dreamlikenewyork | Entries tagged with [ship] mark/gen

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Mom Partners-in-Crime
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Gen pulled up in the driveway of the Campbell home and shut off the engine. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel and closed her eyes, exhaling heavily as she let her head hang and her shoulders slump. This brief moment between leaving the hospital and coming back here to freshen up, she needed to pause and just breathe for a bit. Everything that just happened with Mark that pushed Justin into a psychotic episode, on the back of all they were already trying to deal with, it just wasn’t possible to keep up with the emotional juggling act anymore. She had done all the crying. All the fear, frustration, anger. It wasn’t sustainable. At some point, you had to remember to let go of what you had no control over so you could keep your head in a game that seemed to have no ending in sight.

Being a wife and mother were two of the most important things in her life and she had been far from perfect at it and had fucked it up more than she cared to admit. Yet, they made it over those hurdles, but the blows kept coming. She knew Justin was safe where he was, even if it was heart-wrenching seeing him in a closed psych unit for his own safety. That part of being a mom never got easier. In fact, she was pretty sure it got harder each and every time. There had also been a couple of moments in the past where Mark’s health took a dive and they came close to losing him with the weakness in his heart. But this? This was a terror she wasn’t sure she had felt in her marriage before. She had a suicidal son and a suicidal husband, the latter who was in the grips of a gruelling alcohol addiction relapse and mental health crisis. The former’s life was falling apart quicker than he could catch his breath and Gen felt so fucking helpless and useless with all of it.

( Yet, still. What she knew was that she had to persist... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Sam Campbell
What: Chain Reaction
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

By the time Mark managed to wake up with more lucidity to comprehend what was going on, Sam was nearly falling asleep sitting at his bedside in the hospital. The lights in the room were dimmed and Sam had his elbow resting on the edge of the mattress with his head propped up on his hand but he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He watched as his twin managed some slow and groggy blinks as he tried to get his bearings.

“Sammy…” Mark croaked and tried to clear his throat, becoming aware he had an oxygen mask on and he was definitely in a hospital bed. He hadn’t hallucinated that some shit had gone down. The last thing he really had a clear memory of was being with Justin in the rehab gym and beginning to feel really sick with pains in his chest, then not much of anything else but a suffocating sense of foreboding.

( Sam offered a faint smile but he was just too bloody wiped out to manage much else, though there was a rush of relief that flooded through him seeing Mark was awake and finally aware of his surroundings... )

LOG, COMPLETE

circlesofthemind

Who: Alec Campbell, James Campbell, Sam Campbell, Ava Marcus, Kade King, Reecy Chester-Wilson, Kyan Wilson, (side order of Mark Campbell, Gen Hart-Campbell, Justin Campbell, and Shea Lancaster)
What: Family Emergency
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Apparently, Alec chose the absolute worst time to catch up with a few old RAAF mates and go out for a few drinks at Darling Harbour the night before. It had been a couple of years since so many of them had the chance to get together in person, so of course a ‘few drinks’ turned into a lot of drinks. Alec had no recollection of leaving the bar, let alone recollection of checking into a hotel where he awoke late that morning with a raging hangover and the very naked brother of one of his RAAF mates in the bed beside him.

He had been in the middle of hangover misery trying to ralph up a vital organ in the hotel room bathroom when the urgent text about Mark came from his father. He had a 30 second cold shower to try to drown away the hangover before he grabbed an uber to rush to the hospital, feeling like a piece of shit for getting into this mess when things were so precarious for his family. It really wasn’t like him, but it had been Mark himself who had told Alec to go for the night out with his mates because life had to keep plugging on somehow and he didn’t get the chance to see his old pals often.

( It was only in a mad dash from the car park that he realised he had put his t-shirt on inside out and the sleeve of his blazer he had pulled on hastily had something that looked suspiciously like vomit on the sleeve and smelled dodgy... )

LOG, COMPLETE

daysgonequiet

Who: Justin Campbell and Shea Lancaster (with Mark Campbell later)
What: Unexpected Bonding
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this and this

It had been a rollercoaster week. Or rollercoaster month. Oh fuck it, Justin had to concede his whole life was a constant rollercoaster and all too frequently, left him with a churning gut and a desperation to just get the hell off. Not that the latter was a secret. It was why he struggled with the label of ‘survivor’. A lot of the time, he didn’t feel like he had survived anything. He had made it through a lot of shit because he had so many people who loved him and kept pulling him back from the brink but that brink wasn’t something he saw as ‘survivable’. More just treading water until his head sunk back below the surface to it again.

One small added silver lining of Sash coming out of the coma and waking up when he did was that it timed with Justin’s physiotherapy team wanting to start working on exercises that would first get him up on his feet with partial weight-bearing, then standing, and ultimately walking again. The orthos were happy with how fractures in his pelvis and sacrum were healing and he was now far enough post-accident to begin the process, though the process itself would take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, no doubt. None of which Justin was foreign to in bucket loads lately. The physio had given him a way of compartmentalising the mess in his head because of the pain he felt doing the work. Physical pain was preferable to emotional and mental pain, no competition. He had been working extra on his upper body strength while he was immobilized from the waist down until he healed enough to be able to start weight-bearing again. Even the upper body strengthening had caused him pain in the first few weeks because he had the surgery to his spleen and bladder. He had to focus on core strengthening first. With all that, he didn’t let himself dwell on the chance he might not recover enough lower-body strength in his hips and lower back to dance again. If he let himself go there, he was sure the darkness would swallow him whole.

( Once again back in the hospital’s physio gym, Justin sat on the side of the Pilates reformer bed after finishing the upper body program his physio had advanced him to a few days earlier... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Watch on YouTube

♫ : Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Yusuf (Cat Stevens)

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Sam Campbell
What: "If I seem edgy, I want you to know, that I never mean to take it out on you."
Where: Campbell Home, Sydney, AUS
When: After this

It was late when Mark made it back to his folks' home overlooking Sydney Harbour. He hadn't driven straight, instead taking the more scenic route that looped some of the back streets so he had a few moments to clear his head, sure, but mostly to distract himself from the urge to go to a pub. There were none on the route he chose to take, the familiar streets of his childhood winding around the hilly outlying eastern suburbs of the city. He even thought about bypassing to one of his favourite nearby beaches to sit and watch the water for awhile but he knew deep down he didn't really want to be left alone with his thoughts.

It was one of those days where it was really, REALLY fucking hard to be the dad of a mentally ill kid. He was just relieved he had pushed through his own fucked up shit resulting from his battle with the bottle before Sash had regained consciousness and thrown Justin into this awful limbo of uncertainty.

( He was just locking up the car and pocketing the keys when his phone started to ring with an incoming FaceTime call... )

likefatherlikeson

Who: Justin Campbell, Sasha Stanford, and Mark Campbell with Martin and Mhari Stanford
What: "Slow change may pull us apart."
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this and this

The last couple of days were a blur. Yet again, Justin had no concept of time passing and was extremely concept of a lot chaos and movement going on around him, but his mind couldn’t keep up with everything. Although it was clear Sash had technically ‘woken up’ or ‘regained consciousness’, he hadn’t really been awake or conscious. He was just no longer in a coma and he was breathing on his own with the support of oxygen.

But it was okay. Justin knew that waking up from something like this, it was nothing like general waking up from sleep. At least with the shit he had gone through in his life, he had understanding of medical treatment and what it could mean to be seriously unwell in hospital, so that part wasn’t scaring him. He knew Sash was in excellent hands and he was glad they were letting him still sit with Sash, even though there was a lot more activity around him he was being monitored for any change in his condition. It was the not actually ‘waking up’ that was terrifying.

