fiction – Wynne Loveless Writes

HCA shower

A few months ago, it became obvious that we needed a roll-in shower. I can no longer safely get into/out of shower, so we did lotsa research, had multiple contractors and our local plumber come give us bids, and decided on DaBella. They have a lot of good reviews, and their sales girl was diligent, communicative, and got us answers we needed. We signed a contract with them in late May, expecting the work to begin in about a month due to backlog. The day the contractor (not DaBella, but a contracted contractor) was supposed to come, they had a delay on the previous job and needed to reschedule. Since I was headed to rehab for 10 days and Joy was in theatre camp for a week after I got home, we postponed to June 30th.

The contractor, Ezekiel, was VERY GOOD AT COMMUNICATING, tried to accommodate our wishes, but was hog-tied by DaBella’s poor material choices.

First of all, a ROLL-IN SHOWER is just that: ROLL IN!! No lip; drain in center cuz the pan is concave to the center to allow proper drainage. When we negotiated the contract, we made it CLEAR it HAD TO BE ROLL-IN. The salesgirl called her manager to verify that was doable, and he assured her it was. ***DING DING DING*** RED FLAG!! If you have to call to ask about a roll-in, you don’t do them enough to do them well! We missed that red flag!

The shower pan provided was a regular shower pan with a 2.5″ lip and drain at faucet end. NOT WHAT WE PAID FOR!! Not only that, the drain is 1/2″ above the pan, so drainage will never be complete!!!

We also contracted for a handicapped shower head on a vertical bar with the water toggle on the lower shower head. DUH!! Who can even reach the toggle on the upper head and what kind of genius designed that and called it HCA!!?!? You guessed it: we got the one that toggles at the top, 2′ out of my reach, w/no sliding bar or attachment for the lower head and a hose that’s too short!

When I sent a HEATED text to DaBella, I was advised that 1) the measurements were correct; 2) they ordered the proper pan; 3) there was no agreement for the type of shower head we demanded; 4) the manager would contact me to remedy problems.

Ok, so it’s a LONGGGGG HOLIDAY WEEKEND! HAPPY 250TH BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

No word from the manager since the job was “completed” Wednesday evening. We refuse to sign “completion” paperwork, cuz IT AIN’T COMPLETED PROPERLY!!!! I’ll give him till next Wednesday to contact me before I pull out the big guns! Working on cancelling payments till it’s FIXED PROPERLY. Have little brothers who are lawyers and local JP is a friend. Hope I don’t need any of them!

Does anyone else see the OBVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS “HCA SHOWER”?!?!?

Hospital bed: After months of refusing the suggested hospital bed (I use a recliner now), I finally agreed that it would be best to help me sleep on my side so the bedsores on my butt could heal. Larry got a call yday from provider, asking what mattress I needed for my bed. No order for a bed, they said, just a mattress!! Can we say GOVERNMENT PROJECT?!?!? I KNOW my wound care nurse ordered a BED! And why are they calling Larry when I”M THE PATIENT!??!? MAKES ME ANGRY!!! He said they tried calling, but I never answered. Guess what: I have caption call, which shows every call in / out/ and voicemail: NOTHING FROM THEM!!!! Stupid and Liars!!

BOOKS

Rosa is working on the covers. I like what she’s done so far, but I failed to communicate properly for her to get it PERFECT. Coming soon: Pirated Plot

Cover corrected and paperback loaded for Trust & Forgive soon.

Working on SCARS, but NPA’s have robbed me of my “want to” lately, so I’m a bit behind. I know where I’m headed, just need the umph to get there! I’d ask for a swift kick in the rear, but since that would make the nerve pain worse, let’s not!

Family update:

Joy performed in Plaza Theatre Company’s Harmony Connection SHREK this week. Harmony is the special needs theatre with LIGHTS and helper shadows. They did an exceptional job with a crazy story! They obviously had FUN, and the shadows were PHENOMENAL HELPERS!!!

Mikaylah graduated from her Warrant Officer class and the 151A Aviation Maintenance Techinician training program afterwards. She actually gave me permission to post some of her pix! She’ll be off to her next billet soon, but getting some much-needed rest right now.

Jonathan, Rosa and Zoey are staying busy this summer (of course!). Headed to beach soon. Jealous!!! So GRATEFUL for the trip they took me on back to Rockport a few years ago!!! Got to see my bestie, Shelly, before cancer took her, and my buddy, William and his wife, Jeanne, before he went HOME last June. Timing is EVERYTHING!

Zoey in her patriotic outfit.

Larry is trying to binge Godzilla again, but the DVD isn’t cooperating! Lol! We got him 2 Godzilla shirts (one patriotic, of course) and a surprise Godzilla item that may not arrive til August! So TIRED of everything coming from CHINA, despite websites saying “Made in USA”!!

Off to write to student in prison, then work on SCARS and medical bookkeeping. Making myself be productive after a week of doing nothing buy lying around and playing games and reading. Seems I always get more done on weekends and holidays, although, since I’m retired, EVERYDAY IS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND!

