The Coburn Family
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I Promise You I Will Learn from My Mistakes by The_Finest_Bagels_and_Muffins
Fandoms: ER (TV 1994)
08 Sep 2021
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Summary
"Getting sober means being honest, with yourself and with the people you love. And you were right before; it means being honest about everything."
The advice Janet gave Abby in the airport a year ago is advice she must now practice herself as she and her daughter Caitlyn look to repair the relationship that was strained as a result of alcoholism. But the road to better days isn't easy. There are a lot of tears to cry, questions that demand answers, and weaknesses to overcome. Janet and Caitlyn realize it will take everything they have to look within themselves and hear the other side of the story if they're to fill the common hole in their hearts: each other.
Series
- Part 1 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
Updated/republished September 6, 2022; added additional dialogue and fleshed out the story as a whole.
One year after they started repairing their relationship, Janet and her daughter Caitlyn take a walk in the park and reflect on the progress they made in their relationship and the challenges they overcame to get there.
Series
- Part 10 of February Ficlet Challenge 2022
- Part 2 of The Coburn Family
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Don't Give Up, Because You are Loved by The_Finest_Bagels_and_Muffins
Fandoms: ER (TV 1994)
12 May 2022
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Summary
Caitlyn opened the closet and saw a box labeled Journals. She was surprised but remembered her mom didn’t have a lot of guests and tended to use the room for storage. She went to reach for the box, but then quickly pulled back, almost bumping into the door.
Maybe this is a bad idea...
Still, curiosity tugged at her. Against her best judgment, she took the box off the shelf...and started flipping through the pages.
(Or: Caitlyn finds Janet's old journals and reads one in a case of "should have known better." While exploring Janet's early recovery, she ends up reading something that brings old worries back to the surface.)
Series
- Part 3 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
Janet suffered a concussion from a bad fall and Caitlyn is taking care of her at her home while she recovers. However, they’re each worried about separate issues, and tensions—complicated by Janet feeling more emotional than usual—arise when they try to communicate about how the other is feeling.
Series
- Part 4 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
Caitlyn passes out after donating blood and is hesitant to go to the ER. Janet compromises and lets Caitlyn stay at her house so she can help her recover and make sure she's OK.
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- Part 5 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
For the last year, Caitlyn has been expanding her creative talents with the goal of surprising Janet not only by telling her about her new skill but using it to make her a birthday present. She hopes it will be the second of two welcome surprises at Janet's birthday brunch.
Series
- Part 6 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
Caitlyn fell into a depressive episode after reading Janet's journals and has struggled to feel better ever since. Janet goes to see her after receiving a phone call at work and tries to comfort her, as well as figure out what she needs, relating her own struggles with addiction and recovery to Caitlyn's depression. A follow-up story to "Don't Give Up, Because You are Loved."
Series
- Part 7 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
While organizing her room not long after the start of a new year, Caitlyn thinks about the significance of some photos on the wall, and she calls Janet to mark a special but untraditional milestone in their new relationship.
Series
- Part 8 of The Coburn Family
- Part 1 of Any Fandom Fluff Bingo
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Summary
Caitlyn goes to stay with Janet while struggling with holiday stress and sadness. While there, Janet treats her to some small but kind gestures and reassures her that there's still hope for a good Christmas.
Series
- Part 9 of The Coburn Family
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 1,340
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Kudos:
- 29
- Hits:
- 26
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You Belong Somewhere You Feel Free by The_Finest_Bagels_and_Muffins
Fandoms: ER (TV 1994)
05 Jan 2023
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Summary
The last time Caitlyn gave Janet one of her drawings, it marked sadness and a broken relationship.
Things are different now, and Caitlyn creates a new painting with a more positive theme to mark the changes in both their lives and their relationship.
Series
- Part 10 of The Coburn Family
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 3,279
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Kudos:
- 1
- Hits:
- 40
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Summary
Caitlyn's day goes from bad to worse, culminating in a flat tire in a thunderstorm. Luckily, she realizes she inadvertently drove close to her mother's house and can seek some warmth.
