A doctor pulled us aside.
“Spinal cord injury,” he explained. “Paralysis from the waist down. We don’t expect recovery.”
His mother sobbed. His father stared at the floor.
I went home numb.
My parents were waiting at the kitchen table like they were preparing for a negotiation.
“Sit,” my mom said.
“He was in an accident,” I began. “He can’t walk. I’m going to be at the hospital as much as—”
“This is not what you need,” she interrupted.
“You can find someone healthy.”
I blinked. “What?”
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