#after going to the hospital that morning for OTHER test results that were extremely concerning

[thegeekyartist]

I haven't napped this much since I was on antidepressants

[catohphm]

A True Friend for a Werewolf

Hi everyone, here’s the third in a series of drabbles that shed some light on my MC, Cato’s relationships with the canon characters of HPHM. I’ve written pieces for Talbott and Badeea. It’s Chiara’s turn now. For a while, we didn’t know what house she was in. She was revealed to be Hufflepuff in the sixth year. Chiara’s life and personality are defined by her biggest secret: she’s a werewolf. Very mysterious, she is. But unlike Talbott, she also faces social rejection and shame if her status is disclosed, not just government interference. In time, Cato grows to build a very close friendship with Chiara based on trust and a vow to look out for each other and keep their secrets safe. Just beware, this post is longer than the others as I provided some background and more details to help build the foundation of their bond. Enjoy!

Chiara Lobasca was born to an affluent family. Her father was an arithmancer and her mother was extremely skilled with memory charms. Due to her knowledge of the spells, she was employed by the Ministry as an Obliviator, responsible for solving violations of the secrecy laws by wiping the memories of muggles who were aware of the incident, as well as knowledge of magic in general. 

As a young child, Chiara ran afoul of the infamous werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. She was bitten by him and became a werewolf too. He attempted to recruit her for his army, which sought to take over the wizarding world as revenge for oppression against their kind. Fortunately, her parents were able to stop him and send him packing before their daughter could be influenced by him. Chiara, aware that she got lycanthropy from her encounter with the cruel Greyback, was extremely scared that he had gotten very close toward taking her away from home and doing who knows what to her. Sheltering their daughter, they chose to keep it private that she was a werewolf, knowing of the large negative stigma and laws that would make it hard to live with her condition. 

The Lobascas managed to live stable lives for some time afterwards, but the expenses of procuring Wolfsbane potion to help Chiara get through her transformations put strain on the family’s finances. She eventually befriended a neighbor named Selina, who wasn’t intimidated by hearing she was a werewolf. They were good friends until the former saw Chiara after she transformed. Selina was horrified and never talked to her again out of fear. Her memories were wiped by Chiara’s mum so she wouldn’t have to live haunted by the memories. It was from this incident that Chiara became a more guarded person, being very cautious over who she let into her circle.

She was sorted into Hufflepuff upon arriving at Hogwarts. Her secret meant her life and she understood that if it went out, she’d be in great danger. Chiara’s greatest fear was the fact she was a werewolf becoming known at school. Inside though, she remained the sweet, goodhearted individual she was before she was infected with lycanthropy. Between classes, she would help out Madam Pomfrey with work in the Hospital Wing, her dream of becoming a healer. It was there she first met Cato.

While Chiara found the Ravenclaw boy to be a kind soul who valued people, they remained only acquaintances for a while because of her previous experience with her former friend. They said “Hi!” or even waved to each other when they passed in the halls, but Chiara tried to avoid conversation as much as possible. Cato wondered why she was like this, but he had a feeling that she had something she didn’t want to share, so he respected her choice. It was early into their third year that they got closer.

Cato, Penny and Chiara were all in Herbology when a boggart emerged from its hiding spot. It took the form of a werewolf. Hearing Penny’s shouts, Chiara ducked under a table and fled from the greenhouse when the boggart was repelled. Her memories of Selina finding out she was a werewolf were triggered by the incident. As a result, she became less like her usual self and isolated herself more from her peers. Both they and her professors caught on this and grew worried. Penny was concerned too, and she sought her best friend Cato to try to speak to her roommate and find out what’s going on. 

He was advised by Penny not to mention her to Chiara, as she is worried that her encounter with the boggart may create a rift between them. Cato was worried too, as he hadn’t seen Chiara in the hospital wing much after the ruckus in the greenhouse. He first questioned Madam Pomfrey on her whereabouts. She suggested he look in a cupboard down the hallway she uses to store medical potions and other supplies separate from Snape’s classroom so that students wouldn’t touch them during classes.

Cato went to the cupboard, quietly muttering "I hope you're in there, Chiara." A door opens and her, recognizing him by his voice, ushers him in and quickly shuts the door. Chiara explains that she has to tell him something, needing someone outside of her house that she can be able to trust with the information. He learns of a rumor that she overheard about a first year who was attacked by a mysterious white creature in the Forbidden Forest which was believed to be a werewolf. The victim is believed to be a Gryffindor named Pippa MacMillian as she was reported absent from Astronomy the night the attack took place. Hearing this made Chiara desperate. Afraid of what could happen if people started thinking she was the creature, Chiara wanted to tell somebody she knew who could be able to help her solve the mystery.

Together, she and Cato sought out Pippa, who couldn’t recall anything the moment she was attacked in the woods. With the help of a memory potion, she was able to explain that wasn’t sure if her assailant was actually a werewolf. Claw marks on the arm prompted the assumption it was a lycanthrope. Chiara was very relieved to hear this. The three of them dispelled the rumors with Penny’s help, who was also happy to learn the good news. Cato and Chiara became friends after the case was solved. They talked more, especially when they were assigned together in classes such as Herbology. She was still careful with how deep the conversations got, but entrusted Cato with her secret, knowing she could depend on him.

Eventually, their bond would be put to the test. Chiara introduced Cato to an acquaintance of hers, another werewolf named Remus Lupin. She revealed how she shared some of the wolfsbane potion she received from the school to aid in his plight. Lupin was poor and had to keep moving and changing jobs every once in a while to prevent people from finding out he was a werewolf. He stopped accepting wolfsbane from Chiara as it was now time for him to keep moving on. Before leaving, he reminded her that the full moon would be out that night.

That night, Cato and Chiara were playing gobstones, where they opened up a bit more about each other’s lives. She quickly left after remembering Lupin’s warning about the Full Moon. Urgently looking for a safe place to transform, a greatly worried Cato followed her to the Training Grounds. She was about to tell him to run. But it was seconds before she shifted into her werewolf form. Instead, she told him to not let her hurt anyone. As she transformed right in front of Cato, he covered his eyes with his hands, tripping and falling on the ground. When he looked back up, Chiara was now a large werewolf with white fur. She was menacing, but there appeared to be some hesitance in her motion. Cato pulled out his wand, got up and with it behind his back, he called out at her “This is not who you’re really like Chiara! Remember, you’re my friend! You can count on me!” Chiara pauses for a moment, halted by what he just said, but then becomes aggressive. He calls out “I’m sorry! I have to make sure you don’t hurt yourself or anyone, for you! Cato casts Flipendo but the jinx misses and the transformed Chiara strikes him, knocking him back to the ground. His arm is now hurting from the hard blow, but he remembers the Banishing Charm he had learned from Charms a few days ago. Teeth-clenched from the pain of his arm, Cato aims his wand at the werewolf as she closes in to him, his eyes now brimming with tears. He mutters out “Depulso” in a stressed, worried tone. A mass of bluish-white energy explodes from the tip of his wand, blasting the werewolf Chiara several feet away from Cato.

She gets back up on her feet and stares at Cato. A twinkle gleams across her eyes and she makes out a weak smile, before turning away and running back toward the Forbidden Forest to wait out the rest of the night. The morning after the fight, Cato joins Chiara in the artifact room to catch up on the night before. She, although surprised, thanks him for standing by her and not running away when she turned into a werewolf. She then explains why she was keeping her distance all this time, recalling the incident when her neighbor found out what she looked like as werewolf and asked her mum to Obliviate Selena so that she wouldn’t have to live in fear. Chiara was then reluctant to make friends as she didn’t want to harm others through her lycanthropy. Now confident enough to face her fears, she fully opens up to Cato. 

He presents her a photo he recovered from the Training Ground after the fight. It was a beautiful color photo of the sun setting over the Black Lake, with Hogwarts Castle in the foreground. Chiara lets Cato keep it as gratitude for his help, and tells him that Lupin gave it to her. The photo was taken by Lupin’s friend James Potter, both of whom were part of the Marauders during their years in school. Cato learns from Chiara that the message of the photo is “The morning will always come.” They immediately give each other a big hug, Cato still holding the photo in one hand. She remarks “This is for not giving up on me. Thank you, Cato!" He answers “Anything I can do for my friends. They’re like family to me.” Chiara then said “I’ll always be able to make it through even the darkest night, so long as I have the support of my friends.”

They were best friends after those events, and continued to be so well into adulthood. Eventually Cato would retire from the high-adventure lifestyle of curse-breaking, looking for a more stable job he enjoyed that could also support his wife Penny and their two sons. He was hired as a healer at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Working with Penny and Chiara, Cato and they would often reminisce about their past adventures in school and as young adults. He continues to keep the photo Chiara gave him back in Hogwarts as a token of their friendship.

[polarbearaone]

☔︎ Sayuri

✞ synopsis: Aone thought your life with him was supposed to be long and happy, but all good things must come to an end right?.....

✞ pairing: Aone x fem! reader

✞genre: angst :(

✞ warnings: character death! mentions of v*miting, pregnancy and health conditions

The look on everyone's face when Aone proposed to you was to die for. Within the crowd there were surprised team players of the VC Date team along with elated coworkers from the construction firm that Aone invited. Oh, failed to mention that Aone proposed during one of his volleyball games. Soon you would be (Y/N) Aone, married to Takanobu Aone. Dating for the past six years, Aone was the best partner you could ask for. He never left your side, even accepted you with you and your past. When he met your parents, Aone told your father a trick to keep his plants from freezing during the harsh winters from Japan, since that day, your father began referring to Aone as “son”. Five years later, Aone was sitting on his soon to be in-laws couch, asking for your hand. Your parents understood how amazing Takanobu was, they knew he would never leave your side and always protect you.

“What theme should we have for our wedding?” Aone blurted out one day while dinner was steaming on the stove. “Already thinking about themes huh?” the way you looked at him, wearing his shirt while you made your way to the stove. If it were up to him, Aone would marry you in that very kitchen. The kitchen was where there were so many memories waiting to be made. “A turtle theme would be nice” you jokingly said. Aone started to lightly tap his chin, considering the theme. “Babe, I’m joking,” you said giggling. “oh” Aone said, in his little voice. “(y/n), can I ask you something?” Aone asked, playing with the strings of his shirt. You gave him a quick nod as you continued cooking dinner. “Can we get a turtle?” he said, a soft blush appearing on his face. Putting down what you had, you walked over and cupped his face. “Is it going to be our first child?” replying with the biggest smile on your face. The blush on his face matched the red shirt he was wearing. His brain was going wild, his dream was always to have a family with you. Kissing his forehead, you replied, “We can go tomorrow to the pet store”

The headaches began around a month after the proposal. You thought it was the stress of planning your perfect wedding. Aone noticed you were hurting when you did not accompany him to feed Kame, your turtle. He did not open the curtains like he usually did, nor did he give you a forehead kiss in fear that he will cause more pain. He started brewing tea and gave you some medicine. He let you stay in bed that day, and the day after that, also the whole week. Aone was worried sick, he knew stress caused headaches but every single day? His mother reassured him that the stress of working, trying to plan a wedding but also being there for Aone was a lot and that he should pamper her. Aone cleaned the whole house that afternoon, he even cooked your favorite dinner. It was supposed to be a perfect night, but you came home with a pale look on your face. The mere smell of the food made you run to the bathroom. Anything you ate that day came out of you as you hunched over the toilet. Aone held your hair back, softly rubbing your back. After emptying your stomach, you leaned into Aone’s touch. You needed him, his support, his love. As you slowly fell asleep on his lap, one thing ran through Aone’s mind, what if you were pregnant? You two were sexually active, plus it would explain the nausea and headaches. His mind was going wild once again, Kame finally will not be your own child anymore.

“hey honey, can I ask something?” Aone whispered into your ear as he massaged your head, a common occurrence in the morning. You hummed an answer. “do you possibly think you could be pregnant?”. The question lingered in your mind. Could you? It would make sense. After taking some medicine, you booked an appointment to the doctor. With Aone next to you, you knew you would be ok. The days leading up the appointment felt like forever. You were still with nausea and headaches, but you were excited to find out if a mini Aone was formed in your stomach. Finally, the day arrived. Aone was nervous next to you, you felt his handshake as he held yours. “Baby, you are more worried than me” you said giggling at him, “I just want you to be ok” he replied. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N)” The nurse called. “Wait here ok?” you reassured him before entering the hallway. After many tubes of blood later, the doctor asked you to come back when the results were done.

A week later, Aone and you were waiting for the doctor in his office. All Aone wanted to hear that you were pregnant so his worries can subside. The doctor entered with a gloomy face. “Unfortunately, the blood test we did let us know that you weren’t pregnant but there is something more concerning” the doctor stated. The grip Aone’s hand on you faded away, at this point he did not care if you were not pregnant. He wanted you to be ok. “What’s more concerning?” Aone asked the doctor. “ We see some hormones that are way higher than they are supposed to be, we only see these types of numbers when a tumor is present near the pituitary gland, we would like to do more studies to confirm our suspicions” Tumor was the only word in your mind. You could have a tumor. The doctor requested more blood work, and scans. The weeks following, many of your symptoms began to worsen. Your vision began to blur, migraines began more and more frequent, even had a seizure. Aone was terrified, but even with fear, he never left your side. He held you every time you felt weak, he spoons fed you soup his mother taught him to make. The wedding was postponed until you felt better but you told Aone that both of you should get married legally before having any celebration just in case anything happened. “Nothing is going to happen (y/n), you and I will get through this ok?”

You seemed to get worse. You had to be admitted to the hospital due to your condition. After many more scans, it was revealed that the tumor in your brain was a mere 5 centimeters long. Despite being so small, it caused you excruciating pain. The physical pain you felt was nothing compared to the news you received two weeks later. “We have extremely bad news” the group of doctors who had been treating you said. “The tumor located inside your brain is too dangerous to live with, it cannot be surgically removed” Your sobs could be heard from across the hallway. Aone tried to calm you down, he held you so close to him, he could not lose you. Your sobs subsided when the doctor cleared his throat “That is not all”. “It’s not your fault that you didn’t notice since pregnancy symptoms are similar to your symptoms but you’re roughly two weeks pregnant.” The room had an eerie silence to it. The pain inside of you was so immense that crying was not an option anymore. “You have to do something! She cannot live like this! What about the baby?” Aone practically yelled at the doctors. Despite knowing him for 5+ years, you had never heard him yell. “Baby, shh, its fine. They did what they could” You said, trying to calm Aone down. “B-but” Aone was choking on his own sobs. Now it was you holding Aone. The doctors made it aware that the last weeks of your life should be spent at home, with your Fiancé. The baby would not survive much longer, therefore the both of you should cherish the small amount of time you had.

The following weeks were filled with smiles and pain. You were getting paler, weaker. Aone could see life leaving you as the days progressed. He saw how tired you were, each day you got more and more tired. You could barely walk over and see Kame anymore. Aone resulted into bringing him inside for you. Kame specifically liked when your soft blankets covers his shard shell, Aone loved seeing you two sleep with one another, well three. Aone remained strong for you. When you would sleep, he sat near you, crying. The love of his life, the one who was supposed to be there for him through it all, was dying. He felt that he could not keep his promise to protect you. You nor his child. He got into bed next to you and Kame, wishing you a beautiful night. That morning was like any other, except it was Kame who nudged him to wake up. He groggily got out of bed to make your tea for your medication. Something felt off to him. Usually you nudge him to wake him up. He ran towards your shared bedroom, turning on the lights. He knew you would kill him if he did but he needed to know your awake. Despite the bright light shining in the room, you were silent. Kame on the other hand was making an array of noises. He walked towards you, tears threatening to fall. “Baby?” he whispered. He fell to his knees. He felt weak, he felt empty. Aone began to shake you, trying desperately to wake you. “(Y/N) this isn't funny, wake up” Aone shook you one last time, before screaming into the bed. He ran to dial an ambulance. The paramedics looked at Aone with sorry eyes, he knew what those eyes meant. “Take her to the hospital now” Aone said, growing at them. “ Sir-”... “I SAID TAKE HER”.

The doctor who was treating you slowly sat next to Aone in the waiting room. “She was strong” Like you a couple weeks ago, the pain Aone felt didn’t allow him to cry. “I know that nothing is visible yet but here” The doctor handed Aone an ultrasound picture. “The baby is too small to see yet but they’re there. No matter how much it hurts, know that they will both be there, forever.” The doctor gave Aone one last hug goodbye, before walking back to the hallway you once entered through. Aone stood outside the door of your shared house. How could he enter without you? How could he ever live without you? His thoughts were erased when he felt something hit his leg. Looking down, he saw Kame rubbing his head on his leg. Slowly picking up Kame, he headed inside. Sitting on the couch with Kame, he showed the turtle the ultrasound. “This is your sibling Kame, I’m not sure what gender they were but this is Sayuri, my small lily”

a.n: NOT ME CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY AT THIS. also I wanna thank @nuttymouthful for this idea! It was originally an reincarnation au! but I got lost at the end :( so I closed it with a bittersweet (?) ending. Reader was supposed to reincarnate as Kame but idk kame is a himbo turtle but that’s ok. PLZ REQUEST MORE ANGST I LOVE THIS

tags: @elianetsantana @girlofdystopia @kara-grayson04

[glenncoco4]

Doctors and Detectives Part 4

Final chapter of this mini-series! Hope you guys enjoyed it!

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

She slowly starts to come to, not sure if it’s been 15 minutes or 15 hours. It’s dark that she knows, the only light in the area is coming from a semi-large fire in the corner. Her fingers find the crown of her head where she feels the stickiness of her blood trail from. Judging by how quickly she went out, the blood and the nausea that is slowly making itself known, she can without a doubt diagnose that she has at least a mild concussion along with a possible broken ulna.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly sits up as she assess the rest of her body and once satisfied she’s able, she stands up to gather her bearings. Knowing that her arm will get in the way, she begrudgingly takes off her white coat and blue scrub top, unpinning her father’s ring and slipping it into her pocket before ripping the seam of the blue top to use as a makeshift sling.

She picks up her phone, already knowing that it’s dead, and seeing as though she may be stuck here for awhile all she knows to do is look for others.

The day only gets worse as she’s maneuvering around the rubble and comes face to face with many lifeless bodies that belong to her colleagues. She has no idea how she’s going to recover from this...if she ever does.

A sudden cry draws her attention towards the blazing fire. Getting closer, the cries become louder, she’s examining all around looking for any signs when a head of curly black hair that’s covered in soot hits her line of sight.

Quickly jumping over the steel beam, the doctor races towards the little girl who is probably no more that 4 years old. Tears are falling down her little cheeks, the light of the fire illuminating her ebony colored skin, and the most heart wrenching terror in her brown orbs. “Hey, sweetie. It’s okay.”

“I want my mommy.” She whimpers, her cries dying down as Kensi’s presences calms her a little.

“Okay, we’re gonna find your mommy. Can you tell me if you hurt anywhere?”

“My leg and my tummy.”

She’s never been all that great with kids, I mean her patients sure, but outside of the hospital and her stint with DWB, she’s never really around them. But this little girl needs her right now so she can’t dwell on that. “Okay, what’s your name, baby?”

“Everly.”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

She smiles her tears all but dried up. ‘Thank you. What’s your name?”

“My name is Kensi.”

The curly haired little girl suddenly gasps, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. “That’s my bestest friend’s name.”

“No way.”

Everly nods her head but then winces as the movement causes her abdominal muscles to contract.

“Okay, Everly, is it okay if I check your tummy?”

She nods, cringing as the doctor slowly pulls up her shirt.

The brunette doesn’t even need to test the tenderness her belly to know what’s wrong. The extremely darkened skin tells her what she feared all along...internal bleeding. Their rescue is even more paramount now.  

“Am I gonna die?”

“Not if I have anything to do with it.”

Knowing that they’re in a vulnerable place, the brunette takes a scan around the rubble in search of tools to make a splint for the little girl’s leg. “Okay, sweetie, I need to splint your leg, its gonna hurt but I need you to be brave for me.”

“Okay.”

Grabbing the two pieces of wood and tearing the cloth of her top, Kensi adjusts Everly’s leg resulting in a high pitched scream of pain.  

“You are so brave. You’re doing great.”

“I want my mommy.” Tears pool in her little eyes once again unable to hide how scared she truly is now.

“I know you do, baby. I know you do.”

She doesn’t know how long they’re gonna be stuck down here so she carefully picks up the little girl and walks over to find the sturdiest place possible. The sturdiest place possible also happens to be right next to one of the bodies of her colleagues that she thankfully covered up with her coat. Sliding down against a beam, Kensi cradles Everly in her arms, hoping that help is on the way.

