Wonderful Life
One
"Gem! What are you doing here?" Brian, my best friend's brother asked. I did nothing but plop down, face first on his couch, tired and ready to curl up in a ball and go to sleep.
I groaned, turning my face to where he stood. "Happy to be out of that hellhole." I replied, sighing.
"What? I thought that you loved your job?" He said, confusedly. Brian was one of five musicians in a successful rock band called Avenged Sevenfold. I met him through Colbie when we first met back in college, and we'd all been friends ever since. Being an only child, Brian, Colbie and the others had become my siblings.
Brian was a foot and a half taller than me, with dark hair that was usually spiked, dark brown eyes and he was lean, but very muscular. Brian was and is still pretty much overprotective of Colbie and he actually makes it difficult for her to get a date sometimes. But I can see that he's just watching out for her.
I sighed, and lifted my head from the cushion. "I do. Aside from the asshole doctors, the pushy patients and the bitchy nurses...Colbie excluded." I replied.
"I thought that they were pretty decent over there." Brian assumed.
I scoffed. "If you consider how much of a scumbag my boss is. I've noticed that while he's talking to me, he likes to stare at my flat chest, ogling me and probably having indecent thoughts about me." I replied.
"What? What the hell kind of doctor is he?" He asked.
I sighed and chuckled. "The kind of doctor who is a dick and has the ego the size of Russia. I know for a fact that he's slept with nearly every nurse on my floor, with the exception of me and Colbie." I explained.
Colbie walked in from the kitchen. "She's right, Donovan is a pig. I can't believe that he's actually thinking that either of us are interested in him. I'd rather be celibate for the rest of my life if it meant I had to date him." She answered, as I laid there like a lump. Colbie was five foot five, with blonde wavy hair, a pair of piercing grey eyes, a very athletic build to her body, with a light tan complexion and she hated to wear a lot of make-up.
"Okay, I want to sit on the couch, Gemma. Move your ass or I'll sit on your legs." Brian threatened.
Colbie walked in. "I'd move, Gem. He weighs a ton, and you'd probably not be able to use your legs if they're broken." She replied and Brian playfully glared at her.
"Go ahead, I'm not scared." I challenged.
Colbie chuckled and shook her head. "Be careful, because if the others get here, you'll probably be at the bottom of the dog pile." She warned.
I loved Colbie as if she was my sister, and she was in all the ways that counted. She was a hard headed young woman. And she worked as a nurse at Huntington Beach Hospital along with me. Brian had helped her with the medical school bills so that she could accomplish her dream and I knew how much that had meant to her and she loved him so much for that.
She had a fiery temper just like her brother, and it's not pretty. I've been around her and Brian when they get mad and they even scare me. What most people don't really know was that she was adopted into the Haner family when she was five years old, but they treat her like she's blood family. She hated talking about her biological parents or anything to with them because it's a sore subject. To her, her real parents are Brian Sr. and Suzy, and they were pretty awesome, to have raised two awesome individuals.
"Are you going to go see your parents before we go, like you promised them?" Colbie asked as I sat up, letting Brian have a seat beside me.
I sighed and brushed my hair out of my face. "I'm not sure if I want to. They're fighting over some business thing now and they'll most likely want me to pick sides." I replied.
My parents, Robert and Elizabeth were a pair. They loved each other to death, but fought like cats and dogs, always fighting and always wanting me to take their sides, so much so that they tried to pit me against the other, trying to get me to hear their sides and when I was old enough, I sat them down, told them that I didn't want anything to do with them when they were fighting with each other and they still didn't listen, calling me at random times to settle their differences.
"So, I think that I'm more inclined to keep my phone off and just not talk to them the entire time. I mean, I really don't want them to ruin our trip to Australia, you know?" I replied, and Colbie nodded.
She sighed, "So I'll meet you at the entrance to the airport tomorrow morning?" She asked.
"Yep. I have to pack tonight, but I'll be ready to go and we'll have a great time." I replied, standing up.
