Sunday Snippet: Quality of Care

Man. Whatever alignment the planets are in has been wrecking things in my house lately. After the washing machine saga, our coffeemaker took a crap. It's less than a year old. Seriously … not the norm. But the good news is a new washer and coffeemaker should arrive sometime this week barring any other global server outages.

Had a super busy work week. Finished the holiday manuscript and received a mystery and a romance for copy edit. Picked back up with a novella I've been working on with an author for a while now and enjoying getting back into the groove of the book. Also had an author reach out about a new twist on a previous project. Really fun week!

I didn't get a lot of screentime this week, but I watched a few shows. I'm in a weird place with viewing. I want to watch stuff, but my brain isn't settled on exactly what. Kind of want to binge something with a lot of seasons for a while to see if that will reset the needle.

I loved the episode of My Life Is Murder. Actually really twisty with an interesting outcome. Once again, Madison shined. I love that character.

Caught another Best in Paradise. This one featured the farewell to Martha, which ended up being so funny and sad at the same time. Excellent episode.

Watched another Death in Paradise with the introduction of the new DS. Not completely sure if I like her or not. Stay tuned.

Started an episode of Elementary but struggled to stay focused so I'll finish it up this week.

And that's pretty much it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Quality of Care, a novella that brings a couple together during a very trying time.

Here's the miniblurb:

Stuck on the fringe of space, cut off by an enemy blockade, Phoebe Point and Dane Moragson keep their ragtag crewmembers from going stark, raving mad. When food rations become nonexistent, Phoebe and Dane plot a daring plan to improve the quality of care for their comrades—even if it means going against orders and risking court martial.

And a sneaky peek…

Dane sealed the hatch to the storage locker and met Phoebe by the middle rack of shelving. "I guess we should see what's in here." He opened the pouch and emptied the contents on a bare section.

Phoebe sucked in a breath and stared at the food. "I'm, uh, not sure where to begin." Her gaze skidded to Dane's.

Dane got her consternation. After going without for so long, the bounty on the counter seemed like a veritable feast. His mouth watered and his stomach gurgled at the thought of having something halfway appetizing. Phoebe's fingers twitched and her head tilted to one side. Her lower lip trembled a little.

Dane lifted his chin. "Do you want the dried fruit?" Before rationing, she had a preference for the sweet bits.

Phoebe's mouth worked for a moment, but she could only nod. Her face crumpled and she sagged, sinking to the floor. Dane dropped down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She'd been such a rock keeping him tethered, standing by his side, always there to get him through whatever crisis popped up. She deserved a tree to lean on, something—or someone—to offer a bit of shelter in the shitstorm they were trapped in.

She put her head on her knees, took a couple of deep breaths then pulled herself together. "I'm a little overwhelmed. I mean, I didn't think anyone gave a damn." She huffed out a breath. "And this generosity kinda blows me away." She clasped his hand and burrowed closer to his side. "I don't blame the crew for hoarding. Hell, I figure they deserve to have a little something to keep hope alive." Her lips twisted in wry grin.

Dane nodded. "Yeah, I've kept my mouth shut, deciding to let those who had stuff keep it until the very last possible moment." Which could be in the near future. "I'd only ask if it came down to life and death." He didn't want to think about that option.

But they might have to.

Phoebe raised her brows. "Haven't you felt like dying in the last two weeks?"

He lifted a shoulder. "Sometimes. The pain got intense a couple of times." If not for the supplements filled with vitamins and minerals, he didn't doubt the discomfort would be worse.

Phoebe lowered her voice. "Did you do the paper thing?"

The admiralty provided the suggestion when the blockade entered the third week. Try eating paper so the digestive track had something to move through it. Zero nutritional value, but the daily shots provided the necessary nutrients to keep them upright.

Dane grunted. "Yeah. Needed salt."

Phoebe sputtered with laughter and finally relaxed. She got to her feet and retrieved the food from the shelf. Sitting back down, she placed everything between them on the deck. They divvied up the items—the dried fruit, two candy bars, an energy bar, several MREs, a pack of jerky, and the crunchy chips they used to serve in the level ten galley.

Dane rifled through a couple of crates and found a case of bottled water. He handed one to Phoebe and kept one for himself.

Twisting the lid off, he toasted his container against hers. "Here's to this brief moment of downtime and sharing it together."

Phoebe flashed a smile. "I'll definitely drink to that." She tilted the bottle back and took a drink.