The doctors sees the little girl slowly starting to drift off, she has to think on her feet knowing that she needs to keep her awake. “So, how old are you?”

“Five.”

“Wow, that’s old.”

“I’m almost a grown up.”

“You are. Do you have any tattoos?”

The little girl giggles as if that’s the most absurd question. “No, silly.”

“What about a boyfriend?”

“Uh-huh, I have three.” She says matter of factly.

The brunette’s eyes widen in surprise. “3? How do you keep up with that?”

“They know their place.”

“Oh, do they?”

“Yep. What about you?”

Kensi’s mind begins to drift off as she thinks back to two days ago and how she and her love spent the entire morning curled up in bed together before heading to the beach, only to come back home and end the day the way they started it. She just really hopes it wasn’t the last. “Yeah, I have a boyfriend.”

“Just one?”

The surprise in Everly’s chocolate orbs makes the doctor laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think I could keep up with 3.”

“What’s he look like?”

The woman thinks about the best way to describe Deeks when a grin spreads to her lips. “Have you ever watched Scooby-Doo?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, he looks exactly like Shaggy.”

They both start to laugh, but abruptly stop  when Everly winces in pain. All Kensi can do is make her comfortable now as her mind wanders back to the man she loves, wondering where he’s at and imagining the turmoil he’s going through right now.

XXXX

“You gotta let me in there, Claire.” The blonde detective follows the chief firefighter as she continues to help those that are being brought out by rescue.

“I’m sorry, Deeks, but I can’t have any more civilians in there.” She sighs knowing exactly how he’s feeling. It wasn’t too long ago that her wife was being held hostage at the bank and he was the one telling her she couldn’t go in even as a trained medic.

“Kensi’s in there.”

“I know. A lot of people’s Kensis are in there. You gotta let us do our job so we can get them out.”

It’s then that Jake comes over, pulling him away from the thick of the action so that Claire along with the others can get back to work and hopefully bring Kensi out alive. “Come on, man. Come help us over here.”

“I can’t loose her.” He starts to break at the thought of her lifeless body mangled in the rubble.

Jake’s arms wrap around his partner, trying to give his best friend the most comfort he can right now. No doubt if Katie were in there he’d be acting the same way. “I know, buddy. I know.”

XXXX

The silence around only builds with time as it finally sets within the doctor’s mind that they may very well die in here. As the fire only continues to burn hotter and spread, its inevitable.

“Kensi?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we gonna die?”

“No. No, we’re not.” She hates giving the little girl a false sense of hope but she can’t find it in herself to tell this sweet little girl that they’re most likely going to take their last breaths in this place.

There’s a beat of silence when suddenly voices that are not their own can be heard over the cracklings of fire. “Call out. LAFD. If anyone can here me, call out.”

“Over here! We’re over here!” Tears start to flood her mismatched chocolate orbs not only because this little girl will get the medical attention she now needs but once again she’ll be able to look into his beautiful cerulean blues and tell him how much she loves him.

It’s takes about 30 minutes for the firefighters to get her and Everly out. She’s able to walk out of the rubble on her own, her hand never leaving Everly’s as she’s carried out on a backboard. Once satisfied that the curly haired girl is being taken care of and is reunited with her mother, Kensi is ushered over to an ambulance where a medic attends to her injuries.

A few minutes later the medic places the last butterfly bandage across her forehead, as she’s looking across the parking lot, suddenly locking eyes with him. His cerulean blues are full of concern.

She watches as he takes a deep breath before he starts running towards her, zigging and zagging through the crowd of people. Tears threaten to spill from her eyes as he closes the distance between them, his arms opening wide, leaving her to all but fall into his embrace. “God I love you so much.”

“I love you.”

He pulls back slightly from their embrace, cradling her head between his hands while he examines her injuries. “Are you okay?”

God how she loves this man. She’s not really sure what’s going to happen after today but as long as he’s here she knows she’ll be okay. With a small smile, she leans forward, bringing her lips to his, pouring all the love she has for him into the kiss. “I am now.”

As they relish in the feel of being wrapped up in each other’s arms, Deeks’ eyes are drawn to the figure walking up to them, curiously wondering what’s going on.

“Excuse me, Kensi?”

The brunette turns around as she sees the man approach hesitantly. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Everly’s dad.”

“How is she?”

“She’s was rushed into surgery, but the other doctor said that if it wasn’t for you she’d be dead. My little girl’s alive because of you.”

“It’s nothing really.”

“No, it’s everything.” Shaking his head, he can feel the tears build up in his eyes. “Everly told my wife how you kept her safe and wouldn’t leave her side.”

“She kept me safe just as much. You’ve got a strong  little girl in there.”

She sends him a small smile as he almost looks a little lost. “Go be with your family.”

“Thank you.”

Deeks sees that she’s about to loose it, so he takes hold of her good arm and pulls her behind the ambulance. His arms carefully find their way around her and the tension in her body slowly ebbs away, tears now falling from her eyes.

She slowly collapses against him, pulling him to the ground with her as the pain of today lets itself known. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I know. All I could think about was never holding you again or seeing your beautiful smile or...”

She looks up at him, reddened eyes full of curiosity. “Or what?”

Reaching into his pocket, the detective pulls out the small object that he’s been holding onto for months now. “Or give you this.”

More tears begin to fall from her eyes at the sight of the delicate diamond ring placed between his fingers.

“I know this isn’t the most romantic of settings but after today, I just can’t wait anymore...Dr. Blye, will you marry me?”

She can’t help but let out a teary-eyed laugh, as she reaches into her own pocket and pulls out the band that once belonged to her father. “Only if you marry me.”

“So is that a yes?”

She burrows her head back into his chest, nodding in confirmation.

This time its a little easier to find the joy instead of dwelling on the sadness.

[thepoliticalpatient]

How to get your Humira level tested thru Prometheus

I started taking Humira for my Crohn's in July of last year. Getting onto this medication was a gigantic pain in my ass, but I actually think the part that ended up being the hardest was dealing with getting my levels tested, so I wanted to write a post detailing that process. There is lots of info here that I wish I had known at the start. I actually have been wanting to write this post since last September, which was when I actually had the test done, but the whole situation didn't get fully wrapped up until today, 6 months later, and I didn't want to write it until I had complete information.

I will try very hard to make this an informative post and not just a rant but I'm not sure I have the self-restraint tbh.

OK, to start: what even is this test? With biologics, you need to maintain a high enough concentration of the drug in your system, to prevent your body from producing antibodies against the medication, and for it to be effective. My (now former - more on that soon lol) gastroenterologist is pretty passionate about making sure his patients keep a good level and will have them go on a weekly dose instead of the normal every-other-week dose if their levels aren't to his liking.

Importantly, the timing of this test is vital. You can't get it measured in the days immediately after you inject or your levels will be super high. The goal is to find out what the level is when it's at its lowest, i.e. in the day or two before your injection. My (former) gastroenterologist wanted me to get this test done between my second and third doses. That didn't end up happening because of how much of a clusterfuck this whole thing was.

So this test is only done by one company in the United States, Prometheus Biosciences. The name of the test is Anser ADA. They also have similar tests for measuring the levels of other biologics, like Anser IFX which measures Remicade levels (ADA = adalimumab, which is the generic name for Humira; IFX = infliximab, or Remicade). They have tests for Stelara and Entyvio too. If I had to guess, I'd say that the info in this post is probably pertinent to those tests as well, but I cannot guarantee it. I only know for sure about my own experience with Anser ADA.

Because this test can only be performed by Prometheus, it is likely that you cannot just go to your hospital's lab and have them draw your blood. It's possible they will do this draw for you and mail the blood to Prometheus, but you'll want to be certain to clarify this with your doctor.

My doctor's office gave me a lot of extremely wrong information, so I had no idea about this. I actually showed up at my hospital's phlebotomy lab on the morning before my third Humira dose, handed them a form that my doctor's staff had given me that contained the order for the bloodwork, and they took my blood and I thought I was done with it. Then WEEKS later at my next appointment with my doctor, he was like "did you ever get that Prometheus test done?" and I was like "wait do you not have the results back from the blood I gave weeks ago?" and he was like "you absolute imbecile, we can't do that lab for you, you need to schedule that with Prometheus's phlebotomists" (I'm paraphrasing a little bit here). To this day I have no idea what happened to the blood I gave at the lab! I assume they were like "wait what do we do with this lol" and then threw it in the garbage and didn't bother to inform me????

This was just one of many bad experiences I’ve had with this doctor/hospital, but this was the one that finally pushed me over the edge. I have since changed to a new GI at a different hospital (which was its own fucking saga, omg, it should not be so hard to get your medical records transferred from one hospital to another).

ANYWAY, my point is, be very certain to talk with your doctor about whether your hospital can draw this blood for you. If they can't, you have to call Prometheus to set up a draw with them.

Prometheus is located in California but contracts with a network of phlebotomists throughout the country. You can set up an appointment for a phlebotomist to come to your home to draw your blood.

For some goddamn reason, instead of equipping their phlebotomists with the supplies they'll need, Prometheus will mail you a package ahead of your appointment that contains some supplies.

Here's my next pro-tip: Prometheus will use some very scary language to make it sound like you need to be waiting right at the door when this package arrives and to immediately put some of the contents of the package into the freezer or else something terrible will happen. This is not true. What's actually happening here is that the package will contain some shipping supplies, including an insulated container and an ice pack, which the phlebotomist will need in order to store your blood safely. They want you to pre-freeze that ice pack before the phlebotomist arrives so that it will be ready to go as soon as your blood is drawn. That's it. So there's nothing in the package that's gonna, like, go bad or something if you don't get it into the freezer right away.

The whole thing was kind of stressful because I didn't have any tracking info on the package or anything, but it did arrive ahead of my appointment.

Okay so the next big topic here is PAYMENT. This is a $2,500 test, and most insurance doesn't cover it.

Around the same time I scheduled the draw with Prometheus, I sent a message to my insurance carrier to ask whether they would cover the test. The rep who replied to my message needed to know the CPT code for the test and the NPI for Prometheus, which I found on Prometheus's prior authorization form here. The insurance rep then said that this test would require my doctor to complete a prior authorization. If I got the prior auth, then insurance would cover the test at the out-of-network rate, which would require me to pay 35% of the cost. Without the prior authorization, they would deny the claim entirely.

I sent a message to my doctor's office asking them to complete the prior authorization stat, as I had already scheduled the draw with Prometheus and there wasn't much time. I was hesitant to cancel my draw, because that would require me to wait at least another 2 weeks (since you have to time the draw with your Humira doses), and I was already months later on this test than my doctor had originally wanted because of the whole snafu with thinking I could get it drawn at my hospital. My doctor's assistant replied and said she didn't think they'd have time to complete the prior auth, but not to cancel my appointment. She assured me that Prometheus would not charge me more than $75 if my insurance denied the claim.

I was extremely nervous about this. I was mainly concerned because I had found this info about Prometheus's payment assist program, which says that they'll reduce the charge to $75 if your income is below a certain threshold, and mine is not. Based on the info on that page, it looked like I didn’t qualify for any cost reduction, so I was pretty convinced they were gonna charge me the full $2,500.

Looking at the claims on my insurer's website, I see that Prometheus indeed tried to charge my insurance $2,500 for the test, and my insurance denied it. There is an additional $50 claim to my insurance, which insurance did pay, which I think was for the cost of having the phlebotomist visit my home.

Prometheus sent me several mailers about their payment assist program, which I just ignored because my income is too high. And for the next 6 months I sat anxiously waiting to receive a bill in the mail for several thousand dollars.

Well I'm happy to report that today, I finally received the bill from Prometheus, and it is for $75. I don't know why exactly they reduced it to that amount, but I am certainly not going to complain.

Now, I'm not certain of this, but my GUESS would be that the $75 rate is only for people who are doing self-pay. So, hilariously, if I had gotten the prior authorization done on time, my out of network coinsurance would have required me to pay 35% of the total claim, which would be $875. So, I mean....I can't guarantee that your experience will be the same as mine, but it seems to me like it is to your advantage to not go through your insurance for this test.

Oh, and Prometheus will NOT hold your test results hostage while they try to get paid. They sent the results to my doctor soon after the draw. And my levels were good!

ANYWAY, this was long, but I wanted to share everything I wish I had known before going through this. I hope it will help someone else who is trying to navigate this process!!!

[hopebird3]

US coronavirus: it might take 'many, many' more vaccine mandates to conclusion the Covid-19 pandemic, Fauci says

© Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty photos an indication backyard of Langer's Deli in l. a. on August 7 mentioning proof of a Covid-19 vaccination is required for entry. tens of millions of americans nonetheless should get vaccinated to sluggish or cease the unfold of Covid-19 and getting the pandemic below manage could take "many, many" more vaccine mandates, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. Fauci, the director of the national Institute of allergy and Infectious ailments, said if greater individuals aren't persuaded to get vaccinated with the aid of messaging from health officers and "trusted political messengers," extra mandates from colleges and companies can be vital. "I agree with it truly is going to turn this round because I don't suppose individuals are going to wish to no longer go to work or no longer go to college ... they will do it," Fauci told CNN's Jen Christensen right through an interview at the NLGJA, the affiliation of LGBTQ Journalists, conference Sunday. "you'd like to have them do it on a totally voluntary groundwork, but if that would not work, you've gotten acquired to move to the alternatives." The mixture of the tremendously contagious Delta variant and the vaccine holdouts has put the U.S. in a "very intricate period" of the Covid-19 pandemic, Fauci spoke of. Of the eligible population within the US, which is presently confined to americans 12 and older, 63% are completely vaccinated, in line with statistics from the facilities for sickness control and Prevention. health experts and officials are aiming for the colossal majority of the inhabitants to be inoculated to control the unfold. ultimate week, President Joe Biden introduced vaccine requirements that include a mandate for companies with greater than a hundred employees to require vaccination or general checking out for employees. businesses that desire employees to come to work and live at work will advantage from vaccine necessities, US Surgeon accepted Dr. Vivek Murthy said. The mandate will advantage personnel as neatly, he introduced. "I consider so that you can now not most effective enhance public fitness, nonetheless it will give individuals some extra peace of intellect," Murthy instructed CNN Sunday. because the debate over mandates continues, some hospitals are feeling the impact of lagging vaccination charges. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis sounded the alarm Friday, saying, "We actually have the bottom ICU purchasable price that we've got had due to the fact that the start of this disaster, in part as a result of the unvaccinated with Covid and just different kinds of trauma that goes up seasonally this time of yr." Polis spoke of some hospitals in his state "reaching very near their means limits. And that wouldn't be going on if americans were vaccinated." To booster, or no longer to booster? an international neighborhood of vaccine scientists, together with some from the USA meals and Drug Administration and the world health corporation, say the latest evidence on Covid-19 vaccines doesn't appear to help a need for booster photographs within the typical public. The scientists, who authored a paper about this, include two senior FDA vaccine leaders, Dr. Philip Krause and Marion Gruber, who can be stepping down in October and November, the FDA introduced late final month. No additional details had been launched about their retirements, although they sparked questions on even if the departures would affect the agency's work. The paper's authors write that vaccine efficacy is still high against extreme sickness, including for the enormously transmissible Delta variant, despite the fact much less so for symptomatic disease. "existing evidence doesn't, for this reason, seem to reveal a need for boosting in the established inhabitants, wherein efficacy in opposition t extreme disorder is still excessive," the scientists write within the new paper, published Monday in the clinical journal The Lancet. The FDA and other public fitness companies all over proceed to verify evidence on Covid-19 vaccine efficacy and the role booster doses of the vaccine might play in improving immunity towards the disorder. different facts on the area will quickly be coming. the brand new England Journal of medicine will post Israeli information displaying that a booster shot of Pfizer's vaccine dramatically lowered severe Covid-19, in line with Dr. Nachman Ash, director prevalent of the Israeli Ministry of health. Israel begun its booster software on August 1; booster photographs were given to 2.eight million people there up to now. thus far, a good deal of the country's statistics on the efficacy of booster photographs has no longer been reviewed through outdoor specialists and published in a medical journal. US federal fitness officers have introduced plans to offer booster doses this autumn, starting September 20, discipline to authorization from the FDA and consent from the CDC. The FDA's Vaccines and related biological products Advisory Committee is assembly on Friday to talk about the utility with the aid of vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech to manage their Covid-19 vaccine as a 3rd dose, or "booster" shot, to individuals a while sixteen and older. children could get access to vaccines by means of Halloween parents concerned about keeping their young toddlers from the virus could have access to vaccinations for them by using for Halloween, talked about the former commissioner of the FDA. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who's a board member at Pfizer, informed CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday the company is expected to have statistics on vaccinations for children a long time 5-eleven ready for the FDA through the conclusion of September. "The FDA says it can be a matter of weeks, not months, to make a choice if they're going to authorize vaccines for youngsters between 5 to 11. I interpret that to be in all probability four weeks, might be six weeks," said Gottlieb. however, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky turned into greater guarded about when kids can also be vaccinated. She spoke of Monday that the CDC is working urgently on a Covid-19 vaccine for more youthful infants, with the hope that they might be vaccinated via the conclusion of the 12 months. "We're looking ahead to the businesses to put up the information to the FDA. We're looking forward to to be able to take place within the fall," she advised NBC's "nowadays" exhibit. "we will look at that records from the FDA, from the CDC, with the urgency that we all consider for getting our children vaccinated and we're hoping by means of the conclusion of the 12 months." meanwhile, the FDA cautioned parents not to race to vaccinate their infants before approval from the agency. "babies don't seem to be small adults -- and issues that may well be addressed in pediatric vaccine trials can include whether there's a need for diverse doses or distinctive energy formulations of vaccines already used for adults," the FDA pointed out in a statement Friday. until it's protected to vaccinate that age neighborhood, Dr. James Versalovic, pathologist-in-chief at Texas toddlers's sanatorium, informed CBS that prevention is critical. "moreover prevention ... we need to continue to stress to all folks and families the importance of timely diagnosing through testing," Versalovic spoke of. "after which triage the care as it should be. decide no matter if that baby needs clinic-based care. We understand a way to treat babies at this point in the pandemic." NYC welcomes lower back college students ny city public college device reopened Monday morning with a hundred% of its students lower back in lecture rooms. "we have been working for 18 months to get equipped for this present day," big apple schooling Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter advised CNN in an interview Friday. All college students and teachers returning to school on Monday could be required to wear masks, and the city previously introduced a vaccine mandate for all public college personnel and not using a checking out opt-out. On Friday, the United Federation of teachers mentioned in an announcement that an unbiased arbitrator determined lecturers who have documented or non secular exemptions ought to be provided a non-classroom assignment. department of schooling officers spoke of Monday that 74% of lecturers and 66% of scholars 12-17 years historical have been vaccinated in long island metropolis. US training Secretary Miguel Cardona seemed virtually from a Bronx school and praised NYC officials for the reopening plan. "To all the families which are observing -- they've worked so tough, they've organized, they are doing everything to make sure your little ones and body of workers are secure," Cardona referred to. also on Monday, NYC all started enforcing its vaccination passport guidelines, which makes vaccinations required for indoor eating, gyms, and different venues. "here is the day we now have been watching for," de Blasio referred to Monday. heritage will bear in mind it, he stated, as "a day that was a online game changer, a change maker, a flip round day. this is the day NYC's coming returned in full force." 먹튀검증

[hphmmatthewluther]

HPHM April Prompts 2021: Day 4: A Potion To Remember

@stupendousbookworm​ ‘s #aprilprompts2021 heats up today, as Matthew and Merula work together to brew a Love Potion. I decided to make this a part 2 of yesterday’s prompt, and while it isn’t needed to enjoy this, it will explain some things that are mentioned. Either way, enjoy!

Prompt # 5 - Uh oh, it's potions class with Professor Snape! Oh, but what's that? MC is paired with (Love Interest) to make Amortentia! What will MC smell like, and what will MC smell?

“Matt, are you feeling alright?” Rowan asked as the Ravenclaws trotted down to the Dungeons.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Why do you ask?” he said, playing with his silver bracelet.

“You just seem a little...distracted by something.” Rowan explained, “You spent most of Charms looking out the window.”

“Did I?” Matthew said absentmindedly. “Oh, well, um...” he wasn��t exactly sure how he could articulate the events of that morning.

“I’m just saying, whatever happy mood you’re in Snape’s bound to crush it. Besides, didn’t you ‘schedule’ an argument with Merula this lesson?”

