23
LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
The sun is up. I spy a little table on my left. My eyes land on the hand mirror and a glass of water with a straw. A quick look around shows me I’m alone for the first time. I’m still on oxygen. My arm is still wrapped in the cold cushion. My ribs still hurt fiercely. But overall, I feel better. Less battered and bruised. For the first time, I feel like I will mend.
I steel myself while I drink some water, and then I reach for the hand mirror. I hold it down for a minute. Gathering up my courage, I flip the mirror. Relief courses through me. It isn’t as bad as I feared. I guess if I’d been able to see my face right away, it would have been a different story. I turn my head from side to side and up and down, checking it out from every angle. There are a few ba
