Madeline tried to stop the disappearing figure, but her body moved in slow motion, and the nurse was gone. She lay there for several minutes, gradually becoming more aware of herself and her surroundings. But greater awareness brought only greater confusion. She remembered now the conquest of the village, the trip to Shalev, and the tour of the city, but why was she in a hospital? She pushed up onto one elbow, found the call button, and pressed it, coming fully alert now.

Quick footsteps clicked out in the hall, and the door pushed open. Madeline wasn’t sure if it was the same nurse or not, but the smile was warm and gracious. “Oh good,” the nurse said before she could speak, “you are coming out of it now. I’m Mrs. Carter.”

“Hello.” Madeline pushed up further, and the nurse hurried to her side and fluffed the pillow up behind her. “Uh—where am I? Why am I in a hospital?”

“Dr. Gould is waiting to explain all that to you. As soon as you feel up to it, I’ll take you down to the surgery wing. The drug should be pretty well gone in another minute or two.”

“The other nurse—or was it you?—said something about my children.”

Again she gave Madeline a warm smile. “No, that was Miss Rasmussen. She went to tell Dr. Abernathy that they can start prepping your child.”

“Prepping?”

“Yes, preparing for the operation. Dr. Gould wants—”

Madeline sat bolt upright, “Operation? What operation? What has happened?”

The nurse patted her arm. “There’s nothing to worry about. Dr. Gould will explain that too.” She retrieved a long robe from the closet, stepped outside for a moment, and returned pushing a wheelchair. “If you’re ready, we can go.”

Deeply alarmed, Madeline swung her legs out of the covers and over the side. “I don’t need a wheelchair,” she said, but as she stood up her legs nearly buckled, and Mrs. Carter grabbed her quickly.

“Come on,” she soothed, “that sedation can fool you. This is what I’m here for.” She helped Madeline with the robe, then sat her down in the chair and bent over to lift her feet onto the foot rests. Madeline stared ahead, barely aware of the nurse. Child? Which child? Operating for what? She felt as though she’d been dropped into an unfamiliar world, and no one was going to help her identify where she was.