#i want to work on the lay & the gyns projects too

[tirfpikachu]

tfw i have $948cad and rent is $980 AND MY PLACE IS A WRECK

[spine-buster]

Alone, Together | My Eyes: Epilogue 3 | Morgan Rielly

TW: mentions of miscarriage

July 20th, 2024

Bee eyed herself up in the mirror, looking down at her just barely swollen belly.  Maybe she was just seeing things.  Maybe it wasn’t even swollen yet.  

The cramping began at around six weeks.  It was much less severe than the last two times, where she was constantly uncomfortable, sometimes to the point of barely being able to walk.  Then came the nausea.  Whoever had named it “morning sickness” must have thought it to be a sick joke, because it was more like “all-day sickness”.  At least for her.  Then, the absolute greatest part: the bloating.  Whenever Bee ate, she felt bloated.  She could eat plain lettuce and feel bloated.

These symptoms had happened before though.  Twice.  Which is why, when she began to experience them all over again, there was a jolt of excitement mixed with a pang of worry.  The last two times began with doctor’s visits and blood tests.  They were met with excited whispers, medical advice, and buying the first plush stuffed animal Bee saw in the kids section of Indigo: a little red fox.

They ended in miscarriage.  Both of them.  The first, at eight weeks, the second, at ten weeks.  Both because of chromosomal abnormalities – something common, apparently, and completely out of hers or Morgan’s control.  ‘It happens to many couples’ they were told in soothing voices.  ‘It’s a lot more common than you think.  There is nothing wrong with you.  It happens sometimes, unfortunately.’

But does it happen twice?  

It was for this reason Bee didn’t want to think too far ahead; get her hopes up about something that could end in another devastating heartbreak.  Her doctors told her not to worry, but she couldn’t help but start worrying since she missed her period.  This was going to be her third pregnancy – which she knew of.  If this ended in a miscarriage too, she and Morgan would have to start looking at…other options.  Fertility treatments.  IVF.  Having sex in specific positions on specific days facing specific directions in tune with specific earthly energies.  Hell, she’d even take voodoo at this point if it meant she could stay pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby.  

Bee was approaching her twelfth week now, which was more or less considered the safe zone: the moment when most expectant mothers could be confident in the pregnancy carrying to term, and the moment where she and Morgan could start telling friends and family.  She’d had doctor’s appointments up until the one today – two, actually, because she was a bit paranoid, both with her OB-GYN back in Toronto.  But this one was the first one Morgan would be able to attend.  Hopefully, he’d be able to hear a heartbeat.  If there was still a heartbeat.  

He had been so good to her throughout the complications – not that he would ever not be, but there was an extra softness to him, an extra…humanity to him.  He had cried with her, more than once.  He had voiced his fears that maybe, somehow, it was his fault.  He had soothed her, comforted her, was there for her during the physical pain of it all.  He had held her tightly as they lay in bed together knowing that this time, it just wasn’t meant to be.  But it would happen in the future.  It would happen someday, and they’d both be so happy and the baby would be so loved.  

“I hope they get your blue eyes,” Bee would nestle her face into the crook of his neck as they lay together, bodies curled against one another in bed.  “They would be so lucky to get your eyes.”

“They can get my eyes but they need your looks,” he’d said back.  “We can’t have another one of me running around.  I don’t know if the world will be able to handle it.”

As Bee continued to look at herself in the floor length mirror in the bedroom of their house in Vancouver, she heard the door to the ensuite open, Morgan walking out with a towel tied around his waist.  His hair was a wet mess, sticking up in every direction.  The steam emanating from the bathroom slightly fogged up the floor-to-ceiling windows of their bedroom, overlooking the coastline of the Sunshine Coast.  They had purchased the house during the wedding planning process, half-built and ready to customize.  After some long-distance planning decisions, decorating and “project manager” Andy Rielly inspecting the job site everyday (since it was only a half-hour drive up the coast from their house, anyway), in a few short months it became their second home.  Four bedrooms, just like their home in Toronto.  Floor-to-ceiling windows in almost every room to be able to see the spectacular views.  A dock with a boathouse.  It was all so perfect.  She constantly pinched herself.

“Are you feeling okay, Bumblebee?” Morgan asked.  She hadn’t even noticed that he’d already put on his underwear and pants.  She was that out of it, she guessed.  Lost in her mind.

“I’m feeling fine,” she said, nodding her head slightly.  “Nervous, but fine.  Can you…can you see anything different?”

“Not really,” Morgan admitted softly.  “But what I see doesn’t matter.  Does it feel different for you?”

Bee nodded her head.  “Yeah.  Yeah it does.”

Bee watched in the mirror as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.  He was still topless, but when she felt the warmth of his body against her bare back, she could have melted into him.  “Whatever happens, it’s going to be okay,” he said cradling her small hands in his as they rested on her belly.  He placed a tender kiss on her shoulder.  “I love you, Bumblebee.”

***

“How are we feeling, Mrs. Rielly?” Dr. Denise smiled as she sat down on her chair, Bee’s file in her hand.

“Good…but anxious,” Bee admitted as she lay down, holding Morgan’s hand beside her.  “It’s nice to see you again.  I just…we just want to make sure everything is okay.”

“Well, I can see your test results from your last visit to your doctor in Toronto.  They all came back completely fine – the urine test, pap smear, blood work – there are no complications whatsoever,” Dr. Denise said, looking over her paperwork that must have been sent to her.  

“I’m…I’m more concerned about the health of the baby,” Bee said.  She could feel Morgan squeeze her hand from where he was sitting on a chair at her side.  He was keeping quiet, and Bee knew it was because he was a mix of nervous and scared.  “We’ve suffered two miscarriages already.  They were in quick succession last year.  They were chromosomal, so we know there was nothing we could have done to stop that, but we just want…we just want to make sure the baby is healthy and developing.”

“I remember being informed, Mrs. Rielly,” Dr. Denise said cautiously.  “I read on your records that your doctor sends me from Toronto.  We will definitely find a heartbeat for you to hear today, okay?  Your last appointment in Toronto showed the baby was developing regularly.  There were no complications like there were in your earlier two pregnancies at this stage – the cramping especially.  There should be no need to worry.  When I measure the baby and its heartbeat we’ll get a better picture.”

Bee nodded her head, and Dr. Denise began to prepare the equipment for the sonogram.  “This will be a bit cold, Mrs. Rielly.”

“I remember.”

She squirted the gel on Bee’s stomach, below her belly button, and pressed the wand onto Bee’s skin.  This was nothing new to Morgan, who had gone to Bee’s previous appointments with her the last two times, but he still watched intently.  When the outline of the baby appeared on the sonogram, Morgan could immediately tell it was more developed than the last two he’d seen.  It was bigger; a more prominent shape than he’d seen before.  The smile on his face was automatic as he saw it.  That was a baby.  His baby.  

“Alright Mrs. Rielly, if you can try to stay still for me as much as possible, we’ll be able to hear and get an accurate reading of the heartbeat,” Dr. Denise said as she touched a few buttons on the monitor.  

This was the point when Bee became absolutely petrified.  The last two times it had come to this point, there was nothing.  No heartbeat.  Just silence.  Silence, and then the sound of sniffles and tears, of ripping tissues out of a box, of whimpers to questions and options and information about what would happen next.  This was the part she was most scared of, because if there wasn’t a heartbeat again, she’d be devastated – not that she wasn’t devastated the previous two times.  But this time would hurt so much more.  The third.  

Morgan held his breath.  He’d been holding it since he walked into the doctor’s office.  The only thing he wanted to hear – more than the roaring of a crowd at Scotiabank Arena, more than anything in this world – was his baby’s heartbeat.  A baby he helped create.  That luxury was stolen from him twice before, and he didn’t want it to be taken away from him again.  He knew how eager Bee was to become a mother; he knew how much he wanted to become a father.  It had to work out.  It had to.  There was no other option.  

Dr. Denise moved the wand slightly against Bee’s skin.  Some more tapping of monitor buttons.  Silence.  Moving of the wand again.  More tapping of buttons. 

And then -----

THUMPthump—THUMPthump—THUMPthump—THUMPthump—THUMPthump—

A heartbeat.  

Their baby’s heartbeat.

Morgan tried to keep his cool but upon hearing the loud thumps, he let out a sob and tears began streaming down his face.  He tried to hold them back; he brought his hand up to his face to try and hide it, he tried to sniff the tears away, but the attempt was futile.  He was an absolute mess.  There was the baby – their baby – right there on the screen, with a heartbeat.  A strong, steady heartbeat.  It was magic.  He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  

“There we are!” Dr. Denise smiled.  “Baby’s heartbeat is fantastic!  Nice and strong.”

“They…they’re okay?” Bee couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Tears were streaming down her face too as she squeezed Morgan’s hand so tightly she thought the blood might stop circulating.

“Yes Mrs. Rielly.  Everything is okay.  Baby Rielly is developing well, the size is exactly what it should be at 12 weeks, and the rate of the heartbeat shows us it’s a very healthy baby,” she confirmed.  “You can start letting friends and family know, Mrs. Rielly.  I’m sure they’ll be just as excited as you are.”

“Oh my God,” Bee began to cry.  “Oh my God.  We finally…finally…”

***

“Did you guys have a good trip to the park?” Shirley asked as she set the salad bowl down on the table.  Everybody had finished their lunch and was just relaxing on the deck, taking in the beautiful British Columbia sun.  Andy finished pouring the last of the wine in his glass.

“It was beautiful,” Morgan said, eyeing Bee.  Bee gave him a slight nod.  “We actually got you guys a few things.  Let me go get them,” he said, leaving the table quickly.

“Got us some things?  Why?  Morgan, we live here,” Andy called out to him as he disappeared inside the house.  Andy focused his attention on Bee.  “What in the world?”

“Trust us.  It just screamed you guys,” she smiled.  

Morgan came back out after a few moments, holding the gifts they had purchased in his hands.  He laid them in front of his parents as they looked on, confused.  “Come on.  Open them.”

They did as they were told, revealing some very nice matching picture frames.  “These are very nice, Morgan, but I know for a fact that you didn’t get them at some rinky-dinky gift shop in Stanley Park,” Shirley eyed her son.

“You’re right, you’re right,” he shrugged his shoulders, pretending like they were calling his bluff.  

“At least they’re empty though, right?” Bee quipped.

“Well, we’ll have to fill them with something,” Shirley said, looking over at her husband.  “What do you think?  Photos from when we did that Alaskan cruise?”

“You might want to wait,” Morgan smiled.  “We have something else coming.  But it’s not going to be here until February.”

There was a dramatic pause.  Andy and Shirley looked at their son, their faces blank for a few moments, unsure of what Morgan meant.  Did he order something?  Something was coming?  But then Shirley looked at Bee.  She saw the smile on Bee’s face.  She saw the light in her eyes and the fact that Bee looked like she was ready to burst, and she knew.  She knew right then and there.

So Shirley screamed.

She dropped the frame and she screamed at the top of her lungs.  And when she started screaming, Andy looked scared.  He looked scared but then he thought about why Shirley was screaming, and he looked over at Bee’s smile, wide as ever, and he too came to the realization.  “Are you pregnant?” he asked, barely audible under Shirley’s screams.

Bee nodded her head.  “I just hit twelve weeks.”

“Oh my God…oh my God!” he exclaimed as Shirley shoved herself out of her seat to hug her.  “I’m gonna be a grandpa!  We – Shirley, we’re gonna be grandparents!”

Shirley was crying at this point as she clung onto Bee for dear life.  “Oooooooh, I can’t believe it!  I can’t believe it!” she kept repeating.  “My baby is having a baby!  I’m gonna be a grandma!”

***

August 1st, 2024

Back in Toronto, Bee waited impatiently for Angie’s arrival at Oretta Restaurant.  The best friends decided to meet up now that they were both in town – with Angie being in Kingston with Mason’s family, and Bee being in Vancouver, they hadn’t seen each other for weeks.  She scrolled through her phone after the waitress brought over some lemon water, texting back and forth with Morgan for a while until she finally saw Angie make her way through the door, her flowing dress blowing in every direction as the heavy glass door closed behind her.  The hostess brought her directly to Bee, who stood up to hug her.

