Patel explained the uncertainties without pretending that certainty was available: the potential for lasting weakness, the risks of surgery, the tests that would follow, and the possibility of rehabilitation lasting months.

She was careful not to predict the outcome.

I appreciated that.

Hope felt more honest when nobody tried to package it as a guarantee.

Callum asked technical questions in the clipped rhythm of a physician.

He knew all the names of instruments and all the reasons a surgeon might change course.

Then Dr.

Patel asked him what mattered most to him after treatment.