**2016 WATTYS WINNER FOR VISUAL STORYTELLING** Letting her appearance fall to the wayside and desperate to find a reason for her life, Marilyn sits half naked in an Urgent Care examination room with a mysterious skin itch. If she can survive the humiliation of being treated by a sexy male nurse while unraveling the hidden drama woven throughout the hospital staff, Marilyn might leave the hospital cured far below the surface of her skin. NURSE McSEXY is a hilariously enhanced true story (with a healthy dose of fiction) about my mortifying experience involving an allergic reaction, Urgent Care and a sexy male nurse. It was an evening in which one of my greatest fears was encountered--only to reveal my better self on the other side of humiliation. This humorous tale is definitely worth calling in sick for! TO CLARIFY: Despite the title, this is not a tale about a hot and sweaty romance. I mean--I wish it was since it's based on a true story. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), my life is a lot more on the belly laughing side of the spectrum than the steaming up mirrors side. Just saying.

Twenty-one-year-old waitress, Hope, can only dream of living a better life. Keeping her little brother safe is her top priority no matter the cost to her own happiness. So when she meets Caleb, who seems too good to be true, her instinct is to resist - but what if he's the only one who can save her? ***** Hope is struggling to make up for her mother's absence and provide for her six-year-old brother. Enter: Caleb, who comes from money and lives a good life, but can't help feeling like there is something missing. Tired from a long day's work, he stumbles into the small café where Hope works. When fate gives him the opportunity to help his enigmatic waitress, he finds himself in a world where all that matters is saving Hope. But knowing that danger is on the horizon, would Hope let Caleb into her world? Content/trigger warning: This story mentions drug use and addiction. [[word count: 50,000-60,000 words]] Cover designed by Ren T.