Eighteen Hours

PIPER’S POV

The first thing I noticed was the light.

It was too bright, white and sharp and relentless and it felt like it was drilling straight into my skull. I groaned softly and squeezed my eyes shut, my head throbbing in protest.

My mouth tasted metallic and dry, like I’d been chewing pennies in my sleep. This is a hospital, a distant part of my brain told me gently. I tried to move, and pain