Medical school started and on the first day I had to drive Jake and Tasha because Jake's jeep was at the shop. But the whole time I was thinking that with Eric coming in two weeks my secret about Jamie and me might come out. That we were married.
'I really should tell them. Or Jake and Tasha at least. Especially when it comes out what part of medicine I'm going into.' I thought pulling into the parking lot, 'Besides it can't stay hidden forever.'
"Hey, man, what you thinking about?" Jake asked.
"Just some stuff." I replied.
"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Jake asked.
"I do. I just don't know what to say." I replied.
"Well when you figure it out, you know you can tell us." Tasha said, "So we have to head to the student union for orientation to med school. Which doesn't really make sense to me but whatever."
'Landon, just tell them you and Jamie were married. They won't think it's that weird.' I thought as we headed to the student union, 'They know you and they can tell you really love Jamie.'
The three of us reached the student union and all the other first year med students were there already. I knew that part of orientation was stating your field of medicine and the reason(s) you wanted to enter that field of medicine. Mine was cancer and the only reason was Jamie. My soul mate, wife and best friend.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to North Carolina School of Medicine at Duke University. This year and all following years will be hard work and a great learning experience. The harder you work the more it will pay off in the future. Especially those of you going into oncology and cancer research, slacking off is not an option for you and there is no way that it will benefit you. Anyone. Not just future oncologists but for everyone." The Dean said, "Now everyone can just introduce themselves and sate your field of medicine and any reason(s) you have for going into any particular field."
My turn came too soon and I knew my secret about me and Jamie was going to come out. At least to Tasha and Jake because Matt and Steven wouldn't know unless I told them. Neither would their girlfriends.
"Landon Carter. Oncology because my wife died of leukemia and I'd like to help others treat their cancer." I said remembering Jamie's last days alive.
Jake and Tasha looked at me with shock in their eyes and sympathy. But I knew I'd pay later for not telling them sooner. I also knew that they'd badger me to tell the others as well. Something I wasn't ready to do yet but knew I had to. Or they'd never drop it.
"Tasha Cleminns. Pediatrics because I love kids." Tasha said.
"Jake Evans. Pediatrics because kids need doctor's too." Jake said.
'I'm dead.' I thought as I pulled out of the med school parking lot later that day with Tasha and Jake.
"So how come you left out the fact that you were married when you told us about Jamie?" Jake asked.
"It hurt too much. Talking about it takes effort and because I had always been a jerk around her in the past it hurts more." I said.
"You a jerk to a girl?" Jake asked trying to make the subject light-hearted.
"Yes, It's entirely possible, Jake. You didn't know me in high school and I was mean." I said, "Especially to Jamie."
"So what changed?" Tasha asked. "We were playing the lead characters in the spring play. And since I sucked at acting, I'd reluctantly asked Jamie to help me learn my lines. One day I messed that up by blowing off Jamie in front of my friends. The rehearsals for the play went on and during it all I managed to fall for Jamie. I just didn't realize it until opening night of the play." I replied, "She was still mad at me for what I'd said to her about seeing her after school to work on lines so getting her to trust me was hard. But Belinda had this great idea about flyers with Jamie on them using a picture from the play and it turned out badly. She was just trying to get back at me for hanging out with Jamie and not them...well mostly her. It was really mean and resulted in me driving Jamie home in the middle of lunch one day. That day I asked her out and after she told me she wasn't allowed to date I asked her father. I didn't know on our first date that she was sick. She didn't tell me until maybe our fifth date. It was one of the worst moments of my life."
"So how'd you know you wanted to marry her?" Jake asked.
"It was the night she told me that she wanted to be married in the church her dad and mom got married in. I didn't know then that she was sick but the night she told me she was sick cemented the idea." I replied, "We got married and had one whole summer together. Going to college that fall was hard. Especially since Jamie was gone."
"The first year of college you seemed really distant. I could never figure out why and you didn't say anything about Jamie until third year." Jake said.
"I couldn't talk about her to anyone until then. And even now it's hard." I remarked.
"So what was your summer married like?" Tasha asked.
"Bittersweet. There's no other way to answer that." I replied, "Some how I knew the day she said yes that she wouldn't live much longer. Remember that night a couple of weeks ago when we were all hanging out and walking by Record Mania and I kind of spaced out?"
"Yah." Jake replied.
"I was thinking about Jamie and how much the singer in the front display looked like her." I continued, "Is it possible for something to be the worst and best at the same time? Because that summer was."
Oh wow. I only started re formatting this today and it's done already. This is great. Now I can work on chapter four.