Hello again to you all!

This story has been 'in production', if you will, since this time last year. During my recent travels I wrote occassionally but never committed to publishing it for fear I couldn't complete it. But now I am back, dug out all the bits and pieces and put them together, and it is finally ready! I hope you enjoy and as always I treasure your reviews and constructive criticism.

love Boann xx

Prologue

Pain. That's what he noticed first. A white, hot pain consuming his entire body. He felt like he was lying in an oven, slowing roasting over a fire. The flames seared every inch of him. But he did not smell burning flesh. The scent currently assaulting his senses was something stronger. Antiseptic, he realised. The familiar smell was one he associated with many pain-filled memories, though for some reason he could not remember them. He feared this time would be no exception.

Where am I?

He took a deep breath, knowing that oxygen would help him in his quest to achieve consciousness. He choked in the process. Something was in his mouth. He weakly bit down to try and dislodge it, but it didn't move. Whatever it was, it was also down his throat. With this realization, he gagged. The object didn't dislodge, but it did shift, setting his survival instincts back into action. He choked and gagged, unable to breathe. A small whimper escaped him as his weak body tensed with stress.

A cool hand rested lightly on his forehead, pushing his hair back. With it, he became aware of the rest of his body. His fingers were curling around some thin material draped over him. His back muscles cramped. His left arm burned. His chest felt like it was being squeezed by a searing hot vice. He tried to focus on the cool hand. The knowledge that he was not alone inspired him to open his eyes, intent on seeing who was standing above him. The images he saw were too bleary for him to make out a face. Whoever it was standing above him was wearing white.

The voice he heard was that of a woman; kind and soft. "Calm down, sweetheart. It's all right."

"I can't breathe!" he tried to tell her, but all that came out was another choked whimper.

The woman stroked his forehead again. Another figure was hovering at the end of the bed.

Bed? Why am I in a bed? He thought. Where am I?

His eyes darted around to try and determine the answer to that question, but the blurred white shapes were unrecognisable.

The woman above him continued to talk to him. Her voice, however alien, was comforting. "The tube is helping you breathe, sweetheart. Just relax."

He really didn't see how that was possible. He didn't know where he was or who he was with. He didn't know why everything hurt and couldn't remember what had happened before now. He couldn't even remember his own name.

With this final realisation, something wet slid down his cheek. He recognised the sensation as that of tears running out of the corners of his eyes. The cool hand brushed them away.

"It's okay, son," said a new, deep voice. A man now stood over his right side. Although the image was still blurry, he could make out the man's brown hair. "You're safe here. We're taking good care of you."

The man bent closer to him and a light suddenly consumed his vision. Instinctively he clamped his eyes shut, but the man's hand was above his head, gently holding his eyelid open. "It's okay," the man said, obviously sensing his distress. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Finally the light disappeared. Something cold being placed on his chest, first on his right, then his left, brought new, frightening discomfort. All the while the woman stroked his cheek and gently held his hand.

The man turned to the figure hovering at the end of the bed. He murmured, "Breathing still sounds laboured, so we'll leave him on the vent. Give him two mils of midazolam and keep an eye on his blood pressure."

The person at the end of the bed was now next to him, out of eyeshot.

The woman's voice reappeared, sounding a little strained. "What's happening, John?"

"It's just a sedative, Mary," the man replied. "The best thing he can do right now is rest."

No sooner had he heard the word 'sedative', he began to feel dizzy. His muscles loosened and his throat no longer protested. As he gratefully sank into oblivion, he heard a new voice in the distance. The voice cried one word.

"Alan!"