The ER doctor returns with preliminary bloodwork results for Alice. Most numbers look fine, but her cholesterol is high and her CRP (C-reactive protein) is elevated, which can flag potential heart involvement. Rocky and Willa initially mishear it as CPR, and the doctor patiently explains the term.

To Rocky's shock, Alice and Mort calmly acknowledge that Alice already has heart disease—a faulty valve scheduled for elective replacement—and had not disclosed this to the paramedics. Rocky becomes increasingly upset, feeling that her parents have been hiding important medical information from her, while Nick tries to calm her with a tender touch. Alice insists they would have told her 'when the time was right.'

The doctor reassures them that, in the immediate term, the diagnosis remains heat and dehydration, and no acute cardiac testing is necessary. She advises rest, water, and Gatorade, and says she will follow up with Alice's home doctor if anything else arises. Rocky, suddenly aware of Willa overhearing everything, suppresses further questions to shield her daughter from worry.

Once the doctor leaves, Alice briskly asks Mort to help her dress so they can head out. In the parking lot, Willa drily observes that the week has been 'very revelatory,' and Rocky agrees, underscoring the chapter's theme of long-buried family secrets surfacing.