open threshold nearby. She decided to aim for it. When she was almost there, someone grabbed her from behind, making her scream. She strained to break free from the hold, only to be pulled back again.

"Heather," a voice urged. "Heather, it's me!"

She recognized the speaker, making her stop in her tracks. She turned around and looked back into the dark brown eyes of the man in front of her.

Rafael.

At the sight of him, an overwhelming sense of relief flooded her being. She leaned onto him, feeling his strong presence encapsulate her in a tight embrace.

As the panicked adrenaline to fight for her life slowly dissipated, a rush of tears stained Heather's cheeks like an overflowing dam. So she clung to him, convincing herself that she wasn't imagining him and that her whole ordeal has ended.

"It's okay, love. I'm here, you're safe." Raf whispered, his lips kissing the crown of her head.

But she wasn't.

She felt her knees begin to buckle, her whole body shook. There was a sharp pain in her chest, while her vision of Rafael slowly blurred.

The last thing she could remember was the gentleness of his touch, before her world whirled and faded into darkness.

***

He can only watch the helicopter that airlifted Heather to Edenbrook Hospital. When she was found, a syringe was stuck on her neck, and the paramedics suspected a type of poisoning. Her sudden collapse and the  unknown nature of what caused made the situation urgent, so the response team decided it was best course to fly. 

Even though he yearned to accompany her as she fought for her life, he was hastily denied that right. Rafael seized that away from him, taking it upon himself to stay with her instead.

He wanted to be the first person she sees when she wakes up, to hold her hand, to assure her that she will never have to face horrors like this anymore. But fate wasn't on his side this time. It never was. 

So Bryce chose action. He first called in ahead to give Dr. Ramsey the few details they have on hand. He couldn't bring himself to follow her to the hospital. His mind dictated that he wasn't useful there. Instead, he made himself useful somewhere else. 

And there he was, standing in the middle of the crime scene as he hang up his phone. 

Here is where I can help Heather, he thought. I have to find what was in that syringe. It might be her only hope. 

His tired eyes scanned the floor, trying to pick up any detail that may be valuable. He walked around looking down, flashlight in hand, determined to find just about any kind of clue. 

He winced when he saw blood. Heather's. His chest tightened, anger rising within him. That fucking sicko, I swear I'm gonna give him hell. 

Bryce continued prodding around until he heard a soft jingling noise, making him stop. It felt like he just kicked something. He knelt down and found a torn plastic case and a clear glass bottle. He put on his rubber gloves and picked it up, reading the label. Realizing what it was, he quickly dialed Sienna's number and waited for her to pick up. 

"Bryce?" he heard a familiar voice on the line, but it wasn't Dr. Trinh. 

"Jackie?" he felt an immediate pang of worry, hearing the frantic exchange of voices in the background. But he quickly shook the feeling away. He had to focus.

"I found something that might help Heather. There's a bottle of potassium chloride where she was taken, it's empty. I think that's what the suspect injected Heather with."

"Gimme a second," Jackie said. Bryce waited as he listened to Dr. Varma ask for Heather's blood workup from a nurse. "Her potassium levels are elevated, and she's in cardiac arrest. This makes sense, Lahela." 

"She's in cardiac arrest?" A lump in his throat formed, his grip almost slipping from the bottle he was holding. 

"Yes. But we're trying to get her out of it. Your intel's gonna help us figure the rest out," Jackie said, and he sensed her hesitation before he heard her next words. "She'll pull through. So quit yapping and get your ass over here."

The line went dead. 

It took him five minutes to scale down the building, get into his car and hit the road.

***

The environment in the ER was charged by the frantic beeping of the machine, signalling Heather's ongoing cardiac arrest. 

"We've got suspected hyperkalemia," Jackie sprinted to the doctors surrounding Heather's limp body as she got off the phone. 

"Of course," Dr. Ramsey nodded, as he referred to the latest lab results. "A potassium chloride overdose would've caused her coronary infarction. It may have also caused her temporal paralysis, making her lose consciousness. Do we have her weight?" 

"Yes, Dr. Ramsey," Sienna dictated Heather's latest weight to the senior attending, allowing for him to compute for the correct dosage for the prescription. 

"Calcium bicarbonate for the IV, Kaley please," the male doctor handed a piece of paper where he scribbled the dosage needed. 

