The chapter opens with a conversation between Aramis and his daughter-in-law, Anna. Aramis tells Anna that his son wants to go work with him at the hospital. Anna tells him to leave it to her, but Aramis says he'll need her help looking after his son. When she asks him what he thinks, he tells her that the head of the emergency department came to the hospital the day before to check on his son and that he's not around. He tells her to give him a call when she's awake. He also tells her not to disturb the other patients in the hospital, because they're all suffering from the same thing. When he asks her what she wants, she tells him that she wants her son to live a good life. She also tells him not to worry about the hospital's reputation, because the hospital has already followed proper treatment procedures for her son.