Matthew looked confused for a moment. “Why would that be a b-” he began, before stopping himself. That was close. Just a few hours earlier, Matthew and Merula had agreed to no longer be enemies, but that wasn’t something that just  disappeared in the eyes of Hogwarts, especially as neither had told anyone about this.

“It’s just…” Matthew continued, “Well, I found out the school is planning something. But I’m not sure if I’m allowed to talk about it.”

“Then it is for the best that you do not talk at all, Mr Luther.” came a cold voice from behind them, causing them both to jump. “You would surely do us all a favour.”

Matthew quickly tried to regain his composure as Professor Snape emerged from the shadows, moving towards the classroom. The two Ravenclaws began moving at a brisk pace to get there before him, having made the mistake of letting him in first once before. They got into the classroom and turned to see Snape slam the door shut, leaving anyone behind them out in the cold.

“Get to your seats.” he ordered. They obeyed quickly, moving to their table. Merula was already there. She had the tiniest smile on her face.

“You cut it close there.” she said, getting out her notebook. Matthew nodded, sitting down in his usual place. He sighed, trying to marshal his thoughts for the lesson ahead. He found himself unable to look to the girl on his left without blushing, and so focused on pulling out his cauldron. There was so much he wanted to talk to Merula about, but he was terrified. He knew that he couldn’t do it here, with other people watching. Perhaps the best thing to do was push any and all of those thoughts out of his head until later. Yes, that would work. After all, this was a Potions lesson with Snape: was there anything less romantic? I don’t know, a poltergeist spraying stinksap everywhere? Said a voice in Matthew’s head. He elected to ignore the voice. He could do this, right?

Snape finally relented and let the late students into the class, mainly because so many of the Slytherins were still in the hospital wing thanks to Peeves.

“Since there are so few of you, you will be working in pairs for today. You will be brewing Amortentia.”

Oh you are kidding me. Matthew cursed under his breath. Why did Snape have the innate ability to know the last thing he wanted in every situation. There was a slight sir among everyone else, too. Merula’s cheeks went slightly pink. Barnaby looked around, confused.

Snape suddenly looked extremely stern. “Amortentia, also known as a Love Potion (“Oh!” said Barnaby) , is one of the most dangerous potions ever concocted, and anyone found to be using it outside of this classroom by me will be expelled. Do I make myself clear?” There was a series of nods. This was one of the few things Matthew and Snape agreed on. A potion that messed with free will shouldn’t even be sold, as far as Matthew was concerned. If anything, he was glad Preston and his lot weren’t here to learn it. Still, at least he and Rowan could work on it by themselves.

“Khanna, you will assist Mr Lee today.” Snape said, “I do believe he will need someone who knows what he is doing.” Matthew’s eyes widened. He could already see exactly where this was going.

“Which leaves Mr Luther and Miss Snyde. Well, what are you waiting for? Get to work!”

“Well...” said Merula, clearly sharing in the awkwardness of the situation. “Wh-Why don’t you go and get the ingredients, Luther, and I...I’ll get the cauldron ready.” Matthew nodded and headed off to find the right ingredients. This was too much. Even his mind couldn’t cope with everything lining up like this. He picked up the Ashwinder eggs, and moved to collect some Pearls to crush before being stopped by Snape.

“You’re being awfully quiet, Luther,  for such a vocal critic of the Love Potion.” he sneered.

“Well...it’s been a tiring day, Professor.” Matthew explained, “You know, what with Peeves and everything.” He tried desperately to hide his disdain. Why was he doing this, especially when he knew there was a dance coming up?  Snape looked at him. “It is a pity that these things must be done, but in my experience it is better that students know how to brew safe Love Potions rather than risking it, or buying from untrustworthy sources. I would not be surprised if there is an epidemic of Love Potion usage in the coming months.”

Matthew nodded, a frown on his face. As always, Snape had an extremely pessimistic view of Hogwarts students. They could see how stupid Love Potions were, he was sure of that. Matthew grabbed the Peppermint and Moonstone and headed back to Merula. Everyone else was fully concentrated on their Amortentia. This is an opportunity… said that voice in his head again. Matthew disregarded it.

“Okay, stir seven times clockwise...” Merula whispered, as Matthew added in the crushed pearls. The room was strangely quiet, with everyone concentrating intensely on the incredibly complicated potion, or in Matthew’s case ignoring any intruding thoughts.

“I don’t think we’ll ever get the chance to have that argument.” Matthew observed, causing Merula to chuckle.

“I think you’re right there...” she said quietly, peering at the instructions, “Right, we’re almost there, put in the rose parts.”

Matthew obeyed, placing in the thorns and petals. Matthew made sure to do it in one movement, but had to maneuver around Merula to do it. 

“Hang on-” Matthew said, trying to keep still. “Oh, here, let me-” He brought his arm up, but she moved at the same time, which ended up moving them next to each other. 

“Yeah, um...okay..” Merula said airily. Matthew quickly finished adding in the rose petals, but one ended up falling on Merula’s hand. She quickly pushed it into the potion, which turned a pearly white. Matthew and Merula, meanwhile, had gone bright red as a spiral of steam emerged from the mixture.

“Um...well, looks like we, um...we did it.” Matthew stammered, moving away from Merula and taking a breath. “Now for this smell test.”

Merula went first, and Matthew grabbed the sheet Snape had given them to record their results. She leant over the potion and took a deep breath, her nose wrinkling. Matthew brought the piece of paper onto his lap.

“W-Well?” he asked, staring at the glowing mixture. Merula cleared her throat.

“Um...it’s a breeze. A sea breeze.” she said, taking another smell, “And...the woods, too? And...I think...apples. Yeah, definitely apples.” she sat back down, looking strangely nervous.

Matthew nodded, writing what she said down. He tried to ignore memories of his hometown, with its vast expanse of trees and a beach just outside his doorstep. He also blocked out the type of shampoo he used, and the fruit he had for lunch every day. “Right, my turn then.” He stepped forward over the mixture and leaned in. He looked at the potion, and felt the steam touch his face, before taking a sniff. Well, that’s that.

“So?” she said impatiently, “What’s yours?”

He looked up at her. “It’s like...Christmas...you know, ginger and cloves and cinnamon...” he noted, “Then there’s something I just can’t recognise...and then there’s...umm…nail polish.” he said, the last two words spoken extremely quickly.

“Sorry, what was that?” Merula asked, a smirk on her face.

“N-Nail polish.” he said, eyeing her nervously. Maybe it was the steam from the Amortentia slightly obscuring his vision, but through it, as Merula noted down their findings, she looked...well, she looked absolutely mesmerising. Matthew forced himself away from the smoke, shaking his head. Then he looked at her again, and was horrified to discover that she was still absolutely stunning.

“Alright, you might as well tell me how you did it, Luther.” Merula said suddenly. Matthew looked at her. His brain’s normal methods of dealing with problems weren’t working, and was beginning to give way to impulse.

“S-Sorry, what?” he said, sitting back down and copying the notes onto his paper.

“How you made the Love Potion smell like you, you dolt!” she hissed. Matthew’s jaw dropped.

“Firstly, how dare you I would never, Secondly, we worked together on it, you would have noticed, and thirdly, how do you know what I smell like?”

Merula stared at him for a moment. “I...well, I...I thought it smelled like you, okay?” she whispered, “When we went into the Forest on my broom, I guess I...look, it doesn’t matter!” she declared.

“Mm, I don’t know...” said Matthew, adding the final few sentences to his notes, “We did schedule an argument for today, did we not?”

Merula laughed at that. “Guess so. Still, at least we held off until we finished the potion.”

“Yeah, that’s progress at least.” Matthew admitted, allowing himself to smile. “Merula...I never thanked you.”

“For what?”

“For that apple. I’d skipped breakfast to get on a train to go into London without my Dad noticing. I was starving by the time I found my way to the Ministry, and lost, and afraid. And then, I saw you and...your mother...and you helped me. You didn’t need to, but you helped me.”

“Yeah...I guess I did, huh. Look, Matthew, today has been one hell of a ride, huh?” she said, leaning back on her stool.

“Merula, it’s not even lunchtime.” Matthew reminded her, pushing the hair out of his face. Merula almost fell off her seat.

“Merlin’s pants...what even...” she stammered, before bursting into quiet laughter. Matthew found himself laughing too, wiping his eyes. He could admit it to herself now. Merula Snyde has an adorable laugh. Heck, Merula Snyde is just adorable.

“Having fun, are we?”

Professor Snape was leering over them. “Well, it appears you have made an above-par potion. It appears that while Mr Luther cannot follow school rules, he can at least obey potions instructions.”

He stared for a moment, before stepping away, gliding over to Rowan and Barnaby’s cauldron.

“And the winner for ‘Most Backhanded Compliment’ goes to...” Matthew muttered.

“I mean, he’s not wrong...” said Merula, putting her notes away. “Do you think this is because of...”  she scribbled ‘C-E-L-E-S-T-I-A-L B-A-L-L’ on her note book. Matthew shrugged.

“Probably. He said he thinks there’ll be a load of people using Love Potions soon.” Matthew explained.

Merula sighed. “Ah, well. At least I don’t have to worry about you using one.”

“And I hope I don’t need to worry about you.” he said in a mock-posh voice.

“Oh, you absolutely don’t, good sir.”

“Why thank you, madam-”

“You are dismissed!” said Snape finally, “Those who were not here will have to catch up over the weekend. Your homework is a scroll of parchment on whether or not the Love Potion should be made illegal, due next lesson.”

Before the lesson, Matthew would have said ‘Of course’ in response to that question, but after having brewed one, he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the fact that it was one of the best Potions lessons he had had, bar perhaps the one where he stuck a toad in his mouth to hide that Animagus leaf. Though, maybe he just enjoyed making a potion with someone else. As he left the potions classroom, Rowan caught up to him.

“I guess you survived working with Merula.” they laughed, as they walked up the stairs.

“Yeah, I guess I did…” Matthew sighed, as they moved towards the Great Hall. What Matthew did next was perhaps a little selfish. He still felt the need to be closer to Merula, and had both a fear and desire of asking Merula to this Celestial Ball, and it felt like he couldn’t tell anyone about it. Perhaps that was why he gathered his friends as they got ready to have lunch. “Listen,” said Matthew as they approached Ravenclaw table. “You’ll never guess what McGonagall told me...”

It took exactly two minutes and six seconds for the whole school to find out.

[spicysoftsweet]

A Very Important Episode starring Hisoka

Or the one where Hisoka learns Bungee Gum is not a food group.

A/N: We all know that Hisoka likes candy and Bungee Gum but we would like to encourage Hisoka to make healthier choices and prevent diabetes complications. There will possibly be a part 2. I hope this is educational.

---

This time Hisoka had actually done it. He’d actually managed to fuck up his entire body beyond what he could repair with Bungee Gum or Machi’s services - which she was charging higher and higher for - and now he was somewhere almost unthinkable - an emergency room.

“Illumi~~~~” he half-sang, half-whined now that he was finally lucid, after undergoing an exploratory laparotomy to stabilize his profuse internal bleeding - the surgeons had been in awe of just how much of his body had been purely synthetic due to Texture Surprise exclaiming that he’d be an incredible case to write up - and being amped up full of pain meds. He probably didn’t need the pain meds, but it was fun to go in and out of consciousness; he couldn’t remember the last time he had an actual night of sleep.

His unwilling friend sat at the side of his hospital bed, legs crossed and focusing his jarringly large, black eyes at the fluid and blood that was being transfused into him by IV drip. A small part of him was surprised that Hisoka could be transfused with regular looking blood and regular looking fluid. He was almost sure that he was made up purely of nonsense and Bungee Gum.

“Illumi~” Hisoka moaned dramatically a second time. His gaze slid now to him, with lips pressed into a flat line of distaste.

“Don’t ever use my name as your emergency contact again.”

Illumi had to hide the fact that he was impressed Hisoka could spell clearly enough to make out the letters of his name and had actually retained his phone number. He had been surprised to get a call, but made his way over as soon as he had finished gutting an enemy and stringing them up for display as requested in his latest contract. The idea of Hisoka being dead was incredibly alarming, for he did enjoy his health and company, but also sparked a morbid curiosity in him. Could Hisoka actually die?

“But you came, didn’t you?” Hisoka teased, with a shit-eating grin.

He had him there.

There was a soft knocking on the door, and a young woman in a white coat, followed by a taller man wearing a pair of scrubs came in. The young woman glanced at Hisoka and then Illumi, visibly wincing at the hard stare of the latter in the semi-dark room, then raised her badge to introduce herself. 

“H-hello, I’m Dr. Rhgyl, I-” her eyes flickered to Illumi briefly, unsettled by the fact that he hadn’t yet blinked in the past two minutes, then shifted back to Hisoka, whose devilish smile was almost more unsettling. “I was one of your surgeons and am here to answer any questions you have.”

She turned to Illumi, and gave a nervous nod of the head. “And who is in the room with you, Mr. Morow?”

“My husband,” he said, in a sickly-sweet voice. Illumi gave him a glare, then crossed his arms.

“Sure,” was all he said.

Sure, what? What is sure? Just answer the damn question... The poor young doctor’s face fell as she already knew this was something she’d have to spend unnecessary minutes during her already excessively long call night clarifying in her documentation. She turned to her nurse behind her, who gave her a small shrug. 

“So uh, Mr. Morow, how is your pain?”

“It’s wonderful!”

The doctor again tried to conceal her internal screaming, and continued to keep her professional smile plastered on her face. “In that case, please let us know if you have any more pain, and your nurse will take care of it.”

“We do have one other issue, however, “ she added, making sure to communicate this next part as clearly and effectively as possible. Hisoka perked up in surprise, and Illumi continued to sit perfectly still, as still as a statue. “Your blood sugar. Your blood sugar was extremely elevated, and we were concerned about a diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes.”

“Diabetes?”

“We expect you to make a fast recovery… surprisingly fast in fact, but we would still like you to follow up with a primary care doctor about your blood sugar. We’ll draw a lab test to check how your sugars were for the past 3 months, called a Hemoglobin A1c test, and then we’ll have your primary care doctor follow up the results and help you with strategies to have better control.”

Illumi turned to Hisoka, who he could tell that whatever the medical team was telling him was going in one ear and out the other, and he was now only thinking about either his next fight or Bungee Gum based on the elated smile on his face.

Bungee Gum.

Bungee Gum was the fucking problem. 

As the doctor and the nurse finally exited out of the room and Hisoka went back to telling Illumi battle stories, Illumi started to clear his schedule in his head, to figure out when he could best drag Hisoka to his follow-up appointments, which he would have to make for him. Someone had to be the adult in this relationship. 

---

Hisoka’s new primary care doctor, another similarly young woman, but less easily intimidated as the tired one from the hospital sat at a computer, pulling up his chart to review his lab results from his hospitalization.

Illumi and Hisoka noticed how she visibly paled as she scrolled, then turned to Hisoka and gave him a reassuring smile, that looked to reassure her more than them. 

“What is it? Am I dead?” Hisoka asked. Illumi gave him a look to quiet down.

“Well, you’re diabetic, all right... Your A1c is 14%.”

“Is that bad?”

She swiveled in her chair to face him, hands in her lap. 

“Well, diabetes is diagnosed at an A1c of 7%. So... unfortunately,  yes.”

Hisoka started counting on his fingers and Illumi forcefully put his hand down.

“Hisoka, listen to the doctor. Diabetes is serious. My great-grandaunt was diabetic.” Illumi said in an even, impassive voice.

“Oh, how old was she when she was diagnosed?” The doctor asked, attempting to build rapport with the patient and the patient’s loved ones.

Without skipping a beat, he replied, “206, exactly. She loved nothing more than to unwind with Mountain Dew after her assassination missions. She ended up on dialysis.” 

The doctor seemed to be at a loss of words briefly, so she turned back to Hisoka, pulling out a pen and a notepad to focus on rather than lose her cool. 

“So, uh… let’s start by talking a little about what you usually eat,” she began. “What do you eat in a typical day?”

“Hm... “ Hisoka didn’t usually keep track of what he ate, so it took him some time to come up with an account. “Ah! Okay, so in the morning, I usually skip breakfast, but sometimes I’ll have some Bungee Gum.”

Odd choice, the physician thought, but she nodded and wrote that down, allowing the floor to Hisoka to speak.

“For lunch, I try not to eat too much, but I also have a couple pieces or ten of Bungee Gum.”

Hm…

“Oh and for dinner, I have a bowl of gummy candy if I’m feeling particularly peckish and also Bungee Gum.”

She looked up from her pad and paper to see Hisoka looking blissfully unaware that he had just revealed that he subsists solely on sweets. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to pull at her hair repeatedly. This would be a ton of education, and she still wasn’t exactly sure what exactly Bungee Gum was.

---

Illumi parked his custom Ferrari minivan, purchased entirely for this shopping trip, outside the Costco Wholesale, and gave Hisoka, a long, hard look. 

“Do you have the list?” Illumi asked, hand outstretched as Hisoka handed over a partially crumpled sheet of paper, outlining the basics of a balanced, carbohydrate-controlled diet for people with diabetes.

Hisoka looked outside to the large building, then looked back at Illumi. “Isn’t this for families? I thought we were shopping for me only, and sometimes you when you come over.”

“I don’t know, the butlers told me that they come here to stock the kitchens. It seems from the website that this store provides high quality bulk goods for very competitive prices so this will be an appropriate next stop.”

This was just one out of countless stops today - Hisoka had spent the earlier part of the day searching frantically for sugar-free Bungee Gum in every supermarket in a 25-mile radius unsuccessfully, and demanding to see the manager every time, only to kill them when they told him they didn’t have his particular brand. Illumi warned him that there would be no such shenanigans any longer.

They stepped out of the car and walked right past the door greeter who was waiting eagerly for them to present their membership card only to recoil once they both turned to look at him in unison with intent to kill. 

The first things Hisoka noticed as he walked in were the multiple little free sample kiosks at the aisles every so often and curiously wandered over to them. 

“Make sure to avoid anything glazed or with a sauce,” Illumi called after him, poring through the list as he wandered over to the produce aisle. He didn’t understand the draw of free samples; if he wanted to try something, he would simply buy it.

Hisoka made his way to Illumi and Illumi’s overfilled grocery cart about a half-hour later after wandering the entire store, arms filled with small paper cups and tasting spoons. It was clear that he had sampled literally everything, possibly twice or thrice. Illumi let out a sigh and moved to the front of the store to check out. 

Keeping Hisoka’s blood sugar low would be a daunting task, but he was determined that by the next visit to his PCP, he’d have some improvement in his A1c. Texture Surprise can only replace so many amputated limbs at once. He’d just have to buy every supermarket’s supply of Bungee Gum and possibly halt every single production chain devoted to it or something similar. A pain, but it was worth it. Hisoka was annoying as all hell, but still, he was worth it.

[publiccollectors]

QUARANZINE #14

QUARANZINE #14: Rachel Herman. Rachel was diagnosed as a presumptive positive for COVID-19 after a test for Influenza A and B turned up negative. She's been fighting the virus for just over two weeks. Yesterday she posted this long message on Facebook about her experience so far and I asked her about publishing it in QUARANZINE. She had been thinking about reaching out to me, so we were both on the same page. The text is very long for the format I adhere to so the type is quite small, unfortunately. Here it is in its entirety: Dear friends,

This is the week many of us will get sick. Social distancing is working, but most cities waited too long to declare shelter-in-place orders and many others have yet to. So, we will see spikes in confirmed cases within the next week or so. I want you all to be armed with pragmatic and useful information if this happens to you or someone you care about.

I am on Day 14 of what was diagnosed as a presumptive positive for COVID-19 after a test for Influenza A and B turned up negative. (I am still waiting for my COVID-19 results.) I’ve had a relatively mild case, and I’m on the mend. My congestion is clearing up, I can breathe deeply again, and going up and down the stairs doesn’t make me winded. My energy and appetite are coming back though I still have had a fever of 100+ for 14 straight days. Most of us will get a mild case. 40-70% of us will get it, but so much of the media frenzy right now is focused on things that were important last week and yesterday (every day feels a year these days, though, to be fair). I have seen shockingly few articles or helpful testimonials advising how best to treat ourselves at home, and, trust me, I’ve been looking. So much of the information we’re focused on now is preventing transmission, but there is woefully little on what to do IF and WHEN we get sick.

