It was about the middle of the second quarter of the football game that something happened that caused simultaneous exclamations amounting to "Ah ha!" from Jayne and Katie in the private boxes, Rick and Jimmy and Lieutenant Christopho in the stands, and Mavis and Sarah in front of the television set.

By that time, Jayne and Katie had moved from the attorneys' box to that of the hospital administrators. Jayne was very welcome in their box even though she was merely a nurse because the hospital administration was extremely grateful to her for not having held the hospital responsible for the fact that her former lover, Dr. Lon C. Haney, had used the hospital's facilities, particularly the operating room, in his plan to enslave her. Jayne was hoping to drop the name of Dr. Kinghoffer casually and see if she got any subtle negative reactions from his peers. So far, she had not had the opportunity, but she had introduced the "mystery woman" who was with her to her bosses.

Katie was enjoying being "incognito" tremendously, wearing a blonde wig, dark glasses, and a scarf that covered most of her cheeks. In order to reinforce the concealment of her identity, Katie had decided to create a dramatic persona for herself as though she were in a play. In order to get deeper into her role, she also decided to write Jayne into her scenario.

"When you introduce me to Dwight's partners and the people from the hospital," Katie explained to Jayne, "tell them my name is Katrina and I'm a nursing student and they can call me Katie, but I want you to think of me in your own mind as a famous rock singer who is only pretending to be a nursing student to conceal my identity because I want to protect my secret lover who is on the football team from unwanted publicity. Have you got that?"

Jayne thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you're concealing your true identity as Katie the necrobabe and nursing student by pretending to be Katrina the rock singer who is pretending to be Katie the nursing student."

"Yes."

"Katie, this sort of gets you back to where you start, doesn't it?" Jayne was somewhat bewildered.

"Well, I do have the wig and glasses and scarf."

"Yes. Your disguise."

"No," Katie corrected her, "the wig and glasses and scarf are Katrina's disguise."

"Which she's using to pretend she's Katie, the nursing student." Jayne wanted to make sure she understood.

"Yes, but Katrina is not very good at pretending to be Katie. You can tell from the way she carries herself that Katrina is really a celebrity," Katie explained. "I am much better at being Katrina than Katrina is at being me."

"I think I understand," said Jayne. "Now, is Katrina also a necrobabe?"

Katie thought for a moment and responded, "Yes, she is, but she hasn't had an implant like I have."

"Okay," said Jayne. "Now is Katie, the nursing student that Katrina is pretending to be, a necrobabe?"

"No," replied Katie. "That Katie has never heard of necrobabes and if she had she would think they were weird. See, that's why Katrina isn't very good at being Katie: Katrina doesn't understand her character."

"But you understand Katrina, right?" Jayne asked.

"Of course." Katie was most definite about that.

Jayne scratched her head. "Katie, are you sure this is really necessary?"

"Jayne, if you knew more about acting and creating and sustaining a character, you wouldn't ask such a question," Katie said, trying to be kind.

"Probably not," Jayne agreed.

In the hospital administration's box, Jayne was trying to think of a valid reason to mention Dr. Kinghoffer's name and Katie was hoping that nobody would recognize her as a singer hoping nobody would recognize her, when something happened on the football field that would be replayed on sportscasts for a week.

The Redcats, with a two-touchdown lead, had just regained possession of the ball after a failed field goal attempt. Quarterback Gary Boffman took the snap from the center, and dropped back, looking to pass. As he looked left and hesitated, apparently unable to find a receiver, he was hit solidly from the right by a 300-pound tackle, losing hold of the ball. The ball was scooped up by another opposition player, who managed to keep his balance until after he'd crossed the goal line.

Almost the entire crowd was on its feet. Even the somewhat stodgy hospital administrators stood in excitement.

Before the roar of the crowd had a chance to die down, fans began to exclaim in horror as they noticed that Boffman was lying motionless on his back, apparently unable to move.

"What happened?" Jayne asked Dr. Fitzpatrick, Chief of Surgery. "Has somebody been hurt?"

"Yes, and possibly hurt rather badly." Fitzpatrick had his binoculars to his eyes trying to discern the quarterback's condition. "That was one hell of a wallop he took. It may have done more than just knock the wind out of him. It's hard to see anything - the other players keep getting in the way."

Jayne noticed that Katie had retreated into a corner of the box and was doing a very good job of looking like an anxious woman who was anxious to conceal her anxiety. More method acting, Jayne decided.

