"I don't understand," Sophia whispered. "My mom is perfectly healthy—there's no way she has a brain tumor. There must be some mistake."
The doctor sighed deeply, "I'm afraid this isn't a new discovery—according to our files, the patient has known about the tumor for a while."
"What?" Sophia gasped.
"I wasn't the attending doctor the last time the patient was here," the doctor said. "But I've studied her files, and it appears that the last time she came to the hospital with a head injury, the doctor noted the growth of a tumor. It says in the file that the patient refused further treatment and was discharged later that day."
"Oh my god," Sophia whispered. "Could the tumor cause headaches?"
"Very likely, yes," the doctor answered.
"I can't believe it," Sophia said. "I've been so blind. How could I have been so blind?"
"What are you talking about?" Catherine asked, taking her friend's trembling hands in her own.
