We know what happened in the hours after she was found — the hospital, the heating pads, the faint pulse, the gradual recovery, talking by noon.

What we do not know — what we cannot know, because there was no monitoring and no witness — is what happened in the six hours between.

What was Jean Hilliard’s body doing in those six hours?

At what rate did her core temperature fall?

Did her heart maintain a consistent 12 beats per minute throughout, or did the rate fluctuate — dropping lower at some points, perhaps dangerously close to stopping, and then recovering slightly?

Did she show any signs of awareness during those hours, any movements or sounds that the cold air around her absorbed without recording?