(Continued:)
Now it was time to see Joan McNelly. Karen got her room number at the information desk and made her way to room 249. The sight that met her upon entering the room made her stop dead in her tracks. Joan McNelly was a mess!

Karen swallowed and approached the bed. Joan McNelly had a drowsy look in her face – probably from whatever painkiller was administered to her. And there was no doubt she was in a lot of pain. Apart from the obvious injuries, a lot of scratches and bruises were visible where you could see her skin.

"Ms McNelly, I’m so sorry," Karen said heartfelt. "I’m Karen Hansson, and I’m…"

"I know who you are," Joan McNelly whispered, looking at her with one sleepy eye. She tried to lift her left hand but it felt limply back down. "I have nothing to say to you – please leave me alone."

Karen was about to protest, but reconsidered. The woman was obviously in a lot of pain and it probably wouldn’t make things better if Karen started to attack the City Administration – an administration Joan McNelly was very much a part of.

"You have my best wishes and I will pray for you," Karen said silently. Joan McNelly’s good eye was closed now. Karen left the room. She was on the brink of tears.

Outside the hospital Karen got into a cab and drove home. The guy driving this cab was also very helpful – at least there were some advantages with the casts and the crutch.

Home again, Karen couldn’t help thinking of Joan McNelly. Chris would not be around for another hour, so Karen got her book, sat in the sofa and poured herself a glass of red wine. As, once again, she was engulfed in Tolkien’s fantastic world, her worries drifted away and an inner calm began to fill her body and mind.

Her heart almost skipped a beat when the doorbell rang. Karen looked at the watch – two minutes past two. It had to be Chris.

"Come on in, Chris – the door is unlocked!" she shouted. A moment later Chris appeared in the door. "Wow, look at you," she said, "Are we going somewhere fancy for dinner?" He was nicely dressed, shirt and tie and a jacket casually over his shoulder. He nodded with a funny expression on his face, then looked at the almost empty wine glass.

"Oh, we’re getting comfortable, are we?" he asked with a laugh.

Karen smiled back at him.

"Anyway," he continued, "do you mind if I make some coffee? I’ve brought some donuts."

"Please, go ahead," she answered with a hungry look at the box in his hand, "I haven’t had one of those in ages."

Ten minutes later they were seated at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating donuts. Karen filled Chris in on what she had been doing during the day, about her rendezvous with Jessica Fox and the article in ‘What’s Up’. She left out the part about Joan McNelly, although she didn’t quite know why. Maybe she just didn’t want to alarm him.

Chris was telling about the everyday life at TVTV and how they missed her at work. Shannon was doing good filling in for Karen, but it would never be the same. Karen promised she would return to work in another couple of days.

Half an hour before they left, Karen excused herself and went to her bedroom. Here she found her favorite underwear and bra and a long, light red dress with wide sleeves. She took off her clothes and put on the new ones. As she found out in the hospital, the bra was quite tricky, but she managed at last. The dress was perfect. It would cover most of her casts when they were in the restaurant, and if she took off the sling when they sat down, other people would only be able to see the cast on her left hand. Finally, she took out a pair of high-heeled shoes, smiled at herself and returned the left one. She put on the right shoe and got back on her feet. It was actually a little easier to walk now, she discovered; the high heel brought her right foot in level with the left foot, elevated by the rubber walking heel.

Karen went back into the living-room where Chris was waiting. He almost dropped his jaw when he saw her.

"M-my God, you’re beautiful," was all he could say.

"With a handsome escort like you, I thought I’d better dress to the occasion," she replied. Chris was beyond speaking now, so she kissed him on the cheek. That somehow brought him back to reality. He took her in his arms and brought his mouth over hers. Their tongues entwined and she felt a warm sensation rush through her body. She was definitely falling in love with Chris.

The trip to the "beauty parlor" – as Karen preferred to call it – was short. It was a place she had noticed quite often, but she had never actually been inside.

The girl running the place – Chris’ friend – was a smashing looking girl in her late twenties and Karen’s first thoughts were those of jealousy. How come she was "only a friend"? Was she married or did she have a boyfriend? Had Chris’ made a pass on her in the past?

She greeted them cordially, kissed Chris on the cheek (something Karen absolutely did not like) and introduced herself to Karen as Belinda. Belinda really was good looking. She had a slender figure, long legs and a bosom that would make Pamela Anderson jealous. Her hair was fairly long and bright orange – definitely colored, Karen thought.

"Look, Karen," Chris said, "I have to run a few errands but Belinda knows what to do. I’ll be back to pick you up a little later, OK?"

Karen was about to say something – except she didn’t know what… So Chris kissed her on the mouth and slipped out the door.

"Come, have a seat," Belinda said, "Don’t worry about him – he always has a lot to do!" Karen didn’t like the way Belinda obviously knew Chris, but she – reluctantly – sat down in the offered chair.

