* * *
I awoke to the sound of rustling fabric. Opening my eyes, I saw a nurse making the empty bed next to mine. I must have made a sound because she stopped in the middle of stripping a pillowcase and turned toward me. She smiled.
"You're up. Good. How are you feeling?"
I was hurting all over, but I had a more urgent need. "Water," I croaked.
"Oh, of course." She hurried away and returned with a pitcher and a glass. She helped me drink in small sips. It was heaven going down my throat. With each drop, I felt myself reviving further. The nurse nodded in approval as I consumed every drop the pitcher held.
"My, you were thirsty, weren't you? Well, it's no wonder with what you've been through." She held a hand to my forehead. "You still have a fever. No surprise there either." She looked down at me, her expression kind. "Are you hungry?"
I was famished, but I wanted information more than food.
"Where am I?" I asked. My voice was nasal, like I had a cold, but I knew my nostrils were clogged due to a far more serious reason.
"Ariel Hospital."
That made me smile, which caused my left cheek to flame up. I was in Moria's hospital, though in a different ward than the one she'd worked in. Small world.
"How long have I been here?"
"Two days. It's just after eight in the morning of January 13."
"How did I get here?"
"I don't know the details, but I think someone saw you lying in the street and called an ambulance."
"What's my condition?"
She hesitated. "The doctor will be here shortly. I'll let him tell you."
"That bad, huh?"
"Actually, you were pretty lucky. It could have been much worse."
It always can be, I thought. Until it can't.
"You remember what happened?"
I did, but much of it was hazy. The beginning was vivid enough. The sudden sense of danger, a voice saying, "Get him!" the first blow, multiple men crowded around me. Then came the hazy part. The flurry of kicks and whacks. My attackers grunting with effort, I groaning in pain, shielding myself as best I could, unable to put up any resistance. At some point, memory ceased, and all that remained was a blank space where two days had come and gone.
"I was assaulted in the street," I said.
Her expression was sad and sympathetic. "Are you in much pain?"
"All over. But in my chest mostly. It hurts to breathe."
She nodded. My agony was nothing she didn't expect. "I'll get you something to relieve that."
"No. Wait. I need to use the bathroom."
"I'll fetch you a pan."
"No. I want to get up." I paused, a jolt of cold fear piercing through me. "I can walk, right? I'm not paralyzed, am I?"
"No, I don't think so. Try moving your legs," she said, and I did. They shifted. The pleasure this brought me was worth the concurrent pain.
I grinned at her, and she grinned back. She was a powerfully built woman, with thick arms and a kind, broad face.
"Help me up, please," I said.
Her mouth pursed in disapproval. "You should stay in bed, Mr. Lapid."
"How do you know my name?"
"From your identification papers. I saw them after you were brought in."
"My wallet was on me?"
"Yes. We put it in the head nurse's desk. Don't worry, it's in a locked drawer. No one will touch it."
I wasn't worried about that one bit. What concerned me was its mere presence.
"Was there money in it?"
She bridled at that, folding her arms tight across her large chest. "We don't pilfer our patients' belongings, Mr. Lapid."
"No, please don't misunderstand me," I said. "I didn't mean to suggest... I'm just surprised that the men who robbed me left my wallet behind."
Her expression thawed, and she smiled. "Like I said, you were pretty lucky."
