|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:23 pm
And We'll All Float On
WC: 536
You have no sense of adventure.
With one knee raised, she balanced the box as one hand moved to open the front door. She'd become an expert by now, having moved dozens of boxes by herself into the new, empty house. It was a modest place, a few bedrooms, a couple bathrooms. She was lucky to find one with a second story - something about the former family having had a death in the family warranted such a good deal with the price. She didn't mind - she had her own ghosts to move in with her.
Destiny City. The name alone promised hope, second chances.
Nudging the door open with her foot, she slid inside and planted the last box on top of the large, brown tower consuming the majority of the empty, large living room space. Only a couch and a bookcase, both found from Craigslist the day before, took up any room.
Letting out a small sigh, she opened the flap to the first box.
This was going to take a while.
You're so boring.
Hands dusted themselves off on her slacks as she stood back and admired her work. The barren bookshelf was now happy and full, shelves filled with paperbacks and hardbacks alike, all meticulously arranged, first by height and then by color. Her heart swelled with nostalgia as she glanced over the titles, recalling the memories associated with each. Fairy tales, handsome rogues, daring princesses, but especially the happy endings.
Sliding one from the perfectly arranged line, she opened the dusty cover and flopped to the first page.
Maybe just a few chapters...
You're too predictable.
Another flip of a page, another bite of the turkey sandwich in her other hand. She'd made use of the lonely windowseat, creating a new reading nook to escape to. The fridge had been almost as empty as the rest of the house, filled with only two plastic bags, the contents of which were hastily retrieved from the nearby gas station's shop. Sandwiches weren't an amazing first meal for a brand new life, but they were satisfactory. Perfect companions for books, at least.
Licking the stray mustard from her thumb, she clipped another page.
You're just so...plain.
Stepping out of the shower, she startled herself for the umpteenth time that day. Black hair wasn't what she expected to see when she saw her reflection, nor the shortness of the length. Fingers rose to play with the ends that brushed her naked shoulders. It would take a while to get used to it, especially since it had been so much longer only days prior.
The solemn line turned up, her reflection mimicking the small smile, before following its owner's motion of moving down to retrieve the purple toothbrush by the sink.
You're not good enough anymore.
The room looked drab, but the sheets and blankets were a happy splash of comfort for weary eyes. Brown boxes still scattered the bedroom, but that was a task for another day. Instead, she would enjoy the smell of brand newness, the feel of just-opened sheets, of a brand new fluffy pillow.
Burrowing under the comforter, she pulled the blanket up over her shoulders before sinking down into the pillow.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 5:35 am
Adventures in Nursing
WC: 1065
"Julie, we've got a situation in thirty-five."
Her eyes never left her patient's wound, gloved fingers gently dabbing the sterile doused gauze on it, removing debris from the site. "I'll be there in a moment."
The patient, despite the pain he was currently in, peered at the doorway intruder curiously. Without taking no for an answer, the barely-out-of-school nurse fledgling grabbed a pair of gloves, snapped them on and pushed her way next to the older nurse.
"I've got this. They need you. Now."
The urge to sigh was overwhelming, but she suppressed it masterfully as she handed the young woman the gauze and rose from the bedside. Removing her gloves, she nodded towards her coworker, then smiled at her patient. "I'll be right back, Mr. Jones."
She wouldn't be right back. If it was anything like the last few times she'd been pulled from her room, she wouldn't be back for a long while.
One hip bumped open the door while her hand reached out for the sanitizer dispenser. By the time her hands has absorbed the alcohol-based cleanser, she'd made her way down the hall and arrived at room thirty-five, where apparently nearly all of the other ER nurses were lurking outside of.
"What have we got?"
The nurses shuffled around awkwardly for a moment, until one of the smaller girls, clearly the nurse assigned to the Problem In Question, sheepishly whispered, "He's been off his meds for at least three months. Schizophrenic. Police found him wandering the street, brought him in when he attacked their cruiser."
She continued giving her report, but Julie only nodded, half-listening as she instead focused on reading the chart presented only moments earlier by another helpful (and equally nosey) nurse.
"So what are you needing right now?"
In other words: skip to the point.
"He won't stay still for a stick - DCMH won't take him until his iron is up and we can't get the IV in to give it to him." The small blonde looked panicked, as if she were about to be accused of slacking at her job, "We can't even get close enough to restrain him, he's hit Tony already when we tried."
The tech, unfortunate Tony, now raised his finger towards the bruise growing on his face, as if to present proof.
"IV cart?" A third nurse turned towards the station and retrieved the mobile carrier, filled with various medical paraphernalia. "And lastly - name?"
"Harold Redmond."
Now armed with both knowledge and supplies, she turned and gave the door three sharp raps with her free hand.
"Mr. Redmond?"
No response.
She repeated the name, this time as she turned the doorknob, pushing the heavy wooden door open. As soon as she made it through the doorway, however, a loud WHAM echoed in the room as the used urinal went smashing into the wall beside the door.
The urinal fell to the ground with an equally resounding thud, sending a shower of urine up into the air, across the wall and, naturally, up the side of her pants.
Great.
"I'LL KILL YOU."
She set the IV cart on the counter, opened up one of the top cabinets and pulled out a towel. "Yes, sir. You can kill me just as soon as we get this IV in you."
Dropping the towel over the spill and container, she did her best to ignore the dampness on her leg for the time being and began rummaging through the cart for her supplies.
"YOU AIN'T STICKING ME. SHE AIN'T STICKING ME NOWHERE."
Moving to stick her head out the door, she made a request to the nearest nurse, who eagerly ran off to retrieve the items while Julie turned back towards her newest patient. Mr. Redmond seemed busy having a fierce conversation with the voices in his head, arguing the merits and problems it would cause if he did indeed murder the nurse standing in front of him.
