The next morning, Elena woke up around seven o'clock and went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. She made some coffee and took two pieces of bread and put them into the toaster. She then turned around and took out a carton of milk from the fridge and noticed Anton was standing in the entrance of the kitchen, watching her.

"Oh, good morning", Elena greeted him. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, I did", said Anton.

"That's good", said Elena. "Um, why don't you take a seat? Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

Anton walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Elena walked back over in time to set the carton on the counter and remove the toast from the toaster and set them down on two separate plates. She then poured some coffee into two mugs and turned to Anton and asked him, "Do you take cream or sugar with your coffee?"

"No, thank you", said Anton.

Elena opened the carton and poured a bit of milk into her own mug. She went to put the carton back into the fridge and walked back over to the counter and picked up the mugs and carried them over and set them on the table. She turned around and walked over to the stove and took an egg from a porcelain bowl and cracked it open and let the yolk drop into the frying pan.

"I don't suppose you have any neighbors?"

"No", said Elena, as she cracked open another egg and dropped it into the pan. "I'm a loner, I prefer to be alone."

Anton sipped his coffee and set his mug down without ever taking his eyes off her.

Afterwards, Elena put some eggs onto the two plates and walked over and set them down on the table, before taking a seat opposite from Anton.

"How's your arm?" Elena asked him.

"It's all right", Anton answered her.

"Good", said Elena.

Both of them sat there in silence over breakfast. Elena had hoped to learn more about her newest patient and house guest, but she had already discovered during the long drive from Texas that he was not one for conversations. She was curious to know more about him, but figured it was best not to ask him anything. Anton did not mind the silence so much, yet he could tell from the expression on her face that she was just dying for a bit of companionship. That melancholy look in her eyes as she avoided his gaze and stared down at her plate indicated to him a hint of loneliness. She did save his life, after all. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt for him to enlighten her with a bit of friendly chat. As long as she refrained herself from asking personal or stupid questions, he was more than willing to humor her.

"Have you lived here all your life?" Anton asked her.

Elena looked up from her plate and asked him, "Pardon?"

"I asked you if you've lived here all your life", said Anton.

"In this house or in Brainerd?"

"What's the difference?"

"Well, I've only lived here for a couple of years", Elena explained, as she took a sip of her coffee. "I mean, I've lived in Brainerd all my life, but when my uncle died, my cousin and I had to sell his house. When I was going to medical school, I stayed with her and her husband until I started saving up enough money to purchase a place of my own."

"You're a bit young to have taken an interest in medical science, aren't you?" Anton asked her, as he took a bite of toast.

"Not really", Elena answered. "You see, when I was a little girl, my uncle took me on this camping trip once. I wondered off and started climbing up this big tree, but then I missed a branch and fell and broke my arm. He took me to the hospital and I got my arm put into a cast. At that point, I decided I wanted to become a doctor when I grew up so I could help people. During my high school years, I just became so fascinated with the world of medicine, I started reading everything I could about injuries and diseases."

"But you never got that occupation?" Anton asked her.

"No", Elena answered, taking another sip. "Originally, I was planning on becoming a doctor, but then there was an incident at the school and I decided to change courses. I'd rather not say what it was that made me choose a different path, so to speak, but after four years of hard studying, my education finally paid off and I got my nursing diploma."

"And you're not afraid of blood?"

"No. I mean, it's not that I can't handle the sight of blood or anything. Heck, my cousin Marge is the chief of police. I'm sure she's seen grizzlier things than I have."

Anton's stoic demeanor seemed to change all of a sudden. His skin turned pale and his eyes grew with fright. Not that Elena noticed, even when he choked on his food. "Your cousin is a cop?" He asked her, regaining his calm composure. He felt that if he showed his fear of the authorities to her now, he would loose his power of control over the situation.

"Yeah, she's a cop", Elena answered him. "Marge and her husband met each other while working on the police force together. One time, there was this robbery at the bank and Norm called for backup, but when he tried to pursue the criminals on foot, he tripped and sprained his leg. They would have blown his head off if Marge hadn't shot them in the leg first. A few months after that, Norm proposed and Margie said yes. They've been together for four years now."

"Your cousin is a cop", Anton acknowledged.

