**Aloe's POV**
Consciousness returned in fragments—the steady beeping of machines, the antiseptic smell of hospital air, the dull ache that seemed to radiate from every part of my body. I tried to open my eyes, but even that simple action sent spikes of pain through my skull.
"She's waking up." A woman's voice, professional but warm. "Mrs. Savage? Can you hear me?"
I managed to crack my eyes open. Harsh fluorescent lights made me wince, but I could make out the shape of someone in scrubs leaning over me. Not Dr. Chen—someone I'd never seen before.
"Where..." My voice came out as a croak, my throat raw and dry.
"Mount Sinai Hospital. You've been unconscious for eighteen hours. I'm Dr. Patricia Williams—we met before, at the medical facility in Queens. Do you remember me?"
Dr. Williams
