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Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 7 Hillbilly Tactics. Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   The TV flashed, losing a digital telephone ring, and I grabbed the remote from the table and accepted the call. "Hey, Harrison," said the man on the other end. He was another lab coat, and as best I could tell from the blurry background he was likely in the same facility or even the same room as Doctor Varma had been. This guy looked like he'd stepped right out of a corny television show though; he was blubbery in the way that a guy could be after a couple of decades of slow physical decline, with a burst of thinning silver hair that just needed the black streaks and some smudges on his face to look like he'd been catoonishly blown up. The bit of scraggly, messy scruff on his chin that looked unplanned made me a little self-conscious of my own currently messy beard. Erica had wanted me to grow mine out a bit so she could decide if she liked it longer or shorter, and Ivy didn't care, so I was looking even more like a mountain man than usual. "I'm Doctor McKenna, but you can call me Bill," he continued. "You're on Doc Varma's team?" I asked, putting two and two together. "Yep," he nodded. "I was supposed to do the follow-up interview with you but got caught up with some of the numbers in your case. Charlotte and I have both reviewed the content. Sounds like you had a bit of a wild time, huh? And don't worry, we're all getting pretty used to the graphic nature of our work these days so you didn't offend or embarrass anyone." "Well, that's something at least," I said. "I never thought I'd be having a conversation like that with a doctor. Or anyone." He got a wry grin at this and held up a hand to ease me. "Believe me, Harrison. I've been with the team from the start and we have had more than a few of these sorts of conversations based on the nature of the vaccine. Yours is definitely up there as a novel case of details, but it's only personal for you, not us." I just nodded, not knowing what to say. I hadn't considered how often sex must come up in their day-to-day work if they were specialists. "Now, I have; well, I can't say it's good nor bad news," Doctor Bill said. "Interesting for us, for sure. As I'm sure you're aware, as you have two partners already, the vaccine is supposed to only be transmissible from women to men for the purposes of diluting the effects on men. To be frank, no one here on the team had considered the possibility of transferring and initiating a bonding process from one woman to another through female ejaculate. It doesn't help that most of the science community, those that would even think of it, haven't exactly spent time studying female ejaculate to begin with. So your situation wasn't tested for, but as far as we can tell it still shouldn't have been able to happen." "So what does that mean, doc?" I asked. "It means that you, or one of your current partners, or some combination, integrated with the vaccine and imprinting process in an exceptional way. A variant response is how we're categorizing it at the moment, and to be frank it's not even one of the most surprising ones we've encountered as the testing continues to broaden. As best we can tell from your interview, it's likely that Miss Peters was vaccinated through the oral ingestion of the female ejaculate; all the markers of a normal imprinting process occur when you began actual sex together. "Now, the really interesting part of this on my end is obviously the fact that this happened at all, but following the results of the blood tests from the Testing facility up where you are, and the preliminary tests we've completed on the samples that got flown down to us here, we've found that it isn't likely to be a phenomenon that is worth pursuing. Unfortunately, while Miss Peters is certainly going to be imprinted on you to some degree, it also seems that the efficacy of the vaccine in her system will be well under our current rates. Right now our projection is that she will only have an efficacy rate of about thirty-five to forty per cent, while a woman who has undergone our current best practices has an efficacy of somewhere around the eightieth percentile." I had to rub my forehead and close my eyes for a long moment as I tried to parse everything he was saying. "So what does that mean, Doctor Bill?" I asked. "It means that Miss Peters is now part of your 'Team,' he said. "That's what I've been calling the groups of imprinted people colloquially around here, anyways. But where your other two partners have a high likelihood of staving off the Duo Halo virus, if Miss Peters is exposed she is about half as likely to resist initial infection or gain serious aid in fighting off an infection she catches." "So we've put her at risk by having casual sex with her," I said. "Fuck me, this is exactly the kind of shit that I was worried about when she asked to join in with us." "Yes and no," he said. "To be frank, it's entirely possible that her integration with the vaccine will grow and normalize over time with repeated exposure to you. The staff up there will book some follow-up blood draws to check in on that. One of the many things were are trying to understand about the vaccine is how sex bolsters imprinted partners. Generally, we haven't seen that happen for women, since they can't have more than one imprinted male partner, but the more partners men are in contact with the more efficacy we're seeing." "So you're saying she's stuck with me," I said. "She asked for no-strings-attached, and she got trapped into a sexual relationship." "You could look at it that way," he said. "But,” "But," Doc Varma said, coming into view on his end of the call and hovering over his shoulder. "I would remind you, Mr. Black, that she did choose to initiate a group sexual encounter with you and your partners. And once she is awake from the imprinting process, I would not be surprised if she feels content with the overall situation following any initial panic or shock." I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "You know, when I first heard about this from Erica, I told her it sounded like some sort of brainwashing mind control shit? I couldn't believe she'd gotten the vaccine. But then everything was going so well that I stopped thinking about it. And Ivy was happy, and Erica's brother was partnered and they were both extremely happy. But this,” I sighed heavily and looked at the two scientists on the screen. "This is some fucked up, B-movie supervillain kind of shit. You guys realize that, right? Like, where is James Bond in all of this?" Bill frowned, but Doc Varma smirked just a little. "Yes," she said. "We are aware of how inappropriate many of the factors of the vaccine are, Mr. Black. It is a marvel of modern medicine, but we are still grappling with the necessities that come along with it." Together they ran me through what I needed to expect moving forward. Vanessa was going to be monitored until she woke up, so I would be spending the night where I was at. She'd get a complete physical, and they'd take more blood for testing before she'd be released into my care and we were brought back home. Then, depending on what she wanted, she would either be able to live with Erica, Ivy and I, or she could maintain some distance for the time being and only come to see me for the sexual encounters she would require. We would both receive follow-up check-ins from someone on the Vaccine testing team to draw more blood periodically to check if Vanessa's efficacy was changing, or if mine was. We hit the grocery store next, which ended up only allowing two people inside in a party at once. Dani wanted to look for some specific stuff, and Vanessa hadn't had her own kitchen to cook in for almost two years since she'd been eating cafeteria food on industrial construction sites, so I decided to hang out in the truck while they went in. I sent them with my credit card and reminded them of the staples we needed. They got in line outside the store, and I decided to enjoy the warmth of the afternoon and open the gate of my truck so I could sit outside. I watched Dani and Vanessa from across the parking lot, keeping one eye on them while I could. I could tell they were talking from the small hand motions. Neither of them talked with their hands like Erica or Leo did, but everything seemed friendly between them. "Excuse me?" I turned and realized I'd tunnel-visioned and completely lost track of my surroundings because a woman was standing about ten paces away from me. That wasn't like me at all. She was nervous, wringing her wrists as she stood awkwardly. She was a little scrawny, her clothes hanging off of her, and the eyes above her rough-looking mask were... not sunken, but sort of sad. "I'm sorry to bother you, Harri," she said. "I was just wondering if maybe you could spare a couple bucks? Things aren't really going well right now, and I've got my kids..." Living in Portland, I'd seen my fair share of homeless folks and beggars. Some of them were pushy and agitated, and others entirely shut down from their addictions. This woman didn't look homeless, but she definitely looked down on her luck. And down for enough time that it showed. She wasn't wearing even basic earrings but had the holes in her ears. There was a slightly less tan ring on her finger where I assumed a wedding band used to sit, but it was fading. Every major city in the United States had a homeless population. Some were worse than others, I knew that. The further south along the coast, the warmer it got, and the bigger the population. But out here in the sticks? In Jewell? Sure, we had the occasional drifter moving through. I'd never seen someone begging before. Things were really getting bad. "Uh, yeah, I can," I said, reaching for my wallet in my pocket. "I'm sorry, you know me but I'm not immediately recognizing you. Maybe it's the mask." She took a couple steps forward as I said I could spare her some cash, but looked away as I asked who she was. I kicked myself, realizing that her situation was embarrassing enough as it was. "Maybe you don't remember me," the woman said. "I was a year ahead of you in high school. Mary Duncan?" "Of course I remember you, Mary," I said. "It's just been a long time. You were a cheerleader I think, right? You did all the flips. You were really graceful." "Thanks," she said, and I could tell she was blushing behind her mask. I didn't have too much cash on me compared to what I used to carry for emergencies. I used to be a cash-only guy, at least around town. Knowing what my bank account looked like, I just pulled what I had and slipped down from the gate of my truck and set the bills on it, stepping back. "No offence, I don't think you stink or anything," I tried to joke. Mary's eyes went wide when she saw the bills, and she mumbled something as she stepped forward and I backed off a bit more so she could take them. It was maybe seventy dollars, but as she quickly looked through the bills I saw her get teary, and then she clutched the cash to her chest and collapsed to her knees, crying. I wanted to go and comfort her. Give her a hug. She was clearly overwhelmed and in a bad way, and back when we were in school she'd always been a cute, button-nosed girl with a soft smile and a big laugh. But I couldn't go to her. I couldn't rub her back or pat her shoulder or give her a hug. The best I could do was squat down from several feet away to get closer to her level. "Mary?" I asked. She sniffed hard and rubbed at her eyes. "Oh my God, I'm so embarrassed," she said. "You don't need to be," I said. "You said you have kids, right? How many?" "Two," she said. "Thomas is six now, and looks like his dad. My little girl Charlie is four. She wanted to go to school like her big brother this fall but..." But the schools were closed, and who knew how long they would be closed for? "And their Dad?" I asked. She sniffed hard again. "He went up to Portland to look for work after we both got laid off at the start of quarantine," she said. "I haven't heard from him since." "Fuck," I breathed out, hopefully not loud enough for her to hear. The guy could have abandoned his family like a shit, or just been overwhelmed and trying to find a way to make it right. Or he could be dead. "Mary, I'm sorry you're going through this. And I'm sorry if this touches another sore spot, but is your phone still active?" She nodded, touching the ragged little purse. I asked her to take it out and I immediately recognized that she'd probably downgraded her phone at a pawn shop, it was a beat-up old model barely above a flip phone. I gave her my number. "Call me the next time you need groceries, Okay?" I said. "Or if there's an emergency. Seriously, Mary." "I applied for food stamps, and welfare, but I haven't heard anything back," she said pitifully, like she was trying to explain her shitty situation. There wasn't any explaining. "The system is probably overloaded," I said softly. "Mary. I'm not pulling your leg. Go get groceries for you and your kids. I'll figure something out for you for next week, Okay?" "Harri, I can't just; I don't want to,” It was fucking stupid, but this woman who I remembered as that sweet girl was broken. I stood up and went to her, and pulled her to her feet and hugged her. She was tiny, and bony, in my arms. She'd probably been feeding her kids everything she could and taking the bare minimum for herself. "Stop," I said quietly as I held her, and she cried a little again. "You're doing what you can in a terrible situation, Mary. I'm doing Okay. Let me help." "Thank you," she whispered into my shirt, then sniffed behind her mask again and stepped away. 'Thank you, Harri." "Text me," I reminded her. "So that I have your number." "I will," she nodded. "I will." She left, headed towards the line outside the store, and I watched her go. Hopefully I wasn't going to pay for that moment of kindness with my life. But what was the point of being vaccinated and wealthy if I couldn't help a hurting woman? I sat back on the gate of my truck and saw the two big paper bags holding the meat I'd just bought. Hundreds of dollars' worth. I could have given her some, along with the cash. One of the chickens and some of the sausages. Kids liked sausage, right? Then I could practically hear my Mom's voice in the back of my mind. She'd been the giver in the family before she died. The volunteer. And she'd always said that you couldn't do your best for others without taking care of your family first. Seventy dollars would carry Mary and her kids for a few days at least. I could set up an account with Mason, connect her with Mrs. Branston for eggs, and cover her bill. I doubted I could do the same at the grocery store, but meat was always the most expensive part of meals anyways. I could drop a couple hundred bucks with her to help cover her other staples every few weeks. I looked down at my sweater, hoping again that I wasn't going to pay for this with sickness and death. What did those docs say? Eighty per cent effective, with more for each partner? I had three partners now, so I had to be like ninety per cent covered, right? The rest of my wait in the parking lot, unfortunately, wasn't peaceful. A guy with some parking lot road rage pounded on his horn at a woman who was loading her car. A half dozen teens skated through on skateboards, whooping and hollering and skirting by too close to people. None of them were wearing masks, and I saw a few of them spitting near people or fake coughing just to get a reaction out of them. I was trying to decide if I should call the emergency line, but they were gone as quickly as they arrived. Teens, rebellious and angry at the world, and most importantly bored and left to their own devices. Thankfully since I'd parked at the back of the lot they didn't really come near me. I did end up calling 911 when the fight broke out though. Two women were yelling at each other as they exited the store, both of them with full carts. I had no idea what they were shouting, but they definitely got the attention of everyone in the parking lot and the line. Then one lady pivoted and smacked her buggy into the other lady, and that one grabbed something out of the other's cart and threw it. "911 Emergency Services. Where is the emergency located?" "Yeah, I'm at the Green Grocer in Jewell," I said. "My name is Harrison Black. I need police services, a fight has broken out between two women in the parking lot and it's gotten physical." I could hear typing on the other end of the line. "I've dispatched a cruiser, sir, but the arrival time is at least twenty minutes. Is anyone's life in danger?" "Other than the pandemic?" I sighed. The women were grappled at this point, both of them trying to throw punches. "Hard to say. Neither of them are backing down and they've got a hold of each other and are swinging." "If you can, try to keep anyone else from getting involved, sir," the operator said. "And remember to keep your distance." "Fuck," I said as one of the ladies connected cleanly with the nose of the other. Blood started streaming down that one's face but it didn't stop her from clawing at the other with a snarl. "It's getting worse. There's blood now. Look, I'm not saying you have the authority to let me do this, but I've got my handgun in the truck and could pop one into the ground to spook them and try and disperse the issue." There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. "..... I mean, I'm not going to tell you to do that.... But..." "Understood," I said. I gave the operator my number, since I was sure the police were going to want to follow up with me, and then slammed the gate of my truck closed and went to the passenger side. Dani had returned the 1911 to its case thankfully, so I quickly slammed the magazine home and did a quick check to see it had one chambered before walking across the parking lot with the pistol held low and to the side. The women were scrapping on the ground at this point. A crowd had formed, not so close to each other to be shoulder to shoulder, but closer than they should have been. "Hey!" I shouted over the noise in my best military voice, but only the closest few people glanced over at me. One saw my gun and his eyes went wide. I sighed and shook my head, then pointed the muzzle at one of the little end-row barriers that had a sprig of a garden inside the concrete curb and pulled the trigger. The loud popping boom of the discharge quieted everyone real quick, including the fighting ladies as they all looked over at me. "Get the fuck out of here," I shouted. People scattered, including the two fighting ladies as they scrambled to recover their carts. I was pretty sure several items had gone missing from their shopping bags in the ruckus, claimed by other people who felt they needed them more. I just shook my head as I flipped the safety on and tucked the 1911 into the pocket on the front of my sweater. There were still a few people in line at the front of the store, along with an employee monitoring it, so I went over. It turned out to be the same teen as that time I'd been here with Erica and almost gotten in a fight myself. I gave him my name and let him know the police were already on their way. He said it wasn't the first fistfight he'd seen break out this week, let alone in the last month. "Kid," I said. "This job ain't worth your life." He shrugged. "I'm saving for college, and the bonus pay I'm getting as a front-line worker is adding up quickly." "College ain't worth your life either. Just saying." Dani and Vanessa came out of the store a little while later. I'd already returned the 1911 to its case and was sitting on the tailgate of my truck again. I explained to them what happened, both with Mary and with the fight. And I admitted to hugging Mary despite the danger. "I can walk home from here," I said. "We probably shouldn't get into the truck together. I'll need to,” "Harri," Vanessa interrupted me. "Shut up and get in the car. You're not in any danger, right? You're vaccinated. We're both vaccinated." "Yeah, but you are way less covered than the rest of us," I said. "It's not a big deal. It'll take a couple of hours of walking." Vanessa took it into her own hands and practically tackled me. "Oops, too late." "Vanessa!" I said in a panic and looked at Dani for help. "Lady made her decision," Dani shrugged. "We can either live in fear of it, or just do our best." So I ended up driving again, praying that Mary wasn't sick, which would mean I wasn't carrying it. I felt like an idiot all over again for hugging her, for risking everything to comfort her. But then I'd also seen that look on her face and I knew she'd needed it. Our last stop of the trip was Mrs. Branston's, but when I pulled into the front of her long gravel driveway I noticed that she hadn't put the flat of eggs I'd asked for in the usual spot. Frowning, I pulled out my phone and called her, but it went to voicemail immediately. "That's weird," I said. "Mrs. Branston is always home." "You want to go check on her, don't you," Vanessa said, not really a question. "Well, she's seventy and lives alone," I said. "She's not exactly ancient, but she's no spring chicken either." "Alright, let's go see what's up," Dani said. Then turned to Vanessa. "You're staying here though." "What?" Vanessa said. "Why?" "Because you already took one risk today, and I'm starting to like you too much to let you do two in a day," Dani smirked, then pulled up her mask. "Ugh, fine," Vanessa sighed. "Crack the windows for me at least." I did her one better and left the truck running with the AC on. Dani and I walked up the drive. It was long, but nowhere near as long as mine had been. The Branston's had built their house almost forty years ago; Victor Branston had worked at the local lumber mill, and his wife Hailey had started their side business of raising chickens and eggs after they built their single-story ranch house and barn. They'd had a son who had died in a drunk driving accident when I was still a kid, and a daughter who had moved away when I was still in middle school. At the top of the drive I tried calling again, and with no answer, Dani and I went to the front door and I knocked, then stepped back. "Mrs. Branston!" I called loudly. "You home?" Again, no answer. Shaking my head, I frowned beneath my mask and furrowed my brow. Her car was parked in front of the house, so she wasn't out. "Let's check in some windows," Dani suggested. "If she fell and broke her hip or something she might not be able to reach her phone." So that's what we did. It felt rude, peeking in her windows like that, but I let the MP side of me take over. I was looking into her kitchen when Dani gasped and motioned me to the other end of the side of the house. She was holding a gloved hand over her mask. I rushed over and looked in. It was Mrs. Branston's bedroom, and she was lying in the bed completely still. There was a dark stain around her mouth and nose and on the edge of some of the sheets. I recognized the dried blood. It looked like she'd been coughing it up. "Fuck," I sighed, stepping back from the window. Her sallow skin. Her sunken eyes. It was haunting. I called Emergency Services for the second time in less than an hour and reported it. "What do we do now?" Dani asked. "I'd say call her family, but I don't know her daughter's number. I think Mrs. Branston said she moved out east somewhere," I said. "We'll need to leave that to the police. Other than that?" I shrugged and looked around at the property. Hailey Branston had lived here going on forty years. Now there was no one. My eyes settled on the barn. "If nothing else, we should feed the chickens," I said. "No need for them to starve to death." "Good idea," Dani nodded and followed me towards the barn. Now, my worry had been that the chickens might be dead. I really wasn't sure how long it would take for chickens to starve to death, so I was preparing myself for the stink of not only a chicken coop but of dead bodies. What I wasn't prepared for was for the place to be empty. "What the fuck?" "This is weird," Dani said, looking at the rows and rows of empty cages. It was obvious this was a chicken operation. Just the bird poo around was enough to point to that. But there weren't any chickens. "How do fifty chickens just up and vanish?" I asked, wandering deeper into the barn. "It's not just the chickens," Dani said behind me. She was standing at a big bin near the front door with a big 'feed' label on it. She'd lifted the lid. "All their food is gone too except for a bit of mess at the bottom." I just shook my head, frowning as I looked around. Maybe there was some sort of metaphor here about Haily Branston's life, but all I was seeing was a crime scene. "Who the fuck finds out an old woman is dead, and instead of reporting it they steal all her chickens?" "An asshole," Dani said. "Assholes," I corrected. "This would have taken forever if it was just one person. There had to be at least two, probably more." I sighed. "Alright, we need to get out of here. We'll report it to the police when they get here." Dani and I went back down to Vanessa, filling her in on what we'd seen, and then waited. Thirty minutes later I called Emergency Services again on the non-emergency line, asking for an update on when we could expect someone to come out. "I'm sorry sir, but all our services are currently dispatched at the moment with active issues," the operator said. "We've got your report on file, and an ambulance will be dispatched when police are available. We have your name and number on file, we don't need you to stay on location." That was definitely not the norm for someone calling in a dead body, and it made me worried. "Alright," I said. "I just need to add something to the report then. After my previous call we checked in on Mrs. Branston's agricultural livestock. Someone has stolen all her chickens." "I'm... sorry?" the operator said. "Someone stole fifty-odd chickens," I clarified. There was another long moment of quiet from the other end of the line. "Chickens?" "Yeah, chickens," I said. A long sigh. "Alright, I added it to the report. Have a good day, sir." "You,” the operator hung up. "-too." "That sounded like it went great," Vanessa said sarcastically. "Yeah," I said, wondering what the fuck was happening to my home town. "I can't say that it did." Vanessa came jogging down from the office portables when the black sedan came rolling around the bunkhouses. After we'd gotten back from our big run, and Erica had berated me for taking a risk with Mary even while telling me how sweet a man I was, things had settled down. Leo's new partners had slept through the day with their imprinting, but we'd grilled up some extra sausages in case they woke up in the night and were hungry. I'd spent some time late in the afternoon with Ivy, and that night I'd slept with Vanessa on one side of me, and Ivy on the other while Erica spooned up behind her and rested a hand on my chest. We'd all been naked, but nothing overtly sexual had happened Vanessa had gone back to work in the morning, the first to wake up, and as she got ready and dug through her luggage Erica got up and made her coffee. The smell woke me up, and I realized it was 5:30 in the morning. It looked like our schedule was going to be changing with Vanessa in our lives. Breakfast was a quiet affair later in the morning; at least, quiet for us. Leo's RV was visibly rocking, and I had to assume Aria and India were up and the four of them were getting better acquainted. By the time Vanessa came back around for her breakfast break I'd already come in Erica, but Ivy had held off; apparently, the three of them had talked, and Vanessa only had about fifteen minutes for her breakfast break which meant a quicker-than-usual blowjob was necessary if she wanted some fun with her food. By mid-morning things had quieted down over at Leo's RV, and I'd left a platter of food wrapped with tinfoil on a chair next to the door. Ivy was just starting to get handsy with me, sitting on my lap and giggling with that look in her eye, distracting me from my drawing, when the crunch of tires outside the compound perked us up. The sedan ground to a halt, and Vanessa quickly came down to stand with Erica and Ivy and me. Agent Sourpuss was the driver again, and she just narrowed her eyes at us for a moment before turning back and speaking into the back seat. The door opened, and a woman in that same hooded coverall getup stepped out. "Hi," I said, stepping forward and offering her my hand. "I'm Harrison." "Kyla," she said through her mask, taking my hand and shaking it lightly. "I'm not really sure what you were expecting," I said. "I know things are weird and changing a lot for everyone, so if anything sounds like a problem just let us know and we can figure it out. The first of which is that, ah, these are my partners Erica, Ivy and Vanessa." "Allo!" Ivy said, stepping forward and wrapping the woman up in a hug. Ivy was still the shortest and most petite of the women, with Kyla standing around the same height as Vanessa. "Hi," Erica said, smiling warmly but not stepping forward, which I knew was because she knew the secret. In any other circumstance she likely would have been trying as hard as Ivy to be welcoming in an effort to dispel the weirdness. Agent Sourpuss rolled down the window. "Hey, you need to stop being so touchy. Protocol says you need to imprint as soon as possible." I sighed, glaring at her a little. "I hear you. Let's just make sure this is all Okay with her, yeah?" I turned back to Kyla, whose eyes were a little wide as she cautiously accepted the hug from Ivy. "Um, hello," she said, looking around at the construction site, and our ridiculous-looking compound. "There's a lot for us to explain," I said. "I can see that," she said. The more she talked, the more I heard a slight accent. It wasn't strong, not like Dani's, and I had to assume being the daughter of an Ambassador meant she'd grown up at least part of her life in the US or other places. Not to mention any training she'd received. "Are you Okay with this?" Erica asked her. "The idea of sharing space with a group of us?" "For what it's worth, I'm the newest and stumbled into it by accident, but it works for me," Vanessa chipped in. Kyla looked around again, then back at Sourpuss, and finally back to me. "It's the way things are," she said. "I can make it work." "Well, if you change your mind, you have until we start the imprinting process," I said. "Just say something and we can try to find you someone, or somewhere, else." She shook her head, then turned to Sourpuss again. "You can go." "Fine by me," the Agent muttered, raising her window and pulling the car away. I was almost sure I heard her mutter something about never wanting to come back again. "Come in," Erica said, gesturing to the fabric-draped entryway. "We'll show you around and can tell you what's up." Kyla followed Erica and Ivy in, but Vanessa hung back. "I need to get back to work," she said. "I'll come meet her later if you haven't dicked her down yet." I snorted and shook my head at her crassness. The only people who could get close to matching military folks in that way turned out to be construction workers. "Everything going Okay?" I asked. "Yeah, it's fine. Just getting the animals back in order after being away. They're going to be moving workers into the bunkhouses in the next few days so there's a lot to get ready," she said. She reached over and squeezed my hand for a second, but didn't step in for a kiss even though I could see her glance at my lips. "See you later?" "Absolutely," I said, and she started marching back towards the office portables. When I ducked back into our compound, Erica and Ivy had arranged the deck chairs into a semi-circle and Ivy was coming out of our place with a quartet of beers from the fridge. Erica was just gesturing for Kyla to take a seat. "We're all vaccinated," she was saying. "So if you want to get out of that getup you can." Kyla sat and sighed, lowering her hood and then taking off her medical mask. She was gorgeous. Her hair was a natural silky black with that smooth quality that Native Americans and East Asian folks shared, and she had cute little apple cheeks when she smiled softly in thanks as she accepted a beer from Ivy. Her skin was naturally tan, and she'd done her makeup to accent her ethnicity a bit rather than downplaying it, and knowing what I knew about her I wondered if that was a move to try and distract or seduce me. She had espionage training. She knew how to use her assets. "So Harrison," she nodded to me, then pointed at Ivy. "Ivy, and..." she looked at Erica. "Sorry, something with an E, right?" "Erica," my girlfriend clarified for her with a smile. "Right, Erica," Kyla said. "And the other was Vanessa?" "Right," I nodded. "Vanessa is actually a forewoman with the construction crews, so she had to get back to work." "Okay," she nodded. "And you all live in these trailers?" "RVs," I said. "And it's just temporary. My family owned this land for generations, and recently the government leased it from me and is building a residential compound. We'll be getting a house, and for now we've got these luxury RVs. But, uh, we're actually only living in that one. The other one is occupied by my friend and Erica's brother Leo and his partners." "So there's going to be five of us in there?" Kyla asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked over the RV. "Yes," Ivy said with a smile. "It's very nice on the inside. And the bed is very cozy." "The bed?" Kyla said, emphasizing the singular. "That's, uh, another thing," I said. "This is a little rude but, well Erica, Ivy and Vanessa are all bisexual. Are you;?" "I'm straight," she said. Erica just nodded, though I could tell out of the corner of my eye that Ivy was a little disappointed but tried to hide it. "That's perfectly fine," I said. "We'll figure out a sleeping arrangement so that you're comfortable." "I,” Kyla started, then glanced at Erica and Ivy for a moment and seemed to change her mind. "Look, I'm stepping into your thing here already, so I don't want to be a bitch. But could I just... Could I talk for a moment with the guy who I'm going to be bonding DNA with or whatever?" "Yes, absolutely," Erica said. "Do you want to go inside, or should we?" Kyla glanced over at Leo's RV. "Maybe we should," she said and stood up. I stood as well, patted Ivy's shoulder and met a glance from Erica as she tried to warn me to be careful without saying anything. Kyla and I went to the RV, and I opened the door for her and followed her in. "Sorry about the mess," I said. "Vanessa just moved in yesterday and we're trying to figure out what to keep here, and what to move into the storage containers." "It's... fine," Kyla said. She was looking down the length of the RV, through the open door to the bed. I could only imagine what she was thinking. "Let's just sit here," I said, offering her the bench as I took the chair by the Murphey table. I wasn't going to mention that we used the bench for fucking almost as much as the bed. "Ask me anything," I said as we sat. "I know this is all weird, and you must have a thousand questions and concerns." "I do," she said, and leaned back on the leather bench and took a deep breath. I just met her eyes as she looked me over again. Then she took a swig of her beer. "What do you do for money? How does all of this work?" she asked. "Well, up until a few weeks ago, my family house was about fifty yards that way," I pointed. "Right where that first big bunkhouse building is. I worked remotely as a concept artist, and Erica's brother Leo was my roommate. Erica joined us out here for quarantine. The federal government came and wanted to buy my land, but I negotiated a lease with them instead and they paid me a lot of money for it, along with building me, Leo and my sister houses. So if you're worried about finances living out here, you don't need to. I'm not stingy, though I'd prefer if we don't get super extravagant. I'd rather us be wealthy for a long time than super-rich for a short one, and with five people on the team... Well, yeah." "The team?" she asked. "It feels a little weird to call it a family right now," I said. "What with all the changes happening so fast. I think that's how most of us will end up, but I don't want to presume anything." She frowned, looking me up and down again. When she got that look on her face she was fierce and calculating. Focused. Then it broke and she cocked her head to the side just a touch. "Did they tell you I was coming?" "Um, yeah," I nodded. "I got a warning yesterday that you'd be here sometime in the next couple of days." She nodded slowly. "Okay. I mean, obviously we'll need to figure some things out, but I think I can live with... this. I'd like to wait a day and get to know you all a bit more before we do the imprinting though. I'm not really a 'sleep with a guy on the first day' kind of girl." "I'd be happy to wait as long as you like," I said. "But, ah, you may want to talk with the others about that feeling you've got. Apparently, it'll just keep getting stronger." "Right," Kyla nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind." Voices rose outside. Not angry, just a little animated. "Sounds like Leo and his girls are finally coming outside," I said. "I think you'll like Danielle, she's a pretty open book. I can't make any promises about the two new women though, they arrived yesterday and I haven't had a chance to meet them properly." "That sounds good," she said. "Any other questions, or do you want to go meet them?" I asked. "Um, yeah, actually," she said. She was still giving me a slightly weird, considering look. "Do you know?" "Know what?" I asked, trying to poker face without poker facing. She kept eyeing me. "Who I am." I sighed a little. "I was told that you're the daughter of an Ambassador," I said, covering the big lie with a little truth. "Does that bother you?" she asked. "Why would it?" I replied. "I'm part Native, part Japanese, I travelled a decent chunk of the world when I was in the military. In the US, you growing up in another country is about as different as if you grew up in an east coast city." "That's not what I meant," Kyla said, sitting forward and leaning her elbows on her knees, staring right at me. "I meant does it bother you that I'm a spy?" The problem with going toe to toe with a spy was that all of my usual methods of evaluating someone were already going off. As a teen I'd been a bit of a hillbilly, I'd been an athlete, and I'd been a kid from a family with generational grudge issues. Then I'd joined the military and I learned about professional backstabbing and politics, and then I'd become an MP and really saw some of the dumb and vile crap that Man could do to each other. I'd been trained to be aware, alert, and suspicious. Seven years out of the military had softened me, I was sure. But not that much. Maybe Grierson shouldn't have told me about Kyla's background. I was trying my best to not be suspicious, which I bet if I saw myself back on a recording I would have seen as a red flag. If I hadn't known about her, I could have just accepted her and hopefully my natural and trained instincts would have picked up on anything fishy. I sighed a little huff of a chuckle and leaned back in the Murphey chair, looking at Kyla across the RV. I'd been doing my best not to just really stare at her, to make a judgement scan of her to really assess her. Maybe that gave me away. Maybe not. She was beautiful, but I'd already judged that. Her Filipino heritage was strong, but wasn't so different from the natives that I'd grown up around that it seemed out of place or exotic to me. Not to mention the plenty of varied Asians I'd lived around in Portland. She was still wearing the bulky coverall so it was hard to judge her athleticism, but just the way she sat told me she was a physical person. She was sitting on the bench, which wasn't particularly tall, but her feet were pressed to the ground by the balls of her feet and toes, her heels raised. Even though she was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees she also wasn't slouching at all. She was a coiled spring, but with a loose tension. She wasn't on edge, but was a calmly controlled nervous. "It does," I said, answering the question she'd stunned me with for a moment. 'Does it bother you that I'm a spy?' Who asked that? Was it a game, or a test? Was she trying to be truthful because of the situation, or was she running a long con to gain my trust to inevitably betray me? How calculated was this move, and what were the variables? Was it a move at all? "But not the way you might think," I continued. "It's funny, I don't even know how much they told you about me. I think I mentioned outside that I was in the military at one point. I was an MP before I was discharged. You are exactly the kind of person I would have been worried about for an important part of my life. But now? Honestly, Kyla, I just don't want you to fuck up the family dynamic we're trying to build here. I don't want you to put any of the people out there in danger, on purpose or by accident, if you plan on trying to do something for your father or NICA." She gave me a long look back, evaluating what I said. If we were sitting across from each other with a chessboard between us, or cards, I would have said she was trying to read if I was bluffing or not. But this wasn't a game, and there weren't stakes on the line, and I thankfully got the impression she wasn't trying to read me. At least, not like that. She was reading me, but she was trying to form her opinion of me, just like I was trying to with her. "Have you ever killed anyone?" she asked me. I pressed my lips together and nodded. "I didn't see as much combat as others, but I got in a few firefights," I said. "I had a few confirmed kills, and likely several more unconfirmed. And one of my investigations as an MP turned into a shootout with some human traffickers that ended... badly. Fuck, I haven't talked about that with anyone since I got out. I'd prefer you not bring it up with the girls, or Leo. Please." "I won't," she said quietly. "Have you?" I asked. "No," she shook her. "I mean, I have enough training that I could, but that wasn't ever supposed to be my job. I; I'd rather maybe talk about my story if I get more comfortable with you, but I've never carried more than a knife and a can of mace in my purse for self-protection and haven't ever needed to use either of them." "Does it bother you that I know?" I asked her. "I feel like it should, but I don't think it does," Kyla said, pursing her lips a little in thought after she said it. "I just spent the last four years living a secret life, but I've always lived a double life. You know, which means... I don't know what it means. Which is a first." "I told Erica," I said. "I wasn't supposed to, I don't think, but she can read me like a book and I didn't want to keep it from her anyways." Kyla smiled a little. "I could tell," she said. "I only picked up on little things from you because of the way she was acting." That made me chuckle a little. "Well, at least that's something. I'm not a complete waste." "So what now?" she asked. "You know that I know that you know. Do we need to set some ground rules or anything?"

