Anton_Cloche

Damey's head is going to explode, just like ... and when Mom finds out he's gay...

Awwkwaard (drawn out on purpose). Had a few similar 'moving in' moments. There's definately a few hurdles for both Bryan and Desmond to clear, and those will help clear the air. Bryan recalls surviving the Reagan years of the 1980's and pachyderm "Moral Majority". Back then (as history and autobiographies have revealed) the "holier than thou" alt reich had more than their share of 'liasons', 'nooners', closed door meatings, 'fact-finding' trips etc., and at least 33 politicos who passed, either in office or after stepping down or not running again after acquiring "the flu" or "sudden health issues". Scores of GOProud and DEMoncrats made frequent trips to Walter Reed AMC and other 'clinics' regularly for "booster" shots. Kinsey's "1 in 10" ratio would have meant at least 10 Sens and 52 Reps, but his math was off by at least 50%. Despite their 13-year age gap, I suspect common ground will soon appear for Bryan and Desmond. 🤞

Justice can prevail, and not "be blind". Given the right circumstances, all the pertinent information, and overlooking or at least putting wrong, harmful or self-serving information, witnesses and yes lawyers in their place, a good judge can make the right decision. Today, "the Honorable Angela Winters of Sumter County, North Carolina", was that good Judge. Thank you @irivera for this well written chapter of what has been a remarkable story. Now on to the Epilogue (and perhaps a 'bridge' to 'A Life With Living - Book 2' as Jonah's life moves forward?).

And @kbois, posting18 hours ago said: "But nature is not so easily leashed." All of which (combined with other comments and POV) may lead to a conclusion not envisioned. Prior to the early 1800's animals were not even considered to be "sentient" ('thinking', 'feeling' etc. beings), and it wasn't until the 1990's that the international treaties recognized "Animals as Sentient" including the 1999 Treaty of Amsterdam. What if a worm becomes sentient? They have been considered to react to pain (earthworms cut in half recoil) for decades. Does that change ANY equation?

So less Freitagnacht in Berlin and something more Folsom? 😉

Yes @Wayne Gray you've dune good so far with this story about a parasitic (brain?) 🐛, even one from prehistoric 'Perma-Frost,' infecting the populace. (Note to all those TOO EAGER scientists, thawing out Jurassic Parcsicles ... 🛑 ), One hermaphroditic 🐛, even a junior, can wreak havoc on millions? Undercooked pork on a spork, hhs the abilty to fork far too many innocents. And when officials (in this saga) may not really be working on developing or supporting vaccines to benefit those at risk, well screams danger and huge incompetence. Reminds me of Andromeda Strain (and subsequent books and movies on the theme of contagions run amok). The characters thus far are believable. Should Atticus have said 'Boo' went he went to Dr. John's door? They both have a lot to handle. Ps. Does @kbois interjection mean a special HCD Tuesday? 🤔

'Oops' happens to the best of us, authors and editors alike. I imagine there's more in the pipeline, just waiting to be released. Or likely 'Beta' readers 'mis-queued'.😳

Sandy is a definite piece of something, but not 'work'. 🙄 She failed the Home Pregnancy Test, (she's likely not an 'A' student, especially in Sex-Ed), after 2 or 3 months without a period. She flunked 'Plan B' which only works 72 - 96 hours after insemination. She's also failed use of Mifeprestone which is only effective for 9 wks after insemination (although it 'may' work in early few weeks of second trimester). Proof that both Sex Ed taught in school, and Abstinence ("I have a concept of a plan"?), are failures in the U.S. across ALL socio-economic groupings. And with "right to chose" illegal in many States, Sandy has few viable options. Another interesting chapter @Lee Wilson. Let's see where you take us next. "Melton, the doctor is ready to perform your vasectomy". Can Mel doge that unkind cut? Perhaps "just a trim" or "a little off the tip"? Or does he avoid this by "just the skin of his ..." ? 😲

🎣 for reel or oh my cod you're sending readers back to school with possible ...

