22Gabriela woke with a grunt and a groan; groggy in the way of a hangover, and automatically pushing hair from her face. She itched and felt grubby all over and contemplated the merits of a hot shower versus more sleep. The room had the washed-out look of early morning and a glance at her watch proved the light levels correct. Early morning, indeed. 5.30am. She groaned again, stretched, and opted for a shower.
The shower was pelting down on the back of her neck, as hot as she could stand it, before she remembered the dream. She turned the water off with a harsh yank of the tap, slammed open the shower door and grabbed a towel, flinging it around herself as she left the bathroom.
‘Rick?’ She paused before bashing on the door and tapped instead. ‘Rick, you awake?’
When she received no ans
