[He wakes staring straight up into a circle of lights. Bulbs like the surrounds of a dressing room mirror cast a halo too bright to see through around his head until he gropes upward, blindly reaching for the edges of the metal lamp (too hot to touch, or it should be) and pushing it aside. Even with it gone his eyes are fucked by the afterburn, the world nothing but blotches of black and white.
He's lying on... on...
Is this a hospital bed? It feels too familiar: the metal frame, dents in the mattress where it's designed to bend. Prior's hand drops, feeling for the clean crisp cotton V of the hospital gown he has on. He hasn't been sick enough for this - no, no he was doing well. Vision slowly swimming back into focus, he makes out white sheets. Green curtains. A tray beside the bed with slim little surgical implements laid out on a tray like party canapes.
And then there's the blood. His skin feels smooth, untouched, but the floor is spattered with it. Smears and smudges across to a partly open door.]
What did they cut out of me this time? Louis? I didn't sign any consent forms for this. What have they taken? Can't be a kidney, I'm not even black market valuable now. Lou? [With a clatter he pulls himself off the bed and crouches beside the nearest pool of blood. It smells like... vinegar? No.]
Wine. This is wine? [It's on his fingers now. He sniffs it, then touches his tongue to one fingertip, just to check. Wine.] Well would you look at that. I slept though a party.
Fitz || Dreams.
He's lying on... on...
Is this a hospital bed? It feels too familiar: the metal frame, dents in the mattress where it's designed to bend. Prior's hand drops, feeling for the clean crisp cotton V of the hospital gown he has on. He hasn't been sick enough for this - no, no he was doing well. Vision slowly swimming back into focus, he makes out white sheets. Green curtains. A tray beside the bed with slim little surgical implements laid out on a tray like party canapes.
And then there's the blood. His skin feels smooth, untouched, but the floor is spattered with it. Smears and smudges across to a partly open door.]
What did they cut out of me this time? Louis? I didn't sign any consent forms for this. What have they taken? Can't be a kidney, I'm not even black market valuable now. Lou? [With a clatter he pulls himself off the bed and crouches beside the nearest pool of blood. It smells like... vinegar? No.]
Wine. This is wine? [It's on his fingers now. He sniffs it, then touches his tongue to one fingertip, just to check. Wine.] Well would you look at that. I slept though a party.