42
An hour later, Sean had excused himself to go and talk to his dad, while I took a shower. I didn’t object—not if it meant I didn’t have to repeat the story.
Water pummelled my hair to rinse away the soap, the spray stinging if I faced one way, but paining even more facing another. Cleaned, refreshed, and unburdened, I lowered my head, braced my hands against the tiles and tried to clear my mind. Only once certain I was ready did I force myself out and go in search of something to pull on.
Dressed in a super-long T-shirt of Sean’s and teamed with nothing more than a pair of knickers, I deemed myself equipped to face the others. It took time to descend the stairs in my semi-hobbling state, though, and I sighed upon reaching the bottom.
As soon as I rounded the corner, my inhalations a
