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momlovesyoubest · 8 months
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Merging Care Management and Homecare - the Big Benefits
By Merging care management and homecare, you will make 4 times the revenue Merging care management and homecare’s big financial payoff of this merger is found in the 2013 Care Management Benchmark Study. Care managers who owned a home care agency made four times the revenue in-home care in 95% and, in all cases, made double their revenue. Merging care management and homecare gives you ultimate…
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onestepphysio · 22 days
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The Benefits of Home Physiotherapy: Convenient Care for Better Recovery
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In today’s busy world, getting to a physiotherapy clinic can be tough. Home physiotherapy brings the care you need right to your door. It saves time and offers several benefits that can make your recovery easier and more effective.
What is Home Physiotherapy?
Home physiotherapy involves receiving physiotherapy treatments in the comfort of your own home. A licensed physiotherapist visits you at your residence to assess your condition, provide treatments, and guide you through exercises and rehabilitation programs. This personalized approach allows for tailored care that fits seamlessly into your daily routine.
Key Benefits of Home Physiotherapy
Convenience and Flexibility: Home physiotherapy eliminates the need for travel, making it easier to fit sessions into your schedule. This is especially beneficial for individuals with mobility issues, busy professionals, or those managing multiple commitments.
Personalized Care: Being treated in your own environment allows the physiotherapist to tailor the treatment plan to your specific needs and daily activities. This personalized approach can lead to more effective outcomes.
Comfort and Privacy: Receiving treatment at home can provide a more comfortable and private setting, which may help you relax and be more open during sessions.
Improved Adherence: The convenience of home visits often leads to better adherence to the prescribed exercise and rehabilitation programs. Consistency is crucial for effective recovery and long-term health.
Reduced Risk of Infection: By avoiding crowded clinic settings, you minimize exposure to potential infections and illnesses, which is particularly important during flu season or in the current health climate.
Family Involvement: Home physiotherapy allows family members to be present and actively involved in the rehabilitation process. They can learn how to assist with exercises and support your recovery journey.
Common Conditions Treated with Home Physiotherapy
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation: Recovery from surgeries such as joint replacements or orthopedic procedures can be facilitated with targeted home physiotherapy sessions.
Chronic Pain Management: Conditions like lower back pain, arthritis, and neck pain can benefit from personalized home treatments and exercises.
Stroke Recovery: Home physiotherapy can assist in regaining mobility and function following a stroke, with the added benefit of a familiar environment.
Pediatric and Geriatric Care: Specialized care for children and elderly patients can be provided in the comfort of their home, addressing specific developmental or age-related needs.
Conclusion
Home physiotherapy offers a range of advantages that make it a compelling option for those seeking effective and convenient care. By bringing professional physiotherapy services directly to your home, you can enjoy personalized treatment, greater flexibility, and a more comfortable recovery experience. At One Step Physio, we are committed to providing high-quality Home Physiotherapy that meets your unique needs and supports your journey to better health. 
For more information and to schedule a consultation, visit our website today.
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The Peripheral Neuropathy Market is projected to grow from USD 1,672.84 million in 2023 to USD 2,802.32 million by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.90%.Peripheral neuropathy is a condition resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves, which connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. It often causes weakness, numbness, and pain, usually in the hands and feet. The peripheral neuropathy market has been expanding significantly in recent years due to a rise in prevalence, increasing awareness, and advancements in treatment options. This article explores the current market dynamics, key drivers, challenges, and future prospects of the peripheral neuropathy market.
Browse the full report at https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/peripheral-neuropathy-market
Market Overview
Peripheral neuropathy affects millions globally, with diabetes being one of the leading causes. Other contributing factors include traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic issues, and exposure to toxins. The market comprises various segments, including medications, therapies, and devices designed to manage symptoms and improve patients' quality of life.
The peripheral neuropathy market is projected to grow at a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next decade. This growth is driven by an aging population, increasing cases of diabetes, cancer, and other chronic conditions, and a growing focus on neurological health. The market is divided into key segments, including medications (antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, pain relievers), medical devices (nerve stimulation devices), and other therapies like physiotherapy.
Key Market Drivers
1. Rising Prevalence of Chronic Diseases: The increasing prevalence of diabetes, cancer, and other chronic illnesses is a major driver of the peripheral neuropathy market. Diabetes, in particular, is a leading cause of neuropathy, as high blood sugar levels can damage nerves over time. As the number of individuals with diabetes continues to rise globally, the demand for effective neuropathy treatments is also increasing.
2. Advancements in Treatment Options: Technological advancements and innovative treatment approaches are significantly impacting the peripheral neuropathy market. The development of new drugs, nerve stimulation devices, and improved physiotherapy techniques are offering patients more effective ways to manage their symptoms. For example, recent advances in neurostimulation devices provide non-invasive options for pain relief.
3. Increased Awareness and Diagnosis: Growing awareness about peripheral neuropathy and its symptoms has led to an increase in diagnosis rates. Earlier detection allows for better management and treatment of the condition, driving market growth. Public health campaigns and education initiatives are helping people recognize symptoms sooner and seek medical attention, leading to a higher demand for diagnostic tools and treatments.
4. Growing Geriatric Population: The aging population is another significant factor contributing to the market’s expansion. Older adults are more susceptible to conditions that cause neuropathy, such as diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and nerve damage. As life expectancy increases, so does the incidence of neuropathy among the elderly, fueling the market.
Challenges Facing the Market
1. High Treatment Costs: One of the main challenges facing the peripheral neuropathy market is the high cost of treatment. Medications, therapies, and devices used to manage the condition can be expensive, making it difficult for some patients to access the care they need. Insurance coverage varies widely, adding another layer of complexity to treatment access.
2. Side Effects of Medications: Many of the drugs used to treat peripheral neuropathy, such as antidepressants and anti-seizure medications, can have significant side effects. These can include dizziness, drowsiness, and other discomforts that may deter patients from adhering to their prescribed treatment plans.
3. Limited Efficacy of Treatments: While there are various treatment options available, none are universally effective for all patients. The complexity of peripheral neuropathy means that treatments often need to be tailored to the individual, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Moreover, some patients experience only partial relief from symptoms, highlighting the need for more effective solutions.
Future Prospects
The future of the peripheral neuropathy market looks promising, with ongoing research and development aimed at finding more effective treatments. Advances in gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and novel drug delivery systems hold the potential to revolutionize the way neuropathy is treated. In addition, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in diagnostic procedures could lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis, further boosting market growth.
Key Player Analysis
Abbott Laboratories
Bristol Myers Squibb
Novartis AG
Eli Lilly and Company
Pfizer Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline plc
Merck and Co. Inc.
Cipla Limited
Lupin Limited
Reddy’s Laboratories
Segments:
Based on Type:
Pharmacological Therapies
Non-Pharmacological Therapies
Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy
HIV/AIDS Associated Peripheral Neuropathy
Based on Treatment:
Pharmacological Therapies
Pain Relievers
Anti-seizure Medications
Antidepressants
Non-Pharmacological Therapies
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
Plasma Exchange
Intravenous Immune Globulin
Others
Based on End-user:
Hospitals and Clinics
Ambulatory Centres
Others
Based on the Geography:
North America
U.S.
Canada
Mexico
Europe
Germany
France
U.K.
Italy
Spain
Rest of Europe
Asia Pacific
China
Japan
India
South Korea
South-east Asia
Rest of Asia Pacific
Latin America
Brazil
Argentina
Rest of Latin America
Middle East & Africa
GCC Countries
South Africa
Rest of the Middle East and Africa
Browse the full report at https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/peripheral-neuropathy-market
About Us:
Credence Research is committed to employee well-being and productivity. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, we have implemented a permanent work-from-home policy for all employees.
Contact:
Credence Research
Please contact us at +91 6232 49 3207
Website: www.credenceresearch.com
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jerry618 · 6 months
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Mobile Billboard - Types, Tech, Cost, and Benefits
WhatsApp & Wechat: +86 18038197291
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What is a Mobile Billboard?
Mobile billboard advertising, also known as mobile outdoor advertising or mobile billboard trucks, refers to the use of super-sized vehicles that carry billboards advertising goods and services. The idea behind mobile outdoor advertising is to catch the driver's eye with vibrant graphics that promote specific brands.
The goal of mobile billboards is to create a motorized form of advertising that's engaging and reciprocal. The main idea is to engage the audience with a strong message that promotes a specific product.
Types of Mobile Advertising Billboards
Static
Because they don't need special software, static mobile billboards are cheaper to use. Plus, the ads on these billboards remain the same and are easier for motorists and pedestrians to spot.
Digital
Mobile digital billboards are more dynamic because they display virtual images that are changed every few seconds by a computer. The good news is that they're interactive, as they use live graphics to convey a message about a specific brand. The downsides of digital billboards are that they are more expensive to buy and maintain. Plus, motorists and pedestrians may miss some or all of an ad.
Wrapped Vehicles
Motorists and pedestrians can see a symbolic depiction of a brand with a message. You can see a clear image of a company logo. A smooth vinyl coat creates a pristine image that's clear and shiny. This method works well with passenger vehicles.
Who Uses Mobile Billboards?
Mobile advertising is most commonly used in the following industries: retail sales, events, real estate, tourism and hospitality, brand awareness campaigns, and nonprofits. No matter what the motive is, one thing is clear: Mobile advertising is used to motivate, inspire, and promote products and services.
Mobile advertising is also used to evoke certain emotions in people. An example would be certain political ads containing messages about specific candidates during a political campaign. The idea is to inspire people to vote on a local or national level. It's not uncommon to use mobile advertising to support upcoming political issues during campaign season.
Read on to learn about how various industries benefit from mobile advertising.
Retail sales
Many retailers benefit from mobile advertising. Major corporations such as Target can promote sales on specific items and raise awareness on new or trending brands. It's an excellent way to refresh public interest in established brands, reach a broader audience and remain iconic.
But it isn't just the big names that benefit from this type of advertising. You can use mobile billboards to draw attention to local businesses such as restaurants, cafes, and boutiques in certain districts or regions. It's an excellent way to raise awareness and help neighborhood stores establish a firm consumer base.
Events
If you want to motivate an audience to attend an event, mobile advertising billboards are the way to go. You can raise awareness of concerts, festivals, and holiday events in your area. For best practices, be sure to target populated areas near the event, such as bars, restaurants, and stadiums.
Real estate
If you're a real estate agent or a property manager, mobile advertising is an exceptional way to boost your business. Use it to promote new or renovated homes, raise awareness of open house events, or forecast new information on rental deals. You may want to alert the public on new or developing neighborhoods in their region.
When advertising for homes or rental properties, be sure to establish your target audience. For example, if you want to advertise for deals on retirement homes, try going to an area where people aged 62 and over gather. An example would be a senior day center, geriatric primary care office, or a golf course.
Tourism and hospitality
Tourism and hospitality are excellent beneficiaries of mobile advertising. Visitors and tourists can get a glimpse of local services and venues in your area. You can advertise local attractions such as museums, zoos, historic sites, and other local landmarks. Mobile ads should include basic information about hotel deals and travel agencies in your town. You can display mobile ads on local restaurants and major chains in your area.
Brand awareness campaigns
Brand awareness campaigns are an excellent way to reach a wide audience. Here, you can raise awareness about specific products or services using interactive graphics on a mobile billboard. Truck advertising is an exceptional way to promote specific brands like health and beauty products. For example, you can create or display ads on a variety of Avon products, such as makeup, skin care, or fashion.
Nonprofits
With mobile advertising, you can create emotionally charged ads that encourage some form of giving. This is an excellent tool for motivating people to volunteer for a local cause, such as a homeless shelter or animal rescue league. This method is ideal for promoting fundraisers and major events. Local and national organizations can use it to inform the public of an upcoming sale or concert, where a portion of the proceeds are donated to a cause.
The Cost Marketing With Mobile Advertising Billboards
There are many factors that add in to the cost of mobile advertising billboards. There are things to consider, such as vehicle type, graphics user, and billboard size. You also need to plan ahead for your advertising campaign. How long will it be, where will you go, and what are your expenses?
One thing to keep in mind is that price depends on vehicle size, the billboard, and the type of software used for the advertising. Most large trucks such as semis can cost an average of $500-$800 per day to rent. If you decide to order a billboard for both sides, you could be looking at design costs that range anywhere from $1,200-$1,600 for design software alone. Startup costs for static and digital billboards are $24,000 and $100,000, respectively.
It's important to keep in mind that you may be expected to pay out-of-pocket for vehicle operating costs. This includes insurance, gas, routine and emergency maintenance. These are things to bear in mind before you begin your mobile advertising campaigns.
Benefits of Using Mobile Advertising Billboards
Recent developments have made mobile advertising easier on consumers and businesses. The use of geotargeting enables companies and organizations to use specific location data that reveals neighborhoods or districts to find the right people. Businesses can reach out and establish a firm consumer base with this type of technology. Customers, on the other hand, can get a little information about specific brands that cater to their needs. This level of outreach is an excellent way to establish rapport and trust between businesses and customers. What are some other benefits of mobile advertising? We've created a list of the many ways that mobile advertising billboards can benefit your brand.
Real-Time Updates
Exceptional technology allows you to update your billboard periodically. You can change your ads as you travel from place to place. This gives you the opportunity to reach a variety of audiences, which allows you to boost business while getting a brand message across. Real-time updates allow you to keep your mobile ads current by creating new material. The use of dynamic graphics uses interactive imagery to captivate and engage viewers in every demographic region.
Exceptional Visibility
Remember those old billboards from yesterday? Given the imagery, it was pretty hard not to see them. Now that billboards have gone mobile, everything is out there. The eye-catching graphics and strong message make it even easier for the public to see them.
Cost-Effective Option
Mobile advertising offers the type of extended exposure that's meant to capture any audience. Businesses looking to improve their customer base and boost revenue may want to seek it as an option to radio or TV ads.
Even though it may be initially expensive, mobile advertising is an excellent investment in your business. This is especially true, since ads can be changes to fit a certain demographic. That said, it may be a worthy investment for the future of your business.
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lalsingh228-blog · 6 months
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Anesthesia Devices Market To Witness Huge Growth By 2029
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Advance Market Analytics added research publication document on Worldwide Anesthesia Devices Market breaking major business segments and highlighting wider level geographies to get deep dive analysis on market data. The study is a perfect balance bridging both qualitative and quantitative information of Worldwide Anesthesia Devices market. The study provides valuable market size data for historical (Volume** & Value) from 2018 to 2022 which is estimated and forecasted till 2028*. Some are the key & emerging players that are part of coverage and have being profiled are GE Healthcare (United States), Becton Dickinson and Company (United States), Smiths Group plc (United Kingdom), Ambu S/A (Denmark), Teleflex Incorporated (United States), Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), SunMed (United States), Airsep Corporation (United States), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Verathon Inc. (United States), Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Pentax (Japan). Get free access to Sample Report in PDF Version along with Graphs and Figures @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/56542-global-anesthesia-devices-market Anesthesia devices or anesthesia respiratory devices include a dosing unit, a respiratory device and the monitors both the device as well as the patient. Inhalation anesthesia administers a combination of air, oxygen, nitrous oxide and anesthetic e.g. isoflurane, sevoflurane or desflurane to the patient. The volatile anesthetics are added to the respiratory air in exactly defined concentrations through a vaporizer in the anesthetic device. Pressure and flow sensors monitor the line pressures in the anesthetic device along with the inspiratory and expiratory volume flows and confirm that the patient is administered the gas mixtures designated by the anesthetist in the right concentration and with the set pressure and volume.
