XVII.

The older daughter they met earlier was sitting on the bed next to the sick woman. Gertrude was drenched in sweat. Her skin seemed incredibly thin, all veins were visible through it. The stank of urine reminded Stuart of the wounded soldiers incapable to control their digestive system after the shocks they were exposed to.

"It was my father's idea to bring you here", the girl, whose name, according to Regina, was Isabel, said. "I think it's insane. My mother is sick and she doesn't know what she's saying!" Her eyes were filled with tears. "But our family's been through so much pain lately. We don't know what to do. First the little one, then our mother..."