The pediatrician, Dr.

Patel, arrived with a neonatal nurse.

She examined the baby carefully, explained that the finding could indicate a spinal condition, and arranged imaging and a specialist assessment.

She did not announce a diagnosis from across the room.

She did not make promises about walking or surgery or what a child might need in twenty years.

“We will learn what we can, step by step,” she said.

“Right now the important thing is that she is stable and that we care for her safely.”