As the nurse returned with a plastic box, Julie took hold of it and closed the door, effectively shutting herself in with the crazy patient but also blocking out all of the noise and chatter of the bustling emergency room. Taking a step forward, she shook the box, staring the tall man straight in the eyes.
"Mr. Redmond, are you hungry?"
The man paused in his ranting and raving at the question, as if he needed to ponder such a suggestion before presenting it to the other residents in his mind. He nodded, but looked at her suspiciously.
"If I give you this sandwich, will you let me start your IV?"
He shook his head fervently and opened his mouth to resume screaming, but she cut him off promptly. "I'll give you a choice. You either let me start your IV in one arm as you eat the sandwich with your other hand, or I'm going to call Tony back in with three of his friends and they're going to hold you down until I get it in."
While Tony prayed on the other side of the door, Mr. Redmond quickly made his decision.
"SANDWICH."
She smiled, giving the box to his outstretched hand as she moved to his bedside with her supplies. As he opened the box, she tied the tourniquet to his arm. As he unwrapped the plastic wrap, she tapped on his arm, searching for the perfect vein. By the time he was finished with his stale, hospital sandwich, the IV was placed, flushed and ready for use.
Straightening up, she took a moment to watch him rip into the cup of applesauce before turning back around and leaving the scene.
"You'd better hurry with that iron." She suggested casually, to which the nurse quickly dashed off towards the med room, her face red with embarrassment.
"I owe you dinner, Julie Payne." Tony grinned, very relieved that his assistance was not needed as she had threatened. "It's a wonder why he didn't smack you too."
She shrugged, simply smiling back. "Just lucky, I guess."
Running her fingers through her hair, she followed it up by shaking her head. "I'll take an IOU on that dinner, because what I could really use right now is to get into some new pants."
He laughed at that, which earned him a raspberry and a grin from her before heading down the hall towards Laundry in search of replacement scrubs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 6:02 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 6:04 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 7:10 am
Brief Longevity
(WC: 1545) "Jules, you've got another one."
The cheeto, only half-chewed, was quickly swallowed as the nurse exclaimed. "Already?"
The charge nurse, Dwayne, gave her a pity smile. "House is packed tonight, you know how the revolving door works."
It was all too true. The ER was a double-edged sword of sorts. As much as Julie loved the fast pace of her admissions and discharges, it also meant the pace typically never stopped. Even during holidays, when the upstairs units would slow down in patient flow, the emergency room was never short on customers.
Rising from her chair, she acknowledged his comment with a partial nod. "Yeah, yeah - so what did you stick in forty-two this time?"
The younger nurse grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "Thought I'd be nice to you. Stacy's back, so I stuck her in there until a room's ready upstairs."
Stacy. Now that was a name Julie didn't mind hearing.
"Could have just started with that, y'know."
While it was true that the ER was essentially a revolving door, that door was known to be frequented by some of the same visitors, over and over again. Some were nuisances, some were pleasures. Stacy was one of the latters.
At first glance, she looked like any other normal, healthy twenty-five year old. Petite (and maybe a tad bit chubby), she had a smile that could brighten the gloomiest of days and a positive attitude that would have put Mother Theresa to shame. No one would ever suspect that behind such a sweet exterior, her organs were slowly trying to kill her. Her heart, to be precise, was slowly failing. This (as well as the meds she took to combat the failure) caused her immune system to fail, catching all sorts of nasty bugs and colds on a semi-frequent basis.
Thankfully, the hospital was fairly quick at getting rooms ready for these particular patients, expediting their wait time to ensure minimal exposure to the ER germs. Which was fine by Julie - getting to spend a little bit of time with a favorite patient was better than no time!
Grabbing her clipboard and notepad, she jotted down several notes from the charting done during admissions. She knew the girl's general history, but her visit today was.....ah, alright, nausea and abdominal pain.
Tucking her pen behind her ear, she made her way into forty-two, glancing in on her other patient en route, who was still happily sleeping away thanks to their painkiller-benadryl cocktail. Perfect.
Two brief knocks and she was opening the door, an adorably dressed young woman waiting inside, sitting up on the stretcher. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her purple blouse fitting neatly across her while matching her stressed jeans.
"Julie!!"
Her smile was infectious, the seasoned nurse finding herself grinning right back. Even sick and in pain, this precious girl knew how to make a person feel special.
"Hey, sweetheart. Not feeling so hot, I take it?"
Setting down her iPhone, the girl pointed to the emesis bag resting in her lap. "On my second one so far. Y'all have a bush out by the door that may have been a victim, too."
It wasn't hard to tell that she wasn't feeling well, as hard as she tried to remain cheerful. Her color had paled, her forehead sweaty. Skin probably felt clammy too, judging by appearance alone. "Ha. Those bushes were ugly anyways."
That generated a laugh, followed by a wistful "I hear it's supposed to snow again tonight."
Jotting down a few notes and glancing up at the monitor, it was Julie's turn to laugh. "It's snowed every other day since Christmas, silly."
"Yeah, but this is supposed to be the biggest. We haven't gotten enough to build a good snowman yet."
"It'll be there for you when you get out of here, don't worry. The snow isn't going anywhere soon."
Seemingly satisfied with her response, the girl leaned back against the shoddy hospital pillow and offered her arm. It was easy, with Stacy, since she knew the routine. Questions, IV, lab work. Finally, nausea medicine.
"Three West will call when they've got a room available."
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill." The answer came muffled, Stacy moving to snuggle up on her side. The medicine was clearly working its way through her system, but also making her drowsy. Not a terrible side effect, for two in the morning.
Another check on her second patient and she was back behind the desk, charting away. A phone call came shortly after, room assignment for her first patient. One down, one to go. Call the report, notify her coworker and it was time to fly.
