It was a crisp morning, birds chirping, the sun beaming into the window, the chatter of people in the halls drinking their morning coffee. Quinn on the other hand, she hated waking up every morning. She would dream about being healthy, not being sick then wake up to a nightmare where her world is treatment after treatment, needle after needle, and chemo after chemo. Due to the chemicals in the chemotherapy treatment she had a few weeks ago, she had no hair. She was bald. She felt ugly, sick. For her 25th birthday, her mother bought her some expensive wigs the American Cancer foundation in Ohio donated to her then a little extra her mother bought for her when she tried to kill herself just after her birthday. Quinn didn't live at the hospital, but her mother liked it better when she was in watch of professionals, she would sleep there sometimes until she would beg and plead her mother to bring her home. She got up, walked into the bathroom of her private room and got dressed. She reached into her suitcase and pulled out a medium length brown wig. The one thing she liked was the different styles of wigs she could choose from. One day she would go from brunette, to a red head, to a blonde (her natural colour). After placing on her wig and accessorizing it with a red beret, she decided to call a certain blonde boy she met at the cafe the day before.
After sitting on her hospital bed, hesitating at the touch dial pad on her phone, pressing her fingers on the table next to her she closed her eyes tight I can do this she thought. Just as she typed in the first 5 numbers of Sams number, she was interrupted.
"Hello Quinn, nice to see you up and about. That hair du suits you so well dear! Once your hair grows back healthy and strong you should consider having it exactly like that!" The old, middle aged nurse said, wheeling in a tray of breakfast and medication.
"Thanks Nurse Ingrid but I'm not peckish. I am about to head out anyway; Dr Olsen gave me to ok to leave for the next few days." Quinn gave a small smile, like she would miss the place but honestly, she didn't.
"Oh honey, at least have some toast. After that you'll have enough energy and you'll be a firecracker!" The nurse was so cheery; she felt sympathy for young girls such as Quinn who had cancer.
"Fine." Quinn protested and took a bite of the toast, pretending to enjoy it. She'll pig out on a hamburger when she's out. After the nurse left, she pulled out her phone, Sam's business card and started to dial.
Sam was sitting in his office; his practice was a small room, a blue leather couch by the window, with matching pillows. A few flowers here and there but also a few frames of his family, friends and college and university degrees, also a few football trophies, just to show off and show himself as more masculine hopefully his male patients not assuming he was a homosexual. The creamy coloured carpet and the white walls surrounding the room. He got a few crazy patients, some who liked to believe they lived in their own worlds. A few patients who tried to kill themselves and were being forced by family to see him and people who just suffered depression or needed someone to talk to about their life. Sam considered psychology but physiatrist was more his thing. He didn't want to diagnose or touch human brains in university. He studied the human mind but he knew for one he would never be a neuro surgeon. He had time to kill before his patients began to arrive so he sat at the small dark oak desk in the corner and sat on the black office chair. As he pulled out his pen, to write out some paper work, his phone began to ring. He rolled his eyes.
"What is it Annie, I told you to ring my office phone not my mobile phone." Sam sounded irritated, dropping his pen.
"Who's Annie?" said a shy, obviously nervous but sweet voice.
"Who is this?" Sam sounded curious now. The girl on the other end of the phone laughed.
"It's Quinn, remember? The girl who mixed up our coffees at the cafe yesterday?" She laughed again this time a little more nervously.
"OH, Quinn! Hello how are you?" Realization hit Sam.
"Great, I was contemplating whether to call you but I was bored so I decided to give it a shot." She tried to sound like she wasn't too keen. She had to admit, he was cute.
"That's great. D-did you want to do something? I mean if you want to. I have patients coming in soon so I can't chat for too long."
"No problem, how about you escort me to this wedding my mother is forcing me to go to tonight. I don't want to be dragged by the hip by my clingy mother while all these cute boys are watching so, I thought I'd ask the next cute boy I know and you came to my mind." Quinn let out a nervous giggle.
"S-sure, whose wedding? " Sam asked.
"My mom's second cousin or something? No one I know is there, but I have to go." Quinn was crossing her fingers he would say yes. She hadn't dated since she got diagnosed.
"Sure, but I don't have to wear a suit do I?" Sam laughed. "I don't like wearing them to work yet alone outside of work."
"No, it's a backyard wedding, just something nice...so is that a yes?" Quinn tried to hold in her squealing.
"That's a yes. I'll pick you up at what time?"
"Oh I'm going with my mother but you can meet me there at 6? I'll send you a quick text before I leave so you don't stand there awkwardly. It's just the reception; I wasn't invited to the ceremony." Quinn let out a laugh, now happy she was going on her first date since she found out she had cancer.
"Sounds great..." Sam heard a knocking at the door and it was his first patient. "Oh Quinn, I have to get to work but I'll see you tonight." Sam was fist pumping in his mind.
"Great, see you later Sam." She then hung up.
"Ah Mr Hamilton, come in."
Quinn was rather nervous once she got off the phone to Sam. She hadn't dated or even asked a boy out since the day she found out she had leukaemia. Quinn walked through the door of her mother's house and placed her bag on the kitchen table, looking at her mother, an older version of herself sitting on the couch, turning once her daughter walked in.
"Sweetie, your hair looks wonderful today." Judy Fabray always made sure she complimented her daughter, ever since the attempted suicide, she knew of her low self esteem and did everything in her power to make her daughter feel beautiful.
"I have a date tonight mom, for the wedding. I hope you don't mind." Quinn smiled.
"Oh that is wonderful." Judy pulled her daughter in for a hug. "What is he like? Is he cute? Is he supportive?" Judy asked, holding her daughter by the shoulders.
"He's cute; he had amazing eyes, hair, lips, and a nice body. He's a doctor too." Quinn said.
"Did you meet him at the hospital?"
"No, he's a mental doctor, a shrink. I only met him once but he seems nice."
"Oh did you see him about your condition?" Judy asked, dropping her arms and leaning against the couch with a coffee flask in her hand.
"Oh...about that. H-he doesn't know."
"Doesn't know what sweetie?"
"That I have cancer." Judy cringed every time she heard those words or was reminded about her baby girl being sick.
"Quinnie, what if he is like other boys? I tried to set you up with that boy from my office but once he found out he bail-"
"Mom, mom it's okay, Sam doesn't seem like that kind of guy. I'll tell him...when I'm ready. "Quinn bit her lip, hoping her mother wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"What if he sees your hair a different colour tonight? You can't tell him you dyed it, that's lying sweetie, I taught you better than to lie." Judy said.
"Mom, I'll tell him...relax. I better go get ready for this wedding ok? I'll meet you downstairs soon and we can go" Quinn walked up the white staircase in her mom's small house to her bedroom. Instead of getting ready, she sat on her bed for several minutes, in thinking mode, trying to think of a way to surprise Sam with her secret.