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CRAZY COINCIDENCE (SYLVIE)

Thank everything holy.

I take a deep breath as the digital clock on the wall flips over to eight o’clock.

That’s my signal to call it a day, and what a day.

Prying my eyes away from the charts on the screen, I start my familiar ritual.

I wipe my sage-green glasses.

I drop my well-loved, worn copy of Kingdom of the Midday Stars in my bag, give my workstation one more once-over to make sure everything’s in place, and finally step into sweet freedom.

“What are you still doing here, Syl?” Rachel, a night-shift nurse, looks up from her tablet. “Get out and enjoy the beautiful night! Finally a break from the humidity—not that you’d know it in this stuffy place.”

“Already gone, Rach,” I say cheerfully, hoisting my bag higher on my shoulder.

My shift normally ends at seven thirty when the nurses from the night shift come barreling in, armed with iced coffees sloshing around in massive mugs to keep them perky.

It hasn’t even been a year since I transferred here from Everhart’s Seattle campus. It pays to impress my new coworkers in Rivermont, Minnesota, ground zero of the world’s most prestigious clinic.

If that means pulling a few extra shifts or double-checking charts or just checking in on patients more than I really need to, it’s worth it.

Plus, a girl needs the cash.

My belly growls as I head for the elevators.

Thankfully, dinner is covered.

I can practically smell Nonno’s gnocchi and rich sauce wafting through the halls. Probably the only house in Rivermont where you can swing by any evening and find something tasty and authentic waiting on the stove. Even without Nonna, who was the real cook in the family, my grandfather treats his kitchen like it’s church.

The thought makes my mouth water.

I silently curse myself for not leaving earlier to help with the dinner prep. I could’ve eaten half my weight by now in bread, too.

Oh well. Nonno loves to make enough to feed an army, even if it’s just the two of us. Leftovers for days, and the sauces just get better after they sit.

I turn the corner and slap the down button for the elevator, idly scrolling my phone for any new messages.

There’s one.

Everhart Medical Billing. You have a new balance.

How craptacular.

I wonder if they’ll need me on any extra shifts soon as I swipe out of my email and hear a ding!

The elevator slides open, and Gabby, our chronically late night-shift nurse, rushes in, harried but smiling with her enormous pink mug in hand.

“Hey! See ya later, Syl. It’s gorgeous tonight! Watch out for the shadow people.” Her laugh is right out of a bad horror movie.

I giggle back awkwardly.

It’s a running joke around here, but tonight, it hits a little different.

Probably the money stress.