Serve the Lord with GLADNESS! Come before His Presence with SINGING! Know that the Lord is God and He made us! Ps 100:2

Rehab & other updates:

Sooooooooo……

Since I couldn’t safely navigate in/out of recliner and on/off toilet w/fractured Tibial plateau and stupid brace, they sent me back to inpatient rehab for 10 days. Encompass in S Ft Worth: PT staff & nurses STELLAR; admin questionable : terribly understaffed for needs of patients! You KNOW they’re handicapped and more needy than most: plan accordingly!!! Had to wait 2 hrs once to get help to go to the bathroom!!! Night shift much more “Johnny on the spot” than day. Add a nurse/CNA to day shift, folks!! Picking up lunch trays is NOT PRIORITY over helping patients w/their needs! Food was semi-decent at first, but I never got what I asked for (why did they bother having me fill out the request?!) and all meats were INSANELY SALTY!! Guess I got spoiled by Medical City FW Rehab food: IT WAS AMAZING!

Worked on arm strength (Bench pressing and hand weights & arm pedaling); stood a few times for a few seconds, but can’t put weight on left leg for 8 weeks, so that was awkward and unsafe. Can’t pedal cuz of ….. you guessed it! …. leg brace: not supposed to bend knee. Ortho gave me shorter brace Monday, since the original was too long and got caught on EVERYTHING, making me a …. FALL RISK!

Got home Tuesday, cuz G’daughter in play Tues nite. FUN! Went to Applebee’s afterwards!! THANK GOD FOR REAL FOOD!!!!

Have been lazing around since I got home. Can now swivel safely into recliner (need someone to spot/help lift me out) and on/off toilet alone. Woohoo! Small victories! Trip to Dr. was EXHAUSTING! Sleep interrupted every hour by nerve pain attacks, so recovery slow.

BOOKS: Still haven’t loaded Pirated Plot. Waiting for Rosa (sweet DIL; mistakenly put SIL in last post!) to have time to work on covers. Got quite a bit done on SCARS while in rehab, till I knocked laptop off bed and KILLED IT!! Oh, well! I had already ordered this new one. It came today! Happy camper! Now I’ll continue work on SCARS, which I’m having fun with.

TRIBUTE:

Tomorrow (June 25, 2026) marks one year since one of my best friends since 3rd grade went HOME to be with Jesus. William James Browne Collie. He always saved me seats on the bus. His was the last stop; mine the first, and vice versa in mornings. He was the first guy to ask me to go steady (On the high bridge in Corpus on the way to a band contest. The high bridge will always hold fond memories, despite it being replaced!). We never really dated, cuz he was babysitting his baby brother from his mom’s new marriage to a GREAT GUY. William later changed his last name to honor that man! He played tritoms in marching band, and I’m DELIGHTED that my son became a drummer!(Ok, he was a drummer before he was born!!!)

When William was in high school, he took first aid, then EMS classes. He actually got fired from the funeral home he was working at for resuscitating a “dead” man he was supposed to be picking up. William joined the Navy as a corpsman and saved lotsa lives. He actually performed an emergency appendectomy while stationed in Antarctica! He served as a paramedic on the local ambulance, was a stellar OR nurse in Corpus, and always lived to serve and help others.

We stayed close friends for 40+ years because we kept our relationship pure! I am eternally grateful to him for that! So glad he didn’t ask me to marry him, cuz I would have, but he was madly in love with Jeanne, whom he found again years later and married. After a rocky first marriage and horrific divorce, I’m glad she and her family made him HAPPY!!

Funny story: William was engaged and his fiance broke up cuz her parents got a divorce and it scared her. He called me to tell me, then said, “Wynne, I’ve done something really stupid!!” Most young men in that situation would get drunk or …. Not my William! He bought an ambulance!!!! When I finally quit laughing, I told him that wasn’t stupid, but a valuable investment. I have no idea how long he kept it, but I’m sure he profited from that “act of stupidity.”

William had back surgery. When he called to tell me that was the plan, I CRIED!! I didn’t want him to end up handicapped like I am!!! His surgery went well and he had been home a few days, doing well. His wife walked him to the bathroom, turned to move the walker out of the way, and BOOM! He was GONE!! Massive heart attack! Although we were all devastated by his loss, I’m soooo grateful that he didn’t become handicapped and slowly deteriorate like so many others.

I MISS YOU, WILLIAM, AND I LOVE YOU!

Another TRIBUTE:

Dixie Smith, my sweet Shelly’s mom, went HOME 2 yrs ago tmor. Such a sweet, godly, wise woman! Taught for years. Raised four amazing kids. Praying for them and her wonderful husband, Rollin. Glad she and Shelly Sue are together again.

OUR CLOUD OF WITNESSES GROWS OFTEN!

Finally PUBLISHING!!! October 2024

After years of writing and never publishing, I finally “pulled the trigger” on one of my Christian suspense romance novels. It’s the one I wrote in a week, inspired by one of my favorite authors, Laura Scott.

This novel graphically, yet carefully depicts emergency situations requiring MedEvac, keeping the reader enthralled with the myriad situations these heroes face. Having been a Paramedic for 10 years, I used some of my own personal experiences from some harrowing calls.

