Aww, I know.
But at the same time, if you are the one writing stories where Nick's kidnapper diagnosing his cancer, maybe that should be a wake-up call? It only came up in the context of realistic vs. entertaining..
. and I bet that story was really entertaining, so if that's what the author was going for, no big deal!
Kinda like me with evil twins and dead characters. I've definitely written my share of ridiculous storylines, so I'm not judging. Just laughing.