Keep yourself up-to-date with latest market trends and changing dynamics due to COVID Impact and Economic Slowdown globally. Maintain a competitive edge by sizing up with available business opportunity in Anesthesia Devices Market various segments and emerging territory. Influencing Market Trend
Integration of Anesthesia Machines with Hospital Information Management Systems
Augmentation of Advanced Product to Deliver Accurate and Controlled Anesthesia during Surgical Procedures
Market Drivers
Increasing Number of the Geriatric Population Preoperative Monitoring
Increasing Use of Anesthesia Devices in the Freestanding Surgery Centers
Opportunities:
Rising Government Investment to Use These Devices
Rapid R &D in Medical Health care Sector
Have Any Questions Regarding Global Anesthesia Devices Market Report, Ask Our Experts@ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/56542-global-anesthesia-devices-market Analysis by Type (Anesthesia Delivery Machines, Anesthesia Delivery Machines, Disposables & Accessories, Anesthesia Monitors, Anesthesia Information Management Systems), Application (Cardiology, Neurology, Dental, Ophthalmology, Urology, Orthopedics, Others), Sales Channel (Online, Offline), End-Use (Hospitals, Clinics, Ambulatory Centers)
Competitive landscape highlighting important parameters that players are gaining along with the Market Development/evolution
• % Market Share, Segment Revenue, Swot Analysis for each profiled company [GE Healthcare (United States), Becton Dickinson and Company (United States), Smiths Group plc (United Kingdom), Ambu S/A (Denmark), Teleflex Incorporated (United States), Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), SunMed (United States), Airsep Corporation (United States), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Verathon Inc. (United States), Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Pentax (Japan)]
• Business overview and Product/Service classification
• Product/Service Matrix [Players by Product/Service comparative analysis]
• Recent Developments (Technology advancement, Product Launch or Expansion plan, Manufacturing and R&D etc)
• Consumption, Capacity & Production by Players The regional analysis of Global Anesthesia Devices Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading region across the world. Whereas, owing to rising no. of research activities in countries such as China, India, and Japan, Asia Pacific region is also expected to exhibit higher growth rate the forecast period 2023-2028.
Table of Content Chapter One: Industry Overview Chapter Two: Major Segmentation (Classification, Application and etc.) Analysis Chapter Three: Production Market Analysis Chapter Four: Sales Market Analysis Chapter Five: Consumption Market Analysis Chapter Six: Production, Sales and Consumption Market Comparison Analysis Chapter Seven: Major Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Analysis Chapter Eight: Competition Analysis by Players Chapter Nine: Marketing Channel Analysis Chapter Ten: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis Chapter Eleven: Manufacturing Cost Analysis Chapter Twelve: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Read Executive Summary and Detailed Index of full Research Study @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/56542-global-anesthesia-devices-market Highlights of the Report • The future prospects of the global Anesthesia Devices market during the forecast period 2023-2028 are given in the report. • The major developmental strategies integrated by the leading players to sustain a competitive market position in the market are included in the report. • The emerging technologies that are driving the growth of the market are highlighted in the report. • The market value of the segments that are leading the market and the sub-segments are mentioned in the report. • The report studies the leading manufacturers and other players entering the global Anesthesia Devices market. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Middle East, Africa, Europe or LATAM, Southeast Asia. Contact US : Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA – 08837 Phone: +1 201 565 3262, +44 161 818 8166 [email protected]
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Vedanta Air Ambulance Service in Bhopal is Operating with a Wide Range of Medical Facilities
The quality care and comfort maintained throughout the process of evacuation can be extremely favourable for the patients and ensure no risk is caused while the journey is in progress. Keeping the comfort and safety of the patients in mind the team at Vedanta Air Ambulance is composing Air Ambulance Services in Bhopal with the best facilities that are suitable as per their underlying requirements in times of emergency.
The cost of our air ambulance services is determined by several logistical factors, such as the distance to be covered, fuel costs, and the number of pilots and medical personnel required to complete the evacuation mission effectively. Adding your requirements we at Air Ambulance Service in Bhopal deduce a budget that fits your financial state and ensure the evacuation mission is offered without causing any breach.
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Vedanta Air Ambulance Service in Varanasi Extends the Right Support at the Right Time
We at Vedanta Air Ambulance Service in Varanasi have a case managing team that handles the logistics of composing an air Medical transport mission with hundred per cent effectiveness maintained right from the inception of our service and keeps a check over the requirements of the patients occurring while they are in transit. Our medical jets have comprehensive settings that can accommodate all the essential equipment for delivering a non-risky journey to the patients.
Our professional flight specialists at Air Ambulance in Varanasi can coordinate the highest levels of care from neonate and pediatric to adult patients, as well as speciality care for geriatric, bariatric, cancer patients, and speciality critical cases in a trouble-free manner ensuring no discomfort is caused at any point of the process.
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treatmentguidelines · 11 months
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Aarp Health insurance Plans
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In today's fast-paced world, having a reliable health insurance plan is essential for ensuring the well-being of ourselves and our loved ones. One option that has gained significant popularity is the AARP health insurance. But what exactly is AARP health insurance? In this comprehensive blog post, we will explore the various types of AARP health insurance plans, the coverage options they offer, and the benefits they provide. We will also delve into AARP Medicare Advantage plans and supplement insurance, helping you understand how to choose the right plan for your needs. Additionally, we will discuss the discounts, rewards, and additional benefits available, as well as provide answers to frequently asked questions and showcase customer reviews and testimonials. Join us as we unravel the world of AARP health insurance and discover why it has become a trusted choice for millions.
What Is Aarp Health Insurance?
AARP Health Insurance is a program designed specifically for individuals aged 50 and older. This insurance plan is offered by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a nonprofit organization that advocates for the well-being and security of older Americans. AARP Health Insurance provides a range of coverage options, including Medicare, Medigap, and other supplemental insurance plans. One of the primary goals of AARP Health Insurance is to ensure that members have access to affordable and comprehensive healthcare coverage. With the rising cost of healthcare, it becomes increasingly important for individuals to have a reliable insurance plan that can help them manage their medical expenses. AARP Health Insurance strives to meet this need by offering plans that cater specifically to the unique challenges faced by older adults. One of the key factors that sets AARP Health Insurance apart from other insurance providers is the emphasis they place on preventive care. This means that they not only focus on covering medical treatments and procedures but also provide resources and support to help individuals maintain good health and prevent illnesses. AARP Health Insurance offers various wellness programs, discounts on fitness facilities, and access to a network of healthcare professionals who specialize in geriatric care. Benefits of AARP Health Insurance Types of AARP Health Insurance Plans Coverage Options and Limits - Comprehensive coverage for medical expenses - Prescription drug coverage - Access to a wide network of doctors and hospitals - Medicare Advantage plans - Medigap plans - Supplemental insurance plans - Includes hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription drugs - May have limitations on certain procedures or services - Prescription co-pays and deductibles may apply Understanding the various types of AARP Health Insurance plans can help individuals choose the right plan that best suits their needs. Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Medicare Part C, provide an all-in-one alternative to Original Medicare. These plans often include prescription drug coverage and additional benefits like dental, vision, and hearing services. Medigap plans, on the other hand, are designed to fill the gaps left by Original Medicare. They help cover out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance. In addition to these plans, AARP Health Insurance also offers supplemental insurance plans that can be added to existing Medicare coverage. These plans provide extra benefits and coverage in areas where Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans may fall short. By understanding the different types of AARP Health Insurance plans, individuals can make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage and ensure that they have adequate protection.
The Benefits Of Aarp Health Insurance
AARP health insurance plans offer numerous benefits and advantages for seniors and their families. As individuals reach retirement age, it becomes increasingly important to have adequate healthcare coverage to meet their specific needs. AARP understands these needs and provides comprehensive insurance options to ensure peace of mind and financial security. So, what are the benefits of choosing AARP health insurance? 1. Wide Range of Coverage Options: AARP health insurance plans offer a diverse range of coverage options to cater to the unique needs of each individual. Whether you require extensive medical coverage, prescription drug benefits, or access to a broad network of healthcare providers, AARP has a plan to suit your specific requirements. 2. Affordable Premiums: AARP understands the financial constraints that many seniors may face and strives to provide affordable insurance options. The organization offers competitive premiums and strives to keep healthcare costs manageable without compromising on the quality and level of coverage provided. 3. Access to a Vast Network of Providers: AARP health insurance plans provide access to a wide network of healthcare providers, including doctors, specialists, hospitals, and pharmacies. This ensures that members have the flexibility to choose their preferred healthcare professionals and facilities, allowing for personalized and convenient healthcare services. Moreover, AARP health insurance plans often collaborate with renowned healthcare providers and institutions, ensuring access to high-quality medical care and innovative treatments. 4. Essential Prescription Drug Coverage: Many AARP health insurance plans offer prescription drug coverage as an essential component. This coverage can be particularly beneficial for those who require regular medications or have chronic health conditions. AARP partners with pharmacies and offers cost-saving options such as mail-order prescriptions and preferred drug lists to assist members in managing their medication expenses effectively. 5. Additional Benefits and Services: AARP health insurance plans often provide members with additional benefits and services aimed at improving overall health and well-being. These benefits may include preventive care services, wellness programs, discounts on various healthcare products and services, access to fitness centers, and educational resources to promote healthy living and disease prevention. In conclusion, AARP health insurance plans offer a wide range of benefits and advantages to seniors, providing comprehensive coverage, access to a vast network of healthcare providers, affordable premiums, and additional services that promote overall well-being. By choosing AARP health insurance, individuals can have peace of mind knowing they have the necessary coverage and support to navigate their healthcare needs in retirement.
Different Types Of Aarp Health Insurance Plans
AARP, also known as the American Association of Retired Persons, offers a variety of health insurance plans specifically designed for individuals aged 50 and older. These insurance plans provide coverage for a wide range of healthcare needs, ensuring that seniors have access to quality medical care when they need it most. By understanding the different types of AARP health insurance plans available, individuals can select the one that best meets their unique needs and preferences. Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) One of the most popular types of AARP health insurance plans is Medicare Supplement Insurance, also known as Medigap. This insurance coverage is designed to fill the gaps in traditional Medicare coverage, helping to cover out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. Medigap plans are standardized and offered by private insurance companies, but AARP works with these insurers to provide members with access to a range of options that suit their specific needs. Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) AARP also offers Medicare Advantage Plans, also known as Part C plans, which combine the benefits of Medicare Parts A and B, and often include prescription drug coverage (Part D) as well. These plans are provided by private insurance companies approved by Medicare, and AARP works with these insurers to offer a selection of Medicare Advantage Plans to its members. With a Medicare Advantage Plan, individuals can receive all of their Medicare benefits through a single insurance policy, simplifying the healthcare coverage process. Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D) For individuals who primarily need prescription drug coverage, AARP offers Medicare Part D plans. These plans help reduce the cost of prescription medications and provide coverage for a wide range of drugs, including both generic and brand-name medications. AARP works with prescription drug insurance providers to offer a variety of Medicare Part D plans that cater to different medication needs and budgets. Other Health Insurance Options In addition to the Medicare-related insurance plans, AARP also offers other health insurance options to its members. These may include dental insurance plans, vision insurance plans, hospital indemnity plans, and long-term care insurance. By offering a diverse range of health insurance options, AARP ensures that its members have access to comprehensive coverage that suits their specific healthcare needs and budgets. In conclusion, AARP provides a variety of health insurance plans to cater to the specific needs of individuals aged 50 and older. Whether individuals require additional coverage for Medicare gaps, a comprehensive Medicare Advantage Plan, prescription drug coverage, or other healthcare services like dental or vision insurance, AARP offers a range of options to meet these needs. By understanding the different types of AARP health insurance plans available, individuals can make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage and ensure they have the necessary protection in place.
Coverage Options And Limits
When it comes to health insurance, understanding the coverage options and limits is crucial. AARP Health Insurance plans provide a variety of options that cater to the diverse healthcare needs of individuals. These plans are offered by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a reputable organization that focuses on the well-being of seniors. One of the main benefits of AARP Health Insurance is the flexibility it provides in terms of coverage options. The plans offered by AARP include Medicare Advantage plans, which combine hospital insurance, medical insurance, and sometimes prescription drug coverage. There are also supplement insurance plans available that work alongside Medicare to cover certain costs that Medicare may not. In addition to these options, AARP offers health insurance plans for individuals who are not yet eligible for Medicare. It's important to note that AARP Health Insurance plans have certain limits to coverage. These limits typically involve pre-existing conditions and exclusions. Pre-existing conditions are medical conditions that existed prior to enrolling in the health insurance plan. Depending on the plan, there may be restrictions or waiting periods for coverage of these conditions. It is essential to carefully review the terms and conditions of each plan to fully understand its limitations. - Overall, AARP Health Insurance plans provide a comprehensive range of coverage options for individuals in different stages of their lives. Whether you are already eligible for Medicare or not, AARP offers plans that accommodate various healthcare needs. Understanding the coverage options and limits is essential in selecting the right plan for your circumstances. Coverage Options Limits AARP Medicare Advantage plans Pre-existing conditions may have restrictions or waiting periods for coverage AARP Supplement Insurance plans Fill gaps in Medicare coverage but may have limitations for specific expenses AARP Health Insurance plans for non-Medicare individuals Coverage may vary based on the specific policy Before enrolling in an AARP Health Insurance plan, it is advisable to consider your healthcare needs and budget. Evaluate the coverage options and assess any limits or restrictions that may be applicable. Additionally, consult with an insurance expert or the AARP Health Insurance customer service team to clarify any questions or concerns you may have. AARP is committed to providing reliable and comprehensive health insurance solutions to meet the unique needs of its members.
