The muffled sounds of an argument stirred his consciousness.
His chest felt heavy, and his eyelids were not cooperating.
‘Where am I?’ he wondered.
He wasn’t home, he could tell that.
Again, he tried to open his eyes. This time, the blurred room and the light started to pierce the darkness of his vision. He was tired and found it challenging to keep them open any longer.
The yelling was getting louder.
‘I can’t just lay around in bed,’ he thought to himself, ‘I need to know what all the yelling is about.’
He tried to sit up, but he couldn’t. He could raise his head, and he felt some movement in his shoulders, but that was all.
He let out a soft groan as he struggled to try again.
“Caleb…?” Ashleigh’s voice whispered beside him.
He turned his head, and the blurred vision began to clear. He saw her curled up on a small reclining chair, a blanket laid over her. Her hair was in one of those loose braids she often wore. But her eyes looked tired.
