Helen's come to see the doctor, who's surprised she's there, since Kevin isn't due for a while: "Everything all right?" She says it's fine. Doc: "Oh, yeah, that's convincing." He offers her some coffee. I don't know what kind of kick-ass HMO she's got where the doctors offer coffee, but I have probably had doctor visits in my life numbering in three digits, and never has a doctor offered me anything to drink. Helen says she probably could have just phoned. She tells him about Kevin's dream, and how his legs were hurting when he woke up. Doc says it's neuropathic pain, and "pretty textbook." Helen knows, but she says there's this one thing that's never come up. After all the tests had been done, "Dr. Slater told us Kevin would be paralyzed from the waist down because of the spinal cord injury. He said it's the saddest thing in the world to tell someone their son won't walk again." Doc agrees there's no good way to say that. Helen says she remembers thinking, "He didn't actually say Kevin will never walk again." She gives the doctor a warm, hopeful smile. Ah, she's overly literal, like me. Give it up, lady. Trust me on this. The doctor leans forward and says in a serious but not mean way, as the smile fades from her face, "Helen, Kevin's back was broken in three places. When the vertebrae collapsed, the nerves were damaged, the cord itself was compressed. The circulation was denied to that area, which rendered that part of his spinal cord essentially dead. He will never walk again. Ever." In a small, sad voice, she says, "I guess I just needed to hear it." The doctor understands. She thanks him and leaves, but she stops at the door: "'Essentially.'" He looks up. "You said, 'essentially dead.'" Seriously, Helen. You'll make yourself crazy. I know from experience. The doctor asks: "You want a number, don't you?" Wouldn't they have asked for that at the time of the injury? Wouldn't they have already gone through all the "is there any hope" stuff? The doctor "strongly advise[s] against it." Helen doesn't say anything. The doctor relents, and says, "Two percent chance that he'll walk again." Helen takes that in, sighs a bit, and thanks him.