“Sorry I’m late – parking was a nightmare, as you can imagine,” she said as she set her purse down.  “You haven’t ordered or anything, have you?”

“No no, just the water,” Bee waved her off, handing her a menu as she sat down.  “I am starving though, so choose quick.”

Angie took a quick glance at the menu, deciding quickly on what she wanted before setting down the regular menu and picking up the drink menu.  “Do you, uh, want to get some mimosas or something?  I know how much you love your mimosas at brunch,” Angie commented.

Bee smiled.  This was not the way she was planning for it to go – she was just planning to slide the picture from the sonogram across the table, truthfully – but hell, this way was as good as any.  “You can get one if you want, but um, I’m not drinking…” Bee said, giving her a peeping stare over her menu.

“I’m not drinking either,” Angie responded, trying to conceal a smirk.  

It took a few moments for both women to realize the innuendos.  Their faces dropped at the exact same time.  

“Are you --”

“Are you--”

“Pregnant?!” they both exclaimed, pointing at each other, jaws on the floor.

“You’re – you’re pregnant?!” Bee had to clarify.

“You’re pregnant?!” Angie shrieked.

Both women began nodding their head at the same time, causing the other to shriek and scream in delight, grabbing each other’s hands from across the table until they both got up at the same time and squeezed each other tightly, still screaming.  

“When are you due?!” Bee demanded.

“When are you due?!” Angie demanded back.

“I’m early February,” Bee revealed.  “When are you due?!”

“I’m early February,” Angie revealed, her jaw dropping again.

Bee couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  “Are we – are we due at the same time?!”

Angie was smiling from ear to ear.  “God, does this mean we fucked our husbands on the same night?”

Bee hit her in the arm.  “Angela.”

“Think about it!”

“You’re gross,” Bee giggled as the women finally settling back into their seats.  “Do you have a picture?”

“Sure do,” Angie began digging in her purse.  “You too?  Are you guys going to find out what you’re having?”

“No,” Bee shook her head.  “We both want to keep it a surprise.  You guys?”

“I want to find out.  Mason wants it to be a surprise.  Of course,” Angie rolled her eyes dramatically.  

“Go figure.”

Angie finally slipped the sonogram photo across the table, as Bee did hers.  They both oohed and awed at the little babies, commenting on size and heart rate and due date and sonogram experience and doctor and nurse practitioner and ultrasound technician and pre-natal vitamins and pre-natal yoga classes like they were already professionals.  The waitress came and took their orders and both blurted out “She’s pregnant!” about each other.  

After the waitress left, Angie looked at Bee.  There was a moment of silence as the two women just smiled at each other, Angie reaching over the table to grab Bee’s hand.  “I can’t…Bee…” she began, getting emotional at the drop of a dime.  “I can’t believe we’re pregnant at the same time.”

“I know.  It’s crazy,” she commented.

“Our kids…our kids are gonna grow up together,” Angie continued, the emotion evident in her voice.  “I can’t believe…I can’t…”

“I know, Angie.  I know,” Bee squeezed her hand tightly.  “It’s our wildest dream actually coming true.  The magic isn’t lost on me.  Trust me.”

***

September 14th, 2024

So I can confirm Bee McTavish (Rielly’s wife) is pregnant.  Saw her out today with a friend (that girl she’s always in pics with) and they both had bumps.

Wow anon thanks for the info!  How far along would you say she looked?

Bee really trapped Mo with a baby!!!!!

Seriously, anon?  They’re married.  She didn’t “trap” him at all.  Grow up.

The glow up of Bee McTavish has to be the best story ever.  Girl grew up in public housing with an alcoholic mom and now she’s a multi-millionaire with two homes and a professional athlete husband.  I want her life lol

You and me both!

Bee’s glow up may be goals but Morgan still cheats on her all the time.  It’s pathetic what these girls will put up with for the sake of status.

I highly doubt Morgan cheats on Bee, anon

Bee McTavish is 100% pregnant.  But don’t let that fool you.  She is still stuck up as ever.  Selfish.  Only cares about herself.  She thinks just because she’s a Leafs WAG she’s hot shit.  She’s always been pathetic and she always will be pathetic.  Hilarious that now that she’s pregnant she’s gonna get even fatter.  Wonder if she’ll lose the baby weight or just get lipo.

Yeah anon, the woman who still has her own job and who made Toronto Life’s list of “50 Most Influential Torontonians” for her philanthropy and charity work is “selfish” and “pathetic”.  

***

October 25th, 2024

Bee’s feet were throbbing.  It was partially her fault for having walked around Yorkdale for almost four hours, zipping through all the shops and loading up on more onesies, maternity clothes, plush animals, and spit up towels that she could shake a stick at, but she felt in the mood to nest that day.  All the baby books said it would happen, and for her, it wasn’t a gradual shift.  It was immediate.  It felt like the second she hit five months pregnant, she needed to nest.

She hauled in some of the large bags herself, staying in the doorway as she heard hammers hitting something and thumps coming from upstairs.  She furrowed her brows.  She knew it was an off-day for Morgan – she thought he’d be napping, or at the gym.  “Morgan?” she called out.

“Up here!” she could faintly hear his voice.

She climbed up the stairs slowly, making her way towards the sounds she was hearing – the bedroom they had designated as the baby’s room, the nursery.

“Make sure the lines are straight!” she heard Morgan chastise.

“It’s fucking paint, dude!  The wall is gonna be all one colour when I’m done!” a voice she immediately recognized as Tyler’s spat back.

When she opened the door and saw what she did, her heart grew three sizes.  There was Morgan, power drill and toolset spread all over the floor, building the baby’s crib that had just come in last week.  On the opposite side of the room, Tyler stood in old clothes holding a paint roller, half the wall already painted in the neutral greenish-grey colour she and Morgan had agreed on.  

Morgan looked up from his kneeling position where he was reading the instructions.  “Hey beautiful,” he smiled warmly.

“Hi,” she said softly, a bit overwhelmed at the scene in front of her.  She looked towards Tyler.  “Hi.”

“You like the colour?” he asked.

She nodded.  “I love it.  I…” she couldn’t find the words.  Tears almost automatically formed in her eyes.  “I love you guys so much.”

***

November 5th, 2024

“Hey mamma,” Morgan cooed, climbing onto the bed with the jar of cocoa butter in his hands.  “You ready for your daily rub?”

“It sounds really gross when you put it that way,” Bee giggled, lifting her pajama shirt to expose her belly.  She was officially twenty-seven weeks along now, and everybody was commenting on how big she was.  Instead of a small dainty bumps like Aryne, Ashley, and Lucy had years ago, and more recently for Alannah, Bee’s was much bigger and rounder.  It protruded out dramatically.  People were joking that she had twins in there, though she assured them there was only one.  She wondered how much more she could grow.  “Do you still think I’m cute now that I have my own orbit?”

“I always think you’re cute,” he said, unscrewing the cap.  He bent down quickly and kissed the top of her belly.  “You’re even cuter when you’re carrying our child.”

Bee smirked.  “You’re saying that so I bake an extra batch of cookies today.”

“No I’m not!” he giggled.  “I think you’re the cutest, sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world, Bumblebee.  You know that.”

Morgan had taken to helping her rub cocoa butter all over her bump to help with the inevitable stretch marks.  He loved it.  Not just because it was an intimate moment between him and his wife that started and ended each day, but also because whenever he started rubbing, the baby began to kick.  It was the best feeling in the world.  The first time it happened, he began to tear up.  He was so shocked that he poked and prodded her bump for ten minutes trying to feel the baby kick again.  

He smothered the cream onto Bee’s swollen belly, rubbing it all over her gently as she helped.  Like clockwork, the baby began to kick.  He felt it at first – the light taps against his palm he began to recognize so well, but soon, he not only felt, but saw the baby kick.  Bee’s skin stretched out dramatically; it looked like the baby was kickboxing.  “Jesus,” he gasped as he watched it happen again, stopping all his hand movements.  “Did that hurt?”

“No, I’m good.”

“When did that start happening?” he asked.

Bee shrugged her shoulders.  “It’s been happening for a while.”

“My God,” he still couldn’t believe it.  “I know the books said it’s totally normal to see that happen but it’s still weird.”

“I know,” she smiled.  “If only you knew what it felt like.”  She watched as Morgan didn’t respond – instead, focusing on poking and prodding her belly to see her skin move and contort again from the baby’s punches or kicks.  “Don’t encourage them.  They might punch my bladder and I’ll pee all over this bed.”

Morgan snorted at her comment.  “I just think it’s the coolest thing in the world.  That’s our baby in there.”

“Our baby,” she smiled, resting her hand over his.

***

December 21st, 2024

“What about George?”

“We are absolutely not naming our baby George.”

“What about Leo?”

“We can’t do Leo.  Angie and Mason are doing Leon if it’s a boy and it’s too close.  And I’m not going to be that bitch that takes a baby name from someone else.”

“What about Christopher?”

“No way.”

“Daniel?”

“No.”

“Okay…you know what?  Let’s switch to girl names,” Morgan said as he clutched the book of baby names in his hand.  He readjusted his position, making sure not to disturb Maggie, whose head was lying peacefully on Bee’s legs, and Bruce, who was curled at her feet sleeping.  “What do you think of Ava?”

“Too overused.”

“Amelia?”

“No.”

“Aurora?”

“Borealis?” Bee quipped.

Morgan was exasperated.  “Briony, you’re due in six weeks and we still haven’t figured out a name for the baby,” he began.  “We need to get some ideas or else they won’t have a name.”

“But they’re all so…blergh!” she exclaimed.  “The name has to be perfect, Morgan.  It can’t just be something we throw out there because we couldn’t think of anything else.  They’re going to have this name for the rest of their life.  It has to be perfect.”

Morgan looked at his wife.  “Are these the hormones talking?  Because last week that little girl in the grocery store was named Amelia and you said it was cute.”

“It is a cute name, but not for my own child,” Bee was firm.

“Okay…” Morgan facepalmed, unable to see the reasoning – or lack thereof – in Bee’s denial of all the baby names he’d thrown at her.  “We should take a break.”

“Can you bring me a piece of the banana loaf I made earlier?” she asked sweetly, as if she hadn’t just shot down every name he suggested.  “I can’t move.  Maggie’s sleeping.”

Morgan looked down at her, sitting upright in bed, the cutest little smile on her face.  There was six weeks left until her due date and she was huge.  Massive.  He didn’t understand the physics of it.  “You’re lucky I love you.”

“This is your seed that’s making me so picky,” she winked.  “I was never like this before.”

“Hmm, you think so,” Morgan quipped, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“HEY!”

***

February 4th, 2025

Bee was literally waddling.  It was embarrassing.  But she was huge.  And movement was getting more and more impossible by the day.  She couldn’t stay on her feet for too long.  She couldn’t sit down for too long.  Some days, she felt like she couldn’t exist for too long.  Her ankles swelled.  She had the worst heartburn ever.  She had to pee every thirty seconds.  Her back hurt.  Her back always fucking hurt.

But none of that mattered, because Leon Rocco Joseph Bennett was finally in the world.  

Mason had called in the middle of the night, letting her know that Angie’s water broke and they were on their way, but to stay sleeping and come in the morning because it was very obviously going to take a while.  Well, it didn’t.  Within six hours Angie gave birth to a healthy boy, and Bee was woken up with another phone call with the news.  

“Ma’am, are you lost?  Do you need me to take you back to your room?” a very polite and helpful nurse stopped Bee in the hallway, her eyes focused on Bee’s enormous bump.

“Oh, I’m not – no, I’m not due yet,” Bee laughed slightly.  “I’m actually here for a friend.”

“You look like you’re about to pop.”

“Next week!” Bee scurried down the hall, not wanting the nurse to hold her against her will.  

When she finally arrived to Angie’s room, she saw Josh holding his nephew, cooing at him softly.  Rocco was standing behind him, watching closely, while Clarette was sitting on the chair beside Angie’s bed.  “Hellooooo,” she said softly, smiling at everybody.

