Need Nurse and for book research

Why does he have to be shot in the head? You could have him shot in the chest, and have a much more believable scenario, or the back if he's running away. Lots of blood, the bullet could realistically lodge in the body causing the need for the immediate life saving surgery you want. Little to no deficits depending on where it hits, and far shorter recovery time.

Someone will probably disagree with this advice, but my suggestion is, if you don't know much about guns and ammo, it's safer to keep things vague and generic, so you don't risk getting the details wrong. Unless you're writing a police or medical report, for example, you don't really need to specify what kind of gun is used, or what caliber it was.

If you do decide to get specific, make sure you get a knowledgeable beta-reader to look the story over. Find someone who knows about guns and ammo, so they can read the scene and find any mistakes. That's what I did when I had to write a scene at a shooting range. I got most of the scene right, but there were a couple of details I got wrong. If I hadn't had a good beta-reader, those mistakes would still be in the novel.

NeuroGlide said:

You mean caliber, right? Not an autocannon round, right?

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Awww come on! It was midnight. I realized what I'd done as soon as I saw the message show up and I fixed it! You're not supposed to be looking at this board at midnight!! I get extra grace time to fix stupid mistakes at midnight, darn it!

ULTRAGOTHA said:

Awww come on! It was midnight. I realized what I'd done as soon as I saw the message show up and I fixed it! You're not supposed to be looking at this board at midnight!! I get extra grace time to fix stupid mistakes at midnight, darn it!

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I gave you a smilely. Better?

Zanystarr said:

I want him shot in the head because I want there to be absolutely no doubt that the shooter was trying to kill him. If he was shot in the back, or the chest, then it's possible the shooter could lie in court and say that the gun accidentally went off or something. I want there to be absolutely no doubt of what the shooter was trying to do, but also have the boy be extremely lucky that he survived without permanent damage.

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Shooters aim center mass, i.e. middle of the largest part. A head shot on a fleeing target is more luck than skill. And it's standard practice to assume that shooting a target means you want it dead. You want lucky, bullet comes to rest against the aorta, the main blood vessel exiting the heart. I recommend keeping it a .22LR. A 12-year old doesn't have the mass to absorb a 9 mm/.45 ACP.

NeuroGlide said:

I gave you a smilely. Better?

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Thank you. That makes it all better.

NeuroGlide said:

Shooters aim center mass, i.e. middle of the largest part. A head shot on a fleeing target is more luck than skill. And it's standard practice to assume that shooting a target means you want it dead.

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Not to mention it's just as easy to claim the gun went off my mistake with a head wound as with a body wound.

I like your aorta scenario. But if the OP is enamored of a head shot, a graze along one side will be gory and concussiony and lucky enough for what s/he wants me thinks. Though not with a 9mm.

Zanystarr said:

I want him shot in the head because I want there to be absolutely no doubt that the shooter was trying to kill him. If he was shot in the back, or the chest, then it's possible the shooter could lie in court and say that the gun accidentally went off or something. I want there to be absolutely no doubt of what the shooter was trying to do, but also have the boy be extremely lucky that he survived without permanent damage.

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Yeah, I agree that your justification for "needing" it to be a head shot is weak.

If you shoot someone, the cops and prosecutors are going to view it that you intended to do it, and that you intended for the victim to die.

Yes, the shooter could aim for the body and then lie in court and claim it was an accident, but any jury would laugh at that. And, he could make the same lie even if the bullet hit the victim in the head. Again, no one is likely to believe it, but the fact the victim was hit in the head doesn't really "prove" anything.

If you need your character shot in the head, have him shot in the head. But, the reasons you stated that you need him shot in the head don't really make any sense from a story point of view or a real life point of view.

In other words, don't worry about "he could lie" affecting where you have the victim shot. Have the victim shot wherever works best for your story in terms of the medical results you need.