#the name is still gregory house and the show stays the same but it’s olivia wilde as house and hugh laurie as 13

[cheese-rat29]

okay which one of you jokers did this

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, December 28

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Farewell to 93 legends we loved and lost in 2020 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Steve Martin holds a green pepper on the NYC set of Only Murders in the Building, Derek Hough is light on his feet at the MTV Movie & TV Awards 

Page 3: Julia Roberts looks scary skinny during a solo stroll in Hawaii, Chris Pratt hoists a hoverboard during an L.A. workout 

Page 4: Troubled twosome Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are hoping to put their year from hell behind them by renewing their vows over the holidays in a desperate big to keep their love alive -- Ellen wants to prove her long-suffering wife comes first ahead of Ellen’s daytime talk show and her many celebrity friends and is going all out to show it -- penny-pincher Ellen opened her wallet as wide as her heart telling Portia she could spend whatever she wants on clothes, food, drinks, music and invite whoever she wants at the New Year’s vow ceremony on a Santa Barbara beach

Page 5: Obsessive Blake Shelton is so stressed over his upcoming wedding to Gwen Stefani he’s turning into the Groomzilla from hell -- he is sparing no expense and shelling out millions to redo his Oklahoma ranch to impress the couple’s Tinseltown friends but the mountain of stuff still to be done is driving him around the bend even though no one’s putting pressure on him but he’s obsessed with the wedding details and driving his staff crazy with his constant orders and revisions -- he’s building a chapel on the ranch and a lighted boat for a romantic wedding cruise on the lake and picking the style of the canopy for the banquet floor and re-landscaping the grounds and adding a color-themed garden

* Kenya Moore of Real Housewives of Atlanta reveals she went on a date with Kanye West but bolted when she caught him watching inappropriate flicks -- she described the outing with Kanye as a disaster date and they ended up going to his house where he left her alone, wandering around and when she followed the noises he was watching something on TV that he probably shouldn’t have been and that was her exit 

Page 6: Matthew Perry was such a slave to his addiction his former galpal Kayti Edwards says he’d send her to score drugs while she was pregnant and Matthew insisted she was the perfect drug mule because he believed cops wouldn’t stop a gal in her condition Kayti claims in a shocking tell-all about her 2011 romance with Matthew -- she says his ravenous cravings for cocaine and heroin were so out of control that he once superglued his hands to his legs and he took up to 80 Vicodin pills daily -- Kayti claims she was trying to protect Matthew because she feared he’d end up wandering around the streets and being nabbed by cops or snapped by photogs but she was also getting paid big bucks like $3000 to $4000 a day 

Page 7: Duchess Camilla’s taste for an early morning tipple has rubbed off on husband Prince Charles who is now so hooked on the sauce he starts the day guzzling a powerful gin martini with breakfast and now Charles’ alarmed staffers and pals are talking about an intervention to remind him not to go down the path that put his second wife in rehab -- Charles’ booze consumption has been off the charts for years but drinking first thing in the morning with his breakfast is a new low -- Charles laughs off suggestions he has a booze issue but one look at his bloodshot face tells the story 

* Now that a COVID-19 vaccine’s been approved in Britain Queen Elizabeth says she’s going to get the shot but wait her turn instead of pulling royal rank but she and husband Prince Philip won’t wait long because at their ages they’re in the second group to get the vaccine which is health care workers and people over 80 

Page 8: Helena Bonham Carter has a world-shakin’ suggestion for gals frustrated by the COVID-19 lockdown: get a vibrator -- she says women shouldn’t worry about snaring a beau during the pandemic but that’s easy for her to say because she’s currently cuddling with toyboy writer Rye Dag Holmboe 

* George Clooney confesses wife Amal Clooney had him shaking in his boots when he popped the question and she didn’t answer -- he asked her out of the blue but instead of squealing yes immediately the brainy lawyer just stood there -- George says he was on his knee for like 20 minutes and finally said he was going to throw his hip out -- Amal finally agreed and the couple have three-year-old twins 

* The nip/tuck freak daughter of Olivia Newton-John is being blasted as a hypocrite for coming out against the new COVID-19 vaccines -- Chloe Lattanzi claims she doesn’t trust doctors or the vaccine but critics note she had no problem shelling out an estimated $550,000 to plastic surgeons for nose jobs, super-sized boobs and ballooned lips 

Page 9: Since his life-threatening health scare game show icon Pat Sajak’s been testy and snapping at contestants and crew members leaving insiders fearing he’s heading for a breakdown -- the once-cheery Wheel of Fortune host is a different man since recovering from emergency surgery for a blocked intestine and is having difficulty coping with the workload -- he just can’t keep up with the pace and he’s pushed to the very limit and can’t seem to function doing this job and it’s all spilling over and manifesting into these ugly outbursts which are shocking viewers -- he even glares at long-time help-mate Vanna White when he gets frustrated or forgetful and she is really too nice to complain about it but she’s definitely been taken aback by his behavior 

Page 10: Proof UFOs are real -- new photos taken by Navy jets reveal we are not alone 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- WWE legend Ric Flair (picture), Real Housewives of Orange County’s Braunwyn Windham-Burke maintains she’s not attracted to men despite renewing her wedding vows with her husband of over two decades -- she says she is gay but she loves husband Sean Burke and they plan on staying married although they don’t sleep in the same bedroom and they are raising their kids together but he knows the girl she’s dating and he’s been given the thumbs-up to date too, Liam Payne believes he’s being haunted by spooks -- convinced spooky spirits were inhabiting his West London digs Liam moved but spooks popped up at the new pad and he thinks the new house is even more haunted than the old one, George Clooney handpicked an even better looking doppelganger to play his younger self in his new flick The Midnight Sky who is screen legend Gregory Peck’s grandson Ethan Peck -- George said it was tricky because people know what he looked like when he was 35 years old but he rejected the high-tech gizmos used to weirdly reverse Robert De Niro’s age in The Irishman but he did mix his voice with Ethan’s since his voice is pretty recognizable, Matthew McConaughey’s kids Levi and Vida used their phones to photograph him for his latest magazine covers because of quarantine they couldn’t do normal photoshoots so the kids became the photographers 