( At first, all Sash really seemed to do that was different to when he was in the coma was open his eyes a little and every time Justin tucked his fingers underneath Sash’s, he did sort of take his hand, though it was weak... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell, Sam Campbell and Gen Hart-Campbell with Ava Marcus
What: The News Breaks
Where: Campbell Home, Sydney, Australia
When: After this and this

Mark came into the kitchen where his wife, Gen, was putting the dishes from last night’s dinner away while she chatted with his mum, who was buzzing in and out of the pantry and cupboards checking what she needed for a weekly grocery shop. His twin brother was standing at one end of the kitchen island, leaning heavily on it while he added things to the shopping list app they all had on their phone since they had been staying in the Campbell family home they grew up in while Justin and Sash were in hospital. They were all going to have a cuppa together before Sam went and helped their mum at the grocery store. It was their dad and Alexis’ turn to be at the hospital with Justin. “Sorry, I got held up longer on the call than I thought. Want me to put the kettle on, love?” he asked Gen, giving her a kiss.

Mrs Campbell popped her flitted back out of the pantry. “Two packs of basmati rice. Weetbix. Three—”

“Hang on, hang on, Mum,” Sam cut in tiredly, scrolling his finger up his phone screen. “I’m still on loose-leaf tea and croutons. And Trying to remember how to bloody spell basmati…”

“It should already be on the list to pick from,” Mrs Campbell told him. “It’s okay if you’re not up to coming to help me with the shop, honey. Gen said she could give me a hand.”

Sam sighed. “Right, okay. Give me a sec,” he mumbled, frowning at the screen. “I’m fine, Mum.”

“Sounds good, babe. Everything okay with Brandon? The message sounded urgent.” Gen kissed Mark back and gave his ass an affectionate pat.

( As soon as Mark heard how flat Sam sounded, his gaze zeroed in on his twin to analyse him, without trying to be too obvious about it... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Justin Campbell (with Sasha Stanford)
What: No turning back
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this, this and this

Before going in, Mark stopped outside the glass doors of Sash’s hospital room and watched Justin sitting with him, holding his hand. He closed his eyes briefly with a sigh of relief and rested his head against the frame of the door as he took in the scene before him that he wasn’t sure he should intrude on. But he could find a million ways to procrastinate, and a million ways to put off anything difficult he knew he had to face. He’d spent far too long doing that and it did nothing but hurt people he loved and — even more difficult to conquer — hurt himself in ways he hadn’t even realised until it was too late. The long chat with his brothers had brought some peace to the mess of turmoil inside him but there was still so much he had to confront, no matter how much it was going to hurt.

He softly knocked on the glass, pushing the button to open the door. “Justin?” He didn’t go in. It was up to his son if he was ready to see him. Whatever happened, every moment of this was going to be hard.

( Justin hadn’t heard the knock or even the door sliding open... )

LOG, COMPLETE

circlesofthemind

Who: Mark, Sam, James, and Alec Campbell
What: Brotherly Backup
Where: Campbell Home, Sydney, AU
When: After this and this, simultaneous to this

Alec quickly skimmed through a playlist of Australian classic hits on his phone to see what it had to offer and then hit Shuffle. “Heyyyyy…” he said in appreciation when James Reyne’s acoustic version of Reckless started to play and he set his phone down on the bathroom counter.

“Now we’re talking. Oh, the memories.” James clapped in appreciation of the song choice from where he was perched on the closed toilet across the room. He finished lighting up a neatly rolled joint with a Zippo lighter and after taking a hit from it, offered it over to Mark who was sitting on the floor by the toilet with his back resting against the wall of the bathtub. “Do you remember the time we all got trashed at the Sharmans’ rave that year? We were grounded so we weren’t supposed to have gone and we tried to pass it off as bad prawns from the barbie the day before when we came home sick as fucking dogs.”

( Alec snorted in amusement at the memory, stepping over Sam’s feet so he could hitch himself up to sit on the vanity next to where he sat his phone... )

LOG, COMPLETE

headingforsomething

As soon as you're able to be upright again, you need to go to your son, Mark.

breakablehearts

Who: Sam and Justin, then later Mark and Justin
What: Vital Conversations
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

It was impossible to know how to tackle this next hurdle with Justin. Both Sam and Mark needed to talk to him about things that were huge emotional burdens but at the same time, the only thing Justin ever begged of anyone was not to keep things from him because he was mentally ill. It was one thing that would push him over the edge and ever since he spelled it out to his family and pleaded with them to not treat him like he couldn’t handle shit, they tried to honour his request. But it was still a question of keeping him safe and monitoring how much more he could take when he was already mentally taxed. And without a doubt, this was the most mentally taxed he and their whole family had been in a long time.

Sam told Mark to take a bit more time to get himself together the best he could after what happened. He didn’t think Mark should put up any masks or cover how he was really feeling from Justin but it would scare the living shit out of the kid if Mark turned up looking how he did when Sam found him. Justin had seen Mark in dark places but never this dark. Even Sam had only seen Mark this bad once before and that had culminated in a near-miss suicide-attempt-that-maybe-wasn’t… they still didn’t know the full story because Mark had blacked out at the time and had a complete breakdown. He didn’t recall what exactly happened. That’s what happened with alcoholics.

So, Sam came to see Justin first and told Mark to get their dad to bring him to the hospital a little later once Sam had the chance to temper Justin’s current state of mind and emotional capacity for what desperately needed to come next. He had a gut feeling Justin wouldn’t be shocked by what he had to confront with his dad, it would just terrify him.

( Justin was awake when he got there but he was just lying staring out the window which offered a few of Sydney’s skyline from where they were on the sixth floor of the hospital building... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Just Sam Campbell, then later with Mark Campbell
What: Rock Bottom
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

The sea breeze whipped Sam’s hair into his face and he raked it away from his eyes. He paused at the gates to the cemetery and took a deep, bracing breath. It always took a lot to psych himself up to go into the place. It was gorgeous, overlooking the sea, with countless rows of graves and memorials sloping down towards the cliffs. Michelle had very few last wishes upon her death and this being her last resting place was one of them. It was a stone’s throw from the street they both grew up in and many of her best life memories — their wedding on the beach — were made overlooking the same ocean her grave now watched over forever. The beauty didn’t make it any easier to visit.

Since they all came to Sydney during the international crisis that was the pandemic, Sam had been wanting to come visit his departed wife and baby son. He always did whenever he was in Sydney to see his family but it had been harder this time. Even before he fell ill, there had been a lot going on in his head because of the direction he and Alexis were moving in their relationship. It had been a shock for everyone to learn who Justin’s real biological mother was but never in a million years would Sam have thought he’d end up falling in love with her and wanting things he thought he’d missed the boat on. Then he was unwell and it pulled the world right out from under him to hear it was cancer. No matter how much of a learned and skilled doctor and surgeon he was to know it was a highly treatable form of cancer, it was still cancer and cancer was what stole his wife and unborn son from him many years ago.

( Physically, he was struggling... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Justin Campbell
What: Sins of the father
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Couple of days after this

‘Shitstorm’ was about the only way Mark could describe what that last couple of days had been like. The medical team overseeing Justin’s care stopped the sedatives to let him wake up when he was ready. They needed to be able to assess his pain levels and what his mental stability - or instability - was as a result of the trauma and the stress of the anaesthetic and surgery. It would take a multidisciplinary approach and Mark and his family were understandably terrified that all this could trigger Justin to have another complete mental breakdown. The last had led to Bondi and everything that followed it. They had the benefit of hindsight but this was the first time Justin faced not only significant physical capacity as well but the love of his life was comatose in a critical condition with still yet no clear prognosis.