“Hey!” Clarette exclaimed, standing to give her a big hug.  After she finished, Bee moved on to Angie, sitting up in the bed, bending down to hug her tightly.  

Inevitably, Bee’s giant bump got in the way, causing Angie to laugh.  “You’re about to pop any second, Bee.”

“You popped first though,” Bee commented.  “I better have a six hour labour like you or else I’m calling the police.”

“You wanna hold him?” Josh asked, approaching her slowly.  “He’s just as much your nephew as he is mine.”

Josh passed Leon over gently, and Bee rested him on her bump as she held him in her arms.  “Hi Leon,” she cooed gently as she took a seat on the edge of Angie’s bed.  “Hello Leon.  It’s me.  It’s Bee.”

As Leon’s eyes looked up at hers, she felt a shiver run up her spine, realizing that in a very, very short amount of time, she’d be holding her own baby, her own son or daughter, in her arms lovingly.  

She smiled.

***

Saturday February 15th, 2025

“Oh my Lord, Bee,” Aryne commented as she hugged her…well, tried to hug her.  It had to become one of those more awkward side-hugs because of Bee’s girth.  “You’ve dropped, haven’t you?”

“I don’t even know anymore.  I’m two weeks overdue.  I just…I just want my back to stop hurting,” Bee sighed.

“Should you even be here?” Aryne cautioned, trying to take in how big and round one of her best friends was.  The roar of the crowd could already be heard as people filed into Scotiabank Arena.  “I know it’s Hockey Night in Canada and it’s against the Habs but…”

“I was adamant that I was going to be here,” Bee shook her head.  “I need to…I don’t know, not be cooped up in my house all day.  I need to get out.  Hopefully I’ll be able to fit in the damn seats.”

Aryne was cautious as Bee waddled around the family room before they made their way down to their seats.  She was secretly thankful that Jace and Isabella weren’t there that night, because she felt like Bee was going to pop at any moment.  She could see the physical discomfort in Bee’s face anytime she had to get up from her seat or go up and down a set of stairs.  Bee tried to hide it but Aryne could see.  She’d been through it twice before.  She knew.  

Aryne tried to be extra attentive to the physical discomfort that would manifest itself on Bee’s face, but between the faces Bee was making for what was happening during the game and the faces she was making from whatever the baby was doing inside her, Aryne couldn’t keep up.  

With Morgan already getting two assists on the goals by John and Auston by the mid-way point of the second period, Bee was a happy camper as she stood up and waddled her way to the washroom.  Aryne waited patiently for her to come back, but as the period went on, and the TV breaks were taken, Aryne got worried.  She budgeted a bit of extra time, but Bee still hadn’t returned.  On instinct, she checked her phone.

Can you come help me in the washroom?  

Ones in the family room.

Aryne jolted out of her seat.  She ran up the stairs and back into the friends and family room, knocking on the bathroom door dramatically.  “It’s me!” she called out.

Bee opened the door almost automatically.  She seemed fine.  “Hey.”

“Are you alright?” Aryne demanded.

“Aryne, I need you to remain calm when I tell you this,” she cautioned, “but I need you to take me to the hospital.”

Aryne’s eyes bulged out of her head.  “Baby’s coming?”

“Baby’s coming.”

Aryne nodded, grabbing hold of Bee’s hand.  “Let me get somebody’s attention to tell Morgan--”

“No.”

Aryne stopped for a moment.  “Bee--”

“Let him finish the game.  He’s having a good game.  It’s only, like, half an hour.  It’ll be fine.  The baby isn’t going to be born in half an hour.”

“Briony.”

“Call Angie and Mason, please?  And Clarette and Rocco.  But don’t let anybody tell Morgan until he’s in the tunnel and we’ve won the game.”

***

Morgan was elated.  He got three assists on their 5-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens and Freddie’s shutout made it that much sweeter.  The boys were in a great mood, loud and ecstatic as they cheered down the hallway that led them back to their locker room.  Media were already running around, prepping themselves for post-game interviews.  

As he turned the corner, one of the Leafs personnel got his attention, literally stepping in front of him to get him to stop walking.  “Mr. Rielly?”

“Yes?”

“Bee’s in labour.  You need to go.”

Morgan’s eyes bulged out of his head.  “Bee’s – what?!  Bee’s in labour?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?” he demanded.

“She’s already at the hospital.”

“Already at the – what the hell?!  When – where – when did she leave?!” he dropped his stick and practically threw off his helmet.

“Sir, she was adamant that I not to tell you during the game --”

“I gotta go,” Morgan shook his head, rushing back into the locker room.  A lot of the guys were already out of their jerseys, looking at him as he burst in.  “Chief, I gotta go now,” he directed at Sheldon Keefe, pulling his jersey over his head quickly.

“What’s going on?” Sheldon asked.

“Bee’s in labour.”

A round of loud whoops and hollers from the boys filled the locker room as he took off his gear, causing him to smile.  He knew he’d see some of them after everything – after his first child was born – and he knew someone would probably mention it to a reporter since the ones waiting outside definitely heard everyone screaming about it.  But in less time than it took him to make one of his famous grilled cheese sandwiches that Bee craved all throughout his pregnancy, he was out the door and speeding through the Toronto streets, on his way to the hospital.

***

Tuesday, February 18th, 2025

So it wasn’t a six-hour labour like Bee had hoped.  

Bee was in labour for two days.

It was almost unbearable.  It was a prolonged labour, obviously, due to slow dilation, but nothing else – the baby was monitored heavily, and everything was fine in that regard.  But Bee was uncomfortable, and Morgan was antsy, and Aryne kept calling to make sure everything was okay, and Tyler kept calling to make sure everything was okay, and Shirley and Andy were flying in from Vancouver and…

It was a lot.  There was a lot of monitoring.  A lot of checking up.  A lot of talk about inducing labour if things didn’t progress.  It was because it was a big baby.  Morgan barely slept, but that was fine.  Andy and Shirley landed and were taking a taxi straight to the hospital.  Morgan would have to make decisions.  Bee would have to make the ultimate decisions.  Yes to an epidural.  Yes to this.  Yes to that.  Tried to sleep.  Tried to walk.  Tried to this, tried to that.  Then the doctor checked on Bee again and said she was almost fully dilated.

And then, like lightning, she was fully dilated.  It was time to push.  

Morgan changed into a pair of scrubs thanks to the nurses.  Bee’s legs were propped up on those stilts as she groaned in pain and held onto his hand for dear life, squeezing it so hard his blood circulation stopped.  Morgan helped coach her breathing, helped her count, helped the nurses count as she pushed.  He caressed her head, told her how amazing she was doing.  

“Bee, push for one…two…three…four…”

“AAAAAOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!”

“You got this Bumblebee, you got it.  Push.  Push.”

“And again Bee, for one…two…three…”

“We see the head Bee!  You’re crowning!  Keep pushing!  Keep pushing!”

“You’re doing a great job, Bumblebee.”

“One more time Bee.  For one…two…three…four…five…six…”

And then, there were cries.  Loud, ear-shattering, healthy cries of a baby.  And when Bee opened her eyes, and when Morgan looked over, the doctor was holding up their baby.

Their son.

“Congratulations!  It’s a boy!” she announced happily, placing the baby on Bee’s chest delicately as it continued to wail and scream at his new surroundings that were most definitely not as cozy as his previous living arrangements.

Bee began to cry from pure happiness and elation as she touched her son, cradling him against her chest.  “Hi baby,” she cried out, kissing the top of his head softly.  “We’ve been waiting for you.  You’re finally here.”

Morgan had tears running down his cheeks as he looked down on his wife and son.  His son.  He leaned in and cradled his son’s head in his large hands, taking a deep breath in.  “We have a son,” he whispered in astonishment, looking at Bee.  She had the same look of wonder in her eyes.  “We have a son.”

The nurses and midwives began to clean him, wiping him down and suctioning the mucus and other fluids out of his throat and nose.  Their son continued to wail and cry, but both Bee and Morgan knew that was healthy.  That was what he was supposed to be doing.  Bee whispered soothing words to him, kissing the top of his head again gently.

“Hey dad,” their doctor said, handing Morgan a small pair of medical scissors.  “Do the honours.”

Dad.  Morgan almost sobbed at the word dad.  He could barely register the rest of the sentence.  He took the scissors and carefully cut the umbilical cord.

“Mrs. Rielly, we need to quickly go weigh and measure him now for the records, but we’ll bring him back to you quickly wrapped in his blanket, or you can continue your skin-to-skin contact,” the midwife smiled.

Bee nodded her head as the midwife scooped up their son in a clean towel, watching as she brought the baby over to the scale.  Morgan watched too, the nurses suctioning the last of the mucus out of his mouth and nose before readying the receiving blanket.  The other nurses helped clean up around Bee, making her feel comfortable again.  Everything that she read in the baby books happened.  “Nine pounds, eight ounces,” one of the nurses announced to them with a giant smile on her face.  “A big, bouncing baby boy.”

Bee looked up at Morgan.  She was tired, she was exhausted, she had just given birth to a nine pound baby, but she had a smile on her face.  “We have a son,” she repeated her words from earlier.  “Morgan, we have a son.”

“You were amazing,” he whispered, bending down to kiss her quickly.  “You did so well, Bumblebee.  I’m in awe of you.”

After everything was completed and baby was taken care of, he was brought back to Bee and Morgan swaddled in a blanket, with a cute little hat on his head.  “You can remove the blanket if you’d like, and continue the skin-to-skin,” the nurse explained, “because we noticed he’s rooting.  Baby’s already hungry.  We’ll help with the latching.”

Bee became nervous.  She knew how difficult breastfeeding was for a lot of women, but she wanted so desperately to be able to breastfeed her baby and establish that bond right from the beginning.  But there were always problems, and complications, and she was nervous about the baby not latching and her doing something wrong and not producing enough milk and not being good enough and –

She couldn’t think about that now.  Her baby was hungry.  So she began to do what she read about in all the baby books.  She lowered her hospital gown, she moved their son into a comfortable position.  The nurse helped with the placement, and he latched on quickly.  He began to suck almost automatically.

“Do you feel a tugging sensation, Mrs. Rielly?” the nurse asked.  Bee nodded her head.  “A tugging sensation, not a pinching.”

“I feel tugging,” Bee confirmed, nodding her head.  “Tugging.”

The small sounds of him sucking could be heard, and the nurse smiled.  “You’re good to go, Mrs. Rielly.  I’ll leave you two for a bit for some privacy and time alone.  We’ll be around – just buzz if he stops or loses his latch.”

As the nurse left the room, Morgan settled in beside Bee on the bed, cradling the baby’s head in his hand again, leaning down to kiss it gently once again.  “Does it feel okay?” he asked.

Bee nodded her head.  “I can feel it.  It’s…I can feel it.”

“Okay.  Okay,” Morgan whispered, kissing her forehead.  “You’re amazing, Briony.  I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she said, looking up at him to kiss him before focusing on their baby again.

They were silent for a while, just watching their son as he fed, his eyes closed as he continued to suck.  Bee couldn’t keep her eyes off of him.  He was perfect in every way possible, and she couldn’t believe she was so lucky.  She was a mom.  

“I want to name him Andrew,” Bee said suddenly, a few stray tears still rolling down her cheeks.  She looked up at Morgan snuggled into her, his hand caressing his son’s head delicately again.  “It has to be Andrew.  Andy.”

“Like dad?”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head, looking down at her son.  “I don’t care what the middle name is.  But it has to be Andrew.”

“Then it’s going to be Andrew,” Morgan smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek.

***

(please imagine the plush as a little fox!)

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the entire MLSE organization would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly and his wife Briony Rielly on the birth of their son, Andrew John Rielly.  

Morgan Rielly will not be travelling with the team to play in the Wednesday, February 19th game against the New York Rangers to ensure the health and wellbeing of his family.