Page 13: Tom Arnold dines out in Rome (picture), Aubrey O’Day (picture), Brooke Burke in Mexico (picture), pregnant Meghan Trainor was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and she’s healthy and her baby boy is healthy but she has to really pay attention to everything she eats 

Page 14: Luke Evans denies hiding in the closet to advance his Hollywood career saying it was the last thing he had because everything else he’d given to the world and adding that he left home at 16 because he was gay and went into the world as a kid because he had to, Mindy Kaling managed to keep two pregnancies under cover and kept the kids’ middle names under wraps until now -- a fan wondered why Mindy who is of a Indian heritage gave her kids Caucasian names but their names are Katherine Swati and Spencer Avu 

* Fashion Verdict -- Blanca Suarez 3/10, Olivia Palermo 1/10, Nicky Hilton 9/10, Bella Heathcote 2/10, Catt Sadler 8/10 

Page 16: True Crime 

Page 17: Martha Stewart confesses her painful divorce in 1990 was a terrible thing and she hasn’t talked to ex-husband Andrew Stewart since but she bounced back from the pain and her infamous prison stint because she’s very strong and motivated to get on with life -- still Martha admits being dumped by her husband for another woman after 29 years of marriage nearly did her in -- Martha also reveals serving five months in West Virginia in 2004 on a federal insider stock trading rap was a struggle but she got through it by working on her arts and crafts 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Don Lemon 

* Dolly Parton pulled no punches when discussing her longtime romance with Carl Dean dishing she and her husband have been together for 57 years and married for 54 and she’s sick of him and she’s sure he’s sick of her -- the couple have rarely been seen in public together and she says their marriage succeeds because she stays gone and they’re not in each other’s faces all the time 

* Miley Cyrus says she’s mastered the art of staying safe during lockdown love and it’s by having online sex -- she said the safest sex in these COVID-crazy times is the virtual kind and that’s where Miley has been hooking up

Page 21: Cover Story -- Thanks for the Memories -- tribute to the stars we loved and lost in 2020 

Page 22: Alex Trebek 

Page 23: Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna, Kelly Preston 

Page 24: Kirk Douglas, Sean Connery 

Page 25: Olivia de Havilland, Chadwick Boseman 

Page 26: Robert Conrad, Naya Rivera 

Page 27: Regis Philbin 

Page 28: Kenny Rogers, Roy Horn 

Page 29: Eddie Van Halen, Little Richard 

Page 36: Health Report -- eating bread can toast your brain 

Page 38: Ghostbusters icon Dan Aykroyd has turned into a ghoulish recluse who rarely leaves his $25 million Martha’s Vineyard estate where he’s now eerily planning his own funeral -- the bizarre 68-year-old appears perfectly healthy yet he spooks around in his bed clothes muttering about who he wants to officiate at his memorial service and the goodies the chef should serve at the wake -- the curious thing is he appears to be in no danger of dropping dead anytime soon and he’s sturdy as a horse which is surprising given the cigars and the vodka and the big meals he enjoys -- Dan’s wife of 37 years Donna Dixon has gotten used to her husband’s ghoulish monologues

* Bob Dylan sold his extensive back catalog of more than 600 songs including Blowin’ in the Wind and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door to Universal Music in a blockbuster deal topping $300 million 

Page 40: Patrick Stewart confesses he’s been furious all his life and he’s still seeing a shrink to control his rage -- he reveals he’s burned with rage inside since childhood when he witnessed his dad’s violence against his mom and he had to suppress all that anger -- at age 14 he feared he’d explode and kill his headmaster when he caned him and later he worried he’d hurt his two children with first wife Sheila Falconer in a fit of fury and now at age 80 it’s still there so he sees a therapist every week 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- The Weeknd has his nose out of joint because he wasn’t nominated for any Grammys this year and he claims he’s being snubbed because he’ll be starring on the February 7 Super Bowl halftime show a week after the Grammys 

Page 45: Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell is a paranoid mess losing her hair and wasting away in federal prison where she’s terrified shadowy forces have marked her for death -- the shrinking British socialite who denies recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein’s twisted lust is charged with sex trafficking minors as she rots in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial next year 

Page 47: Bizarre But True 

[scriptmedic]

Anatomy of a Medical Drama: House, MD

This post is part of a series on the Anatomy of a Medical Drama.

The first thing to know about House, MD is that Dr. Gregory House is One Cranky Jerk.

The second thing to know about House, MD is that it isn’t a medical drama.

Oh, sure, it pretends to be. We get all the furniture of a medical drama: the dying patients, the worried family members, the gruff attending physician, the compassionate and sensitive younger doctors. We get death and we get life and we get medical miracles.

But that’s not the true genre of House. 

House is a detective show. In fact, it’s a medical adaptation of the classic Sherlock Holmes.

Instead of  a doctor, I want you to consider Greg House to be a detective. (Even the name House is supposed to get you to think of Holmes.) He’s arrogant, he’s rude, he’s problematic — and he’s brilliant.

Instead of a disease, I want you to consider whatever improbable virus, condition, or disease to be a criminal, a devious mastermind out to do harm. The symptoms, the actual disease process, are thus its crimes, and the patient is its victim. The loving family members are witnesses to the crime with valuable information for our detective, while the junior doctors, House’s intrepid fellows, are the junior detectives.

Lisa Cuddy, the hospital’s chief administrator, plays the role of obstructor and leader. She’s the less-than-brilliant chief who’s supposed to see things done the “right” way. She is the Lestrade to House’s Holmes; she’s there to get in his way.

And what would a Sherlock Holmes be without a Watson, or in this case, a Wilson? A best friend who enables and supports our main character not because he doesn’t see his flaws, but because he loves him in spite of them?

House, my friends, is a crime drama.

Thus we’ve discovered House, MD‘s Content Genre: Crime Drama (Medical), also known as a Diagnosis Drama.

