Chapter 26
There was a hand stroking his back.
Up and down, then up again. Down. Up and down. Up again.
Stefan blinked muzzily, trying to collect his thoughts. His limbs felt very heavy. His skin tingled where the hand was soothing it. He was drifting in a sea of cotton, soft and warm, and with nothing to ground him.
Nothing.
He could—
He could fall from here. He could—
Panic flashed. He grabbed. Soft polyester, slack over a limb, crumpled in his grip, and a voice murmured.
“Ssh. It’s alright.”
Stefan clutched. He fisted his fingers around the cotton.
“It’s alright,” the voice said again. “I’ve got you.”
The hand kept stroking. Another came to wrap around his wrist. It squeezed. Firm, but gentle. Grounding.
“You back with us yet?”
He hadn’t gone away, had he?
“I—I don’t—what—
