He groaned in pain as he tried to open his eyes, but it seemed his strength failed him. His head throbbed as if a hammer had dropped on his skull, and his limbs felt sore as if he'd been dragged on rough ground while unconscious. The pain in his head was so intense that Neil wanted to remain unconscious and not try to wake up. But then, in the haze of crumbling back into unconsciousness, he heard a faint voice beside him, followed by a familiar hand tracing his face. The hand was so soothing, and it felt real.
Only his wife's touch felt like that. His heart knotted at the realization that he must be dreaming. He'd missed her so much that he didn't want to wake up from this beautiful dream where his head was lying on her lap and her fingers were tracing his face. He could even hear her voice calling him to wake up. But how could he wake up when he knew she wasn't there? He could only feel her in his sleep, not when awake. He'd rather remain like this.
