“Hey, Mira! Wait up, would ya? This stuff weighs a ton!” Detective Mira Sanchez smiled as Angie Ramirez ran up beside her. “Phew. I never thought I’d catch up.”

Mira grinned. “Well, I can’t say that I didn’t try.”

“Very funny,” Angie huffed. “Do you know how heavy this bag is? It weighs a ton!” She lifted the one shoulder that the back pack was flung over.

“Then why didn’t you drive instead of walking all the way to Goodman’s?”

“Have you seen parking around here? Its atrocious. No thanks, I’ll walk. Especially if I’ve got my own bodyguard with me.” The blond smiled as she slapped her friends back.

“Gee thanks,” Mira said giving Angie a dead-pan look. “Switching subjects... What’s in the backpack?”

“This? Just some fabric samples and spare parts that Rollie needed me to pick up before he got back.”

“Boy, you sure work fast.” Rollie was scheduled to be out of the city for the next three weeks, he had only been gone for 36 hours.

“I figured since I had the time I may as well get it out of the way now, that way I can get on with my non-existent personal life until Rollie gets back, instead of planning and panicking about it.”

Mira raised an eyebrow. “What’s so wrong with panicking?”

With an all knowing sigh, Angie replied, “You’ve never seen me panic. It’s not a pretty site.”

“Oh.”

The two women came to a cross-walk. The “walk” sign was lit, so they did. They were a third of the way across when screeching breaks and car horns caught their attention. Some idiot had ran the red light and was headed straight for them!

Though instinct told her to run, Mira tugged on Angie’s arm once before sprinting for the sidewalk. “Come on!”

Angie followed at the detective’s heels.

Mira made it safely to the sidewalk, but the thump behind her told her that Angie hadn’t. Turning, she saw Angie sprawled on the crosswalk partially laying on her back pack. The car that had hit her had a lamp post embedded in its front.

“Someone call 9-1-1!!!” the detective shouted as she ran back to check on her friend. She searched for a pulse and found one... barely. Leaving Angie, Mira drew her gun and approached the late-model sedan. “NYPD! Keep your hands where I can see them and step out of the vehicle!”

There was no response.

Slowly Mira approached the vehicle. There was still no response. She could see the driver slumped over the steering wheel. Holding her gun in one hand, she reached out with the other to feel the man’s neck for a pulse.

Nothing. He was dead.

Reholstering her gun, Mira tried to take charge of the scene until the paramedics and officers could arrive.

No more than half an hour later the detective made the call. After a few rings it was answered.

“Tyler.”

Mira took a deep breath.

“Hello? Is anybody there?”

“Rollie, this is Mira Sanchez.”

“What’s wrong?” His tone was flat, as though he knew something had happened.

Taking another deep, steadying breath she told him. “It’s Angie. You’ve got to come back now.”

“So what does that mean?” Rollie Tyler was frantic. He had been ever since receiving Mira’s call. He’d left his dinner companion with no more than an explanation that had taken all of two seconds to convey and the bill for a dinner that had just been served. The director probably wanted to kill him for leaving, but Angie was far more important than any movie or its long-legged blond star (his dining companion).

“What it means,” the doctor explained, “is that Ms. Ramirez an extremely lucky young woman. She only sustained a few broken ribs and a fractured arm, plus the usual bumps and bruises. That pack she had on absorbed a lot of the shock from the car’s impact as well as cushioned her when she was thrown to the pavement. By all witness accounts, she should be dead.”

The blood drained from Rollie’s face and he felt a chill sweep through him. Angie had come just inches from death.

“Is that it? No other injuries?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tyler. I can only speak to family members about any other injuries. Hospital policy.”

“But she doesn’t have anyone! I’m the closest thing to a relative that she has! I’m also listed as her emergency contact person and I would damn certainly call this an emergency.”

The doctor sighed deeply and nodded. Motioning the young man over to two empty chairs in the lobby, he asked Rollie to sit down.

“Though the physical trauma Angela suffered is not extensive, the internal damage is much greater.” Rollie paled as the doctor continued. “X-rays indicated that a tremendous amount of damage has occurred to the patient’s head and neck.”

“Will-”

“Ms. Ramirez’s motor skills are intact. She’s not paralyzed. Subconsciously she moves in bed... There are also other ways to tell. However, right now she’s in a coma and if-”

“A coma?!”

“Please, Mr. Tyler, I’m trying to explain.”

Rollie quieted.

“Even if she were to wake up, she could be permanently disabled in some way. But until Angela wakes up and we can run some tests, we won’t know for sure.”

“Well, when will she wake up?”

The doctor replied to the best of his ability. “That’s hard to tell right now. She could wake up any minute or she could be this way for the rest of her lif-”

“The rest of her life?!” Angie couldn’t live like that! She wouldn’t want to live like that...

“Mr. Tyler, please. Ms. Ramirez could wake up soon, then again, it could be a while. With injuries like hers, we can’t determine when. However," the man sighed, "I will tell you that the longer she’s unconscious, the worse her chances are.”

Rollie was silent.

The doctor placed a reassuring hand on the young man’s shoulder and then stood and walked away.

Rollie looked up briefly to see Mira accost the man in the hall. He was sure the doctor had repeated to her exactly what he’d been told. “Damn it,” he hissed. Why Angie? She’d never done anything to deserve this.

“Mind if I join you?”

The F/X wizard looked up to see Mira standing in front of him. “Yeah. Sure. Go ahead.”

Sitting beside Rollie, the detective took a deep breath. “The doctor told me about her condition.” Laying a hand on her friends shoulder she added, “I’m sure she’ll be all right.”

Shrugging out of Mira’s grip, Rollie corrected her. “She’s not a ‘her’, Mira. She’s Angie. You should know that.” His words were stiff, but filled with emotion.

