Ooo! Always love seeing "behind the scenes" screenshots hehe. Very cool. Lol, love the invisibility bug XD. And wait, you has a dynasty now? Is there a story to it yet? Or are you working on that?
Not quite. I'm still debating whether or not to post a story, as it is most certainly not a hall-of-fame attempt...but I am quite enjoying the gameplay.
Mostly done? I just can't wait to see that Raia. I always love behind-the-scene thing that you are provided since Two Worlds, One Heart.
That was unexpected Raia, to see Chris and Jamie together. Well, I believe that you used the same thing like you ever told before right? But, in my case the story progression only show about the notice but never actually manifest into the scene that you had. I just wonder if that consume more memory-related thing?
The story progression mod does consume a bit of memory, though even when I only had 3GB of RAM on my laptop it wasn't too bad. (it's almost unnoticeable with my 8GB card now).
Chris and Jamie come together in maybe about 30% of my games. Most of the time he seems to get together either with Zelda Mae or Monika Morris, though I have also seen him with Fiona McIrish (once) as well as Tori Kimura.
I enjoyed your out takes. I was particularly interested in seeing Chris with Jamie. I hope I won't spoil it for you but in about 90% of my games in SV, they get together with story progression, unless Jamie becomes a vampire, then he gets together with Monika Morris.
Thanks. Truthfully they really are an adorable couple.
All I can say is that I'm glad we now have the option to turn vampires and other supernaturals off. Vampires are most definitely not my thing.
Aww Chris and Jamie look sweet together. In most of my games, he gets together with Monika Morris.
The singing looks pretty professional though hehehe!
Wow, Chris and Monika seems like a common story progression pairing.
Oh, it
looks professional...but my ears were hurting by the end of it.
---
Chapter 6 – It Happened One FridayWhen the day began Morgana knew that things were about to change. Today was the day that she would start her internship at the hospital, the day that would shape her career—and her life—forever...
...in more ways than she ever could have imagined.
It was the end of the summer, and Morgana was more than happy to be turning in her paramedic gear in favor of surgical scrubs. She went into the hospital early that morning, latte in hand, ready to take on the day. Good or bad, her tenure as an intern would set the stage for the rest of her career, and she was bound and determined to prove herself.
But she had one final thing to contend with first: meeting with the chief surgical resident...
...who happened to be Jamie Jolina, freshly returned from maternity leave.
While there was no animosity between them, Morgana couldn't exactly call Jamie a friend. They hadn't crossed paths since well before she gave birth and Morgana certainly had not planned on going out of her way to meet her. But fate, or at least Geoffrey, apparently had other plans.
This was going to be interesting.
Morgana walked up to her office door and gave it a soft knock.
“Come in.”
Slowly Morgana turned the doorknob. Her heart was racing and she hadn't the slightest clue what to expect. At the same time, though, she imagined that Jamie was probably feeling much the same way.
Her supervisor looked, in a word, unnerved.
“Please, sit down,” she softly spoke. Morgana complied.
“I suppose I shouldn't beat around the bush,” Jamie began. “The last thing that either of us need is for our personal lives to interfere with work, especially in a place like this where people's lives quite literally hinge on our ability to work together. I have an appointment with Doctor Landgraab this afternoon to talk to him about changing my assignment.”
Morgana hesitated. “Wouldn't that mean you would have to reveal your reasons why?”
“Most likely.” Jamie heaved a sigh. “It's...going to have to come out sooner or later. Lacey looks a lot like Thornton in many ways. When she grows up there will be no mistaking who her father is.”
“At the same time though, I don't want to jeopardize your reputation here. Not when you've worked so hard to achieve it,” Morgana reasoned. “We are both professionals. There is no reason why we cannot work together on that level.”
Jamie's expression betrayed her uncertainty, and Morgana shook her head. “Look, I don't have any hard feelings toward you,” she continued. “If anything, what happened helped me to realize that it just wasn't meant to be between me and Thornton. Yes, things have been a little bit rough, but I can honestly say that I am in a better place now than when I was before all of this happened.”
“I wish I could say the same,” Jamie huffed. “Thornton doesn't want anything at all to do with Lacey, but I guess that was sort of expected.”
“Is he at least paying child support?”
“Yes, thankfully. I don't know how we'd manage otherwise. Living alone on a resident's salary is challenging enough, but it's crazy the sort of expenses that having a baby can incur.” She looked Morgana in the eyes. “Still though, what I did was wrong. It was foolish, it was selfish, and I am deeply, truly sorry.”
“I forgave you a long time ago, Jamie. There's no need for you to continue to beat yourself up over this. The most important thing here is Lacey.”
The slightest hint of a smile crossed Jamie's features. “Despite the circumstances surrounding her birth...I do absolutely love my little girl.”
“And that is all that truly matters.” Morgana stood up from her chair and held out her hand. “Truce?”
Jamie took it with a smile. “Truce.”
