Ryan Starkey stepped through her apartment door and closed the door behind her, flung her handbag and the mail she had collected from her box onto the sofa, and did a little jig of joy. Flinging her arms wide, she twirled round and round with glee until, dizzy, she dropped onto the couch beside her belongings. Ryan stretched out her feet and propped them on the hassock in front of her, settling comfortably into the softness of the cushions.

She thought back to the events of her shift at the hospital and smiled with pure satisfaction. It had been so ridiculously easy! Her enlightening conversation with Stephen had given her the impetus to finish the balance of the shift with energy to spare.

Wheeee, Ryan thought, hopefully I will not have to deal with that snobby, nose-in-the-air witch of a Head Nurse for much longer! She’s just jealous because she’s an old prune-faced blob and I’m young and beautiful. I can’t wait to tell her I’m quitting to work with R. Justin Guarini �?what a yummy hunk! As for that Kelly "Kilani" Clarkson, I KNOW I can outshine her; Justin won’t even know she’s there. I’ve got a way better body than that chick! My talents have been wasted at that stupid hospital. Soon everyone will know who I am!

Stephen had assured her that his contact would check that very day to make certain that Bunny Hopper was required to stay at the hospital longer than originally expected and if satisfied that was indeed the case, would messenger the promised monetary reward to Ryan that evening. Ryan could barely contain her excitement and practically raced out of the hospital when it was time to go home.

Now all she could think of was getting that money, putting it in the bank and getting on with the rest of her life. I plan to be a force to reckon with. Nobody will be able to push me around. Ryan rose from the couch, gathered her things and headed to the bedroom to strip off her uniform and put on something comfortable. All the excitement was making her hungry!

After dinner Ryan flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Restlessly she searched for something decent to watch and finding nothing, flipped off the set in disgust. This waiting was getting on her nerves! Crossing the room to her audio equipment, she sat cross-legged on the floor so she could go through her stack of CDs. Maybe listening to some music would soothe her. Choosing the newest CD by R&B artist, Christina C., she slipped it into the player and went back to the couch to lie down. The smooth sounds washed over her and began to calm her nervousness.

Ryan was almost asleep when a knock sounded on her door. Heart pounding in anticipation she ran to the door and opened it. There was no one there. Looking down, she noticed an envelope lying on her doorstep, with her name, Miss Ryan Starkey, typed on it in large letters. Inside was the money she had been promised.

As she wrote out a deposit slip for the next day, she idly wondered about the person who wanted to keep Bunny Hopper hospitalized; not that she cared. In fact, for all Ryan cared

Miss Hopper could stay there forever. All of that stuff was up to Stephen and the mysterious person to iron out. It was simply of no concern to her. All that mattered to Ryan was that she was finally going to get a chance to prove herself and she couldn’t wait!