Monday morning Mike and Ann came in to see me. Ann looked worried.
"What's the matter, Mom?"
It was Mike who answered, looking upset as well. "Dr. Mallard wants to meet with us this morning to decide if your memory loss is a sign of something more serious."
"Don't look so worried, you guys," I said trying to reassure them. "I'm fine, I'm healthy, and I'm sure there aren't any missing screws though a few might need a bit of tightening up." At least that got a laugh out of Mike.
As we sat there, a nurse came in with a message for me. She handed me a note. I opened it up, fear knotting in the pit of my stomach. Cathy wouldn't send a note through the nurse's station, so it could only be from Einstein.
I unfolded the paper and read:
"ST:TNG, not quite a bona fide hit yet, but shows great potential."
It was signed "Einstein."
I nearly laughed out loud. Obviously Einstein was making out okay and had found the perfect way to get a cryptic message to me that nobody would be able to decipher!
Ann asked for the note and then asked who Einstein was.
"A friend I made here. A really wonderful girl," I said. "I just know that the two of you would love her."
I couldn't say to them that Einstein was really a boy given that I wasn't allowed to date, and I didn't want them to worry, but it wasn't a complete lie... they would love Einstein, if they knew who he really was. Instead they had me, and I was going to make sure that I did right by them for Patricia.
And so it was that an hour later, all three of us were in the doctor's office.
Dr. Mallard was concerned about my amnesia. He was seriously thinking of bringing in a brain specialist and considering placing me in the psych ward.
I had a lot of talking to do.
Okay, so I embellished a lot of details, but I only had sketchy information to work from. I told the doctor about my first period, where it had happened, and how I had freaked over it. I even told him about my first kiss, and how I couldn't understand the big deal. Playing with the material that Einstein and Cathy had given me I was able to spin a pretty good yarn, and though I was watching the doctor's eyes, I could see Mike and Ann nodding at every piece of information I presented that they could verify. I went through the family structure, my birth date, the teasing at school... all trivial stuff but something that only I could know. I was starting to feel like a bit of a con artist, and could see how with a bit of information you could fool a whole lot of people. It was not a comfortable feeling.
The doctor still seemed to be wavering, but I had to get myself released from the hospital and without worrying Mike and Ann about my health.
"Dr. Mallard, I know who I am, and I realize there are still some blanks, but like you said to me last week, it will all come back with time. I don't think much more is going to come back until I'm home with my Mom and Dad and sleeping in my own bed."
He seemed to agree with that at least.
"What I guess I'm saying is, I realize you're worried about me and I appreciate that, but the longer I stay here the more of the school year I'm going to miss. I don't mind getting my head X-rayed if it will make you feel better, but couldn't you find out faster if my brain is functioning with an MMPI or a 'Cognistat' test?"
"Where did you learn those terms?" he asked with a shocked look.
I smiled at him. "I'm a fast learner, ask my Mom or Dad. I might have already known them, or I might have heard about them just being here. I'm sure the tests will show that my brain is functioning normally and you can always run a blood screen to see if there is anything toxic in my system."
Doctor Mallard smiled and agreed. "And you just turned 14?" he asked, laughing. And so it was set up that I would meet with an independent psychologist who would administer the tests without knowing anything about my recent amnesia.