[winterisakillerwrites]

Baby - A Tom & Rosie one shot

One Shot: Last Minutes & Lost Evenings 10/16

Character/Relationship: Tom Hiddleston/ Rosemary Mathews (OFC)

Genre: Romance/Fluff

Summary: She couldn’t seem to wrap her head around it. A mixture of joy, disbelief, and apprehension flooded through her as the reality sank in.

Rating: G

Warnings/Authors Notes: This is the tenth part of Last Minutes and Lost Evenings, this takes place after the events of Love & Great Buildings.

Previous

Rosemary stared at the plastic test laying on the bathroom counter. Its digital display with the clear word ‘pregnant’ lay face up. It was the fourth she’d taken that morning. And the fourth positive. She couldn’t seem to wrap her head around it. A mixture of joy, disbelief, and apprehension flooded through her as the reality sank in. Pregnant. Holy mother of god, she was pregnant. A stunned sort of laughter spilled from her throat, shaking her shoulders with its intensity.

If she was being completely honest with herself, Rosemary couldn’t say she was surprised this had happened. She and Tom had been married for nearly two years; two busy but wonderfully happy years and, while they hadn’t been actively trying to get pregnant, they hadn’t been not trying either. Tom had several local productions, both stage and screen, lined up and both locations of Stories Untold were taking in a small by tidy profit; they were more than financially sound and could easily support a family if one were to fall in their laps. And, again if she were honest, this was what she’d wanted, what they wanted. This was wonderful news, even if the idea of being someone’s mother...Mother?!…scared the hell out of her.

She was going to be someone’s mother. Another laugh tumbled from her at the throat. I’m going to be a mother…

Her hands automatically went to her lower abdomen, cradling the still relatively flat expanse she found there. She laughed at how ridiculous it felt. But if the test was correct, and given that she had tried three others all with the same result she figured it must be, then there was someone in there now. “Hello baby,” she whispered. “I’m your mummy.”

Logically, she knew the next step was to call her GYN and make an appointment to confirm, for certain, that she was actually pregnant and precisely how far along she was. But the only thing she wanted in that moment was Tom. Rosemary pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out of the bathroom and into the brightly lit bedroom.

Her mobile was laying on the end of the bed where she’d tossed it when the alarm had gone off signaling that her last test was ready to be read. With shaking fingers, she picked up the phone and scrolled through her phone book until she came across his name. She hit send and waited, bouncing on the halls of her feet, for the call to connect. It rang once. Then twice. Then three times.

“Rosie, love, is everything alright?” Tom’s voice was warm but an underlying tension echoed in his words. She hardly ever called him when he was on set, unless it was an emergency. He’d been on night shoots for the last week which made his already frayed nerves so much worse. And here she was calling him, seemingly out of the blue. God, she must have scared him something fierce.

“I’m fine!” She blurted out with far more force than she intended. She fought to contain the nervous laughter threatening to spill from her lips. It would only worry Tom further and she couldn’t have that. “Tom, everything’s fine. I just….I have some news…When are you heading home?” She dropped onto the bed, running a hand over her face, trying to control the racing of her heart.

They’d been lucky enough that his latest project was filming in and around London, making it possible for Tom to come home to Rosie most nights or with the way his shooting schedule was as of late, technically mornings. While his hours were long and often grueling, being able to have Tom beside her at night (or for a few hours in the morning before she was forced to start her day) and not just as a voice on the phone or an image on her computer screen was something Rosemary cherished. Even if he did tend to hog the covers. All the time.

“News?” Confusion colored his tone and the undercurrent of unease became more prevalent. He was silent for several moments before seeming to find his voice. “I um…We should be wrapping up in the next hour or so. Are you sure you are alright?”

Rosemary nodded, then chuckled as she remembered that Tom couldn’t see her. “Yes. I’m alright. I didn’t mean to scare you, I just…I wanted to hear your voice.”

Tom let out a soft chuckle of his own. “You will be the death of me, woman.” In the background she could hear yelling and muffled voices. “I’m sorry to have to run, but they need me back on set. I’ll see you in a few hours, alright?”

“Alright. I love you, Tom.”

“I love you, too.”

The phone clicked and Rosemary dropped her chin to her chest, placing her mobile on the bed beside her. Her nerves bloomed once more in her chest. This is ridiculous, she told herself. He’s going to be thrilled. Over the moon. There is absolutely no need to feel like this. She took a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet. Staying in the bedroom wouldn’t help. She padded quietly downstairs.

Once downstairs, Rosemary found herself puttering around the kitchen, nerves fluttering wildly away in her stomach. Excitement and uncertainty thrummed through her in equal measure. No matter how hard or often she stared at the clock it rarely seemed to move. Bobby was pacing alongside her, letting out occasional soft barks of uncertainty. She whispered nonsensical words of comfort at him, pausing to scratch him on the head and behind the ears. He was a sensitive little soul and she hated that her own anxiety was rubbing off on him. She needed to do something and desperately, if only to keep her mind from her nerves.

She’d cleaned most of the lower level a few days before during one of her rare days completely off (and in a pique of boredom) and the housekeeper they still employed (on Tom’s insistence; “We both work a lot. You can’t tell me you don’t like the idea of coming home to an already cleaned home and just be able to relax.”) had come the afternoon before. Rosemary sighed. So much for that idea.

Baking came to mind as she wandered into the kitchen, Bobby quick on her heels. It required enough attention to pull her focus out from the internal and if she chose the right recipe not enough to risk disaster. Okay then, she reasoned. I can do this. The clock on the wall stubbornly informed her that it would still be at least another hour (the useless barely moving thing!) before Tom was home, if things on set went smoothly…No, don’t you dare start thinking that!  

Mechanically, she pulled the needed materials and ingredients for the lemon drizzle cake that Tom adored from the cabinets and pantry. It was a relatively simple recipe which was all for the best, as her concentration was definitely off.  Bobby, sensing there was food to be had, began stalking her every move around the kitchen, in hopes she would drop something. She laughed and shook her head at his antics. With the way he carried on, one would think they starved the wretched thing.

Rosemary began to hum quietly to herself as her hands maneuvered through the motions of pouring and measuring, which seemed to go some way towards helping her calm. She blended the dry ingredients and set to work mixing them with the wet. Once combined she poured the batter into the greased pan beside her and carried it to the oven to bake, making sure to set the timer (she’d forgotten once and had to toss the cookies, pan and all, she’d been attempting. It was something Tom never let her forget, the ass.)

It didn’t take long for the scent of sugar and lemon and sweetness to fill the kitchen and lower level of the house. And as it did so, Rosemary felt the dual and contradictory sensations of hunger and nausea overwhelm her. It was so sudden and so strange that it took her brain several minutes to process before she darted towards the bathroom and to her knees to dry heave into the toilet. Oh God. She sent a furtive prayer that this particular quirk of pregnancy, for now she was in truly little doubt, would fade sooner rather than later. Because she wasn’t sure how long she could live with this if it did not.

She had just finished splashing cool water on her face when she heard the familiar and comforting sound of keys in the front door. Tom. Drying her face quickly with a towel she darted from the bathroom and nearly into Tom who’d started calling her name as she rounded the corner.

His arms were around her, steadying her swaying form. “Whoa, love. Steady now.” He smiled softly at her though she could see the concern lurking in his tired eyes. “Are you alright?”

Rosemary nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak just yet. She took several deep breaths and smiled softly back. “I’m fine.” She took his hand, pulling him towards the kitchen. “Come have a seat. I’ve made you something.”

She could tell by the stiffness with which he allowed himself to be pulled that Tom didn’t quite believe her. And she couldn’t blame him, she was acting oddly, certainly not like herself. She wanted to laugh but knew that would only make Tom’s unease worse.

“You’ve been baking,” Tom spoke, breaking the uneasy silence. Rosemary let out an unexpected nervous laugh at that before composing herself.

“Yes,” she murmured. “It should be ready in another five or so minutes.” She smiled at him, brushing a stray bit of hair behind her ear. The wave of nausea that flooded through her hit with a force she hadn’t expected. Her hand flew to her mouth and without a word, she turned and fled once more into the bathroom. This time the small breakfast she’d had earlier that day made its reappearance. She coughed and gagged, slumping to her side on the cool tile, her head resting against the wall.

Something passed in front of the light, throwing a shadow across her prone form. Rosemary blinked open her eyes to find Tom hovering over her, his eyes full of anxiety.  “Jesus, Rosie! Something is wrong. Tell me. Please.” She waved her hand, begging him to leave, just for a moment. She didn’t want him seeing her like this. It was silly and selfish, but god she must have looked a fright and the thought of him watching her like this made her ridiculously upset. “No,” he stated, his voice firm but not loud. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

Rosemary pushed herself up into a sitting position, then shakily to her feet. She closed the lid of the toilet before flushing it and sitting down. “This is definitely not the way I envisioned telling you,” she joked with a quiet laugh, hoping to ease Tom’s nerves. The set of his jaw told her she most assuredly had not. She let out a soft sigh. “I’ve been feeling tired for weeks now. Thought it was the flu or something stupid I couldn’t shake. Until Jules made an offhand comment that got me thinking.” She paused and rubbed her temples with her hands. “So I know it’s not the best timing in the world and we didn’t exactly plan for this…”

She heard Tom’s quick intake of breath and watched as he scanned her face, a small but definitive hope blooming in his eyes. “Rosie…Are you…?”

Unable to speak, she nodded her head a warm smile spreading across her face. Tom pulled her to her feet and tightly against him, kissing her forehead, her hair, her cheek, everywhere he can reach. Rosemary could feel his warm, rich laughter resonating through her as he held her tightly, rocking them both back and forth. She laughed with him, returning his embrace with fervor.

The loud, shrill ring of the oven timer broke them apart. “Shit!” Rosemary swore and darted back off into the kitchen. She grabbed her oven mitts from the counter and pulled out the golden yellow cake from the oven, placing it on the counter near the bowl of lemon sugar drizzle she’d made earlier. Her eyes rose as she heard Tom pad in behind her. “So lemon drizzle?” She offered, gesturing towards the cake.

Tom laughed in earnest. “Buttering me up with pudding?”

Rosemary shrugged and pulled off her mitts, placing them on the counter beside her. She turned around to face him. “Well they do say the way to a man’s heart is his stomach, so I figured it couldn’t hurt. Besides, it took my mind of waiting.”

He nodded, walking towards the counter. “Do you know…How far along…?”

She offered him a soft smile and reached out to take his hand in her own, squeezing it gently. “If I had to guess about four or five weeks. I still need to make an appointment to find out for sure.”

“But you’re sure?” His eyes were wide and glimmered with the sheen of tears, the smile on his face so wide she thought it would burst.

Rosemary nodded. “Yes, Tom. I’m sure.” She laughed softly, raising her free hand to trace along his stubbled cheek. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

Next

[winterisakiller]

Baby - A Tom & Rosie one shot

One Shot: Last Minutes and Lost Evenings 10/16

Character/Relationship: Tom Hiddleston/ Rosemary Mathews (OFC)

Genre: Romance/Fluff

Summary: She couldn’t seem to wrap her head around it. A mixture of joy, disbelief, and apprehension flooded through her as the reality sank in.

Rating: G

Warnings/Authors Notes: This is the tenth part of Last Minutes and Lost Evenings, this takes place after the events of Love & Great Buildings. 

Tag List: @tinchentitri @noplacelikehome77 @theheartofpenelope @blacksuitofdoom @nonsensicalobsessions @messy-insomniac-bookgirl

Previous

Rosemary stared at the plastic test laying on the bathroom counter. Its digital display with the clear word ‘pregnant’ lay face up. It was the fourth she’d taken that morning. And the fourth positive. She couldn’t seem to wrap her head around it. A mixture of joy, disbelief, and apprehension flooded through her as the reality sank in. Pregnant. Holy mother of god, she was pregnant. A stunned sort of laughter spilled from her throat, shaking her shoulders with its intensity.