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 8 Summer Plans Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.  At dinner I checked in with Ivy first, then Vanessa when she had finished for the day and joined us. I also made a point of stopping to check in with Dani to see what she was thinking about her new co-team members, who she thought would work out fine, and Kyla. "I think she's a lot quieter than the rest of us," Dani told me as we sat side by side near Leo's RV. "Which isn't a bad thing, obviously. She isn't as used to being around girls like us though. Erica worked with strippers because of her job, along with all sorts of other crazy people, so it's whatever for her. Kyla obviously isn't used to how open we all are about sex things." I pressed my lips together and nodded, watching her as she sat in a group with Erica, Vanessa and Aria chatting. She was obviously engaged, but didn't offer much to the conversation and seemed happy to listen. "Anything else?" I asked. "Anything weird come up?" "No. Should I be watching for something?" Danielle asked. "No, no," I assured her. "I just; Erica, Ivy, Vanessa; it's working. It's crazy, but it's working. I'm worried about Kyla messing that up." "It should be fine," Dani said, patting me on the shoulder. "Erica will Mom them into shape if things get out of whack, and if she's the problem you can just spank her until she apologizes." That made me snort and shake my head with a grin. "You and her talk too much." "Or maybe we don't talk enough," Dani grinned. We folded ourselves back into the larger conversations, me joining the group with Kyla while Dani went to sit with Leo, India and Ivy. As the sun was setting we busted out the fire pit and Vanessa pointed me towards the nearest brush piles I could harvest some wood from; it seemed she'd handily directed some of her workers to pile it within easy walking distance. Then, once the fire was crackling and we all had our drinks of choice, we told the new women our story. We started with Leo and I, then how Erica had joined us for quarantine. We both teased her about hearing her masturbating, which until that moment she hadn't realized had been the case and made her blush. Then we talked about the land lease, the construction, and the introduction of Dani, Vanessa, and Ivy. Vanessa told us how fucking crazy she thought we were at first, but after that first night around the fire she'd realized something weird but special was going on so she stopped judging and started getting a little jealous. Then Ivy told her perspective, stepping into a life with Erica and me. Then we had to tell the story of Vanessa joining us, which got rushed over really quickly and then had to be retold because even Dani hadn't gotten all the details. I'd purposefully sat beside Kyla around the fire, Erica taking the spot on the other side of me. As India and Aria started ragging on Vanessa for not giving them the full story in the initial car ride when they met her, Kyla leaned over to me. "Can we talk? In private?" "Sure," I said, nodding towards our RV. I leaned back in the other direction to Erica and kissed her cheek, and she met my eye and nodded. Inside the RV Kyla had taken the Murphey seat this time so I sat on the bench opposite her. "You still feeling alright?" I asked her. "No," she laughed. Inside, in the more steady light of the RV, I could see she was flushed even with her slightly darker Filipina skin. "I feel like I've got a fever, but it's concentrated in all my erogenous zones. I don't even like women but that story about Vanessa has me..." She blew out a long breath. "I don't know how much more sex talk I can take before I snap." "I can ask them to stop if you want. Or we can have that conversation if you think you're ready." "I'm; Yeah, I'm ready to talk," she said. She took another deep breath and sat up straighter, putting her hands on her knees like she was trying to focus herself. "You can ask anything you want, and I'll try to answer," I promised her. "I don't have questions," she said. "Well, I actually have lots of questions, but they aren't important right this second. Seeing you with Erica and Ivy, and meeting Vanessa. Hearing the way Leo and Danielle talk about you. I think I know what I'd be getting into if I do this with you. And to be honest, it sounds pretty greater considering the other options that the world seems to be moving toward right now. But I never want to be someone who just takes the easy thing because it's in front of them. I know a lot about you now, but you don't know much about me. And I'll tell you, pretty much anything you want to know, but there's something I need to know if you're Okay with. More than my past, more than whatever your government is worried about." "The only way to know is to ask," I said, trying not to let my own nerves out. Kyla, who had been steady throughout the day, was showing signs of anxiety amidst her hard pressure to keep herself under control. "If I don't like it, we can try and find someone else as soon as possible." "I don't want,” She bit her tongue, cutting herself off, and took a breath. "Harrison. If I do this, if I imprint on you, this is my out. I've been doing everything my father wanted since I was a kid. The only escape I ever had was through dance, and even that he took control of to make sure I was getting the best lessons and tutors and going to the best camps and schools. And even then, he and NICA used it as well. My entire life I've been pushed and trained and taught and used because I didn't matter and my country and my service did. I want a new life, Harri. But I want that life the way I want it. I want a big family. I was an only child, and my parents tolerated each other at best in a political marriage. I want six kids at least, more if we can. Fuck, I'll pop out an even dozen and be happy. Or maybe not, maybe I'll be happy earlier than that, but I know I want a lot of kids to love on and raise in a big, supportive family. "If you can handle that, and if Erica can handle that because I know she's going to need to agree to it too, then I swear to God I'll be loyal to you and only to you. My father, NICA, my country; I can leave them all behind and in the dust if you can promise me we'll try to make my dream life happen. And I promise I'll be the best, hottest housewife I can be for as long as you can keep me barefoot and pregnant. I'll make sure I'm fit and tight and everything I can be for you in between pregnancies, but God I want this, Harri. I've never told anyone this before, but I want it so fucking bad." I didn't know what to say. She was practically sobbing in her earnest desire for what she was asking. I just slid down to my knees on the floor of the RV and wrapped my arms around her and Kyla clutched at me as she panted hard. Not crying, but desperately trying to control herself. "Kyla, I would be an extremely lucky man if I can give that all to you," I said. "And I want to tell you yes right away, but you're right. I do need to check with Erica first. Do you want me to call her in to ask her now?" She hesitated a moment, then nodded and sat back on the chair, sucking in a deep and unsteady breath. I stood up and opened the RV door, sticking my head out. All three of my women looked over to me and I made what I hoped was a reassuring smile, then locked eyes with Erica and motioned her over with a head jerk. She joined us, shutting the RV door behind her. "What's up?" she asked. "Everything Okay?" I looked at Kyla. "Do you want me to ask, or you?" "I; You," she said after hesitating. I turned to Erica and reached out, holding her hand. "So, I know we had our conversation earlier, but I didn't realize this was coming or maybe we would have talked about it more seriously. Kyla is ready to join us, but she has an ask. Because of her own family past, one thing she wants more than anything is to have kids. A whole bunch of them. So she wants to know if you and I are Okay with that and willing for that to happen, or if we should try to find her someone else who can help her get the life she wants." Erica's eyes had widened as I was speaking and her jaw worked a few times before she could find the right words. Then she turned to Kyla and looked at her for a long, long moment before putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's the most important thing for you?" she asked quietly. Kyla nodded, then looked up to meet Erica's gaze. "More than anything else. And I want to do that with Harrison; God, I haven't even known him a day but it's like I can see it right there in front of me. He'd make a great husband and an even better father. I just know he's yours more than either of the others, and I couldn't risk saying yes to him without you saying yes to this." "God, fuck," Erica sighed, and I realized she was tearing up as well. She looked to me. "Yes, obviously, if it's what she needs then yes. But I guess now I need to stop taking the pill because I'm not just gonna sit by and not be in the running for the first mother of your child." Now it was my turn to be surprised. "But we just,” She kissed me to shut me up. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I love you, you love me. If the world implodes and we're all shot off into space, I still won't regret making a kid with you." She turned to Kyla. "Are you going to love him?" "I'm going to try," she said. "And I'll work harder at it than my parents ever did." "Then yes," Erica said. "But, and I'll only ever say this once and you need to listen to me closely, if this isn't the truth and you hurt Harrison or me or anyone else here then I swear to everything in heaven and hell that I will end you. Do we understand each other?" Kyla nodded, taking her seriously. "I do, and I won't." "Okay," Erica said, and leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "You clearly need a fuck, so unless you've suddenly turned Bi then I should leave you to it." She turned to me and kissed me hard, and I hugged her to keep her close. "You're sure?" I asked her in a whisper. She nodded. "Rock her world, babe. Show her why she's one of the four luckiest women on the planet." She kissed my cheek, squeezed my fingers in hers, and then stepped away and out of the RV. Kyla looked like she was going to jump out of her seat. "So,” I started. Kyla stood up abruptly and grabbed me by the face, smashing her plush lips to mine. I naturally grabbed her by the waist as we started making out right there in the middle of the RV. She'd been wearing that bulky coverall the entire day and now she started to scramble to try and get it unzipped and off at the same time as trying to get me to get my shirt off, which just turned into an awkward mess of her hands moving back and forth between us. "Stop, stop," I murmured, pulling my lips from hers. She actually whined a little in her throat and then blinked in surprise at her own reaction. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her back towards the bed. Like this, she was taller than me and she bent down to kiss me some more, making it hard for me to navigate. Thankfully it was a straight shot, and there wasn't a lip at the door to the bedroom area that I needed to duck under or step over. I found the bed with my shin and stopped and lowered her down onto it so we lay somewhere in the middle, me on top of her as we kept making out. Once we were done I pulled away and tugged off my shirt. "Fuck," she groaned, looking at me hungrily. "Not what you're used to?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, so much better." She raised her hands to my stomach and up to my chest, letting her fingers play through my chest hair. I couldn't help myself and I reached down and unzipped the coverall down to her belly button. Underneath, all she had on was a set of black bra and panties. On the one hand, I was starting to get mesmerized by her body very quickly, but on the other, I remembered in the back of my mind that she hadn't arrived with any luggage. I lifted her from under her arms and she let me help her pull the coveralls off, then raised her ass so I could pull them from her legs as well. I crashed back down onto her, now feeling her smooth skin on mine. Her body was everything I would have expected from a dancer; smooth and sleek all over, with toned muscling and a sort of feline grace as she moved around. "Where; are; your clothes; and things?" I asked between kisses. "They said; they would bring; them up; from Cali,” she replied. Then she stopped the kissing and looked up at me. "Seriously, I've got this fucking craving for your cock right now like I can't believe, Harri. I need you to fuck me so fucking bad." "Okay," I said, and then kissed her again as I reached under her to unsnap her bra. When she realized what I wanted she didn't even bother with the snap, she just yanked the black cups off her tits and the whole thing over her head. Her tits were a perfect size for my big hands to palm, a bit bigger than Ivy's but much smaller than Erica's, and her dark brown areolas were smooth and a little puffy, with two perfect nubs for nipples. I sucked on one, feeling how hard they were, but she was stretching to try and get my shorts off of me. She needed the imprinting. We could always explore each other more in the future. I leaned away from her, one hand still on her tit and holding her down, as I shoved down my shorts and boxers. For her part, she pushed her panties down to her knees and I pulled them the rest of the way off. Her cunt was a gorgeous brown, flushed darker than the skin above and slick with her chemically-induced horniness. Even her clit hood was a little pulled back, the softer pink of her clit just visible from being swollen. She was entirely bare, and I wondered if that was a personal choice or a seduction tactic she'd been told to follow. Not that I cared at the moment. I wanted to eat her out and taste her. I wanted to make this last, to wow her like Erica had said. Fuck, let's be real, I wanted to impress the seductive honey trap spy with my sex skills. "Fuck my brains out," Kyla demanded. "Fuck me until I can only ever think of you. Take me and make me yours, you fucking massive wall of American god." I could impress her later. Her cunt accepted my cock like a perfectly tailored suit. I slid in, and even though she was tight and her muscles were firm as hell as they clenched at me she was also extremely willing. That changed when I was almost all the way in though, but not from want of trying. Kyla came, her entire body rolling and arching as her cunt clenched down enough to almost start forcing my cock out. She grabbed me around the shoulder and hugged herself up, clinging to me, and her hips roiled as she thrust hard up and down. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips curled in an ugly snarl for a long moment, until the orgasm passed and she let go of me, falling a couple of inches back to the bed with a 'whumph.' "H-Holy fuck," she panted, looking up at me in confusion. "What was that? That,” She blinked rapidly. "Did no one tell you about the first orgasm?" I asked her. She shook her head, still blinking like she was trying to gain her focus. "Fuck me and tell me," she said. I started to slow-thrust, enjoying the delicious warmth of her as I leaned down a bit more, pressing my full body against hers as she spread her legs wider for me. "They told Erica in the information session that she should expect a massive orgasm the first time she ingested a man's precum, and the biggest one of her life when they ingest their actual cum." "She got an information session?" Kyla panted, looking slightly alarmed. "You didn't?" I asked, equally alarmed. We'd both stopped thrusting at each other, not sure what to do. "Fuck it, fucking fuck me," she said and rolled her body to get my cock deeper inside her again. I wasn't going to argue with that. We fucked like that, mutually, for a bit and then I took some more control and went up high on my hands for better leverage and started to fuck her harder. Kyla moaned and panted beneath me, then raised her lips up and sucked on one of my nipples, which was an oddly pleasurable surprise, and then she took some of my hairy pec muscle between her teeth and bit me lightly as she came again. "Ow," I said when she dropped back to the bed again. "Sorry," she panted. "I just; you're really fucking good." Huh, maybe I can impress the spy, I thought. "I'm getting closer," I told her. I'd had... well, not the most amount of sex I'd had in a day, but a bunch, so I wasn't entirely surprised I was lasting as long as I was. "Do you want to try something else?" "I want to try everything with you," she gasped and kissed me. "But... let me..." I disengaged with her, which made her moan like a whore, and she scrambled around on the bed until she was at the bottom corner on her back. Then she spread her legs wide into a full split, and then even wider until she had one leg practically parallel with her torso and the other was way out to the other side. If she was a clock, she would have been showing 10 o'clock. "Fuck me hard. Use my hole," she said, licking her lips. "Get your cock back inside; yes! Oh, fuck, Harrison. Make my cunt fucking squirm. Make your cunt squirm. It's yours now. I'm yours. My whole body. Fuck! I've never felt it like this before. I've never felt anything like this." I was crushing down into her in big, hard strokes and I could feel her cunt squishing with her juices and my balls slapping against her ass cheeks. I was hovering over her and a bead of sweat had trailed down to the end of my nose. Kyla opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, licking it off of me. I lowered the rest of the way to her and kissed her hard, then hugged her tightly as I started pumping short and quick, barely leaving her cunt. "I can't wait to fall in love with you," I whispered to her. "I can't wait to make babies with you, and start a family." "Do it," she gasped. "Put a baby in me. Make my womb yours forever. Breed me, make me your breeding wife-whore. Love me, may-ari. Oh, fucking; that's what you are, you beautiful big bastard. You're my may-ari. My owner. I choose you. I choose; I,” I couldn't have stopped from coming in her if my life depended on it. She was pushing towards her own orgasm already, and her years of dance and other physical activity had turned her core into a vice that sucked at my cock like a hoover. I came as she lost her grip on her words, chanting about choosing me. She came as well, a scream quenched in her throat as her entire body flexed and tensed. I filled her up, releasing over and over in her, but I finished before she did and just went right back to fucking her since my cock hadn't gone soft yet and she was still coming. I only stopped when she went slack, her legs falling back to a more natural position, and her face went from that clenched teeth-gritting tension to a soft, satisfied smile. "Imprinting. Imprinting. Imprinting." I pulled away from her slowly, making sure she wasn't going to fall from the bed, and found that the entire bottom corner and the edge of the mattress were wet and sticky with juices. Along with my legs, crotch and hips. "Great, another squirter," I sighed. Not that I actually minded, but it just meant we'd be doing even more laundry in the tiny machine the RV held. I stood and, once I felt like I could be coordinated enough, I picked Kyla up in a cradle and lifted her higher on the bed and tucked her in. She was in the fetal position, still mumbling the imprinting sequence with that smile. I had to grab a new pair of shorts since mine had ended up in the splash zone, and I didn't bother putting on a shirt but did wipe myself down with some wet paper towel. Stumbling out of the RV, I was greeted by catcalls and applause. Looking around, the fire was still going and someone had stocked it higher with wood. Erica, Dani and Vanessa were all sitting in the Adirondack chairs, and Ivy was sitting curled up in Erica's lap. "Where are Leo and the girls?" I asked, trying my best not to let them show the embarrassment I knew they were going for with their teasing. "Aria and India were going to fuck, and invited Leo to watch," Dani smirked. "So I assume he's in there either jerking off, or fucking." "I don't need to picture that," Erica rolled her eyes. I stepped over and kissed Vanessa as she leaned her head back and reached up to hug me around the neck. Then I slipped around the circle to Ivy and Erica and kissed both of them. Dani opened her arms to me as well, so I hugged her and she kissed my cheek. "Congrats," she said as I pulled away. "Pops." "Oh, God," I groaned and looked at Erica. "You told them?" "Was I supposed to keep it a secret?" she countered. "I needed to talk it out with someone." Vanessa had stood from her chair and gestured for me to take her seat and went inside the RV, coming back out with some more beers. She passed them around and then sat on my lap similar to the way Ivy was with Erica. We sat that way for a while talking as the night sky played out above us. I'd always loved looking up at the sky out on the property, away from any major sources of light pollution. Now spotlights were lighting up the construction area a hundred yards away, where men and women were working through the night. The view was dimmed, and I wondered if it would ever be as clear again as it had been a month ago. Dani slipped off to bed first, and Vanessa grumbled that she had to be up in the morning for work so the rest of us went quickly. We never had discussed the sleeping arrangements, so I ended up sleeping next to Kyla, with Erica pressing her back to my side and holding my arm under her and around her stomach, with Vanessa spooning up to her and Ivy on the end on her back, snuggled partially under Vanessa. I knocked on the door and set the two big brown paper bags down on the stoop and backed away. The house wasn't 'old' per se, located in a neighborhood that had been developed almost twenty-five years ago, and hadn't been updated since it was first built. To be fair, there hadn't ever exactly been a housing boom in the area, so other than the one-off builds it was probably one of the newest places around. The inner front door opened and Mary looked out cautiously, then in surprise as she saw me. She hadn't texted me like I'd asked her to, and it had almost been a week since I'd seen her in the parking lot at the grocery store. She looked a little better, though not by much, and I wondered how far she'd been able to stretch that $70 I'd been able to give her then. "Harri?" she asked in surprise. "Hey, Mary," I said with a little wave. "How did you; Is this;?" "It wasn't that hard, Mary," I said. "I just made a couple of calls. You never texted me." "I know, I,” she hesitated, and then hung her head. "I was so embarrassed." "You don't need to be," I told her. "You're in a tough spot, and I'm not. I want to help out." "Mom? Who's at the door?" came a little voice from inside. A boy poked his head around Mary's hip, looking cute and curious. "It's an old friend of Mommies," Mary said. "He's just here to say hello." "Hey there buddy," I said, smiling as I pulled my mask down and waved, then let the mask snap back up and played like it had rocked me. The kid giggled. "My name is Harrison, but everyone calls me Harri on account of my big beard and hair." "That's a funny name," the kid said. "If you got rid of your beard, what would they call you?" "Hmm, that's a good question!" I said. