Isla stood in her mother’s kitchen, preparing dinner. She had arrived that afternoon to find her mother lying in bed, barely responsive.

Despite Isla’s concern, her mother refused to go to the hospital, insisting instead that a doctor could attend to her at home. Reluctantly, Isla agreed and called Doctor Charles, their longtime family physician.

As she set the soup on the stove, she poured a glass of water and made her way back to the bedroom. Doctor Charles was already ...