125. Mate

Everything hurts. There is nothing in my body that is untouched by pain.

I hear voices around me and I don't entirely care if they are nurses or people who think of themselves as being close to me, but I don't want to wake up yet. The pain is too much and my mind slips back into nothingness.

***

I think... I think it's later. I might have died. But the pain that still clings to my body is still sharp and very much present. The voices around have changed. And I can feel a warm touch that squeezes my hand. I can feel lips pressed against my knuckles. I can feel a soft breath brush against my skin.

A rush of tingles wafts under my skin and makes me feel slightly more alive as it pools energy into my chest, making my heart flutter slightly. My eyes slowly open and I try to blink away the haze from my eyes.

I try to remember what happened. I try to remember the last thing I remember, but my memory is too foggy right now.

I was certain I was in a hospital. Have I given birth? Was I even ali