Taxol Rides The TARDIS

This Wednesday I wore my Dr. Who “TARDIS” hat.  After looking at my selfie of me sitting in my chair getting my “Pre-Taxol Coctail”, I was inspired to do some creative writing.  I know there is A LOT of fanfiction out there, and while mine may be a little different.  I thought I would give it a start and see how people like it.  Please let me know what you think, that way I know if I should continue the series.  Thanks. :o)

To all of Pink Sisters….this is for you.  We all need a little Doctor to provide an escape every once in a while.

 

“Dr. Who and his Pink Sister”

A Fanfiction by Cynthia Greschak

I discovered The Doctor seven years ago when I was studying in my university’s library. I was a sophomore at the time and was taking an art class. While I was looking up the various books on drawing the human form. As I was reaching for a book showing the many ways to sketch the human face; as I turned around I saw a skinny, funny looking man. His thick, brown hair was short and spiked, and he wore what looked like a brownish trench coat. I don’t know if he noticed me, but it happened so suddenly. One moment he was standing right in front of me and the next he bolted for the stairway exit. Being curious by nature, I had to check out this crazy man I had just seen. So, I followed him. 

Just as I was just exiting out the library doors to the outside world, he was just reaching his funny blue “police” box. Within minutes, I was hearing a strange whirling sound and I watched as his box disappeared. Gone. But not forgotten.

Soon as he left, I ran back upstairs, grabbed all of my books and after checking them out, raced back to my apartment to sketch my memory. 

The books helped with the building of his head and face, I was even able to sketch the upper torso some to just past the shoulders. Then I started on his odd blue police box. That I found even easier. Soon my memory was out and permanent. It even made the fridge, I was so proud of it. 

I tried looking up everything I could find about this mystery man his blue box. Everything kept coming back as “Doctor Who” on various sites. Many about different sighting there have been of him; but they all showed different men. It was almost as this “Doctor Who” was many different men who use the name when they need to. 

Several years past, I continued my art, not just with sketching but in painting too. Too many times the funny man and his box were my muses. Those usually stayed hidden after I gave up trying to explain him. I found work with a gallery who would sell my paintings and sketch work.

One day I found myself at the Detroit Zoo, near the Arctic Ring of Life. I was sitting in the area where I could watch the polar bears swim under the water. I always felt a sense of peace there. I would go and reflect and sketch. Sometimes it was just random doodles, but most of the times true inspiration would hit and by the time I was ready to leave I would have multiple sketches ready for work. 

This day, I had gone alone after a doctor’s appointment and I needed the sense of peace to try to calm my shaking body and mind. As I was sitting there, crying quietly, unable to stop the tears from blotching up my sketch work; I saw my odd little man again. While I had changed with the years, he looked as though he did in the library. He was lazily wandering the Arctic Ring of Life when he saw me. He must have recognized me because he came right over and quietly sat next to me. 

“This place, it’s so quiet and peaceful. I can see why you come here.” He said as if we were old friends.

“I didn’t think you noticed me in the library.” I replied. “But yes, I do come here for the peace and to reflect on things. What brought you here?”

“You.”

That one single word rocked me to the core. Little did I know how rocked my world was going to become. 

“Why me?  And WHO are you?  I’ve been trying to find you for years, but I could never find anything about you.”

“Oh…I’m the Doctor.”

“Doctor Who?  What are you the doctor of?”

“I’m just known as The Doctor.  And as for why you…it’s because you notice the little things. You notice things others don’t even see.”

“It’s called being an artist,” I jokingly replied with a small smile. 

“It’s more than that. Your attention to the tiniest detail is what makes you a great artist, but it also makes you the perfect person to help me.”

“I can’t help you. Maybe years ago, but not now.” 

“Why?”

“Because I’m sick. I’m very sick, that’s why.” I replied as the tears began to flow down again. 

“Sick? How? You don’t look sick,” as he passed me his handkerchief. 

“I have breast cancer. I was just told by my doctor. I have what’s called Stage 3a Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I don’t even know what that all means. I just know I have to have Chemotherapy before I can do anything else. And what the doctor said is that we have to be aggressive with treating it.”

“Gah!” He exclaimed as he put his arm around me. “What is Chemotherapy?”

“It’s where they put the medicine in me through either an IV or an injection. The medicines they use have some pretty harsh side effects.”

“So why are you here alone with me and not with your friends and family?”

“Good question. I guess I’m just not ready to tell them yet.”

