“It’s good actually,” the other doctor answered. “I’m Doctor Button, and I treated you when they flew you in.”

“For …?” I asked, frowning a little and started to clutch on the bed sheet nervously.

“Muscle bruising, severe swelling around one eye, broken nose, a closed fracture to your shin bone…” she started to tick things off in a clinical tone.

My good eye widened in surprise. I’m sure my other eye bugged out also, under the bandages.

“But … you were otherwise alright. No organ damage …” her voice trailed off as Dr. Brooks regarded her with a look.

“I think we should do some tests on your head, though,” Dr. Brooks said, turning to me, and then gave me an encouraging smile. “When you came in, nothing showed in the scans they’d run, according to the information I can see here. But I’d like to do another series of tests now.”

“What happened?” I asked, my voice rising in panic now.

“What’s the last thing you remember, sweetie?” Bai asked in a soothing voice. She and Olivia had moved to stand by my right side. She stroked my arm briefly and gave me a small smile.

I turned to look at her and then at Dr. Brooks who’d cocked her head to one side and added, “Go on Aerin. Tell us …”

I played for time. I considered that I didn’t know any of these people, even if they’d given me their names. “Um… can I have something for the pain, though?”

Dr. Button answered, “You already have a drip, Aerin, but I was hoping to take you off of it soon, actually. How badly is the pain bothering you?”

I licked my lips. It was probably best to get off the pain meds, as I remembered from the last hospital stay that that had been the regimen, too. “Sometimes I feel it more acutely, but I think I can manage,” I answered.

“In your head?” Dr. Brooks asked in a sharper, more probing tone now.

I shook my head slightly. “Earlier, when I woke and I tried to move my head. But it’s subsiding. The pain then felt like a really, really bad migraine.”

“Do you remember getting migraines in the past?” she asked, as she scribbled more notes.