If she’s the only woman in the world, it’s equally true that I’m the only man, Birk thought, a little self-confidence restored. Glancing at his reflection full length in the mirror once more, he added, Looked at from that standpoint, I’m not half bad.
***
The next time Michi awoke, she felt much better. There was still the numbness in her abdomen, still the shortness of breath, but her mind was clearer than it had been the first time. She remembered the confusion she’d felt before and the mental fog that had clouded all her actions. Now it was as though she’d awakened from an ordinary sleep, and she could spend more energy to consider her problem.
Though the memories of that previous occasion were hazy, she was almost positive she had been in a different room than this one. The walls be