Dane also swigged some of the clear liquid, then carefully opened one of the candy bars.

Gotta say, I'm having fun with this story. It's a little dark but there's a lot of humor mixed in with the dire circumstances.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quality of Care

October is starting out really well and I hope it's a sign of things to come. My work projects have picked up again and I'm so happy! I'm also making progress on the great clean out again. I've also taken to spending fifteen to thirty minutes before I go to bed reading something that interests me. I've got a ton of new research books and I love digging into them.

Pretty decent week for television viewing. I watched four episodes of The Muppet Show. The guest stars were Shields and Yarnell, Dyan Cannon, Victor Borge, and Linda Lavin. Pretty good episodes all in all.

Caught two episodes of Prime Suspect, which finished out season four. So far, the episodes are standing up and I like revisiting them.

Watched two episodes of Peak Practice. Will said good-bye and headed for Bristol and the newly formed trio is finding their footing. The second episode ended up being quite dramatic with explosions and emergencies all around.

Enjoyed the second lesson of Master Class with Brandon McMillan. He focused on variables that make dogs unique. I already have some good information based on the two types of dogs I have.

Caught Making the Witcher and liked diving deep into how everything gets put together behind the scenes. I'll probably be starting a new show this week.

Enjoyed Artist to Icon: Madonna. She came onto the music scene in my early adulthood and I've always enjoyed her music. Nice to see some new information about her long and storied career.

Watched another episode of Classic Rugrats. As usual, I get sucked right back into the past when my oldest was a tiny baby and watching the show with my husband in the evenings.

Caught an episode of Chicago Med and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like how the relationships and friendships work on the show and even when the characters make me angry, I can see where they're coming from.

Loved the latest episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. Breen's discomfort whenever he tangled with the abrasive Trudy proved valid even if she ended up not quite fitting the mold most, including me, cast her in.

Watched the first part of Silent Witness. I remember this one but not how it turned out. I'm always interested when the characters end up on opposite sides of a case. Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out again.

Enjoyed Classic Who's finale arc of season nineteen. Looks like Teegan won't be returning for the twentieth season, leaving the Doctor with one companion. Should start the new season this week.

Finished out the season of UFO Conspiracies. I'll be starting a new UFO show this week and I'm kind of hoping it will be a good one.

That's pretty much it for this week. Tonight's post is from Quality of Care, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Stuck on the fringe of space, cut off by an enemy blockade, Phoebe Point and Dane Moragson keep their ragtag crewmembers from going stark, raving mad. When food rations become non-existent, Phoebe and Dane plot a daring plan to improve the quality of care for their comrades—even if it means going against orders and risking court martial.

And a sneaky peek…

Noell Bartof skirted by the latest altercation Captain Moragson and Lieutenant Point got in the middle of. The CAG and deputy CAG spent way too much time keeping the peace between hungry, cranky pilots.

Ducking into a recessed alcove, he waited for the two superior officers to march the bickering pilots in the direction of separate decks. "With food sources being low, everyone's on edge." And with an enemy blockade between the space station and supply lanes, tempers would only get worse. "Ha. Try frayed beyond anything." Stepping out, Noell followed along behind Dane and Phoebe.

He got a good look at each and both looked dull and down. Then again, the duo had been making sure the other pilots got taken care of first—on top of playing babysitter and nanny along with maintaining some semblance of a flight roster. Noell hadn't seen either smile in over a week. Other than the morale boosting kind that didn't quite reach their eyes.

And even they'd been surly and snappish, but only with each other, and in such a quiet way it freaked everyone out. If Moragson and Point reached their breaking point, the whole station would be screwed. Noell doubted the top brass had any kind of clue how much the lower ranks relied on the CAG and deputy CAG to keep order and calm below decks. Or the toll it took on both.

He stopped. "Screw that." Time for someone to take care of the caregivers and Noell would start the process.

He ducked into the small gym on D-deck and glanced around. Empty. Good. He made his way to the heavy bag and peeled back the duct tape covering a torn section. Reaching inside, he withdrew a small pouch and opened the bag. He shook two small candy bars into his palm from the secret stash he'd hidden in case rationing got even worse.

Closing the pouch, he tucked it back inside the heavy bag. "This isn't enough. I gotta get more." Resealing the tape, he stuffed the candy into his pocket and retraced his steps.