The Reality Genre of the show is aimed to be Realistic, grounded in reality and the cutting-edge medicine of the day. The rules of the world are ostensibly the same as the one you and I live in: magic, elves, and science fiction take no part in this show. That said, the show’s connection to actual realistic medicine is tenuous at best, as we’ll discuss below.

What Makes House, MD Great?

There are a number of things that contributed to House, MD‘s success over its eight-year run.

First, the acting was great. Hugh Laurie brought depth and a tremendous amount of weight and poignancy to the character of Greg House. The supporting cast, including Lisa Edelstein (Cuddy), Robert Sean Leonard (Wilson), Jennifer Morrison (Cameron), Omar Epps (Foreman), and Jesse Spencer (Chase) made the first few seasons absolutely riveting, and adding in talent like Olivia Wilde (Hadley / “13”), Kal Penn (Kutner) and Peter Jacobson (Taub) in later seasons only improved things.

Second, House’s mindset is absolutely fascinating: Everybody Lies. (The question that makes things interesting is how they lie, to what degree they lie, and, most fascinating of all, why they lie; this is part of the fun of House, MD as a show.)

House has been criticized for being formulaic, and I can definitely agree that it is, and yet something in the formula that drove the show was incredibly compelling. House was always doing something absolutely crazy that we knew was wrong (because the episode was only half over), Cuddy and his staff were always trying to keep him on the sane and level path, and what’s even better, the show recognized it. It was acknowledged in multiple episodes, and even by House himself, that his colleagues were the reason House could stay sane and keep from killing his patients.

In fact, House and Wilson fall into (or at least adjacent to) the “Buddy Cop” trope, what Roger Ebert called a “Wunza” relationship: one of the pair is a calm, competent, mild-mannered oncologist, while the other is a dramatic, abrasive, neurotic, brilliant critical care doctor. It doesn’t contain all aspects of the traditional Buddy Cop relationship — we don’t see them hate each other in the beginning like we do with most buddy cops — but the relationship is there; we see it after it’s stabilized.

And that drama, that tension between the egomaniac with a syringe and a helpless patient and those who want the best for both of them, made House an incredibly tense show. That tension carried us through to the inevitable end — that House would solve the case, the patient would get better, and because the patient got better, all would be forgiven.

House also had consequences for the character’s actions that played out over multiple episodes. At the end of Season 1, House is shot because he was such a jerk — which resulted in his getting a certain kind of anesthesia (ketamine) which eliminated his pain and gave him the ability to walk and run pain-free again for a limited time at the start of Season 2.

House’s unorthodox treatments (such as prescribing cigarettes for Irritable Bowel Syndrome) landed him in hot water with Medicare, which threatened to pull his license. His constant abuse of drugs, a cornerstone of his character, landed him in rehab more than once, and addiction is a theme that plays its tune throughout the show.

All in all, House was a very good show with a lot of strong qualities.

Where Does House, MD Fail?

First, we need to get something out of the way: we get a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. from House himself — he is, in a sense, the show’s social villain. He’s portrayed as a man so offensive that the only reason he keeps his job is because he’s too brilliant to fire for his childishness and gruff exterior.

That said, hearing some of the awful and offensive things he’s said come from a “medical professional” and the show’s protagonist is damaging and hurtful. There were ways the showrunners could have made House a jerk without resorting to insults based on someone’s identity.

(It’s also worth considering its place in time; the show ran from 2004-2012, an era in which minority voices were far less recognized in TV than they are even five years after the show’s end. )

The show fails the realism test on several fronts. In fact, speaking as an ICU paramedic, the medicine is often laughably inaccurate or hyperbolized. Things progress at a pace that suits dramatic storytelling, not reality; diseases layer that are astronomically unlikely; hell, House’s entire specialty — “Diagnostic Medicine” — doesn’t exist, because all doctors diagnose and all doctors treat.

But that’s not the big problem with the show. The biggest problem with the show are its ethics.

The number of unethical and outright illegal measures House takes to “get the job done” would have gotten any real doctor fired in their first year. They are, frankly, a scary thing to normalize in the minds of non-medical viewers.

Speaking of getting fired, fun fact: while medical staff who come to their employers and admit addiction to a substance are generally treated well — [estimates of substance abuse among nurses run from 10-20%] — they’re not allowed to practice stoned. Many employers will give time off for rehab, but staff must be compliant to practice.

Moreover, the repeated displays of unpunished bad behavior lends itself to a mindset that “the ends justify the means,” which is incredibly dangerous. A great many awful things have been “justified” in this manner.

Is It Good TV?

This is the most irritating part about House. Because with as many inaccuracies and flaws and mixed messages and damaging representations as the show has, as many bad stereotypes as it engaged with — it was still damn good TV, at least for the first 4 seasons. Characters changed, at least a little; the stakes were constantly escalating; House the Bully was often, let’s face it, hilarious in his cruelty.

House might have been bad in a great many senses, but it was damned compelling TV, and for all its faults, that fact is undeniable.

In short: House is great to watch, but don’t try to be a Greg House.

How Can We Write Like House?

If you wanted to produce a book, movie, or TV show along the lines of House, MD, my first suggestion would be to get very, very comfortable with the genre conventions and obligatory scenes of the crime drama, and consider how they can translate into medicine.

If we truly want to classify House, MD, we would likely call it a diagnosis drama to differentiate it from a crime drama, though really all that’s changed is the furniture.

Here are some of the Obligatory Scenes and Genre Conventions for a diagnosis drama, and the parallel scenes in a crime drama:

The Disease Strikes. (The Crime) Whether something has been building up for a while or comes to a head, we need to see a character felled by a disease or injury. This must occur early in the story/plotline and is essentially the Inciting Event.

The Doctor & The Team. (The Detective & Sidekick(s)) We must have a lead character, usually a doctor, trying to solve the medical puzzle, usually working with a team. The interpersonal dynamics of the team are crucial to establishing drama and hooking the audience.

Gather Symptoms and Information. (Interviewing Witnesses; Red Herrings.) The doctor must try to gain as much information as they can to solve the case. In House this often involves burglary for reasons not entirely clear.

