"Oh my God, that was nerve-wracking," Kaylee said as she put her white coat back on after surgery.

"I think it went well. Your incisions were precise and you handled the laparoscope with ease."

I still can't believe how well that went. I swear if I had control of my body I would be shaking right now.

"I think handling the laparoscope wasn't that hard but the pressure of being watched by Dr. Keller was so stressful."

Oh yeah, she's scary. One wrong move, she would rip your head off.

"I didn't pay too much attention to her," D209 said, walking out of the OR, eager to find another grim reaper.

"That's easy for you to say when you did so well. Your sutures looked like textbook examples, so good even Dr. Keller praised you."

Oh my God. What if I screw up the next time when I'm back in control?

D209 smiled smugly, "It was nothing, just muscle memory."

"I like this confident Asher," Kaylee said playfully.

D209 could feel Asher's heart pounding out of control again and something equally wild in his stomach. He wondered if Asher had fainted since he was suddenly so quiet. That wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for him though. He could use some peace and quiet after hearing Asher freak out for the past three hours over the surgery.

Did you hear that? Kaylee just said she likes me.

Nevermind. He hadn't fainted after all. Rolling his eyes, D209 wanted to point out that was hardly a confession but whatever. He couldn't be bothered.

"Kaylee, I've got something I need to do. I'll see you later," D209 walked ahead before Kaylee could respond.

Hey! Where are you going? Why did you just walk out on Kaylee?

D209 pulled out his phone and placed it against his ear, "Don't you want me to go find my colleagues? We've wasted almost half a day for the surgery already."

Okay okay. You're right. I need my body back ASAP. So where are you going to find your colleagues?

"The ER, of course," D209 replied as he exited the elevator.

Upon entering the ER, he already noticed three grim reapers standing near the patient beds, waiting to collect their souls. D209 headed straight for the first one.

"Dr. Jansen, thank God you're here! Please help me!" A nurse grabbed D209 by the arm before he could refuse.

Approximately three hours and nine patients later, D209 was finally released from the ER. He looked around the area and the grim reapers from before were no longer there. But peering through one of the clear plexiglass windows of an ER partitioned room designed for Covid-19, he spotted one grim reaper standing beside a child with two hours and some minutes left on his forehead. The child also happened to be just cleared for discharge by the doctor.

Can you answer me for God's sake, why there are numbers on some people's forehead?

D209 grimaced and looked around. Asher couldn't see the numbers on everyone like he could unless he focused his energy on those individuals. Making sure no one was nearby before he replied, "It means how much time they have left on Earth."

What? So, what does the two mean on that kid? Two years, two months, or two days?

"Two hours, twenty-one minutes, and thirty-eight seconds."

What? No! He's about to get sent home. Tell Dr. Holmes!

"He won't make it home. The grim reaper is here and not waiting at his home."

What? Where? I don't see one. Stop bullshitting me and do something!

"There's nothing anyone can do. That's his fate and it's his time to go."

No! Tell Dr. Holmes now! He can save him.

"No, he can't. Now stop hollering and calm down. You have to respect the cycle of life."

I'm a doctor! Our job is to save lives, not watch people die!

"Your job is to cure the curable and bring comfort to those you can but you guys aren't God." Why are humans so arrogant and stubborn?

D209 shook his head, he couldn't wave to the grim reaper without drawing the other humans' attention, so he had to wait. And the moment Dr. Holmes and the nurse stepped out, he immediately entered. He walked up to the grim reaper but the man wasn't paying him any attention since he was just another human. D209 glanced at the fellow grim reaper's left ear and saw his code was D355.

Ignoring Asher's hollering, D209 grabbed a clipboard with a pen and flipped the patient's information over to write a message in a language only his kind would understand.

Hello, this is D209. I need your help. I am currently occupying this human and my possession amulet has malfunctioned so I am stuck here. Please kindly inform D224 from the GRE department to help extract me from this human. Thank you.

D209 slid the clipboard in front of the grim reaper who hadn't even looked up since he entered the room. But once the grim reaper saw the message before him, he promptly looked up into D209's eyes, mainly to test if the other could actually see him. Once they established eye contact, the other grim reaper simply nodded his head and then returned his expressionless face to the soul he was supposed to collect.

