Page 92 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie

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“…responsive…”

Not familiar.

Another beep. A longer tone. Sharp. Urgent. The light above me flickers, or maybe my vision is stuttering in and out. I try to open my mouth, except it’s too dry. Like sandpaper. My lips won’t part. My tongue is stuck to my teeth.

Shadows float above me. Is someone here? Hovering. Watching.

Icy chills race down the side of my body. My nose itches but I can’t scratch it. More shadows. Voices getting louder. The sensations are overwhelming. I blink. I think.

Slowly, the world rearranges itself in blurs. White walls. A ceiling grid. Tubes everywhere. Shapes. I chase them with my mind, try to name things. Words slide out of reach.

Is this real?

I don’t know where I am.

I don’t know who I am.

No—I do. I know…my name.

Stevie.

Stevie Hayes.

The recollection echoes strangely. Like I’m saying it underwater. Like the name belongs to someone else.

It’s not enough. A name is a label on a box with nothing inside. I dig deeper, trying to follow the thread. The second I find a grip, pain comes roaring in behind it.

Sharp. Searing. A scream against bone.

My ribs clench. My thigh burns. My chest feels like it’s caved in. The pain doesn’t localize—it swells. Expands. Spreads to places I didn’t know could hurt.

I gasp helplessly.

At least I think I do. My throat convulses, dry and raw, like it’s been scraped clean. Nothing comes out but a rasp that doesn’t sound human.

Suddenly, I’m aware every inch of my body has been ripped into jagged little pieces.

A weight against my left leg.

A tightness around my chest.

Something attached to my face.

Panic creeps in before the thoughts can keep up.

I try to move.

I can’t.

I want to scream.

I can’t.

My heart kicks, and the beeping beside me accelerates like it knows what I’m feeling. Another sound—closer now. Someone rushing in.

No lots of people surrounding me.

“Her pulse is up—she’s agitated.”

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