A Little Medicine and a Little Neeb
- It's 1986 and the family is overjoyed to have Lia back. Naturally, the first thing they do is "bolster her health by sacrificing a cow" (9.3). Naturally.
- The Hmong, like many other ethnic groups, are faced with a great deal of scrutiny over their propensity toward animal sacrifice. Some states even try to ban the practice, though that rarely lasts. Hey, you try to keep a happy family away from their cows.
- As the weeks go on, the family can tell that Lia's brain has slowed down. This leads them to give her more traditional Hmong remedies than ever before.
- Though they now trust Neil and Peggy even less, Nao Kao and Foua have become close with Jeanine Hilt. Jeanine had been disowned by her own family after they learned that "she lived with a lesbian partner," so she's very grateful to spend time with the Lees (9.16). They don't dress her up as a Hmong bride, though.
- One day, while at a school for children with special needs, Lia falls off a swing and has a major seizure. She's rushed to the hospital, where the doctors learn that the Lees are finally giving Lia the right amount of medication. So at least there's that.
- But the whole experience is a disaster—Lia even catches an infection at the hospital. Although she's released after a few days, she ends up right back in the hospital three weeks later. And with that cliffhanger, we go to…