Sunday Snippet: Make the Call

Whew. What a week in TV. Lots of good stuff going on.

The Flash had a fun episode. I'm rather interested in the behind the scenes manipulation going on and discovering more about that. Also interested to see what happens with Caitlyn when Katee Sackhoff's character enters the narrative.

Legends of Tomorrow is still terrific. I'm hoping they dive into the big threat looming over them sometime soon.

Arrow ended up being better than expected. I want to know what Diggle has himself into and how bad it's going to bite the team on their asses. Also loved Oliver and Felicity helping William out and discovering they work well as a team. The FBI agent is already annoying me. We'll see if that ends up being a good thing or not.

I missed Gotham and need to catch up. Not sure when I'll get a chance, but it should be soon.

Riverdale, you're killing me. There's so much I'm loving but the one thing I'm not on board with—yet—is Hermione and whatever the hell pod person has taken over her character. I kind of love the relationship she had with Veronica last season and right now… not so much. We'll see if it smooths out, similar to Alice last year. I trust the show to make it happen.

Finally watched the finale for Teen Wolf and I'm kind of thrilled with how it ended. I'm very happy with everyone's place and how their stories were resolved—with one exception. I so wanted Monroe to die a slow, painful death. The fact she escaped annoys me to no end. Grr.

Got caught up on Murdoch Mysteries. So far, I'm excited for the new season. I have so much love for this show, which considering it's in its eleventh season, is saying something.

I have my holiday television and movie list all put together and ready to watch. The Hallmark Channels launched their festive season this weekend and I plan to catch a bunch of fare on both channels. Seriously, I won't mind overdosing on the merry happenings right now. The world is a crazy place… why not have some happy, happy, joy, joy in life?

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Make the Call, a novella that started with a two-word prompt of "patience, child".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Gia Pimm has everything she wants, but a reminder from her mother—that Gia will always suffer when good things happen—makes her walk away from Nolan Curry. But when she needs antibiotics, she swallows her pride and makes a call to the man who has them—Nolan.

And a sneaky peek…

Gia came home to find Rand gone. Again.

Shaking her head, she stomped out of their yurt. "Damn the man." She stopped, dragging in a deep breath.

She couldn't get too angry. He'd left because she didn't come home last night. His way of taking some pride back.

She started toward the arena… more like a huge tent with three sparring fields… one of the places he liked to hunker down and lick his wounds—both physical and mental. Of course, he could avoid the physical if he stayed away from the nightly fights, which he wouldn't do as long as she didn't come home.

A vicious circle of her own creation.

Halfway to the makeshift arena, Gia bumped into the colony leader. "Hi, Lila. Have you seen Rand today?" The woman had her thumb on the pulse of the entire community.

Lila gave Gia a tight smile. "Actually, I was just coming to find you. Yes, I've seen him. In medical." She looped her arm around Gia's and altered their direction.

Gia went along, but her heart sank. "How bad is it?" Her mind filled with images of broken bones and stitches.

Lila paused outside the entrance. "It's not what you're thinking. He's not injured from spectacles he participates in." Her distaste came through in her tone.

Lila didn't stop the men from conducting their nightly bouts but she didn't approve of their need to be aggressive off the clock. The community had too much work to do before the cold season set in. If they failed to get the land ready for the incoming settlers, the federation would pull their support.

Gia didn't want to get sucked into an argument over how the federation put too much pressure on the terraforming teams. After being on both sides, she understood each viewpoint, but couldn't offer any answers. She doubted a solution would be forthcoming anytime soon.

Gia nodded toward the medical facility. "So what's going on with Rand?"

Lila tugged her over to the small seating area outside the building. "He's been fighting one of the local viruses. The aides warned him last time—"

Gia cut in. "Wait. He's been here before?" Why didn't she know?

Because she'd been too busy not spending time with her significant other for reasons she'd rather not ponder at the moment.

Lila quirked a brow. "Yes, at least twice. He's been instructed to stay away from the bouts because his immunity is low. He should've been able to weather the symptoms and build a natural resilience to the virus, but he's not taking their advice." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "We're very low on antibiotics and the doctors only want to use them in extreme cases. Since Rand didn't listen and follow their recommendation, they're not inclined to administer what they have."