"Don't we need to do haemodialysis?" Jackie stood beside him, as she prepared a tourniquet and tried to find a vein where the saline solution can be injected. 

"No, we aren't too late, the potassium haven't bound to the cells yet. Watch out for other symptoms though," Like a well-oiled machine, Heather's mentor gave instructions rapidly, taking the lead role in her treatment. 

The nurse went back with the prescription and Jackie setup the insertion. As the liquid began to flow, they waited and watched the heart rate monitor overhead. 

It took a few seconds before the beeping slowed down into a steady rhythm. There was a collective sigh of relief.

Heather Song just narrowly escaped death. 

Tags: @eleanorbloom @ramsey-lahela @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[ma-gic-gay]

So this is a new one of these and the other one is probably over so yeah

It's a weird Christmas.

It marks a year since anyone last saw Sonny, a year since Julian's death, and a year full of drama, as one would expect.

Michael and Willow had had another child, a girl this time. Her name was Ophelia and Wiley loved being a big brother to her. The pair had also burned their annulment papers when they'd realized she was pregnant and finally admitted their feelings for each other. Watching them together had probably been the highlight of the year for their family.

Sam had started hooking up with Dante much to the chagrin of, well, everyone. It had started as a few random hookups but changed quickly into an actual relationship, testing several familial bonds.

Luckily, that disaster on wheels had been halted when Lulu had woken up from her coma. Lulu and Dante got back together and fell in love, again.

Sasha and Brando had formed a relationship as well, which was quite a surprise at first glance but made sense after a few weeks.

"Carly? You okay?" Jason asks. Surprisingly enough, she hadn't completely broke down yet, or ran away. The furthest she'd ran was the island and even then, it was only a few hours no one knew where she was, since he couldn't teleport and it took that long to get to the island.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," she responds, faking a smile.

"Tell that to the tears in your eyes and obviously fake smile," he says to her. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's been a year since any of us have heard from Sonny. For all we know, he's dead. Hell, he probably is. I know I should give up and just agree to a funeral, but it feels wrong to do that without a body," Carly sighs, head in her hands in an effort to hide her tears. "It feels wrong for him to not be here. Last Christmas, we were convinced he'd be home by now and now it's like we've all resigned ourselves to him being dead."

"If it doesn't feel right to have a funeral, don't have one. I've known you for a long time, and your instincts are right a lot of the time. Just because Sonny's not confirmed dead doesn't mean he's not," Jason frowns, putting his arm around her and rubbing circles along her back.

Sonny's "death" meant he had to step up in more ways than one. This had marked the year of Jason running the mob, which he'd practically been doing before but was actually doing now. He'd also had to become sort of a surrogate husband to Carly to the point he practically lives there by now. The kids hadn't questioned it; they'd asked a few times if there was anything going on there but after getting a firm no there hadn't been anything else from them in forms of questioning their relationship status. It was what it was and that was the same friendship they'd always had.

There had been times even Danny had questioned why they were at that house so much, to the point he once asked Carly if they were together or not.

You know it's reaching an odd point when a twelve year old is asking if you're in love with your best friend.

Of course, they didn't take into consideration the fact the whole town thought they were together. Again. Everyone had assumed, based off of how much time they'd been spending together- surprisingly more than normal- and the fact that he'd all but moved into the house that they were together.

That was a fun one to realize when he'd gotten shot and everyone had assured her that her boyfriend would be fine.

It just wasn't happening, they were friends. Anything more could complicate it and complicated almost always meant that there would be fights they couldn't go to each other to uncomplicate.

"I know that, but I just don't want to live knowing that there's a chance he could be alive somewhere and he's been kidnapped or forgotten his name or something. It's like I'm stuck in this neverending circle where there's barely any hope but I can't pretend there's none either. Sometimes, I wish that the police would show up with a body and I would have to confirm that yes, he is dead, just so that I could get out of this loop," Carly sobs. "And then I feel terrible for wishing he was dead because I love him, you know, but then at the same time, I can't help but feel like I need closure."

"That's not a bad thing, to need closure. None of us get any closure when it comes to this, Carly. You're not a bad person for wanting some," he reminds her. "You've been grieving for a year a man you don't even know for sure is dead. It doesn't make you bad to want to have something definite."

"But wanting my husband dead? That's dark," she argues with him.