Good thing for Josh it was the standard hospital issue 'one-piece' aluminum cane and not a folding version. Those don't even work as nunchucks. 😮

WHOA. Who are you, and what have you done with @Jeff Burton? More importantly what have you done with 16 year old Josh (aka Joshua Thomas Quinn alledgedly born Oct. 19, 2008, 'B-More' MD, possibly aka 'Carrington-Lindsay'?). Josh's sudden and instant awakening at 03:17 and on full sentry/defense mode. Military precision, no wasted motions, no pause to consider next actions. Just a switch flipped ON, and Josh being 1000% aware of every detail, just like a trained 'operative'? BTW, those expecting a 'tox-screen' on the suddenly dead patient in Room 617, may be sorely disappointed. First, that 'patient' was not on 'monitors' so no alarms sounded when he suddenly died. Second, after "five-ten, one-sixty-five, black hair, bright green or blue eyes, average build, wearing blue scrubs ... entered room 617 with what appeared to be a syringe." Josh 'engaging' in a life ir death struggle with the other guy in plainclothes, unknowingly provided the extra few minutes for whatever was in that syringe to kill the man in room 617. And while an overdose of say 'Digoxin' can cause a heart to stop, it would take at least 50ml in an IV to perhaps do so quickly. Something that could cause a heart to stop would be inejected air into an IV, causing an Air Embolism and a heart attack or stroke, but the amount of air injected would have to be significant to cause sudden death. So ... tick, tick, tick. @Jeff Burton is there a follow up chapter appearing Friday with a weekend cliffie? (versus 'Cliff Notes' which would be perhaps helpful?).

"The names have been changed to protect the innocent." Unfortunately in this story, "the innocent" in all likelihood is Josh, who doesn't remember that his Mom and Dad (biological or adoptive) were in the car with him and died trapped in the inferno he dragged himself from. Josh doesn't yet remember Rachel Carrington and Garrett Lindsay as the loving parents who raised him and tried to protect him when things went horribly wrong on a snow-covered two-lane section of I-81 near Charlottesville (ed. Close to Roanoke VA I know well). Was it an accident on a family weekend vacation? Were they running for their lives? Or did they just not see the vehicle looming close behind them? As the FBI investigate the missing couple, Josh has no idea his soon to be foster Dad VA. State Trooper Kincaid is the brother (?) of FBI Agent Greg Kincaid. But is Josh a target? 😥

Hmm? Why does this seem familiar? Oh I remember, a 'certain' Chapter 3 comment and visual CLUE ((exit sign?(. Sometimes a 🔬 beats a 🔎 which beats 👀 searching for clues, reading between the lines. Or ...? Nice doggy.

Let us not forget, we have been told / shown / alluded to, in other "wolf" tales, including those of @Laura S. Fox that clairvoyants and other 'seers' have been said to represent and/or be in league with underworld entities. Entities that want to see 'packs' destroyed to serve their own purposes. If as Theodore said to Ryder: “My pack,has been gone from the face of the Earth for decades now,” why did Cassandra lie to Ryder and put Ryder's Pinemoor Pack existence at similar risk of demise? Theodore licked his lips, while his fangs began to grow. “Cassandra. I know of the name. So, she must have sent you to finish the job.” Ryder narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?” Theodore ... “I have a personal beef with clairvoyants. I know, I haven’t mentioned it before. But now, it’s evident why she sent you here.” Ryder ... If he put two and two together, ... felt tempted to believe that clairvoyants like Cassandra had something to do with Theodore’s pack’s demise, and that made no sense. Clairvoyants were never that powerful. Or was she? And serving the most powerful demon... Has Ryder survived the fall from such a great height? Will morphing into his full alpha form help him survive? Recover?

Let's just hope there isn't a setback coming for Stephen or anyone else. With PTSD, especially 'traumatic' ones, there is often a 'trigger' that can seem unrelated to the original event(s) and yet still causes a bad reaction even many years later. Another well written chapter @Lee Wilson. Just waiting to see if there are any legal surprises coming.

