"Asher, is that you?" the security guard looked up and down. What happened to the faded t-shirts and worn-out jeans? And where did those orange chucks go?

"Good morning, Ramsey!" D209 flashed his symptom tracker.

"Looking good, my man. Looking good," Ramsey said, nodding approvingly.

"Just keeping up with you," D209 smiled at the man.

"That's right! Have a good day, man."

"You too."

D209 felt good walking down the hallways with a spring to his step and a smile plastered on his face. He ditched Asher's faded t-shirts and worn-out jeans today. Instead, he wore his new crisp navy blue shirt tucked into relaxed denim and a pair of brown boots. And he may or may not have already donated Asher's old clothes to the man sleeping in the tent across the street last night while Asher's soul was asleep. Nobody will know for sure.

Although, he did keep those ugly orange chucks after finding out why the young man was so attached to those hideous things. And apparently, those were already the fifth pair of those exact ugly orange shoes the young man had worn. He also discovered there were two more pairs in reserve hidden in the back of his closet. So there was no point in getting rid of them.

"Good morning, Dr. Jansen." The two nurses stared at the young doctor with a surprised look on their faces. The young man was like a whole new person, even his stride was different.

"Good morning, Linda, Elise," D209 nodded with a smile. He could hear them giggle and whisper behind him.

Why are they looking at me so strangely? Are you sure you didn't go overboard?

D209 ignored Asher's whining because anything other than a trash bag is an upgrade from his usual. If D209 had his way, he'd be in that Armani suit that Asher vehemently denied him. It was seriously so much easier when he possessed humans that weren't awake. Although, he did have to agree that changing in and out of a suit is quite cumbersome and a complete waste for a place like a hospital.

Sighing to himself while Asher nervously continued mumbling rather or not Kaylee liked all these changes, D209 grabbed a set of scrubs to go change. The two changing rooms were both occupied, so he stood outside waiting.

"Let's be adults about this. We had a good time, and now it's time to move on. Let's just leave it at that. Goodbye."

D209 heard a female voice coming from one of the changing rooms, and then a door suddenly swung open.

"Oops! I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." The woman grabbed D209 by the arm to steady herself. She had walked straight into him.

"No harm was done, and good morning, Dr. Hart."

Dr. Hart pushed her hair back and looked up, "Jansen?" She was pleasantly surprised looking at the man in front of her.

"Yes?" D209 answered with a smile.

The woman smiled back with a glint in her eye, "Serena, just call me Serena. And good morning to you too. The room is all yours."

"Thanks." D209 stepped aside to let Serena pass.

"I'll see you around."

D209 smiled and nodded politely before closing the changing room's door behind him.

Oh my God. I think that's the most Serena has ever said to me. Well, actually to you who is me but is really you and not me.

"What's the big deal? Digging through your brain, you two can barely call each other acquaintances."

Well, yeah. What would she even have to say to me? She's two years my senior. She's doing her fellowship in cardiology. Do you know how hard it is to get matched?

"I know that. I mean, why is interaction with her a big deal though?"

Are you blind? Maybe you do need glasses after all. Not only is she super smart, but it's obvious that she's freaking hot. At least half the single men and maybe even some married ones here are pining for her.

D209 thought for a second, "Okay. She does have a very symmetrical face, rather large eyes, a nice smile, nice hair, straight teeth, a pleasant voice, and good body proportions. So is she hotter than Kaylee?"

No! Kaylee is beautiful in a different way. And just because I like Kaylee, it doesn't mean I'm blind. Don't you find Serena hot?

"No, I don't. Grim reapers have no sexual desires like humans since we don't need to procreate. Therefore, we also don't feel sexual attraction. Humans are all the same to us no matter what age, gender, shape, size, or color. It makes no difference. They're all equal souls to us. None are more attractive than the other."

Then why the hell do you complain about my clothes? I should look just the same to you as anyone else then.

D209 rolled his eyes, "I never said I have no taste now, did I? I like beautiful things and that has nothing to do with your soul itself. Your soul isn't judged by material nor is it judged by a grim reaper like me. But if it makes you feel any better, your soul looks just the same to me as the other 7.8 billion on Earth."

Whatever. That made no sense to me. Just get to work so I can pay those bills you racked up.
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"Asher, right? Can I call you that?"

D209 looked up from his untouched cold sandwich to the sweet voice of Serena standing there with a smile and a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Hello, Dr. Hart. And yes, you can call me Asher. Would you care to join me?" D209 politely gestured to the empty seat across from him.

What? Why? Why does Serena want to sit with me? Can this get any weirder?

"I thought you would never ask." Serena sat down with her cup of coffee and pulled out a power bar from her coat pocket. "So is it true, that you have taken the ER by storm? I've heard the ER has never been this efficient."

Oh my God, Serena is really sitting with me.

"I'm sure people are just exaggerating. Besides, I'm not always there. So I can't take all the credit."

"Hmm...I'm rarely in the ER ward these days, but I struggled a lot with letting go when I was there. Even now, accepting defeat to Death is difficult for me."