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask your Mom, she knew me when I didn't have a beard." "We still called him Harri, baby," Mary said, smiling down at the boy and running her fingers through his hair. The kid had keen eyes and noticed the bags on the stoop and the food inside. "Is that for us?" "It is, kiddo," I said. "Could you help your Mom get it inside?" "Sure!" he said. Mary sighed and opened the screen door for him, and the kid came out in his socks and hefted up one of the bags and started carrying it in. "Harri, you don't need to,” "I made sure there are some snacks for the kids in there," I said, pretending like she hadn't been talking. "I know they aren't nutritious, but I figured you can bribe some good behavior for some Oreos and stuff every once in a while. There's also a bottle of merlot in that other one there, so you may not want the kiddo to lift it. He's a cute kid, by the way. I've got an order in down at the butcher's that I'm supposed to pick up tomorrow, so I'll be by sometime tomorrow afternoon with some meat for you guys too. Maybe I can meet your little girl then? Charlie, right?" Mary looked like she was about to cry, and I didn't want to push her over the edge so I tried to make it all like it wasn't a big deal. "Alright, Mary. See you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything specific and I'll see what I can do, alright? Tell the kiddo not to eat all the gummy worms at once." I was halfway down the driveway to my truck when the screen door opened again. "Harri," Mary called. I looked back and she was standing on the porch, looking at me with tears brimming in her eyes and a happy frown on her face. From this distance, without a mask, I could still see her as the little button-nosed cheerleader I'd known. "Thank you." I just winked and waved, heading back to my truck. "That was really kind of you," Kyla said as I got in. "It's nothing," I said. "I knew her in high school and her husband's been missing for a while." Kyla took one of my hands from the steering wheel and wrapped her fingers in mine, looking at it. The casual intimacy was still new; the first couple days after her imprinting had been us feeling each other out, and her getting comfortable with the general openness to sex that was our new life. I'd made it a point to spend time with her, both sexually and non-sexually, each day and we were slowly starting to find a soft groove. "That's still kindness, Harri," she said. "You're sure she needs it? I don't want to see you getting taken advantage of." "I'm sure," I said. "Okay," Kyla nodded. "Then we'll help her. Now, let's continue this tour. I want to know everything I can about this little podunk, backwoods town I've been shipped off to." "Well, the first thing you should know is that I'm pretty sure it isn't big enough to be considered a town. Maybe a village?" "Oh, God," she laughed. "Not if you consider all the construction workers moving in." "True. I bet we're close to half-againing the local population at this point. Vanessa said we'll hit a thousand by the end of the week." "With that many," Kyla said. "We should have our house in, what, a few months?" "No idea," I said. "No fucking idea." "Fuck, it's already June," I groaned. It was hot as balls and I was regretting putting on my 'go out into the world' getup. "How did you miss the 1st?" Erica asked, also done up in her gear. "How did we miss Memorial Day?" I countered. "Oh, shit," Leo said, standing up from where he'd been sitting over near his RV. "You're right, we did miss Memorial Day. Should we do something?" "Like what?" I asked. "We could throw a party," Ivy suggested. "We could all dress up fancy and have a dance?" The surveyors had been needing Leo and me less and less lately and I was starting to get a little twitchy with how little I had to do. Quarantine before all of this really kicked off had been one thing, but now we didn't even have our big wide backyard to ourselves. When Erica had mentioned that she wanted to take a drive into Portland to pick up some things from the tattoo parlor and check her apartment I'd jumped on the chance and we'd made the plan. The girls were already starting to excitedly talk about planning our late Memorial Day celebration as I stretched and sighed, checking my watch. We'd been planning to leave right after lunch and it was already 3pm. Vanessa had taken an extended break since she'd worked late the night before and we'd had some one-on-one fun in the RV, which had been sorely needed for her. Where the rest of us were struggling to find things to keep busy and motivated, the last week had seen more and more responsibility and work landing in Vanessa's lap as the construction crews started to show up and move into the barracks. It meant there was an entirely new crew of cleaners, maintenance workers and delivery people under her supervision along with her 'gorillas.' Not to mention her wrangling of the other foremen and administrators on-site as her father handled the top-end details of the job. Every day it seemed like new equipment and supplies were being delivered and a third barracks was quickly being erected as even more hands were around. But an hour with Vanessa had delayed us, and when I was finally ready to go Dani was busy with Leo over at their place, and since she was coming with us Erica and I had to wait. Then Erica and Kyla were ensconced in a private conversation in our RV when Dani emerged ready to go, so we lost another half hour before the three of us were all finally dressed and prepped to leave. "Okay," I said loudly, trying to cut through the multiple party-related conversations. "We're all agreed we'll do a Memorial Day thing, but we're burning daylight. Erica and Dani, let's go." We took my truck, only needing one vehicle since we weren't hauling a ton of stuff like the last time. As we pulled around the site offices I spotted Vanessa walking with one of the other foremen in conversation and gave her a little double honk. She smiled and waved. Driving down the old driveway path there were now a half dozen wide offshoots winding off into the trees and closer to the highway there were big swathes of ground that had been cleared and were starting to get flattened by scrapers and excavators. Vanessa had mentioned that we'd end up with a couple of strip malls worth of stores to help provide for the eventual community; a convenience store, a clinic, a dentist, that sort of thing. Right at the end of the driveway a guard hut had been erected, little more than a fancy roadside fruit stall that could barely fit two people inside. I pulled up next to it and Erica rolled down the window. "Hey Patrick," I said, waving to the construction worker manning the booth and tracking the ins and outs. "Hey folks," the older guy said with a grin. He was supposed to be on the road crews but had arrived earlier than needed. I'd asked him once if standing in the guard booth all day working a clipboard was boring and he assured me that after three decades manning a 'Slow/Stop' sign in the middle of roads through sun, rain and sleet, the booth and the clipboard were welcome. "We'll be out for a few hours," I said. "Sounds good," he replied and made a note on his clipboard. Then he wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, blinking. "Y'all didn't say anything about how bad the pollen got up here. I think my allergies are kicking up and I didn't bring any of my meds, I thought the North West was supposed to be wet." "It usually is. We'll pick you something up," Erica offered. "We need to stop at a pharmacy anyways." "We do?" I asked. "We do," Erica said, patting me on the knee. "Hah," Patrick laughed. "And here I thought you was some sort of Big Dog, Harri. But you're as whipped by your women as the rest of us." "See you in a bit, Patrick," I said. He waved us off, then covered his mouth to cough a little. "Poor guy," Dani said. "I'd hate if I had allergies like that." "We'll get him fixed up," I said as I pulled onto the highway and started heading in the direction of Portland. "It's been weirdly dry and hot so I'm betting the dust from the brush cutting is doing it to him." And I didn't think anything more of it. Erica unlocked the metal grate that pulled down over the front of the tattoo parlor and lifted it up on the rollers enough to uncover the door. The good news was that the whole thing with the 'Autonomous Zone' seemed to have burned itself out and Portland was no longer hosting big protests at the moment. The bad news was that only happened after a week of riots and several news-worthy moments of violence and vandalism. Thankfully the parlor wasn't on one of the major routes the riots had travelled down and there didn't seem to be any damage other than sprayed graffiti on the grate and some of the glass windows behind it. I'd pulled my truck right up over the curb and parked us as close as possible. The streets were as empty of people moving around as the last time we'd come into the city, except there was more trash. I'd seen old newsreels of when there had been major strikes in New York City back in the early 80s and it wasn't exactly that bad, but another couple of weeks and it might get there. Someone must have been doing collections, they were just overburdened or understaffed or something. I had to nudge a pile out of the way with the front of my truck to wedge into the open space, but it almost immediately proved worth it as a trio of ambulances came burning down the street with their lights running. If I'd parked on the street one of them would have needed to swerve out of the way and who knew if those extra seconds would be the difference between life or death for someone; not to mention the potential of the ambulance not swerving fast enough and clipping my truck. Inside the tattoo parlor Erica went straight to her bay and started unhooking and gathering her equipment. Dani was looking around at the place, grinning as she examined the wild decor. She would call out questions to Erica, who would tell her who had done what mural, or the brief story behind the broken surfboard hanging from the ceiling and the skateboard deck covered in almost a hundred different signatures. I spotted a photo on the wall and realized it was of Erica and all of her staff at the most recent DragonCon where they had put up a booth and done live tattooing. Erica had said beforehand she thought it might be a waste of time, but the owner of the parlor was a huge nerd and wanted to do it so it was her job to organize. I never had found out how it went, but she looked happy in the photo. I grabbed the frame from the wall and brought it over to her. "Do you want to bring this, too?" I asked. She glanced at it and paused her work, then smiled and hugged me. "That's sweet, Harri. Yes, absolutely." She took the frame and put it in one of the boxes we'd brought for her to carry stuff, then turned to me. "Hey, could you just empty all those drawers there into the boxes? Don't just dump them, but there isn't anything particularly fragile. It's mostly inks and cleaner solutions and stuff." "Sure," I said. "Thanks, babe," she said and kissed my cheek. "Dani and I are just going to slip through to next door." "Oh, God," I groaned. I hadn't realized that was her plan. "Don't worry," she grinned. "It'll all be fun for you, I promise." The owner of the tattoo parlor also owned the sex shop next door and had installed a door between the two since the clientele crossed over fairly consistently. Erica led Dani through the door, opening it with her key, and I could hear them laughing and giggling. By the time I was done with the drawers Erica had pointed out, placing what seemed like hundreds of little vials and bottles of inks and other liquids into the boxes along with some other art supplies, they hadn't come back. I went to the door and opened it, looking in. Erica glanced over, grinning as she held another box and Dani was placing something inside. "You want any porn, babe?" "What do I need porn for?" I asked. "I dunno," she said. "Variety?" "Ooh, this one is called 'Big Black Booties 15,'" Dani said, grabbing a DVD from a nearby shelf and waving it at me. "You don't have that kind of variety yet, Harri." I snorted and shook my head. "I'm perfectly happy with the booties at my disposal, thank you." Dani shrugged and put the DVD in the box. "I'll see if Leo wants it." "Gag!" Erica laughed, making them both start giggling. I had a feeling that was a running joke between them. "How are we paying for this stuff?" I asked. "Everything is turned off and we don't have any cash." "Artie told me I could Venmo him at a 75% discount," Erica said. "Plus anything with an expiry date I could have for free. So we've got a lot of lube now, along with a bunch of penis-shaped candy and some candy underwear." I sighed and shook my head. "Oh my God, we should take her with us," Dani said, pointing up on a high shelf where a creepily lifelike sex doll was sitting. "I think you mean rescue her," Erica said. "Harri, help me get her down." "Really?" I asked. "Yes," they both demanded. When we packed up the truck we had two boxes of Erica's tattoo gear and other possessions from the shop, another full box of Sex Shop stuff, and Dani was sitting in the back next to 'Sexy Susan' who had also happened to get dressed in a sexy nurse costume. They thought it was fucking hilarious, I just thought 'Sexy Susan' was a little creepy. Dani stayed down in the truck, taking the front seat as I pointed out that the 1911 was in its case under the passenger seat if she needed it, while Erica and I headed up to her apartment. The elevator had an 'out of order' sign on it, and Erica had to use her key to the building to get into the stairwell which she said she'd never had to do before. That was an immediate red flag to me, but I kept my cool to try and not worry her. "You know," Erica said as we climbed the stairs. All our sex cardio seemed to be paying off because we weren't puffing from the exertion yet. "You haven't officially asked me to move in yet." "What?' I asked. "Leo and I,” "That wasn't asking me to move in permanently," Erica cut me off. "That was just for quarantine." I rolled my eyes, knowing where she was going with this. At the next floor I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to me, pulling down my mask and hers and kissing her hard and deep. "Erica Lacosta, will you move in with me forever and ever?" I asked her. "Yes," she grinned. "Yes, I will." She kissed me lightly to seal it, then sighed and we raised our masks and started climbing more stairs. "With that out of the way, I should really try and find a way out of my lease. Just because you have money doesn't mean I should be wasting mine on a place I'm not ever planning on moving back into." "I'll help with some research," I said. "I know there's all the clamor about halting eviction notices, but maybe there's something that will help. I could text Miriam, see if Captain Bloomberg knows anything offhand." "Hmm, maybe,” Erica started, but stopped as we reached her floor and found that door locked as well. "What the fuck?" she sighed and unlocked it. "Let me go first," I said. "Why? It's just..." As we entered the corridor Erica trailed off, seeing the tracks of dirty footprints in the hall and the spray paint on the walls. She immediately started to move forward, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Wait," I said. "Look." I pointed at the big circles on the walls next to each door, but she clearly didn't understand what I was pointing out. "Those are FEMA search and rescue marks." Erica blinked once and was obviously unsure of what to say. "Let's just take it slow," I said. We walked down the hallway. Some of the doors were shut, but others looked like they'd been kicked in. "What do they mean?" Erica asked me, looking at the circles and the scribbles of letters and numbers on the walls. Each circle had an X dividing it into four parts, and each quadrant was marked. "The top part is the date the location was searched," I said. "5-24 means it happened May 24th, so a little over a week and a half ago. The left side is who did the search, the numbers are probably a military code for a National Guard unit. If it said PPD that would be the Portland police, or CDC or DEA or whoever. The right side is if there are any hazards." I pointed to one of the doors that were kicked in. "NE means 'No Entry.'" Then I pointed to another. "F/W means there's contaminated food and water." I pointed at another door, this one wasn't kicked in. "A 0 means no hazards. "What are the bottom parts?" Erica asked. I frowned and swallowed. "The crossed 0 means no one found. DB or DOA means dead bodies. LB means live people are, or were, inside." Erica looked at the carnage of the corridor, her eyes scanning the doors of her neighbors as she weighed the number of DBs. There weren't many 0s, but about half of the apartments were labelled LB and hadn't been kicked open. Half. We got to Erica's place around the hall corner, passing the old lady Diane's door. It was kicked in and labelled NE, DB. Erica poked the door with her boot and it swung in. Inside, other than the dirty boot prints, it looked generally neat and tidy... other than the pool of dark something that had dried on the kitchen linoleum. I grabbed Erica and held her as she gasped and her knees went weak. I pulled her away from the door and she saw that her own apartment had also been kicked in, but was labelled 0 hazards and 0 bodies. We went in and she sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. Kneeling in front of her, I cradled her head on my shoulder and hugged her tightly as the reality of the world settled on her. She cried, though not as long as she probably needed, as I talked her through what had probably happened. Enough people had gotten sick and called emergency services that they came to do a sweep of the building. They knocked on every door, and anywhere someone didn't answer they kicked it in. Then I assumed they had extracted the bodies. "I need to get out of here," Erica breathed. "Okay," I said. "Do you need me to grab anything? Did we forget anything last time?" "No, nothing," she shook her head. "Just get me out of here." I picked her up and carried her out. Erica wasn't Ivy or Vanessa, or even Kyla. She was a full-figured woman. But I carried her every fucking step, down every stair. She stopped me right at the doors to the building and had me let her down. "I don't want Dani to see me like this," she said. "Why?" I asked. "She would understand." "I know," she said, blinking under her ski goggles. "But if she sees me like this, she'll start thinking about what might be happening back home for her, and she doesn't need that." I held Erica's hand at the door for another minute as she breathed deeply and got control of herself, and finally she smiled at me and it actually travelled up to her eyes. "Thanks, babe," she said. "Love you," I said. "You too," she said and touched her forehead to mine since we were both masked and goggled. "Hey, Charlie," I grinned, waving to the little four-year-old as she sprawled in Mary's arms and waved back with her little grin. "Hi," she chirped. "Okay," Mary said, setting her daughter down. "Scoot, you. Let Mommy talk with Harri for a second. Go see what your brother is doing." "Okay," Charlie said and pounded off in the way only a four-year-old could. "You're looking more like yourself, Mary," I said. I was standing off the porch and we kept the screen door closed, but I had my mask lowered so she could see my face. She smiled softly and shrugged. "I don't feel like it, but thanks." "How are the kids doing?" I asked. "Well, I regret letting them eat sugar again," she smirked a little. "But they're good. Better than me, anyways, though Thomas misses his friends from school and keeps asking when he can go back to class." She laughed and wiped under one eye. "He used to hate going to school every morning, now it's all he wants to do." "We'll get there eventually," I assured her. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Brian Sizemore and Jared Murphey reflect on the life and death of Brian's son, Lucas Sizemore—an Atlanta police officer who died by suicide. They open up about Lucas' childhood, his service in law enforcement, and the lack of apparent changes in his behavior. Through raw honesty and deep reflection, they explore grief, guilt, and the urgent need to talk about mental health in policing—and how we can prevent this kind of loss from happening again.-----00:00:00:00 - 00:01:47:10Teaser00:01:47:10 - 00:02:15:14Intro00:02:15:14 - 00:04:15:02Jared and Brian's background00:04:15:02 - 00:12:27:04The life of Lucas Sizemore00:12:27:04 - 00:16:08:03Enabling your children00:16:08:03 - 00:24:19:07Lucas's experience as a police officer in Atlanta00:24:19:07 - 00:27:46:12The lack of apparent change in Lucas' behavior00:27:46:12 - 00:35:41:03The stress of working in law enforcement00:35:41:03 - 00:36:00:07Midroll00:36:00:07 - 00:43:49:14Repairing your life after losing someone to suicide00:43:49:14 - 00:52:25:03The impacts of suicide00:52:25:03 - 00:57:49:21Valuing life00:57:49:21 - 01:07:47:04Forgiveness & dealing with guilt01:07:47:04 - 01:09:17:03The reality of law enforcement suicide01:09:17:03 - 01:25:32:21How to move forward & how to make change01:25:32:21 - 01:30:54:14The mental health conversation in law enforcement01:30:54:14 - 01:34:43:04What does it mean to care?01:34:43:04 - 01:35:25:23The Lucas Foundation01:35:25:23 - 01:38:42:24Outro

