“Are you sure this is the one?” Nicole asked doubtfully as we pulled into the parking lot of the Days Inn that I was sure Kari was staying at.
I nodded as I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. "Positive. I called every Days Inn in Orlando and they told me she was staying here in...” I checked the small slip of paper I was holding that I had scrawled the information I needed on. “room 322”
“So what name did she register under?”
“Kari Littrell,” I answered as we walked into the very large lobby. People were scurrying around in all directions. I spotted the elevators and led Nicole over to them.
“That was kind of obvious,” Nicole said as she pushed the up button and the doors opened. We stepped inside and I pressed the button for the third floor. “Do you think that maybe she wanted us to find her?”
“With Kari, anything’s possible.”
The elevator dinged to signify that we were on the third floor, so Nicole and I stepped out. We walked in silence down the hallway until we came to her room. I knocked softly on the door, and it was pulled open by none other than Kari.
The look of shock on her face quickly faded. “So, you found me.”
Nicole pushed past her and entered her hotel room, followed by me. The room was an absolute mess, clothing and garbage strewn everywhere. Not to mention that it smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. “Ugh, what is that smell?” Nicole asked, wrinkling her nose.
Kari shrugged. “It smelled like that when I got here. I suppose you want to take me back now?”
“Not unless you want to,” I said, secretly hoping that she would come with us.
Kari laid down on her bed, deep in thought. “I’m not sure... I kinda like it here.”
Nicole made a face at Kari’s comment. “What does this place have that your apartment doesn’t?”
“Well, it doesn’t smell, that’s a plus. And it doesn’t have... Brian.” Kari sat up and looked at us, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. “I miss him so much. But he’s gonna hate me for putting him through all that.”
“No he won’t,” I insisted. “Brian loves you no matter what.”
“I guess... will you guys take me home now?”
I grinned. “Gladly. But why did you leave the hospital in the first place?”
“I was scared. I thought that if I went to the therapy and they thought I was suicidal, they would lock me up in a mental home for the rest of my life. So I did the only think I could, I left. Now that I think about it, it was kinda a stupid thing to do, but it gave me a lot of time to think.”
“About what?” Nicole asked.
Kari gathered all of her things and threw them in her suitcase. “Things. You guys ready to leave?”
“Yes, let’s just get out of here,” Nicole said impatiently, looking like she was going to faint from the overpowering order.
Kari grabbed her suitcase and we let the room. After she had checked out, Kari insisted that we head over to her apartment so she could talk to Brian. After we got into the car, I turned on the radio and “I Want It That Way” was playing. Kari and I started singing along, bad voices and all, as Nicole glared at us as if we were mental. It reminded me of the night we were heading to the Backstreet Boys concert the night we got our jobs working for Donna. I looked over at Kari and smiled. I was so glad to have her back.
