Side Effects: The Big C- Laura Linney

[zakandsara]

I've been working on this one for a while now! Cathy's son's girlfriend is played by a young actress named Alexandra Socha. There is definitely more coming, just let me know how you guys are feeling about it!

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Cathy Jamison knew she was getting better. She knew she wasn't a great teacher or an outstanding cook or an exemplary wife or even a perfect mother, but she did know that she was getting better. After being miraculously accepted into a clinical trial exclusively for melanoma patients, Cathy was also beginning to learn what it was to be a fighter. When she awoke, she looked up at the vision board her husband, Paul, had forced her to make the previous year. That was when things weren't looking so good. Now that they were, Cathy used the photos of her family and friends as a daily reminder of how lucky she was to have them around her. She pushed her covers down and sat up, rubbing her eyes for a moment. It was Saturday and it was 9am and she was happy to have the quiet house to herself. Paul was probably on his way to work, she thought, and Adam would be at the high school with his soccer team. She got up and slipped on her robe, beaming with newly discovered hope that came from the positive results she was consistently receiving from her doctor; the clinical trial was working. It was all she could think about for the past few days and, as she walked down the stairs into her kitchen, her smile lingered until it was replaced with a sudden look of shock.

"Hey, Mrs. J.," the young girl greeted her politely. "Don't worry, I just got here."

Cathy quickly wiped the surprised look off her face and smiled again. It was her son's girlfriend. "I'm not worried, I just had no idea you'd be here, especially this early," Cathy answered, walking over to the coffee pot that Paul had left on for her. "Adam's at the school."

"I know," Mia answered coolly. "The game's at 2 so I guess they're practicing until then."

Cathy nodded her head and sat down across from the girl at her kitchen table. Mia looked at her as though she was waiting for her to speak again. "I'm sorry, Mia," Cathy giggled, "can I do something for you?"

Mia immediately realized that the two were definitely not on the same page and put her head in her hands, embarrassed. "I knew he would forget to ask you! I'm so sorry, Mrs. J. I'm just gonna go. You're probably busy anyway." She got up and tried to slip past a very confused Cathy. "I'll see you later..."

"Wait!" Cathy quickly stood up and walked over to Mia, stopping her from leaving. "What the hell is going on?" Cathy asked her with a chuckle.

Mia sat back down. "Adam told me it'd be okay if I hung out here for a little until his game and that I could go with you. I kept reminding him to make sure you weren't busy or anything and he PROMISED he'd asked you. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out-"

Cathy laughed again. "Sweetie, calm down. I'll take you to the game."

"Are you sure?" Mia asked, gratefully. "Because I don't want to screw up your day or anything. I know you have a lot to do."

"Don't worry about it," Cathy answered, smiling. "It'll be nice to spend some time together. I do have to run some errands before the game though. You wanna come along?"

Mia finally relaxed and nodded. "Sure. Thanks, Mrs. J. I'm really sorry about all the confusion. I should've known Adam would forget."

"I know as well as you do that that boy can't remember to do anything he's asked, so like I said- stop worrying. I'm just gonna go get ready. Do you need anything? Breakfast or.."

"Oh, no, I'm fine. My dad's weird girlfriend made me eat before I left so-"

"Heh'tschhhhOO! Excuse me," Cathy said, sounding surprised again.

Mia looked awkwardly around the room for a moment. "Did you want to go get ready then?"

Cathy smiled at her. "I'll be down in ten. Meet me in the car."

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"I just have to run to my friend Lee's house," Cathy explained as she hopped into the driver's seat of her black SUV. "He has a few bottles of wine for me and I told him I'd pick them up before noon. Don't judge me," she joked.

Mia giggled. "I'm not. I think it's so cool that you have friends that are going through the same stuff as you."

"Not exactly the same..." Cathy mumbled.

"What?"

Cathy shook her head. "It's just that...Lee hasn't been having many side effects from the trial. Any side effects, actually. He says he's supportive of me but I just...."

"Feel bad?"

"Exactly. He's great though. You'll like him. He's a- hahh...HAH'teschhhhhIO! A Buddhist," Cathy rubbed at her nose.

"That's awesome. Adam's never mentioned him to me," Mia replied, almost thinking aloud.

"Adam doesn't pay much attention to people other than himself, unfortunately. Mia, can you grab me ahhh- a tissue in thhah-A'TSCHHHiew!! The glove compartment," Cathy managed to get out, sniffing loudly.

