Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 99

In the morning, Lea woke up to find herself feeling much better than she'd felt in a long time. She sat up in bed, and waited for a few minutes. She couldn't feel any of her cancer symptoms—no headache, nausea, dizziness, any of that. She slowly stood up, and was able to walk normally to the bathroom to get ready. Then, she hurried back into the bedroom. "Sméagol?" she said. "Sméagol, wake up."

Sméagol opened his eyes. "What is it, my precious?" he asked groggily.

A little later, Lea was in the hospital with Sméagol, Bri, Damian, Aini, and her mother, Delaney, waiting for PET scan results.

"So, you woke up this morning, and felt... normal?" Bri asked.

"Better than normal," said Lea. "I felt energized."

Bri remembered seeing Meredith a few weeks back, and seeing how full of energy she was after her cancer mysteriously disappeared. "Wow..." she said breathlessly. "You know, I—"

Before Bri could tell her story, the doctor knocked on the door. "Well, I have your test results," he said.

"And?" asked Delaney.

"Lea, you're clean."

"Clean?" Lea inquired, hoping she'd heard right.

"There are no cancer cells, no tumor. Everything is normal. You're cancer free."

Lea suddenly lost her breath. "I'm ca... I'm ca... I'm cancer free?!" she panted.

The doctor smiled. "You certainly are."

Lea jumped up, laughing and sobbing happily as everyone pulled her into a big group hug, crying tears of pure joy and relief.

"I don't know what it was that did it," said the doctor, "but this is our second miracle in the past month and a half."

"Second miracle?" Gollum inquired.

"Do you mean Meredith Gannon?" Damian asked.

Lea's jaw dropped. "Meredith?"

"You all know her?" asked the doctor.

"Yeah," said Bri, "she and her parents are some of our best friends."

"Well, she was terminally ill, but now, she's completely healthy."

"Her cancer's gone, too?" asked Gollum.

"Yep," said the doctor. "Well, I better get back to the labs. Congratulations, Lea."

"Thank you, Doctor," Lea said with a smile as the doctor left the room.

Delaney smiled at Lea. "Well, you're cancer free, Honey."

"Yeah, that's really weird," said Lea, "because yesterday, I had to use a wheelchair at the concert. Now, I'm totally fine. I wonder how that happened?"

"Yeah, just like, how did Meredith get cured?" added Bri. Then, she caught a glimpse of Lea's ring, and remembered the ring Meredith was wearing. "Oh, yeah... the ring." She remembered Aini had given Meredith her own ring. "Aini... that ring you gave Meredith... did it—"

"Yes," Aini replied.

"And... Lea's ring?"

Aini nodded.

"You made those rings?"

"I did."

Sméagol looked at Aini with a gleam in his eyes. "Aini... you saved Lea's life," he said breathlessly.

Aini shook her head. "Nope, you did."

"But—"

"I may have made the ring, but it wouldn't work, unless you put it on her. You saved her life, Sméagol... and Gollum. You are the reason she's cancer free now."

Lea looked at Sméagol with tears in her eyes, and he wiped a few from his.

"So, what do those rings do exactly?" asked Damian.

"They grant longevity and good health," Aini replied. "And, unlike the One Ring, they will not corrupt you, and you can never lose them. If you misplace them, they'll find their way back to you."

"Do I need to wear it all the time?" asked Lea.

"No. No, you can take it off whenever you want. That won't stop its power. You can keep it in a jewelry box or on your bedside table. It's bound to you for life."

"That's awesome. Um, one more thing I was wondering... you know how the doctor originally said I probably wouldn't be alive by now? How did I manage to live this long, and how was I not too sick to go to the concert?"

"The sweater blanket Sméagol made you," said Aini, "every time he wrapped it around you, it stopped you from getting any sicker."

"Wow... no wonder I felt okay when he wrapped me in it." Lea smiled. "I love that blanket."

"Oh, by the way..." Aini reached in her purse, and handed Sméagol another knitted rainbow ring. "This one is for you."

Sméagol slipped it on his finger. "Our... precious," he whispered.

Aini giggled as she reached in her purse, and handed a ruby ring to Delaney. "This is for you." Then, she handed two emerald rings to Bri and Damian. "And, these are for you."

"Thank you, Aini," said Delaney as she slid her ring on.

"Oh, these are beautiful," said Bri as she put hers on. "Oh."

"Honey?" said Damian. "You okay?"

"I, uh... I think my water broke."