Chapter 7: Depth of Field
The grafting decision came in the second week.
Lena explained the percentages, the donor sites, the expected timeline for infection risk and mobility. I signed the consents with a hand that still trembled only from pain medication, not from doubt. The surgery was scheduled. The legal calendar did not pause for it.
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Marcus reported that the kitchen footage had been enhanced and time-stamped against Daniel’s initial statement to the responding officers. The contradictions were no longer interpretive. They were sequential. Vivian’s recorded words about dinner and embarrassment sat in the same exhibit list as the financial conversations from the previous year. The detectives requested a follow-up interview with Daniel under caution. His counsel delayed. Delay was noted.
I spent the days between dressing changes reviewing redacted summaries Marcus brought. Every entry was familiar; I had lived the collection of them. Seeing the same material organized under case numbers rather than hidden folders produced a cold satisfaction that required no smile. The cage they built had been measured from the inside. Now the measurements belonged to people who did not need my performance of fragility to keep working.
