This time when Leo went in to see the people in the white coats, they had masks on, which scared Leo. Dr. Rijkaard took off his mask when Leo was strapped to the table so he won’t point that the numbers anymore.
“Leo, buddy, I want you to read all the numbers for me. Can you do that?”
Leo nodded slowly and did what he was told. While he was reading them, the people in the coats and masks murmured to each other, “What could the numbers possibly mean?” After he was done, they gave him a shot that made him really sleepy, like hot cocoa at his abuela’s did. He woke up hours later to world of hurt but at least he wasn’t strapped down anymore.
The next day, Leo left with his mother. Dr. Rijkaard stood with them as they signed out at the front desk and said, “We’ll call you in a week to discuss the final diagnosis and treatment.”
When Leo got home and looked into the mirror while he was brushing his teeth, he saw a huge jagged scar near his hairline. He began to cry. And he still saw the numbers above his mother’s head.