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fluffykitty1999-blog · 3 years

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Dog of the Military- Chapter 15

Chapter 15- Morning Courtmartial

And as usual... the ko-fi link, if you like the trash I, a human dumpster fire, product https://ko-fi.com/fluffykitty12

Roy Mustang showed up outside the dorms at 8:30am sharp. It was 8:37 when Edward came racing down the stairs, in his military blues with a large suit of armor clanking hurriedly behind him.

Ed fairly dove into the passenger seat, with Alphonse squeezing into the entirety of the backseat, and Ed turned to look at Mustang like he was possessed. "Drive!"

"Put your seat belt on." Roy said, giving him a look.

Ed frantically did so, and Roy was heading over to central command.

"Shit are we gonna be late? I couldn't find a hair tie that wasn't red I didn't know what the military regulations were so I transmuted it black." Ed's hair wasn't in its trademark braid- rather, it was in a high ponytail behind him. His uniform was a little rumpled, and his collar was a mess, but these were all things that could be fixed.

"Calm down. We're not going to be late, but we won't be able to stop and grab breakfast like I planned either, so you'll have to hold out til lunch." Roy remarked.

Ed nodded, seeming to calm down slightly at this.

"Are you doing okay?" Roy shot his youngest subordinate a look.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ed said, nodding. Though there wasn't too much belief behind the statement.

"I'm going to be so nervous, waiting upstairs in the office to hear what's going on." Al piped up from the back.

"Try not to worry too much, Alphonse- the team will be watching the proceedings, and they'll come upstairs periodically under the guise of a break to update you."

"Alright." Alphonse seemed to settle for the moment. Edward's leg kept bouncing nervously, and they pulled up outside central command at ten minutes to nine. They parted ways, with Alphonse heading upstairs and Roy and Ed heading towards the courtroom, deeper on the first floor of Central command.

The hallways were busy with people in all sorts of military blues- Ed's eyes widened as he saw everyone assembled. Roy placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, steering him into the men's room just outside the courtroom.

"Do you have to go?" he asked, giving the boy a once-over.

Ed shook his head. "No. Why are we in here, anyways?"

"Because you were getting overwhelmed and I need to touch up your uniform." Roy said calmly. He started with the boy's long military jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles and straightening the boy's rank pins. He moved up to Ed's collar next, folding it down properly, before looking at Ed's hair- he wet his hands in the sink and smoothed down Ed's trademark blond antenna, before nodding and standing up straight. "Much better. You look like quite the solider, Fullmetal."

"Yeah. Now if only I could feel like one. Brigadier General Basque Grand was out there." Ed muttered to himself, looking down at his boots.

"A lot of high profile people are here, Ed. This trial has ruffled some feathers, I'm not gonna lie. But how you carry yourself in there- how you think and behave- will affect how you're treated."

"They'll just look at me like a kid anyways."

"Stop it." Mustang hissed, using two fingers to tilt Edward's chin up so the boy was looking him in the eyes. "I know you're nervous, and you have a right to be, but self pity and doubt have no place here, Edward."

Roy reached down into Edward's pocked, putting out the boy's state alchemist watch and dangling it in front of him. "You are the Fullmetal Alchemist. I watched you put blood sweat and tears into earning this watch. You are a prodigy- you have seen atrocities and come back eager to live on anyways. You are a soldier under my command. I didn't give you this watch. You earned it. You could kick the asses of nearly everyone in that court room, save myself and a few others, without a problem. So you act like it- you look them in the eyes and you tell them everything. I need you to trust me, Edward- if you testify to the best of your abilities, he'll be found guilty. I promise."

Ed looked up at him- eyes that were swimming with uncertainty becoming hard with determination and purpose. The fire was burning bright again, and Ed pursed his lips and nodded. "Alright."

"Don't forget- you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Hero of the People. Make them remember that."

"I will."

They both turned, exiting the restroom and striding into the courtroom, down the aisles and to their side of the benches. Their court appointed lawyer, Marissa Jennings, was a pretty woman in military blues with dark hair and brown eyes- she nodded to Mustang as they found their seats behind their table. Ed hadn't met the woman, but Roy had had countless meeting with her over the past two weeks to prepare, and he was very familiar with her.

On the other side of the courtroom, behind the small table sat Colonel Banks and Lieutenant Shaw, and the defendant's lawyer, an older, be speckled man in his sixties eith salt and pepper hair and a gray goatee.

Before both tables was the Judge's desk on an elevated platform, and to the left was the bleachers for the jury- a group of about twelve. Behind the tables where the prosecuting and defending parties sat, there was a small wooden railing and benches for spectators to watch.

Roy noted Basque Grand sitting behind Colonel Bank's side of the courtroom, as well as a smattering of unfamiliar soldiers. Banks had clearly brought his men as well.

But it was no match for Ed's side of the courtroom. Havoc, Breda, Falman, Furey, Hawkeye, Scheska, Hughes, Armstrong, and several of the receptionists that Ed would help by fixing broken vases and flower pots all sat at the ready. The proceedings were about to being.

The door to the courtroom flew open, and Roy nearly fell out of his chair. Scowling in the doorway, General Olivier Armstrong strode into the room,her sidearm and sword at her side, with Miles beside her, his sunglasses present as always.

She stalked into the room, and it nearly fell silent, before flopping to sit beside her brother, who sat in support of Edward, exhaling harshly through her nose.

"Olivier- so glad you could make it! You hardly ever respond to my letters." Armstrong had started to sparkle.

Olivier scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I came here because I was pissed, not because of that sappy letter. This whole torture fiasco happened at Goldenfield- the North is my territory, and when bullshit happens I like to see who's held accountable." She brushed her bangs from her face. Though Roy didn't miss the way she craned her neck to get a look at Edward.

Who knew- perhaps General Armstrong actually cared?

"All rise- the honorable judge Mason Freeman presiding." the baliff barked. The sound of chairs scraping as everyone in the room hurried to stand was the only sound.

The judge- a rather wise looking man in his sixties- strode to his desk with ease, before he was sitting down. "Good morning. At ease, everyone. Let it be noted on the record today the case of Flame vs Banks has begun."

Everyone sat down, and the judge nodded toward Ed's bench.

"We will begin with the charges brought against the accused. Colonel Roger Banks, you have been accused of the unlawful imprisonment and torture of a state alchemist, Major Edward Elric. How does the accused plead?"

"Not guilty, Sir."

The judge nodded. "Very well. We will hear your arguments shortly. For now, let us proceed with the incident reports received, beginning with the mission report from the Fullmetal Alchemist himself. Jennings?"

The woman representing Ed stood up, shuffling papers. "Of course, your honor. On the fifth of September, Major Edward Elric received orders to head north and conduct a covert mission for the Amestrian military. He returned on the morning of September ninth, as planned, but rather than being allowed to return to Central city and report to his commanding officer, the boy was detained, restrained, beaten, and abused. The medical records show Edward received six cigarette burns to the lower left abdomen, a broken rib, a 3 inch laceration on his left bicep requiring 17 stitches, 3 lacerations on his back, from a knife, one of which required an additional twelve stitches to close, a black eye, and severe contusions to the chest. His mistreatment lasted for a day and a half, at which point his superior arrived, discovered the Major's condition, and got the boy medical help. I will now read, verbatim, the mission reports submitted to the court by Edward Elric and Roy Mustang, followed by the Doctor's report regarding Ed's injuries."

The first hour of the court session was the lawyer reading Ed's mission report, then Mustangs, and continuing on with the doctor's report. Ed was rather relieved that he could just sit and listen. It was clear the woman representing them was more comfortable in a courtroom than he was.

"This concludes my report of evidence from the prosecution, your honor." the woman finished.

The judge nodded. "And does the defendant have any evidence which they wish to present?"

The elder lawyer stood. "Yes, Sir. I am presenting the reports of Colonel Roger Banks and Lieutenant Shaw, verbatim."

"The secret mission Edward Elric was sent on was of immense importance for national security. Following our rendezvous, Edward expressed his interest in returning to Central city as soon as possible. I agreed this was the best course of action, but as the boy's superior, righteously demanded that he give his report and findings to me before leaving. Fullmetal adamantly refused, and when repeatedly prompted, answered with blatant disrespect. Had it been a matter of lesser importance, I would've written the boy up and let him go. But due to the immensely sensitive information the boy had, I felt I could not let him leave without reporting to me. It wasn't in the best interests of the nation."

"Following his staunch refusal and obstinence, I disciplined the boy physically, and continued to do so. I am not a man without conscience, but I had to put the good of the nation over the good of one unruly boy. I was nearly to the point of extracting the information when the boy's commanding officer- who identified himself as the Flame Alchemist- trespassed in my office and intimidated my Lieutenant into taking him to see the boy."

"When I attempted to confront the man for his intrusion into my office and blatant disregard for my command, I was brutally assaulted, receiving first degree burns on my hand, and my life threatened if I refused to leave. By the time I felt it prudent to return, the Flame Alchemist and the Fullmetal Alchemist were gone."

Roy frowned at the report.

The lawyer paused, clearing his throat. "Now- onto the incident report of Lieutenant Margaret Shaw, dated October twentieth-"

Roy's hand touched the table the defense lawyer had her paper's spread out, and he shifted in his seat to sit forward a little.

"Objection!" The lawyer was cut off by their lawyer, and everyone looked over at him, even the judge.

"What is the nature of this objection, Jennings?"

"Mr. Elric was reported to have been scheduled to return from his mission on the ninth of October. His commanding officer retrieved him on the afternoon of the tenth of october. The fact that this report was filed so late is likely due to the fact that Lieutenant Shaw wouldn't have filed a report about the imprisonment and abuse of power at all, had it not been for her commanding officer receiving a summons for court martial a few days earlier and covering her tracks."

"This is all speculation, your honor." the elderly defense lawyer protested, moving his glasses further up his nose.

"Jennings, you may continue, but keep it short." the judge advised, looking interested.

"I'd like to know the date Colonel Banks filed his incident report." Jennings asked.

The defense lawyer shuffled his papers. "October nineteenth was the date Colonel Banks filed his report."

"Interesting. So this alleged abuse of power occurs from the ninth to tenth of October, Colonel Banks is assaulted so viciously by the Flame alchemist in the line of duty, and yet despite all of this, he waits nine days to file a report. And his subordinate, who also witnessed such abuse, files her report one day after. Despite the fact that officers are required to file reports of incidents within forty eight hours. It almost seems as though the defendants were scrambling and after receiving their court summons, sat down and put their story together to avoid any gaps and inconsistencies, and then submitted them a day apart."

"My report is my own, Ma'am. While it is true that Colonel Banks and I discussed the matter after receiving our summons, my report was filed directly to central- Colonel Banks never read it." Lieutenant Shaw spoke up.

"I can attest to this, as I notarized the document." the lawyer agreed.

"I see. Still, the timing is awfully convenient. That's all I have to say on the matter, your honor."

The judge nodded. "The defense may continue."

Lieutenant Shaw's report was read verbatim, as well. It didn't contain the blatant falsehoods Colonel Banks had- rather, Shaw had chosen to stick to facts.

"At approximately 9am Edward Elric returned to our fort and expressed a desire to go home after completing his mission. He proceeded to another room with Colonel Banks and I didn't see him afterwards. At approximately 10am, I received a call from the boy's commanding officer, inquiring if Edward had returned as planned. I confirmed that Edward Elric had indeed returned and that he intended to get a train out of central soon."

"In the afternoon, at approximately 1pm, Colonel Banks was stepping out for lunch. I still had not seen Major Elric and inquired if he'd purchased his train ticket home yet, as he seemed eager to do in the morning. Colonel Banks said the boy was resting upstairs before he left, tired from his mission. I noticed the Colonel carrying Elric's black coat and inquired why- he told me he was going to get it cleaned for the boy so he could travel home in comfort."

"At the end of the day, I still had not seen Edward. I stepped into the Colonel's office to say goodnight to my commanding officer, and found him sititng at his desk. On his desk, was Elric's coat, cut into scraps. I asked the Colonel if Edward had left yet. Colonel Banks confirmed my suspicions that Edward was still in the building, but said it was a matter of national security that he get the information from the boy. I was in no position to argue with my superior, so I quietly left. On a hunch, I went downstairs to the cells where unruly citizens are kept and found Major Elric hung from the wall by his wrists, dirty and in some degree of pain. He looked up at me and asked if I was there to burn him as well. I asked him how I could help- he asked me for water. I brought him a mug of it and gave it to him quickly before leaving for the night. I trusted my commanding officer to handle the issue."

"Colonel Banks instructed me to have all questions about the Fullmetal Alchemist's condition forwarded to him. I followed these orders, forwarding the phone inquiry of the Flame Alchemist to Colonel Banks early in the morning. That afternoon, however, when the Flame Alchemist arrived, he was quite agitated, and I thought it prudent to show him to Elric immediately to avoid further conflict. Colonel Banks went to speak to the man and returned with a burned hand a destroyed firearm. After I treated my commanding officer for his injuries, I took the suitcase Elric had left in our fort in the room he'd stayed in previously and dropped it off at the local inn on the hunch they were staying there."

Colonel Banks looked over at Margaret, a bit of disapproval behind his eyes, but not much of it.

"Your honor." Jennings, dark haired and bold as always, spoke up. "I would like to ask Lieutenant Shaw a few more questions."

"In due time, Jennings." the judge frowned, squinting at the courtroom clock. "It's nearly noon. I declare a half hour recess, and then we will reconvene for cross-examination of the involved parties. Adjourned." the judge slammed his gavel down, and the courtroom broke into a flurry of activity as everyone rose to grab lunch.

Team Mustang normally would've gathered in the cafeteria, but since Alphonse was stuck upstairs in the office, they elected to grab food and eat with him. Plus, seeing Ed was likely to ease his mind.

Ed grabbed a ham sandwich as they hurried upstairs.

"Nice job Chief!" Havoc clapped a hand on his shoulder as he sat on Mustang's couch and started to eat. "I don't think I've ever seen you sit still for that long before!"

Ed had to fight the blush creeping up his cheeks.

"How was it, brother? Are you alright?" Al asked.

Ed took a bite of his sandwich. "I'm fine. I didn't have to do much of anything, it was mostly lawyers reading reports and making statements."

"Still, you seem to be making quite the case. The lawyer representing you- Jennings- is on her game." Hawkeye spoke up.

"Yes, she certainly is." Roy conceded. Probably because he'd spent over six hours with her going over the particulars of the case this past week. But still, she was tenacious and on the ball, and Roy liked her.

The door to the office burst open, and Hughes came running in. "Ed! You did great out there! Were you nervous?"

"A little." Ed took another bite of his sandwich and chewed.

"Right." the light reflected off Hughes glasses, showing his seriousness, as he stepped forward. "Well, this afternoon they're going to do the cross examinations. So you'll have to go up on the witness stand and answer questions about your report. Everyone will be watching. So you're going to need to have nerves of steel and think on your feet. They'll do anything they can to make you slip up."

"R-right." Ed was looking nervous.

"I figured you'd be stressed, so I brought some pictures of my darling Elicia to help calm your nerves!" Roy was right back to his fawning father self, pulling out a rather large stack of photos. "Here she is in her footie pajamas, and here she is with her new teddy bear..."

Hawkeye exchanged glances with Roy. They let Hughes ramble on for a few more minutes before Hawkeye was shooing him out of the office.

"You should finish that sandwich up- we have to head back down soon." Roy nodded to Ed, looking at the clock.

"I'm done." Ed said simply, setting down the half-eaten sandwich and standing. Ed hardly ate anything- that meant he was nervous.

Roy placed a hand on his shoulder as they ducked out of the office and headed back towards the courtroom. No matter what was to come in cross examinations- he'd do his best to protect Ed.

#fma #fma fanfiction #Fullmetal Alchemist #fullmetal alchimist brotherhood #Roy Mustang #edward elric #Parental Roy #parentalroy #whumph #whump #hurt/comfort #hurt #comfort #dogofthemilitary #injury

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stefciastark · 3 years

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Hallucinations ~ Webpril Day 19

A/N: WARNING (briefly mentioned graphic violence, but nothing extreme, just putting a warning in case). After a hallucinogenic gas explodes in Peter's face during a mission, he is plagued by nightmares and flashbacks. Tony steps in to help. Apologies for any inconsistencies or general bad flow on this one, I had to write in a bit of a hurry before an early A.M class tomorrow and I haven't had a chance to give it a once-over. Hope you guys enjoy this one :) x

~Read it on AO3

~Read it on FFN

“Kid, kid! Stop!” Tony grasped Peter’s wrists as they flew once more towards his face, and he staggered forwards with an ungraceful jerk, almost falling onto the bed. How the hell was the kid this strong?

“Get off me!” Peter thrashed on the bed wildly, eyes open but looking feral and petrified. Peter’s response was purely instinctual, and nature had chosen ‘fight’ as his defense mechanism. It was too bad Tony wasn’t in his suit to help contain it.

After an incident a few days prior involving a gaseous compound that caused vivid hallucinations, Peter hadn’t gotten a good night's sleep since. Neither had Tony. The kid had been caught right in the face with the gas during the few seconds that his mask was down, whilst Tony was lucky enough to have his built in air filtration system save him from the hell that ensued.

Peter didn’t talk about what he experienced. At least not to Tony, but Tony couldn’t quite think of anybody else that Peter would go to. Tony really wished the kid would open up to someone.

The dim light from the ensuite bathroom cast light on Tony’s forearms. They were covered in bruises that looked like scattered wine stains with the varying shades of deep red and purple.

Peter’s struggles dissolved in intensity, and his eyes slid shut again. The poor kid was exhausted, and each - almost - sleepless night was taking its toll.

Once Tony was sure Peter was asleep once more, judging by the now even breathing, he slid to the carpet below, back leaning against the side of the bed. Feeling powerless to help the young Avenger, he stared blankly into the wall, suddenly transported back to a time when he suffered much like Peter was.

---------------------------------------

“Good morning, Peter. It is currently 9:30 A.M. Today it will be slightly overcast with a high of 73.4 degrees. You have no upcoming events. Enjoy your morning.”

With a groan, Peter rolled over and covered his head with an adjacent pillow. This was the first time in a long time that F.R.I.D.A.Y had woken him up. Closing his eyes once more, he prepared to re-enter the world of sleep.

That plan immediately was foiled as “Thunderstruck” blared over his room’s speakers.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y…” Peter whined, sounding more like a spoiled toddler than he cared to admit.

“I apologise, but this is part of Mr Stark’s ‘Couch Potato’ protocol. If you do not leave the bed in the next thirty seconds, I will have to initiative Phase 2, which involves-”

“Okay, okay!” Throwing the sheets to the side, he swung his legs off the side of the mattress. As soon as his feet touched the floor, the music stopped, and he sighed in relief. At any other time he would have loved the sound of classic rock, but he felt overstimulated and irritated by almost every sound, sight, and whatever else assaulted any of his senses.

The rational part of his brain told him that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was a probable culprit. Maybe it was spending so much time around Tony “I’m Fine” Stark, but Peter didn’t particularly want to address the issue. He was strong, he could brute force his way through it, no problem. As far as he was concerned, none of the other Avengers were getting psychological help - although in all fairness they needed it - and he didn’t want to be seen as weak. He didn’t want it to seem like he couldn’t handle the mental duress that went with being an Avenger.

Half-conscious, he went through the automatic routine of having a shower, brushing his teeth, and throwing on a basic outfit. Today’s choice consisted of jeans and a Hawkeye T-Shirt that Clint had unironically bought him last Christmas. Blearily shuffling into the kitchen, Peter considered taking up drinking coffee in the mornings; it seemed to be universally known as the almighty bean juice that provided a form of liquid Carpe Diem.

