Chapter Eleven

I'm hit by an overwhelming wave of nausea as I slowly regain consciousness. I think I can will it away at first, keep my eyes closed and force the contents of my stomach to stay down. But that proves to be a big fail when I'm lurched up from the bed by the aggressive upheaval. I throw my head over the side of the bed, launching everything inside me onto the shiny floor.

I don't know how long I remain there, puking out my guts but at some point, I feel someone's warm hand on my back as they pat me reassuringly. When I'm done, I feel the most hollow I've ever felt. In this moment, it's hard to believe I still have organs inside of me, it really does. It feels like I've thrown it all up. My eyes flit open a tiny fraction and that's when I see that all along, it's not just the shiny floor I've been puking on. There's a pair of smart, now puke-covered shoes in front of me. I try to muster some strength to form the words to apologize to whoever it is but it's just not happening. My body col