"Yes, but you don't have to worry about Margie", Elena reassured him with a smile. "She's the kindest, sweetest, most friendliest person in all of Brainerd."

"I didn't say it had anything to do with kindness", Anton informed her.

Elena's smile disappeared all of a sudden. "What is it then?"

"You're not afraid something bad might happen to her?" Anton asked her.

"No, if I know Marge, she can take care of herself", Elena answered, taking a bite of some eggs. "She's six years older than me. She's been able to take care of herself since she was five."

Just at that moment, the phone in the living room rang. Elena downed the rest of her coffee and said, "Excuse me", before she got up and went to answer it.

Anton sat there in silence, analyzing the circumstances of his predicament and feeling the hand of fate being placed upon his shoulder yet again, as if to say he was fucked.

A few minutes later, Elena helped Anton back into his clothes and gave him some pain medication for his arm.

"They changed my shift this morning, so I won't be home until late tonight", Elena said to Anton, who stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched her, as she stood in front of the mirror and tied her hair back into a high ponytail. She had already changed into a white nurse dress. Elena turned to exit the bathroom and Anton allowed her to pass by him. Elena walked out of the bathroom and motioned for him to follow her.

"Now, if your arm starts hurting again, I left a couple of painkillers on the kitchen table", Elena informed him, as they walked down the hall and into the living room. She turned around and looked at him. "My work number is by the phone in case of emergency. If you can't reach me, try calling Norm or Marge. One of them usually answers. There's plenty of food, so help yourself. Feel free to use the television and record player, just please make sure you put the albums back in the right sleeve. And if the generator blows out-"

"You have a bit of a mouth on you, don't you?" Anton interrupted.

Elena paused for a minute and said, "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never had a house guest before. I wish I could do more for you, but this is the best I can offer."

"You worry too much", Anton noted.

Elena shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, that's one way of putting it."

"There's no other way to put it. That's the way it is", said Anton.

Elena nodded and said, "Right." She turned around and picked up her purse and keys off the coffee table. She turned again and looked at Anton once more and put her hands on his shoulders. "Have a nice day", she said, before she turned around and headed out the door.

Anton stood there for a minute, before he walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains a bit. He saw Elena standing on the porch, a look of hesitation painted her face as she turned around to face the door. Just when she was about to reach her hand for the doorknob, Elena shook her head and proceed to head for her car.

Once she was gone, Anton was left alone by himself for the next several hours. He turned around and looked over at a nearby shelf, where a series of pictures housed themselves above a collection of record albums. Anton walked over to the shelf and picked up one of the photographs that showed a chipper-looking little girl with honey blond hair and ocean blue eyes holding a baby in her arms. He did not need to guess that the infant was Elena. Anton glanced at the pictures again and saw a nursing diploma displayed next to an image of Elena in a graduation cap and gown. The photo next to that one was a picture of her wearing a bridesmaid gown and standing next to a woman in a wedding dress that looked a little bit older than her. Was this the cousin she had spoken to him about? Judging by the photo in his hand, he wouldn't have been surprised if the little girl turned out to be her.

Anton set the frame back on the shelf and turned around and went to turn on the television. The program switched on to an old black and white comedy show from 1965. He went over to sit down on the couch, but just as he was about to make himself comfortable, Anton looked down at the coffee table and picked up an opened envelope that sparked his curiosity. Reading the address on the front, it showed to be from an adoption agency.

Once she arrived at the hospital, Elena was confronted by a tall, thin man with dark, curly hair and light blue eyes dressed in a white medical coat.

"Hello, Miss Olmsted."

Elena turned around and smiled at him. "Hello, doctor."

Dr. Martin L. Benedict was an oncologist.

"What have we got today?" Elena asked him, as Dr. Benedict handed her a clipboard. She checked it over briefly, before she looked back at him and said, "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

Elena walked into one of the rooms and saw a pale-skinned little girl with brown hair and dark brown eyes sitting up in bed, reading a book.

"Hello, Sophia", Elena greeted her.

The little girl looked to her left and said, "Hello, Nurse Olmsted."

Sophia set her book aside, as Elena walked over to her and set the clipboard down on the tray table.

"How was your vacation?" Sophia asked her.

