Chapter 2

Leni wasn't nearly as naïve as some people thought she was. She understood what the doctor said perfectly well: in less than a month, she was going to die. She couldn't even cry, she was so stunned. Her mother only sobbed harder at the sight of Leni's stony expression.

"Please, Doc, isn't there anything you can do?" Lynn Sr. pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Loud, but that's impossible. The tumors are so advanced that they can't be surgically removed without inflicting critical damage on the surrounding tissue. Aside from that, chemotherapy would only delay the inevitable," the doctor explained. He then looked at Leni and said, "I suggest you get your affairs in order as soon as possible." He left the room with Lynn Sr. in order to sign release papers that would allow Leni to go back home.

With her parents' help, Leni sat up and gingerly got to her feet. She tried to take a step, but the room spun, and she almost collapsed. The doctor had said that a piece of one tumor had restricted the blood flow to her brain, and that's why she lost consciousness. Thankfully, that piece was dislodged when her head hit the break room floor, but from now until she died, her sense of balance would be severely impaired, and she would have difficulty moving her limbs. With that in mind, Lynn Sr. left the room so that Rita could help Leni get dressed. Leni was escorted in a wheelchair by a kind-hearted nurse to the entrance of the hospital, then her parents helped support her weight as they walked to the van.

The ride back to The Loud House was totally silent aside from Rita's occasional sniffles. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Lynn Sr. sighed heavily.

"I'll go in first to make sure the other kids don't overwhelm Leni," he said sadly. He stepped out of the van and walked through the front door. Leni and Rita waited five minutes before he came back. With her arms looped around her parents' shoulders, Leni, whose limbs still felt like spaghetti, slowly hobbled into the living room. She avoided looking into the eyes of her dead-silent siblings as she collapsed into the armchair. She barely reacted when baby Lily crawled into her lap and grasped the front of her dress. One glance at Lily's pouting, worried face with wide, watering blue eyes, and the dam finally broke.

Leni clutched Lily to her chest as her body was racked with sobs and a river of tears flowed from each of her eyes. One by one, Leni's sisters and brother surrounded her in a group hug, and she cried until she fell asleep in the warmth of their embrace.

...

Leni woke up the next morning feeling like her whole body was made of lead. She was laying on her back in bed, wearing her favorite nightgown (which looked identical to her dress, but was made of a softer material), and propped up slightly with several more pillows than she usually slept with. She turned to the door as Lori walked into the room carrying a tray.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Lori said when she realized that Leni was awake. She set the tray down on the bedside table, revealing a plate with pancakes, eggs, and bacon as well as a mug of coffee prepared just how Leni liked it. "Lincoln and I made you breakfast in bed. I hope you like it."

"Aww, you guys didn't have to do that," Leni protested as Lori helped her sit up before placing the tray in her lap. "I can't move very well anymore, so can you, umm..." Lori picked up on the hint and smiled before cutting Leni's pancakes.

"I know we didn't have to, sis, but we wanted to. Mom and Dad explained everything after Mom put you to bed. Everyone's trying to cope in their own way. I'm pretty sure Lisa's gonna kill herself trying to come up with a cure." Lori's smile fell, and she put down the silverware with a sigh. "Leni, I'm so sorry I haven't been the best big sister lately. Between getting ready for college, my job, and dealing with our crazy family, I've just been so overwhelmed, and I've been taking it out on everyone around me. I'm also sorry for the times I've taken advantage of you, like when I sabotaged your driving test..." Tears were beginning to roll down Lori's cheeks, and she looked up when Leni put her hand on her shoulder.

"Lori, it's okay. I forgive you," Leni told her with her characteristic warm smile. "I forgave you then, and I forgive you now. I decided to forgive everyone who's ever done something like that to me long before now."

"What do you mean by 'everyone'?" Lori asked with a puzzled look, and Leni let out a sigh of her own.

"I'm not that stupid, Lori. I know what everyone thinks about me. You think I don't understand what the cheerleaders say when they think I'm not listening? It hurts, it really does, but I've learned to just ignore it and move on. All that matters to me is that my family and friends will be there for me if and when I need them."

"W-wow, sis. That's literally the most mature thing I've ever heard you say," Lori sniffed.

"Thanks. Now can I eat my breakfast before it gets cold?"

Lori let out a dry chuckle and said, "Be my guest." She turned and started to leave, but stopped when Leni told her to wait.

"I think I need a bath after breakfast. Can you, like, stick around in case I need help?"

"Sure, sis. Whatever you need."

...

Leni sighed in relief as she slid into the warm water of her bubble bath. It had taken both Lori and Luna to help Leni hobble to the bathroom, and she had to put on her ultra-rare "stern face" in order to convince them that she was perfectly capable of drawing a bath by herself (though she politely asked Lori to stay close by in case she needed help during or after said bath). The girls reluctantly left Leni seated on the edge of the bathtub and left, with Lori grabbing the chair from Leni's sewing table to sit just outside the bathroom door.

As Leni shampooed her hair, she let her mind drift to how she was going to break the news to her friends. Herself, Jackie, Mandee, and Fiona were all thick as thieves, so those three would undoubtedly be affected the most. Miguel would try to maintain his suave exterior while tearing himself up on the inside. And Chaz...it was painfully obvious that poor Chaz had had a crush on her for the longest time but was too shy to admit it.

Leni finished scrubbing everything that she thought needed to be scrubbed, then mentally prepared herself for the challenge of attempting to get out of the tub. Fortunately, the previous owner of the house had been an elderly woman with bad hips, so the walls of the shower had handlebars for Leni to grasp and pull herself to a standing position. Actually stepping out of the tub was another matter entirely, though. She got both feet on the bathmat, let go of the handle...and flopped onto her stomach with a startled yelp, landing hard on the tile floor.

"LENI! Are you okay?" Lori cried as she flung open the bathroom door, having come running upon hearing Leni's yelp and the slap of skin on tile.

"I think so. Ouch," Leni replied as Lori helped her sit up and draped the towel over her shoulders.

No doubt about it, the last couple weeks of her life were going to be difficult.