Twenty-one: Bad news

The smell of antiseptic wafted into Cookie’s nostrils as she gradually began to regain her consciousness, but this was followed by a head-splitting headache that made her wince in an inaudible voice as she slowly opened her eyes. The bright rays of light streamed into her eyes, causing temporary color blindness and making her squirm as she quickly shut them in a bid to get used to the light. But then gradually, she opened them again, the intensity of the light reducing as she began to get used to the brightness.

The first thing that met her gaze was the plain white ceiling. But then, she slowly began to register the feeling of being weak. It was as though she was strapped to a flat board and she couldn’t summon the strength to lift her limbs. The only part of her body that was in sync with her brain was her head and neck that she could turn from side to side and she did just that, but the resulting pain had her wincing out loud and within a twinkle of an eye, she felt the heat of a bo