He shook his head, trying to clear the fog. As he did he felt something being pressed over his face. It covered his nose and mouth. At first it felt like it was choking him. He couldn’t move his left arm because it was fastened to something but with his right he tried unsuccessfully to push it away. Whatever it was, the object was unmoving. At first he felt suffocated by whatever was being placed over his face then as he inhaled he got one breath that came easier than the ones preceding it. The cool air that filled his lungs felt good. A woman’s voice from far away was urging someone to take deep breaths. It finally got through the fog. She was talking to him. Why was a woman in his hotel room? No matter how he tried his mind could not focus on where he was or what was happening. He sucked a couple more breaths and receded to a state of unawareness again.

Slowly, his mind began to clear. There was a mask on his face and the air in it felt good. He turned his head to look about, to assess his surroundings. With the view things started to come together. He was in a bed, in a room with rows of beds, with women in white moving between the beds. It was a hospital recovery room. He remembered well. Hhad been here only once before. Had something happened to him? An accident? He tried to ask the woman next to his bed what was happening but he couldn’t talk with the mask over his face.

She sensed he was trying to say something but when she lifted the mask he began gasp for breath. Before he could ask anything she put the mask back on his face. The air from it felt good as he sucked it in but he had to know what happened. He couldn’t seem to remember. His mind would not focus on anything. As he lay there something disconcerting happened inside his stomach. He groaned and tried to sit up. The nurse pulled the mask away and placed a pan under his mouth at just the right time. The exertion was too much for him. Exhausted, he lay back and dozed again.

He became aware of a discomfort in his left arm. It was fastened to a board. He looked at it. An IV tube went from it to a bag on a rack. Another tube went from a bandage on his right arm to the bed next to his. He raised slightly to see who was in the bed. It was Lynn. He motioned toward Lynn and the nurse smiled.