1. The phone call that split her life in two
It was 6:47 PM when Arlinda’s phone rang. She was in the kitchen, her hands wet from the dishes and the stove boiling soup for her son, Klean. It was an ordinary afternoon, until the sound of the phone became strange… heavier than usual. She felt it. Instinct.
The screen read: **”Central Hospital”**.
His heart trembled.
— Hello? — he said in a voice that could barely come out.
— Mrs. Arlinda? We’re from the emergency room. Your son, Klea… has suffered a serious stroke and has been admitted to Intensive Care. Please come immediately.
There was no other explanation. No details. No words of comfort.
She just threw her keys in her bag, left the stove on, poured water on her shoes as she hurried, and ran towards the first car she saw on the road.
As the taxi sped away, she prayed that this was all a mistake. Her son should be home. She had left the music in the room. His books open on the table…
“God, please don’t let this be true.”
She arrived in front of the hospital without remembering the way.
—
2. At the door of Intensive Care**
Arlinda entered, breathless, and ran through the gray corridors of the hospital until she reached the Intensive Care Unit. There, everything seemed quieter than it should be. Dim lights. The smell of chlorine. The sound of monitors blaring monotonously.
She was reaching out to open the door… when suddenly a cold, quick, and strong hand grabbed her wrist.
— Madam? — a low, sharp voice. — Please, do not take any further steps.
Arlinda returned. She was a nurse in her forties, with dark, deep eyes, and a kind of tension that didn’t belong simply to a day at work.
— What’s happening? Where’s my son? — Arlinda asked, trying to pull her arm away.
The nurse brought her face very close and whispered in a harsh tone:
— Hide. Now. Without making a sound.
Arlinda remained frozen.
— And my son? — he repeated, almost breathless.
“Please, ma’am!” she whispered. “There’s someone inside who shouldn’t be there. If you go in, you’re endangering yourself and… him.”
She grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind a large blue curtain, next to the boy’s room.
— Don’t go out. Don’t talk. Don’t even move. If I give you a sign, leave. But if I go in with someone myself… don’t go out for any reason.
Arlinda could feel the blood pounding in her ears. She wasn’t breathing properly.
“Who could be inside? What danger? Why me? Why my son?”
He heard footsteps in the hallway.
The weight of a man’s shoes.
—
3. Unknown Man**
The footsteps stopped in front of the door of the room. Arlinda, through the small crack in the curtain, saw a man in his fifties. Well dressed, very well for someone coming to the hospital. An expensive black suit, gray tie. But there was something strange about his face — he was very calm. Cold calm. Unnatural.
He wasn’t looking around. He was looking at Klean’s door. Only him.
The nurse approached him with a fake smile.
— Sir, please, you must wait in the lobby. Visitors are not allowed now.
The man didn’t move. He didn’t turn around. He just said in a slow voice:
— The boy… is mine. I come when I want.
Arlinda’s blood rushed to her head from fear.
“Inuk was Klean’s father. His father had long been divorced and was living in Italy. Who was this? What did he want?”
The nurse did not back down.
— You are not on the family list. The procedures…
The man interrupted her sentence:
— The procedures don’t apply to me.
He raised his hand and touched the handle.
Arlinda almost jumped forward, but the nurse placed her finger on her lips from a distance, calmly, signaling her not to move.
The nurse said:
— You cannot enter without authorization.
The man slowly turned to her. His eyes were empty. As if there was no one inside them.
— Bring me my documents, — he said. — They will convince you.
And he left in the direction of the reception.
The nurse quickly slid towards the curtain.
— Don’t move. He’ll be back. He’s not here to visit anyone.
Arlinda whispered:
— Who is it?
“We don’t know yet,” she said. “But he’s been trying to get into a lot of rooms today. We don’t know what he’s looking for, or why. But his behavior is… disturbing.”