He half expected the whole Avengers team to be in the common kitchen area. They usually were in the mornings, but today it was dead quiet. Dead quiet except for Tony, who was flicking through the latest issue of Wired magazine. In his left hand was a mug that said “World’s Okayest CEO”. Peter had to guess that that mug was courtesy of Pepper. If it were up to Tony, ‘okayest’ would have been swapped with ‘best’.

“You know, these photos don’t really do me justice. I’m much sexier in person. I mean look at this,” Tony flipped the magazine around, showing Peter an article that summarised Tony’s latest successes and blunders. The photo Tony’s finger was tapping on was of Tony at the Stark Expo a few months ago. His smile blatantly looked like he would have rather been anywhere else.

Peter opened his mouth to send a smart remark in response, but instead he froze in place, air stuck in his lungs, his throat jumping as he struggled to get words out. The sound of percolation coming from the coffee pot dredged up the memory he was trying to forget: the dripping of blood - Tony’s blood - creating a macabre mosaic on the pavement as he hung suspended by cables and wires. Steve’s hand had been wrapped around Peter’s ankle in a silent beg for release from life, a large shard of glass having punctured through his chest. The worst of all of them was Aunt May, eyes staring open and lifeless, neck bent at an unnatural and gruesome angle that was burned into Peter’s retinas for the rest of time. On all sides, marching towards him, had been an army consisting of Doombots, Chitauri, and the remaining Avengers. Those he had come to trust had come to betray him.

“Whoa, whoa, you’re alright, c’mon.” Tony’s brow was furrowed, and although his voice sounded distant and miles away, it was gentle and full of understanding. Peter shook his head, shaking the visions away with it.

“Grab your phone and wallet, kid, I’ve made you an appointment.” Tony swept up his sunglasses - this time tinted orange with a silver frame - off of the coffee table and tucked his phone into the inside of his jacket pocket.

“An-an appointment? For what?” Peter was taken by surprise, fully expecting - and hoping - to vegetate on the couch that day. The TV turned his mind off, the white noise drowning out the visions that replayed in his mind over and over again.

Placing a comforting hand between Peter’s shoulders once Peter had returned from a quick phone and wallet retrieval mission, Tony guided him towards the elevator. Pressing the ‘down’ button, he turned towards Peter. “Taking you to a psych. I don’t know how to-” Tony gestured vaguely, lost for the right words he wanted to say. He sighed, and started again. “I didn’t exactly deal with my stuff the right way. Didn’t think I ever needed a shrink, but let me tell you, one conversation with Bruce and it changed my mind completely.”

“Isn’t he not that type of doctor?”

“Don’t interrupt, I’m trying to have a heartfelt father-son moment with you here and break the whole cycle of shame about…” Tony trailed off again, seething internally at his inability to string a semi-coherent sentence together. “My dad didn’t really believe in that kind of stuff,” Tony continued, eyes darting to the elevator display and then returning back to Peter. “Anyways, you’ve been having nightmares. You can’t sleep. I can’t sleep because you can’t sleep, and,” Tony winced, “I don’t think the whole counselling shtick is my forte.”

As the elevator doors chimed open, Peter stepped forward and promptly wrapped his arms around Tony in a heartfelt hug. Clenching his eyes shut against tears that threatened to overflow, he murmured, “thanks, Mr Stark” into the fabric of Tony’s jacket.

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jbbarnesnnoble · 4 years

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Chaser - Downdraft (Part One)

Chapter Title: Downdraft

Series Summary: Storm chasing is your passion. You decided in high school to study atmospheric science and spend your life studying storms. An accident leads you to the Avengers compound. A mother hen Tony Stark, a confused and concerned supersoldier, and some meddling friends, life is taking a new and unexpected turn.

Part Summary: You and your team head out to track a storm, putting you on a collision course with danger.

Features: Storms and storm chasing, incorrect science

Pairing: Eventual Bucky Barnes/Reader

Notes: In this part, we’re introduced to reader and her ragtag team of storm chasers. We also see a bit more of her relationship with Tony. We haven’t met Bucky yet.

Word Count: 1866

Log #15042018

Location: Lynchburg, Virginia

Downdraft (n.) - “a column of cool air that sinks toward the ground. It is most often accompanied by rain.”

The air was heavy with the promise of a storm. You knew the conditions were perfect for tornado formation. Usually you didn’t venture too far to the east in the midst of tornado season but you’d been tracking the storm system and knew the potential for fireworks was there.

For as long as you could remember, you were obsessed with the weather. Your mother would recall how you could tell it was going to storm without ever looking at a radar map when you were a child. You almost wondered if you had some kind of mutation. It was an ability that persisted into adulthood. Your mother’s favorite story to tell was about how you begged her to go home one day when the weather was clear and rain wasn’t in the forecast. Three hours later a storm rolled in that knocked out power for most of the town and brought down some of the bigger trees.

“What’s the game plan, Twister?” Sheridan asked you. Casey Sheridan was one of your partners in the field. The man was a trained first responder, volunteering back home with the local EMS. You had a small team assembled, all with the goal of studying storm systems to advance the science communities understanding of them.

“Thanks to our generous benefactor, we don’t have to pull a Jo Thornton and get right up with the tornado. The AI system will control the flight of the probes into the tornado and give us perhaps the most comprehensive data to date. The more storms we do this with, the more complete the data set becomes. Even if the probes become damaged entirely, the data will hopefully transmit. They have a home base they’ll return to and enough energy for a three day trip. Thanks to Stark we have them,” you explained.

“I hate that we work for a billionaire,” Deacon grumbled. No one was fully sure of what Deacon’s real name was. You knew it because you hired him. He adopted his nickname from Fallout 4 and stuck with it.

“We don’t work for him Deacon. We’re an independent group of scientists with funding from Stark Industries…there’s a difference,” you argued. He raised an eyebrow in your direction.

“Potay-to, Potah-to, Twister. Stark pays our bills, and I for one say, eat the rich,” Deacon replied. You shook your head at him.

“Well when you’re done plotting how you’re going to overthrow the bourgeoisie, I need you to finish a last check on the probes, Deacon. You know. Your job,” you said. You saw him roll his eyes and laughed to yourself.

You had two modes of transport. The van followed the pickup truck. The probes would be launched from your truck closer to the tornado. All you had to do was press a button on a remote you had in the cab of the truck. It was the first time the probes were going to be used. Up until then, your research had depending on distance analysis and observing the damage after a storm.

“National Weather Service just issued a tornado warning. It’s go time. Radar indicated rotation about two miles south,” Cody said. She was your eyes and ears on almost everything. She and Casey worked together tracking the radar and any warnings. Your main job was ensuring your team stayed safe and analyzing the data that came in.

You had a degree in meteorological and atmospheric sciences. It was your passion. You had graduated from Cornell and had your master’s, with a dream of getting your PhD eventually. Your encounter with Tony Stark had changed your life for the better.

Anxiety was setting in as you and your team headed south toward Lynchburg. You had a good idea of where the tornado would touch down based on the radar imaging. Cody and Casey remained in the van with Deacon driving. You were on your own in the pickup. You always worried going into a storm. About your safety. About the safety of your team. It was only natural.

“FRIDAY what’s the radar looking like?” you asked the AI as you drove. Tony had outfitted your truck with access to FRIDAY. You argued at first but she was helpful in a pinch. He had done a lot to add protection to your truck and the van. You knew he worried about you, which still shocked you.

“There is rotation approximately a half mile south,” she said. You nodded to yourself, and opened up the comms, another gift from Tony.

“We’re about a half mile out. There’s definite upward motion on that cloud up ahead. Pull off to the left coming up. We don’t want to get too close to this thing,” you said.

“Rain. We need to be ready to move. If this thing is rain wrapped,” Cody said her voice trailing off.

“Looks like we’ve got touch down. I’m deploying the probes. FRIDAY’s sensors will guide them toward the tornado,” you said as you pressed the button. You watched as the probes flew off toward the storm, praying they worked. When confirmation came from the team you had silent moment of celebration.

“Twist, I think we gotta go, this thing is going to come up toward us and we don’t want to get caught out,” Casey said.

“Copy, Sheridan. Let’s continue moving to the south. We can avoid running into it and still gather images. Keep your eyes up Deacon, you never know when something will pop up,” you said.

You drove forward, keeping an eye on the storm as you tracked it’s path, doing your best to judge what a safe distance was. You didn’t expect the debris that knocked into the truck that made you swerve off the road and flip.

——————————————————————————————————–

Tony was pacing around the lab. Bruce was doing his best to reassure Tony. Most of the team had never met you, but Bruce had. Your innate curiosity always managed to turn things around and diffuse the tension when Bruce and Tony would argue.

“We have a problem,” FRIDAY said, breaking the tense silence.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked, trying not to sound panic.

“Sensors in her truck indicate that there was an impact and the truck has flipped on its side,” FRIDAY said.

“Is she alert?” Tony asked.

“In and out, sir. I will patch you in to their comms,” the AI said. Tony knew as soon as he was patched in.

“Status report,” Tony said.

“Christ Stark a little warning,” Sheridan snapped.

“Noted. Now, status report,” Tony said.

“A piece of debris hit the pick up. We were about one hundred feet back. She went careening off the side of the road and the truck flipped. EMS ETA is about ten minutes. She’s been in and out of consciousness but there doesn’t seem to be major external injury,” Cody replied.

It didn’t take Tony long to get to Virginia, not with a quinjet. He was grateful to have Helen Cho on his payroll now, because as soon as you were stable, you were going to the compound, no arguments. There were few people Tony cared about on a deeper level. You were one of them.

“Kid’s in surgery, but the doctors think she’ll be fine,” Tony said. He called Pepper as soon as he had news.

“She won’t be happy about being dragged to the compound,” Pepper pointed out.

“Tough. She needs to recover, not be out on the next chase. Her team agrees. They’re all going on vacation to be with their families, no argument. She needs to rest. And we both know she won’t do that if she’s not at the compound,” Tony said.

“You’re on your own then. Because we both know she’s not going to like it,” Pepper said. Tony sighed.

“She’ll be on board when I give her free reign of the lab,” Tony said.

After talking to Pepper it was a waiting game.Tony had to pull serious strings to be able to see you. Your family was hours away and they weren’t going to come. He knew that. If you were awake, you’d know that. It had been that way for a long time. Another reason Tony worried about you, why he looked out for you.

“Hey kiddo,” he said once you were awake.

“Tony?” you asked, your voice raspy.

“Yeah. You had a bit of an accident,” he said. He watched your expression change as the memory of what happened came back. You groaned. He wasn’t sure if it was in pain or annoyance.

“How’s the truck?” you asked. He snorted.

“I’m having it brought back up to New York. Too much Stark Tech in that thing to let it go to a salvage yard,” he said.

“So it’s totaled?” you asked.

“Afraid so, kiddo. Gert is no more,” he said. You had named the truck, something that amused Tony to no end.

“And the others?” you asked.

“They’re fine. A little shaken, but fine. The van’s coming back up to the compound too while you recover. Your team is taking time off too. Visiting their families,” he said. You looked at him. He knew an argument was brewing. It was prime time for tornado season. You didn’t want to miss it.

“Tony,” you started to say. He shook his head.

“Kid, you broke your leg. You’re down for the season. You need to rest and recover,” he said.

“But you have that cradle thing,” you argued.

“That we only use for life threatening injuries or if we desperately need someone back in the field. There’s no shame in letting things heal the old fashioned way,” he said.

“I need to be back out there,” you argued.

“No. You need to rest. Your team needs time to rest. They thought you were a goner, kid. You’re lucky it seems to only be a minor concussion and a broken leg,” Tony retorted. A nurse soon came in, ending the standoff between the two of you. It wasn’t long before you were being brought up to the roof, where a quinjet was, and loaded in to be brought to the compound. Tony hadn’t come alone.

“Romanoff, meet Jo Thornton. I think you two will be spending a lot of time together,” Tony said. You glared at him.

“That’s not my name,” you snapped before offering your real name up. Tony had a habit of calling you by the name of the main character from Twister. You preferred the nickname Twister or Twist, if for no other reason than it being the nickname of a character from Rocket Power.

“Well, you know what they say Dorothy. There’s no place like home,” Natasha said as the aircraft began making its descent. Tony had opted to pilot it, leaving you to get acquainted with Natasha. You had a feeling she was one of the people Tony was going to rope into looking after you.

You allowed yourself to relax and drift off into a light sleep, dreaming of your next chase and the thrill that came with it.

#Bucky Barnes Fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes/reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes reader insert #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel reader insert #winter soldier fanfic #winter soldier #chaser

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rpdrafts · 4 years

Text

Canons & Families

List of canon characters and their children

If you don’t see a character you would like to apply for on this list, just go ahead and shoot us an ask!

BOLD - being played

STRIKE THROUGH - unavaliable to be played

ITALICIZED - has a child (children listed)

ABOMINATION (Emil Blonsky)

ALINA ENSTROM

AMANDA WALLER

ANT-MAN (Scott Lang)

Cassandra Lang (daughter)

Additional siblings/children wanted

AQUAMAN (Arthur Curry)

ATOM (Dr. Ray Palmer)

BANE

BATGIRL (Barbara Gordon)

BATMAN (Bruce Wayne)

Evangeline Wayne Prince (daughter)

Half siblings wanted

BEAST (Hank P. McCoy)

BEAST BOY (Garfield Logan)

BIG BARDA

Children not wanted

BLACK BOLT (Blackagar Boltagon)

BLACK CANARY (Dinah Lance)

Delilah Queen (daughter)

Additional children/siblings not wanted

BLACK CAT (Felicia Hardy)

BLACK LIGHTING (Jefferson Pierce)

BLACK PANTHER (T'Challa)

Children wanted

BLACK WIDOW (Natasha Romanoff)

BOOSTER GOLD (Michael Jon Carter)

BRAINIAC (Vril Dox)

BUMBLEBEE (Karen Beecher-Duncan)

CARIN TAYLOR

CAPTAIN AMERICA (Steven Rogers)

CAPTAIN BOOMERANG (George “Digger” Harkness)

CAPTAIN COLD (Leonard Snart)

CAPTAIN MARVEL (Carol Danvers)

Arabella Danvers (Daughter)

Bauer Danvers (Son)

Additional children/siblings not wanted

CARNAGE (Cletus Kasady)

CATWOMAN (Selina Kyle)

CLOAK (Tandy Johnson)

COLOSSUS (Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin)

CROSSBONES (Brock Rumlow)

CYBORG (Victor Stone)

CYCLOPS (Scott Summers)

DAGGER (Tyrone Bowen)

DAREDEVIL (Matthew Michael Murdock)

DARKSEID (Uxas)

DANIELLE BAPTISTE

DEADPOOL (Wade Wilson)

DEADSHOT (Floyd Lawton)

DEATHSTROKE (Slade Wilson)

DOCTOR DOOM (Victor von Doom)

DOCTOR LIGHT (Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi)

DOCTOR OCTOPUS (Otto Octavius)

DOCTOR STRANGE (Doctor Stephen Strange)

DOMINO (Neena Thurman)

DOMINIQUE THIEBAUT

DORMAMMU

DRAX THE DESTROYER

DYLAN CRUISE

EL DIABLO (Chato Santana)

ELEKTRA (Elektra Natchios)

ENCHANTRESS (June Moone)

FALCON (Samuel Thomas “Sam” Wilson)

FLASH (Barry Allen)

GALACTUS (Galan)

GAMBIT (Remy LeBeau)

GAMORA

GRANT WARD

GREEN ARROW (Oliver Queen)

GREEN GOBLIN (Norman Osborn)

GREEN LANTERN (Hal Jordan)

GREEN LANTERN (John Stewart)

HARLEY QUINN (Harleen Frances Quinzel)

HAVOC (Alex Summers)

HAWKEYE (Clint Barton)

HAWKGIRL (Shayera Hol)

HELA

HELLBLAZER (John Constantine)

HELLSTROM (Damion Hellstrom)

HOPE PEZZINI

HULK (Bruce Banner)

HUMAN TORCH (Johnny Storm)

HUNTRESS (Helena Bertinelli)

IAN NOTTINGHAM

ICE MAN (Bobby Drake)

INVISIBLE KID (Lyle Norg)

INVISIBLE WOMAN (Susan Storm)

IRON FIST (Daniel Rand)

IRON HEART (Riri Williams)

IRON MAN (Tony Stark)

INFERNO (Dante Pertuz)

JACKIE ESTACADO

JEAN (Jean Grey)

JESSICA JONES

JINX

JOKER (Arthur Fleck)

JOKER (Jack Napier)

JUBILEE (Jubilation Lee)

JUGGERNAUT (Cain Marko)

KATANA (Tatsu Yamashiro)

KENNETH IRONS

KILLER CROC (Waylon Jones)

KILLER FROST (Caitlin Snow)

KILLMONGER (Erik Killmonger)

KINGPIN (Wilson Grant Fisk)

LADY DEATHSTRIKE (Yuriko Oyama)

LEX LUTHOR

LOKI (Loki Laufeyson)

LUKE CAGE

LUNA SNOW (Seol Hee)

MAGNETO (Max Eisenhardt)

MARY JANE WATSON

MARTIAN MANHUNTER (J'onn J'onzz)

MEDUSA (Medusalith Amaquelin Boltagon)

MISTER FANTASTIC (Reed Richards)

MISTER FREEZE (Victor Fries)

MISTER MIRACLE (Scott Free)

MISTER SINISTER (Nathaniel Essex)

MISTER ZSASZ (Victor Zsasz)

MISS AMERICA (America Chavez)

MISS MARVEL (Kamala Khan)

MISTY KNIGHT

MOCKINGBIRD (Barbara Morse)

MYSTIQUE

MYSTERIO (Quentin Beck)

NAMOR (Namor McKenzie)

NEBULA

NICK FURY

NIGHTCRAWLER (Kurt Wagner)

NIGHTWING (Dick Grayson)

NOVA (Sam Alexander)

PATRIOT (Rayshaun Lucas)

PENGUIN (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot)

PLASTIC MAN (Patrick O'Brien)

POISON IVY (Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley)

POLARIS (Lorna Dane)

PROFESSOR X (Charles Francis Xavier)

PSYLOCKE (Elizabeth Braddock)

PUNISHER (Frank Castle)

QUAKE (Daisy Johnson)

QUICKSILVER (Pietro Maximoff)

RAVEN (Rachel Roth)

RED ARROW (Roy Harper)

RED HOOD (Jason Todd)

RED ROBIN (Tim Drake)

RED SKULL (Johann Shmidt)

RED TORNADO (Ulthoon)

RESCUE (Virginia “Pepper” Potts)

REVERSE-FLASH (Eobard Thawne)

RICK FLAG

RIDDLER (Edward Nygma)

ROGUE (Anna Marie)

SABRETOOTH (Victor Creed)

SANDMAN (William Baker)

SARA PEZZINI

SCARECROW (Jonathan Crane)

SCARLET WITCH (Wanda Maximoff)

SCARLET SPIDER (Ben Reilly)

SCARLET SPIDER (Felicity Hardy)

SELENE (Selene Gallio)

SHADOWCAT (Kitty Pryde)

SHANG-CHI

SHAZAM (William Joseph “Billy” Batson)

SHE-HULK (Jennifer Walters)

SIF

SILK (Cindy Moon)

SILVER SURFER (Norrin Radd)

SINESTRO (Thaal Sinestro)

SQUIRREL GIRL (Doreen Green)

SPIDER-GIRL (Anya Sofia Corazon)

SPIDER-GWEN (Gwen Stacy)

SPIDER-MAN (Peter Parker)

SPIDER-MAN (Miles Morales)

SPIDER-MAN 2099 (Miguel O'hara)

SPIDER-WOMAN (Jessica Drew)

SPOILER (Stephanie Brown)

STARFIRE (Koriand’r)

STAR-LORD (Peter Jason Quill)

STORM (Ororo Munroe)

SUNSPOT (Robert de Costa)

SUPERGIRL (Kara Zor-El)

SUPERMAN (Clark Kent)

THANOS

THING (Ben Grimm)

THOR (Thor Odinson)

TIGRA (Greer Grant Nelson)

TOM JUDGE

TRIGON

TWO-FACE (Harvey Dent)

TYPHOID MARY (Mary Alice Walker)

ULTRON

VALKYRIE

VENOM (Eddie Brock)

VIXEN (Mari McCabe)

VULTURE (Adrian Toomes)

WAR MACHINE (James “Jim” Rupert Rhodes)

WASP (Janet Van Dyne)

WHITE QUEEN (Emma Frost)

WINTER SOLDIER (James “Bucky” Barnes)

WITHER (Kevin Ford)

WOLVERINE (James Howlett)

WONDER WOMAN (Diana Prince)

ZATANNA ZATARA

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pi-cat000 · 5 years

Text

MSA time travel idea (part 9)

Summary: Arthur falls off a cliff and lands in the past.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Vivi POV, Part 8

Part 10: here

Arthur steps out of the office building’s foyer and is immediately accosted by the uncomfortably bright sunlight. He winces, shading his eyes, taking a moment to adjust and shake off the usual full-body jitters skittering along his limbs and torso. The air is hot, dry, and itchy. After being blasted with the cold air-conditioning for almost three hours, it's especially jarring. He takes a breath and lets the tension go, feeling a whole lot lighter now the hard part of the trip is done and dusted. All it took was a few hours of anxious waiting,-pretty standard considering he had rocked up without an appointment,-and he now has his new prescription and a referral to the specialist he actually wants to see. It had taken him a ridiculously long time to find this woman the first time around, what with having to cycle through an extensive line-up of medical professionals, and he’s glad he can skip the drama this time. Though, he’s not sure how he’s going to manage appointments when he’s road tripping across the country with Vivi and Lewis.