Belinda wasn’t short of words. She started doing Karen’s hands and nails while blabbering away, talking of this and of that, TV, the weather, people in Torville and so on… After awhile Karen felt more at ease and she started to enjoy the treatment. Finally, she summoned the courage to ask the question she had been longing to ask:

"So, how did you come to know Chris?"

Belinda smiled. "We go way back. We started in the same school, both of us just having moved to Torville. You know, we were the ‘new ones’ so we kind of stuck together. It’s been like that ever since – even though we don’t see each other as much as we did then."

"Did you date him?" Karen’s question just blurted out, even to her own amazement, and she blushed.

Belinda noticed and laughed. "No, never! There were times when I sort of wanted to – and I believe that the idea has crossed his mind too, but I guess that neither of us would jeopardize our friendship like that. You know, ‘friends forever’ – and just friends…"

Karen successfully hid a sigh of relief. Belinda went on:

"Don’t get Chris wrong. He’s a terrific guy, and though he may not appear as the strong, protective type, he has a very big heart. Back in school – well, I was new, wore big glasses and a brace on my teeth – when the other kids harassed me, he was always there, fending them off. And later on he gave me the courage to go through the studies and helped me start this place!"

Somehow it didn’t fit – yet somehow it fitted perfectly. Chris was the reserved type but when he did something, he did it with all his heart. However, why had he never spoken of Belinda before? Well, Karen reflected, Belinda was not part of the TV crew and Chris probably did not see any reason for speaking of her.

Belinda was applying some mud mask to Karen’s face when Chris returned. He laughed as he entered the door.

"I’m sorry," he said, still chuckling, "It just so… Whenever you’re a kid, your mom will scold you for playing with mud and getting it on your face, so it strikes me funny when two grown-up women are doing this!"

They all laughed. That is, Karen tried to laugh without wrinkling the mask too much.

After the complete treatment, Chris lead Karen to the door. He didn’t offer to pay Belinda, and she didn’t seem to expect him to. Perhaps he had taken care of that – or perhaps he would later, Karen thought. She dismissed it. It had been so wonderful to be treated that way and Belinda had been very good at it. Karen felt relaxed now, and with just a touch of make-up – professionally administered by Belinda – she actually felt pretty beautiful too.

Chris had not mislead her, nodding when Karen had asked if they were going somewhere fancy for dinner. The restaurant was definitely one of the best in Torville. Chris had arranged for a quiet table in a corner, overlooking a huge aquarium with lovely, tropical fish swimming lazily around. A string quartet played quietly from a small podium in the middle of the room and, apart from the chandeliers under the ceiling the restaurant was lit mostly by candles. There were not many guests this evening (and no noisy children at all) which further enhanced the sense of intimacy. Needless to say, the food was superb.

When they spoke, they spoke in whispers as if a single word – said out loud – would break the magic that surrounded them.

After the main course, Chris and Karen agreed that they were too full for desert, so they settled for a drink – a Tequila Sunrise for her and a Martini (shaken, not stirred) for him. However, much of the James Bond image seemed to fade from Chris’ posture as he shifted repeatedly in his chair, trying to say something but not knowing how to put it.

"What is it?" Karen asked.

"W-well," Chris said, "I was wondering… Wouldn’t it be a shame to just go to bed after this? I mean, if I brought my camera I could take some pictures of you, you know, with your hair set up and all that?"

Karen smiled. That was so cute. Why did he have so much trouble just asking her that?

"Tell you what," she said. "Why don’t we stop by your apartment to pick up your camera. After that we go to my place and have some drinks and take some pictures?" She didn’t add that she would like him to sleep with her. There would be ample time for that.

Chris looked at her, suspiciously at first. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, "Finish your drink and let’s get moving. It would also be nice with a little fresh air now."

As if trying to run from the bill, Chris got them moving in record time. Leaving the restaurant (he did pay, mind you) he summoned a cab and shortly after she was waiting in the car outside Chris’ apartment. She did not have to wait long. Chris was back so fast that you might get the idea that everything was packed, ready to be picked up. Five minutes later they were outside Karen’s house, where she unlocked and lead him inside.

She had barely closed the door behind them when the phone rang. "Hello," she said as she picked it up.

"Karen Hansson?" a quiet voice asked.

"Yes," she replied, "who’s this?"

"It’s Joan McNelly. I’m sorry I didn’t want to talk to you yesterday, but I was in a lot of pain. Today I have evaluated my situation and decided to give you some information. Perhaps you should come visit me tomorrow…"

"I’d love to," Karen said into the phone, sending Chris a puzzled look, " What kind of information is it?"

"I’d rather not tell on the phone, but the two keywords are ‘Mayor’ and ‘embezzlement’!"

The line went dead.