OWWW. Boy do I ever remember that ".. loud pop, the loudest yet. Somewhere low in my body. Hip, joint, spine, maybe all of the above. For a terrifying second I was almost sure something had broken." Other Pops" and the sensations of things 'wakng up'. And the pain, both from Physio but rehab was worse. And the satisfaction of 'doing' things myself, but followed with concern over what comes next. All the things Josh is going through and will continue to go through, but with one major difference. I knew me! Josh doesn't have that, and it remains the biggest obstacle and the biggest loss to deal with. You've nailed all of that in this chapter @Jeff Burton . but now comes perhaps the hardest part for Josh, and for Trooper Daniel. Finding the missing 'parts' and piecing together the 'whys' and 'hows' of what happened in the first place, that put Josh here. And the 'who, if there is one, is behind this. And still, very strange questions keep coming up, like when DSS Case Worker Nathalie, talking about getting Josh back in school says: “I still haven’t found records." In this day and era when computers have a wealth of knowledge, especially since fingerprints in state and federal databases should have the missing information? And there's Josh eventually going "home" with the Kincaids in time for Christmas, which causes this sad reaction from Josh: "I don’t remember having a mom,” I said quietly. “Or what one’s supposed to feel like.” Much more to come. Hopefully soon to fill in the blanks, find out what really happened, (who was in that second car when the Josh's family went off the road, into the trees and burst into flames)., and if Josh is in danger when his memory returns.

"The site isn't porn"? What did I miss? Two men each enter one of two dark cubicles that are side by side. There's a hole in the wall between the cubicles for them to 'talk' to each other. One man kneels facing the other and confesses, anonymously. Each is looking for 'something'. Guidance? Submission? Permission? Supplication? Forgiveness? In the end, they part and go their separate ways. Perhaps to come again? Bless me Father for i have ... Damn!

Steps in the right direction towards recovery @Jeff Burton? A name makes working on recovery somewhat easier. But feeling it doesn't fit? That's not uncommon with those suffering from amnesia, especially resulting from trauma. It can be like putting together a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that's mostly sky or water. When DSS Case Worker Natalie Rhodes arrived with information about our 'John Doe'; to put a name to a face, so to speak, the information to 'Josh' about "Josh", not only didn't feel "right", it caused this: "My body jerked. Just a little, like something inside recoiled". Natalie caught the movement. 'Recoiling' is an instinctive reaction usually from fear or disgust. From something that feels wrong. It's often a trigger of the innate 'fight or flight' mechanism. Natalie said: "...your name is Joshua Thomas Quinn. You were born October 19th, 2008, in Baltimore Maryland.” Josh let that information sink in. "But it felt wrong. Like wearing someone else’s clothes, technically a fit, but not mine. “It doesn’t feel right,” I said quietly. “I mean… it’s not a bad name. But it doesn’t feel like mine.” And States don't get information wrong, but although Josh's fingerprints match those on file for a child adoption, there is: “No baby picture, no family photo. Just legal paperwork. Birth certificate, adoption decree..." So no face to match a name? Also no school or other records. No history. Like it was put together to fit a profile? Better news arrives with Trooper Daniel Kincaid that gives both him and Josh some much needed relief. Daniel and his family want to 'foster' Josh once he's well enough to be released from hospital. And Daniel isn't concerned that Josh might be gay, since the older of he and his wife's two sons is gay. So Josh has a safe place to live, protected by a Virginia State Trooper. Hmm, snow covered road, somewhere in northern VA, close to MD where Josh's "legal paperwork" originated.

And with that, a neglected Editor's forgotten drawer pops open and a poem fell out. Written by Sir Walter Scott in 1808, it begins with the phrase: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”. I am not implying that @Jeff Burton is trying deceive us or lead us astray. Perhaps we mis-red something. Or we're just hard of herring. 😉 Now "deceive" doesn't literally have to mean "lie". But it may mean that complications arise from a domino effect of constructing one thing to explain another, only to eventually run out of control.