Ahhhhhhh!...Where the fuck did he come from? How many more are there?

D209 ignored Asher's ridiculous screaming and walked towards the break room. He couldn't understand Asher's reaction when he had already explained to him there were such things as grim reapers and especially since he had already accepted the fact that he was possessed by one. All he knew was, it was time for the only good thing about his situation, food. Asher's stomach or his stomach for the moment was growling, it hadn't been fed for at least seven hours.

Walking into the break room, D209 looked around and saw people get in line to grab premade cold sandwiches. There were also a few pathetic fruits available that were individually wrapped and spread out on top of a table up for grabs. Gone were the salad bar and the hot meal selections due to Covid-19. Nothing looked appealing at all. Disappointment could not begin to describe D209's feeling about his next meal.

"Is this better or a protein shake?" D209 mumbled under his breath.

It's about the same but it's cheaper and quicker to drink a shake. And let me remind you that I'm still on duty. You need to inform Dr. Parker that I'm out of the ER now.

Hey, look who's done screaming his head off.

"But your stomach is growling." D209 rubbed his poor stomach.

That's why I have protein shakes in my locker.

"I don't want a protein shake. I want something good. Tell me where I can get good food." D209 frowned at a tuna sandwich.

There's nothing good here. Have you ever heard of good food from a hospital?

"Asher, what's wrong? Why do you look so sad?" Kaylee walked up to him. She had never seen Asher pout like a child rubbing his tummy like that.

"Asher won't tell me where I can get good food," D209 replied.

Oh my God! D209!

"Hahaha...are we referring to ourselves in the 3rd person now when we're hungry?" Kaylee couldn't help finding Asher adorable today.

Thanks to you, Kaylee must think I'm an idiot now.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just hungry and nothing looks good here." D209 pointed to the sandwiches.

"Well, lucky you. I ordered Chinese noodles. You can have some if you want." Kaylee showed a paper bag to D209 with a smile.

Kaylee is so nice but you shouldn't eat her food. She won't have enough.

D209 ignored Asher and joined Kaylee for a quick bite. He also had to ignore Asher's racing heart and sweaty palms as he chowed down on some amazing BBQ pork chow mein noodles. Kaylee even gave him an egg roll, and that was equally amazing.

"I heard you worked on nine patients within three hours in the ER earlier. That's quite impressive, Asher."

"They were just easy cases."

It really was a lot quicker and easier for him since he was able to tell which ones would make it and which ones would be better served by making their passing more comfortable instead of struggling.

Kaylee studied Asher for a second. Aside from the fact that Asher wasn't wearing glasses, there was something else different about him today and she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Asher had always been smart but he was never this sure of himself. It was quite refreshing to see him not second guess everything he did.

"Okay, you owe me a meal next time," Kaylee declared as she got up to leave. She also wasn't on an official break. Doctors rarely got breaks but they were even more scarce with the pandemic.

"Anytime. Just let me know when. I love good food."

"Okay, once restaurants open back up, I'm cashing in, Mr. Big Shot." Kaylee walked away.

Oh my God! I can't believe you were flirting with Kaylee.

D209 pulled out his phone, "I was not flirting with her. If anything, she was flirting with me, well actually you since all she sees is you. Now, I've scored you another meal with her. That's like a date, right? You should thank me."

But...but I can't. I have only been on a date once back in high school and that was such a disaster.

"Well, try not to trip and spill your soda and popcorn all over your date at the movies this time," D209 smirked seeing that hilarious scene in his mind.

Hey, who told you about that?

"Told you I have access to your memory and knowledge. Besides, it's not an official date and it's not happening any time soon. Relax. Just act normal and treat it like you two are just hanging out."

Despite finding the accelerated heart rate and sweaty palms annoying, D209 does find the happy and giddy feeling Asher gets quite enjoyable. This romantic love emotion produced feel-good chemicals called endorphins that made his footsteps feel lighter. This information was brought to you by Asher's biochemistry class.

That's easy for you to say Mr. Big Shot. I get so nervous around her.

"How about this? I'll make you a deal."