Arthur frowns down at the referral paper, continuing down the steps to the footpath running adjacent to the building. There’s no way he is letting Lewis and Vivi go on a supernatural road trip without him. Not with them being entirely in the dark about how dangerous the whole thing could be. Sure, they had Mystery, but he is beginning to suspect that Mystery didn’t care much for anyone who wasn’t Vivi (and he's not even sure he can trust that anymore). He would just have to manage alone until they returned. If they returned. Arthur forcefully shoves the paper down into the front pocket of his shoulder bag, trying not to think too hard on a topic bound to bring his mood lower than it already was.

As he turns to head back to his van, his gaze travels automatically across the plaza filled with shoppers, past the line of dinners and restaurants, to land on the looming grey, brick, cube-like structure of St Peter’s Medical and Emergency Centre. It’s the largest building in the block aside from the few office buildings behind it, and even those weren’t very high, causing it to lean almost threateningly over the shorter boutiquey outlets in the street just before it. Dry wind ruffles his hair pulling him its direction, and his steps falter. He stares at the structure wearily. Funnily, in this life, he’s never actually stepped foot in the Emergency Centre.

So entranced is he by the odd sense of dislocation that he walks straight into a thin woman pushing an overladen trolley.

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” She snaps, pausing to glare, while he’s busy ricocheting backward and stumbling in his attempt to keep his feet.

“Ah,” Arthur yanks his attention away from the hospital and tries for an apologetic tone, “Sorry?” It’s not like the woman’s been affected by his mishap. Arthur is the one with sore shins. The lady huffs and continues on, a cloud of irritation following her down the path.

The small commotion has drawn the attention of several strangers who have all turned to give him a brief glance before getting on with their day. Now feeling overexposed and increasingly off balance, Arthur power walks around the building to the parking lot and the safety of his van. The back of his neck is prickling uncomfortably, and there is a disconcerting, foreboding taint, hanging about his shoulders right up until he slams and locks his van door. He takes a deep breath and rests his head against the steering wheel. Then runs a hand through his hair, twisting a strand between two fingers.

Now that’s over with he should focus on the more enjoyable parts of his trip. Mainly, finding equipment and collecting some components to mess around with during those long hours spent alone in his room avoiding people. It’s a good thing he knows exactly where to go. Future knowledge: great for saving friends from certain disaster and navigating unfamiliar towns. He turns the key and pulls out.

A brief wave of melancholic nostalgia has him taking an additional turn around the block, passing several familiar shops. Tomb Tome, a frequent haunt of his high school years and Future Vivi’s old place of employment. He slows so he can stare at the shopfront, which is plastered with familiar colourful posters, pamphlets and info on local gaming and comic events, obscuring most of the shop’s windows. Vivi probably would have enjoyed it there a lot more if not for the circumstanced of their temporary move. It’s weird to think that she might never work there in this timeline. Not if his plans to change the future are successful. He speeds up, facing forward, massaging his right thumb into the steering wheel. The second-hand tech shop is a few streets down, and he pushes forwards, banishing the odd sense of disappointment.

Headphones and some slow music wash out the world until it’s just him and shelves of old computers, spare parts, and various mechanical and technical equipment. Slowly, the last few days of stress and anxiety drain away. He buys a whole lot more than he means to, which, on top of the doctor’s visit, takes a significant bite out of his personal saving. It doesn't bother him as much as it might.

It's towards the end of his shopping trip, or as Lewis would call it his ‘retail therapy,’ that the nagging feeling of apprehension, which he’d been trying to ignore since the running into the woman outside the doctor’s office, comes to bite him on the ass.

He’s back at his van, shuffling around with his overstuffed shopping bags when a shout, loud enough to penetrate through his music, catches his attention.

“Hey!”

Arthur pulls the buds from his ears, glancing over his shoulder to watch a heavy-set man, with an impressive beard and a leather vest, stomp towards him. There is something familiar and disconcerting about him.

“Hey, you! Kid!” The strange man yells again in a gravely southern accent. Arthur glances around, but he’s the only person out in the street. He watches the stranger approach, trepidation beginning to coil in his gut.

“You’re the kid from the diner, the one that made the suggestion about my bike’s engine.”

Oh. It clicks. This is the famed Leather Guy. It’s been almost two years, but Arthur still recognises the perpetually scowly face of a man never more than a few wrong words away from a fist fight.

“Err, yeah?” He answers slowly, hesitating.

“Name’s Micky,” Newly named Micky introduces, coming to a stop a few paces from Arthur.

“Sorry about taking a swing at you kid. Had a rough day. Went in to apologise but only saw your big purple friend,”

Arthur begins sorting through his key ring as subtly as possible, answering, “No problem. I could probably have been a bit more polite when pointing it out,”

He knows not to judge people based on appearance alone, but this guy’s looking awfully intimidating. His heart rate is increasing, and he can already feel the subtle flush of adrenalin, wiring him up in case he needs to move fast.

“Hey now, no need to be modest, kid. Not when you know your stuff. It’s good I ran into because I’ve been needing a second opinion on my bike.”

Micky shoves a hand into his jacket pocket and takes another step forward. A step too many in Arthur’s opinion.

“The mechanic I took it too was as clueless as a dim bulb if you catch my meaning.”

“Hehe, where’d you go? Donald and Son’s Repairs?” He laughs half-heartedly. Donald and Son’s is only other mechanic within several miles of the Pepper’s diner. Though, he’s sure there’s a few around this town as well.

“Yeah, actually, went there and they did a piss-poor job. If you could take a look at it, I’d feel a load better. Have a long trip coming, you see. Can’t have my baby breaking down in the middle of nothing now.”

Why does he get the feeling that Micky has never been to Donald and Son’s and that his bike is fine? Arthur, trying to keep his body language as light as possible, locates his key. He’d learnt from many a bad experience to trust his instincts. Right now they’re telling him to get out of dodge.

“Actually, I’m kind of in a rush at the moment,”

It’s not even a lie. He needs to start heading home soon if he wants to beat Lewis and Vivi who would be coming over after Vivi’s shift ended at five.

“But I work at Kingsman Mechanics …you can bring your bike there if you want it fixed,” he suggests, inserting his key into the door, preparing to make a break for it.

Something clicks, and it’s not the sound of his van being unlocked.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, kid. How about you step back from the van,”

Between looking down at the door and his key, Micky has pulled a gun, pointing it in his direction. Arthur freezes. Micky’s holding it casually so, to anyone looking, it wouldn’t be immediately apparent.

“Come on, then. Promise this’ll only be for a few seconds,” Micky says gruffly, seemingly irritated that Arthur hadn’t just followed him to straight into a back alley like a chump.

“Ah,” Arthur’s replies intelligently while his brain spins its wheels, attempting process this sudden change in circumstance.

He stares at the gun then up at Micky.

“Okay?” He offers when nothing better comes to mind.

It’s not the first time he’s had a gun pointed at him. When he had been road tripping with Lewis and Vivi he always seemed to be the one getting held up and chased by the wackos behind whatever ‘haunting’ they investigated. Remain calm. Don’t panic. Don’t antagonise. It’s the same sort of process.

Surprisingly, it’s not nearly as panic-inducing as those previous times. Instead of the fear completely wiping out logical thought like a bulldozer it’s just keeping him nicely tense and ready. How is that fair? Point a gun in his face and he’s not even flinching, but put him in a room with Lewis and he can barely function without throwing up the contents of his stomach. Just add it to the list of failures.

Note: Sorry about the two-week delay between parts, I was off battling the education system. I’m hoping to have a part 10 done in the next 2-3 days so you don’t have to sit on the cliff-hanger for too long. Hope people enjoy the slight shift in pace/tone.

#msa #mystery skulls animated #fanfiction #fanfic #arthur kingsmen #time travel #here be the plot

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science-lings · 5 years

Text

Peter Parker’s Parental Support Group Part 2

Pepper had met Peter sure, she understood why her fiance was so protective and caring towards him, the kid was like a mini version of Tony. Unfortunately, that included his self-care habits. Needless to say, he had none.

In some ways, Peter was worse than Tony. Peter had school to deal with as well as the incessant need to impress his mentor. (Which he already did on multiple occasions, judging by the way Tony talked about him and all of his little accomplishments.) Peter also spent all of his free time being a vigilante and saving cats for old ladies. This all meant that Peter never slept and after a while, it was affecting him.

Pepper had been working on some paperwork in her office at the tower and was honestly sick of it and ready to go a few floors up to pass out in her big comfy bed next to Tony, who was likely not even sleeping and just playing with some over-the-top idea on a Stark brand tablet if he wasn’t in the workshop.

Thankfully, F.R.I.D.A.Y. gave her a reason to leave her office. It wasn’t the reason she had expected though.

“Boss? I am programmed to inform you that my creator and the spider-ling have fallen asleep in the workshop. Due to them having panic disorders or heightened senses, I am not allowed to wake them up. I would advise checking up on them.” The AI said calmly.

“Save a few pictures in our personal database. I’ll be right there.” Pepper automatically smiled at the image that she imagined.

“I’m already ahead of you boss.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded like she was smiling if she had a face. Pepper made her way back to her penthouse and said goodbye to the rest of the late night workers on her way there.

The workshop attached to the top private floors for Tony’s convenience. It made it incredibly easy for Pepper to get to as it was practically its own floor. Pepper tried to be as quiet as she could as to not disturb the sleeping genius’ and her curiosity was a little bit overwhelming.

Pepper was not disappointed. Although they weren’t immediately visible, it didn’t take long to find them. Tony was slumped over a desk with his head in his arms, slightly tilted to one side. This was the side where Peter was leaning against him. Peter’s hair was a little wild, indicating that he didn’t fall asleep attached to Tony, he just got there. In any case, it was adorable.

While Tony and Peter snoozed in unison, Pepper made the picture F.R.I.D.A.Y. took her cellphone background and she debated whether to let them sleep or wake them up so they don’t get sore. Pepper compromised by bringing in a few blankets and pillows from the nearby home theater and set them up to make sure her boys wouldn’t wake up with full body cramps.

Peter adjusted himself and blinked his eyes half open and miles away from awake. He looked at her with a confused expression but seemed oblivious to his closeness to Tony.

“MsPotts?” Peter slurred only a little louder than a whisper.

“You can go back to sleep Peter. You looked kind of tired,” Pepper said as she gave into the urge to comb her fingers through his hair. His eyes fluttered for a moment, obviously too out of it to really process anything.

“Okay…” Peter sighed and went back to his place resting on Tony’s side. Pepper smiled a bit and kissed both of her boys on their scalps before leaving to have some well needed alone time.

Neither Tony nor Peter had to know that she had kept an eye on them through F.R.I.D.A.Y. and she saw when Tony woke up and carried Peter to his bedroom in the tower. She also saw, in HD, Tony tuck the kid in with heart-crushing gentleness.

Needless to say, she saved the video and planned on watching it every time Tony tried to convinse the world of his heartlessness.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

New Messages

To: May Parker

From: Pepper Potts

Pepper: I think you would apreciate this.

Pepper sent Naptime.png

May: Holy fuck. I have a new phone background.

Pepper: Too bad, I’m already having it framed. I’m hanging several copies around the tower tomorrow.

May: You should get a painting commissioned of it.

Pepper: I like the way you think…

May: Hang it in your office at the tower.

Pepper: I was thinking about the lobby instead. There's a picture of Howard that I want to replace.

May: Tony's father always looks grumpy anyway.

Pepper: Haven’t you been working all day? It’s late, you should get some sleep.

May: You’re literally the CEO of a massive company. You should get sleep too.

Pepper: You literally work 12 hours a day. Go to sleep.

May: no u

Pepper: Fine. goodnight.

May: wait no

Pepper formally joined the club of Peter’s parental figures when he made her almost have her first heart attack.

Tony was gone, figuring out some Avengers things, and Pepper just had to keep an eye on Peter’s suit status on the edge of her screen while she worked. Easy peasy. It was only easy peasy for the first two days.

Then Peter got stabbed. And Pepper was too far away to have Happy drive her. So she did something that she didn’t believe she would need to do in a less than apocalyptic scenario. She activated the rescue protocol.

During one of his tech binges, Tony had made her a suit that he assured would just be for emergencies. He didn’t plan on her doing what he did but he wanted to do all he could to protect her if something bad happened. Instead of using it to protect her, Pepper decided to use it to help the kid that had slowly become part of her family.

She had been in her office at the time, not really working on something terribly important or urgent when F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed her of the situation. Because of course, Peter wouldn’t want help and his AI would be required to go behind his back. Pepper was thankful for the tattletale protocol.

“-said not to call- oh hey Ms. Potts...” Peter said nervously through her earpiece.

“Cut the shit Pete, what happened.” She said quickly, not wanting to waste any time. Peter was silent for a moment before he answered timidly.

“I got stabbed… “

“How much blood have you lost?” Pepper asked as she got out of her chair and started to run towards where the emergency suit was held behind a secret door.

“It’s not that bad… I’m fine…”

“Karen?”

“Peter has lost twelve ounces of blood so far.”

“Come on-” Peter protested.

“Hang tight, I’m on my way.” Pepper hung up and let the red and white suit fold around her body. She wasn’t used to it but it wasn’t as weird as it had once been. Thankfully Tony had given her a crash course in the suit when he made it so she wasn’t a complete amateur on flying in metal suits.

She shot out of an opened hatch in the wall and followed the information on her visor. The information was kind of overwhelming and chaotic but Pepper was used to chaos and a lot of information at once so this wasn’t much of a change for her. She flew for about a mile before diving into an ally where Peter had taken shelter.

Pepper’s helmet folded back as she looked worriedly at the teenager. He had bled a lot but not completely horrifyingly so. She could patch up a knife wound… probably. She knew basic first aid and with Peter’s healing factor, it wouldn’t be too hard of a problem to fix. The wound was small and not even that deep, it didn’t touch any of his organs and the only problem seemed to be the blood loss and the pain.

Peter may have yelped a bit when Pepper picked him up bridal style but didn’t seem outwardly in horrible pain after a moment of getting settled in her arms. Pepper took off quickly with plenty of soft reassurances to the kid.

In no time she flew them to the med bay of the tower and put him on one of the medical beds. Pepper got out of her suit and rushed to the medical supplies. Thankfully the injury wasn’t too serious because she had no idea what she was doing. She did assume that she was doing better than anything the reckless teenager could come up with.

Peter kept apologizing but Pepper brushed it off. She wrapped his wound in black medical bandages that constricted enough to stop or slow the bleeding but not too much.

Pepper gave Peter some strong painkillers that were a product of Doctor Cho’s medical genius. The painkillers made Peter tired enough to pass out which gave Pepper the opportunity to notify May and Tony of what happened in a new group chat. She sent a picture to prove that Peter was fine.

The birth of the group chat began something that none of them could have expected. A sort of comradery over Peter was created and it led to some pretty great moments.

But that was another story.

#pepper potts #peter parker #pepperony #irondad #ironmom #fic rec

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sunflowersandink · 6 years

Text

We Often Go Awry

Part 1

Read on AO3

Pairing: Peter Parker/Wade Wilson

Summary: Everyone is born marked, and they live knowing that somewhere out there is their other half, a corresponding soul with the same mark. Thanos wins, and suddenly half the people in the universe are gone, just like that.What happens to the half that’s left?

Words: 2845

For all the chaos in Peter’s life, there was never really a point where it didn’t feel like it made sense. There was an order to it, a pattern. Sometimes a pattern too intricate and grand for him to understand, but he trusted always that there was a pattern nonetheless.

In a snap, the pattern disappears.

- - -

The whole ride back from Titan, his fingers compulsively trace the black fibonacci spiral that has stood in stark contrast to the pale skin of his wrist since the day he was born. It’s hard to tell in the dim light of the ship, but he thinks it looks a little lighter, a little less sharp than it did that morning. He tells himself it’s too early to tell.

He concentrates on it, and does his best to be a middle ground between Tony’s endless pacing of their section of the tiny ship and the blue alien lady’s complete and eerie stillness in the pilot’s seat, staying seated and motionless but for the restless bouncing of one leg and the constant motion of his fingers.

He doesn’t look up until he hears Tony’s small intake of breath. He raises his eyes to see Earth ahead of them, blue and shining in the dark.

It looks so small, he thinks.

- - -

They land way outside the city, deciding there’s no good way to land a spaceship in the middle of Manhattan without causing even more panic.

Tony’s on the phone as soon as they’re through the atmosphere and have a signal. He waits, almost vibrating with tension, as the phone rings.

“Pepper,” he breathes at last, shoulders slumping with relief. “You’re okay.”

Peter is relieved too, though his is slight. He’s glad she’s okay of course, but she’s not one of his biggest concerns. He worries at the skin around his thumbnail, and tries not to think about Aunt May, or Ned, or MJ, or the other Avengers. He doesn’t look at his wrist.

Within minutes, he’s tracing the spiral again anyway, without needing to look.

- - -

It’s been three days since the snap, three days since Titan, three days since theirs and every other little corner of the universe was ripped in two forever. Peter hasn’t left the tower since he got back.

Technically, most of the missing can’t legally be declared dead, not without a body.

So most are just missing, in the eyes of the government and any loved ones who didn’t personally witness them crumble to ash.

Aunt May remains one of the many missing persons on the crowded list.

Mr. Stark didn’t hesitate to give Peter a room in the tower, which he gratefully hides away in. The others, the ones still alive, give him space, busy grieving their own losses.

Everyone on Earth has something to grieve.

Peter wears long sleeves for three days, and keeps the lights off when he showers.

Everyone knows how long it takes for a mark to fade, and he refuses to torture himself in the meantime by obsessively checking it.

On the Third Night, he pulls up his sleeve and looks.