Grabbing the chart, she ducked into her sleeping patient's room, tucked the chart behind their pillow, ensured their IV pump was firmly attached and unlocked the stretcher's wheels. While the patient remained fast asleep, she zipped down the hall, up the elevator and into the unit, a blur of blue and black. The faster she could deliver the patient, the sooner she could get back to charting.
Upon arrival to the patient's new, sterile and drab looking room, it took several minutes to rouse the poor soul, then assist him in transferring from stretcher to bed. Amidst the hand-off report, however, the intercom clicked on, a small static buzz erupting from the speakers before a voice droned out:
"Paging Code Blue: Emergency Room. Paging Code Blue: Emergency Room."
Her ears perked. There were thirty patients, close to eighteen nurses and a handful of techs. Surely whatever was going on down there was getting squared away, right?
Thankfully, the nurse receiving the patient was understanding, allowing her the opportunity to slip away and dash back downstairs, opting for the stairwell instead of the elevator.
A handwave later and the automatic doors opened into the ER bay, the gathering of nurses a dead giveaway as to which room was in trouble.
Forty-two.
Her breath caught in her throat, but her feet remained steady as she ran her way towards the door. "What's going on - what happened?"
Inside, a nurse was practically on top of the stretcher, forcing compressions onto the young woman's sternum. A doctor was calmly giving directions, another nurse fetching a bolus of Levophed, a third setting up the defibrillator. Calm amidst the storm, these were the moments the emergency room nurses were known for.
"She went unresponsive."
It was as though only Dwayne had heard her question, the others busy with their tasks at hand. He lingered in the hallway alongside her while several of the new interns peeked their heads in the door, eager to watch the code in action. "There one second, gone the next. Smith thinks it was a PE."
Blue eyes could only watch on as pads were placed on the girl's back and chest, her purple blouse cut away, tatters scattered on the floor. Her lips had turned blue, her eyes wide and open - empty. So empty.
How could someone so young suffer from a pulmonary embolism? She knew the answer, she knew the risk factors - it just wasn't fair. It wasn't right.
Staring at the lifeless body and the nurses surrounding it, Julie knew she had to do something. Something. Anything. She owed Stacy that much.
Grabbing the IV bag from one of the nurses, she began squeezing, forcing the medicine in faster. Her head jerked around, black hair whipping with the motion as her eyes frantically searched the hallway. "Where's the goddamn bolus?"
------------------------
"We did our best."
"You win some, you lose some."
"At least it was quick."
Her head sank in her palms as she let out a ragged breath, elbows barely teetering on the edge of the desk. Everything the others were saying was true - but it didn't make it any easier. A young life, snuffed away like a candle in the figurative cliche wind.
It was the sudden deaths that bugged her. Not the car crashes, the ODers, the ones that came in with death written all over their faces, their lifeless corpses as the ambulance attempted to bring them in for resuscitation. The sudden, unexpected ones were always the challenge to contend with, to try to justify as just another cruddy moment on the job.
She'd let the others take care of the post-mortem care while she finished the charting. Calling the parents had been the hardest part, asking them to come to the hospital, unaware of what was in store for them.
It was true - you won some, you lost some. And Julie hated losing.
Grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair, she burrowed herself within its warmth as she headed outside for a breath of fresh air. The ER's pace had slowed down after the code, the activity winding down as the night waned. A few more hours and she'd be set loose on the world again, free for another twelve hours before it was time to return back.
The air was chill, her arms automatically moving up to rub against each other. Her breath was visible in the cold winter night and as she looked up to the moon, she let out a frustrated sigh.
Slowly, but surely, tiny snowflakes began to rain down on top of the world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 12:03 pm
Lieutenant Angelite's art has arrived! Bless Kuro for being so wonderful! heart
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 12:36 pm
Love & Unmarriage
(WC: 569)
Valnetine's Day.
The holiday brought bittersweet thoughts to her as fingers trailed across the rows and rows of red heart-shaped boxes lining the shelves of the Walgreens pharmacy store. She'd once gotten candy like this - flowers too, when the moment had struck her former husband. Such a romantic holiday, such wistful thoughts and dreams.
And then things came crashing down.
Hands slipped around a box - a variety pack, two dozen or so small squares filled with a random roulette of flavors and fillings. Worth a few bucks, at least. If she were smart, she'd wait until tomorrow to make the purchase, but out of all the evenings to be off work, she was off tonight of all nights and what better way to spend the evening alone than surrounded by books and copious amounts of chocolate?
She might not be getting laid tonight, but at least Ronaldo and Amaretta might, if she had any inkling as to where the plot was leading between the heroes in her latest historical romance. There was a time when she'd have purchased some pretty lingerie or a dress for a night out - thoughts of dining in a popular restaurant, a bouquet of flowers awaiting her at home - memories came rushing back to her the longer she lingered and stared at the commercial, overproduced holiday items that lacked the sentiment behind them until they were wrapped and presented as gifts.
The chocolate was added to her basket, sat on top of two paperbacks, a carton of milk and a few various grocery necessities. The stuffed animals smiled back at her as she passed their aisle, monkeys, kittens and puppies hugging hearts and signs that said "I love you!" as black soul-less eyes begged for a new home, a child or wife to go home with. Her favorite had been the teddy bears - the classic symbol of adorable softness. How many had she ended up throwing away, when she moved? Too many, probably.
There were seven or eight people in line when she arrived. It took nearly ten minutes of scanning hearts, cards, wilted flowers and stuffed animals before her turn arrived. Finally at the register, the clerk nonchalantly scanned each of her items slowly, the woman in no hurry herself to get the line any smaller. Why would she care? She was stuck working at a convenience store for Valentine's Day! She didn't have a fancy date or even the ability to lounge around, doing nothing all day like others did.
