37
––––––––
BRIGHT LIGHTS SHINING behind his eyelids broke Ray from a dreamless sleep. White sterility permeated through his blurry vision, giving the figure standing over him a hazy aura. The deep ache in his gut was dulled by the steady stream of morphine, his mind wet with drugs. The bandages in his midsection itched, but he couldn’t scratch them, his limbs heavy and covered with IVs.
“You going to stay with us this time, Ray?”
“Yeah,” his voice lumbered from his throat, a grizzly bear emerging from a long hibernation, “Can I have some water?”
His pupils finally adjusted to watch the nurse at his bedside fill a glass and bring it to his lips. The water was refreshing, metallic and cold. After the doctor checked his vitals, the medical staff left the room.
“Probably better nourishe