Diagnose / Treat / Fail / Repeat. (Red Herrings & False Accusations) As the drama wears on, the patient gets worse, often by the hands of the doctor treating them. The team iterates over their work, trying new approaches that must get riskier and more dramatic as time goes on.

It Gets Personal. There must be some reason the doctor (and thus our audience) becomes closely entwined with the outcome of the case. Either the patient and doctor or team must form a personal bond, the doctor’s reputation must hang in the balance, or the rising tension between the team (who must think differently from the doctor) can only be resolved by solving the case and helping the patient.

The Final Diagnosis. (J’accuse!) The doctor must make a final diagnosis that will either save or kill the patient.

A Life Saved or a Life Lost. (The Justice Theme) Our story must end with either the patient’s life being saved or their life being lost. This may come with an ironic twist: the doctor may save the character at the expense of a relationship they value dearly.

If you’d be willing to take a piece of advice, though… check the misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. at the door. Take the best things from this show, not the worst.

For more reading on genre conventions and obligatory scenes, I recommend Shawn Coyne’s excellent guide to editing, [The Story Grid], and Blake Snyder’s [Save the Cat!], both of which are excellent books on storytelling from wildly different, and yet similar, perspectives.

What Medical Drama Should I Analyze Next?

Drop a comment or reblog and let me know!

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

[disclaimer]

[Free Email Course: Injuries in Storytelling]

  Anatomy of a Medical Drama: House, MD was originally published on ScriptMedicBlog.com

[c-rankin93]

SHE'S NO YOU - Ch.10

A/N: sorry I’ve been off for a couple of days! My boyfriends birthday was yesterday and I spent it with him and our little girl, plus he got very drunk and it was like having two kids! I don’t particularly like this chapter. I came back to it and was like ‘ey I’m too exhausted to change anything’. So here you go! :)

Unedited!

– CHAPTER TEN: DANCE WITH THE DEVIL –

FINN POV:

I still hadn’t been home, nor to work in 5 days. Olivia had been calling me non stop but I didn’t want to deal with that lying whore at the moment. My phone was automatically deleting her messages by now, and diverting her calls straight to voice mail.

The night spent with Rae was something I hadn’t stopped thinking about. We had laughed, cried and ate til our bellies were full. Our conversation was minimal, and I was glad. Talking made things complicated, plus everytime she parted her lips to speak a rush of adrenalin would pulse through me, my eyes would immediately fall to her plump lips in a lust filled gaze. Lips that I had only just been kissing.

Now I didn’t even know if I would get to kiss her again. She still felt a tremendous amount of guilt, it showed in her eyes everytime I looked at her. From what I have heard from our children, Gregory was a very kind man that treated Rae with the upmost respect. I couldn’t fault him for that, but what he didn’t realise was from the moment I saw Rae at that frat party, she was mine. I had let her go once, and I was never making that mistake again.

I will make her realise that she could never love Gregory the way she loves me- I know she still does. It was impossible to try and mask it, her smile told a thousand words. Our love was just too strong.

“Son?” I looked up into the eyes of my loving mother. Though, not my mother by birth, she had raised me from infancy and loved me just as the same as her own.

I had been staying at my parents house on the other side of the city. Ruby and Joshua had been doing there visits here instead of going to my pent house. They had loved spending more time with their Nana and Pa, and chose to spread there time evenly between the two. Forget about their poor, old father.

Rae and I had talked during change over, for the first time in years harmony was between us. Our conversation had been short but delightful, I was waiting patiently for her to figure out who she wanted to be with. I needed to prove to her I was the same man she fell in loved with. But I was preparing myself for defeat as well, the possibility of her choosing Greg was a bigger percentage then I would like to think about. Maybe all this chaos with me was just too much to handle?

“Yeah Mama?” I smiled kindly at the aging woman. The only telltale signs of her real age were the slight wrinkles that sat around her eyes. My father had done well finding this woman for us.

“Why does my boy look so sad?” Her thick Italian accent soothed me. She reached out to me and laid a delicate hand on my shoulder. 

“I fucked up Ma” her eyes grew wide with worry. My mother had a way of over reacting, right now she was probably thinking I had just murdered someone.

“What happened?” She sat on the arm of my chair pulling my head towards her. My face was pressed her stomach, whilst her fingers ran through my messy hair.

“I found out why Rae left me”

“What do you mean you just found out. How did you not know before?”

I could see why she wondering what was going on, she always presumed I knew but didn’t want to share why. But really I had no fucking clue, and I didn’t want to talk about it just so i didnt humiliate myself.

“She thought I cheated on her”

I went on to tell Ma the rest of the story. From the photos, to the forced kiss she shared with John, to the reason why she never told me. My mother was shocked at the words that were tumbling out of my mouth. She blinked and nodded, not even mumbling a word even though you could see she wanted too. 

“I don’t know what to! I don’t want to loose her again…”

“Finn, your not going to loose her. You will always have that connection through your children. She will always be in your life no matter what. But you have to realise that there is still so much water under the bridge, and time hasn’t been pretty to your relationship. She moved on, and at one stage you did too”.

“You know, usually I always know what to do, what to say, how to act… But here I am hiding at my parents house like a 5 year old. I don’t know how to face Olivia without killing her. She took everything away from me, for what?”

She smiled slightly. It was very rare for my mother to dislike someone, but when it came to my selfish girlfriend I could see the loathing behind her kind smile. Olivia was rude, and picky when it came to her meals. My mother being Italian, you could imagine the disdain on her face when her cooking was being sneered at. She was a proud women. That was the only time I had taken her to my parents house. My father kindly reminded me she no longer welcome, and I couldn’t help but agree.

“You won’t kill her darling. Your not capable of that. It will be alright. But you do need to face her sooner or later according to your father she hasn’t been to work either, so no doubt she’s at the pent house”

“That woman is a bitch-”

“Finn!”

