She looked up old friends, but they lost interest in her when she was unable to give them her whole attention. Her most happy times were those spent alone with her flowerbeds, or walking out through the woods across the road.
Then one morning she awakened feeling nauseated and headachy. She decided it was a bout of summer flu, so took some Vitamin C and carried on. As the day progressed, so did her feelings of discomfort. By late afternoon she had severe cramps in her stomach and had to cut her last inspection short. She knew she was fevered by the time she got home and the pain had increased so much, she began to panic. It couldn't be just flu. It was too severe for that.
Picking up the phone, she called her parents, only remembering after the fifteenth ring that they had gone up north for a month of fishing. It was about a half-hour drive to the hospital and she knew she needed medical attention. Gathering up her purse and keys, she went back out to the car and drove to Picton.
* * *
McKinnon had just sat down to a late dinner when he suddenly doubled over with severe stomach cramps. He had felt fine until only moments before. Clutching his stomach, he went into his bedroom and fell on the bed, knees drawn up to his chest. He stayed like that for an hour, when the pain finally eased and he was able to stand upright with little discomfort. Assuming it was something he had eaten, he went about his business.
It wasn't until two weeks later when he was in the office for their monthly meeting, that the manager asked him how his new tenant was.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Charly. How is she?" The manager was looking at him strangely.
"Is something wrong with her?" McKinnon was suddenly very attentive.
"You should know. She's living in your house. She had her appendix out two weeks ago. Where have you been?"
"I don't see her, if that's what you mean. She rents my house and that's it. I didn't know anything about it. I wonder where she is now?"
"I heard she went to her uncle's from the hospital. Her parents are away. She had a nurse call in the next day to tell us she wouldn't be back for at least four weeks. How about doing some inspections for us?"
"Sure. Anytime." McKinnon wasn't really paying attention. He should have known. To think she had to go through that without even a card from him! She must really think he was a brute.