Emory

 

Love means forsaking all others…

 

 

 

 

I had a hard time leaving Shyann in the hospital. The only thing that helped settle my mind was knowing there was a good staff taking care of her. I feel a special bond with her. We’re both going through a hard time, and she soothed me like nothing else has since my diagnosis. Today is Thursday, my dreaded doctor appointment day is finally here. We should see results from the meds already working, my fear is that they aren’t, and we’ll have to start over again with new meds. The ones I’m currently taking are new but have had great results in regenerating the white cells. As Marcus, Mom and myself are sitting in the waiting room to be called back, I can’t help but bite on my cuticles.

It’s a nervous gesture of mine that I’ve had since I was a little kid. Marcus grabs my hand and pulls it away from my mouth, saying, “Whatever he tells us, no matter what, we’ve got this, Em.”

“I’m petrified,” I tell him honestly.

“I know you are, baby, but I promise you, things aren’t as bad as what they are in your head.”

“He’s right,” Mom says wrapping her arms around me. I place my head on her shoulder as she runs her hand through my hair like she has always done while trying to sooth me or my sisters.

“Emory Masters?” I hear my named called and stand up with Marcus and Mom at my side. I give him one final look before I square my shoulders and walk up to the nurse.

“I’m Emory Masters,” I state.

“Follow me,” she says, walking me down the hall. First thing we do is get my weight, then she sits me in a chair and takes my blood pressure. Marcus gives me his award-winning smile, and everything once again is right in my world. God, I love this man. As soon as she’s done, she charts my results and walks us back down the hallway.

“It’s the last door on the left,” she indicates. We walk ahead of her and into the room.

“Have you had any issues? Anything that concerns you since you were last here?” she asks me with a mini-laptop in hand.

“Nothing I can think of,” I state.

“The meds have made her sleepy and a little weak, sometimes nauseous,” Marcus tells her.

“All very common side effects unfortunately,” she says smiling at us. “It just means the medicine is doing its job,” she advises, placing her hand over mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you,” I tell her.

“You’re welcome, Dr. Tremaine will be in shortly,” she replies as she leaves the room and shuts the door behind her. The closing of the door feels like a nail being driven into my coffin. I suddenly find it hard to breathe, and Marcus comes over to me and pushes me down where my head is hanging between my legs.

“Deep breaths in and out, baby. No matter what, Emory, we’ve got this. Repeat that to yourself, let me hear it.” I repeat the mantra over and over again until my breathing comes back to normal. Dr. Tremaine walks into the room and gives me a sympathetic smile.

He takes a seat before he begins speaking, “This is one of the hardest things a person can endure in their life, Emory. You have every right to feel anxious. Have you had any other anxiety attacks since I saw you last?”

“To be honest with you, I’ve had quite a few.”

“I can give you something to help with that, from now on if anything like that occurs I want you to call the office immediately.” Once I nod, he continues. “We were really lucky, Emory. We caught your symptoms before they had a chance to do any real damage. Your results are amazing, you’ve reacted well to the medication. I’d say by this time in six months, if your body keeps accepting the medication in this same manner, we’ll be having our last visit,” he says smiling at me. Six months, I can do that.

“Dr. Tremaine, I’m Emory’s mother, Glory,” she states holding out her hand.

“Very nice to meet you,” he says with a wide grin on his face. Then I see his eyes roam up and down my mom’s body…Oh. My. God! He’s checking my mom out! That’s so freaking gross, I can’t take it. I can’t look, I bury my head in Marcus’ chest and feel it rumbling. My fucking man thinks this is funny? I slap him on his pec which causes him to let loose a laugh that he immediately covers with a cough.

“Not funny,” I tell him.

“Fucking hilarious,” he replies, earning himself another slap.

“He’s totally checking my mom out, Marcus,” I whine.

“He totally is,” he agrees. Not what I wanted to hear, I mean Dr. Tremaine is a silver fox and all, but the thought of my mom getting it on repulses me…to no end!

“Do you have any questions for me, Glory?” When he says her name, I shiver at the innuendo he’s giving off. Fanfreakingtastic!

“Is there anything we can do to help the odds of the medication and the way it works?”

“What do you mean by that question?” he asks her, he damn well knows what she means…this is aggravating. My fear has been replaced by disgust.

“Her diet perhaps,” Mom says, and I can hear the flirtatiousness in her tone. Sonofabitch! Not her too. I can’t take this, I’m going to throw up right here in this exam room.

“Diet and exercise are always a key factor in any situation. It would definitely help boost her immune system.” And…now they’re talking like I’m not even in the room. I give up, I just…plain and simply give up!

“Do you have any suggestions, doctor?”

“I do, I actually have some pamphlets in my office, Glory. If you wouldn’t mind following me? I’ll get those for you.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Mom says, gathering up her things and following him like a puppy on a leash.

“Dominic, please Glory, call me Dominic.”

“Dominic it is then,” she says with a giggle. Shoot me now! Roll me over, I’m done. They leave the room and I look up at Marcus whose eyes are still looking at the door they walked through.

“Guess that means my appointment is over with?”

“Guessing so,” he says, looking down at me smiling. What the hell is the big oaf smiling at? I roll my eyes at him and gather my purse. What a fucked-up day this has turned out to be. Mental note, wash your brain and eyes out with bleach when you get home, I tell myself.

 

 

“No she did not!” Ariel says to me over the phone that night as I’m lying in bed telling her about the doctor’s appointment.

“Oh, yes she did!” I tell her, while Rainey, who’s been on three-way with us remains quiet. I begin to speak again to which Rainey pipes in before words leave my mouth. And what she says floors me.

“You’re telling me, you witnessed Mom getting her groove on?”

“You did not just ask me that!”

“It’s kinda cool to know Mom’s still got it, you have to admit that,” Rainey says, with a chuckle in her voice.

“I have to do no such thing!” to which both my sisters laugh at my misery.

“Come on, Em. You got good news, and Mom left with a man. Maybe now Dillon and I will get some peace from her always being around,” Ariel tells me.

“Well, lucky for you I guess. She still lives with me, so I get to witness her dreamy eyes and can’t get the image of those two flirting with each other out of my brain. I need bleach I tell you!”

“It’s been a long time since Dad died,” Rainey says, “she deserves to find some happiness, she’s spend all her time dedicated to us.”

I sigh knowing my sister is right. “She does,” I agree.

“Think of it this way, her cobwebs may get a good dusting,” Rainey says on a laugh. I shiver at the thought of Mom and cobwebs being used in the same sentence.

“That’s just wrong,” I tell her. What is wrong with these two?