Chapter summary
Chapter 2
Jet opens her eyes in a bright, white hospital room, disoriented and in pain. Her mother, Dianne, and father are at her bedside, along with her brother Luke, who rushes in after hearing her cry. The family struggles to understand her condition as Jet tries to sit up, tangled in tubes and sheets. Dr. Lee, a neurosurgeon, enters with a file and confirms Jet’s identity, explaining that she has been in the ICU for about thirty‑six hours after being brought in comatose with an Glasgow Coma Scale of 8. Dr. Lee details the injuries: a subdural hematoma on the left side, three blows to her head—a left‑side impact and two hits to the back of her skull—resulting in a longitudinal fracture of the occipital bone and a rare clivus fracture. A small bone fragment has lodged against the wall of her basilar artery. The doctor shows Jet a CT scan highlighting the fragment. She explains that removing the fragment would require an almost impossible surgery because of its deep location and proximity to the artery; leaving it may allow it to migrate later but carries risk. Dr. Lee then reveals Jet’s pre‑existing polycystic kidney disease, which weakens arterial walls, making her especially vulnerable: the fragment’s pressure will almost certainly cause an aneurysm that could rupture and be fatal. She estimates that, given the circumstances, the aneurysm will develop within days to a week and will likely be fatal if untreated. Dr. Lee offers a high‑risk operation to remove the fragment; the surgeon who performed the initial procedure, Dr. Fuller, refused to attempt the removal, so Dr. Lee would be the only one willing. The survival odds for the surgery are less than ten percent. Jet, faced with the choice of dying soon from the inevitable aneurysm or risking a near‑certain death on the operating table, hesitates while her family reacts with grief and fear, each expressing sorrow and guilt. The chapter ends with Jet contemplating the decision, aware that her life may end within a week unless she opts for the dangerous surgery.