On January 9th 2024, Brain Sizemore lost his son Lucas to suicide. Lucas had graduated the academy that May and was an officer with the City of Atlanta Police Department. Since his son's passing Brian has been on a mission to bring this tough conversation of suicide in law enforcement  to the public. For every officer that dies at the hands of a suspect, 2-3 take their own lives. Brain and I are joined on this episode by Jared Murphey, the Acting SAC of Homeland Security for Detroit Michigan. Lucas actually interned  for Jared at HSI  when he was younger, before he became an Atlanta officer.We discuss the unanswered questions of this tragic event that brought these two men together. And just as importantly we highlight the work both are doing to bring awareness to this dynamic in the first responder community. The  " Bring Them Home" 1000 mile Charity Relay Run starts in Atlanta and finishes in Detroit.For more information go to : www.bringthemhome@luucascrusade.orgwww.lawenforcementunitedcrusadeagainstsuicide.comThank you for taking the time to give this podcast a listen. If you would like more information on other Law enforcement Life Coach initiatives, our "Sometimes Heroes Need Help" wellness seminar or our One-On-One life coaching please visit :www.lawenforcementlifecoach.comJohn@lawenforcementlifecoach.comAnd if you would like to watch the interview you can view it in it's entirety on the Law Enforcement Life Coach YouTube Channel : https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCib6HRqAFO08gAkZQ-B9Ajw/videos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7D

