JAZMINE
Whoever coined the phrase ‘good things come for those who wait’ has obviously never been chronically ill. Annie and I have been sitting here in Dr. Guice’s office for over an hour waiting for the latest results of our blood test. Typically results are discussed in private, but Annie and I have been joined at the hip for the past 10 years.
We were sitting in front of his dark mahogany desk that used to intimidate the hell outta me when I used to sit in here with my parents. After they died and Annie and I started hanging out, Dr. Guice actually let us place our initials on the front side of his desk. Kinda hard to be scared of a huge thousand dollar desk with initials carved on it. I tried to distract myself by looking around his office. It was kind of comforting to know that not much had changed.
On the side walls he had pictures patients drew and even some framed diplomas from teens like Annie and me that received our GED while in the hospital. Other doctor offices I’d been in were decorated with the doctor’s own degrees on the wall with art they likely spent thousands of dollars on.
That’s the reason I loved Dr. Guice. He takes the clinical vibe out of his personal space, which is especially useful when he has patients waiting forever for results.
“I think he forgot we were in here. Maybe I should go out and check.” I started to get up but Annie grabbed my hand.
“Sit down, Jazz. He knows we’re in here. He’s either making a celebratory cocktail or sympathetic smoothie. Both take time, so be patient”.
Ugh! I never understood how she could always remain so calm. I got up to grab a magazine off the table in front of the couch and sat back down next to her. “Thank you dah-ling! Anything interesting in the fabulous world of entertainment?”
“I wouldn’t know. These magazines haven’t changed in years. Look at this cover, ‘Eminem wins Best Rap Album’! Either he’s won every year for the past decade, or our good ol’ Dr. Michael Guice is a hoarder.”
Despite the fact that I appreciated him keeping things consistent and comfortable, it wouldn’t hurt to have some up to date things in his office. Especially if he was going to have people waiting on him for long periods of time. I tossed the magazine back on the table and started playing the drums on my legs with my hands.
Annie reached over and placed her hand over mine. “Please try to relax sweetie. It can only go one of two ways, remission or treatment, either way we’ll still be together.”
I looked over at my best friend. She has been my rock since Dr. Guice enrolled us both in a research study to try to treat and cure our cancer. Since enrolled, we have both experienced 3 bouts of remission. The first one was just after the first year in the program, but it only lasted 6 months. The second time was 5 years later on our 16th birthday, and that lasted for an awesome 2 years. We had just put a deposit down on our apartment when I was informed my last blood work came back abnormal and back into the hospital I went, with Annie following 2 months later. This last time has been only 8 months and I wouldn’t have been concerned had the fatigue and decreased appetite not kicked in about 2 weeks ago. That’s what brings us in this office now; we’re waiting to see if the cancer has indeed returned or we’ve just been partying too hard. Annie’s sure it’s the latter, but I’m not as confident. I sometimes wondered if Annie was as positive as she claimed. On the outside she seemed so calm and collected, but like I said, we’ve been friends and roommates for over 10 years and I hear the silent sniffles coming from her hospital bed and noticed the light on in her bedroom all night while she’s drawing or listing to music because she can’t sleep. I was about to ask her when the doctor finally came in.
“Thank you for being so patient ladies. I apologize for keeping you waiting so long”. Dr. Guice is about 60 years old, 5’6, chubby, dark skinned, and bald.
He had the kind of personality that made it impossible to hate; and believe me, I’ve tried, especially after he ordered back-to-back rounds of chemo-radiation! He never sat behind his desk when talking to either me or Annie.
Uncommon Beings: Irrational Description:
Uncommon Beings is a three-book supernatural series. The first book, Irrational, is about a woman named Jazmine who has been battling terminal cancer since she was a child and therefore never had the aspiration to fully embrace life nor allow herself to fall in love; that is until she meets Derrick.
Derrick is a vampire whose coven can live openly in the human world without risk of falling weak while residing in tropical climates, consume human food, and have beating hearts. This gift was given to him by the love of his life, Antanasia, a powerful witch hybrid, who was viciously murdered over 30 years ago (detailed in book 2, Unnatural). Her death caused him to withdraw from life, become estranged from his family, and believe he would never love again.
With her parents gone, the only family Jazmine has left is her best friend, Annie, whom she met at age 9, when they both were enrolled in a new cancer study. Learning that Annie’s cancer has returned and that she has refused to continue in the study, and meeting Derrick who is mysterious and slightly overprotective, is the catalyst that turns Jazmine’s life upside down.
The awareness of the rapid decline in Annie’s health, along with the real possibility of Jazmine’s cancer returning, forces Derrick to consider revealing to Jazmine what he is. The potential loss of Jazmine causes Derrick to make an extreme decision. The unintended consequence of his action: Antanasia return. This threatens his relationship with Jazmine. In a desperate attempt to fix the aftermath of what has transpired, Derrick does the unthinkable. Jazmine struggles with repercussions of Derrick’s decision, while Derrick must find a way to prevent his past from messing up his future.