 If she was being completely honest with herself, Rosemary couldn’t say she was surprised this had happened. She and Tom had been married for nearly two years; two busy but wonderfully happy years and, while they hadn’t been actively trying to get pregnant, they hadn’t been not trying either. Tom had several local productions, both stage and screen, lined up and both locations of Stories Untold were taking in a small by tidy profit; they were more than financially sound and could easily support a family if one were to fall in their laps. And, again if she were honest, this was what she’d wanted, what they wanted. This was wonderful news, even if the idea of being someone’s mother...Mother?!...scared the hell out of her.

 She was going to be someone’s mother. Another laugh tumbled from her at the throat. I’m going to be a mother…

 Her hands automatically went to her lower abdomen, cradling the still relatively flat expanse she found there. She laughed at how ridiculous it felt. But if the test was correct, and given that she had tried three others all with the same result she figured it must be, then there was someone in there now. “Hello baby,” she whispered. “I’m your mummy.”

 Logically, she knew the next step was to call her GYN and make an appointment to confirm, for certain, that she was actually pregnant and precisely how far along she was. But the only thing she wanted in that moment was Tom. Rosemary pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out of the bathroom and into the brightly lit bedroom.

 Her mobile was laying on the end of the bed where she’d tossed it when the alarm had gone off signaling that her last test was ready to be read. With shaking fingers, she picked up the phone and scrolled through her phone book until she came across his name. She hit send and waited, bouncing on the halls of her feet, for the call to connect. It rang once. Then twice. Then three times.

 “Rosie, love, is everything alright?” Tom’s voice was warm but an underlying tension echoed in his words. She hardly ever called him when he was on set, unless it was an emergency. He’d been on night shoots for the last week which made his already frayed nerves so much worse. And here she was calling him, seemingly out of the blue. God, she must have scared him something fierce.

 “I’m fine!” She blurted out with far more force than she intended. She fought to contain the nervous laughter threatening to spill from her lips. It would only worry Tom further and she couldn’t have that. “Tom, everything’s fine. I just....I have some news...When are you heading home?” She dropped onto the bed, running a hand over her face, trying to control the racing of her heart.

 They’d been lucky enough that his latest project was filming in and around London, making it possible for Tom to come home to Rosie most nights or with the way his shooting schedule was as of late, technically mornings. While his hours were long and often grueling, being able to have Tom beside her at night (or for a few hours in the morning before she was forced to start her day) and not just as a voice on the phone or an image on her computer screen was something Rosemary cherished. Even if he did tend to hog the covers. All the time.

 “News?” Confusion colored his tone and the undercurrent of unease became more prevalent. He was silent for several moments before seeming to find his voice. “I um...We should be wrapping up in the next hour or so. Are you sure you are alright?”

 Rosemary nodded, then chuckled as she remembered that Tom couldn’t see her. “Yes. I’m alright. I didn’t mean to scare you, I just...I wanted to hear your voice.”

 Tom let out a soft chuckle of his own. “You will be the death of me, woman.” In the background she could hear yelling and muffled voices. “I’m sorry to have to run, but they need me back on set. I’ll see you in a few hours, alright?”

 “Alright. I love you, Tom.”

 “I love you, too.”

 The phone clicked and Rosemary dropped her chin to her chest, placing her mobile on the bed beside her. Her nerves bloomed once more in her chest. This is ridiculous, she told herself. He’s going to be thrilled. Over the moon. There is absolutely no need to feel like this. She took a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet. Staying in the bedroom wouldn’t help. She padded quietly downstairs.

 Once downstairs, Rosemary found herself puttering around the kitchen, nerves fluttering wildly away in her stomach. Excitement and uncertainty thrummed through her in equal measure. No matter how hard or often she stared at the clock it rarely seemed to move. Bobby was pacing alongside her, letting out occasional soft barks of uncertainty. She whispered nonsensical words of comfort at him, pausing to scratch him on the head and behind the ears. He was a sensitive little soul and she hated that her own anxiety was rubbing off on him. She needed to do something and desperately, if only to keep her mind from her nerves.

 She’d cleaned most of the lower level a few days before during one of her rare days completely off (and in a pique of boredom) and the housekeeper they still employed (on Tom’s insistence; “We both work a lot. You can’t tell me you don’t like the idea of coming home to an already cleaned home and just be able to relax.”) had come the afternoon before. Rosemary sighed. So much for that idea.

 Baking came to mind as she wandered into the kitchen, Bobby quick on her heels. It required enough attention to pull her focus out from the internal and if she chose the right recipe not enough to risk disaster. Okay then, she reasoned. I can do this. The clock on the wall stubbornly informed her that it would still be at least another hour (the useless barely moving thing!) before Tom was home, if things on set went smoothly…No, don’t you dare start thinking that!  

 Mechanically, she pulled the needed materials and ingredients for the lemon drizzle cake that Tom adored from the cabinets and pantry. It was a relatively simple recipe which was all for the best, as her concentration was definitely off.  Bobby, sensing there was food to be had, began stalking her every move around the kitchen, in hopes she would drop something. She laughed and shook her head at his antics. With the way he carried on, one would think they starved the wretched thing.

 Rosemary began to hum quietly to herself as her hands maneuvered through the motions of pouring and measuring, which seemed to go some way towards helping her calm. She blended the dry ingredients and set to work mixing them with the wet. Once combined she poured the batter into the greased pan beside her and carried it to the oven to bake, making sure to set the timer (she’d forgotten once and had to toss the cookies, pan and all, she’d been attempting. It was something Tom never let her forget, the ass.)

 It didn’t take long for the scent of sugar and lemon and sweetness to fill the kitchen and lower level of the house. And as it did so, Rosemary felt the dual and contradictory sensations of hunger and nausea overwhelm her. It was so sudden and so strange that it took her brain several minutes to process before she darted towards the bathroom and to her knees to dry heave into the toilet. Oh God. She sent a furtive prayer that this particular quirk of pregnancy, for now she was in truly little doubt, would fade sooner rather than later. Because she wasn’t sure how long she could live with this if it did not.

 She had just finished splashing cool water on her face when she heard the familiar and comforting sound of keys in the front door. Tom. Drying her face quickly with a towel she darted from the bathroom and nearly into Tom who’d started calling her name as she rounded the corner.

 His arms were around her, steadying her swaying form. “Whoa, love. Steady now.” He smiled softly at her though she could see the concern lurking in his tired eyes. “Are you alright?”

 Rosemary nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak just yet. She took several deep breaths and smiled softly back. “I’m fine.” She took his hand, pulling him towards the kitchen. “Come have a seat. I’ve made you something.”

 She could tell by the stiffness with which he allowed himself to be pulled that Tom didn’t quite believe her. And she couldn’t blame him, she was acting oddly, certainly not like herself. She wanted to laugh but knew that would only make Tom’s unease worse.

 “You’ve been baking,” Tom spoke, breaking the uneasy silence. Rosemary let out an unexpected nervous laugh at that before composing herself.

 “Yes,” she murmured. “It should be ready in another five or so minutes.” She smiled at him, brushing a stray bit of hair behind her ear. The wave of nausea that flooded through her hit with a force she hadn’t expected. Her hand flew to her mouth and without a word, she turned and fled once more into the bathroom. This time the small breakfast she’d had earlier that day made its reappearance. She coughed and gagged, slumping to her side on the cool tile, her head resting against the wall.

 Something passed in front of the light, throwing a shadow across her prone form. Rosemary blinked open her eyes to find Tom hovering over her, his eyes full of anxiety.  “Jesus, Rosie! Something is wrong. Tell me. Please.” She waved her hand, begging him to leave, just for a moment. She didn’t want him seeing her like this. It was silly and selfish, but god she must have looked a fright and the thought of him watching her like this made her ridiculously upset. “No,” he stated, his voice firm but not loud. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

 Rosemary pushed herself up into a sitting position, then shakily to her feet. She closed the lid of the toilet before flushing it and sitting down. “This is definitely not the way I envisioned telling you,” she joked with a quiet laugh, hoping to ease Tom’s nerves. The set of his jaw told her she most assuredly had not. She let out a soft sigh. “I’ve been feeling tired for weeks now. Thought it was the flu or something stupid I couldn’t shake. Until Jules made an offhand comment that got me thinking.” She paused and rubbed her temples with her hands. “So I know it’s not the best timing in the world and we didn’t exactly plan for this…”

 She heard Tom’s quick intake of breath and watched as he scanned her face, a small but definitive hope blooming in his eyes. “Rosie…Are you…?”

 Unable to speak, she nodded her head a warm smile spreading across her face. Tom pulled her to her feet and tightly against him, kissing her forehead, her hair, her cheek, everywhere he can reach. Rosemary could feel his warm, rich laughter resonating through her as he held her tightly, rocking them both back and forth. She laughed with him, returning his embrace with fervor.

 The loud, shrill ring of the oven timer broke them apart. “Shit!” Rosemary swore and darted back off into the kitchen. She grabbed her oven mitts from the counter and pulled out the golden yellow cake from the oven, placing it on the counter near the bowl of lemon sugar drizzle she’d made earlier. Her eyes rose as she heard Tom pad in behind her. “So lemon drizzle?” She offered, gesturing towards the cake.

 Tom laughed in earnest. “Buttering me up with pudding?”

 Rosemary shrugged and pulled off her mitts, placing them on the counter beside her. She turned around to face him. “Well they do say the way to a man’s heart is his stomach, so I figured it couldn’t hurt. Besides, it took my mind of waiting.”

 He nodded, walking towards the counter. “Do you know…How far along…?”

 She offered him a soft smile and reached out to take his hand in her own, squeezing it gently. “If I had to guess about four or five weeks. I still need to make an appointment to find out for sure.”

 “But you’re sure?” His eyes were wide and glimmered with the sheen of tears, the smile on his face so wide she thought it would burst.

 Rosemary nodded. “Yes, Tom. I’m sure.” She laughed softly, raising her free hand to trace along his stubbled cheek. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

Next

[nrip]

The Rise of the Social Media Doctor

Your doctor is probably using social media at some point in their day. Some people (many of my patients included) are often quite surprised when they hear me talk about being on Twitter, Instagram, or sometimes even just the Internet in general.

Granted, being online wasn’t always typical for me. I used to shy away from it completely. In fact, I was worried that there was no place on social media at all for health care professionals like me.

Until one day the light bulb clicked on inside my head. Or maybe it was more of a dimmer, but growing brighter over the course of several months. I started to see value in tapping into social media from both a health-care and personal wellness perspective. I could actually make a difference, I imagined, by bringing the connections I made with patients behind closed doors out into the public eyes

But that wasn’t solely what drew me in. I also felt like I had to be on it—like I had an obligation to science. It stemmed from what I was reading online, my reactions spanning a range from surprise, to confusion when I checked out my feed.

For instance, I’d feel an explosive mix of amusement and fear as I read medical falsehood after falsehood, all in the span of a single morning’s scroll. Worse, I’d be horrified when I would see what was actually trending in the health conversation (Coffee enemas! Raw water! Jade eggs!), what people believed and were talking about, as if they were Real Things. I’d stare at Twitter with pseudoscience laughing maniacally back at me, daring me to make my move.

At first, I didn’t do anything. Many of us didn’t; we remained quiet, laying low and uninvolved, while a few other physicians dipped their toes into the virtual water. For instance, in 2004, internal medicine physician Kevin Pho, M.D., founded the popular website KevinMD, taking the lead on existing as a physician in the virtual world. And by 2016, ob/gyn and pain medicine physician Jen Gunter, M.D., was dubbed “Twitter’s resident gynecologist” by the Cut for her work debunking nonsense on her blog and her Twitter feed in a no-holds barred way.

So I decided to jump right in and take a stab at things—even if it wasn’t necessarily a precise incision like we physicians are used to. I felt that I needed to—many of us did—as we found ourselves defending evidence-based medicine more and more. Even within the confines of our very own office spaces, it started to feel like doctor and patient were not on the same team.

I created my own brand (@drcorriel), purchased a domain, and started to write a blog. Other doctors did it too, and some of them started to reach out to each other, looking for a way to amplify their voice. That’s when I created a Facebook group, called Doctors on Social Media (or SoMeDocs for short) for which I recruited other physicians to join. If other professions did it with such ease, why couldn’t physicians do it too? The original goal was to learn the tools needed to build a strong presence of physicians on social media, and to conquer it together. But it has since evolved into so much more.

