I opened my eyes.
There were candles everywhere.
And a low ceiling.
A man leaned over me. He had gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses. I spotted a medical bag open on the table beside him.
“Who—”
“Thomas, do you know who I am? Do you remember me?” The man was doing something to my shoulder. I glanced down and watched him adjusting a bandage. There was fresh gauze, clean and white.
“You’re a doctor?” I couldn’t remember his name.
The man’s smile felt as warm as the blankets. “That’s right. I am Dr. Müller.”
Müller? Why did that sound so familiar?
“Your wound reopened, and you lost a fair amount of blood, but I found nothing critical. Hypothermia was a greater concern, but I believe you are past any real danger. I believe your shoulder is now clean and will heal well, but we should pay close attention and change your bandage frequently. For now, you need rest above all else.”
I tried to remember.
There was bridge. And headlights.
After that, I remembered nothing.
“How did I get here? Where are we?”
The doctor smiled again. “You are in my home, my farmhouse. Herr Bisch brought you. You were barely conscious. How you made it to him in your condition is a wonder.” The doctor finished with the bandage and sat back.
I tried to sit up, but the room spun.
“Easy.” The doctor’s firm hand pressed me back down. “You need rest. Your body has been through—”
“Where is he?”
The doctor studied me for a moment. Whatever he saw in my face made him sigh.
“In the kitchen with the others.” He stood and gathered his instruments. “I will send him in, but only if you promise to stay in bed. Doctor’s orders.”
“I will.” I nodded. “Please, I need to see him.”
He gave me one last appraising look, then stepped out.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together the fragments of the night. Nothing made sense. Everything was fuzzy and dark and—
The river. The cold. The men with flashlights.
It came back in flashes, disconnected, like a film with missing reels.
I remembered the bridge. Then I remembered headlights.
Then I remembered being certain I was about to die.
I didn’t remember being saved.
The door opened.
Will filled the doorway.
