eyebrows raise in a ‘ don’t you dare ignore me ’ manner . ❝ the only thing that’s going to harshen the vibe of this night is me carrying you through that door ― i’ll do it , won’t i , tucker ? ― or maybe it’ll make for a great story , get the town talkin’ .❞ a light hearted chuckle soon turned serious as his eyes met hers . ❝ if a bunch of adults can’t stand a couple of kids running around then maybe they’re not the kinda people i want up in this joint , right ? y’all are a joint package now . ❞ his hand covers the side of the mouth closest to the little one , ❝ but if you want a night off , just say that ― but it won’t be brief , you know me . ❞ hushed tone and a playful wink .
jame’s ‘threat’s’ elicit a squeal of laughter from tucker who covers his mouth , imagining his aunt being carried into the establishment over the shoulder like he often does for bed time . her gaze softens as he speaks genuinely . she looks to ellie , straightening a hat that has somehow gone horribly askew . what would she do without people like james ? it takes a village , she’s heard the saying . but it takes a village and that village’s friends when the kids aren’t your own . ❝ fine . ❞
she concedes , shaking her head. with ellie at her side , she moves towards james and rises to the tips of her toes so she can press a kiss to his cheek ❝ you’re one of our favorite humans , did you know that ? ❞ ellie grins , stuffing a hand in her mouth as if that somehow emphasizes the point . ❝ no nights off for me. i work a 7 - 7 tomorrow , i’d prefer to do that clear - headed . ❞
james couldn’t help but chuckle at the poor woman , taking a moment to admire the situation before realizing he couldn’t just stand there and watch . quickly throwing a lit cigarette , hand grabs the bag from her shoulder whilst other holds the hand of the little one close to running off ― couldn’t be too careful next to the lake . he wasn’t the handiest , but he felt he owed it to hadley’s sister to help ; not just that , he and hadley herself had become quite close during the aftermath of the tragedy , and he couldn’t stand seeing her struggle , even if most of the time he only made matters worst . no amount of ‘parenting for dummies’ could fix that .
❝ i’d better stop drinking if these two are planning on running circles around us all night .❞ he chuckles , sticking his tongue out at the three year old now wrapped around his leg . ❝ just come in , it can’t get much worse . ❞ he lightly shakes his head , knowing he would be proved wrong .
OF COURSE JAMES WOULD BE THE ONE TO CATCH her in this predicament . on his big night of all things . she was grateful for the catch , both of the bag , and of tucker’s hand before either item or tiny human could wander off . ❝ and just like that , my hero returns ! ❞ she adjusts the little girl . ❝ we like james , don’t we , ellie - belly ? huh ? he’s a GOOD friend . ❞ the girl begins to squeal with laughter .
james had been iris’ friend first , but the support he had offered her in the recent months had been immeasurable . they had developed something of a friendship of their own , too . she didn’t know what she would do without him . he suggests that they all come inside . ❝ you’re kidding , right ? there’s a reason i was going to drop mr. wrecking ball ❞ she eyes tucker who is now trying to climb james ❝ and ms. screams - a - lot at home with the sitter and make a brief appearance later . ❞ she looks up at him with the utmost seriousness , her brown eyes wide . ❝ i refuse to harsh the vibe of the lookout with literal babies. not tonight. this is important to you , and i kind of like you too much for you to never speak to me again . ❞
it’s the children that get noticed immediately … and then the woman standing mid - sidewalk . seems disheveled ; has yet to endure the multitudes of motherhood , so the subject seems a foreign thing —- can certainly commend her , balancing two young ones hardly looks an easy feat . ❝ oh , right . totally understandable … ❞ gestures to bag that was probably seconds from meeting concrete . that was why veruca stopped in the first place , right ? ❝ looks like that’s trying to make a break for it . thought you’d ought to know before disaster strikes . ❞ hint of smile pulls at lips , finger wagging between what’s assumed to be her children . ❝ how old are they ? if you don’t mind my asking , of course . ❞
. . .
SHE HAS TO FIND THE LEVITY IN IT ALL . she has to laugh at how ridiculous she looks . she can manage a whole floor of screaming kids on her own and not break a sweat , but the responsibility of two and a diaper bag leaves her look her helpless . she has to laugh , or the grief she’s running from will catch her up . realizing she has an audience , she nods , briefly letting go of tucker’s hand so that she can hoist the bag onto her shoulder. ❝ thanks . the. . . there’s supposed to be a non - slip grip on the shoulder , but i’m starting to think that’s a load of bs . ❞
the jostling leads eloise to start whimpering , little squeaking noises, and hadley looks at her with a stern expression ❝ you better not start with me , girlfriend . not tonight . ❞ remarkably , it works . and the little girl finds joy in tangling tiny fingers in hadley’s hair. ❝ tucker’s about to be four ? i think ? and um , el is going on nine months. ❞ she’s never sure how to answer questions like this , but based on how these conversation goes , the typical follow up is usually : ❝ do you have kids ? ❞
From anyone else, that deduction might have been perceived as offensive – from Hadley, it’s rooted in experience and facts. He had given her at least seven different reasons to not trust his taste, and that was just in the last month or so.