~*~
The next morning, I was packed, ready to go and excited to actually be going to Australia. I rarely had time for a vacation since I was always on odd shifts, but I worked enough to set up vacation time and I was taking time off for about a week. And a week was long enough for me to relax and have fun before I started classes for medical school. My boss was pissed that I was going back to school, but he cut my hours in half and I was going to start the second week of this next month.
I hadn't decided what I was going to exactly do, but I had a feeling that I didn't want to be a nurse working the night shift for the rest of my life. I loved what I did, helping people, but I wanted to do more and not have to work odd shifts until the end of time.
I pulled on a pair of black shorts and a dark blue t-shirt and slipped on my flip flops. I wanted to be comfy while listening to music and reading trashy magazines during the ten hour flight. I just hoped that there were no crying babies or kids that sat behind me and kicked my seat. I wanted to have a peaceful flight and take off.
Getting through Customs, the security and all that, Colbie and I had to wait about thirty minutes until they started boarding the plane, so we opted to get a quick bite to eat, and then we browsed the Borders that was next to the restaurant.
"I can't wait until we land in Australia." I remarked, browsing through Meg Cabot's Insatiable and reading a few sentences from it. It seemed like an interesting book.
I looked up to see Colbie checking out the last installment of Vampire Academy, a series that we both loved.
"Me too. I'm actually looking forward to kicking back and not having to deal with any bosses, snotty co-workers or pushy patients. I mean, I know that I love my job, but sometimes, it's overwhelming. And I do catch myself wondering if I want to be a nurse for the rest of my life." She explained.
As I grabbed another book that I was interested, Colbie brought up another figure in my life. "So, what did Christian have to say about you going to Australia?" She asked.
"I didn't tell him." I replied. Somehow, in this crazy life I was born into, I became best friends with the Christian Bale. I met an eight year old Christian when I was four, after my parents decided that they didn't want to live in France anymore and we ended up living there until I was fourteen.
Being a boy and four years older than me, he watched out for me, not hesitant to tease me, and he became like my big brother. I knew that he was gorgeous and very talented, seeing as he was one of the most famous actors, but I wasn't romantically attracted to him like he was to me. He lived close, but I rarely saw him unless I was his plus one at the shindigs that he attended.
"Seriously? Well, I guess that he'll get the idea and find someone else. I can tell that he's hung up on you." She replied.
I sighed. "I just....I want to find that guy who makes me blissfully happy. You know, Christian's great, but I can't....I don't see a life with him. I want someone who makes me laugh and can deal with my bitchiness and someone who wants to share a future with me, and loves me." I replied, knowing that she was looking for a guy who wanted the same as her. Colbie understood what problems I had with Christian and she helped me with them.
~*~
I was amazed at how beautiful everything was in this suite. We had a smaller room, but the travel place had screwed up our plans, so they comped us a room and it was amazing. We were staying at the Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel, it was the most exclusive hotel in Sydney and had the most spectacular view. We were able to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, with easy access to shopping, restaurants. The awesome hotel had almost anything and everything that you could've thought of.
Getting to our room, it was beautiful, with deep blue walls, two huge beds that were on the opposite side of the amazing view of the water. The bathroom was twice as big as mine at home, and was a deep green color, and the tub was big enough to fit at least six people or more and so was the huge marble shower. I seriously couldn't believe we landed this place.
"This place is amazing." Colbie said, setting her bag on her bed.
I nodded. "It sure is. Have you seen the marble tub? It's like a swimming pool." I replied.
Finally getting settled in, Colbie and I were so tired and just craving some sleep. So when we checked into our room, we both turned in for the night, changing and slipping into our separate beds. And I was completely at ease, happy and closed my eyes, falling asleep.
The next morning I woke up, still tired but ready to get out there and see what Sydney had here. Colbie and I looked up a few things online, and there were a few places besides Bondi Beach and the Opera House that we wanted to check out. I wanted to see the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Chinese Garden at Darling Harbour. And we wanted to see Victoria Street, check out what was there.
