Mancunian

There's not much anyone can add to the previous comments. But I wish Craig well in his quest against the evil witch, sorry I mean Carly. Yes, I am rooting for Jared and my namesake, Craig, why wouldn't I? I do have a question though, did you mean to name Craig's evil twin Carly, or did you get confused with Karen? Or am I being unfair to the Karens of this world?

And the emotion spills over into this chapter. Is that what the chapter title refers to? I ask because we definitely have a flood of emotion in this story. There is Carly's anger, which needs to calm down but probably won't. Then there is the sibling rivalry, which appears to be one-sided and emanates from Carly, another good reason for her to calm down. And then, there is the grief. Craig is still grieving the loss of Harlan. Craig may have made a lot of progress, but he is still grieving, and Carly is grieving the loss of her relationship, okay, it's not the same, but it is still grief. I don't know how things will work out, but I know that none of it is going to be easy. How Craig and Carly's mum is hanging on to her sanity, I don't know, is she a saint? Reading this is going to be an eventful ride.

With everything going on here, I decided I wanted a story to keep me occupied and not give me too much time to think, and boy, did I find it here. This is a great opening for what I know will be a great story. This first chapter is so full of emotion, and not all of it is good, it got my heart racing. What's going to happen next, I don't know, but what I do know is this: it's going to be explosive, and life will get harder for these guys before it gets better. I know I'm right in thinking this will be good, as it took longer to read the comments than it did to read the chapter! Thanks for a great start to this story, Gary, now I'm going to make the most of binge-reading a complete story and go straight to chapter 2.

I'm okay, the doctors and nurses are looking after me and they are doing a good job.

Thank you, Albert. I appreciate the sentiment, my friend. Back to reading for me.

I don't know what to say, so I'm posting this instead, but please, no tears. I love you guys.

After an enforced weekend off from GA, I see that nothing has changed, not that I expected it to, lol. Nothing is going to plan, and I've all but abandoned writing for now, at least. I've sent Terry what I have written, and I'm leaving it up to him to decide what to do with it. Emotionally, I'm shot, and the meds are not helping much. I'll pop in when I can just to catch up, but for now, I'm going to catch up on some reading. Have fun guys.

I know it's late but I've been a bit under the weather lately. Happy Birthday Nick, I hope it was a good one. 🥂

Just a very good dream about the hunky new nurse. No pills or hallucinations were needed, but hey, there's no harm in dreaming.

My mom and aunt used to make it. They would do it together, and it was amazing. I found one that tastes similar, and I buy a bunch of it every year. I forget the name, but I recognize the packaging when I see it. I like to make my own, made to my dad's recipe, which contains lots of brandy. It's the closest I get to having anything alcoholic.

Hi Albert. I slept very well, thank you. Steven, the nurse, returned to my bed and hushed me as he didn't want the other patients disturbed. Then we made out before having hot, steamy, passionate sex before I fell as deep, feeling secure in his arms. Then, a different nurse woke me up for breakfast, that's when I realised I'd been dreaming, but at least it was a hot and steamy dream. lol 😜

I should be asleep right now, but I've been chatting with the new night nurse He's quite a hunk and very dishy, I think I'll have some nice dreams tonight. 😜

It's a week from today, on the 10th.

My favourite is a chocolate sponge layer cake with cherry jam filling and smothered in chocolate flavour icing, lol. It's not very healthy, but it's delicious.

Hi Albert. A couple of days ago the doctors put me back on the list as a priority, which makes me feel hopeful. They have told me that if a kidney becomes available recovery will take longer than before so I just have to wait it out. It looks like I may be spending my birthday in the hospital, but it won't be the first time that's happened, I'll still find a way to celebrate.

Mince pies have been in our supermarkets for the last two months, and I'm happy about that as I love them. I'll be buying some when I get out of here.

With Jake's return, he and Danny are starting to make plans. Danny is already discovering that there are things he hadn't thought about, like his needing his birth certificate and taking photos of his family for when he feels homesick. Feeling homesick and missing family hasn't crossed Danny's mind, how will he cope when it strikes? Will Danny be able to keep his head and not let on what he is planning now that he has started packing and withdrawn his savings? I hope so, or his plans could come crashing down. I also wonder if Jake has thought things out properly, is he ready to commit to Danny? And has he checked out the commune fully, is he sure it is not some elaborate scam?

There are some in here who may be in their third childhood and definitely some who never left their first. I won't name anyone but they know who they are, lol.

It's something I'm used too, although it does piss me off at times, it's been a way of life for me since childhood. According to my sister at nearly 44 I'm entering my second childhood, lol.

I'm reading this from a hospital bed, lol.

Is there any way that social services will help them? They can't leave a child on the streets.

Well, @raven1 can't have meant me, I'm hardly around to get up to any mischief. lol.

Steven is another survivor; they are a family of survivors. Steven's run-through of events was rushed, although it did contain some previously untold detail. I think he tried to get through it all quickly as if it was leaving a nasty taste in his mouth. I'm not surprised, as I'd probably feel like that if it had been me. His account, like Nick's and Jill's, is full of anxiety and emotion, which makes it feel more real.

Danny and Nate's friendship may feel like it is coming to a close, but it isn't, it is only entering a new phase, one where they may be apart physically but always together in their hearts. I can understand Danny's nervousness, but he is on the cusp of his future and has much to look forward to. Yes, he will make mistakes, and not everything will be plain sailing, this is an opportunity to discover himself and grow as a person fully. Knowing he has a good friend will help him in more ways than he can imagine. Hopefully, he will always have a home to come back to, whether it be with his family or Nate, who is as good as a brother. I know he will worry about Pete and leaving him with Brad, but if he has the hard conversation that is needed and trusts in his friendship with Nate, Pete will be okay and have someone he can rely on if he needs them. We can only hope that Jake is going into this with his eyes open, knowing that life will not be a bed of roses, and has patience with Danny when it is needed.

Jill The Badass tells her story like a true survivor, and that is exactly what she is; a survivor. Luckily, she had the right sort of love from Brendan and the support of a therapist to help her. But her determination and refusal to allow the past to define her made her the loving and caring mother, wife and nurse that she became. Andrew was a great boyfriend, a model of a true gentleman by giving Jill all the time, space, love and support that he could. While it is true that often the abused become the abusers, that is largely true for those who do not receive or accept support and therapy; those who accept it usually make a recovery to varying degrees and rarely become abusers.