Understanding Aarp Medicare Advantage Plans
Understanding AARP Medicare Advantage Plans If you are approaching your retirement years or are already enrolled in Medicare, you might be considering additional coverage options to enhance your healthcare benefits. One such option that you might come across is AARP Medicare Advantage plans. These plans are offered through a partnership between UnitedHealthcare and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), providing individuals with comprehensive coverage that goes beyond Original Medicare. AARP Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Medicare Part C, are private insurance plans that offer all the benefits of Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) and often include additional perks, such as prescription drug coverage (Part D), dental, vision, and hearing benefits, and wellness programs. These plans are designed to give individuals more control over their healthcare choices while providing them with a wider range of coverage options. One of the key aspects of AARP Medicare Advantage plans is that they are bundled plans, meaning they combine all the different parts of Medicare into one comprehensive package. This can make managing your healthcare a lot simpler and may even save you money, as the plans are often more cost-effective than combining the separate parts of Medicare coverage. - Pros of AARP Medicare Advantage Plans: - Additional coverage: AARP Medicare Advantage plans often include extra benefits like prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and hearing benefits, and wellness programs. - All-in-one plan: These plans bundle all parts of Medicare into one comprehensive package, making it easier to manage your healthcare and potentially saving you money. - Network options: AARP Medicare Advantage plans may offer a network of doctors and healthcare providers, allowing you access to a wide range of healthcare professionals. - Cons of AARP Medicare Advantage Plans: - Network limitations: Depending on the plan you choose, you may be limited to using healthcare providers within the plan's network, which could restrict your choice of doctors and hospitals. - Out-of-pocket costs: While AARP Medicare Advantage plans can offer savings in some areas, there may be out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance. - Restricted coverage area: Some AARP Medicare Advantage plans are limited to specific geographic areas, which means you may not have coverage if you travel frequently or live part of the year in a different location. Ultimately, understanding AARP Medicare Advantage plans is essential for making informed decisions about your healthcare coverage. These plans can be a valuable option for individuals looking for comprehensive coverage and additional benefits beyond what Original Medicare provides. However, it is important to carefully review the plan details and consider your specific healthcare needs before enrolling. AARP Medicare Advantage plans may vary in terms of coverage, costs, and network limitations, so take the time to compare different options to find the plan that best suits your individual situation.
Aarp Supplement Insurance Explained
The AARP Supplement Insurance, also known as Medigap insurance, is a private health insurance policy that helps fill in the gaps of coverage in Original Medicare. Original Medicare typically covers 80% of Medicare-approved costs, leaving beneficiaries responsible for the remaining 20%. However, Medigap plans help pay for some of the out-of-pocket costs, such as coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. There are several important aspects to consider when it comes to AARP Supplement Insurance. Firstly, it is important to understand that Medigap plans are standardized and regulated by the government. This means that no matter which insurance company offers the plan, the benefits will be the same. However, the premiums may vary depending on factors such as location and age. Secondly, AARP Supplement Insurance can only be purchased if you already have Original Medicare Parts A and B. It is not available for individuals with Medicare Advantage plans or those with employer-sponsored health coverage. Additionally, it is crucial to enroll in a Medigap plan during the open enrollment period, which starts on the first day of the month you turn 65 and lasts for six months. During this time, you have a guaranteed right to purchase any Medigap plan available in your area, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Benefits of AARP Supplement Insurance Different Types of AARP Supplement Insurance Plans How to Enroll in an AARP Supplement Insurance Plan - Helps cover out-of-pocket expenses - No network restrictions - Freedom to choose any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare - Guaranteed renewable as long as premiums are paid - Medigap Plan A - Medigap Plan B - Medigap Plan C - Medigap Plan F - Medigap Plan G - Medigap Plan N - Contact AARP or visit their website to learn about available plans - Compare premiums and coverage options - Enroll during the open enrollment period - Fill out the necessary paperwork AARP Supplement Insurance provides peace of mind for individuals who want additional coverage beyond what is offered by Original Medicare. It helps protect against unexpected medical expenses and provides financial security, especially for those with chronic conditions requiring frequent medical care. It is important to carefully review and compare the different AARP Supplement Insurance plans available to determine which one best suits your needs and budget. Each plan offers different levels of coverage, so you must assess your healthcare needs and anticipated expenses to make an informed decision. To enroll in an AARP Supplement Insurance plan, you can contact AARP directly or visit their website to gather information about available plans. It is crucial to compare premiums, coverage options, and any additional benefits provided. Once you have decided on a plan, you can enroll during the open enrollment period by filling out the necessary paperwork.
Choosing The Right Aarp Health Insurance Plan
Choosing the right AARP health insurance plan is an important decision that can have a significant impact on your healthcare coverage. Read the full article
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lifemedicalsupply1 · 1 year
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Joint Health across the Lifespan: Orthopedic Insights for All Ages
Maintaining joint health is a critical aspect of overall well-being, enabling individuals to lead active and fulfilling lives. From the first steps of infancy to the golden years of seniority, orthopedic insights play a pivotal role in promoting strong and functional joints. In this article, we will explore the significance of joint health across different age groups and discuss orthopedic interventions to ensure a lifetime of pain-free movement. Additionally, we will shed light on the expertise available in Orthopedics in McAllen, TX, and how it contributes to enhancing joint health across all ages.
Childhood and Adolescence
The foundation for lifelong joint health is laid during childhood and adolescence. As youngsters grow, their bones, muscles, and joints undergo significant changes. It's crucial to encourage physical activity and exercise to promote the development of healthy joints. Engaging in sports and activities that focus on balance, coordination, and strength can aid in proper joint alignment and reduce the risk of injuries. Orthopedic specialists often emphasize preventive strategies to address growth-related issues and teach proper body mechanics to young individuals, ensuring that they cultivate healthy joint habits early on.
Young Adulthood
In the prime of young adulthood, individuals are often highly active, participating in various physical activities, sports, and recreational pursuits. However, the enthusiasm for physical exertion can sometimes lead to overuse injuries or accidents. Orthopedic guidance becomes essential in this phase, offering insights into injury prevention, proper warm-up and cool-down routines, and techniques to avoid straining joints. By maintaining a balance between physical activity and rest, individuals can minimize the risk of joint deterioration in later years. Orthopedics in McAllen, TX, provides specialized care for sports-related injuries, offering tailored treatment plans that consider the patient's age, activity level, and overall health.
Middle Age
As individuals progress into middle age, joint health takes on added significance. The wear and tear accumulated over the years can start to manifest as joint pain, stiffness, and reduced flexibility. Orthopedic specialists play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating conditions such as osteoarthritis, which commonly affects weight-bearing joints like the knees and hips. Through a combination of non-surgical interventions like physical therapy, medication, and lifestyle adjustments, individuals can manage pain and maintain joint function. In cases where surgical intervention is necessary, advances in orthopedic surgery techniques ensure minimal invasiveness and quicker recovery times.
Senior Years
Advancing age often brings challenges to joint health, making the expertise of orthopedic specialists invaluable for seniors. Conditions like osteoporosis and fractures become more common, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach that considers bone density, nutrition, and fall prevention strategies. Orthopedics in McAllen, TX, offers comprehensive geriatric orthopedic care, helping seniors navigate joint-related concerns and age gracefully. Joint replacement surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements, have transformed the lives of countless older adults, restoring mobility and improving their overall quality of life.
Holistic Approach to Joint Health
Across all age groups, a holistic approach to joint health emerges as a consistent theme. Orthopedic insights encompass not only the physical aspects of joint care but also the psychological and emotional dimensions. Integrating factors like mental well-being, stress reduction, and proper nutrition into joint health management can have far-reaching positive effects. Additionally, orthopedic specialists emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight to reduce unnecessary strain on joints and the adoption of ergonomic practices to prevent work-related joint issues.
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sueheaven · 2 years
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Infusion Pharmacy Management Market Is Likely to Experience a Tremendous Growth in Near Future
Latest added Infusion Pharmacy Management Market research study by AMA Research offers detailed outlook and elaborates market review till 2027. The market Study is segmented by key regions that are accelerating the marketization. At present, the market players are strategizing and overcoming challenges of current scenario; some of the key players in the study are:
BioScrip, Inc. (United States)
BD (United States)
Cigna (United States)
Option Care Enterprises, Inc. (United States)
CVS Health (United States)
McKesson Corporation (United States)
Mediware (United States)
OptumRx (United States)
Healix (United Kingdom)
CareCentrix (United States)
MedicoRx (United States)
Ivenix (United States) etc. 
Infusion therapy is recommended to only those patients who are in critical condition or not in a situation to consume oral medication. Infusion Pharmacy basically is the process of infusion of antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral, pain management and nutritional drug through needle or catheter. The diseases which include infusion pharmacy treatment are cancer, diabetes, GI disorder, and pain related disorders are generally treated with infusion medication system. This type of treatment can also be administered at home by providing doorstep services. Home infusion pharmacy management is more cost-effective than hospital infusion pharmacy management as it requires more professional nursing facilities. Further, an increasing number of chronic disorders and growing healthcare spending by the government to treat such disorders is propelling market growth.
Influencing Trend: Technological Advancements in Pharmaceutical Companies
Rapid Development in Healthcare Infrastructure in Emerging Countries
Challenges: Lack of Availability of Skilled Professionals
Increasing use of Alternative Medications
Risk Involved in Infusion Therapy Resulting in Low Adoption Rate
Opportunities: Expansion of Local Healthcare Market via Increased Healthcare Spending by the Government
Market Growth Drivers: Increasing Prevalence of Pain Related Disorder & Diseases such as Cancer & Diabetes
Ease of the Services Provided by Infusion Pharmacy Treatment such as Home Infusion by Providing Doorstep Service
Increasing Geriatric Population
The Global Infusion Pharmacy Management segments and Market Data Break Down by Type (Antibiotics, Antimicrobial, Pain Management, Enteral Nutrition, Others), Application (Hospital & Clinic, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Home Care), Distribution Channel (Direct, Indirect)
Presented By
AMA Research & Media LLP
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vicky8588 · 2 years
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5 Amazing Facts About Patient Handling Equipment Market
Person Handling Equipment Marketplace is Segmented By Type (Patient Transfer Equipment, Patient Lifts, Slings, Medical Bed frames, Mobility Devices, Bathroom and Wc Assist Equipment, Stretchers and Travel Chairs Others), By End Consumer(Hospitals, Home- care adjustments, Others), through Region( North United states of America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Ocean, Middle East, and Africa)– Share, Size, Outlook, and Option Analysis, 2022- 2029.
Market Overview
Person Handling Equipment Market is Estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.14% while in the outlook period (2022- 2029).
Download Free Sample: https://www.datamintelligence.com/download-sample/patient-handling-equipment-market
Geographical Examination
Patient handling tools are used mainly in healthcare facilities to manoeuvre conveniently, support, or switch a body part or person.
Affected person Handling Equipment Market Aspect
Patient handling equipment companies are anticipated to grow using the increasing technological advancements and increasing incidence in the geriatric inhabitants.
Typically, the increasing technological advancements are anticipated to drive industry growth
By patient handling technology, progressively more medical facilities worldwide have reported results. Injuries among patients and nurses’ staff have decreased significantly since patient handling equipment and an institutional commitment that patient management may be the safest with, they. A fruitful, safe patient handling equipment means easy get for workers very safe patient handling as needed. The healthcare industry knows the high-risk of injury connected with manually lifting and copying physically dependent patients. Many patient- handling tasks involve a vertical or horizontal transfer as the main component. Transfers from bed to chair, a pickup bed into a commode, and desk chair to commode are vertical patient handling activities. Bed- to- stretcher transfers and transferring tasks are samples of sideways or lateral patient handling activities. Technological solutions have to address the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in nursing associated with patient handling and movement responsibilities.
For example, on 8th August 2018, Drive DeVilbiss added two new height- adjustable bed frames to 4-seasons catalog : the 'Competitor II Manual' as well as the 'Competitor 2 Hi/ Lo.' The Competitor 2 manual beds possess an au course de lockout feature that prevents the foot or head deck 's random actuation once the bed is locked. The manual hi/ lo pickup bed, however, has an optimistic fit hexagonal turn connection simple lowering and raising.
On March 4th, 2020, Invacare Corporation launched 'AVIVA FX Power Wheelchair,' the newly released of power freedom products from Invacare. In line with the company, the AVIVA brand has a definite identity that communicates a promise of Technology, Design, and satisfaction. This system launch aided its efforts to boost its powered mobility product segment.
Lack to train is likely to hamper industry growth within the forecast period
Effective training programs must certainly be implemented to produce awareness about safe patient handling and permit caregivers to work transfer devices proficiently. Lifting patients with special conditions, such as for example pressure sores or burns and bariatric patients, requires considerable training. Because of cost- cutting initiatives being integrated in hospitals across several expanding and developed countries, caregivers are only getting a restricted number of workout sessions (effective patient handling). The main reason for this is the high initial cost of apparatus repairs and maintenance, including training costs, and many healthcare institutions simply cannot afford the mandatory patient management equipment.
Hence, the lack to train and the very high cost the gear is likely to hamper the marketplace expansion.
COVID- 19 Impact Examination
The COVID- 19 outbreaks positively impacted a worldwide patient handling equipment market. This is often due mainly to a rise in COVID- 19 cases and the advantages of patient handling equipment. However, various hard work is being created by gov departments and key industry players to fight the COVID- 19 outbreak. For example, in July 2020, India 's Défense Institute of Current technology developed the 'Aashray' medical bed isolation system to combat the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Furthermore, a global market should really grow significantly following a pandemic crisis, having mainly to increased physical ailments, technological advancements, plus the soaring prevalence from the geriatric inhabitants. Furthermore, you will see an ever-increasing need private nursing medical care later on. Prior to the CDC, approximately 69. 8 per 90, 000 people aged 65 or over were hospitalized in January 2021. Due to such a high hospitalization rate, the with regard to medical bed frames in hospitals has grown, as numerous hospitals and healthcare focuses were from beds for COVID- 19 treatment. Each one of these requirements have increased the need patient handling equipment to boost safety and lower the chance of injury while curing patients.
Segment Analysis
The individual switch devices segment is anticipated to drive the marketplace growth within the forecast period
The present-day engineering advancements are anticipated to drive the regarding this part. As an example, patient transfer exercise with technology can significantly reduce steadily the physical difficulty and caregiver requirements for performing secure and efficient transfers in your own home. When the correct transfer device is set for someone, patient transfer technology such as for example power hoyer comes, power sit to stand comes, non- power sits to stand lifts, and overhead limit lifts can greatly boost the safety and many moves. Using a proper transfer device could help the precise homely when safeguarding the caregiver 's safety.
Moreover, patient lifts travel patients from just one location to a different (e. g., from bed to bath, chair for the stretcher). These won't be the same as stairway chair lifts or elevators. Patient lifts may be operated manually or with an electric source. These medical devices offer numerous advantages when used properly, plus a manage risk of problems for patients and caregivers.
Hence, using the increasing features of patient transfer devices, a worldwide patient handling equipment market should boost within the forecast period.
United states region is anticipated to keep the greatest business in a global patient handling equipment market
The increasing amount of geriatric multitude in this area is anticipated to rise the need patient handling equipment. For instance, In America, advantages than 46 hundred older grownups aged 66 and older, by 2050, that figure is likely to go up to almost 90 million. According towards the USA Census Bureau, significantly more than 54 hundred adults aged 65 and older live in the Unified States, accounting for 18. 5 % of the populace.
