Tracy hurried to get ready. She was called a half an hour ago and told to meet Kristy at ten minutes to five at the café around the corner. She looked at her watch and let out a soft yelp, she was running five minutes late and Kristy did not tolerate lateness.
She arrived out of breath stopping short of the table where Kristy sat sipping coffee. She tried to approach the table casually and as coolly as Kristy would have she been the one that was arriving late. Her attempt failed sorely.
"You are late." Kristy snapped barely looking up from the newspaper in front of her. "You know how I hate lateness."
Tracy collapsed into the empty chair and sighed. "I know, but I thought you'd rather have me here cleaned and dressed well rather then in my pajamas."
Kristy finally looked up at Tracy and raised her eyebrow, "Good choice." She looked back to her newspaper and continued to read the story she was reading taking slow sips of her coffee.
All Tracy could do was to sit and watch Kristy as she finished her morning routine. After another five minutes, Tracy ordered her own coffee and Kristy set aside her newspaper.
"I bet you are wondering about my e-mail and why I called you here today."
Tracy blew on her coffee to cool it as she nodded her head in response.
"Well, with my most recent note I went over to Danielle's apartment to find the bitch moving. Imagine she was moving without telling me, her best friend." Kristy continued to tell the story to Tracy about Danielle falling down the stairs and then about her hospital visit.
Tracy sat for a few minutes after Kristy finished, trying to digest what she was just told. "So what is our plan now that she doesn't remember anything?" Tracy meekly asked.
"Well sometimes when patients get amnesia, they turn into different people because they really have no idea what they were like before." A smirk crossed Kristy's face. "Our goal is to 'help' Danielle figure out who she was before all of this happened, but sometimes they just don't listen to those who are helping." Kristy batted her eyelashes innocently. "What a shame for Kevin that she will not remember being with him, and that she will end up being someone that he is not attracted to."
Tracy grinned at the idea. "So we will make her act like a girl that Kevin would have no interest in?" She giggled. "Who are we going to make her like?" She asked.
Kristy thought for a second. "He likes the good girls, someone who will treat him like his momma. Someone like Danielle was before all of this."
Tracy nodded her head in comprehension. "What part am I to play?"
"Instead of my cousin you are another of our friends. You will, of course, back up everything I have to say. I will prep you on the background I will tell her she but you will not just nod your head at everything I say. There will of course be times that you will have to bring up her invented back ground so it seems more realistic."
Again, Tracy nodded her head. "So I get to act." She said wistfully.
"If you want to think of it that way, then yes you do."
"What happens when we make her into someone Kevin doesn't want, do we split and it's every girl for herself?" Tracy had to know, the question had been tugging at her for the past few days.
Kristy just shrugged, "one thing at a time dear." She remarked. Kristy knew that there was no way she was going to let Tracy stand a chance at getting Kevin once Danielle was out of the picture. Maybe she could arrange a little accident for Tracy that would get rid of the one other person who knows her plan. That way she could get Kevin and be safe from a jealous teenybopper.
The girls discussed their first plan of action over bagels and when they were finished, they left separately to different parts of the city to start their plan.
*****
Kevin was exhausted, through the whole night he never left Danielle's side. He watched her sleep, watched as her eyes fluttered open, watched as she tried to remember everything in her life before the accident. He tried to talk to her about her life to help her remember anything, but the only time her eyes showed any kind of recognition was when Kristy was near.
He insisted upon helping her whenever she would let him. She had one good hand, so he just held the food closer to her. He helped her to prop her leg up if she needed it, he even fluffed her pillows, but her face still showed no recognition when she looked at him.
The door creaked open and Kevin jumped at the noise. He turned to see who walked in, seeing Kristy he sighed and turned back to Danielle.
"Is she still not recognizing you?" She asked from the doorway.
"No."
A small cry of joy sounded in Kristy's head, but she was solemn when she spoke. "How is she doing other then that?"
"She seems to be recovering. She has a healthy appetite and keeps herself busy as best she can."
Kristy nodded and looked towards Danielle her eyes fluttering open hearing people's voices.
"Hi." Kristy smiled at her. "How do you feel today?"
The woman in the bed, used to the strange man being in her room looked away from him and at face from yesterday and slightly smiled at her. "I hurt, but I think I will be all right in the long run."
Kristy nodded thinking to herself of all the plans she had in store for Danielle and answered, "Well I am sure you will be happy to get out of here, into your apartment with me. Maybe some of your memories will surface when you get there."
Kevin looked at the girls hopeful, "Yes, maybe you will remember more." He was scheduled to leave in few days to complete a few tracks and re-edit some others, he hated the fact that he was leaving her but knew she would be safe with Kristy helping her to remember.
Kristy turned her attention back to Kevin. "You look tired Kevin; maybe you should go home and get some rest."
Kevin sighed knowing that Kristy was right. He could not keep his constant vigilance up for much longer. He stood from his chair moved to Danielle's bed starting to lean over her to kiss her but her sharp intake reminded Kevin that she was not familiar with him so he pulled back quickly.
"I will visit you later." He forced a smile and quickly turned leaving the room.
Kristy waited until Kevin was really gone before taking the chair he vacated. "So you remember absolutely nothing?" She needed to know where she needed to start.
"Well I think I know that Danielle is my name, everyone is calling me by that name, but other then that I really have no idea who I am. Am I going to school, do I have a job? They all hinted that I was marrying that man, Kevin, that has been staying in my room, but what else about my life?"
It took Kristy all her strength to not smile at the words Danielle was speaking at that moment. A complete blank slate, she was in luck.
"Well your name is Danielle Fitzsimmons, but I'm sure you have been informed of that. Let's see, you are in school right now, undecided major. You have a part-time job working as a bank teller." She smiled at Danielle; see she could tell her the truth about some things in her life though she was unsure about Danielle's decision about a major.
"Okay, what about favorite foods, what were they?" Danielle's eyes lighted, she knew she could have asked these questions of the man that was in the room, but she felt that she had more reason to have this girl around her.
Kristy had to think for a moment, she knew the answer that Danielle gave every time she was asked, anything Kevin made but there was no way she could give that answer now. None of her answers should connect her to Kevin in any way.
"Well let's see, you love bread strangely enough. I never understood your fascination with that food." It wasn't a complete lie; Danielle did like bread but not as much as Kristy made it out.
Danielle smiled at her, "that's good to know." She leaned back and let out a small sigh. "I get to leave at the end of this week, I can't wait. I hope that you will be able to help my memories resurface." Tired she closed her eyes, Kristy watched until Danielle's breathing was steady before sneaking out the room.
She left room 438 and made her way to Danielle's apartment to unpack her boxes, decorate the apartment with a few things she picked up and get rid of all traces of Kevin. Shoving Danielle down the stairs had been the best move in her life.