Sash’s mum had arrived in Sydney and was now quarantining in the closest hotel to the hospital as possible. At the last minute, so she hadn’t needed to face all this alone, her sister - Sash’s auntie - flew over with her and Mark reserved them a large suite in the five-star hotel. There was no point to any sort of wealth if you couldn’t use it at times in your life you needed to care for your family and their wellbeing. Once they were settled in the hotel, Mark spent a long time on a video call with her, trying to fill her in on as much as he could of Sash and Justin’s conditions and care. The neurosurgeons and brain injury specialists in charge of Sash’s care just couldn’t confirm that his brain injury wouldn’t have serious long-term problems. They couldn’t even confirm he would wake up. It was too early to know if what they did to stem the bleeding in his brain was successful. For now, there was still swelling and inflammation. They didn’t expect him to come through the coma until that reduced. He needed time to heal.

( When Justin came through the sedation and woke up, he was in severe pain and distress. It was impossible to talk to him or reason anything with him. He was so sure Sash was dead and even though he was agitated and escalating, they medicated him enough to alleviate a severe meltdown... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

I need to tell Jus your sick. I need to tell him you've got cancer.

exmilitarymedic

Who: Ava Marcus and Mark Campbell
What: Old friends and new lives
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

After finishing handover, Ava signed off on the pathology and radiology reports that she ordered the day before and wrote some medication orders and follow up examination requests. She sighed looking over the admissions list again and still wasn't sure she should stick her nose into other people's business at one of the hardest times of their life but at the same time, old friends were old friends. And sometimes, old friends had been more than friends so not sticking her head in would be worse. She knew that. It had just been a very long time and so much had happened since then.

She hit the button to open the glass sliding doors into the ICU room, hesitating for just a moment before going in. "Well, aren't you a sight for very sore eyes," she murmured, approaching Mark sitting in a nearby recliner to rest her hand on his shoulder.

breakablehearts

Who: Sam and Mark (with Justin and Sasha)
What: "If it takes you forever, I want you to know if you fall, stumble down, I'll pick you up off the ground."
Where: A private hospital in Sydney, Australia
When: Following this, this and this

Being a cardiothoracic surgeon, Sam wasn't unfamiliar with ICUs but he would never get used to visiting family members in them. The Campbell family had been dealt more than its fair share of blows over the years but this life-threatening car accident that had now landed both Justin and Sash in one, with no one really coping that well with the new, was one of the biggest blows Sam felt. It was definitely a bigger struggle in the wake of being told he had cancer, but he was holding onto the reassurance that it was one of the most treatable forms. It was going to be awhile before he started responding to treatment and began to feel physically better, though. He could do without his IV pole proper right now.

Still, he knew it was a necessary evil. Grateful that he could be mobile with it and had the green light from his admitting doctor to go to the ICU for a bit. Regardless of the circumstance, he knew Mark wasn't in a good headspace and that meant no matter how wiped out Sam was feeling, his place was at his twin's side and the first step was checking if he was okay. Their mum had left Sam a note while he was asleep that Justin had been rushed back to surgery. If Mark was barely holding up before then, he would be in a tougher place now.

He waited until the nurses allocated to monitoring Justin and Sash's connected rooms gave him the all-clear to go in but hesitated just a moment or two at the door when the sight of Justin and Sasha confronted him. He didn't let himself get stuck on it. Guiding the IV pole into the room, he sat down in the vacant chair by the one Mark was slumped in at Justin's bedside. He didn't say anything, he just put his hand on Mark's shoulder.

aussielawyer

Standing at the far end of the corridor looking out the window at the sprawling hospital carpark, Mark took a few deep breaths with his hand on his stomach trying to alleviate the anxiety and agonising bite of craving he couldn't shake. He looked at the lights of the city in the distance and shook his head to himself, taking his phone out to bring Gen's name up on his WhatsApp contacts.

While it rang, he double-checked he had privacy where he was standing but at this time of night, there were only staff coming and going here and there. He had to not do that thing that ran through the Campbell male gene pool of walling up and trying to fight shit on his own to protect the people he loved. He had to let his family help him or he knew he was going to drown. Times like this - as much as he struggled with the reality - he was starkly reminded that he battled mental illness too. This was just the worst time it could rear its ugly head. He almost forgot what it felt like like to crash and burn.

asskickingblahniks

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Mom Team
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this and this

Gen came back to the tiny table for two in the corner of the hospital cafeteria that, thankfully, didn't have many customers this time of night. She put the two cups of tea down and took the muffin on a plate balanced on top of one of the cups in the middle of the table. "I hope you're not allergic to strawberries like your son. This is all they had left. Even if eating is the last thing we feel like doing, we have to somehow at least try to pretend we've got our shit together. For strength, if nothing else."

"How are you holding up?" She slipped into the seat across from Alexis, hooking her handbag over the back of it. "It's okay to lie when you answer. I still remember the first time he was rushed to hospital once Mark and I sorted our relationship out, decided we were going to make a go of it as a family. I remember every moment of it, some of it even feeling like it was going in slow motion."

aussielawyer

Who: Mark and Justin, then later Gen, Alexis, Sam
What: The shit that keeps on giving
Where: Sydney, NSW, Aus
When: After this and this

Mark had almost forgotten what hangovers felt like. Almost. What he had managed to forget was that the longer you went without booze, if you hit it hard when you fell off the wagon, the inevitable hangover would be raging. Mix it with a cocktail of shock and stress, then it was going to have its claws in even deeper. He flushed the toilet and went over to the sink to rinse his mouth and splash some cold water on his face. As much as he wanted to avoid it, he took in his reflection in the mirror, hands brace on the rim of the basin. He looked like utter shit and there would be no masking it.

With a sigh, he looked out through the door of the bathroom into the private hospital room where Justin was still out after his emergency surgery. They had finally ruled out a c-spine injury and removed the neck brace but seeing him so banged up was painful. The emergency surgical repair to his bladder had apparently gone well but now it was just a waiting game to see how he was when his system cleared the anaesthetic more. Yanking some paper towels from the dispenser, Mark wiped his hands and face then pulled his facemask back up from where he yanked it under his chin in a hurry. They were compulsory at the moment for all visitors in the critical care units.

“Dad…”

( It was barely audible but Mark was so ultra-tuned in for even the slightest sound from his kid, Mark heard it just as he was shoving the used paper towels into the bin... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Sam Campbell, Gen Hart-Campbell, Mark Campbell and Paris Hart
What: The waiting game...
Where: Sydney, NSW, Australia
When: After this

Gen paced back and forth in front of the window, hugging herself and rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try to combat the deep chill she was feeling inside and out. “This is so fucked up! Why aren’t there any updates yet? Why is it taking so long? He’s my son! I should be in there with him!”

“I know, sis, but Sam said he’d come with an update as soon as he could,” Paris murmured, resting his crystal-adorned walking stick against the window so he could take Gen’s hand. “We’ve got to remember, it’s covid climate. They’d let you and Alexis through to be with him if they could. Nan and Granddad said this is the best place he could possibly be.”

( Alexis quietly watched the exchange between Gen and Paris, sitting forward on one of the seats with her elbows on her knees and her head resting against her hands... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark, Sam and Justin Campbell
What: Emergency
Where: South Coast, NSW, Aus
When: After this

Shock set in quickly for Mark following that blood-chilling phone call. He kept it together just long enough to call in a desperate favour from a Sydney businessman mate to charter an urgent helicopter flight to the South Coast so he and Sam could get to the hospital with Justin ASAP. He would’ve bought a fucking helicopter himself if it would’ve gotten him to his son quicker. He ended the call and gripped his hand around his phone, feeling like the hospital walls were going to collapse in on him, barely remembering the words that came out of his mouth while he was on the call. Thank fuck Sam made him put it on speaker.