The current presence of major key players in this area can be anticipated to drive market growth. As an example, on 18th February 2019, Hill- Rom Holdings, Inc., a medical technology company operating from the Unified States, launched the HR900 Accella bed and treatment mattress to simply help drive patient safety, improve patient outcomes, and support overworked NHS nurses by simplifying day- to- day responsibilities such as for example patient weighing and early mobilization.
Competitive Landscape
The global patient handling equipment market is highly competitive with mergers, transactions, and product launches. Some of the key players are Arjo, Hill- Rom Holdings Incorporation., Invacare Corporation, Stryker, Drive divibliss healthcare, Inc., ETAC AB, FRIEND Health Products, Inc., Guldmann, Incorporation., Handicare group AB, Joerns Medical LLC
About Us
DataM Intelligence was incorporated in the early weeks of 2017 as a Market Research and Consulting firm with just two people on board. Within a span of less than a year, we have secured more than 100 unique customers from established organizations all over the world.
For more information:
Sai Kiran
Sales Manager at DataM Intelligence
Tel: +1 877 441 4866
Website: www.datamintelligence.com
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momlovesyoubest · 1 year
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Merging Care Management with Homecare Gives You a Competitive Edge.
   Merging Care Management to Homecare Gives You a Competitive Edge. Merging care management with home Care gives you a competitive edge, but you need to do a Competition Survey to find out how to position your merged agency ahead of all your completion. Why should you add geriatric care management to your private-duty home care agency? It can make a client shopping for a Care Managed homecare…
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shurisneakers · 3 years
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if you're taking ideas for harmless drabbles, i'd love to see one of bucky on one of those dates he mentioned and reader's shenanigans. if you aren't, feel free to ignore this!
a/n: are we really going to let a word limit define what a drabble is? is the vibe and spirit not enough? i say this bc this is 5.7k words long im so sorry. also hey thank you to everyone who piped in with their knowledge of violent geese and how apartment security works in new york!! also thanks to my bby @spiderrpcrker for reading this and telling me to publish this bc i wasnt going to fkjghfkj
warning: swearing, bad luck, dates, frustrated bucky, anxiety, mentions of gore but like only a sentence
here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333
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Catch up with the rest of the series here: Harmless Masterlist
Bucky returns only two weeks later. His mission lasted longer than expected and all he wants is to lie down and sleep for forty eight hours straight.
“FRIDAY?” he mumbles, kicking off his shoes. His jacket had already been discarded by his bedroom door when he walked in.
“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?”
“How are ya?” He doesn’t miss a beat in asking, even though he’s exhausted.
“As good as ever. Did you have a successful mission?”
“If by successful you mean one sprained limb instead of two, then yeah.” He wasn’t really cribbing. His ankle was already starting to heal anyway and it was worth the roundhouse kick to a Nazi's face. “Do I have anything scheduled for this weekend?”
“You have a meeting on your calendar scheduled for this Saturday.”
“Could you send a text to Y/N and ask if we can push it to the next day?” His muscles feel sore and God, he could definitely use a hot shower but all of that becomes secondary the minute he feels the sheets under him.
“Would you like me to reschedule the other one as well?”
“What’s that?” He opens one eye in confusion. “There’s another one?”
“It’s on Sunday. You’ve labelled it ‘date’.”
Ah, fuck.
“Would you like me to change it?” FRIDAY never sounds like she’s judging him, which is nice. It also reminds him about how she, as an AI, can’t judge him, which is a rude wake-up call to how he doesn’t have friends.
“No,” his voice is muffled against the pillow, “no, let it be. Where is it again?”
“You’ve only specified diner, Sergeant Barnes.”
Public space, daytime, plenty of escape routes. Good on his less delirious self for selecting a diner.
“Thanks, FRIDAY.” Now that he’s a little more relaxed, he can feel himself slip in and out of consciousness.
“One last thing," her automated voice commands his attention again. "Y/N replied. She says sure and to take care.”
“Yay.” Not even a second later he’s out like a light.
____
“Did you bring me any souvenirs?” Is the first thing he hears as he marches into your lair.
“What could I possibly get you?”
“A postcard, a t-shirt.” You don’t look up from your tinkering.
“Decapitated finger, used bullets,” he continues, “cement blocks.”
“Ew.” You snap the lid shut on the thing you’re working on, spinning around on your chair. "That's not nearly romantic enough."
“That’s all you’re going to get from a Russian underground bunker.” He does a mini jog up the stairs of the platform to where you are.
“Does the finger have a ring at lea- oh hello?” You raise an eyebrow at the sight of him. “You look different.”
He peers down. The outfit was still all black. As always.
“Not your clothes, dummy,” you interrupt, making him look back at you. “Your face. What’d you do?”
He unconsciously raises a hand to his cheek.
“Did you wash your face? Is that it?” you squint at him. “Has it been a few months since the last time?”
“Wow, you’re so funny,” he drawls sarcastically.  “Top tier comedian right there.”
“No wait, it’s the beard.” You snap your fingers in realisation, completely ignoring his comment. “You trimmed it.”
“So what if I did?” He leans on your table.
“You going somewhere?” you ask, elastic snapping against your hands as you remove your gloves.
“It’s none of your busi-”
“Hold on a second.” A sly smile begins to make its way onto your face. “Are you going on a date, Bucky Barnes?”
His comeback dies down in his throat. That didn’t take you very long for you to figure out.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” You look smug, to say the least.
“Shut up.” A ray of light glistening distracts him. He traces it to the thing you were working on earlier.
“Where are you guys going?” You cross your arm across your chest, a small smirk on your face.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” It’s a silver box, engraved intricately with swirls that, when he observes carefully, looks like a skull. Wow, terrifying.
“I’m literally asking you.”
“What are those?” He shifts the conversation towards a more productive angle instead.
“Evil in a box and some other stuff.” You shrug offhandedly. “Is it a lunch date or just coffee?”
“Like Pandora’s Box?”
“A discount version, sure,” you confirmed impatiently. “Stop changing the topic, listen to me.”
He tilts his head, waiting for you to continue.
“Do you need a chaperone?” The sincerity in your voice for such a bullshit question has him scoffing.
“Good God- no, I do not need a chaperone. I’m 106 years old, I can go out unsupervised.” He reaches over and plucks the box off your table.
“Sir, you’re a geriatric."
“What are those?” He points to a few ray odd ray guns.
“Minor stuff you don’t have to worry about right now.”
He shakes the box in his hand. “What’s gonna happen if I open this?”
“Very bad things,” you whispered ominously before your volume returns to normal. “How’d you meet this person? Online?”
“She’s Natasha’s friend.” He turns the box over, seeing a small latch at the side. “What bad things?”
“Bad luck and misery. Don’t play with it, it’s dangerous.” You pull the box away from him. “Aw, is it a blind date?”
“Why do you care so much?” he shoots back, tugging the box back towards him.
“Just lookin’ out for you, Bucko,” you huff, adjusting your grip on your device. “Need to keep my favourite senior citizen safe.”
“I have a vibranium arm.” Whose force he could use to grab the box once and for all, but wasn’t. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“What if she has one too, huh? Then what?”
“She doesn’t.” As far as he knows, he’s the only one alive with a metal appendage made out of the strongest metal in the world. That could very well change by tomorrow but he's keeping the title for now.
“But what if she does? I swear to- stop trying to take the box!” You pull a little more forcefully, but he doesn’t relent.
“I want this to get over before this evening.”
“What time’s your date?”
“Why do you care?” He’s sure anyone who saw the dumb tug-of-war you both were playing would just automatically assume he was an absolute manchild, not an Avenger.
“Because.” You don’t explain further. “Tell me what time your date is, you weirdo.”
“Five o’clock, now let go.”
“Fine,” you say, suddenly loosening your grip. Clearly, it doesn't make much of a difference since he isn't struggling to keep his balance from the sudden loss of force.
“Fine.” He clears his throat, straightening up. 
You don’t say anything. He doesn’t either.
A putrid smell creeps into his nose, one all too similar to spoiled milk and decaying seaweed. He has to physically stop himself from gagging.
“Have a good day.” You smile and lean far back. Too far. It looks like you're almost going to fall out of the chair.
Through the tears that are threatening to line his eyelids, he looks down at the box whose latch you somehow managed to lift, leaving the box open.
“What the fuck is this?” He coughs, swatting at the air in front of him to clear it.
“I told you; bad luck in a box.”
“You can’t scientifically create bad luck, that’s bullshit.” He tosses the box back onto your table. You watch it slide past you, not making any effort to stop it. “What is it really?”
“I’m not lying.” You pull open a drawer, brandishing a small table fan that you set down beside you. “If you open it, you’re going to have terrible luck for the day.”
He glowers at you when you turn the fan on, forcing the fumes back towards him.
“Besides, that’s all I was doing today.” You kick your feet up. “So you can leave now.”
He doesn’t care if you’re lying about not having anything else to do today. You could burn down the world if you wanted to but he needs to take a stupid shower. Again.
“You’re the fuckin’ worst.” He tries airing out his shirt, hoping that the smell would dissipate as soon as possible.
“Have fun on your date, sarge!” you encourage him as he stalks out of the lair. “Remember to wrap it befo-”
He turns it into a sprint before you can finish.
____
Six hours later and he’s absolutely convinced he fucked up.
He isn’t used to having his weekends free.
He realises that this is the first time in months that he’s actually stepped out of the Tower for something that wasn’t directly mission-related. He should probably get some air. Touch some grass. See the sun.
His shirt thankfully manages to rid itself of the odour from the dumb box so he didn’t have to go take a shower. With nothing much planned and a few hours to spare, he heads to the coffee shop instead.
It’s a small place, bustling and alive with a crowd of people. They have a little bookshelf that usually is full of books donated by patrons, free for anyone to read.
The barista smiles at him. The coffee costs more than his high school education. He awkwardly smiles back.
He’s not a regular, but they’ve seen him enough times to know that he usually asks for black coffee in a to-go cup, later adding a sugar or two according to his own taste. They're nice to him, occasionally throwing in a cookie or something on the house. He can't tell if it's because of the Avenger status or the sizeable tip he leaves.
He picks up a random book from the shelf, fully intending not to read it but to just sit there and think. The book acted as a shield for his resting bitch face, resting murder face and his resting rage face. More often than not, a good combination of the three.
He sets the coffee down at the corner table he manages to nab in a quick second, along with the two sachets of sugar.
“Is this seat taken?” Someone asks from beside him. He earnestly shakes his head in a ‘no’, gesturing for them to take it.
They give him a quick thanks and drag the chair away from his table.
He does a quick overlook of the book he picked up.
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.
Well, now he’s too anxious to put it back. YA fiction it is.
He reaches for the sugar while glossing over the summary. He reaches a little further when it doesn’t come to his hand immediately, blindly running his fingers across the table.
Bucky peeks over the book, eyebrows knitting together when he notices that they’re missing.
He was sure he picked it up.
He looks underneath the table. It wasn’t there, neither under his seat. Strange, but okay. He picks up the book and the cup, walking back to the station to grab two sugars.
This time he makes sure to tuck it into his pocket, double-checking before going back to his table.
Which was now occupied. He wanted to groan.
His mind automatically reverts back to the box from that morning.
“Come on,” he scoffs quietly to himself. It was a coincidence. “Get yourself together.”
“A seat at the counter just cleared up,” the barista from earlier offers when she sees him standing in the middle of the store.
See? Good luck.
He shoots her a grateful look, venturing over to the barstool to take his place. It’s not the most comfortable, but then again, he wasn’t planning to stay there for very long.
He empties the sugar into the coffee, stirring slowly before opening a random page in the book.
He takes a long sip, ignoring how hot the drink was.
He chokes immediately. Because either he was losing his mind or his order had somehow got switched from ‘no sugar’ to ‘diabetes in a cup’.
He takes another small sip and his face immediately twists in disgust. Definitely too sweet. The sweetener he added only made it worse.
He catches the eye of the barista. She looks on in concern.
“Is everything okay?”
Fuck.
He’s not one to make a scene. He just wants to live as imperceptibly as he could.
“Yep.” The sweetness sticks to the back of his throat. “All good.”
He just closes his eyes and downs the rest of it without thinking twice, trying to hide the grimace in his face. He gives her a weak thumbs up. She doesn't look convinced.
He leaves the shop soon after, hands shoved in his pocket. Maybe he could go sit by the lake at Central Park, watch the clouds. It reminded Bucky of the lake in front of his hut in Wakanda and the hours he'd sit in front of it, feet dipped into the water as his goats fed. He misses it.
He makes a sharp turn at a corner, still thinking about his options when his ankle abruptly twists under him.
He stumbles rather ungracefully, almost hitting the ground, but manages to save himself through the newly built up immunity he has towards falling thanks to all his encounters with you.
His gaze lands on his hardcore combat boots. Their laces had come undone.
Now he just knew that was horseshit. He always double knots them; they had never loosened in the past before.
The box.
He shoves the thought out of his head, crouching down to tie them again. He tugs on them to make sure they’re secure before standing up again.
Central Park is a few blocks away but he’s glad he didn’t bring his bike. The weather was rather nice and the wind in his hair felt good.
He wanders around the park for a while, looking for the lake. He pauses at a board with a map of the park on it, assessing how far it was.
Once he's ascertained which path to go towards, he turns on his heel to go.
He fucking trips again.
“Are you serious?” he says furiously under his breath. “Cut it out.”
He’s half-convinced that he should tie it around his ankle like a sexy lace-up set of heels. He ties a triple knot this time, glares at it until he’s sure it’s fine and checks to see if anyone saw him humiliate himself.
Only a person on a nearby bench who looked like they were passed out drunk, given that their hoodie and sunglasses clad self was slumped over.
No witnesses. No 'You won't BELIEVE what the Winter Soldier did! Critics say it's his biggest blunder yet!' articles the next day on social media.
He manages to make it to the lake in one piece and no more falls, partly because he keeps his eyes fixed on his shoes to ensure no fuckery occurs.
There are a few people rowing and plenty of others lining the bank at scattered locations. There’s a mom and her kid at the place he ends up. She sends him a small smile in greeting and he returns the favour.
There’s a secluded bench that he takes a place on, letting out a small sigh. If he ignores the traffic and the skateboarders and the people in general, it’s actually kind of peaceful.
There are geese and their little goslings swimming around the water close to the shore. Maybe he should have brought some birdseed. Or kale.
The kid beside him is busy fashioning something out of leaves, only occasionally erupting into giggles when it doesn't pan out. His mom watches him fondly, pointing at twigs he could use. Everything seems kind of picture-perfect and his body automatically relaxes, easing further into the seat and closing his eyes for a second.
Until there's a large splash and loud distressed honking. He whips his head around to find the same kid staring straight ahead at the goose with a wide grin. His mother curses quietly, picking herself up off the ground and grabbing his hand, half chastising him for throwing something at an animal and half urging him to walk faster.
