Waking up was like struggling out of a very deep well.
He’d lifted himself out of that well before, but never quite so completely. Where before there had been flashes of light and the murmur of voices, he could now form a clear impression of where he was. He was lying on a bed. Something was beeping next to him.
A hospital. He was in a hospital.
Was he hurt? Why couldn’t he remember? He tried to move his head, but something was holding it still. The effort caused pain to shoot up to his left temple and down into his neck. It was better to lie still.
What about his hands? Yes, he could move them. He could flex his fingers. So why did his feet feel as if they didn’t belong to him, as if they weren’t really there? On a surge of panic, he tilted his head up. Then he let out a long breath when he saw the peaks of his feet tenting the hospital blanket.
There was a rustling noise, and he swivelled his eyes to the left. A policewoman in uniform sat in the chair next to his bed. He had a feeling they’d talked before, although he couldn’t remember what she’d said.
She gave him a cold stare. “You’re awake again.”
“Yes.” He attempted a smile. “Properly this time, I think. What happened to me?”
“Indriven skull fracture. You’ll need therapy to get well.”
“Oh.”
“Well enough to stand trial for attempted murder.” She nodded with satisfaction.
He turned his eyes to the ceiling again, trying to make sense of this. Why couldn’t he think? Why couldn’t he remember? As he clawed his scattered thoughts together, one name floated out of the chaos.
Jamie.
Jamie of the dark eyes and fair hair and long body. Yes, of course. He had been following Jamie. He needed to get well again in order to keep following her. Whatever they did to him – wherever they put him – he would keep on following her.
Jamie would never be out of his reach. The only way she could escape would be to go offline. And she would never go offline. Not Jamie. She was a digital creature. She needed the cyber world like other women needed food and water. As long as she continued to inhabit virtual space, he would be waiting for her.
Like a spider for a fly.
