Chapter 63: Consequences
I slowly blinked my eyes open, squinting against the light streaming through the windows.
A gentle scratching sound caught my attention. Turning my head, I spotted Matilda sitting in a chair next to the bed, scribbling something on a clipboard. She wore her usual pristine white coat, her graying brown hair pulled back in a tight bun.
“Matilda?” My voice came out raspy. My throat felt raw—probably from all the screaming I’d done last night. Heat rushed to my cheeks at the memory.
She looked up, her experienced eyes quickly assessing me. “Good afternoon, Hazel. How are you feeling?”
Afternoon? I glanced toward the windows again, noticing the angle of the sunlight. I must have slept for hours.
“I’m okay,” I answered, taking mental inventory of my body. “A little sore. Tired.”
I realized I was wearing a clean t-shirt and shorts. My hair was no longer sticky with sweat, and my skin felt fresh. Someone had cleaned me up while I slept. Looking around, I noticed the room was empty except for Matilda and me.
“Where are the triplets?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral despite the flutter of anxiety in my chest.
“They’ve been taking turns watching over you,” Matilda explained, noting something on her clipboard. “Lucas and Liam stepped out a couple of hours ago. Levi was here until he went to get something to eat. He should be back soon.”
I nodded, sinking back into the pillows. “How bad was it? The heat inducer?”
Matilda’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Quite severe, I’m afraid. Your temperature spiked dangerously high, and you were severely dehydrated after all that vomiting. Surprisingly, despite regurgitating some of it out earlier, the drug’s effect was still abnormally high.”