The goose turns to Bucky. With no one else to blame for the sudden attack, it logically launches itself at him. His smile drops.
He gets up in a rush. The dumb bird nearly comes for his head, but he deflects with his metal arm.
“I didn’t even do anything.” He swats at it swiftly, trying not to cause any real damage. The goose, understandably, does not speak English.
He flinches when one of them bites at his knee. He can punt it to the sun but he doesn’t want to.
“Stop that.” He sticks his hand out to shove the stupid thing away, retreating back to the road. “Jesus, why are you so aggressive?”
Among the barrage of feathers showering on him, he prays his damn shoelace doesn’t unravel as he shields his head with one arm, the other fending himself while he moves hurriedly away.
The goose honks angrily at him. He scowls at it, not exactly pleased with the reminder that these fucking overgrown ducks were constantly bloodthirsty.
It doesn’t leave him alone till he’s significantly away from where he was sitting. He wants to call it profanity but that’d probably piss it off more.
The box and its effects were definitely starting to feel real.
Fuck it, no more day out for him. The best plan he can think of is to just go to the diner he’s supposed to meet his date at.
The waiter greets him with a courteous nod, which Bucky can only imagine was the best he could muster when a dishevelled 200-pound man walks in covered in goose feathers and irritation.
He won't admit that he’s too scared to eat lunch at this point because he can’t rule out food poisoning. He spends the next two hours on his phone playing Fruit Ninja and plucking feathers that accented his all-black outfit.
Several glasses of water later and a second before he’s about to beat his high score, someone taps on his shoulder, breaking him out of his concentration.
Motherfu-
He clenches his eye shut, inhaling deeply before turning around.
“James?”
“Hey, yeah, that’s me.” Bucky almost falls over the table with how fast he stands up, clearly underestimating his size. “Leah?”
“Hi.” She smiles and he finds himself smiling nervously along with her.
“Hi.” He steps out to pull out her chair for her and she laughs. "Nice to meet you."
“How long have you been waiting here?” she asks while setting down her bag.
“Around ten minutes.” He clears his throat to hopefully hide the fact that he was lying through his teeth.
“Just give me a second, I need to tell my friend I reached,” Leah pulls out her phone and he nods.
“Another glass of water for you?” The waiter seems less enthusiastic about Bucky’s 8th refill.
“Yes,” he answers, hoping he doesn’t call him out on it, “please.”
“You must be really dehydrated."
Bucky turns to look at him slowly. “I like the taste.”
He can’t really blame the guy. Bucky’s been there for hours without ordering anything solid, just leaching off their free water and complimentary bread basket.
“So, James.” She tosses her phone back into her bag, leaning forward on her palms easily. “Tell me about yourself.”
He had rehearsed this a million times. He could do this.
“I, uh,-”
“Menu?” Okay, so someone clearly had a vendetta against him.
“Thank you.” She takes it with a smile.
His morning debacle with the coffee flashes through his mind. Suddenly the idea of a diner didn’t seem so smart.
However, she’s already placed her order and George is standing beside him expectantly, daring him to ask for another glass of water, so he places his usual order and hopes that your stupid bad luck thing wore off.
He quickly learns that his date is laid back, and it isn’t hard to fall into a rhythm with her even though she’s the one asking most of the questions.
“How’d you meet Nat?” Is his attempt at one.
“She used to come in for lunch every week at the place I work.” Leah leans back in her chair. “She can really handle her alcohol.”
He’d be worried about Nat day drinking if he didn’t know about her complete inability to get drunk. She might as well have been downing glasses of lemonade.
“Yeah, she’s-” Intimidating, scary, cool “-really something.”
“She mentioned that you like movies.”  He definitely spends a lot of time watching them. “You got any recommendations?”
It’s easier to figure out how different things are or how much he missed out over the years through them. He’s glad he sat out the early 2000s, judging by their fashion sense and hairstyles.
He's watched several movies over the past few months, a few of them critically acclaimed and others who were just there for the cult following.
But now everything goes blank and the only thing that he can remember are the biopics made about Steve that were somehow hilarious for gifting him the mental image of Freddie Prinze Jr. dressed in the stars and stripes, and highly distressing for the number of historical inaccuracies. Contrary to popular belief, Stevie did not, in fact, consider running for president after he took up the shield, nor did he start his own bar chain.
He can’t name Oh Captain, My Captain starring Channing Tatum as his favourite movie on his first date and hope to make a good first impression.
“Despicable Me was kinda fun.” He wants to kill himself. “I mean, it’s the last one I saw.”
Her face twists in mild disgust, but he can tell it isn't ill-intentioned. “It's a good movie, but God, that just gave me some intense flashbacks to my aunt’s Facebook page. Don’t think I can look at a minion ever again.”
He sniggers with her. He doesn’t know what the context is.
He’s a little awkward, and he can definitely tell he isn’t the most open book but she laughs at some of his attempts at jokes. There’s a distinct discomfort he has lingering at the back of his mind prodding at him, telling him over and over again that he isn’t ready for something like this. A warning bell, asking him to leave as soon as possible because he was in a dangerous situation.
He remembers what his therapist told him about breathing and remembering that the resources he had available were greater than his anxiety and he tries to get out of his head. It takes a few minutes of acting like he's fine but he manages to do it.
Other than the one time he scalds his tongue on the coffee but played it off with a pained smile, shoving down thoughts of your stupid invention, things actually went okay.
It was nice, even though they decided by the end that it was better if they both gelled together better as friends. It lifts the strange fear he feels and he can hear Dr. Mendoza say she's proud of him for taking this step before spending three hours psychoanalysing why they decided to stay platonic.
Bucky promises to visit her sushi shop with Nat soon and she says a bottle of sake awaits him for a drinking game. He doesn’t have the heart to tell her that Nat and he share the same tolerance for alcohol.
He makes sure to leave George a tip. A big one. It’s the first time he sees the guy smile the entire evening.
He’s waving goodbye to Leah outside and he thinks that maybe it was a good end to the day and that things actually turned out fine.
Until he turns around to leave, only to have someone walk straight into him with an iced tea.
The cold comes as a bit of a shock, making him jump slightly. He stares at his shirt, using his fingertips to pull it away from his body.
The person melts into a series of apologies immediately, offering to dry clean his shirt but Bucky just forces a shake of his head and says it’s okay even though he can feel the sugar making the shirt stick to his chest. Goose feathers and iced tea. Was there anything else that would like to attach itself to him?
His fists clench and his teeth grit and he has to physically control himself from sprinting to your lair because God knows what else is in store for him and he didn't want to add in any way.
The door to the lair is locked. Fuckin’ brilliant.
When no one answers after minutes worth of waiting, he fishes for his phone and realises that maybe two hours of Fruit Ninja was not the best idea, especially on a phone known for having shitty battery life.
There’s roughly 2 percent left. By the time he opens his app to give you a call, his phone screen goes black.
He groans. He’s desperate at this point and under any other normal circumstances, he would have never, ever considered doing this.
But ten minutes later he’s outside your apartment building. You’re aware that he has your address; no doubt that it was in the SHIELD file he had gotten, and he knows that you know but it was still weird.
The buzzer has your last name listed next to it. He’s sure that he’ll break it if he keeps pressing it at this rate but he really needs you to let him in.
“Who the fu-” your voice comes through the intercom.
“I’m sorry for showing up like this, my phone died and I couldn’t reach you,” He breathes out as soon as he hears you. “But I need you to fix this.”
When he doesn’t hear a reply, he wonders if the thing actually worked. He’s about to start pressing it again-
“Bucky?” You sound a little surprised to hear him. “You’re at my house. Why are you at my house?”
“I need you to fix whatever this is.”
“What are you- fine, I’m buzzing you in,” your voice, initially confused soon trails off into something more dismissive.
There’s a soft click from the door, allowing him to push it open. The elevator is already on the same floor as him so he just uses that.
The elevator goes up a floor or two. His feet tap restlessly against the carpeted floor.
The lights turn off and everything comes to a standstill. His foot stops tapping.
He should have known. He should have fucking known.
Thirty seconds pass. He’s still in pitch darkness with the elevator showing no signs of moving.
In fact, he’s resigned to his fate. He sits down on the ground, only one step away from completely laying down and hoping someone finds his body here someday.
It’s six minutes of plain silence. He might as well get comfortable if he’s going to get stuck here for the rest of his life. Did he change his will? Does he even have a will?
There’s finally a whir. He thinks that maybe he’s going to plummet to his doom as the perfect end to this day, but then the light switches on and it starts moving upward.
It stops at the floor with a ding. He doesn’t get off the ground, only eyes the door wearily. With his luck, it wouldn’t open.
But it does and within a second he’s on his feet, scrambling to get out before it changes its mind.
He remembers your door number, basically charging down the hall to get to it.
The door is white and the paint is starting to chip off it. The handle itself is dented in a few places and he wonders if it was your fault or someone else's.
His knocks are rapid, agitated even. He doesn’t stop until he hears your loud shouts telling him to cut it out.
“What the hell were you doing, trying to break down my door?” It swings open, revealing you in your pajamas. “Haven’t you done that already? And where were you, I’ve been waiting for like, ten minutes.”
He honestly feels bad for showing up uninvited and highly flustered. He can’t imagine it’s a pretty sight either. "This bad luck shit- fix it. My whole day’s been fucked up.”
“What are you-” Your eyebrows knit together in confusion, taking in his appearance.
It takes you a second to realise what he’s talking about but when you do, your face settles.
“How was your date?” You lean against the door frame, arms crossed over your chest.
“Really,” He glowered at you, “that’s what you care about?”
“Yes.” You nod. “Did you have fun?”
He hesitates. “I guess?”
“Was she nice?”
“Yeah.” Where was this going.
“Good, I’m happy for you.” The smile on your face is genuine. “Look at you go, Casanova.”
“We agreed to be just friends, but that’s not the point here. Y/N,” he whines. “I have a mission next week, I can’t afford to fuck up. My whole day was off and I don’t want it to carry over.”
“Your whole day?” you questioned, standing up instead of leaning against the wall. “Buck-”
“Just fix it.”
“Okay.” You lift your hand up, extending it towards his face.
He waits for you to do something.
You flick him on the forehead.
“There,” you declare, going back to your previous position. “you’re cured.”
What.
He says exactly what he’s thinking.
You laugh. “Dude. I was fucking with you.”
Huh?
“Well, actually maybe just like, three things and then I got bored.”
He’s confused.
“You know,” you begin when he doesn’t reply, “taking the sugar packets, switching your coffee order when you were looking under the table, took your place when you left, the shoelaces.”
“The shoelaces?”
“Yeah.” You nod. “That’s the other ray gun you saw this morning. Unties your shoelaces. I stopped after that because I thought you figured it out.”
His face scrunches in puzzlement.
“I mean, you looked right at me and told me to cut it out.”
He racks his brain about what you could possibly be talking about before it hits him. The hungover person on the goddamn bench in the park.
“You were the one in the hoodie and sunglasses.”
“I just followed the Avengers’ code of disguise.” You shrug. “Turns out it kinda works. Also teleportation. So helpful.”
He forgot about the teleportation. That's why you could do all of it so fast without him noticing you were even there.
“What about the fucking geese?”
You pause for a second. “The geese?”
“And the elevator.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” The confusion on your face is apparent. “What geese and elevator? I have no idea what you’re saying right now.”
“Everything’s been a mess today,” he grumbles. “I don’t know what’s real or not.”
“I swear I had nothing to do with it other than what I mentioned.” There’s indignation on your features that quickly gives way to delight. “Holy shit, did I just accidentally invent portable bad luck?”
“Okay-” his palm finds its way to his forehead in exasperation, “-then what the hell was the smell?”
“What smell- oh, the one from the box?”
He nods briskly.
“Secretions Magnifique.” You snorted. “It’s a perfume. The worst rated one I could find.”
“Perfume?”
“With notes of milk, seaweed and sandalwood.”
“It wasn’t an inator?”
“No, it wasn- did you get vibe checked by a goose at the park?” You stifle a laugh when you notice a stray feather on his thigh.
“What does that even mean?” he asks in despair.
“I can see why it attacked you. You got bad juju.” You raise an eyebrow. “Maybe if you stop staring so much-”
“So I just have shit luck.” Is that a fucking relief or even worse?
“Well,” you begin but decide not to continue.
Even with all the irritability masking it, you could see that he genuinely was just not having a good time.
“Wait here a second.”
You leave him at the door. He shifts his balance and sighs, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He still had to walk back to the Tower. Maybe he could grab a slice of pizza along the way since he skipped lunch.
“Okay, here.” You return with a large glass of water. He only looks at it. “It’s just water, I promise. You look like you ran a marathon."
He takes it from you sceptically, pushing away the urge to sniff at it. It’s gone within a few gulps.
You wait until he’s finished to point at his arm. He draws his eyebrows together, but you only curl your index finger and beckon for him to give you his hand.
He reluctantly extends it towards you.
“Don’t laugh,” you warn him, taking his metal arm. “This usually helps me.”
You tie a small bracelet around his wrist. It has a few beads, which he realises represent the colours of the solar system.
“Keep that for good luck.” You pat it gently after securing it. “I think you just had a bad day; those don’t last very long. Do you want to charge your phone before you leave?”
“Uh-” The bracelet’s pretty, the colours shine against the dark vibranium. “-no, I’m good. I’ll just leave.”
“Okay. Anything else I can help you with or will you be fine?”
He narrows his eyes. “You’re being suspiciously nice.”
“I’m not evil all the time.” You huff. “My hours are in the morning.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he says again. “I’m gonna go then.”
“See you next week.” You give him a little wave. “I’d say break a leg on your mission but knowing your situation...”
He scoffs. “Thanks.”
You make a move to close the door when starts walking down the hallway towards the exit.
He adjusts the beads slightly so he can see them better. The Earth one has glitter in it. He thinks it’s cute.
“Bucky.”
He turns around.
There’s a hint of a smile on your face.
“Take the stairs.”
He doesn’t have to be told twice.
Next part
962 notes · View notes
plantbruno · 5 years
Note
Ur avpol dads au has me thinking about not only avpol giving gio a chance to grow up with caring parents but avpol meeting the rest of the bucci gang as youngsters and looking out for them. Kak or one of the other crusaders visits one time and is like hey did u know ur house has a gremlin infestation I thought u guys only had ONE
“So, what’s with the teenagers?”
It was the question that had been haunting Kakyoin all evening. Maybe he’d dropped by unannounced, yeah, but that had never been an issue before. However, instead of being greeted with Giorno holding a geriatric and implausibly still-kicking Iggy in his arms, a young man in the worst crop top Kakyoin had ever seen in his life (which was saying something---he did know Joseph Joestar, after all) opened the door, nearly pulled a fucking gun on him, and then cheerfully invited him inside for pizza at Giorno’s distant call of hello. There, Kakyoin had faced a whole cluster of unfortunately-dressed teenagers.