- - -

It’s Bruce he wakes, pounding on his door at just past two in the morning.

Bruce opens the door, blinking bleary-eyed at him, hair rumpled. Faintly, Peter hears Thor in the background, groggily asking what’s happening.

Bruce frowns at him in concern. “Peter, what-?”

Peter doesn’t say anything. He simply holds out his arm, showing the pink spiral that twists like a scar against his wrist.

Bruce’s face twists in understanding and sorrow. He wraps his arms around Peter. “I’m so sorry, Peter,” he murmurs.

Peter just squeezes him tighter. He doesn’t cry. It’s hard to cry for someone you’ve never met.

It’s six a.m. before Ned texts.

my mark didn’t fade!!!! they made it!!!! hbu?

Peter ends up falling asleep, without finding it in him to answer.

- - -

By a week post-snap, some of the missing have officially been declared dead, though the millions without a known (and not-missing) soulmate to prove it remain.

Aunt May remains missing, Uncle Ben having already taken her corresponding soulmark with him.

Peter hopes, wherever she is, she’s found him again.

- - -

On the eighth day, he leaves his room, not because he particularly wants to see anyone else, but because he thinks if he spends anymore time in there he might actually go insane.

He ends up going down to the gym, which he finds to already be occupied. Steve is red-faced and sweating, and judging by the pile of broken punching bags, has been at this for a while. Bucky’s once-red star peeks out from under his t-shirt sleeve like a wound.

He stops the current bag from swinging, turning to look at Peter before he can sneak back out. He shoots him a brittle smile, which drops away immediately. “Hey Peter. I heard about your mark. I’m really sorry.” Peter gives an awkward little half-shrug. “Yeah, me too,” he says, not sure if he’s agreeing or expressing the same sympathy back.

Steve walks over to the small table along the edge of the room, picking up the water bottle that sits there. Peter sees the blood that covers his knuckles, though the wounds are probably already healed.

“You’ll have the gym to yourself, I was just about to go for a run,” he says, then flinches slightly, like he already regrets the words.

Sam flashes through Peter’s mind. “I could go with you,” he blurts out, and immediately regrets it. No, he doesn’t want to see his new half-city, not really. Not yet.

Luckily, Steve either picks up on this or genuinely doesn’t want the company, because he smiles at Peter, a little more warmly and gently than his earlier one. “That’s very kind of you Peter, but no, thank you. Stay here, take advantage of the solitude.” He nods a goodbye, and brushes past him out the door.

Peter relaxes, feeling bad that’s he’s actually grateful Steve is gone. It’s Steve. Steve, his teammate, a man who he’s trained with and fought with and hung out with on movie nights.

But then. It’s not Steve, not really, is it? It’s the remaining half of Steve, and he’s just the remaining half of Peter.

He’s not even sure what complete Peter was like. Would have been like. Was supposed to be like.

How do you get back to normal when everything is this fucked?

- - -

On the tenth day, he goes up to the lab. Tony’s up there, but he knows it, he’s prepared this time.

He’s not prepared to find Tony and Pepper, together. He can sense he’s walked into a fight the moment he steps through the elevator doors, and he’s honestly not sure if that’s better or worse than finding them happy together.

Tony is behind one of the worktables, pointedly not looking up from whatever it is he’s working on. Dark bags hang under his eyes, his face is unshaven. He looks completely exhausted, which, knowing Tony, might actually mean he hasn’t slept since they got home.

Pepper, on the other hand, looks furious, her arms crossed and jaw set in a hard line. She looks back when Peter enters, and immediately relaxes her stance, smiling gently at him. “Hi, Peter, how are you?”

Without the anger masking it, he realizes she looks just as exhausted as her soulmate.

He gives the same half-shrug he’s given everyone who asks him that question. He’s becoming very good at it. “I’m okay.”

She tilts her head, concern shining in her eyes. “I haven’t seen you much this past week.”

“Been busy,” he dodges. “How about you - you guys? Is everything okay?” he asks awkwardly.

The anger comes back, though not directed at him. She opens her mouth, but Tony speaks before she can.

“Oh, yeah, sure, everything’s just groovy. Yeah, almost four billion people are dead, but everything’s working perfectly, why wouldn’t it be?”

Peter flinches slightly, which Pepper doesn’t miss. “Tony,” she says sharply.

Tony looks up, blinking at Peter like he just noticed he was there. He sighs raggedly, scrubbing at his already-bloodshot eyes. “Fuck, I’m sorry, kid. Just ignore me, it’s been a really long day.”

“That’s because it’s been several days, Tony,” Pepper says wearily, reaching up to rub at her own eyes, though much more carefully. “Tony, you can’t fill in for half the planet by yourself, you just can’t, and you’re going to kill yourself trying. You need to take a break,” she pleads.

He flings the screwdriver he was working with to the ground with a clatter that makes Pepper and Peter both flinch back. He braces his hands against the workbench, and looks at the two of them with slightly wild eyes. “You want me to take a break? Okay, sure. Do you want to explain to the doctors and nurses at the five hospitals within a hundred mile radius that don’t have power that, oh, I’m sorry, I’ll get back to fixing that part of the power grid after I have a little nap, that okay? How about the fourteen, fourteen, Pepper, commercial airlines that went down after their pilots dissolved mid-flight that still haven’t seen rescue workers because all the surviving workers are putting out the million other fires that sprang up when half of humanity disappeared at once? And that’s not even touching on all the - the little stuff, if you can call things like millions of car accidents and the kids in foster care that lost their parents, and the fucking nuclear power plants that had to shut down so we wouldn’t have another Chernobyl on top of everything else, and -”

“Tony,” she cuts him off, and her voice is so filled with soft grief that for once he does stop. “I know.”

He chews at his lip, looking down at the pile of circuitry in front of him. “I’ll take a break when I’m done with this,” he says quietly, all the earlier frustration draining out of him, leaving his shoulders slumped.

“Thank you,” she says, her own anger faded as well. She walks over to Peter, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go get something to eat. I don’t think this is the best place for either of us right now,” she says quietly, and he doesn’t resist when she leads him back into the elevator. He looks back over his shoulder, to see his mentor still standing, hands flat against the table and head hanging so Peter can’t see his face.

“So,” Pepper says once the doors close, clearly doing her best to sound cheerful and composed. “I think the tower might be a little low on food at the moment, but I’m sure we can scrounge up something from the communal kitchen. How do scrambled eggs sound? I’m sure we’ve got some eggs -”

“I’m sorry,” Peter blurts out. He didn’t mean to say it, but the words have been at the back of his throat for eight days, and it’s a relief to finally have them free.

Her forehead crinkles in confusion. “What are you sorry for, honey? Tony? No no, sweetie, trust me, that has nothing to do with you. That’s just Tony being, well, Tony.”

“No,” he mumbles, not meeting her eyes. “No, I mean - I’m sorry for all of this. I’m -” he takes a deep breath, and forces himself to look at her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him when I had a chance.”

Pepper looks horrified. “Oh, honey,” she breathes shakily. She bites her lip, her eyes glistening, and then she wraps her arms around him, crushing him to her chest.

“Don’t you ever, ever, blame yourself,” she whispers fiercely. “Multiple teams of superheroes tried to stop him, and they couldn’t. There is nothing you could have done that would have kept this from happening. Sometimes...sometimes the universe is just a bad place to be, and we just have to find a way to live with that.”

Against his will, his arms come up to wrap around her as well. He buries his face against her shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears that threaten to spill out.

“I really miss Aunt May,” he says against her shirt, his voice breaking.

She strokes his hair, the gesture so familiar and affectionate that the tears do start to fall. “I know. I know.”

- - -

He ends up making them both scrambled eggs, while she makes them hot cocoa.

“I should probably make you eat something with vegetables, but I’m not sure we’ve got anything fresh enough,” she jokes, though her eyes are still red-rimmed.

“I’m twenty years old, I don’t need anyone to ‘make’ me eat my vegetables,” he says, pretending to sound offended.

“Oh please, I was a college student once, I know exactly how unhealthy your diet is,” she teases.

He laughs weakly. He wonders how many of his classmates and professors he’s never going to see again. Is the school even going to open again someday? Is there even a point in going back when it does?

He pokes at his eggs with his fork. He glances up at Pepper, and realizes she’s staring out the window at the much darker city with glassy eyes.

“You okay?” he asks tentatively, a stupid question that seems to be all there is to say lately.

She jolts slightly, looking back at him and trying and failing to smile. “I was just thinking about how I should restock the kitchen tomorrow, and I thought, ‘oh, I’ll just send Happy’, and then I remembered -” she breaks off, looking down at her own food. “Anyway.” She takes a bite of the eggs. “These are delicious, Peter, thank you so much for making them.”

“Yeah, of course, anytime,” he says, quickly shoveling eggs into his own mouth. He chews slowly, his mind still elsewhere. He clears his throat, taking a sip of hot cocoa. “Hey Pepper?”

“Yes, Peter?”

He traces the handle of the mug with his fingers. “Do you love Tony?” he winces immediately. “Sorry, that’s a stupid question, that’s not what I - just, are you glad he’s in your life?”

“He is definitely one of the best things in my life,” she answers carefully. She reaches out, and gently takes the hand not fidgeting with his mug. “But Peter, he’s not the only good thing in it.”

“Yeah, but, I mean - if you’d never met him, your life would be worse, wouldn’t it?” he mumbles, accepting her hand without looking at her.

She purses her lips, choosing her words with care. “If I’d never met him, my life would be very different. But I don’t know that it would necessarily be worse. It would be a completely different life, and I would be a different person. There’s no way to really compare two lives and say for sure which one is better. They’re just...different.”

He studies their interlocked fingers, his long and nimble, hers slender and smooth, her clear nail polish chipping off. “Did you feel like you were complete when you met him?”

“I was complete before I met him,” she answers instantly. “People try to frame it as though you’re not a full person until you have your soulmate, but...I never believed that.” Her other hand reaches up, ghosting along her shoulder. He knows their blue heart-shaped mark lies somewhere along her shoulder blade, hidden by her blouse. “Our soulmates aren’t the other half of our souls, we don’t need them to exist. They just compliment us. They bring out the best in us. That’s what our symbols represent: not what we are, but what we could be together.” She squeezes his hand, gently, until he looks up and meets her gaze. “Peter, there’s an infinite number of things you can be. You don’t need anyone else for that.”

He snorts softly. “That’s not what the universe says.”

“Well, the universe can go fuck itself,” she says viciously, and his head whips up, his eyes wide. She smirks slightly at his expression. “The universe isn’t what it used to be, it’s got no place telling us what to do.”

He blinks rapidly, swallowing. “You’ve gotta put a dollar in the swear jar,” he finally whispers.

She laughs, tired but genuine. “As long as you promise not to tell Steve, I think we’ll get away with it.”

He laughs softly with her.

- - -

They don’t stay up much longer. He’s been sleeping more than he should, but she hasn’t, and it shows. They ride up together. His floor is first, but before the door opens, she hugs him again, unexpectedly. “Take as much time as you need, Peter, but be careful. Don’t lock yourself away forever. We all need each other more than ever, okay?” she tells him quietly.

His throat feels tight. “I won’t. I promise,” he manages at last.

“Good.” She kisses the top of his head, and waves goodbye as he steps off.

He curls up in bed, not realizing how exhausted he is until his head hits the pillow. He’s asleep in minutes.

Part 2

#peter parker #wade wilson #peter parker/wade wilson #spiderman/deadpool #spideypool #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my writing #We Often Go Awry

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travelingtheusa · 3 years

Text

FLORIDA

2021 Feb 23 (Tue) – We went out for lunch today to Micanopy. It was a small, historic town with lots of antique shops. We wanted to eat at a restaurant but it was closed so we went next door to Coffee & Cream where we enjoyed chicken salad sandwiches with rice and beans. After lunch, we walked up and down the main street wandering in some of the shops and reading the historic plaques describing the history of the town.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at the post office to mail off some items and at a convenience store to pick up wine and get some lottery tickets. Then we stopped at the Antique Emporium. It was a large warehouse with 55 vendor shops inside. There were so many items we used to use for sale. There is no faster way to feel old than to walk through an antique shop and see your life’s belongings laid out and considered to be “old stuff.”

2021 Feb 22 (Mon) – We took our time closing up this morning. Bonnie and Sheba got to play outside and we chatted with Rich and Margaret for a while. Then we packed up and left Hernando at 11:35 a.m. The campground was just 40 miles away and we were here within an hour. Ocala North RV Park is a very nice, very clean facility. It is large and there were workers putting in new lights, a shuffle board, and a bocce ball court. They are getting ready for a luau in two days. The clerk who checked us in said the owner bought the rundown campground two years ago and has been working on renovating it. He’s done an excellent job.

2021 Feb 21 (Sun) – We all drove over to Matt & Michele’s today. They were hosting a drone speed course event for their local club. It was amazing to watch these little things zip around the yard, sounding like a bunch of angry bees. We could watch the drones fly around the course and watch the TV screens to see what the pilots were seeing in their headsets.

When we got back to the house, Margaret made roast beef sandwiches for us. For dinner, she cooked baked clams and steaks. We visited for a bit after dinner then returned to the rig to get ready for tomorrow’s move.

2021 Feb 20 (Sat) – I did some laundry today. Margaret was kind enough to let me use her washer and dryer. Matt & Michele came over for dinner and Margaret outdid herself, as usual. I think she loves to cook and is glad to have people visit. She not only made lots to eat, but packed us a take-home box.

2021 Feb 19 (Fri) – It started out cloudy, rained, then got really cool. We had to switch to long sleeve shirts and pants as the day wore on.

We drove to WalMart at 8 a.m. to get an oil change on the truck. There was a line of six cars in front of us waiting for service. We checked in then went shopping where we spent almost $200 on items in the store. The damn oil change should be free considering we shopped while waiting and spent so much we would not have spent other wise. Lol.

We got back around 10:30 a.m. and Margaret & Rich took us to Matt & Michele’s house. Paul and Margaret used to work with Matt at NYSDOT. They were building their home and a drone speed course when we were here last January. It is all finished now and everything is very nice. The drone control center and speed course are quite the thing to see.

We returned to the house and finished off Margaret’s egg salad. Later, we went to dinner at Crump’s Landing in Homasossa. It had a large grass covered roof over a seated patio area. There were plastic panels pinned in around the sides to keep it warm along with large gas heaters. It was very nice and the food was good. After dinner, Rich drove us over to Monkey Island. It is a small island in the middle of the Homosassa River where a troupe of monkeys lives. It was too dark to see anything but there is a house and a replica lighthouse on the island that is little more than a mound of dirt in the middle of the river. Guess the monkeys were asleep because we didn’t see any. It was too dark anyway.

2021 Feb 18 (Thu) – We packed up and left Tampa at 10:30 a.m. It was a little more than two hours to Hernando where we are staying in the driveway of friends, Margaret & Rich. We were here last January where we celebrated the New Year with them. Margaret was waiting for our arrival with egg salad sandwiches. We visited for a couple of hours. Later, she made sausage and peppers heroes for dinner.

2021 Feb 17 (Wed) – I went back to ENT doctor today. First I had a hearing test with the audiologist then a follow-up with the ENT doctor. I was told I have hearing loss in both ears and should go back to the VA for a re-evaluation on the hearing aids. The doctor prescribed prednisone for 6 days and a Flonase. Both are intended to reduce swelling and allow the fluid behind my ear to be reabsorbed.

After the doctor, we dropped the prescription off to CVS then went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant. After a stop at U-Haul for propane, we went back to CVS to pick up my prescriptions.

2021 Feb 16 (Tue) – Johnny & Linda and Rick & Brenda came over for a barbecue. It was chilly with an overcast sky and cool wind blowing. At least it didn’t rain. We had burgers, baked beans, potato salad, tossed salad and a chocolate cake to celebrate Brenda’s birthday. We visited for almost 4 hours. It was very enjoyable. After they left, we took down the town and cleaned up.

2021 Feb 15 (Mon) – I went to the ENT doctor today. He wanted to follow up and see how my ear was doing after using the drops. While the pain is gone, my ear still feels stuffed up. The doctor believes that I have fluid behind my ear. He asked me to come back for a hearing test.

After the doctor, we stopped at Bonefish Grill for lunch. The Bang Bang Shrimp is good every time! Then we stopped at Publix to pick up some groceries. When we got back to the campground, Paul set up the covered tent for tomorrow’s barbecue.

2021 Feb 14 (Sun – Valentine’s Day) – We went to the Hard Rock Café & Casino for lunch. Thought we’d enjoy a meal and a little gambling. What an UNenjoyable experience! The place is huge with several parking garages surrounding the main casino. We walked deep into the building before we found the café. The food was OK but very expensive - $101! After lunch, we went up to the second floor to the non-smoking lounge. We searched for 10 and 25 cent machines. That didn’t make any difference. When you found a 25 cent machine, you had to bet a minimum of 30 credits – each credit being equal to 25 cents. We both put $20 in a machine and after just 3 or 4 pushes of the button, we were broke. It is nice when you can find a machine to play that will last a little while. After all, you look for entertainment for a while. I don’t mind losing my money if the machine lets me play for an hour or so.

So, we went back down to the first floor and stopped in at a lounge for a cocktail and just enjoy the ambiance of the place. We walked up to the plastic shield and waited for service. Two bartenders were making drinks and even though they came by us to get bottles off the shelf, no one said anything to us. The bar was oval shaped and they were waiting on people on the other side of the bar. After about ten minutes, we spotted a waitress. Paul asked if we could get service at a table. She said yes so we sat at a small table and ordered our drinks. I asked for a double shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream and Paul had a shot of 43. My drink wasn’t more than an ounce. In fact, I questioned her as to whether it was even a double as it looked like so little. The charge for my drink was $22. We left the casino feeling ripped off and very unsatisfied with our experience. Sad.

2021 Feb 13 (Sat) – A fierce thunderstorm rolled through last night. The campground is full of puddles and squishy grass. It rained off and on all day today. There are more thunderstorms on the way over the next two or three days.

At 11:30, we wandered over to the livestock barn to see what was going on with the little piggies. They were having some kind of contest. A group of ten kids with pigs entered the ring. Each one had a long, thin switch that they used to continuously smack the pig on the right side of the face. Apparently, that is how they control the pig; with the switch and a stiff brush in their other hand. It looked like a confusing melee to me. The pigs walked all over the place and the kids followed, switching them in the face while trying to maintain eye contact with the judge. A judge watched and selected two or three contestants. They left the arena and entered cages on the side. The rest of the contestants were dismissed and the selectees came back out, fist bumped the judge, then left, too. Then, the next group of ten entered the ring. We watched for about a half hour. The animals were beautiful – strong, healthy looking beasts with ears that stood straight up and an energy to their trot. Some pigs were pink but more were other colors – chocolate brown, black with a pink band around their center, black with pink spots or pink with black splotches. It must be more difficult than it looks.

2021 Feb 12 (Fri) – We met Brenda & Rick for lunch at Portillo’s. The restaurant is famous in Chicago for its hot dogs and chocolate cake. We sat outside and visited for almost two hours. It was fun.

Next door was a Walgreens. After lunch, Paul and I went to find cards for our grandsons. We addressed them, put in a few candy hearts, and mailed them off.

2021 Feb 11 (Thu) – We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. We were appalled to see many tables with the dishes still sitting on them after diners have left. The service was very slow. We watched the hostess come in, haphazardly wipe off a table and then seat a couple there. She definitely is not COVID protective.

After lunch, we went to Lazydays which was right next door to the restaurant. After buying a few supplies, we met with a salesman who took us to look at several rigs. We found two we liked and when we returned to the office, he worked hard to get us to buy one of the RVs. He even brought in the boss to talk to us. Fortunately, he saw we weren’t looking to buy right now so he just chatted amiably with us then left. Good. I didn’t feel like going through a high pressure sales pitch. They offered to give us a trade in of $32,000 on our current rig.