Former Oklahoma Rep Jason Murphey calls out corruption in the Oklahom state House of Representatives. Check out his full coverage of the story here: https://oklahomastatecapital.substack.com/p/when-shall-becomes-may-why-the-people?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2598560&post_id=164509148&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3n49dy&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email  

Linda Murphy discusses the controversial statewide longitudinal data system bill in Oklahoma, highlighting its origins in the Obama administration's stimulus money and its connection to the Common Core State Standards. She explains how the system, initially designed for aggregate reporting, was transformed to collect student-level data, raising privacy concerns. Murphy also touches on the influence of the Hope Foundation and the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Analysis survey, emphasizing the need for transparency regarding funding and the potential misuse of data. Linda Murphy discusses the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment, a survey given to sixth graders that includes questions about gender identity and sexual orientation. She highlights the controversial nature of these questions and the potential for long-term data collection on students' attitudes, values, and beliefs. Murphy also mentions a federal labor report from the Clinton administration that included a student data profile with subjective evaluations, such as honesty ratings, and warns about the dangers of subjective judgments in data collection and potential misuse of this information. Linda Murphy discusses the approval of an AI platform from Carnegie and concerns about data collection in education. She highlights the need to dismantle the federal data system and emphasizes the importance of aligning data collection with state law and values. Murphy also mentions the role of Megan Offedil, hired to run the Office of Education Quality and Accountability, and her vision for transforming it into a P20 data hub. A Senate bill, amended before voting, prohibits the state's new data system from serving the same purpose as the state student identification system or directly reporting data to federal agencies. The bill also prohibits the collection of personal data, including religion, political affiliation, health insurance status, and medical information. The goal is to prevent top-down control of student programs and curriculum, emphasizing local school board and parent involvement. Linda Murphy discusses transparency and regulations regarding student privacy data, highlighting the 2013 student privacy data bill. She offers to send additional documents and encourages listeners to like, share, and subscribe. _______________________________________________________________   Visit my Patreon Page to access all the links mentioned in the show. Click the link below:   https://www.patreon.com/posts/docs-from-with-127298484?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link  