Being waylaid during the time that so many folks have been still frantically trying to avoid getting sick has offered me a strange bubble of calm and insight. I’m grateful for that because the fear out there is palpable. I would like for this to be an offering to assuage at least some panic. That is my hope anyway.

The CDC and the WHO have labored and lengthy instructions on how to prevent transmission to someone else in the household or orders to quarantine. This creates a new problem for us as caregivers. A potentially critically ill person separated from everyone else drastically reduces a caregiver’s ability to monitor, replenish fluids, and generally take care of the person who is sick. On top of that, these two trusted sources offer only the most basic (honestly, negligible) recommendations for treating symptoms: sleep, keep hydrated, and take Tylenol (or the generic acetaminophen). This kind of bare bones advice is, well, skeletal. We all want to know how best to take care of ourselves and each other so that we can avoid having to go to the hospital. We want to be able to recuperate at home because we want to prevent putting a strain on the system and, face it, the idea of going to the hospital in this scenario is downright daunting. The better we know how to nurse ourselves back to health, the better our odds are healing well in our own beds.

So, I wanted to share what I’ve learned.

Caveat emptors/disclaimers because I’m making this public and shareable: This is based on my own personal, lived experience. I am not a doctor, so this does not replace or supplant solid medical advice from a professional you trust. I have had relatively mild symptoms but still a longish case. I am one of the freakish 5% who has had never-ending nasal congestion that went into my upper respiratory tract, but I somehow avoided the dreaded cough. YMMV (your mileage may vary). I have no underlying health concerns, I’m 52, a non-smoker, and fortunate. I have a comfortable apartment to myself, and I was able to spend $500 to stock up on essentials before the lockdown and before I got sick. (For the love of all that is holy, I swear I did not stockpile anything, especially TP. Stocking up is simply incredibly expensive. I dwindled my account down to almost my last dollar, since I’m adjunct faculty at two local universities and don’t make a whole lot.) Still, that is more than so many of us are able to do, and I am grateful for all that I have. What follows goes a bit beyond common sense, because this virus is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, even though to be clear, this is certainly a far cry from the sickest I’ve ever been. I hope it can be a boon to friends and strangers alike.

Here are the things I did that helped:

WHILE YOU ARE WELL

1) Start taking your temperature in the morning and at night so that you have a baseline.

One of the first signs of the virus can be a low-grade fever, though this virus does present in different ways. Full disclosure: I was one of those people who had to go to 3 different drugstores on Wed Mar 11 looking for a thermometer amid decimated shelves.

2) Before you get sick, change your diet.

Stop eating and drinking things that will make it harder to fight off the virus. Mellow out on the processed foods, dairy, and sugar (alcohol and gluten are in this category too, sorry).

Increase your intake of immune-boosting foods like green vegetables, fish and other omega-threes, garlic, ginger, and citrus. You don’t have to give in to the whole elderberry craze (though it does taste pretty good). Replace coffee with chaga, a fungal immune booster that you can brew into a strong, soothing tea, for a few weeks.

If you think these dietary recommendations are extreme, consider that you are in a temporary but dire situation where everything else around us is collapsing. Change your eating habits this month, even if it’s just a little for a little while.

3) SLEEP at least 8 hours a night. (I know, I wake up at 4am in a blind panic too. But, still, try.)

4) Make a pot of soup NOW while you are healthy or at the first sign of any symptoms.

This is especially important if you are sheltering in place alone. When/if you get sick, trust me, you won’t have energy to cook. You will barely want to eat anything anyway. But you will force yourself to have two bowls of it every day, and it will help. The pot should be big enough so that you can eat from it for a week. Make your favorite broth-based recipe: chicken, vegetable, or bone. Bone is most healing, obviously. Avoid dairy and noodles because these ingredients increase congestion and inflammation. Freeze it if you don’t have any symptoms at this point, so you will be able to thaw it when you start to feel oogy.

WHEN YOU GET SICK

1) At the first sign of fatigue, a tickle in your throat, aches, or a fever, go to bed and stay there. SLEEP. Don’t try to keep working. Your body needs to heal, and it can do that most effectively when you are sleeping.

Early symptoms reportedly vary. Some have aches and fever, scratchy throat, and chest tightness with a dry cough. Headaches, sneezing + nasal congestion, shortness of breath, nausea, and diarrhea have all been reported. I woke up on Mar 14 with a headache, body aches, congestion, and a fever of 101. My fever spiked to 102.5 on Day 2, and I’ve had a fever of 100+ every day since along with body aches, nasal congestion (my nose opened up like an actual running faucet on day 5), chest tightness and upper respiratory congestion, exhaustion, lack of appetite, and some lower GI distress (though not full-on diarrhea, everything just felt labored and different and, sincere apologies for the vivid image I’m about to put in your head, my poop seemed to be covered in a gauzy cloud). The two aberrations from most commonly reported symptoms: I have only had a negligible cough, and I never had a sore throat. My baseline temp leading up to getting sick was 99, but I am usually a straight-up 98.6 kind of person.

I had a dinner party the Monday before I got sick, and a friend who helped me in the kitchen came down with the same thing at the same time. My friend has asthma and has had a much harder time of things. But we are both on the road to recovery, in large part because we have been sharing what we’ve learned, checking in with each other, and doing some intense jobs taking care of ourselves while in isolation. (No one else from the dinner party has gotten sick to date.)

2) DRINK WATER, every 15 minutes when you are awake. Every time you wake up or roll over, drink. It should be room temperature, not cold. Cold liquids exacerbate the illness.

3) Drink WARM liquids like herbal tea and broth. Hot liquids keep everything in your system moving. Make soothing, healing, and warming remedies out of whatever inexpensive supplies you already have available.

4) In the giant void of an antiviral treatment that works on COVID-19, I have turned/returned to plant medicine, and it has helped me a lot.

My cousin, who is taking a Chinese medicine course in Singapore right now, sent me directions on how to make a ginger and licorice root decoction that was used throughout China during the Hubei lockdown. It’s easy to make. You bake the licorice in molasses, and then you boil the licorice root and the ginger for an hour. The ginger licorice decoction has really helped my friend who also got sick at the same time I did.

Making tea from Chaga – an Alaskan mushroom – has been so incredibly helpful. I’ve made a large pot of it every day, reserving the chaga and re-steeping over and over again for the past two weeks. Was it the chaga or the fact that I was drinking a gallon of warm soothing liquid daily, ladling out a mugful every couple of hours, that helped me get better? I’ll go with a little of both.

Other natural antiviral immune boosters that might help include vitamin C, C60, and olive leaf extract, oregano oil, and Manuka honey. Since stores are closed and Amazon has stopped shipping, we have to make do with what we already have. Make a tea with citrus peels and cloves and sliced ginger, if that’s is in your fridge.

5) The word on the street is to manage fever with Tylenol or acetaminophen or paracetamol, which are supposed to be more suited to treating respiratory illness than other alternatives. Frankly, I have been taking acetaminophen as sparingly as possible to avoid putting strain on my other organs. Cool compresses work too.

Some people are saying NOT to take Advil and its generic ibuprofen, as they have anecdotally said to propel otherwise healthy people to hospitals for oxygen. There is a lot of noise and confusion in this debate, and I’m going to sidestep this thorny conversation for our purposes.

6) Zinc lozenges and elderberry syrup help with a scratchy throat and cough. A friend of mine prone to bronchitis recommended Myrtol, a German cough syrup made from natural ingredients, including elderberry. If you have a pharma protocol in place for managing a persistent, chronic cough, you are probably already on it.

7) The fatigue is real. It also becomes really hard to think clearly. That’s why it’s so important to have soup and tea and other supportive supplies ready ahead of time.8) When you think you are getting better the first three or four times, STAY IN BED.

The arc of this virus is really rollercoaster-y: up and down and up and down. After the initial alarm passes, (and it is alarming at first because you don’t know which way it’s going to go and that seizing up can make everything feel worse), I was able to focus on getting better, calmly. I made it through the first scary fever spikes, but right when I thought I was feeling better, I would get knocked down again. There were critical junctures around days 3, 5, and 7 where I was certain I’d turned a corner, and, well, yesterday.

I’d get up and do dishes, take out the trash, take my dog for a walk around the neighborhood (face covered), and try to get some work done (end of quarter grades were due at both my schools and my departments have been preparing like mad to take our classes online in the spring). Then I would feel hot and light-headed again, taking my temp only to see it had sprung back up to 101.5. You will feel better and want to get back up and do things only to get knocked right back down. The moment I ease up on drinking water and tea constantly, I start to feel horrible again.

Remember: YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY PREVENTING YOURSELF FROM DEVELOPING FULL-BLOWN VIRAL PNEUMONIA. I would say the new mantra needs to be SLEEP + DRINK WATER. Start now, to the extent that you can. Please resist the urge to get up and do things. Rest. Do your Zoom meetings from bed with a virtual office background, if you absolutely have to be on a call. But, truly, you shouldn’t because this is the time to sleep sleep sleep and binge watch The Good Place (my choice for existential dystopian laughs/insert whatever makes your socks go up and down). For the past few days, my temp has been normal in the morning only to spring back up to 100+ if I try to do too much (e.g. read: ANYTHING). When I let myself sleep, my temp goes back down.

9) A humidifier has helped. Some recommend running a hot shower and sitting in your own makeshift bathroom sauna. Steam eucalyptus or rosemary, if you have any, and inhale deeply. I just made a homemade vaporub with a base of coconut oil and a few drops each of clove, thyme, rosemary, and peppermint oil. It is wonderful.

10) My breathing never got dangerously shallow. But this virus can potentially fill your upper and lower respiratory tracts with mucous until you feel like you are drowning. A physical therapist wrote with life-saving advice about the importance of Postural Draining, a method of draining mucous from the lungs using gravity and percussion. It involves physically moving your body so that you tilt your lungs and bronchial tubes upside down and then firmly clap the back or chest. This allows the mucous to flow up out of the lungs along with deep, prolonged exhales. Then you can cough it the rest of the way out. You can do postural draining alone or have someone perform it on you. Google postural draining diagrams – there are different for positions for each of the five lobes of your lungs. Do these exercises for 3-5 minutes a day before you get too sick. You can get into position in a chair or laying over a yoga ball, bean bag, or pillows for support.

Failing steps 1-10, if you have difficulty breathing or your temperature spikes beyond what you and your doctor are comfortable with (I’ve heard different numbers), please go to the ER immediately. Some of you will develop dramatic and dangerous symptoms quickly. Please do not wait to seek care if your lungs are struggling beyond what you can manage at home. My advice is geared to keeping as many of us comfortable for as long as it takes to heal, but that obviously is only going to go so far for those who suffer from chronic conditions, are older, or are immunosuppressed. If you have a finger oximeter, and are able to monitor your oxygen levels numerically, then you will know when you have to go to the hospital. But very few of us have those, and they are way sold out.

THE OTHER SIDE

Healing from even a mild case (and mine IS mild) takes about two weeks to a month.

As my dad would day, take it easy. It is unclear how immunity works with COVID-19. Some have said that there was a patient in Japan who tested positive a second time. There is speculation that this, in fact, was a relapse and not re-infection. We need more time to learn about the virus. In the meantime, please give yourselves time to heal.

We don’t know how long immunity lasts, and we don’t know about immunity to slightly different mutated strains even if we have recovered from one of them. I do hope that we get to develop a fair amount of herd immunity in the next year, but, again, there is a lot to learn. We will obviously still need to protect our vulnerable populations, and our society will continue to bend and contort itself around the virus.

But I hope to be in a position to assist when others get sick. I will happily help you to the best of my abilities. Looking to a future I can hardly conceive at the moment, I anticipate learning more about plant medicine. Scientists will develop new antivirals, retrovirals, and vaccines. I look forward to donating plasma as part of a treatment for those who get sick in the future, whenever that near-distant moment may be.

And thank you, friends. I am good. I have everything I need. My inner circle is incredible (I love you, mom!). I have been quarantined since developing symptoms and went out for a half hour only to get tested (thank you, Howard Brown for your invaluable service). No one else I spent time with beforehand has gotten sick (except my one friend whose illness coincided with mine, and they are also struggling a bit today with the ups and downs. Please hold them in your thoughts).

May you and your loved ones stay healthy. Or, more to the point, may we all get well and stay well. Sending love to all corners.– Rachel Herman

[gothicmisa]

mikalight :)

hi alex ily im assuming you want. all of them. valid of u. ill be answering as if this was an au where theyre both prosecutors, not kira.1 - who is a morning person and who is a night person?mikami is extremely routine-oriented and wakes up at the same time early every morning. light hates mornings but he does most of his work in the mid-morning/early-afternoon, so not exactly either.2 - who is more romantic?light! light likes big gestures and grandiose displays of affection. he likes the attention. 3 - who goes out of their way to pick something up from the store just to surprise the other with their favorite thing?mikami likes to stop at the grocery store and get light little snacks!! light loves knowing that mikami was thinking abt him.4- who usually cooks?light is the better cook, but i think they cook together on occasion :-)5 - what’s their favorite way to spend time together?mikami and light are both very focused on their work and enjoy being productive. i think they both rlly enjoy just. working in the same room together. they talk a little or ramble about their latest cases while typing up documents or sending emails. they order ubereats and silently wonder if the other person is judging them for their choice of meal (light gets a salad and mikami gets a sandwich)6 - do they celebrate couples’ holidays? (valentines day, sweetest day, christmas in some cultures?)light doesn't like to admit it because he thinks it makes him look frivolous and shallow, but he secretly thinks couples holidays are wonderful. it takes mikami a while to figure out why light looks so disappointed every christmas when he doesn't go all out with some grand romantic gesture, but he does eventually and starts making an effort to get light little gifts. 7 - where did they meet?in university! they met in an upper-level ethics class where there was like. twelve students total. they were in a lot of prereqs together but never noticed each other-- light was too wrapped up in thinking he was too smart for the basic classes and that he should try to test out, mikami was taking extremely intense notes. 8 - who made the first move?light. absolutely. do you think mikami is capable of making a life-changing decision like that? light starts by flirting relentlessly and mikami stays up late at night googling things like "is it flirting when he plays with your hair?" 9 - who does the PDA and who gets embarrassed about it?i dont think either are very fond of pda-- its kind of inappropriate and unsightly in japanese culture to be all over your significant other in public. however, i do think light occasionally pats mikami on the butt. 10 - do they have pets?hmm. maybe if they moved in together they'd get a cat! i just like the idea of light having a cat ok11 - if they fight, what do they argue about?they share a lot of opinions on politics, ethics, and morality, but i think they butt heads pretty frequently. they both can be confrontational at times, what with mikami's unwavering opinions and light's tendency to think he can do no wrong. light polices mikami's tone on occasion. light gets prickly when mikami doesn't respond to him exactly the way light Thinks he should. mikami usually won't start a fight, but he can get frustrated with light when light wants to disrupt his routine in favor of doing some spontaneous activity.12 - who kills the bugs?light refuses to. mikami gently captures them and puts them outside. its inhumane to kill them! 13 - who steals all of the blankets at night?light. they actually have two different blankets on their shared bed now, which is for the best, anyway-- light prefers a thick comforter and mikami likes a thinner blanket.14 - who is cranky before their morning coffee?mikami is used to getting up at a certain time and he likes it that way, so he doesn't get cranky in the mornings. light tends to be a little more random with his sleep schedule (staying up late to finish his paperwork, researching specific cases for references at one in the morning, etc) and gets less sleep because of it. he's very cranky in the mornings. 15 - who is the gay who drives?they can both drive.16 - who gets jealous?light is a very jealous person. he gets very passive aggressive at times, which goes completely over mikami's head. 17 - who is the most patient?mikami. light likes to do the Most to hurry things along because he hates wasting his time. 18 - does one of them do most of the housework, or do they share the responsibilities?mikami does a lot of the cleaning, but they're both pretty organized people, so it isn't a lot. for some things, they split the chores-- if light cooks, mikami washes the dishes after, etc.19 - who is more uptight?mikami... 20 - who says “i love you” first?light says i love you first and mikami gets so flustered he says "thank you?"21 - who argues with the manager?light demands that his salad at the restaurant is free because he asked for reduced fat shredded cheese and they gave him regular cheddar. 22 - how does the other one respond while the first one argues with the manager?mikami just folds his hands and waits for light to be done before tipping the waiter generously for being so gracious throughout light's temper tantrum.23 - which one has improper knife safety and which one drives the other to the hospital?i don't think this applies to either of them, sorry!24 - what pizza toppings do each get and are they able to compromise?i love this question because i had to google "popular pizza toppings in japan" and was met with very exciting results. mikami is pretty tame when it comes to his pizza-- he prefers margherita pizza 100%, very simple, healthier than other choices, just slices of mozzarella, only a little bit of sauce, and basil. if they're ordering out, light just splits mikami's pizza with him, but light secretly likes mayonnaise, white corn, and grilled shrimp on his pizzas. guilty pleasures. 25 - who takes longer showers?light loves taking obscenely long showers and they're lucky mikami prefers to shower after he goes to the gym, otherwise their shower schedules would clash.26 - who takes the longest to get ready?light. he deliberates over every outfit. he has to look his best.27 - who is the most concerned about their appearance?light cares more on a day-to-day basis, but mikami gets worried about light being embarrassed to be seen with him, so he has a whole selection of outfits and suits just for the days they're going to be out in public together. 28 - how do they take care of each other when they’re sick?neither of them are incredibly doting, but light will go out of his way to pick up some soup for mikami, and mikami will dictate light's business emails as light verbally tells him exactly how to write them even though he called in to work that day.29 - where was their first date?i think the line between dating and not dating was a little blurry for them but it was probably something very low key. a coffee shop or a cafe. 30 - personal random headcanon?light is very amused by mikami. at first it was kind of mean, like, light just being entertained by this weirdo in his ethics class, but eventually light fell head over heels. light still loves to fluster him and finds his odd little habits and routines rather charming. mikami, several years into their relationship, is still shocked that someone like light is interested in him.

[ayma-nidiot]

“Don’t Speak Their Names” - Shrimpshipping fic Chapter 29

This chapter can be found here on AO3.

Author’s Note: This chapter will have implied Prideshipping, as will a small number of subsequent chapters. I will put warnings for when that happens.

Also suicide TW.

Chapter 29 - Peacemaker

~29 November 2005~ 

“Ugh, Doc, can I leave yet?” Rex whined after Dr. Balls had just finished a checkup at the off-campus hospital. “I feel like I’ve spent most of my college life in the hospital. I’ve already been here long enough when I had morning sickness. I wanna go have fun like every other freshman.”

“Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you’re about to have a child, young man,” Ptera spoke sternly. “You’re about to become a mom, and you need to act like it. You need to be a good role model for your daughter, and that includes not treating college like it’s a place just to go party.”

“Nag, nag. I got all my homework and projects done, didn’t I? I even got an A on one of my tests for biology class. I’ve never done that before! And while I’m hospital-bound too! Aren’t you proud of me, Mom?”

Ptera ruffled her son’s hair. “Well, I suppose I can’t expect you to turn into mom of the year overnight. But work on it, okay?”

Dr. Balls spoke up, “As your doctor, I won’t try to parent you. But I will say that you are good to go after today.”

“What, really?” Rex would have jumped out of bed if Ptera didn’t hold him down in it.

“Yes, but do not push yourself too hard - mentally or physically. Even though you’ve only got four weeks left in your pregnancy, it’s in your baby’s best interest to avoid going into labour early. And you need to tell me if anything - and I mean literally anything - goes awry. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, Doc. If he forgets, you can be sure that I’ll remember.”

“Much faith in me, Mom. Much faith.”

“Papa! Papa!” Amber could be heard shouting all the way from the first floor, along with the stomps of dozens of soldiers.

“Hey!” Dr. Balls shouted down the hallway. “No running in the hospital! I don’t care who you are!”

“I’m so sorry, Doc.” Amber bowed before talking to her mother. “Papa, I’ve just-”

“Not another word, young lady!” Ptera got up, noticing before anyone else just how wounded Amber was. “Look at your arm! And… Is that a broken arrow sticking out of your butt?”

“Amber, please…”

Amber wouldn’t let Dr. Balls or her grandmother sway her. “After almost a month, we finally cornered two of the Earthbound Gods, Wiraqocha Rasca and Ccarayhua! But… But… Hah…”

“DOWN.” Ptera demanded as Amber reluctantly knelt while Dr. Balls tended to her arrow wound. “Now, then, you were saying?”

“Ngh…!” Even though she had a high pain tolerance, Amber nearly cried when she felt alcohol enter her wounds. “They found out what my intentions were before I even revealed myself. There were too many strong monsters... As a result, I’ve already lost some of my men. I intend to go back to the hideout I’ve found once I’ve gathered the rest of the army.”

