Deirdre.
"So… what? You want us to pretend we don't know her?" Rose's father – a tall, imposing Moroi I'd just met – scoffed.
"Not exactly." I shrugged. "Look, I've been reading up on this since I heard about what happened, and I think you're kind of spoiling her."
"Spoiling her?" Lord Ivashkov repeated.
"You're making it too easy for her. You tell her everything every day, right?" They all nodded. "I think if you make her try to remember on her own – without having any idea who you are – we might see some progress. Or…"
"Or what?" Janine Hathaway demanded.
"Well, she might at least remember recent events. Like what happened, say, yesterday. We could help her improve her short-term memory, even if she can never access past events. That way, she could be self-sufficient, at least."
"She'd get to start over." The princess whispered.
I nodded. "Precisely."
Guardian Belikov regarded me closely. "And you actually think this will work? You're not just trying to make us feel better about all this?"
The bitterness in his voice was – sad. Pitiful, to be honest. Like he'd been hurt beyond trust.
"I wouldn't propose this if I didn't think it would be useful." I promised.
"I think we should try it." Christian Ozera piped up. "It's not like we have anything to lose. Besides, if something goes wrong, she'll have forgotten it by the next time she wakes up, anyway."
"For once, I'm with Fire Boy." Lord Ivashkov said. "There's really nothing to lose."
There was a murmur of agreement from the others.
"I take it you're all on board, then?" They nodded. "Good. We'll start tomorrow, then."
And, though I'd been taught not to get very attached to my patients, the looks of hope in Rose's loved ones' eyes still made me want to cry.
Okay, I'm getting worried. You know why? Because this has more visitors than The Hunting Games! I think this story may be spiraling out of my control.
Anyway, review, please!