Anatomy Of Love (Camren Fanfiction)

Prologue

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love.”

There they stood, anxiously awaiting what was to come of their first day. Some were brilliant bordering on genius. Others, genius bordering on madness. One the grandchild of the vice president of the United States. One the product of a one night stand. Six had written novels. Five had perfect entrance scores. Three were scholarship students. Two were childhood best friends. All were inwardly scared to death.

What had brought them together on this bright August morning was their common status as first year students at Harvard Medical School. They nervously gathered in Hall A to hear the welcoming address by Dean Simon Cowell. His features, a blend of confidence and intimidation. His arrogant demeanor gave the impression that he had been born with a gold watch and chain instead on an umbilical cord.

“Laur” Camila whispered as she leaned into her best friend’s side. Her hands trembled non stop, as she tried to conceal them by shoving them into her lab coat. “I’m scared. I don’t think I can do this. What if my best isn’t good enough?” she uttered softly, eyes sealed to the ground. Insecurity creep over her beautiful features, poisoning her brows, infecting her mouth by bending it into a frown.

“Hey” Lauren answered back as her right hand rested underneath Camila’s chin forcing their eyes to meet. Her emerald eyes pierced a hole right into her soul, exuding warmth and empathy. “Don’t be stupid, there is nothing to be afraid. You are literally the smartest person here. Besides I’m right here. I’m always here.” Lauren smiled as she nudged her and tugged on Camila’s long braid that fell against the small of her back. Camila let out a sigh of relief, receiving the comfort that she couldn’t give to herself. That is what Lauren was to her, the security blanket that allowed her brain an unexplainable moment of peace. It wasn’t just the words that she spoke, it was knowing that since the day they met, Lauren had been her protector- she had the ability to sense Camila’s insecurities and was proactive on removing the poisonous thoughts of self doubt, reminding Camila of her best qualities and cultivating attributes that she never quite believed herself.

“Stand up straight, mi hija” Lauren continued, “all of these people are your competition. Trust none of them. We are in med school now. Don’t show your nerves to these bitches. They’ll attack you like a wolf going after a lamb. Bunch of puntas” Lauren grumbled as she rolled her eyes at the bubbly girl dressed in neon pink that stood next to her. Lauren has a thing against preppy girls, it nauseated her.  The girl sensed Lauren’s piercing eyes on her and eagerly waved hi. Her white teeth almost outshined the bedazzled nametag on her lab coat that read Ally. Lauren cut her eyes away, not even attempting to acknowledge Ally’s act of kindness. Camila, feeling sorry for what transpired, gave her a small smile before focusing her attention back to Dean Cowell.

Dean Cowell did not have to call for quiet. He smugly smiled and the students hushed.

“Ladies and Gentleman” he began, “you are collectively embarking on a great journey to be the frontiers of medical knowledge- which is where you will begin your own individual explorations in the uncharted territory of suffering and disease. One of you” as his eyes scanned the room of prospective students “may find a cure to AIDS, leukemia, diabetes…”

He took a perfectly timed dramatic pause. And with a sparkle in his brown eyes he added, “Perhaps even the common cold.”

There was an appreciative laughter. Then the dark haired dean lowered his head, perhaps to signify that he was deep in thought. Lauren and Camila waited in suspense. When at last he finally looked up and began to speak again, his voice was softer, an octave lower.

“Let me conclude by disclosing a secret- as humbling for me to reveal as for you to hear.” He turned and wrote something on the whiteboard behind him. Two simple digits- the number 26. Camila’s bewildered eyes locked with Lauren as she responded with a shrug. Cowell waited for the room to settle and gazed straight into the spellbound classroom.

“Students, I urge you to engrave this on the template of your memories: there are thousands of diseases in this world, but Medical Science only has an empirical cure for twenty-six percent of them. The rest is… just guesswork. We look for medicine to be an orderly field of knowledge and procedure. But it is not. It is an imperfect science, an enterprise of constantly changing knowledge, uncertain information, fallible individuals, and at the same time lives on the line. There is science in what we do, yes, but also habit, intuition, and sometimes plain old guessing. The gap between what we know and what we aim for persists. And this gap complicates everything we do. Welcome to Harvard.”

And that was all. WIth military posture and athletic grace, he strode off the podium and out of the room.

Camila turned to Lauren, already feeling depleted of what little sense of security she had left. Before she could even muster words together, Lauren reached out, taking hold of her hand, interlocking her fingers through Camila’s. Lauren smiles at her,a smile that lights up the room and fills the darkest dwellings with a beautiful glow that radiates from her. A smile from Lauren can be a rare thing, but when she gifts it to you, it makes you feel warm.

“I’m right here. I’m always here. Let’s do this together.”