8 The gala
Painfully, Tom opened his eyes and found it difficult to understand where he was, at first. It was dark and the only cold, white light came from a nearby room. He drew on his sense of smell and soon discerned the stench of disinfectants, the pungent phenol in particular.
Annoyed, he turned his head aside. That minor movement cost him fatigue and pain in his neck, but on second thoughts he realized he hurt all over his body. A destructive fire was tearing through his veins and muscles as if he were burning inside. He couldn’t remember why and panic led him to try to sit.
Bad idea. The room began to spin around and he fell back with his head on the pillow, already exhausted. He looked to the shady side of the room again and, as his sight was recovering, a new, more delicate
