Chapter 1

I ran into my ex in the ER three years after we broke up. He was wearing a black cloak and carrying a scythe.

Seeing me, he awkwardly hid his gear. "Chloe Sterling? It has been a while."

I was even more embarrassed. "Are you here for hospital cosplay?"

He fell silent. "Actually, I am the Grim Reaper."

*****

I looked at him like he had lost his mind.

Three years apart and Julian Vance was still living in a fantasy world?

Did putting on a black cloak and holding a big prop make him think he was Death himself?

I felt his forehead. "You do not have a fever. Do you need me to book you a psych consult?"

He sighed and gently pushed my hand away. "Chloe, I am not lying to you. I really am the Grim Reaper."

Before I could reply, the ER doors flew open. My coworkers rushed in pushing a gurney. "Chloe! Car crash victim. Prep the trauma bay!"

I sprinted toward the room. Halfway there, I remembered something and glanced back.

Julian had not moved. He was just staring at the gurney.

He looked down at his bare wrist, seemingly waiting for something.

Then, he slowly raised his scythe.

"Chloe? Do not just stand there. Let's go!" a nurse shoved my shoulder.

I gritted my teeth and rushed into the room.

The young man on the gurney was covered in blood. His face was completely ashen.

"Severe trauma from a motor vehicle collision. Traumatic brain injury. Massive chest and abdominal injuries. Blood pressure is unreadable and pulse is thready," my colleague reported while doing chest compressions.

I took over and started CPR. One. Two. Three.

"Push one milligram of epi!" I shouted.

The nurse administered the meds.

I kept pumping. My arms were burning, but I did not dare stop.

"Another round of epi!" I yelled.

No response.

The monitor alarms grew frantic. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Then it flatlined into a continuous piercing tone.

I did not stop. I kept pushing.

"Chloe," my colleague gently touched my hand. "It has been thirty minutes."

I finally stopped. I realized my hands were slick with sweat.

I looked up at the wall clock. Time of death: 2:17 AM.

Resuscitation failed.

*****

I slid down the wall and sat on the floor with my hands still shaking.

It was always like this. I had seen it too many times.

The monitor flatlines, families cry outside, and we pack up our instruments to prep for the next one.

We were so close.

If I had been faster or pushed harder, maybe I could have snatched him back from the Grim Reaper.

Wait. The Grim Reaper?

I snapped my head up.

Julian was still standing exactly where I left him. He was watching me with eyes full of pity.

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Julian said quietly. "But this is my job. Come on, let me buy you dinner."

Julian took me to the diner we used to frequent before we broke up.

The owner still recognized us. "Hey, it has been a minute! What can I get you two? The usual?"

"Yeah." Julian smiled at him. "Thanks, man."

The owner was quick. A massive, steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup was soon placed in front of me.

"Eat up." Julian pushed the bowl closer. "You always loved this after a rough shift."

It was true. Back when I was an intern shadowing the chief of surgery, I would drag Julian here for soup every time we lost a patient.

Crying into the steam was the perfect way to hide my tears.

I knew a bowl of soup would not change anything. It would not bring anyone back.

But it stopped my hands from shaking and gave me the strength to walk back into the ER the next day.

It could not save my patients, but it saved me.

I ate half the bowl before finally looking up at Julian. "So, you are actually the Grim Reaper?"

"One hundred percent," he replied.

"Before you raised your scythe, you looked at your wrist. But you do not wear a watch."

"I was checking the Master Ledger." He paused. "The digital version."

What a terrible joke. I tried to force a smile but completely failed.

Whatever. Julian was never the type to play mind games anyway.

I stared down at the remaining soup.

Then, without warning, the tears fell right in. One drop, two drops, splashing into the broth.

I did not make a sound. My shoulders just shook.

Julian stayed quiet. He simply handed me a napkin.