Mel Son, the tiny Ninja Army MedEvac chopper pilot/medic, is targeted by a grieving PTSD sniper! Her friend, Navy Corpsman now ER nurse Paul Shepherd, suffers similar attacks, focused mainly on his face and eyes.

Will their faith, friendship and buddying romance survive the escalating onslaught of attacks? Both have personal baggage that scares them away from relationships, so being thrown together in such a dramatic situation is clearly uncomfortable for both of them. They turn to Scripture to resolve some of their issues, and are amazed at the results of what God can do when we are ready to release the past to Him.

Their protection is aided only by the limited resources of the local police, until circumstances of one attack enlist the assistance of a CID General. His advanced resources help Mel and Paul narrow down which patients from their military careers might be behind the assaults.

But then Mel’s special needs little sister is kidnapped to draw Mel out of hiding, and everything changes! Never mess with a Ninja or her family! The sniper picked the wrong pilot and the wrong venue to exact his final revenge!

Just as they hope the attacks are over, Paul has bleach thrown in his eyes by the assailant claiming, “You left me blind!” Will he recover and be able to continue as a trauma nurse and offer Mel the life and love she deserves?

Read Final Flight to enjoy this riveting tale of medical trauma and drama, with a bit of romance stirred in. Oh, and did I mention Mel has a beautiful Golden Retriever as her comfort companion? Had to memorialize our sweet Emily!

Ace Publishing, who I discovered after I’d enlisted them (yes, I jumped off the building before I looked carefully, despite years of research into publishers!) specializes in sci fi, so we had a few funny snafus working on the cover! I think it’s legal to post the first cover offered for my book about a MEDEVAC CHOPPER PILOT in the Colorado Mountains! Enjoy the crazy!

Multiple moons! Eagle attacking flaming JET. Unique, not Colorado style, buildings. They got the mountains right.

After a few revisions, we have an acceptable cover. Not perfect, but it’s my first book, so I’m more focused on the actual publishing. Not sharing yet.

We are well on our way to getting Final Flight published now, so stay tuned!

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE:

I’m SOOOO GRATEFUL for my son, Jonathan and his wife, Rosa and daughter Zoey, who cleaned out my garage and attic a few weeks ago! I’ve been wanting that done for about 2 yrs now!! After watching my best friend’s daughter have to get rid of a houseful of “treasures” when she went HOME, I want to spare my kids that headache!

Took 2 truckloads of good stuff that nobody wants to charity resale store. Have camping equipment for the homeless outreach. If you are interested in any of the following, let me know. I’ll be seeking FB groups and posting to sell soon.

Trains: American Flyer set from early 60’s. Runs: 2 engines; lotsa cars and track; 2 transformers; tunnel, tressel. Carefully kept in storage bins over the years.

Antique dolls: porcelain from the 30’s! Aunt Jemima.

Vintage Dolls of the World in costume

Antique books: Bambi and Bambi’s Children from turn of LAST CENTURY!

Argus slide projector and slides: works great.

Bicentennial Bells (Danbury Mint): I think we have them all; original boxes and documentation

Lighthouses of the World (Danbury Mint): large collection w/original boxes and documentation.

English china and vases from late 1800’s

My Blue Garland (w/silver trim) Haviland china set w/extra serving pieces (still in the box!)

Little Kittles dolls (several)

Dinky Toys: Blue bus and Red double-decker bus (From 50’s?)

Heathkit stereo stand my dad built: no electronics, just a very nice wooden, waist level, flat-top cabinet w/pull-down doors and open spaces beneath those large cubbies (remember, a record player fit in there!). Pretty good shape: little damage on back corner. Real wood!

Navajo Squash Blossom sterling silver necklace with mother of pearl (not turquoise) insets. Mom bought on our trip to Petrified Forest/Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Copper Mine when I was 6ish. None of my kids want it. Sad! Ebay says $675; Navajo jeweler offered $270; silver guy offered $28!!!!

G’pa Browne’s coin collection: lotsa foreign coins from early 1900’s from his tour in RAF (or whatever the British military flight wing was properly called) before he moved to Michigan to be a mechanic for Delta for 30+ years! Giving first pick to a pre-teen buddy who collects coins a bit, but this book is HEAVY!!! He’ll probably only want a few pages out of it. Silver coins sold today, so values probably minimal as “scrap.”

Now that you’ve read more than you wanted to, please like/share/follow, whatever it is that gets me more viewers so I sound semi-authentic as an author!

Thanks for reading! Happy Fall! I miss the pool already, but am re-starting water therapy next week! Can’t wait!

The Lord Bless you and keep you! The Lord make his face SHINE upon you and smile big on you! The Lord grant you SHALOM PEACE and remind you HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU!!! (Wynne’s version of Numbers 6:24) Next time you’re at Sonic, grab the delivery kid’s hand and pray that over them. You’ll be blessed and their face will LIGHT UP!! I’ve started doing that with nurses and other random service people. Everybody complains, but very few take the time to bless folks! Let’s CHANGE THAT!

NORMAL IS NOT COMING BACK: JESUS IS!! BE READY!