Since Mark is already dealing with those four injections, let’s look at a scene where he’s back in the exam room a few days later for a follow-up.

​Leo is checking to see if those "heavy hitters" actually did their

​Mark sat on the exam table, looking significantly less like a human strawberry than he did three days ago. The swelling around his eyes had gone down, but he still looked exhausted.

​Leo walked in, skipping the greeting and going straight for the medical chart. "Still alive, I see. Did you manage to sleep, or were you too busy writing a dramatic will by candlelight?"

​"I slept," Mark grumbled. "But I still feel like I'm wearing a wool sweater made of bees."

​Leo put on his gloves. "Let’s see the damage. I want to check for secondary infections."

​

​Leo began inspecting the welts on Mark’s arms and legs, his tone shifting between genuine medical concern and childhood-friend snark:

​"Good, the blisters aren't oozing anymore. On Tuesday, you were basically a leaky faucet. If they start putting out yellow pus, that’s an infection—not just your body hating nature."

"The edema has definitely retreated. Your ankles actually look like ankles again instead of overstuffed sausages."

"The margins are shrinking. Those steroid shots I gave you—the ones you cried over—clearly did the trick. The medicine is systemic now, so it's fighting the urushiol from the inside out."

​"So, no more shots?" Mark asked hopefully, watching Leo's hands closely.

​"Not today," Leo said, tossing the gloves into the bin. "The oral Prednisone should carry you the rest of the way. But if you start seeing red streaks climbing up your arms, or if you run a fever, you’re coming back in. And I’ll have the big needles ready."

​Mark stood up, gingerly adjusting his shirt. "You really enjoy this, don't you?"

​"Mark," Leo said, patting him on the shoulder as he ushered him toward the door, "watching my best friend get defeated by a plant is the highlight of my fiscal year. Take your pills, stay out of the woods, and I’ll see you at the BBQ. I’m bringing ribs; try not to be allergic to the sauce."