He put his other hand out to hold himself up on the wall when it felt like his legs turned to lead. “I can’t breathe. I need to get outta here,” he choked out, trying to suck in a big enough ragged breath to reach his lungs.

( Sam grabbed Mark’s arm to hold him up because he looked like he was about to pass out. He didn’t know if he’d have the energy to peel Mark off the floor if it happened... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam and Mark Campbell
What: Family Emergency
Where: Private Hospital, Sydney
When: After this

Sam didn’t even know he had fallen asleep until he woke up feeling groggy and hungover without having the pleasure of a few casual beers with some mates. Instead, he was still in the rock-hard hospital bed with the familiar-but-not-comforting scent of antiseptic and clinical chemicals bumped up to overdrive in the midst of a pandemic. Australia had done much better with controlling the virus than other countries and he was fortunate to have come home to Sydney with his family before the borders closed. Despite the occasional outbreak that was quickly contained in hotspots, restrictions were lifting and they were in a much safer situation than back in the USA.

( He just didn’t expect this bloody crappy turn of events he was facing now, nor did he expect to wake up and find Mark sitting beside him with a pallid complexion not dissimilar to the colour of the wall paint in the hospital room or the starchy blanket on the bed, Sam’s medical chart open in his lap... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Gen Hart-Campbell
What: Surprise reunion
Where: Campbell Home, Sydney, AUS
When: After this

Mark was wiped the fuck out and he was glad it wasn't a long drive from the hospital back to his parents' place or he might've had to get a taxi for fear of falling asleep at the wheel. All he wanted to do was take a shower and crash in bed for a bit now he knew Sam was in Alexis' safe, loving and capable hands. Not literally, of course. How Sam had been feeling he was pretty sure Sam hadn't literally been in Alexis' hands for some time. He had been sick as a dog and as much as Mark was worrying about his twin, hospital was the best place for him at the moment.

He was supposed to try to squeeze in something to eat but he was too tired to think about food and settled on a decaf latte from the Maccas drive-thru on his way home. He was only halfway through it when he got home and left it on the kitchen counter with his wallet keys. He knew no one else was home because no other cars had been out front when he arrived. It was tempting to avoid the trip upstairs and crash on the sofa instead but he needed to take his antidepressants, so he had to tackle the trek up to his room.

Kicking off his thongs, he checked his phone to make sure he hadn't missed any calls or texts from Justin or Sash. They had made it to the campground down south and seemed to be safe and relaxed, that's all Mark cared about. He shot them both a brief text to again remind them to call if anything went wrong and he could drive down to where they were, albeit a good three hours drive away.

After he grabbed a bottle of Bundaberg Ginger Beer from the fridge to take with him, he made it up all of five steps before the doorbell rang. He stopped with a growl of a frustration, swearing under his breath when he double-backed to see who it was. If it was Jehovah's Witness or anyone trying to sell him anything, they weren't going to get a polite reception.

He was shocked as all hell when he opened the door - an unwelcome greeting on the tip of his tongue - and found Gen standing there in a gorgeous summer dress that showed off all her curves, grinning at him. "Gen! What the f--"

He didn't even bother finishing that stunned thought before he grabbed her in an eager and hungry kiss. As far as he had been aware, she was still back in New York for the lockdown trying to keep her finger on the pulse at FABULOUS and sticking close to Paris, whose immune system was still dodgy after his cancer remission. It had been a hard fucking decision to make when Mark knew he had to stay in Sydney with his family during the pandemic. Then Australia closed its international borders and everything went to shit. It had been safer for Gen to stay in New York in case Paris and Mikey needed help.

Only now she very much wasn't in NYC, and kissing her and kissing her and holding her again after so long went straight to Mark's dick with an instant boner. He paused the kiss only briefly to say, "Fuck, you're really here. I missed you so fucking much." The pandemic logistics could wait. All he wanted to do was make love to his wife and make up for months without kisses and cuddles.

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Sam Campbell and Mark Campbell
What: Family Matters
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Alexis was just finishing up a phone call with Molly to fill her in on where things were up to with Sam when Mark came up behind her in the hospital corridor, patting her shoulder to get her attention. “I’ve got to go, Mols. I’ll give you a call in the morning, okay? Love you.” She pocketed her phone, giving Mark her full attention.

“Sammy’s awake, hon. He’s asking for you. I told him I’d track you down.” Taking his wallet out, Mark went over to the nearby coffee machine and tried to decide if braving the crap that was hospital machine coffee or he could push through the tiredness. He had spent many hours in hospital corridors with Justin and James with his diabetes when they were younger.

“You’re wiped out, hon. If you want to go home and have a bit of a snooze, I’ll stay with him. I know you’re worried but he won’t want you stressing yourself into exhaustion.” Alexis perused the options in the coffee machine. “That’s some abysmal offerings.”

It was early evening and Sam had been sleeping for a few hours now that he finally could without his stomach disrupting any attempts to get a decent rest. He was also like Justin in that anaesthetic wiped him out, so the best thing was to just let him sleep it off.

( When the ambulance arrived at the Campbell home to collect Sam, Alexis told Mark to go with him and she could head to the hospital with his parents when they got back from his auntie’s place but Mark wouldn’t have it... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington and her best friend, Molly, then later, Justin Campbell, Sasha Stanford, Mark Campbell, and Sam Campbell
What: The year that keeps on giving
Where: Campbell Home, Sydney, Australia
When: After this

Alexis brought two wine glasses out onto the patio and set them down on the table. “Okay, it’s a little earlier in the day than I’d normally drink but I think it’s safe to have a glass or two,” she said to her BFF with a grin.

“I just realised this might not be okay. Is it okay if we have this here?” Molly asked, hand resting over to top of the bottle of prosecco before she even attempted to open it.

“You mean Justin? Or because Mark’s in recovery?” Alexis opened the packet of chilled raspberries Molly had brought with the prosecco. “There’s no problem. The family drinks socially but any they keep here is locked in a cabinet so Justin can’t access it if he’s not having a good day. He’s still currently in the ‘never touching the fucking shit again’ mode after his hangover from hell and Mark doesn’t have issues with other people drinking.”

“Well, in that case.” Molly gave her wink and peeled the foil off to pop the cork. “Speaking of, where is that darling son of yours? Not to sound like a desperate fan or anything. I promise I won’t scream in his face and traumatise the poor kid,” she joked.

( Alexis smirked and dropped a couple of raspberries into each glass... )

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Tag Teaming
Where: Campbell Place, Sydney, AU
When: After this

Mark didn't realise how long he had been on the conference call to New York until he took a mouthful of his decaf coffee and it was tepid and probably tasted as bad as piss. He gulped the mouthful down and cursed the mug as he set it back on the kitchen table. He was toying with the idea of making another cup or dragging himself to bed to try to get some shut-eye when Alexis came into the kitchen. He glanced at the clock at the corner of his screen, raising his eyebrows as he closed the laptop. "Pulling an all-nighter, hon? How's the patient?"

Not that Mark could talk. His all-nighter was inevitable when he had to sit up to ungodly hours to participate in work conferences when it was the middle of the day in New York. Pandemic or not, the justice industry was still essential and had continued on the best it could. He was glad he lived in the age of rapidly-advancing technology and could still conduct business meetings when he had to be on the other side of the globe for his safety having a heart condition and the safety of his kids. Even if he went to bed, his brain wouldn't switch off to let him sleep and there was only so much missing-your-other-half wanking you could do. Skye sex just didn't fucking cut it.

beautifulday

Who: Mark Campbell, Sam Campbell, Alexisharrington, Sasha Stanford and Justin Campbell
What: Hangover from Hell
Where: Nana and Granddad Campbell's place, Sydney
When: Morning after this

Mark came downstairs stretching and yawning loudly, and wandered into the kitchen. “I need a brew, fucking stat. I think I got about 46 minutes of sleep.”