“Sorry Ma. It’s just that I didn’t think she would ditch work as well…”

“Go home. Get cleaned up and head to work tomorrow. I love you, but you have left a patch on my couch from you not moving. It’s so unattractive when I have guests around”.

I smiled at my mother’s sense of humour. She always knew what to say to give me that extra push.

“Ohkay, Ohkay I’m going home!”

I kissed my mother’s cheek and headed straight out the door. 'Now or never’ I reminded myself.

-

'Well Maria hasn’t been around lately’ was the first thing I thought as soon as I stepped into my apartment. My housemaid had always been a perfectionist, I would possibly be paying her medical bills because of the heart attack she would suffer if she ever saw this.

Dishes were stacked in the sink, clothes thrown all over the place. My home looked like a tornado had hit it and left no survivors.

I could hear the sound of Olivia yelling at someone in the bedroom, it seemed to be a one sided conversation, so I assumed that she was on the phone.

She hadn’t heard me enter the bedroom behind her, she was too busy talking to her latest victim.

“I WOULDN’T OF WASTED MY TIME CALLING YOU IF I KNEW WHERE HE WAS YOU IDIOT!” She screeched.  Her voice alone got my heart rate sky rocketing, and not in a good way.

“Just tell me where he is Chop! Your his best friend, I know you know!- NO!… Just tell me for Christ sake! I swear if Rae has anything to do with this-”

The sound of Rae’s name on her lips curdled my blood. She spoke with so much acid, I had never seen this side of her before. She had me fooled.

“ENOUGH!!” I bellowed.

Olivia turned to face me, letting her mobile slip from her nibble fingers. It smashed on my hard wood floors, but she didn’t care her only concern was to wrap her twig-like arms around me.

“Oh my God Finn! Where have you been?” She spoke into my shirt. My hands fisted her shirt, but instead of pulling her forward I pushed her back. I didn’t want this woman touching me.

“Finn?” Her questioning gaze lingered. I would of felt guilty if I didn’t know what kind of person she really was.

“Don’t touch me” was all I said before walking towards the walk-in closest. I pulled out her suitcases and starting throwing her clothes in, not even bothering to look back.

“Finn! What are you doing… Finn! Stop” she tried gabbing my arm and pulling me back towards her. I shrugged her off and continued to throw her dresses in the suitcase.

“This is all your fault!”

“What are you talking about Finn? Just stop!”

I turned to face her, she had tears in her eyes but that didn’t make my anger fade.

“YOU! YOUR THE REASON I LOST MY FUCKING FAMILY!” I yelled moving closer to her.

“You vindictive, lying bitch! You sent photos to Rae… Photos of you and some other fucking man claiming it was me. Plus climbing into bed with me whilst I was asleep! Are you sick!”

“Finn-”

“Don’t! Your the reason I lost everything i ever care about… For what Olivia?”

“I loved you- I love you!”

I shook my head, disappointed. I didn’t love her, I could never love someone so evil. I made the mistake of letting her into my life just like she wanted, she fed on my insecurities just so she could have me.

“No you don’t Olivia, because if you did you would of left me alone, my happiness should of made you happy.”

“Just let me explain, please!” She stressed, stopping me from going back into the closest. She was desperate. All I wanted to know was why, then she could leave.

Olivia sighed when I turned to her. I could see she was nervous, not only by her facial expression but by the way she constantly had to fidget with her blazer.

Walking over to her handbag which was placed on the bed, she pulled out two photographs and briefly looked at them before handing them over to me. They were the photos Rae had told me about, the ones that proved John did in fact sexually assaulted my wife.

“These arrived at the office in a blank envelope..” she lied. She didn’t know I already knew the truth. “.. I opened it of course thinking nothing of it, but when I found these photos I didn’t know what to do. I uh-I panicked, I knew you would be heartbroken. So I kept them from you. I thought it would hurt less you not knowing what that bitch did to you! I didn’t show you because I loved you! I sent those photos to Rae to show her how much I loved you! Don’t you see Finn, I did it for you…” she cried, fake tears. She kept peeking at me to gage my reaction. One, that I knew she wasn’t expecting.

“How stupid do you think I am Olivia?” I asked simply, my voice passive. How she thought I would beleive that lie was beyond me.

“What?”

“You don’t think I know the truth” I hissed right in her face. “And just looking at these photos confirm it”.

I took one last look at the two photos in my hand. At first glance all I saw was just Rae kissing John, the slimey bastard. If I had of seen these photos 2 years ago, Rae was right I wouldn’t of believed her. My anger would of overpowered my judgement, I wouldn’t of looked at the details and noticed how ridged Rae’s body with her eyes squeezed shut. She didn’t enjoy what she was doing, and I felt sick. I still couldn’t deal with the fact Rae had been put through this, all because of me.

I tore the photos up, letting them fall around me. I hoped that these were the only copies, I never wanted Rae to have to see these, or anyone else for that matter.

“Get your shit and get out of my house! Don’t even think about coming here again, or to my workplace. Your services are no longer needed”

I didn’t even pay mind to the sobbing mess I left behind in my bedroom. Walking into the kitchen, I pulled open the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. It seemed like a perfect time to become an alcoholic.

Olivia ran out into the kitchen looking like Kim Kardashian after a sobbing fit. It wasn’t a pretty sight to see, and I felt no guilt when I started to laugh. My life was a mess, all because of this woman. I couldn’t care less if I never saw her again.

“Wait Finn, please…” she tried to grab my arm but I moved away from her.

“Please don’t leave me. You cant-”

“I can and I will. Stop embarrassing yourself before I throw you out without any of your shit” I sneared finishing my beer off and grabbing another.

“Finn, please Im-”

“Fuck off”

“No Finn listen. Im-”

“No!”

“FINN I’M PREGNANT!!!!”

A new revelation came to light. At first I didn’t know how to feel, because we used protection everytime. I ALWAYS used protection. I never had sex with her, without a condom and I knew she was on the pill. She couldn’t be serious if she thought I would believe her. How naive did she think I was?

“Who else have you been fucking?”

