The next time Kalina opened her eyes, she was assaulted by a blindingly bright light. She squeezed them shut again, her head throbbing with a sharp, pulsing pain.
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils, and the steady, annoying beep of a heart monitor cut through the fog in her mind.
"Ughhh." She groaned, her voice a raspy whisper as she attempted to move. Her body felt as if it had been crushed under the weight of a truck, each muscle aching with exhaustion and pain.
"Ah, you're awake, Mrs. Castillo." A man in a lab coat remarked, glancing up from the clipboard in his hand. His eyes, a cool shade of gray, were focused on her with clinical detachment, though there was a hint of relief in his tone.
Kalina's mind scrambled to piece together what had happened. It didn't take much to realize she was in a hospital,no need for the cliché question.
