Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 78

Two weeks later, it was time for Lea to get her PET scan to see if the chemo was working. While she waited for her results, she chatted away with her friends and her mother.

"I'm so nervous," said Lea. "I really hope the scan is good."

"I'm sure it will be, Sweetie," said Delaney. "You've been doing great."

"I wish Gollum was here, too."

"Me, too, Precious," Sméagol sighed.

"Believe me," said Aini. "I've tried to convince him to come back. He won't. He thinks that he'll just go looking for the ring again, and hurt you and Sméagol and everyone else."

"Poor guy," said Damian.

"I hate that," said Bri, "but I guess I understand. He's doing what he thinks is best for the ones he loves."

"Would he come back after the ring is destroyed?" asked Lea.

"I don't know," said Aini. "Maybe, because then, he'd have no reason not to."

"Well... I know you said I'm immune to the ring's power, so... if I find it, could I possibly destroy it?"

"Lea, Sweetie, you are immune to it's power, but it knows your weakness."

"What do you mean?"

"It knows you have sensory issues. It knows you hate touching small metal objects."

"Wait, a ring knows things?" asked a puzzled Damian.

"It's not any inanimate object," said Aini. "It has a mind of its own. It can go where it wants, corrupt who it wants."

Damian shuddered at the thought. "Oof, that's creepy."

"It can't corrupt Lea, though, but if she were to go anywhere near it, she could have a really nasty meltdown."

Lea thought for a moment. "Well, i—"

Just then, the doctor knocked on the door. "Sorry for the long wait," he said. "I wanted to be sure."

"That's okay," said Lea.

"So, how is she?" asked Delaney.

The doctor sighed. "Lea, your results aren't what we had hoped for. We were hoping the chemo would shrink the tumor. It hasn't. In fact... it's spread even further... to other vital parts of your brain."

"W—What does that mean?" asked Sméagol.

"It means... it's a very aggressive cancer, and it's only getting worse." He hesitated. "Lea, I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do."

"What does that mean?" asked Delaney. "She's gonna die?"

"I'm afraid so," the doctor said sadly.

"H..." Lea could barely speak. "How long?" she said very weakly.

"Three months... at best, but with the rate the tumor's growing, probably less. I'm very sorry, Lea." The doctor left the room, hiding his sadness. He never liked to give his patients bad news.

Lea stared off into space for a few minutes, almost like she wasn't there, like she was floating above her own body, hoping it wasn't real, that it was just a dream.

"Lea?" Bri said sweetly, gently tapping her shoulder. "You okay, Honey?"

As soon as Lea came back to reality, she completely broke down into hysterical sobbing and hyperventilating. The news was so horrifying and unreal, too much for her to take.

Everyone surrounded her, and wrapped her up in a big group hug.

"It's okay, Baby," Delaney wept, trying to stay positive. "It's gonna be okay. Mommy's here. It's okay. It's okay."