“Discretion is not an answer.”
“No,” Paloma said. “It is often the place where answers are buried.”
Miguel began to fuss in the corridor.
Esperanza opened the door, and Sister Lucía brought him in.
The baby settled as soon as Esperanza held him.
Mother Caridad watched her.
“Do you still believe these children were sent to you as miracles?”
Esperanza ran one finger along Miguel’s cheek.
“I believe every child can be received as a gift,” she said. “But perhaps I used the word miracle because I was afraid to ask what had been taken from my memory.”
Doctor Paloma looked stricken.
“Nothing was taken deliberately.”
Esperanza lifted her gaze.
“Then why can I not remember?”
“You were ill. You were given sedatives during treatment. Later, you suffered episodes of confusion.”
“Three years later?”
“No.”
The doctor’s answer was too quick.
Mother Caridad heard it.
“So there were no sedatives before Tomás was conceived?”
