The fever left her weak for several days after it broke, her body moving with the careful deliberation of someone relearning their own strength. She found herself needing to rest after simple tasks that would normally require no thought at all—climbing the stairs left her slightly breathless, carrying a basket of laundry made her arms shake, even standing at the kitchen sink to wash dishes required breaks that frustrated her more than she cared to admit.
But by the time she was steady on her feet again, moving through their daily routines without the constant awareness of her own fragility, she felt a different kind of restlessness settling into her bones. The harvest was nearly finished, the vineyard humming with the quiet satisfaction that came from full barrels and the knowledge of wor
