~ Carl ~
"Baby, you're killing me here."
My head spins, in slow motion is the only fitting description for the sensation, and the surroundings fade... literally fade... from the twinkling darkness into the brightness of late morning. I squint.
"Abi?" Carl's expression is concerned, bordering on desperation.
"Don't panic," I whisper. "I think I just had an episode."
His eyes widen, and he stands, his hands immediately going to my face, my shoulders, running down my arms, his eyes fixed on mine. His fingers return to my cheeks, and I see that he has the ring, the engagement ring I'd left behind in the little box on the dresser, slipped around the tip of his pinky, forgotten for the moment.
"You didn't pass out," he states the obvious, his voice light and bewildered.
"You don't know
