Chapter 4 - I was not pretending to need the wheelchair
By evening, someone had already told a reporter that I had:
“jumped out of a wheelchair.”
The story became:
MAFIA BOSS FAKES DISABILITY IN HOTEL STING.
False.
I hated it.
My orthopedic surgeon hated it more.
“You stood up and slapped someone?”
“Yes.”
“How many steps?”
“Four?”
“You are not cleared for four angry steps.”
Apparently anger steps counted differently.
My physical therapist examined me the next morning.
No new fracture.
Increased swelling.
One irritated nerve.
Three days back in strict wheelchair use.
Maeve had not exposed a disguise.
Dominic had not been the target of an undercover test.
I was injured.
Recovering.
I could walk short distances.
Those facts existed together.
Miriam insisted we issue a brief statement because disability advocates were already criticizing the idea of a powerful man using a wheelchair as a costume.
She was right.
The statement said:
Mr. Romano is undergoing documented rehabilitation following serious orthopedic injuries and uses mobility equipment according to medical need. His ability to stand briefly does not mean the chair is unnecessary.
That was all.
I did not release medical images.
Did not owe strangers my pelvis.
Still, the incident taught me something I should have known.
People treat disability like a binary.
Walk.
Or wheelchair.
Reality is messier.
Maeve understood before adults did.
“You can walk and need chair.”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
May you like
Done.
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