Julie smiled, glancing down at the wrinkled hands of the clerk. Like her, she was missing a ring on her fourth finger - instinctively, the customer moved to rub the bare spot on her finger. It had been over a year now, but it still felt so odd to no longer have her band there. The band she was given years earlier, on this same, very day. Candlelight dinner, romantic conversations of the future, the delightful surprise as the ring arrived alongside a chocolate souffle dessert. So many hopes, so many dreams, so much romance.
Purchases in hand, the plastic bag bumped against her leg as she made her way out the sliding door and into the chilly February breeze. She might not have a romance for her own this year (yet again), but that wouldn't stop her from enjoying a little bit of sweetness...and maybe share in someone else's romance, literary wise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 6:03 pm
Night Off
(WC: 509)
She felt overwhelmed.
It wasn't an unusual feeling these days, knowing she'd been placed under high expectations at both of her jobs. As if it wasn't hard enough combating flu and pneumonia season at the hospital, her energy quota had yet to ease up. There was always a need for her, if not at one vocation, then the other. For still being the underling, she felt as though she had enough stress to equate that of a higher ranked official...only without the recognition.
It was a Tuesday evening. She'd gotten off work at three that morning, gone to the grocery store and found herself a catch of an energy prize on the way home, thanks to a staggering a*****e coming out of a local bar. Once home, she (ironically) lacked enough energy to cook herself dinner - it wouldn't do good to dip into the reserves, especially after hearing the horror stories of starseed binging from her superior’s personal history.
No, she took a quiet bubble bath, once again contemplated the merits of getting a house pet and then dried off, hopping into bed shortly after. Blue eyes didn't flutter open again until close to three that afternoon, which led to nearly an hour’s worth of lounging around in bed.
She should get up, she knew.
She should clean up around the house.
She should do a lot of things.
What she DID do?
Nothing.
Eventually, she dragged herself out of bed and started a load of laundry. Eyes side-glanced over to her windowsill, where notebooks upon notebooks waited for her review and triple checks. There was time sensitivity at stake and a meeting on the horizon. Nope.
No, it was going to be an evening to herself. Her phone was turned off, her notebooks were shelved and her porch light was turned off. Making her way towards the kitchen, she contemplated her options. She could be good and stick with a salad - no, she'd earned more than that.
Opening the fridge, she reviewed her options. There was a bag of premade salad mix that continued calling her name, silently reminding her of the two pounds she'd gained over the Valentine’s Day holiday. Sigh; after-holiday candy sales were simply too hard to resist sometimes. Heaven knew she'd worked hard enough over the last week, taking on five shifts at the ER and four bouts of energy gathering. That made for nine occasions where she worked her butt off...and if that didn't deserve a treat, she didn't know what would!
Glancing at the box of fresh strawberries, she slowly smiled to herself. A quick peek into the freezer provided the discovery of a long-forgotten T-bone, the idea quickly forming in her head.
It was going to be a night of steak, wine and a beautiful angel food cake, topped with strawberries and fresh cream. Paired with a romance novel purchased months ago (it was new...at the time), all of her worries and concerns would be set aside.
Well. For now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:37 am
Preparations
(WC: 554)
Eureka.
Pushing her chair backwards, she breathed in a sigh of relief as she stared across the kitchen table… or the remains of her table, at least. The surface was nearly completely covered with notebooks, manilla envelopes and folders, diagrams and loose sheets of paper. In the far corner, a small model sat - it had taken a good deal of time to learn how to figure out such things, but with the help of her newest “friends”, she’d managed to do so adequately.
It had taken months, literally, to make all of this plotting come together. The right people had to be bribed, others had to be threatened, but their plan was coming to its pinnacle. Its glorious, wonderful peak.
Her wrist ached from all the writing she’d done, but it would prove well worth it, as would the rest of the hours, the days, the months of effort she’d put into this project. She already knew Obsidian was pleased - he had been by her side throughout the countless meetings she held with human and youma alike. Her protector, her judge, the jury in all matters. The youma hadn’t been very pleased to be dealing with such an inferior officer, but one glare of the General’s emerald eyes and they were silenced, submitted and resigned to working with her.
Closing the black spiral notebook, she set her pen down to the side and dropped the binder in her lap.This, this was the summary of all of their hard work, combined. All written down in neatly printed cursive - her elementary teacher would be over the moon with the style. While Julianne had a perfectly acceptable laptop that sat neglected in the corner of the living room, she preferred using her own writing when it came to important things. There was simply something behind writing that typing couldn’t convey. Maybe she was just getting old. Sigh.
The meeting would take place the next day and glancing at her wristwatch, she realized just how much time had slipped away as she’d jotted down every fine detail of their plan. It barely gave her a few hours to struggle to sleep - perhaps it was time to finally part ways with the table she’d been glued to for more hours than she cared to count. By summertime, the table would be cleared off and used for its original purpose once more, but for now it would remain at task, the center of operations until their true base was finished being built.
By April first, construction would be complete. It brought a giddy feeling to think about - she, regular ‘ol Jules, was responsible for an entire building’s construction. Even if it was only potentially temporary, it was still a great honor to hold. Hiring would start in the weeks to come, innocent, eager potentials trying to fight their way for a position in the newest opportunity to arrive in Destiny City.
Grinning to herself as she drifted towards the bathroom, she had a passing thought of sending an invitation out to her ex, to make his way to Destiny City for one of these coveted positions. How apt of a choice that would be, all things considered.
After all, she was building this ship to wreck and it would go down in magnificent flames.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:39 am
Overdue Time Off
(WC: 501)
It had taken well over a year for her to accrue the amount of PTO she needed, but that moment had finally arrived.
