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And suddenly, as if waking froie feels a wave of pain—a sickening, inning

The doctor sees her face twisting with pain “Okay, that’s enough for now, Marr Nurse?”

Frangie does not feel the jab of the needle She does feel the way the wave of pain slows and crashes and dribbles down to beco but bubbles and bubbles and

She’s in a bed, not a cot There are sheets beneath her fingertips Soe

It’s dark, but the dark of lights turned do, not the dark of night Above her a bulb burns die

She turns her head Exquisite pain stabs her teh her body A deeper,to dwarf the headache

She sees beds in a roith hers, how many she can’t tell A hospital? A horn reverberates, a far-off,ination? Is it a symptom?

No, she’s on a ship She’s being evacuated That si: her brain still works It’s confused, it’s drugged, but it still works

“Where?” Her first complete word She can hear that it’s an actual word, not a moan

A man’s face swims into view Not a black face, but dark, maybe an Indian, like from India, she isn’t quiteShe refocuses It’s not a quick or automatic process, she has to think about it, to focus

Yes, a dark but not African face

“Well, hello, young miss”

“Hello” A second word

“How are you feeling?”

“Hurts”