The shadow watching

“Annabelle!” I froze. Slowly, I turned around. My best friend, Mia, was standing at the other end of the nurses' station, staring at me like she'd just witnessed a murder. “What?” I asked. She pointed at the medication tray in my hands. “You forgot the medication.” I looked down. Silence. I looked back at her. “Then why am I carrying this?” “That,” she said, walking toward me, “is exactly what I'm trying to figure out.” I frowned. “You're not making sense.” “I'm not making sense?” She snatched the tray from me. “You've been walking around with an empty tray for five minutes.” I stared at the tray. Empty. Completely empty. “Oh.” Mia folded her arms. “Exactly. Oh.” I shrugged. “Maybe I was just practicing.” “Practicing what?” “Being a responsible nurse.” She stared at me. I stared back. Then she burst out laughing. “You are so unserious.” “I take my job very seriously.” “Yesterday you almost gave a patient his wife's phone instead of his medication.” “That was one time.” “You also called Dr. Williams ‘Daddy’.” My eyes widened. “That was an accident!” “You said it twice.” “I was tired!” Mia laughed so hard she had to hold onto the counter. I rolled my eyes and walked away. “Laugh now. When I'm rich and famous, don't come asking me for money.” “Girl, you're a nurse. You'll be rich when the government remembers nurses exist.” I stopped walking. “That's actually offensive.” “It's the truth.” “I'm blocking you.” “You say that every day.” “And one day I'll mean it.” She grinned. “Sure.” I shook my head, trying not to laugh. This was what normal looked like. At least, that was what I liked to tell myself. Normal. A hospital shift. A loud best friend. Too much coffee. Patients complaining about everything. Doctors pretending they weren't tired. And me pretending I didn't notice the way some people stared whenever they recognized my face. Because outside these hospital walls, people knew me for something completely different. Not as a nurse. Not as Mia's best friend. Not as someone's daughter. They knew me as Annabelle Carter. The girl people said death followed. I had stopped correcting them years ago. There was no point. People believed what they wanted. “Annabelle?” I looked up. A young doctor was standing in front of me. “Yes?” He handed me a file. “Room 214 needs you.” I took it. “What's wrong with the patient?” “Nothing serious. He just keeps asking for you.” My eyebrows pulled together. “For me?” “Yes.” “Why?” The doctor shrugged. “He says he knows you.” My fingers tightened around the file. “What's his name?” “Ethan Miller.” I stared at him. I didn't know anyone named Ethan Miller. At least... I thought I didn't. Mia appeared beside me. “Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?” I forced a smile. “Nothing.” She looked at the file in my hand. “Who is Ethan Miller?” “I don't know.” She raised an eyebrow. “Then why is he asking for you?” “I don't know.” “Maybe you have a secret admirer.” I laughed. “Please. The last thing I need is another man in my life.” Mia grinned. “Why? Afraid he'll die?” The joke left her mouth casually. But the smile disappeared from my face. She immediately realized what she'd said. “Annabelle…” I looked away. “It's fine.” She touched my arm. “I didn't mean—” “I know.” I took a breath. Then I picked up the file. “I'll go see him.” As I walked toward Room 214, I couldn't shake the strange feeling crawling up my spine. Like someone was watching me. I turned around. The hallway was empty. I frowned. Then my phone vibrated. Unknown number. One message. “You look beautiful today.” I stopped walking. My heart began to pound. A second message appeared. “I missed you.” I stared at the screen. I'd received messages like this before. For years. Always from an unknown number. Always from someone who knew things they shouldn't. But this time, there was something different. A third message appeared. Don't go into Room 214. I looked at the door in front of me. Room 214. My hand slowly reached for the handle. And despite every warning screaming inside my head... I opened the door…