“Pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and respiratory rate,” Leonora listed off, producing a thermometer from her skirt pocket. Removing it from its plastic case, she gave it a couple of shakes, and then popped it in Allie’s mouth before taking her wrist in hand. “Just relax and breathe through your nose.”

Allie watched as the others stood to clear the table, her gaze traveling from one person to another. They were all healthy-looking, but she couldn’t help but notice that the women were curvy with a bit of meat on them. Not overweight or anything, but not the stick-thin twiggy figures so popular in the magazines. She thought that was interesting. Apparently, peak condition was not anorexic.

“Good,” Leonora pronounced, releasing her wrist. “I need to go fetch the blood pressure cuff from your room. You just keep the thermometer in until I get back.”

Allie nodded in response, but the woman was already rushing away. She watched her go and then simply sat there, waiting. The conversation in the kitchen behind her was just a murmur of sound until she heard her name mentioned, and then she tuned into it.

“Allie might need to go shopping for necessities. Dani wasn’t sure, but said she had to and thought Allie might as well.”

“I am not sure either,” Magnus admitted. “She had two bags with her when we took her and Liam from the apartment, but I am not sure what is in them. She might need to go shopping.”

“The backpacks?” Elvi asked, and snorted slightly. “There can’t be much in there. She probably does need a good shopping excursion.”

“I don’t think Dani wanted her exerting herself, though,” Mabel put in. “It’s probably better if they just relax around here today.”

“You’re probably right,” Elvi agreed, and then said, “Well, if you want to be alone to talk, Magnus, you could take her into the salon for a little privacy.”

Allie was just wondering what they thought the two of them needed to talk about when Elvi added, “I’m sure she still has a lot of questions, and she might feel more comfortable asking you without the rest of us around. I think our being able to read her mind makes her uncomfortable.”

She heard Magnus grunt in response and then Leonora was back, the blood pressure cuff in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

“This thing reads your pulse as well as your blood pressure, but I like to count it out myself just to double-check,” she announced as she set the clipboard on the table and strapped the cuff around Allie’s upper arm. “Now, let’s just see if it gets the same reading on your pulse as I did.”

Leonora pushed the button on the blood pressure machine twice, and as the cuff began to swell and tighten around Allie’s arm, she took the thermometer from her mouth and read it.