Jerrica is diagnosed with Breast Cancer

The next morning Jerrica was getting ready for her consultation with her oncologist, Dr. Simmons. Her appointment was for 2:00 in the afternoon.

She had asked Pizzazz to go with her to her doctor's appointment.

As she was getting ready, the phone rang. "Hello?" She asked the caller, "Hey Jerrica, it's Pizzazz. You about ready to go?" The caller asked.

"Yeah, I was just about to sit down for lunch. Care to join me?" She asked Pizzazz.

"Sure, I'll be there shortly." Pizzazz said before hanging up. Pizzazz arrives to see Jerrica in a cheerful mood. She is led to the dining room where she sees a sandwich and a bowl of salad on the table.

The two women ate lunch and talked about the appointment and the possibility that Jerrica could lose her life.

"What time do we have to leave, Jerrica?" Asked Pizzazz.

Jerrica checked her watch, "Uh, one thirty. I have to get there early to fill out some things, my consultation's at two." She said.

"Oh, okay. I think we should get going and see what the doctor says." Pizzazz says.

Jerrica tells Pizzazz, "I have one request Pizzazz and don't get angry please, when I introduce you to my doctor, I want you to use your real name, okay?"

"For you Jerrica, I'll let it slide this time." Pizzazz said with a smile.

2:00pm The Angeles Clinic – Los Angeles, Ca.

The two women sit and wait to be called back to see the doctor. The nurse calls Jerrica's name, "Jerrica Benton?" Jerrica and Pizzazz get up and go to a room.

A few minutes later there's a knock on the door, "Come in."

The doctor comes in, "Ms. Benton, I'm Dr. Simmons. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said extending his hand.

"Dr. Simmons, this is my friend Phyllis Gabor." Jerrica made the introductions.

"Good, I'm glad you brought someone with you. I think you'll be thankful you did." The doctor said to Jerrica.

"I just need you to sign this HIPPA addendum to allow me to speak about your medical condition in front of Ms. Gabor."

"Okay." Jerrica signed the document. "Let's get to it. I need to know everything." Jerrica said.

The doctor looks over the results of Jerrica's biopsy and ultrasound, he turned to her and said, "Your biopsy and ultrasound show a tumor of about 2.5 centimeters. It presents as ER positive and HER2 negative."

Jerrica is a little overwhelmed at the medical jargon coming from the doctors mouth, "Whoa, you've gone way over my head."

"It's one of the most common types of breast cancer, and also one of the easiest to treat." The doctor responded.

"So, what do I do first?" Jerrica asked.

"Surgery."

"Cut 'em both off."

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Ms. Benton. Although a double mastectomy is an option, it may not be the best option for you. Your tumor is on the small side. Studies show that the survival rate between mastectomy and lumpectomy are relatively the same. And you don't need to make that decision today. I'll make sure you meet with a plastic surgeon before you make the final call." Dr. Simmons told her.

"I have a couple of questions, Dr. Simmons. First is, When will the surgery be? The reason I'm asking is, I'm a foster mother and I run a foundation for girls called the Starlight Foundation. I have to make sure everything's in order so that during this time, my sister Kimber can run things if something happens to me. My second question is, How long do I have to decide?" She asked.

Dr. Simmons told her, "I'd like to schedule it soon. Until then, as for your foundation, I'd like you to temporarily step aside as head of the foundation until after the surgery, just to make sure there is no stress in your recovery. You have the next couple of weeks to make a decision."

How long will I have to be off from work? I also run Starlight Music and manage the Pop group Jem and the Holograms and I don't want to miss any of their shows."

"I'm going to be honest with you, if you go with a lumpectomy you will miss one to two weeks of work. However, if you decide to go with a mastectomy, you could be out of work for six to eight weeks." The doctor said.

"And after surgery?" She asked.

"Chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I won't lie and tell you that during chemotherapy you will get very sick but it's a minor setback in getting better."

Jerrica took a deep breath. She asked the one question that every woman asks in this situation in spite of the danger of appearing vain. She runs her hands through her long golden locks. "Am I going to lose my hair?"

"Yes you will." The doctor replied. "And it will grow back."

Jerrica was zoning out at this point. It wasn't just the hair. It was all of these words. Words that she had never associated with herself: tumor, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. This was really happening. And it seemed like, after waiting weeks and weeks for an answer, suddenly everything was moving way too fast.

The doctor reached behind him and grabbed some pamphlets for Jerrica and Pizzazz to go through at their leisure. He continued, "I've had my nurse set up some appointments and tests for you over the next few days. In addition to the plastic surgeon, you'll be meeting with a medical oncologist and radiation oncologist. We'll work as a team to help you get through this. We've also scheduled you for a bone scan, a cat scan, an MRI, and a chest x-ray."