“I’m sorry. Its just-” she paused to rethink her words. “I dropped by to tell you about the driver.” Rollie stiffened and slowly lifted his head. “He was dead at the scene. At first the coroner thought it might have been caused by a heart attack, but in the autopsy they found some sloppy needle marks.” Mira paused again. “Its been ruled as a homicide. There was enough evidence to rule out that he was a user and also enough evidence to place him dead before he was in the driver’s seat.”

“So, it was someone else’s fault.” Rollie had been blaming a dead man for the past 18 hours of hell that he and Angie and Mira were going through. But if the guy was dead that meant someone else caused the accident. Someone else was to blame. “I want to help.”

“I know you do. I do too, but Captain-”

“Damn it, Mira!” Rollie exploded from his seat startling a few people in the lobby.

“Calm down, Rol.” Mira had him sit down.

“Mira, one man is dead and Angie’s lying in a coma right now. I’ve got to do something.” He rested his forehead in his cupped hands.

Mira rubbed his back. “I’m not on the case since its personal, but... But maybe we could work... help at an unprofessional level?”

“Maybe,” Rollie replied.

The detective sat with Rollie for almost an hour until the doctor they had spoken to earlier scuttled into the room. The two stood

“Mr. Tyler, Detective Sanchez, Ms. Ramirez is awake.”

Relief coursed through Rollie. “Can I see her?”

“Give us some time to conduct the necessary tests. I’ll send a nurse to come get you as soon as we’re finished.”

They waited for what felt like hours. Finally a nurse came out to take them to Angie. Mira nodded to Rollie, “You go. I need to get back to the precinct.”

Rollie followed the nurse back to Angie’s room but before he could enter the doctor intercepted. “Mr. Tyler, before you go in there’s something you need to know.” Rollie stopped. “Ms. Ramirez appears to be suffering from amnesia. She remembers nothing of the accident and virtually nothing of her life before waking up here. Until we can run more tests we won’t know how extensive the damage is. What I’m saying is... she doesn’t remember you.”

Rollie stood as if frozen. Recovering, he pushed past the doctor and into the room.

Angie lay in the middle of the white hospital bed. Her right arm was in a cast up to her elbow, her eyes were closed. For a moment Rollie thought that maybe the doctor was wrong. As he approached the bed, though, Angie’s eyes opened.

“Who a- are you my husband?”

Shock roiled through Rollie. “H- Husband?”

“The nurses said there was a cute Aust- Austrial- Aussie waiting for me. They said he was my husband...” She attempted to smile but because of the cuts and bruises covering her face she came up short. “You fit the bill. You are my husband, aren’t you?”

Of all the... gossiping nurses! “You’re... We’re... not married. We work together. You’re my- We’re friends. Best friends.”

“Oh,” disappointment clouded her voice.

“I’ve known you since you were a kid. I-” He halted in midsentence.

Angie’s eyes began to tear up. “I don’t remember.”

Rollie moved to sit on the edge of her bead. Taking her good hand in his as his other hand stroked her hair, he tried to comfort her. “You’ll remember, Ange. I’ll help you. After all, that’s what friends are for.”

Angie looked up at the man she’d thought was her husband. “That’s the lamest line that I have EVER heard.” She paused. “How did I know that?”

“See, you’re remembering things already.” Rollie smiled.

“So, if you’re not my husband and we’re just friends, as you claim we are... Who are you and who am I?”

A curious expression passed over Rollie’s face. “Didn’t the doctor or nurses tell you?”

“When I woke up someone called me Ms. Ramirez, that’s all I’ve heard.”

“Well,” Rollie took a deep breath and began, “I’m Rollie Tyler,” He paused as Angie mouthed his name. “And you’re Angela Ramirez. But everyone calls you Angie.” He paused as she mouthed her own name. “You’re my assistant at Tyler F/X, we do special effects for movies.”

Angie’s eyes lit up when he stated their occupation. “Sounds like fun... What kind of name is Rollie?”

“Australian.” He hated the name Roland and wasn’t about to give that one over... Angie would have to remember it if she wanted to know. Just then a nurse came in and pointed to her watch. “I’ve got to go Ange, but I’ll be back later. ‘Kay?” He leaned over to kiss her forehead.

“But I’m not tired, I just got up and I have more ques-” Rollie sent her a look that seemed to pacify her temporarily. “’Kay.”

Ruffling Angie’s blond bangs, Rollie smiled and left.

The doctor waylaid him in the hallway. “I hope you didn’t tell Ms. Ramirez too much-”

“Just my name, her name, the fact that we aren’t married, the fact that we work together and a little about her job... special effect for movies. That was it. I’ve seen enough and read enough to know not to tell her too much and not to push her and to let her memory come back on her own. Is that it?”

“Just about. We’d like to run some more tests and need you to sign some forms.” Rollie nodded, giving his consent. The two walked down the hall towards Reception. “If all goes well,” the doctor was saying. “Angela could be released as soon as Friday.”

Today was Tuesday. “Friday? This week? You’re sure?” Rollie smiled as some of his fears drifted away.

“Yes, but she will need someone to stay with her to-”

“She lives alone, but she could move in with me. For how long?”

“We won’t know until after the tests. Only then will we give you the news.” The doctor motioned for the receptionist to hand them the neccessary papers.

Rollie nodded. “I’ll be coming back to the hospital later, when is the next time I can see Ange?” He signed where neccessary, first skimming over the documents he was signing.

“Give us about four hours. Go home, take a shower, and get some rest, but remember to set your alarm. We’re strict about visiting hours around here.”

Rollie thanked the doctor and headed out to the van. He called Mira to tell her what had happened then went home.