Campers are starting to come into the campground. There will be a Swine Festival this weekend for the local kids club.

2021 Feb 10 (Wed) – Paul tested the charge on several stanchions and found high voltage running through the line. I called the office and they sent an electrician over. He said they have a fair coming up and run a higher voltage over the line. With lots of people drawing power, it causes the voltage to drop. Since we are the only camper here, the voltage is too high and they can’t reduce it. It should be running around 128 but it’s over 133 and tripping the surge protector (which we thought was broken but was really doing its job). So, we packed up and moved to the other side of the campground where they are not setting up for the fair. The voltage seems to be OK over here. There’s one other camper in this area.

After the set up, we drove to MacDill Air Force Base. We have tried to get reservations on that base a couple of times but they were always full. They have over 400 spaces in their campground. It was full and the sites were very close to each other. We were just as glad we didn’t get in.

We then stopped at the commissary and picked up some groceries, then walked next door to the Class VI Package Store and picked up some wine.

2021 Feb 9 (Tue) – We drove to a laundromat to do some wash. They had a value card system in place. You have to put money on a card and put that into the washer and dryer. It is a confusing system but we managed. For two washers and two dryers, we spent $12.70. That was high.

While the clothes were doing their thing, we went to WalMart and picked up oil and DEF for the truck. Paul asked about having an oil change done but the clerk said they didn’t have a lift big enough to fit the truck. He told us to go to the WalMart in Valrico.

We had lunch at Duke’s Brewhouse. It was a relatively new place (as an evaluator said on Trip Advisor) but was not crowded. The walls were covered with big screen TVs playing every kind of sports. The Tamp Bay Buccaneers are big news after their win at the Superbowl this past weekend. I had a Greek flatbread and Paul had a Caesar wrap. The food was OK.

The electric breaker kicked off twice. Our surge protector usually takes two minutes to bring the electric back on. It did it the first time but not the second. Paul thinks the surge protector has bit the dust. It is almost four years old. That’s an awful short life. Add to that the Jetpack that keeps giving us problems in accessing the Internet. Ugh.

2021 Feb 8 (Mon) – I found an ENT doctor and went to see him this morning. He said I have a bacterial infection in my ear and prescribed ear drops. He said to stop the Amoxicillin that the urgent care doctor prescribed. I am supposed to go back to see the ENT doctor in a week.

We then went to Smokey Bones for lunch. The ribs were delicious! Then I ran into CVS (which happened to be in a Target store) to get the ear drops. I spent a good part of the day cancelling reservations and appointments back in New York. I was supposed to fly out today.

2021 Feb 7 (Sun) – We packed up and left Sarasota at 10 a.m. It was an hour and a half drive to the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Sometimes I have to wonder about our timing. The Superbowl is being played in Tampa tonight. We always seem to arrive somewhere where something amazing or very big is going on – like a presidential rally or a big concert.

When we arrived, we discovered we didn’t have an assigned site. The saleslady had acknowledged our reservation and promised to send us information before we arrived. She didn’t do that. The guard called someone who told them to just point us to the camping area and to pick a spot. That’s what we did. There are two RVs camped along the fence next to the interstate. Having camped near the interstate before, we knew it would be too loud with the 24/7 traffic. So we found a site on the other side of the field as far away from the road as we could get.

After set up, we went out to get some lunch. We were also going to do some laundry but my ear was hurting very badly. I got a message from Southwest that I had to have a negative COVID test within 72 hours of arriving in NY. On top of that, New York is getting another snowstorm today and another is scheduled for Thursday, all on top of a snowstorm they had a few days ago. I decided to cancel my trip until I could get my ear repaired. Maybe the COVID test will not be a requirement in another month with the vaccine out there. We’ll see.

My sister gave me a homeopathic treatment for my ear so we went to Sprouts Market where I picked up some ear drops. It did help to alleviate some of the pressure in my ear.

2021 Feb 6 (Sat) – We stayed in the trailer all day except to walk the dog. The wind was blowing briskly but it was more balmy than cold. Paul dumped the tanks this evening in readiness for our move tomorrow.

2021 Feb 5 (Fri) – It was cool today. Had to wear long pants, socks, and a jacket in the morning. We ran several errands around town. We went to Millie’s Restaurant for lunch. It was a delightful little café decorated with a French motif. I told Paul that I would like that wallpaper in our next house, wherever we settle down. Next stop was at Petco to pick up dry food for Bonnie. In the same shopping center was a Total Wine where we picked up some wine, a cordial, and a margarita mix. We stopped in a mall to look for sweat pants and jeans for me. It was about 3/4s empty. I guess COVID killed most of the stores. There was a JC Penney’s where I found a pair of soft slacks, not sweats nor jeans. We looked at cruise wear but decided to wait before buying any.

After we got home and dropped off our purchases, we ran back out to a medical clinic. My ear has been painful for a couple of days and I am getting some blood on a Q-tip. The doctor thinks I might have ruptured the ear drum and recommended that I see an ENT doctor. She prescribed an antibiotic. I think she should have cleaned the ear out with a topical antiseptic but she refused to do it. I called back home to my cancer doctor to be sure there was no problem with an interaction with my chemo medication. I stopped taking it yesterday. A nurse called back and said there would be no problem with the two medications.

When we got back, we fed the animals then went into the lodge for dinner and drinks. I still had my free drink to claim from the Queen of Hearts drawing. The bar was full and service was very slow but we finally got our meal. The Exalted Ruler came over to chat with us and Paul met a couple of people who were from4rrrr our hometown. One man came over to sit with us and reminisce about the old town.

2021 Feb 4 (Thu) – I called my brother, Gregory, and made arrangements for dinner. We met them at Longhorn Restaurant. The meal was delicious! Afterward, we went to Greg’s house to visit with him and Potsy for a while. He had us laughing with his stories of doctors, nail guns, and children. I love his sense of humor.

2021 Feb 3 (Wed) – We pulled up stakes and drove 120 miles northwest to Sarasota. We are camped on the side of an Elks Lodge. There are 3 campers hooked up. We got the only 50 amp site. We parked so another camper can fit between us and the motorcoach next to us. The RV is due to come in tomorrow.

We went out to pick up groceries and dog food, drop off postcards for mailing, and refuel. We stopped at the Bayan Tree Chocolate & Café for lunch. They had a display case with specialty chocolates right when you walked in. We sat and ordered off the menu. I got a quiche and Paul had a sandwich. We took home chocolate chili for dinner. It did not taste as good as it sounded.

At 5 p.m. we went to the outdoor Tiki Bar behind our trailer for a drink. Several people were in there with heaters and a fireplace all blazing away. It was cold and everyone was in jackets. We then went into the lodge to pay for our site. We sat at the bar and had a drink. It was Queen of Hearts night so we bought tickets for that as well as the 50-50 drawing. I won a free drink. We paid the bartender for our 4-night stay.

2021 Feb 2 (Tue) – We drove the Loop Road this morning. It was pretty cool. It is a 40 mile road that loops through the Big Cypress National Preserve. About 12 miles of it is hard packed gravel (unpaved). It was in pretty good condition with few potholes. It was a narrow, 2-lane road that wound through the Everglades. There were cypress trees and bushes lining both sides of the road and lots of water on either side. We spotted 3 alligators and several egrets.

When we came out on the main road, we drove to Everglades City to take an airboat ride. We were an hour early, so we stopped at a deli on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation for lunch. We bought a meatball hero, a bag of chips, and an iced tea. We sat in the car and split the meal between us. At 1 p.m. we drove to the meeting spot. It was an entrance into the canal with no office building. Two airboats were sitting there, waiting for customers. Our guide came over, introduced himself (CPT Ryan), and gave us paperwork to sign absolving them of all liability if we got hurt. It was only the guide and the two of us on the boat. We wore headsets so we could hear him speaking over the drone of the engine. He drove us through the Everglades for better than an hour and a half regaling us with stories of his childhood and descriptions of the area with its wildlife, fauna, and flora. We saw gators, great blue herons, egrets, vultures, and turtles. It seemed like we went deep into the wild and untamed wilderness. The water was so clean and pure looking. Not at all what you would expect a swamp to be like. We saw a couple of alligators and many kinds of birds and even a turtle. I was hoping to catch sight of a python but our guide said they were hard to spot – usually only when a bird or gator has caught one. What a great experience!

2021 Feb 1 (Mon) – We packed up and headed out at 9:30 a.m. It was 110 miles to the Big Cypress National Preserve where we are camped in the Midway Campground. There are 32 campsites arranged around the perimeter of a large pond. We have electric hookup only. We dumped our tanks and filled the fresh water tank before pulling into our assigned site. The camp host met us at the entrance, ran through a litany of rules, and wished us well. He warned us to beware of the wildlife. When I asked him what kind of wildlife they have here in the park, he said “Everything!” Does he think they have a zoo in here?

After set up and a quick lunch, we headed out to the visitor center. It was very small. We watched a video about the ecosystem but it failed to explain how it all works together. Outside the center was a wooden walkway that ran along a canal. There were many alligators in the water as well as different kinds of fish. It was quite thrilling.

We then drove to Everglades City. It looked like it has been pretty much beat up over the years. Almost all of the buildings were raised 10 or more feet off the ground. Is that for storm surge or wildlife avoidance? The city is laid out in a large grid. The houses have large yards; they might each be on one or two acres apiece. The local museum was closed. We stopped in a very old store-turned-museum and wandered around all the old stuff. They had interesting signs up describing how various equipment/furniture/ appliances were used. The Smallwood Store was built in 1906 on Chokoloskee Island.

My hair is going through another kind of metamorphosis. It seems to be losing its curl and is more coarse. I guess the change in chemo strength is doing something. I made reservations for a flight back home next month for a PET Scan and checkup. I am not looking forward to going back to New York in February. It’s cold! And with the damn virus, they might make me take a COVID test. Keep your fingers crossed I don’t have to do that. I won’t go back then if they try to make me take that thing. It is too painful.

2021 Jan 31 (Sun) – We went into the Elks lodge for brunch at 11:30 a.m. The food was very good. At 5:30 p.m. we drove to Marathon to meet Tim at the Sunset Grill. We had dinner and watched the sun set. There were clouds in the sky so we did not get much color. A gentleman sitting next to me got a very interesting looking appetizer. I asked him what it was and he said it was cheesecake spring rolls. I asked him many questions about it. What was that name again? Did the waiter recommend it? It is sweet or tart? Is it supposed to be a dessert? He said it was delicious and he couldn’t taste any cream cheese at all. We finally got our hands on a menu and looked up the appetizer, hoping to find out what ingredients could be put into a cheesecake spring roll that would erase all taste of cream cheese. What a laugh we had!!! There was a cheesesteak spring roll on the menu. The bar was crowded, he had misheard the waiter, and he never bothered to check it out on the menu. We had quite a chuckle all night long as we ordered and ate our “cheesecake” spring rolls.

There are the nastiest gnats around here. Their bites sting and just keep itching. Our legs and arms are covered with these small red blotches that won’t stop itching. Ugh. Well, we have checked off the Florida Keys from our bucket list. Time to move on.

2021 Jan 30 (Sat) – We had planned to take a glass bottom boat tour in Key Largo with Tim today. He called to say that the weather for the day was bad for boat rides. The wind is blowing pretty hard which would give us a rough ride. So we cancelled that plan and arranged to meet Tim at Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada. Every time we drive down the road, the marina is packed. Apparently, they have lots of activities going on there and we wanted to see what they have.

We got there at 11:30 a.m. There was a storyboard that told the story of Scarface. The owner found a tarpon with its jaw badly torn and hanging. He called a friend who sewed the jaw back in place. The owner nursed the fish back to health and after six months, released it back into the wild. Apparently, it liked the treatment because it continued to hang around the marina. In addition, it brought friends back for handouts, too. Today, you can pay $2.25 to walk out on the dock to look at the tarpons gathered around and you can buy a bucket of food for $4.00 to feed them. The dock was crowded with people and pelicans looking to sample the food. We skipped the melee and had lunch on the patio. The margarita was terrible. We told the waitress that and she brought another drink. It was a little better but still not good. The food was not that good either.

Tim’s friend, Jimmy, joined us. He and Tim met back up in New York working on the casino boat that went out of Freeport. They have both moved down here to Florida. Jimmy works for a pool company. He was pretty funny. Interestingly, Tim is talking about getting an RV.

It was cloudy, windy, and cool all day long. We went on to the patio at the Elks lodge at 6 p.m. to watch the sunset. We were sure that with all the clouds, the sunset would be fantastic. Unfortunately, the clouds were too thick and too low on the horizon. There were no beautiful colors to see. A couple sitting at a nearby table live next door to the lodge and came over to watch the sunset, too. They peppered us with questions about RVs. They were dressed in winter jackets, gloves and hats. Guess they thought it was cold.

2021 Jan 29 (Fri) – We met Tim at the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center. It is located on the property of the Islander Resort in their convention center. It was small but interesting. Tim and I got in free because we were veterans. Paul got the senior rate.

After the center, we went across the street to Lorelei for lunch. We found a table in the sun out on the patio and enjoyed a delightful meal together. After lunch, Paul and I stopped at Publix to pick up a few things. We also stopped at the post office where I mailed off our passport renewals. Let’s see how long it takes to get the new passports.

Our mail arrived this afternoon. I asked to have our mail forwarded 2 days ago. UPS marked it as a 3 day shipment but it arrived in 2 days. Unfortunately, the package was marked as one of two packages. The tracking number for the second package says it is scheduled to arrive here at the Elks Lodge on Tuesday. We leave on Monday. The UPS driver said they could forward it to us. Just leave the forwarding address with the camp host here.

A cold front came in today. The temperature dropped to a low of 59 degrees. Lol. The Floridians brought out their parkas, gloves, scarves, and hats.

2021 Jan 28 (Thu) – We went to the laundromat this morning to wash clothes. We sat in the truck while the clothes washed, then drove to a Mexican restaurant for lunch while they were in the dryer.

I spent an hour putting together an annual report on finances for the SMART Nomads. Later in the day at 4 p.m. there was a Zoom meeting with National Muster committee (I volunteered to chair the Administrative Team). The meeting went on for about an hour.

2021 Jan 27 (Wed) – We drove to Marathon and met Tim at his boat at 9:30 a.m. Before we got there, we stopped at a nearby Walgreens to have passport pictures taken. He took us out on the dinghy to his dive boat then we rode out to the Sombrero Reef, the third largest reef in the world. The water was such a beautiful green-blue color. Tim said the water was not cold but I thought it was so I did not go in. Paul put on a weight belt and a belt to hold the breathing regulator in place. Right after he jumped into the water with just his bathing suit, Tim promptly donned a wetsuit. So much for the water not being cold! Paul and Tim spent about an hour diving on the reef hookah style (as Tim calls it). The 50’ hoses were attached to the oxygen tanks that stayed on the boat while they swam around the boat. I looked over the sides and watched the colorful fish go crazy for crackers I threw in the water.

After we got back, we transferred to the dinghy and rode to the Dockside Grill where we enjoyed a refreshing drink. Then we returned to the dock and came back to the campground, stopping at Walgreens to pick up our pictures then at Winn Dixie to pick up a few groceries.

At 6:45 p.m. we went into the Elks lodge for dinner and to play the Queen of Hearts. The woman whose name was drawn did not choose the $900 Teaser. She drew a card but it was not the Queen of Hearts. So she won nothing. Next week’s drawing will have a prize over $32,000.

2021 Jan 26 (Tue) – We drove to the post office to make application to renew our passports. The clerk told us to go online. Turns out that all renewals have to be done by mail. That means we have to go get our pictures taken somewhere. Ugh.

We went for breakfast at the Bitton Bistro. Turned out to be a French café. The owner, Michel, is from Morocco. He was the only person working in the café and there were 3 tables taken and several people coming and going to buy pastries. The food was good and we even bought pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast.

We met Tim at the Crane Point Museum. It is a 63 acre hammock. A hammock in Florida is used in the southeastern United States for stands of trees, usually hardwood, that form an ecological island in a contrasting ecosystem. Hammocks grow on elevated areas, often just a few inches high, surrounded by wetlands that are too wet to support them. There were birds in a cage being cared for by rehabbers. The group included pelicans, cormorants, owls, kestrels, egrets, herons, and an eagle. A little further on was a pedicure pool. People could take their shoes off and put their feet in the water. Little fish nibbled on the bottom of their feet. Four people were sitting on the dock with their feet in the water. They said it tickled. We wandered through thick foliage with lots of roots sticking up in the pathway. It was a rough hike through the trees.

After the tour, we drove to the Overseas Pub & Grill and had lunch outside on the patio. It had an Irish menu and I enjoyed shepherd’s pie. Tim had corned beef stew and Paul just had a burger.

2021 Jan 25 (Mon) – What an illuminating day it was! We drove to Key West today. It was 90 miles one way. The road (US 1) passed over one island after another. Each island is called a key and there are many keys (also called a cay). The houses and buildings are painted in lovely pastel shades of pink, green, blue, peach, yellow and dove gray. Some islands are very built up and others are sparse. There are many boats and marinas along the way. Key West was incredibly crowded. The streets are narrow and the houses are tightly packed. The entire place was so built up! We had to wait on a long line just to get our picture taken at the 0 mile marker for the southernmost point in the Continental U.S. There were so many people in town and no parking that we couldn’t even tour the Truman Little White House or Hemingway’s Home. It was very disappointing.

We did stop in at a Butterfly Conservancy. That was delightful. There were butterflies flying everywhere! The docent told us they buy 300 egg sacks a week and release 15-30 new butterflies into the screen area every day. There were also very colorful little birds flying around.

We drove over to the Naval Air Station to check out the Sigsbee Campground. Although they have almost 100 hookups, there were not many RVs camped there at all. We guess that only servicemen who are stationed at the base are allowed to camp there. It was nice but the sites were tight. We are just as glad that we never got in there.

2021 Jan 24 (Sun) – We drove to the Florida Keys History and Discovery Center in Islamorada but it was closed. It is located in the Islander Resort and a guard at the gate told us they are only open Wednesday to Saturday. That was disappointing.

We drove down the road to the Island Grill and had a meal outside on the beach. Out table was a long table with two trees growing up through the table. After lunch, we drove further south to Bud ‘n Mary’s Marina. A friend of ours told us to go see the fish there. There were loads of pelicans begging scraps from a fisherman cleaning the day’s catch. In the water was a manatee, several very long fish (we think they were mackerel), and lots of minnows. The water was a beautiful color.

We stopped at the Hurricane Monument. A carved granite marker stands on the side of the road in tribute to the people who lost their lives in a hurricane in 1935. Next, we stopped at the History of Diving Museum. It was a very informative place. There were displays of deep sea diving gear, SCUBA gear, and underwater equipment. Lots of storyboards told about the personalities that made breakthroughs in diving and contributed to the sport. We enjoyed the museum very much.

2021 Jan 23 (Sat) – We drove to the post office this morning to get pictures and submit paperwork to renew our passports. We will be taking a cruise to Australia and New Zealand next year. Following the cruise, we are planning to take a camper around Australia for 2 or 3 months. That’s when our current passports will expire. We are renewing them now in order to avoid the possibility that our passports might expire before we get back home. Unfortunately, the post office was closed. So we went next door to the Made 2 Order café and had a late breakfast.

After our meal, we drove to Islamorada to the Theater of the Sea. It was fun. We got on a tour that went to several stations. First was the fish display. There were sting rays, parrot fish, and nurse sharks in shallow pools. The guide described the fish and showed how they train the sharks. Next to the display area was a wading pool where people could wade in the water with some of the fish.

