Socio

After Shannon's revelation to the doctor, she wondered if she would see her in a different light. She supposed she probably would and that there was a chance the doctor might not feel comfortable being around her anymore, but Shannon had decided long ago that she would rather be open and honest and scare people off than keep them around with her silence. Eventually, the conversation swung back to trivial and even happier things. She wasn't sure where the doctor stood with her revelation but by the time they left the restaurant, she was stuffed with the wonderful food she'd eaten and felt closer to the doctor. This older person, who came from a far different walk of life, yet who genuinely seemed to take an interest in her and enjoy her company. "What about you?" Shannon asked the doctor as they pulled away from the restaurant. "Hmm?" asked the doctor. "I don't know nearly as much about you as you know about me." "You've learned quite a bit about me." "I suppose, but I thirst for more knowledge about the very kind and generous Dr. Warren. What is your own family like?" "They're wonderful people. At least most of the time," she added with a laugh. "My parents own a pharmacy and that's what inspired me to become a doctor. I've always been fascinated by the way hormones work in the body and how they affect us and such." "Siblings?" "M-hm. A brother and two sisters. They're all younger than me but they're very accomplished citizens in the community." "Kids?" "Yup," the doctor said proudly. "My 22-year-old daughter is a police officer who hopes to one day become a detective, and my 20-year-old son is studying anthropology." "Good for them. Husband? Boyfriend?" "Neither. We've been divorced for a while now." They continued to wind through the streets toward Shannon's apartment. The sun had just fallen behind the city's buildings and lights were popping on in various windows. Shannon, who felt very relaxed in the doctor's comfortable car, continued her interview of sorts. "Pets?" "None at the moment." Loud sirens could now be heard and a minute later, they had to pull over to allow a fire truck to pass. "I smell smoke," said Shannon, not thinking much of it at the time. Ambulances, fire trucks and police cars were a regular part of the city. "I think I see smoke over there," the doctor said, nodding northeasterly. Shannon stiffened as they approached the street her apartment was on. "Oh, my God, I hope that's not my building. Please tell me that's not my building!" But it was. Shannon was out of the car and running toward the building as soon as the doctor came to a stop. Dr. Warren was quick on her heels just as she was blocked by a firefighter telling her it wasn't safe to go inside. "But my rats! My pet rats! They're my babies!" The firefighter looked at her sympathetically as he continued to order her back and away from the building, Dr. Warren pulling on her shoulders at the same time. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get away from here and to where it's safer." Shannon felt helpless and horrified knowing the kind of fear, pain and suffering her beloved pets must have been going through at the moment. She knew there was no way they would survive a blaze such as this. She leaned against the doctor's car, crying hysterically as the doctor gently massaged her shoulders. Shannon was also angry. She was mad at the fire, mad at the world, mad at God if there was one, and she vowed to seek vengeance upon whoever was responsible for the fire should it turn out to be a case of arson and should the law fail to do the right thing as it often did. "Come on, sweetie," said the doctor. "This smoke isn't good for you to breathe in." At that point, Shannon allowed herself to be led back into the car. Her head was swimming with emotions, her heart aching heavily in her chest. She didn't even think of her own belongings that were lost to the fire at first. All she could think about was her furry children. They had been moving for several minutes before Shannon finally asked robotically, "Where are we going?" "To my place." "But I don't have anything. I didn't have much before because I prefer to travel light, but with the exception of my handbag, everything is gone now, from the looks of how big that fire was. My pets, my clothes, everything." "Don't worry about that right now. We can get you what you need. You're alive." "And my furbabies aren't," Shannon said, continuing to sob. They rode in silence for the nearly ten minutes it took for the doctor to pull up to what looked like a large hotel. "This is where you live?" The doctor nodded. "Sure is." "This looks like a fancy hotel. I forget just how many high-rises there are here." The doctor drove into one of those parking garages that had multiple levels to park on. She parked close to the ground, and they both exited the vehicle. "Isn't this a pain when you have groceries?" "No," said the doctor. "I have a cart folded up in the trunk that I use." Shannon saw that the building had a name as they approached it. "The Windsor," it said in big block letters over the entryway. An aging security guard with a potbelly nodded his head and pulled open one of the glass doors. "Evening, Dr. Warren." "Good evening, Zachary," the doctor replied. Zachary then gave Shannon a polite nod. "You have a doorman?" Shannon asked once they were inside. Dr. Warren nodded. "That and much more. There is always a security guard at the front desk, plus we have a fitness room and a small lounge that serves both food and drinks." "How many floors are there?" "Sixty. There are four units per floor facing north, east, west, and south. Fortunately, I'm in the back of the building facing north and don't have to deal with any annoying direct sunlight." "What floor are you on?" "Fifty-two." Shannon didn't say anything more as they stepped further into the lobby. She could see the lounge to the left, the desk in which a female security guard sat behind to the right, and the elevators straight ahead. There were two elevators on each side of the small area that contained them. The doctor walked up to the first one on the left and pressed the button. The doors parted a few seconds later and they rode the elevator in silence. When the doors parted, they stepped into a quiet, carpeted hallway. "The elevators are in the center of each floor," the doctor explained. Shannon followed the doctor down the hall and around the corner. This section of the hallway was the same length as the other one, at about eighty feet long, and also had a single door that wasn't quite in the center of the wall but more toward the left. The doctor unlocked the door and motioned for her to step inside in front of her. Shannon stepped into the dim interior and stopped dead in amazement. What she saw took her breath away and made her momentarily forget her troubles.