( The joys of being neighbours. )
Mack lets go of his drink when she takes it from him, an encouraging smile on his features. It’s nice to see her let loose, especially given the long hours she worked. When the drink is returned, he drinks the last of it, eyes widening as she perfectly summarises what he hadn’t been able to articulate.
“That is exactly what the fuck it tastes like,” Mack exclaims, was he a little loud? Always. Dangerous indeed, he already finds himself desiring another. “I’m gonna get a refill, you want one or are you good here?”
There’s a gesture to her own drink, which he’s not sure from sight alone what it is, but he hopes it’s something stronger than a Coke.
WITH MACK , SHE’S SEEN THE HIGHS AND LOWS - THOUGH MOSTLY HIGHS . her judgement is as discerning as it is loving . she serves as one of those little pixar characters that her nephew adores , running around frantically within mack’s brain - controlling what impulses she can . it’s an undertaking , but the job is well worth it .
he affirms her assessment and she slams her palms down against the bartop . ❝ right ?! which is dangerous territory because the sugar content is hiding that sneaky - weaky alcohol . a couple of those and you’re busted . . . ❞ a pause , before she looks to mack . ❝ wasted , right ? i meant to say wasted . ❞
she still nurses her long island iced tea, knowing that another full drink will get her in massive trouble . still , she presses her lips in a firm line . she leans towards him. ❝ see if they make it in red. we have to compare. for science. ❞
she already looks like a walking accident waiting to happen , what with a three year old dragging her along , an eight month old on her hip, and a bag ( far too large for a woman as petite as she is ) dangerously close to slipping off of her shoulder and ruining the whole operation ( or , trek to her car ) . the moment she stops to take a breath , the evening air air rears its ugly head and hadley sneezes : once , twice , and - -
NOTHING.
hadley shakes her head , laughing lightly at her own state , and again at the fact that she’s situated herself in the middle of a frequently used sidewalk, entirely disrupting the flow of traffic outside of the bustling lookout . she wrinkles her nose several times , as if trying to provoke a sneeze. ❝ they usually come in threes , so i’m just gonna wait it out here for a second. . . ❞
* marianne’s perched herself in the corner booth at the taste bar , shoulders relaxed on her third glass of wine and playing voyeur for the lovers all around the venue — the exhaustion that swells in her bones is numbed by the alcohol , and this curious situation is now a little more cheeky to her. she makes note of another approaching figure , seemingly just as confused by the canoodling couples , and in her state, she opts to take a chance and coyly wave them over , “ don’t worry, i didn’t get the memo that it was date night, either. ” she offers a hopeless shrug , soft laughter bubbling to the surface , “apparently , couples get a free dessert tonight, if you’d like to take a seat. ” @30extra
BRIGHT PINK SCRUBS AREN’T EXACTLY A VERY sexy look for a grand reopening , but she was bullied by her coworkers to attend . her hair is tied back , rocking that ‘ day shift low pony.’ she doesn’t want to drink , necessarily . but the bed and bathtime ritual seems about as appealing as taking shots of tequila with no chaser . so , she’ll settle for the latter if she has to . she wanders aimlessly , pulling the sleeves of her lakeview general fleece up over her shoulders until she is waved into a booth . with a quirk of her brow , she accepts the invitation , and slides into the seat . “ i’ll never turn down one of those lava cake things , so it looks like you’ve got yourself a long - term , short - term girlfriend for the evening. how did we meet ? “
“I have no idea what’s in it,” Mack remarks, holding the beverage he was drinking away from him for a moment. It’s electric blue in colour and definitely mixed with something, he becomes suddenly aware that he’s a little tipsy when he feels compelled to say it tastes like blue, “It’s real good though, ten out of ten, would recommend.” / @30extra
❝ here’s the rub , ❞ she starts , eyebrows raised almost scoldingly. ❝ i like you mack . you know i do . but i do not trust your taste in the slightest . ❞ truth be told , she doesn’t trust her own. it’s been months since she’s been out drinking , and a long island iced tea was a BOLD first choice to begin with . gingerly , she takes the drink from his hand , sipping it as if it might combust if she takes too much . she hands it back to him , smacks her lips for effect , and then turns to face him . ❝ you know when you would go to the movies as a kid, and they’d have those slushie machines ? and your choices were red or blue ? like you could call it cherry, but it was just red flavored. that’s what this is . . . but way more dangerous . ❞
hadley jane morrison . 33 . pediatric nurse .