Avdol and Polnareff glanced at each other. “They’re Giorno’s friends,” Polnareff finally said.
“Funny, I did manage to gather that much. Since when does Giorno have friends?”
“Excuse me?” Avdol said, eyebrow twitching.
“Friends like that,” Kakyoin amended. “Friends who invade his living space.”
“It’s a fairly recent development,” Avdol admitted.
“We should tell him,” Polnareff said, shifting to face Avdol better. Kakyoin felt his eyebrows climbing up.
“Tell me what?”
Kakyoin watched warily as Avdol absently took Polnareff’s hand in his prosthetic one. “Giorno runs the Italian mafia now,” Avdol said, and if Kakyoin couldn’t tell his frank tone apart from his bullshitting tone by now, he’d have thought that his friends were being assholes.
“What,” he said.
“Remember when I, like, was presumed dead. Throwback to that,” Polnareff began, and Kakyoin narrowed his eyes, refusing to take the bait and show a single sign that him being “dead” had affected his life at all. “Well, Giorno took liberty to avenge me.”
“From the stand user mafia boss that fucked you up,” Kakyoin added.
Polnareff shrugged. “Yes. And now, well...”
“Our son is a mafia boss,” Avdol finished, looking a fascinating cross between vaguely nauseated and horrifically proud.
“Huh,” Kakyoin said. “Frankly, I’d have expected Josuke or Jolyne to develop mob ties before Giorno. I’ve always thought your kid is kind of an angel.”
Polnareff pinched the bridge of his nose. “God, please, for the love of god, knock on wood. I cannot have a mob feud between Giorno and Josuke or Jolyne. I won’t survive it.”
Kakyoin snickered and obligingly leaned across the coffee table between them to lightly rap his knuckles against Polnareff’s skull. Polnareff batted him away.
“Don’t lose sleep over it, my love, Giorno would win anyway,” Avdol said, taking a sip from his tea.
Kakyoin opened his mouth to make a good case for Jolyne in all her ten-year-old glory, but closed it when Giorno walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. He returned to the living room with a glass of water and sat next to Avdol. “We were just talking about you,” Polnareff said.
“I know. I could hear.” Giorno turned his gaze on him, and Kakyoin was suddenly reminded of the first time he’d met him, back when he was five years old and didn’t talk to anyone and Kakyoin had been terrified that he was going to do something really fucked up like recount his fight with Death 13 to a traumatized toddler. Kakyoin felt a reminiscent sort of fear, looking at this teenager who held the kind of power that had poets writing cautionary tales against hubris for centuries. “How long are you staying, Uncle Kakyoin?”
Kakyoin shrugged. “Not sure yet.”
Giorno nodded. “I will properly introduce you to my friends tomorrow. Would you like to see what I do?”
Avdol and Polnareff went very still in that weird married couple way they had of telepathically communicating some dire message, and Kakyoin, as he was usually wont to do, ignored it. He gave as wide a smile as he could and said, “I would love that.”
Giorno nodded, seemingly satisfied. “I am going to sleep,” he announced, then gave his fathers each a kiss on the head before going back upstairs.
Kakyoin shook his head in silent wonder. “How often does he have all his friends over here?” he asked, returning to the original question of the night.
“Frequently,” Avdol said. “We don’t mind. Most of them are orphans or have an unstable homelife. We enjoy providing a resource of stability for them.”
Kakyoin resisted the urge to laugh at Avdol and Polnareff being a source of stability, because it was not only probably true for those kids, but it was probably also true of himself. He never showed up at Joseph Joestar’s house unannounced, at any rate. “So, you’re going to adopt them, too, huh?”
Polnareff choked on his next breath. “No.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” he said cheerfully, crossing his legs. “I heard Narancia say he has a room here.”
“They all have rooms here. It is a big house,” Avdol deadpanned.
“Whatever, I know I’m right.”
“You’re annoying,” Polnareff complained, beckoning to Iggy, who had just hobbled drowsily into the room, and picking him up to put on his lap as he approached.
“I liked them,” Kakyoin admitted. “They were weird, but I think they’re good for Giorno. They draw him out of his shell.”
That got him twin soft smiles that seemed reserved for proud fathers alone. “Yes,” Avdol agreed. “They do.”
“Well, I’m exhausted. I think Mista nearly killed me when I knocked on the door, and you know me, near-death experiences always get me a little bit sleepy,” he said, standing up and stretching, feeling his joints pop. He reached for his cane. “Is my room still mine?” he teased, smirking.
“Yes,” Polnareff said with an eyeroll. “Though Sheila did use it once.”
“Who’s Sheila? You’re telling me Giorno has more friends?”
“He is a charismatic boy,” Avdol said rather defensively.
“Ah, whatever. Good night, dads.”
“Hey,” Polnareff protested, while Avdol laughed and said, “Good night.”
140 notes · View notes
keanuvibe · 5 years
Text
Bodyguard (John Wick x Reader) Pt. 4
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A/N: Hi! sorry im awful at uploading lol. my personal life rn is on fire and i haven’t had all the time in the world to write, but managed to pull this chapter together so :) thats coolio. 
Words: 4.7k
Warnings: swears, violence, a lil fluff
“So, tell me everything.” June smirked, leaning over the table towards you. You had managed to meet the girls on time, only a few minutes past twelve- thirty. The three of you got seated shortly after, and ordered your cocktails; beginning the rounds of catching up you had to do. The restaurant is diner themed, set in the 1950’s. One wall of the building was a bar, fit with barstools, an ice cream machine, as well as a soda machine. There was even a section where you could order homemade candy. Little booths scattered the wall across from the bar, and tables separated the two. The floor was checkered design donning many muddy footprints and the walls were covered in old-timey photos of local streets. You and the girls sat at a booth, June and Dottie sitting across from you.
“Okay, get this,” You began, leaning in towards your friends, “Santino, you know, mio cugino pazzo. He’s mad at my father and is trying to kill me for it.”  ‘[My crazy cousin.]’ You finished and took another long sip of your cocktail. June and Dottie stared with their mouths agape. You calmly set down your drink and smiled shyly, eyes bouncing between the girls. You loved your friends, honestly. The three of you have been close since you were young teens. June and Dot also had connections to the Italian mafia, their fathers having run a section of both New York and New Jersey; although they aren't as intertwined as you. June is the oldest, one year older than yourself. She’s an old soul, that you know for sure. She wears dated clothes and uses dated household items; in fact, you can't recall June ever purchasing something new from the stores you and Dot go to. Hell, even her car is a 1978 AMC Pacer. Dottie is only a few months older than you, on the other hand. She is the spitting image of a pinup girl. She wears her hair in elegant waves and has bangs, she even wears button up dresses and has big hair bows for when shes feeling fancy. You can’t recall a time when she didn’t wear red lipstick nearly everyday.
“Should you even be outside?” Dottie whispered, leaning closer to your figure. Her New York accent was a little amplified by the drinks she’s had already. You shrugged as your answer, and June scoffed. 
“You, (Y/N), are unbelievable.” The waiter to walked up to your table, halting your conversation. The three of you blinked at the other, little grins holding back giggles ready to erupt. The waiter asked for your orders, then as soon as the young man had left, you jumped right back into it. 
“You guys should see my bodyguard.” You spoke, a smirk donning your face. Your mind wondered as to what he was up to right now. Maybe he's still sitting waiting for you to exit the bathroom, or, maybe he's already begun the witch hunt. 
“Ah, yes. John? As you've mentioned. Show us! the way you've described him- He sounds gorgeous.” Dottie eagerly bounced in her seat, urging you to show them a picture. You pulled out your phone, stomach dropping at the several messages that donned the lock screen; John’s contact name on each one. Witch hunt is it. 
12:47: Very funny. Where are you? 
12:59: Where are you. 
1:13: (Y/N). This isn’t a game.
1:21: I’m coming to find you. 
At least it took him almost an hour and a half to notice. You bit your cheek, looking up at June and Dottie. The two girls were engaged in conversation, talking about something or another. You cleared the notifications and unlocked your phone, hoping to god you got to finish your lunch before John caught up. You opened the camera roll and scrolled through until you found a picture of you and the bodyguard. Somehow, you'd gotten him to agree to a photo. He was bent over so his head was level with your own. Due to the lighting, the man was squinting, however the dark gaze caused a chill to form down your back. You cleared your throat and flipped your phone around to show the girls. Dottie stopped talking and immediately looked at the screen
“Oh my god.” She murmured, sitting back and putting her hand over her chest. “He’s so handsome.” June grabbed the phone from you to get a better look. 
“You have to fuck him.” The eldest commented with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. You let out a short laugh, snatching your phone back from the girls grasp. The two girls giggled at your embarrassment, Dot even took a coy sip from her drink. 
“Was that gray in his beard? How old is he?” Dottie asked, looking you in the eye and sipping on her own cocktail. 
“Don’t laugh, okay? He’s mid fifties.” A blush crawled across your cheeks as your words escaped your lips. June and Dottie blinked a couple times before Dot finally let out a snort. 
“Going geriatric, now? hm?” June spoke, raising her brow and taking a gulp of her drink. While Dottie laughed at June’s question, you glanced over their shoulders, witnessing two burly men sit down at a table across from yours. One of them made eye contact with you, glare evident in their gaze, before looking back to their buddy. You felt your skin crawl and cleared your throat, pushing the feeling away. June’s laughter brought you back, now looking between the two girls again. 
“Well, He- He really doesn't feel old. Not when we're together.” You shrugged, playing with the condensation on your drink. 
“I mean, you’re only twenty-six,” Dot spoke, her eyes glancing between you and June. “You’re young and hot. I don't see an issue.” Your eyes shot up to meet Dottie’s. She smiled at you, her dark brown eyes warming your core. 
“Who are we to judge,” June began, a laugh escaping her throat. “I slept with that old guy, remember? He was, like, almost sixty and I was drunk as hell.” You and Dottie laughed, remembering that night. It was June’s twenty-third birthday. You three went to the club to celebrate and the eldest of your group ended up getting too wasted on absinthe. Which resulted in her sleeping with Mitch Johnson, an old friend of your fathers. Small world. 
“And you,” June pointed to Dottie, “Are a homewrecker.” 
“He never said he was married.” Dottie responded, sticking her tongue out at the woman. The three of you chuckled amongst yourselves before a silence took over. Your eyes once again scanned the room, not being able to shake the eerie feeling those two men implanted. They still sat across the diner and occasionally their eyes would make contact with your own, causing a chill to run up your spine. You quietly flipped your phone over, checking for any more messages from John. The screen remained blank, setting panic to freely course through your veins. His previous message was sent fifteen minutes ago, which meant the man was probably on his way right now. Plus, your parents didn’t live far from Coopers. 
The men both stood up now, locking eyes with you. They then looked at the other, as though confirmation was in order, before beginning to walk in the direction that you and the girls sat. Anxiety courses firmly through your veins now, and you could feel your palms gather sweat. 
“Girls,” You murmured, gathering their attention. “There are two men walking in our direction now, and I’m pretty sure they are after me.” You kept your voice low, trying to pretend as though you are oblivious. June and Dottie became physically uncomfortable, now shifting in their seats and looking over their shoulders. You felt guilt cross your person, now realizing how serious the situation is. You put your two best friends in harm's way. I mean, It’s not like they’re completely useless; they have parents in the Mafia, they’re trained in combat and weaponry. However, the guilt still bothered you that it was your fault.
“How do we go about this?” Dot asked, reaching for her purse. Your eyes watched as the woman dug into her bag. The pop of a gun chamber sounded as she began to fill it with bullets. June tied her hair back and began to stretch her arms. You sometimes forget that June is trained extensively in Jiu Jitsu. You also looked back to the men who were still making their way to you, passing through the crowded dining room floor. 
“Should we leave the public space?” You murmured, “I don’t want civilian casualties.” 
“Yes.” June agreed, standing up. “Gather your things, quickly.” She added. The oldest tossed a fifty dollar bill onto the table to pay for the drinks and the food you didn’t get to eat. You led the way, pushing through the crowded dining room to the exit. You glanced back, seeing the men become more frustrated. You are aware of the other, knowing what little cat and mouse game was occurring. 
Your palms shoved the door open, the three of you stumbling over onto the sidewalk. You looked both ways before leading right. You didn’t know what to do, whether you should try to outrun them, or stick up and fight. Maybe if you kill them it’ll send a message to Santino. Though, he may not even care. As he’s got twenty more men to fill the space those two would leave. You made sure June and Dottie still followed, checking over your shoulder occasionally. The three of you pushed through the crowds of New York, your main destination being Dottie’s vehicle. Your eyes also kept a lookout for John. He probably tracked your phone, you knew he had the ability anyways. You’re just glad the little ploy worked for as long as it did. You turned right down an alleyway, taking a shortcut towards the parking garage that Dot’s car was in. June looked over her shoulder, alarm blaring through her veins as she spotted the men. 
“They’re still behind us.” She spoke, looking between you and Dottie. You took a deep breath, placing your hands on your hips. 
“Va al diavolo!” ‘[Go to hell!]’ You cursed, throwing your hands up. Dot quickly grabbed you by the arm, pulling you as she began to run to the end. June grunted as the three of you approached a dead end, meeting a chain link fence.
“Fanculo. Okay, you two climb over.” ‘[Fuck.]’ You spoke, gesturing to the fence that stood in front of you. Your eyes met those of your friends, all breathing heavily from the sprint. Echoed footsteps could be heard at the entrance of the alley. You glanced over your shoulder, seeing the silhouettes of the men headed in your direction.
“Go!” You spoke with a harshness towards your friends.
“Not without you!” Dottie raised her tone, hands on hips. You turned your head again, seeing them get closer.
“Dot, just go!” You finally yelled. The girls hesitated, however respected your wishes and quickly climbed the fence, hopping to the other side. They stood now, staring as the men approached, getting ready to jump back over if need be.
“Santino it ha Inviato?” ‘[Did Santino send you?]’ You asked the men, slowly walking towards them.
“Si.” ‘[Yes.]’ One responded, their faces finally becoming clear from the backlight. You looked at them, noting how they both looked like average Italian men. Dark hair, olive eyes, and warm skin. Their faces were covered in a few scars, and you noted how they both wore suits with visible holsters resting on their hips
“It ha mandato per uccidermi?” ‘[Did he send you to kill me?]’ You asked, the men now only ten feet away from you. The darkness of the alley sent a chill down your spine, and you glanced back at the girls to make sure they were alright. Dot had her hand in her purse, most likely gearing up for when shit turned sideways. June held a stoic look, almost a resting bitch face, staring down the two men. 
“Si.” The same one answered again. They now stood only five feet away, stopping in front of you. You felt the sweat drip down your forehead, the buggy summer heat beginning to take claim of your body. You took a deep breath, wondering where John was, and how now would be a good time for him to suddenly appear. The men cracked their knuckles, rolling their shoulders and looking at you with sinister smiles. 
