Notes: Takes place before the start of the series. Its been a long time since I've seen the series, so this might not be completely accurate within the show's events. Warnings for references to cancer. Written for Amber's Attic at Hogwarts' Writing Club. The prompt was Commissioner Gordon: Write about someone receiving a grim medical diagnosis. WC = 318
Minako had been suffering from headaches for a while now. At first, she'd chalked it up to stress. She was in the middle of promoting a new album, after all. But as the weeks went by, the pain actually seemed to be getting worse.
Finally, after being unable to sleep one night due to the pain in her head, she went to the doctor. They ran some tests, telling her there was probably nothing to worry about and that she would get a call about coming in for a follow-up in a few days.
When Minako went in for her follow-up appointment, her doctor's face was grim. She knew it was bad news, even before he opened his mouth.
"Minako, the MRI shows an abnormal mass of cells" the doctor said. "Now, there's no reason to get alarmed this second." After that, the popstar tuned out what he was saying. In a daze, she listened as he discussed treatment options with her mother. The older woman was trying to be brave for her daughter, but Minako could see she was about to cry. She took her mother's hand. It was meant to comfort her mother, but Minako found it comforting as well.
When the doctor finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. Then Minako realized he'd asked her if she had any questions. Clearing her throat, she said "If it is cancer, how long do I have?" If she didn't have a lot of time left, she wanted to make the most of it.
The doctor hesitated for a moment. Then he said "I can't be for sure until we run more tests. But average life expectancy after a diagnosis is a year to 18 months."
Minako swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. 18 months at the most. If that was all the time she had left, she needed to focus on what was important.