Murphey is here! Can he Beat Migs?

"I wanted to make the most of it." - Dona Kim MurpheyCaregiving is never just about one person, it's about family, culture, and community. Natalie and J.J. sit down with Dr. Dona Kim Murphey, neurologist and caregiver, to explore the deeply personal and often unspoken challenges of caregiving.From cultural expectations to the emotional and relational toll caregiving takes, this conversation dives into what it truly means to care for a loved one—especially from a distance. Dr. Murphey shares her journey shaped by her family's experiences with illness, offering practical strategies for caregivers, the power of micro moments of self-care, and the evolving role of technology in making caregiving more manageable.

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with cityCURRENT partner, John Lewis, CEO of Semmes Murphey Clinic, who highlights the independent, physician-owned brain and spine care practice founded in Memphis in 1912. The clinic is a global leader in neurosurgery and neurology, advancing the fields of spinal, cranial and endovascular treatments through cutting-edge research, groundbreaking surgical techniques, and a steadfast commitment to improving lives. During the interview, John shares some of the clinic's history, noting how Dr. Semmes was the first neurosurgeon in Memphis, and he trained directly under Dr. Harvey Cushing, who's considered the “father” of neurosurgery. He talks about the growth over the years and how today Semmes Murphey Clinic is a multi-faceted practice with more than 40 physicians, 3 neuropsychologists, and a full complement of physical therapists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and related medical staff who collectively treat everything from headaches to complex spinal deformity.John discusses how being independent of any hospital facility or other practice means their doctors see patients all across the Mid-South and shares some of the many different ways his team helps patients between a brain tumor surgery in a pediatric hospital, stroke intervention at an adult hospital, spine trauma surgery in an emergency room, elective spine surgery in their surgery center, a memory care assessment office visit, conservative care physical therapy in their clinic or an MRI in their imaging suite. John then talks about his team and the specialized training and education required in the field. He talks about some of the innovations, like minimally-invasive spine surgery, which is now considered standard practice, and how that was developed at Semmes Murphey Clinic in the 1990s. He also highlights some of their partnerships and how the clinic is further involved in the community, like as a founding partner in the Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI) and with their Residency Program at UT Health Sciences Center.John then talks about the importance of being proactive with our health because problems with the spine often show up looking like something else, and he shares his own story and testimonial as a patient. He wraps up highlighting the Brain and Spine Network, a Center of Excellence program that Semmes Murphey Clinic and Baptist Memorial Health Care, another cityCURRENT partner, have structured for employers as an employer-based offering. Companies that join the Brain and Spine network can offer their employees direct access to high quality, non-invasive care for acute back and neck problems. John wraps up talking about the many benefits of helping employees with issues like back pain and headaches and how taking a proactive approach leads to fewer missed workdays and higher levels of performance, productivity, and happiness.Visit https://www.semmes-murphey.com/citycu... to learn more about the Center of Excellence program or visit www.semmes-murphey.com to learn more about Semmes Murphey Clinic.

A SPECIAL episode with PURPOSE! This week, we're joined by a LOCAL favorite who thinks making his community a better place is the only OPTION! We talk about why SALES are so important in our community and how a small TAX has made a difference!

On The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, you'll catch a mix of star-studded interviews and hilarious segments. Did you hear about what happened between LisaRaye and Nicole Murphy? We hear more about the sit down with Carlos King. Also, Coco Jones chatted with Rickey Smiley about collaborating with Future and her journey beyond her Disney beginnings. Plus, Gary keeps listeners informed and entertained with his daily "Word of the Day" and delivers the juiciest celebrity headlines in the popular "Gary With The Tea" segment, showcasing some of his best highlights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this heartfelt farewell episode of The Business Side of Music Podcast, we say goodbye to our host, mentor, and friend, Bob Bender. As we close this chapter, we reflect on the incredible journey, invaluable lessons, and unforgettable moments shared with our listeners. Thank you for being part of this community and for supporting the podcast through the years. Join us as we celebrate Bob's legacy and bid a fond farewell to the show.   Bob Bender:  With over 45 years experience in the music entertainment industry, Bob Bender has produced over 300 Tours, Festivals, and concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Japan.  Bender worked in the capacity of Tour Manager for such artists including Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, Billy Preston, Dwight Twilley, Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam, Rick Derringer, Edgar Winter, A Flock of Seagulls, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & The Raiders fame), New Kids on The Block, and Gene Pitney, just to name a few. He also held the position of Manager of Artist Development for Curb Records, representing such label acts as Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Jo Dee Messina, and Hank Williams Jr. In addition, Bob oversaw the Christian retail division for the label, and helped develop it into a million-dollar division for the company, eventually becoming the Director of Sales for Curb Records. Bender went on to manage the legendary Michael Martin Murphey's record label “WestFest Records”. Under Bob's direction, Murphey re-released his 1970's hit single “Wildfire” as a new mix with the popular country group “Lonestar”, appearing on mainstream radio after an absence of over 20 years, with over 400 country stations playing his hit song, along with appearances on television, including CBS's “Late Night with David Letterman”. Bob has also overseen television promotion and infomercial marketing campaigns for various country, pop, and Christian artists. He has produced, co-produced, and marketed numerous concert DVD projects, including Tommy Cash's “Fade to Black” concert and Eric Durrance's “Turn It Off” video (which climbed to #17 on GAC's “Country Countdown” charts). Other various television credits include the “Celebration for Young Americans” television concert special for George H. Bush's 1989 presidential inauguration, the “Billy Preston Live in Atlanta” concert, and the USO's “Operation Homecoming” television concert special filmed aboard the USS Ranger aircraft carrier during Desert Storm.  In 2015, Bender entered a new direction by beginning production on a television series titled “Songs in the Spotlight,” the first season of which was picked up by Hulu.  In addition to his television credits, Bob has produced multiple album projects, including a live-in concert CD for Grammy-award-winning artist Billy Preston, Gospel recording artist Joanne Cash (Johnny Cash's sister), Americana act Steven L. Smith Band (earning a first-round Grammy nomination for Americana Album of the Year), Country music singer Whitney Wattenbarger, pop group Grant My Wishes, and heavy metal band Se7en Dead. Other accomplishments include Serving on the CMTA Board of Directors for the Gospel Music Association, being a guest lecturer at Belmont University in Nashville, hosting panels at MTSU, and speaking on the business aspects of the music industry.  Currently, Bender is producing and hosting a podcast series called “The Business Side of Music,” recorded in Nashville, TN. This series consistently ranks in the Top 15 of Music Interview shows on Apple Music, has over 250,000 downloads, is listened to in 120 countries around the world, and was recently ranked in the Top 20 music industry podcasts to listen to.   Creator and Executive Producer Emeritus: Tom Sabella Showrunner and Host (the guy who has a face for podcasting): Bob Bender Management Representation: Chuck Thompson for Thompson Entertainment Group, LLC Co-Producer - Audio/Video Editor (the man behind the curtain): Mark Sabella Director of Video and Continuity (the brains of the entire operation): Deborah Halle Marketing and Social Media (all knowing): Sarah Fleshner for 362 Entertainment All Around Problem Solver (and Mental Health Therapist for us): Connie Ribas Recorded inside what could be an old beat up Airstream Trailer located somewhere on what's left of Music Row in Nashville TN (Man we sure do miss Noshville, and the Longhorn Steakhouse) Mixed and Mastered at Music Dog Studios in Nashville, TN Editing and Post at Midnight Express Studio located in Olian, NY Production Sound Design: Keith Stark Voice Over and Promo: Lisa Fuson   Special Thanks to the creator and founder of the podcast, Tom Sabella, along with Traci Snow for producing and hosting over 100 episodes of the original "Business Side of Music" podcast and trusting us to carry on their legacy.   The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed on this show provided by the guest(s), are those of the guest(s) own, and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the host or producers of this podcast. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The Business Side of Music's name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner (Lotta Dogs Productions LLC), and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. Copyright © 2024 Lotta Dogs Productions, LLC, All rights reserved.

Send us a textOn this episode, Tom and Bert share and discuss what they deem to be their Top 10 + 1  "Make Out Songs" from the decade of the 1970's!The 1970's were arguably the greatest decade for "Make Out" and "Love Songs".Here is out lists:Tom's Top Ten........"Just my Imagination" - The Temptations (1:30); "Let's Get it On" - Marvin Gaye (8:15);"Break Up to Make Up" - Stylistics (11:48);"Show and Tell"- Al Wilson (14:08);"Wildfire"- Michael "Martin" Murphey (16:24);"She's Gone"- Hall and Oates (19:33);"Swayin' to the Music"- Johnny Rivers (24:47);"Just the Way You Are"- Billy Joel (37:05);"Love is in the Air"- John Paul Young (43:30);"So very Hard to Go"- Tower of Power (48:06) Bert's Top Ten........"Make it with You"- Bread (5:35);"Love on a Two Way Street"- The Moments (9:41);"Didn't I"- The Delfonics (12:55);"Oh, Girl"- The Chi-Lites (15:08);"Could it be I'm Falling in Love"- The Spinners (17:34);"Everybody Plays the Fool"- The Main Ingredient (22:14);"After the Lovin"- Englebert Humperdinck (30:25);"Just when I needed You Most"- Randy VanWarmer (40:51);"Reunited"- Peaches and Herb (44:46);"Let's Put it all Together"- Stylistics (52:10)And the extra 1 Song that we both selected....."If You Don't Know Me by Now"- Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes featuring Teddy Pendergrass (55:58) Enjoy the show!You can email us at reeldealzmoviesandmusic@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page, Reel Dealz Podcast: Movies & Music Thru The Decades to leave comments and/or TEXT us at 843-855-1704 as well.