Today, we are over 3,300 physicians strong and growing in number each day. Every one of us SoMeDocs may have our individual pursuits, but we all work as a team—as many other nonmedical groups on social media do—to support one another and accomplish our goals. We have now expanded to other platforms (on Twitter, we communicate using the hashtag #SoMeDocs) and have a website where we share our work. We also have in-person meet-ups called SoMeDocs Engage, in order to network with one another and grow even more. The project, for me, has turned from a leisurely pastime into an international platform, garnering attention beyond what I could have ever imagined.

Here are a handful of responses from physicians within the SoMeDocs community—with followings both big and small—on why and how they use social media, the challenges of it, and why the merging of health care and social media is crucial for patients and their well-being.

1. “So many women use this space for health searches; I want them to have accurate information.”

“The thing I find most frustrating with social media is how products or stories that don't work or are false can spread like wildfire, but other things that are useful and helpful sit in cyberspace.”

—Dana Rice, M.D., urologist (@Dr_DanaRice)

2. “I hear many patients' perspectives on social media and find that many have had horrible [health-care] experiences. I try to learn from those and make myself a better doctor.”

“Doctors need to speak out on behalf of patients, and social media is an effective way to do that. I use it to get my message and the work I am doing out [there], and to network with people who have a similar mission.

“People are going to disagree with you, and not everyone is so nice about it. If you are speaking on a controversial topic, people may attack you. While debate is important, being attacked helps no one.”

—Linda Girgis, M.D., family medicine doctor (@DrLindaMD)

3. “Doctors belong on social media so that they may expand their influence and give a more realistic picture of the medical world.”

“I use social media to promote my new podcast episodes and to inform my groups of new ideas and relevant articles. I am on social media to help promote my brand…and [to help] patients navigate the world of pain management.

“Doctors belong on social media so that they may expand their influence and give a more realistic picture of the medical world—a picture that is not painted by the pharmaceutical companies or Hollywood over-dramatizations.

“Social media has taught me that doctors need to be flexible and capable of relating to the changing environment. If physicians do not adapt to new technology and ways of doing things, they will be surpassed by their younger and more flexible colleagues, who may know how to better utilize social media.”

—David Rosenblum, M.D., pain management specialist (@algosonic)

4. “I want to reach more than just the patients I see in the hospital or my office.”

“There is still significant stigma and lack of knowledge about mental illness; social media allows me to do my part in educating and reducing stigma with the ability to reach more people. Doctors belong on social media to provide evidence-based knowledge in the midst of trends and misinformation.

“The majority of people who follow me are not my actual patients, but I still feel obligated to provide the same quality of info I would provide to someone sitting in my office. I am not looking to gain new patients, but to help the general public feel comfortable seeing a psychiatrist—because this psychiatrist on Instagram or Facebook that they follow is ‘normal,’ knowledgeable, and approachable.”

—Danielle J. Johnson, M.D., F.A.P.A., psychiatrist (@drdanij)

5. “I am on social media because it is the future.”

“We can’t deny its increasing role as a forum for discussions and a medium for sharing of information and knowledge. I believe physicians need to have a strong voice so that the public can have access to hard facts rather than anecdotes. I also believe that by having a strong physician #SoMe presence, the public will get to know truly how much we care, and how much we want our patients to be well informed and to have the best outcomes possible, especially in this era of shrinking face-to-face time.

“I use social media for what I am passionate about, and that is sharing tips to help people learn to be fierce self-advocates on their medical journey. I also share my love of books, history, and nonfiction. Further, I write to highlight the experiences of the working mom.”

—Uchenna O. Njiaju, M.D., specialist in cancer and blood disorders (@drucheoncology)

6. “I'm on social media to broaden my audience and patient base, and to help dispel medical myths and false news.”

“It can be frustrating when you don't feel like your message is reaching your intended audience or getting the engagement you want.

“With my inclusion of telemedicine, I've learned to direct patients to these services more easily. I've also learned how to use social media to get more speaking jobs and clients for my outside businesses.”

—Nicole Swiner, M.D., family/general medicine (@docswiner)

7. “I am on social media to inspire underrepresented students to pursue a career in medicine.”

“I am on social media to inspire and motivate others to lead healthier lifestyles in order to prevent chronic disease. I am on social media to inspire underrepresented students to pursue a career in medicine. As a first-generation American whose parents were born in Ecuador, I want to show them it is possible to become a physician. I use it to educate, motivate, and inspire others. I provide health information as well as mentor students who want to be physicians. I also use it to coach people who want to lead healthy lifestyles by providing nutrition information, meal plans, and exercise routines.

“Doctors need to be on social media to make an impact in the lives of those who use it as a means of obtaining information, whether it be education on vaccines, illnesses, or nutrition. It is a way to reach a wider audience and have our voices heard. This is our future and we need to have enough representation to dispel false information.

“I have learned that, with so much information that is out there on social media, many patients believe much of what they read. They look to social media to educate themselves and obtain information on their conditions. That's why it is so imperative we have representation so we can continue to educate our patients not only in our offices but on social media as well. There are many on social media that say they are knowledgeable in a certain topic, [and] it is hard to discern who is telling the truth and actually providing safe and accurate information.”

—Veronica Contreras, M.D., family medicine and urgent care physician (@DrVeronicaContr)

8. “I believe doctors still have a powerful voice. We just need to practice harnessing it better for people, and social media does just that.”

“Whether we love or hate social media, we have to understand that it is here to stay and we need to leverage the advantages of it. ‘If we can't beat them, join them.’ Ring a bell? We can use it to convey positive or negative messages. I believe doctors still have a powerful voice. We just need to practice harnessing it better for people and social media does just that.

“I think what is frustrating about it is being a victim to the negativity that is pervasive on social media; that is the flip side of the coin. In general, I also believe social media disconnects people when we actually need more connection in our current era and society.”

—Colin Zhu, D.O., family doctor and chef (@thechefdoc)

9. “My presence on social media morphed into an outlet to share fitness, wellness, and healthy practices.”

“Today, I use social media to share pertinent information, medical education, encouragement, fitness, physician wellness, and entrepreneurial pursuits. My presence on social media morphed into an outlet to share fitness, wellness, and healthy practices.

“Focusing on positive content, uplifting others, exchanging ideas with colleagues, educating patients, and exploring gratitude have taught me a great deal about using social media for positive effect. Information shared and discussions had on social media with colleagues have definitely impacted my patient care.

“Developing content that is pertinent has also taught me to explore the impact of my own wellness on my patients. Patients benefit from being cared for physicians who are invested, happy, and well.”

—Charmaine Gregory, M.D., emergency medicine (@CharmsFitDoc)

10. “We have to take public health education back, and it starts by going where the masses learn.”

“Social media has become the gateway source of most public health information these days, whether it’s searching for answers to common health problems or just simply finding a new doctor. Physicians have unfortunately been slow to embrace social media, and because of this reluctance, this void has been filled by numerous health-care frauds peddling everything from essential oils to coffee enemas and countless alternative medicines—from untested cancer therapy to the spurring of tried-and-true basic treatments for easily preventable deadly diseases.

“We have to take public health education back, and it starts by going where the masses learn—and that is in the world of social media. I try to use social media to teach my readers about issues that will resonate with them and perhaps will help them, whether it’s drug abuse, end of life care, or aging veterans. That’s my mission—to use my writing and public speaking as an adjunct to my basic mission of being a doctor. To help people live a long, happy, healthy, and productive life.

“It’s not for everyone. You have to have a thick skin to wade into the cyber-sewer. But when your writing resonates and moves people for the better, it is amazing.”

—Louis Profeta, M.D., emergency physician (@louisprofeta)

11. “I use the information [on social media] to formulate ideas.”

“I’m on social media to connect with like-minded individuals who are struggling to provide good care for patients while keeping up with the increasing headaches in health care. I’m a family physician who's worked in multiple health care settings over the last two decades.

“I use the information [on social media] to formulate ideas. Last year, I started a webcomic called Doc-Related that provides a satirical view of practicing medicine within a typical U.S. health system. My comic strips resonate with clinicians, staff, administrators, and anyone else interested in the daily happenings of health care providers.”

—Peter Venezuela, M.D., family doctor (@doc_related)

12. “It has allowed me a platform from which to share my knowledge and expertise on my favorite topic: vaccinations.”

“My personal passion is for preventive medicine, specifically the way in which vaccination can improve life and health and help us to preserve our wonderful human potential. As a family physician, it has been extremely frustrating seeing patients who are very well-intentioned fall prey to the misinformation and ‘fake news’ that abounds on the Internet. I use social media as a means to amplify voices of science and reason.

“For someone [like me who has] a lot of ideas in her head about how to make things better (at least in my humble opinion), it has allowed me a platform from which to share my knowledge and expertise on my favorite topic: vaccinations. When someone searches up a vaccine question, I want physician and scientist voices to be the voices they are hearing. Social media is an unparalleled way for physicians to reach hundreds of thousands of people across the world. Without it, we are relegated to a one-on-one message in our exam rooms.

“Social media can be a blessing or a curse. It can be isolating but it can also bring connection. It is a tool like any other. We just have to know how to use it properly and it can be a wonderful thing.”

—Gretchen LaSalle, M.D., family medicine (@GretchenLesalle)

13. “Social media certainly helps me keep a finger on the pulse.”

“I’m on social media because I want to be part of the conversation! Doctors must be on social media to dispense information to fight (or hopefully at least balance) some of the dangerous misinformation about health issues, from vaccines and medications, diets and supplements, to the ever-evolving preventative care screening recommendations.

“Additionally, I use social media to start conversations and share health information with my patients and community. I have a particular passion for adolescent issues, and social media allows me to connect with other parents and tackle the awkward, scary, and intimidating issues that teens face today. I blog about the topics that I see over and over in the exam room, many that no one want to bring up but many want to hear about (like STDs, drugs, alcohol, vaping, ADD medication abuse, etc.).

“Social media certainly helps me keep a finger on the pulse of breaking medical news, from food poisoning outbreaks in my community to new national guidelines for hypertension. Knowing what health related news (both accurate and ‘fake’) that my patients are reading, hearing, and discussing offers me fresh, more engaging angles to bring up and to address health issues.”

—Jill Grimes, M.D., family doctor (@JillGrimesMD)

14. “With a physician social media presence, we are able to add valid, science-based information to the overall narrative.”

“I think it’s important for physicians to be on social media because there is a lot of bad medical information being shared out there. With a physician social media presence, we are able to add valid, science-based information to the overall narrative.

“I am on social media because [I was] a physician who became a patient negatively impacted by benzodiazepines. I use my personal Twitter account to share my experience in order to spread awareness about the difficulty of tapering. I’ve learned through my numerous social media interactions with patients undergoing benzodiazepine withdrawal to be more empathetic and caring. This is partially because I experienced it myself but I’ve also taken the time to truly listen to what they are going through.

“The most frustrating part about social media is running into people who disagree with your opinions and express themselves in a toxic manner. I am all about civil discourse and I have a natural urge to appease everyone, but I’ve found that’s not always possible.”

��Christy Huff, M.D., cardiologist (@christyhuffmd)

15. “If we can make complicated topics simpler to understand, we can help countless numbers of people across the globe.”

“I was frustrated with the amount of misinformation out there. My oncology patients would bring articles on unscientific, sometimes dangerous treatments. They would believe this information was true because it was published online, or stated by a celebrity. As physicians, a part of our job is to educate and engage with patients and the community. Social media provides a wonderful forum for this.

“We are able to reach a large group from around the world, share evidence-based science, and answer questions. We are able to help individuals become more informed patients or advocates. Doctors have always educated individuals in their communities, and now we have an international community that depends on us for facts, science, and education. If we can make complicated topics simpler to understand, we can help countless numbers of people across the globe. 

“Without the benefit of tone of voice or inflection [on social], statements can be taken out of context or misconstrued. There are also individuals who like to troll. Those interactions can be frustrating. I have also seen discussions devolve into arguments. As physicians, we must remain professional when engaging on social media.”