"You want to know if he's dead or alive, something to confirm what's happened to him. I hate to break it to you but you don't qualify as a terrible person," Jason chuckles. "You've never killed someone, never hurt a kid."

"I shot a dude in open court, I almost killed AJ. I've done a lot of questionable things in my life, Jason," Carly fights back.

She's not wrong, persay, but she's not right. "That stuff doesn't make you a bad person. Morally grey? Yes. Bad? No. You do what you think is best and you're impulsive. If something's not going your way, you'll tip the scales. It's just how you are. None of that makes you a bad person. Some people might not like it, but you've never killed someone or hurt a kid, so in my book you're a good person."

Carly's head comes out of her hands for a minute and he smiles, wiping away the tears. "Well you're not a bad person either. You'd never hurt a kid and you only kill in self defense or if the person's really bad and threatening someone you care about. It's not like you wake up and go kill someone for shits and giggles. You mourn the people you kill and feel bad about it. Only a purely horrible person wouldn't feel bad about their murders."

"Neither of us are bad people, let's just agree on that at least."

"Fine," she relents finally. That only took a year. "I miss Sonny. Especially this time of year. Last year, he read Donna and Avery the Grinch and he had the world's worst Grinch voice. I practically begged him to read another book because of how bad it was. But this year, I wish he would be able to read it to them."

"I miss him too," Jason admits. "It's been a hell of a year without him."

"That it has. So much has changed," she agrees with him, shifting her position on the couch so she's lying her head on his lap.

That's probably why the kids thought they were dating.

He plays with her hair as she laughs, remembering some obscure detail about his telling of the Grinch and decorating for Christmas.

Scratch that, this is definitely why everyone thinks they're together.

"Hey Mom, Jason," Joss greets them, coming in from the kitchen. "I'm going to Trina's. Donna's with Ophelia at the Quartermaine's and Avery's with Ava."

"Alright sweetie, have fun," Carly bids her daughter goodbye, sighing. "Why is she so adult now? I mean, I can remember when she was born and it feels like yesterday. Hell, Michael's birth feels like yesterday. And they're both so grown up."

"Time flies when you're having fun," he answers.

"Where'd you get that? A throw pillow or some advice of my mother's?"

"A card someone sent me back when I was in the hospital. Needless to say, that card got tossed in the trash as soon as you'd let me stand up to go to the trash."

"Who the hell sent that to you of all people?"

"No clue. It didn't have a name attached."

"Huh. Well, it's a terrible expression. Too throw pillow. The real answer would be that we're aging, sadly," Carly sighs again, equally as dramatic. "Granted, I still look like I'm 27, but somehow I've aged."

"Age is but a number."

"You sound like a Hallmark card."

"Rude."

"You do!"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm aging as well. You're not in this whole getting old thing alone. Provided, of course, that you agree to age," he smirks.

"I don't have anything better to do, sadly, so I suppose I'll agree to getting older. But I refuse to have a gray hair."

"Then go to the salon when you notice one and dye your hair."

"I plan on it," the blonde smiles at him before changing the topic. "Do you think we're weird?"

"That came out of nowhere."

"Answer the question."

"No?"

"That sounded like a question."

"Carly, how am I supposed to answer this one? I don't know, maybe?" Jason says, though most of it comes out as a question.

"Well, I mean, think of it. Sonny's been presumed dead for a year. You've been in charge of the business and been there for all of us in more ways than I can count. Seriously, I think Donna sees you as a father," Carly chuckles. "And you've listened to me crying and losing it. Hell, you spent a month and a half at the island just so I wouldn't be alone."

"Hey, you're family. I was happy to do all of those things. Besides, you wouldn't leave my side when I got shot. Or for a very long month after that," he jokes.

"I know but you didn't have to do that. You didn't have to step up and parent the kids. You already had Danny and Scout and the breakup with Sam to deal with, that's a lot at once. Not to mention, taking over the business and grieving Sonny. And dealing with me. All at the same time," she smiles. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but you had no obligation to do any of that."

"Carly, do you think I'd be here right now if I didn't want to? You know me better than that. I love you and the kids and want to be there for all of you. So far, I've only gotten shot once and that was unrelated, so I'd consider this a pretty good experience."

The blonde scoffs at him and he chuckles. "Not funny. You could've died."

