Spring Is Here But I'm Not Sure I'm Happy .........

At the end of March I got a call from my Cardiologist's office that they weren't happy with my Potassium Level. They recommended drinking Orange Juice and eating Bananas - two things I've stayed away from since the Transplant because they told me to. We agreed on a follow up on Tuesday, April 3rd.

I always make my appointments for 8 AM. The traffic is lighter, so the ride down to New Brunswick goes pretty quickly. I usually get a parking spot in the lot next door and I'm in and out so quickly that I don't have to pay.

It was overcast, and I hit traffic on the way back. An accident on 287 caused the side streets to back up.  I was down to about 1/2 a tank of gas so I stopped at the Wawa's in Avenel to fill up. That's where I saw this guy.

I wasn't sure what he was doing but he was plugging away and I drove by.

I got a call the next day that my Potassium Level was still low so they prescribed a supplement and called it in to my Pharmacy. I agreed to go back down on the 11th for a retest.

Since then, I've been up earlier then usual. Not because I want to but because there are some birds that start chirping outside my bedroom window as soon as it gets light. There is a tree out there but it's just starting to bud now.

I think that some of my neighbors are feeding them but I can't prove it.

On the 6th, I was out running some errands and stopped in at Shoprite. I didn't buy anything but I did pick up my breakfast at their In-store Dunkin' Donuts. I was eating in my car when I saw this guy walking across the lot.

That's when I was tempted but there was a sudden tapping on my passenger-side window.

"Jeez, Doyle, you just scared the crap out of me! I think I just aged 5 years which I can't afford to."
I opened the passenger side door and let him in.
"You're fine, Denny" he said, reaching over to shake hands, "Although you do seem to have a problem with your Potassium Level."
I was hoping to come up with a snappy retort but I couldn't. All I could do was shake my head.
"Still watching over me?"
"Well ... yes and no. We're stretched pretty thin because of Budget Cuts and POTUS being so active. But you still have the imbedded tracker and I get a daily report."
"That's good,  I guess. But I'm also guessing that you didn't stop by just to tell me that .. so, what's up?"

He put his head down for a minute then looked me straight in the eye.

"Remember when I told you that we hadn't found a trace of Gordon for a while?"
"Yeah. That was months ago."
"Well ... a body was found a few days ago down near Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. There appears to be a bullet wound to the left temple and a gun in it's left hand so the preliminary cause of death is Suicide. Unfortunately it's been there a while and it's badly decomposed - in fact, it's mostly a skeleton now. They tell me that we might get DNA but it probably won't be useful and we can't check dental records because the body had dentures that really rotted and can't be traced. The thing is, there were elements of a tracker in the heart, and we're not missing any agents. The only other people I know that have the implant are you and Gordon."

Now it was my turn to put my head down for a minute.

"Do you think it's him?"
"I have to be honest with you, Denny. I don't know. Gordon is ... was .. a very smart, cunning man. He could've pulled something off to keep us from tracking him. What he doesn't know is that we haven't had anyone actively after him for months."
I nodded a bit, taking it in.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you have a right to know and because I have this gut feeling. I think Gordon is alive and set this all up. You and I agreed months ago that you wouldn't use the Flasher for a while and - call it a hunch - but I believe that's what got him to do this. I don't know how or why he did it, but I truly believe he did."
"OK, Doyle, I trust your instincts so I'll go along. What would you like me to do?"
"Just keep doing what you're doing, Denny. That's all you can do. Remember, as long as you have the implanted Tracker he can't use the prototype Flasher on you."
"I'm counting on it."

Doyle's phone chirped and he looked at it.

"Sorry, but I have to go. Stay on top of that Potassium Level, OK?"
"I will. Thanks. Be safe out there."

He got out of the car, turned, and grinned. He gave me a thumbs up and got into a nearby black SUV. They drove away.

I went back to RWJ on the 11th for another Blood Test. When I got home, there wasn't an open parking space on my street so I drove around the block to park on Rahway. I stopped at the sign on Green Street and saw these 2 cars.

This is one of my pet peeves - parking on the wrong side. I was really tempted but I'd just talked to Doyle and I drove away.

Update 1 ... they didn't like my Potassium Level again so they prescribed a supplement and arranged another Blood Test. 

I went back down on the 19th and had to rush home because the Building Inspector was coming. I'm not a big fan of letting people into my apartment but the Landlord would've had to pay a fine if I didn't and would probably pass it on to me. Turns out he was in and out in about 10 minutes. 

Update 2 ... They still didn't like my Potassium Level so they called in a prescription for twice the dose. I already have another test scheduled for May 10th, so we agreed to wait until the for the results.

This past week has been a mixed bag. Some days were overcast with some rain. Other days were warm and sunny. I'm not a big fan of rainy days but I can deal with them. I do have a problem with sunny, warm days this time of year. It's called allergies. Trees are blooming all over and I've been  itchy, my eyes have been tearing up, and I've been sneezing.

We had some rain this morning but the afternoon has turned out nice.

They say that next week we may get to the 80's which means that the pollen level will go up dramatically. Also, from what I've read, the mosquito situation will be bad this year due to the wet weather we've had.

Spring is here but I'm not sure I'm happy about it.