48
As the sun rose, a slant of light fell across Shaun’s face. Normally up in the early morning, his internal alarm clock rolled open his eyes, which resulted in a squint at the bright light, a muttered curse, and an attempt to escape the offending sunshine. He was immediately reminded of his injury as acute agony radiated from ear to knee. Either he had wounded himself during the night or it was past four hours since his last pain pill. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he held his head in his hand while he waited for the room to right itself. Deciding he could navigate his way into the bathroom with little incident, he remembered the whiskey from the previous night, which offered an added incentive to get out of bed.
Thirty minutes later, he emerged, ready to face the day. Wi