Her manager had balked when she’d put in the request, nearly immediately denying her of the month’s worth of time off she’d requested. One hundred and forty-four hours of time to herself, four weeks off from the hospital.
“You can’t take this much time off,” her boss had told her, simple as that, “We need you too much. We’re understaffed as it is.”
Julie had kindly reminded her boss that the time was due to her - if she took it all now, she’d be available for the rest of the year, holidays and weekends included. The cajoling hadn’t worked - but the thinly veiled threat of leaving to join the new hospital that had just started hiring on the other side of town did.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” Julie chimed in sweetly. She hadn’t wanted to force her hand, but there was simply no way she could balance both jobs at the same time - even if the one at the hospital paid far more than the Negaverse did.
No, plans had finally been set into motion and Juli--no, Angelite was needed to oversee the final preparations. Obsidian had suggested she quit the hospital - if only working for the Negaverse paid the bills! As much as she’d enjoy the notion of cutting back to one set of responsibilities, there simply wasn’t enough in her savings to justify leaving her job in the Emergency Department.
Perhaps she would find a job within the hospital as a weekender, she’d mused to herself as she walked out of the hospital towards her beat up Volkswagen. Maybe when everything was said and done, she could stick to the weekdays for her Agent duties and the weekend for her paying job. Hm. It would be a concept she’d have to mull over later - budgeting would have to be taken into account, as well as shift differential for switching hours and units.
Too much fuss to worry about now, especially with the stakes as high as they were, at least where the Negaverse was concerned.
Slipping into her car, she turned the key into the ignition, but left the car in park. Instead, she leaned back against the driver’s chair and let out the deepest sigh she’d mustered in a very long time. Jules couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a vacation - moving to Destiny City excluded. She’d always preferred to busy herself with work and it had paid off - on her check, at least. Trips to the beach or mountains had never been in the cards for the former blonde, but the dreams remained.
Perhaps one day, she’d have enough saved up, both time and money wise, to make one of those adventures come true. In the meantime, however, she’d keep her chin up and chug along.
One day, it would all pay off.
One day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:40 am
Adventures in Reading
(WC: 517)
It had been ages since she'd last been in a bookstore.
A smile played idly on her lips as she pulled back on the heavy wooden door to the local Barnes and Noble. It had probably been months, literally, since she’d stepped foot in the large building. Over the past year, she’d made a few purchases on Amazon here and there for her reading needs, but all of the books had been cast aside, abandoned on her bookshelves and replaced with the growing urgency of pleasing her Negaverse superiors. It was almost a crime, neglecting her novels for so long and Jules knew that it was past due for her to spend some time to herself and relax, for a change.
With the upcoming weeks adding more stress to her already abnormal levels of stress, she needed an outlet. Needed something to do to help ease her growing concerns and worries. What better way than to dive into a new romance and get swept away with a Prince Charming and his damsel in distress?
The path to the Romance section was still an autopilot path for her Uggs, which had quickly dusted off the light snow that had attached itself to their soles. As she glanced around, she failed to recognize any of the workers in the shop - had it really been that long since she’d last stepped foot in there? How depressing.
The lights were still bright up above and the rows upon rows of books beckoned her to turn down their aisles and get lost among their pages. She’d always loved to read, but her secret taboo had been romance, by far. Ever since she was a teenager and snuck her first romance novel from the shelf in the library, she’d been hooked on stories involving torrid love affairs, lovers separated by dramatic storylines or just simple, hardly-pieced-together-by-an-actual-storyline smut. If there were crushes and dream sequences, she was there. If there were bare chested scoundrels and strong-hearted maidens, she was also there. It didn’t matter the setting or time period, she absolutely adored a good romance story.
Fingers casually fell across the spines of the row closest to her as she entered her favored section. There were colors all around, blues, pinks, greens and pastel yellows, each one with elaborate fonts displaying even more elaborate book titles. Which author should she glance at first? How many had come out with even more books than the last time she’d looked?
Thumbing through her options, she plucked the first sky blue novel she spotted first. The font was in a darker hue of blue and judging by the naughty image on the cover, it had something to do with knights and princesses - or at least one princess in need of rescuing by the oh so handsome, shirtless prince on the cover.
A faint blush came over her face as she took her book towards the empty plush chairs centered in between the romance and the science fiction section. Maybe she’d get in a few pages first, before making her decision!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:41 am
A New Friend
(WC: 687)
It had taken an hour, but she’d finally put together the cozy little window seat that she’d been meaning to set up ever since she moved in. There had never been spare time - or energy, for that matter - to find the right cushions, the proper sized pillows, the little stand she’d always envisioned by the seat that would be perfect for a drink, maybe a plate with an afternoon lunch.
But there she was, at long last, settled atop the perfectly shaped cushion - it had been fashioned for an outdoor lawn chair, but with a little determination, she’d fitted it perfectly for the seat. A couple pillows propped her back up while a fleece was thrown over her denim capris. She’d found the perfect small side table from IKEA, white as the window trim and absolutely perfect for her needs. Atop its surface sat a glass of milk, a turkey sandwich and precisely three peanut butter cookies. The sandwich was half gone, currently neglected in favor of the dog-eared romance novel sitting inches away from her face.
The Duke of Ellingsworth had finally revealed his true identity to Ann-Marie, the new servant girl some neighboring lands over. It had been a scandalous affair, Ann-Marie believing the handsome rogue to be a servant of the Ellingsworth household and not the recent heir that inherited the entire family fortune after the late Duke’s passing.
The young woman was so consumed by the blush-worthy story that she didn’t notice the first tap against the window she was so contently pressed against. As the second soft pat pat made itself known, blue eyes moved from the print in her hand to the window pane. A soft gasp escaped as she spotted the tiny kitten staring back at her, one small paw continuing to bat at the window as beady little eyes seemed entranced by…. Oh!