First stop … pilot quarters. He'd bet his next full meal—if he ever got another one—he'd find others who had a little something squirreled away. And he wasn't above using blackmail and extortion to get it.

"Everyone's gonna give a little of what they have."

Or look like an ass if they didn't.

This story is set up a little differently from what I usually do and I'm enjoying the challenge of writing from a somewhat unique perspective by adding a third party POV.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quality of Care

Well… half the year gone and I have no idea where it went. LOL I have some terrific news. My oldest kidlet, on his twenty-fifth birthday and fifth anniversary of dating his girlfriend, proposed and she said yes. I'll be welcoming a new daughter-in-law in the next year or so. She's already part of the family… the marriage will only make it official. Congratulations to both!

Good television viewing week. I started off with Endeavor and caught two episodes. Glad I was able to watch the opener for series three not long after the end of series two. That was kind of a cliffhanger.

Gotham went and changed all the rules again. I have so much love for this show. I truly think season four is its best yet. Everyone finally came into their roles and the cast and plotlines all meshed together in a brilliant fashion. I can't wait for season five. Seriously.

Caught two more episodes of Chicago Fire and Blindspot. I'm truly curious about where Roman is going with everything. I'm also hopeful he ends up not being a raging dickhole. Probably not much chance he won't be, but, yeah, here's hoping.

Also caught two episodes of Sense8 and Fearless. I'm getting into Sense8. It's not as hard to follow as I thought it would be. I'm excited to see where the rest of season one goes. Fearless is kind of relentless. I'm somewhat saddened the US person is such a raging bitch. Terrific actress though.

Krypton's first season is excellent. I have the finale to watch then it's wait, wait, wait for the next season. Argh!

I didn't get to finish Archangel on the app I was watching it on, so I'll have to find it on Netflix. I did finish up The Ghost Squad and, honestly, not a bad show. A little ambiguous, but quite enjoyable. I'm still working my way through the later seasons of Midsomer Murders and should be starting series twelve soon. On the rewatch front, I'm hitting The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Band of Brothers, and Strike Back's fourth season. I'm gearing up to watch the most recent season of Strike Back so I can be ready for season six when one of my favorite actors joins the cast.

Also caught another episode of Constantine and two more episodes of Classic Who. Mutant X has joined my lineup of shows I'm revisiting.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quality of Care, a novella that started from a writing community prompt of creating a story built around the main characters being in a tough spot or feeling worn out, whatever the case, and they're depressed, or someone else thinks they are and they need help.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Stuck on the fringe of space, cut off by an enemy blockade, Phoebe Point and Dane Moragson keep their ragtag crewmembers from going stark, raving mad. When food rations become non-existent, Phoebe and Dane plot a daring plan to improve the quality of care for their comrades—even if it means going against orders and risking court-martial.

And a sneaky peek…

Noell brought a bag, a small one, out from behind his back. "This is for you two." He opened the pouch to show its contents.

Phoebe glanced up, meeting Dane's gaze before shifting her attention to Noell. "Where did you get this?" The sack contained more food than Phoebe had seen for a very long time.

Dane shook his head. "He doesn't need to answer, Phoebs. Let's thank him instead of putting him on the spot." His hand closed around the offering.

Phoebe winced. "Yeah, sorry. Thank you." She couldn't quite wrap her head around the generosity.

Noell flashed a quick smile. "Look, why don't you two hit the storage locker next to aft control junction and have some downtime." He shuffled from side to side, clearly a little uncomfortable.

Phoebe tilted her head. "Why?"

Dane asked the same. "Yeah, while appreciated, this gesture is surprising to say the least." He shook the bag, almost like the food might disappear.

Noell lifted a shoulder. "The reason is simple, really. Even though the pilots don't always show it, they get it. How much you guys do." He paced, making a slow back and forth across the width of the corridor. "Trying to keep the peace, breaking up the throwdowns over rations, boosting morale." He paused. "And even if no one will admit it, they also know Dane gives up his share every third day to keep the numbers even." He nodded toward Phoebe. "And Phoebe skips assigned eating times so someone else can have more." He folded his arms over his chest. "Well, it's your turn. Someone has to take care of you guys, too. And the quality of care you two strive for matters… to everyone." A blush stained his cheeks. "We just forget to show how much it means sometimes."

Phoebe reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. "We appreciate it, but we're doing our jobs." And would continue until one or both were dead.