While I waited for Colbie to wake, I grabbed the remote and found HBO, where a Johnny Depp movie was on. I recognized it as What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, one of my favorite movies and became immersed in it as I was watching it.
Seconds later, Colbie woke up, rested and suggested that we head out. "Wanna get some lunch?" She asked, sitting up.
"I think that would be great. I'm starving. I was waiting for you to wake up." I said, smiling.
~*~
Tonight, I was all dressed up in a black Camilla and Marc 'Charlotte' frock and some Christian Louboutin pumps that were black. Colbie and I were going to hit one of the famous hot spots. We were done seeing the daytime for right now and we wanted to see how the clubs were here. We were going to go dancing and drinking and have a good time.
I was having a good time, so good that, I accidentally bumped into some one, while headed back to the bar. Now I was so embarrassed, and when I looked up to see who I'd run into.
"Sorry." I said, biting my lip, a horrible habit that I picked up from my mother, when she was nervous and didn't know what to say.
He smiled. "It's fine." He said, sipping his drink. I knew that I'd seen him somewhere, some place, but I couldn't name the time or place.
But as I was going to introduce myself, Colbie found me, and she looked like someone had shattered her heart.
Something was wrong, very wrong. "Colbie, what is it?" I asked, setting my glass aside.
She sniffled. "I'm....I have to leave, I have to get back to Brian. He called, something's not right." She replied.
"Okay, do you....Do you want me to go with you?" I asked, wanting to know if she needed someone to accompany her back home.
She shook her head. "No. You stay here and enjoy your vacation. I'll be fine. I just have to go now." She answered.
"Okay, the minute that you find out what's wrong, either you or Brian call me, okay?" I said and she nodded, giving me a hug before exiting the building. I just hoped that it wasn't anything really horrible.
~*~
The end of my vacation came to a close, and I had done all I could as a tourist in Australia. I had seen all of the things that I came to, and felt like it wasn't that great of a trip. And I knew that it wasn't the same without Colbie being here. I packed up my things, checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport, and endured the hours long flight back to LAX.
I groaned, turning my face to where he stood. "Happy to be out of that hellhole." I replied, sighing.
"What? I thought that you loved your job?" He said, confusedly. Brian was one of five musicians in a successful rock band called Avenged Sevenfold. I met him through Colbie when we first met back in college, and we'd all been friends ever since. Being an only child, Brian, Colbie and the others had become my siblings.
Brian was a foot and a half taller than me, with dark hair that was usually spiked, dark brown eyes and he was lean, but very muscular. Brian was and is still pretty much overprotective of Colbie and he actually makes it difficult for her to get a date sometimes. But I can see that he's just watching out for her.
I sighed, and lifted my head from the cushion. "I do. Aside from the asshole doctors, the pushy patients and the bitchy nurses...Colbie excluded." I replied.
"I thought that they were pretty decent over there." Brian assumed.
I scoffed. "If you consider how much of a scumbag my boss is. I've noticed that while he's talking to me, he likes to stare at my flat chest, ogling me and probably having indecent thoughts about me." I replied.
"What? What the hell kind of doctor is he?" He asked.
I sighed and chuckled. "The kind of doctor who is a dick and has the ego the size of Russia. I know for a fact that he's slept with nearly every nurse on my floor, with the exception of me and Colbie." I explained.
Colbie walked in from the kitchen. "She's right, Donovan is a pig. I can't believe that he's actually thinking that either of us are interested in him. I'd rather be celibate for the rest of my life if it meant I had to date him." She answered, as I laid there like a lump. Colbie was five foot five, with blonde wavy hair, a pair of piercing grey eyes, a very athletic build to her body, with a light tan complexion and she hated to wear a lot of make-up.
"Okay, I want to sit on the couch, Gemma. Move your ass or I'll sit on your legs." Brian threatened.
Colbie walked in. "I'd move, Gem. He weighs a ton, and you'd probably not be able to use your legs if they're broken." She replied and Brian playfully glared at her.
