welcome!

[tynan owen anderson]

"Daddy, come on! We've gotta race! You promised!" Tynan looked at his daughter while he tried to catch his breath. Race? Wasn't it a race to catch up to her? Why were they here? Ana recently had a weird obsession with football, and she wanted him to teach her how to play. What? The girl was six! She was only about eighty-five pounds! She just lost her two front teeth and they were coming in weird! Of course, Tynan would never tell her that, but come on now! She wanted to play football with a man who weighed almost two hundred pounds. Suicide if you asked him. "Race? I thought we were here to play football, Ana Banana," Tynan replied, squinting. Ana gasped and then proceeded to run back to the car. Catching her with his left arm, Tynan held out a football with his right hand. "Already got the football, babe." Grinning, he placed his daughter safely on the ground and held the ball out to her. Ana took the ball from him, and proceeded to run around the park with it. Tynan cocked his head to the side, watching her. Wow, she was a bit of an odd one, but she reminded her of Anais. Taking a deep breath, Tynan jogged over to her, stopping her quickly. "Alright, you wanna learn how to play football, right?" Ana nodded her head. "Okay, well, how about we start off with catching?" he asked, looking at her.

"Then can we try tackling, Daddy?" she asked. Tynan paled and patted her on the head. "Well, I dunno. You could probably take me out. You're pretty strong." Ana rolled her eyes at the man. "Yeah, yeah. Man up." Tynan pulled a face, and watched her as she walked away from him. It was just a few feet away and he squinted his eyes as he looked at her. She was quite the tomboy. It was adorable, though. She was so small and she had this huge personality. Sometimes it felt like there were two boys in the house. Not a huge man and a little girl. There were probably going to be consequences about the fact that he sometimes treated her more like a boy and less like a girl, but what was he supposed to do? He was a single father and he was doing the best he could. "Alright, you ready, Monkey?" he called out to her. Ana let out a high pitched 'yes!' and Tynan smiled. He passed the ball to her and she caught it with ease. "Good job, Monkey!" He let out a small laugh and she passed it back to him. And she passed it back right! He had the best daughter ever!

"Daddy, I threw it right!" Tynan nodded, smiling to her. Ana began to dance around some, and she ran to the nearest pair of bleachers. "Ana, be careful," Tynan called out to her. She was jumping around on the bleachers and she slipped once or twice. "Ana," he said, his voice taking on a warning tone. She jumped back up and Tynan let out a breath. She ran up a few steps and he could already see the wheels turning in her mind. "Ana, don't," he warned, narrowing his eyes. He saw his daughter jump and land on her left arm. "Ana!" he yelled. He ran over to her, cradling her in his arms. "Ana?" He held her arm gently and he let it go to push himself up. Ana cried out and he sighed. It was probably broken or fractured. Tynan quickly walked her to the car, cursing to himself. "Alright, Ana, Daddy's gonna take you to the doctor, alright?" Tynan laid her in the backseat, laying her arm to her chest. "Baby, make sure your arm stays there. Or else it'll hurt more." He looked back at her, worried.

Tynan quickly drove to the emergency room, looking back at Ana constantly. She had probably already passed out, because she had stopped sniffling. Her face and outfit were stained with dirt and there were tear stains on her cheeks. She seemed to be breathing okay, but he still sped to the hospital. Tynan parked near the emergency room, opened the back door of his car and took Ana in his arms. He quickly ran into the emergency room, looking around for a nurse. "Can somebody help me? My daughter broke her arm," he called out, looking worried. He had to fill out forms. What? His little girl was passed out and he had to fill out forms? "No, you've got to help her now," he said, glaring. Finally, somebody listened to him. They gave Ana a room and were giving her x-rays. "Banana, Daddy's gonna go get us some food, alright?" He gave her a quick kiss on the head and ruffled her hair. She was already asleep, because of the medicine.

He took the elevator down to the first floor and quickly walked to the cafeteria. He picked out some fries for himself and a cheeseburger as well. He also picked out a Klondike Bar for Ana. It was her favorite treat, and she deserved something sweet. Sighing, Tynan picked at his fries, unable to eat. Tynan finished his fries and tucked the cheeseburger and the Klondike Bar into his pocket. It was still pretty cold and Ana would still eat it even if it did melt. He walked past the waiting room, trying to stay calm. Anais wouldn't have let this happen to her, she wouldn't. She would've caught her.