I was shocked to hear the voice of my best friend. Turning, I came to find not only my parents and Archie standing in the foyer, but also Chop. I smiled at my friend and family, then turned back around to Olivia who looked like she had been slapped in the face.

“If you actually are pregnant I’ll be happy to take a paternity test. I know for a fact it couldn’t be mine.”

—

Hope you liked that. I didn’t particularly like my writing, found it to be a bit plain. But I’ve been busy haha

— Sorry if I forget anyone: @lily-pop-2 @mmfdfanfic @eveerez @milllott @i-dream-of-emus @milymargot @arathewallflower @tinakegg @l88cym @luly310 @hey1tskat1e @lurkernolonger

[c-rankin93]

SHE'S NO YOU - Ch.6

A/N: This chapter is when the truth starts to unravel... do you think you have figured out what happened? Have a good read! P.s Loooooong chapter :) -- CHAPTER SIX: DON'T LISTEN TO THEM -- RAE POV: "How do you know Olivia?" I had just put the kids to bed and now I was sitting next to a tense Gregory awaiting his answer. "Well about 2 years ago I sold her sister a house. She was there of course, but I didn't know she was Finn's Girlfriend". 'It was interesting to know that he could still remember his clients sisters from 2 years ago, especially on a first name basis' I snickered to myself. It was a simplistic reply that was used as a deflection. It was obvious he was uncomfortable talking about her, and I was curious to know why. But for right now I was exhausted beyond belief. "Ohkay" I smiled. It wasn't worth a fight, it was bad enough that I was dealing with Finn, I didn't need to add Greg to the mix. "You seem close to your ex-husband's family" You could hear the bitterness in his voice, and internally I chucked. He didn't really have a reason to be mad at me over that, when he's the one lying right now. "Greg". "It was just a simple observation Rae. The man seemed very fond of you, if I must say". "We were very close when I was married. I cut all ties with them when I filed for divorce. It was the first time seeing Archie- Finn's brother in years" I sighed. "Mhm" he nodded. His hand lightly pressed against my naked thigh. "Hon, can I stay the night?" I was not prepared to hear that on a Wednesday night. He never stayed over when we both had work in the morning. "What about work your work tomorrow" I said stating the obvious. Gregory lived more towards the CBD, where traffic was lethal at anytime of the day or night. It was easier for him to get to work in the morning because he only lived a block away. It would take him a good two hours extra to drive home and get ready, then head to work for his 8am start. "I have a later start tomorrow. So I can just leave when you drop the kids off for school" he smiled; grazing his fingers more into my inner thigh. For some reason the intimate touch felt foreign. His hands were softer then I was use to, not as callous and rough. This was not good. "Ugh- sure" I encouraged myself to smile. We got off the couch and headed towards the bedroom hand in hand. Just as we opened the door to my bedroom and saw the state it was in, I froze. Clothes littered the floor in an unattractive manner. The bed, the same bed where I let Finn take me the night before had disheveled sheets, after not sleeping a wink last night. "You go have a shower and freshen up and I'll give this pig-sty a little clean. You don't really want to be smelling three day old Rae do you?" I tried to joke, I was embarrassed he had to witness this. "Don't worry about it to much hon" he laughed, then kissed my forehead. I didn't watch him walk into my ensuite. I was to busy glaring at my bed. There was no way I was washing those contaminated sheets, no they to be burnt. -- Anxiously, I hurried to get the last details added to the final sketch before the meeting in two hours. Chloe had organised for the board at 'Taylor industries' to come in and confirm the sketchs before signing of on the build. The new multi-million dollar mall has been a top priority for my team and I, for the past year and a half. I was glad that we were finally having the last meeting before I could watch my work come to life. When it was lunch time; or so my stomach reminded me. I checked mobile messages before leaving the office. I had turned it to silent, not wanting to be disrupted. Which I regretted once I saw the miss call from my children's school. Dialing the number on my office phone I waited for an answer. "Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, Mary speaking, how may I help?" "Hi my name is Rachel Nelson-Earl, I'm the mother of Ruby and Joshua Nelson. I have a missed call, and I was wondering why". "Hi Ms. Nelson. Yes I have a message here for you referring to your son Joshua. It seems that he has had a altercation with another student. He has been stepped down for the rest of the day. We are in need for you to collect him as soon as possible please". 'Shit' I thought. Joshua had never been a kid to ever get into any sort of altercation, physical or not. This was completely out of character for him. Checking the time I noticed I had 30 minutes to til the meeting started, a meeting that could potentially sink my career if I didn't attend it. "I'll have to ring his father to collect him. But someone will be there as soon as possible" I replied. It was the only other solution I could think of. I just hoped Finn wasn't in a meeting. "Certainly. I will let his teacher know". "Thank you". As soon as I hung up the phone to the school, I dialed Finn's office number. I was put through to two different receptionist before i was finally directed through to Finn's office. "Finn Nelson's office, Olivia speaking" the nasily voice spoke. "Can you please put me through to Finn" I said in a rush and slightly paniced. I was not in the mood to talk to this bitch, time was against my side and I wasn't going to let her waste it. "And who's speaking?" Her cheerful demeanor forgotten. No wonder why Finn couldnt get any other pussy, she was the ultimate cock block. Clearing my throat, I continued speaking. "Its Rae, now can you put me through to f-". "Rae? Why would you possibly need to talk to Finn?" Olivia barked- like the true dog she was. "Olivia I don't have time for this! I need to talk to Finn about Joshua!" "I'm sure this is something that can be discussed outside of office hours-" "But y-" "- unlike some Ms. Earl, Finn is a busy Man and I can't possibly interrupt him!" "Fucki-" "Good day Rachel!" *Beeeeeeeeep!