"Go ahead, I'm not scared." I challenged.
Colbie chuckled and shook her head. "Be careful, because if the others get here, you'll probably be at the bottom of the dog pile." She warned.
I loved Colbie as if she was my sister, and she was in all the ways that counted. She was a hard headed young woman. And she worked as a nurse at Huntington Beach Hospital along with me. Brian had helped her with the medical school bills so that she could accomplish her dream and I knew how much that had meant to her and she loved him so much for that.
She had a fiery temper just like her brother, and it's not pretty. I've been around her and Brian when they get mad and they even scare me. What most people don't really know was that she was adopted into the Haner family when she was five years old, but they treat her like she's blood family. She hated talking about her biological parents or anything to with them because it's a sore subject. To her, her real parents are Brian Sr. and Suzy, and they were pretty awesome, to have raised two awesome individuals.
"Are you going to go see your parents before we go, like you promised them?" Colbie asked as I sat up, letting Brian have a seat beside me.
I sighed and brushed my hair out of my face. "I'm not sure if I want to. They're fighting over some business thing now and they'll most likely want me to pick sides." I replied.
My parents, Robert and Elizabeth were a pair. They loved each other to death, but fought like cats and dogs, always fighting and always wanting me to take their sides, so much so that they tried to pit me against the other, trying to get me to hear their sides and when I was old enough, I sat them down, told them that I didn't want anything to do with them when they were fighting with each other and they still didn't listen, calling me at random times to settle their differences.
"So, I think that I'm more inclined to keep my phone off and just not talk to them the entire time. I mean, I really don't want them to ruin our trip to Australia, you know?" I replied, and Colbie nodded.
She sighed, "So I'll meet you at the entrance to the airport tomorrow morning?" She asked.
"Yep. I have to pack tonight, but I'll be ready to go and we'll have a great time." I replied, standing up.
~*~
The next morning, I was packed, ready to go and excited to actually be going to Australia. I rarely had time for a vacation since I was always on odd shifts, but I worked enough to set up vacation time and I was taking time off for about a week. And a week was long enough for me to relax and have fun before I started classes for medical school. My boss was pissed that I was going back to school, but he cut my hours in half and I was going to start the second week of this next month.
I hadn't decided what I was going to exactly do, but I had a feeling that I didn't want to be a nurse working the night shift for the rest of my life. I loved what I did, helping people, but I wanted to do more and not have to work odd shifts until the end of time.
I pulled on a pair of black shorts and a dark blue t-shirt and slipped on my flip flops. I wanted to be comfy while listening to music and reading trashy magazines during the ten hour flight. I just hoped that there were no crying babies or kids that sat behind me and kicked my seat. I wanted to have a peaceful flight and take off.
Getting through Customs, the security and all that, Colbie and I had to wait about thirty minutes until they started boarding the plane, so we opted to get a quick bite to eat, and then we browsed the Borders that was next to the restaurant.
"I can't wait until we land in Australia." I remarked, browsing through Meg Cabot's Insatiable and reading a few sentences from it. It seemed like an interesting book.
I looked up to see Colbie checking out the last installment of Vampire Academy, a series that we both loved.
"Me too. I'm actually looking forward to kicking back and not having to deal with any bosses, snotty co-workers or pushy patients. I mean, I know that I love my job, but sometimes, it's overwhelming. And I do catch myself wondering if I want to be a nurse for the rest of my life." She explained.
As I grabbed another book that I was interested, Colbie brought up another figure in my life. "So, what did Christian have to say about you going to Australia?" She asked.
"I didn't tell him." I replied. Somehow, in this crazy life I was born into, I became best friends with the Christian Bale. I met an eight year old Christian when I was four, after my parents decided that they didn't want to live in France anymore and we ended up living there until I was fourteen.
Being a boy and four years older than me, he watched out for me, not hesitant to tease me, and he became like my big brother. I knew that he was gorgeous and very talented, seeing as he was one of the most famous actors, but I wasn't romantically attracted to him like he was to me. He lived close, but I rarely saw him unless I was his plus one at the shindigs that he attended.