[manuela mercedes flores]

On the off chance that they got the call for, Mani would find herself in a hospital after everything finished up. This was one of those nights. There'd been a fight at a house party and Mani had known, right then, what she was getting herself into. The problem wasn't that she was the one to answer the call and had to deal with the drunks but the fact that they were drunk rednecks. This meant a whole other world of danger. Just like the house parties in LA where you had to worry about some gangbanger wannabe pulling out their guns and blowing a hole in someone, she had to worry about the shotguns and everything that on that level. Not to mention that a lot of people wouldn't take kindly to a cop showing up... Well, she had to go. She was closest. Others were on their way but she'd responded with her partner and the two women had gone in to take care of the issue before someone ended up dead. No one had ended up dead but a few people had ended up with more than a few bruises and black eyes. That was something to brag about, she supposed. However, the pain that she was currently in wasn't. The guy that had taken the baseball bat to her was going to be spending a lot of time in jail but damn it all if he hadn't done damage when he'd assaulted her.

That's what she was doing here. She was getting patched up from the fractured cheek bone and concussion. Aside from that, there was just a small cut that needed stitches on her shoulder and bruises on her whole left side. She was in some pain but she'd deal. Her partner was filling out some reports and the doctors had told her that they'd be back to finish with her in just a minute. That was thirty minutes ago. She was freezing and her arm was hurting her. Her right cheek was swollen and bruised but she could hide that with a fringe of her bang. Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed in just her pants and a tank top, she was starting to get cold and annoyed. Thirty minutes of sitting like this and waiting for someone to just come around and put on a gauze and bring her some papers. That's all she needed. Was it really all that important? Maybe she should just think about hopping off the bed and leaving. The precinct's insurance would cover this so it wasn't like she was in any real need to worry about the payment or anything like that. In truth, she just wanted to get home and get into a nice, hot bath before she went to bed. Thankfully, tomorrow was her day off because she was not looking forward to spending anymore time in the hospital and, then, dealing with work and not getting any time to lick her wounds.

"Hello?!" She called out to the open door and sighed. Where the hell was everyone? She was just about to get up and go flag someone down when a rather large, lumbering figure carrying what looked like a sweet treat came wandering down the hall. "Hey, you. Dude!" If he stopped, she'd be able to ask him if there were any doctors out there that he could send in to her. She wouldn't have to get up, then. That would be a definite plus. "Anyone out there?"

[tynan owen anderson]

Tynan walked quickly to Ana's room, running into poor, helpless, regular sized people. What? You had to admit the man was huge and he took up a lot of space. He couldn't help it. It was all the muscle he'd gained over the years. But he was just being modest. Tynan finally got to Ana's room, but stared at the door. He couldn't go in there. He couldn't bear to see her all drugged up and sleepy. What was he thinking? She probably didn't even want the damn Klondike bar! The girl was probably in strawberry fields! Yes, that was a Beatles reference, but moving on. He continued to stare at the door and finally, he shook his head. No, no, he couldn't be here. Not now. He just needed to get away from her room for awhile. Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the door, to the corridor on his left. Saying a quick little prayer for Ana under his breath, he began to walk, sticking his hands in his pockets. He gripped the Klondike bar and took a bite out of it. Oh, what the hell, it's not like she was going to have a chance to eat it anyways. Shoulders slumped, he walked down the hallway, nibbling on the ice cream, until he heard someone calling him.

Dude? Wow, no one called him dude in a long time. It was more along the lines of 'gargantuan man in front of me'. Tynan turned to the voice, stopping in front of Mani's door. "Anyone specific you're looking for? There are a few doctors at the end of the hallway. I can go get them if you want." He looked at her quickly, his face void of any emotion. She was bruised, but she didn't look like she really cared. She was attractive, oh, yes, but she had this body language that said she didn't take shit from anyone. Interesting. As he waited for her to answer, he continued to nibble on his Klondike bar. Yummy. He loved ice cream.

[manuela mercedes flores]

Yes, dude. You would have to get over it. A lot of people blamed it on her being from California but she honestly didn't think that it was the case. It was just how she talked. They were lucky that she didn't throw in the Spanish that she was so fond of doing when in mixed company. She had a habit of doing it when she was with her family more often than just casual conversations with those who didn't speak Spanish. She'd been raised in America, spoke English more than she did Spanish. Besides, the girl grew up surfing! She said things like dude, gnarly, sick... It was just common vernacular with her. Besides, if she was going to call anyone a dude, it was going to be the hunk, here. At least, she had thought that he was a hunk. Mani had only gotten one of those fleeting glances at him when he passed by the door. Now that he was back, though, she'd gotten a better inspection of the man and she realized that he was definitely more than a hunk. Huge and terrifying with a lovely face and a million dollar smile.

"Someone that could discharge me would be nice." Mani sighed and gingerly touched her side. She needed to get home and put ice on her side and she needed to rest but, first, she just needed to get home. That would only happen if she could get her papers. "Do you mind? My doctor was a man named Takei but anyone who can hook me up with the papers to get the hell out of here would be nice." She was counting her blessings. This guy was willing to help her out. Not too many people would have and she knew that a few people would even be so callous as to just keep on walking. See? This was a good guy. Why couldn't there be more in the city like him?