"Yeah," Mia nodded. "Just in here?" She pointed to the dash.

"Uh-huh," Cathy responded as best she could with another sneeze building. Mia pulled a mini pack of Kleenex out of the compartment and passed one off to Cathy, who put it to use right away. "Heh'tschhmphhh! Ughh." Cathy blew her nose with the one hand she didn't have on the wheel. "Thanks."

"Sure," Mia replied quietly. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," Cathy answered firmly. "What do you mean?"

"I just...are you getting a cold? Do you have allergies or something?"

"Oh! No," she shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm sure its just dust or-"

"The sun?" Mia offered.

"What?"

"I heard if you look at the sun, it can make you sneeze," she explained. "Maybe it's the sun."

Cathy smiled at her. "Maybe you're right."

"I learned that from Adam actually," Mia continued. "Sometimes it happens to him. It could be genetic."

"You and Adam are great together, Mia. I'm glad you've stayed together over the past few months. It's made everything a lot easier on him. And on me, too," Cathy told the girl.

"Thanks," she responded, feeling a bit awkward; she still wasn't so used to hanging out with her boyfriend's mom, especially not a mom like Cathy.

"Lee's apartment is right up here on the left," Cathy said quickly, sensing the girl could use a change in conversation. "You're going to love him."

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Let me know what y'all are thinking, please!

[GhostLily342]

Marvelous! Yes yes, please keep going!

[zakandsara]

Here's part 2! Lee is played by Hugh Dancy Let me know if anybody's feeling more!

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Cathy and Mia stood outside the steel door of Lee's apartment waiting, as Cathy presumed, for him to get off his yoga mat and let them in.

"I'm coming!" They heard from inside, followed by the sound of barefoot footsteps on a carpet-less floor. Just as Lee reached the door and clicked it open, though, Cathy had to turn away from the two of them into her elbow.

"Haht'eschhhh! Heh'tschhhhOO!" She turned back to see Lee giggling in front of her.

"That was quite a lovely greeting, Cath," he said, pulling her in for a hug.

"Shut up," she responded as she pulled away and swatted him playfully. "This is my son's girlfriend, Mia. Mia, this is my friend Lee."

"We're not friends, we're soul mates," Lee told Mia, reminding Cathy of something his acupuncturist had told the two of them months earlier. "But it's nice to meet you, my dear."

Mia smiled wide. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Come in," he said, stepping aside for the ladies to pass into his not-so-furnished living room. "Do either of you want anything?"

"I'll have a glass of water," Cathy told him, throwing her purse onto the chair next to the door and making herself at home on another. "Mia?"

"Water's fine. Thanks!" she told them, joining Cathy on a small couch next to his bed. "I love your place. It's so simple."

Lee chuckled. "Thanks. I love it, too. When Cathy first saw it, she absolutely hated it. She thought I was some kind of crazy nomad."

Cathy scoffed at him. "Hey, that is not true!" she exclaimed, turning to Mia. "That's not true, I didn't think he was crazy. I do now," she joked as Lee set three glasses of water on a tiny table and joined them in the room.

"The truth is, Cathy's one of the best friends I've had during a clinical trial. They don't make 'em like her everywhere. Remember that," Lee winked at Mia and put his hand on Cathy's, rubbing it. Mia saw it and immediately jumped up.

"Whoa, wait! Are you guys...having an affair?! That is so screwed up! I cannot believe you'd do that to Adam and-why are you laughing?" she shrieked upon finishing her scolding and realizing the two of them were cackling like fools.

"I'm gay," Lee managed to choke out.

Mia looked at them, blank in the face. "Oh my God. I'm sorry, Mrs J. I'm so dumb. This is so fucking embarrassing," she stopped herself again, slapping her hand over her mouth. "And now I said 'fucking' in front of you. I'm SO sorry. This is the worst day ever."

Cathy got up and pulled Mia back on to the couch beside her, rubbing her arm. "Sweetie, calm down. It's okay, it was a simple mistake," she assured her, looking at Lee who appeared to feel as guilty as she did for laughing so hard. "And I don't care if you curse in front of me. You don't have to think of me as 'Adam's mom'. I want you to feel comfortable with me. Okay?"

Mia nodded her head. "I feel like I'm screwing everything up today. I wanted us to be able spend time together like you wanted but it's just been so..."

