November 5 2019
The Next Morning – 6:42 AM | Pediatric Radiology, Memorial General
AJ stood behind the radiology tech, arms crossed tight across her chest.
Her eyes never left the screen as the last few MRI sequences loaded.
**Coronal. Sagittal. Axial.**
She had looked at thousands of scans in her career—vascular bleeds, low-grade gliomas, malformed temporal lobes, phantom lesions—but this...
This was Mateo's brain.
Every pixel meant something different now.
Behind her,Dr. Ryan Lee the pediatric neuro-radiologist, cleared his throat gently.
Ryan - There's a lesion. Right temporal lobe. Focal cortical dysplasia, possibly Type IIa
AJ said nothing. Her jaw tightened. He continued, soft but professional.
Ryan- It's subtle. Likely the source of the seizure activity. And... probably not the last one
---
Pediatric Room – 7:15 AM
Mateo was awake now, groggy but smiling when he saw her. He reached up toward her, babbling softly.
AJ didn't cry. She just sat beside him and kissed his forehead, gently brushing back the wires from his scalp.
Dave came in a moment later, coffee in hand. One look at AJ's face, and he knew.
Dave - What is it?
he asked quietly.
AJ turned, her voice low and clinical. It was the only way she knew how to say it.
AJ- Focal cortical dysplasia. It's a malformation in the way his brain tissue developed. It's small... but enough.
Dave sat down slowly.
Dave- Meaning?
AJ - Meaning it explains the seizures
she said, her voice cracking.
Aj- And he's probably going to have more. Maybe infrequent. Maybe often. Meds might control it—but not always. In some cases, if they don't work...
She didn't finish the sentence.
Dave didn't make her.
Dave- Can he still...
he paused, voice catching.
Dave- Live a normal life?
AJ finally looked at him.
AJ - We'll define what *normal* is for him. Together.
---
Neuro Floor – Later That Morning
Word had spread quietly. Lexie, April, Parker, and Ben were already at work, but they moved differently—watching the board closely, jumping on charts before they hit AJ's desk.
Lexie caught her near the break room.
Lexie - How's he doing?
AJ hesitated.
AJ - Tired. Confused.
Lexie -And you and your husband
AJ gave a tired half-smile.
AJ - Functioning. And he's my fiancée
Lexie looked at her with quiet understanding.
Lexie - I'd like to be there when you tell the team. The Neuro kids... they respect you. But they *care*, too.
AJ nodded once.
AJ -I'm not ready for the story version yet. Just the science.
---
Meeting Room – 11:02 AM | Informal Staff Briefing
AJ stood in front of her team—interns, nurses, even Camilla and Dr. Shepard—and said the hardest words of her career.
AJ- My son, Mateo, had a seizure last night. MRI confirmed a focal cortical dysplasia in his right temporal lobe. It's a stable lesion, but it's epileptogenic. He'll begin anti-epileptic medication today.
The room was silent.
AJ cleared her throat.
Aj -I'm not stepping away. But I'll need coverage some nights, especially after we start titration. Camilla and I will coordinate the schedule.
Camilla gave a small nod beside her.
Camilla - We've got you
April's voice broke the silence.
April- Dr. Sanchez... we're with you. However you need.
Ben added
Ben- You don't have to carry both jobs alone.
AJ's lips parted, just slightly. It wasn't quite a smile. But it was close.
---
AJ's Office – Later That Afternoon
She sat alone for a few moments after everyone left. A framed picture of Mateo in his Halloween costume sat on the edge of her desk now.
She looked at it for a long time.
Then, finally, she let the tears fall.
Not because she didn't know what to do.
But because for once in her life—doing everything right still didn't mean she could protect him.
---
