Ethan made a full recovery, though “full” is a deceptive word. Physically, he healed. The incision scar faded from angry red to pale silver. The drains came out. The IV antibiotics ended. The abdominal tenderness resolved. He returned to class, finished his master’s degree, and later went to work for the EPA doing environmental impact assessments for development projects. He still wore his hair long. He still had the tattoos and piercings. He still looked exactly like himself, which I considered a kind of victory. But there were things the body did not record and the chart did not close. He became anxious about doctors. He flinched when people in authority sounded dismissive. He learned, in his early twenties, that pain can be real and still denied by the person paid to relieve it. That lesson leaves residue.