Rolling his eyes, he reminds her, "I didn't."

"Well you're not allowed to get shot for a long time."

"I'll take getting shot off of my to do list."

"Don't you dare joke about this!"

"Alright. Look at me. I'm not going to die anytime soon. I promise. It takes a lot more than a measly bullet to kill me, after all. Not even Russian madmen could do it," he says seriously.

"Good. Because if you do that to me again, I'll have no choice but to resign myself to a life in either prison or Ferncliff," she says half seriously, getting a laugh out of Jason.

It's not entirely unrealistic she'd end up in one of those positions, especially given that it's already happened. Repeatedly.

Maybe there's a sign she should stop doing dangerous things.

Almost as though she's being told to by something inside her, Carly connects her lips with his.

to be continued

why do i get myself into these things smh

[kiwisandsuga]

Deathbed

"I'll see you tomorrow.."

Min Yoongi

Genre: angst

Song Rec: deathbed by powfu

“hey baby..” she greeted weakly from the hospital bed.

“lie down babe, you don’t need to sit up." I told her hurriedly, instead helping her get propped up on the bed frame. I dropped the bags that held our lunch as I give her a quick kiss on her forehead.

“how was your day baby?” she asked me as I told her about the stressful day I had while she stroked my hair with her soft fingers.

The nurse came in with a few tablets on her tray, smiling sadly at her. “it's time for your medicine..” she nodded as I got up to get her a glass of water. “Yoongi?” the nurse called out as she left Y/N to take her medicine.

“yeah?” I hummed, looking directly at her.

“doctor sun would like to speak with you for a bit.” she spoke in a hushed tone. I looked at Y/N as she just gave me a nod, the nurse promising to keep her company while I was gone.

I kissed her cheek and left the room, I saw the doctor waiting out in the hallway. “is it bad?” I asked him, already knowing the severity of her condition.

“I’m sorry Yoongi, I hate to say this but her health is deteriorating at an alarming state.”

“it's okay doc, we both know.” I tell him sadly.

Y/N had already thought of everything, even going as far as choosing her own coffin. I remembered the day we talked about it as well.

“baby.. can we talk?” she asked me as I was peeling her an apple, her steady beat from the heart monitor being the only sound I heard aside from her soft voice.

“yeah? what's keeping you up baby..” I asked back seeing as it was five in the morning.

“I think we should.. break up baby..” she spoke to softly that I almost didn’t hear it.

I dropped the small knife in my hand as I rushed to her side, holding her hand as I saw tears prickling at corner of her eyes. “where is this coming from baby?” I asked her worriedly.

She tightened the grip on my hand as she spoke, “I just think you deserve someone better than me, someone who won't leave you so soon you know..” her voice shakily spoke as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“don’t think like that baby, you'll live forever.” I smiled at her. “I don’t want anyone else baby, you're already perfect for me. You don't need to worry about me baby.” I told her, feeling the tear roll down.

Her delicate hands held my face as she wiped the lone tear that somehow escaped my eyes.

“we've been strong for years baby, who knew that someone like me would win your beautiful heart.”

“we can be strong for a few years more baby.” I told her as I let my head bury in her hands.

“we're ready for anything doc.” I told him as he patted me on the back.

I entered the room, the nurse noticing my presence and leaving us alone.

“how was your talk baby?” she asked me as I sat on the chair beside her. “it was fine baby, doc said I can take you home.” I told her, gently kissing her fingers.

“would you like that baby? do you want to come home with me?” I asked her, my eyes searching for hers.

“I would love that babe.”

She looked so happy being out of that hospital bed, the sun made her radiant as she laid across the grass on our backyard. I had asked the company to give me a few months off so I can spend time with her.

We stayed at our home outside of the city, a small cozy house that had a big backyard and a trail leading to the beach.

She smiled at me, it felt like we could live forever.

It's been four months since we started living here, today she asked me to go with her on a picnic at the beach. As much as her health was declining, she found it in herself to be positive.

I didn't have the heart to tell her to stay at the hospital.

We spent the whole day together at the beach, sharing small kisses and passionate hugs. The night came and we had to go back home. I found her on our bed, fixing clothes and fitting them neatly in a suitcase.

“baby what are you doing.” I asked her, hugging her small waist as I pressed soft kisses to her neck. She giggled and told me, “I’m packing your clothes silly, you're a messy packer you know.” She said booping the tip of my nose with her small finger.

