Mabel's fever broke on the third day.
I came home from the follow-up appointment with medication, a revised feeding schedule, and a bill that made me wince. Dr. Vale said Mabel was improving, but she wanted to see her again if her appetite dropped. I paid the bill with the money I had set aside for a weekend trip with June.
I didn't mind losing the trip. I minded the bill because it reminded me how quickly a small emergency could make a careful budget feel fictional.
At the lab, the Cedar Hollow review was still open. Nina had preserved the system records and asked the instrument vendor to check the 3:46 calibration log. Dr. Hsu had sent a message saying he had not approved the final report in the way Dana's note implied. He had reviewed the draft result but had not seen the original in