“I feel like I’ve heard that second funky name somewhere…” Rex looked to the ceiling before deciding that, indeed, he hadn’t actually heard the name. “Eh. Must be my imagination.”

Just then, the building shook so hard, small pieces of rubble rolled into Rex’s room. “Don’t tell me that that’s your imagination too?” Amber yelled as she half-shifted, even before Dr. Balls finished treating her.  “Tch! Looks like those Earthbound Gods found us. ”

“I’m still concerned, but I’m confident that you’ll heal quickly.” Dr. Balls opened a safe in his office, which held his Gravity Axe - Grarl. “Know that I am on your side.”

“All this time, I had no idea… Er, I mean, thanks for the help.”

“I… I can fight too!” Rex stumbled on his way out of bed. “Whoa!”

“Get back in there, you.” Ptera growled.

“That’s right,” Dr. Balls added. “I said you’re good to go starting tomorrow. You shouldn’t be fighting when you’re this close to your due date. Besides, you’re not an especially strong monster; what do you honestly think you could accomplish out there?”

“How dare you?! I’ve still got my Duel Disk and my duelin’ dinos - Urk!” Though he was in far less pain than he was a month ago, Rex was still extremely fatigued and suffered swelling in his feet.

“I think I can make far better use of that Duel Disk than you can,” Ptera declared as she put Rex’s Duel Disk on. “Now, Amber, lead the way.”

“Hmph. Buttmunches, one and all,” Rex grumbled as his family left the campus hospital without him.

Are you really going to let them take all the glory while you sit here like a log? spoke a voice in Rex’s head.

Rex threw the covers over his head, fidgeting and grumbling, hoping the hallucination would go away. He swore to himself that he would tell Dr. Balls about it when he got back from the battle, however long that would take. “Well, why don’t you try caring around a 6-pound sack of rice for eight months, then getting beat to a pulp while you’re at it? ...Wait, who the hell are you, anyway? Another hallucination?”

Please, listen… I am not a hallucination. Rex Leonidas Raptor, hear my plea. You must get out there and talk to Earthbound God Ccarayhua. She doesn’t really want to fight.

“Apparently, you weren’t listening to the part that I said I was eight months pregnant! And you really have no idea who you’re talking to, so let me remind you. I am a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ kind of guy - a.k.a. I do not ‘talk’ my way out of my problems.”

But your boyfriend, Weevil, is coming, spoke another voice.

Rex froze at the mention of Weevil’s name, and dug himself even further into the bedsheets. “I… I know I’ll have to face him eventually, but… I can’t do it - physically or emotionally. And even if I don’t fight him, someone might kill him before my eyes…” Rex hugged the sheets around him more tightly. “I don’t want to go through that again.”

Just trust us, spoke a third voice. We will protect you.

“...” After a long contemplation, Rex gave in, slowly lowering his feet onto the floor and using the wall as a crutch on his way out. His unborn child squirmed, not allowing him to walk any faster than a snail’s pace. “Okay, but I’ll never forgive you if something happens to either me or my baby!”

While Rex trudged towards the hospital exit, Dr. Balls and his ‘gang’ ran down the long main corridor. “I’ve only read about the eight Earthbound Gods,” he remarked. “I thought they were just a legend. If they’re real and as powerful as I think they are… We’ve got quite a battle on our hands.”

“Yes, but thankfully, we have to deal with only two of them for now,” Amber answered.

“You’ve got quite a battle on your hands, hmm?” spoke a voice, whose source had already summoned his monsters. “Why don’t we help you with that a little bit?”

“Joey! Everyone!” Looking past her family and the Club members, Amber saw her mother’s Red-Eyes Black Dragon defeating some of the lesser enemies already. “...You better not let anything happen to Papa’s Red-Eyes, you hear?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it!” Joey stood back-to-back with Mai as the latter had three of her Harpie Ladies in front of her. 

“These guys…” Mai used her Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation spell; even then, the onslaugh of the enemies seemed endless. “Is it just me, or are they even tougher than last time?”

“So you’re admitting your own weakness?” Joey chuckled.

“Speak for yourself!” Mai scoffed as Joey’s Iron Knight Gearfried fell.

“Okay, okay… Say, Mai. I know I’ve been chicken about it, but…”

“Less talk and more fighting, Joey!” Mai barely dodged out of the way so she could summon her Harpie’s Pet Dragon too, while Joey summoned Gilford the Lightning and Jinzo.

“Joey…” Amber could still fight well enough, even though she stopped to talk to Joey. “Don’t tell me you still haven’t told her in the past month!”

“Told me what? N-Never mind, it can- Ouch!” While running, Mai tripped on a rock, and her three Harpie Ladies perished trying to protect her.

“Mai!” His monsters were already fending off some strong monsters, and Joey had no room left on his Duel Disk to summon more. So without thinking, he jumped in front of Mai to shield her from a direct Cyber Dragon attack. “Aaaaah!” 

“Joey…” Mai still remained unwounded, but Joey suffered abrasions all over his body. While she spoke to Joey, Téa’s and Tristan’s monsters protected them. “You idiot… You could have used your monsters like every other damned duelist on this battlefield!”

“I know what I said about Red-Eyes, but I wouldn’t have minded if you used it to protect Mai.”

“I guess… If I’m gonna die anyway, then… This is as good of a time as any to say it… Mai…” Joey laced his bloody finger’s with Mai’s. “Mai… I love you more than anything else in the world. I… Urk! I just wish I… had told you during the Orichalcos mess. Maybe… Maybe then you wouldn’t have…”

“Joey, shut up!” Mai shut Joey up with a kiss. “You’re gonna make it… I love you too much to let you die here!”

“Aww, how cute!” Seymour, as Wiraqocha Rasca, hovered over the new couple. “Too bad your relationship isn’t going anywhere, because I’m going to kill you here!”

“I’ll let you have that honour, Seymour,” Dip spoke as she continued to attack her enemies in lizard form. “I’ll make sure these weaklings don’t stop you.”

“Joey! Argh, let go of me, you fucktard!” Amber had broken free of the Guarddragon Justicia that held her down, but was too far away from Joey to save him now. 

Yet there was someone who could - a dragon clad in pure white armour and light. “Shining Neutron Blast!”

“Huh. I’ve never heard of that attack name before.” Before Dip could study this new enemy closer, she could hear a baritone voice singing. “Ugh… That song… What’s this, my strength is… fading? Dammit, I can’t hold onto my lizard form!”

“Now… Where have I heard that song before?” Joey lifted his head up to see a young man with cinnamon-coloured skin and spiky brown hair. 

“Aww, that’s kind of mean,” the young man whined as he used healing magic on Joey. “After all the battles you fought with Father and Papa, you don’t remember them?”

“Come to think of it, there’s only one person I’ve ever known that’s used Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon…” Joey still felt tired, but could stand on his feet again. “It’s…”

“Big Bro!” Mokuba hugged Kaiba from behind, recognizing his brother’s dragon form easily. 

“Mokuba, now’s not the time! Save the pleasantries for later!” Kaiba jumped out of the way with Mokuba on his back.

“Hah!” Now that Atem had stopped singing, Seymour could transform back into his condor form. “I really wanted to hear your beautiful song some more! Too bad!”

“I’m more than just a song, you fiend.” Using his DiaDhank, Atem summoned Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. 

“The dragon… Could he be-”

Before Amber could say another word, Phuckdis and William had just come onto the scene with the rest of the army. “Sorry we’re late, Amber!”

“About time!” Amber backflipped in the air to avoid an attack from Dip. “Help me take down this overgrown lizard, will ya?”

“‘Overgrown lizard…’ Ah!” Upon seeing his sister again, Phuckdis froze in place. “Dip… Is that you?”

“Well, so nice of you to visit after, what? Sixteen fucking years?” Dip set her sights on her brothers. “Why don’t you finish what you started back then?”

“Sister…” William couldn’t move either. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Oh, that’s rich!” Dip’s attacks got more intense. “You disown me, and then now you say you don’t want to fight? You cowards!”

“William, we need to fight her.” Phuckdis began to fight back, albeit reluctantly. “She’s an Earthbound God.”

“Yes, those were almost the exact same words you used! So come at me with your bullets, Borreload Savage Dragon, and run your dear sister through!”

“W-Wait!” 

“Huh?” Ptera turned around to see a half-shifted Rex hobbling out of the hospital. “Rex! Get the hell back in your room!”

“Oh my fucking gods, Rex, you’re insane! Ggh!” Dr. Balls swung around with his axe, striking the enemy that lunged towards Rex. “Are you trying to give birth in the middle of a battlefield?”

“Mom… Dr. Balls… Please…” Rex tried his best to hide the deep pain he was in. “And you too, Phuckdis. Dip doesn’t want to fight either of you; she’s just very hurt by what you guys did to her.”

“And what the hell would you know, rabbit?” Dip turned her attention to Rex now. “You have no idea what I’ve been through, what being estranged by your ‘family’ feels like!”

“I may not understand you, but I know what it’s like to have your family abandon you… and to reconnect with them after so long. If I can do it, so can you.”

“Rex…” Spinos looked at his son in sorrow for a brief spell before summoning Jurrac Tyrannus and Jurrac Velphito just in time.

“Dip, you told me yourself when I was your prisoner. Don’t you remember? And… And how I told you about what Weeves and I have been through?”

“Ggh…” Dip could feel the darkness in her heart leaving her.

“Stop poisoning her mind, you weak cur!” Seymour readied a beam to fire at Rex.

“It isn’t too late. Just like Weeves did once, you can change your destiny. Join us!”

“Like hell she will! Take this you-” Seymour couldn’t say another word as Dip impaled him with a lizard claw. “Ccarayhua! What are you doing?”

“...” Dip said nothing as she withdrew her claw and reverted forms.

“Damn you, you… traitor… Argh…” 

When all the enemies had been defeated, Rex slowly walked up to Dip, but didn’t touch her. “I knew you would come around and help us!”

“Who’d have thunk that the tyrannical, arrogant Rex Raptor would be a peacemaker?” Joey chuckled. 

“Sh-Shut up!” Rex blushed. “I’ll have you know that I didn’t do it because I wanted to! A nagging voice in my head told me to.”

“It… It did?” Amber sounded curious.

Joey interrupted whatever she was going to say next. “If this ‘nagging voice’ told you to jump off a bridge, would you?”

“It’s not uncommon to experience hallucinations in a pregnancy, but if it becomes frequent… We’re going to need to have a private talk about that later.”

“I’ll take you up on your offer, Doc!” Rex gave Dr. Balls a thumbs up.

“Um…” Dip felt awkward being in the literal middle of this conversation.

Joey turned to their new ally. “Hey, aren’t you technically one of the bad guys? Why should we trust you?”

“ This is why.” Dip lifted up her shirt to reveal several deep scars on her abdomen. “After my brothers disowned me, I was so ashamed of my powers that I tried to kill myself… It turns out that we Earthbound Gods are not capable of doing that. However, the incident left my reproductive system so badly damaged… Now, I’m infertile.”

“So you can’t have kids with Daddy.” Amber still wasn’t wholly convinced. “And you think that’s a good enough reason?”

“If it pleases you, Lady Amber, you can kill me as soon as you suspect me. You’re welcome, by the way, for killing an Earthbound God for you.”

“I…” Amber had to admit that killing Seymour was a good enough reason in and of itself. “Okay, we accept you. But you better not chicken out when it’s time to kill the other Gods.”

“L-Like, right now?” Joey shook his finger at the changing sky above them. “Where have I seen that spider symbol before?”

“It’s the Mark of Uru…” Amber’s eyes opened wide. “Daddy is coming!”

“Weevil…” Rex trembled in place, hugging his baby bump. “I’m not ready to face him yet!”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to be.” So Dip said, but after trying to transform, she found she had no will to do so. “Dammit! Why can’t I…?”

Dr. Balls couldn’t hold onto his animal form either. “Such is the price we strong shifters have to pay… There’s nothing more we can do here, Dip. Let’s go to my office, before Weevil arrives! Hurry!”

“I’m not scared of that bug boy!” Joey got up, with only Red-Eyes Black Dragon to defend him. “Bring it!”

“Hahaha! Gladly!” Weevil came to the battlefield alone, but with all the confidence in the world. 

“And what makes you think you can take on half of an army by yourself?” Joey smirked.

“Because unlike your idiotic friends, I know better than to fully shift unless the situation demands of it.” Weevil’s arms and legs glowed bright red as he spared Kaiba a passing glance.

“You… little…” As strong as Kaiba was, he couldn’t even half-shift.

“Ah, yes, I remember you…” Weevil cackled upon seeing Kaiba. “You’re the reason why my father pushed me so hard… I would have been spared so much pain and suffering if it weren’t for you!”

“Do you honestly expect me to care about your pain and suffering?” Kaiba scoffed.

“I’ll happily make you care!” Weevil shot a quick ball of spider webs at Kaiba from which he couldn’t escape.

“I’m… I’m not afraid!” Despite what Joey said, after seeing Kaiba fall so easily to Weevil, he wasn’t fully confident in his own ability. “Get ‘im, Red-Eyes!”

Weevil easily pushed Joey’s monster - and Joey himself - out of the way. “So, that’s the best you could bring? Hah!”

“W-Weeves…” Rex fell to his knees as he and Weevil stared each other down.

“So that just leaves me and you, huh?” Weevil could hear Atem trying to sing from behind him, and shot him down before he could get another note in. “You should have brought less pathetic friends, Rex. They all thought I was the same pathetic ‘bug boy’ from before, and now they’re all paying the price!”

“I… I don’t think you’re pathetic.” Rex panted as he spoke, feeling more Braxton Hicks contractions. “You’re strong; you always have been. Everything bad that happened to you is just bad luck.”

“So you acknowledge it. But flattery isn’t going to get you anything, except a few more quick seconds of life.” Weevil pointed his right arms at Rex. “I would give you the chance to fight me now, but I already know you can’t. Gods, how boring.”

“Daddy! Stop!” Amber’s wings were so sore from her struggle against Guarddragon Justicia that she couldn’t fly another inch forward.

“Amber, you foolish girl. You should have killed me when you had the chance! Maybe then you wouldn’t have to see your dear mother die right before your eyes!” Weevil turned back to Rex. “I think I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Prepare to die!”

Right as Weevil raised his arm, however, a voice bellowed across the battlefield. “You will not touch him!”

“Now, where have I heard that voice before?” Joey wondered out loud.

“Joseph, it has been a while. It looks like you’re having trouble; do you need some help? Why don’t I… spruce up your Red-Eyes a bit?”

“How do you know my name, and what are you talking… about… Huh?” Joey noticed the Red-Eyes Black Dragon changing forms. 

“H-Hey!” Weevil finally showed a sign of weakness. “Get out of here, if you know what’s good for you!”

“Hmm?” Rex smiled at Weevil slyly. “Where has all your confidence from before gone, hotshot?”

“Grr!” Weevil turned back to Rex, readying an attack at him. “If it’s confidence you want, it’s confidence you’ll get! Hyaaaah!”

Just then, Joey stepped in, blocking Weevil’s attack with his newly forged sword. “Not if I can help it. Leave my friend alone!”

“Ha… ha… Your friend?”

“And mine, too! Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, charge!” Atem ordered. 

“Aaaaaargh!” This attack slashed Weevil across the legs. “You motherfucking pharaoh! I’ll not let you defeat me again! ”

“You wanna bet on that?” Kaiba smirked with Doom Virus Dragon behind him. “Even if Atem can’t defeat you, I’ll gladly do the honours.”

“You…” Weevil lunged forward, but stumbled. “You’ll pay for-”

“Uru, that’s enough!” Anita suddenly arrived in hummingbird form. “Retreat - Watda’s orders.”

“But… But I can still-”

“I will do no such thing! We leave now!” Anita picked Weevil up with her wing.

“Dammit! Give him… back…” Amber shot several arrows at Anita that missed.

“Never mind them for now, Lady Amber…” Phuckdis looked upon the three people who had saved them. “Who are these people?”

“Is… Is that you, rich boy?” Joey could hardly recognize his former rival, who had aged 20 years since he saw him last, and now wore ancient Egyptian garb.

“Big Brooooo!” Mokuba jumped in the air as he hugged his older brother. “How have you and Atem been?”

“Atem is here too?” Joey looked to the pharaoh, who had hardly aged a day. “Yo.”

“‘Yo’ yourself!” Atem gave his best friend a high five.

“I… didn’t know that Aiko’s other child was still alive.” Spinos exchanged a few words with his elder nephew, and told Kaiba about his surviving family members.

“Then who’s the boy?” Joey gestured his head towards the young man that had arrived with Kaiba and Atem.

“Darned please to meet y’all! I’m Heka Kaiba, the son of Atem and Seto Kaiba!” Heka had a much more relaxed demeanour than either of his parents.

“Come to think of it… You’re a shifter too, aren’t you, Kaiba? So does that mean…”

“That’s right, Rex. I was the one who gave birth to him - after letting Atem top me once. I’ve also got three other kids back at home.”

“Brah, I know all about that.” Rex patted his older cousin’s shoulder.

“You’re… You’re Heka?” Amber hesitated to show herself before the Egyptian crown prince. “Do you remember me?”

Heka stopped socializing with the others when Amber approached him, and reached out a hand to her. “How could I forget that beautiful face of yours? Would you… let me touch it again?”

“Heka!” Amber brought Heka’s hand to her face. “Yes! Yes, of course! Oh, my love, you’re alive! I’ve missed this warm hand so much…”

“What?” Rex blinked as he watched Amber get comfortable with this guy he just met. “What’s going on?”

“How ever did you survive?” Amber ignored her mother.

“I’m not gonna bore you with the details. Let’s just say if it wasn’t for daddy dear protecting you and whisking me away to safety at the last second, we’d both be dead.”

“Maybe my future is bright after all…” Amber cried tears of joy that Heka wiped away. 

“Oh, stop thinking about the future and focus on the present.” As Heka kissed Amber, he noticed the look of pain on her face. “Babe? Is everything okay?”

“I.. uh… might have gotten hurt in that last battle. Specifically on my butt.”

“Then how about I use some ancient Egyptian magic and help you feel better?” Heka showed no shame in lightly squeezing Amber’s butt before massaging it.

“Okay, that’s it, buster!” Rex huffed as he tried to break Heka and Amber apart. “Just who do you think you are, fondling my daughter that way?”

“Papa, you don’t have to worry about anything. Remember when I mentioned my boyfriend a few times before? This is him. He’s also a really good singer.” Amber twirled a lock of Heka’s hair. “By the way, love, you’ve got to perform a solo for everyone sometime. I’ve missed your gorgeous voice.”

“I take it you’re Amber’s mom in the present day?” Heka struck a pose. “Well, how do you do? What Amber didn’t tell you is that while I’m not a shifter, I’m one hell of a magic user. Your buddy Joey would probably be dead if it wasn’t for me. Haha!”

“Haha…” Joey answered with a half-hearted chuckle. “The pharaoh’s son is… one interesting fella, ain’t he? I bet he drives Atem and Kaiba up the wall.”

“Word. He’s nothing like my other self.”

“Hmph. I suppose I’ll tolerate your relationship with Amber for now. But make her cry, and I’ll make you regret it.”

“Daaaw, you’re a protective mother already.” Tricera smiled.

Kaiba didn’t like his son’s odd behaviour. “Heka, that’s quite enough. You need to act more like a prince and not make a fool of your father.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Papa.”

“Pharaoh…” Amber couldn’t look Atem in the eye. “I… Well… Thanks. Even though Daddy has caused you so much trouble, you’ve saved our lives today. And you, Kaiba. I wish you had come sooner, but it’s better late than never.”

“What do you mean?”

Phuckdis stepped forward. “In our future, we have a legend of a sacred creature known as the God-Shattering Star. He is said to be the only one capable of defeating the Crimson Devil, the strongest of the Earthbound Gods. Unfortunately, he never came… until now. Kaiba, we believe that you’re the one who will save us all.”

“That’s what I thought too.” Amber broke her hug with Heka. “And you summoned the three legendary dragons with you, dragons that are said to forge master weapons.”

“Timaeus…” Atem smiled at his old friend. “It’s been so long.”

“That explains the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword…” Rex could only take a quick glance at Joey’s sword before turning away, the flashbacks of their Orichalcos duel coming back to him. 

“I… uh… don’t feel like I really did anything, but okay.”

