In the nightmare, she felt a hand clasping hers. She opened her eyes, and the retina reflected a piece of white light, amidst blurred vision, a man's indistinct face and a pale ceiling above.
Sensations in her body gradually awakened; she smelled the unique bitter scent of hospital disinfectant in the air. Slowly moving her gaze, she saw the IV bottle hanging above her.
"What's wrong with me..."
For a moment, she couldn't gather her thoughts; before her was still the darkness of the dream, her whole body slightly convulsing from extreme sadness.
"You're sick," Philip Shaw said.
Aldana Candi lay on the bed for a while, her consciousness slowly gathering as if consolidating. She withdrew her hand from Philip Shaw's palm. "I had a nightmare."
Philip Shaw looked at her. "You were crying just now."
"I dreamed of Norris." She looked at the void. "She was my best friend in this life."
"You will have other friends in the future."
