"Doctor, what the hell is that … It's not normal, right? It's not normal …"
In this bright clinic consultation room, Kevin Grier was looking at an X-ray image displayed on the doctor's office computer screen. His parents, Sean and Helena, were also looking at it with blank expressions on their faces. Orthopedic doctor Morne Jackson was shocked as well.
This was the latest X-ray of Kevin Greer's right hand. The X-ray revealed the white bones under the skin.
There were 27 bones in a normal hand, 8 carpals, 5 metacarpals, and 14 phalanges.
However, in the X-ray on the computer screen, other than these normal bones, there were also traces of bone-like objects around the bones, nerves, and muscles. They appeared to be loose bodies …
The number of these bones was uncountable. They were densely packed and looked like they were going to join together.
"Yes, this is not normal …" Morne Jackson looked at the X-ray and then at the patient's right hand. The abnormality could be seen with the naked eye. The skin was dark everywhere, but it was not thrombosis, it looked more like pigmentation. The patient could not move his hand freely. The pain was unbearable, and he had taken painkillers.
"You said you played a baseball game three days ago. You threw the ball with your right hand, and it didn't feel right then …" Morne Jackson said thoughtfully.
"Yes." Kevin Greer could not understand what was in his hand. Inflammation?
"Doctor Jackson, my son is a very good pitcher …" Shaun Greer said. "His professor said he has the talent to play in the professional game. If he works hard, he will stand a good chance." Helena nodded. "What's going on?"
"This is very rare, but …" Morne Jackson's heart chilled. This was because FBM had issued a warning to all hospitals and private clinics. "Kevin, other than your right hand, is there anything else that feels wrong with you?"
"Yes …" When Kevin Greer said that, he felt strangely nervous. "My back, my calves … my neck, I …" As he spoke, he reached out to touch the parts of his body. The more he moved, the more it felt like he was being pulled. "My whole body feels sore and tired, but it doesn't hurt …"
He quickly explained as if he was trying to draw a line between his right hand and the rest of his body. "My right hand hurts when I move it, and it will get stuck if I move too much. The other parts are different, it's just sore. I think it's because I haven't slept well for the past few days …"
Shaun and Helena could sense their son's nervousness, so they started to feel nervous too.
If this was a few years ago, or a month ago, they would not be so nervous.
Back then, supernatural powers hadn't shown up as they did recently. They lived on the ignorant island. Even if there was a storm outside the island, they didn't know. They thought that the island was the world, so they lived in peace.
But now, it had only been less than a week since the "Ten Disasters of Egypt", and New York was still being rebuilt.
As long as they turned on their phones, turned on the television, or accessed the internet, they would be flooded with this information.
Those who had been drenched by the bloody rain had developed severe skin infections. Although it was fortunate that they could be treated with current medical methods, and some patients with mild infections had recovered and been discharged, there were also patients with severe infections who died from multiple organ failure caused by the inflammatory storm.
This world had become very dangerous. Or rather, this world had always been this dangerous, but the storm had finally begun to drown this ignorant island.
"Kevin …" Morne Jackson wanted to say something but stopped. He looked at his worried parents again. "Shaun, Helena, the situation might not be that simple. It's not good."
Hearing the doctor's words, the expressions of the Greer family of three changed. Helena prayed to God, and Kevin was a little dazed.
"Kevin's condition, I suspect it's a rare disease called 'Progressive Muscle Ossification'. This disease is very, very rare."
Morne Jackson explained this rare disease to them clearly. After the patient got sick, the soft tissues and muscles of the body would gradually ossify, and finally, the body would become like a living stone sculpture. And after this disease was identified, the number of confirmed cases in the world had not exceeded 1,000 in the past few decades. There was no surgery, no medicine, no treatment.
"No, no …" Kevin Greer mumbled. His voice gradually became agitated, and his face was flushed with excitement. "Doctor, you must be mistaken!"
Forget about playing professional baseball, he could not even live a normal life. He could only live until he was in his forties, unable to walk, unable to move …
Learning supernatural powers, becoming a superhero …
These thoughts flashed through Kevin Greer's mind. In his agitation, Kevin Greer grasped the contradiction in Doctor Jackson's words. "You said this disease is slow, but three days ago I was fine. Now it's only been three days, only three days! Look at what my hand has become. How can it be so fast? "
"Yes." Shaun instantly agreed with his son's words. He asked hopefully, "Doctor Jackson, it can't be that disease, right?"
They were already trying to convince themselves. The incidence rate was 0.5 per million people, and there were less than 1,000 confirmed cases in the past few decades. How could they encounter it now?
"We don't have this hereditary problem in our family," Helena said. "This is the first time I've heard of such a disease."
"Actually, I have to report Kevin's condition to FBM," Morne Jackson said in a serious tone. "A few days ago, FBM issued a warning to the medical world. If there's a suspected case of Progressive Muscular Ossification, we have to report it immediately and let them take over." Morne Jackson said in a serious tone as he explained why he had such a judgment.
Kevin was excited when he heard FBM, but he quickly realized that it was not a good thing that he was associated with FBM.
Shaun and Helena were stunned. Helena's eyes reddened. "Doctor Jackson … what does this mean? Why FBM … "
Actually, they knew the answer themselves.
This disease … what happened to Kevin might be related to supernatural powers and the recent catastrophe.
"It can't be, it can't be …" Kevin Greer suddenly burst into laughter. He shook his head. He thought the diagnosis was ridiculous.
"How could it be me? The last time I went to New York was a few years ago! I didn't do anything, it can't be like this. Doctor Jackson, you must be mistaken … Fiber dysplasia … Ossification, what do you mean by that disease? It can't be … "
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