I drifted away again, only momentarily. "Dangerous?" I heard Lily ask.
"Yes, the handsome ones are always the most dangerous," the woman muttered.
"He's not dangerous," Lily said.
"That's what you think now."
I floated closer to the surface, trying once more to pull myself from the drugging grip of sleep. Trying. Failing. Falling back down, down, down. Lily. I heard Lily's voice again, scattered words, but couldn't string them together.
I came to and the light beyond my closed lids was different. How much time had passed? "Lily," I croaked, grasping on to the one word that made me want to fight to come awake, try to open my eyes. The light was too bright, though, and I clenched them shut. "I tried to get to you, I tried so hard . . ."
"Shush. Lily's not here, but she'll be back shortly. Just rest. You almost killed yourself, but Lily brought you here. You're safe now."
I fell back to sleep, my last thought being that I'd been abducted by a witch.
When I woke again, I was in a tub of water in front of a fire. "Are you cooking me?" I asked dazedly, not sure I cared.
"Your muscles were seizing," came the female voice. "Hot water will help. How long have you been addicted to pain medication?"
I laid my head back, her question causing me to try to use my brain. It felt all muddled. I brought my hands up and used the heels of my hands to massage my temples. "Not that long. A couple months."
The woman snorted. "That's plenty long enough."
"How did you know?"
The woman paused for a moment. "I just do."
"How'd I end up here?"
"You threw yourself right off a cliff I guess."
That didn't feel right. I searched my memory. "No, I didn't," I said. "I tripped."
"Okay. Well, your finger is broken and your ribs are bruised. You're lucky that's the extent of the damage. You were also dangerously dehydrated."
I opened my eyes as her footsteps came closer, and she stoked the fire. An old woman with short, salt-and-pepper hair and a face that was still lovely despite her advanced age. She vaguely resembled Lily.
"Who are you?" I asked. "Where's Lily's mother?"
"That's nothing for you to concern yourself with. You have enough problems of your own. Focus on getting better." I cringed from a muscle spasm in my calf.
I waited for more, but she didn't offer it. My brain was still foggy, and my body felt like a dead weight. I decided not to press the issue. "Lily?" I asked.
"I sent her away for a little while. Detoxing is messy and involves lots of personal bodily functions. I didn't believe you'd want her cleaning you up."
I grimaced. No, I didn't. "Thank you," I said. "Thank you for that." I felt grateful to this woman for giving me that small dignity.
She shrugged. "The worst of that is over, I think."
"How long have I been here?" I asked, sinking more deeply into the hot water. It felt so good. I opened my eyes long enough to glance around. The room looked like an old library, with an ornate, marble fireplace taking up a large portion of one wall, bookshelves filled with books all along the others, and a sitting area right behind the tub.
"Four days." Four days. Four days of no pills. A surge of pride ran down my spine. The worst was over. It must be.
"When will she be back?" I asked.
The woman paused, not looking at me, still stoking the fire. "Tonight. Are you hungry?" I considered her question, realizing I actually was.
"I think I could eat. Maybe I should. Maybe that'd be good."
She handed me a towel and looked away but didn't seem embarrassed by this situation. I thought maybe she was uncomfortable with me being there in general, though I wasn't sure why. My brain was still so foggy, and I was disoriented. I stood up slowly, using the towel to cover myself, and stepped gingerly out of the tub onto the faded Oriental rug on the floor. I wrapped the towel around my waist. "How'd you get me into this tub?"
"You walked. I just supported you. The fogginess should start diminishing now that you're moving around. And your clothes are in that bedroom." She pointed to an open door.
I nodded and walked toward it. My legs felt like they weighed ten tons each. It took all my energy to pull on my clothes. The woman brought me to the sitting area, and bending over a coffee table in front of the small couch, I ate some kind of vegetable stew filled with potatoes and a thick, rich broth. It was delicious and I'd have eaten more if I had the strength. I drank two glasses of water and could barely keep my eyes open.