Jillian Chantal

Time for Tuesday Tales again. This week, the authors are writing to the word prompt White. I am still in my ghost story. Our heroine is talking to a new nurse on her floor.

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“Not someone. Some thing.” Anne’s face was pale

“What’s that?”

In response, Anne sat hard in the chair. She put her head in her hands and sobbed. “This young guy flipped his car. They took him to surgery and it all looked good, but then he just closed a few minutes ago. I was watching as they worked on him, praying he’d be okay. But he’s not.” Anne looked up, tears streaking her face. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this. Maybe I need to be on the obstetrics floor instead. All that new life. I’m not cut out for death.”

Lu knelt beside the girl’s chair. “Let me tell you, sadly, there is the possibility of death on every floor of this hospital. A death in that particular area hits extra hard.”

“Then maybe I’m not meant to be a nurse at all.”

“You did practice rounds on different levels in school, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Anne took a shuddering breath. “And I loved the work but I wasn’t faced with this at all. The reality is, I don’t think I can handle this.”

“Can I tell you a little story?” Lu stood and walked around her desk and took a seat.

“Of course.”

Lu slid a box of tissues across the desk. “Dry your tears and sit up.”

When Anne was situated, Lu opened her desk drawer and pulled out a small box. She slid that across the desk toward the young nurse in the same path as the tissue box took.

Anne opened the box and looked down. “This is lovely with the green and white striped ribbon. Looks like an Army bird on the medal. What is this?”

“It’s an Army Commendation Medal. It’s awarded for heroism, meritorious service, or meritorious achievement.”

Anne picked it up out of the case. “It’s beautiful. Who does it belong to?”

Lu shrugged. “Me.”

Eyes wide, Anne said, “You were in the Army? What did you do that was heroic?”

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt slow. I’m working on the same story as the last weeks. Our heroine and hero are in his car driving toward her house.

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“So what’s the next step then?”

“I have a ton of reports to read through from all those witness statements taken by uniformed officers last night. Can take you home.”

“Might as well. Aneto probably would like a walk and the afternoon parade should already be underway so we should have a clear path past Garden Street.”

“Glad you reminded me about the parade. I’d normally turn on Palafox to get to your house and we’ll need to go on past there to Alcaniz.”

“That’s actually the way I’d go to my house. More of straight shot.”

“Not from Cervantes.”

Lu shook her head. “You go ahead and tell yourself that.”

He grinned over at her. “I like Palafox as it’s straight down and one turn. Your way is more convoluted.”

“Let’s just agree to disagree.”

Malcolm drove on and they were soon where Mobile Highway and Cervantes Street merged. “I swear, people drive crazy on this stretch of road. It’s a thirty-five zone and not one car out here is going that speed.”

“Including you.” Lu laughed.

“Going with the flow here.”

“Flip on that dashboard light and see how fast they slow down.”

“Tempting, but no. If I do that, I’ll have to pull at least one over. Last week, an officer flipped his basically to get out of a traffic jam and someone reported him. He got a reprimand.”

“Well, I have to say I agree with that. No one who is in a position of authority should abuse it that way. Especially since regular people like me still have to sit in traffic.”

Malcolm’s phone rang. He pushed the button from the cradle where the phone sat in order to answer hands free. “Godfrey.”

“Malcolm, it’s Chris. We have another body.”

Malcolm’s face went white. “Same as the others?”

“Yeah. Exactly. Beads and Moon Pies as well as garroting.”

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt, heart. I am still in the same story as I’ve been working on forever.

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Lu stood and took her cup to the sink, wracking her brain for where else they celebrated the day before Lent began.

She snapped her fingers. “I think Venice. I seem to recall they have a big to-do there.”

She returned to her lap top but before she could finish putting on the search for holidays in Venice, her phone rang.

When she saw it was Malcolm, she accepted the call. “Are you ready for me to bring your car to the station?”

“Yeah. I told Mom I’d be home in an hour. She was getting ready to cook for the girls but I told her I’d take them out for pizza since I missed most of the day with them. I figured you can get me and we’ll all eat together before we bring you back to your house.” He cleared his throat. “Unless you’ve already eaten.”

“No. I haven’t. I had some cocoa I let get cold and hot pizza sounds pretty good. Do you think Magdalena and Violet will mind me horning in on their dad time?”

“They love having you around, so I think that’s a no.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. “All right then. I’ll be there shortly.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Has Chris left the station?”

“Not yet, but he’s putting on his coat. He and one of the new trainee officers are going to speak to this Brandon’s family. He had his ID in his wallet, but we had a hard time finding a relative. His last name is different than his next of kin.”

Lu pulled her own coat on. “I’m on my way. You can tell me how you found them when I get there.”

“That’s my girl. No taking on the cell phone while driving.”

Him calling her his girl made her heart leap.