He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a light squeeze. “I know you have, honey. Soon enough, we’ll hear what he’s got to say.”

The mantel clock sitting on the doctor’s desk continued ticking, and just about when Frank thought he was going to lose his mind waiting, the door to the office opened, and Dr. Montgomery walked in. Before he could say a word, Megan blurted, “How are the x-rays?”

The elderly doctor held up a large brown envelope with “X-Ray Media” printed diagonally on it. “Let’s take a look.” He strode to the far wall of his office, flipped a switch, and part of the wall began shining brightly. He pulled out two x-rays and slid them onto the light wall.

Frank felt an iron band wrapped around his chest as he waited for the doctor’s verdict. He tried to keep his breathing steady, but his nerves were getting the best of him.

The doctor pointed to the x-ray on the left. “This is your left knee when you first came to me.” He traced his finger along the edges of the bone. “You can see the swelling under your periosteum, and frankly, it didn’t look promising.”

Turning his gaze to the other x-ray, Frank wasn’t sure what to make of the odd black-and-white image.

The doctor pointed at a similar spot in the second film and said, “This is the same knee, imaged today. And Mr. O’Reilly, I’m not sure how to tell you this, but…”

Frank pried Megan’s death grip off of his bicep and held her hand.

The doctor shook his head and tapped on the most recent x-ray image. “Damned if I know how, but the swelling is completely gone. I just don’t see anything out of the ordinary. In fact, you look like you’ve got the bones of a twenty-year-old.”

Frank felt the iron band across his chest loosen just a bit. “But what about the other x-rays?”

The doctor turned off the light wall and hitched his thumb toward the door. “We see the same thing in every one. The reason I took so long was because I was staring at all of your films in disbelief. If I hadn’t taken all those images myself, I’d swear you’re trying to pull a fast one on me.”

Megan sobbed and wrapped her arms around Frank’s chest. Frank kissed the top of her head. He was holding back tears himself.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Dr. Montgomery said, “where’d you get your treatment done?”

“Oh. The VA had some trial thing going.”