Next stop was at a glass enclosure that held two alligators; one female and one male. We learned the females grow to about 6-8 feet and the males can grow up to 14 feet. Another enclosure held a crocodile where the guide explained the difference between the crocodilians.

After that was a stop at the turtle pools. They had leatherbacks, loggerheads, and green sea turtles. One turtle floated around the pool with a life vest on. There was something wrong with its shell that prevented it from surfacing. The vest helps it to be able to take a breath. These critters were so big!

Then we went to 3 shows. The first was where they had several parrots and macaws. The emcee described the different types of exotic birds and where they come from. Then we all went to a large pool where two dolphins performed tricks for the audience. Beside the pool were two small pools where people were swimming with the dolphins. The place offered the opportunity to swim with dolphins, sting rays, and sharks, all for an additional fee. The admission fee was pretty steep - $87 for the two of us and that was with a 10% discount! After the dolphins, we went to another pool where they had sea lions perform tricks, too. And, again, there were people swimming with the sea lions in small pools near the main pool.

The tour ended with a ride on a bottomless boat. The boat had benches on the four sides of the boat with an opening in the center. The two dolphins from the show came swimming by and popped up in the center of the boat and did tricks inside and on the side of the boat while we rode out and back on the lake. The guide said the entire park is landlocked so they pump in over 11 million gallons of water every day.

After the park, we drove to the “world famous” Lorelei Restaurant. It is a bar with a very large patio on three sides that sits right on the bay shore. We found a table where Tim joined us. He was meeting a friend who is in Florida on vacation. The friend didn’t want to come to the table so he sat up in the walkway in his wheelchair watching the women go by. Joey was also there, sitting up on the walkway with a friend.

2021 Jan 22 (Fri) – We drove to Marathon today to see Tim and take a ride on his boat. He actually has two boats. One he lives on and the other is his dive boat. He can take out groups of up to six people to dive on a nearby reef. His son, Joey, was also there.

We parked the truck and got on the dive boat. Tim drove from the dock to a nearby restaurant where we docked at the pier and had lunch on the patio. After a couple of margaritas, we got back on the boat and rode out into the ocean. We parked (can you park a boat?) out near the 7 mile bridge and watched the sunset. Sadly, there were no clouds in the sky so the sunset was pretty bland. You have to have clouds in the sky in order to have a beautiful sunset or sunrise.

We returned to the marina where Tim anchored his dive boat and we transferred to a little dinghy for a ride back to the dock. It was tight and a little nerve racking but we did it without incident. It was a good day.

When we got back to the lodge, I went in and asked if they had any leftovers. It was prime rib night and I thought I could get some of the leftover food. It turned out they had plenty left and we wound up sitting down to dinner at 8:30 p.m. Ugh. That is SO late to eat a heavy meal. We brought most of the meal back to the RV.

2021 Jan 21 (Thu) – After the motorhome next to us left, we readjusted our position in the campsite. We fit much better now. We have no TV stations over the air. Paul had to put the satellite dish up on the roof but it is working fine.

My brother, Tim, came over this morning. We were stuck in the campground because I was waiting for UPS to deliver my medicine (I have to sign for it). At 1 p.m. I called UPS and asked to pick up the package at their office tomorrow. The clerk I spoke with (sounding like she was in India) arranged it. We then went out to lunch at Tower of Pizza. Tim said it is the closest thing to New York pizza outside of New York. It was OK.

We returned to the campground and sat down by the water. A truck pulled up with a 100 gallon tank on the back. The driver put a hose in the water, turned on a generator, and began pumping water into the tank. It turns out that he sells salt water to aquariums for their collections. Who would have thought you could make a career out of that? A UPS truck pulled up and, low and behold, my medication and our forwarded mail were both on the truck. Luckily, we were here so I could sign for my medicine.

There was a beautiful sunset tonight. Tim, who lives on his boat in Marathon (an island further south in the Keys), says the sunsets seem to go on for hours down here. The water is incredibly clear. We walked out on a pier they have here at the lodge. There are little needle nose gars swimming in the water. They blend in with the water and algae so much that it is difficult to see them. I could not spot any dolphins or manatees.

2021 Jan 20 (Wed) – We are in The Keys! We packed up and left South Bay at 9 a.m. and drove 3 hours to Tavernier. We are camped at an Elks Lodge on Overseas Highway. The lodge is right on the water. The Keys is on a narrow strip of land flanked by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The sites are very tight. We got into our assigned site (# 13) but we could adjust a little. The motor home next to us will be leaving tomorrow and we will readjust our position after they leave and before the next RV gets here.

We went into the lodge at 6 p.m. for dinner. They had a Queens of Hearts drawing at 7:30 p.m. That was a hoot. The prize is over $31,000. The reason the prize has grown so big is that they have a Teaser. Tonight’s Teaser is $900. If your ticket gets drawn, you get to turn a card over. If you turn a Queen of Hearts, you win the entire pot (+$31,000). You can opt to take the Teaser ($900) and they still turn a card over. If it’s the Queen of Hearts, you win nothing and they start a new game. Twenty-seven cards have been turned over so far. The winner took the Teaser and the card that was turned over was a Queen of Diamonds. The game is still on. The next drawing will be next Wednesday.

I got a series of reservations from the Newburgh KOA for our caravan this summer. The costs were all above our budgeted amount. I called and spoke with the manager of the campground. She explained that she had to just get something into the system to hold our sites. The price adjustments will come later and not to worry.

2021 Jan 19 (Tue) – We drove into West Palm Beach today. After a quick lunch at Zaxby’s, we took a ride on the Diva Duck boat. There were just 8 adults and 2 children on the boat. It was a weird sensation to go from the road into the water. The woman narrating the tour was very good and had lots of tongue-in-cheek jokes about ducks.

After our pleasant afternoon, we stopped at PetSmart to get some dog food then Publix for a few groceries. Paul filled up the truck and I bought lottery tickets hoping to hit the more than $800 million jackpot.

2021 Jan 16-18 (Sat, Sun, Mon) – We stayed in the campground. This was a holiday weekend and we were staying away from the crowds. The folks with the chicken on a leash left today. I wanted to get a picture of it but I missed out. Oh, well. The weather has been cool; lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. Hopefully, it will be warmer down in the Keys.

2021 Jan 15 (Fri) – We drove to Palm Beach today. Palm Beach was named for the coconut groves that were once common along Lake Worth. The only remaining coconut grove in Palm Beach is on the Flagler estate.

First stop was at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. What an amazing place! Another example of the opulence of the nouveau rich of the 1800s. Flagler’s family immigrated from Germany to New York. Flagler left home at 14 to look for his fortune. He found it when he joined up with John D. Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews to form Standard Oil Co. He made millions (billions in today’s money). In 1902, he built Whitehall as a winter retreat and visited there for 12 years until he died. His wife died 4 years later and left their estate to a niece. She then turned it over to private investors when it became too expensive to keep and they turned the mansion into a grand hotel. In 1959, the investors had gone broke and the building was going to be torn down. A great granddaughter bought the property and turned it into a museum in 1960.

There were more than 75 rooms in the home. Much of the original furniture, as well as furniture from the period, are in the rooms. Each room is grander than the next. It was amazing! In the back of the home was another building housing Flagler’s personal rail car. He built a rail line that connected Jacksonville to the Keys. Flagler is credited with building up Florida and making it a major attraction for tourism and agriculture.

Across the water behind the estate was a marina that housed several yachts. One of them was a small ocean liner with beautiful lines. Ah, what the money people spend their dollars on.

After the museum, we drove into town and had lunch at Almond. It turned out they also have a restaurant in Manhattan and Bridgehampton back in New York. We sat on the patio and watched all the rich cars drive by. I’ve never seen so many high end vehicles – Tesla, Mercedes, Bentley, Ducati, etc. – in one place. Parking is restricted to two hours and while we were eating, two of the wait staff ran out to move their cars so they wouldn’t be ticketed. Our lunch was excellent but we paid for it. It was almost $100 (tip included). Whew!

Next was a drive around town. We wound up on Ocean Drive and drove past Mar-a-lago, President Trump’s Florida home. It’s a strange arrangement. The road cuts through the middle of the estate with the club on one side and the pool on the other side next to the ocean. There was a very large American flag standing on the lawn in front of the club. We couldn’t see the entire building as there was a 6’ hedge in front of the place. Most of them have 15-20 foot high hedges in front of their properties. I guess that’s more attractive than fences and certainly more private. Each home we drove past was more opulent than the next. This is definitely the place to come if you want to ogle the rich and famous.

When we got back to the campground, we could see that most campsites have been filled up. It’s the weekend. The folks next to us have a chicken. They tie a rope to its foot and the rooster just hangs around. He likes to be high so they put him on the handlebars of their bicycle or up on a 6’ ladder. I’ve seen some crazy things during our travels but a chicken on a leash is a new one for me. Lol.

2021 Jan 14 (Thu) – We stayed in the campground all day. I did work on the Nomads newsletter as well as the New York Caravan. Paul worked on finding us campgrounds to stay in. After he found a site in Tampa, I called Southwest and made a reservation to fly to New York next month.

2021 Jan 13 (Wed) – We asked the office to move to a site further away from the road. It must be a main truck route as it was noisy all night long. We got moved from 85 to 151. It’s marked as a handicapped site but the picnic table is located on the wrong side of the rig. Regardless, it is much quieter over here.

After our move, we drove into town to get propane and fuel. We drove through Clewiston and stopped at the Chamber of Commerce & Museum. It was small and not well laid out. The CoC offers a Sugarland Tour which we very much wanted to take. It is four hours learning about all the sugar cane farms in the area. Unfortunately, tours are suspended until September because of the coronavirus.

We drove through South Bay. There were many slum areas, dilapidated houses, and closed stores. This town is suffering greatly. Trip Advisor listed only one restaurant in the entire town – Subway.

2021 Jan 12 (Tue) – We packed up and left Cocoa at 9:50 a.m. and arrived at the South Bay RV Campground at 1:30 p.m. We ran into traffic going through the Palm Beach area. The campground is owned by the county. It is neat, clean, and well laid out. Unfortunately, it is right by a major truck route and quite noisy. We only got a 30-amp site while there are 50-amp sites open. The campground is about 90% full. It sits at the base of a levee. There is a lake and creek on the property with signs warning of alligators. Check-in was online as they are keeping everything contactless. There is nothing to do in South Bay. This is the kind of campground you come to when you want to get away from it all.

2021 Jan 11 (Mon) – We went to the Brevard Zoo today. Paul thought it was very nice. Not too big and all the animals were out and visible. We had to make a reservation online as they are limiting the number of people in the zoo at any one time. There were lots of animals from Australia and Africa. It was about a two hour tour.

We stopped at the Melbourne Seafood Grill for lunch. I had a crab cake and Paul enjoyed clams. Then we got some fuel in preparation for tomorrow’s move. When we got back to the campground, we did some wash. Sheba brought some hairballs last night while laying on our bed so we had to wash the sheets and bedspread. It’s time to take the flannel sheets off the bed anyway. We are headed into southern Florida where the weather is sure to be warmer (we sure hope so!).

2021 Jan 10 (Sun) – We did laundry today. It seemed like Sunday was wash day for a lot of people in the campground and we got the last two machines.

We met George & Linda at El Leoncita for dinner. The food, margaritas, and company were all good.

2021 Jan 9 (Sat) – We drove back to Merritt Island and picked up Denise with her dog, Levi, then drove to Cocoa to George & Linda’s. George made dough balls to go fishing with his grandson, Ryan. Their son, Neil, came over and we all went down to the lake. Ryan, Neil, George, and Paul fished while Linda, Denise, and I went for a drive around the neighborhood. It was cool with a brisk breeze blowing.

No fish caught, we returned to the house and George grilled up some burgers and hot dogs. After visiting, we returned to Merritt Island to drop off Denise, then back to the campground. Sheba ran out of the door when we got back at 8 p.m. and it took a bit of effort to get her back inside because it was dark and we couldn’t see.

2021 Jan 8 (Fri) – We went out to pick up food for Bonnie. The vet recommended that we only give her one protein source. Rather than mixing up beef and chicken, we should only feed her chicken. We also have to make sure her dry food is chicken as well as her treats.

Next door was a WalMart. We ran in to pick up a few things. While at George & Linda’s the other day, I noted she was cooking with a Blue Diamond pan. We got to talking about different kinds of pans. I have been thinking about getting rid of my Teflon pans for a while. So while we were at WalMart today, I picked up 3 new fry pans and a Dutch oven. I also picked up a roasting pan and a small baking pan with rack. After we came home, I spent time rearranging the cabinet and getting rid of the old pots and pans in favor of the new ones.

The day was very windy today. Sheba didn’t spend more than a few minutes outside before looking to come back in. It was just too breezy. She sure loves her new toy.

2021 Jan 7 (Thu) – We stayed around the campground for the day. Paul ran out briefly to pick up some hardware to fix the silverware drawer. It was not working smoothly and he had to replace the hardware slide. The drawer works very nicely now.

At 8:30 p.m., we went out to watch the Space-X launch. It was delayed for a little bit but the rocket finally took off at 9:15 p.m. It was so quiet but very bright. The launch was successful and they were able to capture the booster rocket.

2021 Jan 6 (Wed) – We went over to George & Linda’s for dinner tonight. They grilled chicken and Brussel sprouts. We enjoyed the food with margaritas.

I pulled out the NY Caravan file today to see what actions I have to take. I contacted one campground to confirm our arrival. After some discussion, the owner decided that they could not support our caravan. We have too many large rigs. It was with some disappointment I found another campground. The next one is $11 more per night. That will certainly put a dent in our budget.

2021 Jan 5 (Tue) – We packed up and left KARS RV Park at 10:30 a.m. Since the drive was only 27 miles, we waited until near checkout time before leaving. We had to stop and dump the tanks first. It was a good day to leave as a bunch of Fish & Wildlife trucks pulled up in the field across from us this morning. It looked like a manhunt was underway. I called the office only to find out they are doing a controlled burn around the property today.

It was 50 minutes to Patrick Space Force Base in Cocoa. We checked in with the camp host. She said we were lucky. That someone just left a very nice spot (they have a first-come, first served policy for campsites). The site looks out at the river without a camper in front of our site. It’s OK. The camp host told us this is a historic stay. They just changed the name from Patrick Air Force Base to Patrick Space Force Base last month. It’s a nice campground but a little tight. We have full hookups with 50 amp service.

We went out for dinner to Grill’s Seafood Restaurant. It was right on the water and we sat out on the deck. It was enclosed in glass so it felt like the inside but with all the view of the outside.

2021 Jan 4 (Mon) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning. We might have inadvertently solved the problem on our own though. Bonnie has been doing a lot of barking and appeared to be very hungry. She has been suffering urine infections off and on for two years now. She’s been through a variety of antibiotics but the UTI always returned. We remembered a friend who used the same pro-digest we give Bonnie. She said she stopped giving it to her dogs because they had renal issues. We stopped giving all extra stuff to Bonnie – the pro-digest, multivitamin, glucosamine, and fish oil. We’ve just been giving her the liver medicine and regular food. She’s also been getting lots of extra treats. Interestingly, Bonnie has calmed down. She’s not doing the excessive barking or restless moving around. Maybe the antibiotic she was on and the pro-digest disagreed with each other.

At any rate, the vet’s office only allowed one of us in so Paul sat out in the car. After hearing of Bonnie’s story, the vet recommended that we give her only one protein source. We feed her Hill’s Science Diet (approved by the vet association) but mix it up between beef and chicken. The vet said that a dog’s system has to do a reset every time the protein source changes. Her long standing issue with diarrhea could be related to the changes in protein. She suggested we give her only one protein for three weeks and see how her system reacts.

The vet took some blood and found that Bonnie’s thyroid level is low. So now she is on a thyroid medication. She needs to go back for a recheck in two weeks. We’ll see about that.

When we got back to the campground, we did the laundry. There were two washers and two dryers in the laundry building when I looked in last week. Today, there was only one washing machine. We only did the whites.

A Falcon 9 Space-X launch was planned to take place between 8:30 and 12:30 tonight. We rode down to the waterfront, set out our chairs, and waited to see the launch. The sky was clear and the stars were so bright with no moon to fade out the stars. It was so cold; in the 40s. We waited 20 minutes, trying to find out online if the launch was going to be live streamed. People finally started posting on Facebook that the launch was rescheduled for January 7. That was disappointing. We are in such a perfect place to watch a launch, right across the river from the NASA launch site.

2021 Jan 3 (Sun) – We drove over George & Linda’s this morning. She made hash with the leftover corn beef. That and eggs with toast was scrumptious. The mimosas were a nice touch. Denise (George’s sister) and her little dog, Levi, joined us. After our meal, we sat out on the patio around their fire pit and had a nice visit.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped for lunch at Kelsey’s Pizzeria. We’ve seen a number of them around and wanted to try them. We couldn’t eat in their store. They instructed us to go next door to Harry & Jack’s, a bar and grill. They had indoor and outdoor seating. None of the wait staff wore masks. There were 3 tables occupied near us when we sat next to the bar. The first group left and the waitress haphazardly wiped the table but didn’t touch the seats. The other two tables vacated and neither of them was wiped down at all. We got our pizza. It wasn’t New York.

After lunch, I stopped in at Supercuts next door and got my hair cut. The woman did a terrible job. The good thing about it is that my hair will grow back in.

2021 Jan 2 (Sat) – Another day in the campground. The weather has turned cold. We went over George & Linda’s for dinner. She made reubens with corned beef and sauerkraut on rye bread. It was so good. We are invited over for breakfast tomorrow where Linda will make corned beef hash with the leftovers. After dinner, we watched a movie with Liam Neeson. It was awful. It certainly wasn’t his usual genre as a kick-ass fighter. I think the name of the movie was “The Other Man.” Don’t watch it!

2021 Jan 1 (Fri-New Year’s Day) - We stayed in the campground all day. Our church had a Zoom meeting at 1 p.m. We would normally have a potluck meal on New Year’s Day but no one’s getting together in groups this year. There were about 20 of us online. It was confusing to me with everyone talking over each other. But it was good to see all our friends. The call lasted about an hour.

2020 Dec 31 (Thu-New Year’s Eve) – We met George & Linda at the pier by Doc’s Bait House near their old condo. We were going for a boat ride on the Banana River and lunch down river. Unfortunately, as soon as we got past the bridge, the wind was whipping up the water and waves were splashing over the boat, getting us all wet. It was too rough to go boating so we returned to the dock and pulled the boat out of the water then followed George back to his shop. We met their dog and checked out their new Renegade Class C RV. They bought it in July and it still smells new. After putting away the boat, we went to Fishlips for lunch down by Port Canaveral. The meal was good but pretty expensive.

After lunch, Paul and I drove to Patrick Air Force base to check out the campground. Most of the gates into the base are closed and you have to drive a couple of miles around the runway to get to the campground. They are also pretty full but there are still a few empty spaces. We will look to move there next week.

We returned to the campground and spent a quiet night watching TV. We turned in at 9 p.m. How’s that for celebrating the new year? I think we are officially “old fogies.”

2020 Dec 30 (Wed) – We ran some errands today – picked up groceries and got some propane. George & Linda drove over to the campground and we chatted for about an hour then drove to Denise’s house. We picked her up and drove to Carrabba’s for an early dinner. We all sat out on the patio and enjoyed margaritas and a good meal.

2020 Dec 29 (Tue) – We packed up and left Mayport Naval Station at 9:30 a.m. It was 160 miles south to Merritt Island where we are camped at the NASA owned property KARS RV Park. We have been here twice before. It is pretty full now; almost every campsite is occupied. We have a site way in back behind the storage area nowhere near the water. They continue to improve the campground.

