"Police ma'am. Are you OK? I heard the alarm go off. Did anything happen?" the man asked, his gaze shot around the kitchen then settled back on me.
"No, I opened the door and the alarm was on and ..." I left the statement unfinished.
How could I tell a complete stranger that I found fruit and flowers in my house in the morning? I would sound like a crazy lady.
I opted for just staring at him for a moment. He continued to glance past me into the kitchen then asked quietly, "May I come in ma'am. Just to make sure you're okay."
I didn't have a good answer for that so I opened the door. He slid in quickly and scanned the kitchen. I shut the door as he moved from my kitchen down the hall. I was staring at the flowers when he seemed to reappear behind me.
"Beautiful flowers," he said.
I grabbed the counter and started, I hadn't heard him come back into the kitchen.
"Yes, beautiful," I managed to choke out. It suddenly struck me and I asked, "Why are you here? How did you hear my alarm go off?"
He smiled a very roguish smile and responded, "Just in the area ma'am," as he walked out my kitchen and back toward his waiting car.
I wasn't sure what to do with the fruit. It looked wonderful, but eating something you just found in your house seems like a bad idea. That's when I remembered the sleeping pills. They must have done it!
Those pills have been known to be associated with outrageous episodes of sleepwalking and sleep driving. Adding the alcohol must have been the final push for me. I must have gone shopping last night in my sleep! Well, no more pills for me.
Feeling slightly less crazy I munched on a juicy pear, I remembered how much I liked fruit. I really should try to keep some in the house. I laughed at that out loud. I'm known as a connoisseur of the microwave meal, me with fresh fruit in the house, hah!
Opening the refrigerator I was floored. It was stocked with fresh meat and fresh vegetables. I picked through the bounty and found eggs, bacon and fresh bread. My usual milk and mustard were still there, just put in the door, not centre stage like usual. I wondered where I had found a place at that time of night to do all this shopping.
I wasn't going to waste the bounty though. Eggs and bacon I do know how to cook, so I did. It was wonderful. I'd even bought sandwich meat and cheese so I made lunch for later. What would my coworkers say when I didn't hit the local deli for lunch!
I had wasted a lot of time on non essentials this morning, so I got ready in a hurry. I threw on a blue sweater and a tailored pair of black slacks. Luckily, I found my black clogs where I had left them in the laundry room. I made my drive into work like a wild woman. On the plus side no one pulled me over this time.
The clinic was crazier than usual. I felt a little distracted and rushed as I got to my last patient of the morning.
"Saul, I'm Dr. Onsen," I said as I opened the door to the room.
The tall man inside smiled at me and sat obediently on the exam table. His long dark hair was pulled to the nape of his neck. I glanced at my computer screen and saw the chief complaint was physical. He looked surprisingly young to be 45, but I continued with my usual exam and questions.
During a lull in my queries he asked me, "How was your breakfast this morning?"
It was a strange question, but not the strangest I've had.
"Good thank you, more filling than usual," I said to him and continued clicking down the physical questionnaire on the computer.
"Eating healthy is the key to a healthy life," he said.
"Hard to disagree with that," I replied.
"It's easier to want to cook when you have a large family, harder when you live alone, huh?"
Now he had my attention completely.
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up at him.
"I just noticed you didn't have anything to eat that wasn't single serve, frozen or prepackaged. Living in a large family I never had to eat like that. Nothing fresh either, we always have fresh things to eat."
I was dumbstruck, how did this man know anything about what I had to eat. I narrowed my eyes as I crossed my arms across my chest.
"How would you know?"
"I stocked your kitchen last night for my Al-, for Mr. Smith, he was concerned you didn't have any food to eat. He was also worried about your safety, you don't drive very well."
"Who's Mr. Smith?" was all my brain could come up with
Saul raised an eyebrow at me and sighed, "You met him several nights ago at Luna Ferus, from what I heard he would be hard to forget. You all had a short but interesting meeting at the restaurant."
"You mean the man from the ... bathroom?" I asked quietly.
"Yes, the man from the bathroom," he answered.
"Why are you here?" I asked as I sunk down into one of the chairs along the wall
"I'm very non-threatening; he thought this would be the best way to approach you. Mr. Smith didn't think you would panic at work. You seem a little over sensitive. He would have talked to you last night, but you took something and wouldn't wake up. He was very concerned and sat with you all night."
"Wait, wait, wait - I have an alarm, I have door locks, how did you get in my house and ... and sit with me," I stammered out.
All I got in response was a shrug. "Anyway" said Saul, "He'd like to take you to lunch, to talk. Don't take too long, he'll get impatient."
I sat in my chair and just stared at the man as he slid off the table and moved for the door. He stopped and looked at me for a moment, and then he turned and walked out of the exam room.
I sat in my chair for another few minutes, until I heard the medical assistants outside. My medical assistant, Madonna, stuck her head in and looked around, "Hey, if you're done that was your last one before lunch. We are out EARLY," she beamed. "I thought he was a physical, wish they were all that quick. Hey what's with you? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Her perky demeanour faded a little and she looked genuinely worried.
"No, just hungry and I think I left my wallet at home. Go to lunch, see you back here at one," I faked a grin and got up from my chair.
I grabbed my laptop and carried it back to my office. I guess I should have been surprised at the vase of lilies now gracing my desk, but I just felt foggy.
Stepping out of my clinic was always a special experience. It was in a rough part of town. If you were lucky you weren't walking through a drug deal or into one of the homeless that just wanted a dollar. Today I would have given anything for those guys.
The men that met me outside the door today felt far more dangerous. They had been in my house while I slept. They had tracked me down after a bizarre sexual experience at a restaurant. I could refuse to go with them, but that seemed like it wouldn't get me anywhere. Breathing slowly I tried not to panic.
Saul was there lounging against one column. A second larger man was leaning against the opposite column. They were dressed nearly alike in dark polo shirts and slacks. Neither seemed affected by what I considered unseasonably cool weather. The new man's hair was shorter and lighter than Saul's. He was also more heavily muscled and seemed to be very interested in the drug dealers lounging at the corner of the building.