10
“Laura?”
The voice was familiar. It was even a voice she sort of thought she liked, but she wished it would go away. She was so tired…
“Come on, Laura, open your eyes, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart? That couldn’t be anyone she knew.
“Don’t…” The mumble startled her into lifting heavy lids. Had that been her voice? Her mumble? After a few moments, the blur cleared enough for her to recognize Archie. “Archie? What…”
She stopped because with returning consciousness came the awareness she was lying down. In a bed. Had she—had Archie—the heat of embarrassment helped push back the lethargy that had invaded her nethermost parts. She tried to sit up but needed Archie’s help to manage it.
Another mumble turned into a groan.
She pushed her hair off her face and tried to swallow the dust filling