Dane clapped Noell on the shoulder. "What she means is thank you. We'll take the downtime and enjoy a brief break from work." He started off in the direction of the storage locker.

Phoebe sent Noell a quick glance. "Will you be okay? If anyone has the smallest regret, their reaction could blow back on you."

Noell shrugged again. "I'm a big boy, Lieutenant. I'll handle whatever fallout—if there is any—that comes my way."

Phoebe nodded. Noell had a good head on his shoulders. If he said he'd be okay, he'd be just fine. With a quick, wobbly smile, she turned and caught up with Dane. The lack of sleep, hunger, and high-stress of the past few weeks had her emotions all over the place.

A brief respite should help her get things back under control.

I kind of like the somber tone with spots of humor in this story. Here's hoping the rest comes together the way I hope it will.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quality of Care

May 31, 2015

Wow. School's out for summer where I'm located and I have to say now that my kids are older; we're busier in the summer sometimes than during the school year. LOL

Okay, I've forgiven Orphan Black for killing off one of my favorite characters. But as I figured, the show still blows my mind. Seriously, I'm always amazed by what I see on my screen.

Bitten turned up the crazy with this week's episode. I forgot how truly creepy the show was this past season. Alestair taking over Clay's body was something of a joy to watch though. Kudos to both actors for pulling the swap off.

Really looking forward to Defiance's return in a week or two. Watched a catch up marathon, which got me revved up for the new episodes. I have a character or two I'd be happy to see meet their end the season. LOL

And I'm almost done with mainlining Teen Wolf. I'm slowing down so I don't have long to wait for new episodes. Very excited to see how the rest of season four plays out.

Enough TV… tonight's post is from Quality of Care, a novella that puts my main characters in a dangerous situation.

Here's the tagline:

Stuck on the fringe of space, cut off by an enemy blockade, Phoebe Point and Dane Moragson keep their ragtag crewmembers from going stark, raving mad. When food rations become non-existent, Phoebe and Dane plot a daring plan to improve the quality of care for their comrades—even if it means going against orders and risking court martial.

And a sneaky peek…

Noell brought a bag, a small one, out from behind his back. "This is for you two." He opened the pouch to show its contents.

Phoebe glance up, meeting Dane's gaze before shifting her attention to Noell. "Where did you get this?" The sack contained more food than Phoebe had seen for a very long time.

Dane shook his head. "He doesn't need to answer, Phoebs. Let's thank him instead of putting him on the spot." His hand closed around the offering.

Phoebe winced. "Yeah, sorry. Thank you." She couldn't quite wrap her head around the generosity.

Noell flashed a quick smile. "Look, why don't you two hit the storage locker next to aft control junction and have some downtime." He shuffled from side to side, clearly a little uncomfortable.

Phoebe tilted her head. "Why?"

Dane asked the same. "Yeah, while appreciated, this gesture is surprising to say the least." He shook the bag, almost like the food might disappear.

Noell lifted a shoulder. "The reason is simple, really. Even though the pilots don't always show it, they get it. How much you guys do." He paced, making a slow back and forth across the width of the corridor. "Trying to keep the peace, breaking up the throw downs over rations, boosting morale." He paused. "And even if no one will admit it, they also know Dane gives up his share every third day to keep the numbers even." He nodded toward Phoebe. "And Phoebe skips assigned eating times so someone else can have more." He folded his arms over his chest. "Well, it's your turn. Someone has to take care of you guys, too. And the quality of care you two strive for matters… to everyone." A blush stained his cheeks. "We just forget to show how much it means sometimes."

Phoebe reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. "We appreciate it, but we're doing our jobs." And would continue until one or both were dead.

Dane clapped Noell on the shoulder. "What she means is thank you, we'll take the downtime and enjoy a brief break from work." He started off in the direction of the storage locker.

Phoebe sent Noell a quick glance. "Will you be okay? If anyone has the smallest regret, their reaction could blow back on you."

Noell shrugged again. "I'm a big boy, Lieutenant. I'll handle whatever fallout—if there is any—that comes my way."

Phoebe nodded. Noell had a good head on his shoulders. If he said he'd be okay, he'd be just fine. With a quick, wobbly smile, she turned and caught up with Dane. The lack of sleep, hunger, and high-stress of the past few weeks had her emotions all over the place.

A brief respite should help her get things back under control.

The somber tone of this story is actually fun to work with, which probably sounds bizarre. I'm enjoying this one so much.

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

ML Skye