THE NIGHT SHIFT

JUST FINE

I wake up on a monotonous Tuesday morning. We've been here two weeks and every day is so mathematically similar I'm starting to believe it's all an illusion. 

As always I get up at 8.30 am and Carter is nowhere to be seen. I slide off of the bed and walk to the bathroom  on my toes as the tiles are ice cold. I was my face,brush my hair, lift my shirt and check for my wound, I might just be superman because in another two weeks you won't even be able to tell I was brutally stabbed. Every morning I check and every morning I leave the bathroom with a proud smirk on my face, convinced I have superpowers.

I then change and walk into the living room where Ben is usually typing at super speed on his pc's keyboard.

"Morning Ben" I greet him.

"Morning, Liz" He replies. I haven't really noticed when he started using this nickname, probably because I've gotten numb to the names I'm called.

My name is Riley and yet Ben calls me Liz, Carter calls me Honey, and in more formal settings I'm Elisabeth, even Elisabeth Davis. And yet I'm none of that, I'm Riley, just Riley.

I sit at the counter and Ben pushes a bag of sweets towards me, it's taken me a while to realize he probably does it because he thinks I'm pregnant, which I find really sweet. 

Then, the same scene plays like scripted line to line, every morning.

"Pass me the bowl, I'm washing the dishes" I ask.

"Liz, don't worry about it" Ben answers.

"It's really not a problem"

"You're pregnant" he argues.

"Just a month, I don't wanna sit around and feel useless, plus it's just a couple of cups".

This is where he usually gives up, too busy working on the computer. From an outsider it might look like an useless argument to have every morning, but it feels like we're both looking forward to it, like a chore to get over with. Ben might think I'm just trying to be helpful and polite, but he doesn't understand how deeply I need it. I could take more too, but Carter says I need to act like a pregnant woman. 

However every morning I wash the dishes, grateful I have something to do, something to occupy my mind for a couple of minutes, something that feels like home.

Carter returns around noon, I get something ready for lunch for the three of us, then he either goes to sleep or takes me out to explain a plan or to exchange personal information in case Ben asks. He's very nice to me, but definitely not a couple like kindness, I'm wondering how Ben doesn't suspect us after our weird behavior during the first weeks.

Today, like yesterday and, probably, or not, like tomorrow, Carter opened the door at 12.15pm. He took off his jacket and scanned the room: the black leather couch, the counter and the stove where I was cooking. A smile appeared on his face as I looked back at him.

"Morning, honey" He says, easily, not forced at all as we've gotten used  to acting like a couple in front of Ben. I walk up to him to greet him, usually he'd hug awkwardly, but this time as I got closer he pulled me in for a kiss. I chuckled out of surprise.

"Someone's in a good mood, why?" I ask jokingly.

"Yeah I'll tell you after lunch, luck's on our side, we'll be just fine".

Not even knowing what he's talking about, this positivity puts me in a good mood and I smile as I serve them lunch.