The steady beep of medical equipment pulled Landon back to consciousness.
His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and his mouth was desert-dry. The antiseptic smell hit him first, followed by the dull throb of pain radiating from his abdomen.
Hospital. He was in a hospital.
He was not dead.
Landon forced his eyes open, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lighting. White ceiling. Beige walls. His vision blurred, then gradually sharpened as he took in his surroundings.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Bro.”
Landon turned his head slightly to see his brother, Maxwell, standing by the bed, grinning widely.
“Where am I?” Landon rasped, throat raw from disuse.
“St. Pierre Medical Center in Geneva. You’ve been out for three days now.”
Three days. Landon’s mind raced, piecing togeth
