Over the next few days, Aini and Adam helped Sméagol move in with Lea. They helped him pack and store all his belongings. Lea wanted to help, but they told her to just rest and relax. So, instead, she told them where they could find storage space for him, which involved some rearranging, but it didn't take too long, as Sméagol didn't have a crazy amount of things.
Sméagol also offered to help, but they told him not to worry about it. Just take care of Lea, and spend time with her, which is exactly what he did.
Lea was very sick and frightened. She didn't have a whole lot of energy to do much for herself anymore, so what she couldn't do, Sméagol did for her. He already did a lot for her before, because she couldn't do certain things due to her disabilities. She felt so guilty that he was doing so much work for her, but he didn't seem to mind at all. Every time she needed him, he was right by her side, but she made sure to let him know how much she appreciated him. She could tell when he was getting tired, and that's when she suggested he take a break. The last thing she wanted was to run him ragged.
Meanwhile, Damian made a few phone calls, and he and Bri ran a whole bunch of copies of Lea's finished album.
One afternoon, Bri stopped by to bring Lea some lunch. She found her in bed, watching funny videos on YouTube. "Hey," she said. "I brought you lunch." She set the tray down on Lea's lap. "Watcha watchin'?"
"Joe Santagato," Lea replied.
"Oh, I love him. He is freaking hilarious."
"Yeah, he's taking my mind off... you know."
"That's good. Where's Sméagol?"
"He's in the guest room, sleeping. I told him to get a nap, because he's been taking care of me nonstop."
Bri could tell from Lea's tone of voice that she felt very guilty. She sat next to her in the bed. "Do you think you're running him ragged?"
"No. I know I am. I already can't do things for myself, but now... I have days when I'm so sick, I can barely get out of bed. I used to be able to make my own lunch and dinner. I just had to put the meals in the microwave for a few minutes. Or, I could throw my laundry in, and just put it all on Cold, Delicate. Now, I get winded taking my dirty laundry down the fucking stairs. He has to do pretty much everything for me, and I can't do anything to help him. I already felt bad enough for needing people all the time. Now, I feel like I'm bossing him around, asking him to do everything for me."
"Sweetie, that's not true. First of all, it is not your fault that you can't do things for yourself. You didn't ask to be born with disabilities, and you sure as hell didn't ask for a brain-sucking tumor. There's nothing wrong with needing help, even if it's a lot. Second, you do not boss Sméagol or any of us around. You're always polite when you ask for help, and you always say thank you. We already told you that we love looking out for you, and that does not change just because you need more help now. Plus, Sméagol really loves helping you. He told me himself he loves taking care of you, and that it makes him so happy. He enjoys it, Lea. I promise. You are not running him ragged. He loves you so much, so much. He would do anything, and I mean anything, for you, because you make him so insanely happy."
"I still feel bad, though."
"I know, Honey," Bri said as she gently patted Lea's knee. "And, trust me. I know how you feel. I think it's so sweet that you always tell him to take a break."
"It's the least I can do for him." Lea sighed. "He's such a good man. I love him so freaking much."
"I know you do, Sweetie. Hey, I have some really awesome news for you."
"What?"
"So, Damian and a few of his work buddies pulled some strings, and were able to book a concert for you in a couple weeks at the Cleardale Performing Arts Theater."
Lea's face lit up like the sun.
"So, you need to pick the songs you wanna perform, and put the instrumentals on a flash drive or an SD card. Madilyn and I are gonna help you advertize for your concert, and Adam is going to create the cover art for your album. Damian has already made tons and tons of copies of your album to sell at your show, but someone he works with is going to put your music out on Spotify and iTunes and all the things."
"Oh, my gosh!" Lea said breathlessly. "This is so awesome! You guys are amazing! Thank you!"
"Well, it's not just us. It was actually Sméagol's idea. He told us you really wanted to share your music and your story, that you wanted to be able to perform your songs in front of a big crowd."
Lea wiped a few tears from her eyes. "He is an angel," she sniffled.
Bri smiled and hugged Lea. "Yeah, he is."
So, over the next couple weeks, Lea's friends all helped her get ready for her concert. Madilyn took pictures for flyers and her album art. Adam created the artwork for the flyers and the album. Damian finished running copies of the album, and Aini helped him package all the discs. Bri went around town, hanging the flyers while Lea picked and practiced the songs for her show.