2020 Dec 28 (Mon) – We drove into St. Augustine for lunch. Our meal was at the Florida Cracker in the old historic town. St. Augustine was settled in 1565 and is said to be the oldest city in the United States. It has been under six flags over the years – Spain, Italy, France, England, Colonial America, and the U.S. (I think). It is an interesting tour. There were many people out and about, too many without masks. Traffic coming into town was all backed up. We walked around for a while then left. We stopped at the post office on the way back to mail off a package and got fuel for tomorrow’s move.

2020 Dec 27 (Sun) – We dialed into the virtual service at our church this morning. It appears that the minister contracted the coronavirus and was quarantined for two weeks. That must be why they stopped having in-person services last week.

We took down our Christmas decorations today. I thought we were leaving tomorrow, Monday, but we are leaving on December 29. That’s actually on Tuesday.

2020 Dec 26 (Sat) – We drove into town and had lunch at North Beach Fish Camp. It was a seafood place. I had a cod dish and Paul enjoyed crab claws. On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Publix to pick up a few groceries.

The weather is pretty cold today. The temperatures have dropped into the thirties and there is a freeze warning for the area tonight. We’ll have to remember to disconnect the hose before going to bed. At least the wind has died down.

The vet called to say that Bonnie’s urine sample had come back normal. The antibiotic has done its job.

2020 Dec 25 (Fri – Christmas Day) – It was very cold this morning but warmed quickly to the 50s. The wind was blowing strongly. Last night’s storm left many homes without electric and the news showed streets and homes where trees fell onto them. It was a very destructive storm.

We went to the Oasis Galley on base at 3 p.m. for a holiday meal. It was supposed to be $9.20 per person but the guy just waved us through when we arrived. I don’t know if it was because he was having problems with the register or that it was almost time to close the mess hall (dinner was being served from 1 to 4 p.m. At any rate, we got a great meal for free. There was salad, shrimp cocktail, turkey, dressing, steak, mac & cheese, cranberry sauce, corn, kale, green beans, biscuits, eggnog, coffee, tea, and a variety of pies. We brought our pumpkin pie back to the trailer and had it later with coffee.

2020 Dec 24 (Thu) – We dropped a urine sample from Bonnie off at the vet’s office this morning. Then we went to breakfast at Another Broken Egg. They have such good and unusual selections. We both enjoyed our meal very much. We sat out on the patio with a lot of other people.

After breakfast (more like brunch), we drove to General RV to pick up our new loungers. The shipment never came in so we bought the floor sample. The saleslady we dealt with was out today. The person we dealt with today must have thought we were really stupid. She said they never had new furniture to order and we were always going to get the floor sample. Then she said the saleslady we first dealt with (Brandi) tried to order it but it wasn’t available. I then asked for a discount on the cost of the furniture since we had to take used furniture rather than get it new. She tried to tell us that the sample was only on the floor for 4 days. We sat in it over a week ago so that wasn’t true. Brandi had told us it was out for several weeks. In addition, the floor sample was still sitting on the floor. It was not sanitized and packed up for us. The woman tried to mumble that she couldn’t have sanitized it earlier because people would have still sat on it. Paul told her no one could sit on it if it was disassembled and she tried to tell him they would have. It was one of the most aggravating hours we have ever spent. The woman was either incompetent or an out-and-out liar. At any rate, we waited while they sanitized and took the furniture apart (2 chairs with a center console). She refused to give us any plastic to wrap up the furniture so it wouldn’t get dirty in back of the truck. We did get a refund of almost $200.

the old furniture

the new furniture

Paul then drove into downtown Jacksonville. Since it was Christmas eve, he figured a lot of the stores and offices would be closed. He was right. It reminded me of when we went to Phoenix and arrived on a weekend. It was like a ghost town. We stopped at the St. Johns River Riverwalk and strolled along the waterfront. There were a few people out but not many.

The day started out very nice but turned nasty late in the afternoon. Severe thunderstorms rolled through and there were warnings of tornadoes in the county. The temperatures dropped drastically and the prediction was for iguanas falling out of trees tomorrow (lol. Temps are supposed to be freezing)

2020 Dec 23 (Wed) – We did some laundry today. Since the machines are free, we are taking advantage of the benefit. Someone got annoyed we weren’t right there when our wash finished and they took our laundry out. They put it on top of the dryers. We put our stuff in the dryers and made sure to come back before it was done.

We went out for lunch at Cracker Barrel today. The food was good and they were doing a brisk business. It’s hard to believe there’s a pandemic out there. After lunch, we stopped at a liquor store to pick up some Bailey’s Irish Cream. It’s for Christmas day.

2020 Dec 22 (Tue) – The day was cold and blustery. We stayed in all day.

2020 Dec 21 (Mon) – We ran some errands today. Went food shopping at WalMart, picked up dog food at PetCo, got some fuel at a very sloooooooow pump (took a half hour to fill the gas tank), and dropped off an envelope at the post office.

At sunset, we drove over to the southeast side of the base to see the Christmas Star. Not since 1600 (400 years ago) has Saturn and Jupiter been aligned next to each other. They are so close that they look like a big star in the sky. This great conjunction is referred to as the Christmas Star. I think it’s because it’s happening during Christmas week. We saw nothing. Maybe it was hidden behind some low clouds on the horizon. We’ll try again tomorrow night.

I volunteered to put together a cookbook for SMART as a fundraiser. Paul was looking through our church cookbook one day and brought up the suggestion that we should do it for our travel club. I pitched the suggestion, went through lots of questions and hesitations, and finally got the go ahead today. Hope I don’t regret the offer.

2020 Dec 19&20 (Sat & Sun) – We stayed in the campground this weekend. We dialed into the church for a virtual service on Sunday morning. We had some initial trouble getting the live broadcast but it turned out to be a problem at their end, not ours.

2020 Dec 18 (Fri) – We ran out to get propane this morning. The weather has been cold (it was 37 degrees this morning) and the heat has been running almost constantly. We ran out of propane two nights ago (luckily, we have a second tank to switch to when one goes empty). The place we first stopped at was out of order and we struggled to find another place. The refill was finally achieved.

Karen called today. She is a travel agent and we are working with to arrange a cruise to Australia in 2022. We have tentatively decided on a Holland America 15-day cruise to Australia/New Zealand in January 2022. We also spoke with her about arranging a campervan trip around Australia following the cruise. We plan to take two months to travel around Australia after the cruise. She’s looking into it.

We returned to the campground and hunkered down for the day. I sure hope it gets warmer soon. This is Florida!!!!

2020 Dec 17 (Thu) – We drove into St. Augustine this afternoon. It took us over a half hour to find a parking space. We finally wound up parking in a church parking lot for $10. Then we walked into town and came upon the Lightner Museum. It is in the former Alcazar Hotel which was built from Henry Flagler in 1888. One half of the 5-story building houses government offices and the other half features the museum collection. The building was stunning and the hotel must have been amazing! The collections were from the 1800 and 1900s. There were pottery, crystal, and glass artifacts; furniture; paintings; sculptures; and more. A stuffed lion was on display that was a gift to Winston Churchill. The lion was placed in the London Zoo and sired over 40 cubs before being stuffed. I don’t know how it wound up in a museum in Florida.

At 5 p.m. we went to dinner at Harry’s Seafood Grill. It was a New Orleans style restaurant. The waiter was very animated and made the meal enjoyable. He said he was originally from Queens and worked in Melville. I had rice and beans with sausage and Paul had a scampi dish.

We walked down to the marina and took the Night of Lights boat tour. It was a boring ride back and forth in front of lighted store fronts in the freezing cold. The captain was absolutely silent. Most tours of this kind would have had a dialogue about the area. He should have described some of the landmarks or talked about the history of the marina or told the story about St. Augustine. Aside from his mandatory safety briefing (which was 75% unintelligible), he said nothing during the entire ride. We were supposed to get complimentary coffee or tea but they didn’t have that either. We didn’t think the boat tour was worth the expense.

2020 Dec 16 (Wed) – It rained for most of the day today. It was cool and miserable. I called the office today and was able to extend here at Mayport for another 3 nights until January 1st. Hopefully, that will be all we need to take care of Bonnie’s issue.

2020 Dec 15 (Tue) – We went food shopping at Winn Dixie to get groceries for the week. Then we went to Bono’s Pit BBQ. We bought a rack of ribs and brought it back for dinner. Yesterday and today have been blustery and the temperatures have been in the low 50s in the morning. The wind was blowing so hard today that you had to be sure to hold the door when you got out of the car or the RV. There were white caps and big splashing waves out in the river. We swear that the winds were gusting to 50 mph.

2020 Dec 14 (Mon) – We went furniture shopping today. After wandering through several stores, we finally arrived at General RV and paid for two lounge chairs. The clerk said she thought she could get it in by Friday, Monday at the latest. If it doesn’t come in, then they will give us the floor sample. We have to call on Friday so they’ll have time to sanitize the floor sample if it doesn’t look like the new chairs will come in on time.

After paying for the chairs, we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch. Yuck! They no longer have the taco salad. Now it’s bowls. I got a chicken quesadilla and Paul got chalupas. My meal was very skimpy and too spicy. I won’t get that again!

The vet called to say that Bonnie has a bacterial infection and needs to go on antibiotics. We turned around and drove to his office to get the medication. After ten days, we have to give another urine sample. The time period will be close to when we are scheduled to leave. Since we don’t have a reservation for the next campground, I called the office at Mayport to see if we could extend for a few days. The clerk said they have no vacancies. We have to call back every day to check on availability. Ugh.

2020 Dec 13 (Sun) – We went to lunch at Seaglass, a restaurant on base. We were the only two diners in the place. It looks like it would be really nice on a Friday night with folks gathered around the bar and socializing. That won’t happen for a while, if ever again. I had avocado toast and Paul had chorizo hash. It was good. We returned to the campground and let the animals play outside. Sheba is fascinated with the geckos crawling on the palm trees.

2020 Dec 12 (Sat) – The day was rainy and overcast. We just hung around the campground all day.

2020 Dec 11 (Fri) – We went out for lunch today at Colhane’s Irish Pub. The food was very good. I had my usual – shepherd pie and Paul enjoyed potato soup and a salad. He’s down to 208 lbs. His goal is in sight and he’s very focused. We came back and let the fur babies have time outside.

The vet called today. Aside from slightly elevated liver enzymes, he really doesn’t see anything in Bonnie’s bloodwork to indicate a problem. He is going to do a culture on the urine sample we left. He’ll call back in a couple of days.

2020 Dec 10 (Thu) – Paul offered to take me out for breakfast this morning. That’s very funny since he lost his credit card and we had to invalidate it. Now, I’m the only one with a credit card. After the breakfast that he treated me to (that I paid for), we went to Winn Dixie for groceries (I splurged on a lottery ticket), then to PetCo for dog food, and last to the post office to mail off a letter.

On the way back, we drove into the Village of Mayport. It is a small fishing village with a ferry port. There weren’t many businesses at all. When we got back on base, we drove around the docks looking at all the big Navy ships. There were about a dozen ships tied up to the piers.

We took Bonnie to the vet this afternoon. In the last two or three months, she has started this kind of barking routine. She gives a bark, waits about ten seconds, then barks again. She keeps this up until we are moved to do something. It’s either feed her, walk her, or pet her. She goes out for a walk about every 1-1/2 to 2 hours and has a bowel movement almost time. That’s many more than she used to have (which was two – one following breakfast and one following dinner). The doc took blood and promised to call us tomorrow.

2020 Dec 9 (Wed) – We stayed in today and spent the time putting up and decorating our Christmas tree. The season is here!

2020 Dec 8 (Tue) – We went to the post office to mail off the claim form to New York. It will be interesting to see how much is due to my mother (who passed away in 2009). My sister, Susan, had filled out a claim in 2010 for money due to my mother. The five of us each wound up getting $20 (she was due $100). This time around will probably be $2.50 each. Mom didn’t have much to her name when she died. I can’t imagine what this money is from.

We stopped for lunch at the Hangar Bay Café. It was a small place run by an African American retired Navy guy with an Asian wife. The menu had a lot of ramen on it. Paul got pork ramen and I ordered fried chicken. The food was good. The gentleman didn’t want to talk about his service. Even though there was an 11x13 picture of him in dress uniform on the wall, he kept avoiding my questions about his time in the Navy.

The commissary and PX are both off-post. We stopped in there to get a few things. You have to show ID at the register at the commissary and at the entrance at the PX to ensure you are military. When we got back to the base, we drove around the housing area. There is a second campground (called Osprey Cove) on base. It is not on the water but cloistered among spreading trees with lots of Spanish moss. It is very lovely and intended for long-term stays.

2020 Dec 7 (Mon) – We packed up and left Kings Bay Subbase at 11 a.m. It was much later than we normally move out but the drive was only an hour to the next campground. We ran out to the post office before we left so I could mail another registered letter to a lawyer used to sell Travis & Sam’s house. We’ve had serious issues with him and have had to make a formal complaint to the Judicial Review Board.

We arrived at Mayport Naval Station, Pelican Roost RV Park a little after noon. They gave us the option of choosing one of several sites. We elected to take a space at the end of the aisle on a curve. We can get a somewhat obscure look at the ocean. We stayed here last December. The ships sail right past the campground on their way out of and into the port. They blow their horns to say hello and goodbye.

We went out to the bank to get a paper notarized. I was cruising around the internet and put in Unclaimed Funds in New York State. Surprise, surprise! My mother’s name came up. The website doesn’t tell how much is owed, just there is some money due. I printed out the form and filled in the required information. I will mail it out tomorrow.

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arplis · 4 years

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Arplis - News: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