* That donkey nose airhead, wannabe-fucking-heiress, man-stealing bitch! I quickly dialed Finn's mobile, praying to God he actually turned it on for once. One thing Finn and I had in common was that we hated being disturbed from our work. No mobile, no hassle. "Rae?" "Finn! You need to put a fucking leash on that crackhead girlfriend of yours! I tri-" "Calm down Rae!" Finn sighed, I could only imagine him raking his hand through his hair. "Tell me what's going on? Slowly. And calmly". "I called your office to talk to you but your lovely assistant hung up on me! But that's not the point, the point is I rang you about Josh". "Why? What happened? Is he alright?" Finn rattled off questions. "He's fine, but he has been in a fight with another student. He's been stood down for the rest of the day.. Finn I need you to pick him up, please. I have a meeting in 15 minutes and my career depends on it. I know your busy bu-". "Of course I'll pick him up Rae. You don't need to explain yourself, he's my son too. I need to take responsibility for him too. But really, fighting?" I could hear the disbelief in his husky voice. "I know Finn. I don't know what's going on with him? He's never gotten into a fight before" My voice broke, but I managed to pull myself together. This was not the time to do this, especially whilst on the phone to my ex-husband. "Rae it will be Ohkay, I'll pick him up and take the rest of the day off. I'll get Archie to pick Ruby up for me when she finishes". "Ohkay" I breathe. "Thank you". "I'll talk to you tonight". For the second time today, I was hung up on. My phone was still pressed snuggly pressed against my ear when Chloe pranced in, smile beaming, and excitement lighting her eyes. "Are you ready?" She came around the desk to stand beside me. Her eyes flicking over the mountain of blueprints and sketches I had rolled up in a neat pile. "Is this all of them?". "Yes, there is a detailed plan of every floor, shop location, public area, toilets and even parking. Name a room and and I am certain it's here" I smiled at my friend. "This is why I love you Rae" Chloe beamed. Collecting a stack of scrolls, she took off towards the board room. I had a lot of people's jobs in my hand in this moment and all I had to do is impress 4 billionaires. Easier said then done, taming one was hard enough. -- FINN POV: I saw red the moment I ended the call with Rae. To whom my anger was directed towards was a mystery, because i couldn't narrow it down to just one person. Multiple people where now on my radar. Including a women only metres away from me. Grabbing my jacket, wallet and keys I threw the door open in a haste. I didn't even care about the looks that were directed towards me. Not that my floor was full of people, it was only a handful. But those select people obviously found my fury more interesting then their work at this moment. "Cancel the rest of the day, direct all my calls to the front desk with a note saying I'm away for the rest of the day and send sorry notes with chocolates to whoever I'm cancelling on" I spoke as I walked. I didn't even look in Olivia's direction, my main goal was getting to the elevator as quickly as possible. "But Finn where are you going? You can't just cancel ev-" "Do not tell me what to do Olivia! I am your boss and you are my employee. Start acting like it for Christ sake" I hissed, my voice was raised and no doubt our audience were enjoying the show. By the look Liv's face was portraying she was livid. Not that I cared. "Will you at least tell me where your going?" She asked, grabbing my arm just as I reached the elevator. "I'm going to collect Joshua from school" I said keeping all conversation to a minimum. Olivia snorted. "Really Finn? Your leaving work for that? It's only 1 o'clock, why on earth would you be picking him up now for? I bet you Rae is only doing this to trick you into some stupid pla-" Not being able to take her rant anymore. I closed my palm over her mouth, stopping the bullshit. "Enough! Enough for once Olivia! My son needs me, and not you or anyone else is going to stop me getting to him. Im his father first and foremost. So next time when Rae rings do not hang up on her. Do you understand me?" She nodded, my hand still firmly clasped over her sticky lips. "Now if you'll excuse me, you have work to get back too and I have a son I have to see. And maybe you should go see your sister after work for a bit. I need some alone time with my children". I didn't wait for her reply. Stepping into the elevator I immediately pressed the ground floor button. And just like in the movies the elevator doors closed that two seconds, too slow. - Joshua had remained quite when I spoke to the principle in his office. Mr. Horne was a rapacious man. When he needed money, I was his life line. When the music program needs to upgrade out of season instruments they come to me. In order to keep his bulging budget, he needed to keep me happy. Joshua had gotten away with barely a slap on the hand and a day off school. Nothing was going on his permanent file, and after much hesitation on Mr. Horne's behalf the name of the other student was given to me. I knew his parents, they had been an acquaintance of my company for some time, due to my shares in theirs. The matter will get sorted, quietly. We had been home for the past 20 minutes and still Joshua had barely looked my way, only nodding and shaking his head when I spoke. This sort of behavior was unusual for my 8 year old boy. He was never one to fight, or act up. Unless it was against his sister. But after being fly tackled by a pigtail wearing 6 year old, you would get mad too. The silence finally got the best of me, when I found myself sitting across from Joshua. "What happened?" My tone demanding, but I felt desperate. "He pushed me, so I hit him". Joshua would have to be kidding if he thought he was getting away with an answer like that. Raising an eyebrow. "You expect me to take that for an answer son". "I don't know" he shrugged. "Why did he push you?" "Because". "Oh come on Joshua just tell me!" My son slammed his hand down on the couch and stood abruptly. His face was glowing red, tears threatened to spill. Something was wrong. "You want to know why dad! It's because he was talking about you and mom and I told him to get a life. He pushed me and I just hit him... I don't know why" he cried. "I just couldn't help myself". "Son" I stood, walking towards Josh and sat him back on the couch, with me right next to him. "What did he say about your mother and I? You know you can tell me right?" Nodding, Joshua pulled his knees up against his chest. "He was saying that mom wasn't good enough. That- that's why you left us". My heart shattered. I knew kids could be cruel these days, but this was nothing that I would of expected. I didn't know how I was going to explain myself to Joshua. How do you tell your son that it wasn't me to walk away, but it was her? You don't. "Josh.. Josh look at me please" cupping his chin I turned his face towards me. "Your mother was never 'not good enough' for me. She is the most lovely and courageous women I know. We didn't break up because I got sick of her son". "Then why did you break up?" Shit! "We just grew apart, but I will always love your mother". "Then why are you mean to her dad? Why does she still cry at night?" It was my turn to start tearing up. I couldn't beleive I was having an adult conversation