"Ah!" Miao Mu clutched his aching head and woke up. The IV line in his arm snapped when he yanked it out, triggering an alarm.
"You're awake?"
Brucie approached in a women's suit with the air of a domineering CEO, black-rimmed glasses perched on her face.
She held a folder in one hand, silenced the equipment alarm, and temporarily slowed the infusion.
Miao Mu vigorously shook his head, feeling as though roots had grown inside his body and were spreading toward his brain.
The sensation was unpleasant, but his body had recovered. Miao Mu sat up in bed and looked around.
This was a specially made emergency bed, surrounded by all kinds of equipment and several blood dialysis machines.
Numbers constantly flickered across the various instrument displays.
"How long was I asleep?"
Miao Mu weakly raised an arm and looked at the IV lines in his arm and body, along with the various vital-sign monitoring wires.
Brucie clenched and twisted her hand, working through a virtual projection. Hearing Miao Mu's question, she took off her glasses.
"One week. You slept for exactly seven days. Today's Wednesday. So, how was it? Did you feel like Sleeping Beauty?"
"Heh, so a prince kissed me awake?"
Miao Mu lay back down. He still had not quite adjusted, and Brucie tapped her glasses against her hand.
"You might not know this, but our Sleeping Beauty is a very handsome man. He's a prince. A brave princess defeats the dragon, kisses the prince, and wakes him up."
"So, want a kiss?"
Miao Mu puckered his lips and spoke jokingly.
"Enough joking around. The poison in you was serious. I couldn't even find a suitable antivenom serum, but your flask saved you. I got to play quack doctor for once."
With a faint smile, Brucie tapped