We laid down on our bed once she finished, my head on her chest as the gentle bit of her heart gave me a sense of security. She fiddled with my her, her soothing traces relaxing me.

“baby, your coffee is on the right shelf. Remember to turn off the gas after you cook, tell Jin to move in with you so I don't have to worry about you.” She scolded, her soft voice not matching the tone she wanted to have.

“you don't have to worry about me baby.” I mumbled, a stray tear escaping my eye as I refused to look at her.

“I'll always worry about you silly.” I could feel her smile.

“you'll be okay right baby?” I asked her as I finally looked into her eyes.

She nodded as she pressed a kiss to my hair. “are you tired baby? Do you want to go to sleep?” I asked her as her fingers stroked my hair a bit more softly, weakly..

“I want to take a nap baby, I’m a bit tired.” She answered back, her eyes closed as she mumbled.

“it's okay baby, you can go to sleep. I'll be here.” I told her, burrowing myself further into her chest. The tears soaking her sweater.

“I'll see you tomorrow baby, your favorite mocha will be on the table waiting for you.” I assured her, mentioning the caffeinated drink she liked so much.

“I can't wait.. baby..” she breathed out as her fingers stopped dancing on my hair, her heartbeat fading into silence.

The tears couldn't be stopped as I hugged her frame tight, taking my phone out to make the call.

They took her away a few hours later as I sobbed into my best friend's back. I stayed at the house till morning, making a mocha latte leaving it on the table.

“I'll see you again soon baby.” I told to no one but air as I grasped the handle of the mug, emptying the contents into the sand before I left.

[justsmilestuffhappens]

Promotion pawn to knight

"What happened cap?" Eddie spoke into his headset while they were on the street.

"A fight broke out at a chess competition. One of the competitor's have a chess pieces lodged in their ear."

"And they couldn't go to the hospital?" Hen asked.

"Nah. Probably didn't want to throw the competition. They felt like they had to finish didn't they?" Buck asked while chim looked over to him.

"Maddie said something about hating chess competitions when I said it was here, she was in one before?" He asked buck.

"Sorta" buck answered then abandoned the conversation to look at the interesting buildings passing by.

Once they got there a guy came running over.

"Thank God you're here. Please you have to help Kyle." He lead them inside.

"It's not a queen or rook, I think it's a bishop. He refused to leave but his ear stopped bleeding." Mickey said while they came to the front of the building.

"Don't worry. Our paramedics on the team are going to do everything possible to help your friend son." Bobby assured him.

"What? He's not my friend. I hate that asshole. But I respect him as my rival so he can't die before I beat him." Mickey told them as he led them over.

Hen and Chim tried to get him to accept medical attention.

He refused and said during the recess after he squashed his opponent. He wouldn't tarnish his record with calling for a break of his own.

"How did you know that was why we got called?" Eddie asked buck as they watched with Bobby.

"Just made the most sense dude."

"Help! Vanessa's hair got stuck in the bleachers."a woman came over. Bobby was already going to check on her while ordering the boys to get some tools they may need.

Along with her hair her bracelet was trapped tangling things up more.

"Just hold still. Eddie will cut you out while Buck helps you stay still and keeps us from having any chance of accidentally cutting you." Bobby told Vanessa whilst they got to work.

"I don't care if I need a wig, just get me the fuck out of here please." She cried while Eddie started on cutting her loose.

"You look kinda familiar." The mother Tracy told Buck as they helped her daughter.

"You can ask him out later miss but first let's get your daughter out." Eddie told her as politely as possible assuming Buck slept with her from his former days when he first joined the department.

"Eww. No thanks. I'm not into guys. He just reminds me of a kid from back when I was in competition. Wait did you say Buck. Like Buckley? Evan Buckley, little E.B. ? Holy shit! it is you." Her eyes grew wider as buck looked embarrassed for a moment and smiled before going back to being professional and focusing on the younger woman he was currently helping with Eddie.

"Please let him focus on your daughter ma'am." Bobby told her as Eddie continued.

Hen was already over to tell them Kyle was fine but he'd still need to go to the hospital to get checked out once he was done. They'd managed to get it out but covered it just to be safe until it could be inspected by a professional in ear canals.