—Shikha Jain, M.D., hematology oncology physician (@ShikhaJainMD)

16. “Physicians are still the repositories of medical knowledge.”

“I use social media to disseminate information about celiac and other diseases, advocate for those with celiac, enhance professional connections, and advocate for our profession. I also use it to make connections within the writing community.

“Physicians belong on social media because we are uniquely able to disseminate accurate and timely medical information to the general public, improve the quality of medical dialogue and advocate for our profession. Although journalists and bloggers do this as well, physicians are still the repositories of medical knowledge. Together, we have the opportunity to change behaviors and policies.

“I've learned countless ER tips and tricks and read fascinating cases. Within social media groups, I've learned about creating a website and an online persona. Within the food allergy/celiac groups, I've found resources for my own child and for my patients.

“Information-sharing is one of the greatest benefits of social media. Medicine can be an isolated profession: We go into patient rooms alone, make decisions alone, and stew over clinical conundrums alone. Social media has changed that, enabling us to discuss cases and learn from each other.”

[fuckyeahslightlyamusing-blog]

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs September 1st on Bravo at 8/7C. Here, author Michael Arceneaux explains why the reality series is the Beyoncé of the Bravo network.

Earlier this year, my beloved Bravo series, Married to Medicine, was moved to Friday nights, and typically, Friday nights are considered the hospice care of television programming. So when the show was removed from the poppin' Sunday bloc and rescheduled for Friday-a night most of us spend thotting and bopping, Netflix and chilling, or pretending to go out only to fall asleep by 10:47 p.m. EST-I naturally panicked.

I am admittedly a little late to Married to Medicine, a reality show that follows the lives of women who are doctors or who are married to doctors. When I first heard about it, I wasn't sure what to make of a show that seemed a lot like The Real Housewives of OB/GYN and Orthodontics.

And while I was riveted by the sight of Toya and Mariah fighting in ball gowns as Mariah's mama, Ms. Lucy, jumps in to beat Toya down with her purse, it wasn't enough to truly reel me in. After all, whose mama isn't fighting on a reality show at this point? But once I got into the second season and beyond, I was hooked.

Case in point, all of this happened in the second season: a doctor's wife wants to adopt a child but her selfish husband rules it out; a doctor's wife wants her man to get a hair transplant 'cause she can't take all of that extra skin on his head; a doctor's wife launches a puppy couture line; doctors' wives who oddly behave exactly like 78% of the gay Black men you've met in your life go at each other over nothing.

The third season was interesting, too. Like, we got to see a married doctor being a thot, laying it low and spreading it wide all over the metropolitan Atlanta area, and more mess.

However, the fourth and fifth seasons are when this show became far more engaging than its reality show contemporaries.

It's somewhat over simplistic to say the show got “realer,” but there's something to be said when a show that is usually about spectacle and grossly superficial fights depicts the cast navigating more severe issues. In the case of Dr. Simone, it was her father going missing and her friends and castmates, Quad and Dr. Jackie, literally traveling with her to find him-to devastating results.

It's Toya, and her husband, Dr. Eugene, projecting this lavish lifestyle on camera only to be slapped with a heavy bill from the IRS. Most of all, though, it's watching many of their marriages crumble in real time.

We've seen marital rift on reality shows, but arguably never in this way.

There is a candor there that you simply do not find on television anywhere else. And while, yes, it does have very serious overtones, the show is hysterical.

Because last season was so phenomenal, and because the show has been so consistently good (more consistently than The Real Housewives of Atlanta, TBH), I will never know why it was moved to Friday nights for a time.

Having said that, on an episode of Watch What Happens Live earlier this year, Andy Cohen tells the guests of the night, Married to Medicine cast members Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie: “People are always asking me what's the best show on Bravo right now. Right now, Vanderpump Rules and Married to Medicine.” He went on to add, “Married to Medicine is some of the realest stuff I've seen on a reality show ever.”

I'm late to Vanderpump Rules, but after having seen some episodes, I totally get it.

Even so, I still think Married to Medicine is better, but more importantly, I'm glad Married to Medicine is back on Sunday nights where it belongs.

No shade to anything airing on Friday night, but these women have made the show the Beyoncé of the network and it should be treated accordingly.

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs tonight on Bravo at 8/7C. The episode is called “Get Your Sexy Back,” which is wonderfully Black auntie. And based on one of the previews floating around, you can be sure that mess is waiting for you. By the way, I promise no one has offered me a free teeth cleaning, Invisalign hookup, physical, or pap smear for me or my friend if I write this. I just love hard.

Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released book I Can't Date Jesus from Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Essence, The Guardian, Mic, and more. Follow him on Twitter.

The post Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo appeared first on HelloGiggles.

[typhoonprecious-blog]

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs September 1st on Bravo at 8/7C. Here, author Michael Arceneaux explains why the reality series is the Beyoncé of the Bravo network.

Earlier this year, my beloved Bravo series, Married to Medicine, was moved to Friday nights, and typically, Friday nights are considered the hospice care of television programming. So when the show was removed from the poppin' Sunday bloc and rescheduled for Friday-a night most of us spend thotting and bopping, Netflix and chilling, or pretending to go out only to fall asleep by 10:47 p.m. EST-I naturally panicked.

I am admittedly a little late to Married to Medicine, a reality show that follows the lives of women who are doctors or who are married to doctors. When I first heard about it, I wasn't sure what to make of a show that seemed a lot like The Real Housewives of OB/GYN and Orthodontics.

And while I was riveted by the sight of Toya and Mariah fighting in ball gowns as Mariah's mama, Ms. Lucy, jumps in to beat Toya down with her purse, it wasn't enough to truly reel me in. After all, whose mama isn't fighting on a reality show at this point? But once I got into the second season and beyond, I was hooked.

Case in point, all of this happened in the second season: a doctor's wife wants to adopt a child but her selfish husband rules it out; a doctor's wife wants her man to get a hair transplant 'cause she can't take all of that extra skin on his head; a doctor's wife launches a puppy couture line; doctors' wives who oddly behave exactly like 78% of the gay Black men you've met in your life go at each other over nothing.

The third season was interesting, too. Like, we got to see a married doctor being a thot, laying it low and spreading it wide all over the metropolitan Atlanta area, and more mess.

However, the fourth and fifth seasons are when this show became far more engaging than its reality show contemporaries.

It's somewhat over simplistic to say the show got “realer,” but there's something to be said when a show that is usually about spectacle and grossly superficial fights depicts the cast navigating more severe issues. In the case of Dr. Simone, it was her father going missing and her friends and castmates, Quad and Dr. Jackie, literally traveling with her to find him-to devastating results.

It's Toya, and her husband, Dr. Eugene, projecting this lavish lifestyle on camera only to be slapped with a heavy bill from the IRS. Most of all, though, it's watching many of their marriages crumble in real time.

We've seen marital rift on reality shows, but arguably never in this way.

There is a candor there that you simply do not find on television anywhere else. And while, yes, it does have very serious overtones, the show is hysterical.

Because last season was so phenomenal, and because the show has been so consistently good (more consistently than The Real Housewives of Atlanta, TBH), I will never know why it was moved to Friday nights for a time.

Having said that, on an episode of Watch What Happens Live earlier this year, Andy Cohen tells the guests of the night, Married to Medicine cast members Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie: “People are always asking me what's the best show on Bravo right now. Right now, Vanderpump Rules and Married to Medicine.” He went on to add, “Married to Medicine is some of the realest stuff I've seen on a reality show ever.”

I'm late to Vanderpump Rules, but after having seen some episodes, I totally get it.

Even so, I still think Married to Medicine is better, but more importantly, I'm glad Married to Medicine is back on Sunday nights where it belongs.

No shade to anything airing on Friday night, but these women have made the show the Beyoncé of the network and it should be treated accordingly.

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs tonight on Bravo at 8/7C. The episode is called “Get Your Sexy Back,” which is wonderfully Black auntie. And based on one of the previews floating around, you can be sure that mess is waiting for you. By the way, I promise no one has offered me a free teeth cleaning, Invisalign hookup, physical, or pap smear for me or my friend if I write this. I just love hard.

Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released book I Can't Date Jesus from Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Essence, The Guardian, Mic, and more. Follow him on Twitter.

The post Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo appeared first on HelloGiggles.

[inkundu1]

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs September 1st on Bravo at 8/7C. Here, author Michael Arceneaux explains why the reality series is the Beyoncé of the Bravo network.

Earlier this year, my beloved Bravo series, Married to Medicine, was moved to Friday nights, and typically, Friday nights are considered the hospice care of television programming. So when the show was removed from the poppin' Sunday bloc and rescheduled for Friday-a night most of us spend thotting and bopping, Netflix and chilling, or pretending to go out only to fall asleep by 10:47 p.m. EST-I naturally panicked.

I am admittedly a little late to Married to Medicine, a reality show that follows the lives of women who are doctors or who are married to doctors. When I first heard about it, I wasn't sure what to make of a show that seemed a lot like The Real Housewives of OB/GYN and Orthodontics.

And while I was riveted by the sight of Toya and Mariah fighting in ball gowns as Mariah's mama, Ms. Lucy, jumps in to beat Toya down with her purse, it wasn't enough to truly reel me in. After all, whose mama isn't fighting on a reality show at this point? But once I got into the second season and beyond, I was hooked.

Case in point, all of this happened in the second season: a doctor's wife wants to adopt a child but her selfish husband rules it out; a doctor's wife wants her man to get a hair transplant 'cause she can't take all of that extra skin on his head; a doctor's wife launches a puppy couture line; doctors' wives who oddly behave exactly like 78% of the gay Black men you've met in your life go at each other over nothing.

The third season was interesting, too. Like, we got to see a married doctor being a thot, laying it low and spreading it wide all over the metropolitan Atlanta area, and more mess.

However, the fourth and fifth seasons are when this show became far more engaging than its reality show contemporaries.

It's somewhat over simplistic to say the show got “realer,” but there's something to be said when a show that is usually about spectacle and grossly superficial fights depicts the cast navigating more severe issues. In the case of Dr. Simone, it was her father going missing and her friends and castmates, Quad and Dr. Jackie, literally traveling with her to find him-to devastating results.

It's Toya, and her husband, Dr. Eugene, projecting this lavish lifestyle on camera only to be slapped with a heavy bill from the IRS. Most of all, though, it's watching many of their marriages crumble in real time.

We've seen marital rift on reality shows, but arguably never in this way.

There is a candor there that you simply do not find on television anywhere else. And while, yes, it does have very serious overtones, the show is hysterical.

Because last season was so phenomenal, and because the show has been so consistently good (more consistently than The Real Housewives of Atlanta, TBH), I will never know why it was moved to Friday nights for a time.

Having said that, on an episode of Watch What Happens Live earlier this year, Andy Cohen tells the guests of the night, Married to Medicine cast members Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie: “People are always asking me what's the best show on Bravo right now. Right now, Vanderpump Rules and Married to Medicine.” He went on to add, “Married to Medicine is some of the realest stuff I've seen on a reality show ever.”

I'm late to Vanderpump Rules, but after having seen some episodes, I totally get it.

Even so, I still think Married to Medicine is better, but more importantly, I'm glad Married to Medicine is back on Sunday nights where it belongs.

No shade to anything airing on Friday night, but these women have made the show the Beyoncé of the network and it should be treated accordingly.

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs tonight on Bravo at 8/7C. The episode is called “Get Your Sexy Back,” which is wonderfully Black auntie. And based on one of the previews floating around, you can be sure that mess is waiting for you. By the way, I promise no one has offered me a free teeth cleaning, Invisalign hookup, physical, or pap smear for me or my friend if I write this. I just love hard.

Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released book I Can't Date Jesus from Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Essence, The Guardian, Mic, and more. Follow him on Twitter.

The post Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo appeared first on HelloGiggles.

[ungracefulswan-blog]

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs September 1st on Bravo at 8/7C. Here, author Michael Arceneaux explains why the reality series is the Beyoncé of the Bravo network.

