Some of these 'what if' tales(thinking Fred west, etc.) are really frightening.
Mine's more a story of heightened awareness at a time of extreme stress, I think.
My oh was dying, raging against the night, not going quietly...we'd moved country to get the dx and treatment from a h.with a brill neurological dept. I'd been able to find a cottage let within the area but knew no-one.
We'd not been there long before the adjoining cottage was let, man and dog. We guessed it was a fck off And take your fcking dog with you scenario, and so it was. He was a teacher and rode to work on his motorbike.
We three became good friends and I had keys to his place and walked the dog, etc., then, as my oh became more mentally unstable and unreasonable (and why not-he was dying and it never was going to be a 'good' death, poor sod) anyway, while my stresses increased so did our friend's with his situation, and he and I would meet in the town after school for a half-hour or so to chill . We'd found the cathedral coffee bar and not only was the coffee good , walking through the cloisters was deff.good for the soul
before we returned to our domestic hells. I kept these meetings from oh.
One afternoon we'd arranged to meet. About 1/2hr or so before he was to arrive I was in the bar and suddenly became incredibly sad and tired, so tired. I knew he wasn't going to come and I knew I'd got to get back to walk the dog so left before our meet time to get the local bus back..
Got home, went straight to friend's cottage and took the dog over the fields, feeling a bit better by now, not so sad and tired, not so headachy,but...
Returned to our cottage and oh was frantic. He'd had a call from our friend in hospital. He'd been knocked off his motorbike, was being kept in A&E and could I please see to his dog til he returned?
Oh was cross with me that I was taking this so calmly- this was my friend after all?
But for me, everything became clear.