“ There, ” Geri said, satisfied. “ Canal’s open. Ferry’s running again. Now for the love of all that is sterile, do not use those drops again without checking the expiration date. And tell Claire the soup idea was good. We’re starving in here. ”

“It sounds like you’re talking through a pillow,” Daniel groaned. He tapped the side of his head. A dull, thudding echo replied. The pressure was immense. He couldn’t pop them. He couldn’t yawn them open. He was living in a muted, underwater world.

She was scrolling on her phone. “No.”

She stared at him for a long second, then shrugged and walked to the kitchen. “You’re weird when you’re sick.”

She blinked. “Why?”

“Good enough,” Daniel muttered. “Clogged is clogged.”

But Geri was not done. “ Listen, since you’re finally medicating, let me give you the tour. Your left ear? That’s where we keep the backup wax. It’s fine. But your right ear—the one you just dropped into—that’s the industrial district. We’ve got a pressure buildup behind your eardrum that could launch a small seed. ”