"It was nice", said Elena. "Did you get the postcard I sent you?"

"Yep", Sophia answered. "Did you meet lots of people?"

"Oh, I met a few", said Elena. "I made a friend."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Sophia asked her.

Elena looked at Sophia with a modest smile and said, "Actually, he's a man."

"That's nice", said Sophia.

"Okay". Elena put a stethoscope around her neck and said, "Now I'm gonna check your heartbeat. I need you to take a few deep breaths for me."

Sophia did as Elena told her and repeated the same action three times.

"Okay." Elena removed the stethoscope and picked up her clipboard to write something down. "Everything seems good. So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm a little bit tired today", said Sophia. "I didn't sleep so good last night."

"I'm sorry."

Sophia hugged Elena around her middle and said to her, "I missed you."

"I know, sweetie", said Elena. "But I'm back now." She looked at Sophia and asked her, "Have you heard from your father at all?"

Sophia said nothing, but lowered her eyes and shook her head.

Elena brushed the bangs from the seven year old's forehead and said, "Okay. I'll have Dr. Benedict look over your charts and see what we can do today", before walking out of the room.

Sophia looked to her right and reached over for her plush shark, before lying down and turning over on her left side. She sighed contently and said to herself, "Finally."

Meanwhile, back at the house, Anton was busy studying the guest room. He stood in the doorway, taking in the details just like he had done the day before. He walked over to the vanity and opened the little wooden box, which had a beaded bracelet and a heart-shaped plastic ring inside of it. He closed the lid and turned to open the closet. Upon further inspection, he found several T-shirts, jeans, and dresses that would fit a little girl. Anton closed the closet door and went over to sit down on the left side of the bed. He pulled open the top drawer on the dresser and found several pairs of small undergarments and socks, along with two pairs of shorts. Anton closed the drawer and stood up, walking over to the door, before he turned around and took in the interior design one last time. He should have known the minute he set foot into the room that something was not right with this place, or this woman that he was with. Despite the evidence, there were no photographs of a child anywhere in the house and Elena said she had no family of her own, so whatever secrets she was hiding, the hitman would soon find out eventually.

Around two o'clock, Elena took her lunch break and met up with her coworker, Mary Hartman, an attractive blonde woman of short stature. They met up at a restaurant not too far from the hospital. Elena told Mary all about her time in Texas, but kept the existence of her current patient to herself.

"So, was it hot there?" Mary asked her.

"Yeah, it was, but I couldn't complain", said Elena. "You should visit there sometime, Mary. I think you'd like it."

"Oh, no. Not me", Mary insisted, shaking her head. "The hottest place I'd be willing to vacation to is North Carolina."

"Wasn't your dad stationed in North Carolina?" Elena asked her.

"No, South. Oh, that reminds me!" Mary reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it across to Elena and asked her, "Do you remember a Dr. Williams?"

Elena gave her an uncomfortable look upon hearing that name. "Professor Williams from medical school?" She asked her.

Mary shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess so. He called yesterday and asked for you, but you were gone. I told him you'd call him just as soon as you got back."

Elena looked at the phone number written on the note and chuckled a little and said, "Okay, I will give him a call right away."

Elena stood up and went over to the counter and paid for her food and walked out. She went to the nearest telephone booth and shut the door and looked down at the number, frowning. She tore it in half and tossed the pieces over her shoulder. She pulled out a quarter from her pocket and picked up the phone and put the coin into the slot. She dialed a different number and waited until a woman's voice answered on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Margie! It's Elena."

"Hiya, El! Howya doin'?"

"Fine. I just got back home from Texas last night."

"Oh, yah? How was it?"

"Great. Not only that, but I brought home a friend."

"Oh, did ya now?"

"Yeah."

"Well, why doncha bring him over tonight and we can meet him?"

"Uh, he's kinda feeling under the weather right now, Marge. How does next weekend sound?"

"Oh, yah, that works fine."

"Great! If you can supply the eggs, I'll supply the steaks."

"Sure, you betcha."

"Okay, see you later, Marge."

"Okay. Bye, El."

"Bye bye."

Elena hung up the phone and turned to exit the telephone booth and opened the door and walked out and went back to the hospital.