Jerrica is wide-eyed over all the tests she has to do, "What are those tests for?" She asked shocked.

The doctor smiles, trying to calm her down, "They're standard procedure. We'll be looking for any evidence of metastasis."

Jerrica looked at Pizzazz, "They need to find out if the cancer has spread."

"Oh." Jerrica says.

"I know that this is a lot to take in. But I want you to know that your prognosis is very good. The five-year survival rate for your type of cancer is over 85 percent. And while this seems very daunting right now, we'll walk you through it one step at a time."

Starlight Mansion - 8:00 PM

Later in the evening, Jerrica stood in her bathroom looking at her reflection. She removed her blouse and bra. She looked down and stared at her breasts in the mirror. She had always liked the girls. And Rio seemed to approve of them too. No matter what she did, she was going to be disfigured. They were going to cut off part of her body. Would Rio want her after that? Of course he would, he loves her. She had a ton of appointments over the next few days, and a huge decision to make. But tonight, she was just going to curl up in bed, feel sorry for herself, and let herself have the big cry that had been growing inside her since the diagnosis.

She put on her pyjamas and goes to bed but cannot fall asleep. She's too upset, out of anger, she hits her pillow with her fists. After letting her frustrations go she sees a picture frame with a photo of her and Rio, it was of the two if them in Hawaii and they both looked happy. Jerrica gently brushed her hand on the image of Rio, "I love you, Rio. No matter what happens with me and this cancer, you take care of yourself and move on. I want you to be happy." She said with a sniffle.

What Jerrica didn't know was that Rio was leaning against the door jamb, he heard every word she said, "I love you too, Jerrica. I always will and no cancer will stop me from loving you. You are and always will be my one true love." He said walking over to Jerrica, he put his hands on her face wiping the tears from her cheeks, "You are strong, Jerrica. You will beat this disease, I have faith in you. Let me say this before we go to sleep, You are a bright and happy soul, you always bring out the best in people. If, and it's a big if, we lose you, we have lost a bright light in this world. I want you to fight and kick this cancers ass, even if you feel like you can't do it, you must win this fight." He said holding back a cry.

Jerrica reaches for him and hugs him tight and sobs again. This man is her strength. Her rock. Her soulmate. Rio cries again while holding Jerrica. She gave him permission to find love again, he probably won't because of his love for the woman currently in his arms. He whispered, "I love you so much, Jerrica."

2 hours later

The couple was exhausted after crying so hard. "Let's get some sleep, babe. We've got some things to do at work before you begin your treatments." Rio said getting under the blanket.

Jerrica looks at Rio and understands what he's saying, "You're right, but can you do something for me?" She asked.

"Sure, what is it, sweetheart? He asked her.

"Can you make love to me? I probably won't be able to once my treatments begin." She told Rio.

They look into each others eyes, he cups her face with his hands and wipes the tears from her cheeks, he leans forward and kisses her lips, gently at first. Jerrica responds by kissing him back. They break the kiss and Rio kisses the nape of Jerrica's neck, on her pulse point.

Her breath hitches, "Mmm, Rio!" She responds to his kiss. She runs her fingers through his hair and kisses his shoulder, he kisses her again and begins to slowly unbutton her pajama top starting with the button at her cleavage, he looks in her eyes again and smiles, he continues until the top is open revealing a white lace bra, he slides the top down her shoulders and throws it to the floor.

They break the kiss long enough for Rio to remove his shirt, they resume kissing and he lowers the right bra strap and fondles the exposed breast, he squeezes the flesh then sucks on the nipple while unhooking and throwing it to the floor with the other discarded clothes.

They lay back on the bed still kissing, he kisses in between her breasts and all the way down to her navel where he licks it causing Jerrica to shiver. Rio reaches to untie the bottoms, he succeeds and slides them down her long, slender, gorgeous legs revealing a pair of white lace bikini cut panties, he removes them and he placed his tongue on her and she experienced total pleasure, completely enjoying the warmth of his skilled love.

He enters her and when he does, it was as if Jerrica felt a jolt of electricity flow through her. They made love tenderly, sometimes a little rough, both experiencing the spectrum of love and lust and everything in between.

The bed squeaks with the headboard hitting the wall. There was heavy panting with screams of pleasure. Sweat glistened on both of them from the heat they were generating. They both enjoy the release, their breathing still heavy but coming back to normal.

"That was incredible, Jerrica! Who knew you were an animal!" Rio says to her laughing.

"Yeah, it was! You're not too bad yourself there stud! You are amazing!" She says looking at him through her bangs.

"I love you, Jerrica. So much it hurts." He says rubbing his hand down her arm He then kisses her on the top of her head.

"I love you too, Rio." She says cuddling him.

When they were done, they fell asleep in each other's arms, emotionally drained from the recent news and slept peacefully.