The tassel of her well-used bookmark was swinging from the back page of the book and clearly catching the attention of the tiny ball of fluff. Mindful not to move too quickly, she pulled the bookmark out from her book and set the novel on the side table, next to the plate. She made a point to dangle the bookmark, exciting the little kitten even further as it tried in earnest to swat at the yarn from the other side of the window.
Laughing, Jules found herself entertained for several minutes with the little game, then contemplated her options. Did she try to open the window? Would it scare the poor little thing off? The cat was looking scrawny, but she wasn’t sure if it was simply the age of the tiny kitten or if it was malnourished.
Glancing around the side yard, there wasn’t a sign of any other cat - sibling or parent of the little one. All by itself in the great big world outside….
Taking her chances, she swiftly unlocked the window’s latch and gently tugged the window upwards. The kitten backed off for a moment, startled at the sudden movement, but to Jules’ pleasure didn’t run away.
Turning around, she tore off a bit of the turkey that hung from outside her sandwich and slowly reached forward, offering the piece to the small creature. The cat seemed wary, but not wary enough not to investigate the offered treat. Two sniffs, a testing lick and soon the tiny beast was nibbling the meat from out of her hand.
She had a decision on her hands at this point, Julie realized. The kitten was practically crawling around in her lap, searching for more pieces of the turkey it’d quickly scarfed down. Was she going to take care of the little thing, or release it back into the wild?
A soft purr and snuggle later and Jules had her answer.
Setting the kitten gently on the floor beside the window seat, she turned and closed the window shut, relatching the lock before rising from her comfortable perch and moving towards the kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge and, subsequently, the package of turkey that sat within the top drawer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:35 pm
Don't Drink and Dream
(WC: 3392)
When she’d arrived at her assigned section of "hospital" tents, the usual hustle and bustle of volunteer nurses and doctors was even more boisterous than it normally was.
It had been a busy week, with the soldiers returning back from the frontlines. Some hadn’t faired as well as the others had but most required only minor medical attention. The more extreme cases had been sent further down the acre of allotted land, into the ward of tents where the men of cloth tended to linger, a grimly quiet area where poor souls on their deathbeds waited for their final hour to draw near.
Julianne enjoyed the livelier patients herself, ones that required only minor patch-ups before the nurses could send them back on their way to the battlefield or their homes further up North. She’d been stationed down near the Mason-Dixon Line for longer than she’d care to recall, training the young women who’d enlisted to help tend to the wounded men and busying herself with doing her own version of serving of the cause.
What the sudden buzz was all about, she hadn’t the faintest clue. Volunteer nurses were fluttering around one of the side tents in particular, earning them a stern fussing from a passing doctor as he made his way over towards his more seasoned apprentice, passing two stern looking soldiers in the process.
"Julianne, I have a special assignment for you today."
Oh?
"Whatever you need, doctor." Her apron had been starched and washed, hair combed and pulled back tightly. One would never have guessed that she averaged only a few hours of sleep every night, kept awake by the thoughts of war and dying men. Sounds of cannons and gunfire would sometimes light up the night sky, far worse sounds than the tiresome serenading of crickets and cicadas that typically kept her up.
"We picked up a man three sheets to the wind last night on our patrol. Turns out he’s some sort of purveyor of weapons and information for the greybacks. We’ll be sending him up for trial and questioning soon, but we don’t have the men to exhaust for the ride - so it looks like we’ve got a prisoner of war on our hands, for the time being. Government’s being slow as molasses as far as gettin’ us more help down here but it shouldn’t be for more than a week or two."
A prisoner of war? Blue eyes grew wide, Julianne staring at the tent the doctor had just shooed the other nurses away from. Normally the only ones who survived were the turncoats, most of them carted off in a timely manner to face their fates up at trial. But a prisoner - here?
"He’s taken a few injuries, probably twisted his leg while stumbling his way towards the barracks. I want you to look after the fool until we’re ready to ship him off. Make sure he doesn’t kill his damn self by getting any of those cuts infected."
"Yes sir, of course sir."
Her - help some Johnny?
She’d rather let him rot in the field they picked him up in. Yet the doctor was already off, patting her shoulder as he passed by to make his way towards the next tent full of patients in need of examination.
Holding her chin up high, she let out a soft noise of discontent before making her way past the tent flaps and into the dark, shaded room that lay within, supplies gathered in hand. Her worn out shoes nearly stumbled on the grass at the sight in front of her, one hand catching the front of her chest as she immediately darted her gaze in the other direction.
"Do you mind?"
There, seated on the cot, was a shirtless Confederate soldier. His uniform top was cast aside near the grungy looking pillow on the head of the bed, broad muscles and pectorals on display for any and all to see. She’d only had a moment to glance at him but it was clear as to why the volunteer nurses had been flocking around his tent to begin with. While she’d expected some dog of a man to be waiting inside, no one had prepared her for the notion that the scoundrel would be so devilishly handsome.
"Beg your pardon, ma’am, but I was led to believe that a nurse was supposed to be tendin’ to my needs."
His voice was gravely, a low almost purr to the teasing that had her hotter than a cat on a hot tin roof.
"Mind your manners, Reb." She could feel her face begin to redden as she grew more flustered. Eyes dared to glare back at him, as if proving she could indeed stare down a shirtless man without any qualms, "I most certainly am a nurse."
"So you’re a nurse who just doesn’t care to look at a man’s body when she stitches him up, huh?"
"I’ve got a mind to stitch up that mouth of yours if you’re not careful, mister--"
"Dallas." He grinned back, which only made her more fit to be tied. He was a handsome devil, but his manners were about as uncouth as the side he fought for. "Jimmy Wayne Dallas. And you would be?"
