Cole Matthews

You have a very interesting take on the story line. It does require work to get better whether you are mentally ill or only temporarily dealing with loss. The grieving process has been likened to a kind of short term illness which needs care and healing. The more tools a person has in dealing with grief, the more likely they are to succeed. Of course, it depends on the severity of the illness, whether short term or long term. I'd say Lawson struggles with both, like a person with diabetes and pneumonia. While pneumonia isn't usually fatal, coupled with a weakness, it can be dangerous. Fantastic parsing and exploration of the stories themes and characters. I appreciate the awesome review.

Yes, Cory is beginning to distance himself. I believe Cory is moving on with his life. Lawson is damaged. I'm excited you are looking forward to the resolution/conclusion. There is one more shift to the story. I'll make a comment in the discussion section about that. Thanks for the wonderful review. Much appreciated.

It feels like the despair came through for you. It is a burden yet I'm not sure what it is exactly, mental exhaustion or mental illness. We will see next week how Cory handles things. Coolidge is more of an observer. I believe he'd like to help, but hasn't any idea how. Thanks so much for the insightful and kind review.

Chapter 14 - Beret Hansa 11:43 pm on February 28th Cory McDaniel swore at the computer as it once again started updating files. He had to get reports to his boss and then do some rounds. In the meantime, he had two detainees lined up for conferences and his head hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Three practically sleepless nights will do that to you. His brain had been keeping him awake with recriminations over his behavior. A drunken fiasco had been his Waterloo. His insides ached something f

Great chapter. You have me stymied as to what the guys are going to do to Stuart, but I'm on board. I hope he gets a taste of what he's doing to Roscoe. As far as Neil is concerned, he's showing some of his nervousness about the party through his feeling about Ross I think. I like how you've used some transference to make it even more in character. Neil is naturally skittish anyway and this over-reaction is so him. Liam is doing a good job settling him down. I love how you've made Geraldine so crude and annoying. I can see how people at work may have been as offended by her attitude as her being transgender. I'm not saying some weren't being nasty. I think it's easy to make a character likeable and transgender when in real life not all transgender people are nice. For example, when I was in my twenties and lived in Florida, I was roommates with a couple of drag queens and they had a transgender friend who was pretty rude and mean. She was not the kind of person you'd trust either. Anyway, I like the depth you've shown with Geraldine. It makes what Kevin's willing to do all the more generous. Wonderful job!!!

The idea of protecting the innocent is my own gleaned from readings on justice. While there are mixes of good and evil in us all, the good should be kept safe. Some of it also comes from my religious beliefs. We are all capable of being saved and there is something good in all of us. Thanks so much for a wonderful review. It's greatly appreciated AC!

Happy Birthday LBO!

Thanks Kitt!

Thanks Kitt!

I think Lawson realize he screwed up for both reasons. He's grieving as well and we know what Lawson did was bad so he's hurting too. Keep in mind, Lawson has serious issues as shown by his nightmares. I think Coolidge sees some good in him and wants to help. We are approaching the home stretch and I thank you for staying with me. I really appreciate this review.

Thank you so much! Reviews and comments like this keep us going. I'm glad the love came through so well.

Chapter 13 - Jabez Stone February 25th – 2:48 am Coolidge heard his stomach gurgle. It made him think about his lunch break which was only about forty-five minutes away. He casually walked down C section. All he heard were the sounds men made while sleeping. Occasionally there was a snore or a rustling of sheets and blankets, but for the most part it was very quiet. It had taken some time to adjust to working the third shift. His mother called it the ‘graveyard shift’ and didn’t like h

Happy Birthday!

That is so true. Life isn't always a carnival. What Cory and Lawson are dealing with is messy and hard to watch. Yet we all deal with grief throughout our lives. Thanks so much for a very insightful review. I'm glad you stopped in for a visit.

Happy Birthday! Hope your day was great.

Happy Birthday! I hope your day was special.

