The orthopedic brain trust poured over his extra-large X-rays, tapping them relentlessly with their expensive fountain pens. They took a lot of pictures (many with the doctors in them holding it up like they were on a hand-smashed themed vacation) and even published in an obscure Swedish hand injury journal. After all the fun was had, they advised Marvin to amputate his hand, especially in those early days of gauze and bedpans and the lovely morphine haze. He almost let them, probably should have. He was dead set on having a reminder then, of what had been done to him, of what he had done to have it happen. Of course, the absence of a hand would have been just as strong a reminder and made life easier in the long run. Lot easier to hide the absence of something rather than something that h
