Chapter 52 She is Awake

I must have been asleep for a while. The ringing of my phone pulled me out of the deep sleep, and as I stirred, I felt the weight of the night before pressing down on me. My head pounded, and everything around me felt too bright, too harsh. I blinked against the light filtering in from the windows—it wasn’t even fully bright outside, just a dull grayness that matched how I felt inside.

The sound of the phone persisted, relentless. I groaned, reaching around blindly, trying to find the damn thing. It wasn’t on the coffee table where I usually left it. My hands swept over the cushions, and finally, after a few frustrating moments, I found it wedged under the couch. I grabbed it, squinting at the screen. The doctor’s name flashed across it, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Hello?” My voice was rough, strained, like I hadn’t used it in years.

“She’s awake, sir. She’s awake.”

The words hit me like a freight train. Ava’s awake? What? I almost dropped the phone, my hands trembling. The