“Shhh! Keep your voice down,” his mum chastised, giving him a soft tap in the back of the head and gestured over to the sofa in their sitting room with a cup of coffee before she handed it to him.

“Lexi said he came down last night to get his migraine meds from his bag and they got chatting but he fell asleep. And you got more like four hours,” Sam told him, sipping his tea from where he had been sitting at the kitchen counter reading the news on his iPad while their dad was in his element outside cooking breakfast on the barbie.

Mark was about to tease Sam for calling Alexis ‘Lexi’, the nickname her family used, when he realised what Sam just said. “Jus is upstairs on his own? Shit! I thought—”

( Before Mark could take off back upstairs in his haze of fatherly panic, Sam grabbed his arm... )

LOG, COMPLETE

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford, Justin Campbell, Mark Campbell, Sam Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Pride & shit
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Backdated: Sydney Mardi Gras

Sasha had expected life to get crazy beyond belief lately but he could never have anticipated ending a night with Justin — dressed as a shirtless sparkly rainbow angel complete with wings and a halo — flanked by two 6’4” drag queens singing the the popular Aussie power ballad, You’re the Voice at the top of his lungs in the middle of Sydney. There weren’t a lot of scenarios Justin would forget lyrics but being blind drunk on fuck only knows what mix of cocktails and running on adrenaline and very little sleep was one of them. At least he nailed the chorus with the help of his friendly queens doing their bit for the greater good and making sure one of the Junior Gay Icons, as Justin had been dubbed that night, got home without ending up Mardi Gras roadkill.

“Oh, honey, are you sure we can’t call you a taxi? I don’t want to end up on the dirty end of a lawsuit for not making that fabulously hot daddy lawyer has his first-born delivered home safely. I’m still not convinced you two aren’t twelve years old. Such a baby face.” Miss Excess-Success patted Sasha’s cheek but took a quick sidestep when Justin abruptly cut himself off singing with a heave.

( Sasha quickly took over, looping his arm around Justin’s waist to free-up the ladies to go back to the party... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell, Alexis Harrington, Justin Campbell, Sasha Stanford, Mark Campbell, Gen Hart-Campbell and Chance Marsden
What: Rainbow Phoenix After Party | Family Connections & Promises
Where: New York City
When: Backdated - After this and this

Sam would never get tired of those moments when he saw Mark get so emotional with pride over his kids, he ended up breaking down and sobbing. Mark didn’t cry a lot and if he did, it was behind closed doors. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or anything like that. All four Campbell brothers had been raised to be sensitive to their feelings and it was okay to cry. Mark was just the least sensitive of them all… about everything but his kids, of course. He always made sure Justin knew there was no shame in showing his emotions and he had definitely softened since becoming a father but the only other times Sam had seen Mark cry this hard about his son was when Justin opened on Broadway and when Sasha proposed to him and they got engaged.

Mark kept it together pretty damn well throughout the show. Sam had sat next to him and wanted to be on hand in case anything - god forbid - went wrong. There reported hiccups earlier in the day. First, Justin disappeared and everyone panicked he had gotten cold feet and done a runner, only to discover Reecy had unexpected and suddenly given birth in the early hours of the morning six weeks before her due date and Justin took off to the hospital to meet his newborn guidedaughter. No one was doing to stop that, no matter how much they tried reminding him it was his tour’s opening night. Then Justin’s stage fright and anxiety had ramped up to a high level and he needed medical intervention to get his shit together again. That was okay. They were prepared for that and had provisions in place. All in all, there were no unexpected disasters and Justin opened without a hitch. Not even a wardrobe or set malfunction to speak of.

( Mark was teary when Justin opened with a high velocity three rock anthem extravaganza with all the bells and whistles anticipated. All his family and friends knew what he was capable of when it came to his talent but Sam was pretty sure no one expected it to be as explosive as it had been... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Justin Campbell with Jamie
What: Christmas Family Time
Where: Casa de Campbell, NYC
When: Christmas Day

Christmas turned out to be a quiet affair, even if there were still a lot of people under one roof to celebrate. Sam managed to pull strings to get Mark an early discharge from hospital to be home for Christmas with his family, if only because he was a Cardiologist who could monitor Mark for any signs his condition was deteriorating. Mark had spent the better part of the last couple of weeks in hospital hooked up to machines and being poked and prodded. He spent most of it sleeping and he was still feeling wiped out. That didn’t change when he got home and went straight to bed, under strict orders remain on bed rest until his condition improved. It was difficult to tell how long it might take his heart to recover from the inflammation.

Other than trips to the bathroom, which he needed a little help with because even the smallest amount of exertion made him weak and breathless, he moved from bed to the couch for opening of presents. He didn’t want to miss that. He didn’t want to miss any special days with his kids. The entire Campbell Clan was still in New York and they joined forces with the Connor Clan, the Stanford Clan, Alec and Kade, with Alexis and her family once again joining them for another holiday. It was time to work on blending their families and making new memories and traditions, no matter how much was going on.

( It wasn’t the most pleasant day for Mark... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Merry Christmas to me, from my gold medal Olympic-grade champ. Thanks, buddy

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell and Mark Campbell
What: New Beginnings
Where: Cardiac ICU, Mount Sinai
When: After this

Sam was finishing up some notes from his rounds at the nurses station when one of the nurses came and told him Mark was awake while she was taking his latest obs. Sam wasn’t surprised his twin had been asleep basically since his cardiac biopsy on admission. Considering the diagnosis and his heart taking extra effort to pump, the fatigue was expected. They kept visits to family only and Sam wanted it to stay that way until Mark felt a little better. They all knew how much everyone cared but they also knew everyone understood Mark needed to rest because the heart was serious business. With Mark’s past cardiac issues, he had a weakness that left him susceptible to things like cardiac infections, no matter how much he did all the right things to stay well.

“Ah, he is alive. The nurses weren’t just pulling my leg,” Sam joked when he came into Mark’s room. “Shit, you got Jus to go home? What did I friggin tell you about performing miracles in your hospital bed?”

( Mark managed a smirk and a slight chuckle, even if it came out more sounding like a cough... )

LOG, COMPLETE

breakablehearts

Who: Sam Campbell, Alexis Harrington, Justin Campbell, Mark Campbell and Gen Hart-Campbell
What: Conditions of the Heart
Where: Vermont Lakehouse
When: Morning after this

It took a few moments for Alexis to get her bearings and realise she wasn’t in her own bed. She wasn’t in her house, or even her state. This was Vermont, not Stamford, and she wasn’t waking up to a usually empty bed. She took a deep breath and slowly rolled onto her side, biting her lip when she was met with a soundly sleeping and very naked Sam in bed with her.

Last night was fresh in her mind and at the time, it seemed like a good idea. No, it was more than good. It was thrilling and tender, and felt incredible… while it was happening. Now it was morning, and it was setting in that Sam was Justin’s uncle and Mark’s twin brother. This could end up way more complicated than she ever anticipated. Then again, she didn’t anticipate any of this. She didn’t come into the family gathering last night thinking about sleeping with her son’s uncle. She couldn’t even claim that it ‘just happened’. There was a bit of alcohol involved, but neither of them were drunk. They wanted it and at the time, Alexis was just caught up in the moment. But reality had to set in eventually.

( And it felt like so long since she lay awake watching someone sleep... )

LOG, COMPLETE

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford and Justin Campbell + Everyone at their Family Thanksgiving
What: Thanksgiving Dinner
Where: Vermont Lakehouse
When: After this and this

All in all, the spontaneous joint family Thanksgiving in Vermont had been a huge success. Sasha had lost track of everyone who was here but they were all family and he had been mingling on and off all evening until everyone sat down for a huge meal. The best part was when everyone had to write down one thing they were thankful for and put it into a jar. Later, they were read out over dessert and it was the best freaking way to mark what was their first blended Thanksgiving their family dynamics had grown.