IAN UNPLUGGED 2446 111624 Line Up On Sat, November 16, 2024 from, 3 - 4 pm on “IAN UNPLUGGED” on Indo American News Radio (www.IndoAmericanews.com), on “Hey, Wassup?”, Jay and Sanchali speak with Dr Dona Murphey, a compassionate health care specialist, about dementia and what support is available to help maintain a comfortable living arrangement for the family. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/indo-american-news-radio/support

Today Wim Hof Method expert and Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Miles Lukas, comes back to the podcast. This time he brought a special guest with him, enter STL martial arts OG Todd Murphey. Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation where you will learn: the real meaning of martial arts, proper biting technique, and why touching the gi is holding you back! MILES BREATHWORK Course Promo code MILESWOW for 20% OFF Imposed Will x ISAJJ Gear⁠ (Available Until Nov 14) Sign up for 50% of⁠ BJJ Mental Models⁠ Promo code “JOSH”:  FREE Copy of⁠ ⁠The 3 Lenses⁠⁠ Join⁠ ⁠ISAJJ PRO⁠(“Master any Position in 6 weeks”) Join the⁠ Gi Gazette⁠ ⁠⁠Ask Questions/Suggest Topics⁠⁠ for the show Follow the show on⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Check out the ISAJJ Youtube Channel⁠⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/isuckatjiujitsushow/support

Dr. Dona Kim Murphey, neuroscientist and founder of prognosus, discusses dementia and the role electing the correct politicians plays in ensuring Medicare support. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://politicsdoneright.com/newsletter Purchase our Books: As I See It: https://amzn.to/3XpvW5o How To Make America Utopia: https://amzn.to/3VKVFnG It's Worth It: https://amzn.to/3VFByXP Lose Weight And Be Fit Now: https://amzn.to/3xiQK3K Tribulations of an Afro-Latino Caribbean man: https://amzn.to/4c09rbE

Become a more effective team in this CTO podcast featuring Rebecca Murphey, Field CTO of Swarmia and co-author of Build. From her years of experience working in the developer productivity organizations at Stripe and Indeed and now at Swarmia, Rebecca knows this conversation isn't just about developer metrics and productivity - it's about the broader picture

Send us a textIn this episode of The Bubble Lounge, we're thrilled to welcome Chi Omega Christmas Market Co-Chair Nancy Woodall and Make-A-Wish North Texas CDO Murphey Sears! They join us to share the exciting details of the 47th Annual Chi Omega Christmas Market, happening September 26-28, 2024, at Dallas Market Hall. With over 200 vendors, festive activities, and a mission to raise funds for local charities and collegiate scholarships, this event promises a holiday shopping experience like no other. Tune in to learn about the history, the impact, and what to expect this year—and don't forget to get your tickets in advance to shop for a cause by visiting https://www.chiomegachristmasmarket.org/This episode is sponsored by: Kathy L Wall State Farm Agency, SA Oral Surgeons, Hello, Nanny!, and Manorly. Please show your support for the show by visiting our amazing sponsors.

CarneyShow 09.03.24 Jill Farmer, Martin Kilcoyne, Mandy Murphey, Savor, George Mahe by

Professional and college football is preparing for the season, and that means legal wagers for those games. In May 2018, after a six-year-battle, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey in Murphey v. NCAA and struck down a decades-old deferral law that prohibited the state from legalizing sports betting. Richard McGarvey, Deputy Director of Communications for the PA Gaming Control Board says in November 2018, Pennsylvania began offering sports wagering. “Sports wagering has evolved to where there are many different ways to bet on any particular sport. Football is a good example. They might bet on, when who's going to which team is going to have the next field goal, or which team is going to have the next touchdown, or what is the quarterback going to throw a touchdown on the next one or an interception? So, there's many options for sports wagering. And that's just football, baseball. You can actually, bet on the particular pitch. Will it be a strike? Will it be a ball. Will it be a home run. So, there's many options compared to what there used to be.” Sports betting has become popular in Pennsylvania since it's become legal. There's currently 18 retail locations where you can walk into a casino or an off track betting facility and place wagers. So you walk in, they'll have tote boards, in other words, telling you what all the wagers are on, on the board. You can look at them, fill out a card and make your wagers and also collect winnings there. But then the way most people do sports wagering is online.” If you are someone you know has a gambling problem, please: Call 1-800-Gambler Text 1-800-522-4700      Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's episode I have comic book artist, writer, artist, and translator, Adalisa Zarate!  Adalisa is the final episode of my San Diego Comic-Con series, and funny enough she was the first episode I recorded of the series. Adalisa was another international guest, joining the show from Mexico! Adalisa has such an incredible story about how she got involved with SDCC as a Mexican journalist and she immediately was hooked! She has also done translation for some incredible shows such as "Sailor Moon" and "Cowboy Bebop".   I talked with Adalisa about she got started with SDCC, how comic con and comic books are viewed in Mexico compared to the US, Mexican horror, some of her favorite SDCC memories, cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation, translating for film and TV, and so much more.    A huge Thank You to Adalisa Zarate for taking the time to join me on the show. Visit Adalisa in Artists Alley at Booth CC-10 and pick up some art, as well as get a picture with Murphey the Traveling Goat! Adalisa will also be part of 2 panels: "Cultural Appreciation vs. Cultural Appropriation, Round 2" on Friday, July 26th @ 5:30 in Room 26AB, as well as "Bringing Fandoms Together Through Language", Sunday, July 28th @ 1:00PM in Room 211. She also helped put together the panel "Storytellers of Then and Now" that will take place Sunday, July 28th @ 3:30PM in Room 26AB. Make sure to follow Adalisa, as well as Murphey the Traveling Goat on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com   Thanks, Adalisa!    Enjoy the episode!

May in Washington D.C., means United For Infrastructure Week. ASCE marked the occasion by releasing a new economic study called Bridging the Gap, analyzing the additional potential costs to both the U.S. GDP and the American taxpayer if IIJA levels of infrastructure investment aren't continued beyond 2026. Infrastructure Week also is a great opportunity for collaboration. Case in point: ASCE and the Global Infrastructure Investor Association, an organization representing the private sector on a global scale. In episode 167 of ASCE Plot Points, ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphey talks with Jon Phillips, CEO of GIIA, about the effects of IIJA on America's infrastructure and where the United States stands on the global stage in terms of attracting private investment dollars.

MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY is one of America's most awarded songwriters with global hit records like WILDFIRE, GERONIMO'S CADILLAC, CAROLINA IN THE PINES, WHAT'S FOREVER FOR and more. Murphey's songs have been recorded by multiple artists including John Denver, Kenny Rogers, Cher, Lyle Lovett and even The Monkees. He returns to WoodSongs with first album “Road Beyond the View” a 9 song collection is a musical journey into things that Father and Son enjoyed growing up together in and around Taos, NM, CHEVEL SHEPHERD is a rising star in country music. She is the winner of season 15 of The Voice and stars in the motion picture “Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse” based Murphey's hit song. WoodSongs Kid: REESE TRIMBLE is an eleven-year-old country singer from Cynthiana, Kentucky.

Listen to Jake Merrick's discussion with Representative Jason Murphey. He delves into what led to the shift in Oklahoma to a Republican super majority and how the early Republican culture compares to today's environment. They also explore the influence of dark money on politics and discuss whether grassroots candidates can overcome this challenge, providing insights on how it might be possible, and Representative Murphey shares his perspective on the evolving culture in the Oklahoma legislature and emphasizes the importance for new candidates to pledge against accepting PAC, lobbyist, or special interest money. _____________________________________________ Want to hear more? Tune into Freedom 96.9, broadcasting The Jake Merrick Show every weekday morning from 7-8AM CST to the greater Oklahoma City Metro Area. You can also listen to his past radio shows by vising https://www.freedom969.com/onair/jake-merrick/ _____________________________________________ Sponsors of the Podcast: Belter Roofing and Construction https://belterroofingok.com/ NeAnne Clinton - KW Realty in Enid

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy today's episode! J.C. Murphey and I had such a fun chat, despite technical issues. We had to restart recording twice, so there are a couple gaps in recording, but hopefully things move smoothly other than that. J.C. comes on to talk about her book, Don't Fear the Reaper (Now I really want to listen to the song!) and it sounds amazing! She markets it as dark fantasy dystopia, which is pretty much my bookish love language. I can't wait to grab my own copy and read it. It's book one in a trilogy, but she's releasing a novella on Amazon that's part of the story as well. I hope you grab it! If you're reading this before May 31, 2024, it's not out yet, but afterward? Head to Amazon now! I recommended a couple books to J.C., including the Shadow Demons Saga, which of course included my story about how salty I am about book 12. GRRRRR. I really need book 12, and I'm SO mad I can't read it yet! I also recommended Let Him In, by William Friend, which I was about halfway through at the time of recording. I've since finished and reviewed on my blog. You can find that review here. Overall, we pretty much talked about everything under the sun. J.C. called it an ADHD party before we hit record, and I gotta say it was an accurate description. We had plenty of laughter and tons of deep talks, though, so I know you'll have a great time. If you loved this episode, or any other episode on this podcast, sharing not only helps others find the podcast, but also lets the Spotify gods know it's popular and they will start recommending it to people. I'd really love that and would be so grateful! Until Next Time, Friends! P.S. Be sure to check out today's sponsor! Podcast Journal: A fab & fun way to keep track of your favorite podcasts, hosts, & quotes! Music by from --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickybookworm/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pickybookworm/support

It's Black Joy Friday, Anamda Seales and the crew bring you stories of Black Joy from all around the world.  FOLLOW ALONG AS WE COVER: (02:10) - Blackjoy* (recorded)  (03:25) - Word game  (10:35) - PSA: Public Seales announcement  (12:25) - Check the VM call 1 Friday  (14:35) - Intro w/ bdays  (16:10) - Black joy story #2*  (17:50) - Watch don't watch (recorded)  (23:14) - Things I learned this week …  (27:18) - Check the VM  (29:44) - Intro w/ on this day  (31:51) - Black joy story #3  (33:17) - For the record  (37:14) - For the record  (44:53) - Check the VM  (48:55) - Intro  (50:25) - The Blackspin   FOLLOW THE SHOW ON ALL SOCIALS: @Sealessaidit @Amandaseales @thesupremeexperience If You Have A Comment Leave Amanda A Message At 1 855-Amanda-8 That's 1-855-262-6328See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NJ senate candidate Tammy Murphey has suspended her campaign.

We recap the Bristol Motor Speedway lead change festival, drivers baffled by tires, accidentally finishing Top 5, fan favorite Denny Hamlin takes the win, Dale Jr. gets more Mayo, Chase Elliott gets some Dale Jr., Rowdy Dragon with your Fantasy NASCAR Picks for COTA Road Course action and tons more. Hosted by Kerry 'Mayo is king' Murphey and Toby 'Blech Mayo' Christie

Join Mike and Bill as they discuss Hawaii, Lioness, Rear View, Murphey's Law, Black Demon, Naked Fear, Resurrection County, Drive Away Dolls, Trunk Locked In, What We Do In the Shadows, Caveman, Malone, Madame Web, Wedding Crashers , Savage Dragon #267, Pine and Merrimac #1, Duke #1, Cobra Commander #1, The One Hand #1, Crashdown […]

Join Mike and Bill as they discuss Hawaii, Lioness, Rear View, Murphey's Law, Black Demon, Naked Fear, Resurrection County, Drive Away Dolls, Trunk Locked In, What We Do In the Shadows, Caveman, Malone, Madame Web, Wedding Crashers , Savage Dragon #267, Pine and Merrimac #1, Duke #1, Cobra Commander #1, The One Hand #1, Crashdown […]

Join Mike and Bill as they discuss Hawaii, Lioness, Rear View, Murphey's Law, Black Demon, Naked Fear, Resurrection County, Drive Away Dolls, Trunk Locked In, What We Do In the Shadows, Caveman, Malone, Madame Web, Wedding Crashers , Savage Dragon #267, Pine and Merrimac #1, Duke #1, Cobra Commander #1, The One Hand #1, Crashdown […]

From the freezing depths of Ann-Sophie's Tuff Shed, we bring you the warmth and delight of Atlanta-based actor Bill Murphey. A chance encounter at a neighborhood Kroger led him down the path to single parenthood, and it's unlike any story we've heard!Join us as we talk:Foster-to-adopt in the USSingle parenthood and finding support from your communityWhy not to book expensive vacations with teenagers Supporting a boy's freedom of expression (whether wearing skirts or dyeing hair!)Balancing boundaries and unconditional love in parentingFor more surprising and authentic conversations about family-forming, subscribe to Our Families, Ourselves:Apple Podcasts | Spotify Podcasts | Google PodcastsJoin the conversation and follow us on Instagram:@ourfamiliesourselves 

Teresa Murphey is the Founder and CEO of Hire Ventures, a company that provides HR and recruiting consulting services specifically tailored for early-stage tech ventures. Based out of the Atlanta area, Teresa founded Hire Ventures in 2001 to provide businesses with human resource consulting, recruiting, and other talent-related services. She is a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Atlanta chapter and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).  In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran is joined by Teresa Murphey, the Founder and CEO of Hire Ventures, to discuss hiring and recruitment strategies. They also talk about the importance of workplace safety, the business development challenges new entrepreneurs face, and how the 9/11 tragedy and the pandemic impacted Teresa's business. 

Content warning: this episode is all about suicide, and grief from suicide loss. This topic might be triggering or challenging for some people, so if that's you, skip this one and join us next month. If you or a loved one struggle with suicidal ideation, call or text 988 to reach the national suicide and crisis hotline. This week I'm so excited to bring Dr. Sara Murphy (she/her) back to the podcast to talk about destigmatizing suicide, suicidality, and surviving the loss of a loved one to suicide. Dr. Murphey is a death educator, Certified Thanatologist, and suicidologist with fifteen years of scholarly, pedagogical, and professional experience in the field. She is a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island where she teaches undergrad and graduate courses in the fields of thanatology and suicidology. In this episode, we dive into why suicide has always been a stigmatized cause of death (even though suicidality is a widespread occurrence across humanity) and ways that we can work toward dismantling that stigma. We also cover how dismantling suicide stigma helps folx who ideate suicide feel safer seeking and getting help, and also allows us to better support people who are grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. Created and hosted by Aries Jo (they/them), Director of Outreach and Education at Parting Stone. Produced by ⁠⁠Parting Stone⁠⁠. For more Death Curious content get our ⁠⁠⁠newsletter,⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠. Death Curious is produced by Parting Stone. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit ⁠⁠⁠Parting Stone's website⁠⁠⁠.