"That's good Hen. Eddie and Buck are almost done helping this young lady here." Bobby explained further as Tracy looked sadly at Buck.

With Vanessa safely free her mother thanked both Evan and Eddie repeatedly.

"We're just doing our jobs. You're welcome Tracy." Buck told her as her daughter looked angrily at her detached hair.

"So you're a firefighter now. After what you did that last competition I never thought I'd see you at another competition," Tracy said.

"Wait you were the chess player? I thought it was Maddie." Chim said.

"We both were. She just got out of it easier because Mom made her do beauty pageants instead but she didn't have many more before she was busy finishing high school and old enough for them to listen to her." Buck said looking uncomfortable.

"You were a little prodigy buck?" Hen smiled.

"I was okay at it." Buck shrugged.

"You were a finalist." Tracy clarified.

"What happened at that last competition?" Bobby asked before Eddie could too so he just added a "Yeah!"

"Oh it was a spectacle. Little E.B. here." Tracy started with both Chim and Hen saying E.B.? questionably. "So he finally decided he'd had enough of his dad. He tells the entire room in front of both his parents that he forfeits and quits just before he won throwing the match on purpose. Your dad looked the deepest shade of red Evan." Tracy recounted while shaking her head.

"Why did you forfeit?" Eddie had to ask now.

"Dad said the prize money was his not mine after all the work he put in but I was the one that kept practicing when he said I should give up on it in the beginning. So I decided neither of us got it since he wouldn't let me save it for when I was in college. He said he wanted a new car after he just got one recently and a Jacuzzi with other crap we didn't really need." Buck looked angry before Bobby and Eddie both put a hand on his shoulder. "I never played again after that." Buck looked and sounded defeated.

"Evan there are some other's here who'd love to talk." Tracy said.

"Look Tracy. Can you not tell them?" Buck asked.

"How about I tell them after you leave? For old times sake, Buck was it?" She asked.

"Yeah. Thanks Tracy."

"No problem. I only won because of you. But you could give me a rematch one day, maybe." She offered with a smile.

"Maybe. Here's my number." Buck asked for her phone.

They were in the truck when Eddie broke the silence they'd come back with.

"So you had some really good skills huh Buck. Maybe you could teach me and Christopher one day, i think he'd love it."

"Really? I'm probably a little rusty."

"If you were going to be a champion I doubt you could get that bad buck." Eddie lightly slapped his arm.

"Your dad was wrong to say that buck. You would have been responsible with your winnings but he tarnished your love for chess and that's just not right kid. He shouldn't have done that, " Bobby said when they got out of the truck and began separating.

"Thanks Bobby. Wish someone had told him that when I was a kid still though." Buck sighed before nodding as he went upstairs.

Later when Maddie saw buck's smile while he played with Christopher she wanted to cry.

She never thought she'd see him happily playing chess again like he once did.

She had the others to thank for that.

Eddie and Chris were helping him make new happy memories with his old passion.

"Why did you think I was the chess prodigy? I was alright but Buck was a natural." She asked chimney while they fixed dinner for the five of them.

"I assumed you didn't like it because it happened to you personally. Well that and I didn't even know buck could play." He said.

"Bucks just as smart as the rest of us. He just doesn't show it as much with how impulsive he can be and wanting to be known for being cool not nerdy in his words." Maddie said handing him a plate.

"I underestimated a Buckley. Something I'll try not to do again." He laughed while kissing her cheek.

"Buck why don't people always just make queens if they can go wherever they want?" Christopher asked while changing a pawn like he said.

"Yeah Chris. Queens are really good, they're the best of all the pieces in movement but sometimes you might need another piece like a knight maybe to take things by surprise buddy. And you can get me in checkmate if you keep this up." Buck told him.

"Beat buck for me mijo. Avenge your father." Eddie imitated being wounded.

"I'm trying daddy." Christopher said as Maddie came to tell them dinner was ready.

"Oh yeah! Chicken pasta here we come. Let's go Christopher." Buck said getting up and waiting for his little buddy to follow him.

"Yes. The other shared Buckley childhood passion. Food." Eddie said to chimney on the walk to the kitchen table.

The 118 answers a call at the national chess tournament and are shocked when everybody there acts a little starstruck toward their favorite Buckaroo. Turns out, Buck is a chess prodigy who won a lot of competition before becoming a firefighter.