resident tragedy && walking ray of sunshine .
mentions of undiagnosed mental illness , alzheimers , death ,
PERSONALITY OVERVIEW :
hadley is a free spirit. she does what she pleases as it suits her ( provided it does not endanger or inconvenience those she loves ) and is always looking for new experiences . she’s incredibly clever, and would pride herself on her wit ( although others might not find it as endlessly hilarious as she does . ) she’s quite goofy , with a wide and eclectic set of interests . she does have the tendency to be blunt and give opinions & advice when no one’s asked for it. she can be headstrong , favoring her own ideas to those of others . in the same vein , she is stubborn , and doesn’t like to admit when she’s wrong . it takes quite a lot to get her riled up, but one certainly wouldn’t want to get on her bad side : she has quite the temper. her moods are i ncredibly changeable , something that she tries to ignore . most importantly , she leads with KINDNESS . she is a remarkable friend that will go to extremes in order to assure the safety and comfort of the people she cares for . those she loves , she loves with her whole heart . she’s incredibly nurturing , too . on a daily basis , she strives to be compassionate , patient , and understanding .
BACKGROUND
“THAT HADLEY . . . SHE’S A GOOD GIRL.” was the phrase most uttered during hadley’s youth . and truthfully , she was . she is . miss congeniality in high schoo. she looked after her siblings ( younger , and elder ) she was kind to herself and others. a little zany , perhaps . but a good girl .
HADLEY was born to a pretty ‘typical’ family of 6 in lakeview and was the middle of four siblings . her mother was a ‘bananas’ amazing composer , but passed away a few years ago . HER DAD , a raging irishman , is an eclectic guy and founded ‘ morrison on maine ‘ a boutique-y kind of bookstore that often costs more to run than it makes in profit . she grew up in that store , and it fueled her love for words, adventure , and literature. she grew up convinced that she was going to be a writer , until she found out that she was also passionate about people & science . nursing called to her.
it was in nursing school that hadley met ( at the time , who se believed to be ) the love of her life . the two understood each other on a soul level. they were the same in so many ways , and different in so many others . he was her person - - he remains her person to this day. but life isn’t always so kind. hadley noticed her father becoming more and more confused without the presence of her mother. she knew what was coming, but instead, channeled her energy into her job , his family, into healing sick kids.
she lived vicariously through his sister , a single mother of two young children . she loved being cool auntie hads. and when her father’s early onset alzheimers became too much , and her brother’s recklesness was too much for her to carry alone, and her relationship erached an impasse at the big things : marriage and children, she got scared. restless and fidgety , she ran. for a few years , she took a job in a new city . it was enough to soothe her soul , and fill it with a new kind of loneliness ( for a while ).
hadley’s life changed completely when she received a call in the middle of the night . her big sister had passed away suddenly , leaving her the guardian of his niece and nephew . ( ages 3 and eight months , respectively ) without a thought , hadley moved into his sister’s place, back to lakeview and took up the life of a parent. the transition has been more difficult than hadley could have imagined . her grief aside , she is quickly realizing thats he has no idea how to do any of this. while she does the best he can , she often feels overwhelmed by the responsibility that has been placed on her shoulders.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTOIDS :
she has a cat that hates everyone, including her.
she works in the pediatric emergency ward – she is GREAT with kids even though she swears she doesn’t want them ( but now she has them )
she is sassy & witty and i support everything she does
adventurous a f??
her mother was a composer and SHE is a secret piano genius but she doesn’t play so very much anymore.
she’s a BIT scatterbrained , but only when it comes to herself. she’s incredibly good at her job and looking after others.
she’s left handed !
she’s repressed a lot of residual trauma related to her sister.
she and her eldest brother are currently splitting time looking after their dad . they want to keep him out of an assisted living facility for as long as possible , but hads understands that that’s not a realistic option. it’s becoming a huge strain on the family & on hadley.
hadley is extremly fidgety and often comes across as someone with a ‘ SKITTISH ‘disposition. she often picks up new hobbies like knitting and crochet to keep her hands busy
she’s really zany but also really sweet and fun and i love her okay?
loves movies??? more than anything?? and also superheroes ??
hadley is struggling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder , and really needs someone to help her with her mental health struggle.
she is one of the most compassionate people you will ever meet. but also will give you tough love if you need it.
pls love her.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
SEE MAIN FOR 3 POSTED WCS
co-workers
friends / neighbors
people who knew hadley’s sister
childhood friends
people who babysit hadley’s niece and nephew
frequenters of morrison on maiine
general friends
casual flings
hadley’s therapist or life coach
someone helping hadley get the handle on parenting
