I sat in court listening to my lawyer go on. Not how I wanted to spend part of the summer when I was twenty-two but I didn't have a choice really. She described the injury I sustained to my hip a few months ago and why it was the fault of the bike manufacturer. The whole thing was supposed to wrap up easily. She sat down and the lawyer for the bike people stood up and started talking.
He mentioned my injury and that it might not be as bad as I claimed. We'd expected this, no worry. But then he said "So let's watch the examination video."
I nudged my lawyer. "You said they were going to just refer to a summery and not show any video."
"That was my understanding," she told me as she stood up and asked to speak to the judge.
The judge waved both lawyers over and the three of them conferred at the bench a while, each of them turning at points to look over at me. I nervously looked at the assembled jury and then at the other folks, including a few work friends, who sat in the public seating.
"Given the nature of the video, I will be asked the public to leave and close this courtroom," the judge said after some thought. It wasn't great, I didn't want the jury, or hell, my lawyer, to see the video either, but at least it wasn't as bad as it could be.
My lawyer came back and sat next to me.
"Bruce," she said quietly, "I'm sorry."
I just nodded.
They wheeled in a big TV and I wilted inside. The video started.
In it I was in a hospital gown, sitting on an exam table, and my doctor talked to me. I'd never seen the video, though I knew it was being recorded, so I hadn't been sure what angle it would have.
A perfect one, it turned out. Me, center framed, a slight angle so my doctor could be seen as well.
"Ok, Bruce," my doctor said in the video, "vital signs are normal, now I need to inspect the hip itself."
In the video I nodded.
"Please raise your gown for me."
Oh God.