Use of こうして in this

Question

This is my first post here, so I hope I didn't make any mistake or ask about something silly.

Could someone please explain to me the meaning of こうして in the following sentence?

こうして目が覚める前、夢うつつにまわりを見ていたおかげだろう。

I searched and saw that こうして is used to mean "like this" or "in this way", but also "thus" when describing the result of a previously stated matter. I understand the rest of the sentence, and I guess こうして here plays the role of "thus", but I don't really know what result it expresses and how it would translate.

For reference, the previous sentences are:

左腕には一本のチューブが刺さっている。それが点滴である事を、自分はなんとなく受け入れている。

Answer 1

This こうして does not mean "thus". Here it is just "like this", "like now" or "as it is now", and it modifies only 目が覚める. Here こうして is present because this sentence has a contrast between the current status of being "fully awake as I am now" and the previous status of being "vaguely awake (but not like I am now)".

こうして目が覚める前、夢うつつにまわりを見ていたおかげだろう。
It must be because I have been drowsily looking around before I became (fully) awake like now.

こうして can also work like a conjunctive meaning "As such", "Thus" or "This way", but it doesn't go well with だろう. This type of こうして is used like so:

• こうしてお姫様は幸せに暮らしました。
  And the princess lived happily ever after.
• こうして彼は宇宙飛行士になった。
  So, this is how he became an astronaut.
• 神は「光あれ」と言った。こうして光が生まれた。
  God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.