"Dr. Fitzpatrick, should you or one of the other doctors go down on the field and offer to help? I'll be glad to go with you, if you want," Jayne offered.

"No, that's shouldn't be necessary," Dr. Fitzpatrick replied. "The football team has its own physician, Dr. Klinghoffer. Oh, there he is now, carrying his medical bag. He's almost running. He must be very concerned. And he's being followed by two men with a stretcher. This may be very serious."

Seeing that Katie was still in the corner wringing her hands, Jayne went over to "comfort" her for a few moments.

"Can you see what's happening now?" Jayne asked the surgeon when she returned to his side.

"Well, the young man must be in considerable pain. Kinghoffer seems to be giving him a shot. Right in the neck, not even taking time to tear his sleeve. I'm not sure I approve. . . ." Fiztpatrick realized he was about to second-guess another doctor in front of a nurse and quickly added, "but, of course, Klinghoffer knows what he's doing."

As if to confirm Fitzpatrick's words, a siren was heard as an ambulance came through a gate and drove across the field to the site of the injury.

"Good. They aren't taking any chances," Fitzpatrick said approvingly. "The young man might have severe internal injuries or perhaps even damage to the spinal column."

"You don't mean," Jayne said with a forced gasp, "that he could be paralyzed? That would be terrible."

"Yes. A tragedy. Such an early end to such a promising career. Let's hope against hope that is not the case." The doctor's voice shook with concern.

"Will they take him to our hospital?" Jayne asked, trying to make the question sound like a matter of general interest and not personal concern.

"Oh, undoubtedly. Not only are we the closest facility, but we also have the best trauma center in the city," Fitzpatrick said with pride.

Realizing that Katie's act would provide an excellent reason for an early departure, Jayne whispered, "Dr. Fitzpatrick, I have reason to believe that my friend Katrina has had an intimate and clandestine relationship with one of the players and from the way she's reacting, I'm afraid it might be Mr. Boffman."

"Oh, my word!" Fitzpatrick looked at the young woman who now seemed to be beside herself with distress. "She does seem in a dreadful state. Perhaps you should ask her if she would like a sedative."

"I will. But I think it's best that I get her out of here as soon as possible. Please make our apologies to the other doctors," Jayne requested.

"Of course, my dear." Dr. Fitzpatrick touched Jayne's arm. "Please assure her that even in the case of the most apparently serious neural injuries, remarkable recoveries can take place."

"Yes," Jayne agreed. "Why, he could be paralyzed today and be fully recovered in six months, even!"

"A very optimistic but not impossible prognosis." Dr. Fitzpatrick smiled indulgently.

Approaching hand-wringing Katie in her corner, Jayne said quietly, "Come, Katrina, I think it is best that we leave."

Sniffling as though fighting back tears, Katie said, "Oh, Mademoiselle Zhayne, zee injuries of Ga-ree are very terrible, no?"

Seeing a few doctors turn at the sound of Katie's new dialect, Jayne whispered in Katie's ear, "Not as terrible as yours may be, darling. Let's go!"

"Sacre bleu!" Katie exclaimed as Jayne pushed her out the door.

Outside the box, Jayne asked, with some irritation, "Since when did Katrina become Mrs. Pepe LePew?"

"Well, when Katrina becomes upset, she forgets herself and her French accent comes out," Katie explained.

"Her name is Katrina and she has a French accent?" Jayne felt she had detected an inconguity.

"Katrina is only her stage name. She's a very complex character, Jayne. See, her grandparents were Eastern European refugees who fled to France in nineteen...."

Jayne put her hand over Katie's mouth and said, "That's enough. If you try to make Katrina any more real, we may have to file an income tax return for her. Let me see who's willing to leave the game and give us a ride home."

Katie mumbled something that led Jayne to believe Katrina's grandparents were named Stanislavsky as the two returned to the lawyers' box.

Dwight said he would prefer to watch the rest of the game, but he would be at Jayne's disposal later in the day. He did, however, offer to "request" that the firm's most junior associate drive the women home. Seeing the pout forming on the young associate's lips, Jayne decided to use a cell phone to seek alternative transportation. Rick and Jimmy also wanted to remain at the stadium and watch the rest of the game but would leave if absolutely necessary. Lieutenant Christopho, however, was already making his way to an exit and would be glad to give the two women a lift if they really wanted to ride in his rather antiquated and barely functional vehicle.

The women almost changed their minds upon seeing the shoddy looking blue and white clunker, but Jayne decided that the drive time with the Lieutenant would allow her to discuss with him a plan that was she was beginning to formulate.