Now everyone was relaxing and chilling out, enjoying the company and the huge open fire while a steady snowfall continued outside. After dinner, Justin and Sasha went and changed into their pyjamas and slippers with matching flannel Harry Potter pants and long sleeve t-shirts so they could completely relax and chillout.

Now, they were slowdancing again in front of the huge glass doors with views out onto the snow-covered lawn. It was just like their date night, only with better views and brilliant company. They were caught up in their own little world for a bit. Sasha gave him a kiss, smiling. "You okay, baby? Not too overwhelmed with everyone here or anything? Somewhere along the line, our family has mutated into a small army. That's super cool." He bumped his nose against Justin's and they shared a kiss

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Gen Hart-Campbell
What: Husband Prerogative
Where: FABULOUS New York HQ
When: After this

Mark decided to surprise Gen at her office for lunch, after first checking with Paris that she didn’t have any vital meetings scheduled at that time where she would be out of the office. He ordered takeout from her favourite place and a bouquet of lilac roses, her favourite flower. A lot had changed these past few weeks that would impact their whole family. He knew if Gen felt like she was poised to be replaced by Alexis, they would be completely valid emotions. If she felt like that even a tiny bit, he wanted to help her through it, remind her that nothing would change the fact she was Justin’s mum now and they were a content family, despite all the challenges.

Justin was safely up in Vermont with Sasha and some of their friends. Autumn and Reecy had gone up too, staying at a nearby guesthouse for a girls’ weekend so they could be on-hand if there were any emergencies. The kids were old enough now to have a few days away alone without adults breathing down their necks but they always needed backup with Justin, especially so soon after another hospitalisation from a suicide attempt. Hopefully it all went smoothly and they could all relax. Justin and Sasha definitely needed to clear their heads.

( Gen’s Personal Assistant told him she was on a conference call in Paris’ office but invited him to wait in Gen’s office for her to come back... )

LOG, COMPLETE

likefatherlikeson

For real. I can't grow facial hair for shit and if I do, you can't freaking see it. Y'all can stop tagging me in Moevember and No-Shave-November shit now. I'll leave that up to y'all hair-arsed bastard, right? See, Dad? I could make the post without mentioning rimming and beard rash

alexisharrington

Hi, hon. I just wanted to check to see how Justin's doing after the visit. I thought things went well but I know I don't know him well enough yet to be sure what he's feeling. Is he okay?

asskickingblahniks

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell, Mark Campbell and Alexis Harrington with Mark and Jacinta Marsden (Alexis' parents)
What: Getting on the same parenting page
Where: Alexis' place, Stamford CT
When: After this

At the last minute, Gen ditched her business trip to LA and flew back home so she could go up to Stamford where Justin was in the midst of meeting - and spending time with - his birth mother he never knew existed. Mark was already there with him and had been texting and FaceTiming with Gen as much as he could to give her updates and reassure her Justin was holding up pretty well, all things considered. She knew Sasha drove up to be there with him, which was inevitable if he felt well enough to get out of bed. But this was Sash… he would have to be practically on his deathbed to prevent him being there for Justin during one of the hardest moments of his life.

Gen knew she had to get there. Justin was her son and number one priority. Even if she was so conflicted and scared about his birth mother usurping her mom spot in his life, she had to meet Alexis and be a united team with Mark for this. Especially once she heard Justin’s emotions had triggered a bad night of flashbacks and sickness but all of this was dredging up his past and needing him to confront the fact the woman who abused him so viciously and left him open to repeated neglect and harm wasn’t - and never had been - the woman who gave birth to him.

( It was about 9pm by the time she arrived in Stamford... )

LOG, COMPLETE

alexisharrington

Who: Alexis Harrington, Mark Campbell, Justin Campbell and Sasha Stanford, with Jacinta and Mark Marsden (Alexis' parents)
What: Getting to Know You
Where: Alexis' home, Stamford CT
When: After this

Nothing really turned out how Alexis anticipated meeting Justin. During their walk at the park together, he had been much more open and honest with her. She hadn’t expected him to tell her there was no way he could just go on like this hadn’t happened and not get to know her as the person who gave birth to him. But after that, he seemed to lose his steam and became more quiet and subdued. She asked him if he wanted to call his dad to come get him, but he wanted to spend more time with her so they stuck with their plan to go back to her place to watch a movie.

They decided to go with Rocketman when Alexis told Justin she was a big Elton John fan but hadn’t had the chance to see the movie yet. While she made them popcorn, Justin told her he and Sasha had been at the New York premiere of the movie and it was excellent. He was happy to watch it again. Beyond that, he wasn’t chatty at all and she had to fight the urge to keep asking him if he was okay, remembering everything Mark schooled her on. Justin had ups and downs. Sometimes he could talk the legs off a table, and others, he wouldn’t speak at all. It turned out he was just exhausted from what he had managed to talk to her about because he crashed on the sofa with Dory in his lap about twenty minutes into the movie.

( So, Alexis just turned the volume down and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful and it gave her a few moments to process this was really happening... )

LOG, COMPLETE

likefatherlikeson

Who: Justin Campbell and Alexis Harrington (and Mark Campbell)
What: The Moment of Truth
Where: Stamford, Connecticut
When: After this

It had been a hell of a long week for Justin. ‘Emotional rollercoaster’ didn’t even cut what he had been going through. He was exhausted but considering everything, he was feeling okay. It was the nervousness that had taken over everything else. He lost count of how many times he needed his dad to stop on the drive up to Stamford so he could use the bathroom. They played loud music on the way up and had a road trip sing-a-long to a playlist of both their favourite songs. If nothing else, it was some quality father and son time.

The location Justin was going to meet his birth mom was a place called Cove Island Park in Stamford. Apparently it was nice, quiet, and peaceful, near the water with lots of quiet places to sit and talk. Talking was the part Justin was packing shit about. Justin and his dad were going to stay the night in Stamford and if things went well, tomorrow was open to spend more time with her. That was where the giant heavy question mark was hanging over everything. For now, once Justin met her and if it went okay, Mark would leave them to it and make himself scarce. At first, Justin got himself into a mess of anxiety and panic and wanted his dad there for the whole thing. But once he settled down and his meds kicked in, he changed his mind and wanted to at least try to face this on his own.

( Justin and his dad were standing at the water’s edge waiting for Alexis to arrive... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Justin Campbell
What: Big Scary Decisions
Where: Casa de Campbell, NYC
When: Few days after this

Justin crashed hard after Mark had to deliver him the news about his birth mother. Other than being woken at regular intervals so he could take his vital medication and use the bathroom, he slept for almost four days straight. It gave Mark the chance to fill Gen and his brothers in on what had happened and how it all played out. He also Skyped his parents in Sydney and had to give them the whole story in finite detail. It was getting easier the more he spoke about it. They were inevitably shocked but not because it was any sort of sordid family scandal and all because it was hard to learn Justin had been kidnapped as a baby by the woman who did vile and horrific things to him for a decade and a half. No one in their family ever coped well hearing more of the tragic things Justin endured during his short life. In the wake of a hospital stay recovering from the overdose complications, it wasn’t any wonder Justin had fallen into an exhausted depression and went into shutdown mode. It could last for days, or even weeks. They could only wait it out.

Which is why Mark was so surprised when Justin came through to the kitchen freshly showered, shaved, dressed in a clean tank top and sweatpants, blonde hair still damp and combed back out of his face. Showered was a really good sign. “Hey, kiddo. You’re up. How are you feeling?”

