“Thirsty.”

“That doesn’t make sense to me. You’ve swallowed at least eighty percent of my bloodstream.”

“Until all the anesthetic has been eliminated, she mustn’t drink,” Dr. Soldevila explained.

“Piece of cake, you’ll see,” Fermín remarked. “Cleansing the body of anesthetics is like shedding a few years of Catholic school: free your nether regions a bit, and the rest will follow.”

Dr. Soldevila threw him a poisonous look. “Try not to tire the patient with such filth, if that’s not too much to ask.”

“The silence of the grave will be observed,” Fermín declared, crossing himself to make the point.

Dr. Soldevila grunted. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Until then, you’d better take turns. At the slightest sign of a fever, inflammation, or infection, come and fetch me. Day or night. Who’s going to take the first turn? Not you, Fermín—I can see you coming.”

Bea spoke first. “I’ll stay,” she said in a tone that made it very clear that this was not open to debate. “Fermín, I left Julián with Sofía, but I’m not too happy about it because he always gets his way with her. I’ve called Bernarda and asked her to come around and keep an eye on him. You can use our bedroom. I’ve left clean sheets on the chest of drawers, and Bernarda knows where everything is. Daniel will sleep on the sofa.”

Daniel glanced at his wife, but kept his mouth shut.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the little one sleeps like a log. A dash of brandy and honey in his milk will work wonders.”

“Don’t even dream of giving my son any alcohol. And for goodness sake don’t talk to him about politics, because then he goes around repeating everything.”

“Yes, ma’am. Information power cut decreed sine die.”

“Bea, remember the antibiotic injections. Every four hours,” said the doctor.

Fermín grinned innocently at Alicia. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Doña Bea, who may seem a bit of a dragon today, gives injections like an angel. Her father is diabetic, you see, and although there is nothing sweet about him, she became so skillful at pricking, she’d be the envy of those panther mosquitoes on the Nile, or whatever those bugs are called in that part of the world. She learned to give injections as a child, since there was no one else in the family who dared, and now she pricks us all, me included, considering I’m a difficult patient because I have steel buttocks and I bend all the needles due to my muscular tension.”

“Fermín!” Bea shouted.

Fermín performed a military salute and winked at Alicia. “Well, my dear vamp, I leave you in good hands. Try not to bite anyone. I’ll be back in the morning. Pay attention to everything Señora Bea tells you, and if possible try not to die.”

“I’ll do my best. Thanks for everything, Fermín. Once again.”

“Don’t remind me. Come on, Daniel. Looking dumbfounded won’t speed up the healing process.”

Fermín left, dragging Daniel behind him.