Consciousness returned slowly, like surfacing from deep water. The first thing I noticed was the antiseptic smell that meant medical facilities, followed by the soft beeping of monitoring equipment and the feel of crisp hospital linens against my skin.
My mouth felt like cotton, and my head throbbed with the kind of dull ache that suggested I’d been unconscious for hours. When I tried to sit up, the room spun slightly, forcing me to remain flat against the pillows.
“Easy,” a familiar voice said from somewhere to my right. “Don’t try to move too quickly.”
I turned my head carefully and found Alexander sitting in a chair beside my bed, looking like he’d been there for hours. His white dress shirt was wrinkled and partially untucked, his tie was loosened around his neck, and his usually pe
