The first thing I felt was pain when my eyes opened. 

A deep, throbbing, pulsing ache right behind my forehead as if someone had wedged a hammer inside my skull and was rhythmically tapping it in a steady, merciless beat. 

I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut again. 

Every sound from the soft hum of the A/C to the birds chirping outside, and even my own breathing, felt too loud. Way too loud. 

I rolled over sluggishly, burying half my face in the soft pillow. 

And that was when my ...