with my 8 year old son. My heart hurt more the longer he spoke. I never knew he could hear Rae and I's conversations. He heard me when i stupidly degraded his mother, everytime i opened my mouth. Did that mean Ruby could hear too? I felt like a monster, but i was hurt. Rae had broken me to the point where hate started seeping in, leaving me with fragments of my old self that I reserved for my kids. "I'm sorry Joshua. I should never of talked to your mother like that. Please promise me you wont ever speak to your mother like that". "I wouldn't. I actually love her" he declared. "Josh. Don't talk to me like that! You are not your mother so I don't have to explain anything to you, alright? We are getting off topic and I want to talk about you hitting another student Joshua". "Colton said that his dad got to touch mom" Joshua softly spoke. My heart skipped a beat with his words, then plummeted to the pit of my stomach. "What? When?" If I wasn't sitting my knees would've already buckled by now. He was talking about Mr. Davis and Rae. How many other men has she fucked while being with Gregory, or better yet me. "He said a few years ago his dad saw mom coming out of the bathroom of this big fancy ball... And touched her. The- then he said. He said his friends laughed when Mr. Davis said mom was fighting him. What does he mean dad?" I tried to remember the last ball he had attended with Rae. It had to of been at least 3 years ago. I remember vaguely the lacey number she wore. The neckline plunged deeper then usual, teasing my eyes, and many men around him. After thinking about it, I do remember how she had been the perfect plus one. Floating around from person to person, saying her hellos. Between dancing and chatting she was spreading her happiness. Well until half way through, when she insisted they went home early. Her mood sombre, but she insisted she was due for her menstrual cycle. Unless... Something happened between Mr. Davis and Rae. Something sinister, and degrading. That son of a bitch! "Joshua. Promise me you won't tell your mother. I want to be the one to speak to her about this. And I will tonight, Ohkay?" Nodding, Joshua leaned into me as my arm draped across his shoulders. My son was hurt and it was all my fault. I didn't help Rae, but I didn't know. If something happened during that ball without my knowledge I don't think i could forgive myself. I pray that the kid was feeding Josh bullshit, but somewhere in the back of my mind I felt like something did happen. The door softly opened to reveal my beautiful daughter and brother, walking through the entrance still unnoticed to Josh and I's presence. Until Ruby looked up and make eye contact with me. "Daddy!" The click of her polished leather shoes echoed the foyer. "Hi princess, did you have fun at school?" "I did! I did! We learnt our 4 times tables today daddy. They so easy, but Mike said that I was just a smarty pants. I told him that my daddy always said I should have my nose within a book, then a boy on a hook" she declared proudly. My glorious daughter reminded me so much of her mother. The light in her eyes shone brightly, just like Rae's. "Well done baby girl. Did you have fun with Uncle Archie?" I asked. Looking towards Archie I smiled, mouthing 'thank you'. I had phoned him the moment I jumped in the car to pick up Josh. He, of course agreed. Our work was close to Ruby's school, plus Archie had informed me that Ben is quite able to pick up Sophie daycare. "Yes we organised a play date for Mommy and Uncle Archie. He said he wants mommy, Joshua and I to come see them. It's going to be fun!" Archie and Rae must have rekindled their relationship after we interrupted her dinner. With Gregory. "That sounds great sweetheart. How about you and Josh go to your rooms for a second whilst I talk to Archie, ohkay". "Ohkay daddy! Come on Josh, I can show you what I did today in art class with Crissy" she pulled on her brother arm in a haste. Finally, when they went to their rooms I turned to my Brother. "What happened with Josh?" he asked, moving towards the love seat next to me. "He got into a fight with John Davis' son today. He punch him when Colton started to talk about Rae and I's relationship". Sighing, I ran my hand through my thick hair. I knew I could trust my brother with my life, so I knew what I was about to tell him will be kept confidential. "What about your relationship?" Quizativley he moved forward. "Apparently she wasn't good enough for me so I left. But that's not all..." "How could a kid say something like that! How would he know what was going on with your family? Hang on there's more?" I told him everything that Josh had just told me, down to what I remembered about the night. I could see the empathy in Archie's eyes. The more I talked, the more my throat constricted. The words left a bitter taste in my mouth, if only I had been there. I could of done something. "Finn you don't know for sure if anything happened that night. John could of been telling a bullshit story to a punch of people. Don't beat yourself up about it". "Archie, you don't understand. After that night Rae started to become slightly distant, I didn't notice it until she left though. She didn't seem like herself, but originally I thought it was because of the kids. Then 6 months later, she fucking left me with divorce papers". "Finn-" "What if this was the reason. She couldn't bare to look at me after I let my work associate molest her!" "You didn't know!" "I should of asked her what was wrong. I should of followed her or something. I can't stop thinking what if..." "Talk to her. Finn, you need to go around and talk to her. What time are you meant to drop Joshua and Ruby back off?" "7.." I breathed. "Its now 4pm, go talk to her now. I'll stay here with the kids and if your not back by 6.30pm then I'll drop them of there. That gives you 2 and a half hours to work out what the fuck happened, Ohkay?" Nodding like a scolded child I got up of the couch. "Are you sure?" I asked. I was unsure about leaving the kids with him, but I needed to talk to Rae immediately. I couldn't wait til i dropped Ruby and Joshua off tonight. "Of course Finn. I'm your brother, I'll do anything for you". "Thank you". I pulled Archie in for a hug, then ran out the door. I hope Rae is ready for me. -- As quickly as I could I drove to Rae's house. When I arrived, I threw the gear into parked and hurried to her front door. After knocking I waited very patiently for a very confused but equally beautiful Rae to open the door. "Finn?.. What are you doing here? Where are the kids?" "We need to talk Rae. Josh and Ruby are fine, they are with Archie" I said. The truth will be revived tonight. What really happened the night she walked away... No more waiting. -- I hope I haven't forgotten anyone! Sorry if I did!! @luly310 @milymargot @eveerez @I88cym @lily-pop-2 @mmfdfanfic @milllott @i-dream-of-emus @arathewallflower @tinakegg @hey1tskat1e