“Don’t be so modest, God-Shattering Star.” Phuckdis knelt in front of Kaiba. “You are worth all the praise in the world.”

Amber knelt too. “You’re the only one who can save Daddy. Please… Please, help us.”

“Gee, I didn’t know my role as queen of Egypt required me to help people from the future. Just how many worlds do I need to save?” Kaiba facepalmed. “Fine, I’ll do it. But this will be the last time that I do something nice for you dweebs.”

“That’s what you said last time you tried to save the world, rich boy.”

“Oh, put a sock in it, Wheeler.”

“Our circle of friends is finally back together again…” Téa pulled Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Atem, and Kaiba in for a group hug. “If we’ve saved the world twice, we can definitely do it thrice.”

“Sigh…” Rex sat down on the concrete as he waited for Dr. Balls’ nurses to get a stretcher for him. “I just wish it could wait until after finals.”

[flutteringphalanges]

Summary:  It is public knowledge that Zoe Van Helsing is the last of her blood line. Not to mention that, in a sense, Count Dracula is too. However, after an unexpected night of passion, both their lives dramatically change when Zoe becomes pregnant. Two unconventional parents, one extraordinary pregnancy. What could go wrong?

Rating: M 

Pairings: Zoe Van Helsing/Dracula & Agatha Van Helsing/Dracula

Read on FFN and AO3

A/N: I love baby stories. I feel like Oprah in that sense- "You get a baby! And you get a baby! Everyone gets babies!" So yeah, here's another Dracula baby one shot. Forgive my sex scene, I'm not the best at writing them. I've only attempted a few times, I need to work on it. Anyway, I hope you like it! Please let me know your thoughts and if this silly thing is worth continuing! -Jen

                                             Chapter One

Sex. An act of intimacy between two individuals. Passion. Fury. Lust. Hunger. Sometimes animalistic. One might lose their mind, their sane mental processing. Their rationality. A fierce battle where there are a pair of losers or victors. It was in such a position, high on the blood of her enemy, that Zoe Van Helsing found herself in the nest of her greatest enemy.

"I shouldn't be here," she breathed, her lower back pressed against his table. "Why am I here?"

"You tell me," Dracula murmured, arms tight around her body. She could smell his scent, the earthiness behind it. It was almost pleasant. "I'm not the one who consumed my blood. That was you. You drew yourself here, dear doctor."

Zoe's arms wrapped around his neck as he lifted her up. It was like being in a haze. Euphoric. She was aware of her surroundings and yet, despite her detest of the vampire, she hadn't felt the urge to go. As he sat down, Zoe straddled on his lap, she could feel the heat beginning to pool in her core. Sanity be damned.

"Easy, doctor," he purred, amused as her fingers fumbled at undoing his shirt's buttons. "You seem rather rusty. When's the last time you've been with someone?"

She nearly protested when he pushed her hands aside, his own fingers nimble as he undid them himself. Zoe didn't want him to have the advantage over this, her primal needs ignoring her calm collective manner. Dracula's shift slid off with ease revealing his pale, toned chest. When the tips of her fingers ran across his muscles, the heat within her grew.

"My turn."

Zoe yelped in surprise as Dracula flipped her onto the mattress. He grinned devilishly, looming over her. In a matter of seconds, her own shirt had found its way to the floor. His fingers lingered over her bra, his smile growing wide as she squirmed underneath him. The vampire found the snap, pausing momentarily when he did.

"We can stop," he suggested. "Your choice really."

"No," she growled heavily. "Quit being a tease."

"I apologize," he smirked, a twinkle in his eye. "It's in my nature."

The bra was discarded in the direction of her clothes, something Zoe was not too concerned about at the moment. An unexpected hiss escaped her lips as the count lowered his head and began to kiss her bare flesh, lingering over her jugular. Her hands, as if with a mind of their own, found their way into his thick, dark hair. The doctor arched her back, biting her lip as he stopped just above her waistline.

"Pants are such an inconvenient thing," he whispered, his index finger tracing around her navel. "Wouldn't you agree, Zoe?"

"Fuck you."

"I can always call it a night," he suggested casually. "I'm in no rush."

"You're an asshole."

"Over five centuries and counting."

Zoe rolled her eyes, trying to remain posed as his fingers curled around her slacks. Slowly, he edged them down, letting them fall to her ankles. Momentarily, he looked up, his gaze dark and mischievous. Gingerly, he slid his hand inside of her panties. The doctor gasped, bucking her hips as she felt his caress. Her nerves were shockwaves, lighting up throughout her body.

"Please," she whimpered, grunting as his touch became more firm. "I need...need…"

"Hm?" He inquired, almost innocent. "Speak more clearly, Dr. Van Helsing, you aren't making much sense."

"Out of my head," she gasped breathlessly. "Out of my head and in me."

Dracula chuckled as Zoe attempted to push his own pants down, using her feet to press against the belt. He shook his head, clicking his tongue. It was amusing, watching her squirm. Now she was his prisoner. No see through cage, just a mattress in bed frame.

"What's the magic word?"

"I don't…" she moaned, feeling his fingers tease. "Please…I...invite you in."

The vampire grinned, leaning in close, lips brushing against hers. "You needn't ask twice…"

For the first time in her life, Zoe felt a sensation she'd never experienced before. Ecstasy.

"You're pregnant."

Zoe blinked, looking at her oncologist in confusion. She'd just come in for routine blood work to observe the progression of her cancer. Her doctor, Dr. Elliott, gazed down at her chart, not seeming to notice how in shock her patient was. After all, it wasn't as if she was aware of Count Dracula's existence or even the fact that Zoe slept with the vampire for that matter.

"That's impossible," Zoe said, much louder than she had intended. "I can't be pregnant. The test results…"

"Very strange actually," the other woman continued. "Not only did your blood work show accelerated hCG levels-something we look for in pregnancy, but your cancer...it's almost like it's going into remission," Dr. Elliott smiled. "Look, I don't want to cause you any sort of alarm, so I'm going to set an appointment up with a gynecologist. I want to make sure this isn't some fluke. Do you know when your last period was?"

"They're irregular," the doctor muttered. "Ever since I started chemotherapy. But I assure you, there is no way I could be pregnant."

"Have you had sex?" Dr. Elliott inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"Well…" Zoe thought back for a moment and then the realization hit her. A dread that crawled from the depths of her stomach, up her throat, and left a bitter taste in her tongue. "Five weeks ago, but it can't be. His genetics...he's supposed to be sterile."

"You'd be surprised, Zoe," the oncologist stated. "The human body works in mysterious ways."

"Not if you're not human," the woman growled. She sighed, massaging her temples. Migraines had been becoming constant lately. Anything threatened to set them off. This included. "When is the soonest I can have an appointment?"

"Based on your given condition, I think it's safe to say we can expedite things," Dr. Elliott said, returning to her chart. "Can you do tomorrow afternoon? After we see how things are, you can come back down to oncology and discuss matters there."

"The earlier the better," Zoe huffed, gathering her things. "Gynecology?"

"Twelve o'clock," the other woman responded. "I'll call if anything changes."

She nodded, a frown etched across her features. Not exactly what she had expected to hear today. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Battling cancer, being terminally ill at that, was one thing. The possibility, extremely high as it was, of being pregnant by her worst enemy, no less, was positively horrific to think about. The fact that he was undead didn't help matters either.

As she left the hospital, she desperately tried to push it all into the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about it. Pretend that it was a dream. A nightmare. There was no way. Simply no way. The tests were wrong and that would be proven tomorrow. Until then, she needed a drink. Wait, should she drink? Did she even care enough to consider the idea of what damage alcohol would cause? Dammit. Count Fucking Dracula.

Zoe found herself pulling into a drug store a few blocks from her apartment. It was as if she was on autopilot. Through the sliding doors, she immediately found herself in front of the feminine products. Pregnancy tests. Either a reassurance or a dreaded accuracy to her condition. Not knowing, or caring, which was better, the doctor pulled a few from the shelf and headed to the checkout line.

"Congratulations," the young clerk smiled. "I'll keep my fingers crossed!"

"I don't think we see eye to eye," Zoe muttered, sliding her card. "Plastic please."

The hallway was empty as the doctor made her way down to her door. The bag in one arm, she shoved the key into the lock with a little more force than necessary. Flipping the lights on, she walked over to the counter and dumped the boxes out. Morning. That was the recommended time. Screw it. She pulled a glass from her cabinet and began to fill it with water. A full bladder. She needed answers now.

Positive.

Zoe groaned, hurling the stick into the nearby trash can. She lifted another, her eyes flickering from the test to the box's instructions. Same result. Same outcome.

Positive.

She hunched over, holding her head in her hands. A migraine. So it began. This situation, all of it, was not helping. If anything, Zoe had begun to realize that she had the capability of despising Dracula even more than she already did. How could she've been so stupid? To drink his blood. To take it like some jello shot at a fraternity party. Nearing forty years old and still having foolish moments. As she was just about to look at her third positive test, her phone buzzed.

"No longer with the Foundation?"

She didn't need caller identification to know who it was.

"How the hell did you get my number?"

"Social media is a fascinating thing. Or, I took the liberty of confiscating your little friend, Jack's, phone. I just realized I had yet to reach out to you. How are you doing?" -Dracula

She shouldn't respond. Zoe knew she shouldn't. But her fingers began to type anyway.

"You couldn't have picked a better time." -Zoe

"Do I detect sarcasm? Forgive me, I have a hard time reading emotion over text. Emojis are wondrous things. You should try them." -Dracula

"Where are you? Out draining the blood of some innocent person?" -Zoe

"Home, actually. You should come over. I quite enjoyed our last visit." -Dracula

Not a good idea. It was an absolutely horrible idea. But her blood boiled and fight over flight took over.

"Yes, I think I will come over." -Zoe

"Oh? How spontaneous! I'll get the wine ready. Will red suffice?" -Dracula

But Zoe had left the conversation. Fingers clenched so tightly into her palms that they turned white, she headed for the door, grabbing her purse and keys on the way out. Her mind was far from thinking clearly and she was okay with that. Things needed to be settled now. It was only a matter of time before they would anyway.

She gripped the wheel tightly as she zoomed through the traffic lights leading to Dracula's home. Thankfully it was late enough that there were not many cars out. Parking, she stomped up the steps, her ever present migraine throbbing in her temples. Before she had the chance to knock, Dracula had already swung the door open.

"Ah, Zoe, what brings you to my humble abode?"

There it was, his smile. That grin. That ever present mocking face as if he was always right. Always having the upper hand. God, did she detest him. Their eyes were locked, his head tilted just slightly to the side as if trying to read her expression. Zoe frowned, fist tight as she took that brief moment of chance.

"You got me pregnant you asshole!"

And with all the strength she could muster, Zoe Van Helsing sucker punched Count Dracula in the face.

[msjr0119]

Cordonian Wags

Part 23

In a world full of Professional footballers and their demanding wives- can their football team nicknamed the ‘Cordonian Apples’ succeed? An American female physiotherapist joins the club. Will this cause issues with the footballers wives?

*This series is based on The Royal Romance characters who belong to Pixelberry - AU Plot switch*

Warnings: Swearing, heartache, smut.

A/N: Wow nearly three months on hiatus- sorrrryyy! But it’s back🙌🏼. To refresh your memories click here. Thanks Paigey for reading snippets as always 😘

Tags: @pedudley @kacie-0156 @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @drxkewalker @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jovialyouthmusic @nz1091 @yukinagato2012 @indiacater @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @cordonianroyalty @desireepow-1986

*****

Constantine Rhys the chairman of the Apples has been murdered in his own home. Reports initially suggested a knife had been involved in the attack. A neighbour said they had heard someone yell “I’m going to kill you” during an argument prior to the death of Mr Rhys. More news to follow.

Everyone gathered at Liam’s house the morning after the breaking news- neither brother showed any shock, both just nodded their heads whenever Xavier or Constantine’s names were mentioned. Neither giving two shits about the deaths. Feeling guilty that they hadn’t spoken to their step mother, they still felt anger towards the secret that she had kept along with their father. As far as they were both concerned; their friends were their family.

Drake had been over affectionate with Riley ever since his nightmare from the previous night- asking her if she was okay every so often. Too often for her liking. “I’m fine, Drake. At this moment in time I’m still, Riley. I want to keep it that way- Riley the teams physio, your girlfriend, nothings wrong with me as far as every one else is concerned okay?” Her eyes pleaded with him to keep her secret for now, at least until she knew what the future held for her.

“I just... I need to know that you’re okay. I’m sorry. Do you want to go out for dinner later? My treat. Or we could just have a takeaway at the cabin? Watch a movie?”

“Let’s go back. Every second spent with you is going to be precious.” Holding her in his embrace, he couldn’t believe how strong she had been since her ordeal. Knowing that deep down, under the facade she was possibly breaking down in secret- masking her true feelings.

“Hey, Riley. Are you okay?” Liam and Leo interrupted the two of them, each providing her with a soft smile.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?” She asked in a paranoid, defensive manner.

“To put it bluntly, you got beaten up- Olivia killed your husband infront of you. Now our father, your ex father in law has been murdered.” Liam stated the facts, not wanting to remind her of the horror that she had gone through- but rather to remind her that she had support from everyone.

“And you’re asking me if I’m okay? As you said Liam, your father was murdered as well as your half brother.”

“He deserved it. He was never a father to us. It’s people like him who give the word ‘father’ a bad name. Then there’s men that can’t conceive a child with their partner, who would make fantastic father’s...” Riley’s face faulted as Leo said this on behalf of him and Liam. Knowing that he was just referring to men in general- in the back of her mind that would be Drake. The guilt that she carried, knowing potentially that she wouldn’t be able to give him the family that he had dreamt about.

“You know what, after you mentioned all about it again- I have become slightly upset about it. I’m just going to get some fresh air.” Drake was about to follow her, but she insisted that he stayed. Watching her walk out- he knew why she had suddenly become emotional. He did too. But he was able to hide it better, needing to so no one knew about her condition.

Taking some deep breaths outside, the tranquility outside was more peaceful than the morbid atmosphere inside the mansion.

“Hey!”

“What do you want Rhys?”

“Listen, my father and my half brother treat you like absolute shit. You didn’t deserve it. You are one of the most incredible women that I know. You deserve everything. I know Drake will give you that, he’s lucky to have you. As you are him. I know at the beginning he cheated on Kiara with you. He’s not that type, but he knew that you was worth it.”

“I still feel awful about that. I didn’t want to be referred to as a home wrecker.”

“Darling, that so called relationship was a train wreck. You helped Drake realise that he was worth more. I have a confession, and I don’t want anyone knowing- not even Drake. I feel like I can only confide in you....” Riley looked at him with a perplexed expression, not knowing what this confession included. Having to keep something from Drake would be hard, as they had promised to be open with each other.

“I killed my father.”

*****

Drake and Riley arrived back the cabin, Riley was still thinking about those words ‘I killed my father’. There was now two funerals that she was going to have to attend, two funerals in which the deceased was murdered by one of her friends. Feeling that she was to blame for their deaths, it added guilt that would carry on through her mind until she too passed away. Ever since that conversation outside, she had managed to keep a stoic expression in front of Drake, of course she wanted to tell him. It killed her. But she had hoped that once the funeral was out of the way and the press had something else to write about, that the person would inform everyone.

“It’s good to be home.” She said to Drake as they walked through the door.

“I’m glad that you’re referring my home as your home...”

“Wherever you are, that is my home. For however long that may be.”

“Why don’t you go and have a soak in the bath, I’ll order a takeaway and find a movie to watch.”

“Sounds good, don’t choose a horror though...”

“Why not? That’s the only type of film where you snuggle into me.” He winked at her, knowing her preferences he knew what type of film to look for. Watching her walk to the bathroom, he ran to his room- remembering Bastien’s words as well as the outcome of his nightmare, he knew the sooner he asked the longer they would have together if the worse scenario occurred at her hospital appointment.

“Look after your girl, my niece. Have you still got your grandmothers ring?”

“Of course I have. Why?”

“When the times right, make sure you have it on you son.”

Hearing a knock at the door, it was as if the takeaway had a telepathic thought- he had just placed the order and they was there.

“Leo? Linz? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I text Riley five minutes ago- wondering what you guys were up to and she said that you was just watching a film and ordering food. We brought wineee.” Lindsey waved the bottle of wine in front of his face, whilst wearing a big grin. Are you fucking kidding me?

“Erm. I actually wanted some alone time with my girlfriend... no offence.”

“Yeah and you can do once we leave.” Leo said with a smirk as he barged his way through the door. Riley had finished her bath and was shocked that her sister and Leo was there making themselves at home.

“Drake, I didn’t think they’d actually come. I was just being polite. Shit. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry. It was just a takeaway and a movie...” Sighing, he knew that he would have another opportunity to propose- it wasn’t the end of the world.

*****

The day after, Drake woke up before Riley- mainly due to his mind working overtime about how to propose to her. The next match was in two days, tomorrow was her hospital appointment with the results of the tests that were done in New York.

“Hey, what’s up?” Fluttering her eyes open, her vision was blurred but she could tell he was tense.

“Nothing...” laying next to her, he kissed her bare skin delicately- savouring each touch.

“I love you.”

“I love you too...” Just having him lay at the side of her made her feel turned on by every touch that he made. She knew he was too, as she could feel his rising erection grazing against her arse cheeks. Trying to act stubborn, as she always did- she didn’t want to give into temptation. Even though this was extremely hard for her to resist. “You know... it’s rude to point little Walker?”

“He can’t help it. This is what you do to him...”

Moving his hands lower he caressed the outer walls of her already wet folds. “How does it feel baby?”

“So, good.” She barely whimpered. She was desperate to make love to him, even though the hospital had advised that she waited a while. But she knew her body, and would risk it all. “Please, don’t stop Drake.” Turning around to face him, she lift one leg over his- giving him that extra access. He was intoxicating, she craved him at all costs.

“Are you sure?” Nodding, he placed his fingers onto her clit- beginning to move in slow circular motions. With his spare hand he reached up to her breast. Rolling her nipple back and forth between his fingers and tugging on her breast, he thrust up up against her repeatedly as Riley threw her head back- little moans escaping from her lips. Laying her on to her back, he separated her legs as he kissed her inner thighs- before plunging his tongue deep inside of her, the long slow licks made her body tremble instantly. Unable to hold in the orgasms that she was screaming, he made it impossible as he began to use his fingers to help increase her pleasure. One finger was inserted and was soon immediately followed by a second, then a third. His fingers actions begin slow but delved deep- as they curved they knew how to hit that special sensitive spot.

“Dr-Drake... please.... I need you...”

Holding her tightly, he slowly entered her- feeling her walls responding to him with pulsing motions tightening around his shaft. He brought his face down and kissed her deeply, as he looked at her in awe. His lips were soft- his tongue became demanding as he increased his speed gradually. Feeling that familiar rush of happiness building up inside of her every time that they had sex, she was grateful that they took that risk in becoming official- despite her being doubtful to begin with. Their bodies continued to rock in sync, as if they were made for one another. “Drake?”

“Am I hurting you?” Slowing his movements down but keeping at a steady pace, no matter how much he was enjoying it- he didn’t want to hurt her. “No. God. No. I just... you’ve been my rock. Yeah, you was a jerk when I first came here. If I can’t give you what you want in life, I want you to find it somewhere else.” Fuck Riley, just think positive. Slamming into her hard, he didn’t mean to- kissing her gently, he would be lost without her in his life. He didn’t know how he would cope. “I’ve already got what I want in life. A beautiful, gorgeous strong woman- who loves me for being me.” Continuing his movements, he wanted to blurt out those four words- but it was an inappropriate time. “You are my world, I am grateful to have found you. Until you, I didn’t understand the meaning of love. This here, is OUR home. Just the two of us. You’re my family. Any last words to say? Because this man is dying to cum, and you’re distracting me...”

“You and I. Sorry, I love you... thank you again for being my rock...” Drake kissed her softly on the lips, believing that he shouldn’t take all the glory- she too had been his rock. Saving him from a loveless relationship. In the back of his mind, he had wished that Bastien had of made more of an effort with introducing them to the Brooks throughout the past, rather than the odd occasion. Maybe he would have been the one to propose to her back then, it would have saved them both from this heartache. Closing her eyes, her final orgasm shuddered throughout her body- sending waves of pleasure. Feeling his body tense, she felt his cock slam deep into her one last time as he spilled his warm load inside. Both their breathing was hard- in unison, pulling out of her he fell onto the soft mattress next to her. Laying her head onto his chest, his breaths were coming in slight gasps as sweat ran off his forehead. Looking at her, he smiled. Happy that she was in his arms.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he played with her newly formed disheveled hair.

