Leslie woke up before an hour passed. Calix kept waiting by her bedside. He used the table lamp as a light source as he read a book he found inside the room. The orange light cast a glow on the pages, illuminating each word.
Slowly opening her eyes, Leslie took quite some time to adjust to the faint rays. Fortunately, the orange lights were not as glaring as the white ones. She quietly watched Calix reading the book before finally calling him.
"Ca...lix..."
Leslie winced, unable to bear the ache flaring out in her throat. She let out dry and husky coughs. The act itself added to the pain instead of soothing it.
"Leslie!" Calix abruptly closed the book, hurrying to get closer to Leslie, "How do you feel? Are you hurting somewhere? Want me to call Dr. Mo?"
Calix could perfectly see the grimace of pain on Leslie's contorted countenance. Reaching out to one of her shoulders, he gently supported her back as she tried to sit up.