( Justin smiled, pocketing his phone after making a phone call and came to sit at the kitchen table with his dad... )

LOG, COMPLETE

likefatherlikeson

Who: Mark Campbell, Justin Campbell and Sasha Stanford
What: When everything changes
Where: Casa de Campbell, Upper East Side
When: After this

Mark left work early that day after an important meeting to get a sworn deposition signed, sealed, and delivered. He made sure everyone knew he was taking a few days family leave now Justin was out of hospital and there was a massive elephant in the room that needed to be addressed before Justin figured out something was going on. He was discharged the day before but obediently followed doctor’s orders and went to bed as soon as he was home and crashed, relieved to be back in his own bed with Sasha.

When Mark arrived home, he heard the piano up the hall, which didn’t surprise him at all. It was a good sign that Justin was in a better headspace. He wasn’t going like a bull at a gate with the piano like he did when his depression was set in. He put aside his briefcase, taking a folder from the top of it. After he changed out of his work clothes into some jeans and a t-shirt, he went through to the chillout room where Justin’s grand piano now lived, along with anything else a bunch of teens could possibly need when they hung out together… something they hadn’t done here in a little while. Justin was sitting at the piano in his cotton bathrobe but he was keeping an eye on Sash while he played, who was sitting on the sofa, arm draped over the back of it and using his elbow as his pillow.

“Is this what bed rest looks like now, kiddo?” Mark asked Justin when he came over and ruffled his hair and kissed his head. The thing was, if Justin could sleep on a piano, he probably would. “You okay, Sash?”

( Justin stopped playing and gave his dad a sheepish smile... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Alexis Harrington
What: Results are in
Where: Campbell Page & Waterston, NYC Headquarters
When: After this

What a difference a few days could make. Justin went through with making a brief public statement about his latest episode and overdose, including the fact he was receiving dialysis treatment for complications resulting from it. He confirmed he was in hospital and it worked as a decoy for Merlin’s ‘accidental’ outing of Brandon and the fact Brandon was a patient at that very hospital too. It gave Merlin breathing room while Brandon had the bone marrow infusion and the difficult wait to see if it could be successful began. Merlin called Justin to thank him for what he did and broke down as soon as he got the words out. Justin sat on the phone with him for almost half an hour while he cried. If ever there was evidence of why friendship was one of the most important things in the world, it was this.

While that was happening, Ali came and saw Mark at his office, hand-delivering the DNA results on Justin and Alexis that she pulled strings to have fast-tracked. It took Mark a night of sitting at a bar nursing a double scotch on the rocks to get the balls to call Alexis and tell her the results were in. He didn’t put the glass to his lips once and never had a drop. The glass was a security blanket and he hated himself for even being tempted.

( Eventually, he pushed it away and sent Alexis a text asking if she could come to New York because the results were there... )

LOG, COMPLETE

asskickingblahniks

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell, Mark Campbell, James Campbell and Clint Chevalier
What: Assessing the situation
Where: Casa de Campbell, Upper East Side
When: After this

Gen was stressed and nervous beyond belief. While she was in an executive meeting about the next issue of FABULOUS, Mark called and left a message with her PA saying something had come up about Justin and he really needed to see her ASAP, asking her if she could come home early. Of course, as soon as he mentioned Justin, she dropped everything and came home. When she got there, she found Mark in the living room with James and Clint. Mark was sitting on the edge of the sofa with a folder of documents open on the coffee table with James sitting beside him looking like he wasn’t sure what the hell was going on either. Clint was perched on the back of the nearest armchair, using the seat as a footrest, as was his want. It was his presence that most unnerved Gen.

That was when her stomach dropped. “Please tell me no one’s hurt him again,” she begged, feeling teary. She dropped her handbag on the floor by the coffee table and went to give Mark a kiss. She sat beside him, eyes skimming over the documents but nothing looked familiar. “What’s going on?”

( Mark hadn’t told James or Clint anything yet. He wanted to drop all this on everyone at the same time so he didn’t have to keep rehashing it, especially why he couldn’t just stand by and ignore it... )

LOG, COMPLETE

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell and Dr. Alexis Harrington
What: News that could change everything
Where: Campbell Page & Waterston, NYC
When: After this

As soon as Mark was out of his staff meeting and saw there were three missed calls from Sam, he called his twin back straight away. He made his way back to his office with a pile of large files under his arm, and ahead of him, his paralegal was pushing even more in a file cart. He was relieved Sam’s calls weren’t an emergency or anything ultimately serious. He headed back into the executive suite still on the phone, giving his Personal Assistant a wave. He nearly continued through to his office but she flagged him down to stop him.

Mark paused at her desk, picking up the mail from his inbox, checking through the envelopes. “No, look, just tell them not to push him. He’s still having bad days and he’s going to be in bad moods, all things considered. If he doesn’t want the as-needed meds, he’ll just escalate if they keep trying to coax him. If he just wants to rest and play his music, let him go. He’ll find a way to play no matter what’s attached to him. Get Alec to drop in on him and I’ll be there in a few hours. But call me if he gets any worse, yeah? Thanks, Sammy. Yeah, love you. Bye.” He handed Wendy a couple of the envelopes. “Can you file these for the Lawson case conference next week? What’s up?”

“Someone’s here to see you, boss. She insisted on waiting.” Wendy leaned over her desk, dropping her voice. “I know you’re not keen on drop-in meetings after what happened with Justin’s fan and her father but she comes with credentials and cleared security, so it all checks out. She said has a private matter to discuss with you. She’s been here almost two hours.” She handed Mark the business card she was given.

( Mark took the card and read the name. Dr Alexis Harrington, from Yale School of Music... )

LOG, COMPLETE

asskickingblahniks

Who: Gen Hart-Campbell and Mark Campbell
What: Painful Parenting
Where: Mount Sinai, NYC
When: After this

Things were always complicated and complex when they found themselves at the crossroads of another of Justin's suicide attempts. It never got easy, no matter how many he survived. As much as they wished life could grind to a halt until everything stopped hurting so much, it didn't. Justin's affairs still needed to be kept in order, companies kept needing to be run, business matters kept chugging away. This particular time, Justin harmed himself the day before his 18th birthday when they had hundreds of people coming to New York for a surprise birthday party the very next night. Because of that, Gen had to jump in head-first to let everyone know Justin was sick without saying specifically what had happened. She had also been about to leave on a globe-hopping business trip visiting the international offices of their magazine. It all had to be cancelled.

This time, Justin didn't get better. Mentally, he began to stabilise but he deteriorated physically and it all led to this... one thing they had dreaded as a complication as soon as they learned about the seriousness of overdoses. Justin's kidneys were failing but it was apparently considered acute and could be a reversible condition. That didn't make it any less terrifying. Reversing depended on how well Justin responded to treatment. The worst case scenario was still looming over their heads.

As soon as she could, Gen finished work and left the office to head straight to the hospital. When she got to Justin's room, he was asleep, as expected. They had given him some heavy meds to help him be able to sleep. She just didn't expect him to have company in the bed who was way too tiny to be Sasha. She smiled seeing Jamie was lying on the bed beside her big brother, cuddled up against his arm while she napped too. Justin was covered in a plush pink Disney Princess blanket and was wearing a plastic tiara and a purple feather boa. Jamie's iPad was resting on Justin's stomach still playing Finding Dory and her favourite teddy bear was tucked in under the covers beside him.