“Yes, thank you for being you.” Will you marry me... marry me... I love you please marry me.. I can’t do it without the ring. Damn she’s like superglued to me. I could ask her, then get out of bed for the ring. No, she deserves a decent proposal- she’s worth so much more than a shit one. Fuck, I just want to marry this girl- make her officially mine.

“Ri.... I want to ask you something...Will you....”

“Will I?”

“Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?” Phew, thank god for Meatloaf.

“You’re a good singer, but you’ve definitely killed that song... yes I’ll love you forever; I need you all the time, I’m never leaving you, I hope to make you happy for the rest of your life.”

“It’s been stuck in my head for a few days...you can’t beat a bit of Meatloaf. I love you, baby. Fancy a walk?”

“I prefer riding...”

“I don’t think you should be riding a horse, it was risky having sex...”

“I meant riding your cock.” Rolling on to him, she smirked seductively at him as he shook his head. Biting her lip, she knew it turned him on immediately- and she soon felt him confirming this fact, feeling his cock rise once again in such a short time. “Any pain or injury inflicted is totally my fault, Mr Walker. I’ll take all the blame....”

*****

Arriving at the hospital, it was the day for the results. They had both decided to get a taxi, and wear disguises to hide from the press. Waiting nervously in the waiting room, she had an inkling about the results- she knew that due to her discussion with the nurse in New York.

“Miss Brooks?” Drake held her hand tightly, promising to never let go and to be with her through ever step. The consultant gestured for the two of them to sit down- her heart began to beat incredibly fast, almost feeling like it was about to jump out of her chest. Drake rubbed her leg as he noticed it shaking, placing his other arm around her waist.

“Miss Brooks, we have your results back from the tests that were completed in New York... I am so sorry.....”

Riley closed her eyes, feeling like her world had come crashing down in an instant. Feeling Drake hold on to her tightly, her mind wasn’t functioning as she overheard Drake and the consultants conversation echo.

It is indeed, cervical cancer...

Did you catch it early enough?

Cervical, I can’t have children. I can’t give Drake what he wants. It doesn’t matter if it was caught early or not.

Yes, it’s in the early stages. There are many routes to go from here...

Can we keep this information quiet from the press. We haven’t told our families about it yet. Can I pay for her to go private with the best specialist- wherever that may be?

Riley slowly opened her eyes, there was only one thing on her mind.

“I can’t have children...” The words just slipped out of her mouth, she wasn’t wanting to elaborate on the treatment options- that didn’t matter to her.

“Miss Brooks, it is unlikely that you will be able to conceive... however...”

“However?” Drake asked, having that bit slight of hope that there could be a possibility of them having a family in the future.

“There are many different routes. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy will affect the womb- meaning that it would be impossible to be become pregnant, and it could cause early menopause. If you chose this route, there is an option to freeze your eggs to provide for a surrogate. Or you could use a surrogate, or adopt?”

“That wouldn’t be my baby. I wouldn’t be able carry it- to have moments such as feeling it kick for the first time. Drake wouldn’t feel his baby kick in me. It’s not the same...” Seeing Riley’s bottom lip tremble, the consultant stood up and knelt down by Riley’s side providing her with a box of tissues.

“Those aren’t the only routes. There are other treatment plans in which you will be able to conceive naturally. A biopsy known as LLETZ, is where we remove the tissue. Depending on how much of a sample is removed could cause the pregnancy to have risks such as a premature birth. There is also another treatment known as radical trachelectomy. Again, there are risks such as premature birth or possible miscarriage- the baby would usually have to be born via a c-section.”

“See baby, there are options.” Riley looked at Drake who smiled at her, with hope in his eyes.

“The last option... what does that include?” The consultant informed them that she would need to have a procedure under general anaesthetic and stay in hospital for a few days. The press are going to have a field day, great.

“I’ll provide you with all the leaflets with advise on every treatment. Take it home, read through it together- once you have made a decision ring my secretary and we can start the ball rolling.”

*****

It was match day, Drake couldn’t concentrate. Over the last few days, he had plenty of opportunities to propose, but they had been disturbed or he had chickened out. Shaking, he really didn’t want to play- he knew his mind would be on Riley’s results that she had received the previous day. Noticing Drake not being his usual self, Riley sat next to him, in the dressing room- he had kept her secret from everyone because he respected her wishes. But it was killing him. He knew they both needed support from their family and friends to get through it.

“Come on Walker, where’s that infamous cocky smirk? Make me proud baby. Before I potentially die I want to see you outshine the Rhys’s.” Winking at him, he gave her a stern look. “What?” She asked innocently, not knowing what the issue was.

“Don’t talk like that Ri, we’ve already agreed that you aren’t going anywhere.”

“Not yet....We need to make lots of memories together. Go on, get on the pitch. Score a goal- I’ll give you a kiss. Score a brace- I’ll give you handjob. Score a hat-trick - I’ll give you a blowjob.”

“What if I don’t score Miss Brooks?”

“Then.... you’ll get nothing at all. I’m joking. I’ll give you all three, because I’m a number one girlfriend. Break a leg, not literally though! I love you, Drake.”

“I love you too Riley, more than you’ll ever know.” Carry on making me proud, she whispered in his ear- this positivity from her made him want to work hard on the pitch. Knowing that she was acting strong, she needed him to do the same.

*****

Welcome to the first match of the month on this bright sunny day in Cordonia. With the sad news regarding the chairman Mr Rhys as well as the teams manager Mr Lopez, prior to the match there will be a two minute silence.

I am positive that the Rhys brothers will be determined to win on behalf of their brother and father that they have lost recently.

I’m not even sure that they are too bothered regarding the sudden deaths. Neither Liam nor Leo have made a statement regarding them, and have kept themselves out of the spotlight. We're ten minutes away from kick-off and the stadium is filling up nicely.

“What’s up with you, Walker?” Leo noticed that Drake was in a trance. “Don’t tell me that you’re nervous?”

“Like fuck I am. I’ll run circles around you captain.”

“You can talk to me you know. If something’s on your mind. We all have secrets.”

“It’s fine, Leo. I just want to get this match done- then celebrate the win with my beautiful girl.” Patting him on the shoulder, he was pleased that Drake had finally found happiness.

And we’re off. Leo Rhys is always usually on everybody's radar. I know that other top clubs are interested in stealing him. He moves the ball around well, he's got a little bit of aggression as well as he passes his opponents.

Leo Rhys passes the ball to Liam Rhys- he shoots. Ahh. It's a wonderful save but also a wonderful play from the Apples.

There's nothing that the keeper can do about this one as Walker spins around on the edge of the penalty area before dispatching a powerful, low finish into the net. It came after another flowing move with Leo Rhys providing the assist. The Apples take a well deserved lead.

Leo ran up to Drake congratulating him as the rest of the players did. Riley and Bastien stood up cheering.

Isn’t that sweet, Riley Brooks blowing her boyfriend a kiss. It is unknown as to why she isn’t working today, maybe she is poorly?

I didn’t notice- if he carries on playing the way he has done in this short amount of time, he will deserve more than that. If there is anything up with the physio- I hope she makes a speedy recovery.

This is already turning into a nightmare for the away side, the Rhys’ and Walker are all over the opposition. Is Walker about to score a brace? Yes he is! Doubling his side's lead- he’s on fire today! This time it was Liam Rhys who assisted the goal. Apples 2-0.

We are nearly at half time, the away side have been poor. They’ve had one shot- their defending is terrible today. One minute left, before the half time whistle. Can they increase their lead.... oh... yes. I think they are... Leo and Liam Rhys are passing the ball, they see Walker. Is it a ... HE SCORES! Hat-trick for Walker. What a first half, the crowds cheers are echoing throughout the stadium. Maybe the away side should give up now? And that’s it. Half time.

The team headed towards the tunnels, Riley ran up to Drake before he entered- catching her, their lips crashed onto each other’s in a deep passionate kiss.

“I’m so fucking proud of you, right now.”

“Well I did get bribed... it’s team work. I can’t wait to get you home and celebrate with you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Mr ‘hat-trick’ Walker.”

*****

Second half is about to start, I believe that this has been an easy three points- I can’t see the away team coming back from this.

No, neither can I. We are two minutes in, and the Rhys’ have had a few opportunities already.

The losing team have just won their first corner. The game is 75 minutes in.

Not knowing why, Drake glanced towards the dugout- hoping to see Riley continue smiling at him, knowing that he was making her proud. Instead, he saw her run through the tunnel, holding onto her stomach. Fuck.

As if the Apples need anymore drama within the club- it looks as though Walker is arguing with his manager.

It’s such a shame that such a good match has come to this- I wonder what the argument is about? Walker has played well, but I’ve seen that he hasn’t been on the ball this half- get it?

Good pun- yes, even though he’s scored a hat trick his eyes have been scrutinising elsewhere around the stadium.

“Get back on the pitch, Walker!” Bertrand snapped towards Drake, he hated being stern towards him as he was his brother in law- but for some reason he was jeopardising the game.

“No!”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me Bertrand. Riley’s not well.... I saw her run off...she needs me.”

“She’s probably just being sick. This match is important... is she pregnant?”

“No! And Riley is more important to me than a stupid match....”

“Tell me what’s up with her, then we can determine what is more important!” She’s got cancer you fucking moron.

“Just take me off, I’ve done enough in this match....” Bertrand grabbed Drake by the collar- his grip was tight, not knowing what had got into him- he witnessed the team walk over attempting to calm the situation down.

“Get the fuck off of me Bertrand! I quit!”

“Walker! Back on the pitch now!”

“Fuck you!” Bertrand panicked, not knowing what to do or say. They had just signed an eighteen year old from Madrid, giving the kid an opportunity to play and replace Drake was his only option.

*****

“Ri?” Hearing his voice, and studs storm through the toilet door- she wondered why and how he was there. “Are you okay? I saw you run off.”

“Yeah, I just had a bit of stomach ache. Shouldn’t you be on the pitch?” Rubbing her stomach, he hoped that this slight gesture would take away a bit of pain.

“I’ve quit.”

“What?”

“Bertrand told me to get back on the pitch, but you mean so much more to me. I can quit now and live happily ever after. With you. Wherever you want to go.”

“You’ve quit?” Not quite believing what he had said, she needed to confirm that she had heard him correctly.

“I said it in anger, but honestly- I’m getting old anyway..”

“You’re in your twenties. You’re fit..” Removing his top, he smirked at her as flexed his pecs in a confident manner.

“I know I am, that’s why you love me.”

“I meant ‘fit’ as in healthy.. Drake you can’t quit, because of me...what are you going to do if this treatment doesn’t work- and I become ill. You’ll have nothing.”

“As long as I have you, I don’t care what I do with my life. Let’s get out of here, go home. You have cancer and you are going to fight it....” Kissing her on her forehead, he held her tightly- knowing that the two of them were going to get through this together.

“You have cancer?” Breaking away from Drake’s embrace, she turned to the direction of the voice- seeing the door shut she believed that they were alone as did Drake. Fuck.

[themixologistisin]

I copied and pasted this story from someone else but wanted to share so everyone can see how successful this drug is.

I want to tell my COVID-19 story. It has taken me awhile to get my head around all that transpired during my parents' and my journey with Covid and to know what words to say in the hopes I won't be censored. But I feel it's important to tell our story in the hopes that others may understand the truth and hopefully save another loved one's life.

While visiting my parents in Florida, I was extremely diligent about making sure to protect them from Covid-19 because of my Dad's diabetes and my mother's AFIB and their ages. I did not allow them to go to restaurants - always cooking at home - I did all the shopping and stayed six feet from everyone and wore my mask when we were in public places. I believe my one mistake was lunch with the my lifelong friends. Masks were not required while sitting at a table.

A couple of days later after our lunch, my one friend became sick and was tested for COVID. Five days later from her testing, I had lost my taste and smell. One day later, my mom had chest pains and was taken to the hospital because of her Afib and held over night for observation. While at the hospital, she was tested POSITIVE for Covid. The hospital called my dad at 6:00 the following morning and we were asked to come to the hospital for a rapid test where we both were positive. We all 3 were given chest x-rays, blood work and because everything looked normal - we were sent home to quarantine. I asked the ER doctor if my parents could take HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE to prevent further complications with their underlying health conditions and his words to me were exactly this,

"Even if I wanted to prescribe it, I am not allowed to dispense it."

We were sent home with NOTHING but worry as to what was to come.

My dad and I never had symptoms other than loss of taste for 3 days, but my mom developed a fever and cough and generally did not feel well. Here is where my story becomes important to tell. Four days after my mom was released from the hospital, I called her primary physician and told him of my concerns about her declining health and that I wanted her to be placed on Hydroxychloroquine. This was a Thursday morning. Her physician set up a video call with my mom and agreed to "dispense" not only Hydroxychloroquine, but an antibiotic and Zinc (which I was already giving them.) He sent the Rx immediately to CVS to be filled that day. I had watched videos of Hydroxy's success, I had just learned of a huge Ford Center study that had proven its success - cutting the death rate by 50%, and I had done my research enough to be very excited that her doctor agreed to prescribing it to her.

And here's where the story gets complicated. When I called the pharmacist at CVS to ensure he received her Rx - the pharmacist REFUSED to fill the Rx, stating its complications with the heart and that there is no proof it works. I was furious - had some very strong words for him and because of that, he did agree to fill the Rx but still begged me not to give it to my mother. I picked it up without hesitation. BUT - because I did share the pharmacist's argument with my parents, my mom was too afraid to take the drug. It wasn't until Saturday early afternoon that I could convince my mom to start the regimen because she was worsening, had a fever of 100.1 and her oxygen level was at 93%. This was Saturday afternoon that she began taking Hydroxy and she was able to get 2 pills in before bedtime. ON SUNDAY MORNING, she awoke with no fever and her oxygen was at 96%. HOWEVER, because her best friend had suffered terribly with COVID and had to be intubated at the same local hospital, we decided to take Mom to the ER for a chest x-ray just to be safe.

Because I knew that my mom MIGHT be admitted to the hospital or have an extended wait/stay in the ER, I put in her purse the Hydroxy and her antibiotic and Zinc that her physician had legally prescribed. I instructed her to make sure to take her doses as her doctor has prescribed. We truly feared the hospital would take it from her but thankfully they did not. This story continues to get even better.

After a chest x-ray in the ER, they determined my mom had Covid Pneumonia. We were devastated and frightened beyond words, and my Mother was admitted Sunday evening to Winter Haven Hospital (even though her oxygen remained at 97% and no fever). My dad and I would Facetime her often and I continued to remind her to take the Hydroxy and antibiotic. She took it exactly as her Doctor had prescribed. The hospital was giving her NOTHING and rarely checked in on her. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON - JUST ONE DAY AFTER BEING ADMITTED FOR PNEUMONIA, the doctors told her that she no longer had pneumonia and would be going home Tuesday morning afer one more night of observation! They were SHOCKED how quickly she recovered. It was "unheard" of! We never told the hospital she was secretly taking the Hydroxy and she was released to come home on Tuesday just 2 days after being admitted for pneumonia.

It wasn't until 14 days after my friend was tested, that we learned she was positive and most likely where we had gotten it.

The lessons I have learned during this journey:

!. HYDROXYCHLOROQUIN works! It saves lives but because it has become a political issue and is a cheap drug (Big Pharma doesn't like that) doctors are not using it to save lives. It's a travesty against the People. Videos from doctors that are touting the drug are being censored and the information is kept from patients. Pharmacists are scaring patients from taking it and people are dying.

2. Restaurants that have mask requirements while standing or walking through but not while seated at a table are a joke. And restaurants that have only 8 to a table are a joke as well. I got it from one person out of 4 at the table while not having to wear a mask while seated. This is completely misleading to the public and a facade to make people feel safer.

3. Taking 14 - 21 days to receive a test result is ludicrous and dangerous and definitely a public hazard. We are supposed to control the spread by testing more people and quarantining the sick. How are we to do that when results are taking so long to return. Had my mom not been taken to the hospital for her heart and been tested, my family could have been walking around in public - SICK. My parents and I had the 2 hour test because were in the hospital, otherwise we would have never known until my mom would have become much worse with pneumonia.

4. Many people have COVID and have no symptoms like my Dad and I and do very well with the disease - just like 99% of the others who survive it.

I know this was a long story - but I just want people to know that my mom is one of the lucky ones that was given Hydroxychloroquin and had amazing results. Thank God for my Mom's doctor who knew the drug worked, prescribed it without hesitation and who saved my mom's life. Her physician stated that had the pharmacist NOT scared her from taking it that Thursday, she might not have ever gotten the pneumonia or might not have had to have been hospitalized. Hopefully this information can save another life. My family is doing wonderfully and we are now able to give blood to save others (which my dad has already done). This is the part I love best.

God Bless.

You are welcome to share.

[cryxmercy]

Does HIPPA Still Apply If I Tell You I’m Immortal? || Mercy & Queenie

When: Current, early afternoon Where: White Crest Memorial Hospital Clinic Who: Mercy and Dr. King @drqueenieking

TW: hospitals, death mention, drowning mention, assault mention, injury mention, medical blood, non-con (r/t supernatural powers), mental health, PTSD

A Fury walks into a doctor’s office…  

This was stupid. 

She shouldn’t be here. She didn’t need this. She didn’t need a doctor. It was… ridiculous. 

The slight tremor of her hands - though it happened intermittently - said otherwise. As did the new onset sleepwalking. It had happened again last night. This time she’d ended up in the street, waking up to the blare of a car horn as it swerved to miss her. She would’ve been fine if it hadn’t. Wouldn’t she? It was just a small four-door sedan, after all, and not a semi. She’d had worse. The thought of waking up inside a morgue freezer turned her stomach, and her ire at Dr. Kavanagh, who still had her blocked online (the coward), made her frown.

But it wasn’t the near-miss VVP that had pushed Mercy to call the clinic - asking specifically for the seemingly competent doctor that had treated her in the ER back during the mime-madness - but the idea of not being in control of her body. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Blanche it had never been in issue before. Not in all her 1200 years. And she hadn’t been lying when she’d said she would tell Arthur if it happened again. She would. Later. Once she ruled out any lingering issues of the all too human variety. Still, Mercy didn’t like it here. With it’s antiseptic smell that didn’t hide the lingering miasma of sickness 

that saturated everything. From the stark white walls hung with cheap artwork, to the out of date magazines that begged to be put out of their misery in the nearest trash bin. 

So by the time she was called back, Mercy was damn near ready to scrap the whole thing. But if she ran now, she was no better than a coward. And Mercy was many things, but a coward wasn’t one of them. So she gave the young nurse a forced smile and followed her down the hallway where she was weighed, her vital signs taken, and asked a series of standard questions. Allergies? None. Meds? Nope. Drink? Daily. Smoke? Sometimes. Drugs? Medicinal. 

The nurse gave her a small side-eye, but made a few notes in the chart and left Mercy alone - with instructions to change into the little paper gown on the table - to wait on the doctor. Mercy waited anxiously, finding only mild satisfaction in tossing the ‘gown’ where it belonged: in the trash. She had once again decided this was a bad fucking idea after a solid twenty minutes passed and no doctor. She’d just made up her mind to leave - Fuck this… - when the door finally opened.

The day had been surprisingly slow. Without any near fatal car accidents or wild animal attacks which continued to be one of the most prominent emergency room visits that they received, Queenie had been keeping herself busy by making her rounds around the rooms, popping in with other doctors and requesting that they let her take on some of their work. After all, chances were high that the end result would be better off in Queenie’s hands anyways. Most of the doctor’s in the hospital knew this even if they weren’t willing to admit it. 

However, it turned out that someone had specifically asked for her. Since Queenie did not typically take appointments, this surprised her. The closest thing that she had to a monthly appointment was checking Blanche for a concussion or setting a bone that had come out of socket. And those instances were never scheduled officially, Queenie had just become used to them being a monthly occurrence. If not sooner. So when the nurse had told her, Queenie agreed to it and added it to her calendar, wondering who was coming in and why they specifically wanted to see her.

Queenie often lost track of time at the hospital, and today was no exception. She had been distracted when the nurse told her about the woman’s arrival and had instead been entirely too focused on reminding a fellow doctor that his diagnosis of a patient had been entirely off base and borderline negligent. It wasn’t until the doctor had angrily stormed off that Queenie remembered that she had a patient waiting for her. She jogged across the hospital floor until she found the room on the clipboard that the nurse had given to her and knocked on the door, pushing it open seconds later. “Good afternoon” Queenie began, only glancing at the woman while reading the clipboard. Finally, she looked back up, “You’re a familiar face.” She had been in a few months ago maybe, Queenie couldn’t be sure. “What brings you in today?”

