I was asleep in total, impenetrable blackness, but I liked it there. My body no longer ached and my injuries were healed. I was comfortable. I was warm.
But after some time, my subconscious became aware of an awful coldness. It also occurred to me that my sense of security was gone. My warmth was gone. The pain crept back in in its place, although it was considerably less than it had been. This was bearable.
But I was so damn cold. Where did my warmth go?
Natalie!
I didn’t think I was dead. I doubted death would be painful after the fact. I was suddenly acutely aware of an unusual soreness in my rib cage, and of the way the skin on my wrists felt so sensitive against the softness of the blanket underneath them.
Natalie! Wake up!
If I wasn’t dead, I didn’t want this blessed nap to