When Trooper Daniel returns he will bring both good and sad news. Despite the dashboard and driver's door frame VIN # being destroyed by the fire (more on that 'too big' conflagration later), since all vehicles after 1987 have VIN # etched on the engine block, transmission and other parts (+2), they were able to identify the owner and DNA matched his parents. Which means they know know his identity. Police were also able to locate CCTV traffic video showing his parent's car being followed, and a license plate. 📹

The road to slow and steady recovery, suddenly takes a curve and heads down QAF Liberty Avenue 🏳️‍🌈 ? "My brain exploded with images. Rainbow flags. Rainbow confetti. Rainbow fireworks. Marching drag queens at Pride. Except it was worse. They were all in perfect formation, marching like it was a Communist military parade. Boots stomping in unison. Behind them came the bears, (OH MY), who were being chased by twinks with daddy issues. One of them turned to me in my mind’s eye, winked, and shouted, “YEP! STILL GAY!” And now, our “Sixteen?” year old victim, who still has no clue WHO he is, makes a sudden revelation to Nurse Rodney that, “I think I’m gay,” I muttered. Better a 'cute' "I’ll be your primary RN during day shift, nurse Rodney", than Nurse Ratchet from 'Cuckoo's Nest'. (You can now ALL stop drooling over visions of Sponge Baths. Shame on you 🙄.)

@Jeff Burton you have hooked us from the 'get go'. A young boy, a backseat passenger in a (family?) car, barely survives a wreck, extricates himself and drags himself from certain death to imminent one? But before the blackness swallows him: "...a whisper in the back of my mind: Don’t forget me". Before that happens, and in the struggle to free himself from a death trap: "...something slipped free from my jacket pocket, brushing past my hand on the way down. It hit the door beneath me with a dull clink. Small. Metal. I didn’t know what it was, but something in me did. A flicker of importance sparked in the back of my mind...'that thing matters', a voice whispered". Not the 'thunk' of a cellphone, but that "... dull clink. Small. Metal." Perhaps an ID bracelet? And then, the description from Trooper Daniel of the car to Doctor Leah: “No. You got anything from the car?” Daniel shook his head. “Plate was charred, VIN barely readable. The whole thing is ashes. We uh found two bodies inside the car, the driver and front passenger. No ID on either yet.” Leah frowned. “His Parents? He didn’t strike me as a runaway.” "Probably. The way that car crashed, it was at high speeds." "In that weather?" Leah asked. "We found a second set of tracks near the scene that don't match up." "So what, they were being chased?" "Possibly. But there's no witnesses, no cameras, hell there's nothing at this point. Just a car that didn't stay on the road." Who was chasing the boy and his parents? Intent on running them off the road? To kill them all? Road rage or something more evil?

A promise as legally binding as the paper it's not written on. Even IF it was a written agreement, it would not stand up in any Court when involving a possible minor.

From what I know (don't ask) when the mental flood gates open, the deluge can be overwhelming to say the least. For Leon it will be reliving what happened when Mark raped him as a young boy. His previous counselor(s) will know how to address ongoing PTSD. For Steven, it could be horrendous to (a) re-live what he did in killing Mark to save Leon, and (b) figure out how to live with that and the PTSD which will affect him going forward. Michael will be a key player in Steven's recovery and "Living with it." IF / when Steven visualizes in his dreams (more than likely) what he saw when he repeatedly shot Mark, that's often life long baggage. 💓🙏 Well written chapter handled with empathy Lee. On a lighter topic, as for "the back 9", if there's enough grass acreage, loan it out to some hobby farmer with sheep or goats. They won't overgraze, and you might strike a deal in return for fresh Goat (or Chèvre) Cheese 🧀 or perhaps lamb chops 🍽️ ?