Mercy froze when the door opened and the doctor she remembered from the ER walked in. Well, at least she was seeing the person she’d asked for. Not that this was any easier for Mercy. She hadn’t been to a doctor in… so long that she couldn’t remember. Probably during the Cold War. But this was hardly post-WWII Russia. It was a tiny room at White Crest Memorial. And Mercy wasn’t a spy. She was… tired. She was just… tired. 

It seemed the doctor recognized her too. A double gunshot wound - one of those to the neck - that hadn’t been DOA would probably have been memorable. Or maybe the woman was just being nice. Who knew. Either way, she got right down to business. Mercy appreciated that. 

She sat back on the table, and got right to the point. “I had an accident recently. I drowned. I almost died. I lost my vision for a month afterwards. Vitreous hemorrhage. Since my vision came back… a few weeks now… I’ve started having tremors. In my hands mostly. And I’ve been sleepwalking. I’ve never experienced either of those things before. Insomnia, yes. Nightmares, yes. But never anything quite so severe. So I guess I just wanted to make sure there was nothing… wrong.” She didn’t know what to ask for as far as tests or anything else. So she left it there for now. 

Emergency rooms never exactly gave the best first impression of a person. It was never easy to tell if someone was a friendly person or not when their life was at stake. This woman, Mercy, for instance had been in the emergency room before. She looked lethargic, annoyed even. But she couldn’t tell if these were simply faucets of her personality considering the last time she had seen the woman it had involved a gunshot wound. Most people weren’t exactly sociable after getting shot. 

“You almost drowned? How long ago was this?” Queenie moved toward the table, grabbing at the woman’s wrist and beginning to check her pulse. All seemed normal. “You lost your vision because of it?” That was interesting, and not at all a common side effect of drowning, even the ones with extended periods of exposure to water. “Tremors and sleepwalking… interesting. Have you experienced any shortness of breath? Extreme tiredness?” She glanced down at the patient’s hand she had been using to check the pulse and noticed her finger nails. No discoloration there, that was a good sign. “Where did you almost drown? A lake? The ocean? Your bathtub?” 

Mercy had never been accused of having the warmest personality. And when she was hurt or worried - she’d been both at the time - it only got worse. Usually, she was full of energy. Other than not being a morning person. But who was? And her annoyance came from having enough weird shit going on with her body and in her head that she felt like coming here was one of her last options. So she was thankful when the doctor didn’t dally. 

“A month? Six weeks maybe? Time sorta starts to run together after awhile.” Mercy let herself be examined, watching as the woman checked her pulse. “Yes.” It was either the drowning, or having spent too much time in the place she could only call limbo. A place of darkness and cold, between dying and coming back. “Tell me about it,” Mercy huffed. “Shortness of breath, no. Fatigue…” She frowned. How to explain the eternal weariness that came with being as old as she was? Without revealing how old she was. “Maybe a bit more tired than usual. But I don’t sleep well anyway. Never have.”

Then came the next question: where did she drown. “Dark Score Lake. I was…” Mercy hesitated, but eventually said fuck it. In for a penny and all that shit. “I was assaulted. And that person wrapped their hands around my throat, and held me under until-” The doctor could hopefully draw her own conclusion: until the bubbles stopped. “I was pronounced dead on scene by EMS. So… they took me to the morgue. Where even the medical examiner concluded that I was dead.” Mercy gave the doctor a wan smile. “I woke up in the observation room about four hours later when my friend came to ID my body.”  

So. There it was. 

A month and a half was a long time to continue exhibiting symptoms related to almost drowning. “Fatigue and shortness of breath are both common symptoms of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Drowning victims that survive often experience this.” She nodded at Mercy’s words, making a note when she mentioned that has never slept well. “Have you ever considered that you may have sleep apnea or some form of insomnia?” Queenie was not entirely concerned about lack of sleep. Not as long as the person was still functioning. However, she knew how long periods of time without sleep could prove to be dangerous. She had too many examples of people falling asleep at the wheel in New York and ending up killing people or getting pretty damned close. “There are doctors that offer sleep studies here. I’m not one of those doctors. However you may consider looking into it.” 

Queenie’s arms dropped to her side as Mercy began explaining the full situation. Her clipboard hit against the railing of the hospital bed as it waved at her side. “You what?” Queenie pressed a finger to her forehead, considering this near impossibility that Mercy had just offered her. “Someone’s heart stopping for that long would risk severe brain damage.” She grabbed at Mercy’s hand again, checking her fingers. No sign that blood circulation had been cut off for an extended period of time. “There is no way you could have actually been dead that long. If I was even going to entertain the idea, I’d recommend a CT scan to make sure you haven’t experienced any brain damage. Honestly, even the thought just seems-” Queenie paused for a moment, noting another point Mercy had made. “You said someone assaulted you? Did they ever catch the person?”

“Insomnia and I are old friends.” Mercy tried to sound blaise, but it fell short. She just sounded... tired. “But no shortness of breath. Not after the first couple of days. And that was mostly because I was coughing so much.” She left out the part about the black oil, if only because she hadn’t seen it for herself. Mercy glanced up to the doctor’s face as she suggested a sleep study. That would probably be a terrible idea. No, it would be a terrible idea. “I’ll think about it,” Mercy nodded, even if she had no intentions whatsoever of letting a complete stranger - likely a human stranger - watch her sleep. 

When she explained the rest, the doctor’s reaction was… well, it wasn’t as bad as Mercy had anticipated. Honestly, she’d expected to be told - again - that it wasn’t possible. That there had been some mistake. Or some other excuse to make Mercy sound insane. “I’m aware,” she said with a note of long-suffering patience. She let the doctor examine her hands again. They looked like normal hands. Small and fine-boned, with neatly manicured nails. There was a tattoo on the underside of her right forearm, and what looked like an old burn scar shaped vaguely like a ‘P’ on the underside of her left wrist. Though she kept it covered with a watch or wrist-band of some sort. 

Mercy huffed when the doctor hit the proverbial nail right on the head. “Yeah.” But that was all she said about the medical examiner. She had her opinions, but she wasn’t here to talk about that. Instead, Mercy nodded in agreement that if she had actually been dead - truly dead - then she would likely not be sitting here now. But then again, Mercy wasn’t human.     

“Insane?” she said, finishing the doctor’s sentence for her. “Yeah. It does. But… there are conditions that mimic death to the point where even a doctor might be fooled. Catalepsy. The Lazarus Phenomenon. Fugu toxin. Even severe hypothermia.” Or being immortal. But it wasn’t as if Mercy could just come out and say that, could she? No matter how much the incident had affected her. 

Mercy hummed quietly, acknowledging the question about the assault. “Yeah. I was out by the lake. I walk at night when I can’t sleep,” she gave as an explanation, since ‘I was helping an exorcist and a supernatural bounty hunter kill and banish a squid-demon back to it’s own dimension’ would most certainly get her a psych workup. “This guy - I think he was drunk or on something - figured he could mug me. Didn’t expect me to fight back. He got the upper hand.” Mercy shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “Yeah, he’s... taken care of.” Not a lie, technically. But she wasn’t about to out Nic when it wasn’t his fault. 

“Why?”

“That sounds awful for you and your friend. I can’t imagine what that must have been like to wake up to.” Though Queenie was not entirely interested in the woman’s individual experience, she had to admit that it was fascinating to consider. How could someone have come back after that long without any permanent damage being done? 

The woman named off explanations for her sudden brush with dead and Queenie crossed her arms, “So you know a bit about medicine then? That’s quite impressive” Queenie didn’t use the term lightly, but liked to give credit where credit was due. Most of those were uncommon phenomena that rarely occurred and were even less frequently diagnosed as such. It was easy to pass things off as miracles or unexplainable. Lesser doctors were easily willing to except those explanations at times, whether it was because they were too incompetent to seek out the truth for themselves or because they enjoyed the idea of a miracle being associated with their name.

“I can’t imagine. Well, I am glad that he is taken care of. I do not drive, so I typically walk home from the hospital at all different hours of the day. I don’t like the idea of someone dangerous like that being on the loose.” Queenie explained. For what it was worth, all that time spent in New York and she had never so much as seen a mugger. From the stories she had heard in the ER, she supposed she could consider herself lucky. On the flipside, she had been in White Crest for only a couple of weeks before she had been attacked and her leg injured. Not that Queenie was willing to admit that Regan may have some backing to her baseless claim that animals were more violent here in White Crest. That must have just been an unlucky coincidence. 

“Well considering all the information that I’ve heard, I’m thinking your issue may not be physical at all.” Queenie crossed her arms, studying the clipboard again. “I am no psychologist, but you seem to be in good physical health. From what I’ve heard about your experience both with the mugger and then in the morgue it seems like you may be more aligned with some sort of PTSD. Though keep in mind that I am in no way qualified to diagnose that officially.” It was more of a hypothesis if anything, one that Queenie did not like to give formally unless necessary. However, from what Queenie had seen so far there didn’t seem to be any evidence that Mercy was suffering any visible defects following the attempted drowning. “I would be interested in running a CT scan, just to be sure. I’d be willing to do it myself, and can set up a time with you if interested.” Queenie tore a sticky note free and scribbled her information down on the pad and handed it off to her. 

Mercy had only tried to talk to Regan to explain that what the medical examiner had witnessed hadn’t been a medical oversight, but more an oversight of Mercy not being human. And only because Mercy knew Regan was fae. As the medical examiner, Regan needed to know - for her own safety as well as the safety of others - what she was dealing with when it came to the non-human residents of White Crest. But she hadn’t wanted to hear it. And Mercy wasn’t the type to beg someone to listen which is why she hadn’t gone over to the morgue and confronted Regan herself. It was only a matter of time before her denial would catch up with her. And that probably made Mercy more angry than anything. Because she’d seen the results of people turning a blind eye to one another. It never ended well.  

“It was… not the best,” Mercy said truthfully. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But… we’re alright.” At least, she thought they were. Arthur tended to keep things close to the vest sometimes, not wanting to upset her. She couldn’t manage to be upset with him for that. 

Mercy smiled again at the compliment. “I try to stay informed.” Plus she’d had a long, long time to research certain things. One didn’t live for 1200 years without several periods of wondering how it all worked. Mercy had come to the conclusion that some things were simply unexplainable. At least in human terms. Miracles existed, but they were rare. Even more rare than Mercy herself.

Mercy nodded as the subject of her assailant passed, glad she wasn’t getting too many questions. It was dealt with. They moved on, and after Dr. King was done examining Mercy, she seemed to come to a tentative conclusion. One that didn’t surprise Mercy. Who didn’t like shrinks. At all. “Post-Traumatic Stress,” Mercy nodded as she took the information in. “I suppose that makes sense. I… I used to be a cop. Before I came here. Seattle. New York before that. We got…” She waved a hand towards her head. “- psych screens all the time. I always passed,” she assured the doctor. “But yeah. Okay. I’ll… look into it.” Mercy wouldn’t look into it. She knew what PTSD was. Had probably suffered from it for centuries. Only they didn’t have a name for it then. She was just glad to have checked out alright physically.

Dr. King mentioned a CT scan and handed Mercy a sticky note. “Thanks,” Mercy told Dr. King, tucking the note away in a pocket after she’d read over it. “I’ll think about it and let you know She’d talk to Arthur first, before she made any decisions. Who knew what the brain of a 1200 year old immortal would look like on a scan like that? It might invite more trouble than it was worth. 

“I would be interested in hearing about any further symptoms or experiences that you may have regarding this. Being legally dead that long is practically unheard of, even with the medical examples that Mercy had given. It could be valuable information to study. Not nearly as much of a medical marvel as someone with wings, but still fascinating stuff. If Queenie were a skeptic, she may even consider that Maine or White Crest truly did have something that caused it to be more susceptible to anomalies. If Queenie were willing to make an hypothesis based purely on a string of unrelated coincidences.

Based on the new information, PTSD seemed even more lucky. So Queenie nodded, “Between that and then your recent attack, I would say it’s not unlikely. It may be worth looking into at the very least.” Though Queenie herself had always considered psychology to be more medically adjacent than a study of medicine in itself, she at least acknowledged that sometimes symptoms were outside of her own physical control. Even if she thought that psychiatrists were glorified counselors that liked to play pharmacist. 

Though Queenie did not hold out much hope that Mercy would be returning for a CT scan anytime soon, she also had other things that she could be focusing on instead. She did not have much concern what Mercy did either way. “Well, you have my contact information. If any symptoms get worse please feel free to contact me. Apparently, I make house calls now.” Queenie stated sarcastically, adding in “At least the town seems to think so.” beneath her breath. “If there’s nothing else bothering you at the moment, then I’d guess that you’re good to go.”

The request to hear more about Mercy’s experience of being ‘legally dead’ for almost four hours wasn’t all that surprising. She could understand the curiosity from a medical standpoint - cheating death was what doctors did, wasn’t it? - and part of her even relished the idea that Dr. King was willing to discuss it. To learn. But Mercy wasn’t going to be a science experiment. She’d taken a risk revealing what she had. But Dr. King had been kind, and she’d listened seemingly without bias. So Mercy granted her one thing. “It’s very dark... and very cold,” she said of her experience with ‘death.’ “Wherever I was, I don’t ever wish to return.” She gave Dr. King a small, tight smile. 

As for the rest. “I’ll give it some thought.” And she would. Not a lot, because she wasn’t about to let some human head doctor try and psychoanalyze her. It wouldn’t end well. For either party. Would Mercy be coming back for a head scan too? Also not likely. She’d checked out physically, so that was good enough for her. It might even satisfy Arthur’s insistence that she get herself checked over. Well, now she had. And she was fine. So when Dr. King started to wrap up, Mercy was quite ready to be on her way. She gave Dr. King a small smirk. “Be careful with that around here,” she said of the house calls. “You never know who you’ll run into.” Or what. “People’ll start to take advantage.”

After thanking the doctor for her time, Mercy agreed that if anything new or concerning came up, she’d be sure to call. Though Mercy’s definition of ‘concerning’ was likely far, far different than Dr. King’s. 

~

[thesummerstorms]

So my district's response to Covid so far:

Teachers and staff will be expected to self-screen their temperatures before arriving to campus. Parents enrolling their children will be given "screening questions", as will parents coming to campus to pick up their student early. Students' temperatures will not be taken.

I purchased my own infrared thermometer and a pulse oximeter, both in the interest of daily self screening, and in the belief that I am very likely to contract the virus if school opens without dramatic changes to the plan .

Hand sanitizer will be available on campus... at main entrances to the building. As of right now, there is no plan to purchase hand sanitizer for classroom use.

I am stockpiling my own hand sanitizer, from my own salary, instead of paying off debt or purchasing household items or entertainment.

Students will be encouraged to wash their hands. Teachers will be responsible for instructing them on handwashing the first day of school.

I am awaiting email clarification if our classroom sinks will be provided soap this year, or if there's some way that any of the sinks accessible to students could be altered to use hot water. I am also advocating for the hand dryers to be replaced by paper towels.

Students will be encouraged to sneeze into a tissue or their elbow. No mention has been made of the school providing tissue.

I have a few boxes I had bought in February in my cabinet at school, and am planning on asking my relatives to purchase Kleenex for me in lieu of any birthday celebration in August (along with hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes if possible).

The schools will be "regularly deep cleaned". No mention of specifics, of who will be cleaning between classes, when cleaning between classes is expected to occur if we maintain a normal schedule as has been stated.

I am stockpiling sanitizing wipes whenever and however I can get them, though I don't think I'll have enough to sanitize high touch areas or even all used desks between classes. Technically, I am not supposed to have said sanitizer in the classroom due to allergy concerns.

It has been decided social distancing is not possible. Plexiglass barriers or sneeze guards will not be provided. Students will be encouraged to frequently wash their hands instead.

I have put my 32 desks in front-facing rows. I will move my desk as far away from the sink as I can manage, and pray.

Students over the age of 10 will be required to wear face masks if so ordered by Governor Abbott. The district refuses to commit one way or the other when asked if elementary school students will be made to wear PPE or if masking will continue when Governor Abbott's order expires.

My mother is sewing me cloth face masks, and I have ordered my own face shields from Amazon. I'm praying it will be enough, even though the mask protects students from me, not the other way around.

I pray that my administration doesn't try to shame me out of wearing PPE in the name of "normalcy for the children".

Schedules, including four minute passing periods where all 1000+ students are in the halls fighting to use the same three bathrooms at the same time, and including lunches where grade levels eat in groups of roughly 300 at a time, will not be altered.

I try to avoid thinking about this one. I'm afraid. I will probably be eating in my car, if I eat or drink of campus at all.

Students whose parents are uncomfortable have the option of at-home all online learning.

I regret the fact that the district has refused to offer any at-home option to staff whatsoever, and that their unsafe plan was deliberately released after the last day I could exit my contract with no penalty, even though I know the odds of my finding remote work to pay rent were low.

I regret that I trusted them to come up with some way to at least try to protect us.

I try to come to terms with the fact that I, a Type 1 Diabetic, am now at extreme risk for catching Covid and for possible hospitalization or death. It isn't as if I have another way to pay the bills.

Students with "Covid like" symptoms are expected to stay home. If a nurse checks a child and finds they have a fever, the parent will be "expected to immediately take them home", as if I haven't had students come to school dosed up on Tylenol because their parent has to work, or sent a child to the nurse for vomiting on the floor first period only for the to remain at school all day with no phone calls answered and arrive promptly again for first period the next morning.

I wonder if my school nurse, in her 50s and diabetic, will return this year. I wonder if she has the flexibility of a choice.

If a student is confirmed to have Covid, only the parts of the school the student regularly accesses will be closed and only for 5 days of "deep cleaning".

I think about students skipping in wrong-grade-level bathrooms, fixing each other's hair, play-fighting, sneaking snacks, taking selfies .

I wonder about the cafeteria. The gym. The band hall. The hallways a student need to be in, but wandered down anyway because they hate going to their science class, or because they wanted to talk to a friend. I wonder about lockers.

I wonder if the district ever actually intends to address what will happen if a teacher comes down with Covid. If we'll be paid when we run out of sick days or if we'll have to hope we took the disability insurance and it will pay our bills.

I wonder how other classes are supposed to continue, knowing another child likely now has the virus, somewhere else in the school, and doesn't know.

I wonder if we'll even be able to get a Covid test and see our results in five days.

I wonder how many times my hall will be shut down.

I wonder if our custodians, hourly workers with 30 minutes or less per room, will get hazard pay. I wonder about our food service workers.

And a bonus:

Parents flood the social media of the district.

Some are angry, and demand information on how they can get an exemption to the masking order for their child "because a mask is more dangerous for kids than the virus". Danger to teachers is not mentioned.

The inevitable people wanting a "refund on their taxes" if the school is forced to close flood the comments. No one talks about the expense of providing technology to the students who are remote learning and don't have their own. Or about what the costs will be when multiple teachers become too sick to teach, especially of we can't find subs.

So many people question why teachers think they're better than "other essential workers". I wonder if those parents will contribute to the classroom supplies this year, or if on top of my own sanitizer and PPE, I will still be expected to use my salary for pencils and paper. I wonder how many of those parents have been locked in a room with no windows and thirty year old ventilation for an hour at a time, tightly packed with 30 other people whose infection status they do not know. How many of them do so for seven groups of thirty people, for seven consecutive hours.

People threaten to leave the district if any restrictions are placed whatsoever on sports, music, the things their kids "need". I think about a student athlete getting sick and permanently scarring their lungs too badly to play. About the coach with the new baby son. About our elderly choir teacher. I think I might be relieved if the parents followed through.

People tell us that there's never life without any risk, so we should stop whining and get on with life. I wonder how many of them are considering buying a $200 filter for their work place, on the off chance it makes them and their children the slightest bit safer. How many are spending their own salary to clean their own work places, on their own PPE.

I wonder how many are telling their children the virus is a hoax, and how many twelve year olds will think it's "funny" to aggravate their teachers by purposefully being unsafe this year. I wonder how many will get sick.

I wonder how many parents would notice or care if I got sick, if I , a type one diabetic with no other financial means, was hospitalized or died. I wonder how many would just be angry at the disruption to their lives.

I start preparing myself for the likelihood I will get sick.

I wonder why no one with the power to fix this, to even mitigate it, seems to care.