—
4. Fear that doesn’t let you breathe**
Over the next few minutes, Arlinda heard the nurse’s footsteps running down the hallway, as well as the distant voices of the staff. Someone raised their voice, a door slammed, then silence.
Arlinda was alone. Totally alone, behind a thin curtain, with the cold hospital light shining in her eyes and her heart beating so hard she thought the entire hallway could hear it.
She began to imagine the worst: maybe the man was a psychopath. Maybe he was looking for vulnerable people. Maybe it was someone from her ex-husband’s past who wanted revenge.
Every scenario that came to mind was more terrifying than the next.
He started to tremble.
“Where is Klea? Is she breathing? Is the nurse buying time to protect me, or to catch that man?”
Her feet had become cold. Her arms were numb.
She heard footsteps again.
—
5. Confrontation**
It wasn’t the nurse.
It was him.
Arlinda could already distinguish his steps. The rhythm was calm, sure, frightening.
He came to the door of the boy’s room and stopped.
“I knew you were here,” he said in a low voice. “Even though you hid.”
Arlinda’s heart sank.
“Are you talking to me? Do you know where I am?”
He opened the handle, but the door was locked.
“—No problem,” he said in a strange tone. “I can wait.”
He sat down on a chair a few meters away from the curtain. And he stayed there. Without moving.
Arlinda held her breath. The seconds seemed like hours.
Then he heard a loud metallic noise. A door being forced open.
“Sir, please stand up!” said a male voice.
Security guard.
“I already told you,” said the man. “I have work to do here.”
The nurse returned:
— This man is not family. He must leave immediately.
The guards approached him and grabbed him by the arms. He didn’t resist. He didn’t even speak. He didn’t even look back. He just got up and walked away with quiet steps while whispering:
— This isn’t over.
The guards escorted him to the exit.
Only silence remained behind him.
—
6. The truth that came to light**
Only when the guards returned and confirmed that he had left the building did the nurse run towards Arlinda and carefully lift her up.
— You’re safe now. I’m sorry if I scared you, but I couldn’t take the risk.
Arlinda barely managed to get the words out:
— Who was he? What was he looking for?
The nurse sighed.
— We don’t know. He came into this ward twice today looking for someone with different excuses. The first time he said he was a patient’s uncle. The second time he was looking for a child with your son’s description. He was calm, but very… strange.
— Wh-child? — Arlinda took a step back. — My son? Why my son?
The nurse lowered her eyes.
— I can’t say for sure. But when I saw you come in, and I saw him coming again… I thought I’d protect you.
Arlinda felt her eyes fill with tears.
— Can I come in to see my son?
— Yes. Now everything is safe.
—
7. Inside his room**
When she opened the door, Arlinda’s heart broke into a thousand pieces.
Klea was lying, with tubes, his face pale but calm. The monitor was beating at a slow but sure pace.
She sat down next to him, took his small hand in hers, and began to cry silently. Warm, heavy, uncontrollable tears.
— Mom is here, my angel… I am here…
He didn’t hear her. But it was as if his fingers moved lightly. Maybe it was just her imagination. But it was enough for her not to break.
The nurse turned on a dim light and said:
— He will recover. But you… went through something very serious today. If you hadn’t stopped, I don’t know what could have happened.
Arlinda looked him in the eye.
— You saved my life.
The nurse smiled slightly.
— Maybe even two lives.
—
8. The End That Isn’t the End**
After a few hours, the hospital quieted down. The corridors emptied. The lights dimmed. Arlinda slept with her head on her son’s hand, exhausted.
At 3:16 a.m., a hospital guard received a call from the main entrance.
An unknown voice said:
— I think I left something important in there. I have to go back.
The guard asked:
— Who is it?
The voice smiled.
— You will recognize me. Soon.
Then he hung up the phone.
—
**It wasn’t over. But Arlinda and her son were no longer alone. The entire hospital staff was ready. And fear, no matter how great, could no longer sleep in silence.**