This story was originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublica’s Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published. On the last Tuesday of July, Tres Biggs stepped into the courthouse in Coffeyville, Kansas, for medical debt collection day, a monthly ritual in this quiet city of 9,000, just over the Oklahoma border. He was one of 90 people who had been summoned, sued by the local hospital, or doctors, or an ambulance service over unpaid bills. Some wore eye patches and bandages; others limped to their seats by the wood-paneled walls. Biggs, who is 41, had to take a day off from work to be there. He knew from experience that if he didn’t show up, he could be put in jail. Before the morning’s hearing, he listened as defendants traded stories. One woman recalled how, at four months pregnant, she had reported a money order scam to her local sheriff’s office only to discover that she had a warrant; she was arrested on the spot. A radiologist had sued her over a $230 bill, and she’d missed one hearing too many. Another woman said she watched, a decade ago, as a deputy came to the door for her diabetic aunt and took her to jail in her final years of life. Now here she was, dealing with her own debt, trying to head off the same fate. Biggs, who is tall and broad-shouldered, with sun-scorched skin and bright hazel eyes, looked up as defendants talked, but he was embarrassed to say much. His court dates had begun after his son developed leukemia, and they’d picked up when his wife started having seizures. He, too, had been arrested because of medical debt. It had happened more than once. Judge David Casement entered the courtroom, a black robe swaying over his cowboy boots and silversmithed belt buckle. He is a cattle rancher who was appointed a magistrate judge, though he’d never taken a course in law. Judges don’t need a law degree in Kansas, or many other states, to preside over cases like these. Casement asked the defendants to take an oath and confirmed that the newcomers confessed to their debt. A key purpose of the hearing, though, was for patients to face debt collectors. “They want to talk to you about trying to set up a payment plan, and after you talk with them, you are free to go,” he told the debtors. Then, he left the room. The first collector of the day was also the most notorious: Michael Hassenplug, a private attorney representing doctors and ambulance services. Every three months, Hassenplug called the same nonpaying defendants to court to list what they earned and what they owned — to testify, quite often, to their poverty. It gave him a sense of his options: to set up a payment plan, to garnish wages or bank accounts, to put a lien on a property. It was called a “debtor’s exam.” If a debtor missed an exam, the judge typically issued a citation of contempt, a charge for disobeying an order of the court, which in this case was to appear. If the debtor missed a hearing on contempt, Hassenplug would ask the judge for a bench warrant. As long as the defendant had been properly served, the judge’s answer was always yes. In practice, this system has made Hassenplug and other collectors the real arbiters of who gets arrested and who is shown mercy. If debtors can post bail, the judge almost always applies the money to the debt. Hassenplug, like any collector working on commission, gets a cut of the cash he brings in. Crystal Dyke with her husband and two kids outside their home in Leroy, Kansas. She was arrested when she was pregnant because she missed hearings involving a $230 radiologist bill. Across the country, thousands of people are jailed each year for failing to appear in court for unpaid bills, in arrangements set up much like this one. The practice spread in the wake of the recession as collectors found judges willing to use their broad powers of contempt to wield the threat of arrest. Judges have issued warrants for people who owe money to landlords and payday lenders, who never paid off furniture, or day care fees, or federal student loans. Some debtors who have been arrested owed as little as $28. More than half of the debt in collections stems from medical care, which, unlike most other debt, is often taken on without a choice or an understanding of the costs. Since the Affordable Care Act of 2010, prices for medical services have ballooned; insurers have nearly tripled deductibles — the amount a person pays before their coverage kicks in — and raised premiums and copays, as well. As a result, tens of millions of people without adequate coverage are expected to pay larger portions of their rising bills. The sickest patients are often the most indebted, and they’re not exempt from arrest. In Indiana, a cancer patient was hauled away from home in her pajamas in front of her three children; too weak to climb the stairs to the women’s area of the jail, she spent the night in a men’s mental health unit where an inmate smeared feces on the wall. In Utah, a man who had ignored orders to appear over an unpaid ambulance bill told friends he would rather die than go to jail; the day he was arrested, he snuck poison into the cell and ended his life. In jurisdictions with lax laws and willing judges, jail is the logical endpoint of a system that has automated the steps from high bills to debt to court, and that has given collectors power that is often unchecked. I spent several weeks this summer in Coffeyville, reviewing court files, talking to dozens of patients and interviewing those who had sued them. Though the district does not track how many of these cases end in arrest, I found more than 30 warrants issued against medical debt defendants. At least 11 people were jailed in the past year alone. With hardly any oversight, even by the presiding judge, collection attorneys have turned this courtroom into a government-sanctioned shakedown of the uninsured and underinsured, where the leverage is the debtors’ liberty. The courtroom where Hassenplug and other collectors administer “debtor’s exams.” Seated at the front of the courtroom, Hassenplug zipped open his leather binder and uncapped his fountain pen. He is stout, with a pinkish nose and a helmet of salt and pepper hair. His opening case this Tuesday involved 28-year-old Kenneth Maggard, who owed more than $2,000, including interest and court fees, for a 40-mile ambulance ride last year. Maggard had downed most of a bottle of Purple Power Industrial Strength Cleaner, along with some 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound, “to end it all.” His sister had called 911. Maggard took his seat. He had cropped red hair, pouchy cheeks and mud-caked sneakers. “The welfare patients are the most demanding, difficult patients on God’s earth,” Hassenplug told me, with Maggard listening, before launching into his interrogation: Are you working? No. Are you on disability? He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, and anxiety. Do you have a car? No. Anyone owe you money you can collect? I wish. They had been here before, and they both knew Maggard’s disability checks were protected from collections. Hassenplug set down his pen. “Between you and me,” he asked, “you’re never going to pay this bill, are you?” “No, never,” Maggard said. “If I had the money, I’d pay it.” Hassenplug replied, “Well, this will end when one of us dies.” Though debt collection filings are soaring in parts of America, Hassenplug speaks with pride about how he discovered their full potential in Coffeyville long before. A transplant from Kansas City, he was a self-dubbed “four-star fuck-up” who worked his way through law school. He moved to Coffeyville to practice in 1980 and soon earned a reputation as a hard ass. He saw that his firm, Becker, Hildreth, Eastman & Gossard, hadn’t capitalized on its collections cases. The lawyers didn’t demand sufficient payments, and they rarely followed up on litigation, he said. Where other attorneys saw petty work, Hassenplug saw opportunity. Kenneth Maggard at his home. “Blaze,” painted below, is his son’s name. Hassenplug started collecting for doctors, dentists and veterinarians, but also banks and lumber yards and cities. He recognized that medical providers weren’t being compensated for their services, and he was maddened by a “welfare mentality,” as he called it, that allowed patients to dodge bills. “Their attitude a lot of times is, ‘I’m a single mom and … I’m disabled and,’ and the ‘and’ means ‘the rules don’t apply to me.’ I think the rules apply to everybody,” he told me. He logged his cases in a computer to track them. First with the firm and later in his own practice, he took debtors to court, and he won nearly every time; in about 90% of cases nationally, collectors automatically win when defendants don’t appear or contest the case. Hassenplug didn’t need to accept $10 monthly payments; he could ask for more, or, in some cases, even garnish a quarter of a debtor’s wages. His fee was, and often still is, one-third of what he collects. He asked the court to summon defendants, over and over again. It was the judge’s contempt authority that backed him, he said. “It’s the only way you can get them into court.” The power of contempt was originally the power of kings. Under early English rule, monarchs were considered vicars of God, and disobeying them was equivalent to committing a sin. Over time, that contempt authority spread to English courts, and ultimately to American courts, which use it to encourage compliance with the judicial system. There is no law requiring that a court use civil contempt when an order isn’t followed, but judges in the U.S. can choose to, whether it’s to force a defendant to pay child support, for example, or show up at a hearing. A person jailed for defying a court order is generally released when they comply. When Casement took the bench in 1987, after passing a self-study exam, he didn’t know much legalese — he had never been in a courtroom. But attorneys taught him early on that the power of contempt was available to him to punish people who ignored his orders. At first, Casement could see himself in the defendants. “I was a much more pro-debtor aligned judge, much more sympathetic, much less inclined to do anything that I thought would burden them,” he told me. “And over the years, I’ve gradually moved to the other side of the fulcrum. I still consider myself very much in the middle, and I don’t know if I am or not.” Once a bustling industrial hub, Coffeyville has a poverty rate that is double the national average, and its county ranks among the least healthy in Kansas. Its red-bricked downtown is lined with empty storefronts — former department stores, restaurants and shops. Its signature hotel is now used for low-income housing. “The two growth industries in Coffeyville,” Hassenplug likes to say, “are health care and funerals.” A shuttered motel in Coffeyville. The town, once a bustling industrial hub, now has a poverty rate more than double the national average. Coffeyville Regional Medical Center is the only hospital within a 40-mile radius, and it reported $1.5 million in uncollectible patient debt in 2017. A nonprofit run in a city-owned building, the hospital accounts for the vast majority of medical debt lawsuits in the county — about 2,000 in the past five years. It also accounts for the majority of related warrants. Account Recovery Specialists Inc. handles its collections, and it does so for hospitals in most Kansas counties. Though the hospitals can direct ARSI and its contracted attorneys to tell judges not to issue warrants, hardly any have. The Coffeyville hospital’s attorney, Doug Bell, said that its only motivation is to continue to serve the area, and that Kansas’ decision to not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act has had a “dramatic effect on the economic liability of small rural hospitals.” Three nearby hospitals in this rural region have closed in the past several years, meaning ambulances make more trips. A half-hour from Coffeyville, Independence runs its ambulance service at about a $300,000 annual loss. Its bills were at the root of four arrests this year alone. Derek Dustman, who is 36 and works odd jobs, had been driving a four-wheeler when he was hit by a car and rushed to the hospital. Though he was sued for not paying his $818 ambulance bill, he didn’t have a license to drive to the courthouse. This spring, he spent two nights in jail. “I never in a million years thought that this would end with jail time,” he told me. For years, Hassenplug has requested that the judge issue warrants on the ambulance service’s behalf. When I asked Lacey Lies, the city’s director of finance, if she ever considered telling him not to resort to bench warrants, she was puzzled. “You’re saying an attorney with no teeth?” A city ambulance in Independence, Kansas. Hassenplug represents the service against its debtors. The first time Tres Biggs was arrested, in 2008, he was dove hunting in a grove outside Coffeyville. It had been just a year since his 6-year-old son Lane was diagnosed with leukemia, and Biggs watched him breathe in the fresh air, seated on a haybale under an orange sky. When a game warden came through to check hunting permits, Biggs’ friends scattered and hid. He wasn’t the running type, and he took Lane by the hand. The warden ran Biggs’ license. There was a warrant out for his arrest. Biggs asked a friend to take Lane home and crouched into the warden’s truck, scouring his memory for some misstep. The last few years had been a blur. His wife, Heather, had quit her job as a babysitter to care for their son. Then, she got sick. Some days, she passed out or felt so dizzy she couldn’t leave her bed. Her doctors didn’t know if the attacks were linked to her heart condition, in which blood flowed backward through a valve. To provide for his wife, son and two other kids, Biggs worked two jobs, at a lumber yard and on construction sites. He didn’t know when he would have had time to commit a crime. He’d never been to jail. As he stared out the window at the rolling hills, his face began to sweat. He felt his skin tighten around him and wondered if he would be sick. The warrant, he learned at the jailhouse, was for failure to appear in court for an unpaid hospital bill. Coffeyville Regional Medical Center had sued him in 2006 for $2,146, after one of Heather’s emergency visits; neither of his jobs offered health insurance. In the shuffle of 70-hour workweeks and Lane’s chemotherapy, he had missed two consecutive court dates. He was fingerprinted, photographed, made to strip and told to brace himself for a tub of delousing liquid. His bail was set at $500 cash; he had about $50 to his name. Coffeyville Regional Medical Center is the only hospital within a 40-mile radius. His friend bailed him out the next morning, but at the bond hearing, the judge granted the $500, minus court fees, to the hospital. Biggs compensated his friend with a motorboat that a client had given him in exchange for a hunting dog. But it wasn’t long before the family received a new summons. In 2009, a radiologist represented by Hassenplug sued them for $380. Some court hearings fell on days when Lane had treatment, at a hospital in Tulsa, an hour south. Heather refused to postpone his care. Lane’s condition was improving — in a year, he would be cancer-free — and his dirty blond hair was sprouting again. Her health, though, had taken a turn. She began having weekly seizures, waking up on the floor, confused about where their Christmas tree had gone or why a red Catahoula puppy was skidding around their ranch house. Her doctors concluded she had Lyme disease, which was affecting her nervous system and wiping her short-term memory. Each time she woke up, she repeated: “Don’t take me to the hospital.” Biggs was still on the hook for the bill that had landed him in jail; bail had covered only part of it, and the rest was growing with 12% annual interest. The hospital had garnished his wages, and the radiologist had garnished his bank account, seizing contributions that his family had raised for Lane’s care. Living on $25,000 a year, Biggs couldn’t afford to buy insurance. His family was on food stamps but didn’t qualify for Medicaid, a federal insurance program for people in poverty. Other states were about to expand it to cover the working poor, but not Kansas, which limited it, for families of his size, to those who earned under $12,000. Like millions of others across America, he and Heather fell into a coverage gap. By 2012, the Biggs family had accrued more than $70,000 in medical debt, which it owed to Coffeyville Regional Medical Center and other hospitals, pediatricians and neurologists. Some forgave it; others set up lenient payment plans. Coffeyville’s was the only hospital that sued. The doctors who took them to court were represented by Hassenplug. Tres Biggs with his wife, Heather, and son, Lane, at their home. Biggs began to panic around police, haunted by the fear that at any moment, he might be locked up. That spring, outside the Woodshed gas station, he spotted a sheriff’s deputy who was also an old friend. To shake off his dread, he asked the friend to run his license. The deputy found another warrant, signed by Casement, involving the $380 radiologist’s bill. “You’re not really going to take me in, right?” Biggs remembers asking. The deputy said he had no choice. Bail, as usual, was set at $500. The family filed for bankruptcy, a short-term fix that erased their debt but burdened them with legal fees. They lost their home and started renting. Biggs ultimately got a job that offered insurance, as a rancher, covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield. But it required Biggs to pay the first $5,000 before it covered medical expenses. When chest pain hit him as he worked cattle in the heat, and he began vomiting, the only nearby hospital was Coffeyville’s. In 2017, the hospital sued again. It was the family’s sixth lawsuit for medical debt. Sitting in Casement’s courtroom this July, Biggs calculated that he was losing about $120 by taking time off from work to attend this hearing. “I haven’t received a bill,” he told me, slouched over his turquoise shorts. “The only thing I received was this summons.” Around noon, he finally sat down with an ARSI representative, who explained that the underlying bill had been garnished from his wages, but he still owed $328 in interest and court fees. He had another couple thousand dollars in collections for separate bills he hadn’t paid, for which he hadn’t yet been sued. He said the most he could afford to pay, every two weeks, was $12.50. Before the end of the Tuesday docket, Casement returned to the courtroom to read off the names of the hospital’s defendants. Five had failed to show up for contempt citations, to give their reasons for missing their debtor’s exams. Casement saw that two of the no-shows hadn’t been properly notified of the hearing, so attorneys would need to try to reach them again. The judge read the names of the other three defendants and told the hospital’s collections lawyer, “That would be a bench warrant if you want it.” The following morning, I was reading court files in the clerks’ office when Christa Strickland arrived at 10:20 in flip-flops and black leggings, her caramel hair wrapped in a bun atop her head. She ran her finger down a docket on the bulletin board and asked why her case wasn’t listed. When the clerk pulled up her file, she told Strickland that her contempt hearing had been on Tuesday and she was one day late. “You need to call the law office of Amber Brehm,” the clerk insisted, referring to ARSI’s contracted lawyer, who represents the hospital. She handed over the phone number. Strickland sat on a hard bench and took out her cellphone. She had saved the hearing in the wrong day on her calendar, but she had taken the day off from work and wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. “I had a court date,” she said when a man answered at the law office. “I thought it was today but apparently it was yesterday. I’m just needing to see if I can set something up?” “By not appearing at that, the court would be in the process of issuing a bench warrant,” he said. “What does that mean?” Strickland asked, shaking her head. “You don’t know what a bench warrant means?” he asked. “That means you will be arrested and taken to jail and ordered to post bond.” “Oh my God.” Strickland squeezed her eyes shut, wetness smudging her mascara. She poked at her cheek with her index finger. Her father was a preacher. She’d never been in trouble with the law. She had made a mistake, she tried to explain. She wanted to make an arrangement to pay. The Coffeyville courthouse. The man on the phone told her that it might take a couple weeks before the court processed her warrant paperwork, which the law office had not yet submitted. Once the judge issued the warrant, she could turn herself in. Strickland wanted to scream, I’ll pay the bill, don’t make me go to jail! but she didn’t have the money. Instead, she looked at the ceiling and asked: “Turn myself into the court? The police station?” “The Sheriff’s Department,” he responded. “They’re here in the same building,” she said. “I won’t leave here until I get this figured out. Thank you!” She hung up. Prick, she muttered to herself. You’re going to talk to me like I’m a freaking idiot? That’s not okay. Educate me. The court has to process it? Her mind kept moving in circles. She herself worked in debt collection, for an auto title lending company. She understood that everyone was doing their job. Still, she couldn’t grasp how this bill had gotten this far. Before she had taken this position, during her second pregnancy, her right breast had developed a chronic infection. In 2008, she was uninsured, needed surgery to remove the swollen abscess and ran up a $2,514 bill. More than a decade later, she was still chipping away at a balance that, because of interest and court fees, had more than doubled to $5,736. She had fallen behind on her monthly payment plan and now worried that her booking photo would be on Mugshot Monday, a Facebook album run by the Police Department. She imagined what she would tell her boss: I went to jail … because I missed a court date … for medical bills. It sounded absurd. She spotted a sheriff’s deputy in a bulletproof vest with a name tag that said Bishop and a pistol on his hip. “Hey!” she called out, explaining her phone call and how the man said something about a warrant and turning herself in. Bishop radioed into dispatch and smiled with an update: “There’s no warrant in the system yet,” he told her. “Yet!” Strickland replied, deflating his look of reassurance. “That’s what I’m worrying about.” “You better give Amber a call back,” Bishop said. When I asked ARSI about how attorneys decide to request warrants, Joshua Shea, who is general counsel, told me that they don’t. The judge can choose to issue one if court orders are not followed, he said. But Casement said the opposite, telling me that he gave the choice to the attorneys. “I’m not ordering a bench warrant. My decision is to give them that option,” Casement told me. “Whether they exercise it is up to them, but they have my blessing if that’s what they want to do.” Shea sent me an eight-page email to make clear, in large part, that ARSI, as a collection agency, has no involvement in the courts, and that Brehm is a lawyer whom the agency contractually employs and who represents the hospital directly. Her email address, though, has an ARSI domain, and her resume lists her as ARSI’s director of legal. Brehm said that court hearings aren’t the only option for debtors, who can call her instead and answer questions under oath. Shea said nobody — not the hospital, ARSI, Brehm or the court — uses the threat of jail to “extract payment.” Strickland reached Brehm after several days, and the attorney agreed to a new hearing. On Aug. 13, when they met in court, Brehm sat at the front of the room. “We’re giving you a second chance on that citation; just to try to take care of this without there having to be any sort of bench warrant,” the lawyer said. “I want to make sure that we’re all on the same page about the consequences of not coming into court when the order has been issued.” Strickland nodded. “Again, if you set a payment plan and keep it,” Brehm said, “we won’t have to worry about that.” The jail in Independence, where many debtors in the county are booked. In some courthouses, like Coffeyville’s, collection attorneys are not only invited to decide when warrants are issued, but they can also shape how law is applied. Recently, Hassenplug came to believe that debtors were only attending every other hearing in a scheme to avoid jail, and he raised his concern with the judge. He suggested that the judge could fix this by charging extra legal fees; Casement wrote a new policy explaining that anyone who missed two debtor’s exam hearings without a good reason would be ordered to pay an extra $50 to cover the plaintiff’s attorney fees. If they didn’t pay, they would be given a two-day jail sentence; for each additional hearing that they missed, they would be charged a higher attorney fee and get a longer sentence. Most states don’t allow contempt charges to be used for nonpayment, and some, like Indiana and Florida, have concluded that it is unconstitutional. Michael Crowell, a retired law professor at the University of North Carolina and an expert in judicial authority, reviewed Casement’s policy. “You can’t lock people up for contempt for failing to pay unless you have gone to the trouble to determine that they really have the ability to pay,” he said. Casement told me he hadn’t made findings on ability to pay before ordering defendants to foot attorney’s fees, “but I know that’s something the court should consider,” he said. He also made plain why he wrote the policy: “Mr. Hassenplug and Brehm’s outfit have asked me to.” (Brehm denied she requested this.) Judge David Casement in the courtroom. Casement, a cattle rancher, was appointed magistrate judge, though he’d never taken a course in law. Casement has not done everything the debt collection lawyers have suggested. At first, he agreed to their requests to set bail at the amount of the debt, but he eventually settled on $500. “Most people can come up with $500,” he said. “It may not be their money, but they know someone who will pay.” He made sure no one was arrested unless they’d been reached by personal service or certified mail. Kansas law allows courts to order debtors in “from time to time,” leaving discretion to judges. Casement limited the frequency of Hassenplug’s debtor’s exams to once every three months. He came to the decision by his own logic around what seemed like a reasonable burden for defendants, and it remains his personal policy today. The law also states that anyone found to be disabled and unable to pay can only be ordered to appear once a year. Without an attorney, debtors like Kenneth Maggard don’t know to assert this right. Allowing bail money to count toward collections raises some of the most critical legal questions. Hassenplug told me that he thinks it’s great that cash bail is applied to the debt. “A lot of times, that’s the only time we get paid, is if they go to jail,” he said. Peter Holland, the former director of the Consumer Protection Clinic at the University of Maryland Law School, explained that this practice reveals that the jailing is not about contempt, but about collection. “Most judges will tell you, ‘I’m working for the rule of law, and if you don’t show up and you were summoned, there have to be consequences,’” he explained. “But the proof is in the pudding: If the judge is upholding the rule of law, he would give the bail money back to you when you appear in court. Instead, he is using his power to take money from you and hand it to the debt collector. It raises constitutional questions.” Congress has not acted on advocates’ calls to amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to prohibit collectors from requesting warrants. There are also no current efforts to bar nonprofit hospitals or medical providers that receive funds through Medicare or Medicaid from seeking warrants. Some states have reformed their laws, to make sure defendants are properly served or to prohibit wage garnishments for debt. But legal experts on collections say that more remains to be done, like taking jail out of the equation and instead requiring debtors to sign a financial affidavit or a promise to appear. Michael Hassenplug’s office in Coffeyville. Shea, from ARSI, said that using the legal process is time-consuming and costly — a last resort; arrests are “the least desirable stage for any case to reach for all involved.” Even after lawsuits are filed, they try to connect eligible debtors with the Coffeyville hospital to apply for financial assistance, he said. Last year, the hospital wrote off $1.7 million in charity care, said Bell, the hospital lawyer. “That is evidence of a hospital that cares.” Casement said he did not consider the legality of his policies a problem. He placed some blame on the health care system. “What we have isn’t working,” he said. “As a lifelong Republican, I would probably be hung, but I think we need health care for everybody with some limits on what it’s going to cost us.” The way he saw it, he had wide latitude to enforce compliance with a court orders, though he acknowledged that creditors used bail money to their advantage. “I don’t know whether the Legislature intended it to be used that way or not,” he told me. “I have not had enough pushback from the defendants’ side to give me the impression that I’m really abusing this badly.” A city ambulance in Independence, Kansas. Hassenplug represents the service against its debtors. Before I left Coffeyville, I sat down with Hassenplug in the low-ceilinged courtroom. I asked him whether he thought that the system in Coffeyville was effectively imprisonment for debt, in a country that has outlawed debtors’ prisons. “The only thing they’re in jail for is not appearing,” he replied. “I do my job, I follow the law. You just have to show up in court.” Debt collection is an $11 billion industry, involving nearly 8,000 firms across the country. Medical debt makes up almost half of what’s collected each year. Today, millions of debt collection suits are overwhelming state courts. The practice is considered a “race of the diligent,” where every creditor is rushing to the courthouse, hustling to get the first judgment, in order to be the first to collect on a debtor’s assets. In Hassenplug’s view, though, this work is not the rich taking from the poor. He laughed at how locals spread rumors, saying that he seized wheelchairs or Christmas trees. Once, he confessed, he took a man’s Rolex, only to find out it was a fake. Some months, he said, even his law office could not make ends meet. After a couple of hours, a clerk poked her head into the courtroom and told us it was time to leave. Hassenplug and I began to walk out, and on the terrazzo steps, he asked if I wanted to see his buildings. He owned five of them on a shuttered stretch of town. He wondered out loud if he was making a mistake by inviting me, but he was pleased when I accepted. “There ain’t any place on earth quieter than downtown Coffeyville,” he said, leading me into the silent streets. He walked me through the alleys under a cloudless sky, and when he arrived at one of his buildings, he tapped a code to his garage. The door lifted, and inside, five perfectly maintained motorcycles, Yamahas and Suzukis, were propped in a line. To their left, nine pristine, candy-colored cars were arranged – a Camaro SS with orange stripes, a Pontiac Trans Am, a vintage Silverado pickup with velvet seats. He toured me around the show cars, peering into their windows, and mused about what his hard work had gotten him. Correction, Oct. 16, 2019: This story originally misstated the type of cancer Tres Biggs’ son, Lane, had. It was leukemia, not lymphoma. #HealthCare #Corruption #CrimeAndJustice #CivilLiberties #Photoessays

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