Sitting there with his arm around me, comforting me, I could finally feel that sense of peace I had been missing while crying earlier. With all of the recent news, he was what comforted me. My odd man. But he was missing his funny blue box. 

“Sniff! So where’s your funny blue Police Box?” 

“TARDIS? Oh! She’s around. I have her hidden so no one bothers her.”

“What in the world is a TARDIS?” 

“TARDIS is my ship. She can take us anywhere we want to go. Anytime in both past and future and any place in the universe. You want to see how the universe started? I can show you. You want to see the death of the Earth? I can show you that as well.”

“Anytime and place, huh? Can she cure me?”

“Naw, I at least I don’t think so. But I bet we can find a place with a cure.”

“Sounds ideal. Just to escape it all. But I’m sure my doctor wants me to start my treatments soon.” I sighed. “I really wish I could just pack up and go.”

“What is stopping you?”

“My doctor, and family and friends once I tell them.”

“So don’t tell them just yet, and I just said I could get you to wherever you need to be anytime and place. That would include these treatments.”

“But what about all these side effects I keep hearing about? How would we handle those?” He HAD gotten my attention with the “anytime and place” part. Plus, I was thinking about my artwork and how much more I could do with proper inspiration. 

“I am thinking there are some places that can help with that. I do have some friends in places that can help.”

“Places? Friends? Where are these places? What kind of friends?” My curiosity was starting to get the better of me. 

“Ahh, they are out there. None are from this place, except you. I knew the moment I first saw you that I would be coming back to find you. That you would be the right person to be with me as I travelled.” He explained. 

I sat there listening to him and watching the polar bears swim in their water. They always looked so graceful and serene while swimming, I guess that’s why I always liked to watch them. 

“So, until we find this cure, you’d be willing to bring me back for my doctor appointments and treatments and tests?” Getting up, I walked away, terrified that this is all just a dream and once I turned around, he would be gone and I would be alone again.  But even still, I had to ask.  I wanted to be absolutely sure before I said yes. And saying “yes” was something I came to realize that I had always wanted to do.  That was why I kept looking for him.  Why I could never stop drawing him or his box.  He never really left me…some how he had become a part of me and I never really realized it until then. 

But to say yes to his invitation meant I had to trust in him to help me fight this battle.  I also knew that it would mean not being able to tell my family and friends because they would never allow me to leave.  No longer would I have the freedom to go out alone.  I knew my mother, and while I loved her deeply and knew she always had the best of intentions; I knew that once she found out she would not just be satisfied with being beside me during appointments, tests, and treatments; I would be force to move back home because my mother would insist on round the clock care. 

My mother was never really one to argue with.  She would talk really fast and by the time the discussion or argument was over, she would have her way and you would be left spinning wondering what just happened.

I REALLY wanted to say yes more than anything. His invitation was something I realized I had been craving for all these years. But I also knew that I couldn’t run away from this, even though I wanted so desperately to do just that.

Turning around, I saw him smile as he got up and met me by the Polar Bears.  As he came to stand beside me he quietly replied, “I promise that you will never have to face this alone and that you will be able to feel alive; even when you don’t.”

Turning away, he started walking all the while continuing speaking.  I hurried up next to him; turning to me, he held his hand out and asked, “do you trust me?”

For some reason, I knew that I did.  While I knew that it all started way back in the university’s library; part of me knew that it went further back than that.  I couldn’t quite place it, but I knew that our history went further than that fateful day in the library.  I couldn’t reply, but when I reached out for his hand he knew his answer.

Together we ran towards a small corner hidden in the shadows.  As we approached, I noticed his police box coming into view.  As soon as I noticed it, I was inside.  I could not believe my eyes.  The inside reminded me of what it must look like inside Mary Poppins’s carpet bag.  From the outside it appeared to be a small phone booth that said “Police Box” on it; yet once I walked inside there was a huge circular control center as well as stairs that led to other places deep inside the TARDIS. 

Just as soon as we entered the TARDIS, the Doctor turned toward me and asked his infamous question.  “Now, where would you like to go?”

“Well, my surgery to get my port placed isn’t until next Friday, so take me somewhere beautiful and peaceful.  Someplace where I can be creative and escape things for a while.”

“I know just the place to go!” as he started turning dials, moving levers, twisting handles.  Soon I heard that familiar sound I had heard many years back just outside the library, only this time I was inside.  This time I was going with him.

 

 TO BE CONTINUED….

Playlist song playing: “Comfortably Numb” Pink Floyd