Page 2 — The X-Ray That Shut Everyone Up
Dr. Chen held his phone up so the whole circle could see.
An X-ray filled the screen.
“This is Marcus’s lumbar spine,” he said, clinical and calm. “L4 and L5.”
He zoomed in.
“These are rods. These are screws. This is a spinal fusion.”
No one spoke.
Because you can argue with a person.
You can’t argue with metal bolted into someone’s body.
Dr. Chen kept going, like he was teaching a class.
“The reason he can stand during physical therapy is because we train short distances with support. That’s rehab. Not a miracle.”