She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and clicked her tongue. “We'd better get going. I'll give you a tour of the E.R. as time permits to help familiarize you with the layout, but if we get any emergencies, be prepared to drop everything.”
“Right.”
The grand tour lasted all of ten minutes before the first emergency came in, and the rest of the morning was positively hectic. As a paramedic Morgana had gotten a taste of what it was like to be involved in emergencies, but as a paramedic she only had to handle one at a time. It was a whole different ball game to be dealing with several different patients at once. At one point she and Jamie were going between a middle-aged gentleman having chest pains (which turned out to be a severe case of indigestion),
a young paper boy who had taken a nasty fall off of his bicycle,
and an emergency in the cafeteria where one of the visitors suddenly fell ill (and that was why Morgana never trusted the stu surprise).
The insanity did make the morning go by quickly, and before Morgana knew it it was time for her lunch break. When she went back to the locker room to grab her purse she noticed a light blinking on her cell phone. Checking her messages she noticed that Gobias had called her four times in the last hour. Immediately Morgana began to worry as she dialed her friend's number. Something had to be wrong.
Gobias answered after a single ring.
“Morgana! Finally! I was hoping you'd call me back.” He breathlessly spoke.
“I started my clinicals today and can't carry my phone with me. What's wrong?”
“Nothing's wrong, but oh my word...I'm shaking...I'm absolutely shaking...”“What?”
“I...I asked her...oh my gosh...” Gobias took a deep breath.
“I asked Z-Zelda to marry me...and she said yes!”Morgana couldn't help the sudden giggle that escaped her lips. “Gobi! That's fantastic!”
“I c...can't believe it! She actually said yes!” Morgana heard a rustling sound over the phone accompanied by what sounded like a loud smooch.
“He was on one knee and dropped the ring box, then picked it up, proceeded to drop the ring, then tried to shift to his other leg and wound up on the floor holding his knee in pain,” Zelda explained.
“It's on ice right now, I think he may have twisted it. But how was I going to say no to him after that? Gobi was just so sweet about it, even if he was a nervous wreck.”“I couldn't possibly be happier for the two of you,” Morgana replied. “I know it's a bit early, but have you started thinking of a wedding date yet?”
“Probably sooner rather than later. We'll figure it out, but I'm leaving it to you and Pauline to plan a killer bachelorette party!” A pause.
“Hey, gotta go—Pauline just showed up and I've got to show off my ring! Here's Gobi.”Morgana heard more rustling as Zelda gave the phone back to Gobias.
“I'm getting married. Me, of all people...wow.” Gobias spoke, his voice soft.
“It couldn't happen to a more deserving sim. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”“Listen, I've got to go. I only have a half hour for lunch. Talk to you later?”
“You bet.”Once her break was over it was back to the emergency room for a second round of craziness. Not ten minutes after Morgana walked in the door the ambulance brought in their next patient—a young man exhibiting what appeared to be the symptoms of appendicitis.
A short time later a second patient was brought in, this one a teenage girl who had inexplicably passed out while walking home with her boyfriend.
“So much for going on a date,” the boy ruefully lamented.
By the time early evening rolled around things had quieted down significantly and Jamie finally had the opportunity to continue the tour of the emergency room. Morgana could tell that there was still some trepidation there, but by nightfall the two of them were making pleasant conversation.
Soon enough her shift was over, and Morgana was exhausted. Part of her was tempted just to go home and rest, but the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint a certain little boy on his fifth birthday. Hopefully Leighton had the foresight to make a pot of coffee for tonight.
She drove up into the Sekemoto's driveway and was almost instantly greeted by a very cheerful Sam.
“Miss Morgaaaana!” He cried out as he ran to greet her.
“Happy birthday, Sam,” she called back. Sam leaped into her arms and snuggled her neck.
“I'm so happy you came for my birthday! We've got cake and ice cream and root beer and it's going to be so yummy and I can't wait to open presents!”
“He's been bouncing off the wall, in case you can't tell,” Leighton quipped. He leaned over and kissed Morgana on the cheek. “Hey, gorgeous.”
Morgana smiled and kissed him back. “Hi. Miss me?”
“Always.”
“Can I blow out the candles now, Daddy? Please?” Sam begged. “No more kissy, I want cake!”
At this Morgana laughed. “Well, can you at least let me change out of my work clothes first?”
“Okay...I
guess so.”
Ten minutes later they were gathered around the cake. Sam cheered wildly as his father helped him to blow out the candles. “Yay! Happy birthday to me!”
“Did you make a wish?” Morgana asked.
“Yup! But if I say what my wish was it won't come true,” Sam insisted. “I
really want this one to come true, too. It was Gramma's idea.”
Leighton looked over at his mother with an amused grin on his face. “
Gramma's idea, hmm? This wouldn't have anything to do with what you have been nagging me about, would it?”
“Who,
me?” Yumi put on an innocent face. “Of course not, son. Why would I do something like that? No, not at all.” The elderly woman glanced over at Morgana and smiled. “So what if I'm impatient? I'm old. I'm allowed to be, and really, you should--”
“So, Sam,” Leighton quickly changed the subject. “Are you ready for your birthday present?”