I know. It's so hard, and Death is a cold-hearted asshole that eats and spends way too much.

"By nature, your job is to save lives, so no one can fault you for trying. It's what you're supposed to do. I still try my best but I acquiesce when I know it would only prolong the patient's suffering." D209 picked up his cold sandwich for an awfully dry bite. It really was either the sandwich or the protein shake since he only had thirty minutes before he had to report to Gen Meds.

"You sound so wise, not even half the idiot I was when I was a new resident." Serena wondered how she never noticed Asher before. He's quite handsome and sounds pretty smart too.

Don't let him fool you.

D209 chuckled, knowing that Asher was very much the idiot she's talking about.

"So is your specialty in emergency medicine? You're clearly talented in that area according to what I've heard."

"No, it's internal medicine."

"Then have you applied for a fellowship yet?"

No, I'm still debating on my subspecialty.

"No, I'm still deciding, but cardiology is interesting," D209 said, thinking back to what happened at the community clinic and Asher's study interest in the heart.

Hey, don't tell her that! I haven't decided. What if I can't get in? It would be so embarrassing.

"Well, I'm in cardiology, so if you have any questions about the fellowship, you can ask me. And if you're serious about it, then you need to act fast because it's a very competitive field." Serena offered and leaned forward to rest her chin on her hand. "Well, enough about that. So, tell me, Asher, what do you do for fun? Probably nothing right now, but before this pandemic?"

With a slight frown, D209 thought it over. Asher's daily routine only consisted of work, studying, and catching up on sleep. He would play 2K and Valorant sometimes if Mike whined enough, but nothing much other than that. "Hmm...I don't think I have fun."

I do have fun! I read! Reading about mysterious medical cases or medical miracles is fun. Like the case where a 13-year-old boy came back to life after he died four times, and one time for 15 minutes. His parents even signed off to donate his organs already but he came back. And there was another case...

"Yeah, I don't have fun." D209 reaffirmed despite the internal protests. Listening to Asher talk about his favorites cases and the most fascinating cases to him was a new form of mind-numbing torture. Because to him, it was either time for the soul to go or it wasn't. If it wasn't time, then even running a truck over the body again and again wasn't going to kill it. What medical miracles? Pfff.

"Well, that's not healthy. This is a very stressful job. We need to let loose sometimes and know how to unwind otherwise we would eventually snap."

Who has time for that? I'm usually half dead when I get home. I can fall asleep standing.

"What would you suggest?" D209 wanted to know what other doctors do to have fun.

"Usually, I like to go dancing but that's not an option right now with the pandemic. But one thing I can still do is go hiking. It's good exercise and it's nice to go outside when we're mostly trapped inside these days. It's nice to be in nature and breathe some fresh air. What about you? Do you like hiking?" Serena let out a little sigh. God, she missed going out.

I don't mind hiking, but I don't remember the last time I went.

"Yes, I enjoy hiking and beautiful sceneries."

Then a soft beeping came from Serena and she pulled out her pager for a look. "Oh, I have to go. It was nice talking to you, Asher. I'll see you around."

"Yes, see you around."

Serena smiled and quickly left.

Wow, I can't believe Serena knows I'm alive.

"Asher!" Mike called out from behind and came over all excitedly, watching Serena leave the break room before he took the newly vacated seat. He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot.

"Yes, Mike?" D209 doesn't know if he'll be able to finish his sandwich at this rate.

"Dude, I can't believe Serena was talking to you. She usually doesn't talk to mere mortals like us. What did you guys talk about?" Mike leaned over the table with much enthusiasm.

"We just had an ordinary conversation about work and hobbies."

"Nothing about Serena is ordinary. She's extraordinary. She's smart, hot, and so sexy."

"Really? I didn't notice." D209 took another bite of his cold sandwich.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Do you have a sexual attraction to her? If you do, then you should approach her."

D209! God, help me!

"No. No. She's clearly showing interest in you," Mike denied with both his hands held up. "So are you finally giving up on Kaylee? It's about time you moved on, man."

Move on? Mike, of all people you should know I only like Kaylee. I don't even know Serena. It's the first time we've ever exchanged more than a hello. And I wasn't even the one she was really talking to.

"Do you think Serena's interested in me?" D209 found this insight intriguing.

"Well, c'mon we both know that Serena doesn't waste time with just anybody. So many have tried to talk to her and failed miserably. Remember that hotshot with a Ferrari? She turned him down."

She turned him down because he was married and a creep! Everybody at the hospital knows this. And Serena was just talking to me because she's being friendly. It doesn't mean she's interested in me.

"Well, I think you forgot the part where he was an obsessed stalker that needed a restraining order. Plus, the man was married. Anyway, I think you're reading too much into this and she was simply being friendly. And my time is up. I have to go." D209 got up and tossed the cold sandwich in the trash bin to leave for Gen Meds.

Yeah, you're reading way too much into this, Mike.

Or is he? D209 smirked on his way out.