I believe you are right. Flirtations, attractions, and desires are perfectly natural. Lawson and Cory's relationship is supposed to be professional. I think that bothers some readers. Cory isn't doing anything thus far. As you said Lawson's locked up. Cory wants to "fix" things. He thought he could handle Sandy and Casey. We will see how this goes. Thanks so much for the wonderful review! I really appreciate it.

There are undercurrents in this chapter. Cory is self-delusional and under a spell, in a way. You picked up on my 'deal with the Devil' idea. More of this comes at the end. I'm glad the scene with him walking into the apartment and seeing the two men melded together worked. I was trying to show and not tell. I agree about cutting Cory some slack. The guy is clearly hurting, coping, and trying to move on with his life. This is an internal struggle I'm portraying. His actions are betraying his emotional state. Many people struggle and I know I have. Mr. Benus, you are a joy. Thanks for a very kind and insightful review.

Cory really is a train wreck in this chapter. I think it's important to note how we sometimes have to hit rock bottom in order to reevaluate things. His attraction to Lawson is another crutch he's using to cope. It's not an attractive scenario, but it happens more often than you'd think. Thanks for the wonderful review!!!

I was a bartender for eighteen years when I was younger. If I had a nickel for every person who made a fool of themselves over a breakup, I'd be retired now. One of the more difficult things to gauge is how you'll react to a situation especially when your guard is down. In this case, I used alcohol since I'd witnessed it so many times. I'm glad you got through it. Thanks for the lovely review!!!

One night can make a serious difference in a life. It can change things for the good and for the worse. In this case, I think Terry saw Gilbert as a guy who made him feel much better about himself. Thanks for a wonderful review!

This is a beginning. I'm glad it touched you. These two will never meet again, at least in person. Terry finally got in touch with himself with this encounter. Gillette was a person who touched so much he couldn't get beyond it. I could understand it. I had a similar situation. Sordid and yet so altering in a good way. Thanks for such a wonderful review, Lisa!

Chapter 11 - Jabez Stone February 22nd Cory tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the buzzing of the cell phone to end. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," he pleaded. "Hey, Cory," the voice answered sounding suspicious. "I asked for a few weeks before we discussed things." "Hi Sandy. I thought we could go out to dinner this weekend." Silence was all he heard in response. "There's a new place called, Alexandro's and I want to see the new Coen brothers’ movie, Ancient Ages. Are you g

Just so you know Graeme, your descriptions and explanation of the combines actually prompted me to watch the NFL and NBA combines at our local sports bar. That's how influential your story is. LOL!!!! Anyway, this is an interesting transitional chapter. You are setting up several things which are each quite compelling. I see resolution starting with Liam, Neil and the guys around them. The childhood bullying is fading away as the guys finally see Neil as the person he is. I love this. That's what happens in life. People come to a realization their viewpoint of another is skewed. I wish it happened more often and more widespread later in life as well. I like the idea Ross is reaching out to the Leopard gang for help with Stuart. You've developed Stuart's selfishness quite well. It's being revealed in dribs and drabs and makes him more complete as a result. I feel Stuart isn't an evil character or even entirely selfish. He simply uses whatever means he feels necessary to get what he wants. He'd be the perfect politician!!! I'm not sure what I think about Kevin and Warwick. It's a different kind of situation. I can't wait to see what happens next. As for your note at the end, I think you do a good job building up characters and their reactions so when something unique happens, it feels natural and real. Life is a series of unrelated and random events which affect us in a myriad of ways. I know what you mean about disliking when too many or too extreme things pop out of nowhere. However, I have less of a problem when it's not something stereotypical. Your inclusion of the Sydney and Greater Western stuff read really well in the context iof the story. For those of us who follow sports casually, it occurs from time to time. You're doing an amazing job as usual Graeme! Thanks for sharing and feeding my addiction.

Happy Birthday! Hope your day is awesome!