ROOM 211

PART NINE

12.

Thank goodness for good natured strangers, huh? Waking in a coffee shop with a massive headache and with no memory of who you are or how it is you came to be where it is you are, is certainly not an everyday occurrence. Add a nosebleed to that and one would be grateful when someone else is freely offering assistance.

Why is she helping him? What does she want from it? Is she somehow involved with what is happening to him? Has he always been a doubting Thomas? Has he always been suspicious? He may need to put these thoughts aside, these feelings aside, to perhaps move forwards as best he can.

The nosebleed which came Sander's way had not been a heavy one though it would be cause for concern given the circumstances he finds himself in. It didn't bleed all so long either so no immediate medical help was called for though Sander would stick to his agreement with coffee shop barista, Mandy. She had offered to take him somewhere to be looked at and with all things being what they are he will take her up on her offer. Perhaps she really is just a good Samaritan, someone who only wants to help.

On the two occasions Mandy brought Sander round, while he had been both sleeping and zoned out, she had used her words to snap him out of it. She had been fearful of touching anyone she does not know with not knowing how such a thing could be interpreted and or reacted to, though seeing how unsteady Sander is in his attempt to get to his feet, she had no problem aiding him as best she could out to her car.

Inviting a stranger into her car when it is only her and this stranger could at any other time be reason in itself to be fearful though on this occasion, Mandy feels quite comfortable in the fact that she is doing the right thing, a good thing. If she were to be in a similar situation to what he is in, or in any other situation that would require a helping hand, then it would be of some comfort knowing that someone would be willing to bring aid her way.

To the nearest hospital accident and emergency department it so is, and it doesn't take all so long to get there. It is about a quarter after four in the afternoon when trip comes complete, and it has been about three hours since Mandy first woke Sander though about ten minutes before the journey reaches its destination there is something that briefly catches Sander's attention.

With the car being stopped at a red-light, Sander sees something or rather someone from his position in the passenger seat of Mandy's Ford Focus. It is more than a someone who has caught his attention, it is three someone's. Together these three individuals walk along a footpath not all so far away.

Two male and one female, individually two of them may not completely stand out as they currently look and together, they most definitely do stick out. The female of the group is relatively young, late teens or early twenties perhaps, certainly younger than her companions. She wears a white and red dress, red running shoes and her hair and make-up are a bit of a mess, the same lady he had noticed passing the coffee store a couple hours or so earlier?

Seeing this lady twice in separate instances and within a short period of time almost feels as if it were more than something coincidental.

Out of the two companions the odd-looking lady has, one gentleman appears to be in his mid-thirties. He is tall, slim, bearded and wears a light grey suit. The other gentleman appears to be the oldest of the three by at least a couple of decades, he is shorter than both his companions and is also balding and wearing more casual clothing, clothing a little on the grubby side.

The three grouped individuals only distract Sander for the length of time that it takes the car he is in to get by the stop lights. Once the journey does continue, he really begins to feel grateful for the aid he is receiving, grateful to the point he feels the need to say something and from here it takes him a moment or two to express his gratitude.