"Fixin’ to get you looked at so that I can get the dickens out of here, that’s who."
He seemed amused by her response, turning on his cot as both knees spread themselves apart. It was obvious from the dried blood on his shoulder that he’d been nicked - a nasty lookin’ sore, at that, but aside from the wound all she could see was a handsome, filled out chest. She’d seen her fair share of skin, it was true, but this one… this one had her sweatin’ like a sinner in church and as she brought the bowl of water and washrags closer, she felt her bottom lip tuck itself between her teeth.
"You sure you’re alright there, Miss…?"
"Miss Julianne." Her haughty tone tried to encourage confidence as she knelt down beside him, boldly taking a seat next to him on the cot. She tried not to think about the proximity and how close they were with one another, nor the way his rakish grin met her firm-lipped frown.
"You been a nurse for long, Miss Jules?"
"Julianne," she corrected crossly. One rag was soaked, then rung out into the bowl before she started dabbing at his wound. "And long enough to know how to take care of fools like you, Jimmy Wayne."
"Dallas," he corrected her in return, mimicking her fussiness. His muscles flexed and she could have sworn he was doing it to show off, as opposed to reacting to her tending.
What a cad.
~
Days past, each one forcing her to enter the guarded tent at least twice a day to check on her assigned case. The staff on hand was growing slimmer as the number of wounded grew larger, so Julianne found herself not only coming in to tend to his bandaged wounds, but bringing his breakfast and supper as well. It seemed the cooks and their assistants were dwindling in number on top of everything else.
Jimmy Wayne Dallas - or Dallas, as he seemed to prefer to be called - was just as roguish in nature as he was in appearance. And Julianne, despite her best attempts, couldn’t help but find herself growing more and more attracted to him with each passing visit (which also happened to grow longer and longer with each one). Beyond his physical appeal he was a smart man - cocky, a little too confident - but a smart man nonetheless.
Most of the meals were beginning to grow lean as the supply runs became infrequent. Highway robbers and enemies all around would take advantage of a slow moving wagon, stealing away the precious commodities they had to offer the soldiers and their caretakers. Most of the time, Julianne found herself stashing away parts of her own meal scraps to add to her ward’s, before she brought his tray in.
After all, it was the only sensible thing to do. He was a much larger man and he needed to eat more; she was small and didn’t need as much to go off of as he did. It made sense - at least, that’s what she told herself.
Tonight’s spread included a slightly bruised fruit, a few slices of bread (all in terrible danger of growing stale) and cheese slices, crudely cut and far too thin for anyone’s liking. The cheese had been a special effort to obtain but she wasn’t about to let her companion know she’d taken great lengths to make sure his meal was as proper as she could make it.
They ate their meals together sitting alongside one another on his cot, another new habit the duo had slowly formed over the past week. He asked about her patients, asked about her homelife back up North (or the dull, boring excuse she had for one). Dallas offered bits and pieces of his history here and there but he seemed far more interested in hearing what the young nurse had to say for herself than ramble about his own background.
When the bread and cheese were devoured between the two, a calloused hand reached for the apple. He smirked as he used his pant’s leg to polish the red skin, dark eyes glancing over at her full of mischief. "What, no dessert this time?"
"Rations are getting low. You’re lucky to even get that, Jimmy Wayne."
Her chin lifted itself up as she feigned offense, though his arm was quick to wrap itself around her waist. Tugging her close, she flushed as she felt the warmth of his body pushing against hers. While the days were warm out in the fields, the nights found their way of growing cold. Dallas didn’t seem to feel the effects of the lower temperature, his rugged body both warm and inviting to the touch. She struggled to keep her hands folded in her lap, eyes looking dead ahead as she tried not to thoroughly enjoy the illicit attention he was giving her.
"Guess you’ll just have to be my dessert this time, Miss Jules."
"I-I do declare - you’re an incorrigible scoundrel, Mister Dallas. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"Been told that a time or two, perhaps."
They grew quiet for a while, the sound of his teeth tearing into the apple the only thing adding to the symphony of wildlife outside of the tent. While the lantern she’d brought in glowed dimly atop the small stand alongside the cot, it still offered enough light for her to see the solemn expression spreading across the ruffian’s stubbled face.
Without thinking, the question slipped out.
"You ever think about trying to escape, Dallas?"
Brown eyes glanced down in her direction as he took another bite of his apple. He took his time chewing, slow to swallow the bite before he grunted back, "Sure, ‘course I do."
"Where would you go?"
"Back home."
Before she could follow-up with the expected question, he was already answering her as the apple core was tossed towards the tray, set aside for when she finally decided to leave the prisoner’s presence.
"Got a farm. Nearly a hundred acres, started off small though. Pop owned a little bit, back when I was knee-high to a grasshopper and I got the land when he passed. Ended up working to buy the surrounding bits or got lucky in a poker game for the rest."
She wrinkled her nose at the thought of gambling - it seemed to suit the rogue, though, who merely grinned as he recollected. "Raised some pigs, couple horses, got a herd of steer. Was trying to work on gettin’ the land ready for crops, but…"
"But you got into sellin’ to the soldiers, didn’t you?"
He snorted.
"Don’t really have a dog in that fight. I did what I could to make my money, got no shame in that. Ain’t gonna say I wasted my life - I plan on spending it to the fullest, even if it means cutting it a few years short."
Her head rested itself against his shoulder as she listened, hands idly playing with each other as she closed her eyes and imagined a vast farm with all sorts of livestock runnin’ amuck across the acres. It sounded peaceful. Serene. Not like the wartorn patches of land she was used to seeing, with a sea of dirty, stained tents covering from here to the horizon.
"I’d take you with me, if you wanted."