Earlier this year, my beloved Bravo series, Married to Medicine, was moved to Friday nights, and typically, Friday nights are considered the hospice care of television programming. So when the show was removed from the poppin' Sunday bloc and rescheduled for Friday-a night most of us spend thotting and bopping, Netflix and chilling, or pretending to go out only to fall asleep by 10:47 p.m. EST-I naturally panicked.

I am admittedly a little late to Married to Medicine, a reality show that follows the lives of women who are doctors or who are married to doctors. When I first heard about it, I wasn't sure what to make of a show that seemed a lot like The Real Housewives of OB/GYN and Orthodontics.

And while I was riveted by the sight of Toya and Mariah fighting in ball gowns as Mariah's mama, Ms. Lucy, jumps in to beat Toya down with her purse, it wasn't enough to truly reel me in. After all, whose mama isn't fighting on a reality show at this point? But once I got into the second season and beyond, I was hooked.

Case in point, all of this happened in the second season: a doctor's wife wants to adopt a child but her selfish husband rules it out; a doctor's wife wants her man to get a hair transplant 'cause she can't take all of that extra skin on his head; a doctor's wife launches a puppy couture line; doctors' wives who oddly behave exactly like 78% of the gay Black men you've met in your life go at each other over nothing.

The third season was interesting, too. Like, we got to see a married doctor being a thot, laying it low and spreading it wide all over the metropolitan Atlanta area, and more mess.

However, the fourth and fifth seasons are when this show became far more engaging than its reality show contemporaries.

It's somewhat over simplistic to say the show got “realer,” but there's something to be said when a show that is usually about spectacle and grossly superficial fights depicts the cast navigating more severe issues. In the case of Dr. Simone, it was her father going missing and her friends and castmates, Quad and Dr. Jackie, literally traveling with her to find him-to devastating results.

It's Toya, and her husband, Dr. Eugene, projecting this lavish lifestyle on camera only to be slapped with a heavy bill from the IRS. Most of all, though, it's watching many of their marriages crumble in real time.

We've seen marital rift on reality shows, but arguably never in this way.

There is a candor there that you simply do not find on television anywhere else. And while, yes, it does have very serious overtones, the show is hysterical.

Because last season was so phenomenal, and because the show has been so consistently good (more consistently than The Real Housewives of Atlanta, TBH), I will never know why it was moved to Friday nights for a time.

Having said that, on an episode of Watch What Happens Live earlier this year, Andy Cohen tells the guests of the night, Married to Medicine cast members Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie: “People are always asking me what's the best show on Bravo right now. Right now, Vanderpump Rules and Married to Medicine.” He went on to add, “Married to Medicine is some of the realest stuff I've seen on a reality show ever.”

I'm late to Vanderpump Rules, but after having seen some episodes, I totally get it.

Even so, I still think Married to Medicine is better, but more importantly, I'm glad Married to Medicine is back on Sunday nights where it belongs.

No shade to anything airing on Friday night, but these women have made the show the Beyoncé of the network and it should be treated accordingly.

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs tonight on Bravo at 8/7C. The episode is called “Get Your Sexy Back,” which is wonderfully Black auntie. And based on one of the previews floating around, you can be sure that mess is waiting for you. By the way, I promise no one has offered me a free teeth cleaning, Invisalign hookup, physical, or pap smear for me or my friend if I write this. I just love hard.

Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released book I Can't Date Jesus from Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Essence, The Guardian, Mic, and more. Follow him on Twitter.

The post Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo appeared first on HelloGiggles.

[theinternetismylyfe-blog]

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs September 1st on Bravo at 8/7C. Here, author Michael Arceneaux explains why the reality series is the Beyoncé of the Bravo network.

Earlier this year, my beloved Bravo series, Married to Medicine, was moved to Friday nights, and typically, Friday nights are considered the hospice care of television programming. So when the show was removed from the poppin' Sunday bloc and rescheduled for Friday-a night most of us spend thotting and bopping, Netflix and chilling, or pretending to go out only to fall asleep by 10:47 p.m. EST-I naturally panicked.

I am admittedly a little late to Married to Medicine, a reality show that follows the lives of women who are doctors or who are married to doctors. When I first heard about it, I wasn't sure what to make of a show that seemed a lot like The Real Housewives of OB/GYN and Orthodontics.

And while I was riveted by the sight of Toya and Mariah fighting in ball gowns as Mariah's mama, Ms. Lucy, jumps in to beat Toya down with her purse, it wasn't enough to truly reel me in. After all, whose mama isn't fighting on a reality show at this point? But once I got into the second season and beyond, I was hooked.

Case in point, all of this happened in the second season: a doctor's wife wants to adopt a child but her selfish husband rules it out; a doctor's wife wants her man to get a hair transplant 'cause she can't take all of that extra skin on his head; a doctor's wife launches a puppy couture line; doctors' wives who oddly behave exactly like 78% of the gay Black men you've met in your life go at each other over nothing.

The third season was interesting, too. Like, we got to see a married doctor being a thot, laying it low and spreading it wide all over the metropolitan Atlanta area, and more mess.

However, the fourth and fifth seasons are when this show became far more engaging than its reality show contemporaries.

It's somewhat over simplistic to say the show got “realer,” but there's something to be said when a show that is usually about spectacle and grossly superficial fights depicts the cast navigating more severe issues. In the case of Dr. Simone, it was her father going missing and her friends and castmates, Quad and Dr. Jackie, literally traveling with her to find him-to devastating results.

It's Toya, and her husband, Dr. Eugene, projecting this lavish lifestyle on camera only to be slapped with a heavy bill from the IRS. Most of all, though, it's watching many of their marriages crumble in real time.

We've seen marital rift on reality shows, but arguably never in this way.

There is a candor there that you simply do not find on television anywhere else. And while, yes, it does have very serious overtones, the show is hysterical.

Because last season was so phenomenal, and because the show has been so consistently good (more consistently than The Real Housewives of Atlanta, TBH), I will never know why it was moved to Friday nights for a time.

Having said that, on an episode of Watch What Happens Live earlier this year, Andy Cohen tells the guests of the night, Married to Medicine cast members Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie: “People are always asking me what's the best show on Bravo right now. Right now, Vanderpump Rules and Married to Medicine.” He went on to add, “Married to Medicine is some of the realest stuff I've seen on a reality show ever.”

I'm late to Vanderpump Rules, but after having seen some episodes, I totally get it.

Even so, I still think Married to Medicine is better, but more importantly, I'm glad Married to Medicine is back on Sunday nights where it belongs.

No shade to anything airing on Friday night, but these women have made the show the Beyoncé of the network and it should be treated accordingly.

The season premiere of Married To Medicine airs tonight on Bravo at 8/7C. The episode is called “Get Your Sexy Back,” which is wonderfully Black auntie. And based on one of the previews floating around, you can be sure that mess is waiting for you. By the way, I promise no one has offered me a free teeth cleaning, Invisalign hookup, physical, or pap smear for me or my friend if I write this. I just love hard.

Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released book I Can't Date Jesus from Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Essence, The Guardian, Mic, and more. Follow him on Twitter.

The post Opinion: Married to Medicine is actually the best show on Bravo appeared first on HelloGiggles.

[tirfpikachu]

hiiii gyns!!! QUICK CHAOTIC UPDATE..................

a) new sapphic visual novel in the works?! we're currently looking for some awesome artists/writers/marketers to help us with it! everyone involved will be paid a giftcard once the game is complete, and we will make sure that it'll be great for everyone's portfolios. the project will go throughout 2025, with hopefully it being fully done by summer 2026 ish. i don't want it to be rushed!! and i want us to have fun with it too. it'll involve romance, dark elements, and feminist & lgbt politics in really cool ways!! i'm looking for some awesome OCs who are sapphic and visibly gnc in some way (hairy fems welcome!)

b) we are still looking for tirfy/nuancefem folks to interview! to be added on the list, dm me on my radblr discord @ bunnyrats. i will take a bit to respond, but i pwomise i will in late january! <33 if you're already on the server, just go in the interviews channel and apply.

c) we are going to be BUYING articles from tirfy/nuancefem radfems! you will be involved with our team of editors and published in our substack, and once the article is done you'll get a giftcard.

and d) the pokegyns/server staff are setting up a patreon!!! we are now going by Lay & The Gyns tm on most platforms. i have two assistants from my server now officially?! which is still batshit crazy to me, but they're incredible and really helping me so much :'] we're gonna be offering fun art, writing, really cool opportunities and marketing for any freelancing gyn who needs more publicity!!

we focus especially on sapphics, but any misogyny-affected creator is welcome on the team! we're a content making group, but i'm actually going to film school in september 2025?! so i'm also trying to find radfems to help me make movies & animated shows in the future. i'm so fucking tired of libfem tras being the only ones making media. i want to add nuance in the tv/film world.

if you're not tangibly misogyny-affected in your day-to-day life, we can still use your support and might still want to interview you if your pov is interesting enough. just please try to be a good ally, and don't speak over ppl who are directly affected by all the misogynistic bullshit in the world. we are actually not only focused on misogyny but also on homophobia and gncphobia, to analyze their part in the patriarchy. if you're not facing misogyny in your daily life but you are visibly gnc and face lots of shit for it, we will still eventually want to know your side of things. for now though, we're focusing 100% on fellow gyns. if you want to support us, check out our substack. we'll be posting more updates and really cool stuff!!

more info about the sapphic visual novel ic

sooooo my sapphic magazine/network The Gyns is looking for writers, artists and marketing ppl to help me out with a sapphic visual novel?? it'll be a mix of romcom and horror/dark elements!

everybody involved would be paid in giftcard(s) for the finished game, and it would receive lots of marketing & hopefully help all our careers. i have lots of connections to sapphic youtubers and bigger youtubers too, and i have a specific story in mind. i would be the main scriptwriter and director, and i already have a main team of artists i'm interviewing, but i need more scriptwriters, artists, marketers, etc. it would be tied to my own lgbt activist youtube channel (which in turn is tied to my magazine & my private discord, which will eventually be mostly patreon-locked). i also just REALLY FREAKING LOVE YURI VISUAL NOVELS!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i want to help any sapphic visual novel makers get free marketing and really reach people. i know if i had found sapphic visual novels that really spoke to my heart when i was younger, i would've realized i was a lesbian MUUUUCH sooner. if you're involved and you're an artist/writer, your own writing & art will be promoted by the lay & the gyns staff throughout the process!!

if you're already in the industry or wanting to be, or just want to help out with a cool project, please add me on my alt discord account (my main is messy af lol) @ softbunmy! i can make us a discord server :] or at the very least initially a discord groupchat!!

we need scriptwriters, OC makers, marketing ppl, and ofc artists!!! it'll be a loooong project, but lots of fun opportunities.

you will be working closely with our magazine/yt staff. we interview radfems, sapphic influencers/businesses, write articles, and make videos! currently a lot of our content is server-exclusive, since we're still figuring things out and securing grants for Lay & The Gyns since it's like..... actually becoming a Real Thing?! we're offering marketing to sapphic people and helping them realize their dreams :'3 the first month of marketing is free so we just really help them with their freelancing and career building. i'm still a broke wheelchair dyke rn surviving on disability aid, but we got so many incredible connections thanks to networking B) and i want to connect tirfy/nuancefem sapphics to one another and help them not feel so alone!!!

all the $$ we will make goes directly to our sapphic radfem artists and writers who are trying to do this full-time. our motto is building bridges between feminism and trans/gnc communities, and calling out all the fucked up stuff going on with tras as well as the more extreme cases of unnuanced radfems who can be very harmful too. we also want to CELEBRATE gnc people, so the visual novel will be full to the brim with gnc OCs!!! the process for that will truly start in late spring, but we're trying to gather cool creative people already!

i know this shit sounds batshit crazy but it's actually becoming A Thing. my life feels like the most insane rollercoaster right now, but everything is also falling into place so smoothly?! in large part thanks to my beloved server gyns, who mean the world to me and really give me hope that we CAN solve the issues between true feminism and tras. thank you so much for following my little journey so far ;w; i can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for us!!!!!