The pumpkin ball fired from the shotgun struck Mouse in the left shoulder, shattering the bone. The slug ricoched around and passed through his lung, before coming to rest against his spinal cord. The injury, at the sixth thoracic vertebrae or mid back, would ensure that if and when he came out of the coma, he would at least have use of his hands.

Coma is diagnosed by the absence of motor, eye opening, and verbal responses. Indwelling catheters are usually placed inside of coma patients, as well as those with spinal cord injuries. These pencil thick tubes insure the continued elimination of urine, collecting in a plastic Foley bag tied to the rail of the bed for all to see. The input and output of fluids are strictly monitored, the results taped to the wall. Bowel movements are monitored for frequency and texture.

Mouse lay with a tube in his pee hole and a big, lonely diaper wrapped around his ass. Stool softeners, suppositories, and enemas were used to try and coax a mud flood from the immobile Mouse, but so far to no avail. A therapist did range of motion exercises on him daily to keep his muscles and joints as limber as possible.

His family visited, but he didn't know. In his deep sleep, Mouse knew nothing of the goings on around him. The only thing alive and well about him was his pecker. Even with the catheter, it got hard many times a day, which impressed family members and hospital personnel alike.

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