“Di ‘a Santino: E un peccato che sia troppo codardo per uccidermi.” ‘[Tell Santino: It’s a shame he’s too much of a coward to kill me himself.]’ You spoke, remembering the moves that your bodyguard had taught you. You leapt forward, first knocking one of the men down by pushing in his kneecaps. You took the moment to quickly hit the next guy, however, he blocked your blow, sending you back a few feet. The second man took advantage of your hesitation and grabbed you, throwing you into one of the walls. You let out a yelp, feeling the brick scrape bare skin harshly. The first guy stood up, and threw a fist at you, however, you quickly dodged and used his own momentum to toss his body into the wall. 
You felt as the second lackey quickly punched your gut, causing you to double over in pain. June and Dottie stood yelling which you could hear through ringing ears. You recovered quickly, countering the second man with a swift kick to his shin. He groaned, but recovered and swung a fist at you. You managed to dodge the blow and delivered a hearty boot to his groin. He quickly dropped to the ground in pain and you grabbed the pistol from his holster, pulling the trigger and placing one bullet into his skull. The second man used this moment to grab your loose shirt, and throw you into the brick, scraping your skin once again. He lifted his foot and conveyed a kick to your gut, sending you to double over. He used his fist to hit the sides of your face, throwing your head back and forth. You could feel blood begin to drip down your face, the pain that each snap of your neck caused, you could hear June and Dot yelling but it was faint. Time felt slowed, your heartbeat was like a drum in your ear. Then, a gunshot. 
All movements stopped, followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground near your own. You slowly slid down, ignoring the burning chafe the brick left. Hot tears stung your eyes as you covered them with your hands, a harsh sob leaving your throat. Your body ached, your face burned, and blood was the only taste that donned your mouth. You heard the chain link rattle as somebody climbed over it, as well as a huff when they landed. A gentle hand placed itself on your shoulder, and you saw as they knelt down, due to the shadow.
“(Y/N).” John. A hoarse cry escaped your throat upon hearing your bodyguards gentle voice. He wasn’t angry, like you expected. Instead, his tone seemed more worried than anything. You managed to look up at the man from your hands, your eyes greeting the sight of his own.
“Oh my god, (Y/N)!” You heard Dottie yell as she approached your side. The two girls quickly examined your body, nearly shoving John out of the way. 
“I fucked up.” You didn’t even recognize your voice as you spoke— your throat burned. June dotted your bloody forehead with a napkin from Dot’s purse.
“We should get her back home.” Dottie murmured, looking up at John. The dark haired man nodded, agreeing with the woman. June moved out of the way so he could scoop you into his arms. You lay your head onto his chest, faintly hearing the sound of his heartbeat and breathing. The man carried you out of the alley with June and Dottie close behind. You felt the summer sun warm your face as you exited the cool shade of the alleyway. The fresh breeze brought your attention to the cuts on your face, feeling the coolness from the semi-dried blood. Dottie opened the vehicles door and John placed you in the passenger seat, buckling your body firmly in. The two girls hopped into the back, John promising they’d be returned to their car later this evening. You heard the rumble of the engine, and closed your eyes, feeling tiredness numb the pain that ravaged your figure.
——————
“How long have you been employed by the (Y/L/N)’s?” Dottie’s gentle voice quietly echoed throughout your bedroom. Mellow sun rays shone in through the window, casting a warm haze throughout the space. After the incident in the alleyway, John brought you, Dottie, and June back to your parents estate. However, after you all got back, John discovered they'd left on business to Rome for a few days. He carried your figure all the way from the car to your bed, carefully depositing you. Dot and June then got to work, bandaging your wounds, though after you seemed stable and well asleep, they backed off and let you get some rest. Now, John watched as Dottie cared for your sleeping figure. His heart couldn’t help but ache to see you so helpless laying there. Your face had been drained of some of its color, leaving it more pale and sickly. Your hair stuck to your skin, and a thin layer of sweat covered your body. Your bodyguard wanted so badly to climb into the bed with you, stroke your hair from your face, tend to your bandages, hold you, kiss you. 
“Month and a half.” John answered, looking over to the woman. She nodded at his answer, dotting your forehead with a wet washcloth. The woman sat next to your bed with a rag in hand, occasionally cleaning your skin of sweat and dried blood specs. June was asleep on the small couch you had in your bedroom next to one of the windows. John stood on the opposite side of the bed from Dottie, watching her every movement when it came to caring for you. Occasionally your body would stir, but you still hadn’t woken up since the car— four hours ago. 
“Are you liking it?” The vintage dressed woman asked, a smirk crossing her red lips. She cast her eyes between John and your sleeping figure, hinting as to what she was meaning. 
“I am.” He responded. Dottie noticed his softened gaze when he looked towards you. She glanced back down at your face, wiping your skin with the washcloth gently. Your brow bone contained a nasty laceration and your cheekbone held a nice bruise with a cut as well. There was also a gash on your bottom lip, and your left eye held a hefty black bruise. That man really got ahold of you. 
“They're a good family. I know Francesco means well,” Dot murmured, “Speaking of, have you let them know?” John watched as the woman stood up and walked to the bathroom retrieving a fresh bowl of water for your face. 
“I called Francesco shortly after we arrived here.” The dark haired man spoke. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning towards your figure. He brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in your face. His thumb caressed your cheek afterwords, carefully avoiding the wounds that donned your skin. He felt your body stir, and a quiet groan escape your lips as you started to wake up. Dot walked back into the room, noting Johns figure looming over your own. A little smirk crossed her lips as she set the bowl down on the nightstand. You peeked your eyes open for a second, wincing at the brightness of the room. 
“Good afternoon, sleepy.” Dottie smiled, sitting beside your figure again. “Careful.” She murmured, watching as you shifted to sit up a little better. You knew Dottie was next to you, but could feel the weight of somebody on your other side. A large hand quietly placed itself on the side of your arm and you looked to see who it belonged to.
“How do you feel?” John’s words were gently spoken. His fingers squeezed your arm slightly before he released. 
“M-my throat hurts.” Your voice came out scratchy and withered sounding. Dottie quickly placed a cool glass of water into your palms, hers then wrapping around yours before releasing entirely. You gave her the best smile you could manage, due to your cuts, before sipping the drink. John stood up from the bed and made a comment about going to grab pain medicine before he exited your bedroom. 
“I'm going to wake up June.” Dottie spoke, walking over to her sleeping position by the window. You blinked your eyes, feeling the pain from the cuts, and groaned silently. It was stupid of you to think you could take on both of them. Your training with John was going fine, you figured if you at least got one down… No matter, at least you were still alive. The footsteps of your two friends caught your attention as the girls returned to your side. June immediately began to gush over how happy she was you were awake and okay, hugging you tightly. 
“We thought you were a goner.” The girl whispered, worry still evident in her tone. You raised your brows but winced as the sting from the cut became overwhelming. 
“I'm glad John showed up when he did. Like a superhero. He stood there with his gun and you should've seen the animalistic look in his eye.” Dottie sighed dreamily, “You are one lucky girl.” 
“I know about your ‘no dating’ rule, however, I don't think you should let this one get away.” June commented quietly, brushing some hair from your face. Dot agreed, shaking her head vigorously. The three of you cut the conversation short as John's footsteps echoed closer. He entered the room quietly and padded over to the bed, handing you a bottle of painkillers. Your fingers brushed as the container was passed and you felt a longing for the touch to remain; however just as the warmth arrived, it left. 
——————
June and Dottie stayed over for another hour before leaving. They helped you change your clothes and settle in for the night before they left you in the capable hands of John. The two of you remained in your bedroom the rest of the evening. You went in and out of sleep a few times. One time, you woke to the man humming quietly while sitting in bed next to your figure. Another, he was checking your bandages and cleaning the sheen of sweat from your skin. Maybe what June said is right, you can’t let John get away. Nobody has cared for you like he has. But that begged the question, would he even want to be with you? You’re half his age and apart of a mafia family. Plus, you still don't know much about him; his past, his home life, etc. He is a mysterious being, quiet too. It only made you want to know more.
“John?” You murmured, gathering the strength to sit up. It was late evening now, just past eight. The summer sun had just set, leaving a gray tone to cover the space. 
“Yes?” He answered, turning to face you. He had been sitting at your desk, cleaning his gun. 
“Parlami di te.” ‘[Tell me about yourself.]’ The man responded to your request by putting down the parts in his hand. He then quietly cleaned his fingers of grime before standing up and padding over to you, but not sitting. 
“What would you like to know?” He murmured. You studied his face for a moment, taking in the features he donned. His normally combed hair was disheveled now and he had bags under his eyes. He wore a suit and shoes too, obviously still dressed for work. 
“Everything.” You replied, ignoring the throb of pain that coursed through your body. John nodded, then loosened the tie from his around neck. He shed off his suit jacket next, leaving him in a black button up and vest on top. You admired his figure in the darkening room. He stood tall, confident, maybe a little tired, but didn't let it show much. The man settled on the edge of your bed, by your feet. The room remained silent for a few moments; you not daring to speak, and John taking the time to gather his thoughts. 
“I was married.” John’s voice was so soft, you had to lean towards him to hear better. The man kept his gaze towards his hands, fidgeting with his fingers. 
“Was?” You asked, pushing aside the slight feeling of jealousy that rose. 
“She- she passed due to an illness years back.” The bodyguard paused.
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” You let out quietly, as to not bother John’s story process. 
“I was retired and wanted to live my days as a widower, however I was dragged back into the business by an old friends’ idiot son.” The man sighed, pushing some fallen hair behind his ear. You caught a glimpse at how sad he appeared, and felt an urge to comfort him. Pain shot through your body as you scooted down the bed until you were close enough to John. You grabbed his hand and his fingers instinctively intertwined with your own, making you realize just how large his palms actually were. It felt right, his hand being wrapped with your own. 
“Ever since then, I haven't left the business again. I see no point. I can't seem to leave anyways, I keep getting dragged back in.” He sighed heavily and you began to rub your thumb along his hand, as your way of comforting him. He fell silent, but you didn't push anymore questions just yet. He was being open and raw, which was probably difficult for the man to do. If he wanted to tell his story, he would. You wanted to know more, obviously, about the kind of work he's done; his jobs, the people he’s met, and if he knew anyone in your family. You wanted to know why the man was so troubled, and why it seemed everybody is against him. 
“Will you stay with me tonight?” Your voice escaped softly, barely above a whisper. John's hand squeezed your own, before he finally made eye contact with you. His dark gaze caused a chill to slither down your spine.
“Yes.” He spoke softly, “I need to go change.” He gave your hand one last squeeze before removing it and standing up. You watched as his figure walked across your room and disappeared behind the door. It only took him about five minutes before he returned, ready for bed. Sure, it was barely nine, but you figured you could put on a movie. You drank in the sight of him, admiring his pajamas. Blue with plaid stripes, and a plain white t-shirt. You’ve never seen him in anything but a suit, nevermind the sweatsuit outfit from when you train. This is different than that, this is a side of John that doesn't say ‘Hey, i'm a killer!’ This side is domestic; make you coffee and toast in the morning domestic. 
“Would you like to watch a movie?” You then asked, watching him tidy up his mess from cleaning his gun, which he didn't finish. 
“Sure.” He responded, walking over and climbing onto the bed next to your figure. You turned on your TV, and picked a movie from a streaming service, before fully settling in. You scoot your body close enough to John’s that you were able to lay your head on his chest. The man wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you even closer, but gently as to not cause you more pain. You listened to his heartbeat as it slowed to a resting rhythm, and then closed your eyes letting sleep overcome your senses.
--
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dcmedworld · 4 years
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faecurious · 4 years
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pages | graham&quintin
Summary: Quintin falls asleep at a library while studying and working, and figures out that his notes are once again infested with Bookwryms. Upset, tired, and pouting, Graham endures the lure of such a sight, and the two share deep insight into science, taboo, and moral issues in q’s area of study while separating the pages. @grahamstoker
Quintin had fallen asleep at a random book store, his nose plopped in a book and one arm stretched out. He needed just a little more information on a chemical compound to react with salt involving dissolving things, and he had worn himself out. Quintin was in trouble often for getting himself to the point of sheer exhaustion, but he couldn’t help it. When an idea got in his head he grinded until some answer presented. Losing track of time, meals, and water. He knew it wasn’t the best, but he was lucky to be a warden. Snoring lightly, the book clerk was staying open late anyway, so they cleaned up and let the young looking college kid snooze for a few moments. 
College kids weren’t the only people out and about; Graham also had a brief conversation with the clerk regarding books as he entered some odd minutes before the store closed and the clerk agreed to stay open just a little longer for him to pick up what he was looking for… except that he wasn’t looking for anything in particular. He wandered through the store - fortunately, it wasn’t that big - and he found himself in the central area where a few tables and chairs were gathered for students, bored geriatrics, etc. His strong gaze fell upon the sleeping figure of a boy, probably no more than… he wanted to say early 20s and he walked over to the kid, placing a hand on his shoulder to stir him. “Hey kid,” He said clearly but not aggressively. “You’d be comfier in bed, I think.” He wasn’t sure why he cared but the store WAS closing and he WAS getting his condensation on the book’s pages and that thought weirded him out.
Quintin stirred away groggily, and blinked a few times trying to figure out where he was. “What?” He looked around the room and stretched his limbs forward almost like a cat. “Darn, I should go. Thanks--” Finally he looked up and felt embarrassed it wasn’t the clerk who stirred him from his slumber but likely another customer. “Oh, sorry-- heh, I get a bit caught up with reading sometimes,” Quintin started closing all the scientific books featuring various charts, graphs, and a few long essarys he was excited to dive into the theory of. “It’s late--” he started shoving everything into his backpack quite messily. “Did you find anything worthwhile?” he asked with a kind edge, curious even. “I love this store, always little gems here. Sometimes old things.”  “It happens, man,” Graham replied, removing his hand from the latter’s shoulder as he looked the younger man over, then the amount of materials he had splayed all over the table. Plentiful amount of information…. Just shoved into a backpack. What a waste. How disorganized. He kept from curling his lip and put his hands in his pockets after checking his familiar gold watch - it could be later but at least the sun wasn’t out anymore. “Uh, nnnno. No, not really.” He shrugged. “I only got here a few minutes before they technically closed though, so I didn’t spend a whole lotta time searching. I’m guessing you did, though,” He quirked an eyebrow at the book the younger man had fallen asleep on. The kid seemed like the studious type. Probably really smart at the expense of doing… normal human things.