Series
- Part 11 of The Coburn Family
- Part 2 of February Ficlet Challenge 2023
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Let Me Take Care of Things for Once by The_Finest_Bagels_and_Muffins
Fandoms: ER (TV 1994)
08 Feb 2023
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Summary
Caitlyn comes home with Janet after Janet is discharged from the ER following her syncope episode. Caitlyn attempts to look after Janet and make sure she's OK, but the two still face uncertainties in their relationship and how they feel about being around each other. A missing scene from "I Promise You I Will Learn from My Mistakes."
Series
- Part 12 of The Coburn Family
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,275
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Hits:
- 53
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Summary
“So you never hurt a patient? I’m sorry, Mom, but all this cover-up…it’s so hard for me to believe that nothing ever happened to any of your patients.”
“I had trouble making decisions at times in emergencies or switching gears quickly. But…since you asked and we’re trying to be more honest with each other, there was one case ... This particular one was in ‘95, a little less than a year before I got help, and it’s still hard for me to talk about my role in it.”
(Or: Caitlyn has just learned how Janet's breaking point in her addiction happened during a shift at County. She asks her mom some probing questions about whether her colleagues noticed and how her addiction may have impacted patient care. Then, for the first time in years, Janet opens up about one particularly unforgettable case.)
Series
- Part 13 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
For the first time, Caitlyn attends an AA meeting and listens to Janet's share, and then she gets to participate in a sobriety birthday celebration. The events help her realize the importance of keeping her promise to support her mother in recovery.
Series
- Part 15 of February Ficlet Challenge 2023
- Part 14 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
Caitlyn and Drew celebrate Mother's Day lunch with Janet, and they take time to reflect on what it's meant to rebuild their family over the last year.
Series
- Part 15 of The Coburn Family
- Part 21 of February Ficlet Challenge 2023
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,033
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Hits:
- 39
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Summary
It's 1996, and Janet is returning to work after deciding to get sober and spending over a month in rehab. But things are different now both at County and in her personal life, and nothing seems to make sense. Where does she go from here? How will she rebuild her reputation and try to be a better mother after her husband asks for a divorce? And most importantly, how does she live with the fact that no matter what, she will always be an alcoholic?
Over the next 12 years (plus two), she'll try to figure it all out (with a little help from some friends) as life throws her more curveballs and seemingly endless change along the way.
Series
- Part 16 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
Caitlyn heads to County with an envelope in her purse and some big news for her mother, and she shares both her joys and her worries for what's to come in the next several months.
Series
- Part 17 of The Coburn Family
- Part 7 of Any Fandom Fluff Bingo
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 3,802
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Kudos:
- 3
- Hits:
- 61
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I See the Whole World in Your Eyes by The_Finest_Bagels_and_Muffins
Fandoms: ER (TV 1994)
31 Jul 2023
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Summary
Only a few hours earlier, Caitlyn gave birth to her first baby, a girl. While the father of her child is away from the hospital, she and Janet bond over the labor and delivery experience, as well as what's to come as Caitlyn becomes a mother herself.
Series
- Part 18 of The Coburn Family
- Part 7 of July Break Bingo 2023
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,689
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Hits:
- 125
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Summary
Janet falls down the stairs while visiting Caitlyn, and at first, both of them think there's nothing to worry about. But then Janet stands up and realizes that, in fact, something is very wrong, and she panics when she loses control of the situation. Caitlyn is tasked with putting her own anxieties aside to help her mother get through this. A prequel to Watch and Wait.
Series
- Part 19 of The Coburn Family
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Summary
When Caitlyn is awake in the middle of the night, she overhears Janet having a nightmare. After waking her up, they talk about the various emotions and reactions a bad dream can bring, no matter how old you get.
Series
- Part 20 of The Coburn Family
- Part 3 of Multi-Fandom Bingo
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,443
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Hits:
- 29