Mark was dozing in a chair by the bed and when she stepped up to the bed to shut the iPad, she accidentally woke him. She put the coffees down she brought, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, babe. I didn't mean to wake you. Did I lose track of your days with Sunshine or did she want to come when she heard Jus was in hospital? How's he been? Where's Sash? I've been worried sick. My phone's been blowing up with messages from everyone asking if he's okay after we cancelled his party. I don't even know what to say to them." She leaned over and gave Mark a soft kiss. "How are you?"

aussielawyer

Who: Mark Campbell, Justin Campbell and Riley Bryant (with Nana Campbell)
What: The hardest job in the world
Where: Casa de Campbell, Upper East Side
When: After this

Justin had been asleep for a few hours now after crashing as soon as Euan brought them home from the cop shop. Sasha stayed with him until he had to go help his mom pick up some new disability aids for his dad, something he promised a couple of weeks ago. Sasha was, of course, reluctant to leave Justin but he knew Mark and Gen would keep a close eye on him while he slept. Or mostly Gen when Mark crashed out on the sofa after Sam dropped around to stitch the cut on his head and told him he had a concussion. Which meant the big dreaded R-Word that Mark and his son both struggled with whenever it was prescribed - rest.

When Mark woke up, Gen told him Justin had slept the whole time. She had been checking on him every half an hour or so but he barely stirred the entire time. After what Euan and Sasha told him about what went down at the police station, it was no wonder Justin had gone into hibernation mode. Gen convinced Mark to have a cup of tea with her before he took his turn checking on their son and she had to go into HQ for a business meeting. But when he stuck his head in the door of Justin and Sasha’s bedroom, the bed was empty.

( A moment later, Justin came out of the bathroom, hitching his PJ pants over his hips... )

LOG, COMPLETE

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford and Justin Campbell with Mark Campbell, Gen Hart-Campbell, Euan Fitzpatrick, and Dani Lorenzi
What: A whole lot of WTF
Where: Casa de Campbell, NYC
When: After this

When Justin managed to spill Tylenol liquid on the only set of clean bedding they had left to his and Sasha’s California King bed, he ended up on the sofa trying to sleep off the aftermath of his OD. His state of mind had tanked and each time he woke, he was in a miserable mood, not wanting to be touched or have anyone even near him. Almost the whole time he was in the living room, you could barely see him from where he had burrowed beneath the blankets trying to burying himself away from the entire world. His family knew to respect these boundaries while he dragged himself through the worst of it, even if it was hard to not try to comfort him.

A lot of the time, Sasha stayed nearby, alternating between a beanbag and a recliner, reading a book, listening to music, watching Netflix on his iPad, doing more work on his dad’s book. He pushed Justin’s necessary boundaries to the very limit. Justin knew he was there and never protested it. It was a silent pact between them in these times Justin struggled the most with is mental illnesses.

( All that was pretty much the status quo for a couple of days until Mark suddenly came home flanked by Euan and Dani, with a black eye and a bloody wad of tissues held to his nose... )

LOG, COMPLETE

beautifulday

Who: Sasha Stanford and Justin Campbell with Mark Campbell and Gen Hart-Campbell later
What: Not-so-Happy-18th-Birthday
Where: River foreshore, NYC
When: July 14th

For the last hour, Sasha had been driving aimlessly around New York with Justin. There was no destination and no conversation. A playlist of random songs filled the silence of the car but the volume was low. That said a lot. Justin rarely turned the music down but sometimes, everything in his life got too loud… including music. It had passed midnight and it was officially Justin’s eighteenth birthday. Justin had one of his bandanas tied around his hair and the hood of his sweater up, even if it was a summer’s night. He was looking out the passenger’s window and chewing his thumbnail. When Sasha pulled up at a red light, he looked over to Justin to check on him, eyes dropping to the hospital patient wristbands, one white, one red, and one blue stamped with Elopement. None of this ever got easier.

“Baby, I need to stop for gas soon if you want to keep driving,” Sasha murmured, not really wanting to disrupt Justin’s thoughts. The car couldn’t run without fuel, though. It had been a long day and night and he was tired, but he would keep driving as long as Justin wanted to.

“I want to go sit by the water.” Justin turned away from the window to look over at Sasha. Sasha was giving him one of Those Looks, though. A little like a deer caught in headlights crossed with how one might look if someone just told them their coffee was laced with extra-strong and fast-acting laxatives. It wasn’t a foreign look for Justin to be on the receiving end of. “There’s not a single thing I can say that’ll convince you I won’t jump in, is there?”

( Sasha chewed the corner of his lip, checking to make sure the lights hadn’t switched to green yet... )

LOG, COMPLETE

Profile

Dream Like New York

Page Summary

asskickingblahniks - "This storm will pass, and soon it will be better. We're all in this together."
aussielawyer - "Cause I spend all my time recovering from the sight of what I should be".
circlesofthemind - "I'm a product of a lot of family emergencies."
daysgonequiet - "Fighting is not good in a family."
aussielawyer - [ FACEBOOK ]
aussielawyer - "Sometimes I find myself alone regretting some little thing, some foolish thing, that I have done."
likefatherlikeson - "Don't You (Forget About Me)..."
aussielawyer - "I got eyes to see, you got a heart to breathe, you woke up today its a blessing."
aussielawyer - "Sometimes I feel like giving up. No medicine is strong enough."
circlesofthemind - "And once you've got it, It drains emotions, It sinks your feelings and all the life rafts too"
headingforsomething - [ TEXT MESSAGE ] To Mark @ aussielawyer
breakablehearts - "Are we gonna make it? Is this gonna hurt? Oh, we can try to sedate it But that never works."
breakablehearts - "The air around me, pressing in, overwhelming everything"
aussielawyer - "This pain can't be fixed by a doctor... or even by some dollars."
aussielawyer - [ TEXT MESSAGE ] To Sam @ breakablehearts
exmilitarymedic - "Faces from the past, on sad wings of memories flying through my mind."
breakablehearts - "Take a breath, I pull myself together. Just another step until I reach the door..."
aussielawyer - [ WHATSAPP VIDEO CALL ] To Gen & Alexis
asskickingblahniks - "Moms are very different. But moms can't be indifferent."
aussielawyer - "Wake me up, I'm drowning."
alexisharrington - "We had our family, tried to master this thing called parenting"
aussielawyer - "This is the anatomy of a car crash."
breakablehearts - "Was my twin expected to live?"
aussielawyer - "Been a long time, since you looked into my eyes."
alexisharrington - "Sing a song confessional. For the heart, mind, and spirit, for the medical professional."
alexisharrington - "Oh, we could use a break from the hurt and pain."
aussielawyer - "But this family table's held together by love."
beautifulday - "A bad hangover's something I can't stand."
beautifulday - "It's the pride that makes you feel that you belong."
breakablehearts - "Phoenix from the Flames, we will rise together."
aussielawyer - "Family joined together, loved ones old and new."
aussielawyer - [ FACEBOOK ] with Justin Campbell
breakablehearts - "What's in your heart, what's in your head."
breakablehearts - "Here comes the heartache..."
beautifulday - "Thanksgiving, a touching celebration."
aussielawyer - "And it's hard to say what true love is, all I know my dear is we define it."
likefatherlikeson - [ FACEBOOK ]
alexisharrington - [ TEXT MESSAGE ] To Mark @ aussielawyer
asskickingblahniks - "She called him her own, her beautiful son."
alexisharrington - "Come into my world, my child."
likefatherlikeson - "Look who's here, it's your long-lost loving son."
aussielawyer - "There are things that make me sad, You are not one of them."
likefatherlikeson - "A web is spun for every mother's son."
aussielawyer - "If I was your mother, would you let me hold your hand?"
asskickingblahniks - "Can the child within my heart rise above?"
aussielawyer - "Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?"
asskickingblahniks - "It's a simple complication that destroys a peace of mind."
aussielawyer - "Kids today got problems like their parents never had."
beautifulday - "Where discussions are like concussions."
beautifulday - "I've lived my life and I'm only eighteen..."

"I'm making my way."

Entries tagged with [ship] mark/gen

Page Summary