The Stranger behind the username

The hospital was already busy by the time Kelsey Lane finished her morning rounds.

The sound of rolling stretchers, ringing phones, and hurried footsteps filled the corridors. Nurses moved between patient rooms, doctors discussed treatment plans, and the pharmacy department was already receiving a steady stream of medication requests.

Kelsey glanced at the clock.

10:42 a.m.

She had barely finished documenting her patient's medications when another nurse approached her.

Nurse: "Kelsey, the medication for Room 214 hasn't arrived yet. The patient is scheduled to receive it soon."

Kelsey looked up from her computer.

Kelsey: "Has the pharmacy released it?"

Nurse: "Not yet. I checked a few minutes ago."

She sighed.

Of course.

She opened the medication request on her computer and checked the status. The prescription had already been processed, but the medication still hadn't been released.

Kelsey pressed her lips together.

She had other patients to attend to, and she couldn't afford another delay.

Kelsey: "Okay. I'll check with the pharmacy."

She stood, adjusted her ID badge, and walked toward the pharmacy department.

---

A Difficult Encounter

The pharmacy was located on the other side of the hospital's main corridor. When Kelsey arrived, she immediately spotted Cal Owen behind the counter.

Cal was wearing his white pharmacist's coat, his sleeves slightly rolled up. He was reviewing something on the computer while speaking to one of the pharmacy technicians.

He looked up when Kelsey approached.

Cal: "Oh, great," he muttered under his breath.

Kelsey heard him.

She stopped in front of the counter.

Kelsey: "Good morning to you too, Cal."

Cal leaned back in his chair.

Cal: "Morning. What do you need?"

Kelsey placed her hands on the counter.

Kelsey: "The medication for Room 214. Why hasn't it been released yet?"

Cal turned toward his computer.

Cal: "Which medication?"

She gave him the patient's details.

Cal typed for a few seconds, then frowned.

Cal: "It's still being reviewed."

Kelsey: "Reviewed? The request was submitted earlier. The patient needs it soon."

Cal: "And we're working on it."

Kelsey stared at him.

Kelsey: "Cal, I'm not asking you to release something without checking it. I'm asking why it's taking so long."

Cal turned his chair toward her.

Cal: "And I'm telling you that we're checking it. You don't need to come in here acting like we're just sitting around doing nothing."

Her eyebrows rose.

Kelsey: "Excuse me?"

The technician beside him suddenly became very interested in the computer screen.

Kelsey lowered her voice, though her irritation was obvious.

Kelsey: "I'm trying to make sure my patient receives their medication on time. If there's an issue, you could have communicated it to the nursing station."

Cal: "We communicate when there's something to communicate."

Kelsey: "That's a convenient answer."

Cal exhaled and rubbed his forehead.

Cal: "Look, Kelsey, I have several orders to process. If you want an update, I'll check it. But standing here arguing with me isn't going to make it faster."

She stared at him for a moment.

Then she gave a short, humorless laugh.

Kelsey: "You know what? Fine. Just make sure it's released as soon as possible."

Cal: "We will."

Kelsey: "And maybe next time, try informing the nurses before we have to chase you down."

Cal's jaw tightened.

Cal: "Maybe next time, you could ask without assuming we're neglecting our work."

Kelsey shook her head.

Kelsey: "Unbelievable."

She turned around and walked away.

Cal watched her leave.

Cal: "She always has to make everything an argument," he muttered.

The technician glanced at him.

Technician: "Isn't she Amara's friend?"

Cal turned back to his computer.

Cal: "Unfortunately."

---

A Familiar Face

During lunch, Kelsey sat in the hospital cafeteria with her best friend, Amara Owen.

Amara was still wearing her nursing uniform, her hair tied into a loose ponytail. She was halfway through her meal when she noticed Kelsey's expression.

Amara: "Okay. Who annoyed you?"

Kelsey stabbed her fork into her food.

Kelsey: "Your brother."

Amara paused.

Amara: "My brother?"

Kelsey: "Cal."

Amara slowly smiled.

Amara: "What did he do this time?"

Kelsey leaned back in her chair.

Kelsey: "I went to the pharmacy because a patient's medication hadn't been released. I asked him about it, and he acted like I was personally attacking him."

Amara laughed.

Amara: "That sounds like Cal."

Kelsey: "He's so irritating."

Amara: "He's not that bad."

Kelsey gave her a look.

Kelsey: "Amara."

Amara: "Okay, okay. Sometimes he is."

Kelsey: "Sometimes?"

Amara raised both hands in surrender.

Amara: "Fine. Most of the time."

Kelsey shook her head, but a small smile escaped her.

The two women continued eating, eventually moving on to other topics.

Neither of them knew that Cal was having a similar conversation with Sen White, his best friend and Amara's boyfriend, in the pharmacy break room.

Cal: "Your girlfriend's friend is impossible."

Sen looked up from his phone.

Sen: "Kelsey?"

Cal: "Who else?"

Sen: "What happened?"

Cal explained the pharmacy incident, leaving out none of his frustrations.

Sen listened, then shrugged.

Sen: "Maybe she was worried about her patient."

Cal: "She could have spoken normally."

Sen smirked.

Sen: "Maybe you could have answered normally."

Cal glared at him.

Cal: "You're supposed to be my friend."

Sen: "I am. That's why I'm telling you the truth."

Cal grabbed his coffee.

Cal: "Whatever."

Sen laughed.

---

A Different World

That evening, Kelsey finally arrived home.

She changed into comfortable clothes, grabbed something to eat, and settled onto her bed. After a long shift, she wanted nothing more than to forget the hospital for a while.

She picked up her phone and opened Discord.

A notification appeared.

Rain is online.

Kelsey's expression immediately brightened.

She smiled.

Rain was someone she had met through Call of Duty. They had played together several times, and despite being strangers in real life, they had quickly become comfortable with each other.

He was funny, occasionally annoying, and surprisingly good at keeping her company after difficult shifts.

She tapped their conversation.

Lala: "You online?"

The reply came almost immediately.

Rain: "Finally. I thought you abandoned me."

Kelsey laughed.

Lala: "I just got home. Long day."

Rain: "Same. Hospital?"

Lala: "Unfortunately."

Rain: "You sound like you hate your job."

Lala: "Not my job. Just one person."

Cal's face briefly crossed her mind.

She frowned.

Rain: "Oh? Someone annoying?"

Lala: "Extremely annoying."

Rain: "Tell me about it. There's this one person at my work who drives me crazy."

Kelsey smiled.

Lala: "See? We both have someone."

Rain: "We should complain about them together while destroying people in Verdansk."

Kelsey laughed.

Lala: "Deal."

A few seconds later, Rain sent her an invitation.

She accepted.

The familiar loading screen appeared.

For the next several hours, Kelsey forgot about the hospital, the unfinished charts, and the irritating pharmacist.

She was Lala.

And Rain was waiting for her.

---

Across the city, Cal sat on his couch, headset on, controller in hand.

He had barely finished dinner before logging in.

When Lala joined the lobby, he smiled.

Cal: "Hey, Lala."

Kelsey: "Hey, Rain. Ready to lose?"

Cal chuckled.

Cal: "You're talking a lot for someone who needed me to revive her three times last match."

Kelsey: "Because you took forever!"

Cal: "Because you ran into a whole squad!"

Their laughter filled the room.

Neither knew that the person on the other end of the call was someone they had argued with earlier that day.

Neither knew they had already met.

And neither could have imagined that a random battle royale match would eventually change everything.

To be continued... ❤️