“That went beautifully,” the nurse said, checking the wound on my side. I winced, but not from any present pain. That was minimal. I reviewed the sensory input I’d automatically stored while under anesthesia. In line with the nurse’s probes, I dipped into saved nerve clusters firing during different parts of the surgery. A small incision in my stomach, far to the right. Hot fire sparked. And then, an hour or so into it, the real reason Dr. Kelly had taken me on as a patient. The sudden, lower pain originated right beneath my testicles. My eyes popped open. A soft, mewling wail escaped. The
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