Sam's smile got even brighter.
“Now I couldn't exactly wrap it,” Leighton explained. “Look out in the back yard.”
With an excited giggle Sam bounced over to the back door and opened it.
“A playground! You're the bestest daddy
ever!” He threw his arms around his father and hugged him.
“Can I go play, Daddy? Can I?” Sam begged.
“Of course!”
“Gramma, can you push me on the swings?”
“Manners?”
“
Please, Gramma?”
Yumi smiled. “All right.”
As grandmother and grandson disappeared out the back door Leighton made his way over to the couch, a hint of melancholy visible on his chiseled features. Morgana knew that it wasn't all that uncommon for a parent to become emotional at the thought of their child growing up...but something told her that there was more to it than that.
“Is something wrong?” She gently asked as she sat down beside him. “You seem sort of...aloof.”
He let out a protracted sigh. “I...never told you about Sam's mother, have I?”
“No, you haven't. I...I figured that you would tell me when you were ready.”
Leighton leaned back and closed his eyes. “Her name was Shira.”
“We were high school sweethearts in every sense of the term,” He began. “She was my first love, my first kiss, and I was hers. Shira and I were inseparable, and it didn't surprise anyone when we announced our intention to marry. But money was tight and we decided to wait. Two years later we finally tied the knot in a small ceremony, then a couple of months later we found out that she was pregnant.”
“We were so excited to be starting a family. Everything was perfect. And then...about a week before her due date, we were involved in a bad car accident.”
Morgana's breath caught in her throat. “Oh
no...”
“The guy came out of nowhere and t-boned Shira's side of the car. I managed to walk away from the wreck with only a few minor injuries, but Shira...” Leighton shook his head. “The doctors were able to save Sam, but Shira never had a chance.”
“Leighton...I'm so sorry.”
“Thank you. I...don't really talk about it much. For the most part I've managed to move on, but...as you can imagine, Sam's birthday has always been rather bittersweet.” He heard his son's excited laughter from the back yard and sighed. “I only hope that I've done well enough for him.”
“I know I've said this before, but you are an amazing father, and Sam is lucky to have you,” Morgana affirmed as she leaned her head on Leighton's shoulder. “That was one of the reasons why I fell in love with you.”
Leighton pulled her closer. “Seeing the way that you interacted with Sam in the hospital. That was when I first started falling in love with you...then when we met at the club a few months later, you didn't ask about me. You asked about
Sam. That was when I knew...”
He looked her in the eyes and every possible trace of sadness was gone, replaced instead by a wistful grin. “...that you were someone special.”
A chill shot through Morgana's spine as his lips grazed hers, but before either of them could make another move the back door flew open. The two of them only barely managed to move apart before Sam bounced in the door with his grandmother close behind him. Sam was, of course, oblivious to what had been going on.
Yumi on the other hand...
“Come on, let's get you bathed and ready for bed, Sammy. Daddy needs some alone time with Miss Morgana.”
Morgana could feel Leighton tensing beside her.
“Why, Gramma?” Sam asked, his innocent eyes looking more than a little confused.
“You'll find out later,” came Yumi's reply as she ushered Sam back out through the door. “You can use my bath.”
“Can I have a bubble bath too? With a duckie?”
“Manners again.” Yumi admonished.
“Sorry.
Please can I have a bubble bath with a duckie?”
“Sure.”
As the door closed again Morgana glanced back over at Leighton, unable to suppress the yawn that escaped her throat. It was already after nine, and she had been awake for more than fourteen hours at this point.
“You're exhausted, aren't you?” Leighton finally spoke.
“A bit. It's been a long day and I should probably get home and go to bed.” She planted a quick kiss on Leighton's cheek. “But it's been a very enjoyable evening. Thank you for inviting me.”
“You are most welcome. I don't think Sam would have had it any other way...” Leighton pulled her into an embrace and gently kissed her. “I don't think I would have had it any other way, either.”
As their lips met again Morgana came to the realization that she really did not want to leave...and from the way that Leighton was holding onto her it seemed that he felt much the same way. He pulled her closer and their kiss deepened, causing Morgana to subconsciously shudder. The feel of his strong arms around her, the tenderness of his kisses, even the scent of his cologne drove her senses wild. She was floating adrift on a sea of clouds, tethered to the ground only by his embrace.
Leighton broke off the kiss and pulled away from her slightly. “Would you stay with me tonight?” He softly asked.
Morgana wordlessly nodded as Leighton captured her lips in another kiss.
I would stay with you tonight and forever if you'd let me.They spent the rest of the night in the warmth of each others' arms...and nothing in the world could have been more perfect. She was with a man whom she loved and who loved her equally in return. For the first time in what seemed like forever Morgana felt content.
As she slowly drifted off to sleep she felt Leighton embrace her from behind. “I love you,” he whispered softly.
“I love you too.”
