A Spine-Tingling Story - TDG Fanfic

A Few Good Men

Ryan smiled politely, but he couldn't help but wince slightly at the mention of Lou's back. It only made him think of his own spine, which had started clamouring for attention again. He unconsciously rubbed the spot where the tumour was, despite the fact that too much pressure made it worse and could even make his legs buckle if it was pressed hard enough.

"Have you done your back in too, then?" Harry asked, noticing the gesture. "Is that why you have a walking stick?"

"You could say that," Ryan shrugged, opting to not tell the full truth. It sounded like Lou's injury had left Harry with enough on his plate already. He didn't want to throw his best friend having cancer into the mix, despite the look May-Li was giving him out of the corner of his eye.

The lift pinged open at the ground floor and they all walked out.

"See you around, yeah?" Harry grinned. "I've still got your number. You wanna meet up again sometime?"

"Maybe later," Ryan said. "When I get a bit better."

Harry suddenly threw his arms around Ryan in a parting hug - which turned out to be a very bad idea as his arms landed right on the cancer.

"Oh God," Ryan winced, his face tightening as pain erupted from the tumour, spreading all over his back like molten lava. His legs would've probably collapsed under him if he hadn't staggered backwards to sit on a nearby chair in the corridor.

"Are you alright?!" Harry asked, his eyes wide and deeply apologetic. Just for a second, his friend's hunched posture, coupled with the cane, made him look like a very old man.

"He should be," May-Li assured him. "Just give him a few minutes."

"I'm really sorry, Ryan," Harry said, blinking hard. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I should've known."

"It's not your fault," Ryan grunted, sitting up straighter as the pain subsided.

"However did you do your back in?" Ange asked. "From the look on your face, it must've been a mighty injury."

May-Li looked uneasy at this, as if unsure of what to tell them, but Ryan looked her and Harry solemnly in the eye, looking resigned. "I didn't really do my back in like Lou did," he admitted. "I have a tumour."

"A tumour?!" Harry echoed. "Isn't that ..."

"Yeah."

"Oh, goodness," Ange gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Are you going to die?" Harry blurted out, his voice cracking.

"No, I'm not," Ryan said, trying to smile. "I'm gonna fight and beat this."

This was not a total lie. He would fight it with everything in him, but he didn't know if he could win.

"We can still meet up, right?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Ryan said. "I'll text you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, before going over and hugging Ryan's shoulders more carefully this time. "I'm always here for you."

"Cheers, mate," Ryan said, before Harry left with Ange, who had her arm around him.

"That's the first time I've ever heard you say that you could beat this," May-Li remarked.

Ryan shrugged. "I couldn't scare him."

"Do you feel up to walking?" she asked.

Ryan nodded, using the back of the chair to push himself up before following May-Li past the main reception and out through the doors.