A person struggles with a work commitment on their birthday, emphasizing the importance of a promotion. They call Hopkins Hospital for information about a patient named Mary Jane Austen, who is in serious condition. The hospital staff inform them that Mary is stable but not fully recovered yet. The caller, who turns out to be Mary Jane Austen herself, is confused and distressed to learn about her condition from a stranger, rather than from her family. She feels neglected and has to reach out to the hospital to find out about her own health.