He wakes to bright lights and flinches back, covering his eyes. Gradually, he becomes aware of the noise, the soft movements of...somewhere, like a library where everyone is trying to be quiet, but he can’t be in a library. His eyes adjust slowly, and he looks around, finding himself in a small cubicle hemmed in by curtains. He struggles to push himself upright, his arms shaking with the strain. How long has it been? What is he doing here, in what seems to be a hospital? He startles at a brief but sharp argument outside the curtains that he can’t quite determine the cause of. Then, the stark white curtains are pushed aside, and he gapes openly at his visitor.