Kelly's POV
My sanity didn't come back all at once. It returned in fragments, sound before sight, sensation before thoughts. The soft beep of a monitor, the distant hiss of air moving through vents. The faint, antiseptic bite of disinfectant that clung to the back of my throat like something I couldn't swallow.
I lay very still, not because I was asleep, but because I was afraid of what would happen if I moved.
My body felt like it belonged to someone else. Heavy, bruised, wrapped too tightly in invisible wires of fear that hadn't gotten the message that I was safe now.
Safe.
The word felt theoretical.
I opened my eyes slowly.
White ceiling, recessed lights, no restraints.
I sucked in a breath too fast and pain flared across my ribs, sharp enough to make me gasp. My hand flew instinctively to my side, fingers brushing over thick bandages beneath the hospital gown.
"Easy."
The voice was low and controlled. Too controlled.
I turned my head.