"Seriously? Well, I guess that he'll get the idea and find someone else. I can tell that he's hung up on you." She replied.
I sighed. "I just....I want to find that guy who makes me blissfully happy. You know, Christian's great, but I can't....I don't see a life with him. I want someone who makes me laugh and can deal with my bitchiness and someone who wants to share a future with me, and loves me." I replied, knowing that she was looking for a guy who wanted the same as her. Colbie understood what problems I had with Christian and she helped me with them.
~*~
I was amazed at how beautiful everything was in this suite. We had a smaller room, but the travel place had screwed up our plans, so they comped us a room and it was amazing. We were staying at the Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel, it was the most exclusive hotel in Sydney and had the most spectacular view. We were able to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, with easy access to shopping, restaurants. The awesome hotel had almost anything and everything that you could've thought of.
Getting to our room, it was beautiful, with deep blue walls, two huge beds that were on the opposite side of the amazing view of the water. The bathroom was twice as big as mine at home, and was a deep green color, and the tub was big enough to fit at least six people or more and so was the huge marble shower. I seriously couldn't believe we landed this place.
"This place is amazing." Colbie said, setting her bag on her bed.
I nodded. "It sure is. Have you seen the marble tub? It's like a swimming pool." I replied.
Finally getting settled in, Colbie and I were so tired and just craving some sleep. So when we checked into our room, we both turned in for the night, changing and slipping into our separate beds. And I was completely at ease, happy and closed my eyes, falling asleep.
The next morning I woke up, still tired but ready to get out there and see what Sydney had here. Colbie and I looked up a few things online, and there were a few places besides Bondi Beach and the Opera House that we wanted to check out. I wanted to see the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Chinese Garden at Darling Harbour. And we wanted to see Victoria Street, check out what was there.
While I waited for Colbie to wake, I grabbed the remote and found HBO, where a Johnny Depp movie was on. I recognized it as What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, one of my favorite movies and became immersed in it as I was watching it.
Seconds later, Colbie woke up, rested and suggested that we head out. "Wanna get some lunch?" She asked, sitting up.
"I think that would be great. I'm starving. I was waiting for you to wake up." I said, smiling.
~*~
Tonight, I was all dressed up in a black Camilla and Marc 'Charlotte' frock and some Christian Louboutin pumps that were black. Colbie and I were going to hit one of the famous hot spots. We were done seeing the daytime for right now and we wanted to see how the clubs were here. We were going to go dancing and drinking and have a good time.
I was having a good time, so good that, I accidentally bumped into some one, while headed back to the bar. Now I was so embarrassed, and when I looked up to see who I'd run into.
"Sorry." I said, biting my lip, a horrible habit that I picked up from my mother, when she was nervous and didn't know what to say.
He smiled. "It's fine." He said, sipping his drink. I knew that I'd seen him somewhere, some place, but I couldn't name the time or place.
But as I was going to introduce myself, Colbie found me, and she looked like someone had shattered her heart.
Something was wrong, very wrong. "Colbie, what is it?" I asked, setting my glass aside.
She sniffled. "I'm....I have to leave, I have to get back to Brian. He called, something's not right." She replied.
"Okay, do you....Do you want me to go with you?" I asked, wanting to know if she needed someone to accompany her back home.
She shook her head. "No. You stay here and enjoy your vacation. I'll be fine. I just have to go now." She answered.
"Okay, the minute that you find out what's wrong, either you or Brian call me, okay?" I said and she nodded, giving me a hug before exiting the building. I just hoped that it wasn't anything really horrible.
~*~
The end of my vacation came to a close, and I had done all I could as a tourist in Australia. I had seen all of the things that I came to, and felt like it wasn't that great of a trip. And I knew that it wasn't the same without Colbie being here. I packed up my things, checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport, and endured the hours long flight back to LAX.
