A Spine-Tingling Story - TDG Fanfic

Double Sciatica is a Female Dog

"People with otherwise incurable epilepsy," Mr Albaston explained. "In that case, the affected half of the brain will be mostly non-functional anyway."

"The part of my spinal cord that has cancer growing on it isn't very functional," Ryan said.

"That may be so, but I'm telling you this because the hemispherectomy was also used to treat brain tumours back in the day," Mr Albaston explained. "What they found was that the cancer just grew back on the other hemisphere."

His last words were spoken with a hint of grave warning that made Ryan scared all over again. "But they'll still treat me if it comes back, right?"

"Unless you want me to write up a contract stating otherwise," Mr Albaston replied. "Just maybe don't ask them to cut out your spinal cord again - if we keep going like this, you'll be in very sad shape indeed by the end of it."

"You'll be lucky to be in very sad shape indeed," Finley quipped, though his witticism only conjured up scenarios of what could be worse than very sad shape indeed in Ryan's mind. "Have you told your care workers?" he asked, drawing his attention back to the next hurdle that had been occupying Ryan's thoughts.

"They know I want it, but they don't know about this," Ryan said, gesturing to the contract. He wondered briefly how Mike, May-Li and Dr Gareth would react when they found out.

The care workers would probably scold him for attempting something so "reckless" behind their backs and ground him for a month save for school and radiotherapy (which was just as well because going out expended many spoons) and Dr Gareth, he suspected, would be running out of patience with him. He was walking on thin ice with his oncologist right now - and he suspected that this contract would cause him to plunge into the glacial depths below.

"I could tell them myself if you want," Mr Albaston offered. "I have Dr Gareth's email address, so all I need are theirs."

"...fine, thanks," Ryan said, after a pause. "I'll need to understand this a bit better first, though."

"Absolutely no problem," Mr Albaston smiled, standing up from where he had been seated on the bed next to his son. "Feel free to contact me again if you don't understand anything, my phone number is on the card Finley gave you."

"Thanks for doing this," Ryan mumbled, shaking the lawyer's outstretched hand and making to leave.

But when he tried to stand up, he found that he couldn't. Difficulty walking was nothing new for him, but this was the first time he found himself totally unable to stand - and both his legs felt flaccid and stiff at the same time, like he had steel bars in his muscles that were weighing him down.

"I ... can't get up," was all he said, sounding defeated.

"What?" Finley questioned, frowning in concern.

"My legs hurt. A lot."

"I thought that was normal for you,"

"Not this much," Ryan said, pressing his knuckles into his thigh, trying to get some feeling back. "Well, they both hurt and feel numb at the same time, it's hard to describe."

"Sounds like sciatica."

The three males turned to see Rosemary leaning on the doorframe, arms folded and observing the conversation with an owlish stare that seemed to be magnified by her glasses. "I have it too, though only in one leg at a time. If you have it in both legs, it's usually a sign of something really serious." Ryan noticed that she seemed to be putting all her weight on one leg.

"I already know it's cancer, you can't get much more serious than that," Ryan retorted.

"Rosemary," Mr Albaston sighed, giving her a stern look, "what did I tell you about listening in on private conversations?"