Creatus (They Exist), prequel to the Creatus Series

Chapter 2

"Morning," Derrick called as Janelle stepped off the bus.

Janelle turned. "Oh ... umm ... hi." She shook her head. "Were you waiting for me?"

Derrick shrugged, handing her a cup of Dunkin'. "I figured since you didn't have time to have coffee with me, I'd bring it to you." He took a pull off his water bottle.

She rested her hands on her hips. "Well, where's yours? How can we have coffee together if you already drank yours?"

"Oh, I don't drink coffee."

She laughed. "You're a bit odd, Derrick."

He smiled in response. "So I've been told. Can I walk with you?"

"We can sit. I have a few minutes today. I'm not always so frazzled."

"You don't look frazzled at all. I'd be, if I were a single parent, working a full-time job, and going to medical school. How do you do it?"

Janelle walked to a squat brick planter surrounding the hospital, which enabled the area to have something other than a parking lot surrounding the mass complex of buildings. The trees and shrubs added color to the otherwise monotonous shades of beige and red brick surfaces. Unlike some of the architectural masterpieces in the Boston area, the hospital buildings were just tall and square, boring, nothing to catch the eye.

She sat down and lifted her coffee cup in salute. "Plenty of caffeine and the ability to go days without sleep."

Derrick sat too, angling his body so he could look into her eyes. She had beautiful hazel eyes, the color of peridot with golden flecks that seemed to dance in the sunlight. "No one can go days without sleep; they only think they can. It catches up with you. It's extremely unhealthy."

She lifted her eyes, but resisted a full-out eye roll, it seemed. "Why thank you, Doctor. So why exactly are you here? I told you, I'm flattered, but you still look as though you're barely out of high school, and as handsome as you are, I simply don't have time to add one more thing to my schedule."

"Ouch. Another compliment and slap in one sentence. You're good at those. Are you sure you're not a law student? You'd be good at cross-examining."

She closed her eyes and shook her head again. "I'm serious. You're such a handsome man ... women must throw themselves at you."

He laughed. "No ... but again, thank you. I don't want anything from you, Janelle. I swear. I just want to be your friend."

"Oh, so you're a sucker for a damsel in distress, is that it? I assure you, my hands may be full, but I'm no damsel."

"Wow ... you're tough." He lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay ... no rescuing. No dating ..." he paused, "but who couldn't use a friend? It's actually better that you aren't interested in me. We can really be friends, then."

She bit her lip, but a chuckle still escaped. "You're incorrigible."

"Heard that one too. So, how about it? Can we be friends? I could use a study partner."

She nodded slowly, so Derrick took the close and ran with it. "What's your number? I'll program it in my phone. That way when I have a question I can't answer at three a.m., I'll have someone I know who's wide awake."

She read off her number, then took another sip of coffee. "We'd better go. It probably won't look professional if I'm late again."

Derrick stood and picked up her backpack.

"Umm ..." She just stood there, a blank stare in her eyes, as though no one had ever helped her. Had nobody truly ever offered her a hand, or was she one of those women who took offense when a man tried to be a gentleman?