Yeah. He was silent for a moment. Then he forced his voice to be light. I can't wait for those eyes, Karen. Tell me about the outfit. What color is it—how does the cloth feel? Tell me all about it, Karen.
The next day, Karen warned him just before Dr. Chase released the sedative into his blood supply. George peacefully went into a deep, dreamless sleep. In his mind, he could still hear Karen's voice speaking gently to him, assuringly.
Almost instantly, it seemed, he was awake, though it took hours. The first thing he was conscious of was a dull throbbing pain in his head—and then he realized—it was in his head!
Vaguely at first, then sharply, as nerves clicked into action, he could sense his arms and legs.
He tried moving them, experimentally. It was a painful process.
There was sound, he realized suddenly—a low, subdued noise level. But there was no light!
Karen! Karen! he thought sharply.
Still just that low noise level. An electric fan going somewhere.
Karen! This time he felt the muscles of his throat contract. His breath came out in a sigh of satisfaction. He had been sub-vocalizing through long habit!