Chapter 6

Pain registered long before I fully regained consciousness, radiating through my body in crushing waves.

Searing heat tore through my left arm, while a rigid brace trapped my neck in a suffocating vice. Above the chaotic, metallic ringing in my ears, distorted voices shouted urgent commands.

"Her blood pressure is plummeting—get another line in, now!" a voice barked.

A gloved hand tapped my shoulder firmly. "Ma'am? Can you hear me? You need to stay awake."

I tried to peel my eyes open, but the harsh fluorescent lights forced my heavy lids shut again.

"Can you tell me your name?" the voice demanded.

The question hovered in the darkness. My mind presented me with an empty void. Then, bubbling up from some untouched well of instinct, nothing surfaced at all.

"Get her purse!" a muffled voice barked over the frantic clatter of the gurney as they pushed through the double doors. "We need a name fo