“Really? Are you one of those types that likes to make the employee’s be nice to you when they want to close the store?” He grinned, teasing and far from being overly serious. Quintin grabbed the rest of his stuff, the books weighed in his hands comfortably. “Yes-- yes, I actually managed to find everything I needed. Luckily I can read a book once and remember most of it. It’s very helpful when writing a dissertation. It’s a bit of a chaotic mess, but it’s all very understandable.” Q paused, “Quintin by the way,” he offered, a sleepiness still in his eyes, and his body seemed almost squishy and round in the cheeks from just waking up. “Are you headed out now?” He waved to the clerk, having already paid for everything and started making his way out. “Oh, you know it,” Graham replied dryly with a half-smile of his own. “At least you found what you were looking for,” He noted more of the books. “An eidetic memory is a useful thing, indeed.” He nodded; that explained some of the kid’s general… -ness. And the ‘chaotic mess’ part. He gave the boy named ‘Quintin’ one more look over, pausing perhaps a little longer than he should’ve at the red cheek the boy was sleeping on and feeling his nostrils flare for just a fraction of a moment before he recovered and he nodded again in lieu of doing anything else, something different. “Graham,” He returned the name. “And… yeah. Since the store’s closing and all.” He paused in his dialogue for a moment, following behind the boy. “What are you writing a dissertation on?” He asked, finding himself curious.
“Hmmm, it’s pretty out there. But I’m working on something people sorta frowned on,” Q did not seem put off even with his mumbling. He pressed the books closer to his chest, walking with the other. “Do you have any opinions on building body parts in test tubes? Or utilizing tissue in ways to heal other people? Or developing a way for the body to accept foreign cells as their own through--” Quintin paused, wishing for once he could just say- by using monster parts when he explained his research. “Careful study.” He lamely finished, but masked it pretty well with a yawn hidden behind the books which only made his eyes more watery. “The frowned upon part is that I’m researching a way for a body to be brought back to what the scientific community labels as life. Whether it’s anything more than a few reawakened cells at the end of it-- well. We’ll see.” As they walked and as Quintin fell into a pseudo-ramble - well, maybe not so much as… morally-curious questions-- WELL, not even that. Graham didn’t think what he was asking was morally-curious until he suddenly stopped at his last question-- aaaaand he’s talking reanimation. Hmm… he realized this conversation would’ve bothered him a lot more before he himself turned into a reanimated corpse. He looked sideways at the younger man and offered a genuine, if clever, smile. “That’s on them. People oftentimes try to put ethics ahead of scientific progress.” He offered is own perspective. “If that’s a passion you have then it’s important to pursue that goal. I’m sure this town’s seen weirder shit than a reanimated something-or-other.” He decided to be vague on that front. “How long’ve you been in town?” He asked.
“They do,” Quintin agreed, “I’ve received a lot of backlash at UCLA over it. They were very conflicted, but I’m a progeny, one of the youngest to graduate. They wanted me to stay under their school so they could benefit from my work and so I didn’t go elsewhere.” Bitterness made his nose wrinkle as he walked up to his big pick up truck that made him appear like a little baby in comparison and leaned against it. “That’s why I’m here though. White Crest lets me think clearly. Reanimation is a fascinating area of study, people are just scared of what it means. All those people in cryo right now could honestly be reawakened in the future. They let them pay for a cold bed, but won’t let scientists work on the questions they are scared of.” He fished for his keys in his bag, realizing he was stupid and put them in there. “About three years, I travel a lot back to LA. Where are they--” he plopped on the ground, and started pulling everything back out of his bag. Setting the items carefully on the asphalt with much more care and organization, but a few of the papers floated away on him. “Crap! Can you grab those?” Very proud of his work and accomplishments. And humble, to boot. Talks a lot. Ahhh Graham remembered when he was like that. Graham found his hands in his pockets as the younger man talked, pausing next to the large truck and wondered what sort of compensating the kid was doing. Probably a lack of friends, if he had to guess. He looked from the truck to Quintin as the latter seemed to have been looking for something to the point of sitting on the ground to search the contents of his bag. When some of his papers started to float away, Graham simply watched them leave until Quintin asked him to retrieve them, to which he smacked his lips and rose his eyebrows. “Sure thing,” Graham said before adding “This might not’ve been a problem if you packed ‘em up right the first time, buddy.” He was lightly poking, of course, but he did feel like he was right. The papers were easy enough for him to get, putting them altogether neatly but as he examined them like the nosy guy he was, he felt his brow furrow. “Uhhh…” He said aloud as he walked back over to the younger man. “I got your papers but I don’t know why they’re such a big deal to you… don’t important papers usually have, I dunno, writing on them?”
“You are very right,” Quintin sighed, he had been embarrassed at the state he was in and hadn’t put thought into it. Finally, his fingers looped around the keys and pulled them out in victory. “Thank you--what?” Q’s voice faltered, and he scrambled up to meet Graham halfway, pulling the page into his hands. “No, no no no,” he frantically started flipping through all his stuff, noticing bits and pieces also faded. “Stupid bookstore--” Q knew what he needed to do, but he also didn’t want to ruin all his doctorate notes. This would put him behind having to rewrite everything from memory, not that it would be difficult to recall, just time consuming. This was what he got for bringing his stuff out of the lab. “Ouch!” he dropped the paper, and gritted his teeth. “Dammit! Stupid worms! Stupid!” He actually stomped his foot then plopped on the ground with his shoulders slumped and tried not to full on cry. His voice had a warble to it. “Sorry-- just,” he didn’t know how to explain this to anyone without sounding crazy, but he didn’t care right now. “I can’t leave yet, I have to sort my infested notes with the ones that aren’t.” Suddenly Graham had much less of an idea of what was going on than before as he watched the car crash in slow motion called ‘Quintin’ go from frustration to pain to looking like he was about to burst into tears like a child told they couldn’t get on the ferris wheel. Spectrum? That’d explain the ‘genius’ bit and the ‘unintentional know-it-all’ part. He put a hand back in his pocket and actively avoided looking at Quintin now, as if that would spare him some embarrassment. “Uh…” He paused for a second, not entirely knowing what to do but feeling like something mocking would be funny for him but not really appropriate. “So… there’s worms on your papers?” He decided to ask. “What, were they in your bag?”
“Worms that eat notes, words, knowledge. I thought I had them contained back at the lab, but-- guess I didn’t,” the dejected tone was full of self loathing to this particular failure. Quintin started separating each piece of paper in a stack that was at least eight inches high. Hoping everything wasn’t ruined. “They must have gotten really excited in that book store, and spread--” it wasn’t lost on Quintin that the other man was content with playing with his absurdity. People thought he was a mad scientist anyway, not that he liked when people thought that. Not when he worked so hard for their sake. He sighed. “You don’t have to wait around for me, this is awkward enough and will probably take me some time. They-- these worms are easy to detect, but very difficult to get rid of. Clearly. Since I am still suffering from their presence.” He glanced up, the softest of pouts on his lips. “I appreciated your company though.” You know what they say about playing stupid games; Quintin didn’t seem like the most organized of individuals so it really didn’t surprise Graham that a bunch of knowledge-eating worms escaped containment.. Graham looked back down at the lanky kid, catching his pout like this somehow caught him off-guard. He glanced off to the side and gave a soft sigh before dropping fluidly to a crouch next to the boy and motioned with his hand. “Here, gimme some,” He said, wondering what he was doing with his life at this point. Damn his soft spot for children up to the age of… Hmm. “It’ll be quicker with two people. Do you want to save any words and just get rid of the ones that are completely blank?” He asked for a general direction as he held an arm that rested on one of his knees out to take some papers.
Quintin yawned again, pressing a hand to his mouth, clear he probably could lay down right here and pass out if he could. “Wait, huh?” He glanced across from him, surprise written easily on his tired features that the person wasn’t thinking he was crazy and also willing to help him. His instincts hummed a little, wondering if they had an ulterior motive or if he lucked out and actually ran into someone nice. “I’ll remember most of them if I make a note of the page number,” he explained, writing down the numbers in the corner in a small notepad. “Ill burn them, or find another way. Yes we can just pile those there. You don’t seem put off with this. Which isn’t that surprisingly I suppose, everyone on campus is always going on about stuff weird and supernatural. But you seem, particularly calm about my ramblings. Is it often you run into people exclaiming note infestations and reanimation?” He sleepily teased. Jeez, the more Quintin yawned, the more Graham could feel how hungry he was; the sleeping were such available targets for a quick snack BUT… damn his soft spot for children AND his foresight to know better than to just go around biting strangers. Part of him wished he had no idea what he did, pulling an ‘oh sorry I didn’t know’ schtick but he DID know better and ugh. What a pain. Speaking of vampires though-- “I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of word-eating worms before,” He responded first as he shuffled the papers into the piles the boy wanted. “But I’ve never been one to turn away the pursuit of science and medicine,” He added with a half-shrug. “Granted, not all of them like to talk as much as you do but I think I have enough of a bead on the type of kid you are and talking’s just… something you do.” He rolled his eyes under their eyelids. “Plus, it’s not like reanimation’s a thing I’m unfamiliar with.” He added under his breath. 
“They are quite annoying, I have tried various ways to get rid of them, but if I miss even one little worm, they re-infest everything again,” Quintin hated these things, maybe if he got his hands on a pixie they could munch away at them and then when he knows for sure they are gone, he’d have something else to play with. “You like science then, ouch! Stop it,” Quintin squished the few centimetre long worm with his thumb after it bit his finger, and knew he'd forget something because of these little bites. “Hey, I don’t talk a lot, I’m just not usually bothered or spoken to at all, so it’s been nice talking to you,” Q admitted, “I’m really not a kid, I know I dress like one...” Quintin grumbled. If he wasn’t so sleepy he’d have gotten up and left, people always picked fun at him, and never quite got used to it. “Oh yeah? Why’s that? People always shy away from talking about it. Super taboo for whatever reason.” “You dress like one, you talk like one, you pout like one...” Graham replied casually, hearing Quintin responding verbally to the bites now and then and part of him wanted to get bitten, too if only out of curiosity if he would feel it - fortunately, he was aware of his non-breathing so if these things drew blood, though he was curious about whatever mark they left on the kid, he had to actively work not to notice. He kept his bright eyes on the papers, quirking an eyebrow. Oh so he was bothering Quintin by waking him up? He was fairly sure that that wasn’t what he meant but he remembered not actually starting any conversation-- wait wait wait, he kinda did when he asked about the dissertation. That being said, if he recalled how many words he said compared to Quintin, the scales would be tilted considerably in the latter’s favour. Mmf, get out of his thoughts. “Life’s too short to be afraid of conversation, at the very least,” He dodged the question and kept filing through the papers. “So if it’s something you like talking about, you should be able to bounce ideas or whatever’s floating through your head at someone.”
“You would be really surprised how often I’m told to leave someone alone,” he shrugged. “I even got excited online the other night with someone who liked the band Warhorse, and I never find anyone who does, and they kept signing offline mid conversation for hours at a time. So, yeah-- it’s a little weird you want to chat with me.” Q guessed he was being a little bit like a baby right now, but he was tired from staying up for three days dissecting an arm, off a faerie he had captured, at the shoulder socket and attempted to fuse it to something else for hours upon hours. “Do you believe that a soul is required for a body to be labeled alive?” he asked, still moving pages over, finding a lot of them not infested which he was grateful for. “I’ve heard of creatures not requiring one, though life isn’t exactly the right word.” His eyes twinkled a little, “one of these days I’ll be able to wake someone up stored in cryo. I really wonder if their soul is hibernating in there, or if something else will show up.” The vampire elected to keep his comments about how he didn’t find the aspect of Quintin being told to leave someone alone surprising at all to himself and set aside a stack of papers. “I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Graham opted to respond to the first comment and shifted to furrowing his brow in mild contemplation as Q seemed to jump right back into his subject of interest again. “I used to,” He replied casually though he could feel walls starting to erect in his head and he found himself frustrated at their sudden structure. “I think maybe ‘soul’ isn’t the right word,” He shuffled more papers, finally seeing one of the worms and crushing it between his fingers before it had a chance to bite into him. “I don’t believe plants have souls, but they’re alive and have bodies.I’m ASSUMING that you’re referring to the difference between treating a body as an empty husk that’s inhabitable by ‘life’ and assuming that one human body belongs to one ‘soul’, which is bound to that body indefinitely and if that’s the case, if the soul moves on once it perceives its assigned body as ‘dead’.” He thought it was too late to be thinking this existentially. “And in that case, you need to talk to a philosopher. No hard science will be able to answer that for you.”
Quintin laughed. “True. True.” This was why science and biology was exciting. It tethered to so many other areas of study so easily. Stirred the mind to ponder and could contain no answers to the questions one wanted sometimes. “Belief fills the gaps of science. It’s very fun to see what opinions people have over things that are taboo or uncomfortable that contain no scientific backup. Life is special. Consciousness is too. But you know—“ some that are here and alive really don’t belong. He grinned in victory at the last page lifting it up to double check its words were still there and set it in the right pile. “Yay, I promised myself I’d take a break this month and not— doing that. Do you want to hang out again? You like to sing? We could do karaoke or eat bad food somewhere.” Quintin tried to ask without sounding desperate. Long-ass paper. That’s what Graham concluded by the time the duo seemed to reach the bottom of the seemingly-endless stack and he gave an artificial exhale as a sort of pat on the back for all his contribution. He placed his elbows on his knees, leaning back against his feet in his crouch and content to listen to Quintin go off on another tangent if that’s what he wanted but to his actual surprise, the latter made offers to go do stuff. Kill time? It was his turn to laugh, genuine and surprisingly warm. “You’re a weeeeird kid.” He remarked once he tapered his laughter. “Do YOU like to sing?” Karaoke bars usually weren’t someone’s first choice of ‘hanging out’ and even then, he was sure he thought Quintin would’ve been too quiet for that kind of activity. Maybe he DID hold surprises, after all. He extended an arm, fist balled and he lightly nudged Quintin’s shoulder with it. “...Yeah, alright. Karaoke. You pick the time and the place.” He smiled.
“Heyyyy, come on. We talked. You helped me. I can’t help but hope for a better background to keep chatting,” Quintin carefully this time, put the notes back in his bag and held the infested ones to his chest. “And I can sing— I love music.” He felt another tired pout almost plump his lips. Why was he so bad at being casual with people? He’s always awkward. Even the other hunters shy away from him. He tossed his bag on his shoulder, and rose up to unlock his big pick up truck. “Okay—“ he threw the bag in and set the papers down before writing his phone and online profile for him. “Here, you don’t have to.” He shrugged. “But it was kinda nice you could keep up with my gibberish. Maybe see you around.” He pulled himself into the truck. Graham straightened up when Quinton did and he kept his blue eyes on the gawky young man, chuckling and crossing his arms; the mental filter wasn’t too strong on this one. He must’ve been lonely. “Alright, Quintin,” He replied with a scoff. “I’ll see you next time. You better be able to deliver on that karaoke,” He finished the conversation with a call as Q climbed into the big truck that seemed to swallow him. The vampire gave one last look at the student before letting his head fall with another scoff at himself this time; why did he only seem to make friends with weird teenagers? He shook his head and texted his new roommate that he’d be home later than usual - something about Quintin, his face and how he carried himself reminded Graham that he was starving.
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