[tynan owen anderson]

No, he didn't mind being called dude. It was just the fact that she'd called him dude, not 'large gargantuan man' or 'huge guy'. Well, he understood why people called him big, because he was rather huge, but big people have feelings too! Sometimes he just wanted to be dude, you know? Well, he was from Connecticut, so he understood. He had an accent and said a lot of weird stuff. Ana sometimes looked at him weird because of the way he talked. It was hilarious. Well, of course he was a hunk. He had amazing genes! Thank his mother and father. But he would never say that. Well, he would tell someone to thank his mother and father, but you get it.

"Alright," he replied with a nod of his head. He watched her closely. Shaking his head, he added, "No, it's no problem. I'm gonna be here for awhile anyways." He let out a breath. Well, he was. Apparently, Ana wasn't awake yet because she hadn't hurt any doctors yet, so he had enough time to help her out. "I'm Tynan, by the way," he said, just before he left. He tracked down a doctor, tapping them on the shoulder. He followed Tynan to Mani's room and once Tynan opened his mouth, he heard a high pitched scream and his name. "Shit," he murmured. He quickly ran to Ana's room, worried. What if she was worried about the cast? Was someone doing something to her? Tears were in the small child's eyes and he picked her up, careful of her arm. "Shh, Daddy's here, baby," he murmured in her hair.

[manuela mercedes flores]

Some people around here had a thing for making fun of the way she spoke. They would laugh and comment on how "Californian" she sounded. Uh, well, sorry for being from another state? Seriously, she could see why people were constantly talking about the "West Coast State of Mind". When people spoke about the major cities of the US, they usually tied New York and LA together but there was no way that these two places were similar. New York was just bigger in so many ways - attitude included. So she knew how to enjoy her life a little more, sorry. And what was so wrong with California?! People were just jealous that you could surf the ocean, board the mountains, hike in a forest, or chill in a desert all in one state. That wasn't her fault, people should think about moving. Seriously, though... This dude could definitely put a Sequoia tree to shame. He was freaking huge and would be scary if Mani ever bothered to be intimidated by people like she should be. He had a hard look about him but a nice face and, right now, she could use something pleasant to look at. Maybe it was just the medications talking? Who knew.

Mani gave him another look over, this time with a harder eye. He didn't look injured... "Visiting? You should hit up the cafeteria before they shut down for the day. The vending machines suck. If it's going to be a long haul, you should stock up." Of course, that was assuming that he didn't want to leave the hospital. There were a few gas stations nearby and loads of restaurants that he could hit up about ten minutes down the road. She had been about to introduce herself to Tynan when he disappeared from the doorway and she was left alone, again. While she waited, Mani finished dressing herself but stubbornly left the shirt untucked. If she wasn't going back to work, she wasn't tucking in that damn shirt. The doctor had finally come back and with her papers, though. That was a good sign. Mani had been complaining about the slow response for simple paper work when a scream echoed through the halls. That didn't sound good. It was a hospital, she knew that some people were going to be in a lot of pain and shouting but that didn't sound so much like a scream of pain as it did fear and Mani figured that it was her duty to inspect it. Hunched over, she trudged down the hall, past each one of the doors, until she found the one in question and stopped to lean against the door frame in an effort to rest herself. "Everything okay?"

[tynan owen anderson]

People had an awesome time talking about the way he spoke, too. He had a Boston accent, but he couldn't help it. It was how his parents spoke to him, how his parents spoke to him. Sometimes people down here could be so small minded and Tynan hated that about the place. Tynan looked over at Mani. Well she was nice to look at too. No, she was more than nice to look at. From a the few glances he stole, she was attractive. More than attractive, actually. He could look at her all day, but he wouldn't. He didn't want to be the weird stalker guy that looked at women all weird. Besides, it wasn't worth it. She was persona non grata to him. Taking a deep breath, Tynan stuck his hands in his pockets. "I wouldn't call it visiting. My daughter broke her arm and she's currently knocked out," he replied with a sigh. What kind of father was he? He officially sucked. He deserved the worst father of the year award. Tynan smiled sadly, thinking of Anais. They were here a lot, because of her heart deficiency, and he knew the hospital cafeteria well. "Thanks, I'll remember that," he said. Tynan took a deep breath.