The comment had her eyes opening, pretty blue looking up to stare into the dark gaze of the man she’d caught staring at her. He didn’t seem ashamed of it - Dallas never seemed to feel ashamed for anything he did, save for the act of finally getting caught by the enemy.
"What? You… You want me to go with you?"
The hand on her hip squeezed gently, thick fingers massaging her skin from outside her dress. The smirk softened into a simple grin as he leaned in to murmur, "Couldn’t leave my pretty little nurse behind, now could I?"
Before she knew what was happening, his mouth was on hers.
~
The day came when the doctor finally declared that they had enough resources to spare to ship off the Confederate informant and a few other prisoners of war they’d acquired over the last few weeks. They’d embark on their travel come sunrise, the doctor had explained, once the horses had been rested and fed.
Julianne knew it would be the last time she’d ever lay eyes on Jimmy Wayne Dallas and the thought alone had her heart clenching in her chest.
But what could she do?
The soldiers on guard duty were packing up their belongings on the wagon when she made her rash decision. She’d used what few coins she’d had left to her name to buy off a few drinks from the more liquored soldiers, using the devil’s water to tempt the men packing. They’d fallen for it, laced and all, soon slumbering at their post thanks to the deceptive hands of nurse Julianne Payne herself.
No one questioned why the hardworking little nurse stepped into the tent, bundled laundry in hand - no one but Dallas, that is.
His look of surprise was one she’d keep tucked away in her memory forever. The handsome devil looked nervous for the first time since she’d seen him - was he finally scared of what was going to happen to him, once he was shipped up into the enemy’s territory and put to trial?
He still wore his greys, the jacket unbuttoned and exposing the old white shirt she’d so carefully mended, during one of their many conversations. Arms dangled between his legs as the brim of his cap remained pinched between fingers. He looked like he could use a smoke, if not a dab of tobacco to calm his nerves.
"Now here’s a sight for sore eyes. Didn’t expect you to come see me off, darling. You gonna miss me?"
The Southern drawl had her smiling through her sadness as she stepped forward, thrusting the bundle of clothes into his arms.
"What’s thi--"
"Put them on. I swiped them from one of the clothes lines, down the way. I had to take a guess at your size but it’ll work in a pinch. If we’re gonna get you out of here tonight, we need to act fast."
The bundle was unfolded, revealing pieces and parts of a Yankee officer’s uniform. Some parts appeared more faded than others but the tunic and pants were there, along with a belt and, surprise of all surprises, a revolver lay nestled into the core of the package.
It seemed the little nurse was full of surprises.
"Change, quickly. The guards’ll be down for a while but it will only be a few minutes before someone finds out they’re sleepin’ on the job. Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise, you can make it at least halfway to Atlanta before someone discovers you’re gone."
He gave her a confused look but she made a point to turn away before her eyes could meet his once more. Dallas didn’t need to see how hers were watering and how close she was to crying. She knew she was being a fool, putting her own freedom at risk for helping a near-stranger win his back. That she gave most of what she had to give him a fighting chance to go back home, no doubt to probably help the enemy’s army the moment he found himself back on his farm.
Quietly, fabric rustled behind her as she moved one hand up to bite the side of her knuckle. It took a few minutes for the pants to come off, new ones sliding up as he changed uniforms and worked to hastily fasten all of the buttons that came with it.
Dallas hadn’t said a word but the fact he was changing clothes told her that he’d accepted her invitation of help. He was going to be a free man and she was going to be left behind to --
"Come with me, Jules."
The hand on her shoulder almost made her jump out of her skin, the nurse spinning around to see the new and improved Jimmy Dallas, decked out in the Yankee colors while his dreary greys lay heaped in a pile near his feet.
"What?"
"I was serious, y’know. I’m not gonna leave my pretty nurse behind, not when I could take her back home with me. Keep her by my side, look after her just like she was lookin’ after me."
"Oh, Dallas."
Before she knew it, she was flinging herself against him and wrapping both arms around his neck. He was ready for her, catching her with ease before lips crashed against lips and he was kissing his beautiful Yankee sweetheart.
Pulling back ever so slightly, his murmur was husky, full of lust.
"You're gonna make quite the mess, darlin, if you’re not careful."
"You mean, you're going to make a mess out of me, Mister Dallas?"
The firm arm wrapped itself around her waist before pulling her flush against his body once again. He was warm, impossibly warm with a chiseled chest exposed just enough from the opening of the too-small tunic to make her heart flutter beneath her nurse’s uniform.
"Well that goes without saying, but that wasn’t what I meant."
She gave him a confused look as his head moved down to press his mouth against the slope of her neck. Scruffy hair scraped against her delicate skin, eliciting a moan just as his free hand sank down between her --CRASH
Julianne Payne awoke with a startled jolt as a shattering sound filled the otherwise quiet living room. Eyelashes fluttered as she worked to gain her bearings, looking around for the cause of the startling sound. Leaning over the edge of the window seat, shards of glass littered the wooden flooring, vandalized by the giant spreading puddle of wine.
Oh no.
She must have been napping during her story, with the wine glass too close to the edge. Peering down, the angle in which she leaned caused the open book in her lap to come sailing to the ground, nimble fingers frantic to catch it before the worn out pages of her civil war era romance novel kissed the spill directly next to her.
Unfortunately for her, fingers failed to be fast enough and the weathered cover that read Nursing the Enemy found itself drenched before she could snatch it from the ground. The buff looking soldier on the front was soon stained red from the wine and not from the scars the beautiful looking nurse was tending to.
Letting out a sad, defeated sigh, socked feet dodged the mess as she slowly peeled herself from the window seat. Towels, broom and dustpan were soon fetched and a ruined book was hung out to dry.
It was definitely not the way that Julianne Payne had wanted to spend the rest of her evening but in the end, that’s just how she spent it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