It's time to declare a winner of our Seeing Double series. Will it be double Van Damme, double Murphey, or quadruple Keaton? Only one can win, the others are wiped off the face of the Earth. Sorry, not sorry. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram Please leave us a review in all the podcast apps. I said ALL of them. Support Chew Bubblegum and Kick Ass by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/chew-bubblegum-and-kick-ass Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/chew-bubblegum-and-kick-ass/192424e5-4b2b-473e-b4fa-19b9ced344ad

“Welcome to Miracle National Park, the most populated bordered area unaffected by the Sudden Departure. We hope you leave heartened by this living reminder of the world as it was and what it can be again.”Don't forget to keep your wristbands on at all times. Stay out of the swimming hole. And don't bother the locals!Guess what. Susan and Kelly took a lil' ol' road trip over to Jarden and did, in fact, bother the locals! Oh, my lord, we found the actual Durst/Garvey and Murphey houses, the fire station, the church, and the courthouse! Unfortunately, the goat-sacrificing diner had shut down. But we found a cozy little café down the street fr lunch. See some photos on the website!In this episode, we chat with Amelia about her experience watching the first episode. Then we answer some “deep questions” about the series.And, if you didn't notice, this episode is the first one of… SEASON 13! Woo hoo! By our rough count, this is episode 583 overall!Next week: We're celebrating National Alaska Day! We'll be watching something along the lines of “The Grey” (max), “30 Days of Night” (AMC+), or “Grizzly Man” (AMZ Prime). We're also considering two rentable options: “Into the Wild” and the Christopher Nolan version of “Insomnia.”-Original music by Garrett ThompsonFollow us on Instagram @GeekGirlSoupContinue the conversation on FacebookListen to Cort's podcast with Brad at PureFandom.comCheck out Susan's movie stats on Letterboxd Email your questions and comments to GeekGirlSoup@gmail.comGeek on!

Here it is! Part 2 of the open and honest conversation with former Tennessee RN RaDonda Vaught. On March 25, 2022, a jury found RaDonda guilty of criminally negligent homicide for her part in a fatal medication error at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center. If you haven't heard part one of this conversation, go back and listen.  It opens on the fateful day RaDonda accidently injected a paralyzing drug into Charlene Murphey and ends with her tearful meeting of Mrs. Murphey's grandson in the Tractor Supply Store. Part two picks up the story after the nursing board had completed their investigation, leaving RaDonda with both her reputation and nursing licence intact. Then, an anonymous tip, a surprise inspection, state and federal investigations, sanctions to the hospital, and a criminal indictment. The story of how this medication error ended up in a criminal courtroom 4 ½ years after Mrs. Murphey's death is one you'll never forget.  The trial was watched around the world and has left a resounding impact on healthcare.  This is an important conversation for anyone who might ever end up in the hospital.  Don't miss it.

Shane Nasby of Cledis and J.P. Murphey of Cabin Attic joins the podcast to talk about the beginnings of some beautiful burger collaborations that serve a great cause.New YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKjWKXfpjtNL0oL2R6MKSxwToday's Sponsors:XPLR Tourshttps://xplrtours.com/Use ND10 for 10% off the History of Nashville Walking TourBlessed Day Coffeehttps://www.blesseddaycoffee.com/Use Code "XPLR20" for 20% off at checkoutToday's Guests - Shane Nasby - Cledis J.P. Murphy - Cabin AtticNash NewsTennessee tourism breaks records in 2022 - https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/09/14/tennessee-tourism-breaks-records-for-2022-davidson.htmlTake a look at Centennial Park's $10 million renovation plan, including a cafe and pavilionhttps://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/09/12/take-a-look-at-centennial-parks-10-m-rennovation.htmlWaldo's Chicken & Beer adds two locations to Nashville-area portfoliohttps://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/09/13/waldos-chicken-beer-adds-two-locations-to-nash.htmlNashville Daily Artist of the Day Playlisthttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/51eNcUWPg7qtj8KECrbuwx?si=nEfxeOgmTv6rFUyhVUJY9AFollow us @ XPLR NASHWebsite - https://nashvilledailypodcast.com/YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/xplrnashInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/xplr.nash/Twitter - https://twitter.com/xplr_nashNASHVILLE & XPLR MERCH - https://www.xplrnash.com/shopMedia and other inquiries please email hello@xplr.life

On this episode of ‘Inside Medical Malpractice', an interview like you've never heard before.  Listen in as Chris Rokosh talks to former Registered Nurse RaDonda Vaught. On March 25, 2022, a jury found RaDonda guilty of criminally negligent homicide for her part in a fatal medication error at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Criminal prosecution of a nurse is rare, but it happened.  And, when things go wrong, it's easier to talk about a bad nurse than to examine a flawed system.  RaDonda will tell us a story which, she says, is so much bigger than herself. She reminds us that she only has a story because someone lost their life. Part one of this podcast starts on the fateful day RaDonda incidentally administered a paralyzing drug and ends with the touching story of how she met Mrs. Murphey's grandson in the Tractor Supply Store. This interview is open.  And honest. And real. Don't miss it.

"Murphey's Law says as soon as I declutter this thing, I'm going to need it""I knew it would happen that I needed this once I got rid of it, that's why I keep everything"Confirmation bias is processing information by looking for, or interpreting information consistent with your beliefs. So even though you got rid of 100 items in your big declutter and you haven't needed 99 of them, the one that you could have used a week later is the one you focus on and confirms what you've always believed, which is if you get rid of something you'll need it.It's also biased by the fact that even owning that item is fresh in your mind. Had you not handled it and made a decision about it, you might have completely forgotten that you owned it and been able to solve your current need in an alternative way.Instead of leaning into confirmation bias in your decluttering, use these questions to help you realise that just because you 'could' have used it doesn't mean you 'should' have kept it.- What is a possible alternative solution?- Is there an alternative item I could use?- Could I borrow it from someone?- What is the cost of not having this item anymore? Is it catastrophic or just annoying?Solutions might look like using an alternative item that you already own, it might be that you genuinely need to purchase the item again (rare but possible) or maybe the thing you're trying to do doesn't actually need to be done and you can let the task/ job go completely.When you're tempted to keep things just in case, or you've decluttered something you could use, think about the full picture of your decluttering rather than through the lens of confirmation bias.You're invited to join my Free 5 Day Wardrobe Declutter Challenge!You may also like to listen to these episodes:Fresh EyesConsumerismObject PermanenceADHD Series: Adult Diagnosis and Managing a HouseholdJoin our communityBecome a Patron – your monthly donation makes a huge difference to me being able to produce this podcast. Donations can be as little as $1 a month!Follow me on InstagramFollow me on FacebookJoin my Facebook groupLeave a review on Apple PodcastThank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brooke Murphey doesn't just try something, she fully commits. From picking out a HUGE piece for her first project to figuring out how to run a successful business through Etsy (with orders shipped to all 50(!) US states) she executes with confidence. Tune into this episode of Peak Pyrography Podcast to hear her best tricks that she's learned over the years. You can find Brooke locally in Florida, usually near the beach or online at one of the links below. Email Birchburn1Etsy birchburn.etsy.comInstagram @birchburnPinterest @birchburn1Facebook @birchburn1TicTok @birchburn#birchburnWho to FollowWoodburn Corner @woodburncornerA Slow Burn @a.slow.burnPickleshop Curiosity @pickleshopcuriosityLinks to Click:Burners Coalwood DetailerWeller WoodburnerWoodWalnut Hollow Aspen Rustic Creations Wilson Enterprises DisclaimerSome of these are links to amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting the show by clicking these links.Links to ClickERank SEO optimization tool Procreate Digital Design Tool The SPARK Art ChallengeThis week's prompt is FEARLESS. Peak Pyro Spark is a weekly art challenge for all mediums. Share your creations on instagram. Use #PeakPyroSpark and tag @peakpyropodcast on instagram with your creations. I can't wait to see what you make next!Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, Peak Pyrography and/or Fedde Studios LLC.

Dr. Dona Kim Murphey became concerned after every female in her household developed irregular periods. She is exploring whether a recent chemical fire correlates with many area women exhibiting the same symptoms. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/support

Join us in this captivating episode as we explore the extraordinary journey of Dr. Brett Murphey, a dentist from Texas. From his humble beginnings as a ninth-grade teacher to becoming a prominent figure in the dental community, Dr. Murphey's story will inspire and motivate you. Dr. Murphey's involvement with Guatemalan Smiles, a nonprofit mission group that provides dental care to communities in Guatemala. The group has a 21-chair clinic that they set up, where they treat a large number of patients and have many dental students that come to learn and gain experience.  During the episode, we emphasize the crucial role that regular dental check-ups play in overall health and discuss the importance of maintaining dental records for better diagnosis. Get ready to discover the added health benefits of proper dental care and how you can prioritize it. Don't miss out on this captivating and informative episode that might just have you wanting to book your next dental check-up. KEY POINTS: Dr. Brett Murphey has a biomedical science degree from Texas A&M and after teaching ninth grade for a while, he became a dentist after going on fishing trips with a dental group in Guatemala and discovering his calling.He graduated top of his class and became president at the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston.Dr. Murphey has three dental offices in The Woodlands and is currently travelling the world with his family on a sabbatical.They have been on a trip for almost five months, starting in Texas and travelling almost 2000 miles to the Virgin Islands.The family bond has grown and the kids have learned about different cultures, geography, and history.Dr. Murphey and his family are active on social media, where they document their travels, under the name Cruising Colette.Dr. Murphey is a part of a nonprofit mission group called Guatemalan Smiles, where he mentors young dentists and provides dental work to people in Guatemala.The group has a 21-chair clinic that they set up, where they treat a large number of patients, and have many dental students that come to learn and gain experience.Airway management is important in medicine.CPAP is prescribed in the medical community as it is effective, but the compliance rate is less than 50%.Insurance still pays for CPAP despite the low compliance rate.Dental check-ups are crucial for overall health and need to be maintained regularly.Records and diagnosis mean knowledge across time, and the more records taken, the better diagnosis can be made.Airways are one of the most significant things to consider during a check-up.Appliances are made to reposition the jaw forward to open up the airway.Sleep apnea is a common and life-shortening disease.Compliance rates for appliances made to reposition the jaw forward are high.Consent is now required before performing CPR. LINKS MENTIONED: http://www.cruisingcolette.com/ https://www.guatemalansmiles.com/ https://www.woodlandsdental.com www.amycassels.com https://twitter.com/amy_cassels?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/acassels/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzoQfLNzz_ieatgaoWDTcw

Today, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day by talking a little Irish rock bank from Boston. But because it's Friday, we bring in special guest Hannah Mullins to take this deep dive with us. -------------------- PODCAST SOCIAL MEDIA: YouTube & Facebook: The Notes McGotes Podcast Instagram/TikTok: @NotesMcGotesPod Email: TheNotesMcGotesPodcast@gmail.com BRANDON SOCIAL MEDIA: TikTok/Twitter/Instagram: @brandonalberda and Brandon.alberda STEVE SOCIAL MEDIA: TikTok: @stevemadole Music used throughout the show created by Jair Driesenga Follow him @brotherjair on Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, and Youtube. Logo was created by Grand Rapids comedian Carl Sobel. Our podcast is sponsored by: anchor.fm Leave us a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thenotesmcgotespodcast/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thenotesmcgotespodcast/message

Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by Jake Madison (@Locked On Pelicans) to discuss the NBA Rising Star's game action, game-winning threes by Keegan Murray, Quentin Grimes and Jose Alvarado as well as Alvarado outplaying all the other rookies and sophomores on his way to winning the Rising Stars MVP.Then, Philip Rossman-Reich (@Locked On Magic) joins to discuss and react to NBA All-Star Saturday night festivities including the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout in what came down to a very close finish, and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with some insane dunks by Trey Murphey III & Mac McClung. Was this an all-time dunk contest and was the spirit of the competition revived?Lastly, John Karalis (@Locked On Celtics) stops in to talk about Jason Tatum's record setting 55-point performance on his way to the All-Star Game MVP award, the LIVE All-Star draft before the game started. enjoying NBA All-Star weekend for what it is, why we didn't see the usual level of competition during the ELAM ending like previous years and more.#NBA #AllStarWeekendSubscribe to the Locked On NBA YouTube Channel: Locked On NBAFollow/Subscribe/Listen Anywhere: linktr.ee/LockedOnNBASupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers: lockedonpodcasts.com/offersBuilt Bar – Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you'll get 15% off your next order.PrizePicks – First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That's PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONLinkedIn – LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBAFanDuel – Make Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by Jake Madison (@Locked On Pelicans) to discuss the NBA Rising Star's game action, game-winning threes by Keegan Murray, Quentin Grimes and Jose Alvarado as well as Alvarado outplaying all the other rookies and sophomores on his way to winning the Rising Stars MVP. Then, Philip Rossman-Reich (@Locked On Magic) joins to discuss and react to NBA All-Star Saturday night festivities including the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout in what came down to a very close finish, and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with some insane dunks by Trey Murphey III & Mac McClung. Was this an all-time dunk contest and was the spirit of the competition revived? Lastly, John Karalis (@Locked On Celtics) stops in to talk about Jason Tatum's record setting 55-point performance on his way to the All-Star Game MVP award, the LIVE All-Star draft before the game started. enjoying NBA All-Star weekend for what it is, why we didn't see the usual level of competition during the ELAM ending like previous years and more. #NBA #AllStarWeekend Subscribe to the Locked On NBA YouTube Channel: Locked On NBA Follow/Subscribe/Listen Anywhere: linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers: lockedonpodcasts.com/offers Built Bar – Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you'll get 15% off your next order. PrizePicks – First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That's PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON LinkedIn – LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA FanDuel – Make Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get started FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rebecca Murphey from Stripe talks with us about finding problems - the paper cuts - in your code or team and developing the best solution for them.