“Who the hell would be here at this hour?” he says, rising from his spot on the couch and grabbing his phone from the coffee table.He pulls up the security camera, and his expression changes from one of annoyance to concern.
I peer over his shoulder to see Mrs. Fields slinking away from his front door, her movements erratic and confused.
“Fuck,” he says, jumping up and darting for the door.
I’m right behind him, grabbing our coats from the chair where we discarded them.
Neither one of us takes the time to put on shoes, our feet destined to be soaked and cold when this is all over. But that’s not what’s important right now.
We find her standing on the sidewalk, disoriented and claiming to be lost.
“I…don’t know where I am,” she says, looking around as if she hasn’t yet noticed Nick or me right behind her.
Nick approaches her cautiously, likely not wanting to startle her.
It’s clear something isn’t right.
“Mrs. Fields,” he says, touching her shoulder gently.
She turns to look up into his face. Her head tilts to the side, confusion evident in the way her eyes squint and nose wrinkles up.
“Who are you?” she says, taking a step back. Fear replaces the confusion from mere seconds ago.
I take a step around Nick, wondering if seeing a woman would make the situation less stressful for her. Her expression morphs into a semblance of calm when she gets a look at me. I don’t think she recognizes who I am, but clearly, seeing another person has her less stressed.
“Can I offer you a cup of tea?” I ask, trying to direct her toward Nick’s home.
She bobs her head. “Yes…tea. That would be nice,” she says, allowing me to steer her into Nick’s house. I have her take a seat, placing a blanket over her legs. She’s shaking, the cold finally registering.
Her teeth clatter and her hands shake. “Let me help you,” I say, grabbing another blanket from a nearby sofa and wrapping it around her body.
“Thank you, Alyssa.”
At the sound of my name, my head snaps toward her. She blinks, obviously recognizing that she, in fact, does know who I am. I watch as a series of emotions flicks across her face.
“Where am I?” she finally asks.
“Nick West’s, Mrs. Fields. We found you outside in the cold.”
She bursts into tears, and I’m not sure what to do. The only thing that I can think is to pull her into an embrace and allow her the moment she needs. It’s clear that the confusion has her rattled.
“Mom?” a foreign male voice says, drawing our attention.
A man just barely taller than my five-foot-seven height stands just inside the door, looking toward his mother with tears in his eyes.
He rushes forward, and I step back, allowing him to take my place.
“I knew Tom was in town. His car was in the driveway when we got home,” Nick says, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back against his chest.
There’s a knock on the door, and Tom calls out, “That’s likely Abby. She was getting dressed to come help.” Nick lets a petite brunette in, and she offers a sad smile before joining Tom and Mrs. Fields.
“Thank you so much for calling. We should’ve put alarms on the doors months ago,” Tom says. “We were asleep. Had no clue she left.”
“I’ll take her back and get her settled. I’ll sleep with her tonight,” Abby says. “Thank you both.”
“Please, take the blankets. I’ll get them another time,” Nick says, as Abby attempts to fold and put the blankets back on the couch. “It’s too cold out there.”
Abby nods, smiling, helping Mrs. Fields out of the house.
