A Spine-Tingling Story - TDG Fanfic

The Past is Fate in Warning

Major thanks to @RedReality for coming up with the title for this chapter.

Just to clarify, this takes place between 4b and 5a, hence why Bailey and Mo are still here but Carmen and Tee aren't. Harry will most likely make a future appearance though, so be on the lookout for that.

Never before had Ryan severely regretted having a room that required a small set of stairs in order to reach. The stairs from the ground floor to the first floor of the house had been tedious enough, but at this point, the very sight of stairs made his head spin. He wondered if this was how Chloe felt whenever she came across a set of stairs.

He settled for slumping down at the foot of said stairs, his fingers wrapped loosely around the cane that he resented himself for having to rely on. The strong painkillers he'd been administered in hospital were just starting to wear off, meaning that standing was even more of an effort than before.

No one tried to follow him up, thank goodness. Most likely, they'd figured that he needed his space. It was just as well, as if anyone realised that he was too weak to even get up a set of three steps, he would inevitably be the butt of more than a few jokes.

This thought sent a moderate current of energy through his body, which gave him the strength to stand, though he had to use his hands to practically climb up his cane. He climbed the last few steps to his room, wincing on each one, before he finally made it and went inside his room.

He slumped down on his bed, the pain now more pronounced due to the meagre activity, pulsing in steady waves from his back down his legs. The pain stopped at his calves, however, as by now he had lost the majority of sensation in his ankles. He wasn't looking forward to the time when he wouldn't be able to stand, let alone walk, with or without the cane.

Basically paralysis.

This thought caused Ryan's heart to sink until it sat like a hard, heavy rock (Like a tumour) in his stomach. He glanced at himself in his mirror, and while he didn't look frail or sickly (Yet) as was characteristic of cancer patients, his face was a few shades paler than usual, most likely from the shock of the diagnosis.

After what seemed like hours, a knock on his door finally sounded.

"Come in," he said flatly, not really knowing who to expect. Probably Mike, May-Li or both.He was right, in a way, as May-Li was standing on the other side, but he didn't expect to see Finn of all people there with her.

"Hey," the short boy greeted shyly, staring intently at Ryan, trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with him. He had caught parts of the serious words down the kitchen shortly before, but he hadn't been able to understand most of it, only that it was bad. Floss's morbid prediction had done nothing to help, and Ryan's harsh words to Chloe had confused him even further. Finn had heard about cancer and what it could do, but he didn't understand why Ryan had gotten angry at his sister for it.

"Hey," Ryan mumbled in return. "What do you need?"

"We should be asking you that," May-Li said. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, my back and my legs are killing me, I can't feel my feet and the stairs are my new worst enemy," Ryan said bluntly.

"Ohh," May-Li sighed in sympathy. "I'll go get you some more painkillers, yeah?" Without waiting for an answer, she left the room, leaving Ryan and Finn alone.

"Sit down, mate," Ryan said, patting the space on his bed next to him. Finn sauntered in and sat down, unsure of what to say or whether he should bring up Ryan's cancer or not. He had planned to ask him why he had gotten angry at Chloe, but that was before seeing him and his current mood.