The bullet also went through the bridge of his nose/sinuses before lodging in his cheek, he'd never have been able to utter words clear enough for her to understand if he could have spoken at all. I sure wish JM had asked Dr. Horn about that.
As much as I admire JM's intelligence and mastery of the facts, I wished many, many times that he'd allowed more time for the truth to sink in before moving right along at the very brisk pace he prefers.