Tears stained his shirt as Ana pressed her face into his chest. "Ssh, baby, don't cry. Daddy's here, Daddy's here," he murmured, rubbing her back gently. Her breathing began to slow, but she sniffled once or twice. "It's alright, baby, I'm here now." Sighing, he turned around as he heard Mani enter. "She's okay now," he said, holding her close. Ana turned around, glancing at Mani. "Ana, say hello," Tynan murmured in his daughter's hair. He shook his head as she buried her face in his chest again. Some women found it attractive, a single father. Well, who cared. He was a good dad! At least, he tried to be a good dad.

[manuela mercedes flores]

She loved guys from Boston and New York and the way that they talked. Even Jersey guys had that really fun accent that she loved to listen to, just to giggle over. Actually, they gave guys this really tough sound to them that always got her tingly in all the right places. Or, since guys like that were usually trouble and had girls, maybe they were the wrong places? Who knew. "Ouch, bro. Sorry to hear that. It's gotta suck. I hate when my nephew gets hurt or is sick. It's always hard when they're kids, man." Her nephew, Jason, was three. She loved that little boy like he was her own son and she had often visited him for this bump or that bruise. Fortunately, it was nothing serious. "Kids are tough, she'll bounce right back. If they haven't given her one, yet, ask for the Disney Princess cast... stuff." Unfortunately, she'd been dealing with an abuse case when she saw the girl patched up that way but the girl was safe, now. She'd been so proud of her pretty, pink and sparkly cast. It was as if nothing had happened. Mani could only pray that she'd be alright.

She stayed in the doorway. She was just making sure that everything was okay. A sick kid wasn't going to want a stranger around, especially one like her. She wasn't in the best of conditions, herself. Mani smiled, softly. The poor girl was so tiny compared to her enormous father, it was a miracle that she wasn't swallowed up in his arms. Manuela smiled and waved a little to the girl, her voice low and her feet staying planted. "Hi, Ana." Well, if everything was alright, then it was probably time for her to move on. "She's beautiful," the officer directed her comment over the girl's head to her father and nodded before turning to leave. Time to go home and hole up. Man, her grandmother was going to love this. If the woman would survive it... She almost prayed that she was asleep so that she wouldn't have to answer questions. Her grandmother was already so sick. The last thing she needed was to deal with her granddaughter being injured.

[tynan owen anderson]

Well, she’d certainly love Tynan. He had that Boston accent, partly because he grew up there and because Anais. She had a New York kind of accent. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ana got an accent like her mother. Sure, Tynan sounded pretty tough and he looked the part as well, but he was tough. Not because he used to wrestle either. He just was. Tynan nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Yeah… She’ll be okay; she’ll push through it. It’s incredibly hard. I mean, she’s usually jumping around everywhere, so I’m usually not surprised when she gets a scratch or a bruise, but breaking her arm… It makes it real. It made me realize that she is breakable,” he said, sighing softly. Why he said this to a woman he just met, no idea. That was the type of thing he’d usually tell Anais. He nodded and smiled softly. “Thanks, I’ll remember that. She’s a big fan of the Disney Princesses. She goes bananas,” Tynan said, laughing amicably.

Tynan held Ana close, rubbing her back as she cried. “It’s okay, baby, I’m here. Daddy’s here,” he murmured, sighing softly. Damn it, he was officially the worst daddy ever! He let her break her arm and he let her wake up alone. Without him. And afraid. Ana pressed her face into Tynan’s shoulder. “Ana, that’s not polite,” Tynan reprimanded. “Say hello.” Ana looked at Mani for a few moments and said a soft hello. “Thank you, Ana,” he said, kissing her forehead. Tynan smiled again and nodded. “Thanks.” Ana watched Mani go. “Wait!” she cried. “You look like Mommy,” she said, still looking over Tynan’s shoulder at Mani. Did she? No, she was completely different from Anais. Mani was beautiful, but he wasn’t her type. Or at least he thought he wasn’t her type. Sometimes he was that self conscious.

[manuela mercedes flores]

Mani smirked, softly and with a hint of sadness. He was letting this eat him up, the poor guy. She felt so sorry for him. "Big as you are, so are you. It happens. I know you're worried but, I promise, she'll love the cast once the initial pain is gone. I've broken more than a few bones, I know how it works. My parents beat themselves up over it the first couple of times. I hope it's only the one bone but, at least now, you'll be able to handle more if they come around. Best drug in the world is a dad who cares about her pain." She offered him a small wink and another smile. Not much comfort but it was something. He looked like he could use a friend or a pat on the back. She'd do the best that she could to offer him something to a degree to cheer him up.

[b]"It's fine," she shook her head. The girl was in a hospital after an accident. The last thing that the girl needed to be worried about was greeting a strange woman. Mani chuckled, an action that caused great pain in her side, and held herself while she tried to hide her discomfort with a smile to the girl. She stopped and turned around when the girl called out to her. "Oh yeah? Is your mommy pretty? I bet she is if you look anything like her."