Meaning her boyfriend defined idiot on a whole new level. Gia wouldn't touch on her part in the scenario yet.

She met Lila's gaze. "What's his prognosis?" Had to be serious if Lila came to find her.

The leader gave it to Gia straight. "Poor. He's pushed himself almost beyond help. Right now, he's being monitored and they're keeping him hydrated with an IV. But he's reached a stage where he can't fight the virus because his resistance is too low." She grasped Gia's hand. "I'm caught in a tough spot here."

Gia nodded. "You can't countermand one of your own stipulations and order them to provide antibiotics because it'll look like favoritism." Lila needed to show strength and let nature take its course. "Dammit. Men can be utterly stupid sometimes, especially ones who aren't getting their way all the time." Like Rand… who showed an annoyingly childish disposition when she thwarted whatever grand vision of the future he had planned.

Lila smiled. "Men don't have a lock on being stupid, dear. Humans, in general, make life messy." She squeezed Gia's hand, the only acknowledgment the leader would give about Gia's ongoing relationship problems.

Gia sighed. "What can I do here? I mean what are my options to keep him from getting worse?" She might not full spousal privileges—didn't want them either—but there had to be something she could do.

Lila tilted her head to one side. "Well… you're former military; you could liaise with Captain Curry and maybe get an allotment from him." Her gentle tone spoke louder any recriminations could.

Gia's head spun and her heart pounded. Liaise with Nolan? Roberts had no idea what she asked of Gia. Okay, Lila totally did. She'd been privy to the details, in fact demanded them when Gia applied for a civilian post.

Could I be more responsible for this fiasco?

The short answer? No. The weight of Rand's dilemma rested firmly on Gia's shoulders.

Fighting the free-fall feeling of helplessness, she launched into all the reasons why Roberts's request sucked. "Look, there's no way I can just call Nolan and ask for something. Hell, anything. He won't be inclined to help… especially if I'm the one making contact." She shook her head. "God… why did Rand have to be so juvenile?" Okay, the why stood to reason. "Now my current boyfriend is in bad shape and the only way to help him is to beg my former lover for the meds he needs. Can this situation get any more stupid? Can men?" She sent the leader a scathing glance. "I'm sorry, Lila, humans make messes, but throw in a man's pride and those messes take on epic proportions." Dragging in air, she went on. "And I don't want to do this. I can't. Isn't there anyone else? I mean how much time does Rand have?"

Lila put an arm around Gia. "Slow down. Calm down." She patted Gia's shoulder. "Yes, the request could come from the head of medical, but I think you know what will happen. The official log will show the request and requisition. If it comes from outside the chain, we can avoid the official nature of asking." Her lips curved in an understanding smile. "Which doesn't make it any easier for you, I know."

Gia shot up and paced back and forth. "Shit, shit, shit. Fine." She stopped. "You're right. I'll suck it up and deal with Nolan. In fact, I'll just go in now and—" She started for the door.

Lila grabbed Gia's arm, pulling her down to sit again. "Patience, child. There's no need to go off half-cocked. Take some time to figure out what you want to say first." She gave Gia's hand a squeeze. "But make the call. It'll ease your mind and maybe keep Rand from pushing so hard all the time."

Gia dreaded the idea, but Roberts had it right. The less official paperwork attached to the request, the better for the colonists. The kick of guilt because Rand landed in the medical because she never stuck around didn't sit well with Gia. She needed to do something about the relationship, one that shouldn't have happened, but only after she got him back on his feet.

She heaved a sigh. "Okay, I'll figure out what to say then I'll make the call. Give me a few minutes then I'll come in."

Lila nodded and got up, heading into the medical building to give Gia some space to think.

She snorted. "Doesn't really matter what I say. Nolan's gonna bust my chops no matter what." And she deserved whatever he dished out.

She really couldn't point fingers and men and their stupidity. She'd made the biggest mistake of her life when she walked out on Nolan. Hooking up with Rand proved to be the second biggest. She needed to fix both and making amends wouldn't be easy. But she'd reached a point where she had to at least try.

Getting up, she squared her shoulders. "Time to face my demons." She strode forward and entered the medical building.

I like writing couples who've made poor choices and need to redeem themselves. Gia is definitely paying the piper for her past decisions.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye