When she learned about the blistered palms, Clara turned her face toward the pillow.

“I should have called earlier,” she said.

The doctor asked about the episodes she had mentioned in the note, the onset of symptoms, and what she remembered before collapsing.

He needed an accurate history, not a confession.

Clara answered what she could.

Where memory failed, she said so.

The medical team continued its assessment.

The sudden postpartum complication and severe dehydration had required urgent care, and recovery was expected to take more than one encouraging morning.