"Awkward?" Lee offered. "Cathy was like that to me, too, the first few times I was around her. But soon you'll figure out she's not as much of a bitch as she pretends to be. Somewhere in here, there's actually a heart," he said sarcastically, pointing to her chest.

"You're an ass," she shot back at him, standing up from between them and going into the kitchen for more water.

"So Mia, did you and Adam meet at school?" Lee asked, sliding closer to her.

"Well, actually we met-"

"Hah'EEschhhOO!! Heh'TSCHHHIEW! I'm sorry, Mia. Keep go-hhhah'TESCHHIOO! Damn it!" Cathy shouted as she crossed between the two rooms.

"Gesundheit!" Lee exclaimed. "Jesus, what's going on, Cath?"

She sniffled, yet again. "I don't know! I feel fine."

"She's been doing that all day," Mia told him.

"You're not getting sick?" Lee got up and went over to her, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand.

She swatted it away. "No. I told you already; I'm fine, Lee."

"And you definitely don't have allergies," he said, eyeing her up. "I would've noticed by now."

Cathy shot Mia a look and rolled her eyes; Mia bit her lip, trying not to laugh out loud. "Lee. Please leave me the fuck alone. I'm okay, I just keep snee-eh'TESchhhhOOO!" Cathy took a step back from him and waited a second, her breath hitching. She reached a hand up and squeezed her nose with her thumb and forefinger as hard as she could. "Ehhh'TSCHNNGXXT! Ow..."

"Don't stifle them," Lee told her, pulling her hand away from her face. He stopped quickly, however, when he noticed the band aids covering most of her fingernails. "Still falling out?" he asked her softly.

"Mmhm," she looked up at him for only a second before turning to Mia, guiltily. "It's a side effect of the trial." Cathy held up her hands to prove it. "They started coming off around Thanksgiving."

Mia crinkled her nose, a little taken aback. "Is that the only side effect you have?"

Cathy nodded. "As far as I can tell. There usually aren't many though. Some people don't experience any even though the treatment may be working," she added, looking over to Lee.

"She's just saying that because I'm still all cancer-y and she's getting better," he joked.

"Stop! That's not true. It's my first trial, maybe I'm just more susceptible or-"

"Maybe you were just luckier," Mia said, looking right at her. They stared at each other for a moment but, again, Cathy broke their gaze.

"I had tons of side effects during the last trial I was a part of," Lee spoke up, shattering the uncomfortable moment. "Everyone did. I actually-"

"Hah'ETSCHHHHEW! Sorry," Cathy said automatically.

"Oh my God," Lee suddenly shot up from his seat.

"What?" Cathy and Mia spat, almost in unison.

"Oh shit, Cath, I can't believe I didn't realize this before," he walked over to her, shaking his head and laughing, as if he had overlooked the completely obvious.

"Jesus, what?" she screeched at him.

"It's a side effect. The sneezing. I remember a nurse mentioning this could happen when she ran through the list with us," he explained.

"Wait. I don't get it," Mia butted in. "How could the medicine just make her like this all of a sudden?"

"It probably has something to do with the way my body is reacting to the higher dosage of the- heht'EschhhhhIOO!! Bedicide."

"You might wanna blow," Lee said, handing her a tissue.

"Damn. That's crazy! At least you know what's wrong with you now, Mrs. J.," Mia pointed out, optimistically.

Cathy nodded and turned back to Lee. "How long is this supposed to last?" she asked him, blowing her nose again.

"I'm not sure. I haven't met anyone else that's going through it." He gave her a sympathetic look. "At least you know you're not getting sicker."

"Well, I sure as hell don't feel like I'm getting better!" she replied, becoming more agitated with Lee's diagnosis. "Why didn't they tell me this could happen? It's really fucking ah...AH'TSCHHiiiEW! Annoying."

Mia got up from the couch and grabbed another tissue from Lee's coffee table. "Should we call your doctor? They probably have something you could take..." she proposed, handing the tissue over to Cathy who was more than happy to receive it.

"You know, that's not a bad idea, Cath. You want me to call Dr. Sherman for you? I can right now if-- gesundheit," he paused, seeing that she was about to interrupt him.

"H'ETscchhhhOOO!" Cathy blew her nose quickly, but loudly. "Thanks, Lee, but I'm gonna do better than that. Mia grab your coat," she said as she put her own on and hugged a very confused Lee goodbye. "We're going to pay him a visit."

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