Ten minutes later with the glass still empty the door opened."You're early," the statement had a question buried somewhere in the flat legal tones.An ...legant brunette stood in the doorway, half smiling, half frowning, a mobile, expressive face that might have been showing wry amusement, concern, pity; or even a touch of guilt."Hitting the hard stuff darling?" Not especially. The fact that my glass is empty provides no evidential indication of my actual consumption. It merely indicates that. The windows were dark, not merely tinted but completely opaque, the divider separating her from the driver was raised, so her view of the outside was entirely blocked. She shut her eyes and opened her mind, her powers allowing her to follow the route precisely. They were leaving the city, traveling southwest. The highway was jammed as always, and the going slow. She opened her eyes, no longer interested, deciding instead to use the time to meditate. Lost within herself she was shaken out of. She was also one of very few experts I could have turned to for the particular type of help I sought. I stayed quiet and out of the way as I watched the two lab-coated women efficiently strip my charges, help them up onto the two exam tables, fit their legs in the stirrups, and strap down their legs and arms. Their legs were spread wide, much wider than necessary for a simple exam. Then again, this was not going to be a simple exam.I caught each of their concerned looks and nodded reassuringly. ‘Look at the time! She’s going to think I’ve abandoned her.’ Brian saw her looking at her watch. ‘Fran, I’m sorry I kept you so late,’ he said. ‘I suppose you have to get home, right?’ There was just a tiny trace of disappointment in his voice. ‘That’s all right, Brian,’ Fran replied. ‘I suppose I should get going. What about you? Won’t your wife be wondering where you are?’ Even though she had been meeting with him daily for almost two weeks, she knew very little about his family. He had.